Rouen Air Base
Normandy, Europe
April 26th, 437 AC
7:30 AM Local Time
As Templar Team and the rest of Paladin waited in the briefing room, there was a certain air of anxiety that everyone could feel. For the small mercenary group, this would either be the start of something glorious or the start of something much worse. Everyone seemed to know this, but nobody quite knew what was in store for them.
Under normal circumstances, the mercs would engage in small talk, chatting and joking with one another. Not today, though. Instead, an unsettling, awkward silence crept through the room, which only seemed to make things worse. Things were especially worse for Jay, who was already significantly tense. Every sortie he went on was a chance that he might have to confront his past. It was something that he was still wrapping his head around.
"Are we all here?" Verreaux's sudden voice at the back of the room grabbed everyone's attention. His eyes skimmed over the room before he made his way up to the front with Cyborg right beside him. "Then let's get this underway." He started logging into the briefing software, and a map of Europe appeared on the big screen at the front of the room.
"Today's a big day, so let's make this quick. We've got a lot of work to do," Cyborg announced, watching everyone's reactions.
"Over the past few weeks, the Federation has launched a massive counter-offensive that we were in no way prepared for," Verreaux began as the approximated positions of friendly and enemy forces appeared on the screen. "They've been hitting us relentlessly over and over again, and we're thoroughly on the back foot. Simply put, we cannot take them head-on."
Jay raised an eyebrow suspiciously but didn't say anything aloud. He had been keeping a close watch on the conflict with the Federation for months, and he knew how poorly they had been doing no more than a month ago. He wasn't sure what happened, but he could feel that Verreaux wasn't telling them everything. Something happened that caused a complete reversal of the war, and Jay wanted to find out what it was.
"That's why High Command settled on the plan we're currently executing," Verreaux continued, still looking intently at the map on the screen. "For the past few weeks, the European Coalition has been withdrawing all of its forces across the continent. The plan is to have everyone regroup here at Rouen. That's why you're here, Paladin. You're going to be the rearguard. Once all our forces regroup, we hit the Federation with everything we've got. Of course, having the military of several countries withdraw across an entire continent takes time, but we expected as much. What we didn't plan for, however, was the Federation adapting to this so quickly. They've stepped up their attacks recently, and it's slowing down our retreat even further."
"Needless to say, we have to speed things up," Cyborg cut in. "And today, we're planning on doing just that. We're executing a large-scale withdrawal from several fronts simultaneously. Knight and Ritari…" He looked over to the two mercenary teams. "We'll be splitting up to cover as many of these retreats as possible."
"And what are we going to be doing?" Mustang chimed in. "Sit on our ass and twiddle our thumbs?"
Verreaux shook his head. "Templar Team, we have an essential task for you, so listen up." He zoomed the map in to display northern Europe. "In order to successfully pull off a retreat of this scale, we're going to need a diversion. That's why you are going to be assisting in the capture of the capital city of Scania, Dalarna. Hopefully, the Federation will see us going on the offensive and divert forces to defend the city, giving our main forces more breathing room." He highlighted the city of Dalarna on the map. "Originally, we were going to have you scheduled to assist in the evacuations, but last night our forces that were preparing to attack the city were caught off-guard by a surprise attack. As a result, we lost all of our air units except for one squadron, and even they suffered some losses."
"It's short notice, I know, but we have to send you there ASAP. If we don't, then there's no chance that this will go smoothly," Cyborg added.
Jay nodded, flashing a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you can count on us," he promised the two men.
"I sure hope we can," Verreaux replied in a completely serious voice. "Because if we can't, then there's really no reason we should've hired you. Now get going. We have a long day ahead of us."
The Coalition soldiers all stood up and gave a rigid salute before they left the briefing room. However, the mercenaries waited for a moment longer before nodding to Cyborg as they left for their hangar, preparing themselves for the first official battle of their newest and biggest contract.
Dalarna
Scania, Europe
April 26th, 437 AC
9:50 AM Local Time
"Attention all Coalition callsigns in Dalarna, this the Airborne Warning and Control Systems aircraft Stallion of the Paladin Mercenary Corps. Templar Team is entering the AO now to provide air support as needed," Stallion advised everyone who could hear him.
"Mercs?" A man asked, making his disgust abundantly clear. "If they're helping us, then I'd rather just provide air support on our own."
"S- sir," a much younger woman spoke up in a timid voice. "I think we need all the help we can get."
The first man sighed heavily. "Fine, this is the 94th Normandic Fighter Squadron, callsign Lion. Most of the pilots are barely out of the academy, so we've been trying to play it safe and keep our distance," he explained. "So far, we've been doing a decent job, but the Federation's got reinforcements inbound, both in the air and on the ground. We're gonna need help if we want to take the city." He paused before adding bitterly, "Just do me a favor and try not to shoot us in the back for a little more on your paycheck, Merc."
"What a real charmer that guy is," Nyx said to Jay, making sure not to key the radio. "Is the whole Coalition gonna be this grateful for us coming in to save their asses?"
Jay shrugged. "It is what it is, I guess," he replied before sending back a reply. "Templar 1 copies all. We'll give you a hand."
The man didn't bother speaking to Jay, but instead, he spoke to one of his own pilots. "Alt, you're number two now, so I want you to stay close to me. Don't stray off," he ordered.
After a brief pause, the young woman replied with a very meager, "Roger that, Wolf."
Nyx scoffed in the backseat. "Good god, what an edgy tac name," she muttered. "I don't care what the circumstances behind it are, but I will make fun of him for it if I get the chance."
Jay smirked. "Heh, I think I may have to join you on that, Nyx." He then looked down at his radar and started to get to work. "What are we looking at, Stallion?"
"Enemy air reinforcements are still a few minutes out," Stallion reported. "But we've got an MBT formation moving in from the north. Ground forces are already engaged with hostiles nearby, so we might wanna help 'em out before they get overrun."
A new voice on the radio spoke up with the sound of gunfire in the background. "This is Brigadier General Lundholm, callsign Viking," she introduced herself. "The enemy is moving in a group of anti-air vehicles. You flyboys might wanna take those out before they become a problem. I'd deal with 'em myself, but they're being escorted by tanks, and my boys are starting to run low on ammo for the launchers."
"Right, let's split up then," Jay decided. "Wolf, if you and your squadron wanna deal with the MBTs, Templar can take out the anti-air," he offered, already turning in the direction of the incoming SAMs and AA guns.
Wolf chuckled. "Don't think you have any authority over me, dog. Let's go Lion Squadron."
"Prick," Jay muttered under his breath, watching the five F/C-16s bearing a woodland BDU splinter camo break off toward the MBTs.
"Christ, lighten up already, would you?" Mustang spoke up in a teasing voice. "You do realize we're on the same side, right?"
"Leave it, Mustang," Eagle said sternly. "Don't go starting things just for the hell of it."
"No, no, I'm actually with Mustang on this one," Jolt chimed in. "I'd rather the people I'm flying with not try to give me shit for just existing at every turn."
"Cut the chatter, Templar Team," Stallion ordered. "Let's get this over with."
"Copy, Templar 1 engaging," Jay replied before looking over his shoulder. "Nyx, get those MLAGs ready. I'll even be so generous as to let you get take the first shot."
"Oh, how thoughtful of you, Samurai," Nyx said in a voice that practically oozed sarcasm. "Truth be told, I was probably just gonna take the shot anyway."
Jay turned his attention back to the formation of incoming ground targets just outside the city. A few of the L-SAMs present in the group quickly locked onto their F/F-18 and fired missiles. Despite this, however, Jay stayed the course. He still wasn't close enough for Nyx to have a lock yet, so he simply pushed the throttle forward to outpace the missiles.
A few moments later, four of the many enemies on the ground turned red, and one long and consistent beep went off in the cockpit, which was a fact that Nyx quickly took advantage of. "Templar 1, Magnum times four!" she announced as four missiles spewed out from underneath their wings. They all maintained a consistent altitude as they cruised toward their targets until they suddenly arced downward above them. Four brief beeps sounded off in rapid succession as Jay passed over the group with guns, taking out a few more before they were out of range again.
Even as the other three did the same, there were still plenty of targets left, and now that they were closer, the anti-air units unleashed everything they had on Templar Team. Rather than deploying flares, however, Jay decided to pitch the plane almost directly up, climbing higher and higher at an angle that the missiles behind them simply couldn't replicate. Even after their tail was clear, though, Jay kept going up. Finally, he climbed to about 2000 meters before doing a complete 180 and heading straight down to the ground. The entire way down, he fired missiles and guns at the hostile targets, but as he got closer, he didn't seem to be making any attempt to divert his course away from the ground.
"Uh, Samurai?! You might wanna consider pulling the hell up!" Nyx shouted.
Jay smirked, firing another salvo of MLAGs at the enemy and yanking the flight stick back. The plane jerked at the sudden movement and went from being perpendicular with the ground to being parallel only a few meters away from crashing. AA fire tried to hit them as they got close, but the F/F-18 swooped underneath a raised highway and started climbing in altitude again before they landed any hits.
"Oh ye of little faith," Jay said, turning around to face Nyx with a smirk before turning his attention back on the sky.
"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate it when you do pull stuff like that?" Nyx asked in a facetious tone.
Jay shrugged nonchalantly, not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him. "Maybe once or twice in passing, I dunno," he deliberately understated.
"Samurai, are you tormenting Nyx again?" Eagle asked in a voice akin to a parent scolding their child.
"Now, you see… I think tormenting may be a bit of a strong word, buuuut…." He smirked, knowing full well the reaction his answer would get.
"We were literally 20 meters off the ground, you ass!" Nyx interjected, reaching up and giving Jay a light smack across the head.
"My lord," Wolf grumbled. "It's a miracle any of you got hired in the first place, seeing as how you all collectively seem to have the mental fortitude of a six-year-old."
Jay was just about to turn around and tell Nyx not to reply, but he was only a second too late. "You know I really should commend you, Monsieur Edgelord. It must be quite the challenge to sit in the cockpit and do all those maneuvers with that massive stick up your ass, so really, it's a testament to your abilities that you're able to put up with it."
"Aaaaand, that's an NJP right there," Jay said with an exasperated sigh. "Nice goin', Nyx."
"Ah, what are they gonna do about it?" she asked casually. "We aren't even in their army."
Wolf took the insult surprisingly far better than Jay expected him to. All he said was, "Like I said, a six-year-old."
"You're all acting like children with the way you keep arguing," Viking suddenly snapped. "In case you'd forgotten, we're kind of in the middle of a war, so focus on fighting the Feds instead of each other."
"She's right," Eagle agreed. "We've still got work to do. There are Feds all over the city, and I don't think they're planning on leaving any time soon," he pointed out as he made another pass over the anti-air group, whose numbers were quickly dwindling.
"It looks like enemy air reinforcements are arriving as well," Stallion informed everyone. "A small airship picket and a few fighter squadrons."
"Right, Templar Team, Nyx, and I will finish up with these last few ground vehicles. You three start dealing with those fighters. We'll join you as soon as we can," Jay ordered as he fired a pair of STDMs at a tank.
As Eagle led Mustang and Jolt higher into the sky to engage the enemy air support, Jay heard another missile alert go off. He pushed the throttle forward and started putting as much distance between the remaining AA and himself as possible. Even at full speed, however, the missile kept gaining on him. Finally, just before it made contact, he jerked the plane to the right, bringing it completely around in a sideways U shape and putting the last of the ground forces in their sights. Nyx let another salvo of MLAGs fly, and Jay sent out a pair of STDMs, followed by a burst from their guns to finish off the last of them.
"Alright, enemy AA neutralized," Nyx reported. "Now, let's go deal with those fighters."
Jay nodded. "Gladly." He glanced down at the radar and keyed the radio. "Templar, we're heading up. How're things looking?"
"They sent in four Anuras, nothing too bad in that respect," Eagle answered. "But there are quite a few escort fighters covering them, SK.37s mainly. So it's hard to get in close enough."
"We'll just have to deal with the escorts first, I guess," Jay said. "Alright, let's do this."
Without another word, Jay hit the afterburners and climbed higher and higher into the sky. He watched as the enemy air contacts slowly started appearing on their HUD little by little. His fingers glided across the control panels of the cockpit effortlessly as Jay switched to MLAAs in preparation to fire. Even after he got a solid lock on four aircraft, he didn't fire right away. At the angle they were at, Jay knew they'd all just miss anyhow. So instead, he got closer, hoping the threat of a radar lock on the enemy planes would force them to go evasive, which it did. In their effort to break his lock on them, the four fighters put themselves in a perfect position for him to take them all out in one salvo. The missiles left a trail of smoke through the open blue skies, and a moment later, four SK.37s fell from the sky.
"All callsigns, I've got an update for you," Stallion spoke up. "The evacuations are going smoothly. Knight Team has pulled out after meeting all their objectives, and Ritari is still on station."
"The tide is turning. This is our chance. Push the Feds out once and for all!" Viking ordered. "Let's remind them whose home this is!"
Jay heard a radar lock warning go off, but it was almost immediately silenced as the plane behind them got shot down. Jay looked back to see who got the kill to see one of the F/C-16s from Lion Squadron fly past them before turning to engage another bandit. For a moment, he thought about engaging more of the enemy fighters, but as he noticed that the skies were starting to clear up, he decided to go for the Anuras. Jay set his sights on the one lowest to the ground and dove after it. Since the MLAAs weren't reloaded yet, he instead opted to fire standard missiles, accompanied by a burst from his guns as he passed over the airship's defenses. The first pass managed to destroy all of the defenses aside from one CIWS, leaving the cruiser completely exposed as Jay came back around to finish it off.
"Scratch one Anura," Nyx reported.
"Make that two," Eagle corrected her as he pulled away from the fiery wreck of the second cruiser to go down.
"We've got 'em on the back foot," Jolt chimed in. "We just need one more push to finish them off."
Jay smirked as he hit the afterburners and flew right toward the third Anura with Mustang right behind him. Both pilots fired a salvo of MLAAs from a distance, taking out all the defenses on board the cruiser as they got into gun range, giving them the perfect opportunity to finish it off in a single pass. Jay was about to go after the last of the fighters since Eagle and Jolt took out the final Anura, but Stallion's voice over the radio stopped him.
"This is AWACS Stallion to ALCON. Federation forces are withdrawing from the city. I repeat, Federation forces are retreating from Dalarna," the AWACS operator informed everyone.
"We did it. We got our home back!" Viking cheered. "Spot-on air support up there."
Wolf scoffed. "It'll take a lot more than that to impress me," he muttered.
"Says you," one of the other pilots from Lion Squadron chimed in. "Did you see that Samurai in action?"
"We've secured the city, and Coalition forces all over are reporting successful evacuations," Stallion reported. "I think it's safe to say this mission was a success; all callsigns, RTB. Let's go home."