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Operation: Whale Bird
Blaze’s Point of View
It was nothing, easiest mission in the world At least that’s what it was supposed to be. It wasn’t just us and
almost everyone from Mobius squadron but everyone they could get there hands on. General Mobilization. Our planes filled the
sky like a huge aluminium cloud. At least, that’s what Chopper described his thoughts to me AFTER the mission.
“This is AWACS Thunderhead, we’ve arrived outside the range of enemy air attack, permission granted to return
to your assigned bases in sequence. Aircraft may refuel for the return trip is required. Hold above the carrier Kestrel for
the tanker aircraft.
“Everyone’s starting to leave! Can we go yet?” Chopper complained
“Wardog squadron! I told you to wait for the tanker aircraft above the carrier!”
“I swear, man…”
All of a sudden, I picked up three radar hits with no IFF response. I think the others must have picked it up too because
I heard Chopper say,
“Hey, what is that? Is my radar on the Fritz?”
“It’s showing up on mine too.” Archer said.
“Where’d it come from? How come the morons at Thunder-Blockhead didn’t notice it? YO KID!”
“You have to call him “Captain” now.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, think we outta report this?”
“ENEMY AIR ATTACK! ALL UNITS RETURN TO YOUR COMBAT AIR PATROL STATIONS! PROTECT THE CARRIERS!” Thunderhead shouted.
“We have three carriers! Don’t let them sink even one!”
“There’s something strange here, but what? Is that what an enemy attack is usually like?” Grimm asked.
“How did the enemy know when to attack? Nagase asked.
“I just noticed something; those are all carrier-based planes!” General Granger said
I looked and sure enough, I noticed. F-35s, F/A-18s, Harriers, and a few X-02s. All of which where carrier-based.
“Alright Comrade, so where did they fly from? I have nothing on my radar!” Commander Romanov said.
“I don’t know! Maybe they have a stealth Carrier?”
“A Stealth carrier? Are you out of your mind?”
“This is Thunderhead; I’m not picking up any stealth signatures other then the F-35s, X-02s and your plane Stalin
1.” Thunderhead said.
“This is the aircraft Carrier Buzzard, missile strike off our bow! Severe shockwave, but no major damage.”
“HAVE THE THREE CARRIERS MET UP YET?”
“This is the Kestrel! It’ll be a little longer before we meet!”
“The carrier aircraft are airborne!” Chopper yelled.
“All right, I’m airborne! Come up and get me!” Captain Snow said.
“Oh! They’re finally here! What took you guys so long?”
“Alright gentlemen! It’s time to clean house!”
“Captain Snow, we entrust the sky above us to you.” Captain Anderson said.
“ROGER CAPTAIN! I won’t let you down!”
“This is the aircraft Carrier Vulture, light damage taken from missile hit.”
“This is the Kestrel, missile strike off our bow. Severe shockwaves, but no major damage.”
After a while, we shot down all the attackers and fighters. But that wasn’t the end of the mission.
“Warning! Multiple bandits on radar. Heads up, they're carrying long-range anti-ship missiles. Do not allow them to
get in range, fly out to intercept!” Thunderhead observed.
“Hey, kid! It seems that some of these guys are carrying anti-ship missiles! Can you see any?” Chopper asked me.
“No. I can’t see a thing in this weather!”
“Me neither, but it'll be trouble if they are out there. We'll take 'em before they can approach the ships.”
“Enemy fighters approaching carrier.”
I then saw the missiles that they where supposed to be carrying, they flew past me, but I couldn’t get a clear shot
at them with my machine guns.
“Warning! Enemy fighters within range to fire anti-ship missile! Defend the carrier!” thunderhead shouted.
“This is the aircraft carrier Buzzard, light damage taken from missile hit.”
There where too many planes, even for us. Some attacked he carrier while others got shot down and crashed. Some even tried
a kamikaze attack on the ANGIS ship that was decimating the enemy planes.
“Can we jettison our anti-ship missiles to turn and burn with the enemy escort fighters?” some of the fighters
where talking to each other.
“Negative. The attack on the fleet takes top priority.” There squadron leader said.
“All right sir, we’ll keep attacking the ships.”
“MISSILE IMPACT SIX HUNDRED FEET OFF PORT BOW!”
“This is the Kestrel! We’ve been beached! We’re stuck!”
The number of planes was thinning out now. There where no more F-35s but there where plenty of Harriers, but those where thinning
out too. After a while of combat, there where no more planes to target.
“Last plane confirmed shot down! Picture clear, area sanitized.” Thunderhead said
“Nice work Wardog!” Swordsman said.
“Wardog, your air-defence mission is complete! Hold for the tanker aircraft above the Kestrel!” AWACS Thunderhead
ordered. “WAIT! We’re picking up something! BALLISTIC MISSILE INCOMMING!”
“A ballistic missile? Where did they launch that from?” Archer demanded.
“Hey...what's that?”
“Allied squadron wiped out! What happened!”
“The carrier, the carrier's hit! It's tipping!”
“Someone! Anyone! What's happening?”
“I don't know! Everything below 5,000 feet was just annihilated!”
“SECOND MISSILE INCOMMING!”
“Dammit! Listen up, if you wanna survive, then climb above 5,000 feet before that thing hits! All units move it! Kestrel,
evasive action!”
“What're we gonna do, Kid? I'll follow you.”
“Are they sure it’s 5000 feet?”
“Positive, thunderhead, give me a blast radius!
“Blast radius is 5000 feet in danger zone, any altitude above that is safe.”
“This is Archer. Roger that. I'll follow you, Captain.”
“People are spilling off the decks!”
“THERE GOES ANOTHER SHIP!”
“10 seconds to next impact! 9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1… IMPACT!”
And sure enough, I felt a massive shockwave beneath my plane. Almost like Stonehenge when it attacked.
“Oh no, another one!”
“The Vulture took a direct hit! She’s sinking!”
“How...how could this happen to our fleet?”
“HEAVY DAMAGE! ALL HANDS ABONDON SHIP!”
“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ATTACK! IT WAS LIKE MOLTEN STEEL RAINING DOWN ON US!”
“What's going on? Somebody tell me!”
“How did we come to this?”
After the missile attack was over, we started to take stock.
“This is the Kestrel, all surviving aircraft, respond.”
“This is swordsman, I managed to stay alive. Looks like the Wardog squad made it too.”
“Two aircraft carriers lost… I can’t believe this is all that’s left of out force.”
“We don’t have enough fuel to make it back to base either.”
“Wardog squadron, we can’t get a tanker aircraft over to you. Proceed northeast to Heierlark Base, land and refuel.”
“HEY KID!”
“You really should start calling him “Captain””
“Forget it! If he’s the captain, then I want him to start trash-talking like a Captain. Man, I’m missing
that voice real bad now…”
“He’s got us back alive from battle for the second time! As far as I’m concerned, he’s our captain
now!”
“That’s right, and I’ll NEVER lose my lead plane again. No matter what.”
End of chapter two.
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