Act 1, Chapter 7: Phantom Trigger

Just as all of us were intercepting the 3 incoming bogeys at the designated coordinate, the three Valusian Phantasmus with bizarre light paint jobs suddenly launched their missiles right into our face and blasted through our face with their sonic boom speed.

Some of us thankfully had evaded it in the nick of time. But in an exception of several Rexus’ members that got shot and had to bail out in the stormy hill of Kingswood Hill. Maybe their cockiness was backfiring on them so hard that Karma just bitch-slapped their face until they cried like bitches.

“THIS IS REXUS-3! I’VE BEEN HIT! EJECTING!!!”

“THIS IS REXUS-4! I’VE BEEN HIT TOO! EJECTING!!!”

Right after our numbers reduced to 8, the rest of us somehow panicked and broke our formations, hoping that it would confuse the 3 Valusian Phantasmus. But at the same time, it would give those three Valusians an easy way to prey on us with their long-range missiles.

Until then, AWACS Capricorne ordered all units with a sterner tone.

“All units, please remain calm and take maximum precaution! Those 3 bogeys you’re facing are the elite Ace squadrons called Azure squadron!”

Azure squadron?! You don’t mean that notorious all-female ace squadron from Valus with a whopping 100 kill records since 1998 with their ‘obsolete’ Phantasmus 2000?! Those girls are no pushover compared to what we would face!

Even though we Zalanthians have a bigger firepower, underestimating the enemy would give us such greater consequences. Much like what happened to our ancestors in the past.

But Gordon, with his unlimited foulness, was blatantly charging through the 3 Azures' tails all by himself.

“Don’t care! Don’t give a shit! We’ll bust through their asses!!!”

That left the rest of us dispersed and entranced, whilst getting tailed by the three of them. Although Rexus leader harshly warned him to never stupidly charge right at the enemy’s line without any understanding, his usual foulness was like the hard-headed, immovable objects.

“Negative! We’re Zalanthian! We have more power than them! NO RETREAT!!! FOX-2!!!”

And predictably, the Azure’s leader already pre-flared and let Gordon’s missile pass through her aircraft. Making him look like the sitting duck, ready to be devoured by the great sharks.

“Gordon! That dumbass!”

Despite his frustration, he then called all of us with a sterner tone through our comms channel whilst he was following Gordon’s lead.

“This is Rexus-1 to all units! Pegasi, execute formation number 32 on the 3rd wingman! And Wyvern squadron, execute maneuver number 27 at the 2nd wingman! The rest is up to us!”

“IETFS, ROLL OUT!”

Right as the rest of us did what the Rexus leader ordered us to do, I and Beck quickly tailed one of the Azure’s Phantasmus with our missiles hot on her tail.

It is such a shame that I can’t shake her off, where the Gs almost blackened me out. Even though I got a chance to lock, she was like, disappeared in the midair and teleported into my tail.

But then, the Azure’s Phantasmus pilot suddenly hijacked my communication channel. Just as I was still tailing her.

“Hey there, Zalanthian wyvern boy. Shall we dance in this romantic rain? ~”

It slightly surprised me to hear the female pilot has a seductive voice. And it also confused me on how she’s able to hijack my communication channel. Despite my growing curiosity, I still had to keep it cool and responded with a sardonic tone.

"Not until I had to crush your skull first!"

Just as I got a perfect lock on her six, she then surprised me by casually seducing me even harder, despite my obvious threat to her.

"Violent~ I like your style, wyvern boy~"

And, it’s game on!

She lifted her plane around 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) or above and did a barrel roll as she simultaneously committed an impossible maneuver that pushed her plane to an absolute limit.

I and Beck tried our best to tail her with our best skill, but it seemed like she’s much more experienced than we are. Although I got a perfect aim for my gun, her impossible maneuver just made everything impossible for me in this rainy sky due to the harsh turbulence from the alto cumulus cloud. But surprisingly, she keeps teasing me despite the harshness of the surroundings.

"By the way, I’m Adele Lorraine. Leader of Azure Squadron. You can call me Adele if you want."

Hearing her state her name slightly surprised me. Because normally, a soldier should never reveal their identities during the combat. But she stupidly revealed her identity for what?! Fame?! And it also surprised me that the squadron leader, like her, was flying in the back marker but not the front. Maybe it’s due to fooling the enemy? I don’t know.

I know nothing about it, which I reprimanded in a harsher tone. All the while I was still tailing on her six, trying to get a perfect aim of my gun.

"And? What does it do for you?!"

The Gs that I had to endure were more torturous than she does. I have the feeling that she was mastering the black magic to endure such Gs beyond the healthy limit of every fighter pilot. But despite all of that, she casually elaborated with a somehow teasing tone.

"Maybe next time, I could give you some help to find the true perpetrator of this meaningless war."

“And by the way, your wingman wasn’t as ballsy as I would’ve expected. Needs more kick to it! ~”

But I quickly silenced all the nonsense with a brief warning shot into Adele’s tail. And as expected, she missed my shot after committing with her inhuman maneuver.

She even toyed with us with the infamous Kvochur Bell’s maneuver to trash our missiles, even though her aircraft weren’t made to do that maneuver. Although we, the IETFS, deemed me to be the ballsiest, her ballsier moves made mine look like a kid's play.

All hope seems lost as the Valusian female ace squadron was outmaneuvering all of us. But out of nowhere, I didn’t realize that I hit a bare jackpot!

I pierced her right wing with my lucky gunshot just as she flew past my face, where my nose was almost collided with her aircraft’s body!

Smoke was trailing across her right wing and where her formation was breaking up like the group of ants running away after getting blown by the wind. Even I saw that the latter Azure squadron was trailing with smoke due to our lucky shot.

As all of our morale suddenly rose high, Adele couldn’t help but spout her frustration as she suddenly went aggressive with her flying into our faces.

“Dear God! You just cheesed my plane like a jerk! You’re gonna pay for this!”

But before they’re about to fire their missiles with a perfect lock right into our face, I overheard a gentle female voice that looked like a warning to all of us. Worrying that it could be another threat.

"This is AWACS Emilien reporting to all Valusian fighters! Cease your fire and get back to the headquarters right now! We don’t want to cause any more casualties."

It was a massive surprise that the Valusian AWACS was warning them to retreat. But still, even though their intention was to reduce any more casualties, they’ve sacrificed too many soldiers that we’ve shot in the air.

"They're retreating?! Oh, come on! He just tackled my feet like a jerk!"

"Fine! Maybe next time, I will be harder, wyvern boy~"

I stood silent and watched Adele retreating together with the remaining Azure fighters with minor smokes from their engines. Finally, I could get some breathers from the tense dogfight as I and Beck gathered with our remaining squad mates.

Just as I was flying in formation with the rest, AWACS Capricorne then contacted all of us with an excitement about our mission successes.

“That’s a confirmed hit to the Azure squadron! Good job, IETFS!”

Cheering blared throughout the comms channel that almost deafened my ears, where I had to lower the volume. But in an exception of myself, staring at the ground below from my cockpit. Feeling a slight remorse for the Valusian pilots I’ve shot down.

As if the Grey Men want to exhaust us from this meaningless war where they will occupy all of us without the need for bloodshed.

"Hey! Don’t leave us behind like dumbasses! We don’t want to get cold in this stupid rain!"

“Rexus-3 and 4, the ground forces will pick you up ETA 10 minutes. Just hang in there for a bit.”

Afterwards, I left the battlefield for the mission debriefing. I have a weird feeling that I can’t describe after our fierce fight. Whether it's a satisfaction or a confusion.

***

1232 hours, 2 July 2004…

Hours have passed, and all of us gathered in the mission briefing room for the debriefing. And it is such a gratitude that Rexus-3 and 4 had safely returned home despite their Hawkeyes being trashed. But even so, chatter stormed the entire room, as if this mission was like a walk in the park to them.

But then, Commander Jason Vanderhall briefly silenced the entire room as he debriefed with a stern but clear voice.

"Excellent work! You successfully eliminated the Valusian transport convoy, preventing them from seizing the Kingswood Hill mining facility. Their jammers and escort fighters were no match for your skill and precision. This victory may be our one and only chance to push their remaining forces back from the Axxon Oilrig off Gregoria’s coast. With this momentum, we will deal a serious blow to their invasion plans. For now, stand down and get some rest. Dismissed!"

The latter pilots in this room left the room with a deafening cheer after the success of this mission, but I did not.

Because I must recall my time facing off against Adele Lorraine, the Azure’s leader who was toying with me with her impossible maneuver. But simultaneously, I was curious whether she knows well about the true perpetrator of the Sauveterre attack.

Unfortunately, I had to shrug it off, as I can't just cede myself to the enemy because they might be stabbing my back for letting my guard down in a bit.

I stood up from the chair and was about to leave the briefing room until Gordon harshly clapped my left shoulder and reprimanded me in a sinister tone.

"Not too shabby for a pussy nerd like you. But still, I'm going to beat you on the next mission. And I will come back stronger!"

He doesn’t look like he reprimanded me, but more like he threatened me. Like a thug from the hood threatening a man for a mug.

But I casually shrugged off his pushiness as I retorted in a low tone but sardonic.

"Said the man who let his wingman get shot like a piece of shit.”

Having had enough with his bullshit, I get out of the briefing room and on my way into my dorm room to take a rest after an exhaustive mission. And thus, to further investigate the Sauveterre Attack per the major general’s document. Whilst I simultaneously should never let my guard down because several pilots in here are suspected to be the Grey Men’s conspirators.

That’s what the major general told me.

But who knows? Secret had a knack for revealing by itself.