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Operation: Long Harpoon
Author’s note: sorry for this being mostly dialogue, but the some of the missions don’t really HAVE that much
action. At least, in my opinion.
The start of the briefing was delayed by a about an hour, so the four of us were loitering around in the Ready Room.
“Hey...what are you writing there?” Grimm asked Nagase. She was writing something in a book of hers. Most of the
people wondered about that.
“I just can't remember this next phrase...”
“Here, let me see.” Chopper said, and tried to make a move to read what she had written down.
“Hey!” she said, and shoved him away. “The princess couldn't feed the dove that day. She was too sick.”
“May I take a look?” Grimm asked. She let us take a look. I recognized the story. Something my mother read to
me in my childhood. ‘A Blue Dove for the Princesses’. One of the stories about the demon of Razgriz. I still remember
those stories even to this day.
When history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself. First, as a dark demon, as a demon, it uses its power to rain
death upon the land. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns; this time, as a great hero.
“Razgriz. The Demon of Razgriz got her, right?” Chopper asked.
“You know the story?”
“The demon from the North Sea! I remember, my grandma used to tell me bedtime stories about it. And every time she did,
I'd be too scared to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.”
We all chucked at that.
“Settle down, people!” Captain Hamilton said. Why doesn’t he fly anymore? I thought. He used to be a great
pilot a few months ago. He even helped Mobius 1 take Farbanti, and put an end to ISAF’s war with Erusia.
Coronal Perrault cleared his throat, but another guy –someone I’ve never seen before- interrupted him.
“Excuse me, Colonel. This is an absolutely vital mission to us, as the staff adviser sent from Central HQ for this effort;
I'd like to explain it myself. The Osean army is planning a vast offensive with the ultimate objective of occupying the capital
of Yuktobania. If this operation succeeds, it'll end the war in a very short order. However, Yuktobania has attacked our beachhead
with ballistic missiles from the Hrimfaxi, a Scinfaxi class submersible carrier stationed in the icy waters of Razgriz Straits.
Fortunately, our ground force had already completed the attack preparations, so, despite the missile attack, the offensive
began as planned. Nevertheless, we must neutralize the threat of another Hrimfaxi missile attack on our ground forces.”
“We have a single chance to stage a successful air attack on the underwater carrier Hrimfaxi. Our passive sonar has
detected a transport submarine that we believe is headed for the Hrimfaxi. We believe the transport sub's mission is to supply
the Hrimfaxi with missiles. Based on its course and speed, we've calculated its rendezvous time with the Hrimfaxi. By amazing
coincidence, it is precisely the same time as the Zero Hour of our ground attack. At this time, the Hrimfaxi will have to
surface to restock its missiles. At that exact moment, ingress at low altitude to avoid detection, launch a surprise attack
and sink the Hrimfaxi. Once surfaced, it only takes the Hrimfaxi one minute to rig for an emergency dive. If your approach
is detected, you will only have one minute to complete your attack on the Hrimfaxi.” The usual briefing officer said.
“Now keep in mind it won't be any support from Arkbird this time around. This mission rests solely on your shoulders.
The entire ground offensive is relying on this first surprise attack, so don't disappoint us. I want you to turn the icy Razgriz
Straits into the enemy's graveyard.” The other guy concluded.
We got into our new planes –Mitsubishi F-2 Attacker aircraft- and headed off for the Razgriz Straits. We refuelled half-way
there, and then started our attack.
“Wardog, stay at low altitude, and fly towards the submariene fleet. You are restricted from flying above 1000 feet,
we can’t risk having our surprise attack detected.” Thunderhead said.
“I'm getting chills. This northern sea is where the Demon of Razgriz came from.” Chopper said.
“Razgriz…” Nagase said, worried.
“Heh, There's no way that coulda been the Razgriz.”
“Hold your chatter. Commencing comm out procedures shortly. Maintain radio silence.”
“Guess I'll cut off the mic and try talking to myself…”
then the radio cut off. We flew at subsonic speeds, and when a saw a submarine, I fired. The LASM hit, and blasted a hole
clean through the sub.
“Awesome, we totally surprised 'em! We can talk now, right?”
“That's not the Hrimfaxi. Didn't you look at the ship identification chart?” Grimm asked.
“Whaaaa?”
“This is Lieutenant Colonel Michell, the adviser to HQ. That picket submarine just sent off an enemy detection notice.”
“Enemy planes! Halt all resupply operations!”
“Enemy planes? We're still in the middle of our mission!”
“Dammit! How did they smell us out!”
I quickly went to supersonic speeds, and flew right over the Hrimfaxi. I fired a few missiles right down its open hatch. I
must have hit something important, because the Hrimfaxi immediately dived.
“Damage status on enemy sub unknown!” Nagase yelled.
“Those bastards are diving!” Chopper said.
“This is submarine Squadron Command. The enemy is undertaking a large-scale offensive. Attack the enemy forces with
long-range missiles from the Hrimfaxi.
Urgent! Transmitting target coordinates!”
“This is Hrimfaxi! We cannot comply! We’re unable to launch missiles underwater due to battle damage!”
“What’s the point of your existence if you don’t fire them now! They're penetrating our defence lines as
we speak! Hurry up before they overrun our allies!”
“Emergency surface! Grab onto something! Once we break the surface, launch the missiles and UCAVs!”
“The Hrimfaxi’s antenna’s appeared above water! It’s surfacing!” Nagase said.
I saw the sub rise up out of the water like some kind of prehistoric monster, then it started firing.
“Hrimfaxi launching Burst Missiles!” Thunderhead yelled.
“Launching carrier jets!” Nagase added.
“This is Lieutenant Colonel Michell, the adviser to HQ. I'm getting your into in real-time from our tracker satellite.
Time your attacks to hit the Hrimfaxi when it surfaces. Sink it before it deals any more damage to our ground forces with
its missiles!”
“Hrimfaxi! You're dealing lethal damage to the Osean Army. Give me one more shot! Drive 'em bask to the coastline!”
We dived in like hawks with talons extended, and fired the LASMs again. They hit, but didn’t seem to do anything. We
kept picking up the enemies radio chatter, but we where scarcely noticing. We where fighting as a team now. Each of us flying
in, firing missiles, as well as doing a strafing run, then pull out, letting someone else in to do the same.
The Hrimfaxi kept diving, so there where a few problems there, but we could wait.
“Hrimfaxi, the enemy's abandoned the attack. Well done!”
“What're you doing! Attack, you idiots! Are you just gonna let them destroy our ground forces!”
“Geez, I thought this guy would be nicer than our Base Commander back home.”
“Ah, the top brass are all the same.”
The enemy AA barrage was quite thick, but we where able to slip through and get some attacks in. it dived for one last time,
got about half-way under the ice, then I heard: “BALLEST TANKS DAMAGED! UNABLE TO SUBMERGE!”
“Forget it! We’ll just have to deal with them above the surface!”
“The Hrimfaxi’s stopped it’s dive! We’ve damaged it!” Grimm yelled.
“Hrimfaxi launching burst missiles! Wardog, it’s headed your way! Climb! Zoom to above 5,000 feet!”
“Dude, take a chill pill!” Chopper said. “We can see the damn missile! No need to warn us!”
We all went above 5000 feet, but since we still had a few LASMs under our wings, we let them off. They hit the sub, and started
to bend back the outer coverings.
I dived in on another strafing run after the burst missiles went off, and focused on that hole the Anti-Ship missiles created.
“All this damage from four planes? How is this possible!”
“What the hell’s going on? Are the Oseans using some kind of black magic?”
“Dammit! Just sink already!” Chopper demanded.
I was forced to agree, this thing was tough as hell to sink! I locked onto something that might have been easier, the engine
room. I fired everything I had into the rear of the sub, and HOLY SHIT! There was a massive explosion!
“Amazing! It’s just like a volcanic eruption! WOW!”
I must have messed up the sub’s nuclear reactor! I was struggled to keep my plane under control, and trying not to wind
up in the drink this time around. Survival time would be less then 30 seconds. I regained control over my aircraft, and then
saw the damage I did. A good section of the Hrimfaxi’s Stern was GONE, gone along with part of sail. Although, It didn’t
look like this thing would go down without a fight. It started launching everything it had left.
“They've got to be the Razgriz... They're the real demons...”
“Geez, you guys still believe in that? That’s just a tall tale!”
“Well, how do you explain all this damage! I tell you, they're demons!”
i got a lock on the main hanger bay of the sub, and fired another set of missiles off. There was another explosion, even harder
then the first as all the JP-5, Aircraft, and weapons went up in a fireball.
“You mean to say some demons from a fairy tale are killing us all? Don't be an idiot.”
“If the demons saw the power of our fleet even they'd run away.”
“Enough with the demon stories already! I'm gonna throw you all in the brig!” the captain, or admiral I guessed
was getting a little pissed off about having huge holes getting blown in his ship. Chopper fired his remaining LASMs into
the hole I just created in the hanger bays, adding more damage to the ship, but not enough.
“This thing just won't die! It's still firing!” Chopper yelled in frustration.
“Hrimfaxi, it appears you’re up against Razgriz itself there.”
“Looks like they where the real Razgriz… Not us.”
“I've never seen a stupid fairy tale come true like this!”
“Hasn't the Captain left the control room yet?”
“This is my last order. All hands, abandon ship!” the captain of the sub said, as I fired everything I had left
into the beaten sub. There was a final explosion, even more powerful then all those that came before it, as the burst missiles
exploded with tremendous force. Luckily, I was high up in the sky unlike last time, but I still got hit by the detonation.
“WHOA!” we all yelled as the shockwave hit us. I saw pieces of the sub get flown to about 10,000 feet into the
air, propelled by the massive explosion below.
Next Chapter
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