'3 is down! We are taking hits! Requesting immediate backu- What the? I can see boats, a whole fleet! No sig on the radar though! Nell, what's going on?' The pilot struggled with the controls as waited on a response. Nell spoke over the radio from the war room. 'Looks like they've got low sig, but, that makes no sense! We have enhanced radar! This could pick up a fly a mile off if we wanted it to!' While she pondered the fought, the planes remained locked in a fight to the death above the treacherous waters. One of the enemy planes was taken down by a rocket launched by 5, who was writhing through the sky eratically with hope of shaking off a missile that was hot on his trail. He failed. '5 is down! We need backup! Request to return to base!' He screamed as he flew in circles pointlessly attempting to keep the enemy craft in his sight. 'Denied.' Nell was firm in her decision. 'We have to keep you airborne. Without you, we're all doomed. This is on your shoulders. We're sending Catapult Interceptor Planes, however, to flank the enemy.' She moved from the radio. 'You heard the man, Andy, we have null sig naval units! Mobilise submarines! Launch the Catapults!' Andy proceeded swiftly to another radio; 'Mobilise Submarines! Launch the Catapults!'
'Roger, ready to go.' Buzzed a voice through the loudspeaker. Andy looked out the window as 12 white aircraft sped vertically upwards in perfect formation before heading straight ahead. 'This is Catapult unit 1, squadron leader, requesting orders!' Andy leaned over to the radio. 'The enemy are about 70 degrees north of your current position, but we need to enact a flank manouvere. We need half each side of the enemy squadron, which consists of 7 planes currently. You have your orders.'
'Roger that, out!' The 12 planes split off 6 aside in opposite directions to trap the enemy and salvage their falling comrades.
Up ahead, only 2 Orange Star planes remained intact as they swerved violently, firing rockets completely awry as they attempted to survive. An attempt that lay seemingly in vane, as 2 spiralled towards an enemy battleship, its wings destroyed, flames spewing maliciously from its battered cockpit. It smashed into the ships hull, sending a dozen or so helpless crewmembers flying in all directions. 4 flew on carelessly, neglecting the controls as he saw no hope. His eyes shut and his hands clasped, he heard a noise. An explosion, too distant to be his craft blowing up. He opened his eyes and saw 12 heavenly white angels flying in and destroying the evil. He screwed his eyes shut and reopened them. The angels remained, pouring in from left and right, all guns ablaze.
'Catapults!' He cried aloud, his voice ripe with a quivering joy and an overcome fear. Then he saw the water, rising up to meet him at a terrifying speed. He gripped the controls and pulled back, sending the plane upwards into the grey sky. But his turn was too sharp, and part of the back of the plane hit the water at such a velocity that a portion of the craft was torn off and cast into the depths below. His balance lost, he struggled to keep the plane flying. The shape of the city emerged faintly on the skyline to his far left, so he arced horizontally to meet it. Below, from the command tower of a battleship, a man pointed and a large mounted turret rotated to meet the plane's path. The turret fired. There were two identical guns on it that stood side by side, alternating between each after every shot. The first hit put a hole through the planes wing, setting it alight. The plane was shaken off course with the explosion. 4 looked to his right to see an inferno creeping closer towards him. He struggled and slowed his plane, flying downwards. He positioned it so that the flaming wing was aiming towards the water as he flew on, now travelling diagonally. He pulled up slowly near the water, safely submerging the damaged wing. Sparks flew off as he pulled out and tried to regain balance, such a thing which is difficult when one has no tail and a broken wing on his aircraft. He righted himself and headed back to the coast at full speed, toe-rolling frantically to avoid the AA rounds. He flew through the swarm of friends and foes, ignorant of the many planes falling around him. He had come this far. He wouldn't fail now. He couldn't.
He could see past the shore now. He could see soldiers, preying in desperation. He realised his cowardice before deciding it was the correct course of action. As he finished pondering the though, a 22ml shell tore through the plane's hull. He was going down not into the sea, but worse, into the soldier ridden shore. Some saw him; some were oblivious to the mangled plane. He fiddled with a box before releasing the latch and removing a flare gun. He smashed the cockpit window with his elbow, leaned out and fire 2 flares, one directly above the coast, one directly upwards. He knew he would die. He could do nothing. He wept at his failure. He wept at his useless efforts. It was as if everything fell silent around him as his doom sped up to meet him. His was vision blurred with tears. He saw his family. He saw his colleagues. He saw his little girl. He saw a ladder fall through the cockpit. He saw a man leaning out of a window, beckoning to him to climb the ladder. He wiped his eyes and checked again. It remained. He grabbed on and began to climb, his hand fumbling with the ropes out of desperation. The man in the cockpit raised the ladder, carrying him out of his death bed. The plane, now empty, continued down and hit an oblivious mech' infantry squad, instantly crushing and burning them. 'You ok?' The pilot seemed friendly enough. 'Yeah, a-at least I think so.' He stuttered, his entire body shaking. 'Hate to say it, but we're going back in there. Sorry, but I can't break an order. I'd set you down on the shore, but, hell, it's packed with infantry. Sorry.'
4 nodded jerkily. As much as he hated it, he knew it was true. 'What's your name anyways?' said the pilot, leaning over to see the man's badge.
'P-Peter. Peter Henderson.'
'I'm Martyn Lane, good to meet you.' He put his hand out to shake, but withdrew it after noticing how shaken the man was. The plane flew back into the battle and continued to fight, spraying a hail of bullets at enemy planes in defense of the city.
Back at HQ, they watched the map table as the Catapult planes kept disappearing from it as they blew up over the sea. Another wave of fighters flew in. The Catapults were trapped. Nell spoke out; 'Wait. Those aren't just fighters. They're escorts.' She pointed at a collection little cones on the map. 'Bombers.' Said Jones through clenched teeth. Andy trembled as again, the memories came flooding back to him. He shook his head violently and stood up. 'Launch swords 2 and 3 of the Catapults now!' He proclaimed. 'Those bombers are NOT reaching the land if I have anything to do with it.' As before, a ground of planes sped up past the window. Pincer manoeuvre. Team 3, try and get the bombers right in the back. Team 2, split off half and get them from both sides. We have to stop those bombers.
'Roger, carrying out orders.'
'Affirmative.' The 2 squadrons did as instructed, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake.
More ships were moving in now, their Anti Aircraft guns belting out at the remaining planes. Another squadron of fighters was moving in. The leader intercepted the comm. Radio and spoke; 'This is Eagle of White Sun! Surrender now and I shall take the city. Continue to resist and I hall shatter your city, your forces and your dignity! What shall it be?' His voice was as cold as could be expected by Andy.
'We are not withdrawing, Eagle!' Andy's voice screamed down the airwaves, bleating out in Eagle's face. 'Hmm, what was that? I wonder… Was that the RUNT? Hello Mr Andrews. I trust you've not forgotten our last encounter?' He cackled maniacally, a wide, evil grin spreading over his war beaten features. 'I can hear the bombers now! And do you know what else I can hear? I can hear your useless planes, travelling to their doom. And there they are!' He exclaimed contentedly. 'LIGHTNING STRIKE!' A missile could be heard exploding not far off. A voice came through on the other line of the radio. 'This is Catapult lance 2 squadron leader! We have contact! 8 is down!' Nell watched at the map as the friendly signals all disappeared, listening to the sounds of the screams down the radio. Within a minute they were all gone.
Two planes returned to base, an airborne army on their tail as they weaved back. The bombers were coming. They couldn't be stopped.