Now it has come to this - the counteroffensive to push to the Sakura Empire's Main Base. It's going to be quite the fight in order to reach the base and end the war before Orochi deploys. But with the combined force of both sea and air, they can succeed.

Also in the last chapter there was a mention of a kitsune kansen that looked like Akagi. But really she's not as she told Trigger that she has faith in him.

In the last chapter, Prinz Eugen, Hipper and Nimi had expressed their disgust with the decision to have two dangerous criminal squadrons to hunt down Trigger. It was also their faith in seeing Trigger as the stronger pilot that made them decide that enough is enough and decide to silently resign.

But how will Red Axis react? How will Azur Lane kick off the first phase of the counteroffensive?

Let's find out!

Azur Lane Briefing Room,

December 18th, 2019

0705 hrs

As everyone had gathered in the briefing room, the personnel were anxious for the upcoming mission as the communication system as well as the map of the Pacific booted up. Trigger checked the link before stating,

"We're online, ready when you are, sir."

The person on the other end, who is actually Admiral Williams spoke,

"Good Morning, as you all know that on December 7th, the Sakura Empire and the Iron Blood had betrayed and declared war on Azur Lane by launching a surprise attack with Siren Mass-Produced Ships. But thanks to the intervention of your commander, that attack took a 180 and they were forced to retreat. They have formed a faction that believes in using Siren Technology in order to defeat the Sirens. They call themselves Red Axis as their resistance grew with their formation until the mental cube was stolen from the Sakura Main Base which delayed the launch of the superweapon called Orochi."

The map turned to the island near the Sakura Mainland, "According to our analysis, the Sakura Empire's main base is located on an island called Kyoten, 200 miles east of Okinawa. It also came to my attention that while the Sakura Kansen did start the fight, the JSDF disagreed which led to clashes between the kansen and the modern ships of the JSDF. So expect encounters with MSDF ships hunting Red Axis during this campaign."

The map soon directed to an island with a lagoon as Williams continued, "Our mission is to end this war before they could find a way to deploy Orochi without the cube. Your commander has put together a counterattack as Azur Lane will conduct a long range strike to cripple Red Axis' ability to fight which will give the main forces an opportunity to push towards Kyoten. The first phase of Azur Lane's Long Range Strategic Strike Plan will be to cripple Red Axis's supply of Siren Ships and cut their numbers. It came to our attention that there have been a mass of Siren Ships docked at Wake Island, it was Eagle Union Territory until the war began. The Red Axis had overtaken the island and are now using it to stash a reserve fleet of Siren Mass-Produced Ships. Now we are going to liberate this island. Commander, take it away."

Trigger nodded as he spoke, "Our mission is to attack and destroy the Siren Mass-Produced Fleets at Wake Island and cut off additional ships for Red Axis. These ships are in large numbers which consist of Pawn-Class Destroyers, Knight-Class Light Cruisers, Bishop-Class Heavy Cruisers, Rook-Class Battleships and Queen-Class Aircraft Carriers. They are all anchored in a blockade formation around the island, designed to keep people out and will raise anchor if they are called by Red Axis to reinforce their numbers."

The map showed several red dots around the island as images of the ships appeared. But also the insignias of the squadrons going up,

"Strider Squadron will take the siren ships on the north end near the small island of Peale while Ridgeback Squadron takes the south end of Wake near Wilkes Island."

The names of the kansen heading out appeared, "Enterprise, Ark Royal, Hornet, Illustrious, Shinano, Unicorn and Wasp will split their planes into groups as we egress at super low altitude to avoid detection. Once the altitude restriction is lifted, we can begin the mission and destroy targets. This operation is expected to be long in duration, so the military airports at Johnston Atoll southwest of Hawaii and Midway Atoll to the northwest have been set as a forward operating bases for the mission and as a result…"

Two white dotted lines appeared on the east and north side of the map, "Two Return Lines have been set in the North and East. Any of us that need to resupply, refuel or in need of repairs during the mission, should cross these lines to exit the combat area and head to either Johnston or Midway. Once the ships are sunk, we will commence with Phase 2."

The map shifted closer to the island as he stated, "Phase 2 will be an amphibious assault on the island itself. Once the ships are dealt with, our helicopter transports and landing craft from the landing ships USS America and HMS Albion will deploy ground assault forces on the northern and southern shores. The Union troops will handle the seaplane port at Peale Island and the downtown area at the main island in the north while the Royal Troops take the harbor at Wilkes Island in the south and the air base at the main island. The landing ships need support from both sea and air, that's our job. Additionally, if present, Red Axis Kansen will most likely attempt to defend the island, so battleships New Jersey, Arizona, Warspite and Hood will be paired up with the landing ships and provide fire support for our troops as they push to the airbase. They take the airbase then the island is ours."

Soon enough, Williams spoke, "But there is something to be careful about, Commander…" He knew no one was going to like this,

"We intercepted an encrypted transmission and after we deciphered it - we have discovered that the Iron Blood Leader is here in the pacific. I'm sure that Ms. Hood knows of her considering the historical past…" He brought up an profile image of the individual as he stated,

"Her name…is Bismarck…and she is deadly."

Trigger saw the profile image of the Iron Blood Leader as he saw that she had long blonde hair, blue eyes and a black peaked cap with red and white designs. He actually thought that this kansen was a mirror image of Enterprise at first. But when he looked at Hood, he could see a look of shock on her face as he remembered reading about her demise at the hands of this ship during their historical past. The Admiral continued,

"She is a famous battleship, one of the two leaders of the Iron Blood and it is known that she betrayed Azur Lane believing that the power of Siren Technology can save humanity. If you are to encounter her, it's recommended that you disable her rigging and capture her. I'm sure Ark Royal will know the drill."

The Royal Navy Carrier nodded as she knew exactly what to do should Bismarck show up since she did it once before.

Trigger nodded as he stated, "We have an important mission ahead of us. But in addition to the capital ships, Javelin, Laffey, Ayanami, Norfolk, Suffolk, Leander, Ajax, Cleveland, Montpelier, Denver, and Columbia will join in with the fleet destruction on the surface while the submarine fleet of Nautilus, Bluegill, Archerfish and Albacore will assault from below the surface. We do this right, we will be one step closer to Kyoten."

He soon stated to his fleet, "The Counterattack has begun! Azur Lane, Move Out!"

Everyone shouted, "SIR! YES SIR!" Everyone began to get ready for this huge offensive.

As the pilots were heading for the airfield, Trigger had the datapad as he chose his plane for the mission which was the F-35C equipped with SOD Bombs for widespread damage. Tabloid soon had the datapad as he asked,

"This mission needs a formation suited for both air-to-air and anti-ship capabilities. Trigger, which plane should I pick?"

The squadron lead looked over at the selection of multirole aircraft as one plane caught his eye,

"Tabloid, the Viper Zero boasts several multirole capabilities. You should use that one."

Tabloid chose that plane as he says, "We'll be going into the heat against ships. I'm going to start off with anti-ship missiles as my weaponry."

After that, he asked, "Are we ready to fly with these planes?"

Trigger nodded as he sent the signal to the airfield as they neared the gate.

Soon enough, the pilots were in their planes as Wales' voice spoke to the F-35C and F-2,

"Strider Squadron, Aircraft Preparations complete. Time to Takeoff!"

Ace Combat Universe

OFS Admiral Andersen

Near the Portal Site

This was the day that the LRSSG has been waiting for - where they hit that fleet and enter the portal to find their missing flight lead. As the Andersen's Flight Deck Crews prepared the fighters to launch, they saw their destination come into view. They saw the enemy fleet patrolling around the portal as the smaller ships took notice of the Andersen Fleet.

The Andersen Fleet consisted of ships from the Kingdom of Erusea and the Osean Federation. There were at least two Battlecrusiers, three destroyers and four cruisers for Erusea. Osea had the Admiral Andersen, two Aegis Cruisers, three destroyers and three frigates.

These ships were given permission by both Osean High Command and Princess Rosa herself to follow the Andersen through that portal and stop this threat to their world. These sailors will do their best to ensure that their homes are safe. But the challenge is breaking through that fleet to get to the portal.

Soon enough, Erusean SU-33 Flanker-Ds from Skoll Squadron and Osean F-35Cs from Salamander Squadron had launched from the Andersen before Strider, Cyclops and Sol had launched next. Each squadron had to take off from the stern of the flight deck since F-15Cs and SU-30s weren't made for carriers.

Eventually they were in the air as Count made the role call,

"This is Strider 2, Acting Lead of Strider Squadron. All wings report in!"

Wit stated, "This is Sol 2, all Voslagian aircraft report, flight checks complete."

Fencer, the new Cyclops 1 spoke, "Fencer here, Cyclops Squadron is in the air and on Standby."

Skoll 1 spoke, "Strider 2, this is Skoll Squadron of the Erusean Air Force, all Flanker-Ds are hungry to sink those ships that threatened the Princess's life and itching to find Three Strikes."

Salamander 1 spoke, "This is Salamander Squadron of the Osean Maritime Defense Force, all Lightning-IIs are flying great and we're on standby."

Count spoke to Long Caster, "Long Caster, preparations are complete. Ready for battle."

The AWACS spoke, "Roger that. All right team, our mission is to get our fleet through that blockade and into the portal. It's our only chance of locating Strider 1."

High Roller, who had the callsign 'Strider 6' spoke, "Although I would like to question why Count chose my callsign, we have bigger things to worry about."

"You're right, Strider 6 and our target is the enemy fleet guarding the portal. All planes, you have been fitted with Anti-Ship Missiles since like other ships, these drone ships prove that no matter how advanced you are, you can still sink with these missiles."

Count stated, "Exactly, our fleet plans to make a clear run for the portal, but if our fleet is wiped out, this operation will fail. We need to place top priority in eliminating the threat to our fleet and the Andersen. Everyone got it?"

A series of wilcos occurred over the channels as all squadrons formed up as Long Caster announced,

"Count, lead the way!"

Count shouted, "Commence operation!"

Soon enough, the Andersen Fleet began their push for the portal as all four squadrons launched anti-ship missiles which sank a few destroyers, cruisers and a few battleships as the carriers began to notice as Long Caster announced,

"Multiple enemy drones approaching!"

Jaeger spoke, "Here they come!"

The drone fighters were now heading towards them as Count spoke,

"Skoll Squadron, we need you to take top priority in destroying those fighters. Salamander, catch any aircraft that attempts to move in on the fleet. Fencer, take Cyclops Squadron and knock out the flight decks of those carriers. Sol Squadron will deal with any battleships still afloat from the initial attack while Strider Squadron goes after the ships directly in front of the fleet's path. Good luck everyone!"

Skoll 1 spoke, "We'll get air superiority."

Salamander 1 replied, "We'll protect the fleet."

Fencer stated, "We'll deal with the carriers."

Wit stated, "Wilco, let's go!"

The formation split as the SU-33s engaged with the fighters while the F-35Cs dealt with any strike aircraft attempting to move in on the fleet.

Strider, Cyclops and Sol Squadron split up to attack the enemy fleet as the drone ships began to open up with their anti-air guns. But the three squadrons weaved through the flak and fired their anti-ship missiles at the enemy ships. Cyclops Squadron knocked out the double flight decks on some of the carriers while Sol Squadron dealt with the enemy Capital ships.

Strider Squadron focused on the enemy ships directly in the fleet's path as the Andersen Fleet was heading full-speed towards the blockade. Count and High Roller each fired an anti-ship missile at a destroyer and heavy cruiser as the missiles blew the drone ships to pieces. Jaeger and Húxiãn did a combined attack on an enemy battleship that had its guns aimed at the fleet, but never got to fire since the two planes sent it to the bottom.

The Erusean and Osean surface ships were in range of the enemy fleet as the Battlecruisers and Aegis Cruisers fired their missiles at the larger ships while the frigates and destroyers focused on the smaller ships. The enemy blockade was in disarray which meant that the fleet could continue on to the portal.

Wake Island

1050 hrs

The once peaceful atoll of Wake Island is now surrounded by docked Siren Ships as this huge fleet awaits another call to action by Red Axis. On the island itself, several siren tanks move around the island, specifically Wake Airfield as siren aircraft are parked out on the runway.

But soon enough, there were a squadron of fighters consisting of four ASF-Xs, an F-35 and F-2 flying at super low altitude while the Azur Lane kansen along with two Landing Ships go full speed towards the island as Magic came up,

"All forces, Wake Island in sight. Altitude Restriction lifted. Commence Operation!"

Trigger spoke, "Strider 1 to all forces, our targets are the Siren Fleets on the North and South Shores of Wake. Strider Squadron and the Eagle Union will take the North Shore while Ridgeback Squadron and the Royal Navy take the South. There's also the airfield which has siren planes parked on the runway. Sink all Siren Ships while at anchor and destroy the planes while they're sitting on the ground. After that, we support the amphibious assault!"

A series of acknowledgments from various units agreed as the Azur Lane fleet split up while Strider and Ridgeback went to their assigned areas as Trigger spoke to his wingman,

"Tabloid, your callsign is Strider 5, you're now part of Strider Squadron."

Tabloid acknowledged, "Copy that, Trigger. Besides, you're the best pilot to lead a squadron."

"You got that right, but I'm not the only best pilot. Wiseman trained us well and everyone is in this as an Ace. Come on, let's blow up some siren ships!"

Tabloid agreed as the two planes went to the northern shore where a large siren fleet sat at anchor. Trigger announced,

"The food at this party is served buffet-style. Gobble up any high-value targets before the host mounts a resistance."

Cleveland spoke, "My sisters and I will eat their hearts out!"

Leander spoke, "Sorry my Eagle Union friends, but the juicy targets are ours."

Slash spoke, "Try to keep up with us since we're going with you as well. Ridgeback 1 engaging."

Edge spoke, "Ridgeback 2 engaging!"

Lance spoke, "Ridgeback 3 engaging."

Axeman finished, "Ridgeback 4 engaging."

Trigger spoke, "Good luck on the south shore, Royal Navy."

Strider Squadron along with the Eagle Union kansen went to attack the anchored fleet as Trigger and Tabloid fired their anti-ship missiles at the enemy ships as a battleship and a heavy cruiser were left burning from end to end. Cleveland and her three sisters fired their guns at four anchored light cruisers as the shells from their guns destroyed the siren ships. Laffey and Ayanami, who was assigned to the north group, used their torpedoes against a destroyer and heavy cruiser since their guns are useless against that kind of armor.

Soon enough, there were a series of torpedoes colliding with an anchored carrier and battleship as the impact of those fish caused both to sink. It was revealed to be the work of the submarines Nautilus and Bluegill as they surfaced for air, giving the fleet a thumbs up. But soon enough, the remaining ships began to open up with their guns as Magic spoke,

"Resistance from enemy defenses confirmed!"

Trigger stated, "Keep on dining everyone. Don't pay for it."

Hornet spoke, "Right-o!"

As planned, the carriers launched their strike aircraft to bomb the anchored ships as a dozen siren ships were sunk from this attack.

Ridgeback Squadron and the Royal Navy were also sinking siren ships through rocket fire from their mounted rocket launchers, shell fire from the cruiser kansen or torpedoes from the submarines Archerfish and Albacore.

Soon enough, Magic noticed movement at the airfield,

"All forces be advised, Siren Planes are scrambling from the airfield. Eliminate those fighters before they can threaten the mission!"

Trigger spoke, "Strider 1 to Slash, the airfield is near your position. Do you have a visual of the enemy planes?"

Slash spoke, "I do."

"Major, I need you to sanitize the runway of all enemy planes before they get airborne."

"Roger that, Strider 1. Edge, let's destroy the grounded planes."

Edge agreed, "Roger that."

The two Shinden-IIs went towards the airfield as the siren jets were all lined up for take off. The two Ridgeback pilots struck fast as their rocket launchers strafed the aircraft on the ground as the siren planes exploded, grounding any awaiting planes. Slash and Edge took down the remaining planes, making sure that no plane would threaten the mission.

Slash announced, "Strider 1, airfield is cleared. No siren planes will be taking off from this base."

Trigger was impressed, "Nice work, Major. That crosses the airfield of our threat list."

Edge spoke, "We still have a mission to complete."

Slash stated, "We all know that, Edge."

Trigger figured, "Let's finish off these siren ships. The Landing Ships are almost in position and awaiting the signal."

Soon enough, they continued destroying the siren ships, turning the advanced alien drone ships into scrap metal. Archerfish shot a torpedo on one of the last carriers as she announced,

"Archerfish to Magic, enemy carrier on fire and taking water."

Albacore fired her fish at an enemy battleship as the torpedo struck a hotspot as the battleship exploded to her shock and delight,

"Enemy Battleship sunk!"

The remaining units managed to finish off the anchored ships as Trigger spoke,

"Magic, all the siren ships have been destroyed."

"Picture is clear, Strider 1. All anchored ships destroyed. The Landing Ships are now in position and are on their way."

He acknowledged this as he asked Tabloid, "Strider 5, what's the status of your plane?"

Tabloid spoke, "Used my anti-ship missiles, aircraft took a dozen hits, but I'm still good."

"Strider 5, head back and resupply with air-to-air missiles. Just because we destroyed the siren planes doesn't mean they won't send reinforcements."

Tabloid stated, "Copy that, I'll be back soon. Tabloid breaking off."

Slash had that idea as well, "Edge, Lance, Axeman, head back and resupply. Don't get into unnecessary dogfights along the way."

Edge stated, "Copy that, breaking off."

The four planes broke away from their leaders as they crossed the return lines. Magic spoke,

"Strider 5 and Ridgebacks 2, 3 and 4 have crossed the Return Line for Midway and Johnston."

The HMS Albion Captain spoke, "Good show, lad! We are starting our approach to Wake Island. Royal Marines will be landing on the southern shore to take control of Wilkes Island and the harbor while the SAS Units take the airport."

The captain of the USS America spoke, "Nice work on the north shore. Marines and SEAL Teams are getting ready to assault the north shore. Blackhawk copter Nomad 6-1 will land SEAL Teams to take the seaplane dock at Peale Island while the marines take the Downtown Area. Nomad 6-2 will rendezvous with the SAS at the airfield to assist the capture operation."

Trigger stated, "Copy that, Landing Force. New Jersey, Arizona, Hood and Warspite, time to cover the landing ships."

New Jersey stated, "All guns are pointed at the island!"

Arizona spoke, "We won't let those soldiers down."

Hood spoke, "We will protect them, Commander."

Warspite chimed in, "You can count on us, sir."

It was great to see that the operation was going smoothly until he noticed movement on the ground. Upon further inspection, he saw siren drone vehicles moving anti-ship guns to the shores.

Seeing this, he turned his Lightning II towards the shore and deployed his SOD which the little explosives destroyed the anti-ship guns on the south shore which the Albion's captain spoke,

"Excellent sight, sir. Had those guns been set up then our arse would have been cooked."

Trigger announced, "All ships, keep your eyes open for any more mobile anti-ship guns. Don't let any of them get a shot at the landing forces."

Both Union and Royal Kansen understood the dangers of anti-ship guns as the kansen were using their ship forms instead of their rigging to strike the island. Soon enough, Trigger and Slash spotted additional anti-ship guns on the move as he sent the location to his fleet as he stated,

"All Battleships, Slash and I are going to act as spotters. We'll spot the target and send the data over to you."

The kansen confirmed this as Trigger and Slash spotted the guns on the north and south shores as they obtained the data in their onboard cameras. Once they had the data, Trigger stated,

"All ships, standby for the datalink."

Soon enough, the anti-ship guns had a targeting reticle with the red 'TGT' mark on them as he gave the order,

"Fire!"

All Battleships fired their guns at the shores of Wake Island as the Siren Anti-Ship Guns were being set up as all shells hit their marks, turning the anti-ship guns into scrap metal, thanks to the terminal guidance from both F-35 and ASF-X.

The America's Captain spoke, "Commander, we're not out of the woods yet, we have additional enemy aircraft entering the operation area! Bearing 320 and 250 from the west!"

Magic verified them as he alerted the two leaders, "Bombers! They're high, altitude 4000. The CIWS on the Landing Ships won't handle a bomb run! You have to stop them!"

Trigger acknowledged this as he and Slash went after the bombers coming for the two landing ships. They were Siren heavy bombers like the ones at Point Mugu as they flew full speed towards the landing ships. But the leaders of Strider and Ridgeback were already on them as the F-35 fired missiles at the bombers before opening up with machine guns, knocking out the engine of one bomber as it spiraled out of control and crashed into another bomber, destroying both planes. The third and fourth bomber were destroyed when one of Trigger's bullets penetrated the bomb bay as the punctured bomb prematurely detonated. Both planes were destroyed and it halted the bomber force threatening the north shore landing.

The ASF-X shot down the bombers with machine gunfire towards the engines and even sheared a wing off of another bomber. The advanced aircraft soon fired a missile at the next bomber, striking the cockpit as the drone jet tumbled out of the skies and exploded. Slash soon used a combination of both guns and missiles on the last bombers as the guns sheared off another bomber's wing as the rogue wing sliced another bomber down the middle, detonating its payload in the process.

Both leaders confirmed as Trigger spoke, "Magic, all enemy bombers down."

"Confirmed splash on all bombers. The Landing Ships are safe."

The Albion's Captain spoke, "And not a moment too soon, we have just reached the reefs around the island. HMS Albion deploying Hovercraft and Chinooks for assault."

The America's Captain spoke, "USS America is deploying LCAC Hovercraft Units and Helicopter Squadrons."

The Union Landing Ship launched a few hovercraft units as well as two V-22 Ospreys, two UH-60 Blackhawks and AH-64 Apache Helicopters while the Royal Landing Ship deployed its hovercraft units and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. They were definitely going to take the island as the Royal Navy and Eagle Union progressed to Wake Island as the kansen provided support for the landing units.

A new voice came up, "Strider 1, this is Shooter 1, my Apaches will be flying support for the transport choppers. We're counting on your support in case we need something taken out quickly."

Trigger acknowledged, "Copy that, Shooter 1. Keep those transports safe."

"I'm on them like a lion to his pride, kid. Don't forget about Nomad 6-1's gunner, he's been downing siren craft since the Trinity Incident."

Trigger knew that was a joke as the Apaches kept a defensive circle around the Ospreys. But there's also the Blackhawk's and the Apache lead's faith in a door gunner and from what he saw - an assault helicopter is as good as its gunner.

Trigger and Slash supported the landing craft and helicopter assault on Wake as the troops headed for the shore. That wasn't until Magic alerted them,

"Warning: Incoming Aircraft. Bearing 300 from the northwest. Aircraft Type: A-10, MiG-31, SU-37 and F-22."

Trigger realized, "A Warthog, a Foxhound, a Terminator and a Raptor? What are they doing out here?"

Slash spoke, "Stay sharp, something is up."

It was at that moment where four aircraft approached Wake Island as they were of two different groups. The Warthog and the Foxhound had a dark blue color with teeth on the wings and near the cockpit. The Terminator and Raptor had crimson highlights on their planes as the Foxhound pilot noted,

"Azur Lane's landing force has already begun their assault and the siren ships are wrecked. I guess we got here late."

The Raptor pilot spoke, "Huh, so much for defending the siren fleet."

The Terminator pilot noticed, "The Siren Fleet was secondary, we still have a visual on our main target: The Lightning II with the three lines."

The Warthog pilot stated, "Roger, Crimson 5. Let's see if Three Strikes lives up to his legend."

"We'll see about that, Varcolac 2. All Units, Engage!"

The four planes soon split up as they went into battle.

Trigger saw the planes as he asked, "Magic, are those planes ours?"

The AWACS said, "No friendly IFF squawk. These guys are enemies."

"What's the status of Strider 5 and the Ridgeback Squadron?"

"They are en-route to the combat zone, hold them off until then."

Trigger sighed, "Slash, we have to take those planes down."

The Major stated, "Roger that."

They soon broke off from the landing force as the four planes soon bounced them. Slash was already on the Raptor's tail as the stealth fighter countered the ASF-X and now Slash was on the defensive. But he also caught the crimson crown emblem of the plane and realized,

"No…it can't be…"

Trigger was on the Terminator's tail as the Sukhoi tried to evade him until Trigger rained bullets on the Terminator's wing and a stray bullet struck the left exhaust, causing the left engine to flame out. The pilot realized,

"Crimson 5 hit, withdrawing from combat."

The Terminator bugged out as the toothed Foxhound pursued Trigger. The Osean Ace dived for the water as he pulled up and the MiG's missiles slammed into the water. Trigger pulled a Cobra which made the enemy fighter fly past him as he reoriented his plane and fired two missiles at the MiG. The missiles slammed into the critical areas of the enemy plane as the pilot spoke,

"Damn it, I took a hit, I can't hold it! I'm bailing out, but this isn't over, Three Strikes."

The Foxhound pilot bailed out as the flaming plane tumbled into the ocean. Slash contacted Trigger,

"I know who we are dealing with! We're dealing with the Crimson Team and Varcolac Squadron."

Trigger asked, "Crimson and Varcolac? Who are they?"

"They're dangerous, that's what they are and it looks like they're after you!"

Trigger was surprised as the Raptor that pursued Slash was now after him. Trigger knew that the F-22 was a great plane, but it also required a great pilot. The Osean Ace flew against F-22s during Operations Sighthound and Daredevil, so he knew what he was doing against the stealth fighter as he flew up towards the skies as the enemy plane tried to use its guns only for Trigger to evade the onslaught. Trigger performed a post-stall maneuver which made him quickly loop as the Raptor passed him as he got on the enemy's tail.

He could hear the pilot frantically realizing, "Crimson 3 to Varcolac 2, Three Strikes is on my tail!"

Trigger opened up with his machine guns as he struck the thrust-vectoring nozzles as the plane caught on fire. Crimson 3 realized,

"I'm hit, I can't hold on! Eject!"

Trigger saw the pilot bail out as the Raptor blew up. He knew that there was one more to go as the A-10 began to gun for the Osean. Varcolac 2 spoke,

"The Iron Blood of Red Axis has given a bounty on you. We intend to collect it!"

Trigger realized that the enemy pilot was using his frequency, "Try harder than that."

The Warthog was on Trigger's tail as the hog's powerful Gatling Gun intended to turn his plane into swiss cheese. But the Osean Ace countered the enemy plane by pulling a post-stall barrel roll over the attacker. He was also impressed by the pilot of utilizing a ground attack plane as a fighter. He stated,

"You utilized the Warthog as a fighter? Impressive."

Varcolac 2 spoke, "You're impressed, Three Strikes? Maybe you will be surprised by this!"

Soon enough, there were radar locks on Trigger's plane as he broke off and evaded the incoming missiles. Trigger asked,

"Magic, what's going on?!"

The AWACS realized, "Two additional aircraft incoming! There's also a large aircraft entering the AO!"

The two planes entered the combat zone with what looked like an enlarged B-2 Bomber with crooked outer wings and a hangar in the back. The smaller planes were a MiG-1.44 Flatpack with the Varcolac livery and an SU-37 Terminator with the Crimson livery.

The Flatpack pilot spoke, "There's Three Strikes. We managed to throw him off Varcolac 2. This will be good."

The Terminator pilot spoke, "This is our moment, the Iron Blood has given us the means of restoring what we had lost. The Orgoi will deal with the landing forces, but Three Strikes is ours."

The two planes went straight for Trigger as siren aircraft began to launch from the larger plane, heading for the landing unit.

Slash saw this and realized, "My god! Red Axis is utilizing the Orgoi! A swarm of Siren drones just launched and are heading for the landing unit!"

Trigger saw the two enemy fighters head towards him as he spoke,

"I can't assist the landing unit with these fighters pestering me! Slash, can you take 'em?"

"I'll try."

Shooter 1 spoke, "Strider 1, the troops have already begun their assault on the island. My Apaches will take as many siren craft if they attempt to strafe our boys! We need to keep our troops safe!"

Soon enough, a voice from a Blackhawk spoke, "Strider 1, this is Nomad 6-1, we're focusing on the seaplane dock,'Guns' can deal with any drones that come near us. Don't forget that D-Ray can protect us."

The Osean understood what the Blackhawk pilot meant, "Stay safe, Nomad 6-1 and tell Guns not to get shot up in the process."

Trigger soon contacted his fleet,

"Cleveland, I need the Union Fleet to set up an AA screen around the landing force on the north shore. Javelin, have the Royal Navy set up a screen for the south! All carriers, launch your planes and protect the troops!"

Everyone did as they were told as the siren drones were soon blown out of the skies by either AA fire, Apache guns, door gunners from the Blackhawks or bullets from the kansen-launched planes. But while that was going on, Trigger was dodging these two new enemies left and right. He had a feeling that these weren't any run of the mill pilots since these guys flew like seasoned aces. As the two attempted a pincer attack, Trigger performed a post-stall maneuver and fired his guns at the Terminator. The Sukhoi got a few bullet holes in its frame as the pilot sighed,

"Not bad…you got lucky."

Trigger heard this as he said, "Not luck, but skill and you have an open mic, pal."

"So you have the nerve to respond, Three Strikes?"

"You know who I am?"

"The Ace of that fleet of shipgirls? It's obvious that you are supposed to be the best pilot."

"Who are you?"

The pilot stated, "I am Colonel Michael Rodriguez, Leader of the Crimson Team and I am here to put you down like the dog you are!"

"And your friend in the Flatpack?"

The Flatpack pilot spoke, "I am Milosz Sulejmani, Leader of Varcolac Squadron. Red Axis put out that bounty and I aim to collect. So I can get back what I lost!"

Trigger had a feeling about these guys since they seem to remind him of the Van Dalsens/Mimic Squadron in terms of wanting to kill him. He figured,

"Another group of hitmen out to get me."

Trigger moves away from the two leaders as Varcolac 1 fired a missile at him, but he popped his flares, throwing the missile off. The two enemy pilots pursued Trigger as he led them to the landing force where New Jersey noticed him. The battleship had a scowl on her face and directed her AA Guns while saying,

"Keep away from my Honey, you bastards!"

The guns shot at the two enemy leaders as Crimson 1 and Varcolac 1 evaded, only for Trigger to pull a quick U-Turn and fire a missile each for both planes. The missiles struck the planes at a non-critical area as Sulejmani stated,

"Damn it!"

Rodriguez spat out, "I'm hit! Damn that dog!"

The two planes were trailing smoke as they evaded a second volley of missiles - this was from Strider 5 and the rest of the Ridgebacks as they returned to the combat zone. Tabloid announced,

"Strider 5 is back on station!"

Trigger smiles at this, "Great timing, Tabloid!"

"I always arrive on time, Trigger."

He knew that his friend would get here and stated, "That large aircraft sent out these drones to threaten our landing unit. We need to take out the drones and the mothership."

Slash spoke, "Ridgeback Squadron will handle the siren aircraft. The mothership is yours."

"Copy that. Strider Squadron moving in to attack the Orgoi!"

Trigger and Tabloid moved into position behind the airborne aircraft carrier as Magic spoke,

"Strider 1, Strider 5, the Orgoi is equipped with Air-to-Air Guns and Missiles. It also boasts serious aerial capabilities, so don't underestimate it. Focus your attacks on the ship's anti-air capabilities, strip it of its teeth. Begin your attack on the carrier now."

The two went after the aerial warship to cut off the additional siren aircraft. The Orgoi's anti air weapons opened fire on the two as they avoided getting their planes shot up. Tabloid used his hyper velocity air-to-air missiles on the AA weapons on the right side while Trigger dealt with the left side. The Orgoi's AA Guns were wrecked, but it soon fired its flak guns and commenced its crazy evasive maneuvers.

Trigger was surprised, "Tabloid watch out, for a large aircraft, that thing is surprisingly nimble! Avoid direct contact!"

The Viper Zero moved away while still keeping the large aircraft in his sights. The Orgoi's flak guns were trying to get a bead on him, but Tabloid avoided the AA fire and launched his missiles at the flak guns on the right wing while Trigger destroyed the left wing flak guns.

The large aircraft was definitely in deep trouble as smoke billowed from the destroyed gun ports. But soon enough as an act of desperation, it began activating its anti-air missiles while descending towards Wake Island.

Trigger noticed, "Magic, that thing is descending towards Wake! What's it doing?"

Magic analyzed the situation and realized, "The Orgoi's attempting to crash into Wake Airfield! SEAL Teams and SAS have already begun to take the airfield, but if that thing crashes, they'll be wiped out! Strider Squadron, focus your attack on the rear engine! Destroy the Orgoi!"

Trigger was shocked that it was attempting to do that and stated,

"Strider 5, let's finish this thing off quickly!"

Tabloid replied, "Roger that!"

As the large aircraft made its descent towards the inland lagoon to the airfield, the two planes aimed for the rear engine as they evaded the missiles before getting a lock on the engines, Trigger stated,

"I've got a radar lock. Strider 1, Fox 2!"

Tabloid announced, "Strider 5, Fox 2!"

Both planes fired their missiles at the left and right engine components. Both missiles connected with the engines as the both components were destroyed. The Orgoi soon lurched downward as smoke billowed out of the wings. Tabloid noticed,

"The Orgoi had taken a death blow!"

Once he said that, the Union and Royal troops and kansen cheered as the Orgoi fell. Magic spoke,

"The Orgoi is losing altitude rapidly."

One of the Apache pilots supporting the landing spoke,

"Orgoi is down!"

Enterprise asked concerned about where that thing will crash,

"Magic, what's the estimated point of impact?"

The AWACS stated, "Don't worry, it will crash outside the lagoon."

Trigger watched as the large plane crashed into the sea with satisfaction that the threat was eliminated. But something wasn't right,

"Magic, what happened to Varcolac 1 and Crimson 1?"

"The enemy aircraft bugged out when reinforcements arrived, no doubt they would risk fighting you with reinforcements and damaged planes. There were no sightings of the bailed out pilots from the downed aircraft, so I assume a submarine recovered the downed airmen."

Trigger had a feeling that they would be seeing those guys again. But in the meantime, the SAS Commander spoke,

"This Leftenant Wallace of the 22nd SAS Squadron alongside Sergeant Collins of SEAL Team Six's Blue Squadron, we are now in control of Wake Airfield!"

Magic stated, "Strider Squadron just shot down the Orgoi that attempted a kamikaze attack. Air superiority is ours."

So with the airfield captured and the ground forces mopping up any remaining siren ground units, the end result was that Wake Island is now under Allied Control. So he decided to announce,

"Azur Lane, Victory is Ours!"

Sakura Base, Kyoten

Iron Blood Command Center

1600 hrs

The island of Kyoten which served as the main base for the Sakura Empire was now seeing a radical shift as a mass-produced siren submarine returned, carrying the pilots from the mercenary team that the Iron Blood had hired. Many kansen figured that it was the work of Three Strikes since he was all that they talked about. But for the Iron Blood Leader, who was hunched over a map of the Pacific as she places a blue mark over Wake Island, she knew for certain that Azur Lane had destroyed the siren fleets there.

The Iron Blood Leader had blonde hair, blue eyes and a black peaked cap. She wears a black & red cape with white-furred bottoms over a black high-collared military uniform with red linings, golden accents & buttons and white cuffs, black buttoned shirt, black pencil skirts with red & yellow linings, black knee-high boots with white-furred cuffs and red bottoms and white gloves. This is the big girl, the monster of the Denmark Straits, this is Bismarck.

Alongside her was another kansen with her, she was also a battleship, but she had white hair, blue eyes, a white caped uniform, black miniskirt, thigh-high boots and a white peaked cap. This was the Lone Queen of the North, Tirpitz, Bismarck's sister. Tirpitz stated,

"And so it has begun."

Bismarck stated, "Azur Lane has taken Wake Island, the reserve fleet of siren Mass-produced ships were lost as well."

"We also lost the Orgoi to Three Strikes."

Bismarck assured her, "There are plenty where that came from, but the failure of the two squadrons was unexpected which means that he is no ordinary pilot." She looks at her sister, "I'm sure that Prinz Eugen would like to tell me more about Three Strikes."

The white-haired battleship had a look of curiosity when her sister mentioned the heavy cruiser since they were only greeted by Akagi on behalf of the Sakura Empire. But she knew that there was Iron Blood presence on the base, but no sign of the heavy cruiser nor her sister.

Bismarck spoke, "Crimson and Varcolac may have failed to destroy Three Strikes, but there are going to be many more chances in this war."

Her eyes looked at the Solomon Islands before bringing out a datapad with another aerial warship alongside Orgoi. But before she could think more on this, Deutschland, an Iron Blood Heavy Cruiser entered,

"Mein Lord Bismarck, I found something that you might want to see. It's about Prinz Eugen."

The battleship raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"

"She's gone." That was said by Admiral Graf Spee, another heavy cruiser who entered after her sister as she continued, "We also discovered that Hipper and Z23 were gone and we found evidence of their intentions."

The white and red haired cruiser placed a piece of paper on the table as the Iron Blood Leader read,

"To Bismarck,

As much as I hate to say this, but - I do not believe in the goals of Red Axis anymore. I know who to turn to, the beacon of light to show us the way. Three Strikes is that beacon, he is who the Iron Blood should be following. It became clear that Siren Technology will not save us and we will not work with criminals like Crimson and Varcolac, by the time you read this…we will already be gone.

Auf Weidersehen,

Prinz Eugen."

This surprised her to hear that Prinz Eugen had resigned because of Bismarck's decision to hire those pilots. But now to know that a kansen that used to be her escort in historical life, had now turned her back on her own in favor of Azur Lane's Ace and Commander had surprised the blonde battleship. Her fists clenched as she stated,

"Her treachery will not go unpunished. I need to know where she is!"

Graf Spee brought out a datapad, "We actually discovered the whereabouts of a Siren Fleet in Red Axis Territory, it's reported to have been escorting a human transport ship. If the reports on Azur Lane are true, then Prinz Eugen will be there to destroy the fleet and bring the freighter to Allied Territory."

Bismarck saw the datapad and pinpointed the location on the map, she soon made her decision,

"Launch a heavy command cruiser and a Kottos to track down the traitors. I also want the Sakura Empire to send out two battleships for the hunt. You two will be going along with U-81 and U-556 to hunt them down. I want you to recognize Prinz Eugen, Admiral Hipper and Z23 as traitors and sink the freighter with them."

Graf Spee asked, "But Lord Bismarck, what of the contents of that freighter? Eugen wouldn't have captured it if the contents weren't valuable."

The Battleship stated, "Whatever is onboard that freighter is not worth it. Our goals stay the same."

Both reluctantly nodded as they went to prepare the aerial warships and the hunting fleet.

Azur Lane HQ

Debriefing Room

Once everyone returned to HQ, the debriefing had begun as the results of the mission were spoken. Trigger stated,

"The mission was a success! We did more than hobble the enemy's sea power and cut down the number of Siren Ships for Red Axis. In addition, Wake Island is now under Allied Control, but this mission has also revealed some unexpected elements."

Admiral Williams spoke, "Indeed, sir. Those two squadrons are on the Most Wanted List for the Sakura Empire. Why they are collaborating with them instead of arresting them is surprising. But it looks as if they were hired through the Iron Blood."

"Who are these guys, sir?"

"Varcolac Squadron was a mercenary squadron that served under Martinez Security, a private military company under the name Rigel Squadron. But during a mission, Sulejmani, the leader, was given a better offer by another faction and accepted. They soon became Varcolac Squadron and were solely in it for the money. Sulejmani has always been in it for money, he worships it, the stronger the foe means the better the pay. It's how he works."

Trigger got the notion that Sulejmani would come after him again because he was the stronger foe. But that's one backstory down for one squadron, he soon asked,

"And Crimson?"

"Believe it or not, Colonel Michael Rodriguez is actually from Eagle Union. He and his squadron flew as an elite peacekeeping force in the Cascadia region of Washington State. But when the Sirens started attacking the shores, Crimson was there to protect the shores and cleared the way for a railgun strike from Stonehenge Nevada. But when Azur Lane first formed, he grew bitter of the aspect of relying on literal 'girls with big guns' on the ocean. He preferred destroying the sirens from the skies with aircraft instead of relying on kansen. When he voiced his concern about this, the West Coast command told him that the shipgirls are allies and that we need to work together to stop the sirens. But that was when he decided to take matters into his own hands - Colonel Rodriguez and his entire squadron went rogue."

Shinano stated as she knew who they were, "Crimson Team became a rogue squadron looking for a better solution. But he soon grew radicalized and had a different approach. He saw the Sirens as a force of change, he was also obsessed with Ulysses and how the asteroid fragments caused massive damage. He believed that humanity needed to start anew which led to the Tokyo Incident."

Trigger asked, "What's the Tokyo Incident?"

"It was when the Crimson Team and Varcolac Squadron joined together to drop a large military satellite fitted with a dangerous weapon on Tokyo. The weapon itself was a volatile mineral harvested from a Ulysses fragment and combined with elements from geothermal plants. This would ignite and cause massive amounts of destruction if left unattended and it was given a name."

Williams knew this, "Cordium."

Trigger realized, "And they tried to deploy this on a populated area!? I can see why they are on the Wanted list for their disregard of civilians."

"Their attack on Tokyo failed when the JASDF and planes from the Sakura kansen destroyed the military satellite and forced them to retreat. It was a relief that Tokyo was saved, but those two squadrons got away, but we will get them. What we do know is that after Tokyo, Rodriguez shifted to mercenary work where he hated the idea of having to work as a wing for hire, but he didn't have a choice."

Trigger nodded as he spoke, "Besides the squadrons that Orgoi is a giant airborne aircraft carrier developed to launch aircraft. But I have the feeling that we won't be seeing the last of those things. But now with Wake Island under our control, we can proceed forth with the next operation. We've got a long road ahead of us. Azur Lane, Great Work! Dismissed."

As everyone began to leave, only Trigger, Belfast and Enterprise stayed since Williams was still on the line. He was still surprised by Trigger surviving the two squadrons,

"Commander, about Crimson and Varcolac, I'm impressed with how you conducted yourself against those two. Not many pilots go up against them and come back alive. So far, only three pilots went up against them and came back alive. Major Herbert is one of the three."

Trigger asked, "And the other two?"

Williams smiled, "The other two who went up against Varcolac and Crimson was Admiral Tom Kazansky who runs the Pacific Fleet here at Pearl, but the other is Captain Pete Mitchell, a Top Gun Instructor at NAS Fallon in Nevada."

Trigger was surprised by this and asked, "What happened?"

"Before he was Admiral, Kazansky was once a pilot, commanding a squadron off the California coast. All of a sudden, Varcolac jumped his team with siren aircraft to boot. He knew that they were dangerous, so he ordered them to take out the siren jets and return home, leaving him to take on Sulejmani and his squadron alone. Kazansky was good, but he was nearly done in until Mitchell, who was originally teaching a group of aviators out of former Top Gun site Miramar, arrived and assisted him. But that's also when Crimson arrived, since they were two pilots against two squadrons. But believe it or not, they were able to drive them off. This was the first indication of the Crimson Team going rogue."

Trigger was impressed, "Kazansky and Mitchell must be impressive pilots."

"Both were Top Gun Graduates from Miramar and are best friends too. Kazansky once told Mitchell after a skirmish with a group of MiGs that he can be his wingman anytime, establishing their long-time friendship."

This made Trigger think back to the rest of Strider Squadron, of Count, Jaeger and Húxiãn. They were his wingmen and best friends, they were the best wingmen that he could have and they could fly beside him anytime. He soon stated,

"Thank you for telling me about this, Admiral."

"And Trigger, remember what I told you today, Red Axis may be your priority, but I assure you - Rodriguez and Sulejmani are vicious bastards. We're all counting on you to bring those two to justice."

Trigger assured the Admiral, "I will bring them down, sir."

"I know you will, we're counting on you and your fleet to end this war before Orochi is deployed. Williams Out."

The communication ended as the Commander, his secretary and the Head Maid left to relax after the mission. Belfast also had plans for spending time with her older sister which Trigger approved.

Pacific Ocean,

Northeast of Micronesia

40 miles from Wake Island

The Pacific Ocean is a vast ocean for many who choose to sail it or fly over the endless blue of the biggest ocean on Earth. But for the freighter which was going at full speed towards the east, it was a race to get to Allied Territory because of the three kansen who were driving it.

Z23 was at the wheel of the freighter while Hipper was on lookout. Prinz Eugen was checking the map pinpointing how far they are from Wake Island. They knew that Azur Lane had recently liberated the island and knew that Wake was the allied frontline. It was apparent that when they got there, they would turn themselves over to the occupation forces at Wake and continue on to Hawaii.

If you're asking how they got this freighter, this was the first phase of their defection. This freighter was once guarded by a siren fleet until the three Iron Blood kansen ambushed them. They sank the escort fleet and took the freighter to use as a bargaining chip for Azur Lane.

Although, before they were underway, Nimi took a look below deck and discovered that this is an aircraft transport, she saw a few plane types that she recognized like an old Grumman F-14A and an F/A-18E, the single seat Super Hornet. But what surprised her were three aircraft that stood out from the rest. From what she remembered was the large engine nacelles, canards, and forward-swept wings on the first plane. The first plane itself looked like a space shuttle, but it wasn't. The second plane looked like a standard fighter jet, but it was actually different.

But the third almost made her faint since it looked similar to the ADF-01, from the angular body to the lack of a glass canopy, but the difference was the larger wingspan which explained the freighter's size. Nimi could only remember uttering one name to describe the third craft,

"Adler."

Aside from the cargo, they had also found a single survivor which was a man with glasses and a lab coat. The Iron Blood kansen figured that the man was a scientist most likely in advanced aviation since he asked about the advanced planes.

But as they continued on towards allied territory, Hipper spoke,

"I hope we can reach Wake in time before Bismarck sends out a pursuit."

Prinz Eugen looked at her sister, "There is no doubt that they found our resignation and sent out a pursuit team. But, New Guinea does possess a Railgun Network that has a range radius of 3,500 kilometers and we are inside the engagement zone. But Bismarck won't let those Titan Guns scare her and she will come after us anyway."

The doctor who was sitting at a nearby terminal said, "There's no doubt why you decided to defect from your country. Your leader has clearly taken extreme steps to get what she wants."

Hipper looked at him, "It is very true, doctor. But it feels sad knowing that we don't have a homeland and now that they will try to kill us."

"I know how it feels…" silently said the doctor.

Soon enough, something caught their attention as they saw something in their path. Nimi spoke,

"A Siren Portal! They must have found us!"

Prinz Eugen realized, "Mein Gott! Is this it!?"

The four people on the bridge waited to see a mass-produced fleet exit the portal in order to prey on a helpless merchant ship. But instead of sirens, the first ones to leave were two squadrons of F-15Cs, a squadron of SU-30s, SU-33s, F-35Cs and an E-767 AWACS. But what also emerged was a modern fleet with destroyers, frigates, Ticonderoga-Class Aegis Cruisers, the large Kirov-Class Battlecruisers and in the center of it was a large Next Generation Aircraft Carrier as the portal closed behind it.

What they noticed was that the Eagles and Lightning-IIs had the same roundel as Three Strikes. The Sukhois had a different roundel which showed red stars in an aperture. Soon enough, they were being hailed from one of the planes which surprised the three kansen,

"Merchant Vessel, this is Strider 2 of the Osean Long Range Strategic Strike Group and acting leader of Strider Squadron, what is your affiliation."

Unbeknownst to them, Allied Code Breakers at Hawaii intercepted this transmission as one of them spoke to his supervisor,

"Get this to Admiral Williams immediately!"

A/N: And that's a wrap.

Wake Island is now under allied control and new rivals for Trigger emerge.

I never played Project Wingman, but I do know that Crimson 1 hates mercenaries. But here, he was forced into mercenary work because he had no choice. Ironic, isn't it?

Varcolac Squadron is also going to be causing trouble for Trigger since they would see him as a huge bag of money. Sulejmani will no doubt grow obsessed with taking him down.

We have Shooter Squadron and Nomad Squadron in the assault and the emergence of the Orgoi and it seems like Red Axis has aerial warships at their disposal.

But here's a question: What is the biggest weakness to a large Aerial Warship?

Hint: Think AC7 Mission 12.

And before you point it out - Yes, I mentioned Maverick and Iceman from Top Gun.

It's confirmed that Ace Combat 7 is having an upcoming DLC themed to the upcoming movie, 'Top Gun Maverick' and Keiki Kobayashi is composing a version of 'Top Gun Anthem' which sounds pretty awesome.

Update: It looks like the links and social media posts regarding the Top Gun collab are gone. Is the DLC cancelled or postponed and I hope it's the latter. I really want to hear Kobayashi's version of the Top Gun Anthem.

So yes, the LRSSG made it. Things are going to get a lot more interesting since the three Iron Blood kansen will meet the pilots of Strider Squadron.

Will the defecting kansen make it to the allied frontline? What other tricks do Red Axis have up their sleeves? Will Trigger reunite with the rest of his squadron?

Find out next time!

Nighthawk Out!