Ace Combat: Broken Line (IC/Open)

[Beiarusia]

February 7, 1993 // Highway 6, Kao Highlands, Nonsan, Seian

As Captain Wakahisa wiped the blood from her hand and onto her dirty pants an engine could be heard coming down the gravel road underneath the dull roar of distant fighter jets. The escaped POW's already gathered readied whatever weapons they'd since commandeered — sidearms mostly, but one man had acquired a Dorusian AN-94 — cautious of the vehicle approaching just beyond the bend and out of sight. Then a collective sigh of relief as a battered SUV turned onto the gravel road. Weapons were lowered as the vehicle rolled to a stop, Sergeant Watanabe disembarking as the engine sputtered and idled.

"You're late," one soldier called out jokingly as if to relieve the tense situation.

Before the sergeant could respond to the lighthearted jest the driver of the SUV stuck out her head through the shattered window. "I think we made it all right on time all things considering," she blurted in a grating North Pointer accent, mouth bent upwards into an impish grin. Another soldier was blatant in his protesting as to why she, the foreigner, especially one who had flown under the banner of Beiarusia, was here with them, to which the woman responded with a scathing quip concerning the nation's wartime incompetence, leading to an exchange of increasingly aggressive and obscene insults between her and the gathered soldiers. Despite her assistance in the breakout the woman was still an enemy pilot who'd participated in the invasion.

The sergeant cut the argument short with an authoritative interjection before it could devolve further. He allowed the uneasy silence to linger for a moment longer before continuing: "Now is not the time. We both have a mutual dislike for the Dorusians, so deal with it. Any objections can be raised once we're back in Heian." He then turned to address Captain Wakahisa, currently the highest ranking officer amongst the POW's despite the chain-of-command having fallen to the wayside in present circumstance. "The airspace is compromised. This isn't everyone" — two vehicles had yet to arrive — "but we have to go. Now. The enemy's preoccupied with the mercenaries, but if we're still around when they clear the skies we're as good as dead."

There was immediate disagreement as many were unwilling to abandon their comrades, but the sergeant was firm in his decision, although he looked expectantly to Captain Wakahisa for support in this matter. The squabble only worsened as the foreigner chimed in uninvited with her own opinions.

Then came a crack of thunder that reverberated in the far off distance.

At once the argument died away. Everyone looked to the uneasy sky, some with weapons held close as the echoes of whatever had shattered the atmosphere rumbled on with a deep alien growl. "What was that?" asked one soldier, his head on a swivel as he searched fruitlessly for the source of the unknown noise. "A rifle?" queried another. "Ain't never heard a rifle like that," rebuked a third.

"I know that sound," answered the foreigner, her gaze dropping to Sergeant Watanabe with playful accusation.

More fighters were entering the airspace now, the howl of engines increasing in intensity as they passed nearby, the brief silhouette beyond the canopy that of an F-15 Eagle. Too brief a passing to identify as SAF or DAF. Regardless, the sergeant wasn't willing to wait and find out. His authoritative voice snapped the distracted soldiers back to attention. "Mount up. We're leaving, end of discussion. If anyone disagrees that's dereliction." No protests as the soldiers returned to their makeshift convoy of appropriated vehicles. Within sixty seconds they were on the move.

Their journey west was unimpeded.

---

---

February 7, 1993 // Kao Highlands, Nonsan, Seian

The mercenary pilots were forced into a fighting retreat. The DAF aircraft had firmly established air supremacy, and now engaged to hunt down Myojin and Snowcat who had already suffered casualties. Glory had already withdrawn but Panther was still traversing the AO, a thick line of black smoke trailing behind her severely damaged Mirage.

Blood in the water.

<< PLAGUE 2: Circling around. >>

Two F-15C Eagles were pushing ahead to intercept the crippled aircraft. Another two circled to shunt the mercenaries, impelling them to disperse so as to allow the others to pick them off without much difficulty, as well as to prevent any retaliatory maneuvers to protect those singled out already. The remaining aircraft poked and prodded, harassing the traitorous pilots, waiting for an opening to swoop in for the killing strike. Fresh, Myojin and Snowcat would have struggled against the seasoned veterans of the DAF, but given the current situation they may well have been fish in a barrel. The pilots were struggling to match the F-15C's move-for-move. Eventually their luck would run out.

<< TIANGOU: This is the SAF AWACS, Tiangou, to all mercenary aircraft currently airborne. Adjust altitude to angels 20. >>

<< SERPENT: Twenty-thousand!? We'll be sitting ducks that high up! >>

A muttered curse from Panther in her native tongue escaped onto the radio channel.

<< PANTHER: Not looking good anyway. This is Panther, going high. >>

The injured Mirage pulled up, climbing to the best of its current ability as the engine strained to the limits to maintain thrust. Panther was the first to begin the climb, and soon enough the mercenaries followed, and behind them the DAF fighters undeterred by the unexpected change in pitch. However, away from the hills and mountains of the Kao Highlands the mercenaries were caught without cover. Easy targets. Plague and Famine continued with their previous strategy.

As the leading fighters zeroed in onto Panther it was the F-16 of Joker to fall back to screen her six o'clock, and immediately he was set upon by the pair of F-15C's, his RWR sounding loudly as lock-on was acquired. A juke into a roll to trash the lock-on. The enemy pilots matched the maneuver perfectly, and again the RWR sounded, an incessant whine forewarning imminent doom. The angle-of-attack was adequate, but the pilots stayed their missiles in order to edge themselves into a more favorable firing position to secure a certain kill. A point-of-no-return that Joker was quickly approaching.

<< TIANGOU: Confirming target. Hold... data transmitted. You are free to fire. >>

A sound like muted thunder.

Without warning the left wing of the trailing F-15C disintegrated in a spray of shrapnel and oil. The aircraft continued for a moment longer, as if unaware of the damage it had just sustained, before twisting into an uncontrollable cartwheel as the stress tore into the fuselage.

<< PLAGUE 6: No control. Ejecting. >>

<< TIANGOU: Confirm destruction of target. New target data is being transmitted. >>

<< FAMINE 3: Is that...? >>

On the western horizon three SAF Eagles were entering the AO, their markings that of Mononoke, weapons bristling in anticipation for the dogfight they were intruding upon. Captain Inoue radioed to the mercenaries to give them the order to RTB; likewise the commander of Famine made the call to disengage despite several protests. The DAF aircraft peeled away from the fleeing mercenaries and were soon pushing east at speed. Mononoke followed for several kilometers to ensure the airspace was cleared.

Myojin and Snowcat were in the clear as they made shaky headway back towards Murai AFB, progress slowed to accommodate the damaged aircraft.

High above in passing the fourth member of Mononoke could briefly be spotted beyond the clouds. In their shadow an unknown aircraft.

---

---

February 7, 1993 // Koga Airbase, Seian

It was late evening, perhaps an hour after their return from enemy territory, and the isolated airbase was alive in a flurry of activity. Many aircraft had been damaged in the operation, Null's included, so crews hurried to begin the necessary repairs to have them airworthy in the coming days, but underlying that was the tense excitement one felt when something important neared its end. Not quite celebration but so close that one only needed to pop the champagne to set-off the festivities. The mission had been a resounding success. The enemy's industrial complex had been severely damaged, straining an already fragile equipment shortage, but more importantly the enemy had suffered a major defeat with all aircraft bearing the emblem of King having been confirmed shot down.

Beiarusia had effectively been knocked out of the war.

Null was exhausted, both from the many hours spent airborne in transit and from the heart-pounding stress of combat. He most of all deserved a moment's rest, more-so for his role in the engagement, him being the one to have downed the enemy Ace, Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Lear, King 1 — though Morena as a whole had proven themselves during the aerial battle overhead the Valley of Kings — but Null was accustomed to being denied the occasional respite.

Something had happened during the mission. Two units within the 101st had engaged SAF mercenaries outside Nonsan, and although the details had yet to be shared with Null a situation had developed. So the commander of Morena was called to meet with General Zhikov alongside Major Graves.

In the meantime the others were allowed to breathe. If only he was so lucky.

[The United Remnants of America]

Captain Aiden "Frosty" Kelly

---

Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

---

2/7/1993 - 20:21

---

It was late.

The sun was setting by the time the mercenaries had finally reached Heian and landed at Murai. It was dark by the time everyone had fully settled. Planes were towed to hangars, some planes were just towed off the runway and left in the open. Kelly had been told there were going to be crews working on the planes through the night to get the ready as soon as possible. Just in case.

Frosty had checked in on everyone in his squadron. He hadn't eaten yet, or gone to rest. His flight suit stuck to his body through the sweat and his hair was matted to his head. The sortie was too close a call, and it had shaken him somewhat, the prospect of losing another wingman. So that was his first priority upon landing: His squadron.

Jyri was the first visit. The Erusean pilot had landed and then returned immediately to his quarters with little ceremony. That was all fine. It wasn't like Kelly was going to enforce any sort of official debrief. They didn't need it. He'd gone to Jyri's quarters and knocked. The kid answered, already in his boxers and didn't offer much in terms of a warm welcome. He said he was tired and needed to recharge his batteries. Not much was said, the meeting was short. Kelly thanked him for his flying and let the kid hibernate until he was needed. Kelly had a suspicion he probably meditated or something; he seemed the type. The kid was like some sort of war monk, always so relaxed until he got into a cockpit.

Kelly found Wulf in the mess, grabbing unhealthy food from a vending machine. The man deserved it. Wulf smiled and gave him a high-five. Just like Jyri, the two pilots had known each other for a few years. He immediately seemed to know the purpose of the visit and put his hand on Kelly's shoulder.

"We all made it, Aiden. You kept us alive, freund. I know what you're doing and you need to stop. Relax. You look tired. You want some chips? They're on me."

Kelly looked up into Wulf's eyes and grinned, "Thanks, Hetz. Ya like the brotha I neva wan'ed."

Wulf smiled back, "fuck you too, Kelly. Who's next on your list?"

"The kids."

"Ah, you've seen Jyri then?"

"Aye, I was gonna leave Li-"

"I figured. She's probably in the commissary. Well, good luck with the kids." Wulf gave Kelly's shoulder a reassuring shoulder before stepping back and ripping open a bag of chips with a satisfying pop.

"Thanks, Hetz. You're a helluva mate."

The "kids" were next. Vasil and Karl bunked together. They seemed close, which Kelly assumed was good since they had to pilot a plane together when they weren't destroying the plane they were flying. They had amazingly made it through the sortie relatively unscathed. That was all well and good, since they owed people money. He wasn't sure who they owed anymore, but they always seemed to owe someone something.

When Kelly got to their quarters, he found their door unlocked. He pushed it open only to find the room dark. The light cast from the hallway showed the two pilots in their bunks, already asleep. Kelly quietly let the door close and shook his head. The benefits of being a fucking kid again. Those two had been through some real shit, and yet nothing seemed to phase them. They always bounced back like they hadn't just escaped death by the skin of their dicks.

Kelly wished he had that kind of defense against the evils of life that they had. Maybe he'd had it and one point? Did he lose it? And if he lost it, when was that? When he took command of Snowcat? When Jason died? When any number of other of his friends had died? Maybe it all chips that quality away bit by bit until all that's left was what Kelly was now, a tense and bitter man with more years of flying behind him than ahead of him, with more friends in the grave than alive. How many more sorties did he have in him before he had to put the wings up for good? How many more lucky scrapes with death did he get before he was out of free passes? Who else would he lose before either of those eventualities came? Too many. That was always the answer.

The commissary was next. Liora was alone, in a both alone. The table in front of her had a bottle of something brown and strong, and a single empty glass sat next to the bottle. Her head was in her hands. She didn't look up when he approached and stood beside her.

"Ya don' wanna get too sloshed. Don' know when we'll 'ave to fly again."

It took a few seconds before Liora looked up. She didn't respond. Her eyes were rimmed with red. Had she been crying? Kelly slipped into the booth across from her.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Liora answered by pouring herself another drink and taking a mouthful of it. She swallowed, shuddered. "I almost didn't make it, Aiden."

He figured that's what this was about. "We all can't be lucky all the time, Liora."

She took a breath to calm herself, "Not all of us, but I'm the one who doesn't get hit. I always slip through. Or... I used to, I guess."

Aiden folded his hands on the table and leaned in, "Y'know, I've had my literal ass shot out from under me, Li. Gettin' hit don' mean you're done flyin'."

Liora rolled her eyes, "Great pep talk, Aiden. Are you here to try and talk my back from the edge?"

"Only if you need it."

Liora just scoffed and took another drink.

"I'm here t' make sure you're alright 'nd ya can fly if I need ya to as soon as possible."

Liora shook her glass, "This is my last one. Promise."

Kelly nodded and leaned back in the booth, "I do need ya, Li. We all need ya. You're not any less of our lucky charm."

The Levantese pilot pursed her lips and looked over Aiden, "You need a better lucky charm. Maybe one that gets shot less."

Kelly smiled, "Well, you've still been shot less 'n the rest of us."

She closed her eyes, a smile broke across her fact, "Thanks. I needed that."

Kelly slid out of the booth and turned to leave, but Liora grabbed his hand, "I meant it. Thank you, Aiden. Really."

Kelly looked into Liora's eyes and nodded. Her hand slipped off of his and he left the commissary without a wasted word.

Kelly had one man left to find, but this time it was to thank him instead of a check-in. He hoped Naoki Inuoe would be a bit more friendly this time than the last time they'd exchanged words. When was that? Oh, right. When Naoki had told Snowcat to open fire on Morena or be shot down themselves.

But Inuoe had saved his squadron. Threats be damned, Kelly wasn't going to let that go without a thanks and a drink if Naoki allowed it.

It was what honorable traitors did.

[Ubaria]

Captain Noel Silva 'Aguila' & Maria Feirrero 'Outlaw'

7th February, 1993
Koga AFB, Seian

---

Morena had prevailed once again. The Valley of Kings had been conquered, many of it's defenders fallen in a desperate bid to push back the onslaught but inevitably had suffered the same fate as so many others that had dared cross the mercenaries. At least now they were at rest, sharing their grave with so many of their ancestral monarchs of centuries past. Even King, the enemy ace squadron, had been put to the sword and now the twisted wrecks of their Su-37 Terminators lay scattered throughout the valley, monuments to their failure. Morena had swept the remainder of the AO for threats before the Dorusian strike force pushed to Orwell, flattening the industrial sector, setting factories, refineries and construction infrastructure ablaze. With that, Beiarusia had effectively been swept under the rug, the threat of retaliation now no longer likely.

Koga was still standing upon Morena's return, the Seianese lacking the resource to mount an effective capture meant the DAF could for the moment, operate unimpeded. Though an air of caution still remained as the SAF was still an effective fighting force, patrols and incursions had been harassing Dorusian assets ever since the commencement of hostilities, former allies now hunting one another, Morena had her loyalties called into question but the remaining pilots were still ready to do whatever was needed of them.

"We live another to see another day." Maria approached from behind, bringing a hand up to flick stray locks of brunette hair away from her eyeline. Noel laughed softly, his warm breath evaporating in the cool winter evening air. "What's so funny?" Maria responded, taking a perch on a nearby set of pallets, not the most comfortable of sitting spaces but after hours in the hotseat, it felt good to stretch.

"Nothing ... just ... i remember this scared girl who had barely seen the back seat of a plane now brushing off death as if it were an inconvenience." Noel smiled, still gazing off onto the tarmac of the nearby taxiway. "You did good out there though. Keep it up and you'll have your own wings soon enough." He added, turning to his comrade.

"No. We did good. Plus i'm only doing what you tell me."

The pair giggled, puffs of hot exhalation turning to a white mist before them. Slowly they turned into sighs.

"I hope Jax is alright ... " Maria mused, her smile turning into a look of bitter contemplation. "That idiot"

"I'm sure he's fine, he's survived worse shit. And when this whole mess is over, you'll find each-other again. World is a small place." Noel spoke reassuringly. Maria didn't respond and simply turned to watch the nearby vehicles buzzing around the base, towing planes and ferrying supplies from one end of the base to the other. "Come on, let's get inside and get some food. It's cold out here and i can't feel my fingers."

[SaintB]

Garret Jones
12 November, 1992
Vostok AFB, Dorusia

The message was already several weeks old by the time it had made it into Garret's hands. It was postmarked in Osea on October 2nd and had followed the ace pilot known as Shark across three countries, two continents, and an entire ocean before it finally reached it's recipient - a long journey for seven simple words:

COME HOME. DAD IS SICK.
-LOVE MOM

Those 22 letters might as well have weighed a ton apiece from the way Major Jones carried with him on his way to request emergency leave. Before he reached Aleksei's office he had encountered others of the squadron, any that queried about why the man looked so grim had the paper thrust at them wordlessly. He knew what it was, that damned asbestos... it had killed his grandfather and his uncle too, and so many other people that worked the steel mills in Wesson; cancer; mesothelioma.
________________________________________________

13 November, 1992
Vostok AFB, Dorusia

The engines of the Chinook were deafening even at low power and Garret found himself shouting nearly on top of his lungs to be heard by Yuria even though they weren't even arms length from one another. Indeed, they had barely been even that far apart since since that first night at Vostok AFB. The two had been like teenagers once the gates opened up and they both let their feelings about each other out and were practically joined at the hip, save for the times they had duties to attend too, but other even more private moments couldn't even separate them - especially not shower time.
"Two weeks! Two weeks, just to say goodbye to my father and then I'll be back. I'll see you at Koga before December," he promised the exotic beauty before placing one more kiss on her lips, "Fourteen days is not so long a time!"
He let his fingers slip from her hands as he headed to the transport and pulled a slip of paper from the breast pocket of his flight suite. It was his orders that would let him leave on this chopper and begin the journey home. Then it was a flight to Erusia for a layover before heading directly to his home city of Wesson.He mouthed the words as he left two weeks.
_______________________________________________

23 November 1992
The Jones Family Home, Wesson, Osean Federation

Welcome back to channel 14 news, I'm Craig Flint. In International News a travel embargo has been issued against the south of the Osean Continent from several nations due to the continued fighting in between Seian and Beiarusia. The nations of North Point, Erusea, and Usea have all recently joined the Osean Federation's travel embargo to the region including Brasalium, Leasath, and San Martin...

"Fuck!" Garret swore under his breath as the crawler at the bottom of the screen listed literally every country he could have routed a civilian flight back to Seian from.

For its own part Osea had put a stop to all travel almost as soon as the first salvos of the conflict were fired, though there had been plenty of round and about options for making his way back from home, but now he was all but stranded. Not even mail was getting through now and every letter Garret had written to his new flame was returned to him within a couple of days. Jones paced quietly as he tried to figure out a way to get back to the conflict, back to Yuria, before something happened. His father had been moved to hospice care, mother had left to get groceries - a thing she refused to let any man do - and Jones was trying to find a way back to the most dangerous place on the planet because war had made him some kind of mad man. How long would it take to hire someone to smuggle him in? Could he even do it? Was it worth the risk?

Of course it was! But, how? How to get back....
_______________________________________________

8 December, 1992
Our Lady of Steel Cathedral, Wesson, Osean Federation

Life was one big surreal mess now. With the exception of his mother, all of the most important people in Garret's existence were gone or so far away that they may as well be. He tried to keep his thoughts of Yuria and of the insanity happening all around her as the fortunes of war waxed and waned tamped down as he spoke to the gathered friends and family who were with him in remembrance of his father. He couldn't keep it down, not any of it, not the death of his father or the danger Yuria was facing without him, not how his mother could handle being all alone, a widow with a son fighting in a foreign war for blood money... none of it could be kept down. Midway through his prepared remarks Major Jones burst into uncontrolled tears...
_______________________________________________

25 December, 1992
The Jones Family Home, Wesson, Osean Federation
"Pass the lasagna," said uncle Roger.

It wasn't the typical family dinner for this time of year but the Jones family lasagna was a tradition dating back from his uncle and father's childhood. Garret was sure there's a story but he couldn't recall it and he certainly wasn't feeling up to inquiring about it.

"Pass the lasagna, what?" mom asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Pass the lasagna, please!" his uncle corrected.

Mother seemed to be doing okay. She was certainly holding it together better than Garret himself was, but he knew it was a facade. His mom had buried herself in the holidays to avoid processing the grief of loosing her husband of 40 years and he didn't blame her one bit. He himself however couldn't pretend. He lived life in auto pilot right now with no emotions behind any of his actions; all his thoughts were on how to get back to Seian and the war, back to Yuria, and how to take care of his mother.
_________________________________

28th January, 1993
Federated Bank of Osea
"Mother, I..."

"I don't want your blood money Garret!"

There it was, out in the open, "I know you have a lot of money, but you will not pay for your father's funeral with the money you made burying other people's fathers! I just won't let you do it!" his mother spoke through tears as she looked at the signed cashier's check, "I know how your making so much money Garret..." she trailed off.

All he could do was remain silent. His mother wiped her eyes with a tissue taken from the ones on the bank mananger's desk and looked at him, her green eyes rimmed in red and puffy eyelids, "You didn't make $27 million dollars running an air freight company... you made it by shooting down planes; dozens of them."

"How.... how did you find out?"

"The news Garret! Your dad and me, we saw you on television getting into a fighter while a reporter talked about the battle over Seian's capitol. You're one of the mercenary pilots from Morena. Me and your father don't want any of your money. Not for the funeral, not for my expenses. we don't want it."

Garret sighed, "How is it different from when I was in the Navy?"

"In the navy you were a soldier, you were defending your home. In Morena your an assassin hired to kill other fighter pilots. They aren't the same.... I love you, and I'm proud that you are a flying ace, but I will not take any of this money Garret. Not for anything."
_______________________________________

7 February, 1993
Murai AFB. Heian, Seian

The Blackhawk shuddered as it hit some turbulence from an updraft of wind while it made it's final approach to Murai Airbase, eliciting little response for the almost 38 year old ace pilot - turbulence was a thing he was more than used to. One of the choppers crewman flashed a thumbs up, possibly a gesture of respect for the passenger's nerves of steel. Getting back had not been easy, it took months of work and a large amount of money but Garret had finally arranged through one of the black market contacts who helped him find jet fighters to smuggle him into Brasalium from Aurelia. From Brasalium Jones spent several days traveling overland until he reached a border station where he was picked up by the UH-60 that was now baring down on Murai AFB. From there he was expecting to be transferred back to wherever Morena was stationed... he had no idea what had transpired between his squadron since he had been gone, and little clue about what he would be told when he arrived.

The UH-60 jerked one more time as the landing gear touched on to solid ground and the veteran pilot waited for the signal from a crew member to debark once the engines had been sufficiently powered down. The wait took a little longer than expected, but Garret thought nothing of it and soon enough he was given a little push toward the exit, sliding the door open on his own he was greeted by a welcome crew that was much less friendly than anticipated... four Seianese airman armed with sub-machine guns and two MPs were gathered by the landing pad along with a familiar face, "Eddie? What's happening?"

"You need to come with these guys Major. They have questions for you... about where your allegiances lie." the dual Osean/Seian citizen known as Wakazashi said gravely.

Garret was disconcerted by the goings on here, "My allegiances?" he asked slowly, placing emphasis on the second word, "I don't know what you're talking about!" he objected while simultaneously raising his hands up to his shoulders, palms forward - nobody was pointing a weapon at him yet but he didn't want to give them a reason.

Eddie looked apologetic as he talked to the man he had flown sorties with as a WSO, "There's been some developments Major. Between Seian and Dorusia, and between your squadron. Please just come with us, we don't want this to get ugly, we just need to know what you know and who you serve..."

[Tayner]

---

Second Lieutenant Jeff Moreau
Murai Air Force Base, Hiean, Seian
February 7, 1993

Jeff sat in the mess, the evening was growing late. The last sortie had left him with many questions, being quite the opposite of cut and dry, and nearly ending in spectacular failure if it wasn't for the swift and somewhat amiss arrival of Mononoke. Their swift and surprise appearance with a mysterious fourth fighter hanging out of clear sight. However, Jeff didn't ask too many questions, and just accepted the rescue, even pitching in a greatful remark to the pilots of Mononoke before clearing the AO.


He was sipping coffee, taking a break from paperwork and getting a boost to finish out with. Even with the help of Nona, Jeff and Zach still had plenty of forms to fill out, some in duplicate, some in triplicate. There was no way Jeff was going to catch up on his portion of the work in one night, but he didn't feel like sleeping quite yet, and paperwork was only to distract him from the war, from everything that was going on around him. Sometimes it helped him to just slow down, and focus on something he could control for a change.

Even if that something was as tedious as paperwork.

Even late at night the Air Base was alive. Ground crews working late in hangars, some planes starting and returning from combat air patrols, helicopters coming and going, and even a few other people in the mess hall enjoying a late dinner. Despite the late hour, things almost seemed awake, as if the moon was just another sun in the sky, but not quite. He sighed, took another sip of coffee, and leaned back in his chair to continue observing the things around him.

[Kyraina]

---

Lt Col Zach "Knight" Steele
Murai AFB, Hiean, Seian
7th Feb 1993

Ranger and Knight were Engaged with Members of Plague and Famine. In all Truth The Pilots of Plague and Famine were Above Average at best as far as Osean Standards went, but Their Team work was Excellent, and Just like Ranger and his Strike Eagle, they Knew their planes well. Plus add in the Fact that the Knew the gold star pilot had shot at Null in the defection, also a member of the 101st, made them Fight all that harder. For a few vaulable seconds or minutes, neither knew which, the duo fought in the rear guard buying what time they could. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours, and hours like days. If they had been fighting on more even terms Ranger was sure he could have won against any of the members of Famine and Plague quite handily, but it wasn't on even terms nor was War fair. Between having to pull rear guard and the numbers against Him and Knight, The members of Plague and Famine wore them down. Till he heard the call to go to Angels 20. Ranger, obeyed after some prodding from Knight. The Calvary then arrived in the from of Mononoke. Like the Rest of Snowcat and Myojin, Ranger and Knight used the opportunity to get away.

The F-15E landed, holes in the fuselage and wings from Cannons but it had only done light damage and had struck nothing important. The Strike Eagle taxi'd to Myojin's assigned Hanger, and the duo climbed out of F-15E, the Crew Chiefs already directing their crews to take care of the planes of Myojin.

"Go get You some Rest Jax, You deserve good job out there." Zach said. Jax nodded and walked off as the duo had changed into street (grey Tees, with the Unit Symbol on the Front and on the Left Shoulder, with The respective pilots Home country (Or whatever country they call home) flag on the clothes) and left the men's locker room in the hanger. Zach stopped at office and grabbed his paper work, and walked to the Mess hall. On his way he was joined by Nonna, with the beginning of a baby bump who had heard the squadron had returned and had went to go get the AAR paperwork for every one.

"How'd it go Boss?" Nonna asked as she fell in along Zach. "It went pretty well I think, and to be honest it would have gone alot worse if we hadn't received reinforcements from Mononoke. I'll feel ya in after we get some food."

The two got grabbed some food and a drink and searched for a place to set, and found Joker. They set down with him. "How you feeling Joker, any damage to you or your plane?" Zach asked while Nonna looked at both of them, as she started eating.

---

Capt Jax "Ranger" Bradford
Murai AFB, Hiean, Seian
7th Feb 1993

Jax was wanting some time to himself as he was walking, but heard the sound of a commotion going from over by the helo pad. He walked over there and saw Jones being confronted by MPs and Eddie. He walked over to a MP.

"What's going on here SGT?" Jax asked one of the MPs.

"Taking the Major in for some Questions is all. Feel free to tag alone Captain." The MP said. Jax nodded and looked over at Jones.

"Shark, What the Hell are you doing back here? I thought you'd be stuck in Osea?" Jax said.

[Beiarusia]

February 7, 1993 // Murai Air Force Base, Heian, Seian

Kelly found Captain Inuoe standing with his arms crossed, his back to the warm light of the open hangar sheltering the thin-numbered maintenance crew pouring over the post-flight checks for the three aircraft belonging to Mononoke. The fourth was touching down now on the far runway. The distinctive silhouette of the F-15C Eagle was unmistakable even in the darkness, however, a second unidentifiable aircraft shadowed. The late-coming Lieutenant was directed to the squadron's assigned hangar; the unknown aircraft was relocated to a different hangar on the opposite end of the airbase. It was only after the two aircraft had begun to taxi that Captain Inuoe turned to acknowledge the Perfanesian mercenary.

"Kelly," he greeted without fanfare before dipping his head into a stiff bow, a gesture that would catch the mercenary by surprise. "I wish to apologize for my behavior. The situation was not one I was prepared for and I failed to trust you and your pilots, but today leaves no doubt that you are a man I can count on." The captain straightened himself, his cold gaze softer now by a small degree. "You're unconventional, laughably so, but I'm glad to have you on our side."

The engines of the approaching Eagle were growing louder as it turned onto the tarmac leading to the hangar. Two crewmen emerged to guide it in, pausing to wave off the two pilots who were now standing in the way. Captain Inuoe motioned for Kelly to follow as he moved aside to avoid being an obstacle. Tokugawa gave a thumbs-up to her squadron leader as she passed, her helmet's visor up so that her face was illuminated somewhat by the instrumentation. He returned the gesture with a small wave. The aircraft wheeled gently to a stop in front of the open hangar doors, the turbines whining as they slowed as power was cut to the twin engines. Once it was safe the crewmen approached the aircraft to chock the wheels and to assist the pilot in climbing down.

Captain Inuoe watched for a moment before looking back to Kelly. "So, was there something you needed?"

[SaintB]

Capt Jax "Ranger" Bradford
Murai AFB, Hiean, Seian
7th Feb 1993

Jax was wanting some time to himself as he was walking, but heard the sound of a commotion going from over by the helo pad. He walked over there and saw Jones being confronted by MPs and Eddie. He walked over to a MP.

"What's going on here SGT?" Jax asked one of the MPs.

"Taking the Major in for some Questions is all. Feel free to tag alone Captain." The MP said. Jax nodded and looked over at Jones.

"Shark, What the Hell are you doing back here? I thought you'd be stuck in Osea?" Jax said.

Major Garret "Shark" Jones,
Murai AFB, Hiean, Seian
7th Feb 1993

"I was, I had to break a few laws in Brasalium to get back...", it was probably not the best thing to admit in front of these guys but they had no power, and probably not the will, too do anything about it, "It's a long story Jax, and I don't want to have to tell it a bunch of times."

Garret Shrugged with triggered a twitchy response from one of the armed guards who took a second to realize a shrug was a shrug. Starting to feel like if not for Captain Bradford he might be getting lead away in leg irons he shot him a look of please help me and asked a question of his own, "Why aren't you at Koga? What's going on?"

[Empire of Donner land]

Amabel Allard "Knot"
Feburary 7, 1992 // Murai AFB, Hiean, Seian

The Nammer slowly pulled into a hanger, the engine dying down from a low idle grumble to nothing as it was shut off. The canopy opened and Amabel climbed out, leaving her flight helmet in the seat as usual. The damage she sustained was bad, but it was flyable on the way back to the base. But if Mononoke hadn't arrived when they did, Myojin would have been blown out of the sky, along with the Snowcats. The noise of oil, hydraulic fluid, and fuel plinking on the ground as it dripped from the wounded Bird echoed in the hangar.

Amabel sighed and breathed in deeply, leaving as ground crew flooded in to do their jobs. Amabel took a nap on one of the break room's couches. As she closed her eyes, she could only think of the end of this war, the only thing keeping her from giving up was the feeling that if she did, Amabel would be abandoning Myojin, Angel, Reppu, and Shinden. At the same time, she did abandon Morena. She was a Traitor for sure, but Amabel couldn't fire on Angel, her loyalty to Angel was bigger than any words on a contract, or the money it promised. She could only hope that Null and Morena could find the sense to join them and abandon Dorusia, as unlikely as that was.

The sound of a Helicopter taking off woke her up, outside the window she could see a familiar face, Shark. They were talking to Ranger. Their speech was muffled, but she could see their lips moving. Amabel stood up and walked to open the door, entering after gently shutting it. She came into the room just in time to hear Shark ask Ranger why they weren't at Koga. "Are you going to tell him, Shark, or should I?" Amabel asked nervously then turning to Shark, "things have gotten pretty messy" Amabel said bluntly.

[Revlona]

Lieutenant Robert Strong
7th of February 1993
Koga Airbase

Robert slipped out of the restraints keeping him securely pinned to his seat before letting out a sigh of relief. The tension of a combat flight slipping out of him as the breath escaped and his body relaxed. His shoulders dropped and his head reclined to rest into the chair.

After sitting there for a minute or two he stood up in the cockpit and began to get out. After leaving the aircraft and shedding his equipment he went to look at what kind of damage he had sustained. After a quick look he decided it wasn't anything bad, no leaks from the shrapnel and it didn't seem like any major systems were damaged.

After this he slowly walked back to his room, thinking over the combat that had just happened. It was probably about the time to upgrade his plane, he had only survived due to luck and skill, his Cobra just wouldn't' cut it anymore.

Robert wracked his mind for a while on how to acquire a new plane. He could always talk to the military and pay them to fly on of their jets, but none of them really struck his fancy and he decided not to go down that road. He continued thinking about what new plane he would like, and eventually decided on the model.

His next move was obvious, try and find an F-16 that he could call his own, easier said than done. But Robert thought he might know someone who could help him out and set out towards the rec room.

When he arrived at the Rec room Robert gaze began to slip over the area before stopping on the person he was looking for.

"Hey Captain Silva, would you mind helping me out with a little problem I've got?" Robert said as he walked up to the man.

[Ubaria]

Captain Noel Silva 'Aguila' & Maria Feirrero 'Outlaw'

7th February, 1993
Koga AFB, Seian

---

The Rec was empty at this hour, without the rest of Morena the place was poignantly quiet compared to the usual clamour that followed after an operation, a depressing reminder of the events not to long ago. It was only Noel and Maria there now, Noel was scribbling down in his notepad about the fight over the valley, mainly reminders about the characteristics of his newly acquired aircraft and Maria was a quarter way through a puzzle depicting a typical Seianese cherry blossom tree, she had already been at it two hours.

"There must be some pieces missing. Mierda" She cursed to herself and shuffled the pile of jigsaw pieces again, hoping that the correct one would somehow magically reveal itself.

"Just pick out the edge ones and go from there" Noel advised, not looking up from his notepad.

"That's the trouble. I can't find any of them" She replied, huffing like a vexed child.

There were a few more minutes of silence before it was broken by the sound of a creaking door hinge. Both looked up to see who had entered. It was another of Morena, Lieutenant Robert Strong to be precise, one of the newer additions to the squadron, he looked across the room at them and approached.

"Hey Captain Silva, would you mind helping me out with a little problem I've got?"

Silva placed the notebook down and nodded.

"Si. What is it?"

[Revlona]

Lieutenant Robert Strong
February 7th 1993

“Yeah, so my plane is nice and all, but I’m gonna be needing an upgrade, and I’ve been looking at getting a F-16A in particular. I’ve got the funds for it if I sell my Cobra, thing is I’ve got no real contacts to get this all done and was wondering if you could help me out.” Robert said, his hands going behind his back and his legs spreading as he unconsciously went into parade rest.

He was curious if the captain would be willing to help with it, or if he’d demand payment for helping him if he did decide to help.

[Ubaria]

Captain Noel Silva 'Aguila' & Maria Feirrero 'Outlaw'

7th February, 1993
Koga AFB, Seian

---

Noel nodded slowly in understanding, quickly exchanging a glance with Maria in a silent mutual conformation of what they were both thinking.

"Well i can't help you directly. But i know somebody who can ... " He trailed off, leaning over the side of the desk to retrieve a small brown satchel full of paperwork and various manila folders. From the mess of paper and documentation he pulled out an inconspicuous black contact book from an interior side pocket and quickly flicked it open, muttering off a list of names before he arrived at the one he needed.

"Viking."

Noel proceeded to transcribe the number from his contact list onto a spare piece of notepad paper and ripped it from the ringed spine and handed the leaf of paper over to Robert.

"This guy will be able to help. He's Nordenn. Shady arms dealer type. Wouldn't trust him as far as i could throw him but he'll get you whatever you need. Tell him you know Noel and you need a ride ... Oh, and don't use any of the airbase telephones, best use a payphone in town."

[Revlona]

Lieutenant Robert Strong
February 7th 1993

“Thanks captain” Robert said as he took the copied number, took a brief glance at it, and pocketed it.

“Be seeing you around then” he said with a smile as he nonchalantly salutes the man with two fingers before turning and walking out of the room.

Several hours later Robert had finished placing the call to the Captains contact. He had settled the price and details with the man and finally set off the sleep after a hard day.

[The United Remnants of America]

Captain Aiden "Frosty" Kelly

---

Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

---

2/7/1993 - 20:21

---

Kelly smiled and thanked Inuoe for his compliment, and was even impressed the man took the effort to offer a bow to him.

The two had had a somewhat strained relationship not too long ago. It was understandable. Kelly couldn't blame Inuoe for starting out somewhat distrustful of Kelly and his squadron. They were essentially traitors after all, and it was common to only expect a traitor to betray again. His actions and the actions of his squadron must have at least given the Seianese man second thoughts, which meant Kelly could somewhat quiet the nagging fear in his mind that a Seianese pilot would put a 20mm shell in his ass while he was in the air.

"Actually, Cap'n, I came 'ere t' thank ya for your save back there. I doubt your orders really figure us into equation so much so ya must've gone out've your way to get us all home, an' for that, I'm thinkin' I picked the right side, too."

Kelly offered a friendly smile to Inuoe before he glanced into the shadows of the hanger. His eyes rested on the silhouette of the mystery aircraft. He gestured to it with his chin.

"I' guessin' that's what came to our rescue. Didn't know ya had some additions to your squadron, Cap'n. S'it free for a quick eyeballin'? Wouldn't mind seein' the machine that's gonna save our asses in this war."

[Parcia]

Nicolai Stroika
Murai AFB, Henai


"Idi Nauhi!" roared the enraged Stovie as the guards carried him through the halls of Murai. They had him in a 4 man body carry, his arms cuffed as he gave up the best fight he could. He had been allowed to land, yet was promptly pulled from his bird, cuffed, and escorted by armed guards.


The fight started when he heard one of them snicker in their tongue, he didn't catch most of it, yet the Hot Bloodied Estovakian caught the term "Stovie" and promptly attempted to sucker punch one of them, hence, the pilot was now being carried through the halls of the FOB, kicking and screaming insults in his mother tongue while the armed men carried him like some convict.


What a day this had shaped out to be. He didn't even know why he was cuffed.

[Kyraina]

Capt. Jax "Ranger" Bradford
Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

Jax was about to say something when Knot walked up and interjected herself into the conversation. "Mess is a understatement."

"Eddie, send a couple MPs to go get Yurai, Haruna, Zach, Jeff, and Nonna. The other mps can go back to their post." Jax said. The Mps ran off to do what they were told. One to go fetch those listed by Jax and the others to their post.

"So after we got back Dorusia, we was involved on in a Naval battle with Beiarusia, who's fleet surrendered to Seian. Dorusia tried to seize Beiarusian naval assets, but Morena refused to take part. Not long after the Alliance between Seian & Dorusia broke apart. I had already been giving intel to a connect to take back to Osea in form of Mission briefings and After action reports. The Dorusian investigators had some how gotten ahold of my contact, and I believe was closing the noose on me. On the Day I found out, I discovered Angel trying to be sneaky through the City around Koga but failed at, luckily for her it was me and not a member of the DAF. Any way I found out she had started feeding the SAF intel about DAF sorties, and we put my intel with hers to make a more complete picture and to help Seian. DAF got intel of a SAF ambush and Morena and Reaper was sent to intercept the Ambush, which had been set up to allow Angel and I to defect. During the Defection, to keep Morena from being shot down by the DAF as Traitors, I fired on Null, a Belkan Merc called Ice, and another Merc called Hazard. All three were hit by my attack. I just hoped they survived." Jax said, his composure steadily breaking down as he got to the part about shooting at Morena. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

"Knight was stuck with my decision, and how the Strike Eagle is set up he has no control over air to air munitions if there is air to ground ordnance. He had agreed to defect but didn't know I was going to fire on Morena till I fired. Angel, Knight, and I escaped in the chaos and Knot decided that shed rather stand by Angel's side then her contract. Jeff showed up and Him, Knot, and Us were put in a volunteer squadron called Myojin, something to do with Honor, and Knight was elected Squadron Commander. Also way before this Yurai, and Huarna left Morena to Join the SAF and are around here somewhere." Jax said, He then turned around to try to compose himself from the conflicting emotions going on inside him.

[SaintB]

Garret "Shark" Jones
Murai AFB, Heian, Seian
7, February, 1993

Mess was certainly an understatement... maybe the biggest understatement of the nineties to date. At several points Jones opened his mouth as if to speak but no words came out at any of those times, his eyes nearly glazed over and he took on the countenance of a man who needed a good sit down. "So is there anything else?" he finally managed to squeak out after a moment of introspection, and then cleared his throat.

There was a lot to take in, plenty to mull over and digest. On one hand, it explained why he had that armed escort; they were likely there to take him to lockup if they thought he was loyal to Dorusia, maybe even if he wouldn't fight for them - while Seian never seemed like the kind of nation that would lock a foreigner up for not fighting in their war they were facing down the barrel of a world power like Dorusia and it wouldn't be hard to trump up some kind of espionage charges since he was technically here illegally. On the other hand, he didn't know what to do now.

So now they were fighting themselves, "Shit," was all he could manage, "Yinz is bonkers."

The peculiar Wesson lexicon had snuck its way back into how he spoke after being home these few months, something that he had spent years training himself not to use, but now after months of exposure combined with the shock of all that transpired Jones had let slip a bit of what was affectionately known as Wessonish. At this point he really had nothing else, his mind was still pondering all this news so he changed the subject, "I need to turn this over," he had matters of the heart to attend too and the rest could be dealt with later, "Where's Yuria, is she here?"

[Beiarusia]

February 7, 1993 // Murai Air Force Base, Heian, Seian

Captain Inuoe eyed Kelly for a long moment, his expression unreadable as he considered the question as if debating on something entirely mundane. He then looked to the distant hangar, allowed another moment to pass, then said, "Very well. The general had wished to maintain some secrecy, but I'd be lying if I said you hadn't earned my trust. And the enemy will know soon enough if they don't already." Without another word he set off towards the far-side of the airbase with the expectation that Kelly would follow.

The brief journey was uneventful, the two men walking in silence as the runway quieted with the last of the departing CAP aircraft taking to the nighttime skies. To an outside observer Murai was operating as-per-usual, if not on heightened security due to the ongoing conflict, however, the soldiers and crewmen were privileged to the knowledge of just how dire the situation was becoming as the SAF found itself in the throes of a critical resource shortage. Combat losses were rapidly draining the number of available aircraft despite an effort to expedite the transition of units in storage to active service. Then came the issue of supplying pilots, fuel, and munitions. (The capture of Park Air Force Base had halved the military's available fuel and munitions overnight.) Seian was ill-prepared to engage in a prolonged war-of-attrition. The DAF was engaging on two-fronts on foreign territory yet possessed the reserves necessary to push against the SAF and the BRAF simultaneously regardless of logistical limitations.

''The machine that's gonna save out asses in this war.'' Inuoe could appreciate the optimism of Kelly's statement, but there remained the bitter shadow of doubt that one plane could make much difference even with the backing of Mononoke and the mercenaries. And yet he'd fight all the same against unwinnable odds to liberate is homeland.

It was the honorable thing to do.

The hangar entrance was under guard. The two MP's eyed Kelly with suspicion, but allowed the foreigner to pass without incident upon speaking briefly with Inuoe. They simply remarked to not touch anything or bother anyone. The captain assured them that Kelly would be on his best behavior.

Inside was the prototype aircraft stolen from Akers Research Base. A sleek design with forward-swept wings and high-angled canards just behind the cockpit, gunmetal grey with orange striping upon the wings indicative of an experimental project. The plane was currently undergoing routine post-sortie maintenance with the crewmen servicing the aircraft with careful precision. Notably they were all foreign.

"The enemy was aware of the plan to capture the facility so made an attempt to remove the prototype beforehand," Inuoe explained without prompting. "While the DAF pursued a false lead the cargo was intercepted elsewhere by chance, and on learning of our new hostilities the technicians agreed to assist us in our struggle. Enemy of my enemy."

It was then that the newcomers were noticed by the man overseeing the plane's maintenance. Giving his comrades the go-ahead to proceed unsupervised he approached with a warm smile plastered across his face. He was middle-aged with grey-blond hair and blue eyes hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, dressed in simple attire befitting a technician and carrying a clipboard with paper detailing a vast array of numerical data. When he spoke it was with an accent, his nationality confirmed by the Belkan patch of his uniform. "Captain! I take it you were satisfied with the aircraft's performance? I must admit the pilot you selected was very quick in familiarizing herself and performed quite effectively." It was only then that he seemed to take notice of Kelly's presence. "Oh, hello. I don't recognize you."

"Kelly." A simple introduction given by Inuoe. "Kelly, this is Warner, the technician overseeing the prototype. If you didn't already know Beiarusia and Belka are close friends. I take it you've heard of Gründer Industries?"

Warner interjected. "I'm quite certain my superiors would disapprove of this unauthorized deployment of the Four-Oh-Four, but given the situation we must make do in these trying times, don't you agree? Not to mention the data you are helping me to acquire is most useful. This will help to alleviate the disappointment of our previous... how to say, failures?" The Belkan then turned his full attention to the mercenary pilot. "I assure you Mister Kelly that I hold no animosity towards you or your companions. War is war, though I am surprised that mercenaries would prove so effective against our projects."

"Right." Inuoe then looked to Kelly with a sigh. "Well, you saw it. I hope it was everything you hoped it would be."

[The United Remnants of America]

Captain Aiden "Frosty" Kelly

---

Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

---

2/7/1993 - 20:31

---

Kelly fought the urge to approach the experimental plane and rub his hands over it. It looked shiny, new and sleek. It was one of the sexiest planes he'd seen in person that wasn't actively trying to kill him and his thirty-odd-year-old aircraft. But even without the fact that it was grounded and on his side, Kelly could sense the power and threat of the aircraft. Something like this on their side would be a boon, especially during a time when such blessings were so few and far between.

Kelly's immediate impression of Warner was that he was an intelligent man, and maybe too intelligent at that. Even though the Belkan represented this plan, he had seemingly so easily abandoned the Beiarusians to their fate to assist the Seianese. That made him somewhat untrustworthy. But then again, hadn't Kelly done the same thing? And hadn't he done similar things in the past? Were the two any different? And even if they were in similar positions of betrayal, did that truly make them allies, even if allies of convenience? Could Kelly, or the Seianese for that matter, trust Warner and his team?

Could Warner, or the Seianese for that matter, trust Kelly and his team?

"Well, you saw it. I hope it was everything you hoped it would be"

Kelly raised his eyebrows and smiled at the Seianese captain. "Oh, it's more 'n I dreamed, mate. Only way it'd be better is if we had thirty of 'em.

Kelly turned to Warner, his eyes glancing over the other maintenance technicians hard at work on keeping that beauty of a plane in pristine shape, "It was nice meetin' you, Mister Warner. Good to 'ave ya on our side. And don' worry, by the way, there's no 'ard feelin's. I'm just sorry ya wasted so many pretty planes like these by givin' 'em to shoddy pilots and makin' us destroy 'em."

[Beiarusia]

February 10, 1993 // Koga Airbase, Seian

A sudden development. The military pilots and mercenaries stationed at Koga were unexpectedly called to attend a mission briefing, the few dozen men and women filling the conference room with General Zhikov and Major Vernadsky front-and-center. The two men wore serious expressions as they awaited the last of the pilots to file inside, whispering to themselves in hushed tones, undoubtedly in some discussion regarding the nature of this hurried assignment.

Null stood near the door, in the rear of the room, alongside the remnants of Morena: Aguila and Outlaw, Tombstone, Mechanic, Rarog, Icterine, and Hazard. All that remained of the infamous mercenary unit that had led the valiant defense of Seian and the eventual counter-offensive. As their commander, as their leader, Null was proud to consider these pilots his closest friends in this conflict, and yet the loss of so many weighed heavily on his consciousness, both those who perished in battle and those who sought different paths as allegiances fell apart between former allies. He worried for those who remained; he worried for those who hadn't. He worried for Angel who chose family over nation. With the military of Beiarusia in tatters the DAF would focus its full might against Seian in an effort to end hostilities as quickly as possible, and when it did what cost would be paid?

"We have a sudden development," Major Vernadsky stated matter-of-factly once the final pilot had arrived. He eyed the room before continuing. "Two months ago an effort was made to acquire an experimental aircraft being developed by Beiarusia, however, that operation was unsuccessful and the prototype was believed to have been relocated to the mainland. We now know that to be a false assumption. Hostile aircraft were engaged recently above the Kao Highlands in central Seian. Although friendly aircraft were successful in establishing air superiority, they were engaged at extreme range by what we have confirmed to be an experimental coilgun similar to that confirmed destroyed during Operation Needle last November." He motioned to a nearby assistant without breaking eye-contact with the gathered pilots. Seconds later an unidentified aircraft was projected onto the screen behind him, the very same as that seen in the reconnaissance photographs of Akers Research Base. After a few moments the projection changed to show the same aircraft alongside an F-15C. Although the quality was somewhat lacking due to the range the emblem was unmistakably that of Mononoke. "These photographs were captured during the skirmish in the highlands and confirms the prototype to be in the possession of the SAF."

A murmur rippled its way through the pilots as the news sank in. Null, however, remained stone-faced.

The whispers died away immediately as General Zhikov stepped forward to address them. "Gentlemen, from the onset of this war we have sacrificed so much in support of our allies. It is our blood that has reddened these fields, these skies, and yet our allies betray us after our commitment to protect them in their time of need. We faced the enemy. We sacrificed our sons and our daughters in good will of this allegiance, but the compensation we seek, the only compensation we have sought, has been stolen from us, and our allies now treat us as enemies. This is unacceptable. The traitorous leadership of the Seianese military need to be held accountable for the dead for it is their blood on their hands, and we will seek justice for our dead."

Again a murmur, this one excited in patriotic zeal as the pilots took the General's statement to heart. Just how many friends had been lost in this war? Simply returning home with no gain or purpose would be an insult to their deaths.

And so the DAF planned to decisively end this conflict with one final operation: the capture of Murai Air Force Base. The SAF had barely survived the loss of Park AFB. The loss of Murai would end SAF interference wholeheartedly, and without the air force the Seianese government would be forced to negotiate a ceasefire. With Nonsan now occupied, an expeditionary force would have a clear pathway towards Heian, the capital city, as well as Murai AFB. The pilots were to eliminate all opposition both on-the-ground and in-the-air. Opposition that was expected to be minimal.

As for the prototype, the hope was to capture it whilst grounded, but if airborne the okay was given to destroy it.

"We will end this pointless conflict before more lives are lost," the General finished. Null wanted to believe the man, his statement, but there lingered an inescapable doubt that the coming engagement would be anything but peaceful. The Seianese were fighting for their homeland, just as General Zhikov claimed them to be fighting for their countrymen. Nothing good would come from this.

Angel... she had been raised in Dorusia but this was her homeland. The family she had found.

She would fight.

The others who had joined her would fight.

They would meet once more as enemies on opposite sides of the broken line.

Could he even pull the trigger?

They would be deploying tomorrow morning with the estimated time of arrival to Heian being early afternoon. That left the remainder of the day for squadrons to plan and arm themselves accordingly. For the pilots to ready themselves for one final battle with promise of ending this pointless conflict. And although Null stood valiantly alongside his squadron, the mercenaries he would trust to the end, deep down he was not ready, and truthfully he never would be.

[The Central Shadow Nation]

Second Lieutenant Vasil Coscmescu
Second Lieutenant Karl Kuhn
Murai AFB, Heian, Seian
2/7/93

"Cmon' man, don't be a fucking bummer."

As young and restless as always Vasil Cosmescu was. This wasn't his first time, or second time or even third time trying to pry his friend away from the pillow tonight.

"Dude...I'm drained. Plus, you don't know when we'll be up in the air again an-"

Quick to cut him off, Vasil kept putting the pressure onto his WSO.

"You see Karl, that's my point. We've gotta enjoy this place before we go somewhere else. Y'know, I became a pilot so I could travel and see the world and shit, not be bummed out all the time."

"I feel like a pile of shit ate another pile of shit. And then another,"It was evident in Karl's voice that he was devoid of energy. As he sat down onto his bunk, he fought the urge to throw his head into the pillow and go to sleep.

"You're really killing the mood right now. Cmon', you can get some coffee and then after-" Vasil reached under the bunk and pulled out a small bottle of vodka. "Voilà."

"The mood? The mood is sleep." Karl shook his head and smiled at his relentless pilot, eyeing the alcohol and seemingly thinking it over.

"The mood was sleep, my brother." Vasil extended his arm and with it the bottle. "Ehhhh?"

"Ah, what the fuck..."The older of the two finally came to a decision and got on, throwing on a jacket. "My little brother was less of a baby than you."

"Babies don't got stuff like this. Straight from home to here."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The two made their way across the air field and to a hill at the end of a runway, finding a seat atop it. Karl turned on a battery powered lamp and a radio and took a seat whilst Vasil set down the bottle and produced two shot glasses from his pocket. Popping the top off, he poured his favorite strong liquor into each, handing one two Karl.

"To..uh, friends in the sky? No, that's fucking stupid..." Vasil chuckled to himself whilst thinking of a toast.

Karl smiled and raised his glass. "To me, always having your back even though you can't fly for shit."

Vasil let out a hmphh, reluctantly extending his glass forwards.

"Cheers."

After both men downed their drinks, Vasil looked at his friend. "So, after we're done here, what do you wanna do?"

Karl nodded, thinking of an answer. He didn't have to think long. "See my family. Keep flying but maybe...just maybe become a cook? I thought about going to culinary school before flight school."

"Really? You, a chef? I mean, you are a little pudgy..."

Vasil was met with a playful jab from his friend.

"I said maybe. No guarantees, y'know? Right now I'm still flying here." Kuhn paused and extended his glass out again, signalling for Vasil to pour him another. "What about you?"

Vasil couldn't come up with an answer quite as easily, pondering it as he poured a drink for himself and Karl. "I'm not really liked in Estovokia anymore. My dumbass got in some trouble over there so...I heard Aurelia's got some cute girls. Maybe I'll go there. Become an airline pilot."

Kuhn chuckled a bit. "No more merc work?"

Vasil shrugged. "Dunno. Hopefully I'll have a little bit of a break from this after its over. I can't say I don't like it, but its far from what I dreamed of. Wars do grow on trees though, so maybe they'll need someone with my skillset,"Vasil joked.

"Your skillset? You don't kid me Vasil. You'd just gone and got yourself that nice plane and than you trash it,"Karl laughed but was almost immediately met with a nudge by his friend, nearly knocking the shot glass and its contents out of his hands.

"Oh,fuck you dude...You know how much shit I got in for that?" Vasil glanced over at Kuhn.

"Yuuup. That's what makes it so god damn funny."

"I flew us back without one of our engines. Maybe you could of been flying with someone else, and then you'd be in the ground right now." Vasil remarked in defense of himself.

"I may just be your humble WSO, but I trained as a pilot too. Its not as hard as it looks. Plus, if planes need both engines why do they make em' with one?"

Karl raised his brows and looked at Vasil, who nodded and gave a defeated "yeah, yeah" in response.

"Thanks for the drinks Vasil, but I'm going to head back." Karl stood up and dusted himself off. Before he could turn to leave, Vasil handed him the shot glasses and the bottle.

"Take this back for me, yeah? And don't take a sip. That shits expensive out here. I'm gonna stay up a little bit."

"Aight. Night kid." Kuhn set off back to the barracks to get his much desired sleep.

"Later."

Vasil laid back, listening to the radio and staring up at the sky. To him, Seianese music fucking sucked, but it was better than nothing.

[Ubaria]

Captain Noel Silva 'Aguila' & Maria Feirrero 'Outlaw'

10th February, 1993
Koga AFB, Seian

---

This was it.

Months of intense fighting, the loss of friends, comrades and fellow pilots, the shedding of blood , sweat and tears and the expenditure of thousands of bullets, bombs and missiles, had all culminated to one final offensive. Morena's journey had led to this moment, and whilst it was no secret that many of the pilots would be glad to see the back of this war, Noel felt that it would be ending on less than favorable grounds. This was no longer a war of liberation, but of invasion, they had become the very force that they had fought so tirelessly to defeat. It felt sickening, and the further the briefing on the more the pilot felt uneasy, and not just about the revelation that the enemy were in possession of the prototype.

"We will end this pointless conflict before more lives are lost,"

"Before more of your lives are lost ... " Noel muttered under his breath with more than a hint of contempt. Zhikov was many things, but a humanitarian was not among one of them. He'd stop at no expenditure to win, his own countrymen or otherwise. Then again, he was just a soldier following orders from a higher power, they all were.

As the briefing wrapped up and the gathering of pilots slowly started departing, Noel caught a glimpse of Tallow slinking away, looking even paler than usual. No doubt the revelations were weighing on his mind more heavily than the others. Noel felt he had to say at least something.

"Listen, i'll catch you up ... " He turned to Maria, motioning for her to go on ahead.

"Wha - oh ... ok. I'll be in the mess."

Noel nodded and quickly span on his heel, making a light jogging pace down the corridor to catch up to the Major.

"Tallow. A word?"

Null paused mid-step, turning to look towards Aguila with a passive glance. He didn't say a word but simply gave a small nod for the mercenary to say what he wished as they continued the walk away from the conference room.

"I'm sure i'm not the only one in two-minds about what comes next." Noel continued, glancing between the floor and the stoic faced pilot. Tallow wasn't the most readable of people but Noel had been around him enough to know that something was bugging him. "All i'm saying is ... we need to be ready to face whatever comes our way. Up there, tomorrow, there's no room for hesitation, i know it's going to be hard but this is what we do." Noel paused, taking a deep breath. "It's also been an honor to serve under you these past few months ... i've seen commanders come and go but there's nobody else i'd rather be up there with tomorrow. You fight like the devil amigo, nothing quite like it. So whatever decision you make up there tomorrow, i'll be right behind you"

He again paused, keeping his eyes trained forward and away from Aguila, and for a long moment he didn't say anything or allow any emotion to cross his face despite the turmoil he undoubtedly felt, but, alas, he was a soldier, and perhaps the decision had already been made for him the moment the General had called for the briefing. Orders were orders.

"We accomplish the mission," he said finally with calm inflection. "We fight to win, to end this war, and whatever happens tomorrow it happens. We have to live with that don't we." Only then did he glance back to the Sapinese pilot, his unreadable expression softening if only just. "I'm glad to have you behind me. You and the others are some of the best pilots I've had the fortune of flying alongside. That said, you know what happens tomorrow. They'll be flying, too, and they would hate us if we held back.

"I don't hate them. Even the Beiarusians, I never held any animosity, but I respected just how dangerous they could be. How dangerous Angel and Knot and the others can be. If we all walked away from this.... In a better world, but I expect you have no grudge to settle, so don't go into this seeking blood."

He placed a hand atop Aguila's shoulder, as if more to reassure himself than the mercenary.

"Tomorrow's another mission. Orders stand as always. Goal is to come home. Everything else we'll figure out on the fly."

Silva managed a small smile, even if just for a brief moment. Null's response was conditioned, sure, but Noel had come to expect nothing less. "I've seen too much blood for one lifetime, made mistakes to fill several more. I don't plan to make any more ... " He trailed off as the pair exited the building and out into the crisp February air. "We should probably get something to eat then rest. Wouldn't want to make a fool of ourselves out there tomorrow would we eh?" He beamed, patting the man's arm before flicking on his pair of tinted aviators. "See you up there".

[Empire of Donner land]

Amabel Allard | "Knot"
Feburary 10, 1993 // Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

---

Amabel sat in the hangar in the dusk, she looked to her watch, the tritium tips glowing so that she could see it was around seven or eight. She dropped her hand to her side and downed another gulp of water, the last gulp, and pushed the cup away as she folded her arms and sat back. She wasn't going to get enough sleep tonight, and she hadn't been for the last few days. She looked to her left at the still brand new Myojin sticker that was emblazoned on the tail of her Nammer, "Volunteer" it read, but every fiber in her being on the day Angel defected told her that this wasn't a choice.

She looked at her watch once more as she walked out of the Hangar and into the Barracks late, keeping an eye out for Angel or her Sister, not that she could tell the difference between them aside from the amount of Bars they wore. Amabel pushed the door open into the locker room and went straight to her claimed locker through the steam and swung the locker open. She began squinting, looking for something particular, but couldn't quite find it.

Then, without warning, a hand clamped down tight atop Anabel's shoulder from behind, accompanied by a familiar voice. "Lose something?" Spinning on the balls of her feet, and nearly falling back into the locker, she found herself gazing into the mischievous grin of Natsuko Kimura, the twin differentiated from her sister by subtle differences that Amabel only recognized due to her close friendship with Angel. "Relax. Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Everything okay?"

Natsuko had already changed from her flight gear to simple fatigues, her hair still wet from the showers and a towel draped around her neck like a fluffy boa. The smell of her shampoo was subtle yet distinctively lavender.

Amabel was startled for a second, holding a hand to her chest. Did every Seianese person have a habit of sneaking up on a person? She looked up at Natsuko, her startled face turning to a grin. She sighed before speaking and leaning against her open locker. "No, it's fine, I'm just looking for my old patch. It must've ripped off somewhere." Amabel knelt back down to dig through a bag, then lifted the bag to look at the floor of the locker. Her brow furrowed as she saw the patch of Morena. "There you are," she said to herself in an annoyed tone, picked it up and slipped it back into the pocket of a pair of jeans. "How was the shower?" Amabel asked as she stood back up, grabbing her own fatigues.

"We still have hot water," she answered, leaning against another locker with her arms folded. Her tone was aloof but with the underlying gloom commonplace now amongst the soldiers at Murai. "At least until Angel uses it all!"

Another familiar voice called out over the patter of running showers to counter the jab.

Natsuko laughed a bit before looking back at Amabel. "Patch from your old unit? Before signing up to fight other people's wars?"

Amabel nodded with a laugh, "In a sense, yeah," Amabel said with a snicker and put her clothes on the bench to retrieve something else. "That was my patch for Morena. My A.A.F patch from Gryphus Squadron is somewhere around in my jacket here. I replaced it after it got torn up from some shrapnel." Amabel said as she reached into a leather jacket and grasped something round and rough to the touch, pulling out the two halves of her Gryphus Squadron patch from the eighties, torn asunder from a hit she took back into the old MiG. "It's a... pretty funny story now that I think of it. Behind me now I guess," she explained with a small grin.

The woman's grin faltered ever slightly at the mention of Morena but she said nothing of it. "I'm sure half the pilots here have fun stories to tell."

It was at this point that Angel stepped into the locker room, wrapped in one towel and drying her hair with another. She paused when she spotted Amabel, a bit surprised to see her. "Oh, Knot! Hi. I didn't know you were here. I... I'm glad you're okay considering...."

"Considering...?" Amabel asked confused.

Natsuko answered first: "You really are quick to move on aren't you. Take it some people don't mind being shot at then. Lucky my squadron bailed you out of that mess." Angel, standing awkwardly by, hurried to her own locker to quickly don her own fatigues.

"Yeah, Mor-Myojin owes you for breaking us away from those Dorusian hot-shots, but... Angel knows that wasn't my first furball," Amabel replied, her eyes shifting to Angel from Natsuko, an eyebrow raised. "How are you holding up?" She asked Angel.

"I'm fine," she answered quickly, tugging a shirt down over her head before running a hand through her damp hair. She kept her back to Amabel as she closed the locker, fidgeting with a towel she was wrapping around her shoulders. "I'm just tired. Been busy all day. Everyone has I suppose."

"Yeah, yeah." Amabel replied with the short and simple, then turned back to Natsuko with a worried look and shrugged her shoulder in Angel's direction to signal her Sister. Amabel's intuition was going off, and she could feel in her stomach something was up. Something in Angel's voice, or the way she looked, maybe a difference in how she carried herself or maybe it was the tired mind of a Aurelian thinking too hard.

Natsuko shrugged before whispering to Amabel, "You try talking to her." Stretching, she told Angel she'd wait for her upstairs and then excused herself, motioning for Amabel to try prying deeper since she, as the older sister, had obviously failed to make much progress in the matter. As the door closed behind her Amabel and Angel were left alone in the locker room as the last few women departed soon after. For a moment the only noise between them was the drip of the showers in the adjacent room.

"Is it something I can help you with?" Amabel said, closing her locker and walking up. "I have to look after you, just as much as you looked after me. Null said it was our job to protect each other, and even if we're in opposite skies his words are still true," Amabel explained as she sat down on the bench, it's creaking echoing in the empty room.

Angel didn't respond immediately. She simply allowed her head to hang down somewhat, the towel gripped tightly in her hands. Eventually, after considering her words, perhaps his words, she nodded. "Yeah. We have to look after each other. Thanks... for everything." She still hadn't turned to face Amabel. "I did the right thing. I have my sister, but it helps having a friend come chasing after me. I just...."

The showers dripped as Angel paused, but Amabel's lips moved first.

"You can't pull the trigger on him... can you?" Amabel interjected, letting the words hang out there for a second, then swallowing, sighing. "I can't either. Not after what he's done for us. But he hasn't torn his contract," Amabel spoke solemnly, then stood up, the creaking seemed louder than before.

She slowly shook her head. "I wasn't raised here but I chose my family. It wouldn't be fair to ask him to betray his home. Even though I wanted to. That's selfish, isn't it."

Amabel shook her head, "I think whether or not he loves you more than his country is something he has to decide himself up there," Amabel explained, then she started thinking back, a moment struck out far more than any of the others she experienced. "Do you remember that time you slapped me after the Dogfight over the Highway. When I almost killed myself by throwing my body and plane into those reinforcements?" Amabel questioned as she walked to stand next to Angel. "It didn't hurt, you didn't even try to make a mark or make it sting," she described.

"A lot's happened since then but it sounds like something I'd do," she said, her voice lightening a tad bit.

Amabel stood in front of Angel now, walking as she talked. "You asked what I was thinking out there, and I never answered, and to tell you the truth, I don't think I was thinking. 'Ya told me not to do it again." Amabel remarked, breaking down into a nasal laugh. "In a way, I did do it again I think."

Amabel smiled warmly as she looked back, "Then Null pulled me aside and gave me a stern talking to, pretending to not care in that usual stoic attitude, but still letting you know that he does. I could see that I hurt him, that I hurt him bad, bad enough to start lecturing me anyway. That hurt me. But you want to know what he told me?" Amabel explained in an amused marveling way, putting a hand to her own chin and sitting down again in front of Angel, bracing herself by the elbow against her knee, looking up to Angel.

"He told me that in the skies we fight for a cause or ideals, or for the sake of fighting. But when we're up there, none of that really matters, that we're fighting for those around us, our comrades regardless of how shattered the sky is, or how broken the lines are, regardless of Country or Contract. He told me that you guys would be ready to go into the fires to pull out my stupid ass and that if you died, it'd be on my hands." Amabel explained, glimmering with a smile the entire time.

"You'd do well to remember that, he said," Amabel mocked Null, trying her best to do a Dorusian accent and mimicking his Stoic demeanor. "And I did. When you defected, I burned that Contract knowing full well we were going into the fires of hell. You, Knight, Joker, your Sister, everyone. No money, no words could stop me going after you to protect them. I've lost too many friends, and I don't want to lose any more of you. To that, I swore, and that's how I'm getting home." Amabel beamed, looking Angel straight into their eyes before drooping her head.

"How Null or any of the others could forget that I don't know. All I can hope is that maybe he hasn't, he still has a chance to tear his contract."

Again, all Angel could do was nod as Amabel spoke, and once the words had been said she opened her mouth to reply, faltered, and finally offered a quiet, "Thanks," before turning abruptly to embrace her friend in a tight hug. Amabel returned it, squeezing her shoulder as if to not lose hold. "I hope you're right," Angel said after a long moment, her voice sounding fragile in the emptiness of the room as if afraid speaking too loud would somehow ruin the atmosphere they'd since carved for themselves in the moment. The tone was light yet optimistic, and all the same, tinged with a lingering fear.

Angel released Amabel and did her best to smile. "I'm sure everything will be fine. He hasn't let me down yet."

Amabel nodded. "We'll make it through this. I promise. Just follow Null's orders."

[Tayner]

Second Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau
Febuary 10, 1993
Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

---

A few days had passed since their last sortie, and Jeff had been contemplating his decisions for a while. For others it would have been easy to walk away after what happened, however, when he learned what had happened between his old employers and the country he had fought with side by side, he couldn't just leave. Not after all he had fought for, not after all he had lost. Once upon a time he thought because he was a mercenary he wasn't attached, but he found a sense of purpose in fighting with the Seianese. Maybe he would return home after the war, settle back down, try his hand at the Air Force again.

However, he'd have to make it home first, a task that seemed further away with each coming day, and the losses that pursued. There was a chance that they would pull it off, but the SAF had been cornered in their last stronghold. For the past few days CAPs had been non-stop, Joker volunteering for many slots. However, after a few days and little sleep, he found himself off duty, standing by the side of the runway, a safe distance away, smoking a cigarette and looking northeast, towards where the enemy was. The daunting task of winning the fight looked further and further away.

Yet, Joker thought about what happened during the last sortie. Mononoke had dug them out of a bad situation, Joker being cornered and afraid as enemy pilots bared down upon his damaged fighter. He had only seen something like that once before, the way Mononoke suddenly struck down the enemy from long distances. However, this time, Joker found himself not on the receiving end of the mystery weapon. The damned Seianese have been holding an ace up their sleeve. Jeff thought as he looked over the horizon. Maybe it didn't mean much, maybe it was a long shot, but Jeff knew they had a chance to prevail, to pull through and overcome the odds.

So he stood there, alone to his thoughts and looking towards the sky, waiting for the day to come when they could end the war.