This is a repost in preparation for the release of "Angels of Blood and
Fire, Mission 02: Day of the Weasel," later this evening. Comments and
criticisms are most welcome.
"Two bandits at nine o'clock high!" the radio crackled.
"They're right on you, Jean! Break hard left!"
The sounds of heavy desperate gasps echoed over the radio
as Jean fought for breath in the middle of his nine-g turn.
"Ken! Warren! Can you get to them?" Jean cried, rolling out
and hoping for an overshoot. His Mirage III's delta wing
configuration could bleed off airspeed murderously in a climbing
turn.
He never got the chance to hear the reply, as an Atoll missile
fired from minimum range exploded through his fuselage. The
shock of the explosion threw him against his seat straps and into
unconsciousness. The rocket's motor, still burning the last of the
solid propellant, ignited the Mirage's fuel an instant later.
Jean de Lyon, formerly of Toulouse France, fell from the sky
trailing a fiery cloud of smoke. He never saw the ground as it
rushed up at him. He never felt the flames crawl over his body as
the jet fuel burned around him.
He also never saw Warren's F-4E Phantom II open up on his
killer with its gatling gun. Brilliant red tracers flashed out in a
gracefully arcing stream of smoke. Only six of the 20mm armor
piercing incendiary rounds struck the MiG-21 out of the 24 round
burst. Six was all it took.
The MiG-21's cockpit exploded in a shower of metal and
plexiglass. For an instant, if you knew what to look for, you could
see the flash of red through the debris. The MiG pilot never knew
what hit him either.
As Ken and Warren's F-4s hit their burners and shot away, the
MiG-21 crashed only a few hundred meters from the burning
wreckage of Jean's Mirage. The two downed planes burned furiously
for awhile, their twin columns of black smoke mingling into the
clouds as their fallen pilots' ashes were scattered on the wind.
______________________________________________________________________
J. Austin Wilde and Fission Park Press proudly present:
AREA 88: ANGELS OF BLOOD AND FIRE
Mission 01
By J. Austin Wilde, K.B.C.S.
Super Critical Reactor Axe Man
Fission Park Press
wildeman@psn.net
http://www.psn.net/~wildeman/
The characters and situations of Area 88 are the creation of the
great shojo artist turned air combat god, Kaoru Shintani.
______________________________________________________________________
McCoy strolled leisurely along the flight line. There was money to
be made today. Asran's civil war seemed to be at a low point as both
sides reeled from the horrendous losses from the last rebel offensive.
Without any sanctioned missions to fly, the pilots would soon get bored
and want to do a little hunting on their own. McCoy would be there to
sell them bombs, missiles, fuel, cannon ammo, whatever they wanted.
The shrill of Iron Arm Campbell's A-4M Skyhawk assailed the
little Irishman's ears. Campbell was one of the first pilots to get
bored when nothing was going on, next to the bald-headed Randy of
course. The pilot's canopy was up, and the glint of sunlight off his
steel hook of a right hand caught in McCoy's eyes.
"Hey, McCoy!" Campbell called. "Come on over!"
The A-4's engine wound down as McCoy approached.
One of the ground crew set the boarding ladder in place for him.
He scrambled up the ladder, hating how high up the cockpit was for
such a little plane. Campbell wiped away the sweat from his brow
with his good hand. The steel hook that was his other hand rested
along the sidewall.
"This had best be good, boyo, for making me climb all the way
up here," McCoy admonished.
"Can you keep a secret?" Campbell asked. He had a young looking
face that belied his years of combat.
A cash register sound rang in McCoy's ears.
"Of course I can!" he protested. "What do ye take me for?"
"Good. I found something out in the desert. I want to take it
out."
McCoy poked his huge beak of a nose into Campbell's face. A
large wart crowned the tip of it.
"What do ye be wantin' from me, boyo?"
Campbell blinked twice at the sight of the wart.
"I need Rockeyes," he said in a rush. "As many as I can carry.
Can you get them for me by dawn?"
McCoy nodded. "I might have a few hiding in the back o' me
warehouse. Question is, what do ye be needin' 'em for?"
Campbell looked around to make sure no one was close enough
to hear. The ground crew were busying themselves with safeing his
two Sidewinder missiles and getting them off the pylons to the
storage racks.
"I found a bunch of camouflage tarps west of point Charlie two,"
he began. "Plus a lot of petrol barrels. I think there's a battalion
of mechanized infantry out there, maybe even tanks. I didn't see any
SAMs, so that makes 'em sitting ducks."
"So why don't ye be telling Saki about this?"
"Come on, McCoy!" Campbell protested. "If I did that there'd be
a whole section of planes going out there. I'd have to split the prize
money four ways. I can do it first thing in the morning all by myself.
We're talking a hundred grand at least, maybe double that if there
are tanks around."
McCoy nodded. He understood the spirit of free enterprise
better than anybody.
"I can get ye the Rockeyes," he said. "But I hate to see ye go
off and get killed. Ye're one o' my best customers."
"Thanks, McCoy!" Campbell beamed.
"Don't thank me yet," McCoy grinned. "It'll cost ye fifty
thousand for the bombs."
"Fifty thousand?"
"Aye! Ye think Rockeyes grow on trees? These I had to get
from a NATO supply dump in Bahrain. Not so easy anymore now
that the Gulf War's over. Ordnance doesn't move like it used to,
and they keep better track of it."
Campbell nodded reluctantly. "Okay McCoy, it's a deal."
"Splendid!" McCoy cried. He penciled in Campbell's order
on a little notebook he always kept handy. "I'll have them
waiting in your revetment before daybreak."
McCoy jumped down off the ladder. He had a huge grin
on his face.
"Poor bastard," he mumbled to himself. "If I'd sold them
for thirty thousand I'd still be making a sweet profit. That must
be quite a target for him not to haggle with me."
* * *
"How are things looking on your end?" Mick Simon called
over the radio.
"Quiet," Shin Kazama replied. He scanned his radar display
once more. He was glad his F-20 Tigershark had a good air-search
radar. It had saved his life on more than one occasion.
The rebels for the most part were flying MiG-21s, with
the occasional MiG-23 thrown into the mix. The 21s had an
old radar with a short range and poor tracking abilities. His
own radar had twice the range and could track multiple targets
with ease. In aerial combat, the first person to spot his enemy
was frequently the winner.
The only problem with having such a good radar was that you
were tempted to use expensive radar guided missiles. American AIM-7
Sparrows and the French Super Matras were good missiles, but they
were so expensive to use that they just weren't cost effective when
weighed against the prize money to be had for shooting down a MiG-21.
There was also the chance that you missed, and then it was just money
down the drain.
Today Shin was carrying four older model Sidewinders. The good
AIM-9Ls with the forward tracking aspects were in short supply. Saki
wouldn't issue them unless they expected to be outnumbered at least
two to one, and McCoy was charging almost as much for them as for a
radar guided missile. Shin didn't even want to think about the price
for a 9R or (dare he dream!) the 9X ASRAAM.
If he did find someone to fight today, he would have to close
with them and work in behind them for a missile kill. He could
do it, in fact he had been doing it for two years. It was always
a risk, especially as the enemy had been surprising them recently
by carrying a Russian made forward tracking heat seeking AA-11
missile.
The AA-11 wasn't the best missile in the world. It had a decent
seeker head and a good motor, but it was easy to fool. The only
problem in facing a jet armed with one was that the enemy could
shoot at him as he closed to dogfight. While he was busy evading,
the MiG would slip in behind for a guns shot or maybe a cheaper
Atoll missile kill from close range.
No, the only option for him was to live. If the enemy was
carrying AA-11s, he would make a break for Area 88. He had to
survive. He would get home to Japan and his beloved Ryoko no
matter what.
**Just ten more months,** he thought to himself. **Ten more
months until my contract is up. Then I'm a free man again.**
His blood began to boil, as it had each time he thought about
the betrayal that sent him here. How his best friend had gotten him
drunk in Paris and had him sign a contract that thrust him into
Asran's civil war to be a mercenary fighter pilot.
There were four ways out of Area 88. The first was to survive
the three years of your contract. The second was to buy out your
contract by earning three million dollars in prize money. It was
possible, he had been close to that mark several times before
disaster struck and he lost a plane. Buying a new one always set
him back to square one.
The third option was to desert, another thing that had crossed
his mind on several occasions. What had kept him was a sense
of honor and devotion to his comrades. As much as he hated Area
88 and the damned civil war he was forced to fight, he had several
dear friends among the pilots. To desert would be to abandon them.
The fourth option was even more unthinkable. Death. The fourth
option was the most common way a pilot left Area 88. They traded
their squeaky, uncomfortable beds back at the base for smoking holes
in the ground somewhere in the desert.
Jean de Lyon had been the most recent death, having found his
smoking crater early this morning. Memorial services would be held
tonight. Shin didn't expect a big turn out for it. Jean was a new
guy, not alive long enough to make many friends in a group of men who
kept to themselves because they were all marked for death. Some
sooner than others.
Shin of course would be there. He was there for all of the
funerals. Even if he didn't know them. Saki would say a few words,
offer up a Muslim prayer, and that would be that. If the guy had
any friends they might say a few words of their own. Supper would
follow, and life went on at the base.
"Hey, Shin, you spacing out again?" Mick called.
Shin looked up to his HUD.
"What is it?"
"I've got four bogies at three o'clock, about sixty miles out from
me. You should be closer."
Shin turned his Tigershark to the right and set his radar to work.
He was rewarded with four little points of light on his display. IFF
couldn't distinguish them as friends, and no one else was supposed
to be in this map sector. That meant only one thing.
"They're just in my range," Shin said. "I think they're MiG-21s.
The return strength is low."
"I had no problem spotting them," Mick returned with a hint of
sarcasm.
"You've got that monster of a radar on your Tomcat," Shin
returned.
"Heh, too bad I can't afford any Phoenixes. They'd be dead by
now."
"I can probably take two on by myself by the time you reach me."
Mick chuckled. "Think you can stay alive long enough for me to
save you?"
"I'll manage," Shin replied. There was that flat emotionless tone
in his voice that he affected whenever he was preparing himself for
combat. Shin hated the killing, but there was no choice. He had to
live, to do that he had to kill. What frightened him the most was that
it didn't bother him the way it used to.
"Going ballistic," Mick announced. "I'll see you in a few."
"Roger," Shin replied, his hand already moving his throttle to
the afterburner position. The Tigershark's powerful F404-100 turbofan
engine screamed in response as Shin punched through 'the number'
and into supersonic flight.
Mick Simon held his breath for a few seconds. As much as he
loved to fight, there was always that pause where his heart raced and
he thought about the life he had left behind in New York. The
woman he had left behind.
He loved Tracy. He knew that in his heart. But he also knew
that he loved flying and he loved fighting. His first kill of a
Libyan MiG over the Gulf of Sidra had been better than his first
time having sex. The Gulf War had been his dream come true: months
of continuous combat flying. He knew that he loved combat more
than he loved Tracy, and so he had exchanged his business suit for
a flight suit once again.
He slid through the zones of afterburner by feel. The F-14A+ he
was strapped to had five zones of afterburner, and none of them were
marked on the throttle. Pilots just developed a feel for them. He was
in the third zone now, pushing for speed while keeping an eye on the
fuel gage. Not having a man in the back seat meant having to take
up the rest of the workload.
The only thing he really needed a back seat for (besides an
extra pair of eyes in the middle of a dogfight) was to use his
powerful AWG-9 radar to guide AIM-54D Phoenix missiles. As the rebels
didn't have any dedicated long range supersonic bombers, there
was no reason to carry a Phoenix. Using one on a fighter would cost
him more money for the missile than he would get in prize money
for shooting it down.
Still, there were times like this when he wished he had one. For
a guy who wanted so desperately to go home, Shin took some crazy risks.
He would be outnumbered four to one for at least twenty seconds, an
eternity in aerial combat. A Phoenix or two launched from long range
could go a long way towards leveling the playing field.
Instead he would have to make do with Sparrows. If the targets
were MiG-21s he would make about five thousand dollars profit apiece
from them. He would make close to thirty thousand if he used an older
model Sidewinder, and fifty thousand for a guns kill. Modern planes
were worth much more than that. Area 88 had certainly honed his
gunfighting skills.
"Don't be in such a hurry to die, Shin," he said quietly to
himself. His radar began to chirp in his ears as it searched for the
first MiG of the day.
Shin locked up the first MiG with his radar just as they spotted
him. The four fighter flight split into two element pairs. The first
pair flew straight at him, the second cut wide to the left to come in
behind as he closed.
The radar lock was just a distraction, as he carried no radar
guided missiles today. Hopefully the enemy would get nervous and make
a break for it. Or perhaps they would launch outside their effective
missile envelopes and waste a few of those AA-11s Shin had the sinking
suspicion they carried.
They were cool customers, whoever they were. It only reinforced
the idea that they were packing AA-11s. Shin started looking around
for a direction to run while keeping his nose on the lead fighter.
They were just little black specks in the blue sky before him
when the chirp of enemy acquisition radar sounded in his ears. They
were locking him up to shoot. It was moment of truth time.
He caught the flash of a missile launch from five miles out. Two
of them were flying right at him. His instincts screamed at him to
make a break turn and go full out for the sea. Instead he shoved his
throttle to the stops and continued straight at the missiles.
Two seconds later he was approaching Mach 1.6 and the missiles'
sustainer motors were just kicking in. He had one chance now, as it
was too late to break. The fighters were MiG-21s, he could make out
their small shapes against a cloud bank.
The missiles screamed past him a half second later. Their
proximity fuses weren't very good at head-on intercepts, and the
missiles exploded behind him. The Tigershark was buffeted by the
shock waves, but for the moment no fire lights winked on. He had
survived.
There wasn't time to gloat, however. He pulled the nose home on
the lead MiG and squeezed off a burst of twin 20mm cannon fire. The
head-on guns shot caught the MiG square on, blasting the cockpit and
radome apart in a cloud of grey smoke and shrapnel. It pitched over
into a spiraling death dive, aerodynamic forces ripping the plane
apart as it fell.
The second MiG pitched up into a high speed yo-yo, its pilot
desperate for a guns shot on Shin before he could get past him. Shin
couldn't match the climb in his Tigershark; the plane's center of
gravity was too far forward for a decent pitch rate. However, it
rolled wonderfully, and the sudden change of aspect confused the MiG
pilot long enough for Shin to get clear.
It was a duel for position now. Shin had the advantage over the
MiG as his plane was more maneuverable. All he had to do was get
in behind the MiG and release a Sidewinder -then run like hell before
the other two MiGs could lock him up. They were racing around to
get in behind him from seven miles out.
One of his problems evaporated in an instant as one of Mick's
Sparrows blew it apart. The other MiG tried too late to evade, and it
caught Mick's second Sparrow through the wing. The maimed jet
tumbled ground bound, cockpit canopy bursting free as the pilot tried
to eject. Shin spared a look long enough to know that at that speed
and attitude, the pilot was probably killed by the aerodynamic forces
of ejecting.
"Two for me!" Mick crowed. His F-14 was barely visible in front
of Shin. "Think you can take care of this last guy?"
Shin grunted a reply. He was in a scissors maneuver with the MiG
at that moment. Considering Shin's plane was more maneuverable, it
was likely that he would succeed in getting behind the MiG for a
missile shot, but then Shin had more speed to bleed off. He decided to
roll out and try another approach.
"You're letting him get away," Mick said tersely.
"Keep your radar on him," Shin grunted. "Give him something
to worry about."
"He's not going to stick around after we shot down three of his
buddies."
"He won't live long enough to run."
Shin pulled up into his own yo-yo. It was a little clumsy, and
the MiG pilot did what the book said to do -dive and break turn to
disengage. Shin was expecting this, hence his overt clumsiness. It
was easier to guess what your opponent was going to do when you
made up his mind for him.
Taking advantage of the Tigershark's superior roll rate, Shin
pulled over into a snap roll and put his nose back on the MiG. His
radar locked up the MiG, telling the seeker head on one of his pylon
slung Sidewinders where to look. With the MiG on full burner trying
to escape, it didn't take long for a lock.
As soon as Shin had a good tone he released his Sidewinder and
broke left. He was too close to prosecute this one -he'd only end up
catching debris in his engine if the missile hit. Mick cheered as the
Sidewinder crawled up the MiG-21's tail pipe and exploded. It was
a perfect hit, completely annihilating the jet.
"A beautiful if completely lucky shot," Mick announced.
"So long as they go down I don't care," Shin sighed. That last
turn had him gasping for breath. MiG-21s were slippery little bastards,
even when you hunted them with a Tigershark.
"I'm coming up on bingo fuel," Mick added. "Let's head for
home."
Shin agreed. Hoover Kippenburg and scar faced James would
be arriving soon in their Phantoms to take over this patrol sector.
It wasn't likely that the anti-government forces would be sending up
any more planes today.
"Well, looks like I made ten thousand dollars today," Mick said
in his usual cheery post-battle voice. "Wish I'd been closer, I could
have made some real money dogfighting. Oh well, there's always
tomorrow."
**Oh yes,** Shin thought bitterly. **There is always tomorrow.
Kill or be killed tomorrow. Ten more months of tomorrows...**
He looked down at his gloved hands. For a moment he could
see them slicked with the blood of the two MiG pilots he'd just
killed. He squinted away the tears and tore off his mask. Cold
dry air he gulped greedily until the sight of the blood faded and
was replaced by the clean grey and white gloves that covered his
hands.
**How many more men do I have to kill before I can be with
Ryoko again?**
* * *
Saki was waiting for them on the flight line as the Tigershark
and Tomcat taxied in. The prince's long black hair flowed behind him
in the hot desert wind. Shin's eyes were unconsciously drawn to the
'X' shaped scar on his forehead.
The two pilots climbed down from their planes and saluted Saki.
There were no real ranks among the pilots, the only exception being
Lt. Colonel Saki Vashutarl, who was the base commander. Saki
returned their salutes in his usual crisp and formal manner.
"You downed four planes today, I'm told," he said to them.
"Excellent work, especially for a lull period."
"Any idea when business'll pick up?" Mick asked with a grin.
"With luck the last offensive will have drained the rebels'
resources and will to fight." He affected a wistful look at the
thought, which soon returned to his usual grim countenance. "But
probably not."
Mick found himself brought down once again by Saki's dour mood.
"We can always hope," he said, immediately regretting saying it.
He had no desire for the war to end, and Saki knew it.
"I'm tired," Shin announced, hoping to turn the conversation
in another, less painful, direction. "Make sure I'm up for evening
muster."
Mick slapped Shin on the shoulder. "Can do." He walked towards
the base's recreation room. "I've got a date with the coke machine.
See you later."
"See you tonight, Mick," Shin replied. He started down the
tunnel into the depths of the base. Most of Area 88's living quarters
were underground. This was as much for comfort against the desert heat
as it was protection from enemy bombs.
Mick found Greg sitting glumly on a JP-5 barrel outside the rec
room. The bearded man was busy grumbling, as Greg often did when he
was bored.
"What's the matter, Greg?" Mick asked.
"Nothing's the matter, that's what's the matter."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Greg grumbled. "Ever since I bought my A-10, the tanks
have all gone into hiding. With the lull in the ground war there's no
close ground support missions available. And it's not like I can go
hunting after jets in my Warthog."
He kicked at a 30mm shell casing.
"Shoulda kept my Kfir," he said sadly.
"You could always rent a Skyhawk or something," Mick offered.
"I think McCoy might even have an F-5E lying around if you want to
go looking for jets so badly."
"McCoy would charge me so much for the jet rental I'd never
make any money," Greg lamented.
"At least you'd have something to do," Mick noted.
Greg's eyes lit up. "I never thought of it that way! You know
where he's hiding?"
"Haven't seen him since this morning."
Greg scratched at his beard. "Guess I'll start looking for him.
Later."
Mick waved as the short stocky man stumped off down the flight
line towards McCoy's warehouse.
Once inside the rec room, Mick let the cool air-conditioned air
of the place wash over him. The clack of the two billiards tables was
a familiar sound. Most of the base's pilots were here smoking, talking,
playing cards, and generally passing the time until supper and the
evening muster. There were no operations planned for this evening
beyond the standard patrols, and the likelihood of an attack on the
base was diminished by the recent arrival of an Improved HAWK
anti-aircraft missile battery.
Belly-Flop Kirby waved to him as he slugged the coke machine.
Sometimes, but not always, you could get a free coke if you hit
the machine just right. Mick smiled as an ice cold coke dropped
into the tray. Today was his lucky day. Belly-Flop said as much to
him as Mick found a seat near one of the pool tables.
"How are you doing, Belly-Flop?"
The man grinned. "My Skyhawk's finally ready to go."
"How's the airframe holding up?" There was a good reason
they called Kirby 'Belly-Flop.' He'd done more belly landings -and
survived, than any other pilot at Area 88. His most recent belly
landing was due to running out of fuel while circling above the
airfield as ground crews pushed the burning wreckage of a guy named
Mitchell off the runway.
"They say I'm good for maybe one more. I'm getting ready to
buy an F.1 anyways."
"A Mirage F.1? I always thought you were an attack pilot."
Kirby grinned again. "Now that the rebels are getting those
AA-11s, life's getting to be a little too exciting in the Skyhawk.
I need something with a good radar and a little speed. McCoy got me
a good price on a Mirage."
"As long as you're happy, I guess," Mick said to him. He wondered
if old Belly-Flop could read French. Head Up Displays weren't terribly
complicated, but between the HUD and the Multi-Function Display reading
out in French, it could get a little confusing. That could be fatal.
"I'll be all right," Kirby said after a bit. "I was hoping Jean
could help me out with the displays, but..." His voice trailed off.
Mick nodded. Nothing more needed to be said on that subject.
He sucked down his coke and went back to his room.
* * *
Ceiling fans swirled lazily over the heads of the pilots and crew
chiefs in the briefing room. The fans provided little in the way of
comfort, all they really did was stir up the cigarette smoke that left
a blue haze in the air. Supper was over and everyone was present
for muster that was going to be there. Jean's death announcement
had already been made earlier that day, and Roberts and Benson
were out on patrol.
Saki went through the roll call. After that the pilots were
released for the evening. Shin wanted to be alone for awhile, and Greg
was nowhere to be found. Mick found himself playing cards in the rec
room until midnight.
Area 88 settled into a long quiet night.
* * *
Around four in the morning, the air raid siren blared. Mick and
the other pilots scurried from their rooms to the revetments across
the tarmac to their planes. APUs were already fired up, and the rising
shrill of engine noise began to drown out the air raid klaxon. Mick
was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Oh, man! It's too early for this crap!" Randy yelled over the
din.
"I'm supposed to fight jets in the dark with my Warthog?!" Greg
chimed in.
"You attack boys just stay clear, the fighter jocks will handle
it," Warren cried.
"Up yours, you wanker!" Jensen riposted.
Mick clambered into his cockpit and his plane captain strapped him
in. His twin General Electric F110-400 engines screamed to life, and
he felt their power coursing between his shoulder blades. A brace of
four Sparrows and four Sidewinders were already loaded on his pylons.
Because it was a scramble to protect the base, Mick wouldn't have
to pay for the missiles or fuel. Every kill was pure profit -the best
kind of incentive.
Shin's F-20 was already taxiing to the active runway. One of the
advantages of the F-5 and its advanced brother the Tigershark was that
they could go from engine start to ready for takeoff in just sixty
seconds. A few F-5s were lining up behind Shin even as Mick finished
his rapid preflight.
"Area 88 Control to all intercept flights, be advised of friendly
SAM sites to the north and west," the radio crackled.
Mick cursed. A 'friendly' SAM could get you just as dead as an
enemy SAM. He hoped those pukes could tell the difference between
the enemy and the good guys. In any event he vowed to give them
a wide berth.
"Area 88 Control to all intercept flights, be advised of enemy
raid count numbering one-six from the west at 600 knots, altitude 1000
feet MSL, and distance three-zero miles."
Mick cursed again. At that speed they would be on top of the base
before he could even get airborne!
Shin's voice crackled over the radio as the controller finished
his brief.
"Zero-Zero Section Leader Shin Kazama to all flights, take off!"
Mick watched as Shin's Tigershark and the F-5Es hit their burners
and leaped into the air. In the distance he could see orange flashes
of light and distant roars as HAWK missiles raced skyward to intercept.
The brilliant green and red lines of tracer fire lit up the dark and
moonless sky even more.
Shin was racing airborne and letting Area 88's ground radar vector
him to attack. There was no sense in alerting the enemy to his presence
by lighting them up with his own radar just yet. The first of the HAWKs
started into the sky far ahead of him. He watched as two explosions
erupted like flashbulbs in the distance. The radar told him two bogies
had just gone down.
The raiders were making abrupt turns now. He could see their
afterburners winking on in the darkness as they turned away from the
SAMs. Either they weren't prepared for the missile bases or...
One of his F-5s broke out ahead of him to pursue the fleeing jets.
"Sanchez!" Shin cried. "Come back!"
"It's easy pickins, man!" Sanchez returned. "They're lighting
themselves up all the way to Tel Aviv!"
"Zero-Zero Section, break left and circle," Shin ordered.
"Sanchez, get back here!"
There was no reply. Sanchez's F-5E was now twelve miles ahead
of the section. Suddenly there was a flash of light about where his
plane was last seen. Shin scanned his radar briefly and confirmed that
the F-5 had been shot down.
Not all of the enemy jets had turned, just enough to suck Sanchez
into attacking head on into AA-11 missiles from the rest. If he had
been using his radar in Range-While-Search mode he would have realized
that. The learning curve of Area 88 was steep, too steep in Sanchez's
case.
"Area 88 Control to all intercept flights, be advised of second
raid group of one-two aircraft from the south at Angels One-Five, speed
800 knots, range of three-zero miles."
Shin cursed. The first raid group was only there to antagonize
the SAM sites. A wave of missiles from the second group began to pound
the desert around the base. Anti-Radiation Homing missiles.
"Okay, section, let's light them up," Shin called to his planes.
His F-20 and two Kfirs were the only planes capable of using radar
guided missiles. They would have to tow the line until Mick with his
F-14 and the F-4 Phantoms could get airborne. Of course by that time
the range would be down to using heat-seekers anyway.
His radar acquired a target and locked it up. The buzzing tone
sounded in his ears and he released a Sparrow. The enemy planes
were making their escape turns, having launched all of their Anti-
Radiation missiles at the HAWK batteries. Shin would have to keep
the nose of his plane on his target until the missile hit or it shot
past as a miss.
Seconds passed at an agonizing gait. He was essentially a sitting
duck for anyone else with an air to air missile while he 'walked' his
Sparrow into the target. He just hoped his F-5s were keeping a sharp
eye out for anyone who tried to close with him.
A heat seeker flashed underneath him. He looked away from his
radar for just an instant to see a MiG-21 explode about six miles
away from his position. Another F-5 was launching a Sidewinder as
more MiGs closed.
The chirp of an acquisition radar sounded in his ears. Again his
instincts told him to break and evade. He ignored them for just another
moment as his Sparrow found its mark. The distant deathlight went
unnoticed as he made an afterburner dive, then cut the burners,
dropped four flares, and rolled out into a break turn.
The Atoll shot past three hundred yards behind him. He jerked at
the control column, pitching hard into another turn and feeling his
backside crush into his ejector seat. The MiG was so hard to see in
the darkness, he was nearly flying blind.
His finger caressed the trigger, sending a burst of cannon fire
into the night. A MiG suddenly erupted in flames before him, and in a
panic he dove for the deck. It was so close that he could see the
pilot's body blasted halfway through the shredded cockpit as it
tumbled out of control above him.
He pulled up with two hundred feet to spare and gunned his engine
just below the afterburner setting. Down as low as he was made him
an easy target. Only the darkness protected him -providing that he
avoid showing off a brilliant glow by not using his afterburner.
Shin's breath came to him in gasps as he stood his Tigershark on
its tail and climbed. He had just enough thrust without the afterburner
for a moderate climb to altitude. If he had been able to launch his
other Sparrow he would have been faster, and the temptation to simply
drop it was great. He didn't because missiles like the Sparrow didn't
come along every day. He might need it later.
Mick was airborne now and not a moment too soon. A few MiGs
had slipped through in the confusion. MiG-27Es by the look of them,
ground attack variants of the swing-wing MiG-23. Mick hadn't had much
of a chance to look, as he was busy trying to get his Tomcat off the
ground before someone dropped a bomb on it.
He squeezed off a high-rate gatling cannon burst just as a MiG
was coming in on a low angle bomb run straight down the runway.
The roar of the M-61A six-barreled gatling cannon just beneath him
and to his left side was a deafening report. The MiG-27 caught the
burst full through the intakes, blasting the engine right out the
back. It tumbled into the ground a thousand meters short of the
runway and exploded into a fireball.
Mick's F-14 was flying over that fireball a second or two later.
It was pandemonium in the black skies over Area 88.
"Bandits in your six, Jensen!" Hoover called.
"I see 'em!"
There was pause.
"Christ, that was close!" Jensen cried. "Thanks, Benson!"
"You owe me money from tonight's card game, think I'd let
you slip off the hook by dying?!" Benson shot back.
"More 27s closing at 800 knots from the south! Look sharp,
Whiskey Section!" Brick announced.
Mick looked over his shoulder to see the lights of a squadron
of MiG-27s racing over the sandstone mountains to the south. An
exploding A-4 Skyhawk lit the sky long enough for him to get a
fix on them. He wished his Tomcat had the new APG-71 radar;
he'd have a better look-down capability against the incoming planes
that way. As it stood, he had no Radar Intercept Officer in the back
seat to pick them out of the ground clutter.
Brick's Whiskey Section of F-4Es all had RIOs. Their AWG-10
radars weren't quite as sophisticated as Mick's AWG-9, but having
backseaters meant they could use their Sparrows more effectively.
The lead F-4s began launching missiles as Mick moved his weapon
selector to a Sidewinder.
"Looks like I'm batting clean-up!" he called to Brick's section.
"Gang way!!!"
"Go get 'em, Mickie!" Brick cried.
As the volley of Sparrows hit home, Mick used the explosions to
guide him in. His powerful radar was picking them out of the ground
clutter now as he closed the range. The seeker head on his selected
Sidewinder began to chirp in acquisition. He launched a moment later,
selecting to guns as the missile shot clear.
He put on some right yaw, holding level flight long enough to hose
gatling fire into a second MiG as the Sidewinder blasted the first one
into smithereens. He goosed the throttles hard, moving into zone five
long enough to pitch up trans-sonic into an Immelman before throttling
back to military power and looping over at ten thousand feet to drop
in behind and above the MiGs.
He got off another Sidewinder as the MiGs aborted their run.
Brick's section was loosing heat-seekers at them from the flanks and
now Mick was behind them. They poured on the speed and dove down right
off the deck to evade the missiles. Most of them escaped to the east.
Those that didn't burned brightly on the desert floor. Mick was sure
his second Sidewinder had scored, but that wouldn't be confirmed until
the film in his gun camera was processed after the battle.
Shin Kazama had a MiG-21 on his tail. He hadn't seen the little
fighter until it was almost too late. The enemy pilot had misjudged the
range in the darkness and fired his AA-2 Atoll missile too close. The
warhead hadn't armed before it streaked past his diving Tigershark.
Despite his error, the MiG pilot was hanging on tenaciously to his
tail. It was too dark for anyone to find him and lend a hand, and now
the skies were so mixed up with friend and foe alike that even ground
based radar was bogged down with Ground Control Intercept duties. He
would either shake this guy himself or he would die.
Dying wasn't an option, he told himself. He thought of Ryoko as
he punched his afterburner and rolled. The MiG had slowed down to get
further behind him for another missile shot, and now Shin opened the
distance wide. The warble of the enemy's acquisition radar told him
that the MiG was lining him up for the kill shot.
He held still for just an instant, then loosed a bevy of flares
and reversed his turn. The Atoll leaped off the MiG's wingroot pylon.
Shin could feel it bearing down on his fighter as he gutted out the
turn.
He had to keep his fighter perpendicular with the incoming missile
to maximize the relative velocity and incur as many fuzing problems
as possible should his evasion attempts fail. At the same time he had
to accelerate through the turn to try and get outside the scanning
arc of the missile's seeker head. There was also the MiG itself to
think about, who would likely be following behind him at a safe
distance to shoot him again if the first missile missed.
**One thing at a time,** he thought desperately. G-forces were
crushing him into his seat. The hiss of his flight suit squeezing
against his body was strangely audible above strident alarm of the
rear-warning radar unit.
As spots began to swim before his eyes he saw with relief that the
missile had lost its lock and nose dived into the rocky ground below.
Again he reversed his turn and pulled up hard. The MiG pilot fired
his 23mm cannon at him in passing, and Shin felt his Tigershark
shudder as several rounds blasted through.
He checked his engine status: no fire lights or malfunctions. He
still had power. Whatever harm that had been done to his plane hadn't
been immediately fatal. He was still in the fight. He gutted out a snap
roll, feeling the sluggish response of the controls as he did so. A
wing hit most likely. It was just enough to put his nose back on the
MiG.
Two seconds later Shin loosed a Sidewinder at the MiG. The
enemy pilot didn't try to evade, he probably didn't even know Shin
had launched on him. Shin wasn't too surprised; the MiG-21's
cockpit visibility was poor to begin with, and rear view was non-
existent.
The MiG exploded in a blinding white fireball as the missile
detonated deep within the engine. Shin found himself nodding with
some satisfaction. Fiery remains streamed to the ground in long
orange fingers.
Another man had died that he might live.
**I'm sorry, but it was you or me...** he thought to himself. The
warm slick feeling of freshly drawn blood made his hands slip off the
controls for a moment. Then he realized that it was just another
phantasm. His subconscious was punishing him again for crimes his
conscious mind rationalized away.
* * *
Mick Simon made an inspection of his fighter as the ground crew
safed his remaining Sparrows. He never had the chance to use them
in the fight. He shrugged it off, he'd have his chance soon enough.
Iron Arm Campbell was stomping around in frustration nearby.
His mechanical lower leg made a clacking sound as he walked, which
complemented the sound of his hook as it scraped against the walls.
It seemed his revetment had received a lucky bomb hit, which in turn
had detonated the Rockeyes he had meant to use later that morning.
Now he was out fifty thousand dollars for the bombs with no way of
recouping his losses.
"Cheer up, Campbell; at least you weren't in the revetment when
it went up," Mick observed.
Campbell sighed. "Why couldn't McCoy have brought them out a
little later? Dawn would have been just fine."
"Did you get any planes in the fight?"
Campbell nodded slowly. "Nailed a 21 with a cannon burst. Other
then that, I was just flying around in the dark trying to stay out
of trouble."
Mick smiled.
"That's about fifty grand right there -since you didn't have
to buy the ammo or fuel. Doesn't that square you for the price of the
bombs?"
"Well, yeah, but I was hoping to make four times that *with* the
bombs. I don't think McCoy has any Rockeyes left."
"C'est la vie," Mick said with a smirk. "You'll make it up some
other time. More than we can say for the guys that died tonight."
Shin's F-20 taxied to the revetments as the last of the F-4s
came in for a predawn landing. Ground crews were ready at his station
to tend to the plane. He made a brief inspection of the jet before
turning it over to his crew chief. There were three cannon holes
through his left wing -one of which had severed a few control linkages.
Redundancy links had taken over, but it explained his sluggish
response.
The unicorn emblazoned on the tail glowed in the light of the
sodium lamps of the revetments. He looked at it for awhile. The
unicorn was Ryoko's favorite animal, even if it was just a fantasy
creature. It reminded him of why he had to do the things he did. She
was waiting for him. All he had to do was survive.
Saki approached him as he thought about home.
"It seems the rebels aren't as weak as we hoped after the last
offensive. I have the feeling we'll be very busy over the next few
weeks."
Shin nodded.
"We'll be ready," he said at last.
"Good. I'm counting on you and the other experienced pilots to
bring the new guys together. What happened with Sanchez was a
stupid waste."
"I can't help them if they don't want to be helped," Shin said
defensively.
"I don't blame you for his death," Saki said evenly. "But I need
you and the others to work together and prevent any more stupid
blunders like that. The odds are stacked against us as it stands."
"The odds always seem to get worse, don't they?"
Saki had no answer for that.
The sun began to rise; the sky flared with yellows and oranges
and reds. It was an unnatural morning sky, and many lines of black
smoke rose into the still dark zenith. The wind was cold and tainted
with gunsmoke, cordite, and jet fuel.
"We are angels of blood and fire," Shin observed. "Fallen angels,
living and dying in the darkness. Only the kerosene flames of our
funeral pyres light our way to hell."
High in the clouds, steel crumples like paper and flesh burns bright.
This is Area 88, and the skies are filled with the Fallen Angels.
_______________________________________________________________________
Author's notes:
1) Kaoru Shintani's manga epic takes place in the late 1970s. I have
modernized it somewhat, having it take place just a few years after
the Persian Gulf War in order to incorporate more modern aircraft
and weapons into the story.
2) Like in the manga, the country of Asran is a mythical nation
roughly fitting between Egypt and Libya, with a Mediterranean
coast line. If the anime is any example of where Asran should be,
the use of Carthaginian art and architecture in Act III helps solidify
the notion that Asran is probably the northeastern portion of Libya,
centered around the Libyan city of Benghazi.
3) Some of you may have noticed that I doubled the price Shin must
pay to buy out his contract. Fret not, because I also increased the
prize money they get for battle. Ah inflation...
Free The Nukes!