Risaka was a sleepy town. Located within central Osea, its population of three thousand people made it one of the smaller towns in the province. The most important source of revenue for the town, and the entire reason that it existed, was for its rich veins of gold.

To Ash, it was important to her because Risaka was where her mother lived.

While short in stature, Reiley Paige more than made up for it in temperament. Family friends often joked that Reiley was the man in her marriage, something that Ash could agree with. Reiley did not take shit, but she wouldn't give you shit either. A perfect soul for the mining industry.

Ash considered herself an early riser because of a couple of years of waking up at six in the morning for work, but Reiley beat her out, every single time. Yawning and with her hair in utter disarray, Ash was walking over to the bathroom to take a leak when she heard crackling from the kitchen. Curious, Ash poked her head in. Reiley was at the stovetop cooking what smelt like bacon. She spotted Ash in her peripheral vision and spun around on her heels.

"I knew that'd wake you up." She said with a smile. Ash grinned and excused herself. One bathroom trip later and a quick do-up of her hair and the Paige family were sitting down and eating. Ash had her hair tied back in a ponytail. Reiley's hair was too short to put up into anything.

"Did you hear about the factory explosion in Sudentor?" Reiley was engaging in conversation. Ash looked up with a mouthful and shook her head.

"I don't really watch the news." Ash replied once her mouth was clear. "What happened?"

"Buildup of fumes and a spark set it off, apparently. Twenty people died." Reiley explained.

"Oh, fuck." Ash felt bad for the workers. "That's horrible."

"Mmm." Reiley agreed, wolfing down an entire strip of bacon. "Their entire electrical network hasn't been changed since the eighties. Just a matter of time until it happened."

"Freak accidents are a bitch." Ash summarised.

"You can say that twice." Reiley replied. She smiled and leant forward, resting her chin on her hands. "So… are you dating anybody yet?"

Ash tilted her head. "If we're playing this game, you're starting."

"Never." Reiley's reply gave Ash two answers.

"Oh come on, you don't feel at least a little-" Ash bit her tongue. "...without dad?"

A sad smile. "I've got you and Lilly. I'll be fine."

"If you say so." Ash leant back. "I'm not dating, but there's this one lady in my squadron I'm flirting with."

"Oh." Reiley chuckled. "Suppose it's hard to get around with anyone given where you're based."

"Well, it's hard if you want an official relationship. It's not that hard if you keep it a secret. A lot of buildings on the base that nobody uses anymore." Ash let Reiley in the method to get around the Osean Defense Force's policy on fraternisation.

"Do you think it's common out there? Secret relationships?" Reiley asked Ash a question of morals.

"They wouldn't be secret if I knew about them." Ash posed her official answer. "Realistically? Probably. There's a healthy mix of males and females on base. What is it they say, life finds a way?"

"That it does." Reiley chuckled. "That it does."

Elsewhere

Sand Island Air Force Base

Nagase felt sick. Partly because her overalls were covered in Lammy's blood, partly because her WSO was dead, but mostly because she had just witnessed her squadron get slaughtered. Nagase was too busy trying not to vomit out of terror to notice the returning flight of F-15Es.

The undersides of his wings coated with carbon from Sidewinder missile shoots, Bartlett was bringing his Eagle to the flight line with Svenson in tow close behind him. As Bartlett made the turn to occupy a hangar, he spotted Nagase sitting outside of one throwing up on the concrete. Her face was covered in something red. Not a good sign. Bartlett spooled down, popped the canopy open and while the turbofans were still spinning slid down the ladder and jogged over to Nagase.

"Kei." Bartlett uttered Nagase's first name, a rare occurrence. "You hit?"

Nagase shook her head before throwing up once more. Possessing such a small frame, Bartlett was surprised to see how much liquid Nagase could chuck up. The upper half of her overalls and her face were covered in blood. He looked around. There was no sign of Lammy. Bartlett sat down next to Nagase and firmly patted her back to help get the rest of the vomit out of her system. The flight line surrounding them was a scene and a half. Pilots from Vampire Squadron were running to their aircraft while ordnance handlers were running racks of Sidewinders and AMRAAMs to each and every F-16 on the line.

Bartlett, Genette and Nagase were soon joined by Svenson and his WSO, Hazard.

"Did we just start a war with the fucking Yukes?" Svenson asked, although it sounded more like a statement. He then spotted Nagase chucking up and covered in an unhealthy coating of blood. "I'll get a medic."

"Hold fast." Bartlett told Svenson to stay put. One last F-15E was pulling up, swinging into the closest hangar. Its crew, Kitagawa and Wolf, were quick to make their way to what remained of Wardog. Wolf's face hardened when he saw Nagase's condition. "Liz, Kita, can you get Kei cleaned up?"

"Will do." Kitagawa replied, lacking the typical aloofness in her speech as she and Elizabeth Hazard Bethton got Nagase on her feet and escorted her across the flightline to the nearest lady's room.

"Fucking Yukes." Wolf was bitter.

"We don't know it was them. No markings." Bartlett reasoned with Wolf, although in his heart he knew the truth.

"With all due respect sir, you and I both know that's bullshit. That prototype, the airliner incident, now this." Wolf also knew. Bartlett sighed and rubbed his face.

"Fuck me sideways." Bartlett exclaimed. He stood up. "Take a piss and drink some water while you've got the chance. Genette, pack down and stay in the crew room."

"You don't need an extra set of hands?" Genette enquired.

"You're a Tomcat guy. I need pilots who know the Eagle." Bartlett explained. "Plus you're a civilian. Not a good look if we get into contact again."

"I take your point." Genette understood.

"Pack down. And if you see Gammon, tell him to grab his kit and get down here." Bartlett gave instructions to the civilian journalist. Bartlett waited until Genette was out of earshot before issuing any other instructions. Svenson disappeared to get something to drink. Wolf remained by Bartlett's side.

"We need Blaze and Chopper back." Wolf stated.

"Good chance Perrault's already calling them back." Bartlett agreed with Wolf's statement. "Goddamn it."

Back in Risaka, Ash and Reiley were out on a walk down a pathway that ran parallel with the river that cut the town into two sections. Today was a pleasant day. A cool breeze, full sun and no clouds. While the two were having a discussion about their day-to-day lifes - Ash being a fighter pilot stationed on an island, Reiley being an operator of mining equipment - Ash's phone started ringing. She slipped the phone out of the butt pocket of her jeans to look at the caller ID. DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR DEFENSE FORCE.

"Oh for christ sake, sorry, I've got to take this." Ash muttered.

"Work?" Reiley seemed to understand.

"Work." Ash confirmed, taking a few steps away from her mother and answering the call. "Lieutenant Paige."

"This is an automated message." A robotic voice was on the other end of the line. Ash's hair stood on end. "Due to wartime circumstances, you are being recalled to your station at SAND ISLAND. Return as soon as possible. Contact your chain of command for further details. If you would like to repeat this message, press 1."

Wartime circumstances? What the fuck had happened? Ash hung up the call, pocketed her phone and went to go hug her mother.

"I'm sorry." Ash whispered into Reiley's ear. "I've gotta go early. Something's happening at work."

Reiley smiled, nodded and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Do what you gotta do. I'm just happy to see you at all."

"Let's walk back? I gotta sort my stuff and book a flight back."

In a city that was much closer to Sand Island, Chopper was busy getting his sweat on at the gym when he received a phone call. Coming towards the final reps in a set, Chopper finished his arm workout before putting the weights down and picking up the call. DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR DEFENSE FORCE.

Huh, Chopper thought. He answered.

"Lieutenant Davenport speaking." Chopper answered formally.

"This is an automated message. Due to wartime circumstances, you are being recalled to your station at SAND ISLAND. Return as soon as possible. Contact your chain of command for further details. If you would like to repeat this message, press 1." The automated voice mail echoed on the other side. Chopper sighed, chucked the call up to bad luck and went to go rerack his weights. Once that was done, he looked at his phone for the soonest train ride to NAS Landers Bay.

It was an hour's drive from Risaka to the regional airport, and a two hour flight on a Boeing 757 from there to Cape Landers International Airport, a twenty minute shuttle ride from Cape Landers International to the naval air station at the other end of the city and then finally a half-hour trip aboard a chartered OADF C-130 to Sand Island. Four hours of travel in total. Given the distance from Risaka to Sand Island and the lack of a bridge connecting Sand Island to the mainland, an impressive turnover time. Shuffling around with her tan-coloured kitbag on her back and her military ID dangling around underneath her jacket, Ash made her way to the personnel gate where she approached the booth.

"Good afternoon, ma'am." An enlisted sailor manning the gate came up to meet Ash. "ID?"

Ash pulled her mil ID out of her jacket and passed it to the sailor. The pass had her official photo on it, her name and her rank. The sailor analysed the ID and glanced at Ash to make sure she was the person on the photo

ASHLEY PAIGE

FIRST LIEUTENANT

108TH TFS, OADF

SAND ISLAND AIR FORCE BASE

"Ah, you must be with the flight out tonight." The sailor gave Ash back her ID. "Come on through, ma'am."

"Thank you." Ash smiled and was let through the gate. Naval Air Station Landers Bay was a small base, especially by west coast standards. The only units permanently stationed at Landers Bay were a C-2 Greyhound squadron and a P-3 Orion squadron, with individual transport aircraft from the OADF occasionally rotating in to provide charter flights for personnel moving to and from Sand Island. In the lobby leading up to the main body of the base, Ash was stopped by a middle-aged sailor with a clipboard.

"Afternoon ma'am, are you on the flight to Sand Island?" The senior chief asked.

"Yes." Ash replied. The chief pulled Ash to the side so as to not block the flow of traffic.

"And your name is…?" The chief waited for an answer with his pen ready to put a strike through the page he had on his clipboard.

"First Lieutenant Ashley Paige." Ash gave the chief his answer.

"Thank you, ma'am. Boarding starts at 2000, you'll be leaving around 2030. Please remain within the lobby. Restrooms are on either side." The chief gave Ash the details she needed to know while she'd be staying here.

"Thank you chief." Ash replied. The chief got out of Ash's way and continued with her duties. Ash took the closest available seat and dropped her bag to get the weight off her shoulders. The issued bags were alright but they didn't have the best padding around the shoulder straps. Ash scrolled around the internet on her phone for twenty minutes until she heard a familiar voice to her left.

"First Lieutenant Alvin Davenport." Ash looked up. Chopper was being talked to by the senior chief. Ash waited until he was done with the chief and then flagged him down. "Oh, hey Ash!"

"Funny seeing you here." Ash remarked. "You got the call too?"

"Feels like I'm on twenty-four hour notice." Chopper added his own remarks. "For a supposed wartime crisis, the news and the base personnel here seem to be awfully chill."

"Right? The radio didn't mention anything about it. And the people here aren't running around like it's gametime either." Ash had made the same observations.

"What are the chances somebody ticked off Kita, inadvertently causing the apocalypse?" Chopper joked. Ash genuinely laughed.

"Okay!" Ash was trying not to cry from laughing. "If that was the case we'd all be in the abyss!"

The pair sat there until eight at night, when the senior chief that had been flagging down civilian clothes-wearing personnel bound for Sand Island strode into the middle of the lobby.

"Listen up!" He called out. "If you are going to Sand Island Air Force Base, it is time to board, grab your stuff and follow me!"

"About damn time." Chopper muttered, standing up and picking up his bag. Ash shrugged her pack on and followed the lineup of fifty people as the senior chief took them out of the lobby and through winding footpaths all the way to the taxiway where a light grey C-130J Hercules was waiting, its cargo bay ramp open to take on passengers. An OMDF loadmaster was ushering on the passengers and allocating them seats. The seats towards the cockpit were filled first and filed back towards the rear of the aircraft. In an aircraft with capacity for almost a hundred seated passengers, there was plenty of space for fifty.

As one of the last people to board, Ash got a seat close to the rear of the Herc. Chopper sat down next to her. The loadmaster verified with the senior chief that there was nobody left to board.

"Alright, sit in tight, this ain't a long trip. If you're not going to Sand Island, you are on the wrong fucking plane!" The loadmaster declared. Nobody was standing up to leave. The loadmaster was talking into his headset, presumably with the pilot, co-pilot and navigator in the cabin. After he was done talking, the engines of the Herc spooled up and the loadmaster punched the button to close the cargo bay door. Hardly five minutes later, Ash felt the aircraft shift. They were taxiing. One of the nice things about being in a transport aircraft was the extra stability as opposed to getting rocked around in a Mudhen. Ash rested her head against the hull behind her and fell asleep somewhere on the trip.

Kitagawa brought the Mudhen to a smooth landing on Sand Island's main runway, the light on the nose wheel illuminating the tarmac. In the back, Wolf stretched in the back, groaning. Kitagawa spotted the silhouettes of a pair of F-16s against the backdrop of the base. Vampire Squadron was sending out a patrol to cover the Wardog patrol that had just come off. Not far ahead of Kitagawa and Wolf was another F-15E pulling into a hangar.

As she hopped down from the ladder, the lights shining from the hangar room showed Nagase's pale-white skin. Not far behind her, Major Hamilton slid down, his helmet dangling from a makeshift loop that kept it attached to his survival vest. His blonde hair was a mess from wearing the helmet all day.

"One burst of activity and then nothing? I'm at a loss." Hamilton was confused. The eight-ship Flanker group had popped over to the Osean side of the ocean and attacked, and then there was no followup attack group. Not just that, there was no followup military presence at all. No AWACS, no bombers, no transports. Nothing that would naturally be in the opening stages of a war. Nevertheless, with Sand Island's already strained manpower, at the moment at least four aircraft were in the air at any given time to form a combat air patrol perimetre.

"Plenty of civilian traffic, so it's not like the FAA's grounded every flight in the country." Wolf said what was on his mind. "Maybe it was just a test to check our readiness levels?"

"And lose eight Flankers for it? Worthwhile trade." Kitagawa mused.

"They could have checked their sat network. It's not like this island can move." Nagase provided her opinion. Her voice sounded parched.

"You don't sound good." Wolf commented.

Nagase shrugged. "Throwing up undiluted stomach does that to you. I'm holding up."

"Whatever the case might be, I don't see this CAP roster getting lifted in the short term. Get some rest while you can." Hamilton advised. "I'll be back, going to check in with my squadron."

"Aye, sir." Wolf saw Hamitlon off. He went over to a bench and laid down. Nagase sat down next to him while Kitagawa remained standing in front of them. She heard the faint rumbling of a propeller aircraft but thought nothing of it.

"Infinite CAP rotation. Gotta love it." Wolf stated sarcastically from his position lying down.

The Herc touched down on the tarmac and taxiied into a large hangar on the opposite side of the main base facilities relative to the rows of hardened aircraft shelters that formed the flight line. The loadmaster opened the cargo bay door and got the passengers due for the island off his aircraft. Ash stretched as she departed the aircraft. Cool air and the faint smell of salt. Yep, she was back.

"Home sweet home." Chopper sighed and checked his watch. "Tad past nine. Think anybody's going to be awake?"

"Wartime circumstances, right?" Ash reminded Chopper why they had been brought back. Ash and Chopper proceeded to the dorm block. Ash rushed upstairs, produced her keychain and unlocked the door. She dumped her pack on her bed - she could unpack later - and quickly got changed into uniform before leaving the room and walking to the crew room. On the way, Ash noticed a distinct lack of personnel, let alone pilots or Wardog members. Chopper caught up with Ash, wearing his uniform.

"Where is everyone?" Chopper asked.

"I dunno…" Ash conceded. "Must be at action stations."

"Yeah." Chopper agreed. The duo entered the wing administrative building and navigated up to the crew room. The lights were off, but there was the distinct sound of snoring so there was at least one person in the room. Ash flicked the light switch. Bartlett was leaning back in his chair, feet up on a desk, sleeping with his gear on. Chopper grabbed a sheet of paper, scrunched it up and pitched it at Bartlett's forehead. Wack.

"AH- I'm up! I'm up." Bartlett was startled out of his slumber. "Ah. Welcome back."

"Is everyone else in the air or something?" Ash asked in a rarely serious tone.

"Sit down." Bartlett instructed the two. Ash and Chopper glanced at each other and then took seats. Bartlett moved his chair so he could sit in front of the two lieutenants.

"We were on a shoot at the missile range. The entire squadron. A group of bandits jumped us…