I've been playing a lot of Project Wingman recently. I think it's mainly because of a lack of Ace Combat games or extra content outside of just planes in AC7. Project Aces, if you release more "story" content I'll likely purchase it; I love the over-the-top characters like Torres and the Ace Combat series is known for just being over-the-top fun. But why do I bring this up? If you've looked at the chapter header, you'll see the other series I'm attempting to cross over: Infinite Stratos. So, what's the idea that I have in mind?

What I was thinking is that the Sicario mercenaries were established by the forcibly retired members of various nations' air forces and navies when the IS technology was implemented by those nations. Due to the surplus in military planes phased out of service, Sicario purchased them and hired veteran pilots and aces not satisfied with desk jobs or those being put into early retirement. They are the best of the best and are the only contenders who can actively beat IS-armed pilots and are hired at top prices because of it by nations who either lack a significant number of IS platforms or don't have them at all but are well funded. After a recent contract ends, the IS Academy that is central to the plot in Infinite Stratos reaches out to Sicario for a protection/defense contract of the academy as while the students are capable and are able to wield their IS units with significant skill, they are not combat-hardened or experienced in ariel warfare. This request comes about due to the revelation of the first male IS pilot since the platform's inception and said person being a high priority target on top of being the brother of a teacher and former IS exhibition champion who herself is high profile as it is.

As for the equipment that Sicario will have, it will be based on Ace Combat planes as they're based on real-life vehicles. Let's be honest, I just want Monarch to be flying the X-02 Strike Wyvern. Belkan witchcraft for the win. They won't have massive amounts of military assets like an entire fleet, but they will have a single aircraft carrier and a couple of screening missile destroyers (2-3) to make a mobile base of operations.

Title: [undecided]

Rating: T? I'm not entirely sure where I want to go with this one.

Pairing(s): Ichika x undecided. Monarch x Prez(?).

Summary: With the advent of the IS, warfare was forever changed. Militaries phased out older, veteran fighter pilots for the new IS pilots. However, there is one company able to compete and surpass the IS: the Sicario Mercenary Corps, LLC and its elite squadron "Hitman" lead by its CEO who goes by the callsign "Monarch." Only they have been able to stand alone at the top of the pyramid as the few able to stand up against even the most experienced IS pilots as fighter pilots. Hired to perform an odd task, Sicario finds themselves in the employ of the IS Academy as instructors and as an official defensive force.

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my copy of MS Word and my desktop. Project Wingman belongs to [] and Infinite Stratos to [], I only own this specific idea's concept. See the foreword for the full disclaimer.

XxXxXxX

Off-shore, above the skies of Korea...

A battle raged high above the clouds of Korea. IS provided (sold) by the People's Republic of China to the North Korean Democratic People's Republic's Air Force fought against the South Korean Air Force's conventional plane-based air force and limited IS pilots, and the North was currently winning.

An IS shot past an American-made F-16 painted with South Korea's colors as it raked the craft with laser fire. "Keep pressing the attack!" the pilot commanded as her short-lived adversary died. "Their inferior forces fall at the hands of our Glorious Leader!" she called out victoriously.

One of her comrades, a new pilot of the IS but no slouch as she was an up incoming ace, was hit by four QAAM missiles simultaneously and suddenly. "I'm hit!" she called out in a panic as her now crippled IS fell from fifteen thousand feet to the cityscape below. "I've lost power! I'm going down!"

"Lieutenant, disable your IS and pull your chute!" the pilot ordered.

"I can't!" she panicked. "I've lost all power and my chute is blocked!"

"Fight to get free!"

"I can't! It's locked up!" She continued to fall until there was one final, pleading transmission, "I don't wanna die." And the channel went to static. There was dead silence on the battlefield. No one had ever shot down an IS before in live combat, let alone with conventional weapons. At least as far as the captain was aware.

"Target eliminated," came a voice over open radio channels in English. It was cold. Clinical. Uncaring. "This is Monarch. Hitman squadron, engage."

[Play "Sol" - Ace Combat 7 OST]

The clouds parted as twelve fighters of various makes and models broke through the cloud cover. All of them were marked with the same sigil: a gold, twelve-pointed star inside a black circle. Those that were exposed to the outside world knew this emblem, it was that of the Sicario Mercenary Corps. A private military element comprised of all nations cast aside by their militaries as they moved towards IS-based combat engagements. They swore no allegiance to no one but themselves and the almighty Dollar.

The captain didn't get to think much about the mercenaries long before her IS warned her of a dozen missile locks. She barely dodged fast enough to make all but one miss her. The last one blew right past her face, the missile's exhaust causing mild burns on her face from the sheer closeness alone. The rest of Hitman squadron broke and went after each of the IS pilots still on the battlefield as well as the supporting aircraft.

"This one's mine," the same voice from before declared. The pilot had just enough time to react to avoid being peppered by a Su-30SM's main gun, a 30mm autocannon. The fighter flew past her and did a post-stall maneuver to round on her faster than expected. Her HUD immediately lit up with missile locks again as she made a mad dash towards cloud cover. "Fox 3. Fox 3." Two missiles streamed towards her at extreme speeds. She rounded just long enough to fire on the missiles, destroying both.

She pulled the same maneuver to try and get behind the Flanker. After all, no conventional aircraft could stand up to an IS. She flew behind the Flanker and started to fire on it with her laser rifle. However, no matter what she did, none of her shots would land. The Flanker would seem to bob and weave out of the way. The closest she got to a hit was discoloring the paint job on the starboard wing. She continued to fire ineffectively until she noticed that they had descended to the city below. They were just barely at the top of the tallest building. Beneath the two dogfighters, a different battle was being waged by ground forces of both Koreas.

The Flanker flew extremely close to a skyscraper and whipped around it, the shockwave of the exhaust causing the windows to ripple. She followed; in this scape, she'd be the more maneuverable one. But then the unexpected happened. The Flanker pulled a Scorpion maneuver and managed to get behind her. But as it did, the nose of the plane passed over her and the pilot let the autocannon fire, peppering her IS with high caliber rounds. The shield held, but it was getting lowered remarkably, and worryingly, quickly. Their positions changed again; the hunter was now the prey once more. An armature opened on the bottom of the Flanker and the pilot of said Flanker kept right on her tail as she tried to dodge amongst the buildings. No matter where she tried to go, the pilot followed. Finally, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and heard a buzzing sound. As she turned around, a high-pitched whine was heard before she felt immediate pain.

She felt herself falling, her electronics suite disabled by something, and refusing to acknowledge her commands. Falling head-first, she saw why. Electricity sparked over her IS and she was missing a leg. Now noticing a missing limb, her primal part of her brain kicked in forgetting how to land properly. A moment later she crashed into a main street and was surrounded by soldiers from South Korea. Her IS wouldn't move and she was bleeding out and couldn't fight even if she wanted. This IS pilot would survive as a prisoner of war and would eventually learn to walk again with a prosthetic, but she would never forget the chilling dogfight she had with Monarch of the Sicario Mercenary Corp.

In his plane, Monarch looked down at the downed IS pilot before gaining altitude. "Sit-rep," he ordered.

"All hostile air elements mopped up. No conventional air forces or IS's remaining," one member replied.

"Hitman elements, RTB."

"Hitman, this is Assassin. We're inbound for ground support," Assassin 1-1 reported. In the distance, he could see the various aircraft optimized for a ground assault. Including Harriers and A-10 Warthogs.

"Happy hunting, Assassin. Skies are all clear."

"Good to hear. See you back at base, boss. Assassin squadron, move out!"

[End music]

XxXxXxX

Sicario, LLC. Or, better known as Sicario Mercenary Corps. They are a multinational conglomerate made up of the best of the best. They were formed after the implementation of the IS, or Infinite Stratos, was implemented in most warfare scenarios. Seeing as pilots were forcibly retired, one man formed the company after being with his country's military for almost ten years and becoming an ace pilot on top of it was also forcibly retired. He networked and formed the mercenary company "Sicario." The first squadron, headed by him under the moniker "Monarch," "Hitman" was hired by Taiwanese military officials to fend off Chinese elements attempting to harass the small democratic country. When the war went hot, they were on the front lines fighting against the first known military deployments of the IS by a world power.

While the world watched as the Chinese-made IS's plowed through the Taiwanese air and naval forces, only one stood firm: Sicario. They engaged multiple times with IS's over the course of a week and not a single Sicario element was shot down. The Chinese were another story, they suffered 60% losses on each IS sortie. Seeing the losses incurred, they retreated and called for a parley. A parley which made the government recognize the country as independent and its own country. This was five years ago. Since then, the influence of Sicario only grew in each engagement they were hired on for.

They've had notable encounters with various Eastern militaries where both traditional ariel assets along with IS were deployed. They've had very few losses making them the top dog in mercenary work. The most notable thing they had done in recent years was purchase an aircraft carrier about to be scrapped after it was decommissioned alongside some missile destroyers to create a mobile base of operations. This was the mobile base that the Hitman squadron was returning to.

XxXxXxX

Monarch angled his plane for landing and powered down the engines for landing speeds. He touched down and the tail hook immediately caught the arresting cable. He taxied to the elevator and went below deck. The crew did their duties and got his plane parked next to others in his small collection of warplanes that were swapped out depending on the sortie. The rotation did tend to change depending on his personal preference at the time. On a small Pacific atoll, Sicario had all of its assets in a more solid home base and the collection was much larger there.

The plane powered down and he climbed out. At the bottom of the ladder was his second in command and WSO who went by the callsign Prez. "Welcome back!" she greeted cheerfully with a tablet in hand.

"Good to be back," Monarch replied as he took off his helmet. The almost thirty-year-old ace pilot still looked youthful, but that could just be genetics. Clean-shaven, hair-cropped short as well. He stood at almost 5'10", had blonde hair, and green eyes. She held out the tablet to him which he exchanges with his helmet. He scrolled through the communications. "Has the payment gone through?"

"The initial down payment for our services had been received by the time Hitman was en route to the battlefield. Due to the extensive damage caused by the North Korean invasion, they've requested the remaining balance be payable in installments. As this will pertain to payroll and other expenses, I decided to leave the decision up to you."

"Allow it but speak to accounting first," he replied as he handed the tablet back – and exchanged it for his helmet once more – and the two entered an elevator taking them upwards.

"I already have, they gave a reasonable interest rate for exceeding the payment date agreement."

"Then allow it." The elevator opened to another deck, the CIC. "As we shouldn't expect payment for at least a month, are there other job proposals?"

"Speak of the devil," Prez said as she handed the tablet back over. "The IS Academy has requested our services as on-site security and threat response."

Monarch looked at the email from the headmaster of the IS Academy. Reading through it, the first thing that he spotted that was 'abnormal' was the proposed payment. "Have we verified that this came from the IS Academy and not some idiot trying to waste our time?"

"Intelligence contacted them directly via secure phone line, it's the real deal. This could set us up for a long time. Could even let most of the squadrons go on a fairly long vacation if they wanted." She scooted closer to him. "You know, my parents have this little cabana in Costa Rica they'd be more than welcome to lend me for a few weeks," she trailed a finger down Monarch's arm. "Think about it. The sun, crystal clear waters, white sandy beaches, me in a bikini or maybe nothing at all," she said with a wink.

Monarch could have sworn that he heard the last one incorrectly, "What?"

"Oh, nothing," she tried to dismiss it casually. "Point being: vacation."

He looked through the communication. "It doesn't mention why they need mercs of our caliber."

"This isn't mentioned in the original request but came in the follow-up. Turns out they have a VIP on-site that is prime kidnapping material," Prez said as she swiped over to another app. A picture of a kid (teenager) with spiky black hair that looked like it was only being held down by pomade. Other than that, nothing looked especially... special about the kid. "VIP's name is Ichika Orimura." Monarch made a motion to continue. "Younger brother of Chifuyu Orimura."

That name rang a bell. "Wasn't she the champion of some kind of tournament or something?"

"Not just that, but the first IS pilot ever being handpicked by Tabane Shinonono, the creator of the IS."

"Can see why this kid would be an HVT for enemies of Ms. Orimura. Use her leverage to gain exclusive or direct access to the person that creates the cores of the IS." It made logical sense, but there was one thing that didn't sit right with him. "Hold on a second, isn't the IS Academy, and aren't IS pilots female-only?"

"That's where it gets interesting." She swiped again bringing up an article. "He's the first male IS pilot. Ever," she emphasized. "Before this, it was only women that could pilot it with no concrete explanation."

"But now with the first male able to pilot it, he'll have every government and civilian IS subcontractor gunning for him whether it be paying him to study him-."

"Or outright abducting him to do the same," Prez finished. Monarch sat in thought, thinking this carefully through. "What are you thinking, boss?"

"This could open a lot of doors for us," he started with careful consideration. "The IS Academy is funded by the upper crust of various nations whose children attend there."

"The US President's daughter attends the second IS Academy in Europe."

"Exactly, though the more 'prestigious' one is the one off the coast of Japan." It was a bragging rights thing. The IS originated in Japan and the first instructors were centered around the first test site. It was like the difference between getting accepted at Yale versus Texas A&M or vice versa. Both provide quality educations, but one has more prestige on your resume. 'One-up-Manship,' if you will. "If we gain natural access to the kid, we could hypothetically design and deploy our own IS platforms. And if not, we can recruit potential new hires through networking."

"Doesn't that go against what Sicario was founded on?"

Monarch shook his head. "Sicario was always a pipe dream for displaced soldiers like us. A place to belong. I have a feeling that one day there will be those that will be rendered useless when the next big technological thing comes along to replace the IS. We may as well get them first, competition on a large scale will be bad for business."

"But competition keeps us from getting lazy."

"True, but I'd rather have a foot in the door rather than have to play catch up with new outfits when they inevitably show up. I happen to like being my own boss. Tell them we'll take the job."

XxXxXxX

IS Academy. One week later. Week 2 of the semester.

Ichika Orimura started his mornings just like any other student at a boarding school. He woke up, bathed, and got dressed. As he did, he listened to the TV. Today, he happened to have the news running.

"It's been a week since the unprovoked attack by the North Korean military towards the South Korean people," the female reporter droned. "It appears that they deployed new technologies that military intelligence says may have been purchased or 'cloned' from Chinese hardware as reports and grainy footage has circulated showing what appears to be an IS platform of Chinese design." An icon appeared next to the woman's head of grainy cell footage that someone caught. It certainly did look like an IS, but something about it seemed... cheap? Ichika couldn't put his finger on it. He fastened his uniform jacket as the TV went on. "The unprovoked attack ceased after the intervention of the Sicario Mercenary Corporation whose premier squadron's leader, Monarch, shot down the unconfirmed craft providing an edge to the North Korean military." The footage proceeded to show what looked like a modified Su-30 SM Flanker dogfighting with an IS, and winning by a longshot. The footage got scrambled as something was fired from the underside of the fighter. "The appearance of an undocumented IS has gotten many netizens to speculate on where it actually came from and if militaries around the world are using derivatives of created IS cores permitted by Dr. Tabane Shinonono. With me is political commentator, Takashi Sakamoto." The camera zoomed out to show the older man. "Sakamoto-san, what are your thoughts on the matter?"

"Thank you for having me. As you know, the rumors about secretive IS development isn't unfounded," he said.

"Oh? How so?"

"As you know, during the Cold War multiple militaries made up of both NATO and the Warsaw Pact performed experiments and other scientific inquiries which delved into the illicit. Considering the very intricate nature of the IS as a potential military platform, it wouldn't shock me if every nation had a secretive military project – assuming there isn't multiple – on militarizing these platforms."

"Despite Doctor Shinonono's explicit instructions on using them for sport and not warfare?"

The man shrugged. "Humans have always been a 'screw you and your rules' type of race. You tell us not to do something, and we do it. Take for example the mother telling her child not to take cookies from the cookie jar before dinner. What does the child do? It takes it because it does not like being told what to do. I think the pure embodiment of this philosophy is the United States, but I digress. My point being, militaries don't care. They see a threat and seek to neutralize the threat whether it be reactive or preemptive. The IS was originally developed as an exoskeleton for astronauts as they explore the cosmos. Unless we've discovered a hostile race of aliens seeking our annihilation, why do these exoskeletons need high-powered weapons with the power on-par with battleship main batteries during the Second World War? Cutting tools and shields against micrometeoroids and bullet-fast debris are understandable, but objects that can only be called weapons by any other name and use? Not so much."

"Are you suggesting the existence of extra-terrestrial life?"

The commentator laughed. "No, and I know you're playing Devil's Advocate," he countered. "My point is this: the IS is a powerful tool that can be used for great good. But it can also be used for great evil. If you look at it in a vacuum, it makes sense why various nations may be making their own IS platforms in secret, even if they're inferior to the units created by Doctor Shinonono. They see a potential threat and if one of the personal IS users go rogue, there will be no one else to stop them but other IS users and the pool may be extremely limited based on skill. If they're the 'cream of the crop,' only those such as Chifuyu Orimura and those of her skill level may be able to stop them. If any of this speculation is true, we're essentially seeing the beginning of a second Cold War-level Arms Race." It seemed like he intentionally paused for dramatic effect. "But this is just speculation."

Ichika shook his head and turned off the TV as he left. He was already pushing it as-is to get down to the cafeteria for breakfast. The rest of the day went as was to be expected, all things considering that he was the only man in an all-girls school because of a technicality. The next class was PE which was held on a converted airstrip and nearby hangars. As they practiced hand-to-hand combat drills, they heard something in the air and turned to the runway. Coming in for a landing was a fighter, but it wasn't like anything any of them had seen before. It sort of looked like a Su-47 Berkut, but instead of a forward-swept layout as opposed to other, Western layouts, this appeared to be in a 'w'-like shape.

"That's a Strike Wyvern!" one of his classmates called out.

"A what?" Ichika asked.

"It's an experimental craft developed between the Americans, Germans, and British shortly before the reveal of the IS. It's thought that there are only three of them in the world. And THAT is definitely one of them," she said.

"Why is a bleeding-edge fighter landing here-?" Houki asks as it touched down and taxied towards the spare hangars that no one used outside of the occasional club that needed it temporarily. As it did, the tail fin and emblem on its wings were revealed. "Wait a minute... that emblem looks familiar."

Ichika had to agree, it did look familiar. It was then he saw the crown styled in the old English style. The type that he saw once upon a time in the old animated Robin Hood movie, the one with the anthropomorphic animals which may have spawned more furries because of its existence. Written in the band of the crown was one word, stylized in old English script: Monarch. "Sicario," he borderline whispered.

"Wait, did you say 'Sicario'?" Houki asked. Ichika nodded. "Wait, aren't they a mercenary company?"

"That – allegedly – shot down a Chinese-made, mass-production IS fielded by the North Koreans last week," another classmate whose name escaped his mind added.

This got the attention of the class which caused them to gossip; all of which was on one topic: why was an ace mercenary from an ace mercenary company there at the IS Academy? And why was the headmistress approaching the pilot?

XxXxXxX

Monarch finished the shutdown procedures of the Wyvern and opened the canopy. Hidden in among the seal and explosive bolts was a deployable ladder. He deployed it and climbed down. On the ground he looked out and saw at the other side of the airstrip were students of the academy doing combat drills. 'Greenhorns,' was the first thing to come to mind.

He looks out to the control tower and a pair of women start walking towards him. Both of which he recognizes. One is the headmistress of the IS Academy, the other being Chifuyu Orimura. As they approached, he removed his helmet. He extended his hand and the headmistress was the first to shake it followed by the former champion. "Mister Stephanson?" the headmistress asked. He nodded. "Come with us, please. We have much to discuss."

To be continued...?

XxXxXxX

And with that, I think I'm pretty confident I can call this idea complete. As was said in the beginning notes there, this is one of those ideas that I'm not entirely sure where I want to go with this as there's quite a bit of worldbuilding that would need to take place. The first is that some militaries are already experimenting with first-generation IS derivatives and then proceeding to pass them off to other nations or allies to collect data and use them as cannon fodder. Not just this, but I do need to figure out other things as there are a few ideas that I want to run with but am unsure how it should be done. So, you can expect this idea to sit on the backburner for a while.

As for back in real life, not much has been going on. Azur Lane has released the Priority ships season 4 and yaboi is speedrunning getting Anchorage. By that, I mean getting mainly 3 million experience with the American ships in like a week. I already have a million. Looking forward to getting the rest of the PR4 crew. Don't you love doing averages for figuring out the average experience gain for a single run of a map? (Hint: I hate math for this purpose but I'm forced to do it). 'Tis the life of a 100% completionist in this game. But anyway, hopefully, I can finish volume 12 of Komi tonight, but we'll see. That has been on my backlog longer than I will ever like to admit. But anyway, see you in whatever I decide to do next.