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NAME:
>[WRITE-IN]

TAC NAME:
>["TEACHER" - You were a former tactics instructor for a certain nation's Navy whose class produced some of the finest pilots living today. However, you've never actually been in a combat mission before and the Arkanar Civil War marks your first true deployment into an active war zone.]
>["CHAOS" - You were a participant of the Lighthouse War five years ago and your squadron became something of a poster-squadron on a local level thanks to your high number of aerial victories. Unfortunately, your exploits were largely overshadowed by the likes of Sol Squadron and the Osean pilot Trigger. Thus, you fell into obscurity by the war's end.]
>["SPOOK" - You were the flight leader of a black-operations fighter squadron and have been an ace of several conflicts beginning with the Circum-Pacific up to the Lighthouse Wars. Due to the secretive nature of your squadron, your achievements went unrecorded but then again, you never really cared about fame.]

GENDER:
>[MALE]
>[FEMALE]

NATIONALITY:
>[OSEAN]
>[ERUSEAN]
>[BELKAN]
>[OTHER]

(Forgot to put in my name, woops)

>>6198318
>Name: Redd Barron (No relation)
>TAC NAME: SPOOK
>MALE
>OSEAN
Let's fuckin' GO

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An Ace Combat quest? Naval air wing? Let's do this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNEUkkoUoIA
>Name: Manfred Overath
>TAC NAME: SPOOK
>GENDER: MALE
>NATIONALITY: BELKAN
long live belka

>>6198318
NAME:
>Adele Farrington

TAC NAME:
>["CHAOS" - You were a participant of the Lighthouse War five years ago and your squadron became something of a poster-squadron on a local level thanks to your high number of aerial victories. Unfortunately, your exploits were largely overshadowed by the likes of Sol Squadron and the Osean pilot Trigger. Thus, you fell into obscurity by the war's end.]

GENDER:
>[FEMALE]

NATIONALITY:
>[ERUSEAN]

>>6198336
+1

>>6198317
>>6198335
+1
Sieg Belka

Rolled 3 (1d3)

>>6198318
1
>Lina Meier
>["SPOOK" - You were the flight leader of a black-operations fighter squadron and have been an ace of several conflicts beginning with the Circum-Pacific up to the Lighthouse Wars. Due to the secretive nature of your squadron, your achievements went unrecorded but then again, you never really cared about fame.]
>Female
>[BELKAN]

2
>Simon Labarthe
"No relation."
>["CHAOS" - You were a participant of the Lighthouse War five years ago and your squadron became something of a poster-squadron on a local level thanks to your high number of aerial victories. Unfortunately, your exploits were largely overshadowed by the likes of Sol Squadron and the Osean pilot Trigger. Thus, you fell into obscurity by the war's end.]
>[MALE]
>[ERUSEAN]

3
>Ying Ai (reverse naming order)
>["TEACHER" - You were a former tactics instructor for a certain nation's Navy whose class produced some of the finest pilots living today. However, you've never actually been in a combat mission before and the Arkanar Civil War marks your first true deployment into an active war zone.]
>[FEMALE]
>[VERUSA]

The blank slate option

>>6198336
+1

To argue for my pick, Belkan + Black Ops spook squad can only lead to good things, destruction, and wacky super weapons - which I'm sure we're going to get a lot of because we'll be based on a submersible aviation cruiser.

>>6198335
BELKA

>>6198336
+1

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>Adele "Chaos" Farrington. 31 years of age. Captain of the Erusean Royal Navy.

>Chaos was formerly of the Royal Navy's Njord Fleet Carrier Air Wing and squadron leader of the 4th Strike Fighter Squadron "Skuld" of ERN Njörðr. During the early days of the Lighthouse War, Chaos distinguished herself through her participation in air raid operations on IUN airbases throughout Western and Northern Usea. In many cases, she personally developed the plan for and led these operations, propelling Skuld Squadron into stardom in the fleet while Osean and IUN units in the continent put up bounties for the squadron.

>On August 10th, 2019, the Njord fleet came under attack by two Osean squadrons in Snider's Top with the Njörðr being a casualty in said attack, grounding Chaos and her squadron until the war's end. She would later fly again in June 30th, 2020, performing aerobatics in the Redmill AFB Memorial Day 2020 air show.

LOCK CHARACTER?
>[YES]
>[NO]

>>6198395
>[YES]

>>6198395
>>[YES]

>>6198395
>>[YES]

>>6198395
>[YES]

>>6198395
>[YES]

>>6198395
>[YES]
What's this? An Ace Combat quest? And one that isn't filled with trashy moe anime OCs and lolis and magical girls and other garbage? Sign me up

Does Adele dance with the angels?

>>6198395
>[YES]

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CHAPTER 01: SUDDEN ATTACK

OFS NAUTILUS
PACIFIC OCEAN - 700 METERS BELOW SURFACE WATERS - 300 HUNDRED MILES OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH ARKANAR
1700 HRS

Ever since you touched down on this sub, no one could be bothered to give you a tour of this place. So you walk through the halls of Nautilus alone, memorizing every turn to go to, and every quarter to visit or not to visit.

Despite your extensive service in the Erusean Royal Navy, the concept of being underwater sounded alien to you as a pilot. And that was for a good reason - pilots were never meant to be sailors confined underwater, their place is up in the free blue skies above, the very opposite of being in the sea. That was until some genius in Yuktobania came up with the idea of giving submarines hangars and catapults like its a carrier which gave birth to the Scinfaxi-class submarines. You couldn't deny it was pretty revolutionary however - the Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi enabled the Yukes to carry out any naval and air operation throughout the globe without a trace, so much so it took the Arkbird to destroy the former. The latter didn't suffer a flattering death however, being caught with their pants down by a certain squadron in the Razgriz Straits.

And then there was Alicorn, whose captain offered you a place in his vessel's aircraft squadron when he met you after the rescue of the submarine a year before the Lighthouse War began. You ended up refusing his offer of course—indicated by the fact that you're still alive—because serving in the Alicorn seemed like bad luck to you. Nobody wants to be on a sub who suffers an incident during a sea trial. Oh, and the captain sounded not-so-okay-in-the-head.

As you kept trudging on through the halls with your hands in your pockets, you accidentally bumped on someone coming out of a turn with their head slamming on your shoulder, sending them staggering momentarily. That person was wearing a flight suit adorned with patches of Osean flags on her sleeves and a name patch that read “LTJG. ALIYAH D. ANSARI” on her breast. Not an Osean name, but Arkanarian—the region where this ship is heading.

“S-Sorry about that.” The Lieutenant spoke to you meekly while she clutched her head. It was just a bump—it couldn’t have been that painful for her.

>["Watch where you're going, Lieutenant."]
>["I should be the one saying sorry."]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6198414
Who knows, maybe she might literally dance with the angels.

>>6198413
I'm planning this quest to feel as vanilla as possible, like something that would fit with the games like a pair of socks that's the right size for your feet. Glad to have you on-board!

>>6198445
>["I should be the one saying sorry."]

>>6198445
>>["I should be the one saying sorry."]

>>6198445
>>[WRITE-IN]
>>Growl at her

>>6198445
>["Watch where you're going, Lieutenant."]

>>6198481
+1

>>6198445
>["I should be the one saying sorry."]
Let‘s not immediately start picking fights

“No no- it’s alright.” You held your hands up in a placating gesture. The last thing you want to do right now is make your junior—if she is assigned to your squadron, that is—feel guilty about something you yourself did wrong. “If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I should have seen you.”

“Ah, I see.” Aliyah let off a nervous chuckle, trying to ease up a bit as she brushed some locks of her smooth, silky black hair—that meshed so well with her darker complexion, you might add—away from covering one of her green eyes. She's cute. Pretty cute. “Uhm, are you new here?”

“Yeah. Captain Adele Farrington of Erusean Royal Navy aviation. Nobody here could be arsed to give me a tour, so I’ve just been touring around this place all by my lonesome.”

She raised her eyebrows upon hearing your name and stared at you blankly for a few seconds, trying to remember where she heard it before.

“Ah, then you must be “Chaos,” right?” She snapped back, her voice high and enthusiastic. “You’re Fairy 1—our flight lead!”

“Oh, y-yeah! That would be correct.” You extended a hand towards her, offering her to shake your hand. "I'm looking forward to be working with you-"

Aliyah seized your hand and without so much of a notice, began yanking you along while running in the cramped hallways of the sub. “Then you must go with me now, to the briefing room!”

>[“What for!? And don’t drag me!”]
>[“Slow down for a minute. Tell me about yourself first!”]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6198471
How evil.

>>6198554
>[“What for!? And don’t drag me!”]

>>6198554
>[“What for!? And don’t drag me!”]

>>6198554
>[“What for!? And don’t drag me!”]
>>6198555
We need to establish dominance early on

>>6198554
>[“What for!? And don’t drag me!”]
>>6198576
Agreed, growling is the better way of communicating our dominance

>>6198554
>[“What for!? And don’t drag me!”]
two story posts until the first /u/ tease, impressive going

The most important part of any Ace Combat campaign is autistically using your cannon (nose-mounted machine-gun) to save ammo & flex your skill while destroying enemy aircraft & every single target on the ground. ESPECIALLY with an A-10 Warthog/Thunderbolt. I hope this Qst can live up to that.

“Hey, wait a minute, what for!? And stop dragging me!” You pleaded, but your words seem to fall on deaf ears. You had no choice but to contend with being yanked along by this woman running in the halls while passing through several bulkheads. Thankfully, you were rather cautious in your footing so as not to get your feet caught up in the frame of a hatch and trip. That would’ve been a humiliating display to put on in front of your junior.

Aliyah then stopped in front of the entrance of the Nautilus’ briefing room and let go of your hand. Before she could twist the knob of the door, a man dressed in his service blues decorated with ribbons from the Circum-Pacific War and the Lighthouse War on his chest waltzed in this side of the hall. It’s the captain of the Nautilus himself, Captain Veylund Torrano.

“Lieutenant Ansari. Captain Farrington.” Torrano gave the two of you an acknowledging nod, prompting Aliyah to salute him. You debated following suit, but as Torrano is a rather lax and humble captain, he beckoned her to be at ease before you could put your hand up. Jokingly, he says, “I see you two are late for the briefing of your deployment’s first mission.”

A mission? You didn't know anything about a mission. Perhaps you busied yourself getting acquainted with the ship so hard even a WARNO went flying over your head.

>[“I was not informed about a mission.”]
>[“Lieutenant Aliyah here was giving me a tour of the ship. We lost track of time.”]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6198647
I aim to please.

>>6198576
>>6198579
What is this about dominance

>>6198583
I know what kind of man you are

>>6198652
>>[“I was not informed about a mission.”]

>>6198579
This anon gets it
>>6198652
>[“I was not informed about a mission.”]

>>6198652
>[“I was not informed about a mission.”]

>>6198652
>[“I was not informed about a mission.”]

>>6198652
>[“I was not informed about a mission.”]
Check pockets for memos we shoved in them without reading them

>>6198653
I don't know, do you?
yuri is radioactive to me and the choice of words made the counter click

>>6198554
>[“What for!? And don’t drag me!”]

>>6198652
>[“I was not informed about a mission.”]

>>6198652
>[“I was not informed about a mission.”]

“I only just got here a few days ago. I’m afraid I was not made aware of any mission, nor did I expect one so soon.” You replied. It was a weak defense on your behalf, but you couldn’t come up with anything else, so that will have to do. Was there a memo you missed somewhere? An email, maybe? No. You would have noticed the notification and remembered something so important.

Torrano let off a chuckle at your attempt to defend yourself. “Well, Captain. There have been.. major developments all along the Arkanarian Demarcation Line for the last week or so. Military developments, to be specific. There’s a lot to go over but the most relevant details will be in today’s briefing. And as you’ve already made an acquaintance of Lieutenant Ansari, I feel obliged to implore you into joining us this afternoon. Your squadron is all present in this room, and they’re very much anticipating your attendance.”

>[“Since you asked so nicely, how could I say no?"]
>{"Screw it, I'm already here, aren't I?"]
>[“Can this not wait? It’s not like a war is going to start tomorrow.”]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6198775
>[“Since you asked so nicely, how could I say no?"]
Don't see much reason to make a fuss about it. We're on his sub, we play by his playbook.

>>6198775
>[“Since you asked so nicely, how could I say no?"]

Our self guided tour can wait.

>>6198775
>[“Since you asked so nicely, how could I say no?"]

>>6198775
>[“Since you asked so nicely, how could I say no?"]

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You shrugged at Torrano. “Since you asked so nicely, how could I say no. Right?”

“Perfect.” He smiled. He opens the door then, granting you and Aliyah access to the room. “Then, Ms. Ansari. Could you be a darling and walk in first, please?”

Aliyah obliges without a word, with Torrano entering right after her. His presence there prompted an aviator in the room to shout the words “attention on deck” and drop any idle chatter anyone is engaged in to rise and stand ready with their minds set on the upcoming mission and nothing else.

“Carry on, gents.” Torrano ordered nicely, prompting the aviators to return back to their seats while he fiddled around with the digital podium on the front corner of the room. “Before we start today’s briefing, I’d like to introduce you all to the newly-appointed flight lead for SACS-1 of OFS Nautilus, TAC name Chaos.”

As if you were on cue, you made your entry into the briefing room with your hands behind your back. All the attention is on you now. The room had three rows of four seats, with the second and third all already occupied by pilots you assume to be from SACS-2 and SACS-3, leaving only a single seat—between Aliyah and a pilot wearing Erusea patches that you don’t recognize—vacant on the front row. That must be your squadron’s row.

You scanned over your new squadmates with an assessing look in your blue eyes. The pilot from Erusea, he is a Lieutenant Commander. Must be the squadron’s second-in-command. You could tell he recognizes you even if you don’t do the same with him. Erusea’s Carrier Air Wing is a small world, as the country only possessed one aircraft carrier in its entire navy and it was destroyed in the Lighthouse War.

Next is a Belkan pilot whose age is definitely no more than 21. Shockingly enough, he is already a Lieutenant. Must be a real prodigy. Even after the Belkan War, that country always produced some of the finest fighter pilots the world has to offer, and since Belka is no longer interested in starting wars—at least not officially—you can find Belkan mercenaries in every corner of the world looking for an or create an opportunity to make money.

And lastly, there is Aliyah, who just sits there smiling at you, waiting for you to introduce yourself. She is a bit dorky in a way that complements her cuteness, so you’re more than willing to tolerate her. However, with a person like that behind the stick, you can’t help but wonder how she performs up in the skies.

“My name is Adele Farrington, Captain of the Erusean Royal Navy. From this day onward, I have been assigned as squadron leader of the Submersible Aviation Cruiser Squadron 1 “Fairy” throughout the duration of this deployment. I look forward to working with you all.” You finished your little intro with a slight bow before making your way to your seat.

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With a push on the podium’s digital panel, the large screen of the briefing room comes online and begins loading in data.

“Is everyone settled in?” Torrano asks rhetorically. “Good. Don’t get comfortable though.”

Once the data is finished loading in, a 3D map of Arkanar is unfurled on the screen, pointing out its named area of interests being its major cities and towns.

“Last week, while carrying out a routine cross-border flight mission, an Imperial Arkanar reconnaissance aircraft spotted a massive military buildup all along the Demarcation Line on the northern side known as the Free Republic of Arkanar. Many believe this to be an intent of resuming hostilities from the nation’s civil war that was frozen following the Oured Agreements signed in 1995, thus setting back the IUN decades worth of work towards reuniting Arkanar in peace. The High Command has made a decision to raise the alert condition of all Peacekeeper military assets in Verusa, with select units to be given missions deterring North Arkanar from pressing onward with an invasion.”

Torrano tapped the podium’s digital panel again, the screen’s display now closing onto cities Jadid and Jayroud, which are separated by the line.

“The theater for our mission will be on the eastern side of the Demarcation Line. To be specific, the border cities of Jadid and Jayroud. You’ll be flying air patrols over these two cities in rotations, beginning with Fairy Squadron. Remember: We are peacekeepers, not aggressors. We are here to restore peace and uphold order. With that in mind, your rules of engagement is to attack only when attacked upon. Anything else will result in mission failure and immediate suspension from Peacekeeper service. Is that understood?”

The screen now cuts to black, signaling the end of the briefing.

“Any questions?”

>[NO]
>[YES - WRITE-IN]

>>6198946
>and since Belka is no longer interested in starting wars—at least not officially—
I take offence to this. Belka is a nation of peace.
>>6198947
>Write-in
Are there any other allied or peacekeeper units in the theatre?
Can we expect any support if the situation does get hot?
On the off chance that one of us get shot down, which side of the border should we escape to and can we hope for a rescue?

>>6198947
Support >>6198950

“Uh, yeah. I got a few.” You muttered while you rose your hand up.

>[“Are there any other allied or peacekeeper units in the theatre?”]

“The only IUN-PKF air asset you can count on in this region is the Nautilus SACS. On the ground, IUN-PKF Armor Divisions are embedded with the Imperial Arkanar military for support.”

>[“Can we expect any support if the situation does get hot?”]

“If things do escalate, we will deploy a second squadron in the air to alleviate the pressure. Other than that, negative. Do not rely on the Arkanar’s Imperial Air Force for support - their equipment is far behind what is the standard and they are stretched thin all along the line.”

>[“On the off chance that one of us get shot down, which side of the border should we escape to and can we hope for a rescue?”]

“To the South—the Imperial State of Arkanar. We will coordinate a search-and-rescue effort with the Peacekeepers on the ground. Anything else?”

>[NO]
>[YES - WRITE-IN]

>Aliyah
>Arkanar
Nasheeds? Playing in MY le$bean's cockpit? More likely than you think.

>>6198959
>Write-in
Do we have a point of contact in the Imperial Armed Force?
Can we land at an Imperial airfield in case of an emergency? If yes, I assume we can only hope for a refuel since their equipments are older than ours.
Our order is to return fire only when fired upon, so we can only observe if the two Arkanar forces engaged each within our patrol area?
What's the Imperial Armed Force's opinion of us peacekeepers? I just want to know how cooperative they'll be.
Is there anything on the Republic side that we should be worried about? Any mute aces or super mercs?

>>6198959
Maybe some of the other pilots have questions, we can't surrender all our mute AC protagonist cred on the first sortie
>>6198647
Surely that's just par for the course, especially in AC5 where every bullet is precious
For me it's the presence of a good superweapon and a good tunnel (and props to the games that have super weapons with tunnels), I hope the nation of Arkanar has some equally batshit engineers

>[“Do we have a point of contact in the Imperial Armed Force?”]

“Your comms will be patched into an Imperial-Peacekeeper channel for deconfliction purposes.”

>[“Can we land at an Imperial airfield in case of an emergency?”]

“Do not count on it. Besides, the Nautilus will remain within range in the Pacific Ocean for refuel and rearm.”

>[“Our order is to return fire only when fired upon, so we can only observe if the two Arkanar forces engaged each within our patrol area?”]

“If by some miracle, our Peacekeeper ground units remain untouched by the North Arkanar forces, then you are not to open fire. But expect a change in the ROE from High Command if the enemy begins to gain ground in Imperial territory.”

>[“What's the Imperial Armed Force's opinion of us peacekeepers? I just want to know how cooperative they'll be. Is there anything on the Republic side that we should be worried about? Any mute aces or super mercs?”]

Your two male squadmates peered over to you with raised eyebrows like you’re the teacher’s pet who reminded the teacher there was homework for the class. The fellow Erusean pilot who sits next to you—from reading his patch, Lieutenant Commander Jadyn van Cromwell is his name—subtly shook his head in disapproval. He just couldn’t believe you’re the same pilot who kept bugging the Carrier Air Wing commander over the tiniest details of the mission with questions five years ago. It never hurts to be safe and sure, you always said and obviously still believed. Better to have redundancies set in place than none at all.

“The Imperials will have no choice but to cooperate with us if they want their lands intact. As for the Republicans, their air force has a competitive history with their Imperial counterparts. But like the Imperials, their equipment is far too outdated to put up a fight against you. They will not pose a major threat, not even their aces.”

Just as Torrano finished his sentence, the Nautilus’ horn sounded, followed by a voice shouting the words “general quarters, this is not a drill” repeatedly through the PA system. In unison, the naval aviators instinctively stood up from their seats and waited for the Captain to address them.

“You’re dismissed.”

Without saying a word back, the aviators collectively left the briefing room for the hangar, where their aircraft awaits them for sortie.

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[ENEMY PRESENCE]
AERIAL PRESENCE = NON-FACTOR
GROUND PRESENCE = SIGNIFICANT
NAVAL PRESENCE = NON-FACTOR

CHOOSE YOUR AIRCRAFT
>[F/A-18E SUPER HORNET] An Osean naval multirole fighter, the Super Hornet is known first and foremost for its versatility. Equipped with AGM-65 Maverick 4AGM, the Super Hornet is more than capable at carrying out air-to-ground missions.
>[RAFALE M] A Erusean naval air-superiority fighter, Rafale M's primary purpose is to attain uncontested dominance in the skies. Its special weapon, the MBDA Meteor LAAM, enables the Rafale M to engage air targets at long distances.
>[MIG-29K FULCRUM-D] A Yuktobanian naval fighter, the Fulcrum-D is the sword and shield of multiple naval fleets all over the globe. With this variant of the Fulcrum compatible with the Kh-31 LASM, the Fulcrum-D makes for a formidable threat within the world of sea power.

>>6199075
>[F/A-18E SUPER HORNET]
The briefing says Aerial Presence = Non-factor, but my heart says First Contact

>>6199075
>[F/A-18E SUPER HORNET] An Osean naval multirole fighter, the Super Hornet is known first and foremost for its versatility. Equipped with AGM-65 Maverick 4AGM, the Super Hornet is more than capable at carrying out air-to-ground missions.

>>6199075
>>[F/A-18E SUPER HORNET] An Osean naval multirole fighter, the Super Hornet is known first and foremost for its versatility. Equipped with AGM-65 Maverick 4AGM, the Super Hornet is more than capable at carrying out air-to-ground missions.

>>6199075
>[RAFALE M] A Erusean naval air-superiority fighter, Rafale M's primary purpose is to attain uncontested dominance in the skies. Its special weapon, the MBDA Meteor LAAM, enables the Rafale M to engage air targets at long distances.

>>6199075
>[F/A-18E SUPER HORNET]
https://youtu.be/yK0P1Bk8Cx4 INTENSIFIES

>>6199075
>[F/A-18E SUPER HORNET]

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SUDDEN ATTACK
11.January.2019 – 1830 – Jadid, Imperial State of Arkanar – Cloud Cover: None – Operation Pontifex
OBJECTIVE: De-escalate the hostilities.

Upon concluding the pre-flight checks on your Super Hornet, you taxied your fighter from the hangar to the “flight deck” of the Nautilus and with the help of the deck officers, connected your wheels to a vacant electromagnetic catapult. LCDR Jadyn’s Rafale M assumed his position on the other catapult to your right. The top half of the hull’s front-end unfolds open then, exposing the flight deck to the elements.

<< OFS Nautilus >>
“Captain Farrington, your callsign is Fairy 1. Lieutenant Commander van Cromwell, Fairy 2. Read back and verify.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Fairy 1, copies.”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Fairy 2, ditto. Say, Captain, where have you been all these years? It’s been a long time since I last saw you flying.”

You shifted your gaze to the cockpit of the Rafale M when Jadyn addressed you directly through the comms. Of course, he was a Erusean pilot and the fact that he is serving in a SAC squadron would indicate he is a naval aviator, but you could not for the life of you recall ever seeing him before. You have the feeling he is just trying to push your buttons in the hopes of fishing for your attention, however.

>[“Have we met?”]
>[“I’m not here to chat about the past.”]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6199183
>[“Have we met?”]

>>6199183
>>[“I’m not here to chat about the past.”]

>>6199183
>[“Have we met?”]

>>6199183
>[“Have we met?”]

>>6199183
>[“Have we met?”]

>>6199183
>[“Have we met?”]
I love how you even use << these >>. Finally an authentic AC quest

>>6199071
>He just couldn’t believe you’re the same pilot who kept bugging the Carrier Air Wing commander over the tiniest details of the mission with questions five years ago
Please, all Strangereal pilots should know that a "simple patrol mission" never ends as just a simple patrol mission.
>>6199183
>[Have we met?]

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Have we met somewhere, Lieutenant Commander?”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“You might not know me Captain, but you were kind of like a hero to me back when we were in the Njörðr’s Air Wing. I was part of the reserve fighter squadron, but with you up in the skies, we never had a chance to take off.”

A hero? You haven’t heard that in a long time; since the Lighthouse War, to be exact. That word makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Drop it, Fairy 2. You’re making me blush. It’s a shame about Snider’s Top, hm?”

<< OFS Nautilus >>
“Fairy Squadron, cut the chatter. Catapult 1, raising pressure.”

Shit, you thought to yourself. The ATC must have heard all that talk. How embarrassing.

A blast fence is raised behind the nozzles of your Hornet and Jadyn’s Rafale M. You lowered your HMD visor, its heads-up display glinting bright green in your eyes. Looking out to the flight deck, you see a man in a yellow vest jogging ahead. That’s the catapult officer.

<< OFS Nautilus >>
“Fairy 1 and 2, you’re cleared for take-off.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“I’m going ahead then, Fairy 2.”

<<Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Copy that. Noble, standing by.”

You push your throttle forward, burning fuel to ignite your twin-engines and leaving jets of flame out of your nozzles as you remain stationary on the catapult you’re bound to. You salute the catapult officer, and the man ducked while holding his arm up; his hand pointing outward in the direction of the submarine. With force, the catapult propels your aircraft, sending you lurching forward.

<< OFS Nautilus >>
“Fairy 1, away!”

Once your aircraft has ceased physical contact with the submarine, you pull your stick back to climb and gain altitude. At 800 meters, you retract your landing gear.

<< OFS Nautilus >>
“Fairy 1, specified target ceiling reached. Air restrictions lifted. Take care.”

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|| START MISSION ||

The Fairy Squadron is on flight in an arrowhead formation with you as the leading craft. The sun has already sunk below the horizon by now, depriving the Arkanarian skies of light.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Squadron, maintain the present angel and heading. Lieutenant Ansari, you’re lagging behind.”

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“S-Sorry, Captain! This is my first combat deployment, so I’m feeling really nervous right now.”

<< Captain Torrano >>
“Fairy Squadron, this is Captain Torrano. There has been a major shift in the situation. Republican forces have begun engagements with the Imperials in Jadid.”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Already? How is the situation on the ground?”

<< Captain Torrano >>
“Bad, but the Peacekeeper ground units in the theater are not under fire yet, so the ROE will remain in effect. I cannot stress this enough but we cannot let this escalate into a full-blown war, Lieutenant Koller.”

>[“It’s already a war, sir.”]
>[“Lift the ROE already. It’s a hindrance.”]

God bless AC5 for the squadron aircraft selection, that really came in clutch

>>6199295
Thank you! That means a lot

>>6199296
At least its not a "take down the bombers" for a first mission

>>6199534
>[“It’s already a war, sir.”]
I'm still surprised that we're based on a submarine carrier. You'd think these super subs would only be found in the Yuktobanian navy since it's kinda their thing.

>>6199534
>[“It’s already a war, sir.”]

>>6199534
>[“It’s already a war, sir.”]

If he wants to talk deterrence, let us off the hook, show 'em we're serious.

>>6199534
>[“It’s already a war, sir.”]

File: VEGA_SQUADRON_TIERONE.png (658 KB, 1717x966)

658 KB PNG

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“If the Arkanarians are shooting each other then it’s already a war, sir.”

<< Captain Torrano >>
“Maybe so, Captain, but it is all the more reason we have to put a stop to this madness soon. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk, regardless of which side of the border you're on.”

Beat. The coast of Arkanar is coming into view. Jadid remains some distance away further inland, but you can see the city’s lights now glimmering faintly. Four MiG-29K’s then tail your squadron with an E-2 Hawkeye AWACS stalking behind from far away.

<< Captain Torrano >>
“Be advised, Fairy Squadron: I've assigned SACS-2 “Vega” to fly behind your squadron for this mission. Callsign "Cat's Eye" will provide you and Vega with AWACS support.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Understood, Captain.”

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
"I just hope things are okay down there."

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Cat’s Eye to Fairy Squadron, I’m patching in your communications link with Vega Squadron. Stand by.”

<< Vega 1 | Kostya >>
“Senior Lieutenant Kuryakin to Fairy. Comms check.”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“We read you Vega 1. Loud and clear.”

<< Vega 1 | Kostya >>
“Vega Squadron will be flying in tandem with you, Fairy Squadron. Looking forward to seeing you guys perform in the air.”

File: NIGHT BATTLE[sound=https%(...).jpg (299 KB, 1920x1128)

299 KB JPG

The two squadrons fly over the coast, crossing through the Imperial’s unenforced borders. Jadid is in the vicinity now, and you soon realize those lights you thought you saw before were not, in fact, lights. They were flames, with smoke rising up, blanketing the city in its tarry darkness. It’s only been half an hour, how did the Republican forces inflict so much damage with so little time? It seemed the Republicans hold a sizable territory of the city too, with Imperials giving an inch every second. The latter’s forces were at a disarray, with Republican forces continuing to systematically wreak havoc on their positions.

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Detecting over at least 50 Republican vehicles on the ground. Patching IFF data to you now.”

[<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“Oh my God, Captain! The city.. It’s burning!”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“These guys are too far gone. I suggest we open fire on the bastards, Chaos.”

>[“We’ll contact the Republican forces first.”]
>[“I agree; screw the ROE. We’re going in.”]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
T-64 TANKS: 20
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 10
BMP1 APC: 15
MISC. VEHICLES: 5

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 50
4AGM: 20
FLR: 5
DMG: 0%

>>6199634
>[“We’ll contact the Republican forces first.”]
They're not equipped for anti-air, may as well give them the last word

>>6199637
+1

>>6199634
>[“I agree; screw the ROE. We’re going in.”]

>>6199634
>>[“We’ll contact the Republican forces first.”]

+1 to contacting

>>6199634
>>[“We’ll contact the Republican forces first.”]

>>6199634
>[“We’ll contact the Republican forces first.”]

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Negative, Noble. We’re contacting the Republicans first.”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Ugh, copy that. Cat’s Eye, can you link Adler with the North Arkanar forces on the ground?”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Affirmative, Fairy 2. Patching Fairy 3 to Free Republic of Arkanar Ground Forces.”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“What? Why me!? I’m real shy around strangers, you know..”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Because you borrowed twenty bucks from me before we left port and haven’t paid me back since! At least if you do this, I’ll let you off the hook and pretend it never happened.”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Agh, alright, fine! I’ll do it. You didn’t have to remind me.”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Fairy 3, you’re on mic.”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Ahem. This is Lieutenant Erich Koller of the International Union Peacekeeping Forces over the city of Jadid, issuing a warning to all Free Republic of Arkanar military personnel receiving this transmission: You are in violation of the Oured Agreements! Cease fighting and retreat back to the Demarcation Line. I say again: We order you to cease fighting and retreat back to the Demarcation Line. Anyone seen refusing this order will be met with deadly force.”

<< Free Republic of Arkanar Ground Forces >>
“Commander! I’m receiving a transmission from the IUN! They’re demanding us to stand down or their planes will attack us!”

<< Free Republic of Arkanar Ground Commander >>
“IUN Peacekeepers? They are puppetmasters of the Imperials. Ignore them—no, better yet, shoot them down!”

Koller’s transmission went unanswered, and things remained quiet up in the skies. Suddenly, your HMD’s display went red and your radar warning receiver’s alarm went haywire. They are retaliating.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“It’s a missile lock! All units, break!”

You gripped your flight stick hard and pushed your throttle forward, speeding away from the formation while the rest of your squadron and Vega separated from each other. It’s every pilot for themselves now.

>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
T-64 TANKS: 20
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 10
BMP1 APC: 15
9K33 SAM: 5

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 50
4AGM: 20
FLR: 5
DMG: 0%

>>6199718
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

I’m weary about blowing a flare so early but this is quite literally what they are designed for.

>>6199718
>>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]
Are rolls BO3?

>>6199718
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6199718
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6199718
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]
MISSILE MISSILE MISSILE MISSILE

>"Spread out & target their SAMs!"

File: hornet_flaredump.jpg (389 KB, 1920x1080)

389 KB JPG

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Chaos, the missile is on to you!”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Fairy 1, defending!”

Your left hand let go of the throttle and slammed on the manual countermeasure dispenser button, popping flares from the bottom of your Super Hornet, which resulted in the missile flying off-course before detonating.

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Missiles fired! All aircraft, ROE restrictions lifted, weapons free.”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Solid copy Cat’s Eye, about goddamn time. Koller, with me! We’re on DEAD duty!”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Fairy 1 and 4, prioritize ground armor targets. Those tanks are hammering the hell out of Imperial positions. Provide cover fire for them.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Chaos, copies.”

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“Witch, roger! Moving in to attack ground targets.”

You tilt your flight stick to the side and pull it back to turn the aircraft around in the direction of the Republican forces’ advance. In the distance, you see Aliyah launching a salvo of Maverick missiles against a group of Republican BMP1’s, reducing their numbers. On your side of things, you have a platoon of four T-64s, encroaching on a pocket of Imperial soldiers holed up at an apartment complex. Your HMD’s reticles on the tanks turn red, signaling you are within range for a lock.

>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 4D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, FOUR MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
T-64 TANKS: 20
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 10
BMP1 APC: 11
9K33 SAM: 5
TOTAL: 46

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 50
4AGM: 20
FLR: 5
DMG: 0%

>>6199725
Nope! You can only roll once. If the majority vote chose a rolling option and their rolls turn out to be below the threshold then your aircraft will be hit or your missile won't nail on your target.

>>6200065
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
They're just minor targets, no need to waste 4AGM.

>>6200065
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

>>6200065
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

File: hornetpair.jpg (150 KB, 1024x679)

150 KB JPG

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Chaos, FOX-2.”

You pushed the flight stick slightly forward, lowering the nose of your aircraft to the ground. Pressing the red weapons release button on the stick twice, your Hornet launched two missiles from its hardpoints. Subsequently, you pulled your stick back up to gain altitude and level the aircraft without looking back to confirm the kill. That’s the AWACS’ job.

<< Imperial State of Arkanar Ground Forces >>
“Whoa! What the hell was that!?”

<< Imperial State of Arkanar Ground Forces >>
“I thought the Air Force was unavailable for backup.”

<< Imperial State of Arkanar Ground Forces >>
“No.. that’s not our Air Force. That’s a Super Hornet! It’s the IUN Peacekeepers! We’re saved!”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Two enemy armor splashed, Fairy 1.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Acknowledged, Cat’s Eye. Lt. Ansari, how are you holding up?”

Aliyah enters in a formation with you with her Super Hornet rocking its wings gently. Her gaze is fixated on you through the cockpit.

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“I’m feeling good, Captain. Still nervous but I’m getting the hang of it.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“You’re doing great, Lieutenant. At the pace we’re going through, we’ll mop up the Republicans and be back to Nautilus in time for our 9 PM shut-eye.”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Fairy 1 and 4, you’re approaching a Republican armored convoy, bearing zero-four-zero. Counting eight BMP-1 APCs. Your call.”

Aliyah and you yawed your Super Hornets to the right and sure enough, there were eight armored vehicles with infantry mounted atop, speeding through the ruined streets of Jadid.

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“Looks like they are trying to reinforce the detachment trying to seize the downtown area with more troops. Well, Captain.. My Mavericks are primed and ready to fire. So, on your command.”

>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 4D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, FOUR MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - PICK: TANKS, RKTL, SAM]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
T-64 TANKS: 18
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 10
BMP1 APC: 11
9K33 SAM: 5
TOTAL: 44

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 48
4AGM: 20
FLR: 4
DMG: 0%

>>6200133
>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - PICK: TANKS, RKTL, SAM]
>SAM
Let's just focus on covering our own forces first.

>Strafe the APC column
>Target SAMs

Rolled 7, 2, 5, 4 = 18 (4d8)

>>6200133
>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 4D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, FOUR MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - SAM]
If anti-air is a non-factor we can clean up at our discretion
We might also want to be careful with our ammo supply, considering we might also have to intervene at Jayroud without resupplying

What is the situation with resupply lines and guns (guns guns), anyway? Just to be clear

>>6200158
>>6200154
Wait, can we do more than one action a round? If so I'm changing my vote from >>6200146 to >>6200154

>>6200160
Oh I just assumed seeking other targets wasn't a full round action and wanted to skip over the "you sought them out, now what" phase
But if it's more complicated than changing lock-ons then I'd just go with
>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - SAM]
then follow that up with 4AGM if we get the opportunity to

>>6200133
>>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - SAM]

>>6200133
>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - PICK: SAM]

>>6200133
>>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - SAM]

>>6200133
>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - PICK: SAM]

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Let’s take the SAMs out of the equation first. The longer those things remain on the ground, the more risk we take just flying over this city.”

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“Ah, I see. Understood, Captain.”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Fairy 1, be advised: Fairy 2 and 3 are engaging two separate enemy SAM networks, but they appear to be struggling. I recommend splitting up to provide assistance.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“You heard that, Lieutenant? Go link up with Lieutenant Commander van Cromwell. I’ll help out Koller.”

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“Yes ma’am!”

Aliyah banked away from you and slammed her throttle forward, increasing the speed of her Super Hornet with the afterburners. You continued your flight in the path towards the northern outskirts, where Erich can be seen pulling off high-g maneuvers in an attempt to evade multiple AA missiles. His RWR alarm beeps relentlessly, and the copious amounts of g-force he is going through while performing those maneuvers puts a toll on him, evident by the hard and ragged breathing he fills your ears with through the radio.

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Hey, boss! So nice of you to..”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler | Rafale M >>
"Missile. Missile. Missile."

Erich pauses for a brief moment, clamping his mouth shut while he attempts to outmaneuver one last missile on his tail. When that missile proved to be stubborn, he dumped a load of flares from his Rafale M to throw off the missile’s guidance system.

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“..finally join us! Uh, help me put these launchers out of commission, will you?”

Your sensors pick up three targets on the ground designated as SAMs, spaced some two hundred meters with each other. Within range, the reticles on these targets then turn red. It's a good time to get a shot off before the SAMs locks on you too.

>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 3D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, THREE MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
T-64 TANKS: 18
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 10
BMP1 APC: 11
9K33 SAM: 5
TOTAL: 44

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 48
4AGM: 20
FLR: 5
DMG: 0%

>>6200158
You can do more than one action per turn only when specified. For example, if I make a post giving you Defensive and Offensive course of actions as options, then you will pick one option per course of action. Haven't used that yet though!
Resupply lines are available only when the option for it pops up.

Rolled 5, 8, 5 = 18 (3d8)

>>6200375
>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 3D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, THREE MISSILE LAUNCH]
>>6200380
Cool, cool

>>6200375
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

>>6200375
>>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 3D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, THREE MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 7, 6, 7 = 20 (3d8)

>>6200380
>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 3D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, THREE MISSILE LAUNCH

I was a little worried the DC was too high but dem rolls, man, dem rolls

>>6200381
+1
Any chance of ground combat if we get shot down? Can we pick a sidearm/survival rifle?

>>6200375
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

>>6200375
>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 3D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, THREE MISSILE LAUNCH]

Just noticed I put in FLR: 5 when its supposed to be 4 for the Aircraft Status Data section. This is why proofreading exists.

>>6200395
>>6200398
SERE scenarios will happen if you're shot down, yes! Don't expect them to occur in the first thread though. Way too early for that! Also, you guys want to roll your dices or do you want me to do it?

>>6200381
+1
>>6200487
I say let us roll our own dices, funnier that way too when we inevitably fail at an important moment.

>>6200521
That's true. Well you better roll your dice now then!

Rolled 5, 6, 7 = 18 (3d8)

>>6200066
>>6200536
I thought only one of us need to pass the threshold?

>>6200539
Nah, it's a majority roll! I'll be counting every roll you guys make.

>>6200540
Are their critical successes or fails in this? Like if we theoretically got three of the same number on something. Or three nat 1s etc.

>>6200540
Oh boy. Schizo plane.

>>6200554
We're not called Chaos for no reason...

MISSILE 1: 5, 7, 5 [FAILURE]
MISSILE 2: 8, 6, 6 [SUCCESS]
MISSILE 3: 5, 7, 6 [SUCCESS]

You unleashed a salvo of three Maverick missiles from the pylons of your Super Hornet, destroying two SAM vehicles simultaneously. One of your targets however was too close for your first missile to hit and overshot itself past its supposed destination by several meters. Your aircraft then passed the SAM overhead, allowing it to have a good angle on your rear before locking on.

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Fairy 1, two SAMs destroyed. First missile did not connect. Be careful, Fairy 1, that last SAM has a lock on you!”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“I got this one, boss!”

Erich swoops in, lowering the nose of his Rafale M and aligning his sights on the lone SAM. Once his crosshair had stabilized on the object, Erich pulled the gun trigger on his flight stick, firing off bursts of gunfire from the 30mm autocannon and popping the SAM vehicle full of holes right as it was about to launch.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Thanks. That was close.”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“I am to please, boss.”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Fairy 3, copy kill. Fairy 4 just splashed two SAM units. Republican anti-air network inoperable.”

<< Free Republic of Arkanar Ground Forces >>
“Uruz to Command! We’ve lost our anti-air!”

<< Free Republic of Arkanar Ground Commander >>
“Lost? Say again!?”

<< Free Republic of Arkanar Ground Forces >>
“The Peacekeepers, th-they destroyed our Osa launchers, sir!”

<< [!] Free Republic of Arkanar Ground Commander [!] >>
“Argh, goddamn vultures! With those Peacekeepers still in the skies, this special military operation is as good as over. All units, perform a tactical retreat! Corporal Emir! Contact the Jayroud Air Academy, tell them to send us a fighter squadron for air cover.”

<< Free Republic of Arkanar Ground Forces >>
“Yes sir.”

<< [!] AWACS | Cat’s Eye [!] >>
“Republican rocket artillery spotted pulling back at bearing zero-one-zero, distance 900 meters. Fairy 1 and 3, intercept them before they leave the battlespace.”

Erich took up a position by your side. Together, you and he flew on a return flight path to the city. On the ground were ten hostile IFF signals not yet within range that appear to be closing in your direction. Though Erich is not armed with the proper air-to-ground armaments like you are, he will still be able to perform an air-to-ground attack with his missiles, granted he will only take out two at a time.

>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 4D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, FOUR MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE MSL - NO ROLL AGAINST GROUND TARGETS, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[SEEK OTHER TARGETS - PICK: TANKS, APCS]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
T-64 TANKS: 18
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 10
BMP1 APC: 11
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 39

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 48
4AGM: 17
FLR: 4
DMG: 0%

Rolled 5, 7, 3, 2 = 17 (4d8)

>>6200850
>MISSILE 1: 5, 7, 5 [FAILURE]
Isn't the success threshold 5?
>>6200852
>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 4D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, FOUR MISSILE LAUNCH]
They're retreating anyway so might as well use these up.

>>6200854
You have to exceed the threshold, pilot! Now that you mention that though, maybe we'll pretend the threshold is the minimum number needed for success going forward, to prevent any miscommunication in the future.

>>6200549
Crits is a thing if the majority of people rolled a number that's the opposite end of the spectrum. Like rolling a 1 or 10 in a 1d10.

Rolled 4, 3, 5, 5 = 17 (4d8)

>>6200852
>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 4D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, FOUR MISSILE LAUNCH]
Sounds like we're preparing for air combat
I wonder what the success threshold of using bombs on enemy fliers would be (thank god Electrosphere is still sixteen years away)
>>6200856
Good to know
Not that it likely matters given how this is the first sortie but if mission kill count does matter for XP or money or whatever purposes it might be worth settling on whether that success counted as one of ours or Adler's (unless we all share which would be good too)

>>6200864
>I wonder what the success threshold of using bombs on enemy fliers would be
You'd have to roll a 100 on a 1d100 just to hit a moving bomber if you're gonna use an Unguided Bomb hehe.

>>6200885
... I pray we never have to go up against Nemo if he can beat odds like that

Rolled 2, 7, 4, 1 = 14 (4d8)

>>6200852
>>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 4D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, FOUR MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 5, 2, 8, 8 = 23 (4d8)

>>6200852
>>[FIRE 4AGM - ROLL 4D8, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, FOUR MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 4, 3, 4, 5 = 16 (4d8)

Oh dear, your guys' rolls are half-success, half-failures. Let me do a tiebreak before I write the next post.

MISSILE 1: 5, 4, 2, 5, 4 [FAILURE]
MISSILE 2: 7, 3, 7, 2, 3 [FAILURE]
MISSILE 3: 3, 5, 4, 8, 4 [FAILURE]
MISSILE 4: 2, 5, 1, 8, 5 [SUCCESS]

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Roger that, Cat’s Eye. Lt. Koller, fire your missiles on my mark. Ready?”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Yes, ma’am! Just say the word.”

You gave the throttle gentle pull to the back and pushed the flight stick forward, subtly dipping the nose of your aircraft while slowing down on the acceleration. You didn’t have to do much maneuvering to get within the firing range of the artillery convoy, as they were practically walking into you. The Infrared search and tracking module mounted on the bottom of your Super Hornet gets a lock on four leading BM-21’s then, giving you the final word to deploy your missiles.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Fire!”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Fox-2!”

You released your payload with a few presses of the weapons release button and pulled your stick back up. Of the four missiles that were launched, only one scored a hit while Erich’s missiles struck two. The wrecks of the destroyed BM-21’s now blocked the street, stopping the convoy dead in their tracks.

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Three artillery vehicles, destroyed. Fairy 1, three missiles missed the target.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“What the hell - that much!?”

With how badly your Maverick missiles were performing so far, you’re starting to believe their guidance systems or your IRST module itself must have been miscalibrated back at the Nautilus. Looking beyond your canopy, you saw two MiG-29K’s belonging to Vega Squadron approaching your position, whose red and green navigation lights dotted the night sky.

<< Vega 1 | Kostya >>
“Vega 1 to Fairy Squadron. We’re moving in for the artillery kill. Vega 2, launch Kh-31’s.”

<< Vega 2 | Skif >>
“Copy, Senior Lieutenant. Firing Kh-31’s.”

The pair of MiGs launched their air-to-surface missiles and struck another three artillery pieces, leaving only one BM-21 still intact from the convoy.

<< [!] AWACS | Cat’s Eye [!] >>
“Vega Squadron, splash three. Fairy Squadron, I’m picking up multiple unidentified IFF signals on my radar, heading south to Jadid from the north side of the border, ten klicks from your vector. Stand by.”

You and Erich banked your aircraft to the northern direction and your radar picked up a faint yet visible signal from a faraway distance. Soon, the number of IFF signals your Super Hornet picked up would balloon from one to eight separate signals, and your HMD display went red thereafter. You’re being locked on.

File: LOCUST SQUADRON[sound=htt(...).gif (7.16 MB, 540x362)

7.16 MB GIF

[!] ENEMY SQUADRON ENTERING AIRSPACE [!]

LOCUST
Free Republic of Arkanar Air Force
Jayroud Air Academy Regiment No. 9 Combat Training Class No. 5

<< Locust Lead >>
“It’s a sea of fire down there. Can’t believe they started the special military operation without us.”

<< Locust 2 >>
“They’re so helpless without us, eh Commander? They should have followed our advice.”

<< Locust Lead >>
“Don’t get cocky, No. 2. You'd do well to remember this is your first combat sortie. Cadets! Show me what you’ve learned under my tutelage. All aircraft, fan out!”

<< Locust Squadron >>
“Sir, yes, sir!”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Warning: They are a Republican Air Force squadron composed of eight MiG-21-93’s! Fairy 1 and 3, intercept them immediately. Fairy 2 and 4, link up with your squadron leader.”

<< Vega 1 | Kostya >>
“Vega 1 to Fairy Squadron, you go ahead and take out those MiGs! My squadron will handle the Republican ground forces.”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Oh shit, here they come. Let’s fix ourselves a dogfight, boss!”

CHOOSE OFFENSIVE COURSE OF ACTION:
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

CHOOSE DEFENSIVE COURSE OF ACTION:
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 8
T-64 TANKS: 18
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 4
BMP1 APC: 11
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 33 GROUND UNITS, 8 AIR UNITS

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 48
4AGM: 13
FLR: 4
DMG: 0%

Rolled 9, 9 = 18 (2d10)

>>6201230
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6201230
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

I can see 1/100 odds when attempting to hit an attacker with dumb ordnance, but out-bombering a bomber with a multirole jet should be 1/20 going off of the games.

Rolled 6, 4 = 10 (2d10)

>>6201230
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6201230
>>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6201230
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]
Wait for deploying 4AGM?

Rolled 10, 10 = 20 (2d10)

>>6201230
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6201334
That's gotta be a pretty nice explosion.

Rolled 8, 1, 7 = 16 (3d10)

Declaring third d10 as the defensive roll
>>6201230
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
>>6201332
4AGM is locked-on ground targets only, G tends to stand for Ground, (un)Guided (for bombs or rockets) or Gun
https://acecombat.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Weapons
Assuming we're following standard Ace Combat conventions

Rolled 1 (1d10)

Rolling to tiebreak the second missile.

File: LOCUSTHIT.gif (5.18 MB, 716x480)

5.18 MB GIF

MISSILE 1: 9, 6, 10, 8 [SUCCESS]
MISSILE 2: 9, 4, 10, 1, 1 [FAILURE]

<< Locust 2 >>
“Commander, I have a lock on two bandits dead ahead. Wait. F-18’s.. The Imperials don’t have that.”

<< Locust Leader >>
“Shit, it’s the Peacekeepers. Looks like the soldiers of peace have taken a side. All aircraft, open fire on the tourists!”

<< Locust Squadron >>
“Yes sir!”

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
“Boss, I have a lock on one of the MiGs.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Weapons free, Lieutenant.”

You and Erich fired a collective salvo of four Sidewinder air-to-air missiles toward the flight of MiGs just as they fired their payload of sixteen R-60 Aphids, half of which were locked on to you. The two of you performed an aileron roll with flares deployed, causing the missiles to overshoot and detonate at the rear, while one of your own missiles narrowly missed Locust 2. The other missile you’ve fired however is far more fortunate, having slammed itself against Locust 5’s wing. Erich’s, on the other hand, directly collided with Locust 3’s cockpit, taking the pilot out of commission.

<< Locust 5 >>
“Argh, Commander, my left wing is hit! But, I can still fight..”

<< Locust Lead >>
“No. 5, eject if you have to. I don’t want a pilot with a busted wing dragging us down. No. 3, what’s your status?”

<< Locust 4 >>
“We lost No. 3, sir.”

<< Locust Lead >>
“I see. He will be remembered.”

With the enemy ordnance destroyed, you along with Erich accelerated your aircraft at full throttle towards Locust and pierced through the gaps of their formation with the aim of positioning yourself at their rear ends. The enemy squadron climbed up towards the skies and broke out of formation in a sunburst-like pattern in response, pointing their red noses at your direction and aligning their gunsights on you and Erich through an acute Immelmann turn. Watching the pilots of Locust pull of such a maneuver in old Fishbeds, you couldn't help but think that if it wasn’t for war in this country, this squadron would have made for a damn fine aerobatics team.

CHOOSE OFFENSIVE COURSE OF ACTION:
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

CHOOSE DEFENSIVE COURSE OF ACTION:
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 7
T-64 TANKS: 18
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 4
BMP1 APC: 11
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 33 GROUND UNITS, 7 AIR UNITS

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 46
4AGM: 13
FLR: 3
DMG: 0%

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>6201437
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6201437
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]
I think we should be using flares less like the main games, but still... we have them for a reason and its mission 1

>>6201455
If you spam flares, you never were a true ace /s

Rolled 5, 1 = 6 (2d10)

>>6201437
>>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

Rolled 2, 4 = 6 (2d10)

>>6201437
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
You want a dogfight? Let's have a dogfight.
Also, tourists!? Excuse me, I'll have you know that we're on a work visa, and we're going to work you over.

Rolled 3, 10, 6 = 19 (3d10)

>Even knowing what the flare button was
My first playthrough was rough
>>6201437
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]

Rolled 6, 9 = 15 (2d10)

Which game gave you a flare button? I played 4, 5, & 0 without ever having that option.
>GUN
>MANEUVER (their missile lock was broken)

Rolled 8, 1 = 9 (2d10)

>>6201437
>>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>6201437
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

Rolled 6 (1d10)

Defensive course of action at a tie. Breaking.

1-5. Flare
6-10. Maneuver

Rolled 10 (1d10)

Hold on. Think I made a mistake. Rolling to tiebreak maneuver.

GUN: 9, 5, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 [SUCCESS]
MANEUVER: 4, 6, 9, 1, 10 [SUCCESS]

<< Locust 6 >>
“I got you now, tourist scum!”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Fairy 1, bandit is in gun range!”

As the Locusts were positioned at a higher altitude than you were, you pulled your flight stick back and fixed your sights on a single MiG whose nose is pointed right at yours. But before he could get a shot off, you pulled the trigger switch on your stick, firing off a volley of 20mm rounds from the nose-mounted gatling cannon in your Super Hornet and rupturing your enemy’s fuselage.

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Good kill!”

<< Locust 6 >>
“I'm SHOT! I can’t.. I can’t feel my legs! C-Commander! I’ve been a good pilot, right!? Tell me I did go–”

<< Locust 2 >>
“No. 6, eject! Eject, damn it! Can you hear me!?”

[OFFLINE]

<< Locust 2 >>
“RAFI! Commander, No. 6 is down.. I’m going after that plane!”

Locust 2 makes a tight break to the side and accelerates his aircraft. It wasn’t long until your radar picked up a hostile IFF signal whose flight path is headed towards your rear and rapidly gaining, compelling you to make a left turn and dive down. Despite flying in a Fishbed—an aircraft proved to be far behind in terms of technology and maneuverability compared to the Super Hornet—Locust 2 remains a stubborn opponent, imitating your movements down to a T right as you perform them.

<< Locust 2 >>
“This one’s for Rafi! Die, you son of a bitch!”

Upon gaining a lock on you, the Republican pilot immediately fired two Aphid missiles he had mounted on his aircraft’s hardpoints which prompted your RWR and HMD to alert you of an incoming missile. You then made a steep climb, hoping the acute angle of your turn would shake off the missiles. Sure enough, the missiles overshot themselves as you made the turn.

<< Locust 2 >>
“Tch, shit!”

<< [!] AWACS | Cat’s Eye [!] >>
“Fairy 2 and 4 are almost in the area. Stand your ground, Fairy 1!”

You panned up to the rearview mirror on your canopy. That red-nosed MiG is still hot on your heels. Soon, your RWR would go off again.

>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 6
T-64 TANKS: 15
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 4
BMP1 APC: 7
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 26 GROUND UNITS, 6 AIR UNITS

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 46
4AGM: 13
FLR: 3
DMG: 0%

Finally, fixed!

>>6201518
7: Skies Unknown gave you flares for the first time in franchise history. It's kind of useless though so imagine the flare system in this quest to be the one from Project Wingman instead, though. Heheh.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>6202162
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]

WHEW!

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>6202162

>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]

>>6202162
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>6202162
>Locust 6
I can feel our Mercenary ace style meter grow
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
>>6201518
>>6202163
Actually it was Assault Horizon, which probably didn't help their reputation
In Joint Assault you had a special weapon that worked as flares but they were sci-fi magic flares

>FLARE (distraction)
>AIRBRAKE (put Locust 2 ahead of us)
>GUN
Send the rest home in a panic.

>>6202276
+1

>>6202162
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6202162
>>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

You pulled your flight stick further back until you flew upside down to exit the climb and performed an 180 degree roll to level your Super Hornet. Locust 2 followed suit and remained on your tail at a close range, compelling you to accelerate with afterburners at speeds his MiG’s engine couldn’t ever reach up to. This grants you distance to safely deploy flares when he launches another missile, which he eventually does.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Enough of this.”

You slammed your hand on the countermeasures dispenser button again, deploying your third load of the aircraft’s flares so far. The pursuing missile crashes on a flare and detonates prematurely. Now fed up with Locust 2’s antics, you began your move to bring this doggone fight of yours to an end by moving your throttle slightly to the back to decelerate, tightly pull your nose upward and enter into a state of a cobra climb. Locust 2 subsequently overshoots below you with the flames of your engine nozzles momentarily illuminating his cockpit.

<< Locust 2 >>
“Huh? How did he–”

You push your stick and throttle forward, hard. As your plane levels out, a reticle locks on Locust 2 while you stalked behind his tail at a close range. At this distance, there's no way I’ll miss. I’m not letting you get away this time.

>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 4, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 6
T-64 TANKS: 15
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 0
BMP1 APC: 7
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 22 GROUND UNITS, 6 AIR UNITS

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 46
4AGM: 13
FLR: 2
DMG: 0%

>>6202276
>>6202284
Not airbrakes, but this one's still for you, buddies! Go ahead and make the rolls for the gun option now.

Rolled 7, 6 = 13 (2d10)

>>6202446
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
I've missed easier shots

Rolled 4, 9 = 13 (2d10)

>>6202446
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>6202446
>>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 4, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

File: NAUTILUS ref render.png (166 KB, 725x616)

166 KB PNG

Dropping some original lore bits here before I go to sleep waiting for new posts. Nothing spoilery, promise! hopefully

OFS NAUTILUS

A state-of-the-art nuclear submersible aviation cruiser jointly developed by Osea and Erusea, the roots of Nautilus began several years before the outbreak of the Lighthouse War as part of Project Pegasus; a project within the Erusean Royal Navy to reverse engineer the Yuktobanian-built Alicorn and build an indigenous sister vessel to the submarine. The project languished halfway through the planning stages amidst struggles securing budget and resources, and would later be cancelled by the Royal Navy.

Following the conclusion of the Lighthouse War, the plans of Project Pegasus were surrendered to the Osean Maritime Defense Force as part of a reparations package. However, Osea later invited Erusea to co-operate in the project's revival as a sign of diplomatic goodwill between to the two nations. Work on the submarine began as early as February 17th, 2020 and she was assembled at the Grunder Industries-operated Axel Bay Naval Yard in Usea. Significant deviations were made from the original Alicorn-derived design, including the folding ceilings of the runway that form the top half of her front-end hull, and the absence of catastrophically destructive offensive weapons such as the SRC-03a rail cannon, anti-ship railgun turrets and submarine-launched ballistic missiles in accordance to the START-3 treaty.

Though the Nautilus is registered to an Osean Maritime Defense Force vessel, she is staffed by personnel of both the Osean and Erusean navies, along with a marginal number of personnel from the Belkan and Sapin Navy serving onboard. Upon her commissioning, the Nautilus were placed directly under the command of the IUN Peacekeeper Fleet. However, because of her capability to perform multiple missions, the Nautilus is granted the ability to operate independently from the fleet.

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>6202446
>>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 4, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>6202446
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 4, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>6202446
>>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 4, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Two 10s not shabby at all

Rolled 4 (1d10)

Tiebreaking gun success roll.

1-5. Success
6-10. Critical Success

GUN: 10, 7, 5, 10 [TIEBREAKER AT 4, SUCCESS]

The MiG’s flight vector remained still, with Locust 2 dumbstruck by your cobra climb. Seeing this as an opportunity to take him out of the fight, you seized that opportunity by punching holes in his rear fuselage with your 20mm cannon before he could pull off an evasive maneuver. The sensation of his aircraft shuddering induced by lead piercing through his engines broke the Republican’s pilot trance and he then attempted to distance himself away from you and your gun through the use of afterburners but in doing so, he only lit his engine on fire and destroyed it completely in an explosion.

<< Locust 2 >>
“Gah–No! I can’t die here!”

Before the detonation could reach the cockpit, Locust 2 gripped the two ejection handles located between his legs and pulled them upwards. The canopy blasts off from its hinges and your gaze follows the pilot rocketing out of his aircraft in the ejection seat just as the MiG enters descent. Damn it. He’s still alive. I hope he doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass in the future..

Returning your eyes back to the front, you look down and see two friendly IFF signals approaching your position on radar. It’s Jadyn and Aliyah. They saw your little dogfight with Locust 2 and came over to check up on you. Once they entered visual range, Jadyn’s Rafale and Aliyah’s Hornet flew by your side in a V-shaped formation.

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Damn, that was one hell of a show you put up out there.”

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“Are you okay, Captain!?”

>[“It was a cake walk.”]
>[“I am now, just from hearing your voices.”]
>[WRITE-IN]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 4
T-64 TANKS: 12
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 0
BMP1 APC: 3
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 15 GROUND UNITS, 4 AIR UNITS

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 46
4AGM: 13
FLR: 2
DMG: 0%

>>6202881
>>[“It was a cake walk.”]

>>6202881
>[TGT] MiG-21-93: 4
>"I'm okay, but the show's not over yet."

>>6202488
Wait a second, I know that super submarine. Are we going to get an AI support system too?
>>6202881
>>6202899
+1
I have a question, can we choose to just disable enemy aircraft instead of out right killing them?

>Allow your wingmen to keep the attention of the remaining Locusts for a turn or two
>Use 4AGMs to target Tanks at long-range
>Followup with a strafing run against the stranded APC column
(I'm after the A or S rank for this mission)

I'm curious where the hell we're at on the map of Strangereal. Any plans to fill in the lore of the minor nations that weren't focused on in the games?

File: 1725185574684502.png (31 KB, 197x215)

31 KB PNG

>>6202909
If we go by >>6198947 we're at the southernmost part of Verusa, to the southwest of Verusa the country and most likely south of Kaluga, which is mentioned as bordering beneath Yuktobania
If we go by official borders there's a country to the west of Arkanar and smaller one to the northwest

>>6202881
>[“It was a cake walk.”]

>>6202881
>[“It was a cake walk.”]

>>6202899
+1

>>6202901
>can we choose to just disable enemy aircraft instead of out right killing them?
Sorry aspiring Knight ace anon, but we don't have the tools or the precision for that. In the skies, it's kill or be killed

>>6202942
Sounds about right. I just got curious because a success here >>6202870 led to the enemy pilot ejecting safely, so I assume that a crit would be the entire plane blowing up and taking the pilot with it

Rolled 1 (1d10)

Can't believe you guys are tied for dialogue. Rolling!

1-5: >>6202892
6-10: >>6202899

>>6202901
>I have a question, can we choose to just disable enemy aircraft instead of out right killing them?
Hmmmmmmm maybeeeee, in the futureeee. I'm keeping things like that strictly situational though, so you can't spare every enemy you see.

>>6202909
>I'm curious where the hell we're at on the map of Strangereal. Any plans to fill in the lore of the minor nations that weren't focused on in the games?
Oh dear, I'm only human

Considering we can't spare people after the Belkan War I just assumed they made every weapon more lethal
Though ironically by the time of the Lighthouse War the ADFX-01, one of the most dangerous planes of that war, got hit with the nerf stick super hard (my poor MPBM)

>>6202870
Could you explain how rolls work?

Feeling your mask had become a little too stuffy, you unlatched it from your helmet and took a deep breath. It was nice to hear some familiar voices again—especially Aliyah—after having your ears be filled with the sound of that dreadful RWR alarm and the constant shouting of Bitchin’ Betty.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“That was nothing. It was a cake walk. They were in antiques, it wasn’t even a fair fight.”

Can’t show my subordinates any weakness.

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Chaos, you’re lying. You’re breathing hard; that pilot really threw you through the wringer, didn’t he?”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Okay, I struggled a tad bit, but I’m the one still flying here, not him. Don't tell me you were rooting for that bastard?"

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“I’m just glad you’re still flying at all, Captain.”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“Fairy Squadron, as much as I love listening to your chatter, you can save the patting on your backs when you’ve returned to the Nautilus. Fairy 3 has two bandits on his tail, and another two is closing in on your vector at bearing three-two-zero.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Ah shit, Cat’s Eye is right. Alright, Noble, break off and help out Adler. Lieutenant Ansari, you’re with me. We’re taking on the two stragglers.

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“Yes, ma’am!”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Roger.”

Jadyn peeled away from the formation and flew towards Erich’s position, leaving you and Aliyah behind. Glancing over to the radar screen in your cockpit, you see two hostile IFF signals approaching you and your partner from the northwest, fast. With a twist of your flight stick, your aircraft yawed to the left, facing the two Locusts head-on. Then, an elderly masculine voice addresses you through the comms, and it did not sound as if it belonged to anyone you knew.

<< Locust Lead >>
“Can you hear me.. Peacekeeper? No. You needn't answer. I know you can hear me.”

The two MiGs now enter the range of your missiles.

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
“Captain, I have a lock on a bandit.”

<< Locust Lead >>
“I see you've brought down two of my finest pilots. Pilots of a new generation whom I’ve entrusted every knowledge I possessed to. And you shot them down like dogs. Heheheh. Show me what you know that made you so much better than my students—than me. Call this.. your final examination.”

CHOOSE OFFENSIVE COURSE OF ACTION:
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

CHOOSE DEFENSIVE COURSE OF ACTION:
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 4
T-64 TANKS: 8
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 0
BMP1 APC: 0
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 8 GROUND UNITS, 4 AIR UNITS

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 46
4AGM: 13
FLR: 2
DMG: 0%

Rolled 6, 10 = 16 (2d10)

>>6203000
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

“School’s out”

>>6202993
Let's say if you roll a 2d10 and get the numbers 4 and 7, for two missile launches which has a minimum threshold of 5. I take the number 4 for the first missile and the number 7 for the second. Then I put it with other roll numbers for their respective missiles. If the majority of those rolls are above the threshold (say, MISSILE 1: 4, 6, 7, 7, 10) that missile is a hit. If it's not (MISSILE 2: 7, 4, 2, 3) then it misses.

Rolled 6, 5, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>6203000
>>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
>>6203004
And what's a crit?

Rolled 2, 10 = 12 (2d10)

>>6203000
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

Rolled 9, 8 = 17 (2d10)

>>6203000
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

Rolled 1, 2 = 3 (2d10)

>>6203000
>>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6203000
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]
Sorry sir, but I already graduated with flying colors

>MISSILE
+
>GUN
At the same time!
>MANEUVER

Rolled 3, 4, 7 = 14 (3d10)

>>6203000
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?!

There won't be any updates for today guys, Feeling a bit tired today, It's 8 PM right now though so I'll go get some sleep and wake up early to post something. Sit tight, pilots.

>>6203484
Take it easy

Rolled 9 (1d10)

And I'm up! Tiebreaking first missile roll.

[MISSILE 1: 6, 6, 2, 9, 1, 3, 9 [SUCCESS]
MISSILE 2: 10, 5, 10, 8, 2, 4 [MAJORITY NUMBER WITHIN THRESHOLD IS 10 - CRITICAL SUCCESS!]

<< Locust 5 >>
“Commander, are you sure about this..?”

<< Locust Lead >>
“If you are going to hesitate, I suggest you eject like I told you before. I don’t need the burden of being a babysitter now.”

<< Locust 5 >>
“No, I won’t be a burden sir! No.5 engaging!”

The two MiGs punched their throttles forward, accelerating as they lined up their gun sights on your noses and fired their salvo of missiles before you could fire yours, triggering your RWR. Out of instinct, you launched a single missile targeted towards Locust Lead and dumped your fourth flares before banking to the side while Aliyah pulled her nose up to evade Locust 5’s Aphids and zoomed over his MiG.

<< [!] AWACS | Cat’s Eye [!] >>
“Fairy 1 - direct hit, but the bandit is still flying.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Gah, I know.”

With your aircraft angled sideways, you pulled your stick up to perform a horizontal loop and leveled your Super Hornet. On your radar screen, Locust Lead’s IFF signal was positioned at eleven o’clock and a distance of 2100 meters. You accelerated your aircraft, intercepting the lone MiG in mere seconds with your sensors immediately locking into its tail upon entering range.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Come on baby, mommy needs a bullseye.. FOX-2!”

You fire your second missile, with it crashing into Locust Lead’s engine nozzle and bursting a bright fireball afterwards. The damage slowed his aircraft down and positioned him at your six, allowing him to lock on your fighter.

<< Locust Lead >>
“This is exciting.”

<< AWACS | Cat’s Eye >>
“You’re almost there, Fairy 1! Keep it up!”

>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 3
T-64 TANKS: 6
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 0
BMP1 APC: 0
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 6 GROUND UNITS, 3 AIR UNITS[

ENEMY AIRCRAFT DATA
[TGT] MIG-21-93 “LOCUST LEAD”
DMG: 60%

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 44
4AGM: 13
FLR: 1
DMG: 0%

And we're back!

>>6203005
You get critical successes or failures if the majority of numbers below or above the threshold is 1 or 10.

>>6203519
Thank you, pilot!

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>6203672
>>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]

>>6203672
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6203672
>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5]

This will be the last time we need to use a flare this mission unless some S+ Rank Final Boss Mercenary Ace shows up that we need to escape from, but I would rather maneuver. Who's wiping out the ground forces, Vega Sqdrn?

Question about combat, though I should have asked earlier I suppose. What determines how well our allies do? Is that mostly just narrative?

>>6203672
>>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6203672
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6199634
T-64s? Not T-72s or T-62s?

Locust Lead fires his salvo of missiles, spurring you to deploy your fifth and last load of flares to shake them off. With your flare supply exhausted, you will be forced to rely on the maneuverability of your Super Hornet going forward, but as the bandit behind you has sustained significant damage from your attacks, you had a good feeling you’ll be the one emerging as the victor out of this fight. A single IFF signal belonging to Jadyn pops up on your radar screen then, positioned at your 9 o’clock.

<< [!] AWACS | Cat’s Eye [!] >>
“Fairy 1, missile evaded. Be advised: Fairy 2 and 3 have eliminated their bandits and are moving in to support you and Fairy 4.”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Acknowledged, Cat’s Eye. Hey Noble, come help me get this old guy off my tail.”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Huh, how do you know he’s an old gu–”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Just shut up and do it, Lieutenant Commander.”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Alright, alright fine! Can’t believe I have to play bait..”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“Good boy.”

Jadyn enters your and Locust Lead’s visual range, with the latter breaking off from your tail and shifting his attention to your squadmate instead. Jadyn’s Rafale makes a turn and rolls to the right, redirecting his nose at the south of his original heading when he approaches you.

<< Locust Lead >>
“You’re bringing a second in a duel? How discourteous of you, Peacekeeper!”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Oh shit Captain, he’s onto me now!”

Locust Lead had a firm lock on the Rafale now, compelling Jadyn to bank his plane from left to right in order to shake off the lock, with Locust Lead following his maneuvers in opposite directions, resulting in their flight paths to intersect and form a flat scissor. Thanks to Jadyn’s maneuvers however, the MiG has slowed down considerably, presenting you an opportunity to shoot down the Republican pilot. The only thing you have to worry about however, is that there is a chance your ordnance may hit your fellow Peacekeeper.

>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10 | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 2, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6 | NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 2
T-64 TANKS: 4
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 0
BMP1 APC: 0
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 4 GROUND UNITS, 2 AIR UNITS

ENEMY AIRCRAFT DATA
[TGT] MIG-21-93 “LOCUST LEAD”
DMG: 60%

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 44
4AGM: 13
FLR: 0
DMG: 0%

File: t-64column.jpg (421 KB, 1200x933)

421 KB JPG

>>6203731
A-firm!

>>6203734
Yeah, they do their own thing without your input.

>>6204069
I love these fuckers like you wouldn't believe.

Rolled 5, 9 = 14 (2d10)

>>6204248
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

I'll take those odds!

Rolled 6, 2 = 8 (2d10)

>>6204248
>>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>6204248
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10 | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 2, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6 | NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 2, 7 = 9 (2d10)

>>6204248
>>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 7, 1 = 8 (2d10)

>>6204248
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 5, 5 = 10 (2d10)

>>6204248
>>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 6, 3 = 9 (2d10)

>>6204248
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
inb4 we hit Noble

Rolled 1, 2 = 3 (2d10)

>>6204248
Locust Lead's cool.
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 8, 1 = 9 (2d10)

>>6204248
>>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

MISSILE 1: 5, 6, 2, 7, 5, 6, 1, 8 [SUCCESS]
MISSILE 2: 9, 2, 7, 1, 5, 3, 2, 1 [FAILURE BELOW NORMAL THRESHOLD!]

You fired your Sidewinders at separate intervals, with the first being a direct hit on Locust Lead and the other sought after the heat signature of Jadyn’s Rafale M. In turn, your squadmate deployed flares to defend himself against your ordnance just in time before the missile could hit him. Next time though, you and he may not be so lucky.

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Dammit Chaos, just where in hell are you shooting at?”

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
“If you stopped swerving side-to-side, maybe that missile would have hit him instead!”

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“So it all comes down to me now, does it!?”

<< Locust Lead >>
“My aircraft is barely holding on. Hm. Nevermind it. So long as I can take out a Peacekeeper..”

Jadyn exits out of the flat scissor by banking left, transitioning instead to a horizontal loop to the side with the intent of exploiting his aircraft’s superior maneuverability compared to the aging MiG-21 and obtaining the position of attacker. As he began his turn however, Locust Lead made a climb while remaining within Jadyn’s loop and pitched his nose down as he turned in his direction, retaining his position as the attacker. The Republican pilot then lined up his sights, accounting his cannon rounds' trajectory in order to hit the Rafale's fuselage.

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
“Not bad for a fossil. Hey Captain, I don't think the shot gets any clearer than this. Take the shot!"

>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10 AGAINST AIR TARGETS | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 3, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5 | TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE GUN - ROLL 1D10 | NORMAL FAILURE THRESHOLD: 2, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6 | NO MISSILE LAUNCH]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] MiG-21-93: 1
T-64 TANKS: 4
BM-21 GRAD RKTL: 0
BMP1 APC: 0
9K33 SAM: 0
TOTAL: 4 GROUND UNITS, 1 AIR UNITS

ENEMY AIRCRAFT DATA
[TGT] MIG-21-93 “LOCUST LEAD”
DMG: 80%

FRIEND AIRCRAFT DATA
RAFALE M “NOBLE”
DAMAGE: 0%

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 42
4AGM: 13
FLR: 0
DMG: 0%