"I'm still not sure that this is such a good idea." Clown shifted his weight onto one foot as he leaned against the wall. "Last thing we wanna do in our current situation is poke the beehive."

"But if we don't do something, then they'll end up doing the same thing to us," Eva pointed out before shifting her gaze to the briefing screen, which was zoomed in on Comberth Harbor.

"They could just be regrouping with all the forces that they can to wait this whole thing out just like we're doing," Clown replied. "If they're not gonna attack us, I'd rather not provoke 'em."

Eva started pacing around the room. "Satellites going down doesn't change the fact that we're still at war with them. Just look at what happened at Expo City, at Chopinburg. They're not stopping. Plus, we've already gotten attacked once. It's safe to say the Eruseans know we're here. Before long, they'll be here in force. At least if we do this, we'll have the element of surprise on our side." She pinched the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh as the thought weighing most on her mind finally decided to leave her lips. "Believe me. I don't want to put us in any more danger than we have to. We've been through more than enough already. I get that. We're all exhausted, but if we don't do this now, we'll be doing it later. It's like I said, at least we'll have the element of surprise on our side."

Clown looked back at the briefing screen as uncertainty filled his eyes. "It's not that I don't agree with you, Diamond," he finally said after an extended pause. His eyes didn't move from where they rested. "I- I just have a feeling about this. My gut is telling me that this is a mistake, that we'll end up regretting this some time down the road, and after everything I've been through, I'm inclined to listen."

Eva stopped pacing and looked over to Commander Knight, who had been silent for most of the discussion. "Ultimately, the decision lies with you, sir. It's your call."

Knight got up from his chair and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you've both got some good points," he admitted, trying to stay as impartial as he could. "But there's one thing that I think takes priority in this situation." He slowly made his way over to the window and looked out at the base, at the people all working on various tasks and toiling away as if the satellites had never gone down. "After Expo City and Chopinburg, we have plenty of non-combatants, civilians, here. They nearly died during the bombing runs, and I don't wanna take that chance again." He turned around to look at both of them. "I think we should do it."

Before long, everyone was sat down in the briefing room as they once again prepared to risk it all. It was quieter than usual, and as Eva looked around at her friends, she could see that they were all growing tired of everything. She was, too, more than she cared to admit, but she knew she had to set an example for them to follow, so that was exactly what her plan was.

"Earlier today, Mage Squadron went out on patrol," Knight began. "Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first. Then, they saw it." He started entering data into the computer, and the screen zoomed in from its view of the whole continent to the east coast. "Erusean forces are gathering at Comberth Harbor. We think…" Knight's voice trailed off, and he ran his fingers through his hair with a heavy exhale. "We think they're planning an attack on Fort Grays. Needless to say, we want you to make sure that doesn't happen. From what we've seen, the Eruseans at Comberth have amassed a sizeable fleet, likely consisting of most of whatever navy they have left. While they were out, Mage Squadron saw at least one aircraft carrier, and two battleships, with several more that they couldn't properly identify from a distance."

"Do we even know when they're planning on attacking, if at all?" Charger asked.

Knight shook his head. "No, but that just makes this all the more urgent. Now, you'd better get going. We want to have the element of surprise on our side for this operation, so the faster it gets done, the better. Just remember that we're all counting on you, so come back safe. Ultimately, that's our biggest priority." He looked at everyone with a smile before dismissing them off to the hangars.

"Comberth Harbor," Eva murmured before shaking her head as a light chuckle escaped her lips. "Of all the places…"

"What was that?" Lucky barely heard her speak, but he wasn't able to understand what she said.

"Just thinking about the irony of this is all," Eva explained. "My flight instructor was a pilot for ISAF during the Continental War, and he'd always talk about the battles at Comberth Harbor and Comona Island back at the Academy. Now I'm here doing the same thing he came here to do: sink a fleet."

"History repeats itself in the damndest ways," Charger agreed. "Let's just hope we end up as successful as they were."

"All aircraft, cut the chatter," Sky Keeper cut in. "Since Warlock Squadron and the other ground troops are participating in the attack as well, you'll have to ID your targets manually," he explained. "Remember to always check your targets before you fire."

"Roger, Kestrel Squadron, engaging," Eva replied before she led the squadron of five F-35s toward the sea of unknown targets.

"Mage Squadron, engaging," Clown added as the four F/A-18s broke off and flew toward a different section of the harbor to cover more ground.

Eva locked her eyes forward. As she and the others neared their target, she switched to the 8AGMs she had loaded in a moment of pure instinct. Her finger was on the trigger, and all eight of her missiles were locked onto one of the ships in port when she stopped to remember Sky Keeper's orders. Slowly, she eased off the trigger and pulled back on the throttle. Her plane began dropping ever so slightly, bringing her as close to the water as she felt was necessary. Tracers started spewing up from the ships as Eva got closer, but she stayed on target. She couldn't stand having to identify targets like this manually just about every time, but she also knew that it had to be this way. She didn't want her or anyone else in her squadron messing this up, especially after what happened with Lucky on the Kestrel II. As inefficient as the system was, it was how it needed to be.

"Feel good to be back in the saddle, Brownie?" Boggard asked to break the monotonous silence.

"I dunno… After everything that's happened, I'm just not sure," the returned pilot admitted. "I guess at the very least, this'll give me an opportunity to fight for everyone we've lost so far."

"That's one hell of a motivator. I suggest you hold onto it as long as you can," Poet advised her. "I can't speak for the others, but that's what got me through all the business with the Kestrel II- the thought of doing right in the memories of those we lost."

"That's all we can do at this point," Eva chimed in as she flew over a destroyer she just identified and circled back around to get the rest of the ships. "It's up to us to keep their memories alive." Even months after the Kestrel II sank and weeks after Vortex died, those words from that night in the hangar still rang true in her head every day.

With five aircraft flying around their section of the harbor, Eva and the others identified most of the fleet in a surprisingly quick time. As annoying as the process was, they were getting remarkably good at it, considering how much they had to do it. Unfortunately, by the time they had the fleet identified, the Eruseans were already fully aware of their presence and had begun their counterattack. Missiles twisted and turned through the sky to get behind Eva, and she jerked the control stick in just about every direction to get away from them. Her breathing got faster, almost totally in sync with the rapidly-increasing missile alert that shouted at her over and over that they were gaining on her. Luckily, her evasive maneuvers put her in a position to fire a salvo of 8AGMs at the aegis vessel fired at her. She only had a split-second, but by that point, split-second movements were something she excelled at. All eight missiles found their targets in seconds. The ship didn't even have time to try and counter before it began its descent to the ocean floor.

Eva yanked the control stick back and pulled around in a tight loop. Her chest heaved as the weight of the g-forces pushed against her on all sides, and the missiles trailing her came so close to contact as they whiffed her that she could feel the hairs on her arms standing up straight. Once Eva's missile alert had finally calmed down, she started heading toward the metropolitan area on Kestrel Squadron's side of the harbor. Specifically, she was focused on what looked to be an aegis ashore system. Once again, she was greeted by gunfire shooting up from the ground in her general direction, but she didn't fire yet. Eva's F-35 rattled as the occasional shot would ping off the airframe, but she didn't veer off- not until her IFF confirmed the large cluster of targets as a hostile aegis ashore system. The moment she heard the single beep from her radar, she heaved the throttle forward and pulled back on the control stick as far as she could go. Her plane pitched straight up into the sky, and a missile launched from the anti-air system followed her. Eva's eyes flicked rapidly between her rapidly decreasing speed and the approaching missile. Once it was close enough, she deployed countermeasures and looped back around, making a complete 180 degree turn toward the ground. Just before Eva unleashed another volley of 8AGMs, though, Charger flew right over the aegis ashore system, firing guns and missiles at several of the defenses surrounding the main guns, which luckily made it an easier target for her to hit and take out in one shot.

"Enemy anti-air system neutralized," Sky Keeper reported. "That makes about 25% of enemy forces destroyed. Keep at it."

"With all the forces they have preparing to mobilize here, I'm surprised they're not putting up more of a fight," Footpad remarked. "We must've really caught 'em by surprise."

"Honestly, I kinda feel a bit guilty basically kneecapping them like this," Lucky said. "They're barely getting a chance to fight back."

Eva was about to remind them that they didn't have much choice, but to her surprise, Brownie beat her to it. "They would've done the same thing to us had we let them," she pointed out. "Better us than them, I say."

To prevent another debate from breaking out, Eva put an end to the conversation by saying, "We'll do what we have to in order to survive."

Everyone murmured some sort of brief agreement before they carried on with their work, and aside from the occasional callouts from Sky Keeper, the pilots were all unusually quiet. However, it didn't last long until the AWACS operator had to issue another warning for them.

"All aircraft, be advised. Fighters are taking off from the carrier in the fleet. Intercept them before they can interfere with the operation," he ordered.

Eva looked down at her radar. Slowly but surely, the yellow targets covering the battlefield were either turning green or blue. Up until that point, there had only been a few air targets, and all of them were helicopters. Once Sky Keeper sent his announcement, though, she saw the fighters marked hostile by default. For a brief moment, she thought about the time when she helped sink the fleet heading for Farbanti with Torch and Domino back on the Kestrel II. Before she even knew it, she was issuing orders as if she was Domino at that moment.

"Lucky, Charger, and Poet, you three stay focused on that fleet- the carrier especially. Magic, we'll deal with the fighters that've already launched. Keep 'em off the others as best you can."

Magic wasn't far away from Eva when the order came, so it didn't take her long to slip behind her flight lead and get into formation. "Wilco, Diamond. I'm right behind you."

"Hey, how are you holding up, Mage Squadron?" Eva asked as she sped toward the enemy fighters.

"Surprisingly, things are going alright," Clown replied. "If it keeps up at this rate, we should be able to head over and help you in a minute or two."

"Let's not get too comfortable," Brownie cut in. "Last time I thought things were going too easily, I nearly died."

"From what I can see, it looks like we're in the clear as far as reinforcements go," Sky Keeper informed them. "I've got nothing incoming on radar, and a little over 50% of enemy forces have been destroyed. As long as we finish this up quickly, we should be fine."

"C'mon, you guys. Save some for us, why don't you?" Garth chimed in with a light chuckle. "By the time we get here, half the city is already dealt with."

"Guess you've just gotta be quicker than that," Charger said in an equally lighthearted voice.

Eva didn't respond. She was too busy focusing on the Su-33 in front of her. Another one came up behind her for a moment, but it had to break off a few seconds later as Magic closed in on them. Meanwhile, Eva rolled and pitched, making turn after turn and loop after loop to try and catch the stubborn enemy pilot. Suddenly, the Su-33 tilted its nose upward and dropped its speed dramatically. Before Eva had time to react, she flew right past the Flanker as it straightened back out behind her. They didn't waste any time firing missiles at her, but she quickly countered them with chaff and flares before dropping her own speed. Rather than waiting for a missile lock, she instead waited for the moment her target was in range to fire machine guns and take them down.

"Is that the last of the fighters?" Magic asked as she shot down another Su-33. "I'm not seeing any more of them."

"Affirmative, and the carrier's out of action too," Sky Keeper answered. "Actually, now that I'm looking at the radar, I think that's pretty much everything."

"I thought there were still a few more ground targets in the city," Poet said. "How could they all be gone?"

"Heh. You told us to be faster, so we did," Garth replied. "Not our fault you missed out on the action," he teased the pilots.

"Actually, wait," Sky Keeper cut off anyone from replying. "Looks like there is one thing that's trying to leave the port. I think it's a submarine."

"You want us to try and deal with 'em?" Boggard asked.

"No. There's no point. They're already under. It's not worth the trouble," the AWACS operator explained. "Best to just get out of there."

"Yeah, I'm with Sky Keeper on this one," Brownie agreed. "We already came what we were here to do. No point risking being out here any more than we need to."

Eva didn't voice any sort of response, but she agreed with Brownie. She didn't want Lucky or anyone else getting shot down because they pushed it farther than they needed to, so she began to lead the group home. Without saying another word, she turned to face southeast, back toward Fort Grays. Before long, the other four formed up behind her, and with Mage Squadron flying next to them, they all flew back to base together, relieved that they had not only defended their home but that they kept each other alive to see another day.