Ace Combat: Project REDI

by BlackDevil999

A king without a throne... a young man convicted of a sin he didn't commit... An artificial consciousness whose potential can unravel the world. Men and machines, a war against cold, bloodless automation, can they work together to put an end to tragedies that stem from the unchecked, war-torn past? [A Project Wingman (2020)/Ace Combat (1995-2019)/Stealth (2005) Fusion Fiction]

2. Mission 1 - Sudden Assault

Pre-Story Note: I'm trying a new music system here, which is inspired by OperationMeteor's stories. That guy had some of the best fanfics I've ever read, and I highly recommend everyone to read them if they are to your taste. The two soundtracks here are "Charge Assault" from Ace Combat 7 and "Dogfight" from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, I suggest you put up a YouTube tab and listen to those during their designated sessions. Now please, enjoy the first leg of this long, long ride.

---

Mission 1:

Sudden Assault.

---

May 15th, 2019.

A Mechanic's Diary: Desire.

Does the color of the sky mean anything special to you?

It does to me, a hell of a lot.

When I close my eyes, the sky in my dream… is a splendor of deep, dark blue.

The Meads. Pilots have been in my family for at least four generations. Some can and will say, that flying is already in my DNA.

Even so, my grandpa did not want me to join the air force. He lost faith in the Osean Air Defense the day my dad perished in battle.

'Y'know, Avie… I still wish you can see what it's like up there.'

'Cruising above the clouds. The dark blue of the Stratosphere…

'Nothing beats being at the controls, and see it direct from the clean canopy of your cockpit.'

That's what gramps always say to me when he can find a plane, be it a real one, or just a plastic model. He also told me stories of heroes such as Erusea's King of the Skies, their Yellow Squadron, the Immortal Ribbon… Even controversial ones such as the famed Demon Lord of the Round Table or the Ghost of Razgriz, both who remained anonymous to this day.

I actually care little of their exploits in the wars, but the details of how they danced gracefully in the air, as if they were born in it, excited me the most. My desire to fly on my own burns as strongly as always, and I was determined to make it happen, regardless of the cost.

'Look here…'

Then one day, gramps tossed me a magazine to read. The article, "Unmanned Fighters are no longer a dream.", it read. "Pilots taking to the skies will soon be a distant memory.".

'They can chalk it up whatever way they want. I don't see anything good coming out of that. We invented planes for a reason, after all: for us to soar in the skies, not sticking forever to the ground and playing sticks!'

That was his conclusion. I believe part of it was true.

But there's always a good and a bad side in anything. Maybe gramps was too old to care anymore, maybe my dad's death still haunted him in his dreams at night…

It certainly does for me… But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Know what?

Lying smack-dab here in the middle of the desert west from where I am, lies a crap ton of planes since not only the previous wars, but aeronautics experiments as well. Some had been mothballed, but most of them are just rusted piles of junk waiting to be scrapped.

Gramps was really good friends with the super there, so he gets to take whatever he wanted, no questions asked!

That's how we got the parts to build our own plane, an old F-104C Starfighter, personal treasure of the house of Mead, you can say. The air equivalent of a drag racer, just supersonic.

Now, when I say "we", I meant me, my grandpa, and all of his old war buddies. I cut my teeth working with those geezers, with them taught me all their skills, experience, and even some dirty jokes along the line.

Their lessons were invaluable, but with their aging eyeballs and whatnot, I ended up having to do most of the work myself. I've lost count how many times I've failed and wanted to give up, but the geezers compensated their lack of physical work with rather… motivational speeches.

I still feel my skin crawl every time they speak up about it.

One day, I was at the airstrip, working on the plane. That's when I caught a glimpse on it: a prototype drone. It wasn't a plane, more like a block and pipes strapped with wings, a flying trashcan if you will.

'Laugh at it all you want, kid. Technology always changing, if you don't keep up with it, it'll leave your ass behind.'

Lessons to learn, gramps. Lessons to learn.

It took six years and eight months to get the stupid ramshackle engine running, and it took us another year and a half after that, just to get the balance of the airframe and its' systems just right.

I gone from being a little girl to… well, still a girl, just considerably older.

But now… I was all alone.

Wherever the souls of my gramps and his buddies are flying… I can only hope that it's heaven: clear skies, white clouds… peaceful.

Now finally, with the plane completed… I was ready to break the sound barrier.

All this thing could do at the moment would be taking off, accelerate, and fly up to the skies. For me, that was enough.

As I took off, the airframe's vibration, the rush of the air into my face… I felt it all.

Was this the feeling that gramps felt as he took to the skies the first time? Just like how he described in his stories?

With that in part of my psyche, I flew up.

Straight up. Through the clouds. Higher into the sky…

Dark Blue.

I can also touch it. I wanted to touch it… and then I saw Osea's jets, F-15C Eagles, standard-issue air-superiority fighters for the OADF.

They were going full-speed, and were dead set on tailing something: A drone. One moving at max-speed, pulling maneuvers that would put at least 30Gs on a human if one were ever to be in it.

I've never seen anything move that fast, but as time seemed to slow down from my perspective, I managed to see an emblem on the drone: a rose…?

It's the emblem of Erusea, but what are they doing here? They're like, a whole major ocean away from us, from Osea!

In that instant of dazzlement, one of the F-15s turned its' nose towards me. It was gunning me down as an unidentified aircraft.

'Dammit! I should've put an IFF system and a radio in this thing. Should've built it to turn as well!'

I cursed myself for utter carelessness as tracer rounds flew from the silver eagle struck my racer's fuselage. The rattle of the airframe combined with the violent explosion from the engines knocked me around in the cockpit.

And before I know it, all I was being surrounded… was darkness.

---

Fort Grays Island, South-Eastern Coast of Usea.

15:45 in the afternoon. It was late spring, the sun was out for most of the day, filling the areas with warm sunlight. The winds of the sea are cool, the clouds are fair, and the air is fresh, the weather was pretty much perfect for not only the soldiers, but also the other residents of Fort Grays Island.

It was a slow day on the ground, even slower for the pilots considering that outside of the routine boring patrol flights and training exercises, they were left to entertain themselves with whatever few things they had, be it from their personal belongings or anything that is available to all personnel at the base.

One of the large hangars uniquely had each of its' two doors marked with two logos: A yellow shield containing an angry stone golem, located on the right door; the other bears a blue circular emblem depicting a broad-bearded wizard with wings and is conjuring lighting. It is the hangar of the "Mage" and "Golem" IUN-PKF squadrons, both were assigned to Usea by the high command, and thus became a combined Peacekeepers that always flew together as a full combat wing.

Right now, in a cool and comfortable corner of the hangar, members of the Golem Squadron are holding a few rounds of poker alongside an equal number from "Gargoyle" Squadron, another set of Peacekeepers that was also sent to Usea. Occasional banters and light shoves to another's arm paused the on-going game, mostly between the adjacent pairings of Golem and Gargoyle, such as Golem 3 and Gargoyle 4.

Away from them were the base's mechanics running back and forth, checking out plane after plane for potential issues and cleaning them up as the final touch. Soldiers other than pilots continue to run their routine ground duties, occasionally checks up their arms, vehicles, and so on.

To sum up, everything was basically another Tuesday at the International Union (IUN)'s air base on the island, with most of the enlisted having nothing better to do than the above.

"At the rate this goes, we might finish the game by Christmas.", said boringly by a young woman in her mid-20s, with brown hair tied into a short pony tail, who is also not amused by the interruption. She is holding her cards close to her chest to avoid her wingman and other contesters from taking a peek, the former nearly knocked into her with a playful shove.

"Aww, c'mon, Brownie!", said the muscular young man of equal age as he finally quit laughing and try to put his head back into the game, "Lighten up a little. Where's the fun if all of us just sit here and cross eyes like old people playing checkers?".

"Not so fun when you guys drag out the rounds far longer than they should be.", a dry response came out.

"Now now, it's part of the fun to have a few jokes every now and then, "Big Sis". Besides, if today goes just like yesterday, then it's not like we have anything else to do after this game other than another round. "

Erica Tarleton, callsign "Brownie". The eldest child of the Tarleton Family whose long-time tradition of being OADF's elite flyers. A talented pilot in her own right, she transited from the Air Force School in Osea to the prestigious Peacekeeper Academy in Usea after having earned a full-fund scholarship with her own efforts, where she earned her novice wings and just a month ago, became Golem Squadron's number two. She is pretty close to her flight lead as well, with both of them possessed calm determination and a professional demeanor when duty calls for them.

"…Fair point. Also stop with the "Big Sis", we are of the same age, dude.", said Erica after a sigh.

The man who she exchanged with is Bobby Mills, A.K.A "Boggard", who entered the Peacekeeper Academy the same time as Erica. He's from a family of mixed martial artists, with his body toned over years of rigorous training. With his desire different from his siblings who wanted to follow their family's footsteps, he enlisted into the OADF, and was wholeheartedly supported. A thankful time for being born in an open-minded family.

Noticed by the Golem Lead after having displayed considerable performance in all areas in the academy, he was assigned as Golem 3, only for being not as good as Erica. He didn't mind though, for the higher one's position gets, the more bothersome the work goes. He also having a mouth loud enough to occasionally light up the mood in the otherwise all-business squadron, and a carefree attitude to ignore most of the fusses that came in his way.

"Still can't take it, huh? You never change, Erica, ever since when we were shown the ropes. Though you don't have any issue if Trigger were to call you that, you actually tell him to.", an amused Bobby said.

"Adam's different.", replied Erica, bluntly.

"Different?", puzzled Bobby.

"Yeah, he's actually quite cute when you know him. Kinda reminds me of my brother when he was younger."

The names spoken had both look outside, towards the opening of the hanger, and it didn't take long for others to follow suite.

Leaning against the opened left door of the hangar with his arms crossed, is a young man who is in his early 20s. His slightly messy head of pitch-black hair stood out with a bang that covers his right eye, a bit of an outlier regarding military regulations about haircuts, but being a Peacekeeper has some more lenient perks. This accompanied by his lean figure even behind the military outfit and stunningly handsome features earned him the crushes of many females, younger or older, attractive or not.

His unique amber-colored eyes are like shining gold gems, beautiful, yet always have a keen and sharp edge in them. They weren't trained at the hangar or its' contents, nor to those outside in the middle of their respective activities. Instead, they were focusing at the deep blue skies above. Unwavering eyes, those are, and their glow haven't fainted since the day he got to the academy, nor this base. The only thing that doesn't go well with them is his expressionless demeanor.

"The Arctic Prince is at it again huh?", said Bobby.

"You know he hates that nickname, right?", said a Gargoyle member.

"Hate it? Does he even care at all? He's so indifferent about, like, everything.", another butted in.

"Oh please, even though he doesn't say it, he clearly hates every nickname given to him! You remember how that spoiled dumbass Kisu turned out for nagging him with the "King" titles or whatever?"

"Yeah, that wasn't even a fight. More like a massacre."

Banters go back and forth between the members of the Gargoyle Squadron as they recalled upon a certain fight occurred back in their academy days. Its conclusion was more than sufficient to convince them not to call the quiet young man with the nicknames in front of him.

"Well, maybe except "Trigger", the only one isn't sound royalty that is.", said the remaining Golem member. "He's a good friend, certainly had helped us out more times than we can ask."

"Still, it's hard to get a read on what he's really thinking sometimes.", concluded Golem 4.

Ryan Floyd, callsign "Footpad". Normally a reserved library dweller of sort, he has the habit to read the flow of events, no matter how big or small, which combine his ability to accurately assess the situations gives him broader, more informed views and decisions than most. This earned him a the "informant" position in the Golem Squadron, designation Golem 4. His appearance trademarked by his glasses also helps with the title.

Ryan's friendly nature also makes him good friends with everyone, including his gruff flight lead, Erica, and even the "Arctic Prince" that everyone is gossiping about. But like he said, out of all the friends he had made, who he was able to understand quickly, only "Trigger" remained the most enigmatic, with his expressionless features brought forth no betrayal.

The silence, distancing nature that young man was known for struck Erica home. Memories of her little brother, Jimmy Tarleton, once got bullied in primary school flooded back in every instant she looks at her comrade, classmate, and best friend. After two years in the Peacekeeper Academy together, even though Erica's efforts to communicate with him were the most successful, his silence for most of the time was rather unsettling, not unlike when Jimmy distanced himself from everyone in the family. She wasn't entirely sure that Trigger was the same case, but the signs remained similar nonetheless.

"Let's fetch him.", she decided as she stood up, tug her set of cards in her breast pocket and goes towards the nearby vending machine. A 5-Zollar (Ƶ5) coin slip from her fingers into the inserter, and after a few seconds, a can of cold energy drink spits out into the pick-up box.

"I'm sure he's not accustomed to being fetched, Brownie.", said Bobby teasingly.

"Well, he's not given a choice.", said Erica with a rare smug on her face. The rest of the members began chitchatting. The game can't continue when there are missing cards, after all.

We're a team, he should be here as well.

With that she departed, with the cold energy drink in her hand. A small, cold surprise, fitting for the icy young man, who's past and future is yet to unveil.

---

Away from the slug-slow poker game played out by his comrades, with little care towards all the ruckus that came with it, the newest of the rookies, Lieutenant Adam Throne, callsign "Trigger", who arrived at Fort Grays merely two weeks and three days ago, was in a world of his own as he stared at the vast blue skies above him. Their gossips were the usual sight all the way back in the academy, but he did not expect himself to meet them here, to hear it all again as part of the same combat wing. Not that he can blame them, his non-talkative personality certainly doesn't help anyone.

Adam didn't entirely fit in with his comrades in the IUN, but he didn't have any bad relations with anyone either, save for the selected few due to their utter pettiness. He often catching his peers off guard with random acts of kindness, which makes him go out of his way to do so. At the same time, he would also throw occasional knock outs if somebody messed with him or with another, an occurrence that repeated more times than he like to be. Yet, considering how he almost never speak, except when responding to orders, people just couldn't understand him.

"Trigger". A tacky nickname for anyone else, yet it fits him too well. He has the tendency to react instantly at the hint of even the faintest tension, becoming the quickest to the action. This often leads people to lumped him up as hot-headed and reckless, but that was only marginally true. While there were rare moments of impulsive calls, most occurred on simple daily activities rather than military ones. Adam simply wants to take the initiative and maximize his chances of success, and he would not do it without accounting everything beforehand.

The name was also given to him due to how terrifyingly good of a shooter he is, despite being a pilot and not a ground operator. Surprisingly for all of the academy's instructors, not only wasn't he afraid to pull the trigger, but he knew when he had to, as well. The incident that happened a little more than a week ago cemented that reputation, with him shooting five robbers dead on the spot to save the lives of at least ten third-grade students and their parents in the mall, earned him the impromptu "local hero" title among the locals on the island and the personnel of this base.

'Would've been nice for the patrols to be longer. Being on the ground right now feels so… restless.', his attention diverted back to the skies above, his thoughts contrasted by the consistent calmness of his physical being.

"Rise and shine, O Lord of the sky!"

"-!-"

Adam's mental musings got interrupted as a cold sensation that instantaneously overwhelm his left cheek, yet quickly subsided the instant he knew who was talking to him, and that knowledge fortunately spared him from going down an unpleasant lane of thoughts. Her voice was already engraved into him after the years in the Academy, with all the times they had each other's backs being as memorable as ever, like they just happened yesterday.

"I thought I told you not to call me that, Brownie?", he said with a small smirk as he tilted his head forward slightly so it was no longer resting on the edge of the half open hangar door, before turning his sight towards Erica. His right hand receives the cold beverage from hers, a long can of Gangsta energy drink.

"Well, after three strikes and you still dosed off, a cold drink and a little bit irritation seems to do the trick. It always does."

A small pause occurred. She called him out 3 times? Was he that oblivious to his surroundings? Small chuckles come from both him and Erica, before the latter proceeds to poke his forehead exactly three times.

"Also, its' 'Big Sis Erica' to you. How many times had I told you that? By the way, we're having lots of free time right now, and you're not relaxing."

But he is relaxing? It's not like he is at the gym doing hardcore workouts or at the shooting range testing his skills, the latter he did far more. A slightly perplexed Adam once again annoyed, this time by Erica's tendency to nag him like a kid. They're only 3 years apart, and that's nowhere the same range as her little brother, who's the youngest in Erica's house with a decade of age behind his eldest sibling.

"Not so sure about that, little buddy. You maybe not Jimmy, but you behave a lot like him in his earlier phases", said Erica teasingly, but her cheerful features turned to concern the instant after. "Your mind always flew off whenever you're on the ground, don't tell me that's relaxing when you're still working, even mentally."

Despite Adam not saying anything while his face expressed little to no signs of discomfort, she still understood him. Perhaps being stubborn enough to not leave him alone over the years had allowed her to achieve that level of understanding, after all. As expected from the closest person he can call his best friend.

"That's what happens when flying is a lot more exciting than putting your foot on the ground", shrugged Adam as he pops open the can and take a sip, before once again took his sight to the skies, a deep breath takes over his lungs.

"Still, its' quieter today, compare to every other day at the base since I arrived. The weather's perfect, too. I like it, it's more pleasant this way.", exhaled Adam, leading to a light snort from Erica.

"Peace and tranquility won't be much if you don't make full use of it. Come on, join us, have a few rounds.", she replied.

And accompany Boggard for eternity? The big bear takes at least a thousand years to put down a card. It's a blessing if he'll ever finish a game, evidently consider the latest one started almost 4 hours ago.

Knowing what Adam was thinking, it got a small laugh out of Erica. Wasting no further, she then tugged her right arm around his neck, before messing up his hair with her free hand, his nearly dropped the half-full can.

"The more the merrier towards the lane of eternity then. Come on, let's go!"

As Erica was dragging Adam along to have him join in with the rest of the squad, they both stopped at the sight of the game was interrupted again, this time not by a scuffle or because someone was being called on their bluff and didn't like it, but because Golem's leader, Captain Kirk Burner A.K.A "Knocker", was making his way towards them, his expression was all-business.

Somehow, that isn't a good sign. Usually when he interrupts the squad, it's either to spike up the games, or to give them a heated session of his assessment regarding how they perform in trainings and patrols.

Once he reached them, the questions among the group about what he was doing there ceased.

"As usual, Brownie has to be the one bringing Trigger in the fold. You really need to join in more kiddo, it'll light up your bubble.", said Knocker with a smug. It was his attempt to write off the mood built-up just now, and not an overly successful one.

Still, Adam appreciated it all the same. Like Erica, he was close to the captain, all the way back as the latter was one of the instructors in the academy. His professionalism earned Adam's respect, more so than others.

Well, perhaps with the exception of his flight lead, who is the best friend of Captain Burner himself, and also somewhat of an opposite in the ways of dealing with young recruits and students.

"Sorry to interrupt the fun guys. Normally I'd rather join in just to make sure Boggard doesn't drag the games out like a wuss…", said Knocker as he turned to the Golems and Gargoyles.

That got a good laugh out of everyone, except Adam who simply chuckled and Bobby, with a bitter grin, pulls a playful middle finger against his flight lead. The captain was experienced enough to know the content of his behavior at this point and let it slide. He then instantly back with his all-business attitude, before continuing what he came for.

"But we've got to get going. An emergency briefing just got issued by central HQ. Something's coming up."

---

Upon arriving in the briefing room, Adam was promptly greeted by the darkness of the de-lightened quarter and the confused chatter among fellow soldiers. The windows had been closed, the blinds were drawn, with the base commander and briefer already standing by the large display screen on the wall opposite the entrance door. A few empty seats remained, and some of the other pilots were standing towards the back of the room. With everyone talking over one another, it made the room rather chaotic. Not a good start.

Adam took a seat as with Erica and the Golems, some remained standing at corners of the room, while the rest of the seats were quickly filled. Was every single pilot on base there? Looking around, nobody seemed to be that concerned by the briefing. They didn't seem to care about how their free time was interrupted, either.

"Quite a lively atmosphere we're having here, aren't we, Adam?"

A familiar voice sounded right next to him. it was a voice that he'd recognize everywhere, in an instant. It was captain Cade Lewis, callsign "Clown". He is the leader of the Mage Squadron, designation Mage 1, and none other than captain Burner's best friend, as well as Adam's flight lead.

Adam nodded at the sight of the senior pilot. A lively atmosphere no doubt, but he can also sense the hesitation, too.

"Well, that can't be helped. Other than a few patrols and delegation duties, everyone here hadn't had an emergency like this in a very long time.", Clown continued.

"But don't worry about that, you're flying with me, kiddo. I always bring all my nuggets back home safe."

He offered a somewhat reassuring smile as he lightly pats Adam's shoulder. Out of all of the instructors Adam had flown under, only Cade alongside Captain Burner remained among those he respected. Funny, naturally easygoing, and all-around a nice guy, no moniker other than "Clown" came close to properly described for him.

Despite the jokester nature, he was an incredibly understanding individual, not to mention an excellent role model for many young pilots. To them, it was amazing to watch him fly, even more so when he would try and teach maneuvers. Many of the graduates were still unable to keep up with him, a fact they openly admitted to be frustrating, but surprisingly pleasant at the same time.

Back to the current situation, the atmosphere in the room didn't look urgent, but the aura of tension and nervousness can be felt. No surprise, the Usea Continent hadn't been at war for over a decade now. The most intensive combat activity that has ever occurred in the recent years boils down to pirate or riot suppression, and even that didn't warrant this degree of urgency.

But when the briefer finally stepped forward, his grave expression was enough to confirm the rookies' shared feelings.

"Is everyone here?" He scanned the room as if he was doing a head count internally. All pilots and staff started talking amongst themselves, trying to guess the content of the briefing.

"Settle down." he ordered at last, and began to look down at the papers he had in his hand while the briefing screen lit up to show a map and fixed on the continent of Usea. The talking died down some, but not completely.

"I said settle down!", the briefer repeated his order again, this time sternly enough to get everyone to fall silent.

Once no one was making any noise, he was satisfied and continued on, "Good, as everyone here know, you have all been instrumental in helping to maintain peace in Usea as members of the International Union Peacekeeping Force."

The map narrowed on the southern part of the continent, a location not all that far from Fort Grays Island. " At least that was the case, until today. Earlier, our radar surveillance site informed us that a group of unidentified aircraft was approaching. Communications systems went down immediately after."

A dot on the screen showed where the radar site was, a universal depiction of the unidentified crafts approaching, and then a flash of red at the time communications went down.

"We are led to conclude that they have attacked the site."

A pause as if to let it all sink in, the map still showed red over the radar site, along with an image captured of the aircraft: a Tu-95 heavy bomber and its' escort of at least two Mig-21 Fishbeds.

"Here's your mission.", the briefing went on. "It's possible that the Usean Ceasefire Agreement has been broken for the first time in over a decade. As of today, the Fort Grays Air Base Squadron of the IUN-PKF has been put on high alert. All members who have been ordered to sortie, fly there immediately. Find the unidentified craft, then use your weapons to round them up and force them to land. If the hostiles counterattack, then you will…"

A muffled boom cut him off as the room shook slightly. Everyone looked up and around and the tension in the room became increasingly thick.

"What the hell was that?!", the briefer demanded, trying to keep his voice level, but it faltered on the last word.

"There's smoke!" Someone had poked his head outside the door and into the hallway. In that instant, Adam became aware of a burnt smell in the air and a rush of heat that comes from it.

Two soldiers pushed their way into the room slightly, out from the hallway. "We're under attack!" one of them shouted, his eyes widened by terror. "Numerous unidentified craft confirmed overhead!"

"What? How is that possible?!" Everyone had risen to their feet, frantic for a dismissal or an order. Right now, they only knew something was wrong and they weren't doing anything about it. Only Adam remained calm and seated as he looked around, distracted by the noise, before turning to the briefer, who was still standing beside the screen, now looking as nervous as everyone else.

"The tank farm to the north has been bombed!" the first soldier informed them.

"Many injured!" the second one added, and just like that, the pair took their leave to get to work on getting a handle on the situation.

The briefer shut everything down. "Scramble! All units, take off and eliminate the unidentified craft attacking the base!" There was a moment of hesitation, as if in the confusion they weren't entirely sure if it was real or not.

"This is not a drill!", picking up on their hesitance, the briefer firmly stated and confirmed for them.

With no more time to waste, everyone was off. The unknown enemy has made their move, a sudden one, and now, they're going to receive a brutal response, in full.

---

The air raid siren continues to wail out as every pilot readied their gear, acting as a form of fear-inducing motivator. Not too far away, smoke billowed and fire was crackling as firefighter crews worked to put them out. The gifts from the bombers, no doubt.

Another explosion shook the area, however, unlike the first, the bomb it came from let out a deafening scream before it slammed into its intended target and shook the ground. The rumbling that filled the air drowned out most of the sounds in the area. Adam, alongside the others, sprinted to the hangars where their planes were already being prepped for flight.

Golem Squadron went up first, being the largest group with 4 planes. The engines of the F/A-18E Super Hornets roared as they hurriedly move out. Adam watched them briefly, before resuming his way alongside Clown deeper into the hangar. All sounds from outside faded into the background and only the echoing footsteps and urgent voices filled his ears. With fewer distractions, it was a rare moment to put oneself together before going to battle.

"Trigger! Let's hurry up and get goin'!", said Clown as he hurriedly got into his personal jet, a X/Z-16 Thunder Falcon. It is a custom-made version of the F-16C Fighting Falcon, slightly larger in size with twin canted vertical stabilizers, as well as better weapon systems and payload, than a typical Falcon. Its' aesthetic differences gave it a better edge in maneuverability, something the Clown always make full use of in training and demonstrations.

Adam went to his jet behind Clown's, and it was a stunning contrast against even his flight lead's aircraft, or any aircraft here at the base.

"Mage Squadron, aircraft preparations complete," a voice told the two of them over the radio once they had climbed into their planes and started them up. "Stand by at the front." The hangar doors buzzed open and their cockpits closed.

Adam saw Clown give him a thumbs up as he taxied onto the runway. He took off first, and before long, it was his turn.

Three other planes were waiting for the signal to go, and Adam was given permission to move forward and take off. All the necessary checks had already been performed, with him going through another quick round just to make sure everything was in working condition, a force of habit to be thorough. Such habit was something that led Adam to tick off the prideful mechanics a lot, but after tons of accidents that resulted in the deaths of no small number of cadets, even the gruffiest of the grease monkeys began to appreciate it.

The chatter on the radio, the whirring of his jet's engines, and the steady beats of his heart were the only sounds he could hear. Everything else disappeared, and before long, it would just be him, his fellow pilots, and the sky.

"Radar site still silent," someone informed.

"Scramble! Get those birds in the sky! We're sitting ducks!", another piped in.

A slightly more gruff and confused voice asked, "What's happening?"

"Bombers incoming! Don't know how many!"

Well, that much was obvious, considering how the bombs ravaged the tank farm and certain spots in the airfield already.

Cutting off the unnecessary chatter, Adam maneuvered his plane along the runway.

"Let's clear that runway. We don't have all day.", an order came through

At least the officer giving most of the orders was calm. He didn't panic or anything, and an odd sense of comfort seemed to wash over Adam.

"Mage Squadron, head to runway. Golem Squadron takeoff. Linked to Sky Keeper. Hurry, Mage Squadron."

Adam's eyes squinted slightly against the sunlight suddenly came towards him and watched the last of Golem Squadron takeoff.

And he was next.

"Trigger, your callsign is Mage 2. Verify and read back."

"This is Trigger, callsign "Mage 2" confirmed." Adam radioed back, his voice calm and confident, while his breath was level and even.

"Mage 2, cleared for takeoff.", confirmed the control tower.

"Situation is tight. It's a hell of a welcoming party, but we have faith in you. Good luck.", added the tower as the operator decided to try and sound positive.

*BGM: Charge Assault*

Adam ignited the afterburners and set his aircraft into a run of immense acceleration, before pulling back on the stick for the plane to climb.

'Finally… Back in the air.', he thought as the effects of the air and G-force kicks in. Lifting into the air at just the right moment, he reached the specified altitude, before leveling off and flew straight forward.

"Control!", Knocker's voice suddenly snapped over the radio. "Do me a favor and get that bird in the air ASAP!"

"Hear that?" Control asked, it was impossible not to. "Golem squadron and your wingman are airborne. Take off and form up with Mage 1."

Already way ahead of the instructions, Adam maintained the afterburners, going straight towards where Clown is waiting for him.

"Mage 2, altitude restriction is lifted. Good luck!"

The others were a bit far ahead, but not too far. Below, the blue ocean seemed so peaceful, if not for some smoke rising out from damaged ships in the distance.

"The carrier… Whoah! Looks like the harbor and the fleet have taken a lot of damage.", Brownie murmured.

Indeed, the bombing had, as expected, deal a significant amount of damage to the area. The smoking aircraft carrier in the docks was slowly listing to the port side, luckily, there weren't any planes on it to go along to the depths of the harbor. The cruisers and destroyers outside were also listing, some slowly sinking, but others remained afloat, albeit with sections of their hulls in flames and listing to sides.

"Can't have any more casualties." Knocker said cooly. "Time to stop the bullshit."

Finally, Clown and Golem Squadron came into view, and Adam's radar was already aware of an enemy. Signal is big, must be the bomber that just ran through the airfield with its' bombs.

"Mage 2, form up with Mage 1!" Knocker ordered harshly. Another repetition of familiar orders was about to play off, just like in training exercises and patrols.

Although Adam respected the Golem lead's professionalism, having to repeatedly hear the same orders again and again was getting annoying. Still, he understood why they did it, thanks to the insights he acquired from graduates who once flew alongside them. Like any nugget who is in a real combat situation for the first time, it would take a while before they can trust him to fly on his own. Hence, this was well within expectations.

"All aircraft, let's do this. Golem Squadron, it's go time!"

"Roger that." Brownie replied promptly. The other members of the squadron replied back, acknowledging the command given to them just as Brownie had done.

"This is the AWACS Sky Keeper. Take down all unidentified bombers. They don't have many escorts.", came a new voice over the radio. It was Sky Keeper, the Airborne Warning and Control System officer for all flights at Fort Grays.

"They hit our radars hard in the last attack. Expect the worse, and stay sharp."

Not engaging the air brakes, the momentum of Adam's jet blew him past both his flight lead and the Golems. Mere seconds later, he was already closing in on the nearest target as Sky Keeper continued talking, advising everyone in the air to remain in caution with hostiles.

"Wilco." Knocker said.

Adam gunned his engines and continued to fly towards the target, a Tu-95. Mage 1 wasn't too far away, but definitely not in front of him.

"Trigger! I'm your wingman!" Clown said. Mild annoyance began to creep up even more in Adam's mind. "You're flying with me now. That's what it means to be…"

"In an element. I know captain, this is the 5th time you repeated that.", Adam replied, keeping the initial annoyance under wraps and focus on the mission.

"Well, can't hurt to be thorough. Now, let see if you can handle the spotlight.", another chatter from Clown, this time begin with a chuckle and followed by a teasing tone. Clown knows too well how ridiculously thorough Trigger can be, and he was taking every opportunity to be that jokester he was famous for, no quarters. That got a small chuckle out of the young Mage 2, somehow magically wipe away a good amount of annoyance.

A faint beeping sound rang out, the sensors on Adam's plane notified that it was close enough for a missile lock.

"Ha,ha,ha, very funny. Also, Fox 2.", a dry imitation of a laugh came out of his mouth.

With that said, he pressed the fire button on the control stick. The two side weapons bays on his plane instantly opened, revealing a pair of rectangular launchers filled with short-range missiles, and one missile was unleashed per launcher. The fighter veered away just as the missiles made contact with their intended target, and the bomber exploded in midair.

"Enemy bomber confirmed down. Good job, Mage 2!" Sky Keeper praised.

"Not bad at all, Mage 2." Clown said with a hint of pride. Both pilots of the Mage Team did a mildly tight turn to fly towards where Golem Squadron was clustered.

As he checks his radar, Adam sees nothing else was showing up. That wasn't the last of them, he knew that. No one competent would be stupid enough to send just a single bomber over to their enemy's doorstep for an attack.

With that, he switched the settings of the radar, expanding its' range. It didn't take long for more bleeps to show up, and he was right, obviously. This time, it was two bombers, not one, and they came with escorts, one per bomber.

"Sky Keeper, this is Mage 2. I detected a new cluster of hostiles. Moving to intercept.", said Adam.

"Copy that, Mage 2. Setting new interception telemetry.", replied the AWACS.

"New telemetry received. I see them now, they're way overhead.", replied Clown.

Without further ado, Adam pushes the throttle, racing towards the group of hostiles. They were quite a distance away, and that was plenty of an open window for Clown to make some banter.

"You know Trigger… I already knew that it is the custom for the IUN-PKF to give their top cadets with custom planes as graduation presents, like how I am with my baby over here…", he spoke, followed by two thuds. Adam can imagine Clown patting the console of his X/Z-16, as if he's petting his beloved Sheperd.

"It still surprises me even now that you receive one such as yours, a VX-23 out of all things!", the following content brimmed with a subtle humorous flair.

Indeed, the plane that Mage 2 is flying, which is also his graduation present, is none other than the IUN-PKF's poster plane, the VX-23 Condor, a 5.5th Gen Stealth Fighter that was known as the specialist variant of the legendary F-22A Raptor.

Development of this model of fighter started back in 2004, after the end of the Continental War. This aircraft, meant to compete against experienced aces with superior technological advantages, was designed to go beyond the exemplary aerial performance of the Raptor by amplifying its' capabilities in other fields.

It's enlarged fuselage was based on stealth bomber variant of the Raptor, the FB-22 Strike Raptor, giving it substantial internal payload for both air and ground missions. All-moving canard surfaces are placed behind the intakes, followed by leading edge root extensions (LERX) merging into the clipped diamond-like delta wings, both are enlarged and modified from the F-22's stabilators and wings respectively. This design possesses inherently high instability, resulted in extreme maneuverability, short takeoffs and landings, as well as excellent performance in supersonic speed. Lastly, the fusion integration of advanced electronics and avionics int the same line as the F-35 Lightning family gives it great versatility, capable of multi-tasking on the battlefields on its' own, with minimal ally support.

The first prototype was fielded by the other legend of the Circum-Pacific War, Aaron Bernier, A.K.A Crimson 1, once a young talented nugget, but turned "Super Ace" upon fighting the fiercest on the fronts after the supposed betrayal of the Wardog Squadron, later known as the Ghosts of Razgriz. With countless anti-terrorist successes post-war, an unyielding loyalty to the Federation of Osea itself, and having made his greatest feat by dueling against Mobius one of Usea to a perfect standstill in late 2011, he was considered "Osea's Grim Reaper", cemented his reputation as the undefeated poster boy of both Osea and the IUN for years to come.

The devoted ace's overwhelming skills, experience, combine with the aircraft's full potential that exceed all given parameters and expectations, had proven its' validity in the future of advanced warfare as both managed to repel the advances of Yuktobania's warmonger and later, fanatics of the Grey Men themselves. Followed this success, the Condor, having went through various iterations of improvements with all the prototype's kinks eventually solved out, entered production to serve the IUN's Peacekeepers. Most prominently, they were used by the fearsome Crimson Squadron, reorganized from a regular OADF squadron to the utmost elite Peacekeeper Task Force. Each member got meticulously selected from the pool of veterans just like Crimson 1 from the war, all with the absolute commitment to Osea's cause.

Despite having proven their position as the IUN's number 1 task force, Crimson 1 and his squadron soon faced repeated failures against the coalitions of Emmeria and various mercenary corps in the Emmeria-Estovakia War, with their eventual deaths alongside many other IUN pilots led to a significant reduction in the IUN-PKF's fighting strength. This also led to the VX-23's values being re-evaluated, with arguments gone back and forth on the competence of pilots and the credibility of the Condor's performance. Still, politicians' and businessmen's minds wouldn't change, the exorbitant construction and maintenance cost in their consideration was the nail to the coffin for all future orders for the fighter, resulted in only a little more than a handful left in service.

All remaining VX-23s are in row to be replaced by the newer fighter of the Fusion Specialist Fighter (FSF) Program that is still in testing phase, at least according to as far as the flow of public information can go. Still, its' combat performance remained undeniably superior as per its' conception, and thus still held its' spot as the IUN's signature elite plane at the moment, employed only by the best of the organization's pilots. For all Peacekeepers, being able to sit in, let alone having one as their personal plane, is a privilege of a life-time, much like with the Raptor preceded it.

The VX-23 currently in Adam's possession isn't just a spare on the shelf, but rather a custom rework done mostly by pure aircraft-enthusiastic engineers in Icarus Armory, the IUN's primary arms provider and also one the world's greatest weapons developer and manufacturer alongside NEUCOM Incorporated and General Resources Limited. Many of its' internal components are simpler to operate and maintain yet remained as capable as the original parts, thus reduce overall expenses while retained the plane's superior performance. Its' internal payload is 20% more than the FB-22, thanks to advancements in reducing the bulk of the ordinances, with stronger emphasis on anti-ship and ground attack capabilities. Its' silvery-grey metallic coating is the new, experimental metamaterial paint belonged to the FSF Program, with variable-frequencies concealment capabilities that makes up the first layer of the aircraft's stealth profile. Other than that, this plane is visually identical to all Condors before it, with the IUN's star emblem on both wings and the Osean flag on both its' vertical stabilizers.

perhaps the only exception is the remaining details on its' tail. On both vertical stabilizers, below the flag were the peacekeeper letter designation PKF-02 and the bottom is the small line saying IUN. Between them, however was what that stood out, and it was Adam's personal emblem:

The head of a ferocious-looking black dragon, whose neck and long jaws were shaping together to form a Colt Anaconda-esque revolver. The horns on the back of the dragon's head were lined and shaped to not only resemble the revolver's hammer, but also a crude crown. Scarlet-colored flames pouring out of its' eyes and mouth cavity, with the word "TRIGGER" written in the Italicized version of the IUN's font surrounded by the mouth's larger flames. Despite these intricate details, the emblem as a whole was a simple 2D drawing, which is convenient if Adam wants it on any other planes given to him than his current one.

As of this moment, the custom-tweaked fighter's weapons complement includes 34 multi-lock long-range air-to-air missiles (MLAAs), with 16 stored in the central weapons bay and the rest on the six wing pylons. 78 short-range standard missiles (STDMs) are located in the side launchers, 80 if counting the two that downed the first bomber. A loadout dedicated for long-range interceptions and air-superiority contests, and it has started its' workout nicely.

"I expected nothing less from my brightest student and the Academy's new number one.", said Clown, once again mixed with pride.

While Adam appreciated his flight lead's praise, and the fact that he had won such a high-quality plane at the end of his academic years, he knew full well that this comes with a lot of expectations, some are overly-high and are great hassles in and of themselves. He didn't join the IUN for fame or glory, so he has no one to impress. Rather, his reasons for being here was… personal, but that's a story for another time.

Before he can think of a proper response, the pack of bombers and fighters starts to appear on the IFF display.

"Ah, there they are. Sitting there all pretty and just waiting to be taken. Let's go introduce ourselves, Trigger.", said Clown. Adam can imagine a crooked smile crept up on his face as he drawled, dirty bravado brims in his words. With his radar back to default settings, Adam resumed his approaches on the targets.

As they got closer, the two Mig-21 escorts, previously flying in a loose formation, suddenly broke off. Their engines trailed with the flames of afterburner, heading straight to the flight of Mages.

"Watch out for the support aircraft!" Clown warned.

"I see them."

Staying calm under the pressure of sudden warning, Adam narrowed his eyes as he gunned his VX-23's powerful engines, before rolling the plane sideways and successfully speeding through the gap between the two escorts. His flight lead did a similar move, only that he goes outside of the enemy formation instead of in.

"Go get the bombers, Mage! We'll get the escorts!", said Knocker as he began pursuit the overshot Fishbeds.

Without a word spoken, Brownie formed up with Knocker and both then go after one of the support planes, while Boggard and Footpad took on the other. Their chases lead them repeatedly in and out of the clouds.

"Looks like our friends got our asses covered, let's go for the big ladies!", said Clown excitedly.

"Roger Mage 1… shall we take one each?", replied Adam, finding himself amused by his flight lead's bravado, something he thought to have known well at this point.

"A double date? Hell yeah!"

Such enthusiasm was unexpected, but Adam won't complain, perhaps it'll be livelier if Clown had some action as well. With unified confirmation, Mage 1 and Mage 2 each unleashed a pair of missiles against the slow and cumbersome bombers. The missiles found their mark, and their targets exploded in a million pieces as they plummet to the sea below.

"Target confirmed down. Looking good, Mage Squadron, especially you, Mage 2."

"Roger." Adam replied. He then diverted his attention to the Golem's Super Hornets, a slight sense of relief flooded his mind when he saw they finished off the escorts with relative ease. With that done, all returned to formation, with Golems at the Mages' 6 o'clock.

Once again, the radar settings changed, and Adam was scanning for his next set targets.

"Mage 2, targets in range. Another pair of bombers," Sky Keeper informed him as the coordinates got updated on his HUD, prompting him to maneuver towards the designated direction. After another while flying, the slow-pokes at last came into view. Despite the IFFs cluttered up, Adam knows clearly of the enemy formation due to the density of the designation squares.

"Trigger, don't forget your special weapon.", reminded Clown.

Adam didn't forget. With the hostiles being a considerable distance away, the opportunity to take them out with a long-range strike was available, especially when the escort has yet to notice him. The potent stealth profile of his VX-23 is coming to play nicely, and Clown's plane, being far away enough, did none to compromise it.

"I have a lock. Fox 3.", said Adam as he fired his missiles, this time having switched to the MLAAs of much longer range. Out of the 4 missiles unleased simultaneously from the wing pylons, three hit their bullseyes, but one of the escorts managed to outturn the last missile. Closing his distance, he switched back to the STDMs for better homing, and this time, it only took a single missile right into the engine exhaust to take the leftover down.

"Excellent job, Trigger!" Clown praised. "At this rate, you'll be a pro in no time."

"Enemy bomber down!" Sky Keeper confirmed as he was getting more and more cheerful as the mission progressed. "Nice going, Mage 2."

"Not too shabby, Mage 2. But you've still got a long way to go, kid.", said Knocker dryly.

"Oh come on, Burner, lighten up a little. You see how well Trigger performed, it's not like he doesn't know what he's doing.", interrupted Clown.

"I know, but this is still a real battle, Mage 1. Mage 2, stay focus. I'll give you some pointers back at base when you make it back in one piece." Knocker replied before ending transmission.

'Ever the gruffiest, Captain Burner.', mused Adam upon the exchange between the two squadron leaders.

"Sky Keeper, this is Mage 1, over. Tally two bandits." Clown said as he and Adam climbed to a higher altitude, where two planes were within visual range.

"Copy that," replied Sky Keeper. "It's a bomber and an escort."

Once again, they aren't noticing him, another perfect opportunity. Reacted instantly true to the fame of his moniker, Adam then pitched the plane down and went full throttle towards the two hostiles.

"Woah there, Trigger, settle down!" Clown said, his tone urgent and concerned, perhaps a little unsettled. He wasn't heading towards the two planes. Adam noticed his hesitance, but he continued on nonetheless. If the bombers are allowed to get any closer to Fort Grays, they'll cause more casualties.

"Mage 2!" Knocker snapped over the radio as Adam broke formation and split towards the planes. "Maintain your element with Mage 1! Do not break off! Mage 1, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!"

"Wilco.", confirmed Clown.

Having focused on the bomber, Adam zoned out Knocker's complaint. Due to the lower speed and acceleration, Clown's Thunder Falcon took longer to catch up to him, even though his Condor isn't anywhere as fast as it can be, subsonic-wise.

As with the previous groups, Adam wasted no time clearing them out. Somehow, the escort of this bomber was way sloppier than the last ones, giving Mage 2 plenty, if not too many windows to get a clean aim. He took the first chance given, and each standard missile he unleashed nailed a plane of the formation, sending their debris cascading to the ground or ocean, wherever they might land.

"Mage 2's bandits confirmed down.", Brownie said.

"Nice shot Trigger. They can burn with their whole payload.", said Footpad, a slight snarl came out by the later sentence.

The sky was once again empty from Adam's point of view. It was a good chance to relax a bit after pulling four speed runs in a row.

At least, until a notification from Sky Keeper ruined the moment almost instantly. "Golem, Mage. Two new enemy groups."

New coordinates and designations were sent to their displays. More fishbeds as escorts, but this time, instead of the Tu-95s, the bombers are composed of two flights of 4 Tu-160s, much faster than their older counterpart. They are moving fast, so the men on the ground and sea don't have much time.

"Copy, moving to intercept! Golem 2, let's maintain an element. Same goes to Boggard and Footpad!", ordered Knocker as he veered his Super Hornet towards the bomber groups to the North-East of the AO.

"Copy that, Commander. I got your six covered, sir.", confirmed Brownie.

"This is Golem 3 and 4. We're ass-to-ass. your flank is secured, captain.", Boggard and Footpad made their element.

"Righty-o!"

With that, the Golem Squadron took off to their decided group.

"Looks like we got the remaining dish. Let's go Trigger. And please, keep in formation this time.", said Clown as he turned around towards the remaining hostiles on the South-West, reminded Adam at the same time about his previous action of detaching formation.

"Wilco, inbound.", replied Mage 2 as he turned towards the same IFF coordinates, before speeding up to rejoin formation with his flight lead. His superior acceleration allows him to catch up with Clown in no time.

As they flew together towards perhaps their last set of targets, a brand-new voice joined in on the radio chatter. The caller's frequency comes from Fort Grays, and is directed at both Golem and Mage.

"This is HQ." the voice explained. "Attention, all combat groups. Are there any drones? Verify."

"Drones? Are you kidding me right now? Jesus! This is the kind of shit that really chaps my ass!", Knocker bitterly responded.

Clown sighed out of frustration, "UAVs? I can't tell them apart…"

The squadrons closed in on the respective enemy formations. Another switch to the MLAAs for Adam. Locked on. Fired. two escorts and two Tu-160s went down as overly burnt fireworks.

"Leave the last ones to me, Trigger!", said Clown, finally bringing his special weapons into play. Unlike Adam's Condor, Mage 1's X/Z-16, despite also being a custom plane, was an older model fighter with significantly less weapons payload. It can only carry two sets of 4AAMs for special weaponry, along with 30 STDMs on its' wings. The former has shorter range and less destructive than the MLAAs, but can still be potent if used right.

"Very well. They're all yours, captain.", said Adam as he cuts his engines and engages the air brakes and slowed down, letting his flight lead passed for the latter to get a better, unobstructed lock.

With the missiles lock solid, four explosive-tipped lances flew from the wing pylons of the Thunder Eagle, striking true with all remaining hostiles were eliminated. Normally these won't be potent enough to one-shot a bomber, but Clown's missiles luckily managed to struck the engines, setting off chain reactions that took out the bombers and their payload entirely.

With their part done, Adam checked his radar to see the Golem's progress, IFFs shows that Brownie and Boggard chasing down a hostile, its' faster and maneuverable, consider the pace it's moving on the radar screen, must be one of the escorts. Two small blips indicated STDMs flew from Brownie's F/A-18E, but missed as the bandit veered away at the right moment.

"Dammit!" Brownie cursed herself on the radio for missing, quickly turning to pursue the escaping craft.

"Hesitating for a split second could be the difference between life and death," Knocker reminded his squad. "Stay sharp, think fast."

Right after he said that, open frequencies from HQ suddenly popped up in the radio.

"Don't let them destroy the harbor!", a shout emerged, possibly directed at the personnel on the ground.

"Where the hell are our fighters?! The harbor is under heavy fire!", another shouter, this time surely directed at the two squadrons.

Hadn't they kept the bombers from reaching that far in? The only ones left right now is being handled by Golem Squadron, and they are… very close the base. One of the bombers managed get ahead and drop its payload, damaging the facilities at Fort Grays even more. Luckily, as the drop was also rather late, most of the bombs went into the sea. A greater catastrophe avoided.

Once again taking the initiative, Adam drives his VX-23 towards the bomber that is ahead. As he was right in front of the defenseless bomber, 2 STDMs flew from his plane knocked it out of the sky. At a considerable distance away, with lessons learnt and pace, it didn't take too long for the Golems to start wrap up against the escorts, but even more time and fuel would be needed of them if they are intent to catch the bombers.

Adam, on the contrary, was much closer, and soon had them shared their brethren's fate, for they were unable to evade like their former escorts were. MLAAs flew from his wings, with each bomber gets two servings, and thus, another pyrotechnic splendor goes up in the skies above the harbor.

After the dust was settled, proudly, Sky Keeper said, "To Golem and Mage. Job well done. All bombers are down. Our radar shows no signs of bandits. You're in the clear."

*End BGM*

It is done. They have completed their mission. Now, the base was safe.

"Good going, Mage 2!" Clown praised Adam. "Flight commander, looks like he's got what it takes. Heh! I actually told you that ages ago!"

"Let's slow down," Knocker said, his annoyance not hard to pick up on, but it was one out of pure tiredness, not arrogance. "It's just one sortie. Don't try to be a hero. I want you to make it back in one piece, you hear?"

"You did well, Trigger, but yeah, I gotta side with the bossman on this one." Brownie added.

"Roger that." Adam replied plainly. The logic is simple and sound, he's not complaining, not with all his fellow pilots made it through alive and performed well.

"Golem Squadron, this is HQ. Did you confirm any drones?" HQ sounded much calmer now, his voice sounding a little weak, as if he was tired.

Knocker asked the question likely everyone else was thinking. "What's the deal with all the drones?"

No response at first, then HQ came on again, harsher and only addressing one member of the squadron, "Golem 1, return to base and report for debriefing." Was Knocker in trouble for asking a simple question? Without a word, Knocker led the way back to base for landing.

Or at least, that what the course supposed to be taken…

Until some uninvited guests decided to make a break for it.

---

With last of enemy bandits sink beneath the waves or vaporized in the air, Erica Tarleton's Super Hornet leveled out at a stable altitude and speed, giving her the much-needed breathing room. She removes her oxygen mask and visor to get away from the humid stuffiness built-up over the course of the emergency interception mission, and sighed out in relief.

"To Golem and Mage. Job well done. All bombers are down. Our radar shows no signs of bandits. You're in the clear."

As Sky Keeper's had announced, she and her squad mates have completed their first real combat deployment, and had made it back, all alive. It was a win she'll take.

"Woohoo! Yeah! We did it! We fucking did it!", shouted Boggard.

"We're alive! I can't believe it!", responded Footpad.

"The hell you can't! We are badasses! Badass!"

"Speak for yourself! Most were shot down by Trigger!"

Banters like those continued back and forth between Golem 3 and 4. A bit childish, but Erica can't blame them for feeling over-excited after having completed their first mission successfully. Still, it can't be denied that Adam "Trigger" Throne, her best friend and little brother in Academy, was the one who took down most of the hostiles.

Amused by the banter and tempted by the desire to put the over-the-top Boggard down a peg, she tries to join in, all while thinking inside her head of a good roast…

But the following announcement from Sky Keeper ruined it all.

"What the…? Golem, hold off landing operation. Detecting new radar signatures, attempting to verify."

Everyone became tense once the halting order was given out. Golem Squadron's flight lead, Knocker, hurriedly inquired after having snapped out of his tiredness, "Sky Keeper, what is it!? Hostiles!?".

The answer he got seconds later, was none other than a volley of missiles, flying straight towards the squadron.

"Shit! All aircrafts, break!", shouted Knocker as the alerts when off.

Along with Boggard and Footpad, Erica managed to narrowly evade the rain of missiles, more sweat builds up in an instant on her face. With her F/A-18E rolled sideways, she managed to catch a glimpse on the origin of the ordinances with her helmet's built-in HUD, considerably above Golem Squadron's current altitude:

A flight of five Fishbeds, each has the top of their fuselages painted red and the bottoms dark grey, with the exception of the leading plane had its' belly in bright white. Two on the edge of the formation carry a large payload of 32 missiles on their wings, while the inner two armed themselves with machine gun pods. Once again, the presumed leader stood out, this time in addition to a gun pod and 6 missiles per wing, two strange-looking pods that looks neither like bombs, missiles, or even fuel tanks, are positioned on the cropped wing tips.

Long story short, all of them are armed to the teeth, with plenty of ammunitions to spare even after the initial surprise attack, and they are diving straight towards their prey, being Erica, her flight lead, and her teammates.

Quickly regained their bearings from the initial shock attack just like the ways they were trained, the Golem nuggets and their flight lead tries to retake the initiative. But despite their antique platform, each of the unknown enemy squadron's aircrafts and pilots quickly proven to be surprisingly maneuverable and tenacious, and soon, it devolved into a cat-and-mouse chase, with the Golems being the prey.

That, and the fact that they are low on ammo didn't help the matter, at all.

Erica is being chased by one of the hostiles with missiles-loaded wings, who managed to keep up with her more advanced Super Hornet. Constant rolls and pitches are the only things keeping them from getting a clean shot on her ass.

"Jesus! These guys are no joke!", shouted Boggard as one of the Mig-21s with machine gun pods try to strafe him down with hails of gunfire.

"We jinxed ourselves hard now!", replied Footpad frantically as he tries to shake off the enemy's lead bird.

Knocker hadn't said a word, but a brief situational lookout was more than enough for Erica to see why. Her squadron leader had his hands full with two of the enemy birds, one with the missiles, and the other being the remaining unit with gun pods, on his tail, and they aren't letting up anytime soon.

"Golem, hang on! Trigger, let's go!", said the flight lead of Mage Squadron, Clown, over the shared and encrypted radio frequency.

That's a bit of good news, even two extra fighters can make a major difference. But while Erica has complete fate in Adam's skills in most situations, this is still a real battle of life and death, with a set of formidable enemies they're facing. If their distinct colors were of any indications, then they must be the enemy's aces, ones with experience and specialized loadout to backup for their less technologically advanced fighters. She can only hope that his impulses, no matter how rare they are, won't put them in a tight spot.

"SHIT!"

Golem 4 – Footpad's shout breaks her musings.

"-!-"

By the time Erica managed to located her teammate… his plane was already nailed by one the enemy lead's missile, the violent explosion ripped the Super Hornet in half and diagonally from the center, it's rear turned to a total heap of charred scraps at it fell from the sky.

Erica remained dazed by what just happened.

'It was his first official flight… and he got taken down…'

The thought continued to replay in her mind at the same time as the tape of Footpad's plane being blown up. Out of all Golem members, this was Footpad's true first flight. Despite being friends since Academic days and arrived not long after the rest, his plane had suffered from several technical issues that grounded him for all of the squadron's flight regiments until now. This deployment was sudden, and it was so badly timed that it just caused Golem to lose a pilot, a comrade and a friend… in their first real combat sortie.

"RYAN!"

Boggard cried out as he continued to maneuver out of his foe's crosshair. His movement became sluggish due to the shock, but somehow, his luck is keeping him alive with every gun strafe either only grazed the plating or missed him by inches.

"Golem 4 is down! Dammit!", shouted Sky Keeper desperately, unable to do anything but watch from the floors up high, too far away from the squadrons.

"Trigger? Trigger!? What's wrong!?"

With half her mind on Footpad, the other half somehow managed to pick up the distress in Clown's comms. What's wrong with Adam? Did… what happened also got to him?

"BROWNIE! FOCUS! Enemy on your twelve!"

But the desperate warning from Knocker shook her off both subjects of attention. As Erica put her gaze back on her front, she witnessed the leading bandit that took out her friend has their nose aimed at her, and missile lock alarms beeping sporadically in her cockpit.

Time moved slow for Erica's perspective, despite her captain's warning, she also knew that the bandit she hadn't been able to shake off is still right behind her, and it won't be long before that one gets a lock too. Every fiber of her being froze, unable to move despite her desperate attempt to do the otherwise.

She was about join Footpad in oblivion… as a slice of pork in a metal sandwich, a roasted one. At this very moment, the memories of her family flicker ever slightly in her vision, yet it was far too tempting to deny…

Until someone denied it for her.

"Woah!"

Merely within the split-second that the Mage lead, Clown, exclaimed loudly, a metal lance of a missile curved its' trajectory and went into view at the right corner of her field of vision. It then flew past her, and struck the assailant behind. Erica looked back, only to see the bandit that had given her a hard time blew up to a million pieces. But what about the alpha in front of her?

a familiar 'BRRRRRRRRT!' from a rotary cannon sounded, moving her attention back to the front. The enemy lead bird got grazed with a few darts of yellow light streaks, and instantly break off. They were tracer rounds, and they came from the same direction as the missile earlier. Her eyes squinted at that heading… only to see a familiar plane blew past her eyesight.

It was a VX-23 Condor, but not just any Condor. The black dragon on its' tail was far to stood out to not be recognized.

"Adam!", said Erica in surprise and excited relief. It was Trigger's, and he just saved her life. As she was about to turn the comms to his frequency and thank him…

"Are you alright, Brownie?"

He beat her to it, with his plane turn to loop around hers, his tinted canopy revealed him looking towards her.

"Now I am. Fuuu… Thanks buddy."

"Mhmm.", a loud, but brief hum was the only reply she get. This is… weird, normally, she or anyone else would receive a 'No problem' or 'You're welcome', short but courteous, just as she knew Adam.

But not this. He may have been one of a few words, but even he wasn't this curt. Perhaps it's just her imagination, but still... something's not right.

Another round of alarms sounded, diverting both pilots' attention to the ongoing dogfight. It was then Trigger made another unusual sign: Waiting for no one and notify no one, not even his flight lead, he makes a tight turn and go straight towards the bandits. That one time just before in the mission, in which he went for the bomber-escort pair in the clouds? That can be chalked off as his over-tendency to react instantly. But this? This is too fast, too reckless.

It's not like him at all. If he's having a death wish, then Erica can't allow that, for to her, Adam is her other "little brother". She pushed her engines as hard as she could to catch up to him, but it eventually proved futile as the Condor's superior engines won the contest.

Adam arrived and engage first, and Erica was too far behind. Thanks to her HUD's capability to display image at distance better – Courtesy of IUN tech – she can only hold her breath as the spectacle was displaying in front of her.

*BGM: Dogfight*

With the two bandits still busy on Knocker's tail, Adam was given a widely-open window to get behind them, and he made full use of it. Arming two MLAAs and have a lock on both assailants, he pushed the red fire button and let the lances fly. Due to the missiles got released the instant the system got the locks, the enemy did not receive the warning in time, and both Mig-21s that were pursuing the Golem captain got annihilated out of the sky, saving the latter's bacon.

"What the…!?", exclaimed Knocker out of sheer surprise, before seeing the familiar VX-23 flew past him, towards the hostile gunning for Golem 3 – Boggard.

Mage 2 keeps his engines gunned, getting him closer to that Mig-21 with the gun pods. The latter break off from his pursue on Golem 3 and tried to out-turn the silver predator, but the more cumbersome antique was no match for the technologically superior VX-23 as Adam was glued to his tail. With an opportunity ripe for the taking, he switched back to his guns and pulled the stick's frontal trigger. Tracer rounds accompanied by AP shells, both 25mm, flew forth at blinding speed. Three strafes were made, and two missed their mark. Taking lessons, Adam paused the final run, before firing again, this time managed to tear into the historic fighter whose dodges had turned into a predictable pattern. Some rounds were able to strike the fuel tanks, turning the running bandit into a beautiful pyrotechnic display in the vast blue sky.

'One more to go', thought Adam as he scans his radar and sensor displays.

Indeed, now, only the head of the red slippery snakes remains, and it didn't take him long to re-acquire the bandit's position.

No stealth treatment, no ECM, just old plain red and white paint, with a composite loadout that is a little unusual for a Fishbed, particularly those pods on the wing tips. Whatever the reason for them was, Adam paid none to know it, and continued his pursuit.

A new round of cat-and-mouse begins, and this time, it would be Mage 2, the new Peacekeeper, who would take the role of the chasing cat. Hot on his prey's tail, matching move to move, constantly predicting the next course of action by paying attention to the changes of their control surfaces, there was no way he was letting this foe out of his sight.

Especially after what they did to Footpad.

Adam had proven to be unshakable by conventional means, and the missile lock was coming in nicely, if not a bit slow due to the constant maneuvers of the two planes. Eventually a lock was acquired, and he was ready to let a missile loose…

"-!-"

But his raw instincts kicked in, telling him that something bad is about to happen.

In that split-second of hesitation, the enemy's lead bird unknowingly took the opportunity to make a constant spin. It was a move that doesn't make sense for a moment… until those strange pods came into play.

Multiple vents emerged as the pods open up in a rather "organic" way, and from those vents… came darts of orange-yellow fire.

The IR sensors of his plane blared frantically, but no missile alarm, and the darts are flying in a sporadic pattern, driven by the initial momentum of the launch and later on, by the gravity as they fell off their initial trajectory.

They were flares, the type that burns hotter and brighter than normal, and they are being unleashed in an absurdly huge amount by the enemy bandit, creating a pyrotechnic display that almost blinded Adam had he not have a visor that is tinted and UV-protected. What are they hoping to accomplish? Buying themselves time to escape? He can't outrun Adam, not with something that is now as much as a museum piece, not when the Condor had proven to be among the fastest of jets on the planet.

It was then their next move that gave Mage 2 the hint.

The plain-looking engine nozzle of the red and white Mig-21 suddenly deflect its' jet fire, the flaps and the horizontal stabilizers moved at the same time, sending the old aircraft into a steep pitch, far steeper than an ordinary Fishbed can accomplish. That was a thrust-vectoring nozzle, one that allowed the bandit's nose to be on Adam's in a few short seconds. The missile alarm in his cockpit went off.

Adam's instincts didn't stop with the warnings, they move his limbs and had the air brakes engaged, pulling the silver Condor away from its' supposed prey. The distance he gained was considerable, but it wasn't anywhere enough to break the inevitable lock. The lock was also a different type: Radar-guided missiles. Adam's own flares would be useless against those, yet his plane did not have chaffs loaded due to the sudden scramble, a poor oversight on both his part and the mechanics.

Two missiles flew from the Fishbed's wings, both aimed directly at him, obviously. He doesn't have time to complain, if nothing is to be done in the next second, then he'll be dead meat… So he did one thing he could, and it is a risky move, a very, very risky move… But one that he will take.

Role and then yaw, the young Mage 2 sent his VX-23 on the same linear plane as the two incoming missiles, before pitching hard with the powerful thrust of the twin engines, having deflected by the rectangular thrust-vectoring nozzles, support him. In that split second, he goes back to the cannon, and let loose a wall of tracers.

The move paid off.

Each missile got struck by a surprisingly sizable bucket of shells, and exploded violently in the air, just slightly less than 10 meters apart from Adam's Condor. Those were unusually big explosions for missiles of that type… Someone clearly went overboard with the explosives for that plane.

The enemy bandit, having altered their trajectory, flew into the massive smoke clouds created by the explosion of their missiles. Adam's move did bleed off a lot of speed, so for them, it was the perfect opportunity for a sure kill. But once they have broken through the clouds… the silver Condor was nowhere to be seen.

Only for the virtue of also emerging from the same clouds, right behind them, again.

'A custom Fishbed with thrust-vectoring, flare dispersers and high-power custom missiles. Interesting…'

'… But all those gimmicks won't save you.'

Already long regained his bearings, Adam dived headlong, and was the first to use the large number of lingering special flares and the clouds to his advantage. The enemy had made a mistake using those flares, and he is going to make them pay for it so dearly, they'll bankrupt for eternity.

"Die."

He mused darkly as the stick's fire button got pressed, sending two STDMs and four MLAAs at the same time. The metal lances struck true to their target, tearing the bandit apart in another display of fiery death. There was no way for them to survive, not with that much fire ignited, not with so many little pieces falling to the deep blue abyss below.

It was done.

*End BGM*

All ambushing foes were taken care of… but the following moment was nothing short of total silence.

Every single plane in the sky was flying in a steady altitude, at a slow and stable patrol speed, with their pilots diverted their gaze towards the now stabilized VX-23 at a distance.

Quick, clean and efficient, the dogfight was nothing short of a beautiful yet deadly dance, one performed by a predator who took every advantage exploitable to devour its' preys. This rings true in the views of the remaining members of the Golem Squadron, who got their bacon saved in the nick of time.

"Holy shit… Did you see that, captain?", asked Boggard with his mouth, metaphorically and literally, open wide.

"You don't have to tell me, Boggard. Jesus Christ…", Knocker replied, having a similar, albeit less extreme reaction.

'I thought I've seen it all… But I never knew you can fight like that, Adam.'

Erica thought as she continued to look at the Condor where her best friend and little brother figure is sitting on. She knew for a fact that back in the days in the Academy, Adam had stood out as one of the best cadet pilots she or any others had ever seen. He never wanted to be the spotlights, but unintentionally step into them due to his skills and talent. Perhaps those times that he managed to take down instructors, including Knocker and Clown, were supposed to already be the giveaways, but knowing the safe environment of exam and training battles, they would be chalked off as the seniors going easy.

But not today, not anymore. Adam had just taken out five undoubtedly ace-level pilots on his own, and way too fast for anyone to think of assisting. At the very least, he had made himself an official ace, on his very first combat deployment.

And that now begs the question in Erica's mind, one that had been sitting at the backlog of her psyche, if not at the very bottom. But nonetheless, it was there, for she had pondered of it ever since she knew him.

'Adam, who are you… really?'

"BZZZ… BZZZ!"

"Huh?"

Before she can even think of a proper enquiry, Erica's attention got diverted as her aircraft's radio suddenly crackled. It was a specific, secured frequency.

One shared by the Golem Squadron.

"Hello… Ca…any…hear…m…BZZZ!"

The voice was distorted, so she can't hear who that was. As she adjusts the radio to clear the signal…

"This is Captain Kirk Burner of the 506th Fighter Attack Squadron, Golem. Unknown speaker, identify."

Her flight lead beat her to it… But the response that came back, clearer than before, was what put not just Erica, but the rest on the back foot.

"Uhh, captain? This is Footpad. Requesting for extraction?"

A collective gasp from all members of the Golem squadron. There's no way they can mistaken that voice anywhere.

"Footpad!? You're alive!?", asked Boggard.

"Yeah, pretty much.", replied the caller meekly. Reserved, yet respectful, it was definitely Ryan Floyd, the last Golem member and their comrade.

"You sonovabitch! We thought you were dead! How the hell…!?"

"So did I. Guess I had some luck with my plane's front section did not go off. I managed to eject, and end up in the water."

"Good god! You were playing possum!?", asked Knocker, his voice brimmed with both relief and frustration.

"Can't be helped, cap. My primary radio is down, and this backup one is barely holding on. Also, since you guys were having a time of your life, well, distracting you ain't a good choice to make.", said Footpad with a chuckle.

"Oh you're about to get one when I have your ass! Where the hell are you!?"

Despite the higher rise of his voice, Knocker didn't mean anything bad for the nugget who luckily survived. He was frustrated of Footpad's lack of confirmation on his survival, yes, but getting it late is better than getting a body bag.

"A bit below you guys, look at a small patch of sand with a 3 coconut trees. I think it's the only one around here, really."

Followed Footpad's instructions, all Golem pilots angled their plane down and scanned the area of water below them. It took them a bit, but they managed to find him in the end.

"Roger that. Sky Keeper, this is Golem 1, requesting an immediate medivac on the marked location. Caution of potential injuries."

The request came through, and the AWACS replied without skipping a beat.

"Coordinates received, Golem 1. A helo will be dispatched there at once."

"Roger, are there any bandits we need to worry about?"

"Not this time. We triple-checked. You're in the clear for real now. Good work team."

A praise was given, but Knocker denied it immediately.

"Nah, that honor goes to Mage 2. You did well, kiddo, more than I expected, to be honest. Thanks for saving our lives."

He thanked Adam after diverted his radio's frequency to the shared one used by both squadrons.

But there was no response.

"Mage 2? Hey, you still there, kid?"

No response, again.

"Mage 2, confirm?"

Again…

"Mag…!"

"This is Mage 2, confirmed radio, Golem 1."

Finally, a reply came through.

But the reply wasn't just another emotionless one that Knocker always heard.

It was cold, too cold, not like the usual Adam.

"…"

The Golem captain paused for a moment, puzzled by the subtle, but sudden change, before asking again, this time with concern sipping out of his words.

"Kid… You alright?"

A pause occurred, but this time, it wasn't long, and a response came through.

"I'm alright, captain. Requesting for first landing."

The request was abrupt, and somehow, Knocker didn't agree with that "fine" of an answer. Maybe the kid is going to need some time on the ground for a proper break. After all, he deserves it, maybe more than the rest up here in the air.

"Permission granted. Mage Squadron, you're on first queue to land."

"Roger that, Golem Leader, we're inbound", said Clown, who finally spoke after a while of silence. Must have been observing his pupil from afar.

With the two Mages turned for landing first, it would soon be the Golems next, and Footpad's evac chopper to be the last. Despite all the bumps, the lasts being utterly lethal, it was still mission successfully carried out. Luckily, no one, especially the nuggets under his and Cade's command, had suffered casualties.

Today, he'll take whatever win he can get.

---

"We're currently still under the ongoing assessment to the base's damages and casualties. However, our aircraft carrier, the OFS Albatross, has been confirmed sunk, with the only fortunate news being most of the crew managed to make it out."

Every pilot at the base got their own unified debriefing while Knocker went off to speak with the base commander. He was unhappy of the personal meeting, but apparently that can't be helped for he had "questioned the higher command's ability to lead". Or at least, that was the excuse.

"We have identified that the attackers had been from Erusea, and every IUN-PKF bases all over the continent had been targeted in the same manner as our base had been. While accurate assessment is yet to arrive, the damage nonetheless, is severe."

A sober atmosphere took over the room as the briefer continued.

"Many war were lost due to the inability to recover from the opening blows, which means successful retaliation is utterly crucial. The actions of Golem Squadron, Mage Squadron, and Gargoyle Squadron today had proven that. Especially yours, Trigger."

The mention of the young Mage nugget had everyone look at him. There lies Adam at a corner of the room, his back leaned against the wall and his arms crossed as he continued to look at the screen filled with images and ongoing statistics of damage caused by the now-identified Erusean attackers. Contrast to his fellow sobering pilots, his eyes remained rigid, and his expression remained as impassive as ever.

"Through your gun cam footage, we were able to identify the last set of bandits as the 19th Reconnaissance "Fiamma" Squadron of Erusea Air Force's 72nd Air Division. All of its' pilots were aces who had earned their wings, led by a major Continental War veteran, Captain Huang Xuan Tai, callsign PYRO. Your success in eliminating them had not only save the lives of our comrades, but also stripped Erusea of one of its' powerful assets. Along with all other successes of today, the tide of battle at this front may have been turned decisively to our side."

"You have our thanks." he said, before straighten himself and make a salute.

Adam simply nodded, and with that, they were dismissed. The pilots soon united with some of their friends who worked on the base logistics on the ground, and started towards the mess hall for dinner, taking in the damage done to the building.

Several lights were flickering and buzzing obnoxiously as they just got repaired, and some walls had been either charred by fire or partially blown up. The mess hall, luckily, was still standing, though the lights are currently dimmed to conserve power until everything is in working order again.

Soggily-mashed potatoes and dried-out steak, some are dried-out pork instead, with a small final touch of simple veggies in forms of boiled carrot slices and small broccolis. It wasn't a gourmet meal, but it was actually one of the better days, considering the current circumstances.

Sitting on their table near the entrance/exit, the Golems and Adam dove into their food with vigor, having expended a lot of energy in the mission

"Hot Damn! You were phenomenal today, Trigger!", said Footpad as he complimented Adam, who along with the rest of the Golems are finishing their trays of food.

"I watched the whole gun cam footage. Man, you barely hesitated! I think you shot down almost every bandit in the whole battle!"

"Guess Adam proved himself to be more than the academic ace, huh?", said Boggard with a smirk on his face.

"Any idea how many you shot down?", continued Footpad.

"I didn't keep track of it, Ryan.", Adam admitted plainly with his eyes closed, his spoon of mash emptied and only some left on the tray to finish. "Nor do I think I was supposed to. Shouldn't you be worry more about your health?"

"Geez, do you really have to remind me of that now? That can wait, we're celebrating for you, man! Boggard hadn't stop comparing counts with you, you know.", replied a surprised and somewhat exasperated Footpad. He was unusually excited today, despite having been shot down. The others seems to pay no heed to it, as if it was normal.

"Pilots who went through ejection takes time to recover before they can fly again, and why should it turn into a competition?", spoken Adam in a matter-of-factly.

"Oh come on, Trigger.", Boggard butted in before making his point, "It's more fun this way. Besides, when did a king of battle ever turn down a competition or a challenge?"

Adam looks up, unintentionally spooked the rest of the table with how cold his amber gold eyes are, now narrowed at another made-up title, "king of battle".

"Don't. Call. Me. That."

He didn't raise his voice, but every word he stressed along with a slight growl had the whole table spooked even more than before. For the Golem members, it was like poking a tiger's dent, or maybe in Adam's case, a dragon's dent, and they won't like the outcome if that dragon blows up. They had witnessed it before, and they prefer not to see it to happen again.

Especially not from a slip from Boggard's big mouth.

But luckily, it didn't happen.

Noticing how tense the group has become, Adam closed his eyes as he took a noticeably deep breath, before exhaling to calm himself down. Seemingly also having a headache, he puts his left hand which is free over his face, while his right put down the spoon.

"Adam… Are you okay? Like, really okay?"

He moves his hand a bit for his left eye to see. Erica, who has been sitting next to him at that side now look over, once again with concern flooding her features and her voice. This time, it grew even greater than earlier this afternoon, for she hadn't forgot how he behaved during the final minutes of the mission. The others had similar reactions, but not to the same extent.

"I need a break.", said Adam, closing his eyes once again, before standing up with his tray. Having put it in the designated recycling bin, he moves exit the mess hall.

Before opening the doors, he turned his head half-way to the right. His right eye facing the Golem squad whose members are still looking at him.

"Sorry."

With only one word of apology for his behavior, he left, leaving his comrades and even others in the hall to ponder of what happened.

---

It didn't take Adam long to return to his designated quarters, and right now, he is its' only owner. The roommate who he shared it with unfortunately died during the bombing at the base, having caught in one of the big explosions at the tank farm while having a walk.

A young pilot in training, Adam didn't get to know the guy much, but he was overall a nice person, younger by two years and was rather carefree much like Boggard. Many of his items are still in the room, with the one that stood out is a picture of him with a young woman who is a bit younger.

That's right, this trainee had a girlfriend, who he brags about a lot, and gets to do so scot-free since Adam doesn't really care much. But even so, all those bragging did show the guy's love… and now he can't express that anymore. Tomorrow, all of this will be boxed, and returned to his family. They and his girlfriend will be mourning for a long time.

Closing the door behind him, Adam took a seat on his revolving chair, adjacent to his table. His body lumped down, lying on the comfort of the smooth leather and the cotton underneath.

One can say that it was his first battle and thus his first sets of kills, being overwhelmed by the chaos of what happened before and after was normal, no matter how composed he looks to be. After all, he was still a nugget, despite being the best graduate of the Peacekeeper Academy this year.

He was tired. Tired of today's battle… But his case isn't a normal one.

He may have been officially a nugget… but the reality hidden behind white veils often speaks otherwise.

'Don't waste your life… Find your family, Adam…'

With his mind exhausted his body, the young female voice that spoke the above was the only thing echoing in his mind. With it, he pulls something out of one of his IUN standard-issue aviator jacket's pockets, one that was zipped tight unlike the rest that got left wide open. With the object in his field of vision, he continues to stare at it blankly, his gaze none broken.

A dog tag that is a little bigger than usual. Its' plastic frame was worn and broke a bit in a few places, while the stainless-steel surface was dyed in scorch marks. Despite the dirty appearance, some of the tag's content can still be seen.

Five rows beginning from the left side, each with only the initial letters of their phrase left: A; R; P; E; C, from top to bottom. On the right side of the tag, next to other end of the rows, was a symbol: a bullseye reticle imprinted onto the steel plate like a two-point view drawing, with the blade of a spear or a dagger pierced right through the center dot.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

His hands were put together in a prayer stance before getting placed against his forehead. As the curtains of the night continue to fall over the Fort Grays… Those were the words Adam continued to mutter.

---

Author's Note: The end of the week, a new chapter to unleash. I know, it's a rather bumpy start, due to this being my first time writing a war games-based story and all. Still, I checked up as much as I could, and I hope it turned out sufficiently well.

Now, disclaimers:

- I do not own Ace Combat, Stealth or Project Wingman, they all belonged to their respective owners and thus the source materials are to be respected.

- That said, this is fanfiction. Imaginations and alterations to establish alternate universes are things to be properly acknowledged, not unfairly criticized. Over-rigid realism will not be the goal, nor is zealously sticking to the canon materials, in this story or my previous one. My goal is to build and expand on the characters, their relationships, the world around them, and the lore within it to the best of my capabilities.

Lastly, some clarifications regarding the characters, the planes, and so on. Hopefully, I won't have to repeat this every chapter, but here goes:

- Trigger, the main character. A little bit breaking the canon, as well as the common mold in fanfiction to write him as this cocky, reckless dumbass with a big heart. Well, I'm only going to keep the latter, that's for sure, but this colder Trigger is a personal choice, simply because I get too cringe if I were to read over-emo Trigger for too long. Sorry, but that's just a fact for me.

- His appearance is based on fan-arts on Pixiv, drawn by "Xsy", who also drew fan-arts of Ace Combat Zero, Gundam, and others. Generic? Maybe, then again, that is also a personal preference at the end of the day, so if you like it? Cool. If not? That's also cool, I'm not forcing you.

- Trigger's emblem, altered. Another break from Canon, and also another personal choice of mine. Why? The original was… a bit too bland for me, even knowing that many Air Force pilots' personal emblem is somewhat similar. Also, I like dragons, fearsome and wonderful mythical creatures they are, and since our guy over here is eventually going to be one of those bloodless badass bastards, I think I may as well give him an equally badass emblem. A bit radical of a change, yes, but the core of the moniker "Trigger", to me, still got across with this design.

- Now for the planes. Aircrafts from both Project Wingman and Ace Combat will appear throughout this fic, but considering that some planes are clones of one another between the games (Ex: F-14D and F/D-14), their level of strength will depend on the strength of the factions possessing them. Since PW's planes are generally more powerful than AC planes, then well… I think you get the idea.

- The weapons payload will be a mix between the absurd numbers of standard missiles you get in gameplay, and the amount of SP weapon ordinances allowed via the physical limitations of the airframes themselves. Take the VX-23 I wrote above, it has 34 MLAAs in both the internal weapons bay and the wing pylons, the bay is basically expanded from the FB-22, lengthened with two rows of 8 missiles instead of one row with 6 missiles/bombs, while the 6 wing pylons each mount 3 missiles, sum up to 34.

- As for the STDMs, we all know that Strangereal's technological development, in many aspects, are far more advanced than the real world. It won't be surprising if they managed to develop standard missiles small enough to match the size of attack helicopter's rockets by 2019. Therefore, it won't be strange for you or me to imagine a fighter jet like an F-16 having AH-64's rocket pods on its' wings to carry a crap ton of missiles either. The VX-23 here having 80 of the buggers is within that idea.

- As you have read from the Prologue, I've made the Emmeria-Estovakia War into a fusion of its' original incarnation in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, and the Cascadian Conflict in Project Wingman. How all the intricate details went is completely up to your imagination, but this is the only rigidity that will be my canon: elements and battles of both wars happened both at the same time, the Garuda Team and Sicario will simply be fighting on different fronts, with some intersections here and there. How the interactions and the consequences of ORANGE goes? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Well, that's all for now, I guess. Anymore and I'll be too much spoilers.

I hope you will all be able to enjoy the coming journey. See you in a month or two.