Aquila Flight- Attack on Fort Sentinel

[Gunhand4171]

Fort Sentinel, Fortuna 0900 local time

Captain Nero Vega stood in Hanger 7 of Fort Sentinel, the makeshift command center for the Aquilas. Fort Sentinel is one of the Navy's newest test facilities, located in the deserts of Fortuna. They are working on updating the Navy's out dated air units. As such, only the best of the best pilots are brought here. That is why he and Lt. Commander Jayden Solaris stood in the center of the hanger. Nero watched the techs working to put the final touches on the newly retrofitted Uno X, while Jayden barked orders to keep everything moving smoothly. Despite the facility still being fairly new, it had that feel of a well established base.

From the hanger, the runway could be seen. It had become much more active since the new pilots were being flown in, as well as the new Aquilas. Nero's ACE Cipher pipped up. "Sir, it would appear that the shuttle containing the recruits you had asked about earlier have finally arrived. They are now entering Fortuna's upper atmosphere and should be here in a few minutes." the AI said. "Thank you Cipher. Commander, it would appear that our new flight members have finally arrived, shall we go out and meet them?" He said making his way to the hanger doors, slowing only momentarily to pat his Uno's hull as he walked past. Jayden wasn't feeling very nostalgic this morning, looking to his Captain with less enthusiasm about meeting the the other pilots. "If we must," he said flatly, following behind the commanding officer with his arms held behind his back.

They stood by Fort Sentinel's gate for new personal, where they file the paperwork and are given their orders. The Captain choose to instead meet his new subordinates as they arrived. He stood near the entrance with Jayden not far behind him. Nero grabbed a cigarette from his uniform's pocket and lit it. He took a long drag on it and released a plume of smoke. Crossing his arms over his chest while holding the cigarette between his lips, he looked down at his watch,'Any minute now'' he thought.

Jayden watched impatiently as the shuttle finally landed, thinking he needed to find the pilot afterward and berate them on such wasted efforts. Adding a note to his mental task list, he took a deep breath and fought to stow away his annoyance.

As Nero looked down at his watch his ear piece rang to life. "Sir, they are here. They are taxing in from runway 11." Cipher noted. "Thank you Cipher. Ready all the new ACEs for a meet and greet when we arrive. It seemed like it took forever for the shuttle to finally make its way over to the terminal. It docked and the new recruits started stepping off.

 

[Grey Library]

As the shuttle's cargo bay slid open with a pressurised hiss, a rather diminutive figure stepped out. LGJ. Miranda Bannings winced as a blast of dusty desert air met her full in the face, the long shuttle ride with its pressurized environment a far cry to Fortuna's climate. So this is Fortuna, she thought as she looked out at the sandy expanse beyond the airfield's perimeter, hefting the pack containing her belongings. The whole place looks baked, and the sun hasn't even risen yet. Well then, time to roast. Subconsciously nodding to herself, the young pilot hopped off the loading ramp, the almost comically oversized (to her) standard military backpack shuddering from the impact.

Spotting the two men standing at the camp's entrance, Miranda perked up and hustled over to the presumed officers. Quickly brushing aside her ashen fringe, she snapped to attention and saluted. "Leftenant Miranda Bannings reporting in, sirs."

 

[Lamb]

What emerged next from the shuttle, not five feet behind Miranda, was a boy. Well, perhaps he was cruising the middle of his twenties, but his features were soft and youthful. Trained eyes blinked away the harsh Fortuna sunlight, for it was not unlike the opressive sun of his native Nepleslia Prime, and a wavy mane of blonde hair cut slightly to one side in the gentle hot breeze as the youth retrieved his cover and settled the blue peaked cap gently onto his head. He smiled at everyone perhaps a bit too earnestly as he trotted down the gangway and sidled up next to Miranda with an easy attention and a slow, yet crisp salute.

"El-tee Jay-gee Virgil Canton, reporting for duty." He was much more softspoken than his female counterpart, the kind of voice that often elicited spirited cries of 'I can't hear you!' from drill sergeants during basic. Still, the tone had the appropriate respect tailored into it, and those deep blue eyes held a smile even after his face had fallen into emotionless attention.

It was absolutely disgusting.

He sure was cute, though.

 

[Saul]

Niklas Kreuger groaned with fatigue and rubbed at his one organic eye, while his body still fought to cling to the last vestiges of sleep that his brain and years of experience and practice refused to let it keep. Not even five minutes since he'd been woken up by the shift in the flight from a transition from vacuum to atmosphere and the old lingering pains were already starting to settle in. The reminding presence of legs that didn't feel right and arms with fingers that bent and curled in ways they shouldn't that faded away to simple pain as he became more fully awake. And that could be battled away with a handful of low-grade painkillers.

The wake-up ritual was short and sans alcohol since he was both in his dress uniform and on a shuttle with a crew who provided little more than coffee to make the bitter little pills he swallowed something resembling palatable - or close enough to it that he didn't want to spit them up right away. He chugged away at the coffee and ended the long pull with a hiss at the heat before taking a few moments to look around. Other sailors filled the shuttle, much like him. Mostly enlisted men and women among them but a few others like himself who were easy to spot out from the peaked caps they either wore or had on their hats. Most of the tags and patches indicated ship crews and similar professions but a few stood out as pilots like himself.

Almost all of them were related in some way to the formation and establishment of Fort Sentinel. That had been what Niklas' orders were for. His first assignment away from supply and shipping flights since he'd vaguely threatened the medical officer in charge of his review with mean and nasty things he could do to the human body with his cybernetics. Of course it had been a gamble he'd expected to end up getting him sent to the brig, but it had paid off well. A certified ace in his own right, his orders had a high-priority seal associated with unit formation.

As in, "from the ground up" unit formation.

It was a fair bet that the few other pilots in the shuttle ride were carrying similar orders.

The shuttle bucked and rocked with turbulence - stuff the pilot should have been accounting for with heat coming up off the desert sands to meet cold early-morning air. A sheepish-sounding apology from the co-pilot came over the speaker that they'd circle around to try again since the buffeting had been enough to throw off their approach entirely. So in the time it took the pilot to find a clear lane of air traffic, circle it once to wait for an appropriate runway to clear, and move into land Niklas had finished his coffee and had a second one almost entirely down as well before they felt the first jolt of touch-down.

Once they were down and ready to dismount, Niklas let out another tired sigh. He fished wrap-around sunglasses from a pocket of his dress jacket and quickly placed them over his eyes - just large enough to hide most of the scarring. After all it was his reminder, not for others to gawk at. And after that came his peak cap before he rose up and gathered his packs - his duffel and a Navy blue backpack. He was the third out the aircraft and only took a few moments glancing around before stepping all the way out and having his previous assumption confirmed when he noticed the only other officers aboard were heading the same way he was.

Two young bucks, probably fresh out of the academy, had beaten him there, and were both standing so ram-rad straight that they looked as if they might fall over with the first strong breeze. Niklas moved to join them, looking to address the officers first.

"Lieutenant Niklas Kreuger reporting, sir." He offered a salute stopping at the brim of his cap, and once clear to drop the salute he retrieved his DataJockey with orders already pulled up to offer them to the senior of the two officers, "My orders, sir."

He glanced aside at the young man next to him. There was something just off about his uniform. It took Niklas a moment to realize - the angle of the cover.

"Fix your cap, JG." He muttered in something between a whisper and an irritated growl.

 

[paladinrpg]

The woman who emerged next from deep inside the shuttlecraft's bay behind the imposing veteran Niklas presented a stark contrast with the other officers who had come before her. A blast of the parched, desert air assaulted her momentarily, as the aviator scarf she wore about her neck whipped up along with the medium length green hair that followed its motions made it difficult to see her face completely. Wait, green...? Once the breeze died away, those assembled may have did a brief double take: gazing upon her distinctly Yamataian features and form that seemed too perfect without blemish, the emerald hair and matching eyes with the serious look in them of a warrior... an ordinary grunt Nepleslian soldier may instantly feel the need to run for cover because a veteran Nekovalkyrja had stepped into his midst.

But after that moment of fear passed, the logical mind saw the finer details. The ears she had were human-like, and not pointed nor furred. However contradictory it might seem to some, she was also clad in a standard Nepleslian military dress uniform just like the other pilots, one that hugged her foreign curves. The bright desert light shined off a small circular pendant she wore around her neck that was definitely not standard... it appeared to have a rising sun on it and 3 chevrons, and to those like the Captain that knew his history this was not just jewelry but a former United Outer Colonies Peacekeeper Forces enlisted rank insignia. It all made sense now... she was a Jiyuuian refugee, and an ex-military one at that.

As she gazed around a moment to take in her first observations of the planet Fortuna, the recent transfer walked forward to join the others in the line and stand next to Niklas. She delivered a salute to the brim of her peaked hat, and spoke with a cool, calm voice in accented Trade. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Sayoko Mochizuki, reporting for duty as ordered. It is... an honor." Though she seemed respectful and compliant of her superiors, something intense lurked just beneath the porcelain surface the assembled pilots couldn't put their finger on. Why would someone like this be here flying Nepleslian jets, anyway?

 

[Archander]

There was something about the atmosphere of Fortuna - that god awful dry heat that robbed one of a decent breath of air once out the much more favorable controlled climate of a shuttle, or how the sun seemed to blanch out the natural color of things to those whose visions were not protected by some sort of shading - that drew a slight smile upon Jayden's normally seemingly annoyed looking face. As the pilots filtered out the shuttle to both acclimate and present themselves before himself and Captain Vega, Jayden quickly took note of each one, his hand deftly manipulating his DataJockey to glance over each of their dossiers. Each one of them were recommended by Admiral Orion himself however, looking at them in person and over their records, he fought hard to keep his misguided and early disappointment from seeping out.

"We really are going to be a ragtag unit of misfits, aren't we? At least now Nero will have others to torment now with his upbeat attitude." He thought to himself. Jayden stepped forward and saluted the four pilots in front of him after just another moment's delay, then spoke. "Congratulations on being personally handpicked by Admiral Orion himself. I am Lieutenant Commander Jayden Solaris, Aquila Flight's XO..." He paused, his head tilting slightly and his eyes narrowing a little. "... And quite possibly the single hardest person you will attempt to impress or gain favor with. This here is your Commanding Officer, Captain Nero "Crux" Vega. Together, we are tasked with ushering in the next generation of what will be considered the "gold" standard of what an Ace of Nepleslian's Navy represents."

He then turned to Nero and snapped to attention, saluting his superior officer. "Sir, all transferred pilots are present and accounted for. The flight is yours to address, sir!" The sharpness in his actions, and his crisp tone possessed an edge to them, something that wasn't often seen outside of a freshly graduated officer just out from the academy. Maybe he was trying too hard to put on airs for the newly stationed Aces, maybe he took his job way too seriously, or maybe he was actively trying to play nice. One could never tell with Jayden.

 

[Gunhand4171]

Nero watched as all the pilots walked up to him handing him their orders. As each walked up he saluted back and gave them a small smile. Once the four were assembled Jayden walked up and addressed them. After finishing, he turned to Nero and saluted. Captian Vega turned in kind and saluted back.

"Thank you XO. Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the lovely planet of Fortuna." His voice rising to be heard over the wining of the shuttles engines. "As the Commander said, my name is Captian Nero Vega callsign Crux. You have all been hand picked by the 'Warhawk' himself to revive the traditions of the Ace. To become the next generation of pilots who raise the bar higher than any of us can imagine. You should feel honored to be here. I am honored to be your CO." He said looking each one of them in the eye as he spoke.

As he had finished speaking, Cipher chimed in his ear. "Sir, the ACEs have been brought online. Except for the two for the TBD pilots." Nero tapped his ear piece again. "Good job Cipher. We are on our way. Prepare the technicians for our arrival. He turned back to everyone. "All right Aquilas, grab your gear and follow me."

As he walked he informed everyone of their progress and the work that he and Jayden were doing. "Fort Sentinel, as you have probably all ready heard, is the newest Naval facility we have built. What you probably haven't heard is that here at the Fort, we are testing the next generation of fighters as well as retrofit old ones. The Commander here has been working tirelessly to make sure your craft don't explode on the runway. He has retrofitted all the Unos we have. The new Uno Xs are in a whole new league. Our initial tests show that they are able to preform just as well as the Quattros. However, the Commander has also been working on the development on a new generation of multirole fighters. Commander Solaris will finally bridge the gap between PA's and aircraft." As he spoke they finally reached Hanger 7. Nero stood at the entrance and ushered them inside.

As they walked in, they saw the lines of Aircraft lining the hanger for them. On the table in the center of the room however were four data cards. All labeled with the pilots names. Nero walked up to the table and turned around. "I have also been busy myself. The Admiral and I have started the ACE AI Initiative." He grabbed one of the data chips and held it up for all of them to see. "On each of these data chips is your new CO Pilot. They will become your new best friend, so please try not to piss them off." He said smirking. "Come up here and grab your new CO Pilot, find your plane, and plug them in. Say hi to them then get back down here to talk to your new squadmates. We will begin training in a few hours so everyone needs to get to know each other." He placed the data chip in his hand back on the table and backed away allowing them to get to it. "If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me. I'm not as scary as the Commander." He said flashing the XO a smirk.

 

[Grey Library]

Standing at attention in front of her two COs did not help her nerves any, Captain Vega and Leftenant Commander Solaris positively towered over her. As more and more of her new squadmates arrived, Miranda's heart gradually sank to the pit of her stomach as she was slowly and inexorably surrounded by giants.

The final nail in that particular coffin was finding out that the resident foreigner, LT Mochizuki, was at least 4 inches taller than her. Even a Yamataian was taller than her.

Am I really a Nepleslian? she fretted, hiding behind a mask of calm and serenity.

Receiving her ACE AI and new aircraft was a welcome relief from her inner disturbance. Focus. Focus. It's a big decision here, panicking won't help. Hangar 7 was chock full of gleaming airframes, mostly of shiny new Uno Xs freshly remodeled and upgraded Quattros all boasting a myriad of fancy new upgrades, ranging from thicker armor to stronger shields and extra gun ports. An Uno? she thought, looking at the nearby jet. No, never really flown one before. A Quattro won't do either, I don't think I can handle the acceleration... Ah.

Out of the corner of her eye, a familiar silhouette caught her attention. Bingo, Miranda mused as she headed to the lonely-looking Hornet hull sitting at a corner of the hangar. In her eyes, it was a reliable craft that she'd been using throughout her short career, a rugged and dependable plane that could be counted on to bring its pilots home, or put up a valiant attempt.

It was also the biggest plane in the hangar, but that's probably just a coincidence.

Clutching her assigned data card, Miranda quickly clambered up the side of the Hornet with practiced ease, effortlessly mounting the large craft and slithering into the cockpit. "Well then, this is it. I'm meeting someone new today." she muttered, staring at the innocuous card gripped tightly in her hand. Holding her breath, she closed her eyes and plugged it in.

*beep* *whirr* *click* *zzt-*"Good day, Lieutenant Miranda Bannings. I am your assigned ACE Pilot Assistant AI. Please speak to facilitate voice confirmation procedures and calibration."

The cockpit lit up as a holographic image of the Nepleslian Star Navy's logo appeared in front of Miranda, glowing an ethereal blue. For a few heartbeats, pilot and holographic icon stared at each other in absolute silence, broken only by the gentle whirring of the idling Hornet. Finally releasing her breath, Miranda quickly centered herself and set her face back into a calm expression before replying. "Yes, this is Miranda, ID number PXY421703G. Confirm installation." With a cheerful ping, the icon flashed and dissolved, forming into an orb of buzzing pixels. "Acknowledged. Welcome, Pilot Bannings. Please set this unit's name, personality and appearance. Personalization settings can be edited at a later dat-"

"Help."

The pixel orb froze. "Please clarify."

"Your name is Help. You sound like a computer's help program. Your current appearance is fine, I'll leave your personality up to you." Silence returned as grey eyes met artificial glow, neither party moving an inch.

"...confirmed. Thank you, Pilot Bannings. It is a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise. Happy birthday, Help."

"Thank you, Pilot Bannings."

 

[Whitehart]

Hangar 7 became relatively quiet as the assembled pilots went on about their tasks of meeting their ACE and getting situated. The peace was shattered as a heavy side door squealed open and with too much force slammed open against the wall. Following directly behind it tumbled a thin, finely mustachioed man. Picking himself up with as much dignity as he could he brushed his uniform then speed walked towards the Captain.

He supplied a smart salute and declared, "Lieutenant Edward Donato, callsign Virus, reporting for duty Sir." Edward held out his transfer orders, "Sorry about the door, it was stuck and I had to force it open."

Edward took a few moments to look around the hangar, seeing what an eclectic group was gathered. An audible gulp could be heard as the black haired man looked at the intimidating form of Kreuger. Edward was a bit relieved however to see that he wasn't the smallest, oddest or apparently youngest of the group.

 

[Lamb]

Virgil trotted up and took his co-pilot after straightening his hat to his best ability with a nod of appreciative apology to Niklas. He'd long since learned not to talk when speeches were in order, so he'd otherwise kept quiet about his little uniform faux-pas. A few moments later, he sat in the cockpit of his Quattro with that pesky cover placed delicately on his lap while he slotted his new copilot and activated the interface. While the beeps, whirs, clicks, and crackles of diagnostics filled the cockpit, he settled his elbow on the side panel and planted his face on the flattened palm of his hand. Peering over the side of his craft, the young Canton boy looked with mild interest at each of the gathering wingmen. So far, he liked everybody. Then again, he was that kind of person. Even the seemingly out-of-place Yamataian had struck him for her exotic beauty and seeming sense of being out-of-place. He wanted to just quietly hug her and let her know that Nepleslia was... What, exactly? Welcoming? Not always. An ally of the UOC? Hard to be allied with a dead nation. Viewing her not as a foreigner but likely more as a simple Yamaboo? That would've been insulting to say the least.

Instead, he sighed over his hand and just resigned himself to be as nice to her as he would to everyone else, and if she seemed to feel out of place he would just include her that much harder in everything-- to the point of annoyance. After all, he surmised, wouldn't it be better for her to hate the pretty-boy than to hate her new nation?

"Stop slouching." A voice told him, babbling up over the background noises around him. "You'll get back problems when you're older."

"Sorry, Mom." He replied almost instantly, instinctively.

"That's an interesting name you've given me." It remarked over the cockpit's speakers.

Virgil sat up straight, with wide eyes and turned to examine the visual representation of this voice. A spherical arrangement of greens and greys, it seemed to warble as it listened to the movement. Virgil took in his lower lip and protested, "I didn't-- I hadn't planned on---"

He stopped stock in place and looked at the machine for a moment before shaking his head and finally responding with a calm, softspoken, "I suppose it's a cute name, isn't it?"

The machine seemed to regard this with a sort of amusement. "I would say it's Edipean, considering that I'm usually intended to be a romantic partner. Psychologically speaking."

"I think you've prob'ly got needs I can't meet as a romantic partner." Virgil replied warily. "... Psychologically speaking, of course."

"Of course."

 

[Gunhand4171]

As Nero watched everyone going about their business, he heard a door slam. He turned to see a slightly embarrassed lieutenant standing in the now open door way. He snaped a salute and Nero did like wise.

Edward handed him his transfer papers and apologized about the door. "Don't worry Lieutenant. Everyone is selecting there craft and saying hello to there new COpilot. Speaking of which..." Nero walked to his Uno and looked up at it. "Cipher, where are the extra ACEs?" He asked. "Sir, they are in the locker against the far wall." Nero walked over to the locker in question and pulled out another data drive. He walked back to Edward and held out his hand. "Go find your craft and say hello to your new best friend." He said, placing the drive into Edward's hand.

 

[Whitehart]

Edward accepted the chip and looked around the hangar. He spotted a Quatro Dictator and knew that was the ship for him. Specifically designed to be a support craft with capabilities for enhanced ECM and Communications packages. He half walked half ran in excitement at having the opportunity to fly such a craft.

As he got into the pilot seat he made himself comfortable, shifting this way and that. His thin frame fitting easily into the seat. He slotted his ACE chip into the console and went about using the onboard keyboard to type in the parameters for his new co-pilot.

A squeaky high pitch cartoony voice broke the silence of his station, "Heya Buddy! Gollee, it is sure good to meet you. Happy reporting for duty!" Happy the Squirrel was Edwards favorite childhood cartoon. sadly it was short lived but today, today he was reborn. "Hi Happy, I'm glad you could join me. Could you run a diagnostic please while I slot in some countermeasure programs?"

"Sure thing Ed. I can have that done in two shakes of a tail. We are gonna have such a good tmie! Be right back after these messages!" The banter went on while both calibrated the ship to their liking.

 

[paladinrpg]

Sayoko was quiet, as she took in the information provided by the CO's about the mission and purpose of Fort Sentinel. Now it became clearer why she had been reassigned to Aquila Flight exactly, as it was more of an R&D operation than a combat focused one. She exhaled deeply, knowing that her older sister Shiori was surely behind this move and had put pressure on some friends in the military. After what had happened during her time in the IPG carrier squadron it seemed they had taken her off frontline duties due to certain... incidents... occurring with too much frequency now. The former Nekovalkyrja was upset to say the least to be placed in this role... but her logical mind could see why it was done, as it served many positive purposes. It both leveraged her impressive outside knowledge of SAOY technology and also protected her from the high stress environment of the IPG for a time so she could recover mentally. She of course would do her duty without complaint to these Nepleslians whom she owed her life... but deep down this was a sort of defeat for the girl who at her core just wanted to continue to be useful and not relegated to the dustbin of history as just another psychologically damaged Mishhuvurthyar war refugee.

She could feel the looks upon her too, from the others, sizing her up as she was inevitably studying them in return. It was already becoming clear some of the personalities at play in her new wingmates. The diminutive LJG Bannings was obviously compensating for something by choosing such a big, unwieldy jet. LJG Canton was not even trying to hide his stares from over the cockpit, and considering his handsome boyishness it was fairly obvious what might be going through his mind. There was even the clumsy newcomer Lt Donato, who almost made her wince as he entered in the least stealthy way imaginable.

Pushing her conflicted thoughts aside, she stepped forward towards the table that held the ACE AI's upon them and dutifully grabbed the one assigned to her into her pale hand. Sayoko was about to move towards one of the retrofitted Uno X's to activate it when she gave visible pause and took a step backwards. Her green eyed gaze returned to the remaining computer chip cards, the names clearly visible on them. One of them definitely stood out from the others, a name from the past that was still fairly crisp in her digital mind.

The Jiyuuian turned towards the towering half-cybernetic Nepleslian pilot as he approached to get his ACE, and spoke with a sense of realization and nostalgia in her smooth voice. "Lieutenant Niklas Kreuger? Operation... Scarlet Noose?"

 

[Saul]

'Hi, I'm your CO, and I'm the good cop.'

'And I'm your XO, and I'm the baaaaad cop.'

Niklas wanted to make a comment about it all but instead his monologue was entirely internal, kept locked away behind a stoney expression that carried the oh-so-subtle hints of being pissed off at - something - that he'd perfected over the years. Things were hardly a new show. And as much as word of what their unit was for made him wished they'd thrown him into something such as bomber operations instead, it was either this or going back to do-nothing supply runs in too-friendly skies. But as comparatively old as he was: the Dead-Man wasn't quite close enough to the grave to resign to such a fate just yet.

It was quickly becoming apparent with the line-up that he was quite possibly the physically oldest person. It was that sort of feeling that made a man feel like he was already growing gray. And even though he hadn't looked at his service jacket, Niklas was increasingly suspicious that he might have had a few years on even his new CO if only by a thin margin - which led to a momentary pondering about his own rank and the promotional review boards that had passed him over during his recovery over the past few years.

Niklas approached the table where the ACE chips had been laid out, not paying much obvious attention to the other pilots - to include the tardy arrival. He'd reached out to take a chip when the foreigner of the group spoke out. That she addressed him by name was no concern - but what she attached his name to made the scarred old ace pause. Words he hadn't heard in quite a long while.

Operation Scarlet Noose. Mission Package #117-789. Two craft outfitted for high-altitude reconnaissance of key enemy positions, in search of signs of possible HVT activity. The crafts were flying under the call-signs Songbird 1 and Songbird 2. Due to maintenance errors on the part of the ground team, Sonbird 2 had failed to maintain stable flight, and had been forced to return to base. Songbird 1, a younger Niklas Kreuger had been forced to fly on without his wing-man.

Complications arose. Shots were fired. And what followed in the next several days tied in to all the metal he now sported and had filled his service jacket with enough black ink to repaint a cruiser along with the kinds of security levels that few people out of the IPG rarely ever heard of. Just the mention of it made the Lieutenant resist the urge to grind his teeth and made the skin around his spine start to itch.

If the Jiyuuian woman, whoever the hell she was to go asking after such things, was expecting a response then she got none. Instead Niklas stayed silent, retrieved his chip, and marched off lock-step towards an "Uno" with his organic eye on the fire starting to form there hidden beneath his wrap-around shades.

 

[paladinrpg]

The former IPG operative stood there as he brushed past, silent and stoic beneath his sunglasses. Even if he didn't dignify her with a response, Sayoko knew without a doubt the man that was part of her mission objective long ago. The captured SmDION recon pilot that was shot down, flying over the complex holding an escaped Red prisoner from the high-security Abjection penal colony. The IPG operation, so named as to tighten a bloody noose before he could escape across the border into Yamatai-controlled space, was supposed to be about apprehending or killing the HVT and his militant collaborators. But then it soon became a rescue mission of Niklas Kreuger as well, brutally tortured by his captors in order to compromise the details of the coming attack. Just out of training, it was Agent Mochizuki's first live combat operation, as she was deployed in the Delta unit that was to break in and secure the escape route for the seasoned Alpha and Bravo units, who ended up killing the Red's henchmen and liberating the downed pilot from captivity. And that was the last she heard of it...

...until now. Though his body in some ways was barely recognizable now from all the cybernetics that had been used to save his life, Niklas had indeed survived the ordeal and here he was years after, still flying despite everything... lesser men would have probably given up the profession after what happened. Of all the team, this true warrior was the most worthy of respect in her eyes... and in an unsettling way, perhaps the most like her in the end. They both knew the horrors and sacrifices paid for victory, and she hoped that the newer pilots didn't tempt the fates as they had.

The Jiyuuian decided to let it go for now, as they did have their orders to prepare the jet's systems. She climbed up the side of the Uno X that was not sitting far from the one that the old-timer was heading towards, slipping into the cockpit gracefully with her scarf and jade hair following the motion. She found the slot for the ACE chipset and inserted the card inside, causing the fighter's systems to come to life and synchronize the interface. "Greetings ACE AI, I am the new pilot assigned to this fighter," she said absentmindedly as if talking to a MEGAMI, preempting the default greeting it would likely be playing and getting right to business.

The hazy blue orb of pixels that everyone else faced now appeared before her amidst the displays, but it sounded a little different than she first expected from Nepleslian tech. A familiar, fiery voice. "And I'm your co-pilot. We're ready for action, together."

"Shiori?" stammered Sayoko in sudden surprise at the voice. Then slowly came a sigh, as this was just an imperfect digitization of her vocal patterns that a certain someone had installed. Still, it made her miss her home. "Yes.... you're always behind me watching, aren't you. Even here."

The orb glowed a bit red then on the console. "I've got your back, so keep those eyes forward and guns hot, sis. We're the pride of our country, so you better not disappoint."

"Hai, Ikimashou. Let's push this antique technology as hard as it goes. And then... push it harder."

 

[Gunhand4171]

While the team was standing around inside Hanger 7, Nero decided to step outside. As he walked out he took another cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. The desert air was thick enough to swim through, but Nero needed to take a minute. He took a long drag and let out a ring of smoke. As he watched the runway he could see a squad of nuggets walking up the row of hangers. Nero had seen these recruits make there way through here at about the same time every day. That instructor sounded a lot like Jayden the more he thought about it. Really pissy and never able to be pleased. Nero laughed to himself at the comparison. He could hear him yelling from where he stood.

Instructor Haskins could be heard yelling at the top of his lungs from across the base. He was known on base as the hardest instructor, well except Jayden. Haskins and his nuggets were returning from a training exersise. From the sounds of it, it didn't go very well.

"I just don't get it! I gave simple instructions. One foot in front of the other. Follow the person in front of you. Pay attention to your surroundings. Don't get caught." Haskins' little training exercise had very little to do with flight or anything that seemed like it would help these fledgling pilots. It was actually a test to see just how well they could rely on each other to get through a course while thinking outside of the box. The greater meaning behind it would eventually save their lives one day. If they ever made it past the academy. "Ugh... grab some water and be back in 5 minutes, we're going to try the course once more. I swear if Watkins trips up the entire class again, I might just have to..." Haskins paused noticing the audience that wasn't there a moment ago.

One of the 'nuggets' in question was a rather non-descript being. Her name was Johanna Cigaro, though she went by the name Jo. Her handle was Smokey, thanks to how she could fly like smoke through the trials. She had short cropped hair and looked more like one of the guys than an actual girl, though at closer inspection her features were definitely more feminine. She stood at ease as she listened to Instructor Haskins give his usual 'speech' of the day. The same one they all heard every night for the past week. She knew that none would ever be able to get Haskins to admit that they did better than he expected this last time, but it was still rather amusing to hear him rant and rave as if they didn't do anything at all.

He was a quiet sort of individual, a man who in his time so far in the training program had kept mostly to himself despite being surrounded by others who may have served as friends, no; to the man they were competition and he would not let himself get distracted. Leo had learned to respect the instructor despite his disposition, realizing that the harder he pressed home these concepts the more likelyhood it could benefit them on the field of battle. Nothing truthfully separated this man from any of the other nuggets there, seemingly calm on the surface with notable glacial blue eyes that could peer some distance off. That glacial stare lasted even now as he regarded the instructor intently, looking to Haskins with complete focus, an expectant composure about him as he too assumed a more at ease posture beside the other rookies. Simply waiting for a chance to prove himself, to use deeds instead of words.

As Nero watched Cipher piped up again, except this time he could also be heard on the speaker from his Uno. What was worse was he sounded urgent. "Sir we have a huge problem..." As Cipher spoke the Emergency Klaxons started to blare. "There are multiple unknown contacts incoming. There are multiple shuttles in the formation, I believe they are trying to storm the base..." Cipher said. Nero changed from his calm cool and collected self, into a whrilwind. "Cipher, find out all you can about the enemy birds and spin up the engines. Commander ready all Aquillas for emergency scramble." He contacted the control tower. "Sentinel Actual, this is Aquila 1, we are scrambling off of runway 119. Keep it clear!"

"Negative Aquila 1, there are two incoming transport ships about to land on that runway. One of those, a shuttle, is making an emergency landing due to a thruster failure."

"Damn it Sentinel Actual, Did you look at your radar today? We have half of a battilion bearing down on us! Find the transport another runway if you don't want it blown out of the sky!"

"Aquila 1, there's no time. That ship is..." Just as the tower control was about to press the issue once more, the first of the transports touched down. Billowing smoke could be seen coming off the rear port side of the shuttle and then a large explosion seemingly ripped the shuttle apart, sending a huge fireball into the air and pieces of the hull all over the runway.

Jo turned as she heard the Klaxons, even though they had heard them before during drills. But something told her that this wasn't a drill. She could hear the AI from another hanger, but couldn't hear what the one that was watching them say in return. She looked up, though, as she heard what was clearly a ship coming in. A transport by the look of it. She watched and waited, wide-eyed as it crashed on the runway. "Oh...that's not gonna be good." Her words were an understatement.

He felt his pulse quicken, the sensation of tension as it spreads through his frame in the form of a brisk adrenaline rush, with a hint of something else prevalent just behind the surface, a desire to throw himself into the midst of the chaos that unfolded before him. Leo ran his fingers unconciously over the handle to the pistol at his side while finding that he was unable to stand still any longer in this pointless drill after a craft had exploded violently across the run way, scattering debris over a long distance while the smoke and fire rises weightlessly up from the crash site. He knew instantaneously that it wasn't likely any survived the crash. Throwing himself forward into what appeared to be a brisk jog the man would roar from his depths abruptly towards the others nearby. The first time he had spoken for days when not adressing a superior. "What the fuck is happening!?"

Jayden made his way toward Nero, Haskins, and the cadet with a look that would freeze most in their tracks. It was sharp, serious, and most of all - he wasn't in the mood to put up with shit from anyone. "Captain, early warning systems have detected a larger number than originally estimated. There are multiple ship types, but the majority are bombers. ETA is less than 5 minutes, meaning they had a way to get past our planetary defenses some how. They mean to erradicate Fort Sentinel. Hanger 7 is effectively blocked off from launching normally as there isn't another runway to taxi to. We're just going to have to finesse our way up or die trying." He looked to Haskins and glared, "What the hell are you waiting for? These cadets need to be on a shuttle getting out of here NOW! That's an order Lt."

As Jayden gave Nero the run down, he recived more bad news from Cipher. "Sir, I am sorry to say, but that shuttle had our two TBD pilots..." Nero was pissed now. "SON OF A BITCH!" He heard Jayden order the cadets to haul ass. He turned around and looked Haskins in the eye. "Belay that order Lt. I need your two best nuggets. Who are they?"

Haskins was reeling, the Klaxons going off caught him off guard and it would be the first time the cadets would see him visibly shaken. Maybe that's why he was at a training facility and not attached to an actual fighter wing. "I... I don't know..." He stammered, as if having been asked a question. Then he heard Jayden's report and subsequent order and snapped out of his fear induced spacing. He was just about to move and order the nuggets to board the nearest shuttle when Nero overrode Jayden's command. "I... Uh... Cigaro and Knight... they have the highest marks so far... but neither of them are cleared to fly let alone have their wings."

"I don't care. Knight, Cigaro congrats on getting your temporary wings. On me, we need to scramble NOW!" Nero called moving to enter the hanger.

Jo had started to move towards the shuttle as ordered, but then she heard her name and blinked. She didn't question it as she hustled back and nodded. "Thank you, sir." She moved to the hanger and took a look around. She had heard of the program going on and knew what to expect when she went into the hanger. What she wasn't sure of was which one she would be taking just yet...but she had an idea of what she wanted.

Leo hadn't started moving off with the rest of the nuggets when the first orders were called, he paced back and forth like a caged tiger with his nose scrunched up preparing to protest before the most ideal of situations happened, the chance he always wished for had presented itself in the fires of true combat. He could feel his heart getting ready to jump out of his chest as he turned and saluted the man who offered it and then further the man who recommended him before sprinting off towards the hanger in a brisk fashion, a toothy smirk was spreading across his lips now. He would find if he still retained any fortune in the skies above this world and perhaps also a beautiful death that could release him from his memories. Muttering under his breath as he ran to the hanger. "...Blood for blood"

As much as Jayden wanted to spew forth explicatives in rapid succession at his CO for what he thought was a terrible move, he just clicked his tongue then seemingly "bit" it hard to keep from saying anything at all. Haskins and the other cadets were seen out of the corner of Jayden's eyes heading out toward another shuttle as the second transport, a much larger cargo ship, crashed through Hanger 5 and plowed through Hanger 6 erupting in another ball of fire. "For fucks sake..." Jayden called as he sprinted toward Hanger 7 before all hell broke loose. "Sentinel Actual, this is Lt. Commander Jayden Solaris, Aquila 2. This is a priority one communication with direct command authority by way of Rear Admiral Titus Orion, authorization code Delta 4 9 1 7 Omega. Clear that god damned runway now."

As Nero usherd the two new Aquilas into Hanger 7 as he waited for Jayden. However the cargo carrier from earlier smashed through hangers 5 and 6 ending in a fireball. Nero was thrown off his feet and smashed into the wall of the hanger. He lost consciousness for a few seconds, hearing only a few mumblings from here and there. As he came to and tried to stand, he coughed, spitting up blood. "Shit..." He said falling back down as he tried to walk forward.

Jo stumbled forward from the impact and growled a bit as she was so close to what she was needing to do. What she was wanting to do. She glanced over when she heard Nero and went to his side, "Come on, sir. Let's get you inside at least."

Leo would abruptly feel the impact of the wave of energy after the bomb went off, the breath was stolen from him as the heat makes him turn away and he throws himself to the ground, rolling over towards the side as debris in the form of shrapnel is scattering across the hanger. Getting back up onto his feet just as briskly the man turned to peer over at the others who were closer to the blast, and the team leader who had given him the chance he now retained. Debating proceeding on without them the man relented and decided that if he couldn't get there with them; he didn't deserve the opportunity. Going to join his fellow Nugget at the side of the man he looked him over briefly for more serious wounds before growling forth. "Let's get in there before we're fucking pasted!"

Jayden looked back to the other straggling behind and huffed. "Come on... come on, move your asses!" Just as he finished yelling at them he heard the sound of a familiar voice chime in his ear. "Commander~ Aren't you going to join me for the fireworks?~" Lilith called to him like some bubbly school girl talking to her first crush. "Do we really have to do this right now Lilith? Can't you for once just be serious?!" He spat back at her. "But Jayden, you promised me you'd take me out for a joy ride today. I'm not taking another raincheck. Besides, I'm the only way you're getting out of here so you better be nice to me mister." Lilith responded with a pout that a daddy's girl would use to get money from their father. "Nero, I swear you're a dead man if we survive this. I'll kill you myself!" Words that only Lilith would hear. Having prepared for emergencies like this, Jayden had donned his Hostile with lightning quickness and boarded his Uno which Lilith had already prepped and ready to go.

As the new cadets moved Nero inside he waved them off as he leaned on his Uno. "Get the...*coughs*...ACEs from the locker over there, get in a plane, and get in the air now!" Nero yelled, illicting another bout of coughing. Nero could tell he had broken some ribs. "Captain, your hurt..." Nero turned and moved to don a hostile. "I will be fine once I am in the PA. Finish pre flight and get ready to roll." He called, loading himself into his Hostile. As he finished, he could feel the Hostile suit prefoming first aid on him. He ran to his Uno and climbed into the Cockpit. "All Aquilas, if you didn't hear me the first damn time, scramble now!"

Jo nodded when he ordered them to get the ACEs and then get a plane. She got to the locker where they were located and picked one at random, then raced to a Quattro. She wasn't quite sure what it was fitted with at the moment...for she wasn't expecting to be part of this squad just yet. She slipped into the Hostile that was assigned with the ship and then climbed aboard. She put the AI disc where it belonged and powered up the system.

"Systems online and functioning. State name, rank, serial number."

Jo said quickly, "Johanna Cigaro, Ensign, XVT775666."

"Thank you. What name will you give this AI?"

"Jethro. We don't have time for formalities. We need to get into the air ASAP!!"

Seeing the team leader get back up onto his feet the man would soak in his commands before decidedly sprinting into the hanger at a faster pace, first finding his way over towards the lockers as he suited himself in the Hostile powered armor that was actually like a second skin to the man after his service albeit briefly in the marines. Feeling as the artifical muscles kick into an active functioning mode as he slipped the last piece about his frame, the man extended his arm in a flexing motion as he rolls his broad shoulders. Knocking one of the lockers lazily ajar with a loud metallic clack before decidedly taking one of the spare ACE systems. Certainly this tool would come in handy while in the midst of combat; he was relatively unprepared compared to active pilots. Though as he turned about, suited and ready. He quickly picked out an unoccupied Uno, striding over towards it with a new found resolve as he boards the craft, climbing up into the cockpit and settling the power armor into place with an audible series of clacks before the machine closes about him and the man goes through the sequence of activating the A.I, inseting the device before he was greeted by the naturally femanine tone of the synthetic being.

"All systems online, integration completed, enter pilot data"

the man seethed under his breath for a moment before the same toothy smirk returned as he spoke in his naturally gravelly tone of voice.

"Ensign Leo Knight, TEX420774"

"Set unit name"

He paused at that instant, preparing to fly himself into a life and death situation for the first time in a machine like this, inadvetently losing focus he contemplated back for that moment, muttering gingerly under his breath; though not to the machine. "Rachel..."

"Confirmed Ensign Knight"

 

[Grey Library]

"...your thoughts are all in binary? How does that work?"

"I cannot adequately describe it to you in an understandable fashion, Pilot Bannings. Much like how we AI fail to comprehend your thought processes, so do you fail to comprehend ours. Hence we interact based on observation, adapting our responses based on cues of various natures provided by the other conversant."

"I see. Fascinating." The AI was a very interesting person to talk to, Miranda mused. A being completely alien to flesh-and-blood creatures in every aspect, but still with almost mortal-like flaws. Smiling, the young pilot leaned back and stretched in the cavernous cockpit, losing herself in the familiar rhythm of the idling Hornet and the beeping of her electronic friend. Despite the oddness of the whole situation, the cockpit was already starting to feel like a second home.

All of a sudden, emergency klaxons suddenly blared throughout the hangar as the onboard radio began to crackle. Miranda shot up to a ramrod-straight sitting position, her eyes widening as Leftenant Commander Solaris's voice flooded the cockpit, his normally stern voice carrying an agitated edge. "All Aquilas, scramble immediately! This is not a drill, get your asses to Runway 119 and in the air! I say again, all Aquilas scramble!"

Crap, what happened? Miranda's mind was whirling as she made to leap out of the cockpit. Something bad's going down, I need to get into a PA, stat. "Help, fire up the engines. Ready for rapid takeoff." she announced with a quick glance back at the Hornet, before running towards the nearby PA racks beside the hangar's entrance. Behind her, the bomber growled to life, its engines flaring. Briefly, she noted the missiles attached to the nearby jets with a small amount of relief. The planes are armed, that saves us some time.

Getting the PA was a challenge. Due to her small size, she had to grab the smallest size of UOC-sized PA, specifically sized for the smaller Jiyuuian personnel. Quickly slipping into the bulky armorsuit, Miranda abruptly stumbled as a shockwave passed through the open hangar doors. Sparing a small wave of greeting to the limping Captain and the two new people trailing behind him, she slapped on her helmet and broke off on a dead run to her waiting plane. No time, she rationalised. Launch first, worry later. "Help, unlock wheelbrakes and spin up thrusters. Begin automatic taxi to Runway 119." she commanded into her headset.

"Acknowledged, Pilot Bannings. Taxiing." Help intoned, the Hornet beginning to slide out of its berth and into the central aisle of the hangar. The armored pilot charged in and leaped up the side of the Hornet with the suit's extra strength, clambering into the cockpit as the canopy slid shut with a click. This is it, I'm in the big leagues now, Miranda thought as she locked her suit into the pilot interfaces, running through a mental checklist as the plane rumbled through the hangar. Closing her eyes for a moment, she released the breath that she had subconsciously held.

Nodding to herself, she opened her eyes and stared at the open hangar doors with a hardened gaze, her gray eyes alight with an iron focus. "Help, activate side turrets," she intoned, a picture of calm save for a slight tremble in her hands as they clutched the controls with a death grip. "fire on all bogeys while we get off the ground. Weapons free." The pixel orb flickered, blinking as the chaingun turrets began to swivel and spin up. "Turrets live, ready to fire. Good luck, Pilot Bannings."

With a roar, the bulky plane finally exited the hangar and began to accelerate down the runway, gradually clawing its way into the air. "Thank you, Help. Aquila 6, taking off."

 

[Gunhand4171]

Nero watched as Bannings got airborne, the large bird getting off the runway in a hurry. He took a shuddering breath, definitely knowing that he had broken some ribs. "Sir, you should let Striker handle this. The odds you make it out of this alive is..." Cipher said. "Never tell me the bloody odds Cipher! Now taxi on to runway 119 now!" He was not going to let his new subordinates die. He already let two of his men die, and he didn't even get to see their faces. Nero was seething with rage. As he maneuvered onto the runway he called out. "Sentinel Actual, this is Aquila 1, taking off." He punched it slamming the throttle down, jolting his craft into flight.

He made it up and began an emergency climb. Cipher began giving everyone the inflight briefing. "All pilots, there is a large squadron of bombers on route to Fort Sentinel. There also appears to be a squadron of fighter escorts as well. We have effectively identified the incoming attackers as a 'Red Ultranationalist Group called the 'New Red Federation' The NRF forces are approximately 3 minutes out now. The mission objective is simple, destroy all bombers and achieve air superiority. Good luck pilots."

Nero cursed "Damn it, I thought I was done fighting the blasted Reds." He could see the rest of the Aquilas getting onto the runway, as well as the base defenses coming online, CIWs coming online to intercept the enemy's ordinance. He opened up a com link to his flight. "All right Aquilas, you heard Cipher. Once in the air form up and meet the enemy head on. Aquila 6 Cover everyone as they get in the air. I'm gonna hold them off." As he finished giving his commands, he turned towards the incoming battalion and kicked on the after burners. "It is time to show you kids why they call me the Southen Cross!" He yelled as he broke the sound barrier.

 

[Lamb]

While turmoil was building all around them, Virgil finished his pre-flight checks. While explosions tore through the air and cut into the tarmac beyond the hangar, Virgil began to slowly taxi while arming his weapons. His hair billowed in the wind while the youthful pilot hurriedly flicked switches and pressed metal tabs, his eyes focused hard on the runway and the controls.

"Don't forget you helmet, dear." Said Mom, its voice cooing. Mocking him, really, but the sentiment was genuine.

"Sorry, Mom." Virgil replied again, still by instinct, as he tossed his peaked cap into the compartment under his seat and then went about tugging the helmet down over his head with one hand while pulling the canopy shut with the other. As soon as he was harnessed in and visored down, Virgil kicked the throttle on the runway and jetted off over the tarmac, swerving slowly to avoid a burning wreck before straightening out and pulling up. The sound of crackling engines filled the air once more as his Quattro lifted into the skies spilling waves of hot air behind it and as soon as he broke resistance Virgil pressed the accelerator again and rocketed away, turning at a wide angle to form up.

"Akeela five, callsign Ermine." He greeted the airwaves, still softspoken, but all business. "I'm going to pursue the enemy bombers."

 

[paladinrpg]

Lt. Mochizuki was putting the finishing touches on donning the last pieces of her Hostile power armor for the coming flight and synchronizing it with the Uno's controls through the ACE AI system, when she heard an explosion. Her body's inertial senses picked up the gravity wave generated when the downed transport shuttle smashed into the nearby hangars, as heat and fragments of shrapnel skittered onto the floor of Hangar 7 and the CO, Nero was sent reeling. Two other pilots suddenly entered the place to join their squad, as they orders came to scramble immediately and repel a surprise attack that was imminent.

Sayoko, however, found herself standing there for a critical few seconds, as the yelling and the sounds of the engines of other planes starting up blurred out from her awareness. She was somewhere else in that moment... a flashback from the past triggered. Her gaze was fixated to the scene just beyond the hangar doors... for a moment, it was not Fortuna out there, but the Hizagari spaceport on Tange. The Nepleslian made shuttle was not the one that ferried pilots to Fort Sentinel, but was one of Operation Dynamo's evacuation shuttles that had crashed from NMX fire. A smoldering wreck before her, as screams of agony and despair from the dead civilians she tried to forget ripped through her mind in an instant.

The Jiyuuian gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, trying to push the vision away. When they opened, the screams were now replaced by the voice of her AI at high volume. "...SIS! Snap out of it, soldier! The Vogel drive is already warmed up, and weapons are armed. Seal your armor and get airborne, now. They need you up there!" The voice of Shiori barking orders at her pulled her fully out of the funk, and she laid back in the control cavity and regained her composure, a fire smoldering in her breast as she engaged the engines to full. The Uno X thundered forth from it's bay, charging out into the damaged runway. As soon as the momentum was great enough, she cut up at a harsh angle with the FTL bubble's shear before crashing into some wreckage ahead, the nose of the craft pushing aside the desert air like a knife through butter to join the other war birds in the air with a sense of urgency.

"Aquila 4, callsign... Banshee. Joining attack formation," came over the communications linkup from Sayoko to her wingmen, as she inwardly vowed that the scene from the past was not going to repeat again today... not if she could help it.