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Operation: Riverbed
We spent the next few days trying to figure out where the Belkans had shipped those nuclear weapons. Pops called us into a
mission briefing on the second day.
“We've intercepted another mysterious radio transmission. This time it specifies a location within Yuktobania. It's
probably...well, this is just a hunch on my part, but I bet that's with the nuclear weapons sent into Yuktobania as located.
There's another set of numbers. This time it's a radio frequency.”
“Your next mission is a reconnaissance flight above the canyon in the northern highlands of Yuktobania, the place described
in the unidentified radio transmission. The highlands are completely covered by the Yuktobania air-defence system, so the
only safe place to fly is within the canyon itself. Fly down the canyon and reach the target area. Once you are there, set
your radio channel to the directed frequency and begin gathering information. You may be engaged by local Yuktobanian forces
and, depending on the contents of the transmission, you may also find yourself engaging in other combat as well. You are permitted
to fight the enemy as necessary, but you must try to keep your altitude below the rim of the canyon.
We took off an EA-18 ‘Growlers’ this time, in case we flew above the canyon rim, we could jam the hell out of
the missiles that where fired. We approached low, and dove into the canyon as soon as we could. I set my radio to the pre-selected
radio frequency and immediately heard: “Oh wow, it's true. They've come! Fighter jets! I can tell because I'm intercepting
enemy alert signals as well. Can you hear this?” someone asked.
“Who are you?” Nagase asked. “Identify yourself.”
“A great number of students and intellectuals are staging a resistance against the military government of Yuktobania.
You can call me Alyosha...that's not my real name, of course. I'm so glad you actually came...it's just like he said.”
“He?” Nagase said, confused.
“We have no time, let me explain the situation-”
I cut him off and said: “sorry, could this wait? We’ve got an in-flight briefing coming in to us now.”
I selected the radio to the mission frequency.
“We received contact from an apparent resistance group that seized and captured one of Yuktobania's nuclear weapons.
Intelligence believes that it's one of the nukes taken from the mine before we sealed it off on the 12th. Furthermore, our
radar has detected numerous enemy fighters entering the canyon and flying toward the local airspace. The force includes Yuktobanian
fighters and armed helicopters. Their mission is most likely to destroy the resistance's hideout. The enemy fighters are spread
out throughout the canyon, so we believe that the Yuktobanians still don't have the exact location of the hideout. Destroy
the enemy forces before they can find and wipe out the resistance. As mentioned previously, the local space is blanketed by
Yuktobania's air-defence system. Watch your altitude and whatever you do, don't fly above the rim of the canyon.”
After the briefing officer was finished, I switched back to the frequency I was using, and said: “sorry about that,
anyways, go on.”
“A physics graduate student from Yuktobania Central University is currently dismantling the nuclear bomb so that it
can never be detonated again. We need you to hold off the Yuktobanian forces from entering the ravine until he finishes the
task.”
“Roger that, Alyosha. Okay everyone split up. You are special weapons free.
We dispersed in groups of two. Nagase and I went to the North, and started attacking the Helicopters and gunboats that they
had there, while Swordsman and Grimm went to the South to destroy targets there.
“Hey, Captain, Nagase, are you just encountering helos and boats too?” Grimm asked some time later.
“Roger that,” I said.
“If all they have are helicopters, then we can take them on.” He responded.
“Okay, we’re now dismantling the bomb. This is a pretty tiny bomb… maybe it’s a tactical nuke. Hard
to believe something like this can wipe out an entire city…” Alyosha said.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
“Sure, I’ll have it all figured out… in theory anyways.” He responded.
I kept flying, more concerned with not slamming into a cliff then attacking the targets. Occasionally, I got a break and the
canyon went straight and fairly wide. We easily destroyed the targets there, but sometimes, the canyon was simply too narrow,
and windy to navigate.
I took that into some comfort, because if we where having a hard time, then the little boats down there must have trying harder
not to run aground. The ground forces had me worried though, but from what I could hear, they didn’t have much luck,
if any at all in locating the resistance.
The helicopters, even though some of them where attack helos, didn’t fire on us, so I switched from using my missiles
to my guns. It was better to save the missiles for when I needed them, but as to what that was, I didn’t know. This
was more target practice for my gunmanship more then anything else.
We kept clearing out the enemy forces until there where only a few helos flying around right where we couldn’t get them,
outside the canyon rim. Just then, I heard: “This is Ofnir two, you sure it’s them?”
Then another voice said: “This is Ofnir one, I said that’s what I heard. The ghosts of the demons of Razgriz.”
“You’re kidding!” the first voice said. “They all sank to the bottom of the ocean! Didn’t the
guys from Grabacr tell you that?”
“We’ll find out if they’re ghosts or not, when we take them on in combat!” the second voice said.
The four enemy planes rounded a corner, and I saw them, four Su-37 ‘Super Flankers’
I switched back to my missiles and fired, but I missed completely. They flew at speeds of upwards of Mach one when the best
I managed in this place was less then 500 Miles per hour. At first, I was wondering how they did that, then I realised that
they could fly wherever the hell they wanted as they had the right IFF codes.
I followed them, speeding up to catch them and fire off a pair of missiles. I caught up to them and fired a pair of heat-seekers,
with a perfect view of the other plane’s tailpipes. The missiles sprinted the short distance from my plane to the other
guy’s aircraft. The tracked plane exploded with startling suddenness, and I watched in disbelief as fragments of the
exploding plane hit the other plane, and watched as it to exploded in a black-and-orange fireball. The secondary explosions
came a few seconds after the main one, as both aircrafts ammo cooked off.
I did a full 180 degree turn and pointed myself in the direction I had just came because now, the remaining tow enemy planes
were closing from my six.
I tried to copy the manoeuvre I had just done, but I managed instead to get one plane with my guns, and the other with two
missiles right down the front air intake.
“All Ofnir fighters shot down. Looks like the other enemy forces bugged out on us, too.” Nagase said, as she saw
the last plane explode.
“Okay, we've dismantled the bomb. Did you fend off the enemy forces for us?” Alyosha asked.
“For now,” she replied.
“We're going into the ocean to discard the bomb, piece by piece. Nobody will ever be able to use it as a weapon again.
If you can, please protect us until we make it into the ocean.”
“We will, but what about-”
“Don't be surprised, but our ship...it's a submarine. There's nothing we can't get our hands on. I told you, we have
a lot of allies.”
“All right! But who told you that we'd definitely be coming for you?”
“I don't know his name... but he left a message for your Captain. I'll read it. It says: Hey kid, I hear you're a helluva
Squad Captain now... do you get it? ‘Cuz I don’t.”
“Only two people have ever called me ‘kid’.” I said. “One of them is dead, the other missing.
Yes, we get it. Perfectly.”
Operation: Gamebird
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