I
UNDERDOG
"ATONE FOR YOUR SINS"
DISCLAIMER
NOTE: I am aware that the entire series is not finished yet. With the potential number of changes in the canon, this story will be an AU (Alternate Universe) that combines both elements and characters from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, while adopting some actual new elements from the canon. This story is also not too "Lore-Friendly" (aka not being too accurate to the world of the Canon.) So, be warned if some inaccurate information in this AU may make you cringe.
Both shows along with their characters DOESN'T belong to me. The series respectively belongs to SpindleHorse and its creator, Vivienne Medrano (aka "VivziePop".) The plot in this Fan Fiction and some characters you'll know who are OCs (Original Characters) are original from me. If any ideas or characters sound similar to another story written by somebody else, it is purely coincidental. I refuse to blatantly steal somebody's idea and claim that it was mine. If you have any concerns, you are always welcome to message me.
If there is anybody outside of this site posting this Fan Fiction without giving proper credit or impersonating me, please let me know.
Chapter 14: The Underling Brigade.
A diverse number of amateurs and troublemakers, used as pawns!
-(HPS Avalon, Pride Ring Open Waters)-
(Underdog's POV)
The ship was under attack!
As the hallways were now being rushed by both sailors and Underling convicts to head to their stations, it all started to turn chaotic as soon as the sound of the ship's weaponry started to fire outside on the deck. A clear sign enemy forces were within firing range. We weren't told which sort of attack it was, but it was moving in pretty quickly if the ship was placed on general quarters alert, and suddenly the weapons started engaging. The closest flight of stairs was crowded, so me and Donn decided to risk it and find another way up as there was more than one flight on each deck.
"We're actually under attack! I don't know if I should be terrified, or excited to fight back!" Donn panted as he continued to keep up with me.
Admittedly, I chuckled a bit as his feelings felt relatable to me when I joined the Marines back then. "For now, just stay focused and keep an eye and ear our for anyone who needs our help."
"Got it. And what abou-"
Suddenly, the PA let out a chilling warning over the intercom.
"Incoming! Incoming! Missile inbound! Starboard side! Brace for impact!"
"ShitShitShitShitShitShit!" Donn held onto the pillar, ready to feel the shock of a missile strike for the first time.
I ran back to hold onto the pillar but was unable to reach it in time. The ship shook violently to the point where I was knocked off my feet and slammed into the floor. The lights flickered as the terrifying sound of the explosion and the ship rattling happened around us.
Donn opened one eye and saw me on the floor, running towards me. "Underdog! You alright?!"
Admittedly, that landing was painful as my current state was unable to endure the pain as easily as before. But I kept it as hidden as possible and got up. "I'm all green. You?"
"Shaken. But I can still keep up."
"Help! Someone there! HELP!" A voice called from down the hall.
Immediately hearing the desperate cries for help, I ignored my injuries and ran down the hall with Donn following from behind. It came from one of the living quarters, where we saw the new arrival named "Shawn" aka "Big-Chete" pinned to the floor with a set of lockers. No signs of anybody in the room, clearly. And judging by how he looks, there was no sign of bleeding or any other injury to be concerned about. The only thing we had to worry about was the amount of smoke forming inside of the room where he could suffocate from smoke inhalation.
"Hang in there!" I shouted as I went to one side of the locker set while Donn handled the other. On three, we lifted the heavy piece as Big-Chete was able to move away from staying underneath it. We dropped it as soon as all was good.
"You okay, Big-Chete?" I asked while lifting him up on his feet.
Big-Chete nodded and coughed from the amount of smoke around us. "Yeah…all good. Thanks." He said before looking around to regain focus. "Where are we supposed to go?!"
"Hangar deck! Follow us!" I told him while opening the door back to the hallway.
"Better than staying here, I guess…"
Donn looked back at Big-Chete and asked, "What were you doing in there?"
"Man, as soon as the PA announced an attack was coming, I tried to check if any of the guards were in there so I could ask where to go. But since there was nobody, I used it as a place of shelter." He explained as he kept up the pace with keeping up.
I opened another door at the end of the hall and soon came across an exposed catwalk where a few of the other convicts from the briefing room were running across. There was another set of stairs going up, which would've led us closer to the hangar deck. We were almost there. But so close means danger was too…
On the horizon at low altitude, a small dot was seen coming in fast approach. The small roar of a jet engine was heard, but then a repeated burst of explosions was blasted in front of me. The majority of penal unit members who almost made it to the stairs were slaughtered by 20mm cannon rounds. It was an enemy fighter jet as it flew over our heads and the Avalon. I didn't waste any time running over to the ones injured to check who was able to carry on. Only three out of nine of them survived…
"IFF confirmed. We are being engaged by The Embers." The PA notified.
Big-Chete kept his eyes on the horizon to see if there were more jets approaching. But so far, nothing. "Those bastards have jets too?! You can't be serious!"
"You'd be surprised." One of the convicts that survived the gun run said as she was pulling one to safety. "You okay, Pillar?"
"Yea, I'm good. Ears are fucking ringing though…" This "Pillar" man replied as he got up after to dust off his jumpsuit.
"Are you seriously helping a child predator, Dash?" Another survivor, a woman, asked as she recoiled in disgust.
"Just because I'm helping this piece of shit doesn't mean I like him. He still has a job to do for this unit." She replied. "And by the way, Caretaker, you're the last person I want to hear that from. Considering the shit you did before."
"Oh~! So now the fucking terrorist is trying to educate me on what's more wrong~!" Caretaker rolled her eyes. "Selling others for profit is a much lesser evil than killing innocents in mass."
"Bitch, you endangered children and ruined innocent lives more than the twenty I have taken!" Dash exclaimed. "Even your own husband and kids, of all people!"
"Oh, and treason. I forgot that about you." Caretaker taunted.
"I'm gonna toss you in the fucking ocean!" Dash growled as she approached Caretaker as if violence was about to ensue.
"Hey!" I called out. "This isn't the time to compare our sentences!"
Caretaker clicked her tongue. "How about you shut your fucking mouth, Princess Killer?"
Before I could reply to her insult, another strafing run was heard on the deck, followed by a secondary explosion with some debris falling down.
"We have a fire on Catapults 3 and 4! Fire teams! Report to the deck!" The PA announced immediately.
"Here's an idea. How about you two stop bitching and follow us to the hangar bay!" Donn said as he stood behind me when I reached for the stairs.
"You sure you're comfortable staying next to him, Dropkick?" Pillar asked, using which I assume was Donn's nickname.
"Much more comfortable than staying next to you, believe it or not." Dropkick (Donn) answered.
"Let's move!" I shouted to all the convicts with me as I led the way.
"You three can either stay here and act as targets for practice or follow Underdog. But I'm following the bastard that knows what he's doing." Big-Chete said as he followed me after Dropkick did.
When I looked back upon opening the door to the hangar bay, all of them were behind me, putting aside the fact I was below them. Hell, in a situation like this, following a leader who knows what to do is the best option.
As soon as we walked down the stairs to the floor of the hangar bay, we saw a gathering of all Underling brigade convicts that were able to make it. All were about to be briefed by "Leech", that NCO that mistreated me since day one and the one who waterboarded me this morning. He didn't seem to notice my group's late arrival as he was more focused on briefing the rest of the crowd, sounding like he was halfway done with his speech. We were gonna need more information about what the plan was to counter this enemy strike.
Dash ran over to one of the convicts and tapped his back. "Squatter. What did we miss?"
This "Squatter" fella shook his head and shrugged. "I do not know. I just got here too." He answered. "How does it look outside?"
"It's a shitshow." Pillar answered. "We lost a few guys on our way over here."
Squatter sighed and clicked his tongue. "Does this ship have any defenses at all?!"
"Doubt it. Underling Brigade prison ships aren't properly armed for defenses due to…a couple of reasons." Dash said as she knew she didn't have to explain the details why.
"HEY!" Leech called out to my group. "Ahh, Underdog. For being late and your group not paying attention, it's your lucky day. Your group will all be scrambling to sky duty in this interception."
"Are you fucking for real?!" Caretaker groaned.
Leech rolled his eyes. "Relax. You cons have already taken a flight course to know how to properly man a plane. IF you remembered how to."
"Yeah, because it was only a two-hour course…" Pillar groaned.
Leech looked over at the crowd, split into two groups as he pointed over to the one on the left. "Group A. You will be in charge of manning the CCB-87s (Compact Combat Boats) for both air-defense, and anti-naval assaults."
"Are we expecting boats coming in to attack?" One of them asked.
"The Embers are well known to try and hijack any sort of naval vessels. So, expect contact." Leech turned over to the second and last group, which was a bit smaller compared to Group A. "For the rest of you, Group B will be scrambling in the air with Underdog."
As expected, Group B was clearly not happy with this decision as a majority of them groaned and looked at each other with annoyance. Not only they will be in the most dangerous position of flying jet aircraft they were barely trained for, but they will be flying with me. I was so hated by my fellow prisoners that none of them wanted to get anywhere near me.
"It was nice knowing you folks." One of the convicts in the back near me gave a nervous smile.
"PJ, you'll be fine." A female convict replied to him as she patted his shoulder a bit.
The man that helped Big-Chete earlier, "Bones" looked over at PJ and sighed. "My advice: Don't act like a badass up there. You'll either be their first target, or you'll look like some fool."
"Uhh…yeah! Got it! Thanks, Bones." PJ smiled sheepishly.
The briefing was wrapped up as some guards led the other group in another direction to the lower deck, and the others who were a part of mine to the upper deck. Some of the carrier jets, which were called CCI-2 Narwhals, with their holo-ordinance batteries, were poorly maintained and outdated, were ascending from a lift to the flight deck to be used by us. For now, we all had to use the stairs up to the command center and exit out to run to some of the jets. No tail codes, no squadron emblems or paint schemes, and no rank and names printed near the canopy. Instead, the vertical stabilizers only had our prisoner numbers.
Mine was #1152022.
Lord knows if that was just a random number, or that it shows how many served or died in the Underling Brigade before me.
My craft was the first one in line for the catapult as the others were out of commission due to the starboard missile attack, and the strafing run from earlier. As the others were getting onboard their designated fighter, I ran up to mine as it was already accustomed with a flight mask and…no helmet. It was a half-mask. I'm assuming no specialized pilot helmet was added due to the lack of funding and this unit's position. Nonetheless, I got inside and put on the mask before starting up the aircraft, remembering my training from both the WarDogs and my time as a contractor fighter pilot during the Siberian Rebellion. The others in line had some trouble, but soon got their planes to turn on.
"Radio check." I called out.
"This is Squatter. I think everything is okay." Squatter said with some confidence in his voice for starting his plane properly.
"This is Circuit. Fifth plane in line." A woman said as she waved an "OK" sign over to both of us, which was the same lady with PJ. "Systems green. I hope. Considering how old this piece of junk is."
Squatter looked over at me as he was the fourth plane in line, next to Circuit with Big-Chete and Dropkick being second and third. "So, what's the plan?"
"Take off in order and shoot down any aircraft we come across. That's basically all we have to do." I said while peeking over to one of the catapult launchers, which was damaged due to the missile strike earlier. "Catapult 1 is probably not going to work. So, we gotta do it one by one at Catapult 2."
"And if some dumb motherfucker attacks his own ship?" Circuit asked.
"If that happens, he/she is gonna have a bounty on their head. And if any of us convicts take them down, that individual will be rewarded." I answered.
"Hey, Big-Chete? You still have a grudge on The Warden? Now's your chance to-"
"Yeah, right. I'm not letting you take the chances of any benefits." He chuckled.
"INCOMING FIGHTER! ABOVE US!" Dropkick called out.
Looking up, I saw one of the enemy fighters diving down as if he was about to drop a payload. The few anti-air defenses that were online began to fire their volley. It was able to clip off one of its wings, but the enemy plane rolled out of control and impacted on the side of the deck, where some of the other convicts stood. We have lost part of our group in just a short span.
"Goddamn it!" The Warden growled frustratingly on the radio. "Underdog, begin take off preparations! Catapult 2, now!"
Before I could proceed forward, I saw the fourth plane in line suddenly move forward and start to cut off the line. It was Squatter, who was clearly looking around frantically as if he was in a panic while moving his plane.
"Tower to Squatter! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Taking off!" He replied. "I'll do what I can to hold them off up there!"
Big-Chete stopped his plane in time to avoid a collision. "You almost hit my plane, jackass!"
"Squatter, you are NOT cleared for takeoff! Halt and await your turn!"
"Tower, let him go. If he wants to deal with them first, by all means." The Warden allowed.
As me and the others who were originally in front of Squatter halted our crafts, Squatter finally passed in front of mine and was approaching the catapult for launch sequence. However, I began to notice he was starting to push the throttle as if he was trying to initiate conventional takeoff. But this was an aircraft carrier! CTOL (Conventional Take-Off and Landing) was not going to work in this situation!
"Squatter!" I called out. "You need to get on the catapult to take off!"
"There's no time! I'll make sure to take off properly!" He responded, almost having some cockish tone to his words.
Dropkick shook his head and nervously said, "Remember not to play hero, bro! Just get on that cat shot!"
There was no turning back.
Squatter began to boost forward at full throttle. But his plane was only starting to move slowly as it didn't pick up enough speed yet, while he was only halfway down the runway. As soon as the landing gear touched off the deck, Squatter's jet began to glide across the front of the carrier. Only for a few seconds until it began to stall and fall down to the ocean, nose first. The HPS Avalon turned and drifted away from the crash in order to avoid collision as the jet began to sink underneath the ocean, with only Squatter's prisoner number on his vertical stabilizer being the last to be seen.
"Aaaaaand there goes Squatter." One of the prisoners laughed.
The Warden groaned in annoyance. "Morons like you bunch aren't cannon fodder because at least cannon fodder can do shit!"
"Shut up with the insults and let us take off." Bones clicked his tongue. "Who's next in line for the catapult?"
"Looks like Underdog." PJ answered as he watched my plane move forward while one of the deck crew was taxiing me to properly align.
"The Princess Killer going to die on his first job? I gotta see this." Caretaker snickered.
As soon as my plane was in position for the only catapult in working condition after Squatter got killed, the JBD behind my craft (Jet Blast Deflector) lifted up as the shuttle locked my craft downward in tension. Making one last check for the panels, fire control systems, instruments, and everything, I ran the aircraft at full power as there was no need to give a salute to the deck crew due to this unit. I pushed the throttle on the left console to maintain speed the moment I was catapulted off the ship. And in just a few seconds, that happened as the moment I felt the gear touch off the deck, I pulled the stick up to gain some altitude while banking slightly to move out of the carrier's path and clear the way for whoever is next.
"Well, I'll be damned…" Bones whistled.
"He can fucking fly?!" Caretaker asked in shock.
Big-Chete laughed at all the penal unit members who were surprised. "Did you fucks forget he was from the WarDogs? Course that motherfucker can fly a plane!"
PJ chuckled lightly. "He makes a good point."
"What the hell is taking you dumbasses so long? Continue with the launches!" The Warden growled angrily as he was growing impatient.
"Alright, alright!" Big-Chete sighed as he was up next, nervously trying to remember the basics of taking off a jet from the small course before becoming an Underling.
"Underdog, you're the only plane up there so far. Anti-Air will do some of the work, but it's your job to make sure the skies are safer for the dumbasses taking off. Are we clear?" The Warden ordered.
"Crystal. Intercepting." I acknowledged.
Having the sky to myself, I checked my radar to scan any incoming bogeys and only tracked a handful of them heading towards the carrier. I turned my craft to the nearest contact and throttled to intercept. However, my craft was easily spotted by enemy fighters as two broke out of formation to stop my advance. Still having time to prevent an attack run on the Avalon, I faced the interceptors and began to ascend first to have them follow the same idea, which was a trick I had up my sleeve. As soon as they were pointed nose up, I eased the throttle to execute a hammerhead maneuver and point straight down to the enemy planes. Locked on, fired a missile, and used my guns to fire upon the second plane accompanying him.
My missile exploded in close proximity as the rounds from my cannons shattered the front-air intake of the other plane, resulting in two enemy planes being shot down! I pulled back up and watched the planes fall into the ocean to verify they were out of commission.
"Hmph. Two down. Not bad." The Warden commented.
"That bastard is already taking down some planes? He might be useful after all." Bones commented, slightly impressed.
"A lot more useful than all you bunch. Continue with launch."
As I was continuing assault against enemy planes approaching the carrier, there were already a few of our Underling members in the air as Big-Chete, Dropkick, and Dash were coming up in formation next to me as the others were trying to get used to flying. Bones was watching over PJ and Circuit, while Caretaker and Pillar were just about to take off in order near the catapult with more convict pilots behind them.
"Well, I don't have any plans for this. What now, Underdog?" Big-Chete asked.
Dash looked back at the others and chuckled a bit. "Let the others keep practicing. We'll follow your lead, I suppose."
I was confused as this was the last thing I would expect to come from anybody, considering my reputation. "Why do I have to lead you guys?"
"You're the only one here who has the most proper military and leadership experience." Dropkick answer. "Look, forget about what The Warden said. I think the best chance of surviving this attack will fall under how you lead from the air."
"I know about you from Operation: Killjoy. Listen, I hate you WarDog bunch. But I'll put that shit aside and focus on staying alive by following you." Dash said as she revealed she was there in the 2nd Wrath Ring Insurgency.
"Don't expect objections from me. We just met, and The Warden isn't in charge of who I will hate." Big-Chete said. "Plus, it's all thanks to you for getting my ass out of there when I was stuck." He added.
As much as it felt heartwarming finally having people by my side in battle, I knew it either wouldn't last long, or they had other intentions besides that. Nevertheless, I allowed this formation and relayed their orders. "Alright. Flight, disperse. Focus your attack on the closest set of fighters for the others taking off."
"Okie-dokie!" Dropkick acknowledged.
"It's in the bag. We got this." Big-Chete said as he and Dash dispersed to deal with a formation close to the one I was intercepting.
"This is Bones. Pillar, PJ, Caretaker, and Circuit are up. We'll try to handle the fighters approaching from the west. Some of the others are still taking off." Bones relayed over to me. "Try not to get killed out there, Underdog."
"I gotcha." I replied as I fired my cannons at the approaching aircraft after aligning my shot.
The battle continued to progress as we were only facing a minor number of enemy contacts from the air. Air power for The Embers was kind of a joke compared to the Royal Air/Aerospace Force, but we shouldn't underestimate them due to their fanaticism to complete their missions.
Even though nobody seemed to care about my life, since I was the lowest of the Underlings, I made sure to watch over each of the convicts in the air to make sure if they needed any assistance. It was a bit messy at first as some of them panicked the moment they were being pursued. But I made quick work of their tails so they could focus on the aircraft prioritizing their attacks on the Avalon. Over time, as more penal unit planes launched from the carrier, and the escort ships now fully activating their defenses, it was a matter of time before this mission was clear. My body was ultimately handling the stress of flying poorly, but I kept my focus on protecting the ships and my fellow Underlings.
"Underdog is still racking up most of the kills." The Warden said over the radio. "Come on, scabs. You're making a goddamn fool of yourselves." He said to the rest.
"You're not the one doing the hard work up here, pendejo. So how about you get off your ass and come join us then?" Bones taunted.
"Unlike you cons, my life matters more than the rest of yours. So how about you line up, do the work, and die if you have to."
Caretaker sighed. "Man, I swear. This bastard loves to run his mouth."
"Nothing but a little bit of tape will fix it. Always a reliable option for me." Pillar chortled.
"Eugh. Would you kindly shut the fuck up about the details before I barf inside my mask?" Dropkick cringed as he and the rest of us knew he was talking about gagging minors.
"Cut the chatter! Multiple contacts detected in the water. Assault boats incoming from the north!" The Warden relayed a warning.
PJ caught blimps on his radar, where he soon banked left to peek down at the water as he was furthest to the north. As relayed, there was a charging battalion of assault boats heading towards the carrier. "Are the others in the boats already aware of their presence?"
"They're already moving to defensive position." The Warden replied. "All Underling planes. This should be easy enough for you. Sink those bastards before they get into firing range!"
One of the Underling pilots turned towards the fleet to assist. "Rooooger. How many do you think I can sink in one pa-…what in the-?! I got radar warning!"
Looking over at his plane, I saw a squadron descend as if they popped out of the clouds, where my radar was able to detect them. "Shit! Contact on your six! Evade!"
"They're shooting at me!" He exclaimed as the sound of his missile alert system repeated in the background. He dropped flares, but the missiles seemingly ignored the countermeasures and then blasted his plane out of the sky. In pieces…
"Man down! We lost one plane!" Bones said as he turned towards the new enemy formation with a few other Underling planes.
"So much for easy." Dash groaned.
"You can say that again. Got some rotor wings approaching from over there." Big-Chete said.
"Where? Can you be more specific? My radar is being shit right now." Bones said as he tried to look around while moving to the formation's tail.
"This is Circuit. I see 'em. Northeast." She confirmed. "Flight of five sets of four."
"Are boys in the boats are going to get in a world of hurt with those choppers." Dropkick said. "Underdog? What's the plan?"
The Warden sighed on the radio and said, "How about you morons stop focusing on Underdog and take down those hostiles?!"
"I'll handle some of the boats. Seems more easier than planes and helicopters." Caretaker said.
"Alright. Most of you can deal with the boats, but I'm gonna need some assistance on taking down more planes for our vessels." I said while keeping my altitude leveled with the enemy bandits.
"This is PJ. I guess I can give you a hand with them."
"Don't worry about it, Pat. Deal with the choppers." Pillar recommended as he went in formation next to me and Dropkick. "I'll give you a hand, I guess."
"Dash and I will deal with the choppers with PJ. Holler if you need us." Big-Chete said.
"It's settled. All units, free engagement." I acknowledged their roles.
Even though it would've been easier if everyone was properly put into groups like an actual military formation, I had to remember this wasn't the case anymore. Overall, it seemed like everything was going to go as planned. That was until I saw the new group of enemy planes closer, then split into a formation of two. Aircraft configurations and their maneuverability was different compared to the previous wave. It was clear they had more of an advantage compared to our outdated planes. As for what designation they carried, I wasn't sure. These jets were something I had never seen before.
If you know your planes, it was like comparing a fight between an F-16C and a MiG-21. With the latter being our planes.
"These new bandits have better planes than the last wave…" Dropkick said as he was already trying to shake off his pursuer. "I was there during the Pentagram City Raid. And these were NOT present up there in the skies."
"Yeah. I think these are in-house designed by The Embers alone and is being taken on their first combat run." Dash guessed. "Not state of the art, but it can do the job…"
And they were effective too. All it took was a few of the Underling pilots being baited into pursuing one of the flights, where another would soon form into a pincer attack. Other of our pilots would try to intercept, only to be chased and broken out of it whether they were shot down or not. One by one, we lost a good number of pilots as our planes were unable to keep up with the enemy planes. Sometimes, the aircraft does matter when it comes to maneuverability and technology harnessed inside.
"We're losing a lot of guys up here! What is this bullshit?!" Caretaker said as she was having trouble focusing on the helicopters with PJ due to being intercepted constantly.
"Damn it…" PJ cursed. "I got a fighter on my tail! I can't focus on the choppers!"
"We're doing whatever we can, PJ. Just hold on." I said while having my hands full helping Dropkick.
"As much as I don't like being the bearer of bad news. But more contacts slipping in!" The Warden warned and cursed under his breath before saying, "More than twenty plus bogeys coming from the north!"
"We already lost a quarter of available pilots, Warden! Are there any available units nearby to provide support?!" I asked.
"You worry about yourself while I handle the situation, Underdog." The Warden disregarded me and began to speak with his second-in-command to relay a distress signal. "All Underlings. Continue with interception."
"You know what?! FUCK THIS!" Pillar cursed as he broke away from formation. "I'm landing back to the carrier!"
"Bad idea, holmes! You're not going to land in one piece with all this shit going on around us!" Bones said as both the naval and air battle kept going.
"Don't be a fucking pussy, Pillar! Get back here!" Circuit called out.
Pillar ultimately ignored both of them as he focused on landing back to the carrier. "Everyone, move out of the fucking way! Emergency landing!" He contacted on an open channel to let the deck crew know of his emergency landing.
The Warden growled on the radio and said, "Typical coward! Pillar, landing sequence denied! You get your ass back up there and shoot down those enemy planes!"
Since Pillar relayed his landing over an open radio, this gave the enemy pilots an advantage to know his approach and painted him an easy target. And this happened quickly as one of the insurgent pilots did a split-s maneuver to the opposite direction of Pillar's approach. The insurgent launched a missile, resulting in a panicked Pillar to try and break off its flight path and tracking.
"OH SHIT! MISSILE! SUPPORT! I NEED HELP OVER HERE!" He cried out.
"All Underlings. Ignore that request. Let the sick fuck own up to his actions." The Warden informed as radar tracked no other Underlings went in to provide cover support.
And just like that, Pillar's plane was hit and exploded into a ball of inferno before landing into the ocean like Squatter. Lost another pilot due to cowardice.
But so far, we have continued to lose even more planes to the point where we were down to half. As for the combat boats intercepting the enemy vessels, they were losing as well due to our vessels being outdated like our planes. All seemed hopeless, but I remembered to keep calm and try to put everything and everyone together, regardless of how they felt about me.
"What the hell do we do now, Underdog?!" Dropkick asked as he was clearly in distress and holding back his panic.
I sighed and contacted all allies in the air. "Focus all attack on the enemy fighters. We've done enough assistance taking out the boats and choppers."
Bones went over to pursuit the enemy plane that shot down and killed Pillar. "Fine. You do you while I'll hold out my own."
Caretaker agreed as she broke away to disengage the choppers and went for an enemy flight. "PJ, stay on me. Going to need someone to watch my ass."
"This is Circuit. I'll try to regroup with you guys once I get this bandit off my tail."
Before I could add more instructions to my plans, we then received contacts of ten on our radar from the west. IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) confirms they were allies, which was a huge relief for the rest of us. However, we weren't sure if it was going to be enough.
That was until we heard the allied flight relay their identities to the Avalon.
"This is Vermilion Squad from the RNS Erinies. Flight of six, approaching Carrier Strike Group: Avalon at bearing 270. Angels 6. Ready to provide defensive air support." The familiar voice of Chief Warrant Officer Raizo Murakami said.
"This is Fireteam Mako. RNS Rán. Flight of four at Angels 3. Accompanying Vermilion. Helicopter support on station to handle enemy vessels and rotor wings." Mako Leader called out afterwards.
"This is the Captain of the HPS Avalon. Vermilion, Mako, you are cleared to engage all designated targets in the AO. Underlings are still on station to provide additional support." The Warden relayed.
"Mako Actual copies. Executing order."
"Vermilion. Cutthroat."
"Great. Here come the lapdogs of the military." Dash groaned as she was clearly not relieved or happy to see WarDogs.
"Well, these "lapdogs" are our only chance of surviving this attack." PJ said while breaking away from their path. "What's the plan now that reinforcements are here?"
"Help them in any way you can. But most of the time, just stay out of their way." I replied as I knew how WarDogs handle fights in an operation. Especially in the air.
Big-Chete huffed. "If that means sit back and do nothing after all this shit, then I'll follow it."
"This is Vermilion 2 to Underling flight. Requesting link to your current flight lead." The voice of Melodie called over the frequency.
To be honest, in this unit, we don't have any sort of leadership hierarchy like any traditional military structure. We only follow The Warden. But since nobody in the flight was responding, I decided to reply in order to let my old friend know how this unit works.
"This is Underdog. No flight lead has been verified. Relay your saying."
"Colonel Adler…?!" Melodie called out to me in shock.
"It's Underdog." I corrected. "I've lost that privilege a month ago."
"Sir…I-I…I can't believe you-"
"Mongrel. Keep yourself away from those filthy Underlings." Raizo (Razor/Vermilion 1) ordered sternly as a way of keeping her protected from convicts like us. "Stay in formation with Vermilion and provide support for the Avalon and her fleet."
"Yes, sir!" Melodie acknowledged. "Colone-…Underdog, it's good to see you're still okay."
She's good to see I'm still okay…?
I don't understand. Why would she say that to me - the man who supposedly tried to kill Charlie?
Maybe she's just saying that for another reason besides being my friend. I've lost all of them the moment I was detained and found guilty.
"Underdog! On your tail!"
The voice of Caretaker shouted as I was snapped back to reality upon feeling my craft receive hits from aircraft gun fire. I immediately pulled the throttle down to make the enemy plane overshot, which worked along with Caretaker and PJ passing by in formation to take down my pursuer. Having a clear shot, Caretaker fired the missile after PJ fired his to make the enemy plane drop flares. A few seconds…*BOOM!*…direct hit! He started to trail smoke before the engines gave in and started to spray out fire and heading down to the water.
"Holy shit…I GOT ONE!" Caretaker laughed in pure satisfaction.
"Nice work, you two. And thanks, Caretaker." I congratulated and expressed my gratitude for her shooting down my pursuer.
"No problem! Now, let's take out the re-…huh?"
Suddenly, another enemy plane popped out of the clouds in front of Caretaker and PJ and fired a missile. Due to it being launched at a far distance and taking its time to dictate its chosen target, it was an active radar. And it was heading towards Caretaker!
Seeing this, Caretaker broke right while PJ broke left to avoid the missile and its splash. Unfortunately, it was too late for Caretaker.
"AUGH! Fuck! Fuck! The panel is on fire! HE-"
*BOOM!*
And just like that, the cockpit of her plane split from the rest of her craft with the back having fire spread due to the fuel. Disturbingly, due to the CCI-2 Narwhals being a very outdated compact fighter, one of its flaws was that the fuel tanks were close to the canopy from behind to make the craft smaller to fit more inside carriers. Which explains why her plane exploded and split her cockpit while it caught some fire with her inside of it.
A horrible way to go.
"Caretaker is down! Shit!" PJ relayed as he and I witnessed her plane become engulfed in flames before splashing into the ocean. Clearly being unable to survive that.
"Why are you making it sound like it's a bad thing? Cruel bitch deserved to die like that." Dash clicked her tongue.
"PJ. Just keep evading. I'll take care of him." I notified him while pitching towards his tail.
"A-Alright! Please hurry!"
"Hold on, Underdog. I see him. Taking the shot." Melodie popped out of the clouds in front of my plane and launched a missile at PJ's pursuer, resulting in a direct strike and shattering the enemy plane.
I was impressed because that was a rather quick shot after maneuvering out of the clouds, which can be tougher to execute than others think. "Mongrel splashed one down. Nice work."
"Thanks, sir." PJ said to Melodie after she saved his tail.
"Don't sweat it." Melodie replied.
"Oh! Er…m-m-ma'am! I meant ma'am! Sorry!" PJ was surprised and stammered a bit upon realizing it was her.
"Hey. I said don't sweat it." Melodie told him, clearly having a smile behind the radio. "Continue interception."
"R-Roger."
After, Melodie formed up next to my plane and gave a small wave from her cockpit. A pretty odd sight - seeing my outdated tin can of a fighter plane flying next to a current generation carrier-launched fighter jet she was controlling.
"You okay, Underdog?" Melodie asked.
"Unfortunately." I joked, which she clearly didn't find funny. "Listen, we can catch up on things later. Form up with your team, and I'll do what I can to help the Underlings."
"Okay. Just try not to get yourself killed, please?" She told me with a lot of concern in her tone.
Again. Why does she care about me?
Universe Trivia
[WARNING: Heavily sensitive subjects up ahead. You have been warned!]
Known Convicts and their Offenses in The Underling Brigade so far.
First Name "Nickname" Surname (Known/Last Affiliation)
Charges committed in the Kingdom of Hell
† = Killed in Action in This Chapter
/
Morgan "Underdog" Adler (Former WarDog Officer)
-Attempted 1st Degree Murder against Princess Charlie Morningstar.
-Twenty-four counts of Murder against Royal Military servicemembers.
-Assault and Blackmail of his partner, Marcela Lopez.
-Treason and Conspiracy against the Kingdom of Hell with the designated terrorist group "The Embers".
Donn "Dropkick" Campbell (Courier for Crimson's Mafia)
-Accused of Sexual Misconduct and Rape of an Overlord's Daughter.
Shawn "Big-Chete" Johansson (Gangster of the Crips)
-Multiple counts of Armed Robbery, Burglary, and Theft.
-Voluntary Manslaughter; seventeen counts of individuals killed.
Vikki "Dash" Vaughn (Prisoner from the 2nd Wrath Ring Insurgency)
-Conspiracy to use Weapons of Mass Destruction resulting in death(s).
-Terrorism.
-Treason against the Kingdom of Hell.
†Patricia "Caretaker" Williams (Human Trafficking Group Member in Australia)
-Paternity Fraud and Child Endangerment.
-Extortion.
-Trafficking of Live Individuals (Humans, Demons, Angels).
Carlos "Bones" Tejada (Former Mexican Cartel Sicario for Los Zetas)
-Forty-seven counts of Murder.
-Multiple counts of Illicit Drug Possession; items that are considered surpassing Hell's regulations of Drugs and Substances.
-Public Intoxication, resulting in Disorderly Conduct.
Patrick "PJ" Jones (Former Canadian Antifa Cell)
-Convicted of the involvement of Fraud.
-Disorderly Conduct.
-One count of 2nd Degree Murder.
† Julian "Pillar" Menendez (Leader of a Pedophile Ring in California)
-Multiple counts of 1st Degree Kidnappings.
-Possession of Child Pornography.
-Twelve (or more) counts of Sexual Assault and Rape; 2/3 involving children.
Denise "Circuit" Solberg (Former Norwegian Cyber Defense Force Officer)
-Identity Theft and Fraud.
-Cyberterrorism.
†Yasin "Squatter" Abadi (Syrian Migrant working for the Lebanese Mafia)
-Illegal Drugs and Arms Trafficking.
-Identity Theft and Fraud.
-Disorderly Conduct along with Assault and Battery against an Ars Goetia Royal.
For my fellow American viewers, Happy (Late) 4th of July! I personally call it 'Murica Day. Haha!
Introduced some new characters! But killed some of them because you'll never know who doesn't have plot armor.
Also kept some of the fight scenes short. Some of you might not like it being dragged out for too long, and you can always think about how they go down in your head. Anyway, hope it was all okay.
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