Silesia Cordium Facility
Scania, Europe
May 1st, 437 AC
3:15 PM Local Time
Major Jason Rumil has always been an anxious man. The worst-case scenario was always the first thing he thought when he took any action- partly for the lives of the men under his command and partly for his own life. So when he heard the order from Crystal Kingdom that his men were to be used as bait to draw in the biggest threat to the Federation, he was understandably worried.
"Captain Callun, give me a SITREP," he ordered over his radio while pulling a cigarette case out from one of the pockets in his vest.
"Evacuation efforts are going smoothly, sir," the Captain replied. "We've already got a few transport planes up in the air with escorts to cover them. Still no sign of the mercenaries, though."
Jason put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "Good," he muttered. "The more work we get done before they show up, the better." He looked out the window, watching soldiers moving nearly everything that wasn't nailed down onto the transport planes. "Crystal Kingdom sounded like he really needed this cordium, so I think we should try not to disappoint him."
Jason expected Callun to respond with some low murmur of agreement, as he usually did, but instead, the Captain's next transmission came in a frantic tone. "S- sir, enemy fighters inbound, four of them!" He reported.
Jason reached for the alarm and switched it on, and air raid sirens promptly began echoing throughout the facility. "Alright, stay calm, Callun," he instructed the Captain. "Do you have a visual on the bandits?"
"There's an F/F-18 leading the formation, an MG-29 and F/C-15 on either side and an SK.27 at the rear," Callun replied. "They're still not close enough for us to see any emblems, though."
"Doesn't matter. That matches the formation that Crystal Kingdom told us to keep an eye out for. Tell your men to speed up the process. Evacuate as many men and as much cordium as possible," Jason ordered before cutting the radio and grabbing his rifle. "All personnel, evacuate immediately. This is not a drill," he instructed over the intercom. "Make your way to the nearest cargo truck or transport plane right away."
Once everyone was out of the building, Jason finally brought up the rear and followed everyone out. Up until that point, he had heard the sound of the fighters approaching as nothing but a low rumble. However, the moment he stepped outside, they became as clear as a springtime river. Two hostile fighters shrieked overhead, and that's when Jason saw it: the Samurai emblem.
"Crystal Kingdom, this is Stinger Actual. I've got a positive ID on the Samurai Mercenary. I repeat, the Samurai is here. Over," Jason reported as he and a dozen other men rushed into the nearest transport plane.
"Crystal Kingdom copies all," the voice on the other end replied. "Peacekeeping Squadron Violet is Oscar Mike, ETA: five minutes. Proceed with the evacuation. Out."
"Alright, we've got a full load back here, and we've done all we can. Let's get the hell out of here before those mercs get a bead on us," Jason shouted up to the pilots in the cockpit.
Suddenly, a loud boom rattled everyones' eardrums and nearly threw them out of their seats. "They just destroyed the plane in front of us. We're stuck!" the pilot yelled back.
Jason looked out the window next to him and saw a pillar of smoke rising from the burning wreckage of the first transport plane. High above, the Samurai Mercenary circled around, confirming the kill they just made. All Jason could do was take a deep breath and close his eyes as a pair of missiles and a hail of machine-gun fire came right at him.
"This is Violet 1. We're entering the AO now," Natalie reported. "Only four hostiles on radar- you sure it's them?"
"Affirmative, Violet 1. We've already got several confirmed visual IDs on them," Myers replied. "Shoot them down and allow our transports to escape. These mercenaries' contract ends here and now."
"Skyline, tell anyone that's still on the ground to haul ass however they can," Natalie ordered. "The more time they have to get out of here, the better off we'll be."
"Roger that, Winter. I'll send the word out ASAP," Skyline replied.
"Hey, look!" Wires called out suddenly.
Natalie looked straight ahead and saw something she never would've expected to see; three of the four mercenaries were splitting off from the fight and heading back in the direction they came from. The only one that stayed on its original course toward the Peacekeepers was the F/F-18- the plane Natalie could only assume was being piloted by the Samurai Mercenary.
"Unbelievable," Hammer murmured. "They show up here, cause all this damage, and then just turn tail and run?" he asked in disbelief. "What a bunch of cowards."
"What'd you expect? They're nothing but mercenary dogs," Natalie replied bitterly. "Either way, we're not done here yet. There's still one plane to deal with, but don't underestimate them. If they can do the damage they did to Scythe Squadron, they're not someone to be taken down easily. Watch each others' backs, and don't let 'em get any hits on you. Violet Squadron, engage."
Natalie led the charge by firing a pair of MLAAs at the Super Hornet and pitching straight up into the sky. The others followed her lead and broke off in different directions as they tried to surround the mercenary. To Natalie's surprise, though, this pilot didn't seem phased at all. He just launched chaff and flares before switching his burners on to chase after her, presumably going for a guns kill.
"This merc's got guts, I'll give 'em that much," Natalie grunted as she felt the weight of the g-forces from the turn she made with her AOA limiter to stay clear of his gunsights. "Any sign the others might be coming back, Skyline?"
"Negative, Violet 1. It's just him," the AWACS operator replied. "Must be covering their retreat."
"Bastard's certainly slippery," Wires admitted as he dove down toward the Samurai and managed to get a few stray shots on him with his guns. "I'm starting to see why Myers wants them dead so badly."
There was a sort of familiarity in how the Samurai moved that Natalie couldn't quite put her finger on. Each movement they made flowed right into the next as if they were a program executing a series of commands, only their maneuvers were more fluid than any AI could ever hope to be. It all filled Natalie with just as much admiration and intrigue as fear and anxiety. She could tell deep down in her gut that they weren't going to shoot the Samurai down today. This mercenary was going to be a thorn in her side for a while, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying.
Even with four Peacekeepers surrounding the Samurai, though, it was like they simply refused to die. They maneuvered this way and that, trying to get the occasional missile shot off, but every time one of Natalie's wingmen tried to get any hits on them, their efforts proved unsuccessful. Hammer went in to hit them head-on, but the Samurai launched countermeasures and broke off, opting to turn up and away from Hammer and toward Natalie.
"Where the hell did this guy learn to fly?" Doc asked as he watched Natalie's plane swing around with the help of its AOA module. "We've got the merc outnumbered four to one, and we still can't get any hits on him."
"There's only been one mercenary since Oceania that's been this good. Think it's him?" Wires asked. "Think he's finally resurfaced with a new identity?"
"Doubt it," Natalie replied bluntly as she and the Samurai moved in tandem with each other as they tried to break the others' guard. "The Crown had two others with him. This one has three. Besides, I doubt he ever left Cascadia. Why would he?"
"Violet Squadron, be advised; the facility has been evacuated of any remaining Federation personnel, and the transports are all out of the AO," Skyline advisted the pilots. "Let's get a move on and wrap this up already. You keep this up for much longer, and we'll be cutting it close on fuel."
"The hell you think we've been trying to do?" Hammer asked as he and Doc. "Think we've just been toying around with this guy just for the fun of it?"
"It doesn't matter. We're ending this here and now," Natalie decided. "You three circle around and form a perimeter- box 'em in. Don't give the dog an inch. I'll take care of him myself."
There was more to it than that, but Natalie didn't bother saying that. They wouldn't understand. Something deep in her gut, some instinct she couldn't quite identify, was telling her to get in closer- to figure out what this mercenary could really do, and she was rarely one to ignore her instincts. Tightening her grip on the controls, Natalie approached the Samurai head-on. The mercenary fired missiles just seconds before she could do the same and forced her on the defensive, cutting back on the throttle and causing the plane to glide through the air at a 90-degree angle away from the missiles and the bandit that fired them.
However, after that maneuver, something changed about how the Samurai fought. While they had been on the defensive for the duration of the fight, they were still aggressive in the way they moved and the way they managed to get the occasional shot off, even if none of them landed. Now, all of that changed. The mercenary had switched entirely to evasive maneuvers, and Natalie couldn't figure out why for the life of her. She couldn't figure out what could've changed in those few seconds that would change this mercenary's entire fighting style, but her suspicions had been confirmed: this pilot was certainly more intriguing to her than she initially thought.
"Violet Squadron, the Samurai's on the defensive. Let's close in on him and finish this once and for all," Natalie ordered as she circled back to go for another shot on the mercenary.
"We've got 'em surrounded. They're not going anywhere," Hammer assured her.
Wires, on the other hand, was more skeptical. "Just be careful. Desperation can make any pilot a force to be reckoned with. Don't get cocky and overstep."
Natalie kept a close eye on the Samurai as she came in again. The blood-red markings on the mercenary's plane flashed in the sunlight as they rolled onto their side and jerked to the right, almost forming a complete circle before turning up into the air and making an aggressive turn to defeat one of Hammer's missiles. Even when the Samurai was purely on the defensive, they still found a way to let their teeth show, but Natalie expected as much from a mercenary. They were all nothing but bloodthirsty dogs, so naturally, they were going to bear their fangs, especially when they ended up backed into a corner.
Suddenly, the Samurai broke off from their pursuit of Natalie and spun around to face Doc in a joust. Natalie tried to loop back around to come up behind the mercenary, but it was too late. Both pilots fired missiles at each other and turned away as sharply as they could, but Doc couldn't deploy countermeasures in time and found himself taking two missile hits.
"Doc!" Natalie called out, ignoring the mercenary entirely.
"Son of a bitch!" he cursed. "I'm hit but still airborne. Although, I can't really tell how much longer that'll be the case." His breaths were heavy and frequent as he made his report, but he also sounded more confident than before. After all, he did just stare down death itself and come out on top.
Natalie's gaze shifted between the Samurai, who was getting farther and farther away, and Doc's plane, which was accompanied by a heavy trail of smoke. "All aircraft, break off pursuit. I'm not letting this bastard have the satisfaction of killing any of us," she ordered. "Doc, you think you'll be able to make it back to Cloudfall like that?"
"Doubt it," the other pilot replied. "Got about a dozen systems going offline. It's probably only a matter of time before I drop out of the sky."
"There's an airfield not too far from here. I'll send a request for an emergency landing to them," Skyline offered. "Just hang in there."
As the four planes gradually began to disengage, Natalie circled around one more time, making sure she took the rear position in case the Samurai came back around to finish the job. Luckily, they seemed just as intent on escaping as Violet Squadron was. As she looked over her shoulder one last time, she realized that her suspicions were correct. She wasn't going to shoot that pilot down today, and she knew deep down that wasn't the last she was going to see of that mercenary.