Chp. 30: Knife Fighting
November 10, 2049
NAS Redmill, Osea
Lieutenant Commander Brent Morales watched as the radar display for his MQ-4C updated again. The formation of diamonds moved further north, swaying away from the coast of Sotoa. A second Triton, operated by his wingman, showed the same picture as they shadowed the fleet moving north. Morales looked at the primary screen they shared, where his eyes centered on the carrier Icarus and her battlegroup were sailing about 400 miles away. The two Wraiths and single Pelican the carrier had airborne had yet to detect anything new. Morales looked at his primary display and superimposed the combat range of the F-03 on it.
"Think they might be trying to circle around Rupa's west side? Would put them in range to launch Basilisks." He suggested.
"Possibly, but they have to know we're tracking them. They've been in a defensive posture the entire time." Lieutenant Beau White replied.
Morales looked at the waters just north of the island. It would've been a submariner's wet dream if not for the fact that Sotoan patrol planes were covering every inch of sea with sonar buoys. He watched as two patrol planes turned to expand their search area, and the fighters shielding them duly moved outwards.
"Fairy this is Phantom 1-1, we see those Sotoan MPAs moving on Heading 274. Escorts are acting accordingly, can you confirm?" He radioed. There was a brief second as the conversation bounced off a satellite.
"Ah roger Phantom 1-1, we confirm those birds are moving west."
Heartbeats started to rise on both sides of the globe as the aircraft pressed deeper into the open sea. A second pair of Tritons from VUP-1 were hundreds of miles to the west, transmitting the data they saw to him and his number two. A second formation was slowly crossing the ocean towards northern Sotoa. All indicators pointed to them being transport ships. Morales keyed his boom mic and reached out to the two pilots in the next trailer over.
"Phantom 2 this Phantom 1-1, move your patrol station north and east to the following coordinates. Troop convoy is now a secondary priority; wanna make sure the Eruseans aren't trying to double back." He instructed.
"Copy that 1-1."
Morales punched in a new patrol station and set his Triton to autopilot. The carrier and her escorts very slowly shifted in the same manner, and according to Phantom 3 the Andersen and her group did the same. Morales instinctively grabbed a still frame of the enemy aircraft moving west, then did it again as the ships followed. They moved almost dead-center above the island, then started weaving back towards the mainland. Soon it became apparent that the fleet was moving in a normal defensive pattern. Morales couldn't help a small smile as he keyed his mic again.
"Fairy this is Phantom 1-1, enemy fleet is continuing north along the coast. Escorting aircraft are adjusting accordingly. Can you confirm?" He asked.
"Copy Phantom, we can confirm."...
Even as the Eruseans and Sotoans marched southwards, there was a reason to be proud. Images captured by Navy Tritons had told the men and women of Icarus, CVW-8, and Destroyer Group Four they'd driven back the other side's navies for a good while. Two separate screen captures showed the Erusean-Sotoan fleet moving as fast as it could towards the Sea of Matak, or at least the straits. It would be weeks before they could try again to launch an amphibious assault, and that took a lot of pressure off the defense of Port Jubilee. Once again, more could be brought to bear against the war on land. VF-34 was eager to avenge their lost friends, and also feeling some sense of peace that their efforts hadn't been in vain. The raid on Rovennti had hampered the air cover available to the fleet. There was even some talk that the two had likely been captured, but were alive. Viking's wife was keeping a close eye on the news for that.
"Attention on deck." Conman announced, breaking the others from their prideful daydreaming.
Jed jammed the small piece of paper into the first pocket he could find and stood up with the others. Cyborg came down the center aisle as usual and let those before her sit.
"Good morning everyone. With the enemy naval threat suppressed for now, we're once again being tasked to help stem the tide moving through Chakari itself. While slowed, Kinglane is now under direct threat from Erusean and Sotoan long-range artillery. We won't be able to counterattack for a few days, so those above us are sticking to hitting them in every place feeding their offensive south." She outlined.
The first satellite images showed a city running down the side of a mountain, then the 3D software took over and created a recreation of a facility in the heart of the southwestern sector.
"Today's mission will see us providing SEAD for an Alpha Strike on a Sotoan rail yard near the city of Pattadhaar, just east of the Dhala mountain range. Secondary objective will be to support the CAP's mission. The Erusean 90th Armored Division will be moving through here over the next few days to reinforce the advance down the Chakarian coastline. We'll be clearing the way for eight birds from VFA-235 tasked with attacking the vehicles gathered here…"
The term "Alpha Strike" stirred Jed's imagination a little. Such a phrase had been coined in the days when carriers were powered by steam turbines and jets were colored ghost gray with white bellies. The amount of AA in the area was certainly on par with that era of air warfare. According to the intel gathered, the place was defended by Erusean systems this time. Showtime was the one explaining the exact layout.
"Six M10 sites defend the target, each one supported by two flashlights. This treeline also conceals one of three confirmed batteries of M09 medium-range missiles. These are on their own, but the possibility of shoulder-launched weapons does exist. The heaviest concentration is along the northwest and south, as that's where they expect any attacks to come. Their radars are close to the flashlights, so the plan is to have the Shadows fire multiple pairs of ALDs configured to look like HARMs to the radars. They'll pass along GPS coordinates to the real shooters, who'll fire on that mode to minimize the risk of detection. The second flight of aircraft coming in with us will then use JDAMs to knock out the flashlights and enemy launchers. The first strikers should come rolling in from the southeast about five to seven minutes after we hit our IP. Archers 1 and 2 will be ahead by six minutes this time, and we expect the main threat will come from enemy aircraft patrolling near the coast and by air routes heading south. Exact types will vary, so be ready for anything."
Anything was about par for the course, Jed agreed. He opened his charts a bit more and placed a finger on the nearest air base. Passhtui was close, so was Rovennti; the latter was a tough nut with tougher residents. Their route would take them north of the place, then they'd swing down and push in like Showtime had said. Refueling would have to be quick this time around.
"Any questions?"
Jed looked at the Ops O but said nothing. Almost immediately after he took his seat, Glue turned around to talk to his flight. Annie was at Jed's side a second later to compare plans. It wasn't hard to figure out that he was using the act of looking down at his charts to put her in his field of view, though. She ignored it and he didn't press any further as they went over their plan of attack. He did, however, pass along a piece of paper when they were done.
"Zippy said to pass something along, but didn't have time to forward it via messenger." He explained hurriedly.
"Thank you, Bronco." She nodded.
Jed had to keep back the natural instinct to feel disappointed. Instead he mindlessly traced a finger around the city, following Glue's outline of how they'd attack. Their targets were the sites near the mountains, which had the advantage of being amongst the narrow valleys in the mountains. It helped that morale was going up, because it seemed to get the creative juices flowing.
"Whatever their practical envelope might be in this case, we need to stay fast. The M10 is speedy, but it isn't nimble. It thrives up high, which makes sense given it's patterned after the SA-20." Jed replied as Glue hammered out attack profiles.
"I'd argue for balance, and this is my coming from Lightnings but we should consider that the Hellcat's speed may end up working against us." Annie added.
"Why you gotta flow with it, guys. This isn't our first SEAD hop, and we've learned since the last time we fought missiles and flashlights working in conjunction. We'll keep our runs fast and get in their faces until the flashlights are down. Make our actual attacks from different angles. Bronco, I know you hate the ground but I want you and Tsun-Tsun staying low until me and Brick get our shots off. Only ascend if you have to or for your shots. Ace will stay between us, Brick, so keep a good spread. Each pair's number two will circle and clear their six after we've fired the first salvo. We'll all fire two shots each, so that should double our chances of a good hit."
The others nodded, and the four joined the others in shuffling off to get their gear and helmets. Annie was reminded of the note when it poke her on the way up to the flight deck. She waited until she was in her jet, away from all the fast-moving air, to open it. Contrary to Jed's explanation, she was instead greeted by a few lines of poetry. The final draft of several, given all the eraser marks. Still, she felt pleasantly surprised at the gesture.
A goddess arising from the sea, intoxicatingly beautiful
Hair like obsidian
A commanding air, fierce as a lioness
My dreams flooded with her
A mortal sailor who cannot resist
She looked towards Jed's jet and caught him glancing back. A sheepish smile appeared behind his mask and she gave him a playful wink as she reached up to pull her visor down, the note between her fingers. She really must've mystified him when they'd met on the beach.
Jed looked forward and eased his F-24 into place at the end of Cat 3, where the device's officer waved him into position. The high he was riding grew as his aircraft crouched a little and the catapult crew rushed over to get him locked in. He extended his wings, they armed his weapons, checked the plane's total weight, and had him move his control surfaces like clockwork. He pushed the throttles forward and went through the process of getting ready to launch and get his head in the game. It kicked in automatically when he snapped a salute to the cat officer…
Farmers and farmhands of all ages roamed the fields, readying the winter's crop cycle (known as "Rabi"). Jed, though never a farmer, was surprised when he darted over the hills and came upon the activity in the fields. He was flying so low, he could see the faces turn up towards him as he flashed by. A short distance from that, he came upon a highway as he tilted to the left. There seemed to be some kind of traffic jam, and he could almost read the ads on the holoboards. It all reinforced why he hated flying down in the weeds, though, as he could feel the eyes on him. More similarities about the old days of Alpha Strikes came back to him. Every one boiled down to the fear that just about everyone down there was aiming something at him, be it gun or missile. He passed over what might've been a schoolyard and thought about waving, but didn't see anyone down there. He doubted anyone would like the gesture.
Annie stayed far left and trailed slightly behind, watching scenes she was only vaguely familiar with. Nothing was worth gawking at, either. Lenshire was her home, and her few visits here had always been behind the shield of the upper class. That kind of made her smile, knowing she was far from where her parents would've wanted her. Galloping along at Mach 2, as low as she'd be going for an anti-ship mission, on the prowl for a fight. The people she saw who weren't already running for shelter simply stared at the jets. Maybe trying to see if they were Sotoan? Not that it would matter, lest someone crash here or a missile end its journey rather than exploding. Annie let the latter thought be before it could start to chip at her focus. She looked in Jed's direction as her jet passed over a winding dirt road and sent a bunch of goats fleeing from a watering hole.
Jed checked his GPS; two minutes to the IP. Ace's decoys were catching up to Archer's position. Jed nosed up slightly to avoid the rising land and raced over the town the school belonged to. In the distance, he could see the fading trails of SAMs, and his RWR told him the direction their radars were in. He looked to his left and made sure his wingwoman was with him. They followed the rise of one of the mountain's outer ranges up, then struck down into the last valley before their target. Glue and Brick appeared once again, and the chemical lasers around Pattadhaar greeted the first wave of decoys. The few clouds breaking up and otherwise blue sky seemed to be seconds away from evaporating completely.
"Skull 1, standby for coordinates." Ace 1-1's EWO spoke up.
Jed checked his RWR again before he looked at his weapon's display and position. His E-HUD also pointed out the direction of the target, highlighting it on his HMD when he glanced that way.
"Skull 1-4, break as soon as y'all get yer coordinates. Approach as briefed." Jed replied.
"Four." Annie replied.
Jed banked to the left and pushed the throttles as far forward as they'd go. Pattadhaar's suburbs came into view between low hills and the trees covering them. Jed watched as the lasers pierced the skies again, though nowhere near him. He singled out the source of the first M10 battery in his area and let the HARM drink in the same. When he dropped his tanks and nosed up to get clearance, naturally every radar in the area was alerted. Annie coming up drew off some of the heat. Their first "Box Pan" fire-control radar they'd been handed was the easy one, sitting atop a hill overlooking the suburbs. Annie, still trailing, went inside her lead's turn and set her chaff to automatic. Jed pulled back the stick and throttles, then pushed the latter forward to keep from losing all the energy he had. Annie did the same a second later, albeit at a flatter angle. The F-24s jumped above the city, where two flashlights each took a shot at the pair. Jed ignored the beams as they fell short of him, going even higher when they started towards his jet. He broke left as he fired two of his HARMs at the second Box Pan.
"Skull 210, Magnum-Magnum."
Annie stayed upwards a bit longer while he turned and went under her to clear their six. She fired and broke as soon as he appeared beneath her plane.
"Skull 208, Magnum-Magnum."
Jed was careful to keep his plane upright as he went for the facade of safety at lower altitude. The flashlights fired again, this time for a far shorter period, but it was still enough to keep Jed sweating. He raced over a shopping mall, and now everything seemed to be abandoned down there. As he made his way towards the edge of the city, he spotted a flash near the road. A single light zig-zagged up towards him.
"MANPADS, my ten!" He called.
It was all he had time to do before breaking away and dropping flares. The missile followed, though it was still speeding up. Jed weaved back to the left and avoided it just as he spotted another. This one was at his eight and would soon be behind him.
"Another one, Tsun-Tsun what's yer position?" He called.
"Off your five, Bronco!" Annie replied, equally short on time.
Annie pushed her throttles all the way forward and broke the sound barrier near where the missiles had gone off after him. He went to the left, then reversed at the last second, leaving flares where he'd been a second ago. The missile took the bait without hesitation, leaving the two to move southwest and regroup for a second attack.
"Skull 1-1, we're clear of the city and heading south for our second attack." He breathed out.
"Copy, be advised that Basket has two contacts moving towards Archer's westernmost station. Heading 356 at this time." Glue replied.
Jed checked his RWR as Ace handed down the next coordinates, this time for a site in the mountains. He looked over his shoulders and kept a finger near the weapons' select switch before he and his wingwoman turned towards the mountains. The second battery, using the other radars still active in the area, spotted them and launched a salvo with enough missiles for all of Skull 1. Jed snapped to the left and increased his throttles; he spotted the first M10 arcing over the peaks with a second following close behind.
"Got a visual on two SAMs, one o'clock high. Tsun-Tsun, break now." He reported.
Annie went to the left in search of another way into the mountains. Jed deployed chaff and stayed low until the missiles had started their descent. He nosed up and kept the throttles pinned to draw fire this time. The first two missiles reversed course and tried to get their noses on him in time as he moved towards where they'd launched. When that didn't seem to work, the Erusean site fired another pair, and a third to shut up Ace's jamming.
"Ace, a fresh missile is after you! Get out of there!" Annie radioed, not wanting a repeat of Bedruga.
"We see it! Standby, we'll try and keep the jamming going in the meantime. Riff and Owl are five minutes out." The Shadow's pilot replied.
"Skull 2, push it up! I want those first launchers targeted and engaged yesterday." Conman interjected.
Annie looked towards her wingman as the mountains seemed to be hemorrhaging missiles. She spotted a valley and checked it on her GPS as she started turning to shake off any lock the Eruseans might have on her. It would be risky, but it would give her a chance to shove a HARM right down their throats.
"Bronco, I found a way in. Are you able to join on me?" She radioed.
"Standby, Tsun-Tsun…" Jed groaned.
Jed rolled and went for the ground again, coincidentally moving towards the opening that Annie had spotted. The G-forces had him feeling like his limbs were going to rip from their sockets, and every missile felt like it was far enough away that he could leap towards it.
"Ah'm going for that way in…Glue, Brick, keep a heads up on yer approach." He breathed, feeling little relief from gravity's punishment.
Unfortunately, his approach was too steep to make, so he pulled off as soon as his plane started warning him about the sink rate. Jed passed over one of the mountain tops, just barely clearing it. He stayed left while Glue and Brick rolled down past a last-ditch attempt to get them with an M10 and launched a HARM each. MANPADs near the battery were there to meet them, but unable to stop the radar from being hit. Jed, meanwhile, sank down beneath the nearest peak as they pulled away. He had to pull up almost immediately and hit the brakes to avoid another sink rate warning. He exited the terrain and was once again over lower hills and vast plains.
"Skull 1-4 what's yer position?" He asked, finally able to think clearly.
"Heading your way, Skull 1-3."
Jed took a hard gulp and came around, keeping his path fairly unimaginative so Annie could join him. Glue and Brick circled as the bandits from earlier kept moving around the center of the battle.
"Bronco, Tsun-Tsun, take down that last Box Pan. We'll keep the bandits busy." Glue decided.
"Both Box Pans. I don't think we got the other, Glue." Brick corrected. Fuckin hell Jed thought.
"Ah'll take the second one, Tsun-Tsun, and y'all get the final one. We'll rendezvous at our CAP station." He volunteered nonetheless.
"Understood…good luck Bronco." Annie replied.
"Hopefully Brick and Glue baited most of the shoulder-launched shit down there."
Annie split once more, heading for the city's outskirts again. Jed considered his two remaining HARMs a second longer, then switched to his cannon. He leveled out just shy of the opening and made sure he had his throttles back to a more manageable setting. He exhaled and started applying anything he thought might be relevant. Among other things, the basics of shooting came to mind: hold, squeeze, breathe.
"Hold, squeeze, breathe." He said aloud.
He banked left and descended further when the RWR started to change its tone. The aftermath of the first attempt on the SAM site told him where to go. He came around a bend heading towards the city and spotted the missile battery in an open field. Sitting in the center, aimed right at him, was the fire control radar. Jed sneered, then nosed up just slightly. As he came down, he was now trailing flares. He spotted two flashes below as more shoulder-launched M08 Metlas were launched at the attacking F-24. Jed pushed the throttles forward further and gritted his teeth; there was nothing he could do for the last few seconds. Thankfully they'd fired just a second too late. He squeezed the trigger and let the gatling gun roar. He got to see the first impacts before his jet raced over the site, drawing small arms fire from the soldiers guarding the battery. He looked back and saw two more M08s fired at him. Jed kept his flares on automatic and followed the valley to the left. He reversed and raced over the peaks into the center of Pattadhaar. The first missile lost him and went ballistic, while the second couldn't clear the mountains. Ahead, the city seemed to once again focus all its attention on him. Being so low to the ground had fired off new determination in him. Like being punched, and now feeling like the gloves were off. He switched back to his HARMs as one of the flashlights' radars powered up.
"Skull 210, Magnum!" He called.
Almost immediately, he broke away and started ascending towards the skies above the strikers' intended path. One of the lasers fired at him, but again missed when he made another sudden break. He nosed up and made a second run at the flashlights' radar. When it exploded and went offline, he launched his last missile anyways at the first hit his RWR sniffed out.
"Skull 210, Magnum!" He echoed without skipping a beat.
He switched to his AMRAAMs immediately, then moved towards where he and Annie would cover the next round of attacks. She appeared over the mountains, sliding by behind him. They turned towards the fight Glue and Brick were neck-deep in and fired up their radars. Meanwhile Skull 2 pushed into the fire, with over a dozen F-35s close behind. Ace 1-1's near miss wasn't going to be the only reminder of Bedruga.