Work Text
La Fonte Airbase
1 year, 2 months, 19 days after T-day
Pause. Blink. Pause.The first snow of this winter had arrived. She watched as a few snowflakes landed on her gloves before closing her fist, gazing into the overcast evening sky. A storm was moving in. They needed to be off the ground soon before the conditions worsened, and who knows when they would return.“Asuna… Major Asuna? Hello? Anyone there?” A tap on her shoulder shook her out of her thoughts.Pause. Blink. Pause.“What is it, Yuri? Any changes to our orders?” “No Ma’am, just that we will be the next off the tarmac.”“Understood, are the others ready? I trust that they have been briefed appropriately about our mission and new basing arrangements.”“Of course Ma’am.”“Good. Let’s get ready for takeoff then.”She walked over to the hanger where the rest of her squadron mates were. The one who came to her was Yuri. An intriguing personality certainly, a lanky and handsome young man who was pursuing the fine arts in Germany before the whole incident had forced him into this. Despite appearances, he was a reliable vice-commander, possessing skills that she… lacked. He was charismatic and socially adept, a master orator with impeccable spirit. She truly believed he was one who could truly sell snake oil to others. In combat, he was no slouch either, being a decorated veteran of the 5th and 6th Vault Wars, one of the Twenty-Eight Aces of the 5th Vault War. Sometimes she wondered if he resented her for being essentially para-dropped into the role of squadron commander ahead of him. If he was, he certainly hid it well.Sat at the table in a corner of the hanger were the others. There was Elizabeth, a young lady from the United Kingdom on the verge of graduation from university when they all became trapped in this world. She was their resident translator, being fluent in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, … Any language you could name, Elizabeth the linguist has probably mastered it. Playing cards with her were Jun, Andrew and Yao.Jun was a polymath. A childhood prodigy who was pushed to the limits by his parents. He attended the University of Seoul at just 14 and graduated at 17. He was adept at playing the flute and the violin, was a medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad and had co-authored a revolutionary paper on generative artificial intelligence a year before they got trapped. He’s certainly brought over the laser sharp focus into the game, quickly being promoted through the ranks until he reached this squadron. She knew that he missed the real world, this one was proving to be too long a distraction from his real work. Andrew… was mysterious. He was more than twice as old as everyone else in the squadron. The only things that they knew about him was that he was a former test pilot for the United States Air Force and that he had played this game because his son had convinced him to. Yet to this day, he was not certain if he was trapped in here too, or if he was even alive at this point. He certainly enjoyed the finer things the game had to offer though, never turning down the opportunity to perform some… extra work in exchange for money to sate his appetite for the most expensive bottles of alcohols in the game, heaven knows where he found those. His wife never allowed him to drink like this in the real world according to him.Yao was from China. It took a while for her to get him to trust her and Jun, but things were much better now. It must have been hard for him to accept being commanded by a Japanese lady. Too often did actual history spill over into the game. A mechanical engineer, she had much to thank him for after the time he managed to spin up some faulty jets at an abandoned airfield without game assistance. They would almost certainly not be here without him. Glancing around, she spotted the last 2 inspecting their new jets. James and Jason, twins hailing from Canada. They were the newest addition to their squadron and this would be their first mission with their squadron. They had built up a notorious reputation for being hard to control. Yet, because they had performed admirably in the recent Battle of Andur, Air Marshall Heathcliff decided to assign them to the prestigious Rapier squadron. She read the battle reports, it was certainly impressive, holding off an entire enemy squadron of F-15Es in their MiG-29s, even managing to down 2 of them by cleverly using the surrounding hills to ambush the more modern fighters of WEST. They would fight with an equipment disadvantage no longer. She turned her gaze to the row of aircraft that had been meticulously prepared by the ground crew. A new batch of J-20As, fresh off the production line. She knew how hard high command had pushed for these to enter service as quickly as possible. The WS-15 engines on them had only been unlocked by her faction, EAST last month. Yet here they were, ready to be piloted by her and her squadron. Her hands tingled as she thought of the feeling of flying around in one. It was an unbelievable experience when she had flown her first J-20. Though she had heard the rumors from other pilots who were lucky to fly these too prior, nothing had prepared her for the sensory overload as her helmet mounted display lit up as she took off. It had taken a while to get used to, but the large touchscreens and integrated electronics were a huge upgrade to the displays she was used to in her old Su-30MKK. She felt as if the jet was but an extension of herself when she sat in the cockpit of a J-20. The modern avionics, stealth abilities of the aircraft and missiles on it were fantastic, it made things so easy for her in engagements that she wondered if it would make her lose her ability to actually pilot a fighter jet if she spent too long in one. Perhaps this upcoming mission would prove to be more of a challenge though. “Rapier squadron, Case Zurich is go. Code 150, heading due west, destination Santiago airfield. Standby for takeoff.” That was their signal from the control tower. She donned her equipment and climbed into the cockpit, running through her checklists one by one. Soon, it was time to go. The signalling ground crew saluted her and she taxied the jet onto the runway. Looking back, she wondered if she would ever see them again. Rika especially, she had gotten fond of the mechanic responsible for her jet. She was the only other Japanese on the base, and a much welcome reminder of home outside of the game. The two of them had become friends quickly, and sometimes she wondered what she would do without Rika. Guess it was time to find out. “Rapier 6 Frost, you are cleared for takeoff.” That was Andrew. “Rapier 7 Jekyll, you may use runway 2A, Rapier 8 Hyde, concurrent takeoff on runway 1A.” James and Jason.“Rapier 5 Euclid, clear.” Jun.“Rapier 4 Qirin, you may takeoff.” Yao.“Rapier 3 Babylon, use runway 2B, beware of icing on the end of the runway.” Elizabeth.“Rapier 2 Mozart, clear.” Yuri.“Rapier 1 Flash, you may proceed, and Godspeed to you all.” “It was a pleasure working with all of you. Rapier 1 Flash, taking off.” With a roar, the 8 dragons soared into the sky, one bearing a white rose on its tail. Pause. Blink. Pause.She glanced into the sky above. It was overcast, the storm had come. ~ Blue Skies: Chains of War ~
The Cube, Liberty
1 year, 2 months, 23 days after T-day
“Is everyone here? Good, I will now commence the briefing.” A gruff voice rang out across the situation room lit up by holograms and screens.“As all of you are undoubtedly aware of, the 7th and final vault in the game was unsealed a month ago. Our analysts have concluded that the EAST’s victory points are around ours thus far. Neither them nor us can afford to surrender the final vault to the other side, and therefore, it would be wise to presume that EAST will not spare a single man to take control of it. One of our agents gave his life for the following information. EAST will be conducting a preliminary reconnaissance mission, code named Zurich, around the island chain that holds the vault within the next 96 hours. Worryingly, our Guardian constellation of satellites picked up this yesterday at the Santiago airfield.” He paused briefly.“We have high confidence that the enemy has a new variant of the J-20 in service, and the first of these squadrons has been deployed at Santiago airfield. We also have high confidence that this squadron is the Rapier squadron, the elite air superiority arm of the EAST’s Southern Theater Command. Our agent managed to capture these images of an enemy J-20 with a white rose emblem prior to his arrest at Santiago. I trust that you all know what this means. The Flash herself is currently present there.” The Flash. A sore talking point for the commanders of the 5th Air Force. She had seemingly come out of nowhere, debuting near the end of the 6th Vault War. The WEST’s forces were on the verge of taking control of the skies above the vault with their then superior avionics and missiles when she showed up. She had killed 2 of their elite pilots, downing many more jets despite using inferior equipment. She seemed to be able to sniff out where their best pilots were on the battlefield, and take them down in the midst of all the fighting. She was a predator, a shark that loomed on the battlefield, ready to strike the instant she saw an opening. It would not be an exaggeration to say that her appearance was the turning point of the air war during the 6th Vault War. The effects of losing some of their finest was still being felt today, and the Flash’s name had long entered the psyche of the airmen of WEST. “In order to deal with such an enemy, Admiral Amos and I have decided that the 5th Air Force will be operating in tandem with the currently underway Constellation carrier strike group. We will be attempting an ambush near the islands with the aircraft from Liberty South airfield, Charlottetown airfield and the Constellation carrier. All aircraft will be expected to converge upon waypoint Epsilon while observing strict EM control. The primary target will be the 1st Wing of the Rapier squadron, led by the Flash. Down her, and our chances in the war will improve. Any questions?”“General, are there any longer term plans for the 5th Air Force to counter this new threat at Santiago? In case the mission does not succeed?”“The chiefs of staff are putting in a request to reactivate the Knights project.”“The test pilot squadron? I thought they had been permanently grounded?”“Only in death do we find permanence in war.” ~ Blue Skies: Chains of War ~
New Haven Airbase
1 year, 2 months, 24 days after T-day
“Oi Kirito, you up for drinking and mahjong tonight?” If there was one bad thing about being stuck in this godforsaken place in the middle of the desert, it was that all the others knew how to do was to drink and gamble. Otherwise, he quite enjoyed the peace in this “prison” built for him and his buddies. It almost made him forget that he was trapped in virtual reality. Of course, he did miss flying, but his wings were clipped, according to those in power, permanently. Something about inability to follow orders. Funny little things, orders. He didn’t think that he would be subjected to such things in a game, one that he played to escape the chains of reality. He had only been interested in soaring between the clouds, chasing ever faster speeds and ever more daring maneuvers. It’s why he chose to specialize as a test pilot in the first place, thinking it would grant him impunity in the air, a luxury not afforded to combat pilots. No one could accuse him of not helping his faction either, test pilots were key to validating and developing new pieces of equipment in the game, that could then be produced and equipped by front line squadrons. However, it was clear that his superiors thought his skills would be more valuable on the battlefield. He was reassigned without notice to the Knights squadron of the 5th Air Force at the end of the last war. Rumor had it that WEST was losing its best pilots rapidly and that there was something out there hunting them. He did not pay much attention to those. Combat missions were certainly a different challenge. Though he was used to pushing himself and his jet to the limit, he couldn’t help but consider his squadron mates to be too noisy. The incessant chattering over the radio was a distraction from the beauty of the skies. Working in tandem with them was also a chore, they were simply unable to keep up with him sometimes. These problems festered until the final battle of the 6th Vault War, where they finally bore fruit. He had found a dance partner in the clouds during that battle. There was a Su-30MKK, with a white rose emblem on its tail. He had seen it tear into an allied squadron as his squadron arrived on the scene, looping through the air gracefully, yet efficiently. Without hesitation, he switched on his afterburners and dived after it. The chase was a thrill, both of them executing high G turns and maneuvers. He was so distracted by the flying that he almost forgot to engage with his short ranged missiles. The AIM-9Xs his F-15CX was armed with were more than capable shooting down any jet at these ranges. He wondered if it was because he was distracted with how beautifully the enemy jet danced through the air, or if the enemy ace had truly otherworldly flying skills that the Su-30 seemed to shake off the missiles he fired with ease. After he had exhausted his short ranged anti air missiles, he continued pursuing, occasionally firing upon the enemy jet with his guns, but moreso reveling in their duet in the skies. So consumed he was by the chase that it did not even occur to him that the enemy ace was leading him away from the battlefield in a calculated manner. He was given strict orders to support operations within the airspace near the vault, and had strayed dangerously far from allied forces. The enemy had taken this opportunity to swoop in and resume their offensive. The day was costly for WEST, the Knight squadron suffering 2 aircraft losses, the pilots barely bailing out in time before their lives were lost too. Their allies fared even worse, with only 2 out of 12 F/A-18Es of the 2nd squadron of Naval Air Wing 3, assigned to the supercarrier Aurora, limping back after the battle.It was a disastrous defeat, and cemented EAST’s control over the vault. EAST and WEST were now 3 and 3 in vaults claimed. His debrief was short and devastating. He was demoted and re-assigned to a reserve test unit at an aging airbase in New Haven. The whole base was a farce. There was no flight line crews and the hangers were empty. Their daily routine consisted of area cleaning and nothing else. Hell, he was pretty sure that some of his fellow test pilots outranked the commanding officer here. They were outcasts now, their wings broken.“Think I’ll pass on the mahjong tonight. I’m heading into town today to pick up some groceries.”“Aw… c’mon Kirito, you’ve been saying that for a month now. Let’s have some fun!” This girl just wouldn’t leave him alone. Konno Yuuki, his self proclaimed wingman ever since his first days in this game. She’s so free spirited that he didn’t know if she still remembered that they were trapped in a death game. Nevertheless, he had to respect her skill in the skies. Its a wonder she had not got herself shot down and killed yet while following his own death defying stunts during missions. He imagined that she would have proved to be a much better squadron leader than he was. At least she liked talking to others. He did not know much about her other than that, just that she was a year younger than him and preparing for university entrance exams. Despite her bubbly appearance, he sometimes felt as if she was doing so to squeeze everything out of a single moment. He didn’t think it was his place to ask why.“I think I’m alright. Thanks for the invitation. I think Carl and the usual few are raring to have a go at winning their money back from you anyway, shouldn’t turn them down, don’t you think?”“But its no fun playing against them! It’s way too easy! I’ve bested them 14 times this month already.” “And how would you know if I would prove to be a greater challenge?”“Because you’re Kirito, and inside, I know you hate losing.” She flashed an enigmatic smile at him. He blinked and looked away, staying silent. Before she could continue the conversation, they were interrupted.“Everyone, whatever you were planning tonight, cancel it. General Amos is due for an inspection here.” Warrant Officer Keith, warrant officer in command of the unit was at the door of the lounge. A rare occasion, it was well known amongst the crew here that he preferred to keep to his own quarters and the gym everyday.“What’s he doing down here?”“Going to see how well we clean our bunks?”“A General going around and checking out how tidy our toilets are?” Clearly no one knew why anyone high up would bother visiting the equivalent of a military prison. “Alright, that’s enough, all of you. I expect you all to be in proper attire and cleanly shaved outside the barracks at 1800 hours. Dismissed.” And just like that, Keith was off.“Why do you think he’s here, Kirito?” “Perhaps to give something to us… something that we’ve lost.” Kirito smiled as he exited the lounge and walked onto the tarmac of the airfield. There was a gentle breeze. They sky was cloudless, blue and clear.~ Blue Skies: Chains of War ~
Airspace near Santiago Airbase
1 year, 2 months, 26 days after T-day
“I am repeating this one last time. Flash and I will be leading the formation into the islands. Because there is a chance that the enemy is aware of our plans, strict EM control must be observed during the mission. Do not turn on your radar until your are instructed to. Guardian, our AWACS, will be circling at waypoint Alpha, providing all the sensor information that we will require for this mission.”“Understood.”“Flash and I are armed with specialized, long range missiles. If we encounter an enemy task force, we will activate our radars and attempt to identify and destroy enemy command and control nodes. In the event that we are forced to break the radar lock to avoid incoming missiles, the next 2 in line must immediately turn on their radars to continue guiding the missiles. If they are forced to dive for cover, this process repeats itself. Have I made myself clear.”“Yes sir.” Chorused the voices in the radio.“Once we have taken out these command and control nodes, we will regroup and attempt to engage any remaining enemy combatants in the area. Our priority is not to down them, but to chase them off and clear the area for the other wings of our squadron to arrive such that the maritime patrol aircraft from Santiago airbase can drop their sonar buoys in the waters around the islands. Do not get drawn into visual range, or in fact, sensor range of the enemy aircraft if possible. If our initial long range strike fails, all aircraft are to break and return to base, do not stay around. That will be all, godspeed and let’s all make it back for the special bottle of wine I’ve prepared.”She was glad that Yuri could deliver the instructions for her. Such things were not her forte. She glanced at her display, they were almost at the islands where the vault was located. A voice crackled over the radio.“This is Guardian, we have reached waypoint Alpha. Proceeding with circling pattern 01A. Transmitting battlefield image to you all.”Her helmet display lit up with information regarding the surrounding battlefield. Instantly, she spotted two faint blips on the 3D radar display. “Flash to Guardian, confirm bandits at 3 and 9 o’clock?”“Guardian to Flash, positive, analysis indicates these are likely Hawkeyes.” “Understood. Rapier proceeding with Zurich One.”“Guardian to Flash, confirm Zurich One. Good luck.”“Flash to Rapier squadron, Zurich One is go. Increase airspeed to 800, prepare for engagement.”“Yes Ma’am.”Pushing the throttles, the engines on her jet purred as she went full afterburner. The E-2D Hawkeyes were about 400 kilometers out, too far to detect them. She continued scanning the skies diligently, keeping an eye out for the radar signatures of their undoubtedly present escorts. They were now 350 kilometers out, then 300 kilometers.“Flash to Mozart, distance from Hawkeyes now 300 kilometers, take the one at 9 o’ clock, I will take the one at 3. Engage target at a distance of 250.”
Airspace near the islands
1 year, 2 months, 26 days after T-day
It was all quiet on the radios. The Rapier squadron were supposed to show up any hour now. There was a certain air of anticipation, excitement and fear within the squadrons. If all went well, they would deal a heavy blow to EAST today, one that promises to secure their lives and freedom from the game. Klein held his breath, they had been assured that they would be outnumbering the enemy at least 3 to 1 by the higher ups. But he couldn’t help but feel afraid. He had been hunted before by the enemy he was going to confront today. It was at the tail end of the last war. His squadron had secured a hard fought victory north of the Vault when it appeared. A Su-30 with a white rose emblem. They were torn to shreds that day. He could still remember the screams of his squadron mates that he failed to protect that day as they were taken down one by one. Nothing they did seemed to work, their enemy too fast and agile, while possessing surgical accuracy. He almost lost his life that day, if not for the Knights squadron.“Arrow squadron, this is Einstein, two blips at 10 o’clock picking up speed and altitude rapidly. I can only pick them up on UHF frequency, unable to provide a targeting solution, you will have to engage them with your own radars.”“Arrow 1 to Einstein, understood, we will illuminate and engage the target, relay the information to Spectre squadron. Arrow 1 to Arrow squadron, EM control set to active, increase speed, engage bandits.”Asuna’s helmet mounted display was suddenly lit up with blips. The game of stealth was up, the enemy was engaging them head on. It was time.“Flash to Mozart. EM control set to active, engage Hawkeyes.” Klein watched as the faint blips burst into life as they in turn activated their radars. They had surely been detected, why were the enemies still closing in? It was 2 against 24! Gritting his teeth, he pushed on the throttle.“Arrow 1 to Arrow Squadron, continue closing in, fire at will once in range.”Meanwhile, the J-20As continued closing on them.“Flash to Mozart, Hawkeyes now within kill zone. Fox-3.” The nose of her J-20A shot up as she lobbed the long range PL-17s she was carrying externally high into the atmosphere. She read somewhere that the J-20 was thought of by WEST analysts to be an interceptor aircraft designed specifically to engage such command and control nodes. It was so much more, but for now, she’ll focus on proving them right. She made a hard left and began cranking, keeping the Hawkeye she had targeted within her radar gimbal limits while turning away from the incoming enemy escorts.“Mozart to Flash, missiles away, turning away.”A warning suddenly blared in her helmet. They had been targeted by missiles launched from the escort fighters. “Flash to Babylon, EM control to active, engage Hawkeye one.”“Mozart to Euclid, EM control to active, engage Hawkeye two.”After their acknowledgment, she immediately switched off her radar and began diving, rapidly trading altitude for speed to shake any missile that had potentially locked onto them off. The warning in her helmet from her Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) blared louder and louder. For a moment, it seemed like they had gotten her, but as suddenly as the warnings had appeared, they vanished. The missiles had lost their target. She then slowly began to climb back to rejoin her squadron.“Babylon to Flash, splash one, Hawkeye one is down.”“Euclid to Flash, splash one, Hawkeye two is down.”“Flash to Rapier squadron, EM control back to passive. Guardian, relay location of incoming bandits.” Now, the easy part of the mission.The PL-17 missiles, lobbed high up into the atmosphere, had come screaming down at the E-2Ds of the WEST task force at hypersonic speeds. With both their in built terminal guidance and illumination by the J-20As of Rapier squadron, even the best efforts of the E/A-18Gs and chaff countermeasures were unable to shake the missiles off the AWACS. They were torn into half by the sheer kinetic force of the impact and following detonation of the missile warheads. Without the UHF radars of the E-2Ds and with the enemy going into strict EM control, the F/A-18Es of Arrow squadron and the F-15CXs of Spectre squadron that had charged forward to engage Rapier squadron now found themselves blind, and terribly terribly exposed. “Guardian to Flash, we detect 16 bandits, all to your front. Engage at will.”“Flash to Rapier squadron, assign 2 missiles per bandit, target lead aircraft first. Keep track of range from enemy.”Within moments, the sky was filled with the smoke trails of PL-15s soaring out of the internal weapons bay of the J-20As. Within the aircraft of the WEST task force, one by one their MAWS went off, and they could only dive towards the sea to avoid the incoming missiles. On their radar screens, there was nothing. This was the cruelty of 5th generation jets against their 4th generation jets, they were completely helpless against the enemy optimized for very low observability. It was a turkey shoot. The enemy was experienced too, forcing them to dive and trade their valuable potential energy for kinetic energy, and when they inevitably slowed down near the surface of the ocean, they launched a second barrage of missiles. The planes near the surface of the ocean were out of tricks, and had nowhere to run.One by one the jets of the Spectre and Arrow squadrons were downed. Their allies watching on in horror as still nothing appeared on their radars.“Arrow 1 to Cyclops, permission to withdraw.” A resigned voice came over the radio.“Cyclops to Arrow, Spectre, Hornet and Charity squadrons. The mission is unsuccessful. Execute Plan Zeta, return to base.”“Guardian to Flash, no further bandits detected, permission granted for active EM control.”“Understood. Flash to Rapier squadron, EM control to active, scan the horizon.” It was wrong to let one’s guard down. But she knew the enemy was gone. No one would stay after that one sided display. The empty skies shown in her display confirmed her instincts.“Flash to Guardian, skies clear. Zurich One Alpha is go.” Now all that was left was to ensure that the enemy didn’t return. “Guardian to Rapier squadron, copy Zurich One Alpha. Guardian moving up to waypoint Beta. Eagle, Fox squadrons, escort the maritime patrol aircraft in.” They had won the battle. The first in the Final Vault War. A/N: I follow defense related developments as a hobbyist, apologies in advance for anything that doesn’t match up with actual military procedures and protocol.
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The Cube, Liberty
1 year, 2 months, 28 days after T-day
A nervous atmosphere hung over the crowd gathered in the situation room. The full assessment of the losses was completed the day before. It was worse than the preliminary reports had suggested. Spectre squadron had lost 8 out of 24 aircraft, Arrow squadron 5 out of 12. The operation was abysmally executed. The Hornet and Charity squadrons, both flying the more advanced F-35As that would have been crucial for the operation’s success, were held up by runway maintenance at Liberty South airbase. By the time they had arrived at the battlefield, the Hawkeyes providing long range radar coverage were already down, and it was deemed too risky to charge into an enemy they could not detect. Rumors were that their squadron commanders were now both facing a court martial for the delay. The door swung open, revealing the commander of the 5th Air Force, General Amos. “No need for the formalities, let’s just get started. As all of you know, the previous operation has dealt a severe blow to our forces in our theater. While we were taking time to re-organize ourselves, we can safely assume that EAST has completed their initial scouting objectives in the island chain. Our satellite images show that the buildup of enemy forces in the vicinity continue, with around 10 air brigades in the region. High command has responded and we will be receiving reinforcements. The WEST Coalition Air Force and the 3rd Air Force will be joining us in the coming weeks. The 2 other carriers of the 7th fleet are also on their way to the theater. We will be operating under a unified command structure, HQ South. So get used to it, its going to be really busy here from now on.” The general paused and scanned the room. “HQ South will be performing our own reconnaissance in the island chain and surrounding ocean in the next few days. However, that task will fall to the 7th fleet since we are still in the process of recuperating from the previous battle. That will be all, dismissed.” “Bernard and Martin, look for General Yun later. He will be informing you about your disciplinary matters. And Zuberg, come to my office, I need to be briefed about the status of the Knights project, I’ve been notified that high command has made a decision regarding their deployment.”
In the general’s office,
“Alright Alice, what do you have for me on the Knights project?” General Amos didn’t like Alice Zuberg’s appearance in the Cube. As the liaison between High Command, the Office of Procurement and the 5th Air Force, the blond lady only really turned up when bearing bad news. “Straight to the point I see. No hurry general, after all the 5th Air Force is grounded for now. How have you been?” Ignoring the not-so-subtle jab at the previous operation, Amos sighed. “As well as someone who has to deal with round the clock work every day can be I suppose. I haven’t had a good night’s worth of rest in a week now. How about you? Still dealing with the Block 4 issues?” “It’s only been two weeks since we last met, you know engineering and manufacturing problems don’t get resolved that quickly. High command has been breathing down the necks of my office for a while now, they want those jets in the air right now. I don’t know what I can tell them before they understand that we are powerless when the contractors are the ones responsible for faulty software.” He sometimes wondered why she became a paper pusher in the first place, she seemed to detest everything it represented. Alice was their top pilot during the 2nd and 3rd Vault Wars. Though she was given the option of continuing to fly after her promotion to a Flag Officer, shortly after the 4th Vault War, she accepted a transfer to HQ Central to act as an administrative official instead. He had the opportunity to fly with her on a mission only once. The way she danced in the sky was mesmerizing, he wondered why she would ever give it up. Every time he had gone in that direction during their conversation though, she quickly steered away from it. In time, he learned not to ask about it. “Not surprising. High Command has always been overbearing, I think they’ve been out of the front lines for so long they’ve forgotten what its like to fight.” “You can say that again.” “So… about the briefing you were supposed to give me?” “Of course, but you may not like what they have to tell you.” “I’m used to it at this point.” “Firstly, the Knights squadron will be based in Liberty East airfield, but they will be under Strategic Air Command’s Air Dominance division. They will not operate along with the other aircraft of HQ South and will only obey direct orders from HQ Central.” “What’s the point of re-activating them then? We need all the help as it stands. They will be the most useful in the thick of combat, not off doing some clandestine tasking high command decides is necessary on the fly.”“Well, I’m just a message bearer. Don’t ask me. But perhaps high command is uneasy about placing them under your command again after what happened last time. Next will be that these pilots will be operating a new fighter model as an experiment. High command has noted the issues with aircraft range for this conflict and have contracted Eureka Corporation for a new design. If successful, these aircraft will be progressively introduced to the rest of the air force squadrons.” “Not this again, are we talking about the next generation fighter project? We’re not even sure if that exists in this game, and even if it did, it would take months to gather sufficient resources and research to design a prototype. We cannot afford to wait while some of our best pilots sit on the sidelines. Its the last war for gods sake, the one that might decide whether we get out of this whole thing alive.” “No, not that. The Eureka Corporation will be maturing the YF-23 Blackwidow into a serial production model.” “And how long can we expect them to take before these planes are ready?” “Thankfully, someone at the company had the foresight to keep developing the project with their own resources even after it was rejected in favor of the F-22A and F-35s. We are expecting the first operational aircraft to roll off the production line within a week.” “Bless that soul, whoever it was. Its almost impossible to fund fighter development nowadays on your own. Anything else?” “Well, I’m also here to congratulate you about your promotion. You will be amongst the Joint Chiefs of Staff of HQ South, headquartered in Plainfeld. High command expects you to report there within 3 days where they will be planning the first air campaign of this war.” ~Blue Skies: Chains of War~
Supercarrier Illustrious
1 year, 2 months, 29 days after T-day
The supercarriers in the game in the game were truly mesmerizing pieces of art. Whoever designed the game had spared no expense in recreating every single detail of the ship, from its bridge to its crew compartments to the mess hall. Not to mention the flight deck. Everything was just as she remembered from that one time she spotted a supercarrier on a visit to a port in real life. The Illustrious was modeled after the Gerald R. Ford class of supercarriers, over 330 meters in length and carrying 75 aircraft. She was truly a floating city, with a crew of hundreds of players whenever she set sail. As for her, she was a navy pilot: Sinon, commander of the Argonauts, recently assigned to the Illustrious after an upgrade to F-35C Lightning II fighters. She was one of the few who had always wanted to be a navy pilot when she started playing the game. Her family came from a small countryside town next to the sea, fairly close to the port of Yokosuka, where the American 7th fleet was based. Something about its vastness always called out to her, and her favorite pastime when she was still young was playing amongst the waves that crashed rhythmically against the sandy beaches. She had to be rescued from the ocean once, after wandering too far out and being swept away by the gentle tides. As she grew up, she began noticing the vessels that were coming in and out of the harbor at Yokosuka. Of those, what had captured her imagination most were definitely the titanic supercarriers, huge cities of steel that made her feel tiny and insignificant. Tokyo, where she currently lived, was a place where the sea was still visible, but in place of the natural shorelines were skyscrapers and civilization. She barely had a chance to go to the seaside with how busy she was with university too. City life was suffocating. Until she found this game. The endless skies and oceans the game offered were reminiscent of her childhood memories, only now she got to explore them as much as she wanted to. She initially joined the navigational corps, flying in flying boats to map out the unknown for WEST when the game had just been released. She was later drafted into the naval air corps after their side had built carriers, but were short on fighter pilots. In fact, she was part of the first batch of naval fighter pilots in the game, having fought in 6 out of the 7 Vault Wars now. She still remembered her first fighter, an F-9F Panther. It was ancient compared to what she was flying now. Since then, she had flown in an F-4, F-14 and F/A-18, even one of the few F-111Bs that were made available to the navy once. It was a wonder that she was still on the front lines. The attrition rates amongst her peers in the naval air corps were not pretty, not only were they exposed to the usual risks of combat, many had been victims of the challenging operational routines. In fact, she had to fight to keep her wings when high command attempted to promote her and transfer her to a training school, where they felt her talents could be put to greater use by teaching the future batches of navy pilots. In the end, they settled for a compromise, and here she was, the first rear admiral who was cleared for combat missions. She was not supposed to be activated unless there was an absolute necessity, and with this Vault War being the last, there was no better time to be back. “Ma’am, its half past six. Our orders are to head out at first light, I reckon they will want us in the briefing room now.” “Give me a moment Dyne, you know I’m not a morning person.” She still had to get her caffeine fix for the morning.
Briefing room, Supercarrier Illustrious
“Regarding the mission, I think we’re abundantly clear on what needs to be achieved. Since HQ South is still under re-organization, we cannot yet challenge their main air fleet operating from the continent north of the islands containing the Vault, which high command has designated, the Avalon islands. However, we have reliable intelligence regarding the patrols EAST has been running southwest of the islands and are confident that our fleet air arm will be able to handle them. These patrols consist mostly of older Su-30, Su-35 and J-11 jets in what EAST clearly considers a quiet front. And it is this quiet front that high command intends to stage our operations from. There are a series of small islands which high command intends to let the marines operate from in the future. We are to clear the skies of enemy aircraft to allow our maritime patrol planes in for anti-submarine warfare before the landings are executed in the near future.” “The forces taking part in this operation will be the Argonauts, Nightstalkers, Strikers, Stingers from the Illustrious, as well as the Crusaders and Emeralds from the Constellation. The Argonauts and Emeralds will clear the way with support from the E/A-18G growlers of the Zeus squadron aboard the Illustrious, securing the perimeter for an hour before you are relieved by the second wave of aircraft. The total operation should take no more than 6 hours, sufficient for the P-8s to drop their sonar buoys. After today, we expect to perform routine patrols for around a week until we are joined by the Enterprise and Audacious carrier strike groups.” “The 5th Air Force has provided AWACS and electronic warfare aircraft circling around the Whiskey waypoint, 200 kilometers west of the engagement zone, but they will remain in a holding pattern and are under orders not to move any closer to contested airspace. Therefore, we recommend that all of you to stick strictly to our area of operations. No one will be coming to your aid if you over chase and get caught by enemy reinforcements.”
Flight deck, Supercarrier Illustrious
Taking off from a carrier never gets old. Sinon loved the jolt of the catapult as it threw her aircraft forward. It was an exhilarating feeling, since at the end of the short naval runway lay the endless skies above. Soon enough, it was her turn to taxi over to one of the catapults. The distributed aperture system (DAS) and new helmets were marvelous features of her F-35C, allowing her a panoramic view of her surroundings as the deck crew raced to get ready for her takeoff. The first rays of sunlight were beginning to filter through the cloud cover, painting the skies and wave tops a gentle orange. A few hand signals later, she was off, racing towards the horizon with the rest of her squadron towards the rising sun. “Argonaut, Emerald and Zeus, this is Bellerophon, your assigned command and control for today. Instructions are to climb to flight level 300. Proceed to waypoint Beta before intercepting enemy patrol.” “Argonaut 1 Merlin to Bellerophon, Argonauts copy, carrying on with climb.” As she climbed, she could see the naval task force becoming smaller and smaller in her rear view, before they were all obstructed by the cloud cover. The skies were a hazy yellow and blue, punctuated by occasional cirrus bands. No dark,towering cumulonimbus clouds and storms today, a good sign. Operating in the Southern Ocean often meant foul weather, and she would rather not deal with that while carrying out the mission. Glancing around, she could see her squadron formed up around her. It was her first combat mission with this bunch. While she was promised that they were some of the best naval pilots in the previous Vault war, she couldn’t help but be a bit worried. Good pilots in the game often meant big egos, and she wasn’t sure if placing all of them in the same squadron, under her command was a great idea. Combat in the skies was deadly, one wrong decision was sometime all it took to lose a pilot. Differing ideas in how to engage the enemy had cost her brothers and sisters in arms more than once in the past. “Clover to Merlin, what’s up Ma’am, you seem awfully quiet today, anything to tell us before we go in?” “She’s always quiet Clover, think in that last training mission she said a total of 3 sentences to us.” “Better that than being a chatterbox like you Husky. Sometimes I can’t even focus in engagements because you keep talking.” “Guess you’re just going to have to get better at multitasking while you’re here then Ice-cream, I’m not going anywhere else for a long time.” “Merlin to Argonauts, we are approaching waypoint Beta. I will be running through some last minute reminders again.” “There she goes again, nothing but business with this one.” Ignoring the jab at her, she continued. “Strict EM controls are to be observed until Bellerophon gives us the all clear to engage. The current combat environment is nothing like the ones you’ve faced in the previous wars. Do not be careless or cavalier in your attitudes towards EM emissions. Your sensors are a double edged sword, while the ones on the F-35 are highly advanced, they also give away your position the instant you turn them on. Especially you, Husky, I do not want a repeat of last week in training. Do that in combat and you will be dead before you know it.” “As mentioned in the briefing, all aircraft are also to remain strictly within the area of operations. Our primary objective is not to take down all the enemy planes, but to secure air superiority within the region while our maritime patrol boats perform their mission. Furthermore, you are to strictly limit your usage of missiles to at most 1 per target, Emerald squadron will be cooperating with us to take down the enemy patrols. We will need to conserve ammunition to ensure that we can deal with any reinforcements that may turn up.” “Is that clear Argonauts.”“Yes Ma’am.” Chorused the other pilots. Soon, the circling support aircraft of the 5th Air Force came into sight, marked by blue squares by her onboard computer. “Merlin to Bellerophon, Argonauts at waypoint Beta, advice on other squadrons and further action.” “Bellerophon to Argonauts, Emeralds and Zeus are present, proceed heading 076 to intercept enemy, your call to go.” “Argonauts engaging.” The operation had begun. It wasn’t long before Bellerophon had picked up 2 enemy aircraft on her long range radar. They appeared on her helmet mounted display as little red squares in the distance. These were identified as Su-35s, one of the most capable 4th generation fighters in the previous Vault War. They had been introduced by EAST near the end of the conflict and proved to be more than capable of matching up against the previously superior F-15s and F-18s flown by WEST. However, with the advent of very low observability aircraft on both sides, the Su-35s, short lived kings of the sky, were obsolete. Their massive radar cross section caused them to light up on Bellerophon’s sensorslike candles, while they themselves had no idea of the approaching F-35s. “Emerald 1 and Argonaut 1, you are to engage. Only two bandits observed thus far, expecting two more within 10 minutes.” “Argonaut 1 copy.” “Emerald 1 copy.” Air combat these days was so radically different from before. She’ll probably end this war without even seeing an enemy fighter. Touching a few buttons and flicking a few switches, her jet pointed nose up and lobbed a long ranged AIM-260 missile into the upper atmosphere. She then watched calmly as it traveled on her display closer and closer to the Su-35, before both the missile and the enemy jet vanished from radar view. The Su-35 had no time to react before the missile slammed into it, ripping it apart. “Splash 2 bandits. Argonaut and Emerald, adjust heading to 095.” The next pair of enemy aircraft, this time Su-30s, were dispatched with similar ease. “Bellerophon to all. Proceed to waypoint Gamma, maintain holding pattern 1 until relief arrives.” Now for the hopefully uneventful part of the mission, she would really prefer it if no enemy aircraft showed up today. Her cup of coffee was only half finished.
Unknown Location
1 year, 2 months, 29 days after T-day
Unbeknownst to the pilots in the air, while their mission was over with relative ease. Their carrier was about to be fighting for her life. Huge transport erector launcher trucks dotted the plains near the beach, their missile tubes pointed at the sky as they received their targeting information. The carrier strike group had sailed unknowingly into the range of a newly established anti-ship ballistic missile formation. As first light broke, satellites orbiting above the globe which were keeping a close watch on the Avalon islands picked up the wakes of the WEST ships. Using that information, the satellites rapidly geolocated the ships, with high altitude reconnaissance drones launched to provide a second level of redundancy to the kill chain. The anti-ship missile formation was notified and ordered to strike the warships with haste. This particular formation consisted of 1 DF-21D battalion, and 1 DF-17 battalion. While the former missile had been privy to WEST intelligence for a while now, the latter was a new product, shrouded in secrecy until today. The DF-17 had a hypersonic glide vehicle warhead, which was far more maneuverable and much more difficult to intercept than the ballistic missiles of previous generations. This was a golden opportunity to test its efficacy. The TEL vehicles launched their payload towards the sky, with the flames and smoke of the ballistic missile boosters filing the air one after another.
Bridge, St. George
1 year, 2 months, 29 days after T-day
It had been an uneventful morning aboard the destroyer St. George, as usual, the missions were often left up to the pilots to complete. Until multiple alarms flashed onto the screens of the crew monitoring the horizon. Possible missile launches, dozens of them. Some had already exited the upper atmosphere and were preparing to release their warheads. The AEGIS missile and air defense system, roused from its slumber, immediately began identifying targets and presenting targeting solutions to the crew across the entire task force. At this speed, the ballistic missiles were just 3 minutes from impacting the task force. The crew could only hope that their endless hours spent training for this very situation would guide them through it, along with the purported best missile defense system in the game. Vertical launch system (VLS) cells opened as SM-3s roared out of them, aiming to intercept as many targets as possible near their apogee in outer space, where the missiles were at their lowest speed and hence most vulnerable. However, the crew knew this wouldn’t be easy. They had been briefed on the latest anti-ship ballistic missiles operated by EAST, and knew that some could maneuver to dodge the incoming interceptors, especially if their warheads were already released. Anxiously, they awaited as the missiles approached their designated targets, wishing that both would disappear simultaneously from their screens, indicating a successful intercept. Their missiles had been tested thousands of times against similar target profiles prior, but actual combat was always different. Furthermore, the margin for error was tiny, any single warhead let through and it was likely an entire ship lost due to the vast kinetic energy possessed by the warheads on impact. The first wave of interceptors had gotten half of the targets, but now all of the remaining missiles had released their warheads, and thus the interception rate was unlikely to remain that high. Volley after volley of SM-3s were launched into the air, heading for the predicted trajectories of the warheads. However, the warheads themselves were more difficult to detect on radar, even with the St. George’s recently installed AN/SPY-6, with the task force often losing track of one warhead momentarily as it darted around in the atmosphere, before picking it up again. The value of a highly data-linked task force was priceless in these circumstances, such that even if one ship lost track of a warhead, so long as any other warship within the carrier strike group had a track, the combat picture all ships had was unaffected. Despite the interceptors’ best efforts, some warheads managed to break through the mid-course interception envelope. Now, the ships had to resort to its terminal missile defense capabilities, which many considered to be more luck than anything else. At these ranges, the warheads were less than a minute from impacting the ships, and there was no margin for error. Suddenly, further warnings showed up on the targeting computers aboard the St. George. Several missiles were approaching from a different direction, but there was something wrong. These were already in the terminal phase, yet they were not picked up earlier by the carrier strike group’s sensors. Furthermore, they seemed to jiggle about in the air. They were going to be a nightmare to target. The crew rapidly handed over full control of the AEGIS system to the onboard computer. Human reactions were too slow for the current situation, they needed the computer to come up with firing solutions and execute them directly. Now, the missiles flying out of the VLS cells were SM-2s and SM-6s, tailored for terminal phase ballistic missile defense. Like the SM-3s, they were guided along a flight path that would bring them onto a predicted interception course with the warheads. However, in the terminal phase, the warheads were much faster than in the mid-course phase, further complicating interception. All onboard watched the screens with bated breath. The volleys of SM-3s had given way to a deluge of missiles pouring out of the ships’ launch systems, all limiters being removed in order to just survive. One by one, the interceptors connected with their targets, bringing down warhead after warhead. However, some of the jiggling warheads were exceedingly stubborn, dodging interceptor after interceptor with tiny movements. They were now just 20 seconds from impact with the carrier Illustrious itself. In a last ditch effort, the AEGIS system aboard the St. George cut power to its main search radar and overloaded the ship’s electronic warfare suite. The newly installed SEWIP Block III had greatly enhanced the ship’s electronic warfare capabilities. Advertised as being able to fry an enemy aircraft or missile’s sensors from tens of kilometers away, this was the last line of defense against the incoming hypersonic glide vehicles. Relying on the other ships’ targeting systems, the St. George sent a torrent of electromagnetic energy at the incoming warheads. In coordination with this attack, the other ships launched even more interceptors at the warhead, hoping that the electronic attack had degraded the warheads’ ability to sense and avoid incoming interceptors. Aboard the deck of the Illustrious, 3 great fireballs were seen just above the carrier. The interceptors had been just in time. Nevertheless, this was no time to celebrate. They had no idea where the missiles had been launched from, at least not according to their pre-mission briefings. Not only that, they had seemingly encountered a new type of missile which was beyond the capabilities of even their newest interceptors. It was only because of the timely intervention of the SEWIP electronic warfare system that saved the carrier Illustrious. However, this method was only supposed to be used as a last resort, and they could be facing multiple waves of such attacks if they stayed within the region since the enemy clearly had precise information on their location. Eventually, one warhead would get through and they would lose a ship. The risk was too high, they had to withdraw. “To all squadrons, the operation is a no-go under current circumstances, enemy ground missile batteries firing upon carrier from unknown location. Return to base immediately.” ~Blue Skies: Chains of War~
New Haven Airbase
1 year, 2 months, 29 days after T-day
“Kirito… wake up…” He despised mornings. It had to be too early for anything important right now. They were just forgotten soldiers in a barren outpost. General Amos had come down a week earlier. He was hopeful that he had come to give back their wings. However, he had simply inspected the base and left without saying a word. “Just… a while more…” “Kirito… someone is here to see you… and they won’t be happy if you’re late…” Yuuki could really be a demon when she wanted to, rousing him from his comfortable slumber like this for her own gain. Chances were that she just wanted to play more games with him. This girl was ridiculous sometimes, he still remembered when she woke him in the dead of night to watch a movie together because she was scared of watching alone. “Let’s play a bit later Yuuki, I really want to sleep in…” “Play? Hmph, we’re going to leave you here to rot if you continue to laze around in bed.” “Yeah, sure… sure…” That’s when he heard it, the roar of a plane’s engines. This was no tiny transport commanders often took to the base. It was something big, it sounded… like a C-17? He couldn’t remember exactly, it had been a long time since his stint in a combat unit after all. His eyes snapped open and went to the window. There it was, a massive transport on the tarmac, bearing an olive laurel on its tail. His eyes widened in excitement. The olive laurel, sigil of High Command. Yuuki was right, someone was going to be very angry if he was late. A/N: I follow defense related developments as a hobbyist, apologies in advance for anything that doesn’t match up with actual military procedures and protocol.