Heartbreak 1, Nikanor, and a third person landed on the deck of the Kestrel after we shot down Grabacr Squadron. Turned out, Nikanor wasn’t behind the war; it was Belka. They had preformed a silent coup d'état in Yuktobania as well as in Osea.

The third person to land with Bartlett was a woman. When I asked for her name, she had said: “just ‘Major’”. She was carrying a single disk along with her. She told us that it contained the secret planes of the Belkan ‘Grey Men.”

I understood who she was. She was the female recon major in the Yuktobanian army that broke Bartlett’s heart and had thus given him his callsign.

During the night, she took us out stargazing on the flight deck. She pointed to one, and then started telling us about the Satellite Orbital Linear Gun, or SOLG. A military attack satellite that Osea and Yuktobania had begun building in the Belkan War, but had abandoned in the peace that followed. She also told us that the Arkbird had been built to replace that dreadful star. The Black Star of War, replaced by the White Bird of Peace, I suppose.

The next day I was on the bridge looking out across the sea. There wasn’t anything in particular I had to do, so I talked with Nikanor. That talk was cut shot by an announcement from the 1MC, the central PA system on an Aircraft Carrier.

“All hands proceed to battle stations, Yuktobanian fleet ahead. The enemy fleet contains 40 ships, arrayed in a battle formation designed to block our Battle Group's path.”

Nikanor got on the 1MC, and said: “Attention, Yuktobanian fleet: this is Prime Minister Nikanor, representative of your government. I am on the...Kestrel?”

“Yes,” Captain Anderson said. “Kestrel.”

“I am on the Osean carrier Kestrel, for the sake of restoring peace between our Yuktobania and the country of Osea. We will once again—“

“Attention,” another voice cut in. “Attention, all vessels. The only thing that exists between Yuktobania and Osea is hatred. Prime Minister Nikanor has joined the enemy. Recognize him as such, and sink the enemy fleet with him!”

“But Commander!” another voice interrupted. “That’s the Prime Minister talking!” the ship that was talking was easily identified, because it swung directly ahead of the main fleet. “Please, stand down; we don't know what we're fighting for anymore. Sir, please, cancel engagement and stand down!”

“All vessels loyal to the fleet, a traitor is blocking our way. Attack the frigate ship Pitomnik. Open fire!”

The other ships started firing on it, and the Pitomnik sank. Silence reigned for a few minutes, and then I heard: This is missile destroyer Gumrak of the glorious Yuktobanian Navy. We cannot follow a Fleet Commander willing to sink one of his own ships! We will protect Prime Minister Nikanor! All ships who are with us, change course and follow us!”

Then I saw that three ships detach from the main fleet, and start advancing towards us at flank speed.

“Any vessel that does not follow the flagship will be fired upon!”

“Protect those brave defenders!” Anderson yelled. “Launch fighters!” he turned to Nikanor and said: Prime Minister, please take your leave.”

“But…” he tried to argue.

“Go to our President, and get a televised picture of the two of you together, shaking hands. Show it to the world.”

I ran down to the Flight Deck, and got Julie Karnes to check out an F-14A. It was the only plane we could get on such short notice. Nagase, Swordsman, and Grimm came down with their RIOs, and we all took off from the Carrier.

“A group of comrades has come to our aide. Protect these brave souls! Commence battle. We are not alone!” Anderson said as we approached the ‘enemy’ fleet.

He put something through the communications gear and I heard the first distinctive bars of ‘The Journey Home’ start to play.

“Kestrel CIC here. We'll transmit IFF data for the apposing ships. Don't fire on our allies. Can you do that?”

“As long as you got it right! Don’t screw this up, okay?”

“We've done our best to make sure that the data is accurate. Please, trust us.”

“Those planes...” one of the ships coming to our said. “Are you the Razgriz?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re the Razgriz. Nice to work with you and you are?”

“I knew it! This is the Yuktobanian destroyer, Chuda. It is an honour to fight alongside you.

“Kestrel!” the Gumrak called. “We are joining your fleet!”

“You have my gratitude.” Anderson said.

I went to full afterburners and dived on the enemy ships like a hawk with talons extended. I launched a pair of missiles and pulled up sharply, feeling the G-Forces build, then suddenly vanish as I came out of the manoeuvre.

“What is this?!” one of the enemy ships called. “Somebody stop this song!”

“Why are we listening to the enemy's music?!” the Fleet Commander demanded.

The enemy fire was directed towards us now, and I had to evade fire from four AEGIS cruisers at the same time! I dumped a stream of Chaff and flares in my wake, and headed for the deck. I went to full throttle and went to attack one of those ships from below its radar coverage.

I approached it, and fired two short-range missiles at it, targeting the delicate SPY-1 Phased Array Radar that made it such a potent threat. The missiles blasted away like a weapon possessed, and hit the ship. I flew past it at better than Mach 1, and the ship was left wallowing in the sea, unable to fire with any great accuracy.

I turned and went for the next AEGIS ship when I heard: “Budusheye sent word that they're joining us!”

“The Budusheye's joining, huh? Now we have a chance!” I heard the Gumrak’s Captain say.

I saw on my HUD that the AEGIS ship I was targeting was now changing course, and turning towards our Battle Group! I flew overhead of it, and said: “hey, Budusheye! Can you help the Inferno take care of those enemy fighters for us?”

“Aye, Aye, Razgriz, stand by.”

Then I saw the AEGIS ships do what AEGIS ships do best: they launched missiles like crazy, doubling the combat power of out Anti-Aircraft defences. I went onto the next two ‘enemy’ AEGIS ships. I sank one, and then flew over the next one when I heard: “The Kainiak is turning away! What’s happening!? Stop them!”

“What good is our fighter squadron, just flying around doing nothing?!” the fleet Commander roared.

“Our pilots are all afraid, saying that the Razgriz are here.”

“What kind of an excuse is that!? Tell them to hurry up and engage!”

I went onto the next biggest threat to the fleet: the three Iowa Class Battleships that where firing at the Carrier.

“The Boyky is a tough one. Attack that ship first.” The Gumrak Commander said then added: “Blow the side of the ship under the smokestacks. That'll render them immobile seconds.”

I did what he suggested, after all, he was in the Yuktobanian Navy, and thus knew all his ships strengths and weaknesses. I fired at the side, and watched as the ship was engulfed in secondary explosions that cooked off all the ammo and defences it had. He was right: it rendered them immobile and inoperative in seconds.

The remaining tow ships started turning away, either convinced that something else was going on here, or simply because they wanted to keep their ship intact. Given the choice, most Yuktobanian Captains would rather keep their ship and their crew’s lives intact, especially when they knew that something else was going on, even if they didn’t know what.

This was going great! We had three destroyers, two AEGIS and two battleships defect to our side!

“Transmission from Osean carrier:” I heard one of the Battleship’s Captains say as they approached the fleet. “‘From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for joining our fleet.’”

“Connect this to the ship's PA -system.” The Karniak’s Captain said. “Let everyone onboard hear it.”

“Ah, "The Journey Home"...I love that song.” One of the Sailors said.

“Yeah, me too.”

Soon, more ships where defecting to our side. The Destroyers Kolga, Geofon, Bystry, and Virowat adding that to the Gumrak, Chuda, and Dub; the Frigate Berkut, and the Submarine Aquious; and the Cruiser Fenris. Combine that with the AEGIS ships Kainiak, and Budusheye, and the Battleships Upor and Granat.

“All ships are lined up!” one of the Kestrel CIC staff said. “Now we’re in business!”

We managed to get the Yuktobanians down to 20 ships, half of what they started with, when I said: “Yuktobanian Fleet Commander! We have no wish to hurt you any more! Please, listen to what we have to say! Belka is behind all of this! They used us to start a war hoping that they could destroy us both when we exhausted ourselves! What we are telling you is the truth!”

“You mean that transmission we intercepted was accurate!? All ships stand down and merge with the Kestrel Fleet!”

“But Comrade Commander-” one of the other Captains tried to interrupt.

“Do it! We are turning ourselves over to the Kestrel and the Razgriz. We must get our revenge on the Belkans!”

My mind was reeling: we had gone from having 14 more ships to twenty! The remaining submarines surfaced, and I saw that they even had a Scinfaxi-Class Carrier Submarine. The ships identified themselves one at a time. The Cruiser Thiassi, the submarines Obscurita, Aerian, and Cerotos, the Aircraft Carrier Admiral Tsanev, and the Scinfaxi-Class ship Raven.

“Allied Fleet approaching,” a CIC officer onboard the Kestrel said.

“Osean ships you mean.” Anderson said. “It’s probably a waste of time, but try requesting some support.”

“Looks like the Osean fleet’s been listening to all of our communications up to now. They’re calling us traitors that joined forces with the Yukes.”

“Osean ships attacking! ships attacking! Transmitting new IFF data. Intercept their attack!”

“but, they’re our own people! Why-“

“There's no time to hesitate. We can't let them sink us now.”

I started to attack, but the Osean ships where too fast for me to attack them effectively, both in knots per hour and in rate of fire. This was something completely new to me.

“Those planes flying above us... aren't they the Razgriz?” one of the ‘enemy’ Osean ships said.

I couldn’t answer; mostly because I was too busy hating myself. I was killing my own countrymen! Dammit!

“This just makes me sick!” Grimm yelled. “Dammit!”

“These enemies are a disgrace!” Nagase agreed.

I went to destroy the remaining ships, although, like the Yuktobanians, some of the ship captains also didn’t fully understand what was happening here, either that, or they where as sick with damn war as we where.

Four ships defected to us. The Aircraft Carrier Barbet, the Destroyer Chivalry, the AEGIS Cruiser Defender, and the Frigate Interceptor. Well, this was getting a little better. We now had a Carrier Battle Force instead of a Carrier Battle Group.

The other Osean forces where shocked to see their ships defect, and they sat there, stunned. I saw my opportunity, and was about to take it when something slammed into my plane. Then there was a roaring sound as my canopy was shot full fist-sized holes, and wind blasted past the cockpit. I tried to look in the rear-view mirror to see Julie, but I couldn’t. There was a lot of blood everywhere.

She’s just sleeping. I told myself, but I knew that I had to land NOW. If on one of the other Carriers, so be it, but I still needed to land. The last Osean ships that didn’t defect to our side where now sunk, and I was going to get close enough to the Destroyer Chimera, bail out, and get pulled out by one of it’s helicopters.

“Uhhh….” I heard from the backseat.

“Julie, are you alright!?” I yelled.

I saw her head rise, then slump back. “It… hurts…”

I switched the radio to the frequency to the channel I was using to talk to Anderson. “Captain, I thought my RIO was dead, she’s not! She’s alive!”

“Do you think your RIO can survive ejecting?”

“Negative, Negative, we cannot eject.”

“Okay, I’m rigging the barricade now. You are cleared for a straight-on approach.”

A barricade landing. I didn’t like the thought of that at all. To drop towards a Carrier deck, and actually see something in the way… I shoved those thoughts away, and concentrated. I went in closer, closer, closer…

The landing was a solid jar, rattling every bone in my body, and then the net engulfed the canopy, the loose fitting nylon ropes designed to catch an airplane that for whatever reason, could not make a normal carrier landing.

Several things happened after that. The canopy was manually blown, fire crews rushed in, medical crews had pulled Julie out of the aircraft carefully, and several other things.

I took a look at the new fleet. We had gone from just having the Destroyers ‘Chimera’ and Griffin, the Frigate Finch, the AEGIS ‘Inferno’, the Cruiser Stark, and the intelligence Vessel Andromeda to adding the Destroyers Kolga, Geofon, Bystry ,Virowat, Gumrak, Chuda, and Dub; the Frigates Berkut and Interceptor, the Submarines Aquious, Obscurita, Aerian, and Cerotos and the Cruisers Fenris, and Thaissi. Combine that with the AEGIS ships Kainiak, Budusheye, Defender, the Battleships Upor and Granat, the Aircraft Carriers Barbet, and Admiral Tsanev, and the Scinfaxi-class Submarine Raven.

We where going to end this goddamn war with the help of these ships and their men and women.

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