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Operation: Vanguard
The briefing started with a full house, which was uncommon in the briefs. The coronal was also there, he sounded annoyed.
“
“Agah, you people are like the plague, you know that? The moment you returned to Sand Island, this happens!”
“A large combined force of Yuktobanian vessels and aircrafts has been detected advancing in the ocean directly towards
Sand Island from the west. Our intelligence has confirmed the presence of amphibious assault ships within the armed coming
fleet. We believe the enemy's goal is to conduct a landing operation on Sand Island and capture this base. Close with the
enemy, disrupt landing operations and suppress their naval gunfire directed at our forces ashore.”
“Even if this turns into a ground war, I am prepared to fight for this island to the bitter end! As my advanced guard,
I want you to forget everything else and concentrate on dealing a lethal blow to the incoming enemy invasion fleet. We’ll
be deploying everything we’ve got! Launch every aircraft capable of anti-ship combat regardless of combat experience!”
“This is AWACS Thunderhead. All units listen carefully.
“Ah I missed that sweet voice. Say, you get that from your mamma’s side of the family?” Chopper asked.
“Cut the chatter! First enemy wave bearing 260 degrees. You are cleared to engage on-sight.”
“It’s too risky to bring the nuggets here.” Nagase said.
“I’m with you on that. You agree kid?” Chopper asked me.
“Yeah. But it can’t be helped. You know how top brass are.”
“Seriously. They've got their hands full just keeping their planes in the air!”
“If we make it back alive, there’s something I want to ask you, if that’s alright.” a nugget asked.
“Sure thing. Just one problem, it’s not “IF.”“
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't say "if." We WILL make it back alive.”
“That’s more like it!” my backseater (or GIB) said.
All of a sudden, the ground forces at Sand Island said, “This is Sand Island Base Defense! Enemy amphibious force intercepted
at the coastline!”
“Enemy ships are firing towards Sand Island stop them! Enemy assault ships are launching hovercraft and helicopters!
Shoot them down before they reach Sand Island!” Thunderhead shouted.
“So, hey, if the enemy wins here, then what happens to us?” Chopper asked. “Damn this ain’t looking
good”
“The coastline is under heavy attack!” the ground forces said.
“I KNOW! I KNOW! All units, this is Colonel Perrault at Base Command. Do everything in your power to stop them. If you
can't protect this island, what'll we tell our great heroes in the sky!”
“”Great heroes”? What’s with him? He sounds like a completely different man.” Grimm said.
“Don’t expect that stuff when we get back. I’ll bet he has a different script for us.” Chopper said.
I must have sunk one ship to many, because I heard Nagase cry “missile fired from enemy sub!”
“WHAT?” Grimm demanded.
“GET OUTTA THERE GRIMM! YOU NUGGETS TOO!”
“C’MON! C’MON! CLIMB!” Chopper yelled
“YOU HEAR ME NUGGETS? YOU HAVE TO CLIMB!”
“PULL UP! EVERYONE! GET YOUR ALTITUDE ABOVE 5000 FEET!”
“Submarine missile launch confirmed. Believed to be a burst missile with multiple warheads that separate in mid-air.
Get above 5000 feet and stand by! WAIT! We’re getting a command override from somewhere! “Data link to A-sat targeting
system” what is this? Now it’s counting down by itself! 9, 8, 7...”
“DAMMIT! THEY’RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!” Chopper yelled.
“4... 3... 2... 1...”
I heard a strange sound and started looking for it, but I couldn’t see anything. But what I did see was what was left
of the missile coming right for my engine.
“SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK?” I yelled and put the plane into a crushing 9 G turn.
“THE SKY JUST LIT UP!“MISSILE VAPORIZED IN MIDAIR!” Thunderhead yelled.
“WHAT WAS THAT? DID YOU SEE THAT KID?” Chopper demanded.
“See what?” I yelled.
“The light! That light! That wasn't a missile!”
“WAS THAT THE ARKBIRD?” Nagase yelled.
“Missile destroyed by a laser beam fired from orbit altitude. It's the Arkbird. We've got the Arkbird! All units, continue
engaging the enemy!”
“THE MISSILE’S ALL DISAPPEARED! WHAT’S GOING ON?”
“WHAT IS THAT? WHAT HAPPENED?”
“Thunderhead, this is the ASW plane Blue Hound. Submarine detected by sonobuoy. A sound pattern analysis produces a
match to the Scinfaxi.”
“Captain, do you think the Arkbird can really avoid hitting us?” Grimm asked, concerned.
“Look what it did to the missile!” I said.
“Yes, it does seem to be highly accurate.” he responded.
“Thunderhead, this is Blue Hound. Picking up sounds from Scinfaxi indicating imminent missile launch.”
“Arkbird, we’ll send the data over to you as soon as we detect the missile! We’re counting on you!”
Thunderhead said.
A few seconds later, the Scinfaxi must have launched the missile because I heard thunderhead yell “MISSILE AWAY! LOCKED
ON! BEGIN DATA LINK!”
The Arkbird fired a few seconds later, it destroyed the missile.
Thunderhead here, missile destroyed! We did it!”
“I’m goanna make it! I’m goanna get out of this alive! I know it!”
The Yuke landing forces must have been panicking at that point.
“What was that light?”
“They shot that from outer space?”
“Now what? We have nothing that can touch it that high up!”
“SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!” my GIB (guy in back) yelled.
“What’s the all shit?” I yelled.
“Their about to-“ he never got a chance to finish, because a whole swarm of missiles started erupting from the
water.
“OH NO! They’re launching more missiles! Number 3! Number 4! Number 5!”
“There’s to many!” Grimm yelled.
“CLIMB KIDS! GO GO GO!”
“C’MON ARKBIRD! USE YOUR LASERS! THE NUGGETS ARE GONNA GET KILLED!” Nagase cried.
“FOLLOW THE FLIGHT LEADS!” one of the nuggets yelled.
The Arkbird fired its laser again, but it only destroyed one of the missiles. The nuggets where still in the blast zone of
the burst missiles when Thunderhead started counting down.
“10 seconds to impact! 9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... bursting NOW!”
The missile exploded with tremendous force the shock wave even hi me at 7000 feet. The nuggets weren’t so lucky however.
“WINGS DAMAGED! LOSING ALTITUDE!”
“THE EJECT HANDLE’S STUCK!”
“THEY’RE ALL FALLING!” Grimm yelled.
“DAMMIT!” Chopper swore.
“THIS IS SAND ISLAND BASE DEFENCE! INTENSE FIGHTING ALONG THE CAOSTLINE! WE CAN’Y HOLD OUT MUCH LONGER!”
“we have no choice. Just weave through the missiles and continue attacking the ship!” AWACS Thunderhead said.
“Oh, yeah? Just weave through the missiles? WHAT ARE YOU, NUTS?”
“Blue Hound, this is Arkbird, requesting sonobuoy datalink.”
“This is Blue Hound, stand by. we’re dropping a new sonobuoy.”
The landing force was getting panicked.
“So now what? We don't have anything that can touch it that high up!”
“If that laser even grazes us, we're finished!”
“That big bird's got good aim. Stay sharp!”
“We're all within range of that thing!”
“Dammit! When are we goanna hit land!”
“Blue Hound, this is Arkbird. Is that sonobouy data available yet?”
“Roger! We’re sending it now. What are you goanna do?”
The Arkbird never answered directly, but I knew what it was going to do.
“Countdown to firing. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”
The Arkbird shot its laser and I saw it this time. But to me, it wasn’t aiming at anything. But the ASW plane saw differently.
“THE ARKBIRD SHOT A LASER BEAM INTO THE OCEAN! EXPLOSION IN THE WATER! IT DAMAGED THE SUBMEARGED SCINFAXI! PICKING UP
SOUNDS OF MAIN BALLEST BLOW! IT’S SURFACING!”
I then got a good look at the sub. Everyone must have been thinking the same things as me.
“It’s huge…” Nagase said.
“Looks like it’s lost diving ability. It’s floating like a cork! All units commence attack!” Thunderhead
ordered.
“THE SCINFAXI’S SURFACING! IT APPERES TO BE DAMAGED!”
“Enemy planes taking off from enemy sub.” The ASW plane said.
“Roger Blue Hound, Wardog, engage the aircraft if you see an opportunity.”
The sub was launching its missiles at a frantic pace as if trying to kill us all when we where starting our attack runs. I
could hardly believe the size of that thing. We started dropping our external fuel tanks, bombs, anything that would make
us a little faster.
“This is Archer! Dropping bombs!”
The bombs flew through the air, a deadly rain of high-powered explosives. They hit the Scinfaxi causing heavy damage; ripping
back the protective metal of the sub’s sail or superstructure like clay. All of a sudden, a massive explosion occurred.
One of the bombs must have hit a missile about to launch! I thought.
“HOLY SHIT!” Everyone yelled.
“ALL AIRCRAFT PULL UP! PULL UP!”
The explosion was huge, sending shrapnel thousands of meters into the sky, even blotting out the sun briefly, but the explosion
was so bright, and I thought a nuke was set off. A large section of the front of the sub flashed into my view through the
smoke.
“IT’S STILL ALIVE!” I yelled.
No! Correction: What I saw was a section of the hull being blasted off with the force of the explosion. The Scinfaxi was ripped
in half. The smoke cleared, and I saw a better view of the target. It was taking in water, but not sinking. It was fighting
with its last breath. Trying desperately to stay afloat. If it sunk now, it would STAY sunk.
“Arkbird, firing laser!” AWCS Thunderhead yelled.
The powerful beam of light melted off the laser hit the Scinfaxi, what was left of its protective coating vaporised in an
instant.
“DIRECT HIT! IT RIPPED A MASSIVE HOLE! THE SUB HAS LOST THE ABILITY TO LAUNCH ADDITONAL AIRCRAFT!” the ASW plane
cried.
“BLAST IT OUT OF THE WATER!” Thunderhead roared.
I then moved over the new hole the Arkbird created and fired everything I had into it. The sub exploded with another massive
explosion, the shockwave hit my plane and sent me spiralling out of control. A piece of debris caught in the blast, I pulled
the ejection leaver. The canopy blew off, the howling wind overtaking my backseater and me for a moment before we shot out
of the plane on out rocket-powered ejection seats. My vision was reduced to a small point of light, and then as in so many
movies and novels, that too, disappeared. I blacked out. I awoke lungs burning for air; I rose to the surface as quickly as
I could. The first breath stung as my lungs filled, but if I didn’t breathe, I would drown. I treaded water for a few
moments before I realised that I had my PFD deflated. I started breathing into it. Floating became easier until eventually,
I didn’t even need to tread. The water was blood-warm, making survival time almost unlimited. I pulled out my SAR radio
and sent the usual message. Name, Rank, Status and last known position. Later, a SAR Helio picked up my backseater and me.
He had a broken arm and leg as his parachute didn’t deploy in time and he smashed into the water, breaking the bone.
We got back to base safely, as well as picking up survivors of the explosion that nearly killed me. I got promoted to First
Lieutenant, as well as the rest of the squadron.
End of chapter 4
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