Disclaimer: I do not own Ace combat, the characters featured nor any aircraft mentioned
November 5th 2020
The Octagon
Oured
Osea
01:55am
Vice chairman Jason Edwards was finishing up some paperwork when David north knocked on the door. "Good morning sir I thought I was the last person here."
"No I was just finishing up myself." David frankly hated doing late night but ever since the news of the super weapon that Three Strikes, his team and Hyperion shot down had reached the higher ups David knew he'd be pulling some all nighters.
He had also been dealing with the intel that the Osean military had received about the Glephnir as the joint chiefs had been keeping a watch on the conflict going on in the south part of the Osean continent.
The pair walked down the long corridor "Well David, Free Erusea are rising again." Both men had heard on the news about the increased Free Erusean activity but also knew that they could leave it to the LRSSG.
"I think its safe to leave Three Strikes and his team to deal with Free Erusea since they made it personal by attack the LRSSG base but something else has come to my attention." Jason had spent the evening looking a disturbing email he'd received form the head of the OIA.
David having seen the account transfers and outgoings already knew what he was on about "Some of my OIA agents have told me that Three strikes has been buying a lot lately."
"How? The OIA is not authorised to look through our servicemen's finances unless they were suspected terrorist sympathisers." Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Well sir when Three Strikes was falsely convicted of murder some of my colleagues through he might defect to Erusea so decided to place a watch on Trigger's bank account." David when he found out about what they were doing told his superior but they continued their spying.
"Well tell your colleagues to stop doing that or they'll lose their jobs!" Jason knew that it was illegal for OIA personnel to spy on servicemen after the incident with the former flight lead of the Razgriz that the late President Harling had to get involved in.
"I will do that Sir and Trigger's bank account was clean until he started spending money on spare aircraft parts and bought a decommissioned airframe from an OADF storage base near the end of last year." David had looked up the aircraft that Trigger had bought but it didn't feel like something Trigger was going to fly.
"Why would Three Strikes be buying so much stuff?" Edwards asked the analyst who having seen all the places Trigger had gone throughout the year. He knew that once a military jet was rebuilt it was officially classed as an ex-military warbird.
"Well, my colleagues think Trigger might be planning to tour the air show circuit, but with Free Erusea's uprising its highly unlikely. Although, I have my own suspicions." David said as He and the vice chairman stepped out into the car park.
"What suspicions?" The vice chairman wondered what David was on about.
"He might be buying these for his squadron mechanic, by the name of Avril Mead." David had talked to the Scrap Queen when helping her find the radio transmission to help Trigger.
"Yes. I looked through the records. Apparently that's Alonso Mead's daughter, sir. Goes around by the title of 'Scrap Queen' around her squadron and the base." David and Avril had talked where she mentioned that she had to restore jets for the 444th squadron.
"A fine pilot, her father was. But how does she fit in all of this?" Jason couldn't see the connection other the familial one.
"According to a few people here, there's something going on between the Three Strikes and Scrap Queen. They seem to be very... close." David could see the pattern of squadron member fraternization coming a mile away.
Alex chimed "David!"
"What is it Alex?" he wondered what had made his robot assistant reactivate on his phone.
A livestream of an OBC nightly news appeared "We have some breaking news. Fires are raging at a Verusan navy bases we'll stay on this story."
"Well by now it should be morning in Usea." David unlocked his car but the pair had come to their cars both eager to get home and to bed.
"I heard that the starfighter will be flying today so I would expect it on the OBC morning news." Pierre had been told in an internet call that an aircraft would be flying sometime during the week.
"Frankly sir if Verusa brought this on themselves for stealing other people technology." David's words felt kind of fair as they both had heard about the computer virus that had been found in the Verusan military computers that wiped a lot of their files containing stolen military info from Osea and Yuketobania.
"Well Goodnight sir." David opened the door to his car and started his engine. He sat down reversing out.
"Goodnight to you too David." Jason responded as they drove towards the octagon gate.
Fort Greys air base
East Usea
November 5th 2020
06:00am
It was a quiet morning at Fort Greys air base, the Strider squadron having been transferred to Fort Greys due an air raid on their new arrows air base that had caused a lot of damage to the entire base. Avril stepped out of her and Trigger's bed quickly noticing he wasn't there.
In the mess hall
Avril and Trigger walked into the mess hall where Count, Jaeger and Huxian, Rosa, were eating breakfast "Morning everyone."
Trigger and Avril picked up their cereal with apple and banana but once they sat down Count stopped eating having noticed Avril and Trigger enter "Had fun you two."
They didn't answer as they sat down.
Alexis, Angela, Elena, Riana and Jack were seated on the opposite table. "You know the Osean senate's military forces committee was debating about whether to pull Osean forces from the IUN." Bartlett knew Strider would eavesdrop "Strider. Scrap queen come and sit here since you could input."
Each of strider and Avril sat at the table as Count "Didn't you know boss the IUN-PKF were really in a tight spot."
Trigger just stared at him "Huh?"
"Think about it if they didn't know who the killer was and they cleared you then the public would view them as incompetent in finding and bringing the ex-president's killer to justice." Huxian's words didn't make much sense even though he had a good idea what they were talking about.
"Or as in your case convict you boss and when you turned out to be innocent and in the public's eyes they are still wrong." Jaeger jumped in as Bartlett turned up the volume on the ENN morning news.
"The public opinion of the IUN has dropped heavily in the fallout of the court case." Bartlett having been keeping up with the fallout as the reporter finished the weather. He guess other personnel were sleeping in.
"So have you not heard?" Count asked Trigger and Avril who looked at Count with no clue as to what he was talking about.
"What don't we know?" he asked his wingman dreading the news, Avril was more concerned at the news given all the fighters that had been put there.
"Free Erusea seized the 444th air base." Trigger and Avril looked at each other both were concerned for different reasons.
"Shit." they both said aloud which got Jaeger, Count, Huxian and Jack's attention who put their breakfast down walking over to.
"Trigger, Avril what's wrong?" Bartlett asked the concern was clear to hear.
"Well Zapland is within striking distance of Fort Greys and since Free Erusea would see me as a threat, we should be ready for an air attack." Trigger sighed explaining the concern that he had.
Avril buried her face in her hands sighing as she regretted being so good at restoring aircraft given what she knew was at Zapland.
"I was working on a Mirage 4000 fighter jet and nearly had it ready to fly before I was pardoned" she told them, the worry in her voice has direct and told them that they had a problem.
"Avril why were you working on a fighter jet you couldn't fly due to your leg?" Jack was at a lost to why she would try to fly with a leg injury.
"Cause every breakout attempt I tried to do failed, I tried to build a jet to escape." She thumped the table, Trigger could see her frustration that terrorists have gotten their hands on an advanced jet fighter.
"Trigger if you see it, you have carte blanche to shoot it down." Avril deep down wished she had left well enough alone.
Trigger was musing to himself about the threat at Zapland "They threatened to shoot us down if we left the base airspace, I think that was a threat to get us to exhaust out fuel and crash."
"You might want to hear this." Rianna said drawing their attention to the TV.
"Verusan Liberation Army Navy ships have been damaged while in port in an unknown attack, the Verusan media has reported more than half of the landing and supply ships in the navy were sunk or severely damaged, hold on we have another statement form the Verusan military stating that their cargo and supply ship and oil tanker vessels suffered heavy damage and all of the new VLAAF's Y-20 and its Y-20U tanker were destroyed in air raids."
"That's not good." Trigger facepalmed at Rosa's words.
The reporter's voice could be heard of footage of Verusan navy helicopters hovering over a burning cargo ship "The attacks come only a week after what Verusan Ministry of National Defence described as a vicious cyber attack that wiped several terabytes of military information."
"That's an understatement." Trigger had heard about the Verusans building up their military "They will naturally blame Osea for the attacks."
As if Trigger had predicted "The President of Verusa has condemned the attacks on its military by the Osean Federation and will prepare a round of economic sanctions to be placed on key industries and travel bans on people in the OADF."
The 2nd reporter took over from her co-presenter "The list of members includes members of the joint chiefs of staff, the Osean VP and Three Strikes, his team and their family members."
Trigger slammed his fist into the table as Avril put an arm around him as Rosa and Riana both pondered something "Avril meet me in the hangar later."
"Its just coming up to quarter to seven, now the IUN's drone laws come into effect today the laws were devised in the wake of the war last year where Erusea's excessive use result in hundreds of casualties the movement for military drone regulation got a huge boost when the famous Osean ace Three Strikes became an advocate for the ban..."
The presenter next to her took over as footage of Trigger speaking played "The Crown princess of Erusea held several rallies to drum up support for the law while most nations signed up and ratified the law however the People's Republic of Verusa and Principality of Belka are refusing to ratify the law, the ban makes it illegal to build and use unmanned aerial combat vehicles and to convert conventional fighter jets into UCAVs the ban means drone like the widely used Reaper drones are no longer allowed to be used in combat, the OADF said in a statement that they would be retiring all their Reaper drones while Yuketobania announced they'd be cancelling their S-70 Hunter drone program. Artificial intelligence was also banned with the Osean government shutting down the Zone of Endless program."
"I have to say Trigger you make a good activist for peace." Jack commented seeing how he'd managed to get such a dramatic change made that would affect warfare for years to come.
Riana remembered that the announcement concerning the Erusean military will be later "So as part of the rebuilding effort for the military given the threat posed by General Resources and raising threats it was decided that the Erusean navy will get a single aircraft carrier."
"What? Erusea just lost a war." Count commented.
"We're reorganising the military for self-defence which will take time." Riana explained having had conversation with defence ministers.
"Well before his death in the war our late vice admiral found some old plans for an aircraft carrier that was cancelled in 2009." Rosa remembered the arguments that her minsters had over a name for the ship class "And we decided to use those old plans for a replacement carrier but somehow my defence ministers can't decide on a name for the ship class."
"What how can they not decide on a ship name?" Alexis jumped in feeling that it was stupid to argue.
"Normally the vice admiral would decide the name but since he's dead it fell to my ministers." Rosa sighed as Avril thought about names. She pulled a little piece of paper quickly writing the name down then folded it up handing to Riana who slipped it into her pocket.
The 2nd reporter finished talking with her co-host "Now the final lot of Erusean manufactured jetliners has arrived in Usea back in January the court of arbitration in the Nordlands has ruled that the Republic of Verusa violated IP laws of Osea, Emmeria, Yuketobania and the Kingdom of Erusea, the country was unanimously found guilty and sentenced the government to pay reparations to the nations whether civilian or military assets."
"So if that doesn't push them towards a war, I don't know what will." Trigger looked over at the TV "So I guess that high orbit satellites will be launched to rebuild the satellite network which despise having been started earlier in the year I don't see it being complete for years."
Everyone at the table could see that being done as the lighthouse war had shown how vulnerable the network was to outside interference and attack.
"The IUN ban of anti-satellite weapons comes into force today, the treaty was devised and debated in march with most nations signing and ratifying the treaty." The reporter whose colleague took over. "However the People's Republic of Verusa refused to sign up to the ban as it argued national security concerns."
Riana couldn't believe that the Verusan government wouldn't sign up given how affected everyone was by the destruction of the network.
"So we best finish our breakfast before it goes cold." Trigger picked up his spoon.
The group got down to their breakfast.
In Avril's hangar
08:15am
Avril walked into the hangar that had very little light.
"Trigger are you in here you dumbass?" she shouted when the light flooded into the hanger revealing a light grey metal Starfighter which glistened in the sunlight. She pressed a hand to her mouth as her eyes looked over the vintage jet. She could tell there had been changes.
"No way an F-104G Starfighter." She could see the bird emblem on the tail with three black lines. "Who's this for Trigger a Starfighter doesn't suit you."
Trigger smiled "Well I decided to get you a new one as a gift since your old one was wrecked."
She quietly walked up to him and pulled him into a tight hug which he reciprocated "Thank you Trigger." she wanted to take the jet into the air.
"Anything for my little Scrap Queen." he couldn't help but smile.
Avril pulled back form him lightly punching his arm "I'm not little, don't call me little, you dumbass."
"Alright how about big Scrap Queen?" he grinned at her as he hugged her once more but Avril looked flustered at Trigger's words as his hands squeezed her ass.
Avril laughed a little "Shut up." She broke free of his hug and made her way to the cockpit. Trigger watched her climb the ladder staring at her ass but she unexpectedly turned her head as Trigger tried to avert his gaze towards the tail but wasn't quick enough. Avril could see that Trigger was staring at her ass. "Oi Trigger eyes up."
Trigger just laughed at her. She got into the cockpit "Did you have to be very thin to fit into these jets." Avril scowled at him.
Avril sat in the cockpit kicking the right rudder "Hard to believe that fighter pilots use to fly the thing in peacetime." she pulled the flight stick around manipulating the elevator and aileron. Avril tested the flaps and speed brakes.
She gazed at the two fuel gauges, the first gauge went from 0 to 11 while the second gauge went up from 0 to 18 "I guess the fuel gauges had to be changed cause of the tanks being upgraded."
"Trigger tow me down please." He attached the ordnance trolley and the Starfighter to the tug pulling both out of the hanger.
Avril and Trigger saw Alexis and Angela leaning on the hanger exterior wearing ear defenders around her neck "Mom, cousin good morning." he could see the woman walking over to him as Avril glanced up from the instruments.
"Hi honey you ready take to the sky again?" Avril felt eager as Angela could see how this drag racer was different from the one that Avril had spent over eight years restoring.
Trigger, Angela and Alexis got into the tug and Trigger started it up pulling the warbird into the sunlight.
Outside on the flight-line
Rosa and Riana, Count, Huxian and Jaeger walked out onto the flight line "So you stayed over to see Avril get back into the sky?" Riana inquired to her niece.
"Yeah." Rosa noticed a piece of paper in her aunt's pocket "What's that paper?" Riana pushed it inside her pocket.
Before Riana could respond the sound a tug caught their attention and could easily see it was towing an aircraft. They could see Avril & Trigger had sunglasses covering their eyes but noticed Alexis, Angela with Trigger. "It's like we are looking back at history."
She parked up the Starfighter, Trigger helped Avril out as a drone unit attached stairs to the aircraft. "So what mods have been made."
He looked at her "I removed the clock form your old drag racer since surprisingly it was the only component from the wreck that was good enough to reuse so I repaired and reinstalled it in the aircraft although after a fatal Starfighter a few years ago a black box is now mandatory and this one is advanced."
"So what else was done?" Avril climbed up the ladder peering into the cockpit.
He kicked the tires "Well they performed an upgrade to the engine giving a thousand pound increase in dry thrust and a nine hundred pound increase for afterburner, the normal range increased by one thousand two hundred and five miles and the internal fuel capacity is nearly double while the max range and range have been doubled. The ancient INS navigation system was upgraded to use GPS."
Elena noticed the Starfighter with its old weapons load out in front of it she felt happy to see the jet ready to fly again after nearly three decades in storage.
Elena picked up a torch carefully checking the nozzle "So the Belkan engine modifications were also applied?" Avril nodded "Scott to answer your question the modification was something the Belkans did to their Starfighters. What they did was install a new 1st stage turbine nozzle and material for 1st stage of the turbine blades."
Alexis looked at the nozzle herself "Yeah along with a new afterburner assembly with a modified exhaust nozzle, I believe they introduced a new afterburner fuel system too." they stepped back satisfied that there was not problem with the engine.
"May I?" Elena said as Avril just nodded and helped her into the cockpit which was difficult given her age, she sat in the Starfighter's cockpit she could feel the nostalgia. "It's just as I remember her even now so many years on and nothing has changed much but I think that it will change a bit until your ownership Avril and I know you'll take great care of the plane."
Elena's careful eye looking over the plane easily noticed the signs of an upgrade program she had seen decades ago "I must say the upgrade program you have performed on this old bird has made her what I wish I had been able to fly before I was transferred from the Starfighter to the Fighting Falcon."
"So did this plane receive the upgrade?" Cynthia asked but Elena just shook her head.
"So why wasn't it upgraded like the others were?" Avril jumping in after hearing that her Starfighter had never received the upgrade until recently.
"This plane was retired and placed into storage in 1990, a month before the upgrade program began." Elena had manage to get out of the jet as Count looked in the cockpit.
Count studied the altimeter, a flat faced altimeter that had zero to nine running around the face with a square box in between the seven and eight that was spherical with double zeros "What altimeter is this?"
Trigger and Avril raised their sunglasses looking at the drag racer "It's an old drum point altimeter, a common sight on aircraft from the 50s."
"Wasn't a drum point altimeter known to be very unreliable that if misread can be deadly?" Count inquired as Avril used a torch to visually check the nozzle.
Avril pulled her head out "It was, so when I find a better altimeter, I'll be replacing that unreliable altimeter at the earliest opportunity." Avril never liked the altimeter.
Trigger was more wary of her plane's navigation system despite Dr Schroeder's assurances that the upgraded system would be more reliable than the old INS since it is still an ancient system by modern day standards. "The airframe was rebuilt from ultralight weight duralumin with some stainless steel and titanium."
"We really should get our suits up cause the rest of Strider will be getting ready for our flight." Trigger and Avril went to get suited up. It was 10 minutes for Avril and Trigger to come back in their flight suits and sunglasses.
Avril who had just finished her walk around of her new jet when the sound of a jet could be heard the six pilots turn their heads to see an E-767 AWACS plane rolling down the runway before it lifted off into the sky.
"Well Long Caster is away so I wonder if he's packed his lunch with him today." Trigger spoke chuckling knowing that the person who spoke to them would always pack food for a long sortie.
"Out of all the AWACS I've had I like Long Caster and Sky Keeper over Bandog since he's very friendly and nicer but Bandog wasn't bad don't ya think Count?"
Count who was about to do a walk around his raptor looking up to the sky as the E-767 climbed out "Yeah Long Caster is nicer than Bandog."
"So how are Sol 2 and 3 doing?" Count's question surprised everyone.
Rosa and Riana having been sort out Shilage's independence but Rosa beat her sister to it "Well from what I was told Wit is now Sol flight lead after Trigger downed Mister x but the Voslagian air force is building up its numbers to defend their nation."
Huxian having fought Sol squadron a few times had noted something "I couldn't help but notice that their flankers had no weapon system operator but I could see them in flanker-e or terminator in a few years."
Avril meanwhile was staring up at the sky when Trigger tapped her on the shoulder "Hey Avril you having preflight nerves?"
She turned to him "Does the colour of the sky matter to you? When I close my eyes and feel with my heart, I see a sky that's….Dark blue."
Jack was looking down the flight-line and could see the four strider pilots inspecting their aircraft while Elena and Avril were still chatting. The royals and Alexis were vacating the flight line as a ground power unit and air cart were attached to the Starfighter.
Elena followed on a few minutes later as Avril put on her helmet then climbed into her jet closing her canopy and following the start-up checklist. The two royals joined him in the tower.
The drone unit towed away the ordinance trolley.
Jack easily recognised the sound of a J79 turbojet "An old J79 I haven't heard one of those since I flew the Phantom as a flight instructor."
They watched the Starfighter taxi to the runway. Alexis, Angela and Elena had made their way to the tower.
"Jack am I clear to show these guys the Starfighter's great trick?" Avril asked over her handheld mic as she got the Starfighter into take-off position. Jack thought about it but decided yeah why not.
Avril waited for the base commander's response who before clearing her to do so "To all personal, put on your ear defenders if you have any its about to get very loud."
"Alright Scrap Queen, sky is clear and the wind is calm welcome back to the sky." the controller said as base personnel gathered on the flight-line.
"Come on Tower quit stalling and let's get the Scrap Queen airborne." Elena jumped in not happy. "Avril you are clear for take-off."
Avril's hand was already at the throttle. "Time to tear through the sound barrier." Avril's hand advanced the throttle to full military power as she let go of the brakes.
The Starfighter started rolling picking up speed. She flipped the switch on the burner, the afterburner ignited instantly shooting a stream of purple flames out of the back with the roar of the J79 in its wake as dust on the ground was blown back in the blast of the mighty engine, Avril's eyes glanced at her airspeed which had reached 120kts.
The J79 roared as the Starfighter rocketed down the runway, her eyes looked to see the airspeed gauge that read 170kts, she pulled the stick back which seconds later the jet lifted off the runway, Jack, Alexis, Angela, Elena, Rosa and Riana heard the famous Starfighter howl as they watched the warbird leave the ground.
Avril raised the landing gear and moments later the flaps retracted as the nose of the Starfighter rose to 50 degrees nose up accelerating through the sound barrier with two loud bangs one after the other before anyone could say a word.
Avril's eyes stared at her altimeter, the supersonic interceptor climbed rapidly levelling off at 54000 feet engaging her altitude hold switch on the autopilot when Trigger's voice came over her helmet radio "Avril how does it feel to be back in the sky?"
"It feels great." her gaze turned to the armament panel, she hesitates as her finger flicked the switch lighting up the armament panel.
Avril was nervous that her armament panel was live but she wondered if her Vulcan cannon was disabled, her finger hit the cannon arm switch and gripped the trigger and nothing happened.
Avril pushed the nose forward while deploying her speed brakes increasing the rate of descent.
The Warwolf and three Raptors took off in pairs of two as Avril jet passed 25000 feet.
Jaeger could see the Starfighter coming into visual range. "How are you doing Avril? I'll tell ya nothing beats flying in perfect formation with your comrades. but look at you. you've got all your friends here, don't you think so?"
She released her oxygen mask reaching for her mic "Yeah." she looked around seeing Trigger off her right wing with Jaeger on the side and their wingman off their wing.
Jaeger saw the smoke trail coming from the Starfighter's exhaust "Yup it's a great feeling to know that you can count on each other."
Trigger sighed to himself as he began to wonder "If Wiseman was still alive and been with us when Avril became our top mechanic and taking to the skies again."
Jaeger knew what Trigger meant, Wiseman's loss affected everyone "I know the pain of losing a comrade is great. but the ones that you have left will always lift your spirits again."
The jets continued out over the sea. Jaeger looked ahead seeing the asteroid crater. "The Newman Crater's right below us." Avril looked over her shoulder seeing the crater "The size of that just blows my mind."
Avril descended till she joined the Strider squadron at 7000 feet, looking over her shoulder seeing a carrier. "Long Caster what is the mission today?"
"Today's mission is an interception practice exercise, Huxian you are up first and this is what you failed to do when you first met the Scrap Queen." Long caster explained to the team.
Huxian rolled her jet along side the Starfighter "Unidentified aircraft, you are in violation of restricted Osean airspace, we will direct you to the nearest airfield, lower your gear if you understand."
"Osean air force pilot.." Avril knew she couldn't lower the gear at the speed she was going at "Unable I'm going too fast for the gear to be lowered safely at this time."
"Now we'll try without the radio" Huxian pointed two fingers at Avril then at herself then behind her.
"So you want me to follow you back to your base." the three other strider pilots repeated what Huxian had done but as Count moved ahead of Avril his fuzzbuster sounded.
"Guys Avril has me missile locked!" Trigger instantly knew something was wrong.
"Long caster, I am aborting the exercise." The five aircraft turned around but the silence was short lived.
"Sixteen unknowns heading 180 altitude 500 feet" Long caster called as Trigger looked around for the unknowns seeing glints climbing to meet them.
Long Caster's radar ids the blips "Eight F-2C Banshee and F-86F Sabres." he called seeing the closing in on Strider squadron.
Trigger could see eight silver Free Erusean Banshee while on the right side of the Banshee were eight silver Free Erusean Sabre. "Could they be warbird display team on their way to an air show?"
The banshees fired their AIM-9Bs which had no chance of scoring a hit. Long Caster called out "Bandits are hostile."
The formation turned towards Avril but Trigger already had twelve of the fighters locked "Fox 5," he announced pressing his fire button releasing the inferno missiles that streaked towards the formation but the Sabres broke formation as the ADMM struck and destroyed all eight Banshees and four of the Sabres.
Avril could see the Sabres at low level, she thought about engaging them "All aircraft weapons free."
She nosed the jet over into a left hand turn closing on the Sabres but over shot, yanking the stick back pulling the starfighter into a climb.
The Sabres opened up with their six 50 cal machine guns but the Starfighter easily slipped away from their fire "Damm it that didn't work, so how am I fight in this drag racer?"
"Avril can you hear me?" Trigger called out over the radio as the shooting stars moved beyond her plane's weapon range.
"Go ahead Trigger." she replied needing help to know how she could win the fight she got herself into.
"Avie what was the Starfighter's best weapon in a bomber intercept job?" he asks her who thought for a minute remembering something form her first and only flight in her old Starfighter.
"All this plane could do is take-off, accelerate and fly up, wait that's it, its speed and rate of climb is my best weapon." she realized as the four sabres split into two flights with the lead pair coming for a head on pass, her headset buzzed loudly, her hand pressed the red button, a sidewinder left the fuselage pylon at the two Sabres coming head on at her. "Fox 2" she called taking all four strider pilot and the AWACS controller by surprise.
The missile didn't appear to lock as her 1st high powered missile went up the air intake exploding near the wing root of Thor 13 tearing the right wing from the jet.
Avril watched the jet pass by as she noticed a white line on the tail "These guys are a penal unit." Trigger and Count who'd been watching the fight quickly understood why the fighters were so old."
Avril watched as the Sabre passed her by catching sight of the sin line on the tail. The Sabre crashed into the South Sea disintegrating on impact with the water "Long Caster splash one bandit."
She pulled the plane level as the other two Sabres came from behind but she added power pulling the plane into a climb, at the top of the loop she let the nose drop, she fired her 2nd high powered missile which exploded destroying the tail of Thor 14 sending the sabre into a dive. The Sabre hit the water sinking quickly "And that's number two."
The pair of remaining Sabres released the drop tanks rolling over inverted breaking her missile lock.
The third missile flew off into the distance "Avril are you trying to dogfight?" Trigger asked watching what was going on below.
Avril pulled up into another climb but the two Sabres climbed after her but stalled, the Scrap Queen pulled the aircraft into a loop getting a lock, fired her final missile however the angle of her shot was so off that her missile passed over the Sabres.
The Starfighter shot past the obsolete fighters which had recovered form the stall but her more powerful interceptor easily out ran the two Sabres which formed up to give chase, she pulled the nose up into a half loop the rolled it.
She quickly looked around seeing the two Sabres getting into formation attempting to close on the warbird at near full speed, she knew her jet had a speed advantage over the older planes.
"Long Caster where is the Warwolf?" she asked as her jet pulling away form the Sabres who had opened fire but the fifty cals were falling short of the Starfighter.
Trigger had been following the two sabres after they had come around flipped the switch on his cannons that locked onto Thor 15.
The 30mm cannon fire ripped it to pieces with the wreckage quickly hitting the sea but Thor 16 rolled into a dive levelling off at 50 feet but then smashed into the Newman crater cliffs pancaking as the burning wreckage scattered high in the air then fell to the ground "Long Caster all Sabres are down." he announced with the F-104 ahead of him. He and Jaeger formed up as they turned with the Starfighter.
Avril looked up seeing Count and Huxian above her but noticed eight more glints, she could see them above and slightly behind the Raptors. "Count, Huxian bandits above you!" Avril's call made Count and Huxian look up observing four silver Free Erusean MIG-15bis and MIG-19P Farmer-b.
The jets jettisoned their external fuel tanks rolling inverted to dive on the Raptors.
The fighters opened fire but the raptors improved countermeasures easily overcame the AA-1 Alkiali missiles.
Count, Huxian easily got onto the tail of the formation, Count had four Farmer-b and Huxian had four MIG-15s, they easily gained a radar lock with their ODMMs, the two strider pilots ripple fired four ODMM destroying the fighters in front of them, they each called splash.
The AWACS controller's were trying to figure out what was going and where the jets were coming from as another four blips appeared on radar. The operator passed the info to Long caster "Four J35J Draken approaching bearing 090 straight from the east."
The Drakens ditched their tanks opening fire with their Falcon missiles but Count and Huxian popped flares as they selected their fifth ODMM and fired. Odin 9 was destroyed by Count's ODMM while Odin 12 was annihilated by Huxian's ODMM. Jaeger destroyed Odin 10 and 11 with his ODMMs.
The Warwolf and Raptors formed up around the Starfighter when Long Caster called over the radio "Warning unknown on radar."
A light grey with light blue camouflage aircraft that looked like an enlarged Mirage 2000 but had two engines instead of one and canards on the nose flew over the Strider jets and the Starfighter it climbing vertically.
Avril went pale as she recognised the aircraft "Shit, shit Trigger you need to kill that thing!" she called out the concern was clear for him to hear.
"Unknown considered hostile, Strider squadron protect the Scrap Queen." Long Caster called as the three Raptors and the Warwolf formed a protective circle around the unarmed Starfighter.
The pilot of the mirage broke over the radio "I see the mark on his tail its Three Strikes."
Trigger pulled his Warwolf around to give chase, the unknown climbed faster than his jet but it turned around firing its mica em missiles but Trigger cranked his ECM up that pumped out jamming waves and the two mica em streaked by harmless underneath the Warwolf.
The unknown flew into the dark clouds with Trigger in hot pursuit but once he got inside the storm clouds, he could hear the sound of the lightning and the rain falling on the canopy.
He ventured further inside the storm clouds, the ice started to form on the canopy but he pressed on when a flash of lighting stuck the right wing tip and travelled through the fuselage leaving out through the left wing tip.
"Oh damn." he said seeing that his HUD was all fuzzy but could feel the aircraft climbing but Trigger calmly let the aircraft climb through the cloud when it burst through the clouds only to see the unknown aircraft which fired two more Mica EM and Mica IR missiles however Trigger disappeared into the clouds.
The mica em passed through the clouds having lost radar lock, Trigger had a plan "Long caster keep track of the Mirage" Long caster watched the Mirage as it climbed after Trigger.
Thirty millimetre cannon rounds flew by the canopy, Trigger looked over his shoulder seeing the mirage closing in but looked around seeing a cirrostratus cloud around him when the aircraft started rising, he pulled back on the stick increasing the climb rate as the Mirage flew underneath him.
Trigger pushed the nose down adding power to give pursuit when he broke through the clouds seeing the mirage heading straight for him but he pulled the Warwolf into a climb, He pulled back the power while continuing to pull the nose back till it was pitching at seventy degrees nose up, the Warwolf rolled to the left, Trigger pushed the nose down throttling up.
The Mirage banked right heading north to try and retreat but Trigger's 30mm auto cannons opened fire but the shots missed, Trigger pulled his jet into a 90 degree turn, his ASRAAM was already locked on with just a look, he pressed the trigger.
The ASRAAM left the Warwolf streaking towards the unknown that deployed flares which Trigger knew would have stopped the sidewinder but not the ASRAAM passed right through the flares and exploded over the wing root of the right wing.
"Nice shooting Trigger bandit is hit." Long caster's call echoed as the mirage pulled into a climb but the right delta wing quickly separated flying off on fire.
The Mirage dove towards the ground in a rolling vertical dive.
The aircraft now on fire, the flames licked around the fuselage but before the pilot could bail out, it crashed into the hillside, turning into a fireball setting trees on fire as burning debris scattered over the hillside "Bandit is down" Avril called over her handheld mic.
"What happened to the Mirage?" the other strider pilots were confused but Avril knew why the wing failed.
"Well I discovered that on the Mirage's delta wing was more susceptible to fatigue failure." She explained to her friends.
"So that's why you ordered Tabloid's jet to be grounded wasn't when we discovered that fatigue crack on its wing." Trigger realised as he remembered finding the crack.
"Precisely." was all Avril needed to say as she pulled her landing chart for Fort Greys.
"Avril if the aircraft is fine, contact the tower for landing instructions." but before Avril could switch her radio to the tower, Long caster came over again."Caution bandits at 040 at ten miles" Long caster's words made her look and see eight new flashes.
A flight of eight tan with green and splinter brown camouflage Su-15 Flagon-f entered the airspace as Trigger saw them on his hud. "Count can you, Huxian and Jaeger deal with them while I get Avril to safety." Trigger positioned his jet off Avril's wing as they turned towards the crater.
Jaeger's hud updated with the targets and ripple launched his remaining ODMMs sending Asgard 1 to 4 down."
Count easily got onto behind Asgard 5 and 6 who'd broken formation to pursue Trigger and Avril but Count took them out with his ASRAAM.
Huxian spotted a Flagon-f that her HUD identified as Asgard 7 diving on Count but shot it down with an ASRAAM. She saw the last Flagon-f Asgard 8 who fired a pair of Anab semi-active missiles that streaked across the air hitting a parked IUN Peacekeeping Force hercules tanker setting it on fire.
Huxian's more nimble Raptor was easily behind the flagon, she knew an ASRAAM was an option but instead fired her 20mm cannon. The bullets punched through the left R-13-300 turbojet which erupted damaging it and the right engine.
The flagon overflew the base crashing into the lake nearby breaking up on impact killing the pilot instantly. Long caster checked the radar seeing no new threats. "Clear skies no bogeys on radar."
Avril checked over her aircraft then picked up her handheld mic "Fort Greys Tower this is A444SQ requesting permission to land runway 36."
Bandog raised his binoculars barely being able to see the Starfighter out over the sea but his radar told him where it was "A444SQ you are number one with Strider 1 on a niner mile final, exercise caution we have a fire on the field cleared to land."
Avril configured her jet for landing but the smoke made it hard to see the runway "Tower on the go." she advanced the throttle up to full military power.
Another controller acknowledged what she as the warbird climbed out each of Strider landed taxing past the burning wreckage which took another 10 minutes to put out.
Avril's Starfighter came back around after circling and touched down on fort greys air base runway, she deployed her drogue parachute that had a similar design to the emblem on the tail.
The ground crew recovered the drogue chute since that was the after landing procedure for the Starfighter to jettison it.
Avril taxied her plane back to the hanger she worked in, after completing the shut down process for her plane, she climbed out as a ground crewmen put covers on the wing and chocks by the wheels.
They begin the process of folding the drag chute as Avril made her way to the de-brief.
In the briefing room
Each of the pilots and Avril walked in where Jack and briefing officer were waiting as Long caster joined them "So before we get this debriefing done we need to address the elephant in the room."
Long caster turned to Avril "Miss Mead your aircraft has a functioning weapon system and you downed two aircraft so Trigger in your opinion should she be allowed to keep the kills?"
Avril turned to Trigger who thought about it "Of course she can keep the kills and if she bags any more then she gets those too."
Avril smiled as she took in the fact that she had killed a pair of jets, she couldn't help but catch Trigger's wink. She rolled her eyes not amused.
"Can we start this debriefing." the two looked back at the officer "Although the training exercise was cancelled, the maiden flight of the Scrap Queen's drag racer was successful. Furthermore the enemy forces attacking the base have been destroyed. Hopefully we'll find out where they came from after we finish our analysis." The briefing officer continued "The group that attacked us have been confirmed to be three of thirteen former Osean penal units that defected to Free Erusea earlier in the year."
The briefing officer let Bartlett take over "As of today Strider squadron will be sittin' alert if free Erusea make any move we'll be scrambling you guys. So standby for further orders dismissed."
As most of Strider left "Avril there is something I wanted to tell you." He looked over at the Scrap Queen "Avril, the Princess of Erusea told me about an air show that will occur next month in Selatapura and we'd hope you'll take part in the show."
"Of course I will I'm eager to make my air show debut now I best go and see the base mechanic about a weapon system." She quietly left leaving Trigger, Long caster and Jack a bit concerned.
In the hanger
Avril came back seeing one of the mechanics in hanger who the moment he saw her looked scared.
Trigger walked in ten minutes later seeing that Avril was having an argument with a base mechanic "You blithering dumbass, the weapon system was supposed to be disabled as part of the demilitarising procedure." He could understand her anger since the weapon system was supposed to be disabled. Trigger watched as the mechanic sulked away clearly upset.
"Yikes no wonder she was a bad tempered, note to self never get on her bad side again." He said to himself as the mechanic rushed out.
He stopped by the cockpit "Hey Avie go easy on the mechanics here they are not as good as you and aren't the Scrap Queen."
Avril held the drum point altimeter as she pulled it out from its holder as she leaned out of the cockpit "It was their mistake that almost cost me you and your jet."
Trigger stopped as he pondered what Avril said seeing her point "Still go a little easy cause while you are a hard woman I'm the only one you can push around anyway."
Avril poked her head up from the cockpit "Dumbass can you pass me the tray with the cockpit instruments?" she said after having removed the old gauges.
He picked up the tray looking carefully at each instrument, a flat faced circular altimeter that had 0-9 running around the face with a square box that had six rotating clock wheels in the centre and the blue word feet on both sides of the zero with a knob to adjust the altimeter setting, an artificial horizon which had blue for the sky and brown for ground with the number 0-50 on it going in both directions with the word climb in between the 0 and 10 and the letters di and ve in the brown between the 0-10.
The airspeed indicator had a flat circular design with the numbers 0-1600 in a clock format with a box that housed four rotating clock wheels the word knots in blue below the box with a red marking indicating the stall speed with a green mark for take off speed and a speed bug knob so she can set the take off speed.
He placed the tray with the instruments, screws and screwdriver on the flat portion of the ladder "Hey Avril do you have any favourite music?"
She paused her work "Yeah I'm a fan of the Erusean band m83, my favourite song was Midnight city, a classic if you ask me." Avril popped her head over the side as Trigger's sat down on the lower step.
Avril lean back inside the cockpit as Trigger peered in "You like that song too, its one of my favourites too but I'd say the final countdown song is a classic too."
Avril looked away form the gauge towards him "Ones of my granddad's friends introduced me to that, I didn't like it at first but grew to love it."
She spent the next half an hour replacing the three gauges, handing Trigger the tray, he placed it with the old gauges on the work bench.
Avril pulled herself out of the Starfighter's cockpit as Trigger watched, dropping down to his level and staggering, but he caught her and steadied her on her sore feet.
"Legs still feeling wobbly?" he chuckled lightly as he pulled her up to his level.
"Shut up dumbass." she replied in a small voice as she could feel his hands rub her arms with no sign of letting go. "Still feeling me?"
"Ok ok I'll stop now." He grinned as he let her stand up straight, reluctantly letting her go.
Avril walked over to her work bench, feeling the tension in her muscles. Trigger followed her having an idea how to help.
Trigger's fingertips ran over her skin, Avril could feel her muscles popping as trigger's palm pressed against her shoulder blades, she felt the tension leaving her muscles. He briefly let go of her sides.
"You know, I didn't say you could stop." she said as her mouth parted into the half mocking, half encouraging smile that Trigger had gotten to know and like. His grin increased even more.
He slowly rubbed her shoulder hearing pops as Avril quietly gasped as she relaxed into his touch. "So you fought four Sabres in something that it wasn't designed to dogfight nor should have even been possible as it was suppose to be demilitarised."
"Yeah I was but I sucked at it." She tried to hide a blush.
"Well how about tomorrow you and me go up there and I'll teach you some combat manoeuvres for your Starfighter." he suggested whispering softly to her. He slowly reached for her flight suit but she batted his hand away.
The Scrap Queen stopped "This hangar half eight don't be late."
"Yeah that is perfect." He withdrew as she walked over to her workbench.
"Now shoo, I have to fill out the paperwork for these instrument gauge replacements." She flipped through the logbook for her drag racer.
"I'll see you later Scrap Queen." he said walking out the hanger as Avril looked at her drag racer, seeing how beautiful the aircraft was.
"So we might want to say goodbye to Rosa before she goes home." Avril quickly finished her log hurriedly following him trying to catch up.
Outside
The Eursean transport plane was preparing for start up as Rosa waited for Trigger and Avril to arrive "So your highness I hope you enjoyed your visit to Fort greys." Trigger had if he was being honest enjoyed having the chance to meet the regent queen of Erusea.
"I did." she turned to Avril "Avril I.." she hugged Avril who returned the hug "I want to say you're like the big sister I never had. Oh you should come visit some time."
The pair parted and Rosa stepped aboard the transport. The transport made its way to the runway as two raven jammers touched down.
The two walked back as the roar of the C-1 faded on the wind.
Hours later over the Usean continent, The Eursean C-1 royal transport escorted by eight Osean fighter jets cruised at 30000 feet.
Riana was having a virtual conference with her ministers "So despite us being gone for two days you still haven't decided the name."
Rosa came in and pulled the paper out of her aunt's pocket opening it carefully. "I think my friend has given us the answer, Queen Rosanna D'Elise."
Riana and the minsters talked amongst themselves as the C-1 continued its journey.
Avril's hangar
20:30pm
Walking into the hangar that evening, Trigger noted the dimmed lights, and Avril standing next to her plane wearing her flight suit. To his surprise, the zipper was pulled down just enough to expose her cleavage that instantly drew his attention.
"Good, you're here." She muttered, letting him walk closer before moving towards him, her hand pulling her zipper down to her middle and showing off more of her cleavage and her chiselled stomach.
"Wha-" He barely got the words out before Avril grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him into a searing kiss. Taken aback at first, he struggled to find a part of her to hold on to to keep his balance when it was quickly over just as it had started.
Pulling him away and pulling his shirt off as she did. She raised her hand once more and smacked his ass, making him jump as she squeezed it, her breasts pressing up against his bare back.
"Here's another gift I want to unwrap, and no one will disturb us." She whisperer, nipping his neck as her hand pulled the zipper on his trousers down, plunging in to rummage inside.
Avril began kissing the back of his neck pulling Trigger towards the ladder, he climbed up towards the cockpit but Avril slapped his ass to speed him up, he wondered how someone could fit in such a small fighter when Avril sat on him feeling his cock painfully bulge against his pants.
An hour later
Exhaustion started to take its toll on him and even Avril could fell herself getting worn out.
Trigger moved up her body to face her. "You know I want a vacation where we can get drinks and relax by a pool."
Trigger flashed a smirk "Does that mean I get to see you in a bikini?" Avril rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach.
"No." She said pushing trigger back slightly
"Come on you'd look good in one." Trigger responded nudging her back and himself forward.
"Again No." Avril pushed him again.
"You'd look hot in bikini." Avril pressed a finger to his lips "Seriously you'd look more hot than you already are if you were in a bikini."
He picked up her undergarments, top and pants off the floor and handed them to her, all the while admiring her figure as she purposefully put them back on slowly in a provocative manner.
"I see you staring, dumbass." Avril turned towards him, running her eyes over his own body as well.
"Guilty as charged." Trigger gave her a small smile as he pulled his own pants on, unknowingly to him she kept shooting glances at his own figure as well.
"You know we should probably get ourselves and the area cleaned as we don't want anyone else to find out." Trigger left a kiss on her shoulder as Avril silently nod while pushing him away laughing slightly.
The two got dressed and left the hangar heading for the showers.
22:30pm
Avril was sitting in the open door way of her hangar with her drag racer parked up behind her as she looked up to the starry night sky. The sound of four TF30-P-100 Turbofans echoed across the field shattering the silence as she watched the EF-111F Raven two jammer planes taking off "Loud aren't they?"
"Yeah they are Trigger." she saw him step out of the shadows. He was carrying a pair of wine cups she accepted the one he offered to her.
Trigger sat down next to her as he got comfortable he nudged her shoulder. Avril pushed him back grinning a little as a small amount of his drink spilling onto the tarmac.
She moved closer while drinking her wine, she leaned onto him resting against him and her arms wrapped around him as they relaxed into each other under the night sky.
A/n
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Free Erusea strikes back and what did you think of the chapter, do let me know
now due to delays with the lemon for this chapter so the smut version on A03 will be delayed, I hope you all understand why I'm taking this decision
Update: the smut version now complete
Now the Mirage 4000c technically doesn't exist I found it on the against all odds wiki however had the Mirage 4000 entered service I'd have expected that the jet would have used the same variant designs as its predecessor the Mirage 2000
So I'll see you all next time