Ace Combat: Broken Line (IC/Open)

by **Kyraina** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 1:10 pm

1st Lt. Joseph "Ranger" Bradford

Ranger was sitting in the cockpit of a borrowed XF8U-3 Crusader 3. Ranger checked all the instruments again as he flexed his hands in the leather motorcycle gloves, and smiled to himself behind the oxygen mask. To Joseph it felt great to back behind the stick but something didn't feel quite right, and it wasn't the fact that Knight flying with him, but something he couldn't really explain, call it's grunt instinct, but something wasn't quite right. He processed to listen to the others.

Ranger: <<Aye Null, I Feel it too, but the easiest way to get the feeling gone is to spring the trap and be done with it, so the sooner we hit them, the sooner we can deal with the surprise, besides for me it's just not buisness anymore, it's personnel.>>

Ranger checked the status of his missiles and His four canons. Upon seeing they were green he accelerated the burrowed fighter towards the furball as it developed, when he hard the call for help from the Nugget.

Ranger: <<Copy That Nugget. Coming to help, keep him busy>>

Ranger angled the Crusader towards Dragon and the Suppose Flanker. As he drew closer he saw that it wasn't a Flanker but a Fulcrum. Ranger circled around to come at Dragon and the Fulcrum head on.

Ranger: <<God Damn it Nugget it's a fulcrum not a Flanker, so break now, I repeat break now. GUNS! GUNS! GUNS!>>

He selected Guns and pressed the trigger. 20mm API Lanced across the sky, slamming into the cockpit, and engines of the Fulcrum, causing a fireball.

Ranger: <<Your Cleared Nugget.>>

Ranger Turned the Crusader towards the Cargo Planes, and selected a AIM-7 as he drew within in Range of AIM-7, and let it loose after locking on. The AIM-7 slammed into where the Port side wing met the body of the Condor.

Ranger: <<Fox 1, Fox1>>

As Ranger went to line up another shot, two streams of bullets arched over the canopy of the Crusader-3 and Ranger broke hard right, and looked over his shoulder to see two MiG-21s following him.

The MiG-21s followed him close as he went through several maneuvers to try to through them off but didn't succeed.

Ranger: <<Requesting Assistance, got two 21s on my tail and I can't shake them.>>

Kills:
1x MiG-29
1x AN-124 (Group A)

Ammo:
450x 20mm API
2x AiM-7
4x AIM-9

by **The Central Shadow Nation** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:39 pm

Vasil 'Warlock' Cosmescu
Someplace cold.

Vasil watched the rest of Morena pull into the fight and begin to engage the larger aircraft, with two Tupolev's going down aswell. Vasil went the opposite direction, looking for something smaller. He saw one or two MiG's near one of the Condors, however after receiving a squadmate's (Ranger's) call for assistance against a pair of MiG-21s he changed course and went after the Crusader 3 and the bandit's chasing it. Warlock looked at the console, checking the radar and weapons alike, before throttling up and keeping an eye on Ranger's Crusader.

<<Affirmative Ranger, I got em'.>>

Warlock waited several seconds after locking onto the leftmost Mig-21BIS before letting go of one of the AIM-9 Sidewinders, watching both MiGs spread out from eachother and watching one pop flares.

<<Fox-2!<<

Although the Sidewinder never hit the Mig-21 the pilot of the Yuktobanian-made craft did just what Warlock wanted him to: move. The Mig-21 ended up turning straight into the HE fire of Warlock's 20mm canon, the silver and white aircraft erupting in flames near the fuselage and falling down to the dry and cold wasteland below, falling apart in its descent. Warlock sped back up and checked his radar to see where the other MiG went.

The obnoxious beeping answered that question for him. Looks like I pissed his buddy off. He dropped flares as the signal gradually got faster before going silent. As Warlock swerved around he saw the fading flares and the smoke from the missile hitting one of the flare clusters. Cosmescu also noticed the exhaust from the Mig-21's engine as it soared by, trying to get behind Warlock once more.

After trying to shake the MiG of Warlock came up with the conclusion that he couldn't change the tide of this dogfight. He focused on avoiding getting buzzed with the ear-ringing lock on sound once again in this engagement as he hastily made a announcement.

<<Got a really pissed off Fishbed on my tail, can someone pry him off?>>

Downed: Mig-21
Remaining Loadout:
20mm Canon, 258 rds
3x AIM-9

by **Ubaria** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:23 pm

Captain Noel 'Aguila' Silva & Maria 'Outlaw' Ferrerio
Above the Antarctic

Pulsating beacons of brilliant orange light filled the cold Antarctic skies; blinding to those unfortunate enough to be gazing upon it with night vision devices or similar such apparatus, the wrecks of the lumbering Condors fell like chunks of meteorite toward the desolate snowscape. It hadn't taken long to breach the Beiarusian picket either, Morena had slid through without a hitch and were now embroiled in a fight at both close and medium ranges and eager not to miss a second of it, Aguila sped toward the fight with haste.

MiG's moved to form the backbone of the counter-attack but left wide gaps in their defense for the F-16 to speed right on through into the heart of the furball, several MiG's took passing shots with their cannons in hopeful attempts to clip the speeding Falcon, the tracers ripping the icy air with thunderous crackling. Watching the battle form around him, Noel would need a second pair of eyes to watch for threats, just what his co-pilot was for.

"Fishbeds high. Pair of them, looks like Ranger might need assistan-"

<< Ranger: Requesting Assistance, got two 21s on my tail and I can't shake them. >>

Pulling the F-16 into a quick Immelmann, Noel briefly lost sight of the offending bandits as he fought the G-forces wrestling with his neck and head, luckily the Falcon was more maneuverable than his previous aircraft and he pulled level several seconds behind the trailing MiG who was already bobbing and weaving like a boat on a rough ocean, the enemy pilot dividing his attention between maintaining the attack and staving off assault from the rear. From somewhere up ahead, another snap of light lit the air like a bolt of lightning, this was quickly followed by a dull thud which was unmistakably an explosion, it seemed somebody had already reached Ranger first but was in a spot of trouble themeselves. The secondmost MiG, witnessing the death of his comrade; turned to pursue the perpetrator Warlock instead and launched a single missile his way.

<< Warlock: Got a really pissed off Fishbed on my tail, can someone pry him off?>>

<< Already on him. >>

Easily outmaneuvering the ancient by comparison fighter, the Fishbed was soon under missile lock, the piping hot exhaust stood out like a sore thumb both visually and on the Infra-Red spectrum.

<< Fox Two >>

A javelin of flame took flight across the short expanse between the two aircraft, separated by less than half a kilometer, it took no time at all for the missile to reach the killzone and before the MiG pilot could even react to his missile warning cue, the back end of his aircraft had already been blown apart along with several gallons of fuel and munitions, scattering what was left across the skies for miles and miles.

<< Scratch one. Warlock your tail is clear. Doubling back to the furball >>

Instantly, Noel was met by the shrill tone of the missile warning system in his headset, craning his head upwards he soon saw why, a Fulcrum had taken the opportune moment to strike from above, diving almost vertically towards the ground. Seeing the pinprick of light emerge from the underside of the MiG-29, Noel instinctively curbed the throttle and wrenched the plane into a tight arc, a stream of flares pumping from the rear to be sure. It passed though far too close for comfort, continuing its present course towards the ice yet the MiG had flattened out after the first dive and was slowly coming back around to take advantage of the now slow moving Falcon.

"Think you can pull that shit on me cabrón?!"

Noel rolled the F-16 back on itself, more or less to face the direction the MiG pilot had fled in and dialed the throttle up to make up for lost energy, perhaps making him more of a target for heat seeking missiles but it was that or stay a sitting duck. It took a moment to relocate the hostile fighter now that the bright exhausts were facing away from him, but catching a glint of moonlight off the Fulcrums canopy, Noel saw the plane making another run.

"He's going for a gun pass. We're not locked."

Sure enough, the hefty 30mm cannon started spewing rounds towards them in a low arc but with it's low ammo capacity, the Fulcrum could not afford to keep a constant rate of fire and was forced to burst where it could, the F-16 had more rounds and could afford to expend a little more ammunition for sacrificed power, not that it mattered much.

"Guns, guns, guns!"

Like a battle between two opposing jousters, the planes continued flying toward one another at speed without any intention of breaking course. Noel could feel the opposing pilot making eye contact, even with the distance - dwindling by the second - and both being behind a tinted canopy. With less than the distance of a football pitch between them, Noel let off a final burst of the cannon, as did the enemy. What followed could have been the closest gun kill between aircraft in recorded aviation history. Several rounds from the F-16's 20mm cannon glanced off the underside of the Fulcrum and into the underside air intakes, grinding up the fan blade and igniting the turbine from the inside, the leftside MiG engine then subsequently flamed out...then combusted.

<< Uh...Scratch one >>

Turning to the right, Noel watched the now vacant Fulcrum spiral downwards with its innards spewing fire smoke like an out of control firework.

"Maria? If i ever try that again do me a favor and punch us both out."

Kills:

2x F-3 (1x MiG 21 Fishbed, 1x MiG 29 Fulcrum)

Ordinance:
M61A2 Vulcan - 230x 20mm SAPHEI

2x AiM-120
3x AiM-9

by **Rupudska** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:44 pm

Capt. Shinobu Wakahisa, callsign 'Hound'
Antarctica

Hound had intended to wait for Null's response to her suggestion before opening fire. However, seeing that the other members of the squadron were unwilling to do so themselves, she decided she may as well join in on the fun (so to speak) and shoot some turkeys (so to speak).

<<Hangman two, heading in after the cargo.>>

She took her own advice first, however. Pushing the throttles as far as the beasts would go, her Gripen screamed onwards and upwards, sweeping a high, wide arc around the enemy's formation, banking almost completely vertical sideways as it did so - the MiG-25s could have stopped her, but they were far more interested in the main bulk of Morena squadron directly ahead of them.

It would be their loss.

Hound went weapons hot, and the cargo planes immediately spotted her on their radars - though perhaps they saw her before then, coming down out of the heavens like a pissed-off crimson angel.

<<Fox three, Fox three, Fox three.>>

Three AMRAAMs dropped from her Gripen - two from the left wing, one from the right, and rocketed towards the Condors before her. They turned as hard as they could to evade, even going as far as to drop chaff. But at this range, from this direction, their radars and size was too inviting a target for the warhead of all but a damaged AMRAAM to ignore.

The first two went down when the AMRAAM's explosions ripped a hole in their stomach, causing them to bend at the middle before air pressure and inertial forces tore them apart. The third had its nose door and part of its cockpit ripped off completely. The sudden massive drop in air pressure and increase in drag popped the tail door off as well, and it tumbled like a stone.

Kills:
3x An-124 'Condor' ($600,000)

Spent Missiles
3x AIM-120 AMRAAM

Remaining Missiles:
3x AIM-120 AMRAAM
2x AIM-9 Sidewinder

by **Relikai** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 8:30 pm

Second Lieutenant Kanzaki Yuria, 'Reppu'
Above the Antarctic

The furball has began just as Reppu received the 'Go' to engage. Somehow, the Condors went down easily despite the screen set up by the enemy, the interceptors helpless to stop or delay Morena from taking down the transports. Reppu could not help but shake her head at the spectacle, the large, lumbering transports falling off the sky, crashing into one another as they somehow decided to keep to a close formation instead of scattering in alternate altitudes and bearings, possibly providing themselves as harder targets to hit than a single group.

If only they were this stupid throughout the war, perhaps Morena would have steamrolled the entire logistical chain of the BAF. No need for such unnecessary deaths, no need for such a prolonging of events. Or were the survivors from the fighting over Seian such amateurs, flight school cadets to not possess intuitive thinking? She could have laughed, wanted to laugh, but there were escorts to deal with. Combat airplanes with actual missiles, which should possess danger to their enemies and protection to their allies instead of allowing them a free pass.

Reppu: << Is this how... they taught you to fly?>>

Such a shame that her missiles would be wasted on such prey. One might claim that these pilots were of little tactical worth, but despite that the planes they flew in would always be a danger. The Gripen powered forward, single engine pushing the fighter forward as Reppu angled herself upwards, keeping an eye on the direction of the sun as she tracked two blips which broke off to follow her. With a single Gripen already doing so much damage, taking out a single flight of transports, surely they have the sense not to make the same mistake twice!

A hard turn, and the sun was on her back. Glaring into the cockpits of the two pursuing her, Reppu only envisioned them as dark darts in the sky as she released her breath, coming out of the high-g turn with a Meteor missile armed and ready, the tone ringing in her head as both her plane and the missile achieved lock.

Reppu: << Scarecrow Six, Fox Three. >>

The missile dropped from her fuselage, taking barely a second for the rocket motor to ignite, outpacing the Gripen within seconds as Reppu pulled up, turning her plane so her belly faced the sun. Looking up, she identified one of them as a Fulcrum, the other looking the same as it peeled away, only to be caught in the blast from the proximity fuse as it tried to turn away. Shrapnel flew into the cockpit, intake shafts, shearing at the wings as it fell apart, the pilot dead before he could scream at the fireball.

Reppu: << Is this your best? >>

Memories. Hard training, and near abuse every time Reppu got into her training jet. The words which were hammered into her mind daily now came from her own mouth, a tempered form of anger and taunting being pulled from her lips as Reppu led the Fulcrum into a chase. Cannon fire flashed past her cockpit, but her twisting and turning both messed up the pilot's lock, as well as the trajectory of his cannon. She survived more than just this to fall to a single Fulcrum, the thrill of the fight sending adrenaline coursing through her body as Reppu pulled hard on the brakes, bringing the Gripen to a near halt as the plane shuddered from the air resistance. Nothing fell off, and a large shadow engulfed her view for a moment, the Fulcrum overshooting the Gripen as it tore up into the cold sky, engines hot and burning, the Sidewinder needing no prompting as it flew off the rail.

Reppu: << Pathetic. >>

The Gripen flipped over, Reppu gently guiding the plane forward as the soft glare of the sun padded the flash and explosion, the hapless Fulcrum caught between maneuvering and braking as the missile found its mark up its exhaust. There was no joy in war, but cutting one plane from the inventory of her country's enemies was always a good thing. She did not dive back into the fray, opting to hold her position as Reppu adjusted the computers to match the loss of weight in her plane. Somehow, this seemed too easy, and the manner of the entire convoy still disturbed her.

Loadout
3x METEORs
5x ASRAAMs

Kills
2x Fulcrums.

by **Tayner** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 11:22 pm

Second Lieutenant Alexander Tolskev
Over the Antarctic
Hazard

The F9F was the cheapest fighter on the list, being a modest five hundred thousand dollars of his seven million dollar allowance. Alexander knew that the plane was out of date, and compared to some of the others in the squadron, the jet was a fossil. But Alexander couldn't have picked a better fossil, the F9F had a good armament, being able to carry four sidewinders and four cannons in it's nose with 760 rounds to deliver. The fact that he had purchased some upgrades from the mechanics only made him more confident in his jet.

Jeff Moreau
Ansan General Hospital, Ansan

Relikai wrote:"What are... your plans, Mister...?"

"Moreau, Jeff Moreau. You can just call me Jeff." He said. "I guess I'll head home to Sapin, maybe buy an old house in the countryside." He said, thinking of what it would be like. He could wake up in the morning not worried about war or money, free from his college debt and left to his own devices. Maybe he'd take up gardening, write a book, or do something. Maybe he could go back to college to study to become a teacher, study history or philosophy. A whole lot of maybes.

"What about you?" He asked.

Second Lieutenant Alexander Tolskev
Over the Antarctic
Hazard

The squadron was ordered to break ranks and engage, something that didn't take long. Alex could only watch as the first few pilots got engaged, some calling for help as others quickly responded. Morena was apparently a high-speed and well-oiled machine, and Alex had yet to fit in. It was apparent why Morena was so infamous as the squadron quickly shot down most of the cargo planes and a handful of fighters in mere minutes.

It was time for Alex to dive into the fray. He spent his time observing the furball gaining altitude, preparing to strike at an unsuspecting enemy. A MiG-21 was preparing to enter the furball also, and Alex took note of the enemy. He pushed the throttle as he adjusted course to meet the MiG-21. The enemy pilot was quick to notice, and turned to meet Alex, trying to gain altitude as it did. It didn't do much, as Alex had already approached from a higher position, giving him a slight advantage.

<< Fox 2 >>

The sidewinder soared into the MiG, who's pilot wasn't expecting such swift action. Alex watched as the pilot ejected, and fell down into the ocean. It was his first kill as a part of Morena, a moment cut short by a missile lock. Apparently in his assault he got tunnel visioned, and another MiG came about, ready to avenge his fallen comrade. Although it wouldn't be that easy, as Alex rolled out of the missile's path, dropping flares along the way.

The enemy fishbed pursued Alex, following him as he twisted and turned. Finally Alex pulled out with a split-S maneuver, and came back about to the rear of the offending MiG. The enemy pilot was also good at playing cat and mouse, but he made a bad move. Alex, seeing a pattern in the MiG's maneuvers was able to anticipate his next move with precession, and caught him off guard.

<< Guns, guns, guns! >>

A generous burst ripped into the backside of the MiG's fuselage, with the 20mm HE rounds shredding the plane's internals. The enemy pilot ejected as a large streak of black smoke poured out of his jet's wound, not willing to take the risk of figuring out what caused it. Not soon after the MiG's fuel tank erupted, destroying the craft in a flash of orange and red.

<< This is Hazard, scratch two fishbeds. Over. >>

Kills: F-3 x2

Ordinance:
AIM-9 Sidewinders x3
20mm HE cannon rounds x649

by **The United Remnants of America** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:51 am

Lieutenant Aiden "Frosty" Kelly

Somewhere, Atlantic

11/13/1992 - 01:02

Snowcat Flight hadn't come in with the rest of Morena. They'd been among the first in line to refuel with the tankers so that they could immediately break off from the rest of the squadron in order to converge from a slightly different angle while Morena had refueled. Since the last mission, Snowcat had become more integrated into Morena, as their contract demanded, but the flight still maintained some independence as a separate flight.

The break-off, while tactically sound, had actually screwed Snowcat in the long-run and assisted Morena. They'd been a few clicks ahead of Morena by the time they reached contact, and while the transports and their minders didn't react to seeing three aircraft on radar, they reacted to seeing all of Morena appear. The transports turned tail to run, while the escorts, realizing what was happening, moved towards the attackers, with a large number moving to the closest attackers: Snowcat.

Luckily, while a large element of the escorts went after Frosty and his wingmen, it opened up the An-124 transports to be easy prey for the crack pilots of Morena, and before long, the majority of the cargo aircraft were on their way to the ground. That, however, wasn't an immediate concern for Frosty.

<<Frosty, all. Multiple bandits closing in.>> Frosty's rudimentary radar could easily make out six incoming radar blips, with two ahead of the other four. His Thunderchief was weighted down with Sidewinders, but this air-to-air battle was not where he was going to shine.

<<Bear copies. Confirm Bandit-1 and Bandit-2 as Fiddlers. Followers are... Look like Fishbeds.>> Wolf was piloting now, leaving his sister as we the W/O. She must've been reading the radar screen while Wolf copied on flying. Their F-4 was a complicated machine needing the constant surveillance of sibling pilot and wizzo.

<<Panther also copies and confirms. Plans?>> The slender Levantese in her slender Mirage might have been loaded for even less of an advantage in the air as Frosty's Thud. She'd kept her rocket pods thinking she could get a taste of transports, but it didn't look like she'd be getting lucky today, not with a screen of interceptors coming for them.

Snowcat was in a vic configuration, but upon confirming radar contact with the six incoming aircraft, they flattened into a line, charging head-long into the fray like ancient cavalry on metallic horseback. Speeding towards them, the dual Tu-28s met their charge by leveling out on each other's wing.

Frosty's mind snapped to a mental picture, much like an encyclopedia. The Tu-28 Fiddler was a long-range interceptor; the largest fighter to ever exist. The big bitch had a pilot and a radar operator. They could hit Mach 1.5, and it looked like the ones he was seeing were near that speed. In a couple seconds, they would-

There it was, the constant tone of a radar lock from the left Fiddler, most likely an R-4 radar-guided air-to-air rocket. In the back of his mind, a thousand miles away, Panther reported being locked by the Fiddler on the right, meanwhile Wolf reported getting a counter-lock on the right Fiddler. Almost at once, three rocket engines ignited as each Fiddler fired off an R-4 rocket and Bear fired an AIM-7 Sparrow. Panther's lithe Mirage broke off to evade, but Frosty knew better. Panther could outmaneuver a rocket fired from mid-distance, but his Thud couldn't outmaneuver the rocket if he was given half of the Antarctic to do so. No, Frost would need to juke it.

Panther disappeared from sight, and Frosty watched the R-4 with her name on it follow after her. Wolf split off as well, trying to get another lock from a different angle, but Frosty didn't flinch, he kept going straight forward. Ahead of him, the flare of the R-4's engine could be seen behind the warhead, and further behind it, the two Fiddlers carried on, even as Bear's AIM-7 flew into the picture, causing the right Fiddler to break off and evade.

That left Frosty and the Fiddler pilot staring each other down, a hostile missile between them, closing ever faster. Frosty jammed his engine, shoving himself into the back of his seat as his Thud responded with a pickup in speed. Five seconds, Frosty ticked off in his head, watching the missile close. Four seconds, Frosty tightened his hand around his joystick. Three seconds, his thumb moved towards the button of his guns. Two seconds, Frosty inhaled. One second, this was it.

Frosty depressed the button of his M61A1 Vulcan, the 6-barrel gun spinning and unloading lead. Frosty's hand twitched, tugging the nose of his Thud up and to the right by a hair, the missile not catching the drifting movement of his aircraft, so it kept on the same track. Tracers from Frosty's gun arced outward in a line straight ahead of his cockpit, straight for the missile. For a moment, a thought crossed into Frosty's mind:
"I fucked up." But as the moment passed, he was redeemed. 20mm cannon rounds knicked the incoming R-4, and Frosty watched as the missile was knocked off course and disabled. No explosion. Frosty was mildly disappointed he wouldn't fly through an explosion. His awareness quickly picked up on the Fiddler pilot, who hadn't hadn't yet caught on what had happened and hadn't abandoned his charge yet. Frosty grinned as he nudged his gun back without ever letting up on the cannon's trigger button. 20mm tracers came back down across the front of the incoming Tu-28 Fiddler. From here, Frosty couldn't see the rounds punching through the cockpit glass canopy and tearing the head off a surprised pilot before going through the seat and opening the chest cavity of the radar operator before more rounds finally ignited fuel reserves elsewhere on the aircraft. No, from where Frosty was, the Fiddler exploded instantaneously, and he let out a small laugh.

<<Frosty, come in Snowcat. Fiddler down.>>

<<Panther still up. Dodged that R-4 no problem.>>

<<Wolf here. One Fiddler off the roof. Took me a Sidewinder once I got closer, though.>>

<<That's fine, but we have more problems.>>

Frosty sighed. She was right. The four MiG-21 Fishbeds had used the deaths of the Fiddlers to move in to a closer range. Frosty imagined the ugly little aircraft as part of an infinite horde, as the popular aircraft really was in general. The fuckers were probably using K-13 Atolls, similar to his own Sidewinders. The four aircraft together, if they were smart, could post quite a threat to Frosty and his wingmen. He wasn't completely crazy, he knew when to call for help.

<<Frosty to Morena. When you're done playing with the defenseless cargo aircraft, we're still outnumbered. Don't hurt yourselves in coming to give a little help. We'll hold our own until then.>>

Frosty glanced around. Panther and the siblings were paired up and coming up on his right. That was good. At least they'd lived. Ahead of the three mercenaries flew two elements of Fishbeds. A faint whining in his ear meant he was being grazed by a targeting radar. This time, Frosty's sigh wasn't one of frustration, but of resignation.

Just another day being everyone's favorite person.

by **Beiarusia** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:04 pm

Major Aleksei Tallow “Null”
November 13, 1992 // Antarctica

Morena had taken the initiative, or, more accurately, a few crack pilots had made quick work of the fleeing An-124's. The enemy escorts, too, had been mopped up with little trouble, and although a few remained in the fight they were now hopelessly outnumbered, valiantly holding their ground despite the grim chance of survival. A portion of Morena hadn't yet engaged, and neither had Domovoi or Kikimora. The battle was all but over.

<< Domovoi: You mercenaries work quick. Didn't leave us any. >>

<< Kikimora: You sound disappointed. If the soldiers of fortune want to do all the work then by all means let them. I don't mind taking it easy for a change, so relax. >>

Not that the respite was long-lived. Allied planes were finding themselves in a rough spot, so begrudgingly the DAF came around to earn their keep: Domovoi moved to assist Snowcat whereas Kikimora shadowed the enemy MiG-25's in the near distance. Null, Angel, and a few stragglers from Morena stayed close but their intervention seemed unlikely to be needed.

The four MiG-21's engaging Snowcat were quick to take notice of the approaching Eagles on their six. Even if they managed a kill against the mercenaries the Dorusian F-15's would knock them from the sky, so the Beiarusian pilots made the sensible choice to disengage, abandoning their attack to flee the airspace like hyenas chased from their meal by a pride of lions. Two MiG's went low and two high with an Eagle for each in pursuit. The F-15 was faster overall so the MiG-21's relied on their maneuverability to avoid whatever attacks came their way, but they were only delaying the inevitable. The first MiG was caught by a missile, trailing smoke and fire as its pilot ejected into the cold unknown of Antarctica, the plane leaving a black scorch in the ice. The second MiG was hit by gunfire, and although still airborne it wouldn't be for much longer. The third MiG narrowly avoided a Sidewinder but was now in an unfavorable position. The fourth MiG had dropped altitude to where the F-15 would not follow, and while harassed the enemy pilot was making the most gains of the four. Domovoi, in turn, were like cats playing with their prey and didn't seem all too concerned with ending things quickly.

Elsewhere the remaining MiG-29's had rejoined with the surviving transports.

Null was still concerned, not being accustomed to any mission going as well as this one had, but secretly he hoped that his nagging fears were unfounded and that his squadron would enjoy a simple success after so many difficulties during their tenure in the war. At the very least this operation would deny the supplies from reaching South Sotoa thus preventing a war on the home front for the time being. With luck the Beiarusians would attempt negotiations with their plan having been foiled; with more luck the Dorusians would agree to any such peace talks.

With luck this mission would have been easy, but that was not the case.

<< AWACS-Bannik: Enemy aircraft have appeared on radar! Multiple squadrons! >>

Immediately after the RWR sounded a shrill tone as Null and every other fighter engaged over Antarctica were simultaneously locked and engaged. Pinpricks of light could be seen crossing over the horizon as of two dozen long-ranged missiles descended upon them all. R-77's majority with R-37's mixed in. Null could only curse underneath his breath as he went evasive, allowing the missile targeting him to get as close as he dared before pulling hard and dumping countermeasures. His F-15C shook from the shockwave of the missile detonating but he escaped with no damage. However, not everyone had been as lucky. Three from Domovoi, including their flight leader, had gone down as had two more from Kikimora, their planes like burning flares streaking towards the icy ground.

An explosion in the far off distance signaled the destruction of one of the KC-135 tankers. A second blast and Bannik was trailing smoke from behind its left wing, the AWACS dropping altitude as it attempted to pull itself out-of-range.

Enemy aircraft could be seen on approach now. Flankers closing in for the kill with long-ranged interceptor screening from afar. Further out, beyond visual range, a Tupolev sporting several dozen R-37 missiles. They had come from nowhere, as if appearing from the Antarctic ice itself, and the DAF had fallen squarely into their trap. The transports, empty of the supplies they were thought to be carrying, had been decoys, and although having taken far more casualties than planned the scheme had worked. Morena had been drawn into a confrontation with the best of the Beiarusian Air Force.

King had made its reappearance.

<< King-Leader: Leave nothing alive. No mercy for the ignoble. >>

Null was leveling out with Angel on his wing when the RWR sounded again. The mission had gone south, and with their AWACS having taken a hit their primary goal now would be to egress, back towards Dorusia if necessary, but the Flankers were running them down so there would be little choice but to fight. The enemy had targeted them specifically so even that would be a difficult endeavor.

<< Null: This is Scarecrow Actual to all aircraft. No chance of winning here but neither can we run away without a fight. Fall back as best you can but don't let the enemy force us into a rout. Everyone comes back from this. >>

The enemy was breaking to engage, and Null did the same as he had no choice.

Mission Theme B: Breaking Arrows #2

by **Prosorusiya** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:56 am

Nona's helmet filled other the buzzing of her heat seekers locks. She'd been late to the engagement again, but this time, she would not be denied her prize. A large blip formed on her radar, at long range. An Antonov, one of the big 124s, if the radio chatter was to be believed. She gritted her teeth, sent a silent prayer to the designer of her R-23s heat seekers, and mashed the button on her stick.

Dash: Fox Two, Fox Two!

The massive missiles streaked away into the bright whiteness of the arctic frost. For a moment, there was only stillness. Then, two balls of fire, and the dull thud of an aircraft falling in the distance.

Dash: Splash... One Bandit.

In that moment, the silence of Nonna's cockpit unnerved her. How many had been on that transport? Ten? A hundred? She'd never know...

The silence was broken by the blaring of her RWR systems, and the explosion of com traffic. The day was going against them... it was time for her to make like a bird and egress.

The wings came back with a thud as she yanked on the lever. She looked up to check they were folded properly only to see Nick's F-16, hot in pursuit of some bandits, streak past. With a sigh, she pushed brought the wing foreward again, and yanked on the stick to bring the Flogger around. It was getting too hot up here for comfort.

Dammit, Nick. She bit her lip as she maneuvered into firing position. You've gotta be more careful. After all, it's not just you're not the only one you have to think about, anymore.

Dash: Dragon, I've got your six.

by **Relikai** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:45 am

Tayner wrote:Jeff Moreau
Ansan General Hospital, Ansan

"What about you?"

Takahashi Mayu
Ansan General Hospital, Ansan

She has been thinking for some time, especially with the trickle of wounded decreasing over time. Reserve medical staff has been flowing into Ansan, and over the past week, Mayu was given less than half of her duties during the hottest moments in the war.

Could she?

"Um... I would like to... see... visit Dan's homeland. Tell his family, how he help save Seian." Mayu replied, the fatigue in her voice obvious, as well as the strain it took to get the words out. Heart wrenching, even though she has come to terms with the situation. Losing someone never was easy, especially someone close...

"To thank them... and also, thank you." She continued, giving Jeff a bow of appreciation as she ended the sentence.

Second Lieutenant Kanzaki Yuria, 'Reppu'
Above the Antarctic

The ambush was near complete, the first salvo of missiles downing more than a few allied planes. Reppu caught Bannik's broadcast, mere seconds before she sent her Gripen into a dive, the chasing missile barely managed to be fooled by her immediate countermeasures. From that range, radar-guided ones which nearly got her. A bead of sweat broke out from her fringe as Reppu spotted the incoming blips, as well as some friendly ones disappearing from sight. Morena was caught out in the open, and they were out of position to intercept. The Beiarusians had the initiative and advantage, and were pushing the mercenaries hard.

<< Null: This is Scarecrow Actual to all aircraft. No chance of winning here but neither can we run away without a fight. Fall back as best you can but don't let the enemy force us into a rout. Everyone comes back from this. >>

Really? Well, even for Reppu it does seem the best course of action. Still, the best way she could contribute as a dogfighter would be to provide cover, especially with her ordnance and agility. Pushing aside her fear, Reppu pointed her Gripen towards the incoming fighters, preparing to launch a few missiles before breaking off towards the main body.

Reppu: << Scarecrow Six, Fox Three, Fox Three, Fox Two! >>

The three missiles streaked through the sky, contrails leading as they took the higher altitude, before dipping towards the targets Reppu has locked them into. The Flankers were the targets, Reppu knowing how they flew from her past combat experience. While her Typhoon could take the best of the Yuktobanian planes in real combat, the Gripen was a slightly inferior model, and no matter how much she hated to admit it, it might be a little too much to match her plane against multiple enemies...

Reppu: << Morena, Scarecrow Six. Position Angels Thirty bearing Zero-Eight-Zero. Will act as a rearguard, anyone else interested? >>

She left the question hanging, as two blips disappeared from radar. One of her missiles missed, but there was no time to consider it as a Flanker shot past the Gripen, cannon blazing as it tried to knife Reppu out of the sky. Time slowed for her as streaks of tracer flew past her cockpit, as the Seianese pilot focused on the second incoming blip. The first was already within her minimum range to react, but the second...

Her finger depressed onto the flight stick, her revolver cannon firing in a burst as she tracked the incoming bandit on radar, her plane angled towards it as a second burst shot came through the clouds, tearing a hole into one of her canards, a non-fatal hit. Her own burst came back with different results, 27mm shells hammering at the fuselage of the Flanker, tearing into its intakes as the plane burst into flames. The big plane roared past her Gripen, the turbulence felt as Reppu shook a little, before a parachute could be seen floating above the carcass of the Flanker.

However, Reppu has used up her own element of surprise. Enemy planes incoming, including aces from the looks of it. Perhaps she might find revenge for Koga during the opening stages of the war, Reppu being a mechanic on the ground. Well, they failed to kill her with bombs, perhaps they might perform differently with missiles.

Loadout
84x 27mm rounds
1x METEORs
4x ASRAAMs

Kills
2x MiG-29 Fulcrus
3x Su-27M Flanker-E

by **Ubaria** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:58 am

Captain Noel 'Aguila' Silva & Maria 'Outlaw' Ferrerio
Above the Antarctic

<< AWACS-Bannik: Enemy aircraft have appeared on radar! Multiple squadrons! >>

<< Can confirm! Two dozen contacts, maybe more, vector two zero one and closing fast! >>

Morena had been ambushed. Enemy fighters had managed to remain undetected by long range radar and were now within engagement range of the allied forces; announcing their presence with a volley of missiles that sent everybody scattering. Like the very starts themselves were shifting, each point of light grew in size and luminosity, the missiles moving with unmatched pace over the gulf separating both parties. Impossible to tell which missile was the one currently locked onto their craft, Noel could only hope that by moving towards the swarm that he could force a final bleed-off of energy to defeat the weapon. Hesitance would get them killed and so the F-16 powered towards the oncoming storm, both pilot and co-pilot had their eyes peeled on each moving point of light for any divergence in their course.

" That one! Third right, on our two!"

A missile had broken from the pack and started arching downwards now that its quarry was in sight, moving with relentless aggression. Though he had pulled off the move countless times before, Noel's stomach still twisted with dread every time he saw the blazing rocket motor headed straight for the cockpit, waiting for it to get closer. Eventually he could wait no more and cranked the F-16 hard to the port, diving at the same time before dumping chaff by the bucketload. Then there was the split second wait between the lock warning ending and waiting to see if infact it was because their eardrums had been blown out the side of their head. Luckily luck afforded them no such fate that night; less could be said about the others who had fallen victim however. Domovoi and Kikimora took several hits between them, one of the tankers took a critical hit and Bannik took a glancing blow yet was still airborne.

<< Null: This is Scarecrow Actual to all aircraft. No chance of winning here but neither can we run away without a fight. Fall back as best you can but don't let the enemy force us into a rout. Everyone comes back from this. >>

<< Reppu: Morena, Scarecrow Six. Position Angels Thirty bearing Zero-Eight-Zero. Will act as a rearguard, anyone else interested? >>

<< Affirmative Scarecrow Six, forming on you. Longer range attackers should fall back and provide cover. We can leapfrog through them as we retreat. >>

Foxhounds, Foxbats and Flankers. The Beiarusians had bought some of their best to do battle, a more than obvious statement that this was an attempt to put an end to Morena whole in one fell swoop and what better place to do it? The antarctic ice offered no defensible cover and the chance of survival on the ground was slim for those who did manage to exit their plane, hopefully it wouldn't come down to that. Using Reppu's Gripen as a mask, Noel hid in the radar shadow and used it to move closer without detection, one radar signature became two as the Gripen engaged a pair of Flankers up ahead, the F-16 snapped past the first one and performed a swift barrel roll to avoid the oncoming debris of the second.

<< Our turn >>

The Falcon moved wide of the Gripen and flew off at a forty five degree tangent, aiming to force the attackers to spread their forces thin and hopefully, slow them down.

"Do you actually have a plan or are you just going to fly at them?" Maria stated rather bluntly across the intercom, still hard at work tracking the constantly shifting battlescape.

"I rarely have a plan." Noel replied, equally as blunt for an intended comedic effect, yet Maria was entertained little by the quip.

"Contacts front. Two of them, big mean bastards"

Two Flanker-B's took particular interest in the Falcon and swooped in for the chase, one leading and one lagging half a kilometer behind, one to harass and one to pursue seemed to be the standard tactic for such Flanker pairs, at least in the capacity Noel had encountered them in. The lead had already began locking from a distance, mirroring the maneuvers that the F-16 was performing to continue maintaining that lock.

"Lock up the lead with a 120', see if we can't force him away from his friend there"

"Locking......Bandit acquired"

Noticing the lock, the Flanker was torn between the decision to hold his own or break rank and let his buddy do the work, he opted for the latter which made one less plane to deal with, unfortunately it did mean it was free to pursue another angle of attack, yet that was a problem for the near future. The second Flanker was now toe to toe with the F-16 in single combat, each pilot mentally drew up their battle plans in the few seconds of passage they had between them, yet it wasn't necessarily the first to strike that would claim victory.

"He's launched! Incoming!"

The F-16 reared up and dumped multiple flares, the Archer missile easily dazzled by the lightshow, missed its mark by several dozen meters and floundered harmlessly towards the ice. Continuing the climb, Aguila bought the Falcon into a half loop which bought him near enough on the Flanker that had passed Reppu just a few moments earlier, he himself was looping around to catch the Gripen from behind, the pilot didn't think that the Falcon was much of an issue until it was practically behind him.

<< Fox two. >>

Pincered between the missile and the rest of Morena, the pilot chose to dive out before the missile smashed the Flanker into hot scrap, making one less to deal with on the leg back.

<< Bandit down but we've attracted a lot of attention. Could do with that long range divine intervention right about now! >>

The Radar Warning Receiver lit up along with the blaring of sirens, they had flown into the Sukhoi nest and were now about to pay the price.

Kills:

2x F-3 (1x MiG 21 Fishbed, 1x MiG 29 Fulcrum)
1x F-4 (1x SU-27m Flanker E)
Ordinance:
M61A2 Vulcan - 230x 20mm SAPHEI

2x AiM-120
2x AiM-9

by **Rupudska** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:08 am

Capt. Shinobu Wakahisa, callsign 'Hound'
Antarctica

It had been a trap. Of course it had been a bloody trap, and because nobody had listened to her everyone waltzed right into it. Had they managed to surround the initial enemy formation, they could have at least killed off all or most of the bait before retreating to leave King nothing to protect.

She had a feeling it was a moot point, and the cargo planes had carried nothing at all. This thought did not comfort her.

Reinforcements came first in the form of interceptors, forming the vanguard. Foxbats and newer Foxhounds led the tip of the spear, followed close behind by Flankers.

The Foxhounds and Foxbats would be simple enough - they couldn't afford to turn off their radars, and their only advantage over anything in the air was their speed, so their hot engines made good targets for any infrared-guided missile that could keep up. The problem would be the Flankers, and Hound didn't have enough of the more nimble Sidewinders to put much of a dent in their numbers.

So she decided to go after the interceptors.

Once again she pushed up the throttles and accelerated towards the nearest Foxplane.

<<Scarecrow Six, Hangman Two confirms, cannot follow - I shall attempt to clear a path and keep the interceptors from boxing us in.>>

It was a Foxbat this one, which made her task easier - they were faster than the Foxhounds, faster than anything in the air except the F-12 (which had only seen combat, to her knowledge, once - to bring down Ziz), but they turned like a locomotive on ice, and their training relied heavily on their speed.

Time had changed.

<<Hangman Two, Fox Three.>>

She may have been a little too close when she fired, as the Gripen rumbled with the explosion of the missile, but that was a small price to pay for one less Foxbat in the way of Morena's escape.

Kills:
3x An-124 'Condor' ($600,000)
+1x MiG-25 Foxbat ($300,000)

Remaining Missiles:
2x AIM-120 AMRAAM
2x AIM-9 Sidewinder

by **Tayner** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:56 pm

Relikai wrote:"Um... I would like to... see... visit Dan's homeland. Tell his family, how he help save Seian. To thank them... and also, thank you."

Jeff Moreau
Ansan General Hospital, Ansan

She had an interesting proposition, head no North Point. He guessed with the war currently being overseas, she wasn't required to be at the hospital 24/7. She bowed out of appreciation, and Jeff bowed back. "I didn't do much, Dan was the one calling the shots." He said, before pondering the idea. Eh, what the hell. He thought before speaking. "I've always wanted to go to North Point. I'll take care of the travel expenses." He said, smiling.

Second Lieutenant Alexander Tolskev
Over the Antarctic
Hazard

An ambush, rather cunning of the enemy. However it did cost them millions of dollars of equipment, even cargo planes cost money. Now Morena was pulled into a snare, and the pilots had to escape and strike back. But they would have to do that after they dodged the missiles with Morena's name on it. Going evasive at the last second, Alex rolled and dropped countermeasures, avoiding his demise. The F9F turned back and retreated behind the cover of Morena.

Alex looked over his radar to find a friend who wasn't engaged. Warlock, a F-5 pilot who also would also be outmatched in a one on one confrontation with any of the enemy fighters would make a perfect wingmate.

Hazard: << Warlock, you want to do something ballsy? I'm going to poke a bear and run away, don't let them shoot me down. >>

A Su-27 was the target, one that strayed away from the pack. A chalange, but teamwork would have to prevail. Alex made course for it, lined up his gunsights when he was at his gun's maximum effective range, and fired a hefty burst, not hitting his mark, but still throwing out the bait. Alex pushed the throttle and closed the distance, trying to get a lock on the enemy, but forcing them to go evasive.

Enemy Air: << I don't recognize that plain's radar signature, either it's really old, or really new. And I don't think you mercenaries are good enough for really new. >>

The enemy was right, as they easily used their superior aircraft to break away from the pursuit, and find himself on Alex's tail. However, Alex was a firm believer in skill over equipment, and this would be a great test. Jerking the stick in every which way, pulling turns tighter than what the normal person could pull out of an F9F, watching as darkness crept into the sides of his eyes. He felt the blood in his legs rush to his head while he forced breathing.

Hazard: << Any time now Warlock! >>

by **The Central Shadow Nation** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:44 pm

Tayner wrote:operation:poke and run

Warlock wasn't surprised. If everyone knew it, was it still considered an ambush? Warlock shrugged, whatever it was the F-5 was outmatched. He planned on staying close to the more advanced aircraft and more experienced airmen, but the two dozen Yuktobanian manufactured missiles made him change plans. Warlock looked tried to identify what kind of aircraft were out there. Warlock guessed that they were more advanced then the majority of fighters they'd previously seen. Probably more recent MiG's and Sukhoi's.

<< Warlock, you want to do something ballsy? I'm going to poke a bear and run away, don't let them shoot me down. >>

<<Copy that, Hazard. I've got you covered.>>

Warlock nudged the throttle and the F-5E Tiger II gained just a bit more speed. He pursued Hazard, watching the F9 go after the furthermost Su-27. He bit his lip as he watched the 50's era fighter manage to stay alive against a far superior Flanker. Even if it was stupid, the plan was not bad. The sidewinders eventually went green and Warlock was in range, however he decided to wait it out. The F-5 closed in behind the Flanker and Warlock fired a burst of 20mm rounds at the flanker, clipping both its tail fins and sinking several into its main fuselage. The Su-27 turned, no longer going for Hazard and swerving back to the direction of his allies. Warlock bit his lip and fired a AIM-9 at it before it could get out of the Tiger's missile lock.

<<Fox two, fox two!>>

The sidewinder soared into the side of the Flankers intakes. At the angle it had been fired from it wasn't in any position to chase after the flares that had been deployed behind the Flanker. In a second the Sukhoi combusted in midair, the pilot not ejecting as they should have done instead of trying to go back to its fellow airmen. The smoky remains of the Beirusian aircraft fell down to the snowy Earth where they would most likely remain. There was no point in recovering it, with the body probably non existent now. Thanks to the sharp thinking and outstanding agility on Hazards part the two had managed to destroy a superior aircraft.

<<God damn Hazard, that was a pretty good plan!>>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loadout:
20mm canon, 217 rds
2x AIM-9 Sidewinders
1x PMM Makarov, 8x rds

DOWNED: F3 x2 [Mig-21BIS, Su-27 Flanker]

by **Kyraina** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 11:30 am

1st Lt. Zach "Knight" Steele

Knight had sat back and watch the battle with the Cargo Planes and its escorts with parts of Morena. Zach shook his head as 3/4 of the convoy just dropped off radar. Knight was about to say something to Shark when RWR sounded, and Missiles appeared on Radar. Knight tuned out the outside chatter of The squadron and focused on the screen in front of him.

"Shark, we have several Missile Inbound, it was a trap, deploying countermeasures." Knight said over the interior comms to Shark, and hit the button to release countermeasures. Knight then turned his attention back to the radar and marked three targets for Knight. 'Getting look ups on that Last Cargo, and we have two 29's flying right toward us. We are getting lock on all three."

1st Lt. Jax "Ranger" Bradford

Ranger was Circling back around to put pressure on the retreating convoy, when the RWR sounded. and saw pinpricks on the horizon. So Ranger broke hard down and to the right after dumping counter measures, he pulled up just a few meters above the Antarctic, but what he hadnt noticed was two SU-27 Flanker-bs coming for him. He heard the RWR sound again, dumping countermeasures again, and pulling into a Immelmann turn. He saw the two Flankers and went into a low Yo-yo, bringing him head on to the Flankers as they came out of their own Immelmann.

He received lock on one of the flanker-bs with a AIM-9, letting it fly. The sidewinder slammed into the lead Flanker, and exploded with a massive fireball.

Ranger: <<Fox 2, I repeat Fox 2, Splash 1 Flanker. Son of a bitch..........>>

Ranger went into a split S as Two SU-30s came and joined the fray, trapping him between a SU-27 and a SU-30. Ranger doing what he can to keep the far more maneuverable aircraft off his tail but knew it was only a matter of time.

Ranger: <<In need of help here. I have two SU-30s and a SU-27 making things very uncomfortable down here, and unable to withdraw.>>

King 5: <<Good, Keep that Mercenary busy, time for them to Pay for the Damage they have done to the Kingdom. I'm moving to help you three take him down

The SU-37 came barreling in and Ranger now knew it was only a matter of time.

Ranger: <<Could really use the help now, take out a couple of those bandits, or tie up that 37 and I should be.............

Ranger broke hard to the left as canon rounds from King 5 went across the canopy, and the Crusader 3 then Shook as canons rounds impacted into the hull of the Crusader 3, Destroying the radio transmitter, and a small stream of smoke starting to come out of the Engine. Ranger deployed Airbreaks and pulled back on the throttle, causing all 4 aircraft to over shoot, Ranger got a temporary lock with a AIM-7 on the SU-27 Flanker-B, and let it fly. The Sparrow flew but detonated close to the SU-27 but only scored light damage. Ranger pulled a Split-s and went to egress out of the Area but the SU-27, the two SU-30s, and King 5 were in close Pursuit

Ranger: If anyone can hear me, I could really use the help. 4 Bandits on my tail and they are playing with me>>

Kills:
1x MiG-29
1x AN-124 (Group A)
1x SU-27 Flanker-B

Ammo:
450x 20mm API
2x AiM-7
3x AIM-9

by **Anowa** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:08 pm

Lt Jason 'Tombstone' Cain
2Lt Holly 'Fantasy' Clark
The cold as fuck desert at the bottom of the world.

Reinforcements had arrived in due time to watch as their cargo craft were all but swatted from the sky like flies. Except it only seemed to solidify their morale, instead of drop it.

It only took a few moments to see why. The reinforcements were all Flankers, with a sole bomber in the distance plinking at Morena with long range missiles.

Jason also noticed the form of Hangman and Jackdaw moving in to wing up with him.

It was at that moment that Tombstone noticed a quintet of Flankers break off in an intercept with them. They aimed to fence with the trio of significantly less advanced planes. Jason noted four were standard livery, likely 27s or 27Ms. While the fifth craft was that of King, flying an aptly named Terminator.

"Holly bore fire all our ASRAAMs on my mark."

"Copy." came the highlander's reply. Her anxiety rising as the five Flankers moved closer and closer, like sharks closing for the kill.

Hangman moved as one of the Flankers fired off with a missile. The older, and much slower Freestyle simple ate the missile full force before shredding itself into pieces as it tumbled from the air. There was no audible reply, nor a parachute popping into existence near the craft.

Fantasy: <<Hangman 3-2 to all, Callsign 'Hangman' has dropped from radar, no chute.>>

The Hornet moved towards the Flankers, as they too started homing in on the remainder of Jackdaw and themselves. It seemed as if their luck had run out.

"Mark!"

ASRAAMs jettisoned from the Hornet, bursting into action and flying directly towards the it's offending craft, four of the Flankers juked freely away, as the last one fired another volley at Jackdaw. Jackdaw managed to avoid a direct impact, but still caught a brunt of the blast. The left wing of the aged J-22 came free, and the ejection seat of the craft punched freely out. An instant later, Fantasy's missile impacted the fuselage of the brave Flanker-E, causing it to burst into an array of shrapnel and fire.

Missile warnings barked, and Jason banked away as countermeasures burst from the craft. Nearby detonations could be heard as the pursuing Flankers were back on the hunt. Jason continued to jink in an attempt to avoid the rain of missiles all the way until a flash in the top mirror of the craft let the pilot of the Hornet know of an opening. Jason had an option to go on the offense.

The Hornet rolled into a gradual dive, the Flanker to his rear forced to pursue. Rolling the craft back around into a rolling scissor, Tombstone just barely managed to get into an angle of attack on the opposing supermaneuverable fighter. The Emmerian pilot fired a generous burst of cannon fire, nailing the 27M along the center line, causing a spray of combusted fuel to pour out of the craft. Engines promptly flamed out as the fighter started it's trip to the ground, a moment later the canopy flew free as the pilot of the craft ejected.

That was two of the five.

The Hornet's missile warning flared again, and in accordance, Jason rolled perpendicular to his current path and popped countermeasures. But his maneuver came late. The craft and it inhabitants were slammed with an R-27, shoving the plane abruptly and causing it's airspeed to tank. To avoid a stall, Jason kicked on the afterburner and started to pull away from the scene, bringing the craft back up to altitude. The hostiles who witnessed the event reacting accordingly.

Hostile: <<Splash one- Wait, what the!? It's still in the air!>>

King 4: <<That Hornet's modified. No telling what else it can do, so take it down fast!>>

Holly started prepping for another fight, though with a glance at the Hornet's radar display, her already pale complexure became a ghost white. Other hostiles were moving to fence. "Jason we got three Foxhounds inbound!" Six craft were now intent on removing the two-seater from the air, and with it, it's duo of crew. With the dance count back up to a 1v6, Jason radioed for help, a sense of urgency present in his voice.

Tombstone: <<Hangman 3, requesting immediate assistance!>>

Kills:

Code: Select all: Tu-28 Fiddler (F3) x2 An-124 Condor (Cargo) x3 Su-27M (F4) x2

Ordinance:

Code: Select all: 526x 20mm HEAPI AIM-9 x2 AIM-120 x0 AIM-132 x0 Drop Pod x1

by **The United Remnants of America** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 5:40 pm

Lieutenant Aiden "Frosty" Kelly

Somewhere, Atlantic

11/13/1992 - 01:02

Domovoi had come to the aid of Frosty and his wingmates. They began to tear into the MiG-21's, thankfully. Before Frosty could key in his thanks, one MiG was gone, another was about to be gone, and the other two had begun to turn and flee.

But the relief didn't last for long. All across the board, radar warning sounds began to scream as everyone seemed to be lit up in an instant. Frosty was too surprised and confused to speak as he began to take evasive actions, watching a couple dozen incoming missiles trail towards them from out of nowhere. From his radar, Frosty watched one, two, then a third blip disappear from Domovai's formation.

<<Incoming!>>

The report came late as Frosty watched Wolf corckscrew out of a missile's path. Luckily, Panther and himself had been spared the curse of a definite lock.

<<I'm clear.>>

<<I... Think I'm clear now. Aftermath?>>

Frosty glanced at his radar and listened to several reports. Domovai had taken a hit, and the other allied flight, Kikimora had also taken some hits. It also looked like a tanker had disappeared, which wasn't a coincidence. And though he couldn't see Bannik, he heard them report damage.

On one side of the radar, there were several radar contacts. Too many. "Shit..." Frosty muttered to himself. They couldn't deal with this.

<< Null: This is Scarecrow Actual to all aircraft. No chance of winning here but neither can we run away without a fight. Fall back as best you can but don't let the enemy force us into a rout. Everyone comes back from this. >>

<<Snowcat, Snowcat-1. Follow my lead and prepare to engage.>>

Frosty waited for the two responses indicating Wolf and Panther had heard him, then he maneuvered his Thunderchief and readied himself. A pair of MiG-25s had broken off and were going after the Snowcat aircraft. Frosty readied himself, but was caught unawares as Wolf reported.

<<Wolf loosing Sparrows. Fox-One. Fox-One.>>

From somewhere behind him to his left, two white trails shot out towards both of the incoming Foxbats. Two two interceptors both began to try to evade the Sparrows. The first one on the left curled up while the one on the right curled down. The left Foxbat was able to dodge its Sparrow, but the one on the right seemed to catch a bit of the Sparrow's explosion as it began to trail smoke.

Frosty looked up at the Foxbat, which was now above him, and he angled up. Wolf reported firing another Sparrow at the Foxbat he'd tagged. Frosty knew what he had to do. He prepared to shoot up, but Panther's voice came out.

<<We've attracted two Foxhounds! Engaging!>>

Frosty had to let Panther do her thing. He had to take out the Foxbat before the big aircraft came back down. He angled up and got a good view of the Foxbat's underside and waited for a good lock before he fired one Sidewinder, and then another one three seconds later. The two Sidewinders lanced out towards the underside of the Foxbat, which began to bank to avoid them. The first Sidewinder slid right over the canopy of the Foxbat, exploding literally in the pilot's face. The Foxbat began to spiral, and the second Sidewinder, its infrared-seeking warhead moving into the aircraft's engines. The Foxbat essentially disintegrated upon the dual impact.

Frosty took a second to think over what he'd just done. He'd just sunk his fifth aircraft. A smile overtook his face as he realized he'd just become an air ace.

<<Panther, report.>>

<<I managed to sink one of them, but the other's on my tail. I need assistance!>>

<<Copy, Panther. Coming to assist.>>

The big F-4 moved towards Panther to assist, but the Foxhound seemed to sense the movement and broke off to head back towards its allies, dropping the chase of Panther without avenging the loss of its wingmate.

<<Alright, Snowcat, I think we've played around enough here. Scarecrow-Actual, Frosty. I think we're pressing our luck sticking around, especially with Bannik hit.>>

The three Snowcat aircraft formed up and began to head towards the rest of Morena. Frosty had momentarily forgotten that Domovoi was near them and also fending for themselves in the fight, but Frosty cared more about his mercenary squadron than the military pilots.

by **Tayner** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:05 pm

Second Lieutenant Alexander Tolskev
Over the Antarctic
Hazard

Warlock: <<God damn Hazard, that was a pretty good plan!>>

Hazard: << I don't think my stomach agrees with you. >>

God, that was some of the most difficult flying he's done since his original high-g tests in the old country. The Su-27 almost aquired a lock more times than Alex would've liked, but he managed to stay alive, which is what he figured was important. He pulled out of the engagement really, taking a wide circle behind friendly lines in the furball. Collecting himself as he gained altitude, he heard a plea from a fellow pilot.

Tombstone: <<Hangman 3, requesting immediate assistance!>>

Hazard: <<This is Hangman 5, moving to assist. Hangman 6, are you still up? >>

The Hornet's pilot ate a missile, and was now under threat of being obliterated by sheer numbers. The most plausible target would be the three Su-27s bearing down on Tombstone's position. Alex still had three missiles, and a lot of cannon rounds. And so, he made way. The Su-27s noticed, and two of them broke away to confront Alex, while the other moved to join the fight against Tombstone. All the while they were all trying to lock eachother.

Hazard: << Fox two! >>

Just as his missile soared to the enemy plane, Alex's own RWR sounded. Diving and rolling all the while deploying countermeasures, he found himself with one Su-27 in front of him, and one behind him. Alex had just enough time to lock the Su-27 again, and fired the missile, all the while he forced the enemy pilot to dance through a hail of tracers. Nearly a dozen rounds tore into the topside of the aircraft, with twice that many ripping into the engine. The missile soared wide, but it served it's purpose of getting the Su-27 to stay in Alex's gunsights. While the attack didn't bring down the Su-27 it did force it to disengage.

The second pilot however found himself at an advantage, bearing down on Alex as tracers flew by on all sides of the F9F. A truly scary experience as Alex desperately tried to shake the flanker, but only managing just to keep it from locking him. Alex's stomac sank each time he avoided a lock, only for the next one to last longer, all the while every now and then the flanker's pilot would manage to land two or three shots on the F9F as traders flew by.

Hazard: << This is Hangman 5, someone -shit- anyone help! >>

by **Beiarusia** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 8:40 pm

Second Lieutenant Mitsuko Kimura “Angel”
November 13, 1992 // Antarctica

The four Flankers were closing in on the wounded Crusader like hounds chasing the scent of a fox. Ranger was trailing smoke, and although he'd been lucky thus far there was little to no chance of him outmaneuvering the pursuing aircraft a second time, and it was only a matter of seconds before he was shot down over the vast emptiness that was Antarctica. The airspace was contested so rescue was unlikely. The RWR sounded as the lead Su-30 took initiative, the others remaining back to swat the Crusader from the sky should Ranger by some miracle avoid the soon to be incoming attack.

But the missile alarm never toned.

With little warning the Flankers abandoned their pursuit and scattered in all directions as DAF planes forced their way down into the engagement. A single F-15C Eagle leading four F/A-18 Super Hornets.

<< Angel to Ranger, can you hear me? Hellooo? >> There was only static. Reassuring, said no one ever. << Think your radio's on the fritz. Don't know if you can hear me but get outta here. We got this. >>

<< King-5: You'd be sorely mistaken. >>

<< Well, nobody asked you. >>

Angel scanned the air immediately around her. Both Su-30's had dropped low; the Su-27 had gone high; the Su-37 was circling back around with its silhouette on full display as if to challenge them. Her grip tightened on the control stick. These were the bastards that had attacked Koga. That had killed Sewek and Zelenko, and from a certain point of view King had started this war when they crossed the border in retaliation. Even if she managed to shoot down just the one...

The Su-37 banked hard so that it was on intercept with the F-15. The RWR sounded loudly, forcing Angel up into a roll and then down into an Immelmann as the Flanker crossed, twisting to bring its cannons to bear. Tracers flew after the F-15, but Angel pulled her nose down into an awkward loop, avoiding the gunfire and, coincidentally, finding herself behind the Flanker as she leveled out. Too slow to give chase but she could loose a missile. Radar sounded a solid lock, but before she could fire the Su-37 simply pulled hard to the right, its canards allowing it to execute a painfully tight corner that the F-15 could only dream to match. The shot was trashed before it even had a chance.

Warning tones sounded as the distant Tu-95 unleashed another barrage of missiles, forcing Angel and the pilots from Kikimora to go evasive all the while the Flankers readied to deliver the killing blow.

Major Aleksei Tallow “Null”

Tombstone, his plane damaged, was being swarmed when Hazard intervened, which did little more than to split the enemy's focus, a slight improvement but not one that would save the two pilots. Neither would survive long against such an onslaught, but reinforcements soon arrived in the form of five F-15C Eagles. Domavoi with Null leading the formation.

The Su-27's harassing Hazard disengaged as more dangerous prey arrived, falling back to rejoin the three Foxhounds and King-4. Two Eagles quickly moved to intercept the MiG-31's while Null and the others focused their attention to the Flankers, allowing the wounded Hornet and the beleaguered F9F a chance to escape relatively unnoticed. An unlucky Foxhound was shot down, its pilot and WSO ejecting, but the remaining two MiG's used their speed to escape before looping back around to reengage from a higher angle-of-attack, intending to strike-and-run as opposed to getting bogged down in a turning fight. The Flankers, on the other hand, were far more aggressive and simply dove right into the thick of things. One Eagle squared off against the Su-27's while Null and the other handled the Ace.

King-4 was slowly but certainly boxed in as the two DAF planes held close to his six o'clock. Null had never flown with Domovoi until now but the two pilots were more-or-less in sync, covering each others' openings and ensuring that the enemy had no safe place to slip through, but the enemy wouldn't make things easy, and although in a poor position the Su-37 was difficult to nail down. Still, it was only a matter of time until Null or his temporary wingman scored the fateful hit.

The Su-37 pulled hard, its canards lifting its nose so that it was going flat with a slight turn as it performed a Cobra Maneuver. The two DAF aircraft split. Null went right, behind the Flanker, twisting into a barrel roll to avoid a collision. The second Eagle went left directly into a burst of cannon fire. The stricken F-15 lost control as its wing disconnected, the heavy rounds having ripped the fuselage apart despite only a few having connected. The pilot didn't eject and was likely killed instantly. King-4 continued with the turn, reversing direction before bringing his nose down into a long loop, dropping several thousand feet but quickly increasing speed that allowed for a rapid ascent.

Missiles were coming in from the Tu-95, putting on hold the one-sided dogfight and forcing the allied planes to dodge a more pressing attack. So long as the bomber remained airborne they'd be in a difficult spot, or at least more so than they already were, but their allies were clear for the time being. Now was as good a time to make an exit if they could.

by **Relikai** » Sat Jun 24, 2017 6:06 am

Second Lieutenant Kanzaki Yuria, 'Reppu'
Above the Antarctic

The next salvo of missiles had Reppu diving towards the sea, the Gripen leveling out as she kept her visual awareness around her. The warning beeps continued as she punched out a bundle of chaff, pulling hard to the left as puffs of shimmering silver floated in the air behind the fighter. There was a pause of two seconds, before another bundle was released, Reppu manually timing the discharge of her countermeasures as the beeping came to an end. He maneuver had to Gripen now shooting back into the melee, the plane shaking as its airframe fought against gravity. A slight anomaly had her noticing the right canard, being slightly unbalanced from the damage it took earlier. Perhaps it was the rush of air through the hole caused by the Flanker's cannon, but what Reppu could not see was the two marks made near the joint, that only half of what held the canard in place remained.

The Gripen turned, Reppu eyeing the Tupolev which was being a nasty surprise for Morena, especially with the arsenal of long range missiles it possessed. However, some radio chatter was picked up by her communications device, Reppu instinctively turning towards a few planes involved in a close fight. There was a flash, and Reppu's head turned to catch a ball of fire, the remains of an F-15 forcing her to turn hard to the left. There was a slight vibrating, but after a breath or two, the Gripen stabilized, revealing an old Crusader shoot past her viewing axis as the warning tones rang in her helmet once more.

Another turn, and Reppu's breath held as she fought against the pressure of the high-g turn. Seven Gs, as Reppu kept her thighs tightly pressed with the bladders inflating, until a sight caught her eye, the telltale sign of a white Sukhoi with blue markings. It might be another special plane, a special pilot perhaps, nothing worth losing one's breath about. However, there were reports which filtered down to the crew during the retreat from Koga, in a dirty truck packed full of mechanics that those which bombed Koga Air Base were a special group of planes, with distinctive blue markings on a white frame...

Her vision momentarily faded to black, blood flowing too quickly to her lower extremities before she gently released the flight stick, easing the turn as her countermeasures popped behind her. Training would have Reppu heading for the deck once again, but it was too late, and this was a chance to get back at someone who might have started the serious escalation of this war. The planes which bombed her hangar, possibly killing her entire crew had they not been checking for stray animals at night, they were here!

A deep breath, followed by another. The beeping has thankfully died out after another bundle of chaff and a burst of flares, Reppu pulling up to create some space as a finger tapped on her radar screen. The Gripen shot upwards, before its canards angled upwards, bringing the plane inverted as Reppu caught sight of the Flanker once more, chasing an F-15 she'd recognise as...

Angel...

The Gripen dived, Reppu seizing on the advantageous position to achieve a lock onto the Sukhoi. However, as if the pilot was watching her all along, the Beiarusian launched itself upwards, bleeding speed as the Gripen shot past, making the chaser now become the chased!

Reppu: << What the- wait! >>

That was not a Flanker. At least, not from the viewpoint of one who fought its true identity. That was a plane she knew from years back, nearly half a decade when she was thrust into an unknown situation, when she was forced to engage in real life combat for the very first time of her life.

Terminators.

She heard of them. Haruna spoke of them. Spoke of their advanced capabilities, making them perhaps one of the deadliest non-stealth fighters in a close range dogfight. Of the Usean, Osean and Yuktobanian planes, Haruna explained that Osea possessed the advantage in long-range fights, often scoring first blood in theoretical battles, with Usea a close second with the introduction of the Typhoon, with Yuktobania keeping a close focus on close-range maneuvers, a situation which two opposing forces would be forced to engage in should the first phase of beyond-visual-range combat be passed. Many mocked the Yuktobanian concept of taking so much time to gain an advantage, but it was showing itself right now. With numbers, Yuktobanian planes would get through, and once they entered their zone, Only several Osean and Usean aircraft possessed the ability to fight it in level terms.

Of course, a dogfight numbering six Typhoons versus twenty four of these proved the theory moot, but miracles happen. Could Reppu pull off a second miracle, in a jet many considered inferior to her test machine, against an experienced Ace, one of Beiarusia's elites?

While Reppu got the Terminator onto her tail, Angel managed to regroup herself, maneuvering once more onto the rear of the Sukhoi. It was a deadly game of cat and mouse, with countermeasures not greatly reduced against a missile at near point blank range. The three planes danced across the sky, wary of other combatants, avoiding collisions and trying to gain every little bit of advantage. Tracer flew towards the Gripen, but Reppu was already pulling away to grant Angel a clear shot. The Dorusian fired her cannon, a quick burst as the Terminator bled speed once more, turning its airframe in an impossible maneuver to streak past the Eagle. The Gripen did a similar stunt, as Reppu saw the monstrous machine fly towards her, her cannon letting off a burst of fire as shells raked across her airframe, a heavy bang registering a hit, but no visible holes.

The roar of the Sukhoi sent a wave of turbulence along the Gripen, followed by the Eagle which managed to keep up with the Ace. The Gripen struggled to be third in line, jet fuel being directly injected as the plane's afterburners went into full effect as Reppu pushed the plane to its limits in this duel of their own. High speed dogfights soon devolved into twists and turns, where missiles had not enough time to achieve lock before the target faded from sight. It would be a test of the pilot, the plane, and their endurance, for the one who broke off first would surely have a pair of missiles flying after it no matter which side they're on.

Stress and damage would take its toll on the Gripen, as Reppu threw the plane into another inverted spin, the fifth in the minute the fight took. It was taxing, Reppu feeling the bile build up in her system every time she forced her breath down. It was much tougher than her debut flight, probably due to the lack of practice she had in a super-maneuverable fighter, her body paying the price for her time on the ground. Compared to doing stunts in a J-10 or F-16A on a daily basis, patrols in a Tornado was not the best way to get acclimatized with a constant environment of high-G turning.

King-5: << Was... good... fight... >>

Leveling out behind the Terminator as Angel, leading the line, broke away, Reppu was a short distance away from the ace. Her Sidewinder took the moment, the tone ringing in her cockpit when the Sukhoi went into a full Cobra, its heavy braking slowing it down too quickly for the Gripen to react. At that speed, Angel would not have enough time to return for a shot, neither would Reppu have the ability to brake hard enough to maintain her position behind the Sukhoi. The Gripen will overshoot the Sukhoi, and as she flew past the heavy plane, the Terminator was already at its peak, ready to lower its nose for a killing shot.

The Gripen rose, its body sinking as the canards turned to an extreme depression. The slowdown in speed was insufficient to maintain her position, but it was enough. The Gripen shot forward, the two planes almost in an identical pose as Reppu fought to bleed her speed out. If she as successful, Angel could turn around and take the shot!

Loadout
77x 27mm rounds
1x METEORs
4x ASRAAMs

Kills
2x MiG-29 Fulcrus
3x Su-27M Flanker-E

by **Beiarusia** » Sun Jun 25, 2017 9:40 pm

Major Aleksei Tallow “Null”
November 13, 1992 // Antarctica

The radar-warning-receiver sounded as the Terminator came back around. Null pulled back into a tight loop before reversing into a Split-S, sacrificing altitude so as to dislodge the radar-lock, but the enemy pilot was quick to follow into the maneuver and within moments had the F-15 clearly in his sights. The first missile was loosed. Flares were dumped as Null brought his plane into a pitchback, trashing the shot but finding himself unable to shake his pursuer. The second missile was loosed. Countermeasures were dropped as the F-15 banked into another pitchback before reversing angle, once more defeating the attack, but the Terminator remained firmly glued at six o'clock and Null, in desperation, chanced a risky maneuver. Null rolled into a Split-S before quickly rolling back to level with air brakes deployed. The Terminator had attempted to follow but overshot, and immediately was locked by radar.

<< Fox Two, Fox Two! >>

Two missiles trailed away from the F-15. The Terminator smartly disengaged, increasing throttle and pulling back into a vertical climb. There was no chance of outrunning the two Sidewinders, much less so when going fully against the confines of gravity, but the enemy Ace had not acted without a plan in mind. At the last moment the super-maneuverable aircraft pulled into a tight loop with flares burning brightly in its wake. The first missile continued on its climb towards space while the second made an attempt to follow, but it, too, lost track of its target and detonated harmlessly. The Terminator was now in a dive, gaining speed, and intent on reengaging, and while Null was now at a disadvantage in terms of speed and altitude, his nose was still aimed for the Terminator and the threat of another missile forced the pilot to rethink his angle of attack. Some would risk the head-on pass, but the enemy pilot was caution and instead cut across, granting Null some much needed distance while simultaneously turning perpendicular to present the most difficult mark until such time that the gap was closed. No good angles for missiles to be effective, and attempting to intercept with guns, while possible, was a chance that Null decided against. The F-15 disengaged and made for friendly lines.

The RWR sounded.

<< King-Leader: We're not done here. >>

Null barely had time to turn against the missile, dropping the last of his countermeasures as the white Terminator of King passed close enough for the chess-piece emblem to be visible on the wings. Tracers streaked across the sky as a second Terminator engaged. The F-15 twisted hard, forcing Null back into his seat as the G-forces darkened his vision, and while the majority of the 30mm bullets were avoided a few were close enough to graze the tailplane. The third Terminator, the one that Null had originally engaged, turned back to join its fellows. Within seconds Null was forced into a life-or-death struggle against three superior aircraft.

But just as quickly as the battle began it was over. Without warning the Terminators had disengaged, and elsewhere in the airspace over Antarctica the Beiarusian planes were pulling back despite having the clear advantage. Null watched as the battle came to an immediate halt, and for several long seconds he watched in confusion, presenting an easy target that was never claimed.

The RWR toned as the F-15 was pinged by radar. Not King or their escorts or even the missile-toting Tupolev, but from beyond the engagement, and listening to the chatter that filtered in over the radio it was clear that the enemy planes, too, were being marked. Null briefly recalled Scythe and their indiscriminate attack during the fighting over Gozen, which had claimed a few allied planes among the enemy, but with a lacking confirmation of a missile launch this thought quickly faded and was replaced with a similar possibility: a third party was moving to intercept. This was confirmed when a new voice thundered over the radio on a general frequency so that both sides could listen in.

<< Neutral-A: This is VFA-206 of the OFS Buzzard. You are in violation of the Antarctic Treaty. Disengage and depart the area at once or you will be forced into compliance. >>

The aircraft could be seen crossing the horizon now: six Osean F-14A Tomcats spread in an echelon formation.

The Antarctic Treaty prohibited the usage of the southernmost continent for military endeavors, and although one could argue that the current situation happening now in the airspace high above the frozen ice shelf was in no way infringing on international law the Oseans no doubt were looking for a way to intervene with them being in the right. Dorusia had been vocal in its declaration of war, and given that Beiarusia occupied Osea's southern border, and that a staunch Yuktobanian ally was involved in the conflict, and that a Belkan ally was also involved, the match had moved perhaps too close to the powder keg for Osea's liking. Not to mention that Morena's previous engagement over the Antarctic was no secret, and anyone with a competent military would have picked up the messy interception well enough. Osea had only needed to park an aircraft carrier in the icy waters and wait for a chance to flex its muscles lest both parties forget under who's shadow they were fighting.

And, quite frankly, it worked wonders. Neither the Beiarusians nor the DAF were willing to antagonize a global superpower, so this battle was over, and while being kicked out with a loaded gun to their backs was distasteful Null would allow such a transgression to pass without ill thought.

<< AWACS-Bannik: All aircraft are to disengage immediately. I repeat, disengage at once and leave the area. Do not- >>

There was a pause as Lieutenant Traver was interrupted on his end, and upon returning the disbelief in his voice was palpable.

<< AWACS-Bannik: New orders coming in. All DAF marked planes are to withdraw from the airspace. Morena, you are ordered to shoot down King Squadron. Do not, I repeat, do NOT engage Osean aircraft under any circumstances. >>

Null cursed to himself as he knew for a fact that this was General Zhikov's doing. Mercenaries, after all, were a smudge of grey in the black-and-white lettering of international law, and it would be simple enough to shift all blame to Morena should this fiasco threaten to bring two superpowers to speculative blows. Osea shooting down some overeager mercenaries would do little to shift global politics aside from maybe a harsh word or two. Moreover, Null and Angel could not stand with their squadron. Their Eagles were marked with DAF roundels.

The mercenaries would have to surpass the odds without their leader.

Both sides of the conflict were departing now, but as the mercenaries planes that could reengaged so did King, the Terminators intending to counter any threat to their allies regardless of the Oseans looming in the distance.

<< King-Leader: They wish to die like dogs. So be it. >>

<< Neutral-A: Looks like they didn't get the message. Let's make a point. Guns for a warning, missiles for a statement. They so much as look at us wrong then we show no mercy. >>

The Osean Tomcats were on intercept with Morena moving to dethrone King.

Mission Theme C: Do or Die

by **Anowa** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 12:13 am

Lt Jason 'Tombstone' Cain
2Lt Holly 'Fantasy' Clark
The cold as fuck desert at the bottom of the world.

Due to the efforts of Hazard and Null's impromptu squadron, Hangman 3 was in a safe state... for a moment at the least. As Tombstone fulled into a dive in the hopes of finally shaking off his tail, a missile warning yanked him fully from his hopes. A single button push and it's response simply added on to his anxiety.

"Chaff/Flare OUT."

Time slowed as Jason watched the missile in the rear-view. He tried to junk to the side, while Holly yanked on the ejection lever to punch both the pilots out of their craft. But the lever didn't budge. Meaning Jason's jink was the only chance they had, and while he did move in a direction that would normally avoid a missile strike... he went in the opposite direction he needed.

The missile slammed into the craft, and Jason blacked out.

FLt Jason Cain
Pacific Ocean

"Cain, you up yet?"

Jason's eyes jutted open, though instead of the cockpit of an F/A-18, he was in that of a 747. He blinked a few times, realizing that he wasn't exactly in the right state of mind, looking over at his co-pilot, Mason something, a fellow recent hire from Air Ixiom, "Uh, yeah I guess. Sorry about that."

The Belkan man shook his head, "Ah. Don't worry about it, don't really expect everyone to stay awake during a whole 19 hour flight." A few moments of silence reigned between the duo before the Belkan man spoke again. "So what was it you said you did before this?"

Jason kept staring out the front viewport, looking for any wayward flocks of birds, "Fighter pilot, mercenary, and before that Emmerian."

Mason nodded. "Right, think you said that when we met. Why'd you leave Emmeria? Pursue the mercenary life?"

Jason shrugged, "Didn't want to be poor again. Went through quite a few rough spots early in life, and with the pay rates I wanted to support my family... Couldn't just give up my wings either, flying was always a passion of mine."

Mason nodded lips pursed. "That's fair, though don't you ever miss your family. I mean, you are supporting them right?"

"Aye." Jason thought for a moment, "Though I haven't talked to any of them in more than a few years, ever since I got kicked out of the Air Force."

"You were kicked out? How'd that happen?"

Jason was a bit annoyed by the sudden line of questions. Though for whatever reason he didn't feel like being silent, "Punched an officer after he ordered me to shoot down a civvie plane. Pretty sure it was Air Ixiom as well ironically."

Mason frowned, "Seemed like there'd be some form of investigation from that. You did wait until it was concluded fully before you left right? Any sort of communications between you and your unit since."

The former F-15 pilot shook his head, "Nope. Don't really have a reason to since they kicked me out. Investigation seemed pretty cut and dry in any event."

Mason sighed, "Maybe you should visit home soon." an awkward pause left the cockpit in silence for a few moments more, "So. Why was it, that instead of remaining here as a cargo pilot, cushy and survivable as it was, you joined up with another mercenary group? Hmm Jason?"

Jason looked over at his co-pilot in confusion. "...What?"

"Jason!"

The pilot jumped at the sudden increase of volume as bells and whistles across the panel started going off in seemingly random order. As well as the sudden uptake of Mason's voice into a feminine and distinctly Highlander range.

"JASON!"

Lt Jason 'Tombstone' Cain
2Lt Holly 'Fantasy' Clark
The cold as fuck desert at the bottom of the world.

"JASON! Please for the love of God wake up!" the voice of Holly reigned across the craft's cockpit, sounding like she was nearly in tears. Jason took a single look out the front of the canopy and discovered why. Airspeed was approaching mach 2 in a nose dive towards the ground. All the while they were in a roll that was approaching gut wrenching speeds. Jason reacted accordingly grabbing the stuck and tanking it in the opposite direction of the roll. An extreme amount of effort was put into this single action as they slowly righted, and even then Jason had to put a lot of effort into keeping it stable.

"Holly how much flight surface are we missing?"

"Left outer wing... Thank you. Neither the eject nor the stick back here were budging, I think shrapnel fucked those up well enough. Thank you, Jason." Her voice was still strained and very nearly cracking.

"It was no problem. Dump all our remaining ordinance." The sounds of jettisons from the remaining hard points echoed across the airframe. "Thank you."

Tombstone; <<Hangman 3-1 to Morena, we are no longer combat effective and in critical condition, we are egressing North East out of the combat zone.>>

With that done, Tombstone simply locked his arms in position and pumped up the throttle, making it easier on his arms. All the while thinking about the fucked up pipe dream he just experienced.

Kills:

Code: Select all: Tu-28 Fiddler (F3) x2 An-124 Condor (Cargo) x3 Su-27M (F4) x2

Ordinance:

Code: Select all: 526x 20mm HEAPI AIM-9 x0 AIM-120 x0 AIM-132 x0 Drop Pod x1

by **The United Remnants of America** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 1:11 am

Lieutenant Aiden "Frosty" Kelly

Somewhere, Atlantic

11/12/1992 - 01:15

<< Neutral-A: This is VFA-206 of the OFS Buzzard. You are in violation of the Antarctic Treaty. Disengage and depart the area at once or you will be forced into compliance. >>

<<<< AWACS-Bannik: All aircraft are to disengage immediately. I repeat, disengage at once and leave the area. Do not... New orders coming in. All DAF marked planes are to withdraw from the airspace. Morena, you are ordered to shoot down King Squadron. Do not, I repeat, do NOT engage Osean aircraft under any circumstances.>>

"Fuck this."

Frosty looked down at his readouts and looked over the current layout of the battle space, both in his mind's eye and on the radar. All allies were backing out, but so were most enemies. That left Morena, King, the Oseans, and Snowcat. Morena and King were practically standing in front of each other, and the Oseans were coming at them both.

Morena was probably around eight or nine aircraft left in the air. King had five and that Osean flight had six. With Snowcat sticking around, it would be an almost even fight in terms of numbers, but Frosty knew it wouldn't be in terms of skill. Those Terminators might as well be myths, and he'd buy the bar for anyone who could scratch them. The Oseans probably weren't reserve nuggets either; they'd have sent some of their varsity jocks to put a foot down on this situation. Morena was up against top-notch pilots, and they'd already probably expended a bunch of munition as well as their energy in the original ambush. This was now, what, plot twist number three today?

What is this battle, a bad movie script?

Morena against King and Oseans right now was a risky gamble. That was, of course, in a reality where they got into a shooting match with Osean aircraft. Knowing Morena's luck, that was the probable reality. And despite his musings not ten minutes ago about standing with the mercenaries of Morena, he'd had enough today. Too many close calls, and to know he was cleared to only shoot at half the planes that would be shooting back at him, well... That was the last straw.

No, he and his came first. Morena and theirs came second. That was the hierarchy of who he'd take a bullet for. He'd taken a lot of risks so far in this war, but going toe to toe with a flight of Osean Tomcats wasn't on his to-die list today. They just weren't worth the pay.

Frosty reached down and popped the explosive bolts to his three remaining Sidewinders, hearing the dull thuds as the missiles fell from the aircraft and towards the ground.

<<Morena, Snowcat-Lead. Snowcat is dry weapons, preparing bugout. Good luck with King.>>

On the flight channel, Wolf spoke up.

<<Frosty, what are you talking->>

<<This is not our fight, kid. Wolf, Panther, form up on me and let's get the hell out of here.>>

Wolf didn't respond, and Panther never questioned his orders as she got his intentions and casually popped her remaining hardpoints off as well. The Mirage and Phantom II silently formed up on his Thunderchief as the three aircraft looped out of the area, moving at an angle away from the Oseans and back behind Morena.

Hopefully, they could get out of here before the missiles started flying again. Live to fly another day.

by **Tayner** » Mon Jun 26, 2017 1:29 am

Second Lieutenant Alexander Tolskev
Over the Antarctic
Hazard

Help had arrived, the CO and some of Domavoi scaring off the Su-27 that had been bearing down on him. Alex quickly made like a leaf, and got the fuck as far away as he could. He watched his radar screen as the battle continued on. Alex could only watch as Tombstone fell to the deck, but felt some relief as he leveled out. At least Alex didn't stick out his neck for nothing, at least one of the Dorusian pilots didn't die for nothing.

Not before long something interesting happened, some bogies appeared on radar. They quickly identified themselves as Oseans on the radio, apparently here to enforce some minor clause of some obscure treaty. They were quick to state their intent to end the conflict, most likely by shooting down both sides. Many of the DAF and Beiarusians disengaged, but Morena was ordered to stand off against King squadron in the face of a superpower.

Tombstone was extracting, and Alex was under-equipped for this fight, so he figured he'd be more useful elsewhere.

Hazard: << This is Hangman 5, requesting permission to escort Hangman 3 out of here? >>

His inquiry was a formality, as he did not wait for an answer to from up with the beaten Hornet. The jet looked like it just took off out of a scrapyard, it's metal torn, and it's internals producing smoke. Alex was lucky, only taking minor damage compared to some of the others. He was quick enough to not get hit with much cannon fire, and he completely avoided the enemy missiles. Others were shot down, but Alex and Tombstone and the rest of Morena made it this far.

Alex didn't want to see another brother in arms shot down. Neither did the members of Snowcat, who made a swift exit from the airspace not soon after Alex and Tombstone did. They were a separate entity, and as such weren't bound in combat by orders. They didn't have a reason to stick around, nor the heart to. After all, a pilot that escapes can be used again.

Hazard: << Snowcat, this is Hangman 5, if you'd like to form up with us as we RTB, I wouldn't mind.>>

by **Relikai** » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:46 pm

Second Lieutenant Kanzaki Yuria, 'Reppu'
Above the Antarctic

The Oseans were here.

Fatigued, Reppu was nearly on her last stretch as the deadly dance continued between the Terminator, Gripen and Eagle. Birds of prey, talons extending to catch other other at the first opening, none of them provided one, often darting out of the way at the very last moment. An ASRAAM went astray, Reppu's shot thrashed as the Beiarusian went into another radical maneuver. This time, the Gripen followed, the shaky canard turning as Reppu pulled the stick back, joining the Terminator as the three strove to end this fight. However, technical specifications came into play, the Gripen shooting forward as its smaller frame failed to slow it down as much as the Terminator could, as Reppu yanked the stick downwards, trying to find an escape...

Only that luck decided to intervene, as her shaking canard finally reached its limit. The axle trembled, shook, banging against the frame as Reppu turned towards it with blurry eyes, before breaking off completely, her plane turning slightly as she forced herself back level, fighting against the loss of stability with instant calculations from her training with the Typhoon. The Gripen managed to level out, just as she turned to see the Terminator level out itself, its nose lifting and engines roaring, as if the pilot saw the canard break off, and tried to minimize damage to his plane purely on instinct. It was what Reppu would do, and she could not fault him for the maneuver. However, the fight needed to come to an end, as the Gripen was thrown forward, its nose forcibly yanked towards the Terminator as it began a slow roll to the side, the loss of stability already affecting the unbalanced design.

A stream of tracers tore through the Terminator, the cannon set to maximum fire output as Reppu exhaled, her body jerking to the side as the seat belt struggled to hold her in the seat. Tracking the Terminator as her stick was jerked fully towards the plane, sparks could be seen emitting from its underbelly, a rake of fire tearing through the left wing, fuselage and ending on the right. The plane practically broke into two, smoke and fire causing the frame to detach as both parts fell towards the icy surface...

Reppu did not even see the aftermath of her act as the Gripen went into a flat spin. By taking the chance to go for the kill in a split second, she discarded the idea of stabilizing her plane by turning the other way, choosing to go into a spin as it lost speed. It remained flat for a moment, before starting to go into an inverted spin, heading towards the surface as she fought to regain control. Fighting against her fatigue, the stress in her body and the g-forces pinning Reppu to her seat, she could see the altimeter spinning together with the Gripen.

Slowly, her hands began to move, began to find purchase as Reppu kept her eyes closed. She was in a cockpit, in her professional environment, and she would be damn to die just because she lost control. A slight nudge on her left hand, as the plane began to accelerate, its spins going on a wider angle before she managed to regain control of the stick. A jerk to the center had the plane going on a small left turn, before she compensated for it with a little bit more to the right. Pulling it back, the Gripen finally leveled out, as Reppu tried to catch herself, her vision coming back from a haze of red as she looked up and about, checking her radar and bearing.

Reppu: << Spa... sp... splash One... >>

Loadout
23x 27mm rounds
1x METEORs
2x ASRAAMs

Kills
2x MiG-29 Fulcrus
3x Su-27M Flanker-E
1x King (Su-37 Flanker-F)

Ace Combat: Broken Line (IC/Open)

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