Chapter 3 – Out of the Fire

Griswall, East Aurelia

October 11th, 2020

0845hrs

"…So let this be a symbol of fury born by our countrymen towards Aurelia, who have sought only to capitalize on our country's inner turmoil for their own selfish interests! Let this be a reminder to all of you that any injustice done toward our mighty nation shall not go unanswered! Let this be the statement to the world that Leasath will tolerate this oppression no longer!"

Such was the impassionate speech of Leasath's supreme commander, Diego Gaspar Navarro, as images of the last Aurelian Air Force squadron's destruction over Cape Aubrey played on the large jumbotron screen in the middle of Aster Square, occasionally transitioning with live footages of the Leasathian Military as they engage the weary and outnumbered Aurelian soldiers. Looming over them all was a massive jet black sky fortress that was responsible for most of the Leasathian victories in the past ten days. They had been keeping its existence under wraps for a while but it seemed they finally decided to officially introduce it to the world, probably to further cement their reputation.

The video has been playing on repeat since yesterday's evening now, and Navarro's gravelly voice continued to echo through Genette's hungover brain since he got out of his hotel room this morning. The man really wanted to rub it in the faces of those Aurelians that he had them beaten, alright, but this is getting very tiring.

Genette sighed, stuffing his hands in his trouser pockets, as he observed a large crowd of Aurelian civilians gathering to watch the video on the jumbotron. There were angry murmurs and furious looks on their faces, but the presence of armed Leasathian soldiers nearby meant they couldn't do anything if they still value their own lives. With their city fallen under their enemy's control and the Aurelian soldiers driven out, those civilians were left at the mercy of the Leasathians. The soldiers usually ignore them and left them to their own devices, though, as long as they don't get any idea about doing something they shouldn't.

It's only a matter of time before that happens, though. Genette thought to himself. History has proven time and time again that people don't take military occupations well. Sooner or later, a resistance movement will be formed to challenge them. It happened in Ustio, San Salvacion, Yuktobania, Emmeria, and it will eventually happen here as well. They just needed a spark of hope to light the fire.

Hopefully that spark hasn't burned out yet.

Genette stared thoughtfully at the pic of the last AAF squadron getting shot down again. There's something really odd about it. The picture showed only four planes getting shot down, but if Genette did his homework right, these guys were pilots of Gryphus Squadron, which should have six planes. Where were the other two?

Peering his eyes so he could observe the picture closer, he noticed something else: the placement of planes in the squadron weren't what they should be. The four planes that went down – based on the positions they were in – would imply that they were flying in a loose group. Maybe not even in a formation, and he's pretty sure about this from his experience with Wardog/Razgriz Squadron. If Gryphus Squadron really had four planes, that definitely wasn't how they should be flying.

There's something off about this picture. It has to be. That's what Genette's journalist instincts told him. One of the most important rules in his line of work is to always question his sources, especially when those sources are related to the military. Edited photographs for security or propaganda purposes are among the most common cases, and with Leasath, it seems likely to be the former.

Hopefully, his friend in OIA would shed some light on all this. He's always a nut when it comes to superweapons of all kinds. Maybe he could tell him more about the 'Gleipnir' and its capabilities.

"What a pitiful sight…"

A female voice, spoken in a soft, almost regretful tone, caused Genette to lose his train of thought. He turned toward the speaker and saw a young lady – probably in her early thirties - in a dark green T-shirt and a pair of black jeans. She had a light-tanned skin, a slim yet athletic build, and an auburn hair tied up in a proper bun. She was staring at the jumbotron with a mixed expression of curiosity and pity. Genette wasn't sure if she was talking to him or just voicing her thoughts out loud. Nevertheless, he decided to talk to her anyway.

"I beg your pardon?"

The young lady turned to face him with a little awkward smile on her face. She gestured toward the jumbotron screen, "Those pilots. They deserve better than to go out like that."

Genette didn't reply right away, but he nodded in agreement. The lady's smile faded as she lowered her face, sighing, "I'm sorry, it's just…I'm getting tired of all these propaganda footage playing nonstop since yesterday. As if these Aurelians haven't suffered enough already."

"Probably it's not the only reason," Genette replied, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to share a few thoughts himself, "Leasath has always been taking any opportunity to show off their military power for the world to see, and what better way to present their newest toy by showing it crushing the last of the Aurelian resistance?"

The young lady chucked bitterly, "Heh. If their idea of displaying dominance is by using an invisible flying warship just to take down a single enemy squadron with an attack that they can't even see coming, then it's not much of a display. It's playing dirty. If anything, the Leasath Military should be ashamed of itself to resort to such tactics to win."

"Unfortunately, that's how wars are done these days," Genette said as he watched the Leasathian soldiers started dispersing the crowd away, "As long as it gets the results you wanted then anything is a fair game. Remember that rogue Erusean submarine captain who faked his surrender to the Oseans about a year ago?"

"Yeah. Who could forget a guy like that, huh? " The lady replied with a nod, "You seem to be well informed, mister."

"I'm a freelance journalist," Genette smiled back, "Looking up about this sort of thing is a favorite pastime of mine."

"That makes two of us," The lady said with a slightly more cheerful tone, "Wars are terrible, but they do have a lot of lessons to be learned. I'm curious to know which lessons we would get from this one."

"Trying to find out is the reason why I'm here," Genette said. There's something about this lady that made Genette think that he could at least trust her with some information about himself. Maybe it was the way she spoke about the downed Aurelian pilots? Maybe it was because of the lady herself? Genette couldn't help but feel a bit amused about himself letting his guard down because he has a soft spot for ladies. She does seem like a nice person at first glance, though. Then again, he had been wrong before. Gotta try better to keep that in mind.

The lady nodded, acknowledging Genette's purpose here, "Can't say much about Aurelians, but if you want some Leasathian inputs, you can try getting in contact with someone at Gauiss Tower. Their high command had set up shop there since they took over Griswall."

Of course they would. Genette thought humorously. If his experience in Navarro's penthouse in Alendal was any indication, it was obvious to him that Navarro would pick Gaiuss Tower as the location of Leasath Military's Central Command. This also confirmed Genette's suspicion about the lady herself as well: she's definitely someone from Leasath Military, albeit far friendlier than what he would expect. What was her purpose here, he wondered?

He turned to his right and face the tower itself before glancing upward. The white 'tower' was more accurately twin towers that stood atop the same building foundation, with four 'bridges' sections connecting the two towers together as they piercing high into the sky above.

"Did you know that Aurelia built Gaiuss Tower to be a symbol of peace?" Genette spoke up, piqued the young lady's interest, "How ironic that now it was used as Leasath's seat of power."

"The Arkbird and the Space Elevator were built to be symbols of peace, too. Didn't stop them from being used for warfare, anyway." The lady replied solemnly, "I guess that's one more thing we can learn from history: it loves irony."

"I suppose so."

For a while, both Genette and the lady just stood there observing the skies above them together, nothing up there except the sun traveling the same old path as it has been since the dawn of time. It's almost crazy to think that throughout human history, through all the wars and conflicts fought in the name of some grand ideal and purpose, that very same sun still rises and falls as if nothing has ever happened. Just another day in the cosmos. Just another reminder that the universe is far bigger than what humanity could ever achieve on this little blue planet, yet people never seem to get the memo.

Maybe it's because of the weariness of all the wars he covered these past few years finally starting to get to him. Maybe not. Still, Genette couldn't deny that he was starting to get sick of it all. Why couldn't the world just stay at peace for more than a few years for once? The rays of the sun burning his tired eyes didn't help his mood at all. He figured he should at least take up the lady's offer and look up some info at the Leasath's HQ at Gaiuss Tower soon, even though he'd rather be anywhere else but here right now. The sooner he gets to finish covering this completely one-sided war that never amounted to anything and return back to Osea, the better.

The young lady sighed again. She closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath, taking in the clean air of Griswall to clear her mind, before turning to face Genette again. Something told him that she was just as tired of this war as he was.

"I have to go. My friends are waiting for me," She said in a surprisingly sad tone – almost as if she didn't want to leave. She reached her left hand into the left pocket of her jacket before taking out a piece of paper. She wrote something in it before handing it to Genette. It was a phone number – along with her name.

"Y'know, I don't give my number out to guys often, but you seem like a decent bloke," The lady smiled playfully, almost teasingly, which made Genette avoid her gaze with an awkward smile on his face, "If you're looking to cover the story on this, I might be able to help. Just give me a call with this number and we can arrange our next meeting."

"I…" Genette was taken aback by the sudden kind offer – from someone he just met, no less. Granted, a lot of friends he had all started out as strangers for him, too, but usually he's the one who's on the initiative, not the other way around, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do lately." The lady admitted as she crossed her arms, glancing in annoyance at the jumbotron again, which was now displaying the Gleipnir prominently, "Not with that ugly thing keeps stealing my job, anyway."

"I…thank you so much, ma'am." Genette smiled, "Hopefully, we might have another chance to meet again."

"Looking forward to it, journalist," The lady give Genette a playful wink before she began walking away. Genette could've sworn he had heard her giggled lightly as she was some distance away.

If it wasn't for the fact that he could actually feel the small paper with the lady's phone number in his palm, Genette would've thought that he was in some sort of a dream resulted from the hangover he had since the morning. But this was real.

He took a closer look at the name mentioned below the number: Erina Cortes, LAF. Not a familiar name, that's for sure, but that can be remedied easily if he enlisted his friend's help this evening. He had to get in touch with that guy to dig up info about the Gleipnir for his works, after all.

Taking out his smartphone to take a photo of it just in case, Genette carefully put the paper away in his dark jacket before deciding to return home to continue his work. As tired as he was, maybe this would make his current job turning out interesting yet. Only time will tell.

Cape Aubrey, Aurelia

0915hrs

"SONS OF BITCHES!"

Ian's angry shouts startled Reyna as she walked into the cafeteria. The TVs in the hall were displaying Leasath's propaganda video and what they were showing made Reyna winced: footages of Gryphus Squadron being shot down yesterday. Leasath was basically displaying their friends' last moments for the world to see, using it as propaganda was only rubbing the salt in the wound. No wonder why Ian was so furious.

"Goddamn cowards!" He continued yelling, his fists raised up high in the air. Leo and Zoe had to restrain him from venting his anger out on the poor hanging TV, "A symbol of fury!? I'll show you fury,

"Enough already, Ian!" Reyna shouted to him, "Save it for later! You wanna get even? Do it on today's sortie, not here!"

Ian froze still for a moment. Reyna glared at him to further dissuade him from doing anything stupid. Fortunately, he seemed to get the memo and quietly settled himself back down on his seat, albeit with a frustrated groan. "At least turn that shit off, goddammit!"

"Oblige him, please." Zoe agreed, turning toward an officer on mess duty and nodded. He quickly paced to grab the remote on one of the far tables. Before he switched the TV to another channel, Reyna observed the last image on the screen: a titanic black-bodied aircraft launching out a missile, most likely the same one that killed her friends.

An aerial warship. Of course it has to be an aerial warship. Reyna sighed as she settled herself next to Zoe at the table. As if being able to read her thoughts, Zoe spoke up exactly what's on her mind, "Of course the Leasathians got a superweapon. It's always the enemy who got a superweapon. What the hell do we have?"

"We were supposed to have something," Seamus, Leo's mechanic who helped fixed his plane yesterday, said as he walked by with a tray of breakfast in his hands, "I don't know much details, but apparently the Atmos Ring in Griswall was supposed to have a network of energy-based turrets or something. Unfortunately for all of us, it's never finished by the time we're invaded."

"Figures. You'd think with all the years we had to prepare for the inevitable Leasath invasion, it would've been done long before now," Ian frowned, taking a bite from his sandwich in a way that was overly aggressive.

"Well, there's no use complaining about it. It's not like it can do us any good right now even if it's completed," Leo told them, "Griswall is on the other side of the country while we're stuck here. This base is all we have left."

"That's going to change today," Reyna said, trying to be optimistic, "Solano said he has some good news for us…sort of, so maybe we can actually strike back at the enemy for a change."

"Yeah, right, because the last time that kid had his hopes up, it ended so well for us, huh?" Ian snickered, "Anyone wanna bet how he's gonna get us killed today?"

"Don't give me that crap, Ian. You wanna get grounded?" Reyna glared at him sternly, reminding him of the threat she gave him yesterday, "Nobody here is your enemy so don't go looking for one."

"Right, right! I got it already!" Ian quickly replied with a scoff, "When did you become such a hardass?"

I dunno, when did you become such a dick? Reyna thought. For a moment, she felt lucky that Ian was only a WSO and not an actual pilot. She never has to deal with someone who's out of line before and she's sure as hell not looking forward to dealing with one. But the tensions were understandably high from recent events.

Aside from that, the rest of the breakfast was uneventful. Too uneventful to the point that Reyna felt awkward and uncomfortable. That sense of tension and uneasiness filled the mess hall. What would normally be a scene of a hearty meal between her friends - with Rick and Roy making fun of Luis or vice versa, Elena, Zoe, and Paula having their girly chats together, and Ian, Hank, and Jonas trying their damnest to get a word out of Leo – was lost to memory along with the friends who never made it back. All that's left were the depressing sight of battered survivors just eating their food in silence, no longer possessing that cheerful spirit they once had.

Relax and smile. That's how we fly.

Gryphus Squadron's unofficial motto kept ringing in her head. Reyna couldn't help but feel somewhat amused at it. Those words were Rick's idea coined after he saw that silly emblem on her plane's tail wing. He always seems to make such a big deal out of it for some reason that Reyna couldn't figure out. With the turn of events happening since yesterday, she wondered if she ever understood any of her wingmen at all.

Relax and smile? Easier said than done, Rick.

About ten minutes later, the group was done with breakfast. Leo and Ian went with Seamus to oversee their plane maintenance one last time before the sortie, while Reyna and Zoe went to see Elena in the infirmary. Reyna wanted to see her cousin as well, which was probably why she was very surprised to see the bed he was lying on last night empty once she walked into the room.

"He insisted to Doc that he's healed up enough," Louise, her cousin's only surviving wingman from Falco, explained once Reyna queried her about it, "Said he was sick of staying in bed all day long and that someone might need it more than him, so he went to take a walk outside since early this morning. Wanted some fresh air, I guess."

"That idiot…" Reyna mumbled, "This place could be attacked at any time and he goes for a walk?"

"Well, if this place's attacked, then the war's already lost anyway. I suppose it won't make that much difference." Elena spoke up, her face forming a resignation expression, "If I have to die, I'd rather be out there fighting than being stuck here in this stupid bed."

Zoe chuckled, finding Elena's deadpan acceptance somewhat amusing, "That is if the captain doesn't kill you first, girl."

"Hey!" Reyna elbowed Zoe lightly, though she found the comment a bit humorous herself, "I wouldn't want to kill you again, Elena. I've 'killed' you enough times already during training. I want targets that could put up a better fight."

"Ouch. Need some water with that burn?" Zoe laughed, while Elena grabbed some nearby tissue, crumble it into a ball, and throw it at Reyna, who ducked playfully in response. They both shared cheeky smiles at each other, and Reyna felt a sense of relief. It seemed like Elena's taking what happened well enough. She wanted to mention Paula but decided against it. At least not now.

"Heh, just wait until I get out of here," Elena said, rolling her body impatiently on the bed, "Goddamn docs! I told 'em I'm fit for duty already. Let me go kick some-ahh!"

Elena groaned in pain after moving her body a bit too fast for her liking. Even though she didn't receive any major injury, her body still suffered from extreme G-force when she bailed out of her doomed airplane, and it would be a while until she could fly again. Unfortunately, Paula wasn't so lucky: her parachute was punctured by debris as she floated down, causing her to hit the ground too fast and was severely injured, which led to her untimely death.

"Give it a week, Elena," Reyna advised, obviously not wanting to see any more harm to come to her wingman more than it already was, especially how she just managed to cheat death while most of her friends didn't just the day before. Not wanting to upset her, Reyna provided a different justification instead, "We don't have a spare plane so you have nothing to fly with, anyway."

"Heh. Don't remind me." Elena sighed in exasperation. "I suppose the only way we could get some new planes is that we actually have to win for once, so make sure you do, captain. I'm sick of being here already."

"We'll win," Zoe reassured her, trying to sound as determined as she could, "We have to. And we'll get you that new plane you want, and hopefully someone that could be your…" She paused upon realizing that the topic just veered toward the subject of wizzos, and therefore Paula, then she winced. She was trying so hard to avoid this topic only to walk straight into it herself. How could she just callously suggest finding someone to be Elena's new WSO after she had just lost her friend?

Elena noticed the pained expression on Zoe's face and seemed to get what was troubling her, so she nodded with a small, understanding smile. "Don't worry. I can wait for a while longer," She said in a surprisingly soft tone, "And it's not like this war's gonna end anytime soon, right?"

"Not if we have anything to say about it, yeah," Reyna said as she reached her arm across Zoe's shoulder and pulled her close, causing Zoe to shriek out a bit, and Elena to chuckle at her expense, "We'll kick their asses on your behalf in the meantime, then. It's about time we scored a true victory for once."

Elena nodded slightly, satisfied at the comment. "I'll hold you onto it."

Zoe walked over and give Elena an affectionate pat on her left shoulder, "Rest up, girl. We'll take care of the rest."

"We'll be back before you know it," Reyna added, "Someone's gotta keep Leo and Ian from going crazy, after all."

"Heh, knowing you, it's probably the opposite," Elena snickered, "Be safe, both of you."

Reyna and Zoe nodded back with parting smiles. Taking one last look at her cousin's empty bed, Reyna wondered why her cousin couldn't be here so she can see him before going on another sortie. It was almost like he's trying to avoid her on purpose. She sighed lightly in resignation, making sure that Zoe couldn't notice the disappointment she was feeling before they both leave the infirmary and head toward the briefing room.

0940hrs

Just like back in the mess hall, the briefing room felt a lot emptier by the time everyone gathered together. Ian predictably took the furthest seat in the back so he could be as far from Eugene as possible, which suited Leo just fine. Reyna and Zoe took front row seats, leaving many empty seats between them and the other pair of pilots. It hit Reyna once again about just how outnumbered they were. Four pilots and two planes were all that's left of the Aurelian Air Force. Eugene better be having some good news for them if they could ever hope to fight back the Leasathians.

As for Eugene, the young officer looked extremely exhausted. He was probably working all night long to look into the Leasathian Military prowess and concoct a plan of counterattack. At least that's Reyna's best guess after he arrived in the room with his trusty laptop. Despite being weary, he noticeably picked up the pace as he moved past Ian, who just gave him a cold glare like he couldn't care less about the young officer.

Reyna wondered if she could really trust Eugene to do the job this time. She was worried about his state-of-being given what he had been through, yes, but he needed to keep himself calm and focused. With the fate of the nation on the line, they cannot afford any distraction. She had been lenient to the young officer so far on account of his inexperience and rapid distress, but if he messes up that badly again, well, she hoped that she would at least make it back to chew him out herself if it's the last thing she does. It's not like there's going to be another chance if they messed up again anyway. It's win or die, and Reyna expected everyone including Eugene to understand that fact.

After a while, the screen finally turned on – covering the dark room in bright blue light. The only words on it in the upper left corner said Accessing Tactical Data which flickered continuously. Eugene turned to face his audience – trying his hardest not to make eye contact with anyone in the room – before he finally began.

"Well, let's…let's get down to business, everyone…" Eugene stuttered, obviously still feeling a bit nervous. Reyna could've sworn she heard Ian muttering under his breath from the back of the room, "About damn time."

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Eugene continued as the data was downloaded successfully and the screen changed, now displaying several photos of a large black aircraft – the same one that Reyna had seen on the Leasathian propaganda in the mess hall earlier – the thing that killed her friends.

"This is the Gleipnir, the superweapon that Leasath used to take over all of Aurelia in only ten days," Eugene continued, stressing the name with pain in his voice. The bloody thing was responsible for all his misery in this past couple of days, after all. "It can be assumed that this…this monster… was responsible for the tragedy that struck us yesterday, and most likely the destruction of the 9th Experimental Squadron at Phuku Lagolla AFB as well."

Eugene's face saddened upon mentioning his old, now devastated base, no doubt recalling recent trauma once again. Ian opened his mouth as if he was about to say something snarky. Leo elbowed him in the side to stop him from doing so, to which both Reyna, Zoe, and especially Eugene were very thankful.

"Supreme Leader Navarro has just formally announced its presence to the world since yesterday's evening. Before that, its existence was kept very well hidden." Eugene continued, "The ship's ability to cloak itself and attack its targets from very far away means nobody in Aurelia could see it coming."

"Which isn't helped by the sudden communications loss," Zoe noted, "We were blind for half a year before we get our intelligence systems back online. Who knows what the hell those Leasathians had been doing while nobody's keeping an eye on them."

Ian grunted irritably, "Sneaky Leasathian bastards. They couldn't take us on in a fair fight, so they had to resort to using that ugly thing to finish us off!"

Leo didn't say anything as usual, but his eyes narrowed as he leaned forward to observe the screen closer. It was hard to figure out Leo but Reyna could guess that something about Gleipnir fascinated him. His expression was a mixture of surprise and distress, and anything that could stress Leo out should concern Reyna as well.

The screen switched, replacing the Gleipnir photos with a terrain map of South Osea, with bold yellow 'AURELIA' and 'LEASATH' marking the general locations of the two countries. The map zoomed into the western region of Aurelia as several more symbols and names popped up, most of them were the distinctive green-and-red Leasath Flag – representing locations under their occupation all over the region. There was a bright blue double circle representing Cape Aubrey. From it, a line was drawn to a red silhouette of a large aircraft with a peculiar shape – the Gleipnir itself – covering a small Leasath Flag which represented their control over Puna Plains. She winced a little upon seeing Port Patterson down south with a big Leasath Flag covering it. That was where her base commander was captured. Nobody knows if he's even still alive.

"The Gleipnir was last confirmed heading southeast across the Puna Plains," Eugene explained as the red aircraft began to move to the lower right corner before gradually fading away and disappearing entirely as it approached the Austral Sea, "However, we lost all traces of it soon after. I tried to dig into the intelligence network to gather as much data as I could but unfortunately, it can provide us no further details at this time. We'll just have to take what we can get."

Unsatisfied sighs filled the room just as Reyna predicted. Clearly Eugene's info was not enough for them. "So what did you get?" Ian growled, not even trying to hide the disdain he had for the young officer, "That damned thing was responsible for all of Leasath's victories so far, and you just lost it? We need to find and destroy it if we're going to have any chance at all to retake our country!"

To Reyna's surprise, Eugene turned to face Ian directly. There was still fear in his eyes, but he stood his ground. Reyna had a feeling that he realized that this mission's too important to let any personal feeling get in the way. "With all due respect, sir. The Gleipnir nearly wiped out our entire attack force," He said calmly, "Even if we know where it is and attack it now, our remaining aerial attack strength is severely limited. We no longer have the necessary manpower or supplies to pursue the Gleipnir. Attacking it now is not recommended, sir."

"So how the hell are we supposed to fight back when it's still out there?!" Ian demanded, "If we can't even fight the damn thing then the war's as good as lost already!"

Seeing Ian about to lose his temper at Eugene again, Reyna interrupted before it gets out of hand with a theory of her own, "With how massive that thing is, it can't fly forever. It needs a lot of fuel and a lot of time to refuel it. This is not even mentioning the maintenance period. I'm willing to bet that it won't be flying for a while."

"How do you know that for sure?" Zoe asked, "Eugene just said we know next to nothing about that thing except that it can turn invisible."

"I'm glad you asked," Reyna smiled briefly at Zoe as she got up from her chair and approach the screen. She used a finger to trace a line from the Puna Plains to the Gleipnir's last known location, "According to Eugene, the Gleipnir was heading southeast from the Puna Plains before disappearing just over Austral Sea. Since there was no change in direction, it's highly probable that they may be heading toward Terminus Island, here."

Reyna pointed at a chain of six islands lying southeast of Aurelia. Specifically, the westernmost island in the group. Zoe's eyes lit up as she realized just what her captain was talking about, "Terminus is the site of our country's largest oil refinery." She said, "Which means it's one of the first targets that the Leasathians attacked. It's Warfare 101: war machines can't work if we lack the fuel to feed them."

"And now we know that they have something that needs a lot of feeding," Reyna continued, "Something the size of Gleipnir surely needs a lot of fuel, regardless of its other specifications, and since Terminus Island is the only location that could provide the amount of fuel it needs, there's a good reason to believe that the Gleipnir traveled to Terminus after yesterday's events."

"Great, so we know where it is. That doesn't mean it's no longer a threat." Ian spoke up, still not satisfied with the answer, "We have to destroy it while it's unable to defend itself!"

For once, Leo broke the silence as he said in irritation, "Man, haven't you been paying attention? We don't have enough aerial attack strength. Right now, we can only field two planes against a goddamn flying fortress. How the hell do you expect us to beat it alone? Besides, look at that map. Every single inch of land between us and Terminus Island is under Leasath's control. Unless you have an idea to get us through it, then shut the hell up."

Unable to come up with a retort, Ian grunted and slumped back into his chair. Reyna took the brief silence as the sign to continue: "So here's what we got so far: the Gleipnir is most likely refueling at Terminus Island and it could be a while before it can fly again. That gives us some window to launch a counterattack."

She paused, turning to look at Eugene with a hopeful expression, "Officer Solano, do you have any recommended targets?"

Eugene nodded. "There are reports of enemy forces gathering at Port Patterson." If we don't move soon, it will only be a matter of time before they resume their attack on us. Given the situation, we are left with only one plan of attack." He paused as he zoomed into the Puna Plains, and the screen changed to that of a 3D tactical map displaying a number of red targets scattering all over the area, with most of them clustered around what seemed to be an airbase.

"On the Puna Plains lying between Aubrey Base and Port Patterson, Leasath forces have captured a small airbase there and use it as a resupply base to house the large number of supplies needed to support their troops. Aerial photographs taken yesterday suggested that the enemy had hastily moved in just early this morning, which means that the base should be lightly defended." Eugene explained.

Bingo. Reyna thought. A resupply base is exactly the target they needed. They can cut off the Leasath forces' supplies while also gaining some for their own as well. "I think our mission is clear, then." She announced, "We have to take Puna Base and the supplies within it. This will give us some breathing room and establish an important foothold for an attack on Port Patterson later."

"Sounds like a plan." Ian agreed, and for once he didn't seem pissed off. Reyna guessed the notion that at least they have a plan cheered him up a little, "So what ya want us to do, destroy all targets?"

"Just targets that posed a threat," Eugene replied. Reyna could've sworn his face lit up a little after Ian agreed with him for once, "There are multiple enemy bombers and cargo planes stationed at the base, as well as a few aerial defenders and anti-air systems. Make sure you do not destroy other base facilities! We need the supplies in them to win this fight. Unless we succeed in taking this base, that's it for our supplies."

"Yeah, yeah, I know already!" Ian huffed in annoyance, "Just kill the combatants and leave the supplies alone. How hard could that be?"

Eugene just sighed as he turned the lights in the room back on, signaling the end of the briefing, "…please don't fail, sir." He said in an almost sarcastic tone.

Zoe rolled her eyes at their little bickering, which Reyna found a bit funny. For a brief moment, she felt a bit optimistic about their situation, which has been a long while since the last time. If this operation goes well, then perhaps the hostility between Ian and Eugene would drop a bit. And since they cannot afford to fail again then there's only one way this mission would end.

They're going to win.

Puna Plains, Aurelia

1300hrs

At just before noon, Gryphus Squadron took off from Cape Aubrey and make their way toward the Puna Plains. Since Elena was recovering from her injuries and left without a plane, only Reyna, Zoe, Leo, and Ian sortied. The once-formidable Aurelian Air Force was now down to just two F-4Es. If Reyna didn't know any better, she would have actually believed that this is some kind of a twisted prank that the world pulled on her: to have her surviving a hopeless battle into an even more hopeless battle, out of the fire into the…well, whatever's worse than fire. At least she was thankful that this time she got to eat something beforehand so her stomach wasn't screaming all the time just like it did yesterday.

Reyna wanted to see her cousin again before sortie, but the best she could manage was a glimpse of him just giving her a thumbs up with an awkward grin on his face just as she was already taxing her plane onto the runway. Probably just getting back from chilling at the nearby beach, she supposes. She couldn't help but snicker a bit. That idiot hasn't changed a bit after all these years, still acting like everything's alright in this world. God, he has to teach her how to chill out like that sometimes. They're going to have so much to talk about when she makes it back after this sortie.

It took about half an hour to get to Puna Plains, which made for a quite boring flight since Leo was being his stoic self. Ian and Zoe were also noticeably quieter than usual, and the occasional banter between them was short and dry. All this only served to remind Reyna of how much was lost when most of their friends were killed. From the experience in the mess hall, the briefing room, and now this…it was clear that things won't ever be the same as it was anymore among their squadron.

"Five more miles to Puna Base. Attack formation please." Crux announced. Reyna was almost thankful that someone finally breaks the awkward silence after so long, "This is Gryphus 1, copy. Gryphus 6, you're with me?"

"Loud and clear, Gryphus 1." Leo replied dryly, "Following your lead."

Reyna lowered her altitude. There was an AA gun right in front of her. It didn't seem to notice her. "They don't see us coming." Zoe noted, "You want to switch to bombs?"

"Negative," Reyna said. An AA gun shouldn't be too hard to kill. A simple missile would be enough. She locked on her target and fired a missile. It didn't even manage to turn a gun toward her before it was blown up. She moved on to engage a SAM turret sitting on a road just ahead of her, destroying it as well. Now there was nothing left between them and the base.

"I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that the sky's gloomy today," Ian spoke up, "They should have a harder time seeing us with the naked eye."

"Could do without the rain, though," Reyna replied as some light rain pour down on her cockpit. In her experience, rain and flight never go well together. The water droplets obscure vision, making it more difficult to see what's in front of her, and unlike cars – fighter jets don't have wipers. Ah, well, no use complaining about that.

Soon enough, Gryphus Squadron had the Puna Base directly within their sight. There was no alert siren yet, and the way Leasath soldiers scrambled all over the place down below suggested that they were not expected to be attacked at all. "Looks like we caught them with their pants down," Reyna remarked, feeling satisfied that the Leasathians were finally getting a taste of their own medicine for once.

Her eyes scanned the base: there were two C-5s and several B-52s parked around the airbase. A couple of F-5Es were sitting on the runway. The only defenses were two SAM sites and a remote AA gun that was too far away to be any real threat. As long as reinforcement didn't show up, this shouldn't take very long.

"Gryphus 6, engage your targets at will." She ordered.

"With pleasure," Ian replied for Leo enthusiastically. Reyna could picture him grinning already at the thought of getting some payback. She was almost thankful that it was the calmer Leo who was at the controls and not Ian. Gryphus 6 broke off and decrease its altitude before engaging the two parked B-52s in front of them. "Gryphus 6, pickle!" Ian announced as the plane dropped two unguided bombs on the closer bomber. The explosion destroyed it completely while also damaging the other, allowing Leo to finish it off with a pair of missiles.

Reyna went after another pair of B-52s lying next to the fuel tanks. "Make sure you don't destroy the tanks. We need those fuel." Zoe reminded her. Reyna only chuckled in response. She was never really good at precision bombing during training and Zoe knew it. The raindrops covering the cockpit didn't really help. Still, Reyna didn't want to waste precious time circling around and attack again when she could be dealing with other targets, so she went forward anyway.

She switched to bombs, a predicted impact point marker appeared over the HUD. She lined it her plane up so that the PIP marker was directly between the two bombers while also making sure that it was at a fair enough distance from the fuel tanks so they weren't caught in the blast radius.

"Gryphus 1, pickle!" Reyna announced as the bombs were launched, simultaneously pulling her plane up in the process. A couple of seconds later, she heard an explosion. She turned to look and saw that the two bombers were destroyed while the fuel tanks remained standing. Zoe actually chuckled after seeing the results, "Wow, I'm actually impressed."

"Have a little faith, dear," Reyna replied playfully. Though having said that, she was just as surprised that she actually pulled it off herself. Maybe she could actually do it again. She locked on a SAM site in front of her and destroy it with a sidewinder missile before turning to the right, moving in on a pair of F-5E fighters on the runway which were in a hurry to take off. She intended to make sure they don't.

The fighters were smaller targets than the bombers, and therefore her aim has to be more precise. Though unlike bombers, fighters were obviously more lightly-armored, so one bomb should do the trick. The raindrops on her cockpit were wiped away during the hard right turn earlier, so Reyna could see the targets more clearly.

"Gryphus 1, pickle!" She confirmed as soon as the planes aligned with the PIP marker. The bomb landed somewhere beyond the plane at the back, but the blast radius was wide enough that the further plane was also caught in the blast. Two more kills for her. Reyna didn't know whether she should be proud or not. She personally disliked shooting planes about to take off from the runway. On one hand, it's a good combat tactic and she really does want some payback for what the Leasathians did yesterday, but on the other, she was targeting helpless opponents who had no chance to fight back. She wouldn't want the same thing happening to her if she was in their place. Still, war is war.

She turned sharp left after noticing an AA gun lying on a hill. She was about to launch a missile when Gryphus 6 stole her thunder by destroying it first. "Too slow, captain!" Ian laughed, "We won't let you have all the fun!"

"Figured I should leave a few stragglers here and there, Rocketeer." Reyna replied snarkily, addressing Ian by his callsign, "Would be pretty boring if you guys have nothing to do." Ian made a stifled noise in response. Gryphus 6 moved in to engage a pair of AH-64 Apaches that had just taken off near the Leasath field H.Q. located a fair distance away from the airbase. Leo launched a pair of sidewinders at them. One managed to reach its target while the other managed to swerve left just in time. Reyna could hear Leo groaned through the radio, a pretty rare moment.

"I hate those things…" Leo mumbled. He left the surviving chopper alone for the moment while he switched to bombs once again. His plane was lining up on the field H.Q. and he wanted to take care of it first. Unlike his captain, Leo decided to drop two bombs on the field H.Q. when one bomb would suffice. He wanted to make sure that the Leasathians would be annihilated, and Ian was all too happy to oblige him.

"Leasath field H.Q. destroyed. That should keep them from calling reinforcement." Ian confirmed just before Leo circled their plane around and take care of the surviving chopper. Apparently nobody ever told Ian that it's not wise to tempt fate, as Crux immediately crushed his hope with his next report, "Too late, Gryphus 6. Intercepted enemy chatters revealed they had already sent out a distress call." He said grimly, "Two enemy squadrons are on their way from Port Patterson. ETA: one minute." Ian could only grunt angrily in response.

"You just had to jinx it, didn't ya?!" Zoe snapped, "What are we gonna do now?"

"Stay calm, we still have some time. Let's finish up here quickly." Reyna ordered as calmly as she could. She quickly circled her plane around so that it faced the airbase facilities. Her HUD registered two hangars, a SAM site, and two C-5s. Leo must've had already destroyed one of the hangars and the control tower while she wasn't looking earlier.

"Gryphus 6, I told you to leave the base facilities alone!" Reyna said sternly as she engaged the last remaining SAM site, "We need those fighters!"

"Just a few of them!" Ian retorted, "We only have three pilots at the base, captain. Just three planes would suffice."

"That's not your decis…shit!" Reyna cursed as she swerved her plane hard to evade a missile fired from the SAM site, barely avoiding it hitting her right wing tip. Due to the sharp angle, she couldn't line up her plane again before she overshot the SAM site, forcing her to waste some more time to make another pass. She yelled into the radio and finished chewing Leo and Ian out, "That's not your decision to make!"

"Relax, captain. We know what we're doing." This time, it was Leo who replied, much to Reyna's surprise, "Those hangars probably didn't even have any plane in them. They had just moved in this morning, remember?"

"That's…" Reyna paused. Leo did have a point. Those two F-5Es she destroyed on the runway might just be the only two fighters the Leasathians had stationed at the base at the moment. Those hangars were most likely empty just like Leo said. She drove the thought away momentarily as she prepared to engage the SAM site again. She didn't even let it has a chance to lock on her this time. "Gryphus 1, fox two!"

Without the anti-air defense, Reyna was free to engage the two remaining cargo planes. She switched to bombs and line her plane up with the C-5s. She could see Leasathian soldiers running away from the planes and she winced. That sudden pang of guilt crossed her mind again. She was about to kill those people, and this time she actually has to see them die. Even though they were her enemies, the thought of soldiers wailing in agony with grave wounds couldn't leave her mind.

That image of Paula's lifeless body flashed to her mind again.

"Gryphus 1, pickle!" She announced loudly, almost shouting out. She had to do it before she loses her focus and jeopardizes the mission. She could find time to reflect on her morals later, but not here. The two bombs dropped in between the two cargo planes. The explosion annihilated the two remaining targets as well as most of the soldiers in the vicinity. Reyna sped her plane past as quickly as she could, not wanting to see the aftermath.

"Leasathian soldiers are abandoning the base!" Crux complimented, and he was right. From the corner of her eyes, Reyna could see some Leasath soldiers running away as fast as their legs could take them. "However, we still have to defend the base against enemy reinforcements until we can get an allied force to secure it. Gryphus Squadron, you must hold air superiority over the target." Crux continued, "The first squadron has arrived. Three bogies!"

"Gryphus 6, form up on me!" Reyna ordered. Leo knew his job and maneuvered his plane to join his captain at her six. Reyna checked her radar and noticed three enemy planes approaching from the southwest: the direction of Port Patterson.

"How the hell could they get here so fast!?" Zoe wondered, "It would take at least half an hour to get here from Patterson!"

"They must've already been on their way to reinforce the base." Ian guessed, "We just got here before they do."

"Let's give them a warm welcome, then," Reyna spoke as she switched to missiles, trying to peer through the rain-soaked canopy to see her targets. It was starting to rain harder now. They had to finish the fight as soon as possible.

"Crux, keep us posted. I don't want any surprises from the Gleipnir today!" Reyna ordered, not wanting a repeat of yesterday's tragedy. Better safe than sorry. The last thing she needed was an unseen attack while she's dogfighting enemies.

"Gryphus 1, copy!" Crux confirmed, sounding more tense than usual, obviously not feeling happy to be reminded of his foul-up.

"Target in sight!" Zoe reported, just as the three enemy bogies appeared on Reyna's HUD: two F-4Es and one F-5E. She considered her options quickly: the F-5E is faster and more nimble. Leo's F-4E had just been through a hasty repair, which meant it wasn't working at its full capabilities yet. "Gryphus 6, I'll take care of the F-5," She ordered, "You take the F-4s. Request help if you need it."

"Wilco." Leo complied. He broke his plane to engage the F-4E on his right, while Reyna maintained her heading toward the F-5 directly ahead of her. The other F-4E on the left stayed with its flight leader to engage Reyna together, so it was a two-on-one.

"Damn it…" Reyna cursed. The gathering low clouds were affecting her lock-on system, not helped by the rain that practically covered every inch of her canopy. She could only hope that this rain was affecting her opponents just as bad. Eventually, a sound of missile alert blared into her cockpit. The enemy F-5 had fired a missile.

"Evade, captain!" Zoe yelled in a panic. Reyna had no choice but to pull a twist to the left to avoid the missile. The rain on the canopy wiped away from the force of gravity, revealing that she ended up right in front of the other F-4.

Shit.

With no time to lock on and the distance between them too close for any fancy maneuver. Reyna was left with only one option: she sprayed hails of MG fires on it.

Die, damn you! Die!

For a brief moment, Reyna felt the deepest desire to see her enemy burn. Adrenaline rush almost made time slow down a bit for her, and suddenly she could see her enemy clearly despite the rain. This was someone who was going to kill her, her friends, and everything she held dear, but she won't let them. Not a chance in hell. She was going to kill them first. At that moment, nothing else mattered in the world.

Just die already, you fucking Leasath!

Mere moments before their planes crashed into each other, the F-4E exploded into scrap metals. Reyna flew through it not even realizing what just happened at first, before Zoe's shouts brought her back to reality, "…down! Bogey down! That was insane!"

Reyna plunged her plane down a little while speeding up, feeling that a little blood to her head should make her mind clearer. She didn't even have a chance to catch her breath before another shouting echoing into the radio, it was Ian: "This is Gryphus 6, I need support!"

Reyna turned around to check her wingman. Leo was chasing down the other F-4 that he engaged, but the F-5 that Reyna let go earlier was now in hot on his tail as well, and due to its superior maneuverability, the enemy looked like he was about to gain the upper hand at any moment.

"Hang tight, Gryphus 6. Help is coming." Reyna reassured as she turned her plane around as fast as she could before punching her thrusters, pushing her plane as fast as its engines could take her. She got into position behind the enemy F-5, still chasing Leo's tail like a mad dog. Apparently, the pilot was so occupied with going for the kill to worry that Reyna was getting behind him, which made it surprisingly easy for Reyna to get a lock on him. "Gryphus 1, fox two!"

She launched a pair of missiles at the enemy. It was only then that the F-5 pilot tried to evade, but by then it was too late. The two missiles hit him cleanly and the aircraft exploded. Without anyone on his six, Leo was free to continue pursuing his target. A few seconds later, he gained his kill as well.

"Hell yeah!" Ian yelled in triumph, "That's more like it!"

"Crux, any incoming missile?" Reyna asked her mission control. She wouldn't take any chance. Crux immediately responded without missing a beat, "Negative, but the second enemy squadron has arrived. Two F-5s and one F-4. Bearing 137 from the reference point. Seems to be the last one."

"Just say they're from Patterson just like the first squadron, damn it!" Ian snapped, though Reyna had a feeling it was just his personal dislike of technical terms rearing its head, "What's our plan, captain?"

"We…" Reyna didn't get a chance to finish her order before the missile alert blared up in her cockpit again, and it wasn't only her as well, "Shit, the enemy has a lock on me!" Leo grunted. The enemy planes were gunning for them before they even arrive at the combat zone to get a lock on them so quickly.

"Evasion action! Dive! Dive!" Reyna barked. She and Leo pitched their planes down quickly to avoid the missiles fired from enemy planes. They pulled up just before they hit the ground. Fortunately, they were quite experienced flying low already so it wasn't much problem.

"Alright, some breathing room." Reyna said, "Gryphus 6, get the F-4. I'll take care of the other two."

"They're way faster than you!" Ian protested. Reyna could only groan in response. Thanks for telling me something I don't need to hear again, Rocketeer!

She had no choice. She had to take care of them one way or another. She wished Elena was here. Before she even had a chance to prepare, one of the F-5s was tracking her from above once again. Her eyes quickly scanned the area: she was now flying over a plain with nothing below.

"Bogey has a lock!" Zoe exclaimed just as the missile warning alarm began blaring, "Get us out of here!"

The enemy F-5 fired out a missile. Reyna immediately applied thrust and pulled her plane up sharply, executing the beginning phase of a barrel roll. Thankfully, her plane was still traveling at a quick velocity since she dropped altitude earlier, so it didn't take very long for it to climb up. The enemy missile narrowly missed her by barely a second. For once, the F-5's mobility worked against its favor. The bogey was hot on Reyna's tail so he overshot her entirely as Reyna was inverted above him.

The G-force was straining on Reyna's body like a harsh mistress, but she gritted through it. Her plane started to descend downward quickly, also removing the raindrops on the canopy and allowing her to see her target not far ahead of her. With the barrel roll maneuver completed, she now had the enemy directly ahead of her.

"Gotcha." She grinned as she finally got a lock, "Fox two!"

A sidewinder launched out. The bogey deployed flares and pulled a sharp left turn to evade for good measure, but Reyna wasn't about to let it escape. She was hot on the enemy's tail, and although her plane was slower, her missile wasn't - and she happened to have a good aim.

"I have a lock," She confirmed, "Fox two!"

Another sidewinder launched. This time her opponent wasn't so lucky. The missile struck the target somewhere near the right wing, triggering an explosion that tore it off completely and sending it crashing into the ground.

"Kill confirmed!" Zoe cheered as Reyna turned their plane around. They soon heard Ian's signature yell of triumph through the radio, implying that he and Leo had somehow managed to shoot down their target as well. Only one plane left. The tide had finally turned.

"Captain, let's get this son of a bitch!" Ian spoke excitedly.

The two Gryphus planes converge in on the last Leasathian fighter, who understandably realized that it was now fighting a losing battle and attempting to retreat. Unfortunately for him, his mad dash to escape made him a sitting duck for Reyna and Leo. Within moments, two missiles from both planes finally put an end to the battle.

"Confirmed enemy destruction, Gryphus Squadron!" Crux spoke out with relief, "Radar also showed no sign of any missile as well. I already triple checked it. No more incoming enemy squadrons. Looks like we win this round!"

Just then, Zoe and Ian cheered loudly through the cockpit (and Leo was silent, as usual), signaling their victory. Reyna couldn't help but join in the fun as well. Against all odds, they had actually won their first true victory! It was a small step, but it was a big step up from the total disaster yesterday, and that alone was worth it for her.

"This is Major Boyle, of Davis Unit." A gruff voice spoke through the radio to Gryphus Squadron, "We're inbound to take control of the Puna Base. Could see those Leasath bastards running from here. Thanks for your help, Gryphus! We'll take care of the rest!"

"You're welcome, Major!" Reyna replied joyfully. Davis Unit's arrival only served to solidify their victory today.

As Gryphus Squadron returned home, the gloomy sky started to clear up as the rain stopped, revealing the first true sunlight of the day. Normally, she couldn't stand the heat from the sun at all, but this time, Reyna wholeheartedly embraced the warmth that it brought. It was the most beautiful sunshine she had ever seen in a long time.

Griswall, East Aurelia

1530hrs

Waking up from the afternoon nap, Genette put his hand up to cover his eyes from the sunlight. He grabbed his mobile phone placed on a bedstand to see the time, before groaning after he realized it was just late afternoon. Lazily, he got up from the bed before walking slowly toward the window covered with blinds. Somehow, this room reminded him a lot of the crew quarters that he used to share with the Razgriz pilots on Sand Island on those years ago, which means it was less of a room and more like a cell he was assigned to. To think that the people who are capable of achieving an architectural marvel like the Gaiuss Tower and the Atmos Ring couldn't design their hotel rooms better. What an irony.

Peeking his eyes through the blinds – with that weird sense of déjà vu – to see what was going on outside, Genette sighed upon seeing that the situation in Griswall was still exactly the same as it was in the morning. Leasathian soldiers were all over the place, their military vehicles were either parked at checkpoints or patrolling the streets all day long, and that goddamn loudspeaker was still blaring Navarro's speech nonstop. As if that wasn't bad enough already, the heat from the sun showed no sign of cooling down a bit, even though it was late afternoon already. He'll never get used to being in the Southern Hemisphere with its backward seasons.

After finishing washing his face to refresh himself, Genette returned to his laptop placed on a desk next to the window, intending to continue his journal. As soon as he booted his laptop up and check his emails, something caught his eyes, though.

D. North – Requested Info

Genette frowned. He didn't expect that David would work that fast. Then again, the guy managed to somehow stay up three days long once working with the LRSSG to take down a gigantic submarine commanded by a rogue Erusean captain. He supposed this would be just another day in the office for him.

The message in the email was short and to the point, which certainly didn't reflect how its owner could go on and on whenever a subject of interest is brought up in a conversation. He was almost thankful that David decided to send him an email and not a voicemail instead. He wasn't ready for yet another headache just after a nice nap.

Here's all the info you requested for that person you mentioned. I'm sure you'll find her pretty interesting. I'll send you an update on the Gleipnir later.

You owe me one for this, G-Man!

Stay outta trouble.

- D.

PS. Alex says hi.

PSS. She also calls my hypothesis trash again.

Genette couldn't help but grin at the email. That guy still hasn't changed a bit even after all these years. Even though they rarely met each other face to face due to their own works, they often find the time to chat or voice-call through the internet to keep in touch, and they occasionally helped each other with useful info that could be beneficial to the right people, such as this case.

After gulping down some water to quench his thirst, Genette finally opened the file attached with the email, eagerly wanting to learn more about that mysterious charming lady he had met earlier that morning.

The first words that appeared on the screen already had his full attention.

Major Erina Iglesias Cortes

Leasath Air Force

4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 5th Air Division 'Alect Squadron'

Author's note: I'm terribly sorry for the long delay! This chapter was a pain to write and I was very, very lazy these past few weeks. Been having something of an identity crisis regarding, well, everything xD. But I'll take care of it one at a time, and I definitely will continue this story to the bitter end!

So, my longest chapter yet, and it certainly packed a quite a lot lol. One thing that might prove to be controversial is that I made Alect 1, Gryphus 1's nemesis, into another woman pilot when in canon Alect 1 is a man. Well, I think it might be more interesting if Reyna has a female counterpart. We've never had a main rival ace who is a woman before (unless you count Camila in Infinity, but then again, we never really fought her directly) and those who were your opponents are side characters. I want Alect 1 to be akin to Yellow 13 if he is a woman, and her dynamic with Reyna would be something worth exploring in future chapters.

The next major change is that I'd be incorporating the 'weather system' from 7 into my fanfic as well. Since X takes place chronologically after 7, it would be more interesting if the weather also played a factor in missions as well. Just gotta find a way to do it in a way that made sense, though. xD

I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter! And stay tuned for the next one! As always, please leave a review if you can, and I would appreciate it if you could keep the subject to be contained within this fanfic and not something else (namely, anything related to AC:X). Thank you in advance and have a good day!