Top Gacha: Shattered Skies
00: AZEX
Blame Ace Combat and Peacony for this
"Express Squadron, can I have your attention, please. I have just received orders from High Command about the recent international exercises that we will be participating in. As one of the premier squadrons in service within the Jarilan Air Forces, you will be tasked with demonstrating our capability to perform suppression of enemy air defense operations over contested airspace. You will be up against an element belonging to the Xianzhou Alliance's 12th Anti Aircraft Missile Division, which for this exercise will also be operating with the Khaenri'an Air Service's 33rd Tactical Fighter Squadron.
Of course, you will not be alone. Pom Pom will be providing situational awareness, and Counters Squadron is set to arrive in Chernoboug Air Base later in the day in order to give us EW* support. Himeko and I will be assigning your roles at a later date, but for now I advise that you keep on your toes.
That is all for now, you are all dismissed."
...
Chernoboug Military District, Kingdom of Jarilo
Azur Lane Multinational Exercise "Destiny"
1400 Hours, March 7th 20XX
Of course, he was the bait
Caelus sighed, gently tilting his flight stick up while contemplating the decisions he had made in order to end up in this situation. Wild Weasel missions were amongst the most dangerous that a pilot could partake in, and of course he was placed in possibly the most dangerous position. While it was an exercise and no live ammunition was going to be involved, he still had his pride as a pilot, and the pride of the Jarilan Air Force to look after. If he was slapped out of the sky by a SAM, Crecy would never let him hear the end of it. Even so, he was pretty excited, it wasn't every day that he got to pull some high-G maneuvers after all.
His train of thought was interrupted as he heard a harsh "Bzzt..." enter his ears, followed by a voice that he could recognize instantly.
"Bzzt... you excited Caelus?" Firefly asked "It isn't every day we get to participate in an exercise this intense."
"Himeko wants to put us in the sights of one of the most potent air-defense systems in the world, not to mention some of Khaenri'as finest pilots" He answered "No pressure, am I right?"
"That just means Himeko trusts us right?" Firefly replied "Or maybe she wants us dead if a war starts up"
"Don't tempt fate, she can probably hear us right now" Caelus chuckled "But how about you Firefly, aren't you at least a bit nervous?"
"As long as youre with me, I'll be fine. I trust you with my life Caelus, probably above everyone in the squadron. Don't you feel the same?"
A lump formed in Caelus' throat, unsure what to respond over what was such a bold statement. Eventually managing to wrack his brain for a coherent response, Caelus soon answered after a few seconds of awkward silence.
"Of course I feel the same. If I had to give my life to anyone, it would be you, Firefly"
Another pregnant pause filled the airwaves as Caelus let out his truly heartfelt response to Firefly's statement, with the silence only being broken up by what Caelus identified as a mix of heavy breathing and a kettle signaling that the water was boiling. Hearing how he absolutely devastated Firefly with that statement, a smug grin crept up his face. He may have not even entered the AO* yet but he had already won an encounter.
Before he could question Firefly if she was okay, another "Bzzt..." entered his ears, with the same soft voice following after.
"Good to know that were on the same page, but please phrase things better when we're up in the sky. We need to focus on this mission, and getting on Cloud Nine might get me shot down for Aeon's sake."
Before he could respond, another voice entered his comms.
"This is AWACS* Pom Pom to Express and Closure Squadrons, be advised that we are entering the AO and that the exercise is about to commence. I will be opening up all private communications channels and will be transferring targeting information to all craft. Good luck out there, everyone"
"Copy that Pom Pom." Caelus said "That's our cue. Let's give em hell, Firefly"
"Copy that Caelus" Firefly replied "Let's give em hell"
The usually quiet cloudscape of the Jarilan mountains was met with the sound of rolling thunder, as a pair of A-150 turbofan engines engaged thier afterburners, propelling the large LaN-33 multirole fighters towards supersonic speed.
The LaN-33 was a venerable fighter, serving in the Jarilan air force for nearly forty years and expected to serve another thirty with the introduction of ever more comprehensive modernization packages meant to keep it competitive even in an ever-evolving battlespace. Compared to the fighters of other nations, it was large but made up for it with two massive engines that gave it incredible rate of acceleration and supermaneuvrability. Being designed for offensive missions, the craft was also equipped with a powerful radar and impressive weaponry, with its only downside being that its large size made it a large target, something Jarilan engineers compensated for by coating the things in radar absorbent paint in its later iterations.
Facing the LaN-33 would be the Guizhong Heavy Industries F-3S air superiority fighter. It was a more conservative in size single engine design, with its maneuverability being derived through its light weight and aerodynamics rather than the sheer power of thrust-vectoring engines. This allowed it to be a much smaller and stealthier target, though its radar was less powerful as a result and it was generally more reliant on AWACS or ground-based-radar for situational awareness. In a matchup like this however, the support of potent Xianzhou air defenses gave the small fighters an edge and it was up to the skill of the Jarilan pilots to overcome it.
As Caelus rose above the mountains that gave him cover from the Xianzhou SAM systems, he felt blood rush towards every part of his body. Looking towards his left, he saw Firefly's aircraft do the same, the both of them in anticipation for the mission that they had been assigned.
"This is Express-5, we have risen above thier estimated radar horizon" Caelus said "No signs of SAMs so far, over"
"Copy that Express-6" said one of Caelus' squadron mates said, his monotone voice becoming more vibrant as the situation escalated "Express-7 and I will remain on standby, over"
"This is AWACS Pom Pom, be advised. Several bandits are approaching Express-5 and Express-6, bearing six zero from reference point, over."
Just as Pom Pom uttered those words, Caelus heard a soft beeping on his RWR*, Though there wasn't a weapon's grade lock, it was clear that the SAM* site's radar saw him.
As he turned on his EMDEC* system, he spoke "SAM site has turned on its radar. Seems like that theyre trying to use it in order to guide in thier fighters while keeping launchers concealed. Express-1, what are your orders"
A soft voice with a serious tone replied to him "Keep within radar range, of thier SAM and buy time for Express-7 and 8 to approach."
"With all due respect Express-1, but were outnumbered two to one" Firefly replied
"And? With the both of you on the helm, its pretty much an even fight" Express-1 said back
"No use arguing with her Express-5, you know how stubborn she gets" Caelus butted in
"Hah, youre right" Firefly replied "Let's show em what we've got"
...
"Fox Three*!"
As the four bandits approached them, Caelus and Firefly met them head on. Using thier superior radars and the lack of the enemy's EW capability to thier advantage, the two of them "fired" four active radar homing air-to-air missiles at thier opponents, before breaking away from the head-on engagement to outmaneuver whatever the enemy threw at them in response.
Thier fusillade didn't go unnoticed by the enemy, who before breaking off "fired" thier own barrage of air to air missiles, four barreling towards Caelus and Firefly's aircraft.
The once quiet tranquility of Caelus' cockpit was now overtaken by a cacophony of noise, mostly from the beeping of his radar warning receiver and his missile approach warning system screeching for him to dodge.
And dodge he did
As the missiles approached, Caelus turned his aircraft, flying perpendicular to the weapon's flight path. Punching his afterburner to its full potential to keep up with the projectiles, Caelus maneuvered his craft carefully, using his plane's agility and the jamming provided by his aircraft to break the lock that the missiles had on him.
"Express-6" Caelus said "Report"
"I managed to dodge" Firefly replied "No damage"
The enemy aircraft on the other hand, were not so lucky
"Bzzt... Swallow-3 RTB*. Exercise parameters determine your aircraft to have sustained significant damage"
"One down" Caelus commented "Well done"
Just as those words exited Caelus' mouth, he saw several plumes of smoke rising in the distance, easily identified as enemy surface to air missiles. As if that wasn't enough confirmation, his missile approach warning system was once again screeching at him like a damn bat
"But we aren't out of hot water yet" Firefly added "Be careful, they may be training missiles, but they can still damage your aircraft"
Doing exactly what his training told him to do, Caelus pitched his aircraft downwards, attempting to get below the radar horizon of the SAM battery, dropping flares and chaff as he did so. With that as well as heavy jamming from Counters Squadron and thier EMDECS, the missiles chasing after them broke lock, now left unguided and unable to acquire a target. Firefly followed suit, her aircraft gracefully cutting through the air and avoiding all the missiles being launched at them.
And just like that, they were exactly where the enemy wanted them to be.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!
"Shit, we have several missiles launched from just a few klicks away" Caelus said "We can't dodge them from this close!"
And just like that, the both of them were done for, thier aircrafts weapon's being automatically locked from use once it was determined that thier aircraft could not evade the strike. Firefly groaned at the message that her weapons were locked, while Caelus just sighed in disappointment at falling for the oldest trick in the book.
"Express-5 and Express-6" the radio crackled "RTB, the exercise parameters have concluded that your aircrafts have suffered significant damage. Luckily, the both of you held out for just long enough."
"Radar systems confirmed hit by BLUEFOR* aircraft. Suppression is a success. All units, return to base for debriefing"
"Nice!" Caelus exclaimed "We got em"
"Well, I guess there's a silver lining for everything" Firefly added "Let's go back Caelus"
"Good work all of you, mission success" Express-1 commented "I'll discuss evaluations once we get back to base. Aeons, I really need a coffee after this"
"How about you Caelus" Firefly asked "Do you have any plans?"
"Nothing for now"
"Good, because I want to play pool. Is anyone else in?"
"Sure!" Express-7 replied "I would love to!"
"I don't mind" Express-8 added "I am not busy"
"I would love to join you kiddos, but tonight's going to be a long night for me" Express-1 replied "The four of you have fun, alright?"
Quingque was tired out of her mind
Her recent appointment as the Vice-Executive of the Multinational Space Exploration Agency by Fu Xuan had brought a lot of work on her part, much to the point where she had to implement some... workplace reforms. The reforms she had implemented not only got her a stellar rating from her higher ups, they also cut her work-day in half, which of course meant more time playing Celestial Jade.
Opening up a website, Quingque went to work... playing Celestial Jade during working hours. After all, someone like her deserved at least this much after going through the most comprehensive organizational reconstruction that she had organized ever.
Unfortunately for her, her days of working 4 hour work days would be numbered.
"Vice-Executive! There is something that we have to show you"
For the most significant day in all of human history would be upon her.
Glossary:
EW: Electronic Warfare
AO: Area of Operations
AWACS: Stands for Airborne Warning and Control System. A large aircraft equipped with sensor systems and radar designed to serve as a command post for airborne engagements.
SAM: Stands for Surface to Air Missile
RWR: Radar Warning Reciever
EMDEC: Stands for Externally Mounted DEfensive Countermeasures. A fictional Jarilan system equipped onto SEAD aircraft that constantly emits electronic interference, making it harder for missiles to gain a lock."
Fox: Brevity code to confirm the launch of an air-to-air missile. Fox 1 indicates the launch of a semi-active-radar missile, Fox 2 indicates the launch of an infrared seeking missile, while Fox 3 indicates the launch of an Active Radar Homing missile.
RTB: Return to Base
So, this is my contribution to the FireBlazer brainrot, a fighter pilot/alien invasion AU. I hope you enjoyed this, because Ace Combat has corrupted my brain. We will in fact be following Ace Combat logic for this one by the way, so heads up for anyone wanting for accurate fighter combat. Things will be getting progressively more zany, so that's cool.
happy reading
P.S, this is meant to be a secondary project to SimU Lover, which i work on if im getting burnt out, so think of it like that. its coming soon dont worry.