Chapter Two: Flawed Strategy
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Fort Grays Island, East of Usea.
May 25th, 2019.
1100hrs.
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Although Fort Grays Island wasn't completely cut off from the rest of civilization and they were fairly lenient on the soldiers stationed there, it was still a military base and as such — especially since the war had started — it regulated calls and monitored any emails sent. Because she'd been so busy recently, what with Knocker refusing to allow days off anymore and dragging them into the air for training so they'd stay sharp, Naomi wasn't able to check anything on the computer or even look at her phone.
After what felt like ages, a Saturday came and Knocker had agreed to let everyone have the weekend off, taking into consideration that HQ had been close to finishing their plans for the next mission. So Naomi went back to her quarters to take a break from the ever growing aggressiveness in the games the others had been playing all day. She would have stayed outside and continued playing, but she had hurt her knee when she and Brownie were participating in the second game of football that Boggard and Faun had started that morning and decided to give it a rest and check some emails.
Once she got inside, she shut the door behind her and hobbled over to the bunkbed across the room. The sun was shining brightly outside and the blinds that usually covered the window was wide open, so there wasn't any reason for her to turn on the light. Opening the one of the drawers to the desk opposite the bed, she pulled out a thin laptop case and set it on the desk. There was a pocket in the case, so she opened it up and pulled out her smartphone and its charger. Plugging it in, she waited patiently for it to charge up.
When it finally charged enough to be used, the screen told her that she had several missed calls and unanswered text messages. She scrolled through them, marking the text messages as 'read' and then going through the voicemails from the numbers she had in her contacts. Most of the calls were from her parents and brother and sister, all of them going back to when the war started, the day she had put away her phone and not bothered looking at it again. Naomi felt guilt wash over her as she realized that she hadn't really thought about how her family would be reacting to the start of the war and her being stationed at a base meant to keep peace on the continent.
First, she went to her contacts and tried her parent's home phone. Her mom was probably still at work, since it was around five or six in the morning in Osea, and her father rarely looked at his phone anymore. He was an early riser, usually up at four in the morning, sometimes earlier. She blamed it on him being in the military for so long and having no choice but to get up early.
It continued to trill in her ear as it called the house phone and she waited and waited. Eventually, it went to voicemail and a recording of her father's voice came on. "You have reached the Foulke residence. We are currently unavailable, but leave a message and we'll consider returning your call as soon as we can." Be- Naomi pressed the 'end call' button before it started recording.
Alright, so she'd try her dad's phone, figuring that he either started sleeping in or he was out on a walk or something like that. Her parents did own two highly active dogs that needed multiple walks every day. The trilling sound returned and went on for a little while, but finally she got an answer and it didn't go to voicemail like it had done before. "Dad?" she asked cautiously when nobody said anything.
"Naomi! It's about time you called!" her father suddenly shouted into her ear. She winced and moved the phone away from her ear a centimeter or so. "Your mom's been nagging me to find a way to get ahold of your superiors and find out if you're dead or something like that. She's been driving everyone up the damn wall!"
"Sorry," Naomi replied, tapping her foot nervously on the floor from where she sat on top of the desk. "Our flight leader's had us doing all sorts of training for the past five days. This is the first break we've gotten and I honestly haven't looked at my phone since I called Mom on Mother's Day. Uh…where are you? I tried calling the house and no one answered. I didn't expect you to have your phone on you."
"I went for a walk in Oured Park with the dogs to get some exercise in before my flight later today." His voice was considerably calmer, not as harsh as it was before, and in the background she could hear one of the dogs bark slightly, as if making its presence known. "I can't really go to the pier today, considering the view is awful and most of the sights are rubble thanks to the Eruseans..."
"Wait, you have a flight later? Are you and Mom going somewhere or something?" Naomi asked, puzzled.
"I am, but your mom is gonna be staying in Oured with Samantha and Alvin. Your brother had to leave on some work related trip to Yuktobania, so your mom said she didn't mind if I took my own trip," he explained. "I'm going to be heading out to Aulick — y'know, the state where one of the other ports was bombed? A, uh…couple of old buddies of mine invited me out there to give them a hand with something."
"Old buddies, eh? Some guys you knew back during the war or some people you made up again for the sake of a good story?" Naomi pried, hoping he'd give her some more information. Her father was always vague, especially whenever he talked about his old job or any friends he met during his time as a soldier. He was as mysterious as they came and had twenty-one years of learning how to easily curb Naomi's curiosity. But she'd learned a thing or two from him as well.
"I'm sure you'd just love to know, but I don't really have the time to get into the details," her father retorted. "I will tell you that I knew them in the war, but anything other than that is classified information reserved for myself and the government and —"
"'And you don't get to know which government'. Yeah, yeah, I've heard this routine before, Dad. It was worth a shot, I suppose," Naomi sighed, switching hands to hold the phone in her right hand, her left hand getting tired. "Quick change of subject, now, before I give Mom a call so she doesn't spend forever worrying. After the bombing of the Oured Port, is everyone okay? No one's hurt, right?"
There was a brief silence on her dad's end, aside from the faint twittering of a bird and the metallic clicking from the dogs' leashes as their name tags tapped against the leash clip. "Everyone's fine. Well, physically, at least," her dad finally replied, before things got too tense. "I don't know how much longer your mom is going to handle it under the stress and all that, so everyone might be coming with me to Aulick, whether or not we all go at the same time. We'll be a good ways from any military installations, far from the port for sure, so there isn't any real threat from Erusea that way."
Naomi looked out the window, onto the tarmac where the game of football was still enduring, the laughs and cheers and loud conversation just barely audible. Miles away from here was her family as well as her country, everyone worried for their own safety as well as that of the soldiers they knew and loved. At least Erusea was trying to avoid civilian casualties, but nevertheless, the war was foolish and unnecessary. "Whatever you all decide to do, please be safe," she said, lowering her voice. "I've got to go call Mom, now. If I wait much longer then I won't be able to defuse her and she'll chew me out well past lunch time…"
"Alright," her dad answered. "Call whenever you can, I suppose. Let us know you're safe."
"Yes sir," Naomi smiled a little. Being sure to remember the right words, she spoke her goodbyes in her father's native country's language, "Ich liebe dich, tschüss."
"Ich liebe dich auch, meine Süße," he replied, his voice soft. Bringing the phone away from her ear, she stared down at his name and the options and how long the call had been, her heart sinking as she the realization of how much she missed her family — especially her father — began to weigh down on her. A faint beep was heard on the other end and the length of the call was replaced with 'Call Ended' and it returned to her lock screen. Sighing and unlocking the phone again, she returned to her contacts. Now to call my mother...
May 28th, 2019.
1800hrs.
Naomi's call with her mother had ended up getting drawn out for hours, with breaks in between for mealtimes and various other reasons. Her father had been the one to save her from her furious, extremely relieved mom so that she could finally get a break and enjoy what little time she had left that day. A call with both of her parents took place the next day, and then her phone went back in its drawer with her laptop once Monday arrived.
Immediately after breakfast that day, Knocker had them in the air, pairing them up for their mock dogfight. Sky Keeper was sent up, rather reluctantly, out of concern that the Eruseans would possibly attempt another bombing. Although the odds were in their favor, HQ didn't want to risk it, but also didn't want to waste resources. In the end, the order was given and Sky Keeper was lazily monitoring them, the only job he had at the time was appropriately registering them on the IFF and making sure weapons were locked.
Things went on like this all the way until Wednesday, when they didn't spend as much time in the air as expected. Clown, during their mock dogfight, had worked to teach Naomi some new strategies, explaining how to be unpredictable and effective at the same time. "Y'see, Trigger, it's all in the timing," he said to her as he prepared to demonstrate, while the others 'battled' not too far away. "The same way you try and predict the enemy's next move, the same way he's gonna try and predict yours. You've gotta be unpredictable. Now, try and get behind me long enough to get a lock and fire."
Doing as she was told, Naomi turned slightly so that she was behind him, trying to take into consideration what an appropriate amount of time would be. Clown didn't seem to think about this at all, pitching down slightly with his nose. Naomi reacted, flying down as she thought he was going to do so that she could follow him, but as soon as she pulled into the dive, Clown abruptly shot up, turning the plane upside down and then leveling out on her tail. By the time she fully understood what had just happened, she'd have been dead.
"And Mage 2 is down," Clown announced, banking to the left and flying up beside her. "The best way to throw the enemy off is to do the unexpected, but trick 'em into believing you're doing the expected. Works well enough for me. It also goes both ways, as I just showed ya. When you're up against a difficult, experienced enemy, you have to think like them. And stay focused."
"That's right," Knocker agreed. "If you lose concentration, things'll get turned around on you real quick." The lesson was reinforcing things they'd been trying to burn into their memories since day one. Naomi was considering making a list, and at the very top, about five times, she would write 'DON'T LOSE FOCUS' with a marker and underline it. Knocker's voice came on again, "Golem, Mage, return to base. I've got something for you lot planned down there, so don't try running off."
After the control tower had guided them in and everyone was landed, Knocker had them work on their physical training and reflexes, explaining that it would all be worth it in the future. Naomi didn't complain, neither did Brownie or Footpad, but Boggard often lacked a filter and got himself in a little trouble for protesting one of the exercises Knocker and Clown told them to do. They had him running laps along the runway, up and down, until they told him to stop. Meanwhile, the others had to do at least fifty pushups.
The rest of the day was full of nothing but exertion and pain, after which they were sent to wash up for dinner, and Knocker tested their response times by giving them a limit to how long they would have to shower, change, and report back. Naomi felt like she was back at the base she'd done her training at, still a new recruit with a billion things to memorize and be tested on. Thankfully, Knocker let them free once they reached the mess hall.
Naomi and Brownie took their seats, and it wasn't long before the guys joined them. Faun was writing a letter to his family back home while Footpad and Boggard were talking about fresh, home-cooking and family traditions. Naomi and Brownie were facing the TV, listening in over the sound of conversations and dishes being moved and clattered about. Thankfully, the TV had subtitles and they were close enough to hear it, even if it was somewhat muffled.
OBC was playing, as it had been every day since Naomi had arrived, but they appeared to be taking a break from the doom and gloom of the war, as if no interesting developments had come about. Instead, they brought forth information about recent happenings in Oured, the Osean capital and where Naomi's family lived. The reporter, in her professional, monotone voice, could be heard as they showed a photograph of some old government building.
"In news unrelated to the war, an unknown Osean Air Defense Force pilot threw a rock at the City Council Building just a few days after Erusea declared war on Osea. Official reports say that he was shouting furiously to those passing by and entering the building, stating that countries and their borders were the reason wars were so frequent, and that he and all the other citizens were mere pawns of the nation's government."
"The MPs that arrested him apologized to the city council and informed us that he was taken into custody, courtmartialed, and sent out to an air base where he will serve in a newly formed penal unit to assist in efforts to help along his country in the war. Exactly where this base and unit are located is classified information, unavailable for release to the public out of concern for the well being of our troops stationed there. 'It may be made up of convicts, but they're still Osean citizens and their crimes don't forfeit their value to our country's military —' explained General Orson Perrault when asked of the unit in question, '— and we must protect them all the same.'"
On that note, the reporter was finally shown, giving a nod towards the viewers and stating her name as the news cut to a commercial break. Naomi shook her head, turning her attention away from the TV and onto her dinner. "Jeez, that old geezer doesn't care about his troops, criminals or not," Naomi scoffed, speaking to no one in particular, although Brownie was the only one paying full attention anyways. "My brother-in-law served under his command and the carrier my sister served on worked in close relations with his base during the last war. Both of them say the guy was a total nightmare who put on a show just to impress the higher-ups. Sucks that the fat ass got a promotion."
"I bet it's a desk job, too," Brownie put in, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Isn't that the same guy you told me about? You were telling me a couple of stories that your brother-in-law told you and from what I heard it seems like the guy should have gotten dishonorably discharged or something. At least reprimanded and knocked down to a lieutenant until he was forced to retire."
"Tell me about it," Naomi chuckled, fidgeting with her fork while she talked. "Alvin was so pissed when he heard about Perrault's promotion, I swear I have never been that scared of anyone who wasn't one of my parents when they're in a bad mood. And to make things worse, he's gonna retire — all nice and comfy — in just a few years, with money and respect he did nothing to earn."
"Well, nothing we can do about it," Brownie said with a shrug, reaching for her glass of water. She took a sip, then set it down, staring straight ahead and appearing lost in thought. After a few minutes, once their table had settled down and started to eat mostly in silence, she finally asked whatever had likely been on her mind. "Do you guys ever get the feeling that something bad is going to happen? Like, you don't know what, you just know it's bad?"
Faun, who had finished his letter and sealed it into its envelope before stuffing into his pocket, looked over at Brownie, raising an eyebrow. "Depends on what kind of 'bad' it is, and just how likely it is of happening. I really try to ignore feelings like that, since they usually are just our minds playing tricks on us." He shrugged and went back to his meal.
Always the grounded, logical one. The voice of reason, mature and thoughtful. Naomi wondered why he still spent time around them, but then again, Footpad was pretty relaxed and mature. Most of the time. And Brownie was usually a reasonable, logical person. Maybe it was just her and Boggard that were idiots. Naomi glanced from person to person, then decided for herself that it was just her and Boggard.
Brownie didn't look too pleased by their lack of interest and only mumbled something under her breath. Boggard piped up, "Look, Brownie. If anything bad comes our way, we'll easily knock 'em down. Especially if it's something in the air. I know you've seen our performance so far, and besides, we've got Trigger on our side if all else fails!" He nodded to Naomi, Brownie looking over at her for reassurance, but what else could she say that Boggard hadn't? They'd all be just fine and Brownie was smart enough to figure that out for herself.
May 30th, 2019.
0600hrs.
After nearly two weeks of grueling training sessions with Knocker and Clown, HQ finally completed their next strategy and the long awaited call to a briefing came. As expected, excited chattering came from the pilots that had already arrived, waiting eagerly for the briefing to start. Brownie looked uncomfortable next to all the others, almost like she was waiting for something to happen, but nonetheless joined in on a conversation between Boggard and Footpad.
Naomi took a seat beside Clown, who wasn't sitting towards the front with Knocker like he usually did. There weren't assigned seats, so it wasn't that unusual, but a little unexpected. Clown cleared his throat, getting her attention. He made an attempt at small talk, "Knocker and myself made a couple of notes to put into your file the other day, and I noticed you have, uh…military family stationed in Oured and one's in the Navy. Your sister. She wasn't injured when the port got hit, was she?"
"No sir, she was not," Naomi replied slowly, unsure what a 'correct' response would be. Superiors didn't often fraternize, although Clown was pretty laid back when it came to that. She went on to explain, "My sister was originally to be out at sea on board the Kestrel II as one of the doctors, but she's currently on maternity leave. They probably won't be staying in Oured, though. Too much stress, I suppose."
"Well, that's understandable." Clown nodded, glancing towards the blank briefing screen, then up to the clock to check the time. The briefer was going through his usual ritual, reading off of the notes and orders from HQ that he had to memorize. Clown shushed the room as soon as the briefer stepped up to get started on the briefing. Unlike the first briefing they'd had at the start of the war, as soon as the screen lit up, everyone stopped talking.
The briefer greeted everyone with a quick 'good morning', then cleared his throat. "The surprise attacks carried out after the declaration of war saw the peacekeeping forces of various countries, including Osea, suffer major damage. The ships moored around the space elevator and near Gunther Bay have been hit particularly hard. Numerous ships have been sunk…" he sighed, as if his next words were difficult to say, "...and abandoned."
A more positive tone came about as he went on, "Fortunately, our cutting-edge aircraft carrier Kestrel II was at sea, so it was spared from the attack. Kestrel II is now preparing to launch another attack against Erusea's capital, Farbanti." The map centered on Erusea, pinpointing the location of the capital. "The aircraft carrier Vulture also managed to escape Gunther Bay safely. However, it lost all its aircraft, so it's sailing empty."
Naomi leaned towards Clown, keeping her eyes on the screen, and asked quietly, "Can you even call it an aircraft carrier if there aren't any aircraft for it to carry?"
"Quiet, Trigger, just listen and stop asking dumb questions," Clown hissed, and Naomi relaxed in her own seat again, smirking and taking no care.
The briefer, who had taken notice that she'd made a comment, glared at her for a moment before he continued. "Today the International Union Peacekeeping Force reclaims its bid to the space elevator. The Fort Grays Island Air Base Squadron will rendezvous with the carrier Vulture for a joint mission. The first objective will be to seize air superiority in Chopinburg in order to secure a route for the support squadrons. The enemy currently maintains air superiority over Chopinburg, so expect heavy resistance from enemy aircraft."
At first, everyone seemed to brace themselves for the 'dismissed' and a few made a move to stand up, but the briefer quickly said, "There's more, so listen carefully." He paused, waiting for everyone to relax again and pay attention. Satisfied, he continued, "Right from the start of the war, the enemy has been deploying drones. They're using a new, advanced type of drone. The unmanned, airborne aircraft carrier the Arsenal Bird carries this new drone, MQ-101."
The map, which had been showing different areas, once again highlighted the space elevator and the bay around it. In the top corner, a photo of an Arsenal Bird could be seen. "The Osean Army headed up the development of the massive Arsenal Birds and dispatched them to the space elevator to provide support. However, it's been reported that the carriers may have fallen into the hands of the Erusean Forces. If that's true, it could be a significant obstacle for us. We need to regain control of the space elevator ASAP. Good luck out there. Dismissed."
Aircraft Carrier Vulture, Near Chopinburg Rainforest.
May 30th, 2019.
1450hrs.
After rendezvousing with the Vulture, Golem and Mage were able to land and refuel aboard the massive ship. Golem Squadron launched first, accompanied by Gargoyle and Skeleton. They left Mage behind for a little while, as aircraft checks and whatnot hadn't been completed. Naomi wasn't too bothered by the delay at first, but the longer the wait became, the more antsy Naomi became.
They were only a few minutes behind, but it felt as if it were taking forever. Final preparations were in progress, and they were already so close to getting in the air, but something kept nagging at her. Brownie had expressed that she had some hesitation about the mission, a pit in her stomach, like something bad was going to happen. Boggard and Knocker had quickly silenced her, with the former telling her not to jinx them. But the more Naomi thought about it, the more worried she grew.
As she climbed into her plane and prepared to take off from the carrier, she forced the feeling and the thoughts of what could go wrong to the back of her mind. She had a mission to do, and what could happen inevitably would happen if she wasn't focused. Clown was the first to take off, then it was Naomi's turn. A voice came over the radio, one of the Vulture crew members, his voice lazy, a hint of exhaustion there that you couldn't easily miss, "Mage 2. Begin takeoff sequence. You're cleared to launch."
Naomi quickly followed Clown into the sky, taking off from the carrier, the ocean seeming close enough to touch it. She pulled into a climb, following Clown towards the clouds. The same voice came on the radio one last time. "Mage 2 is away. Mage 2. Specified altitude reached. Restrictions lifted. Good luck." His voice was a little firmer this time, perhaps a even a little hopeful.
"Thanks." She didn't know what else to say, and replied on instinct. Joining up with Clown, the two of them flew towards Chopinburg to reinforce their allies. Clown began to tell Naomi to prepare herself for their arrival, since they wouldn't know how bad the situation would be and they could either have smooth sailing or get thrown into a 'very sticky situation' as he put it.
The flight wasn't that long, a few minutes at most. As they reached the combat zone, Sky Keeper radioed in to fill them in on everything before they reached the other squadrons and joined the fray. "Mage Squadron, this is the situation. Golem and the other base's squadrons already joined forces and are engaged. You guys will arrive right in the middle of the action. Mage Squadron, eliminate all the bandits in the current airspace. We have the upper hand, but that doesn't mean we can ease up. Good luck."
"Mage 1. Wilco." Clown replied. "Alright, Trigger let's go give 'em a hand."
Checking her radar, she could see the blips on the screen at last. If she got clear of the clouds in front of them, they'd be in visual range. Following Clown's lead, they broke through the cloud cover and sure enough Golem and the others were engaged in a fight with the enemy's squadrons. It would be a few more seconds before they were within firing range. Clown seemed completely relaxed as he announced their presence to Knocker, "Mage 1 to Golem 1. Thank your lucky stars."
Staying in formation, they made a move for a pair of bandits making a feeble attempt to retreat. "Looking good, Mage Squadron. Keep up that pressure," came Knocker's response.
"Trigger, time to show the other guys that we get wet, wild, and do dirty, dirty things to the enemy. Take 'em down!" It was an order, no doubt about it. Naomi pulled away from his plane to chase after the one closest to her, while Clown banked right towards the other.
"Once you hit one of them, stick to 'em like glue," Knocker advised them. "Don't let them out of your sights, even in the clouds." Naomi came within range of the enemy she was chasing and fired two missiles at it, hoping at least one would hit. One did while the other missed and she used her gun to finish it off.
"And so, your first hunting season begins," Clown joked.
"Mage 2, bandit down. Excellent work!" Sky Keeper praised her as she turned towards another enemy, but Footpad took it out before she could. "And that's another one down for Golem 4."
"Dammit!" Naomi cursed, but the words were followed by a chuckle, forming up with Clown again, heading towards where most of the fighting was taking place and as such where most of the enemies were located. She called out to her friends, "Footpad, Boggard, how about another competition? One with the highest score wins and we can work out a prize when we get back home! Brownie can even join in if she'd like."
Brownie scoffed at this. "No offense, Trigger, but I'm a little busy at the moment and I'd rather not have to play score keeper for you morons! Shit! These bastards don't let up, do they? They're like wolves!" She grunted before going silent and Naomi could see a plane that she assumed was Brownie's break off from the others in pursuit of a bandit, while a pair of them stuck close to her tail to assist their ally. "This is Golem 2…they're running me down. I could use a little help!"
"This is Mage 2, hang in there, Brownie!" Naomi replied, and turned the plane sharply to the right before pushing forward on the side-stick and diving after the two planes that pursued Brownie. One of them left the side of his buddy and flew back towards the other just as Naomi got a lock on one and fired. The missiles hit and the enemy fighter went down. Brownie took down her own target easily and she and Naomi pulled up to rejoin the others. "Well, boys, if you're in then the competition officially starts now. That one was the second if I remember correctly."
"Thanks for that, Trigger," Brownie's voice was breathy, more of a relieved, sigh with words attached.
Footpad chuckled. "Can't speak for Boggard, but I'm in a pretty good mood right now and wouldn't mind some friendly competition. You're on, Mage 2!"
It was Boggard's turn to answer Naomi's challenge. "Hmm…Alrght, sure, I'll go up against you again. Can't wait to beat you, since we all know that competition gives me some epic, badass motivation! Be prepared for a bitter defeat, Trigger!"
"Y'know Boggard, when talking to yourself it's typically a good idea to avoid using another person's name," Naomi retorted, feeling a familiar grin creeping up. "The correct phrase would be, 'Be prepared for a bitter defeat, Boggard', I believe."
Brownie sighed at this, and Naomi half expected her to chastise them for their banter and 'childish competition' as she had once called it, but surprisingly, she said, "Eh, you know…oh, what the hell. I'll join in, too. Need something interesting to do up here other than not get shot down..."
"Not sure how your competition is going to work out," Sky Keeper commented. "Only four remaining."
Naomi and Boggard both went after the same target, ultimately Naomi was the one that took it down, briefly reveling in her minor victory as she watched the jet crumble apart in a ball of flame and crash towards the rainforest below. "Three for three!" Naomi chirped, finally pulling her plane around to find her next target. "Third kill and now only three enemies remain."
Footpad and Brownie were both flying into the clouds, going after the same enemy. Once they emerged, the two flew away from the target as it was taken down by two missiles. "Yes!" Brownie cheered, the happiest Naomi had heard her sound ever since the war had started. "That counts as a tie, Footpad, since your missile helped take him down."
Clown, Knocker, and a member of Skeleton Squadron worked together to take down one of the last two enemies remaining, whereas Naomi and Boggard both raced after the last one. Boggard got within range first and fired off quickly, leaving Naomi nothing to do but give him the kill. The missile hit and Naomi leveled out as Sky Keeper announced, "Our radar shows no sign of bandits. You're in the clear."
Several cheers came over the radio, all celebrating their victory. Naomi joined up with Clown once again as her leader commented, "I haven't even broken a sweat! Too easy."
"They have to be crazy to pick a fight with us!" a member of Skeleton Squadron said eagerly. "A rabid dog would know better!" A couple of the others agreed with him, confident in their abilities.
Naomi would have said something, but just then the missile warning alarm began to beep in her ear. Knocker shouted at them, his voice more urgent than angry, "Missile incoming! EVADE!" All aircraft began to split off from one another in a frantic attempt to get their warning to stop, since then it would put them in the clear. Both Knocker and Clown ordered them to break, but they were already doing just that.
"Wait, what the hell?" Sky Keeper demanded, confused and furious with something or someone. He — like everyone else — was trying to figure out what was going on. After a moment or two passed by, Sky Keeper's voice sounded once again, a warning this time, "Caution! A large aircraft is approaching! All aircraft, stay alert." As the missile warnings finally ceased, the scattered squadrons began to regroup higher up in the air, above most of the clouds. Much better visibility.
Naomi flew closely beside Clown, Golem and Gargoyle forming up behind them with Skeleton Squadron in the front. Several of the other pilots continued to talk over one another, everyone trying to figure out what was going on or at least get an answer from them. Things didn't seem right, and everyone was on edge. Sky Keeper spoke once more, his voice cold, "We've just learned that Erusea is utilizing the Arsenal Bird. Those bastards. They had that thing combat ready the whole time!"
As the UAVs from the Arsenal Bird began to close in, the squadrons flew out to meet them. Naomi heard Brownie mention that the enemy had a radar lock, but she continued to try and get a lock with them head on. Why did they already have a lock? Her radar lock warning began to beep in her ear. Switching to special weapons, she got a lock on the ones at the front and fired just as Brownie shouted for everyone to break. Naomi pushed forward into a dive and then pulled back up abruptly in an attempt to shake the missile. Surprisingly, it worked, but she didn't hit a single one when she had fired. "Dammit, these little bastards are tough…"
"Sky Keeper, this is Skeleton 1," Skeleton's leader tried to keep his voice steady as he spoke to the AWACS. "What do we do about that monster?" Not far off in the distance, they could see the Arsenal Bird itself, gliding harmlessly as if it were watching its drones do all the work. Almost as if it were mocking them as they struggled to hit the drones. Naomi groaned with frustration as she waited for Sky Keeper to respond to Skeleton 1. How could a machine cause so much needless frustration and anger? She wished someone could just shoot it out of the sky.
"Hang tight," Sky Keeper finally responded, his voice calm in spite of the situation. "We're just waiting for mission command. It shouldn't be too long."
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Skeleton 3 muttered, and Naomi could hear Brownie agree with him, though her voice was practically a whisper over the radio.
Naomi tried a high-G turn to get after one of the drones, but it managed to avoid a lock, and every time she managed it and fired, it was always quick enough to dodge it. The radar lock warning continued to go off. She craned her neck, trying to look behind her as best she could before checking her radar. There was definitely one on her tail. "Damn!"
"Stay calm and focus, we'll live through this Trigger!" Clown's confidence was almost contagious, but Naomi was starting to lose track of where everyone was and was straying pretty far from them. She managed to hit the drone and pull back towards the others to help out, figuring that one was doomed eventually. She didn't understand how Clown could sound so calm as he said, "These guys are definitely a step above the last drones."
"Damn, they're agile!" a member of Gargoyle Squadron commented. "There's too many of them!"
"These guys won't go down easy," Footpad muttered. By now, his competition with Naomi, Boggard, and Brownie was long forgotten. Naomi wasn't trying to shoot them down to get a higher score than the others. Now it seemed much more important for survival than anything else. Everything was happening so fast, that nobody was really focusing on much else than the drones.
"I can't get a read on these bandits," Brownie growled. "They're dodging everything I throw at 'em!"
"I think everyone can agree with you there," Naomi replied. She was trying to focus on one at a time, however they continued to dodge and weave amongst one another, throwing her off as she tried to find where each intended target was going. At last, she got a lock on one of them and reacted as quickly as she could, firing at it. It was nothing more than smoking rubble, now. She moved on to the next, feeling her luck beginning to turn.
After what felt like forever, Sky Keeper finally got back to them. "All aircraft, no change in game plan," he explained. "Destroy the Arsenal Bird."
"We're up against that thing?" Gargoyle 2 didn't sound too confident, in fact, his tone was almost one of disbelief. They all regrouped and faced the same direction as the Arsenal Bird. It was looming over them like a massive cloud. "God help us…"
"It's hard enough keeping up with the drones!" spat Skeleton 4.
Knocker, on the other hand, hadn't lost his spunk after the semi-surprise attack from the UAVs. His order was simple and calm as he addressed his wingmen, "Golem Squadron, take out big Baby Huey! That thing's going down." Brownie followed Knocker as they began the attack, and Naomi and Clown weren't too far behind them. They soon split up and began to target different parts of the bird alongside Gargoyle and Skeleton.
Suddenly the missile warning alarm began to beep rapidly and as their missiles hit the Arsenal Bird, it fired its own into the air. It all happened so fast. "Shit!" Naomi pulled up and over the Arsenal Bird as the missiles climbed higher and began to spread out behind it and target the rest of the squadrons. Angered, she began to circle back around, alarms still blaring. "I wish I could shut these stupid alarms up. I KNOW THERE'S A MISSILE!" She managed to get a good look at the top of the Arsenal Bird. There was a strange, circular light, blue in color. A Skeleton Squadron member had mentioned something about it before, but she hadn't seen it then.
"Skeleton 1! Check six! Commander!" the frantic shout from Skeleton 2 interrupted her train of thought.
"They got me!" Skeleton 1 announced, and then static followed. Naomi's heart sank as she tried to wrap her head around what had happened.
"Damn…" Sky Keeper spat. "Skeleton 1 lost." He sighed before he ordered, "Skeleton 2, take over command." There wasn't any other choice, and the squadron needed a leader. It didn't seem real, even though she wasn't too familiar with the squadron. They were an invincible force, right? Naomi tried to forget about what had just happened and continued with the mission. The faster they got it done, the less people they'd lose.
It seemed that the almost pointless radio chatter picked up with the loss of Skeleton 1. Gargoyle 1 began to speak more than he had before. "Gargoyle Squadron, this is Gargoyle 1. Skeleton Squadron needs help."
"The hell are we supposed to do?!" Gargoyle 3 demanded, his own hands likely as full as everyone else's.
"Status?" Knocker asked Sky Keeper.
"Verifying the situation, hang tight," Sky Keeper replied.
Clown was chasing down a drone that had continued to be a nuisance to everyone, distracting them to no end. Naomi was about to break off from the Arsenal Bird to give him a hand, but he seemed to have it covered, so she continued to somehow weave through missiles and avoid any of the few fragments that fell from the Arsenal Bird. They'd barely make a dent at this point.
"Mage 1!" Knocker called out to Clown, the latter still battling with the drone. "Get your head out of your ass! Stop arguing with the damn drone and get over here and give us a hand!"
"Golem 2!" Boggard shouted at Brownie. "Missile! Evade!"
"Evading!" Brownie replied, but a sudden grunt and thud could be heard before she went silent.
"Brownie? Boggard? One of you say something!" Naomi was holding her breath, praying her friends were okay as she continued with the attack. There was nothing but radio silence as everyone waited for a reply. "Mage 2 to Golem 3. Boggard, what happened?"
At last, Boggard responded. "This is Golem 3. Golem 2 is hit!"
"Status report!" Knocker ordered, but no reply came. Naomi risked looking out her cockpit to try and get a visual on them. The radar was too cluttered to figure out who was who. She spotted two planes, one trailing a little smoke from its wing, while the other seemed to be keeping guard and firing at any drones that had gone after the damaged plane for an easy target. That had to be Brownie and Boggard. Brownie didn't respond. "Shit! Golem 2, do you copy?"
"This is Golem 2," Brownie replied at last, and Naomi breathed a sigh of relief. It sounded as if only the plane had taken damage, and for the most part, Brownie sounded unharmed. "Instruments still appear to be functioning okay. I can still fly, I'm fine." She began her turn back to the Arsenal Bird, Boggard sticking close to her wing to provide support. Naomi was now struggling to focus, and the radio chatter announcing that another friendly was down wasn't helping. Sky Keeper confirmed that Skeleton 3 had gone down.
"Where's that report?" Knocker asked.
"Continue to maintain air superiority." HQ left no room for loopholes in their order. Naomi groaned to herself, gritting her teeth as she tried to take out the main propellor. It would take forever to take it down, and the more progress they made, the more people they seemed to lose. Did HQ care about them or not? The smart thing to do would be to withdraw and come up with a better strategy. Hating to seem pessimistic, she didn't voice the fact that they were doomed to failure at this point.
Sky Keeper remained fairly relaxed, which was easy enough since he wasn't in the battle, but his voice became mildly annoyed after HQ's order. "HQ, what's happening? They can't keep this up much longer!"
"Sky Keeper, I repeat, maintain air superiority," HQ snapped, then cut out.
They had nothing else to do but follow orders. The blue circle around the Arsenal Bird had begun to grow and grow, getting larger. Confusion spread among the pilots, everyone wondering what was about to happen. The warning went off in Naomi's ear again, this time slower and steadier. "What the hell?!" Sky Keeper exclaimed. "Something's not right. Caution! All aircraft stay alert!"
The warning persisted and Naomi heard Gargoyle's leader order everyone to get out of the area. Everyone broke off, trying to get a distance between themselves and the Arsenal Bird. Once again, they began to talk over one another. Everything happened so fast that before anyone was able to relax, Sky Keeper radioed in, his voice slow and heavy, "Skeleton 2…lost…Skeleton Squadron is down. We've had too many losses. All squadrons, command has ordered a complete withdrawal. Leave the operation area immediately."
"Brilliant observation!" Gargoyle 1's voice was bitter, likely over the loss of Skeleton Squadron and possibly one of his own, Naomi had lost count at that point. "If they'd noticed earlier, more of us would've survived to hear it!"
"Save your chatter for the debriefing," Sky Keeper ordered him. "It's not like it would bring them back, anyways. Golem and Mage Squadron, give our allies some time to escape. Cover their retreat." Naomi was already turning to chase down one of the remaining drones. There were a lot of them to take out, and they seemed to know who to go after, running down the aircraft already trying to make a break from the combat airspace.
"Wilco," Knocker said to Sky Keeper. "But Golem 2's hit. Gotta send her back."
Sky Keeper didn't answer, instead telling them to get started on taking out the UAVs. Naomi had already managed to shoot down one, and she saw Clown sticking to another, chasing it through the clouds. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Brownie's plane, wobbling slightly, its wing still trailing smoke. "Golem 2, head back to base!" Knocker ordered her. "We've got this under control."
"Gargoyle 1, escort Golem 2. Get her home safe." Sky Keeper ordered, and Gargoyle 1 broke off from the others and flew up beside Brownie.
"Continuing the mission!" Brownie stated, ignoring the others. It was as if she had verbally removed their hand from her shoulder, refusing the support. "I've still got my wings and everything's still in working order. Trigger doesn't need to fill in for me. I'm back and I—"
Knocker interrupted her, sounding as fed up by Brownie's stubbornness as Naomi did. "Your wing's damaged. You won't make any difference up here, and you sure as hell won't if you're dead. Get back to base and cool your head!"
There wasn't any point in arguing with his order. Brownie knew that, too. Knocker was right and she needed to get back to base, being too easy a target for the drones. Brownie's next words sounded as if she was speaking through gritted teeth and every word was strained. "Copy that…returning home…" She didn't want to leave, and she made it clear to them that she wasn't at all pleased by this. Naomi had a feeling that Brownie would further voice her opinion on the ground.
Naomi shot down one of the UAVs, then looked out of her canopy to see Brownie and Gargoyle 1 beginning their retreat. "Don't worry, Brownie. We aren't going to be far behind. " She tried to sound reassuring for her friend, but that anxious feeling was hard to shake. Part of her blamed it on Brownie. If she hadn't brought it up the other day, then Naomi would have a better time focusing. Perhaps she only had herself to blame. "Just make it back safe and sound, alright?"
"Sure…" Brownie didn't sound entirely confident herself. Putting on a fake, positive tone, she added, "Right, we'll get back. But don't forget, Trigger, the competition still stands. I suppose you'll win, but I'm going to give you hell for it once we get back to Fort Grays. I should get an honorary win."
"Not too likely. But…I'll think about it. You know the guys are gonna have something to say about it, though." Naomi pointed out, managing a small smile. Not like it would help much, since Brownie couldn't see it.
"Mage 2, concentrate on the UAVs!" Sky Keeper barked, ruining whatever moment was taking place. Naomi rolled her eyes and began to chase down another drone. "Retreating aircraft, leave the AO. Allies will hold off pursuit. Golem Squadron, Mage Squadron, hang in there and come back safe."
Naomi didn't know about the others, but she definitely wanted to get home and not wind up in a million pieces scattered over the rainforest. A morbid thought, but these drones were starting to get on her last nerve with their stupid dodging of missiles. However, if it was even possible, the drones seemed to be growing as weary as Naomi and her allies were. "Damn these bastards," she growled as she finally got a lock. She fired and the missiles made contact, so she moved onto the next.
"That's it, Trigger! They're machines, so don't show 'em any mercy!" Clown told her as they both began a dive after the next drone. Naomi fired one missile and let Clown finish it off. "That's it, come to papi." The ridiculous phrase directed at the drone seemed more threatening than it would have under normal circumstances. Obviously, fighting essentially flying robots was not a normal circumstance.
"Mage Squadron, you're going toe to toe with the UAVs. Keep up the good work." Sky Keeper said to them. Naomi flew alongside Boggard after one of the UAVs before Boggard split off to go after one that was gaining on their tail. Sky Keeper alerted them once again of more incoming. "More UAVs spotted! Gargoyle Squadron, they might cut off your retreat!"
Golem and Mage continued to fight, going up and down, left, right, rolling this way and that way. They had complete control, but the UAVs continued to dodge. It was difficult, but one by one they were managing to take them down, however slowly. Naomi's motivation was that she didn't want to lose anymore of their allies and on top of that she didn't want to die. Being shot down by a drone wasn't an appealing death to her.
"This is Gargoyle 1. Leaving operation airspace with Golem 2." Gargoyle 1 announced to them. Naomi sighed with relief for what had to be the hundredth time. The two of them were going to be alright. They would be in the clear, then. But as it turns out, there is such a thing as speaking too soon. Or in this case, thinking it too soon.
"Retreating aircrafts, prepare for combat! It's a bogey!" Sky Keeper warned them. "Gargoyle 1, Golem 2! Engage now! Attack!" Naomi felt her throat tighten. Could they manage it? Would they manage it? Things weren't looking as hopeful anymore. Brownie's wing probably wasn't going to be able to take much more of a beating, and she could pull some pretty crazy stunts in the air.
"One bandit, it's an Su-30!" Gargoyle 1 said.
"Gargoyle 1…CAUTION! MISSILE!" Brownie cried out to her escort.
Naomi's mouth and throat went dry as Brownie's warning proved pointless. "He's fast! He's like a—" Gargoyle 1's last words were cut off by the sound of an explosion, followed by nothing more than some static. Before Brownie even told Sky Keeper about Gargoyle 1, Naomi had a feeling they all knew exactly what had happened. They couldn't let up on the drones, though.
"Sky Keeper. Gargoyle 1 is lost." Brownie's voice didn't shake. She kept it clear, and understandable. Whoever had taken down Gargoyle 1 didn't seem to scare her at all.
"What the hell…?" Sky Keeper's own voice was bewildered as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on at the retreating aircraft's end. "Golem 2, status report!" The only response he got were a few pants and grunts with some inaudible words from Brownie. She sounded scared this time, tired and desperate as well. Naomi sucked in a sharp breath as she listened. "Just talk to me, Brownie..." Sky Keeper encouraged her.
"I'm against…an Su-30!" Brownie managed. "He's close enough that I can get a good look at his plane. An Su-30. Orange wing tips." She was starting to repeat herself. Not a good sign. Naomi continued to go after the UAVs as she listened in for Brownie. "I can't shake it off! He's matching me move for move!" Brownie was following Sky Keeper's original order and engaging. Curse her stubbornness…Naomi thought.
"Golem 2, stop dogfighting and run!" Knocker ordered, but if Brownie heard him and did as she was told, they wouldn't know for sure. "Shit…this is getting a little tight." Naomi said nothing as she continued to fight, wanting to get the drones taken out so they could get out to Brownie and hopefully manage to help her fight off whatever bastard was chasing her down. Another UAV exploded in midair as a result of Naomi's missiles, then she gunned down the one in front of that. Knocker praised her, "Thatta girl, Mage 2! Just keep firing!"
Naomi did as she was told, throwing a quick 'thanks' out to Knocker before quickly going onto the next. She made quick work of this one, looking at her radar to check for where the next enemy was. There weren't many left, thankfully. "Mage 2, UAV down! Keep it up buddy." Sky Keeper said to her. Naomi smiled at this. She wasn't entirely sure anyone but Boggard on occasion had called her 'buddy' before, but she was rather fond of it. It was a short lived moment, though, as her mind went back to the mission and Brownie.
"Fort Grays aircraft, we'll let you take it easy next time," Gargoyle 2 said to them, likely meaning that they would cover the retreat the next time around.
After a long while, Brownie spoke up once more. "I'm dead meat!" She was definitely out of breath, and probably in way over her head. She needed help and she needed it fast. Brownie's radar lock warning could be heard as she spoke, "I-I don't get it. Why isn't it opening fire?" That was frustration coupled with confusion. Why hadn't she made a run for it yet?
"Brownie!" Naomi wasn't going to keep her mouth shut any longer. "Brownie, get out of there already!"
"Trigger!" Brownie's voice was beginning to break. "I'm scared! I'm scared!" Whoever was on her tail was clearly toying with her. He knew how to scare her, let her know he was going to win no matter what she did.
"Hang in there, Brownie!" Naomi told her, not entirely sure what she was supposed to do. She continued to take down the UAVs. There wasn't much else she could do. "Brownie, we're almost done! Hold out a little longer, please!"
"This is…not good." Clown sighed.
"Brownie, break off and get the hell out of there!" Knocker ordered her. Naomi had a feeling that she wasn't going to listen. Even if she did break off, it seemed like the Su-30 guy was going to hunt her down anyways. Why would he let up just because she was retreating?
Naomi wasn't paying attention to the conversations around her. Everything seemed to be getting distant, anyways. All that was on her mind was Brownie and the drones. Gargoyle made some comment about them being able to pull through, followed by Sky Keeper snapping at them about something. Focus, fly, fight, don't die. She forced herself back into whatever sick reality was happening around her to check her radar for the next target.
"Does Mage Squadron still have their hotshot?" Gargoyle 3 asked. Gargoyle 2 said something in response, but his voice was getting staticky. Gargoyle 3 let out a sigh, "Well, if that's the case, then we just might make it out!"
"Don't look back. Just have faith." Gargoyle 4 said. "Golem and Mage, we owe you a debt, and we'll pay it."
Naomi turned towards Boggard and Footpad to go after one of the last two UAVs. They'd kept it busy, and Naomi wanted it dead and gone. She got a lock and fired without worrying too much about whether it dodged or not. She got it. "Hell of a good job, Mage 2," Knocker said to her. "We want as many guys outta here as possible."
"I'm grateful you're around!" Gargoyle 3 said to her.
"Yes, thanks, that's all well and good and all," Naomi replied, not meaning to seem rude but knowing full well she did. "But what about Brownie? She's out there all alone, being chased down by some psycho, we have to help her!"
Knocker quickly made an attempt to contact his wingman. "Golem 2, what's your status?" No answer. "Status report! Brownie, do you hear me?"
At last, Brownie's reply came. She was concentrating, that's why she was taking so long to answer them. "He's a predator…the weak get eaten..." Brownie's voice was just above a whisper, fear evident in her words. She was in some sort of a fear-induced daze, and Naomi could imagine that her face was probably drained of any color at this point.
"Golem 2, get a hold of yourself! Get away from the enemy!" Knocker ordered. For the first time since Naomi had ever met Knocker, he sounded worried. Worried for Brownie.
"Brownie!" Naomi called out. She could see the others going after the remaining UAV. Couldn't she leave? She made a move to. Brownie didn't have a chance if they didn't do anything to help. "Brownie, get out of there! Listen to Knocker for once, please!"
"Mage 2! Support!" Brownie cried out. "Trigger! Somebody! Support!" Naomi froze up as Brownie's last words were followed by an explosion. There was static and then her radio cut out. Naomi could barely breathe. Brownie was…dead?
"Golem 2…lost…" Sky Keeper sighed.
"Shit!" Knocker spat out the word. Naomi felt like she was starting to go numb. Her friend…they'd known each other for a while…not long enough…did she have the right to call her a friend? "Sky Keeper, where's the one that got Brownie?" Knocker's demand was almost a low growl. Was he going to go after him? Were they all going to go after him?
"Afraid he's long gone by now," Sky Keeper replied. "I'm sorry. There's nothing we could do about it. All UAVs have been splashed…"
Naomi formed up beside Clown, running on some sort of mental autopilot as she tried to register everything all at once. Brownie's dead…sick son of a bitch toyed with her…scared her…killed her…she didn't have a chance…I couldn't help her…they relied on me…she asked me for support…Naomi's mind began to race and her body began to shake slightly. She braced herself and only her hands trembled, just the slightest bit. She had to stay in control.
"…I said what I had to say…" Knocker hissed.
"About what?" Clown demanded. He sounded pissed.
"Not a girl who'd retreat. Just not in her DNA."
"That was the right decision at the time," Clown replied. "She wouldn't have been able to fight with that damaged wing."
"…No…I should've never let a fledgling like her out of my reach to begin with." Knocker said, sounding defeated. "It was my fault. And now we all have to live with the fallout."
"Golem Squadron, Mage Squadron, withdraw." Sky Keeper ordered.