Last time on Azur Lane: Three Strikes, Trigger and his fleet had rescued the Dragon Empery cruisers Ning Hai and Ping Hai from a Siren Fleet and also obtained a Gründer Freighter that the cruisers had commandeered. Trigger had also faced down a Siren Elite, Tester who had every intention to bring him down because of the drive he has of turning the tide of wars like the other Aces. But this crazy siren ended up being struck down by Three Strikes.
As for Enterprise, she had opened herself to Trigger, telling him about her dream, seeing his life and him in that cell. She wanted him to be with her that night which he reluctantly accepted as Belfast watched silently as both had heart eyes for him.
What secrets would Enterprise see in her next dream? What is the story of Trigger as Spare 15?
Find out in this chapter!
Sakura Empire Main Base
December 10th 2019, 0200hrs
At the Sakura Empire's main base of operations in the pacific, many kansen from both the Sakura and Iron Blood gathered to partake in the various operations against Azur Lane and the Sirens. Red Axis believes that their best chance for the Sirens is to turn their own resources against them. The Iron Blood would especially like to study the siren technology and its effects on various kansen rigging. But as the 1st and 5th Carrier Divisions returned home, the late night shipgirls saw the damage that they sustained and were surprised by this result.
Kaga's ship was in shambles and was in need of a massive overhaul. But the most significant damage was for the 5th Division, Shokaku and Zuikaku were heavily damaged as two impact sites from missiles were shown on Zuikaku's ship while a large slice on the port and bow of her sister ship had caught their attention.
As the four carriers stepped ashore, they were greeted by two individuals, one was a tall woman with a slender frame. She has waist-length dark-blue hair with long bunny ears on top of her head, she has blue eyes and wears round glasses. She wears a dark-green onsen-like uniform with a high collar over a white buttoned shirt, black buttoned corset wrapped around her waist, dark-green pleated skirt, black thigh-high socks with black ribbons, silver & red slippers and a black partly fingerless glove on her left hand.
The other woman has long white hair tied in a ponytail with a pair of bunny ears on top, she has blue eyes and wears a blue forehead protector. She wears a blue onsen-uniform with white sleeves underneath the blue baggy sleeves, a high collar with white linings and white ribbons tied around her shoulders and back. Underneath her uniform is a white buttoned shoulderless shirt, a black corset wrapped around her mid-waist and a blue tail coat wrapped behind her waist, blue miniskirt, white socks, blue sneakers and wears a partly black fingerless gloves underneath an arm gauntlet on her right arm.
These were the 2nd Division Carriers Soryu and Hiryu. The dark haired bunny girl asked, "It seems like you ran into some trouble."
Shokaku stated, "We did…Azur Lane has a Commander…an Ace Pilot is leading them."
Hiryu asked, "Who is this pilot?"
Zuikaku stated, "We never saw him in person, but we saw his planes, his skills and the humiliation that he caused us. He…turned the tide of our surprise attack when he spotted me."
The white haired bunny girl looked at her ship, "That explains the damage caused by missiles."
Akagi stated while still swooning over the pilot, "He damaged Kaga and I when he and the Grey Ghost did a deadly dance. He is a special human and one that I would like to see before me."
Kaga sneered, "He's called Three Strikes, he has three claw scratches on the tail of his plane - an F-22 Raptor. He is deadly and he humiliated us and I will do whatever it takes to bring him down!"
Both bunny girls were surprised by Kaga's anger, they both knew that the white fox was the most calm and collected kansen they know, but to see her basically lose herself in a fit of brief rage because she was humiliated by a human pilot is very unlike her. Both knew that the white fox is out to get Three Strikes in order to restore her honor. But Shokaku spoke,
"He wasn't flying the Raptor when we fought him." They turned to her as Akagi asked, "He wasn't?" The white crane pulled out a datapad as footage of the battle played out as it nearly showed the end of the Grey Ghost. That wasn't until Shokaku's voice in the footage spoke,
"Wait! Unknown Aircraft incoming!"
That's when they saw it - a blue beam charging towards the black crane as she dodged. But the laser struck Shokaku's ship as the white crane screamed in shock. As a Royal Navy Kansen entered the scene, the viewers soon saw it appear - the ADF-01, nose closed to conceal the laser weapon as it flew by the damaged carrier as the footage shows one familiar thing - the three scratches. Zuikaku felt that sting of fright as she heard her own voice speak those words again,
"No…it's Three Strikes!" The Falken soon decimated the Iron Blood fleet and the Siren ships with both laser fire and a single FAE Bomb.
Akagi asked, "That was a laser!?" Shokaku nodded as the footage shifted to a holo of the Falken itself, "It's full of surprises, we did not stand a chance against him."
The dark fox looked it over and figured that it was definitely worth looking into. They never saw anything like it and that the pilot was able to fly it was testament to his skills. This made Akagi make a lustful grin as she said,
"If only I could see his face…"
The others were a bit freaked out by her behavior while Kaga was irritated by her sister's feelings of lust. But Hiryu simply spoke,
"Akagi's heat cycle aside, we should give the report on Three Strikes to Lady Nagato in the morning."
They nodded as they made their way to their barracks for the night. But while en route, Shokaku asked Soryu,
"Is there any word on…her?"
The bunny girl shook her head, "She hasn't come out of her estate since she refused to take any part in our operations. She doesn't see the value of using the technology and sees it as an insanity. She doesn't consider herself as a member of Red Axis."
Kaga asked, "The Sleeping Fox is still not joining us?"
Hiryu spoke, "She stated that forming the Red Axis will only bring us to ruin."
Akagi felt a bit unnerved when she heard that reason. The kansen in question was against the formation of Red Axis and refused to take any part in it. The Iron Blood wishes to study the Siren technology and their best bet against the Sirens is to turn their own resources against them. The black fox had her reasons for using the siren technology and will not stop her plans just because the Sakura Empire's largest carrier got cold feet.
Besides wanting to get Three Strikes into her fluffy tails, she was going to propose her project to Nagato when she saw her. Something that could help change the tide since the mass-produced ships were no match for Three Strikes. It would also help Akagi get closer to her personal goal, which she had planned long before Three Strikes appeared.
But as they turned in for the night - a silent figure watched from her pagoda-style estate as she sighed at this. Her blue eyes narrowed down at the datapad which showed the data regarding Three Strikes as the image of the Raptor's tail scratches, even an image of the pilot that she kept from her mutual friends.
Soon enough, she sensed the presence of a dream. She knew where it was and who it was. The figure made her way to her bed and layed down. As she closed her eyes, she muttered,
"May I see what you see, Lady Enterprise."
Dreamscape
Osean Air Force Base 444,
Zapland, Usea
Enterprise was back in her dream as she saw a row of planes lined up. She noticed a series of F-18s, but she also noticed a Mirage 2000, an F-16, a Mig-29 and a SU-33 Flanker-D. She figured that this was an air unit, but she noticed something odd about the planes - they all had at least one or two lines painted on the tail which crosses out their base of origin. But among them all - was an F-4E Phantom II with three lines on the tail and a familiar emblem. Enterprise realized,
"Trigger!?"
Soon enough, Little E appeared, "Mama, I'm glad you made it! Papa is just about to take off."
Enterprise asked, "What is this?"
The little girl stated, "This is the 444 Base, a prison base where military criminals are sent. It's a penal unit and the commander is a mean person, especially towards Papa."
"How so?" The little girl snapped her fingers as they were in the briefing room as a haughty man pointed,
"You heard right - he is the Murderer of Harling in the flesh."
Trigger stated, "With all due respect, Colonel, I didn't kill Harling."
"You denying your guilt confirms that you did it."
"It's not denial, Colonel. I know what happened at the Elevator and Harling's death was not my doing."
The man threatened, "Why don't you shut it or I'll toss you in solitary?!"
Trigger glared, "Yes, Colonel."
The asshole Colonel, a man named McKinsey was going over the briefing on how the penal unit worked and how he proposed that the cons could do more use by partaking in near suicide missions that regular forces couldn't do on the act of attonement for their crimes. He explains that the base is a decoy set up to fool any Erusean bombers into thinking that the Osean Air Force is set up at the base. A dummy runway and fake planes lined up side-by-side which is a sign saying 'Bomb Me' the kansen noticed Trigger looking at the image of fake runway as he raised his hand and asked,
"But when Eruseans realize that it's a fake, then that's where we come in?"
McKinsey asked, "Did I need you questioning my authority, Trigger?"
"Colonel, all I am saying is that the Eruseans aren't that stupid. Once they discover that the runway is a fake, then they will go after the real base - as in right where we're sitting. If the enemy hits the real base then the ruse is a bust."
McKinsey growled at the pilot's reasoning until the sound of bombs hitting shook. It was Erusean bombers attacking the fake runway. McKinsey stated,
"Let's get the guiltiest cons in the sky first and since Trigger believes that he can be a better Base Commander - we'll start with him."
One con chuckled, "Yeah, he'll be better than the warden."
McKinsey glares at Trigger, "Now remember this, Trigger. I don't like you and I don't like you questioning my command. You step out of line and I will personally order the SAMs to shoot you out of the sky. You got it?!"
Enterprise saw how Trigger remained stoic, he wasn't intimidated by this man - who was essentially his warden. Trigger simply said,
"We'll be watching over the base in case my theory is correct. If I'm wrong, I will willingly spend the night in Solitary. But if I'm right, I expect an apology from you, Colonel."
McKinsey scoffed, "You're one to demand an apology from me, Trigger. You killed a hero that day, his blood is on your hands!"
"That's the official story, Colonel. But I know the truth. Are you willing to accept my wager? My time in Solitary for an apology from you?"
The standoff was a bit intense, both cons and MPs stationed there were on edge. But there was one man who found it amusing, he was wearing a headset as the patch on his sleeve showed the 444 symbol and a snarling dog. The man silently said,
"The new con is already teaching McKinsey that not everything backs down when he snaps at it."
After a brief moment, McKinsey stated, "Deal. Your Phantom from Fort Grays Island is here as well. Get prepared at once and don't slack off!"
Trigger simply said, "Crystal, Colonel." The pilot gestured to a nearby MP and the officer escorted him to the hangar.
Enterprise was a bit tense by this since Trigger made a bet with his commanding officer on how the mission would go. It was not very military-like, but truthfully his military status was revoked when he was sent there. Next thing she saw was the battle going on above the base as Little E pointed out,
"Papa took off, but he couldn't fire back since his firing controls were locked. The Controller was mean, but not as much as the other, he finds the meaner man untrustworthy. But as it went on, Papa also won the bet."
They saw the TU-95s bomb the fake runway until the moved on to target the actual base and runway. The group troops realized,
"Shit! The enemy just hit the Control Tower!"
McKinsey's voice came up demanding to not let them get close while questioning if they are trying to kill him. Contact was lost with the base as the AWACS Bandog unlocked the firing controls.
"Shoot down anything carrying bombs! Weapons free!"
The other cons were excited to actually shoot something while the guy in the F-16 was betting which one gets the first kill. But the Flanker-D pilot stated,
"All right, I'm assuming command. All aircraft support me."
"Who's gonna dance to your lying tune?" That was the Mig pilot with the two lines who said that.
She saw the Phantom head straight for the bombers and down them with machine gun fire. There was another group at high altitude heading for the base and Trigger went after them. Soon enough, an F-18 pilot spoke,
"Allow me to educate you. In this unit, you get your tail marked by scratches. The more scratches means the more heinous the crime. They're called 'Sin-Lines' and you have three scratches, right Trigger? Well, you are Harling's Murderer after all."
Trigger stated, "Which I am not, Full Band. We still got bombers to take down."
Bandog figured, "Denying your crimes, Trigger?"
"Like I told the Colonel, I did not kill Harling. Better yet, I should get back to the mission."
Spare 2, Count figured, "The murderer claims to be innocent."
Spare 11, the Mirage pilot called Tabloid stated, "An innocent victim of the system it seems."
The F-16 pilot, Spare 7, who is a gambler called High Roller, asked, "Does anyone wanna bet if Trigger is really innocent?"
The Mig pilot, Spare 8, Champ stated, "If he really is innocent, then why is he here?"
Tabloid stated, "He was used as a scapegoat, it happens to many innocent victims."
Trigger sternly asked, "Spare Squadron, can we focus on the mission instead of my history?! We can talk about it once we're home!"
Bandog chuckled, "I like your attitude, Spare 15!"
Trigger fired a missile at a Bear bomber as Big E noticed that there were also TU-160 Blackjacks among the Bears, she knew that the Blackjacks were jets and were faster and more armored than the Bears. The Phantom made short work of the bombers as well as most of the escorts. But soon enough, a squadron of fighters appeared as Bandog spoke,
"Bandits approaching, four MiG-29s."
Champ asked, "More Erusean MiGs?"
The bandits spread out as they began to pick off the cons as an Erusean pilot spoke,
"This base may be a decoy, but our orders still stand. Continue on with the mission."
One Spare pilot shouted, "Shit! Spare 12 is down! These guys are good!"
Trigger saw the Fulcrums tying up the other planes while the bombers went after the base. He needed to think of something or else the base would be destroyed. He called out,
"All aircraft, form up on me!"
The squadron, Bandog and the ground crew were confused about what he said as Count asked,
"Since when did you decide to take up command?"
"Since no one has a clue what to do!"
Tabloid spoke, "All right, form up on Trigger!"
Soon enough, all of Zapland saw six members of the disorganized squadron of convicts form up like a real squadron, Trigger in the lead, Count on the port wing, Tabloid on the starboard wing, Full Band on the tail end, Champ on the Super Hornet's left wing and High Roller on the right. Count asked,
"All right, murderer what's your plan?"
Trigger stated, "All right, boys. We're going to split into groups of three: Champ, High Roller and Full Band will go after the fighters while Count,Tabloid and I go after the bombers!"
Champ was excited, "I like this plan!"
Count shrugged, "Just bomber kills to add to my score."
Trigger stated, "Save kill scores for later, Count!"
"Whatever you say, Mr Murderer."
Soon enough, the Phantom, Mirage and Flanker attacked the bombers while the Falcon, Osean Fulcrum and Hornet went after the remaining fighters including the enemy MiGs. Bandog was amused by this as the three splashed the last escort,
"The last escort is splashed, the bombers are ripe for the picking. Looks like we get to go home early today, gentlemen."
Full Band was happy, "I like this job, Trigger actually does make a good squadron leader."
Champ laughed, "Even our noble Count is no match for Harling's Murderer when it comes to actual command."
High Roller spoke, "Even if he says that he's innocent and I got a bet that he is."
As for the other three, Trigger and his wingmen struck from above as he stated,
"Spare 11, take the Bear on the right, Spare 2, take the Bear on the left, I got the leader!"
Count shouted, "Right-o!"
The three planes dove into the fireworks as the Bear gunners attempted to attack them. But the Mirage and Flanker avoided the bullets as they fired their missiles at the Bears, blowing them out of the skies. Tabloid announced,
"Splash one Bomber!"
Count cheered, "Scratch one hostile!"
Trigger's Phantom throttled after the lead bomber - a Blackjack as the bomber neared the base in preparation to drop its payload on the control tower. But before it could attempt to deal the finishing blow - Trigger unleashed his air suppression missiles along with standard missiles, striking the bomber as the Blackjack's payload detonated prematurely - destroying the last bomber as the F-4E circled around the base as he contacted the tower,
"Spare 15 to Tower, what's your status?"
The Tower Operator sighed, "We're fine and it seems you idiots have saved our skins. Nice work on getting at least five of them to be like a real squadron, Spare 15."
Soon enough, a single F-15C Eagle appeared out of nowhere and was gunning for Trigger. He moved his Phantom away from the incoming aircraft as he said, "Whoa! Where did you come from!?"
The Erusean Eagle was determined to take Trigger down as the Eagle's guns fired at him. But the pilot was able to maneuver enough as the F-15 got closer to him and soon enough - Trigger pulled a barrel roll as he hit the brakes. The Erusean flew past him as he got him in his sights. He got a radar lock and announcing,
"Spare 15, Fox 2!" The missiles struck the Eagle as it tumbled towards the ocean.
Tabloid was like, "How did we miss that one!?"
Count figured, "That coward was probably waiting for the right opportunity. But I did notice a fang emblem on the tail."
"But still, the skies are clear now."
Bandog spoke, "Spare 15, that was interesting work out there since you rallied at least five of your wingmen together. As for your opponent, the Eagle was actually one of Erusea's aces and you managed to down him. You rather have the devil in your corner or a guardian angel guiding you and your team to redemption." He soon asked High Roller, "Spare 7, what happens if the person you bet on dies while landing?"
The gambler chuckled, "Then you win."
Big E and Little E watched as the Phantom landed as the AWACS complained about losing a lot of money. Next they were in the debriefing room as McKinsey, who had his arms folded and asked,
"Did I say you could take down the enemy?"
Trigger stated, "Communications with you were lost and Bandog made the decision to take the leash off of us. Furthermore, the radio communication that was played on open channels confirmed that the Eruseans discovered that it was a ruse."
McKinsey sighed, "You seem to know a lot and I guess I owe you my apology. You also rallied a group of nobodies into a real squadron, I don't know what your game is, Trigger. Your claims of innocence will not fool me!" He decided, "Furthermore, I would just throw everyone into Solitary for disobeying orders, but Bandog convinced me to decide against it since you idiots did save my life."
He pointed to Trigger, "Trigger, you are on mess duty for tonight." He glares at Champ, "As for you, you forced a takeoff without clearance from the Tower and you're going to spend the night in Solitary! But it's best you eat first before you head there. That's all! Now get out of my sight!"
Soon enough, they saw Trigger in the mess hall wearing an apron as he gave Champ his food as the hot head said,
"That was some amazing flying, Trigger. But we also flew like a real squadron up there."
"I had a good teacher, Champ."
"I actually heard rumors that you were trained by the Grim Reaper. Is that true?"
Trigger shrugged as he sarcastically said, "Maybe, maybe not. But you should actually eat quickly before the Colonel sends his men to fetch you for the cooler."
The man nodded and turned towards his table as Trigger went back to work. But that wasn't until he had an unexpected visitor,
"Trigger." The man turned back to the counter and saw the AWACS operator with a tray, "Bandog? What are you doing here?"
"For one, I wanted to see how you are doing with mess duty. On the other hand, what you displayed in the briefing room was very amusing. You displayed a nice grasp of strategies and tactics and questioned if the Eruseans knew what they were really bombing. I really enjoyed watching you rail away at Colonel McKinsey about his authority."
Trigger stated, "I'm sorry if I came out too strong, I thought he would throw me in Solitary for it until I made that wager."
Bandog chuckled, "Nah, McKinsey needs to learn that not everyone on this base backs down when he snaps at it." He soon was serious and stated, "Now I want to talk about what really happened at the Lighthouse. The official story goes that you fired a missile at the Osprey carrying Harling, but you claim that you used your guns to not risk the transport and an Osean Super Hornet was responsible for the missile."
Trigger nodded, "I knew what I saw." The guard dog stated, "And I believe you. I saw how you flew today, even the good pilots were criminals. But you, you don't stink like them, you fly like a hero who rallies his team together and I'm glad to have you here."
Trigger felt touched by the adulation from the guard dog and knew that he was going to be here unless someone from higher up reopens his case, "Well, it's going to be nice working with you, Mr Guard Dog. So what would you like for dinner here in the 444 Mess?"
Enterprise saw the interaction with Trigger and Bandog as the operator was generally nice to him. Little E pointed out,
"He may have been mean at first, but he warmed up to Papa in the end. Now Papa's missions in this group were suicidal, but as Papa progressed through his time in the unit, he would come at a loss to some of his friends."
Roca Roja, Usea
The scene shifted to Roco Roja, a desert region of Usea where Spare Squadron was assigned to soften up an enemy base to make way for the regular forces waiting to be deployed. Trigger wasn't flying his Phantom, instead he was flying a plane that Enterprise recognizes as the famous A-10C Thunderbolt II also known as the Warthog.
She saw as the A-10 commenced attack on an airbase, stopping any planes from taking off while the others were attacking a facility in a well - enclosed area. When Trigger assisted the rest, it was nothing more than piles of rubble as Spare Squadron went towards the enemy base. When they arrived, Tabloid demanded that they needed ground troops which Bandog refused while Trigger got to higher altitude and dropped his UGBs which destroyed a fair amount of enemies. Enterprise soon saw the most craziest stunt in this dream, she saw the A-10 turn towards the tunnel and entered it as several explosions were heard as Bandog announced,
"Trigger crashed! Drooling idiot!"
Until an unnamed Spare spoke, "No, he flew into the tunnel! He's crazy!"
"Fighter jets flying into tunnels!? You gotta be kidding me!"
Trigger spoke as he emerged on the other side of the tunnel, "It's been done before and there was a squadron of Gripens parked in that tunnel. I managed to shred them with the Gatling Gun."
The carrier was surprised that Trigger did a tunnel run like that since many consider tunnel runs as crazy stunts performed at air shows! But as Trigger continued his assault on the base, Bandog warned them of enemy aircraft - MQ-99s were entering the combat zone and headed for Spare Squadron. The drones jumped onto the cons and began to pursue them. Trigger flew up to engage them until he saw a drone pursuing an F-16 as its pilot spoke,
"This is Spare 7, shit! Someone get this enemy off my ass!"
Trigger shouted, "Hang on, High Roller I'm coming!"
He got on the drone's tail and although the A-10 was more of an Attacker, Trigger flew it like a fighter, but the drone was slippery as it fired a missile at High Roller as it struck his plane. The gambler shouted,
"I'm hit! I'm still at the table!"
Trigger shouted as the drone fired another missile, "High Roller! Missile, another one!"
"Hey I got a bet on me getting out of this..." The missile struck the Falcon's wing as it spiraled out of control towards the ground as radio contact was lost from it.
Trigger made the announcement, "All aircraft, Spare 7 is down…I repeat High Roller is down!"
The Spare pilots were shocked by this as the drones picked off another man as some of them panicked and retreated. But Tabloid got behind Trigger's Warthog,
"I'm getting behind Trigger. Stick with the best if you want to survive."
Full Band spoke, "That fluke in the last mission? You're serious?"
Count arrogantly stated, "I still have the top score!"
Tabloid sighed, "Count! Man you're useless."
Champ spoke, "Everyone knows you inflate your numbers!"
What she heard was that this man, Count, was a pathological liar who inflated his kill count and tries to be the superior one when no one takes him seriously. He challenged Trigger to see which one is the best,
"The one who takes down the most drones wins. Let's settle who's best once and for all. You think you can keep up in that A-10?"
Trigger's plane got a couple of kills on the drones as Tabloid takes count of how many drones the Warthog killed. Count tried to say that he shot down six, only for Bandog to call bullshit on his claim because he's still on two. Trigger cleaned up as he downed the remaining drones as he was soon bounced by an Erusean F-14D with a kitten emblem. This was another ace pilot, this one was determined to bring him down, but Trigger proved himself to be the better pilot, even in an A-10.
Enterprise figured that Trigger won that bet and destroyed the drones as Bandog stated,
"Never thought I'd say this - but you're doing a hell of a job, Spare Squadron."
Count arrogantly said, "Adulation from the guard dog, I'm touched."
"Don't make me take it back! Eradicate the rest of them."
Little E told Enterprise, "They completely destroyed the enemy base, Papa did this without crossing the return line on the map which impressed many members and by the time the regular forces arrived, there was nothing left but a destroyed base."
The carrier asked, "What happened next? What other friends did he lose while in this unit?"
Yinshi Valley, Usea
The scene only changed to the craggy regions of Yinshi Valley as several MQ-99s were pursuing two squadrons of F-15C Eagles in the middle of a thunderstorm. She noticed that they were not equipped for Air-to-Air and realized - it was a recon squadron. She was nervous about how the drones were going after this unarmed squadron until one drone exploded and soon enough - a EuroFighter Typhoon broke through the clouds like an Angel descending from the heavens to protect this squadron. She soon noticed the three sin lines and knew that this was Trigger.
"Interesting."
The Grey Ghost heard a voice as she turned and saw a woman with white hair, fox ears and tails, like the fox sisters of the First Division, but she's something else entirely. She recognized who this woman was - this was Shinano, the Sakura Empire's Largest Carrier. Her historical counterpart was originally designed to be the third Yamato-Class Battleship, but after the historical Battle of Midway, she was converted to a Supercarrier. While en route to be outfitted, the historical Shinano would be torpedoed and sunk by USS Archerfish. Now reborn as a Kansen, Shinano has a unique ability to enter the dreams of others, whether it's human or kansen. Enterprise asked,
"Shinano? Why are you here?"
The Dreamwalker stated, "I felt your energy and came to see what your dream is about, Enterprise. But I never guessed that it would be the Commander's backstory."
Little E pointed out, "Ms. Shinano is a friend, she's not involved with the Red Axis in the Waking World."
Big E asked the Sakura carrier, "Is it true?"
Shinano nodded, "I wanted no part in Akagi's insanity, the Iron Blood were shown to be very opportunistic in obtaining and studying Siren Technology, but Akagi had her own motives for the Sakura Empire joining. She doesn't care about using the technology to defeat the sirens. That's why I…I do not consider myself a Sakura Carrier."
She looked up at the battle as the Typhoon shot down the remaining drones and saved the seven aircraft and asked Little E,
"What squadrons were involved in this battle?"
The little girl pointed out, "Papa's Squadron was Spare Squadron, but the recon group was Cyclops Squadron….and Strider Squadron."
That name hit Big E as she saw the Typhoon pass the crag where they were standing. She realized that this was Trigger's Squadron - the one that he would lead…Strider Squadron.
"That's…his squadron?!"
"Well, it was before Papa joined Strider. But there was one other squadron involved."
Before they could ask, Champ's Mig-29 was being pursued by an enemy aircraft as the hot head claimed that he wasn't afraid of it. Bandog told Champ to not dogfight, but he wasn't going to let it slide. They watched as he pulled an impressive cobra, getting on the enemy's tail…only for the plane to do a quick loop, getting Champ in his sights before firing two missiles at the Fulcrum.
An explosion occurred as the victor soared out of it. As a wingman stated that he could have done that sooner, she heard a familiar voice,
"I want to understand the enemy." It was him - the pilot from Chopinburg. When Bandog pointed out that it was an SU-30, Trigger suspiciously asked,
"Did this guy have orange wingtips?" The guard dog confirmed, "He does, Spare 15."
"THAT'S THE ACE! THAT'S THE ACE THAT KILLED BROWNIE! I'M GOING AFTER HIM, BANDOG! IT'S PAYBACK TIME!"
Both kansen were surprised by this outburst as the Typhoon flew after the SU-30. Shinano instantly felt the emotions of rage, sorrow and loss in Trigger's words as Enterprise realized,
"He's going after that plane because he was responsible for the death of a friend of his."
The three soon watched the deadly air duel as Trigger and the Sukhoi twisted and turned through the craggy mountains while battling winds and lightning strikes. As the two planes jousted each other, the Erusean Ace noticed,
"Three White Lines? Do they signify something?" He also noticed the wolf emblem, "That emblem? The rookie from Chopinburg."
As Trigger turned his aircraft to continue pursuit, he spoke, "Tabloid, keep the other two away from Cyclops and Strider! I'm on the lead!"
Spare 11 stated, "I got them, Trigger!"
Soon enough, he heard a familiar voice, "The rookie from Chopinburg, nice to see you again."
Trigger sneered, "Get off this frequency, asshole!"
The Ace stated, "You put up quite the fight, you managed to not only get a hit on me, but you've avoided my attack. You went as far as to follow me into a storm. You truly are the better pilot, Three Strikes."
The lead recon aircraft, Cyclops 1, Wiseman spoke, "Am I hearing this?"
Strider 3, Jaeger realized, "Yeah, Mister X is communicating with the 444 pilot on Osean channels."
Cyclops 4, the plane with the fairy fox emblem and only female pilot, spoke, "And he's praising him for it?! What's with this guy?"
Mister X stated, "I intend to fight you, Three Strikes."
Trigger sneered, "And I intend to drop you from the skies, you bastard!"
The air duel continued as Mister X maneuvered through the canyons and winds of the valley as Trigger followed behind, keeping pace with his movements. The Typhoon fired a missile which struck the Sukhoi as the pilot said, "Huh, not bad."
He soon pulled a Kulbit and launched a missile which struck the Typhoon, but Trigger turned as the missile struck. Mister X stated,
"Bandit hit." His wingman, Sol 2, Wit asked, "Is he down?"
He saw the Typhoon still flying as he noticed, "He managed to take it in a non-critical area. I'll teach you that once we get back."
Enterprise was a bit frightened when Trigger got hit. But he was able to move in a way to minimize the damage from a missile hit, which is a remarkable skill. As Trigger chased Mister X into the clouds, Shinano felt like it was a duel of two warriors, she felt that the ace pilot had years of experience under his belt, a veteran while Trigger was once a rookie pilot as his time in the 444 strengthened his skills, but is on a quest for revenge. As Trigger pelted the SU-30 with bullets, a mechanical voice spoke,
"Over-G! Over-G!"
That's when they heard the pained voice of Mister X as he struggled while descending into the clouds. Trigger followed once more until Wit spoke,
"Sol 1, the clouds are moving in. Let's return to base."
Mister X agreed to his wingman's advice as he said to Trigger, "Can you hear me, Pilot with the Three Strikes? You're the winner of this duel and you have proven yourself a capable ace. But we will meet again and only one of us will survive."
Sol Squadron departed the area as Trigger asked his AWACS, "Bandog, what's the status of the recon squad?"
Bandog sighed, "They made it, we'll guide them back to Air Force Base 444, but the bastards who disengaged are going to wish they were never born. You and Spare 11 get a pass."
Trigger soon caught up with the recon squad as he pulled alongside the leader and soon enough, Wiseman came on the line, "Hey kid, that was some amazing flying. You must be crazy in order to go up against Mister X like that."
Trigger asked, "Mister X?"
Jaeger spoke, "The pilot with the Experimental Squadron's X-Plane. He's a man we would not like to run into, but you flew after him like you were out for blood."
"He killed two of my friends, a woman from my previous squadron called 'Brownie' and Champ went down when he tried to dogfight him."
The woman with the fairy fox emblem, Hüxian, spoke, "You had a reason to go after him? You must be crazy to pick a fight with him and yet, you did anyway. You may not have downed him, but you chased him off solo since support ran off."
Wiseman stated, "That Mirage pilot helped fend off Mister X's lackeys during the fight, Hüxian."
The woman knew that he was right as Spare 11 joined the group and flew back to Air Force Base 444.
AFB 444 DebriefingRoom
Zapland, Usea
Once at the base, McKinsey chewed out the deserters and punished them with solitary confinement. He looked at Trigger,
"Well well, it seems that you managed to get these pilots back safely. I heard that you did a dumbass move of going up against a very skilled Erusean Ace, you got some kind of death wish?"
Trigger stated, "I went after that guy because of what he did when I was in the IUN. He killed my friend and he also took down Champ, you may not care, but I do since he was my wingman."
"You acting like some squadron leader, Trigger? Champ was a criminal, just like you! He wasn't your friend!"
"With all due respect, Colonel. I don't need your lecture about what I feel about my wingmen. When Mister X showed up, everyone except Tabloid chickened out when they were supposed to be protecting the recon squadron. I went after him while Tabloid covered Cyclops and Strider. I went up against Mister X with a vengeance, he challenged me on Osean channels. He remembered me and I remembered him. It was my responsibility to protect my wingmen, but I failed and now Champ is gone. I don't care if he was a criminal, he was still a member of Spare Squadron. I don't belong in the Penal Unit because I am not a criminal. But at the same time, Spare Squadron needs my help."
McKinsey felt a blood vessel pop as he was about to chew Trigger out until Wiseman spoke,
"I vouch for Trigger, we would have never made it without him. I also feel what he's feeling right now. At the start of the mission, we started our recon with eight aircraft. We lost our Strider 1 in the initial recon and lost all but what you see here in the return trip to Mister X. Jaeger, Hüxian and I never would've made it if not for Trigger. Colonel, you got yourself a real hero in the making. No criminal could fly like he could, so I went forward and put him on recommendation."
McKinsey asked with shock, "WHAT?!? That's out of the question!"
"Think about it, McKinsey. The General Staff Office would take notice of how you have an ace pilot under your command and with his recommendation by me, they would give you a commendation for the actions of your ace."
The Colonel thought about it and realized that Harling's Murderer was his ticket out. So he agreed to have Trigger be recommended by Wiseman. The kansen watching this unfold were confused until Little E said,
"That Mean Man is also an opportunist, he sees an opportunity to advance his career and Papa was his ticket to getting the attention of the higher ups."
Shinano figured, "It makes sense that when one is a warden who hates his job, he finds a reason to advance his career."
They heard McKinsey state, "You have a point, Major. Trigger, make sure you treat them well and feed them plenty. We have to get a favorable report out of this. And with your recommendation by the Major, it seems you're being put in the spotlight,'Hero' if not for the Major, then I would have sent your ass to solitary for your remarks."
Enterprise was disgusted with how the Colonel called him a Hero with a hint of sarcasm. It's those types of commanders who look down on their subordinates which makes the carrier want to puke. Shinano shook her head at McKinsey's ego, never had she seen an Air Force Colonel act so arrogant in front of his subordinates. The Dreamwalker figured that McKinsey should actually be put in solitary for being an unfit commander!
Little E soon spoke, "Papa had also inspired the other members of the squadron to stick by his side. They believe that as long as he is with them, they will get out alive. It was shown in the next mission."
Port Artiglio, Usea
They were soon shifted to the waters near the port of Artiglio as several Spare Squadron aircraft attacked the oil facilities in order to starve Erusea's drone forces. The kansen were able to point out Trigger's plane - an F-15E Strike Eagle with the same three strikes on the tail.
They saw as Trigger dropped his spread bombs all across the facilities as the oil facilities ignited, causing a fireball explosion as the fires spread and sparked more explosions. Trigger turned to the tankers and destroyed both the ones in port and at sea. Enterprise knew that the biggest fear of a kansen is a lack of oil for their ship. It's the reason why the canteen exists in order to store their oil supply.
The con pilots were also on a timer because of an incoming sandstorm called 'Inessa 2.' They were able to get their job done as the sandstorm entered the area, but they couldn't call the mission complete just yet. There were 20 tanker trucks fully loaded with oil leaving the bombed facility. The Spares were ordered to hunt for the tankers, but the challenge was that they were using the sandstorm to cover their escape. The tankers can pop on and off of radar due to the sand clouds. The cons spread out to find those trucks before they could escape. Shinano was a bit impressed,
"I must admit, these pilots are brave to fly into a sandstorm like that."
Enterprise agreed until she noticed a Flanker-D flying towards Erusean Territory, "Where's he going?"
Bandog shouted, "Count, you're approaching Erusean Territory! Return immediately!"
Count nonchalantly said, "Just following orders to find tankers, so why don't you go chew on a bone."
As Trigger continued flying into the storm and blowing up tanker trucks, he soon got multiple hits on his radar,
"Bandog, we got enemy aircraft inbound!"
"I know there's at least 11 UAVs and an F-15E among them. Focus on the objective."
The other Spares were panicking and blaming Count for dragging them into this mess. Trigger had destroyed most of the trucks as he turned his attention towards the enemy aircraft. The Strike Eagle destroyed the drones one-by-one while the eleventh drone was downed by Full-Band. Bandog stated,
"Don't tell me you're taking down drones for your comrades? They're not your friends, they're convicts just like you!"
"Even so, they still need my help." He soon heard his missile alarm as the enemy Strike Eagle was on him. He managed to evade the missile and use the sand clouds for cover. He popped out of the clouds and got behind the ace with the gazelle emblem and shot two missiles at the aircraft - blowing him out of the skies.
He soon turned to the last tanker that was getting close to leaving the western edge of the AO until Trigger dropped a spread bomb which destroyed the tanker trucks, but also there was a large blue explosion as Trigger asked,
"Bandog, tanker trucks destroyed. But they must've had something else stored in that truck besides fuel! It was a huge blue explosion, I saw it before this mission."
Bandog asked, "You've seen it before? When?"
"At Scofields Plateau with the IUN, a transport plane was carrying something like that. The minute I downed it, the plane went up in a blue explosion."
"Huh, that is suspicious. But that's all of the tanker trucks, mission complete."
Full Band chuckled, "Stick with Trigger And You'll Make It! Worked like a charm."
The AWACS asked, "If that's all you need to survive, you might as well get your last rites now."
Count stated, "Yeah that was just dumb luck."
Spare 6 asked, "You were in earshot, Count?"
Bandog spoke to Count, "It seems like you've learned nothing from your time in the sky, Count."
The arrogant pilot stated, "Well yeah, it's not like I can learn anything from Trigger."
Trigger sighed, "Count, you can learn much from others, but you need to learn how to fly with others. Focus on protecting your wingmen and not your own kill scores."
Count would still shrug this off as they went home. Little E spoke,
"Their next mission took place over the site of his teacher's last mission. It's where Papa would truly become a squad leader as Spare Squadron emerges from being a ragtag group of convicts into a real squadron."
Waiapolo Mountains
Northern Usea
Enterprise and Shinano soon found themselves in the Waiapolo Mountains as heavy cloud cover was shown. There was the sound of jet noise as a single fighter burst from the clouds - and both kansen were surprised since it was nothing like they had seen before.
The aircraft has a remarkably unique design for a stealth fighter. In the front, it sports all-moving canards, four tail wings (with two above and two below the engines), and variable swept back wings that can adapt to a range of speeds. In the rear, horizontal paddle-type thrust vectoring nozzles are equipped on its twin-engine thrusters, giving it both mobility and stability.
They noticed it dive back into the clouds as an Erusean F-18 with a spider emblem chased after it, but as the Super Hornet emerged from the clouds, the plane emerged behind it and sheared its wing off with bullets. The plane did a brief circle as the three lines were spotted by the kansen. Enterprise asked,
"What is that?"
Little E stated, "That's an XFA-27, Mean McKinsey actually had it on base and Ms. Avril was able to fix it up."
Shinano asked, "Avril?" The little girl snapped her fingers as they appeared in a hangar as a young woman with dark hair, black tank top, green combat pants and combat boots is shown working on the XFA-27. Trigger approaches her as he asks,
"Avril?"
The woman looked up, "I know and it's ready to go. But if you crack this thing, I'll kick your ass."
"You got it, Scrap Queen."
Avril shrugged as she silently said, "First I was fixing an old Starfighter in a junkyard and now I'm fixing advanced planes for the military in Usea."
Shinano noticed, "She's not military?"
Enterprise realized, "She's a civilian mechanic."
Little E stated, "Ms. Avril was an aircraft mechanic who was testing a restored plane as the war began. But she forgot about the radio and IFF system and was shot down by friendly aircraft. She was arrested for violating 'wartime aviation laws' and was transferred to the 444. She would play a part in Papa's history."
The image shifted back to Waiapolo as the XFA-27 burst from the clouds and attacked a radar site before diving back into the clouds. Enterprise compared it to how a dolphin would jump from the water. The plane flew from the clouds, shot at the enemy and went back to the clouds. Little E pointed out,
"Papa's mission is to destroy the radar sites in order to stop the communication systems for the drone network and missile guidance capabilities of an orbital satellite. The satellite wouldn't see him in the clouds."
They continued to watch as Trigger's plane destroyed the radar sites while Full Band was talking about how he hacked into a system using a password and picked up a bunch of intel. Although Bandog pretended that he didn't understand what he was saying, it raised alarms of both kansen that Full Band acquired classified intel which the AWACS showed discontent with his actions. Trigger soon destroyed the last radar as he announced,
"Bandog, that was the last one, this will no doubt stop the missile guidance."
Bandog agreed as he ordered, "Someone fly above the clouds to prove that Trigger was right."
The Spares agreed that Full Band should do it since he could use the exercise. As the squadron were now above the clouds, Bandog spoke,
"Wait! Hold it!"
The Spares were confused until the AWACS announced, "This is the Air Force Base 444 Squadron. What is your affiliation?"
Trigger maneuvered his plane in the direction of a squadron of Osean F/A-18 Super Hornets as Bandog spoke,
"Nobody told me there were this many nearby. Incoming Allied Fighters. Respond!"
The F-18s were in formation, but Enterprise and Shinano could pick up a red light near the canopy as they broke formation. Count pointed out,
"The regular forces want nothing to do with the penal base."
That wasn't until the Spares were being locked on…by the Allied fighters. The Hornets opened fire on the irregulars as the cons couldn't get a lock because the IFF says that they're allies. When asked if they were spoofing their IFF, Bandog stated,
"Modern IFF connects to our strategic system via satellite. It can't be decoded."
When asked about markings and craft type, Trigger was trying to evade those fighters when got close to one and saw something that made his eyes widen - something that brought him back to the Lighthouse. The Super Hornet that shot down Harling also had a red light near the cockpit and had no pilot! He announced,
"Spare 15 to all planes, I just got a closer look at one of them! They don't have pilots, these guys are unmanned!"
Tabloid realized, "You're saying…"
"They're drones! The enemy aircraft are drones spoofing both our markings and IFF!"
One Spare was like, "They can build drones to look like regular aircraft!?"
"Son of a bitch!"
"How are we supposed to fight them when they're marked as Allies?!"
Tabloid soon had an idea, "All aircraft gather around me…I mean Trigger!"
The others were confused as the anarchist stated, "Bandog, can you register Trigger and the blips around him as Friendly?"
Bandog agreed, "Sure."
"All right, all aircraft form up on Trigger nice and tight!"
From below, Enterprise and Shinano saw the remaining Spare aircraft form up on Trigger. It included Tabloid, Full Band and even Count along with a few unnamed members formed in a triangle formation. Trigger spoke,
"Bandog, you're up!"
Bandog asked, "Full Band, what's your location?"
Spare 6 announced, "The tail end!"
"Understood…" There was a slight chuckle in his voice as the data changed as the drones went from friendly to enemy, "I've sent new ID Data. Enemies will be marked as enemies."
The Spares had confirmed that their radars were updated. The AWACS stated,
"Shoot them all down!"
The kansen watched as Spare Squadron spread out and went after the drones as the con pilots began to act like a real squadron. It wasn't until Bandog warned them of an incoming projectile as he was trying to figure out what's going on. Until he counted down,
"5 4 3 2 1…Here it comes!"
Soon enough, the skies were rocked by thunderous shockwaves as blue balls of light emerged from the impact zones. Trigger truly felt deja vu as he recognized those explosions since it brought him back to Scofields Plateau and Artiglio!
It wasn't until Bandog spoke, "Incoming Transmission from HQ! The weapon is codenamed 'Helios'. It's a long range missile carried by Arsenal Birds!"
Full Band asked, "Arsenal Birds?"
Trigger realized, "We're out of their defense range! Why is the Arsenal Bird attacking all the way here?!"
The AWACS stated, "The Arsenal Bird is not here physically, but the Helios Missiles extend its range, so it must be stationed on the edge of its defense zone. I'm sending over the predicted impact sites!"
A series of rings appeared on their radars as Trigger noticed that the rings shrunk at low altitude. He called out,
"Spare Squadron, if you can't evade the impact zone, dive for the deck! The impact zones will shrink at low altitude!"
A series of wilcos were heard from the squadron as they descended to low altitudes.
The Spares managed to weave through the Helios attacks while also assisting each other in taking down the drones. Once Trigger got the last drone, Bandog told Count,
"Count, one to go!"
Count eagerly chased after the bandit as Full Band asked,
"Where? I don't see it!"
Count opened fire on the bandit as he announced, "Yeah! I got the last one!"
As cheering occurred, Full Band shouted, "Damn it, why is this…" All of a sudden, Full Band's Hornet explodes as the plane tumbles to the mountains in flames as Trigger pointed out,
"Wait? Full Band's down!"
This caught the squadron by surprise as they tried to figure out what happened if it was friendly fire or they missed one of the drones. But Tabloid figured it out,
"Full Band got tagged as an enemy."
Trigger was surprised, "Bandog, did you…"
The AWACS curiously asked, "Did what?!"
Count accused him, "Don't play dumb! You tagged Full Band as an enemy on purpose!"
"It was an accident, it got out of control. Return to Base."
Count was angry, "Son of a bitch!"
Trigger was hit hard as well since Full Band became a huge help, especially in the air and he finally got the hang of Tabloid's motto. But now Count downed his own wingman by accident due to him being tagged as an enemy. Whether it was by accident or not, Bandog did have Count kill Full Band and he did nothing about it.
The kansen were now in the debriefing room as McKinsey chewed Count out for his false kill count. After that, he stated,
"I'm getting the hell outta this dump. And when I do, their kill count will make my star shine brighter."
"Maybe or maybe his Star will shine more." Said a new voice as the communication system came on as the Colonel recognized this man,
"Vice Chairman Edwards of the Joint Chiefs of Staff? Come to commend me on how I proved that these cons are a valuable asset?"
Edwards stated, "I am more interested in your ace pilot - your recent transfer. Since there has been an error in the International Union Peacekeeping Forces Court Martial."
"What kind of error? Trigger killed Harling at the Lighthouse. You've seen the report."
"Only the Official report, but I noticed some irregularities in the report and in my experience - only an idiot would believe the official story. So I contacted Fort Grays for the full story as well as the radio communications that the Lieutenant made before and after Harling was shot down. As well as the testimony of the two leads that were at the Lighthouse that day." His voice soon spoke to Trigger, "Lieutenant, what did you use to take down the drone closest to Harling?"
Trigger made himself clear, "I used my guns to destroy the drone without risking the transport, sir."
"Which sums up the communications during Operation Lighthouse Keeper. You never fired a missile in close proximity with Harling's craft. You had also claimed that an Osean Super Hornet was responsible and according to your current mission - you have encountered F/A-18 UAVs disguised as Osean fighters."
McKinsey asked the General, "Why are you so interested in Trigger's case, sir?"
"It came to my suspicions that Erusea's drone program is more sophisticated than we thought. Since they were able to build and mimic the IFF of Osean Aircraft and were most likely used to assassinate Harling. Furthermore, the result of how fast the trial went and how any defense for the Lieutenant was stonewalled shows that they used him as a scapegoat."
"You seem to believe that Trigger is innocent."
"I don't believe, Colonel. I know he's innocent. Furthermore, my colleagues in the General Staff Office have taken notice of the string of victories of the 444 Squadron."
McKinsey grew interested, "So how exactly are we doing?"
"As a result of these victories, the Osean Air Force 444th Squadron is now legit. All of its members have been pardoned for their crimes. But don't celebrate just yet, there's still more work to be done. As well as ensuring that the IUN-PKF's court martial is brought up on charges for false imprisonment and denial of right to counsel for the Lieutenant. You will hear back from the General Staff Office soon."
The transmission cut off as the con pilots were surprised by the Vice Chairman's words regarding Trigger. Count spoke,
"So he never killed Harling after all."
Tabloid noted, "If High Roller were alive, then he would be cheering that he won."
McKinsey stated, "So the Osean Air Force Base 444th Squadron is now legit. But there is a long road ahead before we figure out where we're going by the General Staff Office. Standby for further orders."
Shinano was impressed by the Vice Chairman's initiative of proving that Trigger was innocent. The man struck her as someone who investigated thoroughly into the Harling Assassination and discovered evidence that Trigger never fired that missile. He even contacted Fort Grays for the data regarding the mission.
As for Enterprise, she remembered what Trigger said before she pulled him to the bed, "My time in Spare Squadron is a false-sinner's time in Hell."
It finally made sense - Trigger was a false sinner accused of a crime he didn't commit. Now forced to serve time in a penal unit pulling off suicide missions to either survive or get shot down to atone for his crimes while bearing a symbol of his false crime. The pain that she saw, the loss of his wingmen and the revelation of his innocence was breathtaking for her to witness.
Little E stated, "In a couple of days, the 444 Squadron were going to be transferred to assist the retaking of an island that's close to the Space Elevator. But Papa and Uncle Count were not part of the operation since Mean McKinsey was being transferred to another post and needed an escort to Bulgurdarest."
Shinano asked, "Bulgurdarest?"
"An Erusean territory with ties to Osea. It's also where Papa encounters an entirely different drone."
Bulgurdarest, Usea
They soon find themselves on the border wall of Bulgurdarest as they witness a C-17 Globemaster being fired on by SAMs until one by one, each SAM site was destroyed as a familiar XFA-27 appeared. There were also enemy aircraft moving towards the transport, but they were shot down by an SU-33 Flanker-D. Both Kansen knew that this was Trigger and Count as they made an effort to protect the C-17, despite its cargo always running its mouth.
Trigger was pursuing a Gripen as the Osean fired his guns at the Erusean. The aircraft sustained damage as it shook Trigger off and got behind him, but Trigger pulled a Cobra as the Gripen flew past him. He soon fired a missile which blew the Erusean Ace out of the sky. After that, Trigger asked,
"Count, what's Roper 1's status?"
Count stated, "No enemy fighters in sight and the transport is still flying."
Trigger rejoined Count as they flew over the wall as the two kansen saw how they were able to get the transport through that amount of enemy fire. Bandog spoke,
"Trigger, it's a breath of fresh air having you up here. I knew that you were different from everyone else. In our squadron, even the good pilots in the unit were criminals, but not you. You don't stink like them and now we know why."
Count shrugged, "Well until we learned that he was innocent, Trigger had the worst criminal record out of all of us."
"Count, you were convicted of fraud. You sure as hell don't live up to your name."
Count stated, "Save your sermons for someone who cares, preacher."
"You wouldn't understand, Count. Not until you take a good look in the mirror."
Bandog asked McKinsey of his status and to prepare to land if everything is good as the Colonel's voice spoke,
"Oh would you look at that? Support has kept me alive. This is significant for all of our forces. I left my mark proving that the penal unit is a valuable asset."
Enterprise cringed, "What a glory hound."
But soon enough, something flew past the transport as the object flew upwards. Bandog shouted,
"Respond to the situation! Protect Roper 1!"
The object flew down and passed the three aircraft as a visual confirmation was established. The kansen watching this were surprised. The unknown is an aircraft - a fast one. It was small, had forward swept wings and canards. There wasn't a visible cockpit as Enterprise thought of the Falken, but this one was like a miniature version. But what really mattered is that it was dangerous and needed to be taken down.
That's what Trigger did as he went after it - under McKinsey's orders. The two saw how Trigger and the Mini-Falken moved and the maneuvers that the small craft made looked familiar to Enterprise and Shinano. After closer inspection, it hit the Grey Ghost,
"That drone moves exactly like the Sukhoi pilot, Mister X."
The dream walker noticed, "I had that feeling, too. It's using the pilot's moves and is hard for Trigger to get a clear shot."
But despite all of the maneuvers and the warnings from the Osean Ground Troops trying to make the drone leave, it never responded and continued being a pest. But Trigger was able to finally bring it down with a missile and bullets. The wreckage of the unknown aircraft soon crashed into a field near Bulgurdarest Air Base.
Trigger stated, "Bandit destroyed."
The AWACS was relieved, "Spare 15, you did well." Soon enough, four blue hits appeared on the radar, "Wait, Four Friendlies approaching!"
Count realized, "Allied fighters!"
Bandog called out, "This is the Air Force Base 444 Squadron. What is your affiliation?"
Soon enough, a familiar voice spoke, "Is that a guard dog I hear barking? It's your old friend, Cyclops 1!"
They were surprised to see them again as Bandog asked, "Cyclops Squadron!? What are you doing here?"
"We were tracking an enemy prototype, I wouldn't be surprised if that dumbass from your side was the one who downed it."
Trigger spoke, "Cyclops 1, this is Spare 15, the prototype engaged us and under Base Commander McKinsey's orders, I had to pursue it and successfully downed it."
Wiseman was amused, "Now I am impressed. Commander, I guess my recommendation was well placed, you really do have an Ace Pilot."
McKinsey shrugged, "He did his duty and kept it away from us. But his moves remind me of the Demon Lord and the Grim Reaper combined."
Cyclops Squadron joined up with the rest as Wiseman stated, "Commander, if you would kindly accompany me to our base, we can answer any questions you have there."
"Actually I'm grateful. Support was unreliable."
Trigger stated, "Respectfully sir, we showed promise."
New Arrows Air Base,
Near Expo City, Eastern Usea
Soon enough, Trigger and Count landed at the base as they were about to be debriefed, only for Bandog to stop Trigger since he needed to talk with him. Count went on his way as Trigger talked with the AWACS controller. The guard dog stated,
"Trigger, I guess this is where we part ways. I had to admit, it was great to have you fly with us."
Trigger replied, "From what I've been through, I was a False Sinner in Hell. But this False Sinner was able to turn a bunch of convicts into a real squadron. Although I lost a few good pilots out there, I will not forget them."
"It's actually why I'm here." He pulled out three dog tags which had the names of his three wingmen, "These tags were given to me on the chance of the cons being pardoned. But now that they're dead, these tags are pretty much a sentimental value now. I figured that you would want something to remember them."
The tags were placed in the pilot's hands as he came across Full Band's tag and asked,
"Was it true? Was Full Band's death really an accident?"
Bandog sighed, "Full Band picked up classified information and my intention is to throw him into Solitary for doing that. But because of the drones and Full Band's position - I took the opportunity to take him out of the picture. It wasn't the smartest move I made. So it was in-between, I didn't want Full Band killed…"
"But you didn't want him to leak the intel and your urgency got in the way."
"Exactly, Count was right to call me out on it."
"But truthfully, the unexpected happens in the penal unit."
Bandog nodded and said, "There's one more thing I wanted to give you."
The two kansen watched this exchange as the AWACS operator unclipped his sidearm and presented it to Trigger. Enterprise recognized the gun - it was an M9 Beretta with a snarling dog on the handle. Bandog stated,
"I mostly use it to intimidate the other cons since I don't keep it loaded, but since there's no penal unit, I don't have any use of it. I want you to have it since you're going to be reinstated soon and a good soldier must always have a sidekick with him."
Trigger took the gun as he looked it over as Bandog stated,
"Last words of advice: Keep the scratches on your plane, but make them look like scratches - Three Strikes."
Trigger nodded, "It was nice working with you, Mr. Guard Dog."
"Same to you, Trigger. There's one more thing I wanted to ask: Is it true that you were trained by the Grim Reaper?"
Usually Trigger would neither confirm nor deny his mentor's identity, but he stated, "It's true, I was trained by the Ribbon."
As the two departed, the scene shifted to the debriefing room as the officer along with Wiseman debriefed the two pilots on the drone that Trigger shot down. But also that McKinsey was transferred to another post - most likely heading to the frontlines since he did stress his achievements. They were still waiting for official confirmation on what to do with Trigger and Count, but Wiseman spoke,
"Since you have been officially pardoned, I say it's the best time as ever to reinstate you into the Osean Air Defense Force and Trigger…" He presented a small box containing a set of bars, "As of your reinstatement, for your valor and defense for your wingmen and your bravery in protecting us at Yinshi Valley, I hereby promote you to Captain. Congratulations Trigger."
Trigger soon snapped a salute as Enterprise and Shinano witnessed the birth of Trigger's new life. A new life that will shape the course of the war. As they continued to stare at this image - an image of the tail of Trigger's plane showed the three lines change to three claw scratches.
They knew now that his legend was born.
Little E stated, "Papa climbed his way back up and now he's ready to lead Strider Squadron. Uncle Count will also prove to be a very great wingman to Papa. It would be compared to the Demon Lord and Solo Wing Pixy. It's almost time to awaken, the next dreams would focus on Papa leading his new squadron in a long range attack to reach the enemy capital. But it also shows the brotherly bond between Papa and Uncle Count."
Shinano looked at Big E and said, "I must speak to him before he awakens. It was good to witness his rise from the darkness with you, Enterprise. May we meet again."
Trigger's Dreamscape
As Trigger opened his eyes from witnessing that memory, he realized that he wasn't in Enterprise's room. He was instead standing in a celestial plane as several people stood in a row. Trigger recognized these people, he noticed Brownie as several images of him and her doing a fist bump before flight as well as seeing her sweet tooth for her namesake, much to her embarrassment.
Then there was High Roller as the gambler stood tall with a poker deck in one hand and a stack of money in the other. The images shifted to the first and only poker night as he and Count played against him. Although Trigger was a bit rusty, High Roller went easy on him which made Trigger win in the end as the gambler fell for that old trick.
Champ, the hot headed brute was known for bullying the weak which was why he had two lines. The images showed him using a punching bag in his cell while another showed them washing their planes before the MPs fetched them for the Yinshi mission. He knew that Champ was really a good person under that hard exterior.
There's Full Band, one of the great hackers of the 444. He remembered hearing him talk about bribes and how people leave passwords on a note by their desks. Trigger saw an image of himself talking with Full Band while Count had a smoke after he and Tabloid helped Avril move planes into her unofficial workshop.
"It's an interesting history to witness…"
He turned around and saw a kansen that he knew from the various files,
"You must be Shinano, but where am I?"
The carrier stated, "This is your dreamscape and it shows that you carry the pain of those you cared about. Brownie and the three members of Spare Squadron were like your family. You wanted to protect them, but you failed."
"But why is a member of Red Axis curious about my dreams?"
Shinano shook her head, "My allegiances do not lie with them. My allegiance lies with Azur Lane in secret since I wanted no part in Akagi's insanity."
Trigger raised an eyebrow, "What does Akagi have to do with this?"
The Dreamwalker stated, "Akagi is planning something, it was before you showed up. I don't know what she is planning, but it's bad. How you handle this information is up to you."
The pilot figured, "I'm glad to see that not everyone in your faction is devoted to Red Axis."
"Ever since you gave the 1st and 5th Division a black eye, there are some in the Sakura Empire that have begun to question their loyalty in secret. The destroyer, Ayanami, is most prominent as she had figured out your TAC Name."
Trigger asked, "What about the Iron Blood?"
Shinano smirked, "Although prideful, many Iron Blood ships have begun to question their loyalty since you damaged their senior with an array of bullets and destroyed their Siren Fleet."
The pilot figured, "I guess I made quite the impact."
"Indeed, I am sure that it was well known in the memories of those you have served with as Spare 15."
Trigger pulled out the Tags of his Spare wingmen as he looked at them. But what Shinano noticed was that he had a fourth dog tag,
"I must ask, who was number 4?"
Trigger sighed as he held the fourth one, "Tabloid…he didn't survive."
The image of the belkan appeared in the dreamscape. The kansen asked, "How did he die?"
An image appeared which showed the battle at the Lighthouse as a still image of Tabloid was throwing Alma Shilage towards Georg and Avril as a disabled MQ-101 falls down on top of him,
"Crushed by a falling drone…he was one of the motivators in sticking with me. He sacrificed himself to rescue a little girl as the drones fell. He saved the girl at the cost of his own life. But that is a story for another day."
The Dreamwalker saw tears form in his eyes as the thoughts of his fallen wingmen hit him hard. So she took the initiative and held him as she stated,
"Enterprise and I have seen it…we know how you feel."
Trigger stated, "There's still more to it."
The Dreamwalker replied, "For another day, but now it's now time to wake up."
Azur Lane HQ,
Enterprise's Quarters
0600
Trigger soon opened his eyes as he felt himself back in Enterprise's room. The room itself was dark as the curtains blocked the sunlight from entering the room. He remembered how he got there as Enterprise slightly stirred next to him as he slowly sat up, still in his flight gear. He placed his hand over his forehead as he thought back to what happened as the painful memories of the 444 came to him. But also how Enterprise and Shinano saw his life through a dream. His fallen wingmen were definitely by his side, in spirit mostly.
But he also thought back to the information that Shinano told him - if Akagi did have something planned, then it must be big. He also remembered that he still had his phone as he slowly got out of the bed.
He dialed the number for Queen Elizabeth and surprisingly, especially at 6 in the morning - she answered as she asked about that wake-up call,
"Your Majesty, I need Sheffield and Edinburgh for a very important infiltration mission."
A/N: A journey through the dreamscape as the story of Spare 15 was revealed to not only Enterprise, but Shinano as well.
Trigger's Beretta was a gift from Bandog as he was pretty much back in the military. A good pilot also needs a sidekick while on the ground.
I also had Bandog admit that Count was right since he had many ways of dealing with Full Band, but things happened.
Yes, Shinano refuses to join Red Axis because the Sleepy Fox doesn't agree with the use of Siren Technology. She also gave information about a secret project that Akagi is doing and he needed to get people inside the Sakura Empire's Main Base in order to figure out what's going on.
This sets up the infiltration mission from the anime where the project is revealed.
But the real question is what was on the Hai Sister's freighter? What is Akagi's project? How would Nagato react to the report on Three Strikes?
Find out in the next Chapter!
Nighthawk Out!