Ace Combat Zero: The Aether Guard

[Wyldfire]

Jesus.

Miranda stepped in with a nod and a smile as fake as the apparent muscle added by her flight-suit's comfortable size. When she got in, she stood rooted to the spot with the door closing behind her, staring at the blonde woman in front of her. She kinda... looked a bit like herself. And Miranda thought she also smelled a bit of tobacco in the air.

"Good morning." Miranda fished her medical papers out of her flight suit, and handed them over the doctor. "Say, have we met around before?"

"Good morning commander, no I don't think we have met," Kayla said to Miranda as she plucked a cigarette out of the pack on her desk and lit it, "But I'm Doctor Kayla Martins. You're Miranda Santos. Lucky you, your shot record's up to date. So all we have to do is check those lungs of yours."


Kayla took a drag from her smoke and put her stethescope in her ears. "Care to open up your flight suit? These things don't quite get the same chilling results if there's cloth between you and it. It makes keeping it in the freeezer useless."

 

[Katamari Roller]

"Heh!" Miranda chuckled at the doctor's joke. Quite funny, that one. She pulled the zipper on her flight suit down to her stomach, and pulled her arms out of the sleeves, letting it fall down to her waist as she sat on a stretcher, guessing that was the kind of thing one always did in hospitals... with the one in Valais not being an exception.

"So, doc, what are you doing here? Were there no better places? I'm sure an Osean hospital would have been a better place to exercise your profession and enhance your career..."

 

[Wyldfire]

"Heh!" Miranda chuckled at the doctor's joke. Quite funny, that one. She pulled the zipper on her flight suit down to her stomach, and pulled her arms out of the sleeves, letting it fall down to her waist as she sat on a stretcher, guessing that was the kind of thing one always did in hospitals... with the one in Valais not being an exception.

"So, doc, what are you doing here? Were there no better places? I'm sure an Osean hospital would have been a better place to exercise your profession and enhance your career..."

The doctor set the stethescope against a point on her back. "Breathe deeply please. You smoke don't you? No need to look at me bad. Consider the usual hypocritical doctor speach on the evils of smoking given." Miranda could see the plume of smoke accentuating her commentary.

"Okay, the lungs're fine. And to answer your question, I could have gone anywhere to work but after the last war I got hooked on meatball surgery," another drag off of the cigarette, "I was part of a field medical unit. It has managed to spoil me to the usual boring duties of a hospital. Add to that that most hospitals frown on doctors smoking and drinking. Or for that matter they also frown on doctor patient relations too. Definately a big minus for me going into the private sector."

The doctor's computer made a dinging sound. Kayla moved around to take a look at what was on the screen before hitting the print key. "So, Miranda, you know why I'm here now. So why are you here? You're young yet. I'm sure you could do better for yourself than this. Drink?"

The doctor pulled an unlabeled bottle of clear liquid out of a desk drawer and poured herself one.

 

[Steiner]

Vanya "Hydra" Kurtz

He reached the barracks shortly after setting out, his long strides rapidly eating up the distance - which was good because air and ground were beginning to waver a little bit by the time he arrived.

Spurred by the fatigue he could feel stealing through his limbs, he chucked his flight bag on the floor next to the bed, and emptied his kitbag into the footlocker. If they ran regular kit inspections in a mercenary unit, he'd just kill the inspecting officer and hide HIM in the damn footlocker too.

For now, Hydra fell flat on his face and soon the barracks room was vibrating to the sound of Belkan snoring.

 

[Katamari Roller]

Miranda listened to the doctor's background. Yeah, she looked and sounded like one of those people burnt out by life. Just like her tobacco. That happened eventually to everyone, but some people just were younger when it happened. Those were the ones with the interesting stories.

When the doctor asked her about her story, and if she wanted a drink, Miranda's face changed. Her eyes drooped slightly, as if weighed down by something. She nodded slowly, looking at what the doctor was drinking from. If she could, then it was safe. Safe didn't mean tasty, but...

"I used to be in the Ustian airforce. When the Belkans came, we scrambled to meet them, but they outmatched us both in numbers and in skill. We had to fly away as fast as we could, and Osea was the only country that provided a safe haven for us."

Miranda turned a bit to rummage around in the upper body of her flight suit now lying on the stretcher, and grabbed a cigarette out of the pack in the breast pocket. Then the lighter.

"The first pilots this base got, was us. The survivors of the Ustian airforce." Putting the cigarette to her lips, she lit it, and took a drag. The nicotine didn't kill only her health. It killed something else within her. Her eyes went up to stare at the doctor.

"I am the only one left from my wing. I never had a family before I met my wingmen, and they put themselves in that place willingly and wholeheartedly when they found out I was an orphan. Now, I'm here to earn some money to go on with my life, and also to repay their families as well as I can manage to."

Taking another drag, Miranda chuckled weakly to herself and closed her eyes. "You know, every time I think about it, or tell it to someone, it sounds even more naive than the last..."

 

[Wyldfire]

Miranda listened to the doctor's background. Yeah, she looked and sounded like one of those people burnt out by life. Just like her tobacco. That happened eventually to everyone, but some people just were younger when it happened. Those were the ones with the interesting stories.

When the doctor asked her about her story, and if she wanted a drink, Miranda's face changed. Her eyes drooped slightly, as if weighed down by something. She nodded slowly, looking at what the doctor was drinking from. If she could, then it was safe. Safe didn't mean tasty, but...

"I used to be in the Ustian airforce. When the Belkans came, we scrambled to meet them, but they outmatched us both in numbers and in skill. We had to fly away as fast as we could, and Osea was the only country that provided a safe haven for us."

Miranda turned a bit to rummage around in the upper body of her flight suit now lying on the stretcher, and grabbed a cigarette out of the pack in the breast pocket. Then the lighter.

"The first pilots this base got, was us. The survivors of the Ustian airforce." Putting the cigarette to her lips, she lit it, and took a drag. The nicotine didn't kill only her health. It killed something else within her. Her eyes went up to stare at the doctor.

"I am the only one left from my wing. I never had a family before I met my wingmen, and they put themselves in that place willingly and wholeheartedly when they found out I was an orphan. Now, I'm here to earn some money to go on with my life, and also to repay their families as well as I can manage to."

Taking another drag, Miranda chuckled weakly to herself and closed her eyes. "You know, every time I think about it, or tell it to someone, it sounds even more naive than the last..."

\

Kayla poured Miranda a decent sized drink and slid it in front of her. "This should help to clear your head up," Kayla told her, "Caring for family's never Naive Miranda. Never. Your wingmen were your family, now you feel obligated to care for your family's family. It's not naive, it's called being a caring human being. If you keep it up I may have to amputate your sense of honor."

Kayla slid the ashtray were the commander could reach it. Taking a sip of her drink she watched Miranda. This was a pleasant surprise. Kayla had figured Miranda would be the usual woman pilot. More brass and balls than five male pilots and no sense of mortality. But what she was finding was a compassionate caring woman.

"I'm glad I'll get to give you a positive report. You see, half of the physical process is determining the psychological saftey of the wings," She told the pilot, "I was expecting you to be less human than you are. I have no doubts about you."

Kayla's heels tapped as she walked around the table and sat on the edge of it, her leg almost touching Miranda's. "So, is there a special pilot you're grappling with in your off time? I wouldn't want to take your play away. "

 

[Katamari Roller]

Miranda took the glass in her hands, and stared at the liquid as the doctor... no, as Kayla... spoke. Miranda couldn't help smiling a bit. She had expected this kind of childish thoughts to be dismissed, but it felt rather good to be complimented because of them. It's just... in this kind of place, it seemed to be stupid to care about anyone else than yourself.

"Thanks, Kayla." Miranda put the glass to her lips, and took a tiny swig. The drink stung like someone was jamming a finger down her throat, but thankfully, she had been cautious about it. A mouthful of this thing would have probably destroyed her throat like napalm.

"You know, this drink is really hard. If you've been having this for longer than I suspect, maybe it is you who needs a doctor..." Miranda grinned at Kayla, before taking another careful swig, letting her throat burn down to appreciate the taste better. Seeing her come close, Miranda had to admit Kayla really looked quite like her. A blonde with blue eyes was not quite the most usual sight in Ustio. Miranda had always suspected she was Belkan or Osean rather than Ustian... but then, she had no idea how she arrived at the orphanage. Or perhaps she had forgotten.

"And no, I don't have a partner... yet. You are free to hunt. You will find a lot of prey in this place, but I'm afraid most of them have heads bigger than their other heads..."

Miranda smiled at Kayla with a bit of complicity. It had been a long time since she had been able to talk to someone in such a distended atmosphere.

 

[Wyldfire]

Miranda took the glass in her hands, and stared at the liquid as the doctor... no, as Kayla... spoke. Miranda couldn't help smiling a bit. She had expected this kind of childish thoughts to be dismissed, but it felt rather good to be complimented because of them. It's just... in this kind of place, it seemed to be stupid to care about anyone else than yourself.

"Thanks, Kayla." Miranda put the glass to her lips, and took a tiny swig. The drink stung like someone was jamming a finger down her throat, but thankfully, she had been cautious about it. A mouthful of this thing would have probably destroyed her throat like napalm.

"You know, this drink is really hard. If you've been having this for longer than I suspect, maybe it is you who needs a doctor..." Miranda grinned at Kayla, before taking another careful swig, letting her throat burn down to appreciate the taste better. Seeing her come close, Miranda had to admit Kayla really looked quite like her. A blonde with blue eyes was not quite the most usual sight in Ustio. Miranda had always suspected she was Belkan or Osean rather than Ustian... but then, she had no idea how she arrived at the orphanage. Or perhaps she had forgotten.

"And no, I don't have a partner... yet. You are free to hunt. You will find a lot of prey in this place, but I'm afraid most of them have heads bigger than their other heads..."

Miranda smiled at Kayla with a bit of complicity. It had been a long time since she had been able to talk to someone in such a distended atmosphere.

Kayla gave Miranda an appraising look. "Free to hunt am I? Hmm, I see some definate possibilities here." Kayla let the leg that was close to Miranda's make contact.

"My still puts out the best rot gut you'll get this side of the Belkan border," Kayla grinned, "I know it's not exactly proper but I'm probably going to croak off sometime in the future alone and probably a bit bitter. I honestly doubt if there's anyone willing to put up with me for anything more than a fling. I'm just a bit abrassive at times."

"To make an educated diagnosis here, I'd say you need someone as a shoulder to lean on now and then. Someone you don't have to appear strong for. Someone to hold you in the dark when you get too hard on yourself," Kayla refilled her glass and downed the shot, "If you'd like my door is open anytime, day or night."

Kayla got up from where she was sitting and walked behind Miranda. Once there she reached out with her hands and began to kneed the muscles of Miranda's neck and shoulders.

 

[Katamari Roller]

The way Kayla spoke... Miranda was not completely sure of what she meant in the subliminal message, but it sure gave her images. Interesting images. Interesting, sexy images. Her leg touching hers was a pretty unequivocal sign when confirmed by the way she talked, and... the massage.

"Mmmmhhh... thanks, Kayla... you are right. It is good to have a shoulder to lean on every now and then..."

Miranda thought carefully about it. First, she was not sure of her own sexual inclinations. She had done it with a boyfriend a long time ago, but she was not completely sure about the other side of the line. A shiver ran up her spine as Kayla's cold hands rubbed her skin, the difference in temperature adding a bit to the thrill. Still, Miranda tried to keep a cool, calm mind about it. How could she be so sure Kayla really had 'that' intention? She was a doctor, giving a massage was not beyond her field of expertise.

And her offer of friendship was normal. Human beings always needed that sort of security in their lives. Miranda knew that well enough. And Kayla had put herself in the same situation of loneliness and need that she had been, and now felt with a vague sense of dread that accentuated every night. Miranda knew she had to say something. Take a decision. But it was not easy. Still, she took it. Dealing with the consequences would come when it came.

"And my quarters' door will be open to you, too. I think... it is only normal for people to need others..." Miranda smiled to herself, before taking another swig from her drink. Suddenly, the idea of Kayla trying to make her get drunk to take advantage of her came to her head. But, she found it humorous, rather than hurting. Miranda had been alone for some time now, and if Kayla was in the same situation... then it was fine. If not... Miranda could do with a new friend, and the good and bad things that came from that.

 

[RedMageNeko]

Uriem drifted through the base like his namesake, taking in the crew and staff, assessing them in his mind in a matter of moments. It was in his nature, what made him such a good recon pilot. The regular crew, the straight military types, were confident enough, if lacking in inspiration. The mercs on the other hand were a whole other story. They ran the gauntlet from piss poor to Class-A aces. The fighters themselves were a grab bag of craft from almost every force in the world. Depending on how well everyone flew together, this could be a boon or a burden. Only time would tell which.

As I walked down the hall, I spotted a pilot, one of the mercs, walking in my direction. Slowing my pace, I watched her behind my thin glasses. She had looks, no doubt about that. But what fascinated me more then that was the WAY she walked, that she carried herself. She moved with an aura of confidence, of dignity, but at the same time a very subtle hint of weakness, near impossible to see.

Uriem didn't fault her for weakness of course. Such things were human nature. He himself knew that he could be a weak man in some senses. But the fact that she was so young and yet carried herself with the subtle mannerism's of an ace fighter pilot was ......... impressive to say the least. He would have to learn more.

After all, knowledge was they ultimate weapon and Uriem had made it his lifes work to get as much as he could.

 

[Wyldfire]

The way Kayla spoke... Miranda was not completely sure of what she meant in the subliminal message, but it sure gave her images. Interesting images. Interesting, sexy images. Her leg touching hers was a pretty unequivocal sign when confirmed by the way she talked, and... the massage.

"Mmmmhhh... thanks, Kayla... you are right. It is good to have a shoulder to lean on every now and then..."

Miranda thought carefully about it. First, she was not sure of her own sexual inclinations. She had done it with a boyfriend a long time ago, but she was not completely sure about the other side of the line. A shiver ran up her spine as Kayla's cold hands rubbed her skin, the difference in temperature adding a bit to the thrill. Still, Miranda tried to keep a cool, calm mind about it. How could she be so sure Kayla really had 'that' intention? She was a doctor, giving a massage was not beyond her field of expertise.

And her offer of friendship was normal. Human beings always needed that sort of security in their lives. Miranda knew that well enough. And Kayla had put herself in the same situation of loneliness and need that she had been, and now felt with a vague sense of dread that accentuated every night. Miranda knew she had to say something. Take a decision. But it was not easy. Still, she took it. Dealing with the consequences would come when it came.

"And my quarters' door will be open to you, too. I think... it is only normal for people to need others..." Miranda smiled to herself, before taking another swig from her drink. Suddenly, the idea of Kayla trying to make her get drunk to take advantage of her came to her head. But, she found it humorous, rather than hurting. Miranda had been alone for some time now, and if Kayla was in the same situation... then it was fine. If not... Miranda could do with a new friend, and the good and bad things that came from that.

Kayla smiled as she continued to work the tight muscles in Miranda's shoulders. "Yes it is a good thing to have friends to help you through the rough patches that the world throws you."

Kayla bent down and placed a kiss on the top of Miranda's head. "Now Miranda, Once you finish that drink, I'd say you shouldn't have anymore until you're off duty. I'd hate to be the one to ground a pilot when it's not really neccesary. But if you'd like I do have a nice bottle of wine in my room we could share later this evening. After a fine mess hall dinner and we're both off work."

Miranda needed a good binge and maybe even a bit of good clean hay rolling. Kayla found herself enjoying the thought of this. She played both sides of the gender fence and Miranda was a sweet girl. She could definately enjoy some prime cuddle time with this girl.

 

[Katamari Roller]

Miranda sighed deeply, feeling her muscles relax. My, if Kayla was this good with massages... perhaps she should have tried... 'batting for the other side' a long time ago. Although Miranda thought that expression was quite vulgar, no other came to her mind right now.

She finished her drink, taking a longer swig this time. The more she drank, the more tolerable it became. It was as if it smoothed her throat, which having in mind the initial burning sensation she felt, it might very well be doing that.

"That sounds wonderful..." Miranda leaned back a bit, closer to Kayla, grinning with her eyes closed. Yes, a bottle of wine, some conversation... oh, shit. Mayana. Miranda had already agreed to have dinner with Mayana, perhaps she should cancel with Kayla. But she didn't want to.

"I had an arrengement to dine with a friend... a chief mechanic, Mayana. Should we meet after that, or would you prefer to join us?" Miranda felt a bit of dread, wondering how Kayla would react to that. In fact, she tensed a bit in fear. She didn't want to make Kayla feel like she was kicking her out of her mind after her kind words.

 

[Wyldfire]

Miranda sighed deeply, feeling her muscles relax. My, if Kayla was this good with massages... perhaps she should have tried... 'batting for the other side' a long time ago. Although Miranda thought that expression was quite vulgar, no other came to her mind right now.

She finished her drink, taking a longer swig this time. The more she drank, the more tolerable it became. It was as if it smoothed her throat, which having in mind the initial burning sensation she felt, it might very well be doing that.

"That sounds wonderful..." Miranda leaned back a bit, closer to Kayla, grinning with her eyes closed. Yes, a bottle of wine, some conversation... oh, shit. Mayana. Miranda had already agreed to have dinner with Mayana, perhaps she should cancel with Kayla. But she didn't want to.

"I had an arrengement to dine with a friend... a chief mechanic, Mayana. Should we meet after that, or would you prefer to join us?" Miranda felt a bit of dread, wondering how Kayla would react to that. In fact, she tensed a bit in fear. She didn't want to make Kayla feel like she was kicking her out of her mind after her kind words.

Kayla smiled at Miranda's situation. Had this been twenty years ago Kayla would have been mad. As it was she was amused. "Oh no, you go on ahead and have dinner with Miss Del Cruz. I did say after dinner dear. I'm not going to disappear just because of a double booking. I will be there when you get done with dinner. You can find me in my room."

Kayla thought of how the pilots and flight crews lived and almost felt guilty that as a doctor she got a few minor perks like a small studio type place of her own.

 

[Katamari Roller]

Miranda instantly relaxed again. Thank God Kayla was not angry. For one, because Miranda really intended to become a friend, in any way you could interpret that, of hers. And there was also that making an enemy of your doctor was not the smartest thing to do.

"Very well, then. See you after dinner..."

Miranda stepped off the stretcher, feeling her body a bit like melted jelly. Yeah, that good. Then, zipping up her flight suit, she headed for the door... and as she opened it, she turned to smile at Kayla again.

"Thanks a lot. I owe you one."

With that, she left the facilities, feeling relieved, and very happy...

 

[Dynosius]

Mayana was finally done with showering and cleaning her clothing. Those oil stains didn't come out easily. She had been working furiously on her overalls, soaking them in water, leaving them there for a while, and then finally ironing the pieces of clothing. Mayana was happy with the end results, she had done pretty well.

But she had to hurry again for her dinner appointment with Miranda. She began to run past the different buildings, on her way to Miranda. Or at least, where Mayana thought Miranda was. Recalling something as the doctor's offices, Mayana made her way to the medical building.

Opening the door without much thought and rushing through, Mayan bumped into Miranda. She almost fell, a bit wobbly on her feet. Instantly her skin turned red in a deep blush.

"Oh my god! Sorry! I... I didn't mean to... Oh god..."

 

[Steiner]

Vanya "Hydra" Kurtz

Swimming out of sleep, Vanya had to blink a couple of times to clear the fatigue from his head. Ah, yes. Ustio.

The air was colder here on the mountain airbase - just like back home in Belka. Vanya would never admit it to anybody, but he sometimes missed home, sometimes wished he could go back to Belka.

He couldn't, of course. They wouldn't even employ him as a mercenary now - and if he DID show up in country, they'd arrest him and probably shoot him. He had as much reason to fight as anyone here.

He was disturbed in his reverie by a growling stomach. Yeah - that was what had wakened him in the first place, of course. He figured he could head to the mess hall - maybe the Doctor would be there. Maybe he'd meet some of the pilots. Either way he'd fill the void in his belly, and that would be good too.

Swinging out of bed he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. The Doc had been right - his whole right leg was nerveless from the shot. Cursing he levered himself upright and began to work the blood and feeling back into the leg. Not a pleasant way to spend five minutes, he was cursing fit to burst by the end.

Pulling on his flight suit with the Hydra patch on the chest and the Belkan flag on his arm, Vanya made his way to the messhall facility, wondering what passed for base food here.

 

[Katamari Roller]

"Woah!" Miranda fell back against the door, knocking it open again. Mayana had crashed against her, seemingly in quite a hurry. That worried her.

"Mayana, is something wrong? Did something happen to Pegasus?" Pegasus was not just a callsign to her, Miranda had actually given that as a sort of a name for her fighter. It sounded appropriate enough for a powerful aircraft to have the name of a flying horse. And now, Mayana's hurry did not sound too good to her.

Suddenly, a shrill screech pierced the air as the megaphones placed strategically all around the runways and facilities was turned on. "Attention, all mercenary pilots, the new team assignments have been completed. Please, head to briefing room 2 to read on them and receive further orders."

Miranda cursed inwardly, and grasped Mayana by the shoulders, trying to be as gentle about it through her nervousness. "Mayana, did something happen?"

 

[Steiner]

Vanya "Hydra" Kurtz

The siren jolted Vanya out of his easy stride and attracted his attention to the announcement immediately following. It looked like his quiet dinner was cancelled, at any rate. What could just be a meet and greet session might also be the first mission briefing - and he didn't want to miss it.

Strictly speaking the Doc had grounded him for the day, but this WAS a war, and he was damned if his beautiful Eagle would get its feathers clipped on the ground.

Turning towards Flight Operations, the large Belkan broke out into a jogging pace that was anything but lumbering, heading quickly to where he hoped Briefing Room 2 was situated.

A lot of pilots were heading in the same direction - and although he hated to act like a sheep, that seemed the smartest move to him. Picking up his feet a little more, he doubled through the swinging door of a building labeled AIR OPS - FIGHTER COMMAND and read the directions off a board on the wall there.

Briefing Room 2 was up a flight of stairs, it seemed, and Vanya elbowed his way past a slower Ustian on the stairs ignoring the mans cry of protest in his hurry to find out his working assignment. Through the doors of Briefing Room 2 - and there he came to a halt. Time to pick a seat and wait, he guessed.

 

[Wyldfire]

"Woah!" Miranda fell back against the door, knocking it open again. Mayana had crashed against her, seemingly in quite a hurry. That worried her.

"Mayana, is something wrong? Did something happen to Pegasus?" Pegasus was not just a callsign to her, Miranda had actually given that as a sort of a name for her fighter. It sounded appropriate enough for a powerful aircraft to have the name of a flying horse. And now, Mayana's hurry did not sound too good to her.

Suddenly, a shrill screech pierced the air as the megaphones placed strategically all around the runways and facilities was turned on. "Attention, all mercenary pilots, the new team assignments have been completed. Please, head to briefing room 2 to read on them and receive further orders."

Miranda cursed inwardly, and grasped Mayana by the shoulders, trying to be as gentle about it through her nervousness. "Mayana, did something happen?"

Kayla stepped out of her office in her full uniform, buttoning up the jacket as she walked. "Would you two ladies be so kind as to lead the way to this briefing? I do need to attend it so I can be prepared if there're casualties."

 

[Dynosius]

Mayana was turning redder by the minute. Now she'd done it. By rushing, Miranda thought there were troubles with her plane, her "child". And then the announcement, and the doctor. Oh god!

"I... I... No! There's n-n-nothing wrong. I just wanted to be in time for our dinner appointment and pick you up. I'm so sorry. Everything's fine with Pegasus. I swear."

Mayana turned her gaze to the floor, hoping that Miranda wasn't angry with her. God, she could screw things up like no other.

 

[RedMageNeko]

Uriem was already waiting in the briefing room, tucked into a corner out of sight of everyone. As merc pilots began to file in, he took each of them in one by one, studying them, searching for signs of their capability's, but as always remaining silent.

 

[Wyldfire]

Mayana was turning redder by the minute. Now she'd done it. By rushing, Miranda thought there were troubles with her plane, her "child". And then the announcement, and the doctor. Oh god!

"I... I... No! There's n-n-nothing wrong. I just wanted to be in time for our dinner appointment and pick you up. I'm so sorry. Everything's fine with Pegasus. I swear."

Mayana turned her gaze to the floor, hoping that Miranda wasn't angry with her. God, she could screw things up like no other.

Oh, this is too funny was what Kayla almost thought but the idea that this might be important made her keep it to herself. "Miranda, everything's okay. You get to the briefing and I'll take care of miss Del Cruz."

She moved to Mayana saying "Come on miss Del Cruz, let's you and I take it slowly and you can show me where the briefing is. I believe you and I should both be there so we can find out what our departments need." Hopefully this reminder of her duty would bring her out of the tizzy she was spinning up towards.

With one last look into her office she barked "Cindy! Get to the rescue and recovery muster. You know what you need to do." With that she began to slowly follow Mayana towards the briefing.

 

[dragonrazor]

Jack had found the barracks easily enough. He had also found his bunk easily enough. On it sat two big duffelbags, and at the foot of it was a big footlocker, an old one with a key lock. He was so absorbed in what he was doing as he walked to his bunk that he almost didn't hear the loud snoring. He shook his head, then laughed as the man woke up, and took off running. He recognized him as the Belkan, and sat down on his bunk for a few moments. Then he realized that they had been ordered to head to a briefing. He wondered if that meant him for a moment, as he wasn't really a merc. Then he just shrugged, and stood up, running off after the Belkan. "No rest for the wicked or the righteous."

OOC: sorry for the absence, was visiting mom

 

[Katamari Roller]

Miranda sighed in relief, and patted Mayana's shoulders gently. "Sorry about that, Mayana. I'll meet you after the briefing, Ok?"

Miranda grinned confidently at Mayana, hoping she hadn't slighted her. Again, Mayana was another person you most definitely did not want to be angry at you. Once she let go of her, Miranda moved towards the briefing room with the two other women following her. As they climbed the stairs, Miranda thought about what the other pilots would think, seeing three of the base's women coming in together. That is, what they would think after, or before, they finished with their sexual fantasies.

The briefing room had space for roughly forty people, and nearly all of the seats were taken by the time the trio got there. In front of a computerized projection screen, Major Vialda (a sturdy Yuktobanian man with a nice voice that seemed to make everyone memorize their briefings easily) stood with his arms crossed. He glanced at the three women, and waited for them to sit down before clicking on the laptop set on top of a table to a side of the screen. At the same time, an uniformed man at the door killed the lights.

"Very well, now everyone is here, we can begin. Because of the recent losses we have suffered fighting back those Belkan attacks, we will have to merge a few teams, but they have suffered their own casualties too and we can take a bit of a respite and try and sneak in some attacks under their radar..."

The screen showed a red interface with yellow details. 'Axe and Hammer systems', the logo of the enterprise that developed the software, disappeared to reveal a map of the battlezones. It zoomed into the west of Sapin, a country as small as Ustio bordering with Belka on its west. A battleline was formed with a series of discontinued lines.

"As you can see, the advances of the Belkan forces into our allies' territory has been great. And the Sapin airforce has not taken the hits quite as well as we have. The Belkans have taken some high ground on the Roca Grande mountain range..."

As Vialda spoke, four bright white points appeared on top of some mountains. They were more or less in a line going north to south, and were right behind the Belkan first line.

"We will support the Sapin forces by attacking these positions so the Sapin ground forces can can take them and use their artillery to greater effects. Two Sapin mechanized divisions are ready to attack tomorrow at noon, and their own airforce will make sure the Belkans stay put to give us time to prepare. So all we have to do is go there, hit those positions, and shoot down as many enemies as we can before leaving the zone for Sapin to take back."

Another click, and the screen suddenly jumped to another window, completely white. A few clicks later, a list of the Ustian mercenary pilots with their aircraft at their side appeared on screen. The aircraft were even gyrating in the screen, and the photos of the pilots were visible enough from any point in the room.

"The team organization for the attack will be as follows. Lins, Agermann and Conrad will form Crow Team, 6th Air Division, 4th Air Force Unit." As the three men were mentioned, a secondary window appeared, and their faces and aircraft moved there. The heading of the window corresponded with their new denomination, and their emblem was heart-shaped, with a purple crow biting an arrow in half. Their aircraft were three F-16Cs. The pilots, young but by no means in their first mission.

"Romaro, Patterson and Gills, Brigand team. 6th Div, 2nd Unit." An inverted-triangle emblem appeared on another window, with a muscled, grinning, bearded man holding a huge axe two-handed. The axe was so big it looked as if it would break out of the emblem. Their aircraft were two Panavia Tornados, and an A-10. These pilots were older, mostly over 40 years old, and a couple of them smoked.

"And finally, Santos, Kurtz and Grimm will form the Fenrir team." A star-shaped emblem, with a huge white wolf on it appeared. The background looked like planet Earth, and the wolf was rearing its head and body back dramatically, after having bitten a piece of it, water and earth dripping off its maw. 'Fenrir' was written under the world, on top of what looked like a fine sheen of ice, with icicles falling off the side.

"The plan is as follows." The screen went back to the battlezone. This time, four arrows headed north from Ustio. Three green arrows, and a blue one. "Ventril, you are the newest addition to the base. Usually, you would not fly until we found a team to move you in, but your aircraft is unique in this base, so you will be operating mostly in a solo role. You are the blue arrow."

"The operation will proceed as follows. Crow and Fenrir will advance first up the border separating Belka from Ustio, while Brigand moves in from the Sapin side of the border. They will be heading straight for the target. Shadow, in your F-117, your target will be the enemy AWACS aircraft. If you can shoot it down, we will achieve air superiority even if we are outnumbered, and we will strike a hard blow against Belkan air operations in that zone for at least a week. More than enough to make things easier for our allies. While Fenrir and Crow deal with the enemy fighters, and Shadow hunts down the AWACS, Brigand will hit the ground positions."

Another click, and the photos of Gepard AA vehicles and mobile SAM launchers appeared on screen. They made Brigand team shift their posture a bit on their seats.

"These will be the main trouble. So far, we have counted three SAM batteries and up to ten AA guns. Their numbers might change in the following hours, but we cannot attack any sooner. The Sapin forces need to get ready.

The secondary trouble will be the enemy AWACS. Even though Ventril's aircraft is a stealth, the AWACS will detect it at a range of ten to fifteen miles away. That will give you a margin of two minutes to close in and kill it before Belkan fighters can intervene, unless it already has its own escorts, which is possible.

Now, secondary roles. Brigand will concentrate on ground troops, while Crow will concentrate on enemy aircraft. Shadow and Fenrir can deal with any target of opportunity. All the other teams will be running their usual patrol routes, although those closest to this area might be diverted to support the attack team."

A click, and the team assignment windows disappeared completely. The man beside the door turned the lights on again, as the Major moved in front of all the pilots assembled. He stepped straight, with a serious face, and crossed his arms.

"Any questions?"

 

[Steiner]

Vanya "Hydra" Kurtz

Vanya grimaced, his own Strike Eagle was more suited to Air to Ground combat than Air to Air, but it retained all of the features that made Santo's F-15 C an excellent air to air platform too. However, whilst both the Eagles were supersonic interceptors, the Harrier was a subsonic air to ground platform. They'd be flying with their throttles cut back to allow him to keep up.

Still, he knew both the other pilots in his team - Santos was the chainsmoking blonde and Grimm was guy who'd been looking for the barracks. He thought it was kind of a good omen that he'd met the two of them before the assignment. Craning over to look for them in the room, he spied Grimm sat by the door and Santos off in the corner with the doctor and another woman he didn't recognise. He grinned at the pair of them as the briefing wound down.

Vanya had no questions for the major - he understood his role perfectly. He was to fly, and destroy as many of the enemy as possible. First they would peel back the Belkan aircover and then he would go low level and wipe out as many of the ground forces as he could. No confusion and no problems.