Finetales

Ace Combat: The Global War

Can't have anything less than 20/20 vision, really.

Ace Combat: The Global War

I'd imagine we'll get new callsigns if and when our mashup squadron is formalized during a longer break between missions or something.

Ace Combat: The Global War

"Thank you Angelika, I've been chasing it for a long time."

Natasha's soft words of gratitude to her Number Two were the only thing positive in the air as Peace Sparrow took to the skies. Although Natasha took off close to last, she quickly overtook the rest of the squadron as her aircraft had the highest top speed of the group and they had been instructed on the ground to head to Oured as fast as their individual planes could go. As she and her wingman screamed towards Oured at Mach 2.32, the Corsairs were quickly left behind and the Phantom and 2 Drakens slowly fell behind her view. Soon the silence was broken by the AWACS.

<< Peace Sparrow, this is AWACS Rim Light. I'll be replacing Oracle on this mission after they suffered heavy damage in the preceding mission. I'll try to keep you all up to date on what happens down there. Godspeed to all of you and for all of you who aren't Oseans, may you all protect this capital as if it were your own.>>

"AWACS, this is Kvant One. As an Erusean and current Yuke, you have my word that I will defend Osea with everything I have. Thanks for watching over us, and stay safe up there." Throwing in that last cautionary word only because of what had happened to Oracle, Natasha now turned her attention to the wounded aircraft that had just formed up with Scott's Phantom behind her. When the Mirage's pilot announced that the bogeys were "Stovies and Yukes", her heart sank. Stovies she could deal with, but Yukes? Her own countrymen? Could the rest of her squadron even be in the fray? The most unsure "Yellow, engaging" ever uttered drifted over the airwaves. She spotted a straggling Phantom not dressed in Yuke markings and gave chase. "Angel, try to go for Stovies if you can help it. I'd prefer not to have to shoot down our own planes," she radioed to her wingman as she banked hard right to get behind the Phantom.

Ace Combat: The Global War

Post is up!

Ace Combat: The Global War

Natasha sat through the briefing, sizing up the situation in her head before. It was nothing unexpected in Strangereal, and she was certainly prepared to face it, but she wished it would be with pilots she had had a little more experience flying with. Then again, all the others had fought tenaciously in the last engagement and not a single one was shot down, so that had to be worth something. After coming home from a battle against far superior fighters, she knew that she could at least count on the group to survive. Winning - well, that was another story. Hopefully she'd be able to do her part.

Soon she was jogging towards her MiG-23 Flogger on the tarmac, parked next to the other planes. She noted two new aircraft in the group - a pair of very sharp looking Drakens. Giving a nod of thanks to the ground crews who had just replenished her (entirely air-to-air oriented) missiles, she glanced back at the Yellow Squadron insignia on the tail of her aircraft and then climbed into the cockpit. A hint of a grin of appreciation appeared on her otherwise unnerved face as she noted, inside and out, that the ground crews had also repaired the light damage the aircraft had taken in the skirmish before. Canopy sealed, pre-flight checks complete and tower confirmation given, the MiG began to roll. Slotting in behind the Jaguar, Natasha began the taxi to taxioff - the calm before the storm.

Ace Combat: The Global War

Sorry guys, it's been a crazy week. I'm about to fly home for spring break and will be able to post once i'm there.

Ace Combat: The Global War

After the reinforcements arrived, the so-called Mask Squadron left, and the hodgepodge squadron flew back to base, Natasha jogged her memory of any Mask Squadron she had run into before with the two squadrons she had served with. She thought she had seen the type of aircraft before, but couldn't remember anything more than vague recognition. Still, she had something to be excited about: finally achieving ace status. It was long overdue, but when the wars stopped it was like a game of musical chairs that stopped her at four kills. She had scored two in the engagement that had just transpired and was elated, though in her typical subdued fashion. She circled around the airstrip as much of the rest of the squadron landed - Border Boy, Angel Witch, Meteor, and Romeo landed their planes in various conditions before she began her approach. She noted Angel Witch's landing in her damaged Corsair - no small feat. Natasha's plane wasn't in the best condition but wasn't as damaged as Checkerboard Three. Nursing her rattled MiG-23 down after Romeo with a clean landing, she parked next to the rest of the squadron and dismounted her aircraft. She made her way to the briefing room as instructed and quietly sat down, so far unnoticed by the Colonel in the room. She glanced around and took stock of the situation. There were four other pilots in the room, two of them being Charles and his co-pilot (if she remembered correctly from before the sortie anyway) and two she didn't recognize. The Colonel up front spoke with an accent that clearly labeled him as an Estovakian. Having spent much of her life under constant warfare, she was always amazed when she could walk into a room wearing her flight suit that featured the Erusian Yellow Squadron insignia as well as the Yuktobanian Kvant Squadron insignia and she wasn't immediately jumped/shot/etc. She sat back a little and waited for the rest of the pilots to file in and the briefing to begin.

Ace Combat: The Global War

This is my briefing music of choice.

(Also got a post up!)

Ace Combat: The Global War

Apologies for the delay everyone, this is a crazy busy weekend. I'll try to get Natasha's landing post up sometime today.

Ace Combat: The Global War

The call to get in the clouds rang out, and this did not make Natasha's situation any better. Practically skimming the ocean, she had all of the sky to cover if she wanted to make the clouds. Worse, it seemed all other friendlies were already there or nearly. She hit the afterburner and the wings of her MiG-23 swept back, approaching the aircraft's Mach 2.32 top speed. After she was at a suitably high speed, she pulled the stick up and the Flogger suddenly sharply rose from the ocean, screaming towards its allies in the clouds. As she climbed, Natasha saw the unmarked assailants swarming around her comrades, thankful that there was nobody she could see on her tail. She was still climbing amidst evasive maneuvers just in case, and soon two attackers spotted her and nosedived from the amoeba of dogfighting. Fortunately, by the time they had gotten down far enough, turned around and arrived on Natasha's tail, she was in the clouds. The two craft that had broken off to meet her were still on her tail, though, and as soon as she entered a cloud she dramatically slowed down and made a hard right turn, throwing off her pursuers. She was now officially part of the maelstrom of aerial combat and pushed her MiG-23 to the limit trying to avoid the unseeable attackers, She couldn't mount an offensive and couldn't run - she had to survive until the reinforcements arrived...although she wasn't sure what good reinforcements would do against these opponents.