Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Combat Series

Chapter 6

Operation Stepping Stone

The Sun was now peering down on the amphibious units that were racing toward Sand island. Aeric's eyes cutting to his radar beginning to see several enemy dots form up. It seemed they knew they were coming, Aeric speaking into his radio. "Ghost moving in to intercept inbound fighters. God speed to you all." Those simple words would be all, Aeric's white Tomcat racing headfirst into battle, watching as what appeared to be twenty enemy planes cut toward him.

"The Nuggetts shouldn't be up here." The voice of one of the War Dog Pilots pierced the air.

"Your right Chopper. They can barely manage to keep their planes in the air. What do you think Captain?"

"I agree Archer, but right now there is no choice. We have to destroy this fleet."

"I know this mission is wrong, but Perrault doesn't care about that right now. Blaze it's that white Tomcat!" The woman's voice raising several octives with the sight of the incoming White Tomcat.

"Shit! To all Rookie Pilots, this is First Lieutenant Davenport do not engage the White Tomcat, avoid it at all cost! Engage only the ships and helicopters do you here me!" Choppers voice was tense with the mentioning of the White Tomcat.

" What now sir! I uhh, I heard you talk about that guy but, what now Blaze?" The young pilot known as Archer awaited orders.

Blaze was to busy looking at his radar, listening to Chopper tell the rookies to stay away. That was a great idea, before shaking his head. "Archer stay in back and cover us. Blaze moving to engage White Tomcat, War Dog Squadron concentrate your attack on that plane."

"Roger!" Each of the War Dog squadron pilots answered their leader following him into attack positions.

Aeric's eyes would shift seeing four planes begin their pace to combat speed. It had to be War Dog Squadron, no one else seemed to stand out. There was a fourth member now, so they got a new pilot. Which was it that would be their weakness, Aeric leaning on the thrusters. Only to pull the trigger, several Vulcan rounds fired toward his opponent he needed to seperate them.

The four F-16's would split apart as the White Tomcat forced them to pull apart with scattered machine gun fire. Aeric moving up behind one of them, his fingers shifting the toggle switch to his missiles. The reticle beginning to quickly wave back and forth.

"Blaze get this guy off me now! He almost has missle lock!"

"Calm down Chopper just keep flying like you are we will get him off you!"

"Easy for you to say Blaze he isn't behind you!"

"Edge here, break right Chopper I am going to try and flank him!"

"Finally someone is thinking! Fine I am breaking right.. Now!"

"Edge Fox Two!" The missile being launched from her plane would whistle toward Aeric's plane.

Aeric growled with the sudden jerk from the pilot he was chasing, only to see a missile coming his way. "Oh hell!" His hand turning his joystick, and hitting the afterburners forcing him to fly at an akward downward move. The missile still following him, before he pulled up before hitting the ocean. The missile slamming into the waves behind him.

"I missed him!"

"Don't worry so much Nagase, Blaze is on him now!"

"Stop talking Chopper and get over to help him, this guys a handful!" Edge's plane shifting and following behind Blaze and Archer.

"Right sorry sorry! Coming guys!" Chopper quickly flying behind Edge just glad the heat was off him.

The nuggetts however were having good luck destroying the hovercrafts and some of the Frigates.

"Ghost we are getting beat up here we need some help or we are going to. Ahhh!" The sound from one of the loading ships would end when a guided bomb landed on it.

Aeric growled having his hands full with just staying out of missile locke from War Dog Squadron. "This is Ghost moving in to try an assist. I got my hands full with War Dog Squadron!" The white tomcat flying hard and fast along the water line. Only to quickly pull up, a quick missile lock and fire would release two missiles into an enemy F-5e. The plane bursting into fire while Aeric flew by. Only to shoot several vulcan machine gun rounds into another enemy F-5e. "Ghost two bogeys down, moving for a third."

"Captain this guy is unreal, he is shooting our guys down while running from us! What are we going to do!"

"Calm down Archer, we knew this might happen, just try and see if you can get a lock on him. I am now to close for missiles. I am switching to guns. Edge and Chopper, get over there and finish up those hover craft and helicopters. We are spending to much time chasing a Ghost. The nuggetts can't do it all alone."

"But Blaze!"

"Thats an order Edge! Now get to it."

"Yes sir. Edge moving to assist nuggetts."

"Roger, Chopper moving in as well."

Aeric noticed two of the planes broke away from the four man group chasing him, what was going on wait. Realizing to late as they began to fire upon the ships. "No no Damnit all! I won't let you!" Sudden soundsw of machine gun fire restored his attention, several hitting his plane this time, smoke beginning to fill his cockpit. No this wasn't the end, "I have been hit! Rising to higher Altitude to try and lose the planes behind me."

"Don't worry Ghost, we are launching a Burst Missile now." The Scinfaxi submarine would release one of it's burst missiles into the sky.

"It's a burst missile! Nuggetts you have to climb! Climb!" Edge cutting her eyes to the side watching as the missile went high into the air.

"Come on guys you can do it!" chopper would exclaim loudly over his mic.

Aeric cut a glance to the rising missile. "Shit! There are still boats down there what are you doing!" His tomcat quickly rising up toward the sky, his goal was to be above five thousand feet. Noticing the two chasing planes had broken off temporarily.

"It doesn't matter, we have lost this battle, if we don't clear the skies a second wave will be pointless. God forgive us for these mistakes we are about to make." The scinfaxi captain would go silent from the radio.

"Thats just bullshit! Huh what a lazer!" The lazer whizzed by Aeric's plane and nearly cut it in two. Hitting the burst missile as it exploded in mid air. "Where did that come from!"

"That came from the Arkbird! It took out the missile!"

"Seems that way Archer, continue our attack. The enemy is almost destroyed."

"Roger Blaze."

Frustration now set in with Aeric the smoke in his cockpit already making it unbearable to breath. The sensors all blinking randomly. His plane shifting as a set of two missiles fired from his side cut down another enemy F-5e. "Splash another enemy." The words had no good meaning behind it this battle was full of insanities. In trtuh Aeric felt it was time for him to die.

"We are firing another Burst Missile Ghost you should rise above five thousand feet now. Firing!" The captain issuing orders to Aeric as he floated above them in the skies.

Aeric blinked, before pulling up on his joystick, the planes nose pointing up. Wondering what the enemy would do now, where had that lazer come from. It couldn't have been that. It had to be the Arkbird. Yet again before Aeric even reached five thousand feet the lazer would appear in the distance cutting down the missile. This was becoming a quick one sided mission, not seeing anymore of his fellow soldiers below just a sea of bodies and metal.

"This is the Scinfaxi, Ghost if you are still alive we are launching several Burst Missiles we will win this war." Those words being the omen as several missiles went rising into the sky.

Aeric's machine gun fire cut down another enemy F-5e blinking as the missiles came up. "I hope this works." Aeric's plane rising up pointing toward the heavens.

"Blaze several Burst Missiles have just gone up." Edge's plane pointing toward the sky.

"Blaze we lost Zodiac and Beta Squadron, that White Tomcat is still cutting our fighters to ribbons even wounded." Archer explaining loudly.

"I guess any pilot willing to fight so hard for his cause is a pilot worth his wings." Blaze remaniscing a little of what Captain Bartlett had said on his first mission in the Sand Island Squadron.

"He maybe impressive but he is still our enemy kid." Chopper attempting to remind Blaze that pilot was tearing their nuggetts apart.

"To all Nuggetts rise as fast as you can if you don't!" The commands from Blaze came to late one of the missiles ignited as the screams of their fellow pilots were silenced with sheer force.

"No the nuggetts! They couldn't get up here in time!" Archer's voice was filled with sadness.

Aeric's plane was lowering down into attack position on one of the War Dog Squadron, however a lazer cutting by the nose of his plane forced a quick downward motion, the nose cut completely off, the cockpit exploded into smoke and loud sirens. Aeric pulling the ejector handle as he was sent flying into the sky. Seeing in the faint distance the rising of the Scinfaxi, it was wounded and wounded bad. "We have lost this war, I am sorry Major, sorry Duke, sorry Harris I wasn't good enough to stop them.

The parachute would glide Aeric into the ocean below. Green dye beginning to form around his floating body. Only for the loud explosion of the Scinfaxi to grab his full attention. Seeing the lazer die away, now what would happen to Yuktobonia. Aeric passing out on his back just floating in the ocean, a snack for any predator.