Chp. 16: Drakon
November 28, 2015
Above the Emmerian Frontline
Joan instinctively nosed up to get above the Thunders before they could do the same to her. The Stovie jets split to get her and her wingman.
"Tempest, we've got two bandits here. If we keep turning and burning we'll have to ditch our bombs. What's your position?" Erwan radioed.
"On the way, standby." Freddie replied.
Joan reluctantly turned into the JF-17 that had split in her direction. The Thunder hit the brakes to cut inside her turn, dropping chaff to keep her missiles at bay. Joan pushed the throttles forward and kept ascending to steer clear of her own missiles. The sudden change in speed should've had the Stovie jet dead to rights, but to her disbelief, the countermeasures did the heavy lifting. All four MICAs failed to find a target and went sailing into the distance. Joan leveled out and slowed so she could pounce on the Thunder while it was slow. She could feel the weight of her bombs dragging her jet down. The enemy jet was in front of her and drifting into her path of travel. She selected her Magics even though she was within the minimum range. Her eyes caught two shapes high above and her plane told her they were friendly.
"Garuda 1, break right and get low. He's mine." Freddie added.
Joan did what was asked of her while Freddie descended on the JF-17. She looked back to make sure she was clear while her naval counterpart fired a couple of bursts from his cannon. Joan left the scene behind and Erwan started looking for targets near Steel's position. He saw tanks moving past their destroyed and disabled comrades. The T-64s moved at a cautious pace; slow enough for him to pick out a target with relative ease.
"Talisman, got eyes on fresh armor moving towards friendly positions. I think I've got an eye on a command tank." He spoke up.
"Copy, slave the pod as fast as you can. Still a lot of AAA down there; don't know when I'll have to start jinking again." She replied.
Erwan zoomed in on the one he suspected; it was at the center of its formation. It was all he had, but it was enough to convince him. As they passed over, missiles emerged from the hills further back. Small ones, more Iglas he suspected. Joan saw them too and countered immediately. Erwan steeled himself and kept working on the target. Luckily for him, Joan was doing her best to accommodate his needs. He reciprocated by getting the job done as fast as he could. Joan finally had to make a hard break and drop flares. He sucked down some cool oxygen as she rolled left and dropped down a few hundred meters.
"You should be good to go as soon as you come around." He told her.
"Gotcha!" She replied.
Joan turned back into the shoulder-launched SAM as it adjusted to follow her. She nosed up, deploying an almost continuous stream of flares. Almost immediately, a pair of Tunguskas were trying to pile on her and Marcus. She thought of dumping a GBU on one of the offending platforms as she lost the missile and weaved through the streams of tracers the guns were spitting out. Some kind of…something…had gotten a hold of her. It was like when you got into a rhythm, only stronger.
"Shamrock, Fleur, you still with us?" She called.
"A few klicks north of you, coming around to form up on your right." Maeva reported.
Joan looked back for visual confirmation. Marcus came out of afterburner as he came around and the two screamed past the rear-area units towards the fight. The Tunguskas tried to nail them the entire way, even as other Emmerian jets circled higher in the sky. Joan kept low as she turned around to make a run against the tanks and popped up at the last second. The feed from the targeting pod straightened itself out after a second or two and she got the symbology telling her she could drop the bomb.
"Garuda 1, bomb away." She announced.
She pulled away and kept her nose aimed up. Marcus hit the gas as he made his run on a separate tank.
"Garuda 2, bomb away." He called.
He weaved back towards Joan, mindful not to get too close to her. The Stovie AA gunners leapt on the two Rafale Bs as they flew off, but it drew the attention of Faucon. Joan caught a glimpse of Pollini's jet overhead, followed by a missile launch. With Marcus back in formation, she circled around to gauge where they stood. The corpses of vehicles littered the immediate area as tracers still flew back and forth.
"Garuda, Steel is requesting you concentrate on those tanks for now. Be advised that we've got a battery of MLRS lining up on them." Skybolt radioed.
"How soon til they fire?" Joan asked.
"Ten seconds; get clear."
"Copy, Garuda 2, do you copy?"
"Garuda 2 copies."
The flashes were barely visible from the west, but the rockets seemed to light up the entire sky. The six M270 Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems salvoed half their payload each. Joan and Erwan watched as several hundred submunitions from each rocket blanketed the Estovakian advance. The launchers were moving before their shots were even halfway to their targets. Joan spotted flashes to the north shortly after.
"Skybolt, Grauda has eyes on rocket launches to the north. Repeat, Stovie counterbattery to the north." She warned.
"Copy, stick to the tanks." the AWACS replied.
"Understood. Owl?"
"On it…also heads up, we got more bandits inbound."
Joan glanced at the center display and clicked her mic. She looked to Marcus and signalled for him to loosen up, then follow her in. He gave her a thumbs up and she banked to the left. Erwan centered the targeting pod's sights on the same tanks from before.
"Garuda 1, I've spotted enemy armor moving towards the high ground north of Steel's positions. Request permission to make our next run against them." Maeva spoke up.
"Granted." Joan replied immediately.
Marcus split off, and Joan nosed down. She saw a line of IFVs and decided they'd be her next target. She broke right and circled around to make a run with her cannon.
"Talisman, I spotted a couple of Hinds in the vicinity. Making a run from behind those IFVs." Erwan reported.
"Sure they're Hinds? We got friendly helos in the area." Joan replied as she looked that way.
"They're not shooting at those IFVs."
"I see 'em…copy, two Hinds at our two low. Keep an eye on 'em."
Joan squeezed the trigger and sprayed high-explosive shells down the Estovakian line. The enemy helicopters split up and hit the brakes as she went by. One of them raised its cannon and fired back. Joan went vertical and slowed to make a quick turnaround. To her satisfaction, the RWR was much less cluttered. The Hinds tried to stay directly below her, but the much faster Rafale simply moved further away for another gun run. Both Hinds met Joan with their chin-mounted cannons, which drew her attention. She nudged her jet to the right and punched two or three holes in the first Hind. The second backed away, only to receive the same treatment. Joan pulled away, and Erwan looked back at the Stovie lines.
"They've got two platoons of tanks moving up to assist those troops and IFVs." He pointed out.
"Copy…Garuda 2, what's your status?" Joan replied.
"Hit our target, good effect on target. Three Paveways left." Marcus replied.
"Roger, okay, we're gonna concentrate on the Estovakian line to the northwest of friendly positions. Keep your runs northeast to southeast to avoid firing on friendly troops."
"Garuda 2 roger. We're in hot."
"Watch out for additional Hinds."
Marcus simply clicked his mic as he dove on the Estovakian positions. Joan and Erwan had already caused a decent amount of carnage: a number of ZSDs were burning, and their dismounted infantry were scattered across the open ground. The Estovakian tanks charged on towards the same fate; Joan rolled into another dive as soon as Garuda 2 was pulling away. She saw a pair of missiles emerge from a treeline atop the hill. They passed under her and went for her wingman.
"Garuda 2, SAM launches at your five." She warned.
"Copy!" Marcus breathed.
Joan dropped two bombs on a platoon of Estovakian tanks. As she pulled up, she drew the ire of another Tunguska. Before she could ask, Erwan checked behind them for more missile launches.
"Tail's clear." He announced.
Joan stuck to the rhythm she had and swung the Rafale around. Erwan barely had time to brace as she weaved past the AA guns' tracers and rolled towards it. She passed over the Tunguska without a good angle for her bombs, but the Tunguska fired one of its missiles too late to get her. She leveled out down low and came roaring around to try again.
"Garuda, Faucon, and Tempest you've got fresh bandits moving into your sector. Be advised, they've got the CAPs tied up. Looks like eight or so leakers. You'll have to take care of them on your own. Nearest group is at 355, 140 Kilometers, Altitude of 8200. Four bandits; looks like Flankers." Skybolt reported.
"Copy that Skybolt, Tempest is moving to engage." Freddie said almost immediately.
Joan glanced in that direction and switched the central display to show the radar. The Navy jets were already spread out and working on splitting the hostile formation. Joan glanced at her fuel and ammo states and decided the Tunguska was still worth a bomb.
"Owl, keep an eye out for those bandits. I'll handle bombing." She declared.
Erwan replied with an enthusiastic "on it" as Joan dumped flares and headed south. The Tunguska tracked her until it looked like she was exiting the fight. She came around and dropped down as low as she dared. The offending AA gun moved its radar in her direction and started moving. She saw it leave its cover and locked the targeting pod onto the vehicle.
"Garuda 1, bomb away." She radioed.
The Paveway dropped from the wing as the Tunguska fired its guns. She pulled up and went into afterburner as she ascended. The guns didn't stop until the bomb hit them. Owl looked in that direction and saw a single missile going stupid. He looked down at his radar display and grimaced.
"Talisman, two bandits have slipped past Tempest. They're heading our way, two o'clock." He relayed.
Joan glanced in that direction, 9the side-to-side at her wings.
"We've got two bombs left. Keep an eye on them while I dump them somewhere where it matters." She instructed firmly.
"Uh…"
"Just trust me and do it!"
Joan dropped chaff and flares before she swung to the left. She went for the main Estovakian force, even with the RWR growing more concerned by the second.
"Garuda 2, what's your status?" She asked.
"Engaged defensive with those two bandits."
"Copy, standby."
Joan made a single pass against the line and dropped her remaining bombs in the direction of some stationary tanks. As she pulled away, she dropped more chaff. The two bandits had split to engage them separately and keep them apart, she wagered. The one aimed at her fired a PL-12; Erwan braced before his pilot could even tell him to. The only external drag was the targeting pod, but she could barely feel that when she maneuvered. Otherwise, she was as nimble as ever. Her eyes darted to the fuel gauge as she looked around. Erwan locked his eyes on the missile despite the G-forces.
"Bandit's following his shot." He breathed.
Joan broke into the attack and dove. As the missile adjusted, she rolled level and nosed up, deploying more countermeasures. With a violent shove of the throttles, she went into afterburner again and soared into the fading black above. The bandit, revealed to be a Su-30, followed closely as its first missile began to lose track of the Rafale. It nosed up after the Emmerians for a second, then lost track when Joan hauled her jet towards the Flanker. Her Rafale protested the onslaught of Gs; she ignored the computer and focused on the dangerously close Flanker. She got her first good look at the bird, too, as it passed underneath. It was painted in black and gray tiger stripes, and had what seemed like rows of blue dots under the canopy. But it was out of view before she had a chance to see more, or before it could make a second shot.
Joan banked towards the enemy fighter as it reversed and slowed. She switched to her cannon and fired the briefest of bursts at the Flanker. The enemy jet passed by unscathed, and Joan found herself out of position as she turned to engage again. The two jets went back and forth, climbing higher and higher above the ground. They went through the clouds with the Flanker holding the advantage for a split second. It fired a PL-9, but that split second was too long to get off the rail. Joan launched a single string of flares as she passed the Flanker on its right. The Stovie crew nosed up and accelerated, which gave Joan a bit more room.
"Looks like he's trying to pull a high yo-yo, Talisman." Erwan guessed.
Joan clicked her mic and nosed up. She came around as the Flanker executed its move. The Stovie pilot used the opportunity to fire a second PL-9. Joan broke away, deployed another string of flares, then pulled back towards the incoming missile. The Flanker dove, then banked to the left so it was pointed at her once more. Joan snaked to the left and rolled hard. She ducked between some clouds and rolled right. Everything around her vibrated as the missile went off. The RWR told her that she was far from safe as the Su-30 switched to its PL-12s. He had to have gone through his heatseekers, then Joan wagered. She glanced at her speed and pushed the throttles forward to recoup some more energy. She glanced in her rearview mirrors, but couldn't see the Flanker.
"Where's he at, Owl?" She spoke up.
"I got him. He's falling back, probably trying to get a better shot." Erwan replied as he looked from side to side.
"Garuda 2, I could use some help here."
"Garuda 2 is engaged…defensive…with that other bandit…standby." Maeva reported in a strained voice.
Joan flipped to chaff to help the EW system. She needed a second to think. She went with the only (or first) option that came to her.
"Okay, gonna try and break his lock. Hang on, Owl!" She decided.
That rhythm faltered; not even She was sure she could bravado her way through this. She was going to try, though. She throttled back and pulled the Rafale to the left as hard as she could. Her vision darkened a second during the tightest part of the turn. She forced her gaze to the side and pushed the throttles as far forward as they would go. The Flanker fired another PL-12 at her. She set her chaff to automatic and came screaming out of the turn. The missile turned towards her and she reversed. As she came back, she nosed up and selected her Magics. The enemy missile corkscrewed in her direction, so she moved away. Not even a second later she broke back into the missile. She held her breath as it passed, then exhaled when it detonated. The Shockwave was at least half a kilometer away.
Erwan laid eyes on the Estovakian above and behind them. He called it out to Joan, who responded by breaking right and slowing. The Flanker cut in the same direction at a higher altitude, but found itself out front. Joan traded speed for a better position and glared at the offending bandit through her HMD. She brought the nose up as the Flanker pilot dumped his speed and rolled towards the two of them. Joan let him pass over; the bandit's move had bought him a few seconds. She kept the throttles midrange and banked right while the Flanker dove. She rolled into a dive a few kilometers behind the Su-30, where her Magics got the perfect view of its engines.
"Garuda 1, Fox 2." She announced.
She ascended but otherwise maintained her pursuit. The Flanker deployed flares and ducked between some clouds. The Magic leveled out as the heat source got too small to track, so Joan readied her second missile. The Flanker returned to her view from behind the cloud, just as the Magic was about to pass the same piece of sky. The occurrence caused the Magic's warhead to go off. Joan closed in from above and saw the Flanker sailing away from the fireball. It'd taken a serious hit, but the big jet was still flying. Joan glanced at her round count for the cannon; she had forty rounds left. She considered the other Magic, but the airspace around her pushed her to use the gun. Joan slowed and cut to the left before accelerating towards the wounded Flanker. As she did, she worked out every single detail that mattered. Angel, speed, distance; everything her HUD would work out. Her mind was making it a bigger deal than it likely was, but she needed to be sure. The sky was still swarming with other bandits, and any one of them could get free and target her at any time. Marcus and Maeva were still engaged with their opponent, albeit they'd finally wrestled the advantage from the other Flanker. Joan again checked her gas before she really committed.
The damage to the Stovie made it easier, but not simple. The jet tried to level out and descend, but it had to do it carefully for obvious reasons. It was turning towards its wingman, then it turned towards the other Flankers when it became obvious they could help. Joan constantly played with the throttles to avoid overshooting. It took her a minute before she saw a good opportunity. She pressed on the Flanker as it tried to make a run to the north. She led the bandit from the right and closed in. Close enough she could read the jet's "Bort number". She pulled the trigger, and the tracers flew.
The counter went to 30 rounds, and the first shots hit the Sukhoi in the spine. The counter reached 20, and by now the shells had punched over a dozen holes in the machine's back and its left wing root. Just past ten, the Flanker slowed and started to fall back. Joan pulled up and switched to her remaining missile, just in case. Erwan watched as the enemy jet began to tumble. After the third, he saw the canopy separate.
"You got 'em, Talisman. We got 'em." He breathed.
"We got 'em, yeah…alright let's go find our second half and get out of here. We need more bombs."