Rourke Peninsula Supply Base
Asean Republic, Pacific Ocean
March 21st, 437 AC
4:30 AM Local Time
"Hey, Stallion. You feeling alright?" Mustang asked the AWACS operator, breaking the long silence that had been present since they left. "You're way quieter than usual, and that's saying something," he said snidely.
"Har har, screw you," Stallion responded in a lighthearted tone. "Just remember that I'm the one who controls whether you show up as hostile or friendly on the IFF Templar 3," he added. "We're coming up on the base. Ritari, prepare to drop."
"Ritari Actual, roger that. We're ready to go," Gray replied.
"Alright, Templar Team. Engage enemy ground defenses to clear a path for Ritari," Stallion ordered.
"Wilco, Stallion," Jay said as he got ready to make a pass over the base. "Let's go make some cash." He looked over his shoulder. "You ready, Nyx?"
"Not really," she admitted. "It's still too early for this. Let's just get this done so we can go back and hopefully get some sleep."
Jay let out a bit of a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm with ya there. Templar 1 engaging."
The closest targets he could see were some patrol boats leaving as Templar Team made their approach. He angled the plane down toward the water and placed his machine gun reticle right over one of the patrol boats while locking onto a second with standard missiles. As soon as they had a solid missile tone, Nyx let a single missile fly, and Jay gunned down the other boat. There were still a few more trying to escape, but the other three made short work of them as they followed their flight lead over the base.
"Nyx, those UGBLs ready?" Jay asked.
Nyx nodded. "Yep, let 'er rip, Samurai!"
Jay positioned the target indicator over a group of AA guns and APCs and let a single bomb drop as he pulled away. A brief moment passed before multiple targets came onto the killfeed on their HUD simultaneously. As Jay straightened out his F/E-4, he saw another group of ground vehicles in his sight, so he passed over them with a mix of machine-gun fire and missiles.
"This is Ritari Actual. We've got boots on the ground, and we're pushing forward now," Gray reported. "How're things looking for us?"
"There's still some enemy armor roaming about, but based on how Templar's doing right now, it looks like they won't be a problem for much longer," Stallion told him.
Gray snickered a bit. "Hey, Samurai. Save some scratch for us. It's hard for us to stay in the red when you keep stealing all the targets."
Jay shrugged, even though Gray had no way of seeing it. "What can I say? Guess you've just gotta be quicker."
"Samurai, missile on our ass!" Nyx cried out. "Evade it!"
As soon as Jay heard the missile alert, he pitched straight up into the sky, looking over his shoulder to try and spot the missile behind them. "Where'd it come from?"
"SAM launcher we just passed over," Nyx answered. "Go figure, one of the only things we didn't take out on our pass." Her voice oozed annoyance as she spoke.
Jay deployed flares, and as soon as he confirmed that the missile had lost them, he looked back down to the ground below. "Guess we've just gotta make another pass, then." He started turning to point them back down at the ground to get a clear shot, but the F/E-4's maneuverability, or lack thereof, didn't make it any easier for him. "God, I swear," he muttered. "The first thing I'm doing once we get our paycheck for this contract is buying a new plane."
"Gotta survive 'till the end of the contract to get paid before you can do that," Eagle reminded him.
Mustang scoffed. "Implying that Samurai and Nyx would get down by a random SAM launcher. Although, I suppose there'd be a bit of irony in them dying in one of the most mundane ways a merc pilot could go out."
By the time Jay had completely turned around, the SAM launcher had already reloaded and fired another missile at them. He didn't evade it right away, though. Instead, he waited until he was close enough to fire a missile before breaking off just before the missile could make contact with their plane, sailing off into the sky instead.
"Got any more wisecracks, Mustang?" Nyx asked before Jay could get the chance. "Or will you save them for when you buy us drinks tonight?"
"Oh, don't you worry, Nyx. The day's not over yet," Mustang assured her. "You've still got time to screw up and need saving."
Jolt laughed. "Right, keep dreaming there, Mustang," he chimed in.
"Hey, Templar." Gray's voice immediately got Jay's attention. "I hate to break up the playful banter, but can you deal with the APC near the main building? Once that's gone, we can force our way into the facility," he explained.
"I think I see the one you're talking about," Eagle said. "Don't worry. It'll be gone in a flash."
"Stallion, how are we looking in terms of any QRF?" Jay asked the AWACS operator. "See anything?"
"Funny you should mention that Samurai," Stallion replied. "I was just about to let you guys know that enemy interceptors are inbound from bearing 210, and they brought an Anura with them as well."
Jay gave his radar a puzzled look as he looked at the new contacts approaching their position. "Where do they keep getting these things?" He quickly dismissed his own question. "Guess it was a good call to pack extra MLAAs, eh Nyx?"
"Yeah, I'm getting 'em ready now. Mustang? Jolt? Either of you want a piece of the action?" Nyx asked as she switched to the MLAAs' targeting, preparing herself as they got closer to the incoming reinforcements.
"What kinda question is that? Think I'd say no to more cash?" Mustang responded. "Now Jolt, on the other hand…"
"Hey! I'm not dumb enough to pass up more money," Jolt objected as he and Mustang formed up behind Samurai and Nyx.
Jay laughed at his wingmen's back-and-forth. "Alright, let's stay focused, guys. Remember, they still outnumber us, and they have an Anura," he reminded them.
"Templar!" Gray suddenly cut in, with gunfire in the background. "Just thought you'd like an update. We're breaching the main building and clearing it out of hostiles now- shit grenade! Wait, it's a flashbang-" A loud bang cut through the radio. "Goddammit," Gray muttered. "But yeah, we'll keep you posted."
"Good stuff, Gray. We'll make sure everything's good to go by the time you're done," Jay assured him. "Nyx, we in range yet?" He turned his attention back to the incoming hostiles, specifically the MG-31s speeding toward them.
"Just aboooout…" she slowly answered as the distance to the target got closer and closer. "Now! Templar 1, Fox 3," she called out.
Four missiles shot out from under the wings of their plane and crashed head-on into the first four planes before they had any time to react. Jay and Nyx flew past the burning wreckage as it fell to the ground, with Mustang and Jolt right behind them, as they continued heading toward the rest of the incoming fighters with the Anura.
"Hey, guys. All the ground units at the base have been taken out," Eagle reported. "I'll be with you in just a second."
"Nice work, Eagle," Jay responded. "Stallion, we still good?"
"Well, considering we're attacking a supply base to steal explosives so we can blow up our own base, I'd say probably not," Stallion said sarcastically.
Jay rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, smartass," he said, smirking. "Are there any more reinforcements coming?"
"If there were, I would've told you already. Come on. You take me for some amateur?" Stallion asked, feigning offense.
"Of course we don't, Stallion," Mustang said. "We take you for a socialphobe because we know you," he added with a snicker.
Jolt joined in as well. "Don't think we haven't forgotten about that time with the Prime Minister of New Reformia, Stallion," he reminded the AWACS operator. "The amount of ass-kissing we had to do to get ourselves out of that mess was insane."
Stallion let out a heavy sigh but didn't say anything more, leaving Jay to focus on the enemies, which were finally in missile range. He started by firing two standard missiles at an SK.37, but they easily outmaneuvered Jay's attack and pitched up into the sky, practically daring Jay to follow. Pulling back on the control stick, Jay followed the Loyalist fighter higher and higher into the sky while Mustang dealt with another fighter, and Jolt kept the Anura busy.
"Have I mentioned the fact that I hate how little maneuverability this damn plane has?" Jay asked, clearly annoyed by how difficult it was to keep up with the SK.37 he was tailing.
"Well, I guess it's your fault for busting up your old F/F-18, then," Mustang said.
"Hey, that wasn't my fault, and you know it," Jay replied defensively as he tried to get a few hits with his machine guns.
"Uh-huh, suuure it wasn't," Mustang replied sarcastically.
Jay ignored him and fired another standard missile at the SK.37, which finally took it down. After making a wide loop around, he looked to see whether Mustang or Jolt needed help before spotting another SK.37 coming up behind Mustang.
"Heads up, Mustang!" Jay warned, firing another MLAA salvo, which caught the SK.37 and a pair of F/C-15s off-guard and destroyed them. "I do believe that's drinks," he said with a smirk.
Mustang sighed. "Ah dammit," he muttered. "Fine, fine," he said dismissively.
"Looks like you boys could use a hand," Eagle chimed in as he joined up with them. "How about we finish this up?"
"All right. Mustang, you go help Jolt with the Anura. Eagle and I will keep the fighters off your backs," Jay ordered.
"Wilco," Mustang replied, veering off from the enemy fighters and making a pass over the Anura, taking out a few of its defenses.
Since Eagle's MG-29 was far more maneuverable than Jay's F/E-4, he went after the SK.37s while Jay tended to the two remaining F/C-15s. He tried to hit them with another MLAA salvo, but they weren't at a good angle, so neither of the missiles connected. After flying past Jay, one of the F/C-15s looped around and fired two missiles at him before he could fully turn around. Jay quickly rolled onto his left side and turned as hard as he could. As the missiles got closer and the alert in his cockpit got quicker, Jay launched flares just in case, not wanting to risk taking a hit. Fortunately, his maneuvering put him right in front of the second F/C-15, which he shot down with machine guns. Suddenly, Jay heard a loud boom and looked over to see the Anura catching fire as it slowly descended.
"Hell yeah!" Jolt cheered. "That was awesome!"
"Nice work, you two," Jay praised them as he shot down the second F/C-15 with a single MLAA. "How are you doing, Eagle?"
"Just got the last fighter now," Eagle reported. "And I believe that's all of them."
"Sure looks that way to me," Jay agreed. "Stallion, are we clear?"
"Yep, picture clean," Stallion reported. "Ritari, what's your status?" After not receiving a reply, he asked again. "Ritari Actual, report in," he ordered.
"Holy shit…" Gray finally said. "You guys aren't gonna believe this."
"Oh god, that's never good," Nyx groaned.
"After we cleared the base, we started grabbing everything we could carry, explosives, ammo, supplies, and intel," Gray explained. "We figured out where the Loyalists are getting all this advanced equipment from."
"Hold that thought, Gray," Stallion cut in. "Lemme patch in Alston, and the boss. They're gonna wanna hear this." There was a brief moment of pause before Stallion spoke up again. "Cyborg, General, Ritari Actual found out where the Loyalists' advanced weaponry is coming from."
"And?" General Alston asked. "Who's supplying them?"
"It looks like not long after the fighting officially started, Supreme Commander Harrow was contacted by Henderson and MADB," Gray explained. "They both offered funding and arms if they agreed to rejoin the Federation after they win the war."
"What? But that doesn't make any sense," Alston mused. "Supreme Commander Harrow was the one that led the charge to liberate Asea from the Federation during the revolution three years ago. Why in God's name would he agree to join them again?"
"You'd be surprised how strong of a motivator money is," Cyborg said with a scoff. "How are things looking otherwise, Ritari?"
"Er, that's the other thing," Gray said awkwardly. "There's a bit of a uh… complication."
"What kind of complication?" Cyborg asked in a tone jay was all too familiar with.
"While we were looking through the base, we found something else… cordium," Gray told them. "It's a small amount, probably used to power their airships, but I don't think we can just leave it here."
"Well, we can't blow it up, either, if that's what you're saying," Alston told him. "Not after Cascadia. I don't wanna be responsible for the entire Ring of Fire getting set off again. Give me a minute to think." After about a minute, he finally spoke up again. "Just how much is there, exactly?"
"Not that much, honestly," Gray answered. "They're in these relatively small cases that have the Icarus Armories logo on them."
"Alright, perfect. You're gonna have to take it with you. I don't much like it, but we don't have much choice."
"Alright. Let's just hope it doesn't blow up the helicopters," Gray muttered.
"Templar Team, Varonis is circling back around to pick up Ritari. Once they're up in the air, cover them and RTB," Stallion ordered. "Let's hope it's not too light out by the time we get back."