..II..II..II..II..II..II..II..II..II..II
Yinshi Valley, Usea
July 12, 2019
1500hrs.
..II..II..II..II..II..II..II..II..II..II
The long flight was evident before as each plane had the max number of drop tanks were added to all their planes. For the most part, the flight was fairly quiet with a few conversations being struck between the pilots. Other than that, Mere was busying herself watching the scenic views below, or at least she tried to. The further North they went, the more green the terrain became. Or rather this was what she could see through the patchy clouds covering the terrain below. A gust of wind sometimes comes through rattling the planes serving as a reminder of what type of weather they all were flying into. Clenching her hands closed and open she looked over to see how the other pilots were doing. Count, Champ, and Skunk were at the front as usual while Utah, Sinker, and Dookie on their respective wings. Weasel trailing Utah and Full Band was following Champ around with Pick on his wing. The new guy, I think Waldo was his tac name was following after Count as well. Looking further right, Tabloid was close as their wingman and he gave a thumbs up to her before she looked over her left seeing Lampshade and Roofer had formed an element on their other wing. Even if it was only three other pilots that are willing to work with Trigger, it was much better than the first time they went up.
"Storm clouds ahead. I recommend you lower your altitude and fly under them," Bandog informed the pilots as if it wasn't evident enough. The clouds were only getting denser and greyer the closer they got to their objective.
"Rogger, dropping altitude," Skunk responded first and began a shallow dive to get under the clouds.
"So, we're just tasked with destroying the SAM sites and escorting the regulars back?" Weasel asked.
"That is correct. Our intel suggests there aren't that many defenses here to begin with so you can get the mission done in no time."
"Sounds easy enough."
"You're forgetting about the weather, Weasel," Full Band pointed out.
"I'll run top cover or something. Maybe draw their radars into the sky. Just something productive," he let out a chuckle as he dove with the rest.
"Man, this is gonna suck," Mere heard Tabloid sigh. "Flying in those canyons was trouble enough but now we gotta deal with this storm?"
"You're a fighter, not an airliner. You should be able to deal with the wind just fine," Lampshade pointed out. "Just like the gusts in Heirlark."
"Don't remind me of those landings in stormy conditions..." Tabloid groaned.
"At least it was on solid land. I had to do it on a moving tennis court," Mere chimed in.
"Oh please, it was your pilot doing that," Full Band butted in.
"Still not a pleasant experience," Sinker added quickly. "Doubly so when you gotta worry about another soul in the back."
"Hawkeye's must be extra stressful," the new guy added. "Lots of people aboard those AWACS planes, right Bandog?"
"Indeed, there's lots of very valuable individuals in these AWACS planes," he responded, seemingly a bit proud, if a bit smug, about it all.
"Sooo, what? The Pilot, co-pilot, engineer... Weather guy," Pick began to rattle off leaving Bandog out of the picture. Even if it was a jab at his ego, Bandog has been somewhat helpful with the missions. Even if he's always bitching at the other pilots, he's still relaying quite critical information to the pilots as well as notifying them of any new threats or new developments that come on the mission.
"Talk all you want but listen good as I won't repeat myself. If you want to act like a coward and reward yourself with a nice warm spot in solitary then you can stick above angels 7. That's well above the tallest Karst in the area."
"Look at that, the Guard Dog can also be helpful," Sinker laughed a bit.
"7000 feet? That's above the storm right?" Dookie asked.
"Well, it could be worse," Skunk mumbled.
"Don't stink up the situation, Skunk," Champ growled. "This is a nice and simple mission. Anyone can do it."
"Hmph. You are now entering the area of operations, you should be seeing targets on your radar now," Bandog informed the pilots and indeed, they were appearing through the data link. Not too many this time it seems, Mere thought. "Spare squadron, this mission needs to be quick. Target radar facilities and AA weaponry. They're set up on rugged terrain and most likely set up between the Karsts." There was a pause as Bandog let out a light grunt followed by the sound of paper being torn. "As for the weather... It is stable but stormy. Clouds are obscuring some of the targets so you will need to get close. Additionally, there are thunder clouds in the area so watch out for them. Hmph, man you guys were born unlucky," Bandog chuckled a bit.
As they approached, the shakey formation began to split apart as all the pilots spread out to pick out a target for themselves. Since the Tomcat couldn't carry any powered air-to-ground ordinances with the equipment they had, Mere didn't have too much to do other than keep her head on a swivel as they ran top cover for Tabloid, Roofer, and Lamp.
"Well, this is simple enough," Tabloid mumbled. "Spare-11, engaging."
"Spare-5 engaging."
"Spare-3, engaging. I'm trusting you to keep our back clear, Trigger."
"Woah, someone's trusting the murder now?" Weasle asked.
"He's been more consistent and useful than you have Weasle."
"Pfft, I've taken plenty of planes out for you Lamp! Can only do so much with the plane I've got!"
"A bad carpenter blames their tools," Roofer's deep voice reasoned as he launched a missile at an AA gun.
Circling above, Mere peered out of the canopy watching as plumes of red and orange burst up once in a while. Checking the radar, it didn't seem light any fighters were close by. Sitting around with nothing else to do, Mere booted up the front facing camera and gave Triggers seat a light kick. Rolling over, they dove down to join the fray picking off the remaining ground targets when Champ came over the comms again.
"Wait, who's the dumbass who came up with this batshit plan anyway?"
"Just obey your orders," Bandog groaned a bit, "Wait, hold on..."
Feeling her heart rate go up a bit as they approached the giant rocky structures, she also felt strangely calm as Trigger got a lock on a AA gun letting a missile off before swapping over to the SAM sight destroying that as well. Rain was pelting their cockpit and Mere observed that a few of the pilots seemed to be struggling a bit when a gust of wind smacked into their Tomcat. The airframe lurched and rattled as Trigger began to fight the controls pulling them up and away from the karsts. Letting out a breath, a new voice came over the radio.
"Air Force Base 444 Squadron, this is Cyclops 1. Feel free to call me Wiseman," a deep commanding voice came through gaining Mere's attention. He was either the flight lead given his commanding voice and callsign. "The Cyclops and Strider squadrons currently contain seven aircraft. Stand by, we'll be arriving shortly."
"Understood," Bandog responded when a new timer appeared on their HUD. Mere craned her neck a bit as she watched a karst go flying by as Trigger dove into another nest of anti-air assisting with taking out the annoying XSAM's and AA guns.
"We're low on ammunition, it'll be hard to take on hostiles. We'll have to rely on you guys to make it home."
"Cyclops one, this is Bandog, we need the job done on time."
"Bandog?" Mere heard a snort of amusement come out. "Cool name. Nice working with you Mr. Guard Dog."
"What, Bandog just get a compliment?" Pick just asked.
"Shut it. Just continue the mission Spare squadron." Bandog growled back as Trigger went in for another sector of AA while with the three fighters forming back up on him.
"So much for running top cover huh?" Lamp chuckled a bit.
"Baby in back got bored and started kicking my seat for some action," Trigger chuckled while Mere just let out a surprised, "bah."
"Didn't do nothin'!" she yelled over the radio, getting a light chuckle from Tabloid. "You want an ass kicking!?"
"Well radar is clean of enemy aircraft. Take the lead and we'll clean up the rest, Trigger." Tabloid let out a chuckle. "Let the lady have her fun."
"I wasn't throwing a tantrum! I am going to kick your ass when we get back, Tabloid!" Mere groaned out as Trigger dove in. Without the LIGHTNING pod, she was just there for the ride as Trigger moved in low, getting a lock on a SAM site Trigger let loose a missile before swapping to the AA gun doing the same. One of them managed to connect with their target while the wind blew the other one just off target missing. He let out a light curse under his breath as he shredded another AA gun with his guns as he flew by. Hearing the RWR begin to blare, Mere turned back around seeing a puff of white smoke as the SAM got a lock and launched a missile at them. She opened her mouth to alert Trigger when another missile streaked in destroying the SAM before another missile destroyed the radar truck. The RWR stopped yelling at them while the missile behind them started to drift off target before it self-destructed.
"Haahaa! Radar truck destroyed!" Tabloid triumphantly announced
"SAM destroyed," Roofer flatley said.
"Well, at this rate, this will be a nice and easy mission," Mere smirked behind her oxygen mask as they moved on to the next area. Looking at the radar, it was the usual with two SAM sites protected by two AA guns. In addition there were even some helicopters flying around. If Bandog thought we were unlucky, she felt bad for those helicopter pilots.
"Well would you look at that, they do have air support," Lamp chuckled a bit. "Hey Trigger, stop hogging our kills and deal with their air support."
"Heh, got it," Trigger plainly said as he rolled the Tomcat around lining up the two helicopters which were taken out with ease by a missile and some guns. Coming up a bit higher to observe the battlefield, the majority of the targets were already taken out.
"Well, it seems like we got a lot of breathing room. Honestly, this mission might be too easy for us," Count confidently said. "Honestly, why'd they even send us here instead of the regular forces?"
"High Command works in mysterious ways... Maybe the base commander persuaded them that it would be best to send us expendables if things got nasty," Dookie theorized.
"Well, speaking of the regulars," Count cut back in, "Full Band, you did some more digging. Found anything else out about why the regular forces are sending out planes deep into Erusea for a secret reconnaissance mission?"
"Ah that? They're investigating the ruins, that's all I know," Full Band answered quickly.
"Took you two days to find that out?" Tabloid asked. "What, they got some secret weapon out there or something?"
"That's all I could find out," Full Band sheepishly answered again while Mere went into thought of the ruins they were looking at. If it was the ruins of Stonehenge then there'd be little use to that hunk of junk. That was destroyed nearly 25 years ago and left for scrap. Then again, the map did point to the recon squad flying from Stonehenge.
"If you ladies are finished with your little chat, then you can get back to the mission," Bandog snarled a bit over the radio. "You're all pushing it right now. Focus on the mission and take down that last target."
"Jeez, Bandog seems more pissed today," Weasle chuckled a bit. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"
"I-Is the squadron usually like this?" the new guy tentatively asked. "Who even is the lead here?"
"Welcome to the penal unit, Waldo. No one knows what's up or down and no one's leading. Just fight for yourself," Utah answered.
"Well if anyone asks, I'm the leader here," Count confidently said over the radio while the others just sighed.
"Oh come on," Waldo groaned out. Mere on the other hand watched as both Roofer and Tabloid finished off the last of the radar and SAM sites.
"All targets confirmed destroyed. No complaints here. Stand by to receive your escort," Bandog announced.
"Couldn't do it any faster, weather seems to be getting worse," Dookie commented. Swiveling her head around, Mere gulped a bit seeing that the thunderclouds have been growing. Bolts of blue lightning light up the foreboding dark gray clouds as it arced either within the cloud itself or striking the ground below.
"Bandog, where are the allied fighters?" Skunk asked, trying to get a bearing on their arrival.
"Give me a second... Allied fighters should be appearing on your radar now," Bandog announced. Looking down at her radar suit, Mere saw seven new allied contacts quickly speeding through the AO. Looking out of the canopy, Mere spotted seven F-15C's in the distance flying low the their afterburners light as they all flew in a near perfect single file formation. Each movement the flight lead made was perfectly mirrored by the trailing fighters.
"Bandog, Spare-15, I have eyes on the allied fighters," Mere called and let out a sigh as she watched their approach to their location. She loved flying in the Rhino's when she was back on the Kestrel, but she's always been curious about the Eagles. Two massive jet engines giving all the power it would ever need with an airframe made for dominance in the skies just felt right. Even though the two seater variant was technically heavier and not as capable as the single seater, it's still an airframe that can change wars. Emmeria has proven that much to the world.
"Wishing you found a Strike Eagle to fix up instead?" Trigger asked, glancing back at Mere. She couldn't see it but she could feel the smirk on his face.
"If there was a Mudhen in that God forsaken boneyard then I'd be all over it," Mere chuckled when Bandog suddenly cut in over the radio.
"Caution! New enemy on radar!" Bandog called when another man calmly called out over the radio.
"Caution, Bandits inbound! Here comes the UAVs!" Trigger instinctively looked back to Mere worried. Mere grit her teeth under her mask at the mention of the UAVs.
"We might have crossed the line," Wiseman said calmly. Closing her eyes she sucked in a breath letting the metallic tasting air tingle in her lungs before she let it out in a big sigh. Opening her eyes again, she gave a thumbs up to Trigger who returned the gesture. Looking down, Mere saw the allied fighters dive lower and zip through the rocks maintaining their single file formation while the UAVs were quickly closing in on their target. "We don't have the ordinance. Leave this one to our friends," Wiseman told his squadron.
"Wish we'd used that hole to get home too," one of the other pilots muttered as all the planes punched off their drop tanks before they flew right into the thunderstorm. The UAVs continued their pursuit after their target.
"Well, things don't always go perfectly," Wiseman responded as the flight broke formation spreading through the clouds to divide up the drones as best as they could. Some of them decided to climb to cleaner air where they could maneuver easier while others, assumingly ones with the higher skill ceiling, were using the clouds, and the rocks to keep the drones guessing. Trying to get a grip of the situation, the recon flight had already zipped past Spare Squadron when Bandog started to shout at Spare.
"Shit! The drones have jumped on the recon team! Our friends aren't equipped for air to air! All 444 aircraft engage and support our allies! Not even one is to go down! Destroy the UAVs!" Relaxing and squeezing his fingers on the stick and throttle, Trigger noted that the lightning strikes were becoming more frequent. Taking in a breath he rolled the F-14 around and dove at the closest drone. Steeling herself, Mere flipped a few switches arming the Sparrows they had aboard. Giving her control stick a squeeze she quickly locked up the first UAV and launched a Sparrow at the target.
"Fox-1!" she called while some of the other pilots in Spare were hesitating.
"That's impossible!" Count shouted at Bandog.
"I'm not flyin' in there to help out some assholes I know jack shit about!" Champ growled back at Bandog when the missile cut through the rain and struck the drone sending it tumbling into the rocky terrain.
"Spare-15, drone splashed!" Mere called while the rest of Spare squadron continued to hesitate and fly into the storm. The first kill was starting to move some of the pilots to go in closer to the battle. Of all people to begin to engage, Weasel was the first. Mere watched as his Foxbat dove into the storm, shot a missile, getting a drone and zoom climbing out of the storm and into safer skies..
"Ah, damn it... Damn it, fine, Spare-11 engaging!" Tabloid worked up some courage to dive after a drone. "If it goes into a storm cloud then count me out but I'm helping! Count, get your ass down here as well!"
"As they say in my house, there's a thin line between bravery and stupidity," Count snapped at Tabloid as Trigger moved in shooting a missile at the second drone.
"Fox-2."
"Well that means I've got the biggest dumb ass here! Come on Count, you really just gonna roll over and hand Trigger that Eagle on a silver platter?" Mere tried to persuade Count.
"Hmph... Ah, what the hell, I'll help just to get this over with quicker," Count grumbled. "Spare-2, engaging."
"Better hurry then, I'm up by two," Trigger teased over the radio as he watched the allied fighter break off.
"Thanks! I owe you!" the pilot radioed. Slewing the radar over, Mere picked up the next target, locking it up.
"All right, good start," Wiseman said seemingly impressed, "Now let's get the remaining six out of here."
Watching the radar track, the drone and fighter disappeared into a cloud. Mere began to look around to see any alternative paths when Trigger nosed the plane up to follow.
"Trigger," Mere, "Don't you-" Trigger didn't budge as the plane quickly approached the thunder cloud. A lightning bolt arced from the cloud and into the ground below some 200 meters away causing Mere to flinch and shut her eyes. The thunderous clap rattled the cockpit and the occupants to the bone before they flew into the dark clouds.
"Someone just flew into the thunder clouds!" Full Band shouted, anxiety filling his voice. Closing in on the target, Trigger got within range for guns and gave the trigger two taps shredding the wing off the drone just as they burst through the other side.
"Spare 15 has broken through the thunderclouds! Hahaa! Nice work for a dumbass!" Bandog shouted, seemingly excited at the mission.
"Trigger just flew into a thundercloud without even blinkin'! Champ observed, sounding almost as impressed, if not a bit nervous as Bandog, while Mere scowled.
"And he's forgetting he's got someone in the back seat!" she scowled at her pilot who she knows is just grinning behind his mask. She can see it in his eyes.
"We made it, though," he calmly said as he took the second drone down, giving the recon pilot a chance to bug out.
"Strider 4, breaking off!" the pilot announced as they dove away heading for the escape vector. Mere glanced at the radar seeing Count and Lampshade were tangling with a pair of UAVs pursuing one of Cyclops' planes. when both of their targets went down in a ball of flame.
"Wiseman, 444 Squadron support incoming. Sorry, but I'm using this chance to break off," one of the pilots called out to their flight lead.
"Jaeger, you look after the survivors. Keep 'em in line until I get back," Wiseman responded almost jokingly as the F-15 joined the others.
Turning her attention back to her work, Trigger had already made a vector to the remaining pilots that Spare pilots were somewhat helping. It was much stormier in this area so the Spare pilots were hesitant to dive right in. Joining Tabloid, Mere locked up a drone on the radar and slung a Sparrow at her target while Tabloid pulled his nose higher for the deflection shot of cannon fire before he launched a missile at the remaining drone. Both MQ-99's burst into flames as Mere's disintegrated from the SAAM and Tabloid's was cut in half by the Sidewinder.
"Alright, now there's just three more to go. Cyclops 4, look out, missile on your tail!" Wiseman had informed both Bandog and his fellow squadmate of a danger. Trigger took the chance to break off and go to assist Cyclops 4. Orange flares were dumped as the drones missile lost lock of the Eagle and slammed itself into one of the tall karsts. Working on getting a lock, Mere's vision suddenly went white while a thunderous clap shook the plane. With a grunt, Trigger wrestled to get control of the plane while he blinked his eyes trying to blink the white away as he closed in on the drone. The HUD was going crazy and the electrical systems were bugging out.
"Trigger and Hotwire got struck by lightning!" Tabloid announced over the radio quite concerned.
"Ah fuck, can't see!" Mere yelled as she continued to blink her eyes trying to clear them up.
"Hey, you good in there?" Count asked, seemingly quite concerned.
"Calm down and check your HUD for errors. You'll make it if you don't panic," Bandog's voice came over the radio and Mere was praying that all her grounds were perfect. Planes were designed to protect against potential nuclear threats and their subsequent EMP blast. A lightning strike shouldn't fry the equipment but it will need a reboot. Even though she couldn't see, she felt the plane maneuver under her. Holding on to the handle bars in front of her, it felt like Trigger was dogfighting with something. It was only confirmed when she felt the vulcan cannon rumble beneath her three times followed by Bandogs confirmation. "Two more UAVs taken out by Spare-15."
"I owe you one," a female voice came over the net, surprising Mere a bit. It's been a while since she came across another female in the military. The last one she came across was a fellow pilot on the Kestrel. Watching her leave the combat area, Wiseman's voice broadcasted over the radio again.
"Cyclops 4 has broken off!" He sounded more energetic and encouraging to the pilots that were listening. "There you go! Things are looking up now that we've finally got some good guys in support."
"Looks like there's at least a few guys in there who's got everyone's backs," Strider 3 commented.
"Yeah, but what is with the 444th? They're all over the place," Strider 4 had commented again. "Hell, they don't even have a formation going. Just a few planes keeping to a sloppy element."
After blinking a few more times Mere's vision was gradually coming back. Looking at her HUD it was off but soon booted back to life. Patting her own thigh she thanked herself that she did everything correctly. With a huff, she tried the internal radio.
"You good up there Trigger?"
"Peachy. Bit hard to shoot without the HUD but it worked out," he casually replied as he brought the Tomcat around. Mere on the other hand was in the middle of doing some checks when she paused. Hard to shoot without the HUD? He shot two drones down without the HUD?! Squinting her eyes at her pilot in front, he was calm and focusing down the last two drones that were on Wiseman's tail. Full Band and Pick were shadowing Cyclops 1 but with how he was flying made it difficult for them to follow. He was taking a much riskier flight path through the karsts that neither convict wanted to follow. In the distance, Mere watched Tabloid shoot down two more drones with the aid of Count giving the second to last pilot a chance to escape.
"Cyclops 2 has broken off," Wiseman announced again, leaving just himself. "All my guys managed to escape. Got big gratitude for you."
"Cyclops 1, check your six! Missile!" Cyclops 4 suddenly shouted and it was quickly defeated as Wiseman weaved between the large stone structures forcing the missile into one. Approaching to get on the drones tail, a large gust of wind blew through pushing the Tomcat up and away from the karsts. One of the drones couldn't maneuver and even clipped a karst ripping a wing off and sending it crashing into the rocky terrain below. Seeing her opportunity, Mere got a lock on the last drone and sent one of their remaining Sparrows at the drone. It began to buck and swerve as it fought the wind, but it began to home true and buried itself into the drone disintegrating it in a burst of fire.
"Cyclops 1 has broken off," Bandog announced as the F-15 quickly turned and burned towards his allies. "He could have broken off anytime if he was by himself."
"Bandog, Utah, what's the picture?" Utah asked.
"Picture clean. Spare Squadron, all UAVs within the vicinity confirmed destroyed."
"Nice teamwork. Thanks!" Wiseman let off a laugh. "Hey, who was it that got those last two drones? Well, guess one drone. Either way, tell him I'm grateful!"
"Copy that, Cyclops 1," Bandog said cheerfully. "Spare Squadron, the first half of the mission is complete. Form up with the recon planes and... Wait a minute."
"Bandog, better not be another God damn surprise," Champ growled at the AWACS.
"Hey, something just appeared on radar!" Sinker called out, catching everyone's attention. Looking down at the radar, a new signature appeared and it was coming in fast beelining it straight for Champ.
"Spare 8! Champ! Bogey approaching fast from the rear!" Bandog warned him. He sounded panicked and it only set in with the rest of the squadron that something was off.
"Ah, Sinker here! Moving to assist!"
"I don't need your assistance!" Champ yelled as he began to move defensively the lead plane quickly latching onto this tail.
"Come on Trigger! Lets get after them!" Mere encouraged.
"On it. Champ, we're on our way!"
"I don't need support! This is all mine!" Champ growled over the mic. "God... God damn it! He's glued to my tail!" Champ started to a lower altitude and began to maneuver more, dumping his speed. "He's still not firing! I ain't afraid of it!"
"Come on Hotwire, I need a lock," Trigger urged his WSO. They were quite a distance away and he was trying to use the forward facing camera to identify the plane. "Bandog, how did he get this close to us without anyone noticing?"
"I-I don't know. He must have come in under the clouds and hid under my radar!" Bandog seemed a bit flustered. "Spare-8, no dogfighting! Just get out of there!"
"Negative! I'm not letting this slide!"
"Radar lock! Damn it, the clouds obscuring the camera. Can't see what it is!" Mere groaned in the back. Pushing a bit further, the wind must be picking up as the clouds start to part revealing Champ's plane in the distance.
"Woooohooo! My blood's boilin'! No one can stop me now!" Champ triumphantly shouted as he suddenly pulled a cobra maneuver. The nose of his plane flipped up as he suddenly bled nearly all his speed letting his pursuing plane fly right on by right into the open before he brought the nose back down now chasing down his prey. Trigger's heart began to beat faster as from this distance he could make out the bright orange wingtips of the plane. Swallowing he glanced down at the forward facing camera to see that Mere was tracking a SU-30.
"Wait, Champ! Get out of there!" Trigger suddenly yelled out but it was too late. The Su-30 Seemed to flip in the air followed by an explosion. Through the smoke the Su-30 flew through quickly picking up his next prey and angled towards Sinker and the recon pilots
"What the… Spare-8 lost-" Sinker's radio cut out to static as there was another explosion.
"Huh? What the hell just happened?!" Skunk demanded.
"Spare-10 lost! Another one..." Bandog informed the pilots. Mere watched as the Su-30 zoomed underneath them ignoring the other spare planes.
"Damn it, does anyone see a chute!?" Full Band yelled trying to get some form of information out of anyone.
"Holy shit, holy shit! Sinker and Champ are down! Sinker's plane just exploded, he's gone!" Weasel's voice trembled.
"Trigger what the hell, let's go after him!" Mere snapped her head back to her pilot who hasn't moved an inch since Champ was shot down. Looking up at the mirror, she could only see the top of his helmet. "Hey come on snap out of it!"
"One recon aircraft lost! Shit!" What's with this guy!? That's an Su-30!" Bandog informed the rest. "All Spare Squadron aircraft provide support for Cyclops and Strider! Keep the bandit off of them!"
Cursing to herself as Trigger hadn't snapped out of his stunned stupor, she unbuckled her harness and pulled her mask off before reaching under her seat grabbing the water bottle she's stowed in the back. Sitting up as best she could, she threw the water bottle smacking Trigger in the back of his head. With a startled grunt, he whipped his head back seeing Mere pressed against the top of the canopy glaring daggers at him. Mere in turn saw Trigger's eyes were wide and afraid.
"Trigger the hell happening to you right now?!"
"I'm... I'm sorry." He turned around and checked his controls. "That plane... I... Brownie she..."
"Brownie? Who's- Never mind, come on bring it together, we need you right now. Spare, Cyclops, and Strider need you right now! I need you right now!"
"I-I know but-"
"You were there for me back in Roca Roja, I'm here with you right now!" Her eyes softened a bit as he looked back up at her.
"Spare-15-" Bandog's voice came over the radio when Mere grabbed her mask and pressed it closer to her face as she keyed the radio.
"One fucking minute Bandog." Mere growled into the radio silencing him before she softened up again to look at Trigger.
"U-Uh... Count! I need you to get in there after that monster!"
"Wha- Huh? But- Wait, I-I..."
"T-They took out Champ and Sinker? Fuck this, I'm getting out of here!" Pick yelled.
"Look, I'm not the best with my words so I won't sugar coat this. You are our best pilot we have right now. We can't just sit on the sideline and do nothing. I... You must have had a time where you weren't able to do anything. I can relate as I've been in a similar situation but right now, we can do something. We can fix this." She gave him a gentle smile. "Now... Come on, let's face this nightmare together. It might not look like it, but I know a few tricks to these old cats."
Pulling back, Mere began to buckle herself back into her seat, they were in a gentle bank when Trigger's hand tightened around the stick as he felt the numbness burn away into anger. The fear and confusion turned to hate and resentment to this one ace that seems to be haunting him. Without any more hesitation he pushed the Tomcat into a snap roll and dove to gain speed as he vectored to the enemy. Mere had only managed to put on one shoulder strap when Trigger pulled that maneuver. Her shoulder rolled around the strapped side and her helmet smacked against the canopy with a thud. She saw stars for a second when the plane leveled off giving her a chance to buckle the other strap. Tightening both of them she shook her head and blinked a few times to get her bearings as she pulled her oxygen mask on.
"Fuck, give me some warning next time. Spare-15, we're back in the fight!"
"Spare-15 get in there with that monster!" Bandog shouted. "Damn it, Cyclops 1, missile!"
Peering ahead, Mere could see that Roofer was trying his best to get on the Su-30's tail but he was having a hard time trying to get even close to him.
"Cyclops 1, defending! Why are some of the 444's craft flying out of bounds?" Wiseman demanded with a grunt.
"Are those damn cowards bailing on us!?" Cyclops 4 shouted angerly.
"Damn it, he won't stay still!" Roofer growled
"I just sent back the damaged crafts," Bandog lied to the recon team. "We only need guys we can use."
Getting in closer, Trigger blew past Roofer while Mere got a lock on the Su-30 launching a Sparrow to get the pilots attention off of Wiseman's tail. The Su-30 broke off going defensive, breaking the radar lock as he flew between some karsts and Trigger went in following him through.
"Spare-11, Spare-3, form an element and take up the rear! Spare-2 and Spare-5, protect the rest of the recon planes!" Bandog barked at the other pilots.
"Forget it!" Tabloid snapped back, surprising Mere a bit but she brought her attention right back to the task at hand. She felt her g-suit inflate as Trigger kept pulling high-g turn after high-g turn trying to keep up while keeping a safe distance from that ace pilot.
"Trigger and Hotwire are taking that beast head on! I need someone to support him!"
"So this is where Tabloid bows out," Full Band sneered as he was also making his way out of the combat zone. "So, after following Trigger so long, you'll just leave them out to dry?"
"Bandog, two new bogies on radar! Two more Su-30's!" Lampshade called when there was a thud over the radio followed by a grunt from Tabloid.
"Shit... Shit! Roger, that will do. Lamp! You better have my ass covered in there!"
"Like we have a choice!"
"Well, those who crossed the stupid line can stay. I'm out," Count radioed as he followed the rest of Spare out.
"I'm not ending up like Champ, I'm out," Full Band said smoothly.
"Count, you fucking- Nnghh! Coward!" Mere let out a labored grunt as she squeezed her legs hard trying to keep up with Trigger's flying. He was pushing harder than she'd seen him fly before. She figured it had to do with the enemy plane and that Brownie person he mentioned. Cursing through grit teeth the Su-30 broke lock again which she quickly began to work the radar again trying to lock him up again when the enemy pilot suddenly pulled up and into the clouds. With no hesitation, Trigger pulled up and went after him. Mere tried her best but soon lost sight of him in the clouds.
"Damn it, can't see him!"
"I got him, Wire," Trigger calmly assured as he maneuvered the plane fighting the weather before they broke through closing on his tail. Getting another solid radar lock the Sidewinder growled to life as its seeker head slewed to the locked target, he let off two missiles at the target. The first missed but the second found its mark striking his plane. Smoke trailed his wing as the plane shook before he recovered just to go straight into a Cobra. Trigger jinked expecting the same maneuver that he pulled on Champ just to watch him sail by harmlessly before gunning the engines now on his tail. Twisting in her seat, Mere began to keep watch of him as Trigger dove back down for the rocks. Grunting with each turn she kept her eyes glued on the pursuing craft while a sense of dread was creeping into her head. The pilot was matching their moves as they flew between the rocks when Mere spotted the belly of the pursuing plane
"Jink right!"
Yellow tracers arced over the canopy while the airframe shook as it took a few rounds to the wing and tail, but nothing in a critical area. Checking over their plane, she saw a few new holes in the wing and fuselage but nothing was leaking nor did it feel like they were losing power. The missile warning system blared in her ears as she looked back up seeing one careening towards them. Trigger pulled the plane hard around the tall rocky formation while Mere dumped counter measures defeating that threat but the fighter was still glued to them.
"Damn it, this guy just won't quit. She's not exactly responding like she used to, but I can maneuver like this. So, you said you had some tricks for me?" Trigger grunted as he continued to dodge through the rocky areas.
"That uh... Nngh. You know that cobra thing that guy pulled?"
"Yeah?"
"Tomcats can kinda do a bastardized version of it. Manual wing sweep to 20 degrees while you're going 350-400 knots! Pull as hard as you can up and then kick the rudder and roll to either side. If you're feeling fancy, you can split the throttles and pull the inner engine out of AB to help rotate the Cat," Mere explained as Trigger went for a more open area. "Just don't over rotate or we'll dump all of our speed and stall!"
"You sure it'll work?"
"What my uncles told me," Mere grunted as she looked back. "Shit, jink left!"
Looking back, more tracers arced through the sky tapping the plane again but causing little damage when she noticed that their air brakes started to extend. She heard the whirl and hum of the hydraulics system as the wings started to unfold. The enemy plane had moved in closer trying to get a better shot at them when Trigger leveled out and pulled as hard as he could on the stick, sending the Tomcat violently up. Mere had braced herself and grunted as the world around her began fade and tunnel in as the blood rushed out of her head before it began to rush back in as Trigger pulled a few negative G's to push the nose back down leveling out before kicking the rudder hard to the left while pulling the left engine out of afterburner. Rotating and spinning around, he leveled out as he was now behind the SU-30. Getting a tone, he launched another missile as he set the wing sweep to manual and punched the throttle to max to catch up. The missile went wide but gave him the opportunity to go in for guns. The 20mm tracers arced through the gray sky with only a few connecting on target hitting the wing and near the rear of the tail causing the plane to smoke but not much else.
"Come on Spare-15, bandit's on the ropes. Keep nipping at their heels and you'll get them!" Bandog's voice came over the radio encouraging the duo.
"Wiseman, do you see that color? The way he's flying?" Jaeger asked.
"It's Mr. X for sure," Wiseman replied as he watched the fight from a distance. They have a name for this guy? Mere thought as she got a tone herself in the back and launched a Sparrow at him hoping she might get lucky as he flew into a thunder cloud only to cursed as she watched a lightning bolt strike both Mr. X's plane and her Sparrow causing it to blow up.
"Oh for fucks sake," she shouted as she was now down to two Sparrows all the while Mr. X didn't seem phased at all by the lightning strike.
"Wiseman, we don't wanna mess with this guy!" Cyclops 4 called out. "It's clear by the way he flies... He's way outta my league."
"Nngh, Tabloid, how are you doing?"
"T-These guys are something else, Wire! If I didn't have Lamp here, I'd be dead by now!"
"Speak for yourself- Ah shit, missile Tabloid!"
"Damn it, defending!"
Mere gritted her teeth as they followed him through yet another thundercloud pursuing the injured plane. The world around her was spinning and as best as she tried, everything started to narrow around her. She was reaching her limit much faster than she expected yet Trigger only seemed to be getting started.
"He's exactly the man we didn't want to run into," Wiseman paused for a moment and let out a light sight. "Jaeger, if it comes down to it, we'll act as a shield. Just get my guys out of here."
"Understood," Jaeger curtly replied.
Trigger continued to pursue Mr. X down as the fight was developing into a rolling scissors. Left and right he went using the vertical slightly to keep his energy up while maintaining a speed to keep him behind the enemy aircraft. He used the trick Mere told him about to help rotate the plane on each corner. Seeing an opening, he quickly reversed his turn in the scissors, slotting in on his tail before getting a good tone sending off one of his last missiles. Following the white trail, he watched as the missile detonated yet the plane was still flying.
"How many damn hits can he take!?" his temper was beginning to flare as he watched the smoking plane continue to fly like normal.
"Wait, so you're telling me there's only three aircraft taking on the orange guy?" Cyclops 4 suddenly asked.
"No..." Jaeger muttered as he watched the injured Tomcat continue to pursue the Su-30 alone through thunder clouds and between the towering karsts. "Just two people, a WSO, and a pilot. I haven't seen flying like that since the Circum-Pacific..."
"No way. I wouldn't last a minute!" Cyclops 4 gasped.
"Húxiān, do not engage!" Jaeger suddenly ordered Cyclops 4. "If he comes close, just run!"
"Copy that. Was gonna do that anyways," Húxiān tiredly replied.
Trigger kept on chasing down Mr. X but the damage was starting to take its toll on the Tomcat. The left engine started showing signs of damage with a reduction of RPM as well as a rising oil temperature. In addition, they were running out of munitions. He had just two Sidewinders left at his disposal and a single Sparrow for Mere to sling. Mere on the other hand wasn't doing too well either. She was exhausted and the constant maneuvering was starting to wear her down. She was close to passing out a few times already from the intense moves Trigger had to pull and it was only getting harder to perform her tasks. She was slower at relocking the enemy plane as well as making call out whenever he managed to get on their tail. Diving into the clouds again, they managed to shake him giving Mere a time to breath before Trigger dove back down picking up the enemy. The number of thunderclouds was rapidly increasing as the weather only got worse. Mere's breath became labored as she peered ahead the tail of the Su-30 slowly narrowing to a dark tunnel. The grip on her stick was loosening as the world began to fade from her. Everything felt heavy as her hand went slack. Her head bobbed when everything suddenly flashed a bright white.
"Ah, fuck!" Mere yelled as the adrenaline rush brought her out from the brink of passing out. The plane shook violently and the HUD began to spasm out. Multiple targets were detected as Mr. X's plane began to fly away. Trigger blinked his eyes trying to clear them to continue pursuing the plane but he lost sight of it. His one chance to avenge Brownie slipping through his fingers.
"Bandits are retreating... He managed to survive somehow," Bandog tried to keep a neutral stance, but Mere could feel his frustration and disappointment. Pulling her mask off to get the humid thing away from her, she wiped her mouth and tiredly looked off to the side as Trigger climbed above the clouds. She never felt this exhausted before. Even the battle in Farbanti didn't take this much out of her. Lazily grabbing her mask, she keyed her radio.
"Tabloid, Lamp, you still with us?"
"Barely," Tabloid responded. "Without Count's help, I don't think I would have made it."
"Glory hound swooped in last minute to save our asses," Lampshade added.
"A thanks would be appropriate," Count huffed. "And Trigger! Kindness gets you killed."
"Says the coward who came back to save our asses," Lampshade pointed out.
"Rather die knowing I could have done something, then live knowing I never tried," Trigger replied.
"Hey, Guard Dog," Wisemans' calm voice came back over the radio. "Who's the guy who worked his ass off at the rear?"
"They're the biggest dumnasses in the unit," Bandog chuckled a bit in response.
"Makes sense," Wiseman laughed as well. "Only an idiot would be brave enough to pull off those moves." Mere gave a light chuckle as she leaned forward searching for her bottle of water when something hit her head with a thud and the bottle clattered around her feet. Looking up, Trigger put his hands up defensively but Mere had little energy to do anything else. Cracking it open she took a swig of it and let out a sigh. Trigger had formed up with Lampshade and Tabloid, their own planes pretty chewed up.
"I'll guide you back to Air Force Base 444. Though I doubt you'll have enough gas to make it," Bandog dryly jokes.
"We appreciate the help," Wiseman as chipper as ever responded. "That crew... Will they be at the base?"
"I wouldn't get involved if I were you," Bandog warned Wiseman yet the warning really felt like it was pointed at the pilots. With a sigh, Mere closed her eyes trying to relax her heart rate as she knows it will be a busy day to get the planes repaired. As Trigger and the others moved in to escort Mere glanced over all the F-15's cursing herself as the base commander will probably want their heads for messing up the operation. That Mr. X pilot as well... she hoped she didn't have to meet him ever again but yet at the same time, she still had work to do if she was to keep up with that monster in front of her.
