The next operation came just two days later. In order to keep pressing their advantage, the Allied Forces were trying to hit the Belkans hard and fast, before they could regroup and set up a proper defence line. In those forty eight hours, Cipher had pondered a question, a question asked by his wingman the night following the attack on the Hydrian Line.
"Would you rather be hated, feared or respected?" Foulke asked while sitting at Cipher's desk, studying drawings in his flight lead's notebook.
Cipher looked over from where he lay on the bed, still in his flight suit. "That's a tricky one," he replied after a moment of silence. "What about you?"
Foulke placed the black notepad down. "Respected." He answered his own question. "With great respect comes trust."
A pause. "Do you trust me?" Cipher peered at his wingman with his ice blue eyes.
"Buddy," Foulke grinned. "I've not doubted you for a second."
Cipher sat at the back while the selected squadrons filtered into their rows in the briefing room, chatting. Foulke came and sat by him.
"Morning."
Cipher returned the greeting. "I have an answer to your question."
Foulke raised an eyebrow. But before Cipher could give his answer, the Intelligence Officer entered and hushed the room. Then the familiar red briefing screen appeared on the wall behind him and began to zoom in on a section of Belka as he spoke in his booming voice.
"Belka's second line of defence stretches across the Schayne Plains in the central region of southern Belka." He informed the pilots as the flight leads wrote down important information. "Centred on two anti-aircraft camps, this line blocks our refuelling unit's air route, and is already delaying our military plans. This operation will consist of attacks on enemy ground troops and engagements with enemy fighters."
As if on cue, the screen singled out three separate combat airspaces. "There will be three squadrons in total. Galm, Team, you can decide which one to accompany. Alpha Team will be responsible for destroying enemy ground ordnance."
Hunter One nodded. That was his.
"Beta Team's job will be to eliminate air resistance, and destroying enemy ground ordnance,"
John Henderson looked over at Lancer's flight lead. Beta was theirs.
"Theta Team will eliminate air resistance."
Cipher nudged Foulke, who nodded in silent reply. Theta was theirs.
"Escort Allied transport craft after each mission is completed." The Lieutenant General finished. "You will commence in air refuelling just on the edge of the combat airspace before you begin the missions, so don't worry about drop tanks. That is all."
Cipher and Foulke walked out into the clear day to where their F-15 Eagles had been towed out. Ground crew ran about dragging refuelling pumps and hoses while others directed weapons trolleys to particular aircraft. They headed over and aided their technicians load the Eagles with air to air missiles – four AMRAAMs and six sidewinders as per usual. They both quickly performed the pre-flight checks and taxied to the single runway. Cipher kicked the afterburners on and drew looks from everyone who could get to a window to see the famous mercenaries. They were the last ones to take off, being involved in the last mission in the operation.
"What was your answer to my question?" Foulke suddenly broke the silence after a few hours of silent flying.
"I would be feared." Cipher replied. "Fear brings respect for my abilities, and hatred due to the fear. Being feared would lead to all of the options."
"And do you feel feared."
Cipher glanced at his radar and spied out the refuelling plane, turning smoothly towards it. "By some." He opened the channel between him and the tanker. "This is Galm Team."
"Galm Team this is Juicebox." Cipher grinned at the choice of callsign given to the KC-135. "Can I take your order please?"
"I'll have a fill of the daily special." The mercenary continued the banter between them. As he came close and the refuelling probe extended itself to replenish his fuel, he noticed an acronym painted in bold black letters on the rear of the aircraft. NKAWTG. Cipher's grin widened as he took it in.
Nobody Kicks Ass Without Tanker Gas.
Both mercenaries took their turn at filling up the tanks. They then broke away and joined with an Osean Air Force F-14A squadron who identified themselves as Joker Squadron. The two Eagles hovered in the five o'clock high position of the six plane Tomcat diagonal line left.
"Hey Cipher, you read me?" Foulke sounded awestruck. "Just look at the view! There's not much difference between these countries from up here!"
Cipher took a moment to admire the view fully. He was at least ten thousand feet up, and had an amazing view of South Belka and it's rolling plains. He spied a lone river snaking across the landscape. Greens and yellows blended into each other, and the odd road cut though the land, twisting and turning with the hills.
"It's a beautiful country, I don't get why they had to go and start up a war." Cipher agreed.
"Joker pilots, check your planes." Joker One ordered. "I don't want any complaining once we begin combat." Cipher guessed the pilots and weapon systems officers were rookies to combat, apart from the flight lead. He made a mental note to look out for them and turned back to the situation at hand.
"So that's the Galm Team, it's an interesting formation." An Osean pilot commented.
"Let's watch how they fly!" Another spoke.
"Galm Team, you are cleared to engage." AWACS Eagle Eye said.
"Roger that." Cipher's radar picked out several Belkan flights of fighters, patrolling in flights of four. He broke from the formation with Foulke just below his wing and turned to face an incoming flight. "Galm Two, engage at will."
"Let's see how they like this one." Foulke increased speed and pulled slightly ahead of Cipher. "Fox Three!"
Two AMRAAMs from Foulke's loadout homed in on two unfortunate F/A-18 Hornets of the defending Belkan Air Force, both of which exploded in flames and pummelled to the ground.
The other two fired their own missiles at the mercenaries, but the 66th Air Force Unit was too fast for them, splitting apart and tightly twisting onto their tails. The resulting engagements lasted no longer than ten seconds before both jets were spinning to the ground, smoke pouring from open wounds. No sooner than they had levelled out, they were popping flares and straining against a rush of g-forces to evade more Belkan missiles directed at them. Four more Hornets dived from the skies to sting their enemies, but the birds of prey proved to be more than a match for the Belkans. Cipher found himself chasing down a dark grey F/A-18 in a high speed pursuit of rolls and loops while jinking to avoid the occasional burst of gunfire from the guy behind in his six. It was weird being on the offensive while defending.
"Guns guns guns." Cipher's cannon came to life and spat orange projectiles at the fleeing Belkan. The wing was torn to pieces and the ace had to violently snap away before the fragment of the F/A-18 collided with him. His chaser however, wasn't as lucky and was forcefully ejected from his aircraft as the wing was eaten up by his intakes and the fuel ignited.
"Sierra Hotel!" Foulke exclaimed. He had successfully shot down both of his targets with well-timed missile shots.
"Joker Squadron, give me a sitrep." Cipher asked.
"We've dealt with the patrols to the east of the combat airspace." Joker One replied. "We've lost Joker Three to enemy resistance."
"Copy that, we'll take the west." Cipher replied.
"There may be no need; the northern and western groups are turning towards us." Foulke informed.
The flight lead looked down. Sure enough, twelve fighters were headed their way in three groups of four. He frowned.
"Something's not right; the Belkans should be able to send out more fighters than this?"
"Drossel One to all Drossel units, engage those mercenaries!" The Belkan flight lead ordered.
"Joker, can you spare us a jet or two?" Cipher asked. Twelve Belkan fighters wasn't much of an issue, he and his wingman had shown that they could cope being outnumbered and outgunned through pure flying skill. But experience had shown that quantity could often overcome quality.
"Umm...Joker Five and Six go and help the Galm Team." Joker One rearranged his team. Two clicks were heard on the mike and within minutes, two Osean F-14A Tomcats were formed up on Cipher's right wing.
"First group three o'clock." Foulke reported. Cipher had given up looking at his radar, trusting Foulke to keep him informed. "Ten miles."
"I'm spiked! Evasive manoeuvres!" Joker Six pulled up sharply and broke away. A few seconds later, Cipher saw the white smoke trail of an AMRAAM fired from the enemy.
"Joker Five, join with Joker Six and take the three o'clock group. Galm Two, let's dance with the bogies at our one o'clock!"
"Copy that!" Joker Five banked away and reformed with Joker Six.
Meanwhile, he and Foulke continued onwards to intercept the eight other incoming enemy aircraft. Cipher flicked a switch on his control stick and switched to his medium ranged AIM-120 missiles. Instantly, his radar and HUD locked on to the northern group and Cipher launched all four. The deadly missiles split and carved their own white trail in the sky as they curved towards their individual targets. Only two hit, but evasion had split the other two up, meaning he and Foulke were easily able to engage. Cipher worked hard to keep the multi-role fighter in his sights. With one hand on the throttle and the other on the flight stick, he brought himself to within a mile of his target and matched the evasive manoeuvres his target performed, waiting for the optimum time to launch one of his five remaining AIM-9 sidewinder missiles.
"Galm One, Fox Two!" The missile shot from his right wing pylon and covered the short distance from him to his target in mere seconds. But the Belkan tightened the bank he was pulling and the missile failed to match the curve. "Missed."
"My time to shine!" Foulke swooped in from above, planting himself in between his flight lead and the Belkan F-18. He loosened his own short range missile and a few rounds of gunfire and the enemy aircraft disintegrated into flaming debris.
"The enemy threat level has dropped to under fifty percent, keep it up Galm Team!" AWACS Eagle Eye reported.
"This is Hunter Four, I need backup!"
Cipher looked to the source of the cry for help. The lone A-10 pilot was flying low and as fast as her damaged aircraft would allow while trying break away from a pair of JAS-35 Draken interceptors chasing her. Cipher rolled upside down and pulled a hard split S onto the rear of the outdated second-generation fighters. He quickly locked a sidewinder onto one and shot it from the skies. The other disengaged and broke away from the mercenary. Foulke came out of his dive and sprayed the small interceptor with gunfire. It flipped and tore itself to pieces as the pilot wisely decided it was a good time to abandon ship.
"Thanks Galm." Hunter Four sounded relieved. "Drinks on me when you get back to base!" she proceeded to exit the airspace.
"Joker Five, how are you coping?" Cipher asked as he looked over the clear skies, hunting for the other flight he was meant to intercept with Foulke.
"Well it's not turned into a flap yet if that's what you're asking. We're holding our own for now." Joker Five replied.
"Copy that, we may be a few minutes." Cipher spied the four bandits at his seven o'clock high and informed Foulke before rolling and snapping away to dodge a missile that passed through the spot where the mercenary had been seconds before. Three of the four followed him to engage, while one went off in search of Foulke. Cipher slammed his airbrakes on and turned tightly, stalling his aircraft in the process to which he quickly countered by pushing the nose down and slamming his afterburner on. The action caused the Belkan pilots to overshoot him as he dived rapidly, exchanging altitude for speed.
"What the hell…?!" The enemy flight lead exclaimed. "Where'd he learn to do that?!"
"Not possible…!" Another gasped.
Cipher pulled up sharply onto the tails of the three aircraft and launched all three remaining AIM-9 missiles under his wings in quick succession, all of which hit the stunned pilots and struck them from the skies. Foulke came about and reformed on his wing after easily downing the Belkan sent to shoot him down.
"…it's time…"
Cipher blinked. The transmission was unexpected and the ace had barely been able to catch it. The woman's voice was of Belkan origin, he guessed judging by the accent. Time for what? His pondering was interrupted by the Air Division's loitering E-767 AWACS.
"Enemy threat level has dropped off to under two percent." He informed. "Galm Team, escort Allied transports until they are able to land."
Cipher and Foulke had regrouped with Joker Squadron, but split, heading to the bottom-right corner of the combat airspace to rendezvous with the Osean C-17 Globemasters from Halo Squadron while the four surviving Osean Tomcats returned to base.
"There they are." Foulke said once the massive flying transports were in view. "The Allied transport planes." They overshot the five grey lumbering aircraft from above and banked around, coming in from the rear. They took up positions at the head of the arrowhead formation.
"Thank you for securing air superiority!" The lead Globemaster pilot thanked the Galm Team. Cipher lead the formation towards the designated landing sites. The Hunter Squadron had attacked an airfield which would serve as the staging ground for further attacks on the Belkans. He glanced down and saw small aircraft from Ustio patrolling and clearing up Belkan resistance.
"What was that?" Foulke asked suddenly. "Something flashed again!"
Cipher had saw it too, a bright blue flash from behind. He glanced in the mirrors installed in the cockpit to aid rear viewing and at that precise moment, the three rear C-17 transport aircraft simply exploded and tumbled to the ground in flames and smoke.
"What the fuck was that!" He yelled, scanning the skies desperately.
"Warning warning, unknown long-range chemical weapon attacks inbound. Current airspace is in range!" The usually calm AWACS sounded worried.
"Now you tell us, where should we fly?" Foulke growled.
"All aircraft, head to the south immediately to exit combat airspace!" AWACS Eagle Eye ordered. "Keep an eye on your radar for the attack."
"Laser weaponry…?" a pilot Cipher recognised as one of Lancer's pilots came on over the radio. "Damn Belkans…!"
"This is bad…" Foulke understated the situation. "I'm outta here!" and without waiting for Cipher to say anything, he broke off from the formation and headed south.
"Galm Two…" Cipher began to order his wingman back to his position when he saw the blue beam. A massive laser that sliced down from the sky and annihilated the remaining two C-17s in a single hit. Cipher estimated that the single shaft of deadly blue light was one hundred meters wide. His eyes widened and he rapidly banked his Eagle around and increased his airspeed.
"Use your radar to estimate where the next attack will come." The AWACS advised.
"Don't panic!" Hunter One encouraged his squadron. "Just keep flying and keep an eye on your radar."
Cipher had caught up with his fleeing wingman, who proceeded to take up his usual position above his wing. He glanced at his radar and noticed a large circular distortion at his two o'clock near where Fenrir was retreating. He shifted his look in that direction, just in time to see the laser attack obliterate six F-16 Falcons unable to evade the deadly laser.
"Fenrir Seven, respond!"
"Fenrir Two is incommunicado!"
"Fenrir Four, come in? Fenrir Eight are you there?!"
"All aircraft, evacuate to the south immediately!" Eagle Eye ordered, but the pilots didn't need to be told twice. The attack on the Schayne Plains had turned into a rout, with all remaining pilots urging their aircraft faster to escape the unstoppable attacks being thrown their way. But every time the blue flash of light carved angry scars into the land, it took several pilots with it.
Four times Cipher came face to face with death. Four times the laser cut off his path of retreat and forced him and his wingman to blindly dart away, narrowly brushing the edge of the chemical laser. Cipher could feel the heat from it, like the solar rays coming through his canopy on a warm summer's day. Then it would be over and they would continue their retreat. Then it would strike elsewhere, and the cries of death would sound over the radio along with the frantic calls of their terrified squadron members.
"You're out of the danger zone." AWACS Eagle Eye breathed a sigh of relief. "Galm Team, return to base."
Cipher sat back in his seat, breathing heavily to bring his thundering heart and adrenaline rush under control. A trickle of sweat tickled his forehead and he reached up to wipe it away. He looked over his shoulder to confirm the survival of his wingman, who flew by his side. He could almost see the famous mercenary's face.
"Looks like we live to see another day Cipher." Foulke said as they formed up with the remaining aircraft from Hunter, Fenrir and Lancer. Twenty six aircraft had taken off from Valais Airbase, but now only nine returned. The return home was silent, and the Galm Team found themselves landing last.
"Welcome back, Galm Team." The ATC said as the two F-15C Eagles landed together, one on each side of the runway. They taxied to their alert hangers without a word and powered down their jets before setting off to the debrief.
"I didn't like that." Cipher said. "I've never seen something with that much power!"
"Me neither." Foulke replied. "But as soon as intel figure out what exactly attacked us, I bet we'll be the ones going to destroy it."
The nine pilots seated themselves in their usual spots. Cipher studied the quiet faces of the survivors. Hurt, fear and disbelief were all present. But in each and every one of the pilots, Cipher saw hatred towards the Belkans and a desire for revenge.
"The mission objectives were achieved, but our forces were dealt a heavy blow by enemy laser ordnance, and great sacrifices were witnessed on our side." the Lieutenant General in charge of briefing and debriefing the pilots reported. "Our country must out an end to this war. If not, I fear the war may put an end to us. Still,the best defence is offence. We're counting on you all to lead us to victory!"
With that, the mercenaries and air force members left. Cipher saw Henderson talking to a member of his squadron, and Hunter One leading one of his younger ones away. This war had gotten one step closer towards crossing the line. And if that line was crossed, there was no telling what could happen. Cipher shook his head and headed to his hanger with Foulke to disarm and tidy away.
"That was a bad nightmare." Solo Wing explained to Brett Thompson as the camera showed footage of the Galm Team landing at Valais following the mission. "We lost several of our members. Mercenaries like us are disposable to the guys in charge. But in the end, we survived."