Chp. 34: Surgical Violence
November 19, 2049
OFS Icarus (CVN-62)
Jed only needed a moment to actually send the message, but the contemplation before he hit the "Enter" key had taken twice as long. If he was being completely honest with himself, that was far too long and far too dramatic for a simple hello.
Jed (Warpup24): You go over Sotoa today, Fireball?
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): Yeah, did you?
Jed (Warpup24): We hit an airbase. Erusea deployed bombers and set up SAM traps all around them. I got to watch the Luftwaffe do its thing; took a few photos during the link-up. I've been collecting shots like that when I can.
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): I flew CAS for the guys at Port Jubilee. It always feels good to do that.
Jed (Warpup24): As much as I hate ground attack of any kind, I know what you mean. I haven't flown anything like that yet, though; we've almost exclusively been doing CAP or Iron Hand. Why have us do it when we've got all these 35s and 180s?
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): Yeah; I get it a lot since the F-35 is the OAF's universal soldier. So what's up?
Jed (Warpup24): Hmm?
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): I'm usually the one reaching out to you.
Jed (Warpup24): Ah. Yeah, Annie suggested that I maybe connect a little more with my family. I'm taking it slow, gonna email Aunt Irina and Aunt Misaki and Aunt Mao today. Aunt Gale too, maybe Miss Sasha. I might email one of them and let them share it to simplify things.
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): So just the aunts and uncle, then.
Jed (Warpup24): Yeah. I've been telling her about my home life and past a lot.
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): That's good. So it means you two are getting serious pretty quick?
Jed (Warpup24): Yeah. I think I'm also just tired, too. Tired of playing lone wolf and now that I've seen war firsthand I need insight from your dad and mine and Uncle Eric.
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): Do you think you might be able to patch things with Kayla?
Jed (Warpup24): Eventually. My first priority should be pretty obvious.
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): You should have two first priorities, or one that's deeply tied to the other.
Jed (Warpup24): Yes. Same goes to you; I like Dante and he still owes me a commission from the time I let him borrow my slacks for your first date.
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): Lol, I'll remind him.
Jed (Warpup24): Oh! Do you still play Airforce Delta?
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): On occasion.
Jed (Warpup24): One of Annie's squadmates from the Fleet Air Arm does. We hit it off when the Saint Ark's wing sent over a detachment to share intel. You might like her, too. She's got as much energy as Lulu and drives a motorcycle.
Naomi (Flying_Wolfgirl): Haha, well I'll at least have to meet her. I'm glad we can talk like this again, Jed.
As he typed out his agreement, Jed felt something change inside him. Different from the last time they'd talked, and more immediate in feeling good. A little bit of inner peace, and a bit of hope that he was moving in the right direction…
"Mister Sarkar, remember your role in this squadron. It is not my decision; it is that of Central Air Forces Command."
Commander Natour was right, but Sharky would still protest that this was not where the focus should be. He'd never expected to get his way, but the Chakarian commander had allowed him to have almost exclusive authority over planning this within the tactics of the ChRAF, which was why he had Santosh with him. That target which he referred to was a road bridge the Sotoans were using to feed the advance on Minat. They would come from the southwest to keep the Lunese from giving away their position. No escort, no jammers, and just internal weapons. A second flight would fly from the direction of Chakari's easternmost city to move in if his flight was compromised too soon. He lowered his F-72 into a canyon that would get him close, with Santosh right behind him. AWACS passed updates via datalink every few seconds; Sharky's foremost concern was the many aircraft patrolling the mountains. Ironically they were probably combing the area to stop a second raid on Haraavaparvat from this direction.
"Sharky, check the datalink. Looks like we've got Erusean CAS entering our AO. They're down low like us, last position should be in that info." Shamu spoke up.
"Any idea where they're heading?" His friend replied.
"Last contact puts them at 310, heading southeast fast at Angels 2. Trying to find out what friendly ground units are nearby."
"Copy, keep me updated."
Sharky had to assume that his numbers two through six had gotten the same info. He slowed and banked into one of the canyon's limbs. Shamu turned around to check on Santosh, and watched long enough to make sure Wolves 1-3 and 1-4 kept heading down the central valley. He turned around as Sharky eased out of the depression and regained speed. He performed a barrel roll to get around the rise of a mountain almost immediately past that and settled into another valley. They went around another mountain and between two that seemed to have fuzed together. There was a village spread across the slopes, but Sharky paid it no mind when it was still well behind friendly lines. Shamu allowed himself a look as they passed by a herd of sheep going up the hill. The creatures kept their mass as they fled up the slope and away from the noise. He spotted one of the shepherds, but wasn't able to determine if they were waving the jets or cursing them. He looked back at his displays before Sharky could notice his quick lapse in focus.
"Alright, that leaves us two minutes from IP. AWACS shows that CAS flight on the same path; got 'em ID'd as R-103s. Got a few scattered flights to the west moving past the CAPs." He spoke up.
"Any update on friendly ground forces?"
"They must be heading for the perimeter they got outside Minat. Around that old fort, whatever its name was?"
"It's one of the ones the Lenish had: Fort Minat."
"Right…okay, two of those R-103s have gone up above the peaks. Leaves two of them still down in the weeds. We've got the first CAP coming up at our eleven, 70 kilometers out at 6850. Currently in a standard racetrack."
"Where's the second?"
"Our two, same altitude but 78 Clicks out."
Sharky still switched to the BLU-116s nestled in his central bay and double-checked the coordinates Shamu had plugged in. His eyes shifted to the RWR as two Trishulas orbited next to part of his path to the target. He ducked into another canyon without so much as a thought. Not even the scenery seemed to catch his eye anymore. Shamu glanced back and saw Santosh slow and stay just above the dip in the ground.
"Hey Sharkman, Santosh is falling behind. Suggest you ease up on the altitude." He noted.
"Copy…okay that helping?" The pilot replied.
"Yeah, and he's getting a little more confident. One minute to IP."
The high pair of R-103s passed a few dozen kilometers ahead without incident. Santosh split off into a valley further west while Sharky stayed on his current path. He slowed to take another turn and followed the shape of one rocky lump of a hill. As he came down, he spotted two dots racing along the valley. He bared his teeth and clenched them as he saw two Delphini drones. The jets passed by and Shamu watched them. They stayed on their current course for another second, and then nosed up and split.
"Lead Delphinus is turning towards us, four o'clock." He reported.
"Is he committing in our direction?" Sharky asked.
"...Copy, he's accelerating towards us."
Sharky growled and switched to the radio.
"Wolf 2-1 this is Wolf 1-1, we've been spotted. Two bandits closing at our four. Turning to engage. Wolf 1-2, break and engage that first pair of Trishulas before they engage us. Wolves 1-3 and 1-4 continue as briefed. Wolf 2, you've got the lead now."
Both Santosh and Catfish replied with a quick "copy" while Sharky selected his ASRAAMs and turned into the attacking drone. He pushed the throttles forward and gave the stick a hard pull to clear the mountains and the Delphinus's engagement cone. The other two Trishulas noticed him and turned, which had him sandwiched between the two enemy flights. Sharky focused on the R-103 as it fired an AP-11 at him. He deployed flares and rolled towards the ground as soon as he had a safe chance to. The R-103's shot was in vain from the star as Sharky put the F-72's speed to use. He just as quickly hit the brakes to come around, weaving above the other UCAV as it snapped up to try and catch him. It passed by behind them as Sharky dove for the terrain again. The Trishulas closed the gap and took over while the Delphini saw themselves out. One of the Sotoan pilots charged at Sharky as he was going for his escape and forced the mercenaries to defend once more.
"Wolf 1-1, be advised that one of the Trishulas is down. Wolf 1-2 is moving back towards you to get those other two." Santosh spoke up.
"What about the other one?" Sharky asked.
"Wolf 1-3 and 1-4 are currently engaged with that bandit." Kiran announced.
"Wolf 1 this is Shadow, we're pushing two flights of Tempests towards your position to assist. Callsign Omega 1, ETA should be two minutes." AWACS chimed in.
Sharky clamped his mouth shut before he barked at them to disengage and head for the bridge. Murphy's Law, Sarkar, Murphy's Law. Take care of this immediate threat and return to the mission. He made another play for the mountains, but the enemy fighters were catching onto the strategy. The lead Trishula moved beneath him to cut off that avenue of escape and pushed the F-72 to go higher. Sharky rolled inverted and used his position to force the lead Trishula against the terrain. Its wingman was there to help it escape, so Sharky slowed and hauled his F-72 to go head-on with that bandit.
"Wolf 1-1, Fox 2." He announced.
It was more to spook the smaller jet, but Sharky hoped the ASRAAM might just find something to track. He pulled away and pushed the throttles forward, but the lead Trishula had been left alone long enough to lob an AA-11 towards the Sabertooth.
"Got an Archer inbound, Sharky! Lead bandit is close behind it." Shamu reported.
Sharky just clicked his mic and deployed flares. He kept the throttles mid-range and broke to the left, heading southwest towards Santosh and A-Jo's last known position. The other F-72 was almost right on top of them, coming in from the Trishula's one o'clock. The Sotoan jet pulled away from Wolf 1-1 and fired a second Archer at their wingman. Sharky looked over his shoulder as he broke right and deployed a second string of flares, and saw the Trishula climbing fast. Santosh broke hard left and deployed countermeasures, then reversed and aimed for the Trishula. Sharky broke to the right to support his wingman, even as the Archer was still closing. He pulled back on the throttles some more and rolled inverted. The move certainly had him feeling his age, but the prospect of dying was a pretty good motivator. It was also enough to loosen the Archer's lock, and when he revered the missile stayed on its current path.
The lead Trishula rolled to rejoin the fight as the F-72s regained their facilities. Its wingman took to covering the lower reaches of the fight and pushed Sharky away from his lead jet. Sharky turned that around to look for a way out again. He banked into a dive towards the Trishula as it ascended while Santosh kept the other bandit up high.
"Wolf 1-1 be advised, we're pursuing that other bandit in your direction. Stay heads up for incoming traffic." Kiran radioed.
"Copy that." Sharky replied bluntly.
The second Trishula met him as he was ducking for the mountains and fired a second Archer. Sharky nosed up and hit the gas as the rest of his flight was approaching from that direction. More flares, more jinking, he thought. Keep moving and keep trying to get out of there to hit the target. He kept up his speed until he was behind the Trishula, then started to level out for a missile shot. The Trishula banked to the north, abandoning its missile, but Sharky was angry enough to give chase.
"Heads up, that Trishula 3 and 4 are after is dragging them this way." Shamu reported.
"Keep an eye on 'em…Wolf 1-1, Fox 2." Sharky replied.
Their second ASRAAM left its cheek bay and zipped off after the offending Sotoan. The bandit had been caught in a climb and rolled over to dive into the terrain. Sharky kept on the bandit, switching to his GAU-25 to gun the guy. He pursued the missile and its target into another valley while his second element prevented their target from going after him. The AIM-132 did its job, however, and closed the gap as the Trishula deployed a second string of flares. The right wing disappeared in a flash and the fighter simply sailed towards the ground. Sharky pulled up and looked at the terrain around them.
"Shamu, where's the bridge?" He exhaled.
"Our eleven, 12 clicks out." The WSO replied.
"Copy…Wolf 1-2, what's your status?"
"Engaged defensive with that other Trishula." Santosh replied quickly.
Sharky leveled out above the mountaintops, where a glint caught his eye. He looked over to see a fireball hurtling towards earth, and smoke trails coming up from the mountains. The RWR let him know that two new hostile radars had appeared on the scope. He gritted his teeth and selected his AMRAAMs.
"Wolves 1-3 and 1-4, come in." He asked vainly. Nothing.
"Wolves 1-3 and 1-4 are down, 1-1." AWACS confirmed.
"Copy…Shams, lock that guy who's tangling with Santosh and A-Jo."
"On it!"
"Omega 1, what's your position?"
"Wolf 1 this is Omega 1, we're entering the fight from 220 and 165. Advise you get to higher altitudes or hide in the mountains to stay out of our field of fire." A Lenish accent radioed.
Sharky hurried towards his wingman while Shamu did everything he could to get a lock on the bandit they were tangling with. Sharky nosed up and clenched his teeth as the move put him in reach of the SAM sites that dotted the mountain range. Sharky kept the threat in mind but stayed focused on the Trishula. The enemy jet deployed chaff to buy time, but now he had multiple radars looking for him as the Tempests entered range for their AMRAAMs. Santosh leapt on the opportunity and went for an ASRAAM shot. The Trishula dove back towards the mountains.
"Wolf 1-2, leave the bandits to Omega. Head for primary target!" Sharky spoke up.
"Understood Wolf 1-1, I'm right behind you." Santosh said almost immediately.
Just as the Trishula was rising from the terrain, Sharky and Santosh were diving back into the valley that would lead them to their target.
"Wolf 2, we're returning to our primary mission. What's the status of the bridge?" Shamu asked as he worked his consoles.
"Lots of AA, Wolf 1-1! Hit two spans on the east side, clipped a third." Catfish reported.
"How much AA? Same as briefed?"
"That's affirm, ahh, maybe a few extras…bah, crap! Got another pair of Iglas coming up."
"Get outta there Catfish; we're thirty seconds out."
The final piece of valley merged with the highway that led to their target. Sharky noted several clusters of vehicles hugging the curbs, but it was nothing new. He pushed the throttles into full military power and felt his entire body relax. He pulled up and weaved to the left, setting his countermeasures to automatic on instinct. Below, both banks of the river spat out small yellow dots as nearly a dozen Tunguska AA vehicles tried to catch the F-72. Sharky slowed just enough to give the JDAMs a good angle. Traces filled his windscreen as it became apparent that more than the Tunguskas were shooting. His eyes stayed riveted on the bridge as it seemed to be stretching itself out to receive his challenge. Crossing the widest part of the river up here, whatever its name was. His fingers settled atop the launch button, then the plane shook. Then it shook again. Shamu looked to the left as several traces floated by mere feet from the plane.
"We got hit, it looks like just a graze…" He reported, looking back to his controls.
Sharky added jinking to his approach nonetheless. More traces flashed by, each one seeming closer than the last. The RWR was crowded with hits and vectors of threats, but nothing indicating radar guided missiles. Nothing that indicated anyone had a solid fix on him. When he was less than half a kilometer away, he settled into his dive for a few seconds while Shamu finished his job and keyed the intercom.
"Drop 'em, man!" He called.
"Wolf 1-1. Bombs away." Sharky replied.
The weapons dropped from the bay, and for a second every radar nearby could see the F-72's broken signature. Before any could react, the bay doors had closed and he was roaring away from their target. The camera in his EOTS stayed on the bridge, letting him watch the impacts. Santosh was half a second behind, targeting two spans next to his. In a single run, they removed a large section of the bridge. Shamu checked both sides of their rear quarter for missiles. Two of the Tunguskas fired on them, and Sharky broke right.
"Good hits on the bridge, good hits on the bridge. Wolf 1 is egressing south at this time." He added.
Santosh swung out to his lead's left and the two ducked behind a peak to lose the missiles. This time they took a shorter way out to the plains, using the highway to carry them most of the way. Sharky only broke from the road when another pair of Tunguskas raised their cannons to intercept him. Santosh went to the right and ducked down into the crevice between two ranges. Sharky found a nook to pass through and came upon another canyon that let him get behind some of the taller mounts in the area. He was practically in afterburner as he shot out of the rough terrain and flashed over the hills and trees leading to them. His wingman rejoined him from the north and crossed by behind. Sharky looked at the Sabertooth and saw two black stains along its otherwise gray belly.
"Sandy, A-Jo, you got some pock marks near your engine pods. Everything alright?" He asked.
"One of the Tunguskas' missiles exploded a bit closer than we would have wanted, but it's superficial at worst." The latter replied.
The worst damage came from Catfish, who joined them as they turned further south. Shark looked over and saw that a chunk of his left stabilizer was gone. At least a dozen marks and scratches covered the area around that.
"Wolf 2-1, you still got control of that thing?" Shamu spoke up this time.
"Yeah, I got enough…that missing chunk tore off when I was trying to get into level flight." Catfish replied.
Sharky took over once more.
"Alright get between me and Wolf 1-2 so we can keep an eye on you. Wolf 2-2, take Wolves 2-3 and 2-4 and cover our tail. AWACS, we'll need crash crews back at base and a vector to the nearest tanker."
Shamu could tell from his tone that he was covering up what was going on in his head. He wasn't keen on airing dirty laundry, but he waited until the airwaves went quiet to make a comment.
"I noticed you broke your rule on support and not relying solely on it." He said.
"It's not a rule of mine." Sharky replied.
"Either way…I think it was a good call. Hell, it may have been what got us another delicious buffet of concrete and steel."
"It was also what'll keep us on this job."
That last bit caught Shamu's attention. He lifted up his visor and looked at the other jets around them while he figured out what to do with that. Still, he was always happy to see his longtime pilot showing he had a heart. There was hope for Sarathi Sarkar yet.