Ace Combat: Broken Line (IC/Open)

[The United Remnants of America]

Lieutenant Aiden "Frosty" Kelly

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Songnisan Highlands, Nonsan, Seian

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12/25/1992 - 10:06

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Ranger: <<Sorry Morena, but I have to do this. Snowcat, cover Angel.>>

Null: <<All aircraft are to engage immediately. Create an opening. That is an order. You do not have permission to be shot down. >>

Kamakura: <<Snowcat, we are taking losses. This is your final warning, mercenaries: Engage the enemy now. Please, Frosty, don't force our hand.

The irony of the statement wasn't lost on Aiden. Tracer rounds from cannon fire and the streaks of missiles drew Frosty's attention. Kamakura didn't want him to inadvertently become a traitor by not assisting the Seianese. But with that simple threat, Aiden himself was going to have to force his own hand and act.

Angel was fleeing the battle and Jax had called out to him to assist her. Morena was currently killing Seianese pilots. His old allies apparently had no issue ending old friends. It was the height of mercenary life: Allies were who paid you, anyone else was a target. Your loyalty was to coin, not to friends and comrades.

Sometimes Aiden really fucking hated being a mercenary.

His decision had been made for him. If he didn't act, they'd be shot down. If he tried to help Morena, they'd be shot down and deemed unreliable by any future bidders. Snowcat's contract was with the Seianese Air Force. They had to follow orders if they wanted to be respected after this as reliable mercenaries.

That didn't mean, however, that Aiden enjoyed the decision he had to make.

<< Forgive me, friends... Snowcat, this is Snowcat-1. You are cleared hot to defend yourselves from Morena and Dorusian contacts. I repeat: Snowcat, you are cleared to engage the enemy.>>

Kamakura: << You made the right choice, Frosty. Thank you.>>

<< Panther, take Glory and Serpent and cover Angel's retreat. You are to intercept any incoming threats to her or yourself, understood? >>

<< Copy that boss. Covering Angel. See you on the other side. >>

Frosty watched as Panther's Mirage dipped its wings in acknowledgement and peeled off from the formation. Serpent and Glory's dual Skyhawks pulled off and followed after Panther, leaving Aiden and Comescu alone in formation. Aiden took a quick breath. Liora was smart enough and had spent enough time around Aiden that she likely knew his intentions and his thinking. By sending her, Wulf, and Jyri off, he was keeping them out of the main focus of the battle. Morena and Reaper likely were going to be too busy to go after Angel, so they'd have an easy task in screening the rogue F-15 and keep it out of harm's way. Sadly, Frosty could have the whole flight do so. Inuoe would realize what he was trying to do, and as hesitant as he seemed about shooting down Aiden and his team, Aiden had no reservations that Inuoe would sic Mononoke on them if given enough reason to do so. That meant he had to do something else, but he needed help doing it.

<< Alright, Warlock. We got the worse deal. Let's go harass the enemy. Keep your eyes open, kid. Cover me and I'll cover you, okay? Nobody's dying today, especially not us. >>

Frosty angled his Thud towards the middle of the evolving air battle between the Seianese aircraft and his former allies, knowing Warlock's F-16 would be on his tail. He'd meant it when he said to "harass" the enemy. Frosty would not be going out of his way to splash his friends, but he would uphold his contract and keep himself, his kids, and the Seianese safe. He did not relish this reality, but it was what he'd been given. He only hoped Morena and Reaper had the same feelings of doubt and hesitation.

The die had been cast. Snowcat was joining the battle.

[The Central Shadow Nation]

2nd Lieutenant Vasil Cosmescu | Warlock
2nd Lieutenant John Kuhn | Nemo
Songnisan Highlands, Seian
December 25,1992

<< Forgive me, friends... Snowcat, this is Snowcat-1. You are cleared hot to defend yourselves from Morena and Dorusian contacts. I repeat: Snowcat, you are cleared to engage the enemy.>>

Kamakura: << You made the right choice, Frosty. Thank you.>>

Warlock hoped this was true. A terminated contract would likely mean a terminated Snowcat. Speaking of terminated contract, Ranger had just defected from Morena. He couldn't help but wonder how frustrated the former allies were. The sudden defection coupled with the Seianese ambush seemed to signal that Seian and its pilot's had the upper hand here. But it was too early to tell and guessing was bad luck.

<< Panther, take Glory and Serpent and cover Angel's retreat. You are to intercept any incoming threats to her or yourself, understood? >>

<< Copy that boss. Covering Angel. See you on the other side. >>

<< Alright, Warlock. We got the worse deal. Let's go harass the enemy. Keep your eyes open, kid. Cover me and I'll cover you, okay? Nobody's dying today, especially not us. >>

<<You got it. I'll be on your tail.>>

The F-16 maneuvered behind Snowcat-1's F104 Thunderchief, following him into battle. Harassing the enemy...Warlock knew that Dorusia would do more than just harass. Revenge was probably on their agenda now and they wanted payback for the betrayal of the two pilots. As he scanned the horizon and saw Morena engaging Seian he realized that this was what it would be. Dumbasses...Vasil thought back to what he had heard about the events at sea that had caused the Dorusia-Seian split. The war with Beirusia could be over now if it wasn't for the former allies pissing contest.

"Warlock, we've got a bandit bearing 130. Hes coming fast."

"Alright. Let's engage."

Warlock shifted his position in his seat and thumbed the PTT. It was game time.

<<Inbound aircraft. Preparing to engage.>>

[Kyraina]

1st LT Jax "Ranger" Bradford and 1st LT Zach "Knight" Steele

Ranger flew the Strike Eagle as Knight searched the radar for anyone tailing them but Reaper and Morena were both tied up in the Furball.

"I hope what we did was worth it, and I can't believe we actually fired on our own guys." Knight said with a little bit venom in the happy go lucky man's voice.

Ranger glanced in his mirror to see Knight glaring at him and sighed. "Look I told we had to fire on them to make sure DAF forces didn't turn on them. It was for their own good. Besides this will be worth it, besides you didn't have to agree to this."

"Didn't have a choice, your my pilot and we'll it would have ended badly for me if I had stayed back. What do we do now?"

"We find Angel and escort her."

Knight just nodded and went back to searching the radar. A awkward silence settled in the cockpit, but Knight soon found Angel and Her escorts from Snowcat, and he relayed the Intel to Ranger nodded and flew towards Angel and her escorts and got in formation as the rear guard with Panther.

[Ubaria]

Captain Noel 'Aguila' Silva & 2nd Lt Maria "Outlaw" Ferreiro
Songnisan Highlands, Nonsan, Seian

Warning Tone. Decelerate. Twist and Roll. Power Out. There was only so many times one could pull the same defensive dance and expect to get away with it; especially if was used against the same enemy pilot several times in a row, and even more so if the craft you were doing it in had half it's control surfaces blasted into oblivion. After watching Aguila eliminate Jiangshi Two, who had ejected several seconds after the cannon rounds had shredded his craft to chaff, Jiangshi Lead and Jiangshi Four had swooped in from their perch above to avenge their downed comrade and were now corralling the Falcon between themselves and the hilly terrain, if they didn't manage to score a kill, they would make sure the ground would.

Noel glanced to the corner of his helmet mounted display and noticed the altitude indicator had just ticked from four digits down into three, the ground had now drawn uncomfortably close and room for altitude reliant maneuvering was now minimal, if not non-existent. He could see the two Seianese fighters weaving in and out of his rear facing canopy mirrors, but couldn't take his eyes away from the skies ahead if he didn't want to slam into a rouge hill. Recalling back to the last engagement over the highlands, the sharper inclinations could be used as a shield and the valleys could be used to shake off relentless pursuers, however that had been done in an aircraft that hadn't been shot to shit and only had one less maneuverable opponent, Noel was facing two enemies, both planes of which were undamaged and identical to his, nevertheless, he descended between the nearest peaks into a steep gully. Instantly the F-16's Ground Proximity Warning System chimed in.

'Pull up'

A warning that was ignored.

The valley was far from straight. It wound around several smaller peaks, most of it was barren with little sections of foliage which occluded the ground below, it was difficult to estimate but the span of the valley was less than four hundred meters at it's widest. Only one of Jiangshi had followed Noel in, the other had broken off and returned to the furball, leaving just one contender to deal with. Both planes snaked their way through the valley, the walls of which were agonizingly close, one mis-step would spell a quick and messy end. Speed was also now becoming an issue, at lower airspeeds the Falcon's instability became even more apparent, the plane would constantly attempt to yaw right and the rudder wasn't doing much to counteract it, which in turn would bleed even more speed and an eventual stall was inevitable. In a mechanical plane this would have been impossible.

" Approaching stall speed. "

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Captain Kenichi Sato 'Jiangshi One'

It was like hunting an already wounded animal. Easily, the pilot could have finished the mercenary off without a second thought, simply pressed a button and blown his craft to oblivion but Kenichi saw no honor in that, he really didn't even want to fight at all. He had been the one to endorse an early peace with the Beiarusians and indeed the Dorusians. Young, vibrant and with an aura of electric enthusiasm wherever he went; Kenichi had joined the SAF at a young age, not because he particularly wanted to but because his father had practically mapped out his whole life before he even had time to learn to walk. Ken had wanted to be an athlete, his strength and lightning quick reactions instead made him a natural pilot, not that Kenichi particularly resented the job; he enjoyed the freedom of soaring through the clouds and watching the earth span out beneath him. The only part he resented was the bloodshed that came with it, which is why he had reluctance on killing an old ally.

"Aguila" He murmured the markings on the tailfin of the aircraft ahead which was located to a emblem of a yellow eagle clutching a sword betwixt it's talons. It was an emblem he recognized as an old ally. The mercenary. Despite the sentiment behind foreign hire being fielded alongside regular forces, Kenishi did respect his fellow pilots both friend and enemy, not just in terms of skill but the fact they were putting themselves first for their nation, or another. Kenishi remembered not too long ago, a similar situation above these lands where he had come to Aguila's aid when he had needed it; he would extend that sentiment once more.

The mercenaries and Dorusians had changed radio frequencies since their split; yet thanks to the defectors, they had been given the new ones as to listen in and better spring their ambush. He dialed his radio in to their channel.

<< Can you hear me ... Eagle ... >>

Noel looked bemused. The voice was familiar but not one of Morena or the Dorusians. It was Jiangshi.

<< I hear you. >>

<< It's a shame we find ourselves on opposite sides of the barricade. Do you remember when we were last here? >>

<< ... Yes ... I do.

<< It would be wrong of me to undo my hard work. I couldn't forgive myself for it. >>

Kenishi throttled up and reared the Falcon up and out of the valley, clearing the peaks below, leaving Aguila behind.

<< Now make it count. >>

[Empire of Donner land]

2nd Lieutenant Amabel Allard "Knot"
December 24, 1992 // Songnisan Highlands, Nonsan, Seian

"'Above all else to thine own self be true.', Do you know what it means?"

"We’re soldiers. We fight for a cause or an ideal or for the sake of fighting, but on the battlefield whatever cause you believe in doesn’t matter. You’re fighting for those around you...

"You did well. Don't lose yourself, we all still need Amabel, we need Knot of Morena."

"Your brothers in arms. And they are fighting for you, even if that means diving into the fire to drag you out... Angel and no doubt others were ready to go in after you"

"Because we know. It's there, we just have to keep driving for it,"

<< Reaver: Isn't it obvious. Such a waste of talent. Hey, are you listening Kimura? No hard feelings. This coffin is yours and yours alone. All aircraft, weapons free. Shoot them all down, traitor included. >>

<< Tokugawa: Don't you dare. >>

What she had kept in her thoughts resurfaced as the drama above Nonsan played out. As Allies and Comrades engaged each other in the skies she valued and over a Country that she had grown to love. As Angel had torn her contract and flew from the wing of Null into the now ambushing 'Enemy', only in name. Angel was flying into her own fire, Angel wasn't her Enemy, and neither was Haruna or Yuria. Knot would go in after her.

<< Águila: Morena... As much as I hate to say this... Don’t pull your punches and we might just live to see another day.>>

Knot looked to the Null and Iceterine's Aircraft. Muttered in frustration to herself, cursing and gritting her teeth. She broke off from the formation, banking right away from Iceterine. A missile locked onto her, and before she could react, or see where it came from, she was hit. Knot was shaken inside the Nammer, hearing the rattling, straining and breaking of metal as a detonation hit just around the right of her aircraft. The damage was more than minimal, as the aileron was nearly broken in half and the wing had some structural damage running up it to the cockpit.

Ranger: << Sorry Morena, but I have to do this. SnowCat, cover Angel. >>

In that time, Ranger had open fire on Null, Ice, and Hazard. Then following Angel into her defection. Morena was cracking at the seams like glass even before today, as it seemed all too planned by them. After seeing this, Knot refocused, the fighting had now broken out in earnest. Null had turned to engage their enemy, and the rest of Morena, as well as Snowcat, were making their decisions. She had made hers, but as she moved to say this to Morena themselves, Null had given an order that she thought not possible.

Null: <<All aircraft are to engage immediately. Create an opening. That is an order. You do not have permission to be shot down. >>

Knot couldn't stay silent as rage overtook her. She spoke over the comms in protest. Her emotions flaring at Null. She wanted to say so much more than this, but she didn't have the time or the convenience to do so. And actions spoke louder than words.

Knot: << I'm sorry, Null, but I refuse to engage them or Angel! Anyone firing on her fires on me! Our loyalties aren't dictated simply by thin pieces of paper, you know this! Angel, if you can hear me, I've got your back. >>

The Nammer's engines roared as their afterburner was engaged, propelling the aircraft into supersonic, the Aircraft raced after Angel's F-15, letting loose a burst of flares to declare her rage and intent. But remembering one last thing to say before cutting off completely from Morena.

With this, Amabel moved to follow Angel, she didn't want to fire on any of her past Comrades, but if they attacked Angel or were in pursuit, Amabel would attack. She didn't want to think about it, it was time for action. This was the way Home.

[Relikai]

Second Lieutenant Kenneth Falkenrich 'Iceterine'
Songnisan Highlands, Nonsan, Seian

An attack from behind, by a comrade.

While that was a logical course of action, and the best way to get the jump on an enemy, the person on the receiving end would surely not forget thiseasily. Especially so when he's trailing smoke, the fuselage torn in some places, and the electronics of his left wing completely shot and out of action. He might as well be a glider at this point, although he retained the control of nearly half his armaments. Still, it would be impossible to dogfight, the mercenary understanding his predicament. He did fire at them previously, so getting out might be an issue if they decide to pursue.

Iceterine: << Ice here. I'm hit. >>

It left a bitter taste in his mouth, running from a fight. However, there was the well known mantra of living to fight another day, and Ice lived this long by following it where he could.

Iceterine: << I'm out of this fight, controls are shot. Gotta RTB. >>

[Tayner]

Second Lieutenant Alexander Tolshev, "Hazard"
Songnisan Highlands, Nonsan, Seian
December 24, 1992

Hazard: << Bastards! >>

Hazard swore as more Cannon rounds plinked his jet's body, the enemy J-7s sticking to him like bugs on a bumper. After gaining some altitude, he finally pulled around to meet Null's charge, both pilots giving full throttle as they met. It was unsaid, Null piloting the more agile and lesser damaged of the two, would have the honor of dodging. The crazy son-of-a-bitch inverted his plane and flew under the belly of the A-10 at a speed and distance that Hazard didn't want to know.

He immediately lossed both of his sidewinders, one missile being trashed as the pilot pulled up and out of the way last second. The second however, managed to lock and intercept its target head on, the missile impacting the nose of the J-7 it found and shredding the craft apart in a fireball. Out of reflex Hazard pulled up and fired his main cannon at the two other aircrafts, and for a second the sound reverberated through the air loudly as 30mm HE rounds tore into another J-7, blasting apart it's nose and starboard wing as cannon rounds peppered all across the enemy aircraft.

The fourth of Null's pursuers dodged Hazard, avoiding a head on collision with him, however they found themselves in another predicament as they encountered one of Hazard's pursuers, the two planes colliding in the confusion and both exploding into debris and flame.

However, Hazard didn't have time to observe. With a damaged engine, using the A-10's main gun was extremely dangerous, causing Hazard to lose control of the craft as it stalled and entered a spin. He bagan to swear as the plane spiraled, and Hazard followed the steps to recovery. He idled, neutralized the ailerons, thre the rudder in the opposite of the spin, and pushed the stick forward. After a few tense moments, the spin stopped, but he still had to pull out of the dive after recovering from the stall.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh shit, shit, shit, fuck-shit!" He nearly screamed, pulling up before the A-10 impacted Strangereal, the 'pull up' warning that echoed in the cockpit finally silencing. He breathed shakily as he flew low, turned towards home, hoping no more enemy fighters wished to capitalize on the wounded jet as it limped away.

Hazard: << Fucking Christ! I'm heading home, I might be able to make it. >>

[Beiarusia]

Major Aleksei Tallow "Null"
13:20 December 26, 1992 // Koga Airbase, Seian

"So you never doubted her loyalty. Is that what you're saying?" Agent Vaduva was standing and leaning forward ever slightly, arms crossed, voice firm, coffee and coffee alone his bastion against the long hours. His off-white dress shirt was wrinkled; his suit jacket folded haphazardly on the back of a folding chair. His CIB badge was on the table nearby. In the corner Agent Strauss observed quietly with a notepad and pen.

"No," Null answered in his native language.

"Why?" pressured Vaduva, unconvinced by the simplicity of the answer.

A pause, and then Null added, "I had no reason to."

"And what about the others?" Vaduva reached over to where several manila folders were laying scattered in a disorderly pile and opened those most relevant to this interrogation. Inside were photographs, documents, and handwritten annotations pertaining to the defectors: Jax Bradford, Zach Steele, and Amabel Allard. A fourth folder detailing Mitsuko Kimura was already open. Joel Zeeger was beneath it. "This wasn't a spur of the moment decision. The enemy was aware and set an ambush, and they planned it, and you're telling me that you knew nothing at all? That you had no reason whatsoever to suspect a damn thing?"

Null shrugged. "No."

Vaduva was about to say more, to implicate Aleksei Tallow in being complacent in the most recent defection — the second in as many months — or, at the very least, to accuse him of gross incompetence, when the door opened. An older man entered the makeshift interrogation room and Vaduva immediately straightened.

"That's enough," ordered General Zhikov, his voice low and devoid of any inflection. He turned to Null. "Come. Let's talk."

Null stood without further prompting and simply followed after the General, ignoring the angry glare of Vaduva who said nothing. They made way for Koga's main administration building. A short distance from the auxiliary buildings and barracks.

Two days had passed since the incident. The ambush had very nearly killed them all, outnumbered and out-gunned, with several aircraft damaged severely by blue-on-blue in the opening moments. Reaper had battled Mononoke to a deadlock. Morena, however, had been forced on the defensive for the entire engagement. Given some time, the enemy would defeat them one-by-one via the uncomplicated stratagem of attrition. The mercenaries were in no condition for a protracted dust-up. Null and Hazard in particular were against the clock, leaking fuel and having lost an engine respectively. The dire situation only turned upon the arrival of Warrior. A detachment led by Estoc had forced the enemy pilots to abandon the attack; Pugio had gone after the defectors. The escorting fighters had intervened to allow Angel, Ranger, and Knot to the time needed to escape, with Panther taking the brunt of the interception. The Mirage V was outclassed but survived the ordeal by diving low into the mountains. An attempt was made to pursue but the enemy had already fled.

The mission had been a total failure. No casualties, but three pilots had defected, two mercenaries and one DAF regular, with Morena being rendered combat inoperational. Null had been forced down east of Nonsan, on fumes and gliding to a landing at an auxiliary airstrip alongside the stricken A-10. Emergency repairs had allowed the planes enough capacity to ferry to Koga a day later.

The mercenaries had since come under intense scrutiny by the Counter-Intelligence Bureau, and Null, too, had been extensively questioned.

"Don't mind the bloodhounds. Too eager. Too overzealous. I know that you're innocent," said General Zhikov as they entered the building. Two passing airmen snapped a quick salute before going on their way. The General allowed them to disappear before continuing. "My compatriots have voiced their reasonable concerns with using mercenaries henceforward, and I agree, to an extent, that we shouldn't be solely reliant on hired guns. That being said, those who remain have proven themselves loyal and will not be disgraced by the actions of the few. The squadron was here at the very beginning of this conflict, and it's only right that I give you the opportunity to be here at the end.

"We'll be ending this war soon and I want Morena to participate." The General stops and turns to look at Null with uncompromising respect. He trusted the pilot fully. "Actions, not words, will convince my fellows."

"I understand," said Null.

"Get some rest. You'll be informed once we have the next operational fully planned. A little longer and we go home."

Null wanted to believe the man as he departed, but, deep down, there was a nagging uncertainty. The resolution to any war was never quite as simple as packing up and returning home. The situation was far too muddled now. And to leave would be to abandon the only person that had ever really mattered. If only he hadn't realized too late. Home. No, Null had something to do before crossing that ocean. Together or not at all.

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Second Lieutenant Mitsuko Kimura "Angel"
19:45 December 25, 1992 // Murai Air Force Base, Heian, Seian

She had slapped the man without thinking. Without hesitation. Jax Bradford had done so much in helping her, but he had also fired upon her friends, had loosed a missile upon Null, and could well have killed them. She was angry, more angry than she'd ever been, but more-so she was now questioning everything in the aftermath of yesterday.

They had retreated west to Murai Air Force Base. Angel was silent for the entire journey, her mind turbulent in sharp contrast to the peaceful flight. Upon landing she had isolated herself and only now had emerged. They — Jax, Zach, Amabel, and Naki — were in the rec-room, not so much relaxing as considering the few options laid out before them. The 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron was still airborne, as was the remnants of the 13th Mercenary Squadron, and the SAF had lost pilots in the failed assassination. So easy it was now to view their friends as the enemy. Angel couldn't help but to be angry. Jax had tried to calm her; she had slapped him as hard as she could across the face. Her hand had left a mark. Her hand stung as well.

"Why?" she asked, her voice terse as if she couldn't trust it not to crack.

Her sister, Natsuko, tried approaching to defuse the situation but was stopped dead by the hurt in Angel's eyes.

"You didn't have to try and kill him."

[Kyraina]

1st LT Jax "Ranger" Bradford, 1st LT Zach "Knight" Steele

Zach went to place himself between Angel and Jax, but Jax held up and Zach stopped. Jax rubbed where Angel had slapped him, but otherwise he didn't react physically to it, but a clear sadness could be seen in the Osean's eyes.

"Because I didn't want the rest of Morena to be shot down as traitors, Because there was a good chance Reaper and Warrior would have shot them. So what I did was to ensure that they lived to fight another day, and believe me it was one of the hardest if not the hardest thing I had to. I'm sorry that I did that Angel, I truly am, and I'm sorry to Knight and Knot as well." Jax said with the sadness heavily in his voice. "Besides I wasn't trying to Kill him or the other two, I Selected the three i did because of the punishment their plane could, and combine that with their skill, I knew they had a good chance to evade the missiles,, if not survive a missile hit. The Aim was to never kill them."


Zach walked over to Angel, and said "Let's go for a walk, Angel."

[The United Remnants of America]

Captain Aiden "Frosty" Kelly

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Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

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12/25/1992 - 19:47

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Six pilots pushed open the double doors to Murai AFB's rec center as if they owned the place, carrying sounds of conversation and laughter.

"... said he knows someone who can paint it. I hope it gets done in the next day or two, I'm paying a premium for it to get done quickly," the only female voice of the group broke over the din. The voice belonged to 2nd Lieutenant Liora Cohen, the second-in-command of the 405th Special Tactics Squadron. Snowcat.

Among them were a Perfanesian, a Levantese, an Erusean, a Belkan, an Estovakian, and a Ratioan. Truly a mix-and-match bunch if there was one. They ranged in age over a span of thirteen years, but they were all united as pilots. Each of them were wearing a jacket or hat that was olive drab, but had a patch on them resembling a clawed cat's paw inside of a snowflake. Snowcat was emblazoned across the back of the jackets and the opposite sides of the hats, and the jackets also had callsigns of the wearers sewn onto them. The group looked like the flying equivalent of an old time street gang, as if they should be coming into the rec room snapping and stepping in sync.

"Fuck you, Cohen," a Belkan voice belonging to Wulf Hetzenauer responded, "You only got shot at so much because you were the slowest. Why does that get a reward?"

"Because, kelba, I got fired on five times, count them, five. And I dodged five locked missiles. You know at least two of them came from Eagles?"

A tattooed pilot on the other side of the group gestured his hand in a talking fashion, "We know, you've told us only a dozen times."

"You're just mad because if it were you, Jyra, you'd have been picking shrapnel out of your ass."

"Big talk coming from such a small lassie."

"You might outrank me, but I'm still your boss, manyak."

A boisterous Perfanesian voice boomed from the center of the group, "A'ight, a'ight, ya gotta big dick t'day, Liora, ya 'appy? Ya can paint yer cute grim reapress on your plane, oh Madame Fortuna."

Laughter in the group with Liora yelling, "Fuck you, Kelly!"

The group stopped several steps into the rec room and quieted down, smiles disappearing as they realized the establishment was already occupied by familiar faces. The group of six pilots stood quietly for a half-beat before someone broke the awkward moment.

Vasily raised his hand and smiled, giving a short wave, "Hello, friends, what's up?"

Liora, Wulf, Jyri, and Aiden turned to look at Vasily while Karl moved a half-step away from his partner and friend, trying to avoid the withering gaze of the older and more experienced pilots.

Aiden glanced between Vasily and the pre-assembled group of the rec room and spoke loud enough for them to hear, "They might not be our enemies anymore, kid, but they ain't our friends. C'mon, there's a free seats over there."

Frosty and Liora moved to the opposite side of the rec room, with Wulf and Jyri in tow, leaving the two younger pilots in their wake. As they moved off to make space between themselves and the pilots who'd burned figurative bridges in the past twenty-four hours, conversation and laughter started to break out among them as Liora's whispered boastings slowly grew back into yelling matches with her dismissive, but impressed wingmen.

[Ubaria]

Captain Kenichi Sato 'Jiangshi'
24th Dec, 1992
Murai AFB - Heian Province - Seian

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The Captain had spotted the attack coming from a mile away; a heavy handed right swing that couldn't have been telegraphed more if they had tried. Kenichi rapidly shifted his weight onto the backfoot and swung his left forearm in an upwards sweeping, right to left arc, knocking the Second Lieutenant's blow aside and also prying his defense aside for a follow up right hand jab of Kenichi's own, connecting with his opponents lower jaw which whipped their head to one side violently. 2nd Lieutenant Mori was stunned by the reversal and staggered backwards and into a rather abruptly startled flight technician. Mori scrambled for support on a nearby gantry and wiped the blood from his chin, leaving a streaky red mess on the sleeve of his navy blue flight suit. Kenichi remained in a defensive posture, his right fist poised to strike again and his left arm extended ready to fend away another blow.

"You let him go. That bastard killed Kaz!" Mori yelled and lunched forward like a charging bull, head down with both arms out and grappled Kenichi around the waist, attempting to drag him off his feet. Tarou Mori was a large individual and Kenichi was bowled clean over and despite his attempt to cushion the blow, his head bounced painfully off the concrete hangar floor. Dazed, Kenichi still managed to land a couple of decent blows inbetween being pummeled himself but quickly found his assailant being dragged aside by an assortment of pilots and ground crew.

"Enough! Tarou stop, it's not worth it!" Yuuko cried, prying her comrade off her flight lead forcefully.

"Of course you're defending him. Traitor" Tarou seethed and attempted to get a last kick in, however Kenichi had already grabbed his foot before he could and yanked Tarou onto the ground, however the fight was prevented from escalating by the large crowd which pried the two warring parties apart.

Kenichi could hardly blame his squadmate for his actions, perhaps if he were in his shoes he would have done the same but there was little that he could do or say to make anyone else see his point of view, especially Tarou, a blockhead at the best of times. It was a wonder how he became a pilot in the first place with his fiery tendencies to go off without warning like a faulty rocket, he would have been more at home in the infantry yet here he was.

"Are you alright Captain?" Kenichi was lifted to his feet by Yuuko, her face was obscured by her flight helmet but her voice was laden with concern.

"Yes. Just ... " He pressed a hand to the back of his head and felt a damp spot underneath the mess of black hair. "Just a scrape".

Yuuko pulled the medikit out of the waiting hands of a nearby crewman and yanked out a length of gauze and quickly applied it to the injury. Not great work but it would hold until they reached the infirmary.

"Lets get you to the sick bay ... And the rest of you stop staring and get to work. These birds need to be operationally ready by tonight!"

She placed her flight helmet on a nearby toolcart and assisted the wobbly Kenichi out the rear hangar doors.

"Why didn't you shoot him down." Yuuko asked after a few moments of awkward silence. A few more moments did follow.

"It's not who i am." Kenichi replied simply, drawing in lungfulls of fuel vapor heavy air, it just made him feel more nauseous. "Who am i to decide his fate? Or anybodies?"

"Because it's our job? We took an oath to carry out any order, no matter the cost."

Kenichi hissed in pain as the loose bandage rubbed against his wound. "Haruhiro died carrying out my orders. It's funny how you don't care what the orders are until you're the one giving them." He paused in thought and looked down towards Yuuko. "I know you think i'm wrong. I don't blame you. Perhaps i was wrong but for every man or woman i consign to die, weighs me down more and more. If i can do something to save a life, i'll take that chance, every time."

---

Captain Noel Silva 'Aguila' & Maria Feirrero 'Outlaw'
26th Dec, 1992
Koga AFB - Koga Province - Seian

---

'Felix Navidad' The card read, scrawled in crayon along the top. On the front was a stenciled Santa riding in a crude representation of a jet, a squad of reindeer towing it against a backdrop of glittery stars. Inside the card had a message, again written in a childlike manner but still legible. 'Al tio Noel. Espero que la estés pasando muy bien! Feliz Navidad desde Casa Reyes!'. It was enough to force a small smile onto the weary pilots lips, if only he were having a great time, currently it seemed to be the polar opposite mood despite it being the time of year for celebration. Two days had gone by since the cascading series of wounding events that had transpired, with defections from Knot, Angel, Knight and Ranger, the remaining pilots of Morena were forced to fight their way out of an almost impossible ambush and almost all of them had taken extensive damage to both aircraft and to overall morale. Destructive as the events were for the mercenary squadron, the Dorusians were still keen on keeping them around. Noel forced a heavy sigh and returned the card to its envelope and placed it back on the pile of paperwork that had amounted on the coffee desk.

The Falcon was irreparable. Not fully, but the Dorusians lacked the tools and parts to repair the wounded aircraft, several rounds had penetrated the engine compartment and shattered the turbine blades, that was a job that could take weeks, or even months to fix, not to mention the sensitive electronic components that needed replacing. It had been easier to write it off for spares and channel funds into the purchasing of a new aircraft. As a Christmas present to himself, or more of a workplace necessity, Noel had bought himself a new fighter. A Dassault Rafale. A rather new and exotic aircraft that was part of a Usean export program, this particular aircraft happened to be written off the cargo manifest and had simply 'vanished', only to be listed on a black market several weeks later just as a certain mercenary was in need of a new ride. Though the aircraft wasn't cheap by any metric, it was still a cut above what the SAF and Beiarusians were fielding, hopefully it would give Noel the edge to finish the war.

It was also a hard time getting the ship captain to deliver his cargo to a country that was essentially an active warzone, though some stern words from Aguila's right hand, Outlaw, had made things somewhat smoother, the aircraft would instead be imported into Aurelia before being flown over in a few weeks time. Now it was just a waiting game.

"Those Dorusian hound dogs have been sniffing around again." Maria strode into the room with a coffee in hand, she too looked like she had seen better days.

"What do you expect. Half our squadron just went rouge. They probably want to know what the other half are up to."

"I'm surprised they still want us around."

"They still have a war to win. They'll need all the wings they can get up there now." Noel replied, swirling around his glass of spiced rum. A small tonic for his ails. It was true, no matter how much some of the DAF distrusted the mercenaries, they were still headed by a Dorusian pilot and there was still great work to be done if the Dorusians now wanted to defeat both the Seianese and Beiarusia, that meant using whatever means they could.

"God. We should have ran with them." Noel morosely uttered and slammed back the rest of his drink.

"You think we'd be better off?" Maria asked, taking a seat opposite.

"Better than having a gun to the back of our heads". Noel physically had to glance around behind to see if anybody in-fact was. The Dorusians had as much reason to distrust the mercs as much as they had reason to distrust the DAF, especially with the two spooks on the base.

It was also weighing heavily on Noel's mind that the only reason he was still here was because of the grace of Jiangshi One. There was still an ounce of confusion as to why the pilot had let him go rather than mow him down to avenge his fallen comrade, though he tried not to dwell on it too much, perhaps there would be a time where he could ask him in person.

[Empire of Donner land]

Amabel Allard "Knot"
19:45 December 25, 1992 // Murai Air Force Base, Heian, Seian

Amabel sat in her own chair, thinking about what she had done. She was in the right, she knew that much. While looking through a window blankly, with a kind of thousand-yard stare, she was snapped out of it by the loud noise of a familiar slap. She had blanked out on any kind of argument was going on around her as the world around simply blurred.

She awoke, blinking her eyes and looking at where the snapping noise of skin on skin had come from right in front of her.

"Why?" Angel had asked. "You didn't have to try and kill him," she had retorted. Knot looked down, she couldn't have known it would have come down to this, but in a way, it was a reality check. Things really were that bad.

Jax spoke with his own explanation of his actions. "Because I didn't want the rest of Morena to be shot down as traitors, Because there was a good chance Reaper and Warrior would have shot them. So what I did was to ensure that they lived to fight another day, and believe me it was one of the hardest if not the hardest thing I had to. I'm sorry that I did that Angel, I truly am, and I'm sorry to Knight and Knot as well," he had finished and Zach had brought up the idea of a walk. Amabel looked up as her name was spoken, a somber look upon her face, and stood up.

Amabel breathed in before speaking. "What's done is done. We're wanted dead now by the Dorusians. You heard what Reaper said over the comms, and if he's about as resolute as the rest on that we shouldn't expect mercy from anyone... Anyone except what's left in Morena anyway," Amabel spoke solemnly but without regret in her voice. "We've got your back, Angel, you and the Duo always had mine. No damn papier will get in the way of that," Amabel spoke resolutely, then sat back down as she had said her peace.

"I'll stay right here and catch some shut-eye when night comes maybe. I- or we have a lot to think about," Amabel spoke quietly, taking out her old squadron patch from Aurelia and eyeing it up and down laying on the couch in the Rec Room.

[Relikai]

Captain Kanzaki Yuria 'Reppu'
Lieutenant Shimazaki Haruna 'Shinden'
Muria AFB, Heian, Seian

25 December, 1992

The bustle around the hangar increased as the two planes entered, a hangar slightly away from the other planes. The two other F-16s of the 48th stopped just short of this particular hangar, slotting in comfortably as the two veterans got off their fighters, headed towards the changing room as their ALERT Shift came to an end. Three scrambles, quite a bit of work.

The cockpits of the the Usean fighters rose, two lithe figures getting onto the ladders provided by the ground crew. They were exhausted, being on the air for hours through multiple sorties, and were hardly on the ground till now. Their planes were only just made ready after a skirmish with DAF Forces when the scramble order came many hours ago, the DAF was coming again, with a strong possibility that Morena was among them. It was not their fates to engage Morena however, for the fighting ended as they were en route, Akizuki tasked to provide high cover while the SAF retreated. That they did so with a high level of proficiency, the EF-2000 Typhoon being an ideal plane for such duties.

It would appear that the SAF went through with the purchase of these planes after the incident off the Amber Islands. Placed in storage as their technicians went about their training in Usea, the EF-2000s exist in small quantities, smaller than even the F-15 which was used sparingly. It was only after conflict rose between the SAF and DAF that they were finally deployed, and the two pilots formerly of Morena were assigned to them.

“That was close.” One of them said, the taller figure taking off her helmet to reveal the Seianese features and ash brown hair underneath, her shielding her brown eyes as she blinked away the fatigue from hours of concentration.

“Yeah.” The other replied, pushing open a door into the Ready Room as they met up with the other two members of their team. There was a short debrief, an update on the war situation in their area of responsibility, and finally the arrival of a fresh team of SAF pilots to take over the Alert Duty.

“Socksu.” The shorter one called, her dark hair tied into a bun as she reached for a medium-sized cat, the tuxedo rubbing its cheeks against her hand as she gave it a scratch under its chin. Her partner joined in, causing the animal to purr loudly as it saw the treat on her hand, it’s paws gently patting against her as it looked up with expectant eyes.

“You’ll make him fat.” Haruna said, tapping its head lightly as it chewed at the treat. Months ago it was just an abandoned kitten, it’s mother missing and looking weak, and now it’s a morale boost for the crew of Heian.

“I’ve been watching his weight.” Yuria replied, waving the cat goodbye as it went back to lazing by the side of its area, a fellow cat taking a nap where they would not risk getting in the way of active personnel or worse, causing a mess where errors were not tolerated.

“We’re going to have a rest, Captain Kanzaki.” The other two chimed, receiving a nod from Yuria as they turned towards the bunk, the other two heading towards the Rec Room.

“Can you believe it?” Haruna whispered, looking at the planes with Dorusian markings and the emblem of Morena on them. She had steeled herself, her Typhoon armed with more than enough to offer them a challenge in the skies. Yuria was similarly prepared, her experience in combat filling out all emotions as they closed into the battlefield, only to see a few enemies tagged by the IFF following the Seianese formation home.

“Nope. Not until we know why.” Yuria replied, her hand jerking on the door handle as they entered the building. The Rec Room was just ahead, where the members of Morena were being kept for the moment. A guard stood nearby, armed and wary, but did nothing to stop the transit of the former mercenaries.

“Security cleared them?”
“Yes Ma’am. Been going on until the ALERT flight returned. They are all clear.”
“Any... follow ups?”
“No Ma’am. Their own hangars for now, as clearance is being processed for them.”

Yuria nodded, Haruna’s eyes shifting around as one unfamiliar with being addressed as such would. The lieutenant wings were new on her dress uniform, the result of impressive performance in operations against the Beiarusians. Yuria was close to another promotion, although she had refused the rank of Major once, since it was in order to fill a gap in ranks.

“Seems like they are good.” Haruna whispered, grabbing a bottle of water from a vending machine.
“I’d like to believe so. Well, I guess I have to believe so.”
“You doubt them?”

There was a sigh, Yuria bringing a hand to the temple, rubbing it softly to rid her of the light aches. Was she that tired?

“In everyone’s eyes, they are turncoats. Traitors. Not just mercenaries... I like to think that we know them personally, but why did they betray the flag they were bound to?”
“Perhaps they saw something different. Perhaps they knew something only the Dorusians would. I mean, they aren’t Dorusian, and those bastards are the ones attacking us.”
“I know... look, I just wish to avoid the risk of them shooting us down, eliminating the spine of the Air Force in one fell swoop.”

“There’s only one way to find out... Are you... alright?”

“Yeah-Yes... Maybe a cup of tea later.”

“You still seem on edge. Ever since Snow...”

“Because this is what I trained for.” Yuria replied, first in Belarusian, then Seianese. “He did what he had to... anyway, let’s go.”

---

The door opened, revealing the two as they entered the Rec Room. There was nothing to be impressed about their appearance, two familiar faces looking hagged as they looked around, taking in all the faces they had mentally prepared to face as enemies. Well, seems like fate took another turn.

“Well met.”

[Tayner]

Second Lieutenant Jeff Moreau
December 25, 1992
Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

He had volunteered a couple of weeks ago, after hearing about how the Dorusians turned on Seianese. Jeff had put aside his arrangements to offer his services as a pilot to the Seianese Air Force, something they weren't in a position to turn down. The need for able pilots in the war had escalated, and they were pulling every flyable plane out of storage that they could. Jeff had managed to get an old dusty F-5 that the Seianese picked up from the Dorusians as cheap surplus many years ago. The fighter was solid, it wasn't the F/A-18 but it handled well enough.

Jeff couldn't ditch Seian now. He had already committed so much, and he had already lost so many friends to simply leave. Before he was comfortable, knowing that with Dorusian support the Seianese would no doubt emerge victorious against the Beiarusians, but now the table had changed. Jeff couldn't let all of the efforts and sacrifices go in vain, so he stuck around. Folded from one unit to another wherever a temporary replacement was needed, he would see little combat as he was usually posted to patrols and CAPs close to Heian.

He was glad to help, if even in a minor role.

However, news of the most recent skirmish had come in, and Jeff heard some of Morena defected. Old brothers and sisters in arms, he would definitely need to stop in and say hello. He sought them out, and found them in a recreational room on base, intruding into what seemed to be a heated discussion as a smack resounded through the room. He listened in from the sidelines, unnoticed until things quieted down. He heard what he needed to hear, and walked over to where Knot was sitting, her being too preoccupied with her thoughts to see him approach.

"Well, you must feel like shit." He spoke, taking seat in a chair adjacent to the couch she was laying on. "You certainly don't look it, though." He continued, echoing a previous conversation they had what seemed like to be a long time ago. He hoped he wasn't bothering her as he sat back in his chair, relaxing as he crossed his legs. Knot had been one of Joker's better friends from Morena, although he knew most of the pilots, she was one of the few he really had conversations with besides Dan.

"How you holdin' up Knot?" He asked.

---

Second Lieutenant Alexander Tolshev, "Hazard"
Koga AFB, Seian
December 24, 1992

The landing had been scary, setting down the damaged beast of an aircraft without causing more damage was a welcomed feat, and after some emergency repairs and a little extra fuel, Hazard could be back on his way. He flew alongside Null, another pilot flying with clipped wings. It was quiet, but Hazard respected him, the maneuver and trust they invested in eachother's flying paid off and both pilots lived to fly another day. Something he was grateful for, however, once they landed and the bounties were tallied, they were informed in a temporary reduction of prices amongst aircraft.

And Hazard was a little shy of getting a pilot's dream jet, the YF-22 Raptor. Stories and fuzzy pictures were all he knew about the Osean jet, however what little information he had inticed him. The newest technology, extremely agile, and it could carry enough munitions to bring down an entire squadron. He didn't even want to get started on thinking about the stealth package as he ran the numbers. So, he approached his squadron commander in the off hours during their free time, hoping he wasn't interrupting.

"Sir," he said, saluting as he started to speak, "Can I ask a favor of you, regarding the financing of an aircraft?" He asked.

[Empire of Donner land]

Amabel Allard "Knot"
19:45 December 25, 1992 // Murai Air Force Base, Heian, Seian

The patch had an outer black ring, above and below it in black banners in Aurelian white and red letters were "Federal Republic of Aurelia" and "Gryphus Squadron" respectively. Inside was the national bird, the Gryphus Condor, drawn as if it were in a sort of cartoon. It was flying through, or over, a Constellation in the shape of a cross. In the background in a deep blue, hard to notice was the Aurelian Star that was on the Flag. She'd torn it off but kept it all this time after being practically exiled.

She'd been too busy thinking, looking at the dumb cartoon Condor on the badge, to see another person with a familiar face enter the Rec Room that the defectors were kept in for the time being. Over the badge, she could just notice someone sitting down in a chair at the foot of the couch from her position at the end.

"Well, you must feel like shit," the Male voice spoke. Amabel's face turned from a blank stare to confusion, then to a smile. "You certainly don't look it, though," they finished, bringing her mind to when she was in the Hospital after the Ambush which had killed much of Morena, including Rainer. "How you holdin' up Knot?" they asked.

Amabel put the patch back in one of her pockets, stood up and before Jeff could say anything else, Knot had wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank god you're okay, Jeff. Don't worry about me, how'd you get here?"

[Tayner]

"

Second Lieutenant Jeff Moreau
December 25, 1992
Murai AFB, Heian, Seian

Suddenly he was embraced by Knot, who moved like a blur as she jumped up to hug him. "Thank god you're okay, Jeff. Don't worry about me, how'd you get here?" She spoke as she waved off his concern for her, and he obliged her, not wanting to push into a fresh wound.

"Me? Seian couldn't get rid of me that easily." He said before they broke off their embrace. "Nah, when I heard about Dorusia turning on Seian, I volunteered my services. They seemed happy to have another able pilot to fill a fighter." He said to her before someone else spoke.

"Well met.” He heard, noticing two familiar faces he'd seen around in between sorties. He saw Yuria, a captain and squadron leader of the SAF. Joker rose from his seat, standing at attention as a courtesy to the superior officer. While not officially a commissioned officer of the SAF, he wasn't really expected to follow military customs, however he found that simply standing for or saluting most senior officers made it easier to get along and integrate into the SAF.

"Afternoon, ma'ams." He said, greetings the duo as officers first.

[Relikai]

Captain Kanzaki Yuria 'Reppu'
Lieutenant Shimazaki Haruna 'Shinden'
Muria AFB, Heian, Seian

25 December, 1992

"Good Afternoon." Came the reply as Yuria returned the salute. Formalities still counts, but it only mattered when they weren't scrambling for a deployment. Helps keep the men on their toes, the superiors said, although among the pilots of their squadrons there wasn't much time or care to so when a Dorusian or Beiarusian raid was inbound, not that anyone really minded.

She looked around, scanning the faces as some went about their business chatting. She could hardly make out the individual words in her state of fatigue, but that's not what she wanted, or needed to do. Joker's been here for a while, who better to ask?

"Joker." Yuria muttered under a mouth blocked by a loosely rolled fist as she walked over to the standing pilot. "They... what, or why exactly are they here... have you got any idea, anyone said anything?"

---

Second Lieutenant Kenneth Falkenrich "Icterine"
Koga Air Base, Seian

"Bloody hell!"

He was hobbling out of the medical bay, one of his back muscles strained by the hard landing his plane executed. Out of power for most of the flight home, his landing gear only came out partially, causing him to control the Sukhoi to the end, with the final bump jerking him more than he was prepared for.

"Bloody hell."

It wasn't his injury that caused him such frustration. He could sense betrayal once again, although, a part of him has already accepted it. They were, after all, mercenaries, and those who fought for money weren't the most loyal in the eyes of many.

Not like he has anything to say, Kenneth was the one who turned his back on Erusea, on a country who he felt betrayed him, he simply paid back the favor. This was a little too personal for his liking, with Amabel flying away towards the enemy, and the Oseans actually wrecking his plane. Well, it's still flyable, although some downtime's needed.

"Irony. I guess, they have their own reasons." He whispered to himself, leaning against the side of a wall of the administration building.

[Beiarusia]

---

---

Second Lieutenant Mitsuko Kimura "Angel"
December 25, 1992 // Rec-Room, Murai Air Force Base, Heian, Seian

Angel could feel the slump in her shoulders. She wanted to disagree, to hold on to the white-hot anger billowing in her gut, but the calm words of Jax derailed the sentiment like water on flame. Maybe he was right. At the very least he was a man who lived by his decisions. Not like Angel, questioning her every action and regretting the choices she didn't make. A plague of uncertainty and self-doubt.

Would she have been as angry with Null had she stayed?

He was still alive. He had escaped alongside the remnants of Morena, and she was glad, happy, but regardless she understood the severity of the situation. The cost of her defection. Allies to enemies; love to...

"Let's go for a walk," Zach interjected, squeezing himself between her and Jax.

She nodded and allowed herself to be led out, head down, and hardly noticed the arrival of Snowcat, loud and boisterous as they were. The mercenaries were in a good mood. Then came another trio of familiar faces: Joker with Haruna and Yuria trailing a moment behind. Angel tried to greet them with her usual smile but it was small and sad and more-so a pained grimace. Hollow. To the casual observer it was clear as crystal that the young woman was troubled. To friends, she may well have been sobbing. A terrible and sudden exhaustion was all that dammed the tears. Without goodbye or another lingering glance she and Zach departed the rec-room, door closing shut behind them.

"This could have gone better," sighed Natsuko, scratching at her short mess of hair. To Jax: "You really weren't trying to kill them? Shoot them down at the very least? Yeah, I understand, but..." She shrugged.

The mission had only been partway successful. Angel and the defectors were recovered but Morena was still active, as was the 101st, and that would prove problematic for the SAF should the conflict escalate further. The DAF already controlled the skies east of Nonsan. A direct confrontation was impossible, so the objective had shifted to asset-denial as necessary. Aircraft. Pilots. Friends. The cruel reality of war.

Natsuko glanced over to include the others. "Any suggestions to cheer-up my sister?"

[Anowa]

Capt. Jason 'Tombstone' Cain
2Lt. Holly 'Fantasy' Clark
Koga Airbase

They had not been to Koga for a little under a month. After the operation in the Rubicon Wetlands, Tombstone and Fantasy had been horizontally promoted to fly recon operations and CAS for SF teams either on or behind the front. Deemed the only duo either crazy or brave enough to fly in said conditions.

Koga was not as active as it had been when they left it. Half as many planes, half as many people. The Dorries and Seianese had split for some godforsaken reason, Tombstone didn't really know why, but they were in occupied country. The DAF still had them on contract, so, things were as good as they were going to be at the moment.

Koga Tower: <<Koga Tower to Callsign Tombstone, you have permission to land. Over.>>

Tombstone: <<This is Callsign Tombstone, to Koga Tower, landing permission acknoeledged. Out.>>

A pause as Tombstone locked the craft in towards the tarmac, "it seem a bit... quiet to you Holly?"

A hum, "Wee bit. Odd, but nothing to really worry about."

Jason simply mused to himself.

---

The duo set off from their glorious steed, their belongings pods cracked open and duffel within carried away as the craft was checked and serviced. Their goal was the main command building, in which Null would likely be, somewhere.

The duo would wander for some three minutes before spotting their CO.

Holly called out, "Hey, Tallow! Where the fuck is everyone? We didn't miss a deployment did we?"

[The Central Shadow Nation]

2nd Lieutenant Vasil Cosmescu
2nd Lieutenant Karl Kuhn
Murai Air Force Base, Heian, Seian

Snowcat had barged into the rec room of Murai Air Force Base unaware and unobservant of their surroundings. For a good amount of time they were impervious to the other side of the room who had seemed involved in some kind of drama, and rightfully so. Across from Snowcat were familiar faces, defectors from the 13th Mercenary Air Squadron and three additional faces Vasil didn't truly recognize. Vasil had became noticeably more calm in the past days, mirroring himself when he had first arrived in Seian. His anxiety had ceased quite a bit and he had adapted to war time. Cosmescu was quiet during the conversation however had a smile on his face as he listened to a boasting Liora and a teasing Wulf.

Snowcat continued to chat as if the room was devoid of any other soul, the emotion between the group and those on the other side of the room differing in almost every way. They had gone on yelling ignorantly for about 30 seconds before they had quieted down to the point where Vasil, still smiling, could wave towards the other group.

"Hey friends, whats up?"

If this was a movie, there would've been nothing but the chirping of crickets. Vasil noticed that the other pilots were involved in some serious conversation and remembered that they had just defected, but it was too late. The nugget stood there dumbfounded, feeling like a moron. Karl shifted away from him, leaving him standing there before the big boss leaned in to deliver a big sentiment; "They might not be our enemies anymore, kid, but they ain't our friends."

Vasil sighed and regrouped with Snowcat, thinking about the flight lead's statement on his way to his seat. It would probably be best to leave the defectors alone for now. Almost as soon as everyone sat down, Liora went at it again with her bragging: Warlock chuckled to himself. The feat of dodging five fucking missiles was so amazing that, although her bragging had gone on for quite awhile, it wasn't even annoying. At the very least Panther's accomplishment deserved the right to boast incessantly.

"Next sortie I'm staying behind Liora. Can't get hit if you stay with Lady Fortune herself,"Vasil joined in, emphasizing and mocking Panther's new title.

"No magic, no luck. Just shitty Dorusian tech,"Wulf responded. The conversation had toned down after awhile, albeit barely.

Vasil had grown tired of hearing the others and, curious, decided to eavesdrop on the conversing pilots. A noticeably upset Angel left the room behind Ranger's WSO whilst the Seianese duo conversed with a man he hadn't met named Jeff who was apparently a Seianese volunteer pilot. That was as much as he knew.

There was another woman there who he didn't recognize however looked very similar to Angel. Perhaps they were siblings?

"Any suggestions to cheer-up my sister?"

Thats right, he thought. There were two Kimuras. Vasil figured that conversation not focused on Liora's magic would be good so he attempted to adress the Seianese pilot.

"Hey, Uh..."Vasil had blanked on a name so he decided to hurry his answer in order to not seem like a moron. "There's that lake nearby, I saw it from the sky. That could be nice...Bring along some drinks and just have a good night."

[Beiarusia]

Major Aleksei Tallow "Null"
December 26, 1992 // Koga Airbase, Seian

Null was heading towards the mess hall following his chat with General Zhikov. He wasn't hungry, but neither had he eaten breakfast, and regardless of appetite (or lack thereof) he resigned himself to grabbing a small lunch for his own benefit. Ironically, despite the airbase's acquisition by the DAF, the menu was more-or-less identical to what it had been previously. A surplus of rice and local foodstuffs. Null was content with a pastry (a bun with filling) and was leaving when approached by the Eurusean mercenary, Hazard.

"Sir," he began with a salute, to which Null waved him at-ease. "Can I ask a favor of you, regarding the financing of an aircraft?"

Null bit into the pastry and chewed for a moment as he considered the question. Hazard had proven himself competent and trustworthy, so he humored the request.

Not that Hazard had the time to begin explaining his situation. Suddenly they were in the presence of two familiar faces: Fantasy and Tombstone, back from reassignment as reconnaissance. Null hadn't been made aware of their return to Koga but neither did he expect his superiors to keep him involved in such trivial matters such as unit deployments. "Where the fuck is everyone? We didn't miss deployment did we?" Fantasy asked in her usual elegance.

"Something like that," Null answered. Unwilling to dive into the specifics he kept the recent happenings brief. "Operation near Nonsan went south. Several pilots defected to the Seianese, and Ranger made certain to knock us from the fight before it could begin. Morena is half-strength and won't be getting replacements anytime soon. Most of our aircraft are inoperational as well."

[Kyraina]

Lt Col (Ret) Zach "Knight" Steele. Murai AFB, Seian.

Zach walked with Angel. He looked at the Young Pilot as they walked. "You know, don't question what you did, don't question the choices you didn't make. You are doing the right thing, don't think for a second that you are not. I look around at these people and I'm just amaze by the hardiness of them, to keep on going despite this war not their way, despite not having the equipment or logistics of the BRAF, or DAF they are in they fight still. You, Ranger, Me, Knot have become a symbol for these people, proving that they can still believe in others to do the despite what paths they may walk. I know you may not now but in time forgive Jax, he did what he had to do to protect us, the defectors, and protect Morena, even though it may not seem like it. I also believe Null will forgive you in time." The North Pointer said as he stopped at the end of the flight line and watch a pair of fighters taxi and take off.

"It really is Magnificent isn't it?"

Capt (OAF) Jax "Ranger" Bradford. Murai AFB, Seian

Jax sighed and looked over at Natsuko with sad eyes, abd even a little anger there, but it could be seen it was a anger at himself.

"The Aim was never to Kill them, but to cause chaos, and to get hell out of Dodge before they could react and the formation was disrupted for y'all to pounce. All of us Owe y'all One. Zach and I Are gonna help y'all, we are gonna finish this thing out, we will do this free of charge. I'll See if Knot will do the same."

He then watch Joker show up, followed by the Dou, and then Snowcat. He shook his head at Snowcat and walked over to Joker and Knot.

"Joker. Knot. How are y'all doing? Knot I need to talk to you. Me and Zach are gonna stay and fight, even do it free of charge. Was gonna see if you wanted to join."

[Anowa]

Capt. Jason 'Tombstone' Cain
2Lt. Holly 'Fantasy' Clark
Koga Airbase

"Something like that," Null answered. Unwilling to dive into the specifics he kept the recent happenings brief. "Operation near Nonsan went south. Several pilots defected to the Seianese, and Ranger made certain to knock us from the fight before it could begin. Morena is half-strength and won't be getting replacements anytime soon. Most of our aircraft are inoperational as well."

The duo stood silent for a moment, before Holly broke it, "Well... fuck."

Jason merely sighed, for a moment there, he thought everything would've been alright. That they'd keep steamrolling up through Beiarusia or that their services wouldn't be required at this point and they could all go home. Sadly a few of them thought otherwise, a few of them decided that there were no boundaries in war and that they could cross them freely. Some would say geese cannot see man made boundaries. That would be right, but they can definitely the boundaries of camaraderie, and buggering off to a different flock broke those boundaries.

As he looked off through the window and into the skies above the horizon, a single quote came to his mind, 'Quoth the Raven, Nevermore.'

Holly said something, and Jason didn't quite hear it, "Sorry, what was that?"

"I said I'm heading off to find a bunk. Wake me up if something happens or someone tries to take off without authorization again." with that she lightly slapped the man's arm before setting off, likely to said bunk.

Jason frowned, remembering that fiasco with Jax, hindsight being what it was, Jason was now wondering if he really was going along with all that this entire time. Whether or not he had gotten away with leaking info the Beiarusians about the DAF, or hell, about Morena. Maybe he was doing it again, maybe for some godforsaken reason the Osean bastard was playing the long con down here for the oh so powerful fatherland to the north. One thing was for sure: he wasn't about to let some ass backwards spook threaten his, or Holly's lives. Anyone else flying alongside Ranger would be collateral damage.

Tombstone spoke, "I need to talk to you Null, but later. See you in a while."

[Empire of Donner land]

Amabel Allard "Knot"
December 25, 1992 // Murai Air Force Base, Heian, Seian

When the Duo had come in, she was visibly happy to see they were okay, even for the brief time they had been away. But Yuria's language, calling the defectors 'they', quickly mellowed her mood and dispelled the smile she had. It was clear that something had changed. Amabel decided to stay out of the conversation between Joker and them for the time being and sit back down. She nodded and headed back to the couch, however, before getting there she heard her name being said.

"Joker. Knot. How are y'all doing? Knot I need to talk to you. Me and Zach are gonna stay and fight, even do it free of charge. Was gonna see if you wanted to join," Ranger asked.

Amabel turned, wearing a smile upon hearing 'free of charge'. "Of course I want to. This is... difficult to put it bluntly, of course. But I can't quit on Angel or any of the rest of you. We're in this together, and I'm not going home until you're all safe. The money was never my reason for being here anyway," she spoke.

"There's a problem but... well..." she continued but slowed to a stop for more than a few seconds, second-guessing what she was going to say and feeling it best not to divulge what she was going to. Biting her lip at her thoughts before finally speaking again. "You know, it's... not important. You can count me in, Ranger."

[Endem]

Oleg Sverdlow "Rover"
26 December 1992||Koga Airbase

A Chengdu-J7 is on its approach towards the landing ground of the Koga Airbase, Oleg was the new guy, the last that would come into this squadron for quite a while a voice from the radio spoke

"Radio tower to Rover, you are free to land, copy"

"Starting my approach, copy and over"

"See you on the ground, over"

With this little exchange, Oleg has directed his plane for landing it was his first time with the others whoever they might have been, he knew for sure that the moment he lands he needs to report to the squadron commander for official recognition as a part of the "Morena" at least radio operators knew he was coming.

Three minutes later he landed and went straight to the office of the commander that commanded the squadron where he was informed the man apparently named Aleksei Talov went for lunch when Oleg got informed where the mess was he rushed towards it. Oleg found Aleksei talking with three others he very quickly went near him and said while raising his hand for a salute.

"Private Oleg Sverdlow, callsign Rover, I will be flying with you all now"