I am really starting to lose faith in our government. It's always the same thing I hear or read about, more acts of violence, families being attacked and killed by complete psycho's, the raising of prices on all manner of products like gas and such. The US isn't perfect, but people are starting to become afraid, and I think I'm starting to become one of them, though I do live in generally safe area I still fear what might happen in the future. Really starting to wish I was living in another country, so I don't have to listen to all this crap. On the bright side, I am really starting to enjoy Naruto lately.
Anyway, for all of you who are familiar with Defender: Saving The Human Race and Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, you're in for a surprise with some familiar vessels and creatures appearing. But right now, it's time for Galen to get back into the air.
But first onto the reviews
BlindFaunusGirl: Thanks, but I'm going to hold off on bringing anymore new characters for a while, well after this chapter anyway. I've got another pilot from the Ace Combat Universe to bring in this chapter, some of you might remember from the 6th game.
Darth Cody: Thank you
SunPhoenix90: You're a Strike Witches fan as well? Cool, which of the witches is your favorite? Mine is Shirley. Now in regard to my favorite version of Optimus Prime, I love the Unicron Trilogy version of him along with the Prime version, all for various reasons of course. As for my Transformers story, I plan on bringing in more bots and cons when I start writing it, some from different series with the Prime touch to them and maybe a different vehicle mode or two.
Spartan-626: Thanks, and I'll keep that in mind for next time. And yes, thank you God for bring such an awesome man into our world, a man I hope to one day meet in person.
SilverFox3456: I've already confirmed who the Inquisitor is, but as for Adam Taurus, I have not forgotten about him and have plans for him once all is said and done with this chapter. The Pack huh? I like the sound of that, almost reminds me of a group of characters from Thomas the Tank Engine, when I watched it as a kid. Now as for Ezra, Hera, Sabine, Chopper, Zeb, Kal and the others, they won't be appearing. This is primarily a legends story as I have mentioned several times over the course of this story.
Mr. Shades42: If you like World War 2, I think you'll like it. Plus, it's a show where girls use guns.
Luffy L Deathwalker: To each their own.
Alright, onto the chapter.
Songs this chapter are tracks one, four and eight from Defender and Hrimfaxi from Ace Combat 5. For those that haven't played Defender, you can find the songs on Youtube.
Disclaimers are the same as before, please enjoy.
Chapter 96: Subs and Bugs
The following day after Weiss, Arthur and Kara returned from New Argus, Galen and Ruby returned to the Atlas base where they met Caroline at the airfield. Finding Able and Kalani was a surprise considering they were both veterans of the Clone Wars who fought on opposite sides of the battlefield and were now working together.
The disruption of the deal in New Argus brought much needed supplies to both the Atlas and MSDF bases, especially in terms of ammo, fuel and other necessary supplies, but as to who the supplies were being delivered to was still a mystery. Even a bigger mystery was the reports of aircraft that had been sold, more specifically the advanced versions of the Sabre and Sentinel fighters which was alarming to everyone.
As the two walked towards the hanger, Ruby held Grogu in her hands as the little green guy followed them out of the Cotta-Arc house after breakfast much to Maria's amusement who found it to be interesting as when she first came across the small alien, he was unsure about the people around him. "So, you two brought the little one with you? I'm honestly surprised at such an action by the two of you." Caroline said when she noticed the three of them.
"Well, he… kind of followed us…" Ruby said with a shrug of her shoulders before placing Grogu down. "I guess he's taken a liking to us, maybe a bit too much."
"Well, so long as he doesn't go with us into combat, he can stay on the base." A voice said from the hanger. Walking towards them were two men, one with brown hair and black eyes, the other with silver hair and red eyes, both of them dressed in flight suits with their helmets in their hands. "I'm Copper Cordovin. Captain in the Atlas Air Force, leader of War Dog Squadron and my callsign is 'Mad dog' because when I fly, I fight like a dog that's been let of its leash." The pilot with red eyes introduced.
"And I'm his wingman, lieutenant Marcus Lambert, callsign 'Shamrock'. Vale Air Force." Marcus introduced.
"Why is a Vale air force pilot stationed at an Atlas military base?" Galen asked.
"Hamilton." Marcus said with a snarl. "I was officially assigned to be Triggers wingman, but Hamilton reassigned me to Argus under the terms of dealing with the increased 'activity' of the White Fang. That 'activity' was nothing more than a ruse, so I wasn't there when Beacon fell. I heard all about it from Connor, my wife and daughter who survived the attack all thanks to the one you call Fordo, he saved their lives and brought them to the station safely. I still can't believe the White Fang would attack one of the academies. Both the kingdom, school and Ozpin didn't deserve to be attacked. Sure, there were a few bad apples in Vale, but that didn't give them the right to attack civilians and students. Sometimes, I wish I was there so I could give them a piece of my mind."
"If it makes you feel any better, Trigger killed Hamilton when he was revealed to be an imperial agent. Sent him and his fancy SE-35 down in flames." Galen remarked.
"Serves the bastard right." Marcus replied with a smile. "So, you're the Demon Lord of the Round Table? Didn't expect you to be so young, but then again, I didn't think you'd be a Jedi either."
"You know about the Jedi?" Ruby asked.
"I don't think there's a person on Remnant that doesn't know about the Jedi, Clones, Droids or Empire, especially since they've been seen a lot more across the kingdoms lately. Makes me wonder who's controlling them and what they have planned." Copper said, getting Ruby and Galen to look at each other nervously before they noticed a few familiar fighters parked nearby. "Oh, that's right, we also got your fighters from Vale sent here. A couple of clones piloted them here and we've got them armed and ready for combat."
"Speaking of combat." Caroline said while Grogu stood by her leg. "I need you three for a combat air patrol. We've determined that the cruise missiles are being launched from somewhere in or near the Daggers Teeth. It's a dangerous area for both aircraft and ships that aren't equipped with magnetic shielding, such as the two Strike Daggers and your S30. I want to know what is launching those cruise missiles. Thanks to the efforts of Miss Cotta-Arc and the Bad Batch, we've been able to reestablish communication with Atlas and I have sent a message to General Ironwood regarding your request to enter the kingdom, hopefully he'll agree to your request, and we can finally focus on the real enemy that all of us face, whoever they are."
"Anything else we should know about, Commander?" Copper asked his mother.
"Our intel is limited, but I've been assured by Captain Rex that the four of you will handle the matter." Caroline answered as Rex walked over to the group, helmet in hand. "I almost forgot to tell you that the Captain here has received pilot training from your friend Trigger before Beacon happened." She added.
"It's been a while since I got into the cockpit of an aircraft, especially a Dagger, but Trigger taught me well so I think I can handle myself in fighter combat, plus controls aren't too different from a starfighter." Rex said with confidence.
"Since when were you a pilot?" Ruby asked.
"Shortly after Commander Tano left the Jedi Order and Fives was almost killed, a lot of us troopers were given pilot training, in the event that we didn't have enough pilots on our cruiser. I was trained by General Skywalker, before he became Vader and he taught me everything I know from basic combat maneuvers to tricks when getting on an enemy's tail." Rex explained. "I'm not the only one, Fordo knows a thing or two about flying himself, even piloted one the Delta-7's during his training."
"It sounds like this Skywalker was quite the leader." Caroline noted.
"He was a great man. Always leading by example and fighting alongside his men, compared to Jedi like Pong Krell, who led his men from the rear. He was the kind of leader who I would follow to hell and back." Rex said. "Now, are we going to get this mission started or are we just going to stand around and talk?" he asked, putting his helmet on before he climbed into the cockpit of his Dagger, which had a similar paint job to his armor.
Marcus, Copper and Galen followed suit with R4 already in his slot. All four planes were loaded with air-to-air missiles for engaging airborne threats. All four planes taxied onto the runway with Galen being the first to take off, followed by Shamrock, Razor and Rex. "Control tower to Shamrock, Starkiller, Mad Dog and Captain Rex, altitude restrictions have been lifted and you are cleared to begin your mission." The control tower operator reported over the radio as the four jets veered away from Argus and towards the open ocean.
Out over the ocean in the target location, the four of them and R4 began to search for any signs of the source of the cruise missiles but kept coming up negative. "I'm not picking up anything on my radar. Nothing in the air or on the water. Either the launcher is submerged, or it moved onto a new location." Galen reported over the radio.
"Shamrock here. I've got nothing either. Maybe it's got some kind of experimental stealth tech. Those missiles looked like they were Atlas made and if I know the Atlas military, they love to make big weapons to kill a lot of people. No offense, Mad Dog." Marcus reported.
"None taken. A lot of military history… it's full of use of really dangerous and big weapons that have been used and called into question, especially after the great war and long before aviation." Copper admitted.
"At least your kingdom hasn't developed a weapon that can…" Rex began before he stopped mid-sentence. "Hold on, I've got something. Two kilometers away from us, bearing 224 and at six-thousand feet. Multiple contacts."
"R4, can you confirm?" Galen asked his astromech who confirmed Rex's readings. "I've got a bad feeling about this." He murmured to himself before he saw something in the distance before a barrage of laser fire flew past his cockpit. "Confirming hostiles! Yellowjackets inbound! Looks like a swarm of them!" he called out.
"I'm counting over five dozen hostiles. That's a lot more than I expected! Where did they come from?" Shamrock shouted in alarm.
"Wherever they came from doesn't matter, we need to take them out before they get past us and attack Argus." Rex said before he formed up on Galen's right wing, followed by Shamrock and Mad Dog on Galen's left wing. "On your orders, kid."
Galen chuckled as he double checked the number of hostiles approaching them. The odds were sixty-to-four and no doubt more of them were coming their way. He then tuned his radio to the base's frequency "Argus command, this is Starkiller. We've confirmed multiple Yellowjackets near the Daggers Teeth and prepared to engage the enemy. Requesting any available reinforcements, we've got more than we expected."
"Starkiller, this is Commander Cordovin. We're reading you five-by-five. We're scrambling the rest of War Dog Squadron now; they'll arrive in five minutes. Engage the enemy until they arrive." Caroline said over the radio.
(Start Defender Track 1)
"Copy that command. All pilots, engage!" Galen instructed his wingman before gunning his plane after a single Yellowjacket which dived towards the ocean. He waited until the instruments in his plane crackled, indicating he had a lock and fired a missile which tracked the hostile and blew it to pieces. "Target down!" he called out.
"Shamrock engaging!"
"Mad Dog engaging!"
"Rex engaging!"
The two Strike Daggers and single Dagger went on the offensive, coordinating with one another to avoid shooting down one of their allies, since recent battles showed that the Yellowjackets were able to mimic the IFF of friendly aircraft. Four Yellowjackets were preforming such a trick as Rex chased after them just a hundred feet over the ocean. "Not this time!" he snarled, remembering Umbara and once he got a good tone, he hit the fire button and launched four of his XMAA's. He watched as the missiles tracked the Grimm before his four targets became fireballs of flesh and metal. "This one's for the General." He said to himself, pulling the trigger and fired his cannon. Unlike the standard Daggers, his plane had only one 20mm cannon and twenty-four hundred rounds of ammo which shredded one Yellowjacket to ribbons.
Marcus gave chase after two other Yellowjackets and banked left to get on the Grimm's nine o'clock before he fired two of his short-range missiles at the hybrid creatures, destroying one of them but the second one managed to dodge the other missile, frustrating Marcus so much that he almost flew right into the path of another Yellowjacket. "Not going to make that mistake again." He said to himself before he dived down and armed his last two short-range missiles. Two more Yellowjackets flew past his wing, and he gave chase. Pulling a nine g turn, his back was pressed against the seat as he gave chase, pushing his aircraft to full speed as he closed the gap between him and the Grimm, before he hit the fire button. "Shamrock! Fox 2!" he shouted. This time both his missiles hit their targets before they could blast Copper out of the sky. "Got your back, Copper!"
"Nice work, Marcus." Copper praised, gunning down two Yellowjackets with his own cannon. Both of their Strike Daggers were placed at the end of the list for maintenance, so their secondary cannons were removed which made room for more ammunition. Part of Hamilton's plan to undermine the ability of the Vale and Atlas forces defending the Vytal Festival for when the Empire attacked. "I really wish I was the one who killed Hamilton, but I'm just glad he's dead. He got a lot of pilots killed and I hope he's rotting in hell." He snarled as he unleashed hell in the form of a salvo of XMAA's taking down four hostiles. "Thirteen is an unlucky number, but we've already downed a baker's dozen of enemies. We won't last long without reinforcements." He observed.
"Reinforcements have already arrived now, boss." A voice called out as eight more Strike Daggers with the same two-tone green camouflage as his plane arrived. "War Dog squadrons on the scene and ready to play. What are your orders, Mad Dog?" one of the new arrivals asked.
"Razor Squadron, engage hostiles. Work in pairs of two and make sure you check your IFF, I don't want any friendly fire. Take down the Grimm and then we can get on with the mission." Copper ordered his squadron who immediately went on the attack. Two Strike Daggers raced past Galen after a group of Yellowjackets while he gunned down his third Yellowjacket with his 30mm cannons. As the hostile crashed into the water, he sensed something off in the distance. Breaking off, he left the battle much to the surprise of Copper, Marcus and the others. "Rex! Go with Starkiller! He's leaving the battle, but I have a feeling he's not running away!"
"Copy that." Rex replied and went after Galen.
(End Song)
By the time Rex had caught up with Galen, the Demon Lord had his eyes closed and reached out with the Force, trying to determine where the presence he sensed was located as they neared one of the island volcanos which was spewing out ash and volcanic rock as it erupted. "What do you got, Galen? I'm not picking up anything on my radar." Rex said over the radar.
"Don't always trust your equipment, Rex. There's something here and it's massive." Galen told the 501st legion captain as he flew past the volcano. Just then, something moved from underneath the massive pile of ash and emerging was a massive creature the size of a small capital ship. Upon closer inspection, the creature was revealed to be a Grimm mixed with droid parts and looked like a large eel. The creature was also covered with dozens of quad-turbo laser cannons, VLS launchers and CIWS guns. The big red eyes and bone like armored head moved towards the two aircraft before from it's back came dozens of missiles. "Holy shit!" Galen swore as he and Rex dropped chaff and flares to avoid the missiles. "That thing looks like a…" he started.
"Manti Dreadnaught. General Skywalker said those things could wipe out an entire base with its firepower and now we're facing a Grimm version of the damn thing! Salem must have created it." Rex surmised. "I've never seen anything like it before, I've only seen fossils of it we found on Geonosis when that droid factory was blown up."
"History later! Focus on the battle now!" Galen shouted as the massive Grimm suddenly opened its massive mouth and spawned numerous Yellowjackets. "That things a mobile Grimm factory!?" he exclaimed.
"Worse! It's like one of those Lander Forges! They're a pilot's worst nightmare! They can spit out Landers like no tomorrow and they'll outnumber us if we don't take this thing down!" Rex explained. "I've got only eight missiles left and plenty of ammo for the cannon. Target the weapons on it's back! We knock them out we can destroy the damn thing and end the swarm of Yellowjackets!"
"That's going to be easier said then done, Rex!" Ahsoka shouted through his wrist commlink as she arrived in her Jedi Interceptor along with Razor Squadron. "R7 just picked up dozens of droid fighters approaching! War Dog Squadron, Shamrock and I will deal with the remaining Grimm and then we'll join you to take down the massive Grimm."
"Copy that, Commander. Glad to see you're in the air again." Rex said with a smile under his helmet before he radioed the other pilots. "Anyone one of your fighter jockeys try using a missile on these things, you're wasting your ordinance. Those CIWS weapons will shoot them out of the sky before they can even hit the target. If you have an opening for an attack run, use your guns!"
"Roger!" the Atlas pilots replied as they moved to engage the Grimm.
(Track 4 starts)
Taking Rex's words to heart, Galen took his plane into a sharp climb getting him above the massive airborne creature before he pulled a sharp 180 degree turn and dived down towards the creature, firing his dual 30mm's at one of the turbo laser cannons, destroying it before he pulled up from his run barely skimming the top of the massive Grimm by just inches. "R4! Switch to lasers! Those cannons are a lot tougher than they look!" he shouted to his copilot who did just that before his partner pulled another 180 degrees turn and pushed his aircraft to full speed, unleashing a barrage of laser fire that destroyed several CIWS and VSL weapons along with two turbo laser cannons.
Rex followed Galen's lead and dived towards the large Grimm firing his planes own cannon and taking out several of the Grimm's weapons, but in the process fired off one of his short-ranged missiles by mistake. To his surprise, the missile wasn't shot down and scored a direct hit on one of the turbo lasers. "Well, I'll be damned, they can't shoot down a missile if it's fired from close range." He noted as he flew through the barrage of enemy fire, firing his remaining short-ranged missiles at the nearest target before the weapons could intercept them.
Mad Dog and War Dog Squadron followed suit, while Ahsoka and Shamrock contended with the Grimm. Her four cannons roared to life and the single 20mm blew the Grimm out of the sky while the remaining Strike Daggers knocked out more of the massive creature's weapon emplacements, reducing its defenses. However, several Yellowjackets managed to come around and get on Ahsoka's tail, striking her fighter with cannon fire. "Was it too much to ask the guys who developed this fighter to put in shields on this fighter?" she snarled as her fighter shuddered and shook as enemy fire continued to pound her fighter.
"Got your back, Blue Leader!" Shamrock shouted as he flew headlong towards Ahsoka at top speed, launching his last XMAA's at the Grimm on Ahsoka's tail. Ahsoka saw the missiles and dived down to avoid the missiles while some of the Grimm were killed, and the rest went after Ahsoka. "You've still got a tail; Commander and I've only got four missiles left. How much longer until we can kill that damn thing!?" Shamrock cursed.
"We can't do anything until we knock out those weapons!" Ahsoka shouted as a Strike Dagger took a hit and crashed into the massive creature. "And we need to do it fast, or we'll lose the whole squadron!" she added, speaking from personal experience and remembering the lives of Axe, Slammer and Tucker, pilots whose died because she failed to follow orders. 'I hope you three are watching, because I'm not the same girl from all those years ago.' She thought to herself as the last two Grimm flew past her right into her gun sights where they were downed by her cannons.
Two more Strike Daggers were blown out of the sky by the barrage of enemy fire and slammed into two of the massive Grimm's turbo lasers, knocking them out of commission while two more Strike Daggers suffered critical damage and were forced to retreat as more Yellowjackets spawned from the Grimm's mouth. Having finished up his fourth attack run on Grimm's weapons and destroying more of its weapons with his guns Galen spotted the only chance they had to take down the massive Grimm once and for all.
This time, he executed a High-G Turn allowing him to evade several VLS launched missiles before he pushed his aircraft directly towards the dreadnaughts mouth as CIWS and Turbo Laser fire bracketed his plane and causing severe damage to the plane. Galen ignored this and armed all of his QAAM missiles and waited until he was in range before firing all of his remaining missiles directly into the massive creature's mouth, pulling up before he was almost swallowed by the massive monster. Several missiles slammed into a few Yellowjackets, but the remaining missiles flew directly down the creature's throat where they impacted the capacitors that powered the turbo lasers, causing a chain reaction all the way to the creatures integrated reactor before a massive explosion ripped apart the creature and the Yellowjackets near it. "Grimm down!" Galen called out as he formed up with the six remaining fighters as the creature dissipated into black mist.
(End song)
The celebration was short lived before all the remaining spotted a missile trail coming up from the ocean, which R4 identified as the same cruise missile that was being launched over the last few days. The pilots climbed to five-thousand feet just seconds before the cruise missile exploded and sent down a rain of molten steel down onto the ocean below. "What the hell was that? Where did that come from!?" Rex shouted.
"I think it came from that thing breaking the water now!" Shamrock exclaimed as emerging from beneath the waves and the wreckage of the dreadnaught, was a massive submarine measuring three-hundred meters in length, twice the length of any submarine ever developed in the world, with a long bow which doubled like the flight deck of an aircraft carrier while its aft end was teaming with anti-aircraft cannons and surface-to-air missile launchers which started to open up. "What the hell is that thing? Where did it come from?" he demanded.
"No time to discuss the details, we got to get the hell out of here!" Copper shouted as dozens of anti-air missiles were launched from the launchers on a direct course towards the aircraft. The Strike Daggers, Dagger and S30 dumped all of the chaff and flares they had left diverting the missiles away from them as they headed back to base, but some of the missiles slammed into Galen's plane damaging his left wing and one of his engines. "Starkiller, your plane's not looking so good. Think you can make it back to base with a damaged wing and engine?"
"R4's already working on keep the systems stable until we make it back to the base, it should hold out until we land." Galen said, though he wouldn't admit it, he didn't think his plane was going to last much longer.
He was proven right, because the moment they arrived back at the base, Ahsoka, Rex, Marcus, Copper and the surviving pilots had already landed and taxied their planes into the hanger when Galen began to make his landing, only to have several of his instruments short-circuit including the control for his landing gear. His damaged engine finally gave out as his plane was soon consumed by fire as he fought for control, coming nearer and nearer to runway. "Commander! Clear the runway! I'm coming in hot, and I've lost control!" Galen shouted into the radio as ground personal dived for cover before his plane hit the runway and skidded along the tarmac before it came to a stop just half a dozen feet from several carts of missiles that were being moved to one of the hangers. Once his plane came to a complete stop, he cut open the cockpit with his lightsabers and jumped out of the burning plane with R4 before the he pushed the carts back just in time before his plane exploded.
"Are you alright!?" Ruby asked as she, Rex, Caroline, Marcus and Connor ran over to him, accompanied by Kalani and their teammates.
"I've had better landings, but I'll live." Galen assured as firefighters rushed onto the runway to dose the flames of the destroyed S30. "So much for that plane."
"Forget about that plane! What happened out there?" Caroline demanded angrily before she cleared her throat. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to overreact. I just didn't expect to lose three Strike Daggers and have two return damaged or lose an S30 on landing."
"At least you're learning to control your anger." Rex remarked. "We encountered a swarm of Yellowjackets and engaged them before we even reached the target location. We took out a good number of them before Galen left the battlefield because he sensed something the rest of us couldn't." He began.
"What we found was a massive Grimm created with machinery and weapons based on a Manti Dreadnaught and could produced Yellowjackets like a Lander Forge. The thing was armed with more weapons than a light cruiser so we had to take them down before we could even find a way to destroy it. Razor's two, six and seven were killed when we attacked it, but it was Galen who was able to take the thing down by firing all his QAAM's into the things mouth. He must have hit whatever was powering those turrets and the explosion took it and the rest of the Yellowjackets out in the explosion." Ahsoka added.
"We were about to return to base when we spotted a cruise missile coming from the ocean, forcing us to climb to five-thousand feet to avoid getting killed. That's when we saw the massive submarine rising from the waves before it started launching missiles at us." Galen finished.
"Did you say submarine?" Caroline asked in surprise. The pilots nodded. "It couldn't be, that project was supposed to be canceled years ago. Only the prototypes were built and one of them was destroyed on its test voyage. The last one was supposed to have been lost at sea, how could it still exist." The elder commander said aloud.
"Something you want to tell us, mom?" Copper asked.
"The submarine you encountered was the Hrimfaxi. The second prototype of the experimental Scinfaxi-class submarine carriers." Caroline answered. "It was created as part of the 'Arsenal Ship Project' developed by the Kingdom of Atlas twenty-years ago around the time of the Paladin Project. The idea was to construct underwater attack carriers capable of firing both ballistic missiles and launching carrier-based aircraft. However, the concept of having a submarine carrier being capable of launching cruise missiles from offshore was called into question considering burst warheads installed onto the cruise missiles and the chance of them being deceived by electronic warfare." She began.
"Something tells me that they designed as a first strike weapon that would wipe out anything that wasn't above five-thousand feet and could decimate entire armies and cities. Something that didn't sit well with the council, especially considering there were those who wanted to use it on Menagerie." Blake guessed.
"That is correct, Miss Belladonna. At the time, many of the Atlas council thought it would be best to eliminate Menagerie as a means of wiping out the Faunus, council members who continued to conduct Faunus haunts in secret until General Ironwood saw to that personally." Caroline answered before she continued. "One of the submarines, the Scinfaxi was sunk on its maiden voyage when it suddenly exploded just as it left port. The second ship, the Hrimfaxi disappeared and was thought to have been lost at sea years ago, until now. The General saw it fit to cancel the project and our kingdoms efforts on improving our AK-130's and airships instead. That didn't sit well with the creator of the ships, and they were killed in an accident shortly afterwards. The fact that the second ship is still roaming the ocean is enough to keep anyone from reaching Atlas." She said with worry.
"Well, what's this thing have in terms of guns? If it's military, it must have something more than just guns and missiles." Maria asked.
"The first submarine was designed to launch carrier-based aircraft like the F35, S33, F8, F4 and F14, but it sank with no aircraft onboard. As for the second one, it carried no aircraft, but submarine launched unmanned aerial vehicles that required no pilots. They thought that aircraft that didn't require pilots who could talk back, or question orders was necessary for its defense. Those UAVs could be used for bombing missions or dogfighting, they are worse than those new Grimm." she answered.
"So how do we sink it?" Cody asked.
"It won't be easy. The submarine was built with highly advanced stealth materials to avoid detection by radar and sonar when it's underwater, minimizing the damage it may sustain from its own missiles. You were only able to locate it because it rose to the surface so it could take down the aircraft with its other weapons." Caroline answered.
"Can't we just drop bombs on its last known location and hope that one of them sinks it?" Kara suggested.
"That would only be a waste of ordinance. It will have already moved from it's previous firing position to another location. Based on the intel the commander has given us, the submarine will no doubt be moving to a position where it can launch its missiles at the port and city. We would only be going on a wild Bantha chase." Tech said. "Fortunately, I might have a way to pinpoint the location of the submarine, but it will take time."
"How much time do you need?" Caroline asked the clone.
"Probably a few days at most. But that's time I have since we restored communications with Atlas and fixed the sensors for your base." Tech reassured.
"Then get it done. With communications back online, I can try and contact the MSDF for assistance and speak with General Ironwood about your request to enter Atlas." Caroline told the group.
"We managed to locate several White Fang hideouts in the city, but all of them were abandoned sometime ago. We were able to secure some of the Dust and ammunition they stole, but it doesn't tell us where they went." Faye told the commander.
"We can worry about the White Fang later, right now we need to find the submarine and destroy it before it causes anymore damage to the surrounding areas or worse." Caroline said grimly before she headed back to the commander center. "I'll have the flight crews work on repairing your planes immediately." She added.
After she left, the pack dispersed into the city while Galen returned to the Cotta-Arc house and pulled out the holocron that Oobleck gave him almost a year ago. "There has to be some clue as to what Salem's weakness is. A Jedi must have discovered it somehow. But what is it?" he said in frustration before he threw the holocron into the backyard. The holocron hit the fence and landed on the snowy ground where Kalani picked it up.
"A holocron is a valuable object of the Jedi order. It should be treated with as much respect as any other object belonging to a Jedi. If this were a blaster or a gun, it would have killed the small children present." The super tactical droid scolded, pointing in the direction of Adrian and Grogu who were playing on the porch.
"I'm just really frustrated right now, ok. It seems like Salem is always one step ahead of us. First, she has Cinder attack Amber for her powers and use the White Fang to cause enough chaos for Ironwood to bring his damn army into Vale, she implants Cinder, Mercury and Emerald into Haven and uses Lionheart as part of her plans while Tyrian and Hazel traveled all over Anima to kill huntsmen and huntresses, she allies herself with the Empire, has own droid army, knows about the relics and knows the ways of the dark side. There's a good chance that submarine is also under her control, so I have every right to be frustrated. I wouldn't expect a droid to understand." Galen said angrily.
"I do not understand your frustration, but your words have merit. Salem appears to be one step ahead of you and your friends, but that has not stopped you before." The droid said, catching Galen's attention. "As you know, I crashed on Remnant years after the clone wars ended, but I managed to send out a probe droid whenever was possible, to keep watch for Salem's actions before today. I have been aware of your presence since the Empire sent that scout fleet months ago and have been following your exploits. The rescue of Team CVFY, Mountain Glenn, the Breach, the fight at the Round Table, Beacon, your journey through Anima, the defense of Haven and Mistral. You and your compatriots have faced impossible odds that even the droid couldn't overcome with our numbers. Despite these numbers, you defied all logical choices and continued to fight when most warriors would retreat to fight another day. You know the threat that Salem possess to the planet and despite knowing her past with Ozma, you continue to fight knowing that she can be defeated. This ties into a hypothesis I have developed over the years on the planet." Kalani explained.
"What hypothesis?" Ruby asked as she walked in on their conversation, carrying Grogu in her arms. "You mean you have a h-hypo-whatever about Salem and didn't share it with anyone? If you shared it with Ozpin, then maybe Salem would have been defeated already."
"My hypothesis is only a hypothesis. I have no conclusive evidence to support my theory. If my conversation with the young Arc is correct, then Salem sent one her followers after you because she fears your eyes. Like the Grimm Reaper, she sent one of her followers to eliminate those with Silver Eyes, who are said to lead the life of a warrior and can turn Grimm to stone. It is logical to presume that Salem is targeting those with Silver Eyes because they are the only ones who can defeat her." Kalani answered.
Before either Ruby or Galen could speak, the holocron left Kalani's hand and floated towards Grogu before the cube shifted and broke apart to reveal the projection of a human woman. The woman wore simple Jedi robes, had fair skin, blue eyes and white hair. "My name is Meetra Surik. The Jedi Exile. To any Jedi who have successfully opened my holocron, you must keep this information safe from the likes of those who worship the being known as Salem." The holographic woman spoke. "During my time away from the Jedi order, I have discovered the planet Remnant to be thriving with life of both light and dark. The dark life, the creatures of Grimm are controlled by a being by the name of Salem, who has the ability to create these Grimm. In my observations of these creatures, I have learned they are drawn by negative emotions such as hatred and sadness, the stronger the emotions, the more Grimm approach the source. But in my observations, I have learned that Grimm have a crippling weakness. Those who possess silver eyes are capable of destroying the Grimm single-handedly, as if they are Jedi. However, this comes at a price. I have recently learned that those who worship Salem are actively hunting down those with silver eyes, claiming them to be a threat to their goddess."
Galen and Ruby looked at each other while Ahsoka stood behind them, having only arrived when the holocron was opened. "To any Jedi who find this holocron, you must protect them at all costs, for they are the only ones who can destroy Salem. If you can, train them in the art of combat so they may defend themselves against Salem's followers, the ones who worship her and the creatures of Grimm. Train them so they can bring the light back to Remnant but be warned there are those strong in the dark side who serve Salem. Take care, and may the Force be with you." The projection soon vanished and the holocron soon reverted back to its original state, leaving a very surprised Galen, Ruby and Ahsoka shocked for words while Grogu just looked at them with confusion.
"It appears my hypothesis was indeed correct. Those with silver eyes are the only way to defeat Salem for good and she is actively hunting them down to extinction." Kalani observed.
"It's like Order 66 all over again." Ahsoka said, finally revealing her presence to the others. "And it won't just be those like Maria, but the young and old, innocent men, women and children who can't even fight back. Did Salem order Hazel to kill entire families because one of them had silver eyes?"
Ruby was silent as she stepped back in shock from this revelation. "So… I'm meant to defeat Salem with my eyes. How am I going to do that!? I haven't even had any training on how to use my powers or how to control them! I could end up making things worse! It could only give Salem more power! How am I going to…" she ranted on before Grogu put his hand on Ruby's face as if trying to tell her to calm down.
"Grogu's right. You shouldn't worry about what might happen. You need to focus on the here and now. Remember, you're not just huntress in training, but also a Jedi and one strong in the force." Galen assured her. "Besides, your mother has faith in you." He added.
"Why do you speak of Summer Rose? She was reported to be killed many years ago on a mission, most likely by Salem's forces. I suspect the mission she went on was compromised by someone like Lionheart before his untimely death." Kalani questioned.
"Summer Rose is alive, but don't go announcing it like a dummy." Galen hushed. "Salem might have eyes and ears anywhere."
"If said huntress is alive, then she is in hiding because Salem fears those with silver eyes and wants to destroy them." Kalani continued.
"But why did Tyrian want to bring me alive to Salem? It doesn't make sense at all. Why would she want to kill those with the same eyes I have but want me brought to her alive?" Ruby asked.
"We can figure that out later. Right now, we need to figure out when that submarine will launch its next cruise missile and where it's launching them from." Galen reminded. "When we find it, we're going to need some heavy firepower and I think Broadside and the rest of Shadow Squadron might be itching for a little action. They're always up for a fight, especially if they can blow something up."
"Aren't those Y-Wings two seaters and mainly used as bombers?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, and that means you might be able to fly in one of those Y-Wings, as a gunner." Ahsoka added, noticing the smile on Ruby's face at the thought of firing the Y-Wing's ion cannons at whatever came into her view. "Who knows, you might end up being Galen's gunner, if he pilots a Y-Wing."
For the rest of the week, Galen and Ruby, along with Ahsoka, Faye, Kara, Lop and Zett practiced their saber techniques and force abilities while Tech devised a way to track the Hrimfaxi by tracing its stealth signature through the use of a scavenged squadron of vulture droids equipped with experimental magnetic anomaly detectors and carrying sonobuoys. By using the scavenged droids in place of manned fighters, the loss of life would be reduced to zero while the detectors and sonobuoys would transmit the data back to the base, where Tech would analysis the data and determine the Hrimfaxi's location. As for the information they discovered about Salem's weakness, they shared it with Ozpin and the rest of the group who were naturally surprised by this new information but were also concerned about those who would try to take advantage of Ruby's power, but they knew that they had to tell Ironwood about this weakness, or else the consequences would be devastating.
However, the people of Argus were starting to panic as like before, cruise missiles were being launched at the city, striking the harbor and causing significant damage to the port facilities, equipment and killed several dock workers. Thankfully, the Atlas personal were able to provide aid to the injured dock workers. The scene of destruction caused Caroline to curse herself for not doing anything sooner and just deflect the blame onto someone else. "I'm supposed to be a military commander, yet I constantly deflected the blame for every set back onto someone else because I was too proud to take responsibility. I should have launched an investigation into the source of the missiles long before the Demon Lord and his company even set foot in Argus." She confided to Faye and Rex who were assisting her men in the rescue efforts from the latest missile attack.
"We all make mistakes; we are only human. But we can learn from our mistakes and use that knowledge to become better people than we once were. We have both lost soldiers in battle, but we never took their lives for granted. Oz, Ringo, Charger, Denal, Koho, Red-Eye, Mixer, they may have died but I never once took their lives for granted, especially when they were doing what they were born to do. The same is said for the Jedi." Rex told the elderly commander.
"You are a wise and decorated soldier, Captain. I believe that one day, the people will remember you for your actions." Caroline said with a smile, before one of the dock workers injured in the recent attack collapsed to the ground, bleeding from the forehead. "I need a medic over here, now!" she shouted as she ran towards the injured worker, helping them up as a pair of medics arrived to assist her.
At the same time, in one of the bases hangers, Tech continued his search for the Hrimfaxi's location despite the loss of several droid fighters, but they had determined the approximate location of the Hrimfaxi, a body of subarctic water in the north surrounding small islands and the coastline of Anima. The name of this body of water, was the Razgriz strait. Legends said that it was the home of a mythical and supernatural creature known as the Demon of Razgriz, a creature so powerful that even the Grimm dared not venture into its chilling waters. It was said that the Razgriz had the power to manipulate the weather and mortals, even assuming the form of a mortal being, often being seen as a villain and hero at various points in history.
"It's a local legend, a legend that many people believe in." Copper told Tech as he marked the points on the map in front of him where the droid fighters went down. "I've heard that many pilots, both regular army and White Fang have ventured into area, some of them never returning for it's said that those who trespass into the demon's domain with ill intentions are met with death. But, when history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself… first as a dark demon. As a demon, it uses its power to rain down death upon the land, and then dies. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns, this time, as a great hero."
"Local legends can often be misinterpreted as history without any proof. But they have also provided intrigue to those who wish to study these legends." Tech said as he continued his work. "Legends like that are just that, legends."
"Legends or not, it feels like the missiles raining down on us are from Razgriz itself and I am hoping it's not the precursor of a massive attack. Last thing anyone needs is a massive attack by the Grimm or the…" Copper started before he noticed the last droid fighter still operational had been shot down, but not before it transmitted the precise location of the Hrimfaxi. "We found it!" he exclaimed and sent the data to the command tower before he ran out to tell his mother, but Tech remained behind, having noticed something that Copper didn't.
"Hunter, I suggest we get the Marauder here as quickly as possible." He said into his commlink.
"What's going on, Tech?" Hunter asked over the commlink.
"Hopefully, nothing. But I think we need to investigate a possible sighting of a high-value target." Tech answered before he exited the hanger.
An hour later, Caroline called all available pilots to the briefing room, including Galen, Rex, Fordo, Ahsoka and Ruby. "Please be seated. I know many of you have your doubts about this mission, but I needn't remind you all of the critical importance of this mission. Thanks to the efforts of our allies, we have determined that the enemy submarine is located in the Razgriz strait, along the northern coast of the continent. Its missile strikes are getting more and more accurate, and we've already suffered too many civilian casualties and the increased tensions are bringing the Grimm closer to the city." She began.
"Why should we care about a bunch of people who let the White Fang into their ranks!?" one of the pilots demanded.
"The MSDF does not welcome the White Fang into their ranks and, it is our job as soldiers to protect these people. We are not just Atlas and Anima citizens; we are brothers and sisters in arms!" Rex shouted as he stepped up. "If any of you want to abandon your duty, then there's the door right over there, but I am staying!"
"The captain is correct! We are all soldiers, and it is our duty to protect this great city, whatever kingdom we come from does not matter when we all share a common enemy." Caroline said in agreement, much to the surprise of the pilots who spoke up against the idea of protecting Argus. "Back to the matter at hand, we are to attack the Hrimfaxi and sink it before it can cause any more damage to the city. It will not be an easy task." She continued as R7 rolled up and projected a holographic map of the Razgriz strait. "Intelligence has confirmed the presence of another massive dreadnaught sized Grimm like the one Mad Dog and his allies engaged a week ago. Like the first one, it is capable of producing Yellowjackets at an alarming rate and the method used to destroy it is a risky maneuver. Thankfully, we have an ace in the hole. The pilots of the ships called Y-Wings along with Captain's Rex, the X-Wing pilots and Fordo will target the dreadnaught and destroy it while War Dog Squadron, Shamrock, Commander Tano, Miss Rose and the Demon Lord himself to destroy the submarine once and for all."
"The Demon Lord is here?" another pilot questioned.
"Yes, he is." Caroline answered before she continued. "While the Y-Wing pilots and Captain Rex attack the Dreadnaught, the rest of the pilots gathered here will attack the Hrimfaxi. The MSDF air force will be scrambled to assist in destroying the dreadnaught before it can come within range of Argus. Should the creature come close to the city, the Colossus will be deployed to engage the creature along with our missile crawlers and rhinos. All remaining pilots will be on standby to engage the Grimm. Keep in mind, that if we fail then the city will fall."
"So, we're on standby while the rest of these monkeys go up into the air to get some more kills?" a third pilot complained.
"Look at this way, you'll have plenty of time to read those adult magazines you bought recently and unlike you, these pilots don't have a superiority complex or hatred to those of 'different traits.'" Caroline scolded, while trying to avoid using the wrong choice of words in mentioning the Faunus pilots of the MSDF. "War Dog Squadron, you will be assigned to fly top cover. Mad Dog, Shamrock, Commander Tano, Miss Rose and Mr. Marek will be targeting the submarine. I won't lie to you, there is a possibility that many of you may not come back alive, so if you wish to not to partake in this mission, I won't hold anything against you. But know that if you succeed in this mission, Argus will be indebted to you."
The remaining War Dog Squadron pilots weren't about to back down and gradually excepted the mission. "Then man your planes, and May the Force be with you all." Caroline said with a smile. With the briefing finally ending, she waited until Ruby, Ahsoka, Fordo, Rex and Galen were the only ones left. "I should have an answer from General Ironwood by the time you all return. I know I can't force anyone of you to play favorites, but please make sure my son makes it back alive."
"We'll do everything we can to try and keep him alive, we can't make any promises, but we'll do our best." Ahsoka told the commander. "But I have a feeling that Copper has no plans on dying." She added, making the commander smile.
The five of them soon left the briefing room and headed for the runway where their planes were waiting. The rest of War Dog Squadron had chosen the F15, MG-29, F14, F35 and F22 equipped with XLAA's and XMAA's, while the MG-29 was equipped with dual XMAA's on its underwing pylons. Galen looked at three of the pilots of the squadron.
One of them was Captain Kei Nagase, callsign 'Edge', a woman from Anima who joined the Atlas Air Force after she and her parents moved to Mantle when she was only seven years old. It was said that she once declined a premotion to squadron leader during her time as part of the Atlas defenses guarding Vale before she was transferred to Argus, along with one of the F14's that was to be sent to Vale.
The second pilot was Captain Hans Beckett callsign 'Archer' and the younger brother of Galm 3. A rookie pilot who was part of the Vale Air Force before his transfer to Argus, Beckett held his older brother in positive view despite becoming a mercenary and wanted to be just like him. He often worked with the mechanics when it came to helping repair the damaged aircraft, such as the F35 he climbed into.
The third and final pilot, climbing into the cockpit of the F15 was Alvin H. Davenport callsign 'Chopper' who was known for his habit of 'shooting his mouth off'. Hailing from Vacuo, he also joined Vale Air Force and survived the Fall of Beacon, having survived an encounter with Vader who could have easily killed him, but left the battle for the school. His dog, Kirk barked as his master placed his flight helmet on while the last two pilots climbed into the F22 and SE-29 while Marcus and Copper climbed into their Strike Daggers, the same as Ahsoka did with her clone war era Y-Wing with R7 in the astromech slot and Ruby into the gunner's seat. Galen climbed into the cockpit of his F20 and noticed that all four of his underwing hardpoints were carrying XMAG's in a triple loadout.
"Control tower to all pilots, you are cleared to launch." The control tower operator announced. The planes and Y-Wing going after the Hrimfaxi launched first, followed a few minutes later by the rebel and clone Y-Wings, Rex in his Dagger and Fordo piloting the Azure Angel who headed east in direction of the Dreadnaught.
After a half-hour of flying east, the strike package of rebel and clone bombers reached the rendezvous point where they were to meet up with the MSDF fighters but found the fighters had not arrived. Both Fordo and Rex tried to contact them, but only received static until they received a message from Shinn. The MSDF fighters had been jumped by Yellowjacket scouts and were taking heavy losses. "Broadside, you and your boys up for a little action? Those MSDF pilots got ambushed and need some back up. Get ready for some dogfighting, cause we're going in hot!" Rex said to the leader of Shadow Squadron.
"Let's go squash some bugs!" Broadside exclaimed with enthusiasm before he contacted the rest of his squadron. "Alright boys, time to try out that formation we learned from Colonel Bishop. Staggered formation, let the captains clear out some of the bugs before we make our entrance. That goes for you rebel boys to."
A Wookie pilot roared in response as the bombers took up their positions in the formation while X-Wings formed up beside the Y-Wings, their s-foils locked into attack position. "Kazama, this is Captain Rex. We're approaching your position now. Hang tight, helps on the way." Rex said over the commlink, but whether Shinn heard him or not was up for debate. "Fordo, arm missiles! Lock onto the Yellowjackets. All bomber's, stay in formation and let us deal with the Grimm."
"Copy that, Captain." A rebel pilot replied before a volley of concussion missiles and XMAA's streaked towards the Grimm from five-thousand meters away, tracking them before the targets exploded.
(Track Eight starts)
"Splash four!" Rex shouted over the radio as he pushed his Dagger's engines to full power and began to chase a pair of Yellowjackets. The Grimm hybrids tried desperately to shake him off their tail, but Rex used the maneuvers he was taught by General Skywalker and kept the Grimm in front of him before he pulled the trigger. His cannon roared to life as it spat out a lethal arc of 20mm shells, shredding the Grimm to chunks of flesh and metal. "Splash six." He confirmed before he noticed he had a tail.
A single Yellowjacket was pursuing him through the melee, its internal laser cannons firing when Rex drifted into its sights. His aircraft wasn't equipped with shielding, so Rex maneuvered in a series of sharp turns, forcing the Grimm to overshoot him and fall right into his gunsights. Another pull of the trigger spat another volley of cannon fire that ripped the Grimm to shreds. "This is the kind of air combat the General would be dreaming about." He mused to himself.
An MSDF F2 spiraled down to the oceans in flames as Shinn raced after the killer. "Good tone. Fox 1." He said and fired a missile. The missile tracked the Grimm, but the Grimm activated its internal systems to change it's IFF to friendly and the missile just streaked out over the ocean before it ran out of fuel and dropped into the water. "Damn it! I hate it when they do that." He cursed, but still kept after the Grimm, this time using his guns to send the creature down into the drink. "Got you!" Before he could pick out another target, his aircraft shook violently as no more than four Yellowjackets started to pursue him. Diving down towards the ocean below him, Shinn spotted a small canyon between several of the small islands and pitched over towards it with the Grimm following him. "That's it, keep following me." He said to himself as his altitude meter dropped rapidly to almost one-thousand feet.
At the last second, he slammed on the brakes and let the Grimm fly past him before they even knew what their prey was planning and slammed into the ocean, except for one of them which was then downed by Shinn's second missile. This time, the missile hit its target, and the Grimm was killed but Shinn didn't bother to check on his kill and climbed back to rejoin the fight.
A volley of concussion missiles streaked towards several Yellowjackets, killing them as another Grimm was shot down by a barrage of laser fire. Blasting through the explosion, Fordo pulled the stick of the Azure Angel into his gut as he made a sharp right turn, positioning himself behind a group of three Yellowjackets that had just shot down several Dagger Kai's. "Locked on, Fox 3!" the Arc captain said, hitting the fire button and launched another volley of missiles that tracked the Grimm, blowing them to bits. "I'm more of a soldier than a pilot, but I think I did pretty well on that pass." He mused to himself before turning back towards the fight.
From his Y-Wing, Broadside watched as an MSDF Broadsword gunned down three Yellowjackets before it was shot in the engine and exploded in mid-air. The killer flew past his cockpit, searching for more prey and this angered Broadside to no end. He wanted to assist the fighters, but that would result in him breaking formation and they had to follow orders and with the payload he and the rest of the bombers were carrying, he couldn't risk dropping his bombs so he could score a few kills.
"Grimm! 6 o'clock high and coming in hot!" his gunner shouted as a swarm of Yellowjackets descended upon them raining deadly laser cannon fire onto the bombers as the gunners opened up with their ion cannons, shooting down several Grimm but some of the rebel Y-Wings were shot down.
Compared to the model flown by Broadside and his brothers, the Rebel bombers were the A4 version, which lacked a gunner position, had weaker shields and a slower top speed in the atmosphere compared to the A3 version and the original version. Despite the flaws, the rebel pilots stayed the course and whenever the chance was available to them, they downed a few Grimm that flew between the formation. "Those guys have their work cut out for them. Maybe they ought to consider upgrading their bombers." Broadside mused to himself as the dreadnaught came into view. "Target's dead ahead boys! Arm your weapons and follow me in!"
Unfortunately, the Dreadnaught spotted them and was preparing to lift off from its atoll resting place when the bombers rolled over in a dive-bombing style attack run as the massive creatures' weapons opened up on them. "Switch your deflectors on, double front!" Broadside shouted as another Y-Wing was shot down, followed by an X-Wing that was going in for a strafing run on the creatures' weapons. CIWS fire bracketed the bombers before they pulled up after firing a volley of torpedoes and dropped their bombs on the creature. "Direct hit on target! That thing is still operational! Let's make another pass!" he exclaimed.
"Let me even the odds, brother." Fordo said over the commlink as the Azure Angel flew towards the Dreadnaught head-on and fired his cannons, knocking out multiple guns in a single pass. "Confirmed kill on guns! All bombers, take down that monster!" The bomber pilots were quick to dive in for another attack run, firing everything they had at the Grimm before it finally died as did several yellowjackets caught in the blast wave of the bombs.
Several Yellowjackets targeted the bombers as they pulled up from their run, but they didn't expect Fordo charging in, firing all of his remaining concussion missiles at the horde going after the bombers, killing them all. With their mission complete, the surviving MSDF, Rebel and clone fighters headed back to their respective bases, completely unaware that someone was watching the entire battle from the coastline through binoculars.
(End song)
Up in the north, over the chilling waters of the Razgriz Strait, Galen, Marcus, Copper, Ahsoka, Ruby and their escorts flew over the water below a thousand feet to avoid detection by the submarines radar. "I'm getting chills. This northern sea is where the Demon of Razgriz came from." Chopper said over the radio.
"Razgriz…" Nagase muttered.
"That wasn't the Razgriz! That was just a submarine stolen by some asshole who doesn't care who he kills as long as he keeps anyone from reaching Atlas. I'm just glad that submarine doesn't have one of those old ICBM's and I mean those 'nuclear' ones." Archer exclaimed.
"Whatever it was, we need to take that thing down before it can launch anymore missiles at the coastline." Ahsoka said in agreement but felt a presence that she hadn't sensed in years, a very familiar presence that was said to belong to a person she knew who was supposedly dead. 'Could she really still be alive after all these years? She has to be, after the message Galen gave me from that inquisitor on Tatooine.' She thought to herself.
"I'm already looking at the Razgriz." Galen said over the radio, confusing the pilots. Suddenly, the pilots of the F22 and MG-29 suddenly broke formation and started to climb rapidly past the altitude restriction. "What the hell are you two doing!? You've alerted the enemy to our presence! Get back into formation!" Galen shouted.
(Hrimfaxi starts)
The other two pilots didn't answer, after they leveled out at six-thousand feet and then exploded after they took a direct hit from a SAM. "War Dogs 5 and 6 are down! What the hell were those idiots thinking!?" Copper snarled in anger before he returned his focus to the mission and pushed his planes engines to full power. "That subs going to dive in one minute! We need to hit it fast and stop if from launching another missile! War Dog's two, three and four, ready for air-to-air combat. The rest of you, follow me in and hit that thing hard!" Copper shouted over the radio as the sub came into view.
The massive submarine was preparing to dive as Copper fired his XMAG's, scoring a direct hit on several of the subs anti-air weapons and knocking them out of the fight before the sub dived beneath the waves and hid itself from the view of the aircraft. "Nice work, boss. You sunk that submarine!" Chopper praised.
"I didn't sink it, I only forced it to retreat beneath the waves. Four missiles aren't going to be enough to sink that monster." Copper answered as he pulled a sharp one-hundred and eighty degrees turn to the left over an iceshelf just as the sub resurfaced once more, this time launching a burst missile and dozens of UAV's. "And now it's launched fighters and a missile. Quick! Climb to five-thousand feet!" he shouted urgently.
The remaining pilots were quick to climb to five-thousand feet just as the missile detonated and rained metal down on the ground below. "Let's move before it has the chance to dive again!" Copper shouted, diving down through the anti-aircraft fire for another attack. Shamrock and Galen followed suit while Ahsoka and Ruby maintained their altitude.
The three planes dived through the anti-aircraft fire and released a barrage of air-to-ground missiles on the sub before they pulled up from their run as the missiles slammed into the anti-air weapons. "That takes care of the submarines anti-air weapons." Copper announced, but he was wrong.
The smoking wrecks of the anti-air defenses retracted into the hull of the submarine and in their place were dozens of dual-barreled turbo laser cannons which soon started to open fire on the planes. "Shit! This thing's got lasers!" Copper cursed as flak bracketed his plane. "I don't think anyone knew about this!"
"How are we supposed to take that thing out now?" Marcus questioned as the sub dived beneath the waves once more.
"Hit the ballast tanks on its sides when it resurfaces! That will keep it from diving again." Galen shouted into his radio, executing a nine-G turn to the right, avoiding the gun fire from one of the sub-launched UAV's. "I really hate droids." He snarled.
Above them, Ruby tracked a UAV with the ion-cannons waiting for the right moment before she hit the button and blasted down her first fighter. "I got one! Yeah!" she cheered before she spotted another UAV and shot that one down as well. Her third target was coming up right behind her, right into her sights but Ahsoka banked violently to avoid being slammed by another one that was trying to ram them. "Hey! I had that one!" Ruby complained.
"Don't tell me you're starting to dislike my flying as well." Ahsoka teased before she took the bomber into a dive the second the Hrimfaxi surfaced again and made a run at it from the right. "R7, switch the deflector shields to full-power." She instructed her astromech companion who did so. Turbo laser fire flew towards her, but she braved the fire before dropping several of her proton bombs on the submarine, destroying its ballast tanks. She then waved through the fire and circled around to drop the rest of her bombs on the submarine. "That should make things easier for the others." She said as she climbed back to five-thousand feet. As she climbed, several recently launched UAVs started to fire their cannons at the bomber as Ruby fired back at them, blowing two of them out of sky while the third one took a hit in the left wing and spun out of control where it sank into the ocean below. "Nice shooting, Ruby." Ahsoka praised.
As the Y-Wing joined the rest of the escorts, Chopper spotted a UAV heading right towards his squadron leader who had only just joined the aerial battle. Breaking off his pursuit of another UAV, he pushed his aircraft to point where he thought it would break apart on him before launching a missile at the UAV, which then exploded into a flaming wreck of twisted metal. "I've got your back, Mad Dog." Chopper said over the radio, firing his planes 20mm at a UAV that flew directly past him.
Hans launched a volley of XLAA's at several UAV's, destroying two of them but the last two were able to dodge the missiles before they split off in two different directions. Banking left, he went after the first one and gunned it down with his cannon as the second one flew behind him, trying to shoot him down. A lethal arc of cannon fire streaked past his canopy as he banked right, though a few bullets managed to hit his aircraft, but the damage was minimum at most. The UAV that fired at him continued to track him, launching a missile at his Broadsword which failed to hit its target, allowing Archer to perform a barrel roll, get behind the machine and fire off a missile, destroying the drone.
Nagase was having an equally difficult time with the drones. He had yet to use her XLAA's, but she had already used up her short-range missiles on two drones already. Her cannon ripped through the body of another drone, but two more were hot on her tail and firing at her, preventing her from executing any evasive maneuvers "Edge! Dive now!" Marcus called out over the radio as he came straight towards her. Pushing her controls down, she dived down as Shamrock fired off two missiles at the drones, destroying them both. "That was too close! Sorry about the scare." Marcus apologized over the radio.
Nagase didn't reply as she picked up a flight of bandits heading directly towards the ongoing battle. Having not flashed their IFF, she armed her XLAA's, and launched them all before she turned her attention back to the ongoing battle. No sooner after she turned back to the fight, she came face to face with a UAV that was flying directly towards her, it's cannon already armed and ready. Her F14 was faster than the UAV and just before the drone got into range, she pulled the trigger spitting out dozens of 20mm shells at the drone, sending it down into the drink. "Target confirmed destroyed." She reported.
"How much more can this thing take?!" Galen asked as he launched the last of his XMAG's at the sub's weapons, destroying them but leaving him with only his two short-range missiles and guns left. The massive submarine continued to fire everything it had at the fighters but failed to down them. "I'm out of AGM's, I've got only my guns and short-range missiles. That's not enough to take this thing down. We need a solution."
"Starkiller, this is Kalani. I've determined the optimal attack angel for you to eliminate the sub. You are to target the subs cruise missile launcher. A chain reaction will rip apart the submarine from the inside out. It is the only way to destroy the submarine." Kalani said over the commlink.
"One problem with that, I'm a bit tied up with these fighters. I can't make an attack run on the sub." Galen answered, firing a burst from his F20's cannons that downed a drone. He then noticed that Mad Dog still had tw short-ranged missiles left. "Mad Dog, you'll have to take the shot. I'm sending the data to your helmet now. Sink this thing so we can all home!" he shouted.
"Solid copy, Starkiller!" Copper replied over the radio and took his Strike Dagger into a steep climb until he reached ten-thousand feet, pulled a one-hundred and eighty degrees turn and dived towards the submarine as it readied to fire another burst missile. His speed increased and his altitude dropped rapidly as he saw the subs missile bay open up with a cruise missile being loaded up. "Mad Dog! Fox 2!" he shouted and fired his last two missiles. The missiles streaked into the launch tube as he pulled up from his run. "Direct hit on target!"
The other pilots confirmed it as an explosion ripped the Hrimfaxi in two before both parts sank to the bottom of the sea, while the drones shut down and crashed into the ocean. "Starkiller to Argus command, the Hrimfaxi is sunk. I repeat, the Hrimfaxi is sunk." Galen reported to Caroline.
(End Song)
"Argus command to Starkiller. We receive you, excellent job on sinking that submarine. Mission complete, RTB." The command tower operator said. The pilots, not wanting to remain in the airspace any longer, turned back to Argus and headed for home.
"I guess you're now the Razgriz as well." Mad Dog said to Galen.
"I'm only the Demon Lord. It was War Dog squadron that sunk the Hrimfaxi, not me. You and your squadron are the Demons of Razgriz now, Copper. I can't take credit for something I didn't do, that would be lying and the last thing I want to do is be known as a liar." Galen answered humbly.
Copper chuckled at Galen's words as they returned to the base safely and their planes were taken into the hangers for repairs and rearming. Exiting his plane, Galen noticed the others were waiting for him as they landed. He turned his attention to Caroline who had a look of disappointment on her face. "We destroyed the submarine like you asked and helped you with the rest of those tasks you needed our help with. Don't tell me that you're about to go back on your word?" Galen said.
"I'm not going back on my word. It's just that… I contacted General Ironwood and explained the situation to him, but he refused to allow you entry into Atlas. He's steadfast in his decision to keep the borders close, no matter who is asking for entrance into Atlas." Caroline answered sadly.
"So that's it? We did everything you asked for you and you tell us that we can't even enter Atlas because chrome dome doesn't want to let his enemies into Atlas? All that effort was for nothing! If this is how Ironwood treats his allies, then Jimmy has really lost his mind!" Qrow yelled, after days of purging the alcohol from his body.
Before Caroline could answer the huntsman, Galen noticed that the Bad Batch wasn't present but before he could even ask where they were, his commlink beeped. "Kid, we got a big problem and I do mean big!" Wrecker shouted.
"What's going on Wrecker?" Galen asked.
"The White Fang are about to attack Argus!" the muscular clone answered.
And that's that. Let us review what has happened this chapter.
Rex and Fordo fought in the air flying fighters native to their galaxy and Remnant.
Galen's S30 is now destroyed.
The Holocron Galen got from Oobleck reveals to him that those with Silver Eyes are the key to defeating Salem and restoring peace to the planet, just as Kalani predicted and based on a theory I have.
Ruby partook in an aerial battle as Ahsoka's gunner.
Caroline's son and the survivors of his squadron are known as the Demons of Razgriz.
Salem has created Grimm versions of the Manti Dreadnaught, armed with weapons and capable of producing Grimm like a lander forge.
Ironwood has denied Galen's request to enter Atlas and the Bad Batch have confirmed a White Fang attack on Argus is imminent.
Things are going to be hectic next chapter, so you can expect it to be a long and action-packed chapter. Plus, you might even see Luke, Rogue Squadron, the Galm and Garuda Teams returning to Remnant, maybe even Pyrrha. I already have a few songs chosen for next chapter and what I plan to do about Adam, but should I have Jaune, and the rest of his team stay in Argus after the battle and have only Team GARM and Team RWBY go to Atlas with their clone and Jedi allies?
Once again, I still need an idea for an actress to voice Mara and ideas for the winter clothing for Arthur and Rose, unless you'd rather have them wear the clothes for when they were in Galen's galaxy? Please leave your answers in a review and I'll see you all next time.
Marcus Lambert- Sam Riegel
Alvin H. Davenport- Eddie Frierson
Kei Nagase-Karen Strassman
Hans Beckett- Johnny Yong Bosch