Jacob glanced around the briefing room as he sat down. His eyes lingered on Vega Squadron especially. Their arrival last evening was a total surprise to him, and he didn't like surprises, nor did he like the fact that Doctor Francis seemed to be out to replace him. The disagreements the two of them had been having more and more of were only making the mercenary more suspicious of the man's true intentions, but based on the fact that there were now an additional four Erusean pilots sitting next to him, Doctor Francis was tired of it
Speaking of Doctor Francis, at present, he was the only one they were waiting on. Usually, he made a point of being punctual, which made his absence all the more puzzling. Fortunately, Jacob didn't have to think about it for very long since the doctor stepped through the door mere moments after Jacob noticed his absence.
"I apologize for being late," Doctor Francis quickly stated, glancing at Vega Squadron as he worked his way up to the front of the room alongside General Shay. "I had a few small matters that needed to be addressed." He paused for a moment before turning his attention to the general standing beside him. "So, shall we begin?" He clasped his hands together as he turned around to face the blank screen behind them.
Shay nodded, leaning over the keyboard at his desk and logging into the briefing software. Instead of the satellites displaying all the data they needed onto the screen automatically, though, he had to enter it all manually, plotting points along the continent to cover it either red or blue. "As you're all aware," Shay began. "Erusea launched a counterattack in the east a few days ago to try and delay the capture of the capital, and while we may not have been able to defend Farbanti, the Oseans out here are scattered and on the run," he explained, zooming into the east coast of Usea. "Before the satellites went dark, we were tracking where the various groups of Osean forces were and where they were headed. Our data concluded that the largest of these cells was headed for Expo City. Naturally, our forces surrounded the city and put them to siege, but then everything went dark."
"Needless to say, that's why you're here now," Doctor Francis cut in. "We need you to make your way to Expo City and link up with the friendly forces to finish the Oseans off."
"How are we supposed to that when we can't even tell who's friendly or not?" Vega 1 asked, staring at the screen and studying every aspect of it.
"We'll use the infrared cameras in your planes to identify targets," Francis answered. "Just keep your target in the center of your sight for a few seconds, then we can update their status on your IFF."
Initially, Jacob wasn't sure whether he should voice his concerns or not, considering how tense things were between him and the doctor. Still, something about this mission didn't sit right with him, and even if the chances were slim that it would work, he thought trying to get them to stand down was worth a try.
"Are we sure we should be going out on sorties like this?" he finally asked. "With the satellite network down, we don't have much intel, and it's not like we have much in the way of supplies either." It didn't take long for him to feel Doctor Francis's inquisitive eyes narrowing in his direction.
"Any worries you might have about ammo or supplies will be alleviated when the Skyshards arrive later today," Francis answered. "That's all you need to know."
"So, what's our formation gonna look like?" Vega 3 asked. "Where does the merc fit into it all?" Jacob was fully aware of the contempt in the other pilot's voice, but he chose not to justify it with a reaction.
"Zero will be assuming command of Vega Squadron," General Shay answered. "Even if he is a mercenary, he's still one of the best damn pilots I've had the pleasure of seeing in action."
"Hmph, I think I'd like to set out to change that," Vega 1 remarked with a smirk.
"Listen," Shay said before anyone could respond. "This mission is important. With this group of Oseans done for, we'll be able to keep the fight going out here in the east. If and when communications come back up, it'll be crucial for us to have a foothold in Usea so we can keep the fight going. Osea hasn't won yet, so get out there and push them back."
Jacob nodded and stood up. "Don't worry. We'll get it done, sir," he assured them as he started toward the hangars, not caring if the others were following him. This was the first time he was flying in a proper squadron in a long time, but his skills had grown since then. He didn't need them, and he was going to prove it.
The flight to Expo City felt far longer than it had any right to. Rather than just letting the time slip by in silence like he usually did, Jacob had to listen to Vega Squadron chatting on and on. Occasionally, they'd ask him a question or two about the Skyshard, which he'd answer half-heartedly, but other than that, the mercenary said nothing.
Finally, he looked down at his radar and saw it light up with yellow targets. "Heads up, we're nearing the AO," he warned the others.
"Roger that, got eyes on eight contacts close to us, plus one other nearby," Vega 1, now Vega 2, replied. "I'm not seeing a whole lotta movement in the city, though."
"Let's just focus on these bogies for now," Jacob reminded her. "Once we get close, we'll ID them and see if they're friendly or not."
As Jacob led the other four aircraft to the unknown targets, three of them started to peel away from the ground with some ground units, and the isolated fighter joined up with the other five going to face them head-on. Eventually, the six incoming fighters appeared on Jacob's HUD, and for a brief moment, Jacob thought they'd have this in the bag. Then, he noticed the all too familiar Su-35 with blue wingtips on the outside of the formation.
"It's the Blue Kestrel!" Vega 3 exclaimed before Jacob got the chance to say it.
Vega 2 scoffed. "Well, it's about damn time. I've been itching for a good fight for a while now. I just hope they're not getting overhyped."
"They're not. The Blue Kestrel is the real deal," Jacob told them. "That's why I'll be the one to take 'em on. You four, deal with the other five."
"And what if we don't? You gonna make us?" Vega 2 challenged him. "Last time I checked, there's four of us and only one of you."
"Just god damn do it," Jacob snapped, already turning to engage the Blue Kestrel. "I've lost enough allies to them already."
Vega 2 mumbled some grievance Jacob couldn't hear before replying with a bitter, "Fine."
After waiting a moment to confirm that the other four pilots were going after the escorts, Jacob focused his attention back on the Blue Kestrel, who was heading toward him at full speed. Six missiles shot out from underneath their wingtips, and all of them streaked through the stormy sky and right at him. Jacob yanked back on his control stick, pulling up as hard as he could go and letting out a sigh of relief as the incessant missile alert finally silenced itself. Unfortunately, his evasive maneuvering put him in the perfect position for the Blue Kestrel to slip behind him.
Jacob made one turn after another to try and break free of the radar lock the Blue Kestrel had on him, but the moment he'd turn away, they'd do the same thing. Luckily, however, this was working to Jacob's advantage. While the Blue Kestrel's speed continued to drop, the Skyshard kept Jacob going strong and fast. Eventually, the Blue Kestrel turned away, and Jacob thought for a brief moment that he'd be able to take a moment to breathe. However, those hopes were quickly smashed when the Su-37 leading the Blue Kestrel's formation came up behind him moments later.
"God damn, even the escorts are good," Vega 3 grunted. "I can't even get in close to one of them without another coming up behind me."
"Just keep pushing," Vega 2 insisted. "They'll tire out soon enough."
"So will we," Vega 5 cut in. "I'm already-" his voice abruptly stopped as static replaced it.
"Vega 5! These bastards are gonna-" Vega 3 didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before he, too, went up in flames.
"Son of a bitch!" Vega 2 cursed. "I swear I'll make them regret that."
Jacob had stopped paying attention by that point. All his brain could do was think about what maneuvers it had to execute in order to stay alive. The Blue Kestrel and the Su-37 flying with them were a formidable pair. Jacob had gone up against them three times now, and every time, they had him on the ropes. Occasionally, he'd get the chance to slip behind one of them ever so briefly and take a shot, but it would never hit. Eventually, Jacob shot a pair of standard missiles at the Su-37 and waited for them to evade. Once they were off his tail, he finally got an opportunity to get behind the Blue Kestrel and stay there.
"One of 'em's running away!" Vega 4 pointed out. "Let's take him out before he gets a chance to leave."
"It's no use," Vega 2 replied. "One of his buddies is covering for him. Just focus on the rest."
Jacob kept his eyes locked on the blue wingtips in front of him. Every so often, he'd fire a missile at them or try and hit them with machine guns, but the Blue Kestrel evaded them with ease. Suddenly, their movements started to slow down, but just by a bit. Jacob only barely picked up on it, but once he did, he began to get curious. For a moment, he wondered if they were starting to tire out, but that theory was dead in the water as soon as he spotted the Su-37 coming up behind him. The Blue Kestrel was using themselves as bait. It was a bold move that only increased his admiration for the pilot he had gone up against so many times. The fact that they were willing to go to such lengths to keep him off of her squadmates spoke volumes about what kind of a person she was, at least to Jacob.
"Zero, you've got a bandit on your tail," Vega 2 warned.
Jacob scoffed. "No shit. Thanks for stating the obvious," he responded with a voice as dry as sand.
"Just hang on. I'll take care of 'em for you," the other pilot reassured him.
"I know what I'm doing," Jacob objected. For some reason, the thought of that Su-37 getting shot down rubbed him the wrong way.
Suddenly, a deafening boom and a blinding flash scrambled Jacob's senses. "The bastard just got struck by lightning," Vega 2 exclaimed. "I'm going for it." Jacob tried to object, but she already let out a small cheer before he got the chance. "Hell yeah, I got 'em!"
"I told you I had it under control," Jacob snapped. He looked behind himself at the burning wreck of the Su-37 spiraling to the ground. No matter how hard he wanted to look away, he couldn't take his eyes off of it.
Vega 2 scoffed. "Yeah, well, I took care of it for you. Now hurry up and take out the Blue Kestrel."
Jacob turned his attention back to the Blue Kestrel, who was now flying completely straight. Even as he came up right behind them, they made no attempts to evade. Before long, Jacob realized what was going on, and guilt crept into his conscience. He knew he had to do something, or else the others would oust him as a traitor, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do it. He couldn't figure out when, but at some point over the course of the war, he realized deep down that he didn't want to kill the Blue Kestrel. But he still had to do something.
All Jacob could manage was a quiet, "I'm sorry." And at that, he pelted the Blue Kestrel with machine guns until their plane caught on fire and dropped to the ground below. "The Blue Kestrel is down," he reported.
"Not quite," Vega 4 cut in. "Looks like they bailed out. Although… I suppose it wouldn't hurt to finish the job."
As soon as Jacob laid eyes on the parachute getting hurled around in the wind, he started looping around. "Don't you dare," he ordered.
"Give it a rest, will you?" Vega 2 asked. "You really oughta-"
Before Jacob could even figure out what had fully happened, the Rafale in the Blue Kestrel's formation zipped by, shooting down Vega 2 before pulling around to face Vega 4. During all the encounters Jacob had with this squadron, none of the pilots aside from the Blue Kestrel and the Su-37 pilot had struck him as particularly out of the ordinary. They were good, that much, he would give them, but not at the same level as the other two. Now, though, that Rafale was fighting tooth and nail with a ferocity that the mercenary pilot had rarely seen before.
"Goddammit! Zero, get this guy off my back already," Vega 4 cried out. "Son of a bitch, I'm hit."
All Jacob could do was keep his distance. He didn't know why, nor did he know why he felt this way, but no amount of willpower could get him to turn and help Vega 4. By that point, Jacob could barely even hear his calls for help. All he could do was turn away and head back to base. Even as Vega 4's last call for help was replaced by familiar static, the only thing Jacob could manage was to look over his shoulder for just a moment before turning his attention back to the skies in front of him and returning to base.
Adrian wasn't sure whether he should be feeling nervous or excited. For the past five minutes, his eyes had been glued to the same patch of sky that Zero and Vega Squadron disappeared into. He knew they were due to be back any time, but he was unsure whether or not this plan of his would prove to be successful. As he spent more time with Zero, Adrian began to understand just how stubborn the mercenary was, but all the same, he thought that bringing in Vega Squadron might be enough to pull Zero back on track. That slim hope that the two of them might get along just enough to finish their work, like back when the war first started, was one of the only things keeping Adrian going, so he was going to try as hard as he could to bring that hope to life.
Suddenly, his train of thought was broken by the faint sound of jet engines in the distance. He instantly flicked his head toward the source of the noise and eventually saw a single plane appear from behind the trees. Adrian waited for a few moments, silently praying that any other fighters would show up, but once he realized Zero was the only one to make it back, his heart sank. Without saying a word, he started down the corridor and toward the runway, bracing himself for the worst.
A chilly, late September breeze hit Adrian head-on as soon as he opened the door, but he paid it no attention. He quickened his pace as he set eyes on Zero taxying the Skyshard into his hangar, and took a deep breath. At first, he planned on starting by calling the mercenary out, but as Adrian got closer to the hangar, he decided against that. If he wanted to ensure that Zero would remain loyal to him, it would take effort on his part, so he opted for a more neutral approach.
"You're back," Adrian said as Zero climbed down from the plane. He kept an expression on his face that was as emotionless as the tone he spoke with. "Where are the others?"
Zero hesitated and averted his gaze. "They… didn't make it," he finally answered. "The Blue Kestrel and her squadron were already there." After another pause, he looked back up at Adrian and said, "But we won't have to worry about that anymore. I shot down the Blue Kestrel, and her squadron leader is dead too."
Adrian was taken aback by the sudden news. Upon all the things he expected to hear after entering the hangar, the death of the Blue Kestrel was not one of them. Of course, the death of Vega Squadron was regrettable, but in the end, they served their purpose. "That's good news indeed," Adrian finally said with a small smile. "It also means that it's time."
Zero raised a confused eyebrow at him. "Time? Time for what?"
Adrian didn't say a word. Instead, he led Zero out of the hangar into the one next to it. At first, it was pitch black with all the lights off. Then, as the room lit up, five aircraft sat in the center of the hangar. They were all identical to each other, from the slate blue topside and white underside to the sleek and elegant design.
Adrian picked up a remote off of a table and stood between Zero and the five planes. "I present to you, in its entirety, the XFA-30 Skyshard," he said with a bow. "The final model."
Zero started circling one of the parked planes. "Well, it sure is pretty, at least, but I hope its weapons are up to snuff."
Adrian smirked. "Oh, you'll find that they're more than up to snuff." He placed a hand on the nose of the plane, making sure to be as gentle as he would with a newborn child, perhaps even more. "First of all, it's equipped with twice as many standard missiles than other planes. It's also got an Integrated Electronic Warfare Suite built into it, but that's not even the best part." A grin spread across his face as he took several steps back and motioned for Zero to join him. After a moment of looking down at the remote in his hand, Adrian aimed it at one of the planes and pressed a button. Within seconds, a large black bar dropped down from the bottom of the plane and sprang forward into position. "The defining feature of this fighter's arsenal is that it's equipped with the newest model of the EASA's Arclight railgun; It's got a maximum range of 15 kilometers and has a built-in computer for aim correction, so it'll get more accurate with each shot."
Zero finally looked away from the plane and back at Adrian. He had an unreadable expression on his face, but the tone he used conveyed his admiration perfectly. "You certainly seem to have outdone yourself," he remarked.
Adrian nodded. "This is my pride and joy, my Magnum Opus, the culmination of my life's work, and now it's all paying off."
"Well, now that begs the question: what's your plan now?" Zero asked, once again shifting his gaze over to the five Skyshards.
The smile on Adrian's face turned into a grin. "Show everyone just what this marvel can do."