Final battle

The interceptor races towards Antigany. With any luck, I can drop Sophie off at a Mozakan military base and rejoin the war. Somewhere north is Antigany, currently besieged by the Novemian military. We won't go that far.

"Hey Alex! Bogeys on radar!"

"Those are bandits, I think!" 

There indeed are several dots racing towards us. The IFF tells me it's an old foe. Novemian Life Guard squadron. I wish I could shoot them down, but I can't. I don't have missiles, and attempting to close in to gun range would simply see me get killed. So I keep level.

The Life Guards surround our plane, and we find ourselves flying in the center of the formation. 

"Alexander Benoic. We meet again."

"Shouldn't you be focusing on the battle at hand?" I snap back.

"Someone's not very polite." He sighs. "I haven't forgotten Alex. I haven't forgotten at all. You killed our comrades. I won't forget that."

"S-sorry." I say. "In my defense, you killed our men too. That's war."

"That's war. Which is why I'm here to end it."

"Not sure if I trust that, but sure."

"Hand the princess over Alex."

"We're on an airplane. Not possible to do that right now."

"Land."

"And then what?"

"I'll take her in. She's my fiance. I can't possibly let her go."

"I thought that was annulled with the start of the war?"

"As the leader of Novemia, I say it has been un-annulled." 

I look back to see if Sophie's responding. Her helmet's on, so I can't see her expression, but she's silent. When she sees me, she gives me a nod. I continue.

"You'll have to make a second proposal then. As crown princess of Elodia, I think Sophie should make that choice."

"You talk smart, but you lack the drive to take her. She needs a man of ambition. Not a parasite." That gets under my skin. Parasite? Me? Unambitious? Me?

"Who says I'm not a man of ambition. Who knows, maybe I'll run for Prime Minister someday." I quip back. "I have a ton of ideas for improving the world."

"Your idealistic fantasies won't work. Stay out of this Alex. The war's over. There's no need to fight anymore. Risk anything more and you simply end up dying." Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

"Alright Mr. Realist, I'd like to hear your plan for peace."

"Land at our base. Hand Sophie over. She can tell the Elodians to end this pointless war. With that, Novemia will withdraw from Mozaka."

"Pretty sure our soldiers won't accept orders from a rogue monarch. Not that Sophie ever would do that."

"I'm pretty sure with your Prime Minister dead, she's the only possible authority left."

Touche.

"Anyhow, Sophie and I go a ways back, Alex. She might have gone along with your silly little fling, but I'm the only one for her."

"So much for ambition, you creep. Whatever happened to the greater good?" Despite knowing that no one can see me, I put my hand on my chest as if posing for a camera. "Sounds to me that your own standards are actually pointing to me, someone who actually thinks long-"

"Alex." Sophie says. "Alex, can I speak?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Sophie." There's relief from Karl's voice. "I knew you'd come around."

"Mr. Vendreki..." Her voice wobbles. "So...firstly, hello. I believe this is the first time we have met."

"Second."

"Um, second then. Karl, I can't...I can't just accept a wedding proposal like that out of the blue. The wedding was annulled due to the war and...I don't think it would be appropriate to just pretend that it never happened."

"Nonsense." Karl says. "My father may have broken the betrothal, but I've kept it in my heart. I'm sure you have t-"

"Mr. Vendreki-"

"You can call me Karl. I'm not that much older than you. Well, I'm sure we'll have time to get to know each other better-"

"Mr. Karl Vendreki, I...I can't. I...don't want to." Sophie is silent, before speaking up again. "And another thing, Alex and I both really, don't think Elodia would ever accept Novemian rule. So...I'm sorry. I reject your political proposal as well." Karl snorts from the other side of the radio.

"You kidding me? That's...silly. That can't be. We're soulmates Sophie. You just don't realize it yet."

Alright Karl.

"I...don't think so. And, I really was surprised to hear you were claiming I did all those things I didn't do. I didn't permit the coup in Elodia. I never signed an agreement to unite our countries. I never agreed to get married to you." She stops. "But I did agree to run away with Alex. If I did something wrong there, I'll be judged based on my own merits. But please, stop slandering me and Alex out of some mythical belief that I'll be on your side or whatever."

Sophie stops speaking. Karl is equally silent.

"So...just shut the fuck up and stay away from me. I'll decide who I like. I don't ever want to talk to you ever again." We're silent. "And you can forget about the unity bullshit, because Elodia won't accept you. No matter what you force me to do."

Damn.

"You've corrupted her, Alex." Karl says after a long pause. "Defiled her with your degenerate ways."

Suddenly, there's a radar lock on our plane. 

"Hey, what the hell?" Missile out. I pop flares and break sharp right as the missile barely misses us. "Hey! You're going to kill your precious-urk!" I am forced to maneuver again as a second missile races towards us. I almost black out. As life returns to me, I can hear Sophie gasping for air. It's not easy for me, let alone her. I can't imagine what she's going through. I feel nauseous. Like I'll throw up.

"To hell with it all." Karl says. "Life Guard Morgan Team. We strike here and now. Bring the target down."

"Hey, time out!" I can't fight back. The plane gun is loaded, but that's it. 

Karl ripple fires four missiles out at once. It's preposterous. Are you that desperate? I sharp turn upwards as I pop flares once more and increase speed. My ears ring as our plane dodges the missiles. Fortunately for us, that means he's just wasted a bunch of missiles for no reason whatsoever.

"Launch all missiles! Blow that thing out of the sky."

"Your majesty, that's a waste-"

"Follow your orders, Marco. He stands against peace. This is the punishment for warmongering" A whole flurry of missiles flies out at us and I'm forced to break. Novemian missiles are shitty, yes, but the speed at which they travel makes up for it. I black out again from the Gs I'm pulling. When I awaken, I find myself having done a full loop. Sophie gasps for air again. The controls are heavy. I can't feel my own fingers for a moment before life returns to me, but I maneuver out of the way as Karl's plane nearly collides with my own as he closes the gap.

"God dammit Karl!" I yell out.

"Alex." Karl snarls. "You've chosen the path of war for yourself. No backing out of it now. I should have killed you when I had the chance. Today, I correct that mistake."

He loops around, and there is a burst of autocannon fire from Karl's plane. If there's one thing I'm good at though, it's not getting hit. That's my entire strategy, actually.

"How can you talk while flying like that..." Sophie asks, her voice strained. I can hear her audibly slamming back into her chair as I maneuver the plane once more.

"You took everything from me, Alex. Everything. I don't know what you have against peace, Alex. But you led Sophie astray. A glorified boy clown like you should never have been allowed to be near the princess."

I perform a maneuver, avoiding another burst of gunfire from the prince's craft. I'm fucking sick of this man's talking. My vision is tunneled, but my ears are unfortunately, just fine enough to hear his spiel. 

"I can't, please..." After a moment, Sophie is coming back around.

"Hey, you're hurting Sophie-" Another missile flies out at the plane, and I dodge it with great effort. "Karl! Cease fire, don't shoot-oh goddamn-" Another one. This time it's a ground based SAM. I pour chaff out and dive right for the thing. Guns loaded, I unleash a giant burst towards the missile truck. I don't know if it's down, but it no longer displays a radar signal. I hear Sophie taking a breath of air and coughing.

"Alex, please, I can't take more of this..." Sophie's cries break my heart, but there's nothing I can do.

"I'm sorry Sophie, bear with me..."

"Your majesty, they are below us."

"Dive in. Morgan Team, formation Alpha 2 Zeta, we are engaging target at 1000 feet. "Lucius Team, give us overwatch."

"Running low on missiles!" A Life Guard pilot shouts. Maybe best not to point out the fact that they're on open coms, that's helpful to know.

"Launch everything if you must! Kill him."

"Sophie, try to breathe when you can." I say to her. "Tell me if you see anything coming in from behind, I'll focus purely on evasion.

"T-there!" Sophie says weakly as a whole volley heads right for us again. My chest hurts. My heart's beating. Another burst of chaff and flares, break left.

I'm out of countermeasures.

"Stay alive Sophie..." I say, straining myself. I watch as Vendreki's plane heads right for us, diving at us like a predatory hawk. "Focus on breathing. Don't forget that!" I yell to the back. I look on my radar. "Huh?"

"This is Lucius Team! Your majesty, cease engagement, there are-"  I then notice that there are several missiles flying out from beyond the horizon. They aren't aimed at me.

"I've got you in my sights. Alex Benoic, you die today!"

"Your majesty, evade!" Karl suddenly breaks upwards sharply, popping chaff and flares as a missile nearly slams into his plane.

"Fox Three Alex! Late Christmas gift for you!" Several missiles race towards the Life Guard units up ahead. They manage to dodge the first salvo, but now, they're peeling off. "This is Paladin Five! Alex, Paladin Two and I are with the Mozakans. Don't you worry about the others, because we've got them for you! AWACS, can you get Alex plugged in?"

Dozens of Mozakan and Elodian exile fighter planes fill my radar. The numbers are even. 

"Looks like the intel was true." A voice I don't recognize, speaking Mozakan with a non-Elodian dialect says. "Karl's chasing a distraction."

"It's just you and me now Karl!" I taunt. "Come face me!"

"I hold this world together, Alex! You're just my final antagonist. My final obstacle. Antigany will fall in a due matter of time. I just need to kill you." Karl says as he dives down at me. His flying isn't as disciplined or proper anymore, it's erratic and crazed. "You won't take her from me." A giant burst of autocannon fire barely misses our plane. But he's still behind us.

"Shut up! Please! Shut up!" I say. My body aches. My fingers hurt. But my heart aches even more as I see Sophie slumped over on the chair as she struggles to breathe. "Just shut up Karl! I don't want to hear it!" Fuck this. "I'm sorry Sophie. Bear with me."

I take the plane and maneuver sharply upwards. I've never done it before, and it's a risk, but I do it. I stall the plane, and tilting the nose up, get behind Karl. Sophie screams.

"You bastard!" Any pretense of civility is gone. Karl yells curses into the mic. "Where's you go?"

My vision is blurry. The controls are heavy. For a moment, I don't even know where Karl is. Where the hell am I?

I look out as my vision stabilizes. I'm literally just behind him. The plane is rolling in an attempt to get a better vantage point, but it's slowed down due to it.

One millisecond is all I need to know he's made a critical error. I pull the trigger and I empty my belt into the general direction of his plane.

A round impacts into Karl's plane. I can't tell exactly what happened, but there is a single explosion near the engine. Just one.

Just one critical shot.

"No, no no!" Karl screams. The plane is badly damaged but somehow, still flying. From what I can see, the control surfaces are completely gutted. One of the engines is on fire, and it's spreading all across the plane. "Dammit!" The plane is wobbling as the flames begin to consume it.

"Your majesty, eject!" the Life Guard pilots shout, but it's clear they're in no position to help.

"Not yet. I don't lose..." The plane begins to tilt. If there's a time to eject, now's his last chance.

"Give up Karl, and eject!" I say. "It's over!" The plane is rolling at an uncontrollable rate now. There's no way out.

"That's it, I'm out." I see a Life Guard jet peel away. Then another. And another. And another.

"No, no no no!" The still working radio says. "Sophie, damn you...you'll regret this..." There's a crackle as it stops.

The plane explodes.

"Paladin Four!" There's a friendly call from the radio. "Follow us, we'll lead you to land!" I watch as the Novemian Life Guard Squadron peels away.

"Hey, Alex?" A weak voice from the back asks. "Is it over?" She pants. 

The sky is a striking orange and dark blue. The sky is filled with streaks of missile contrails, but now, it's almost peaceful. The smoke from the explosion of Karl's plane is nearly gone by now.

I remove my shaking hands from the controls as I slump into my chair. Deep breath. Deep breath. After a while, I am able to talk again.

"Yeah. I think so."