194Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Combat. Fanfic Authors even challenge the true sky.
This is it everyone, the third and final act of my Lighthouse War Trilogy. For those who are new here, you'll probably want to read Persona Non Grata and Triple Threat first. For all you other pilots, strap in and get ready for one more sortie with me. If we all stick with Trigger, I know we'll make it through!
Cape Rainy Air Base, Erusea
September 28, 2019
It had been a little over a week since the capture of Farbanti. What should have been a shining victory for the Osean Federation had quickly devolved into unparalleled chaos which seemingly engulfed the world. From what little we had been able to learn, there had been what some had called a "Cyber Apocalypse" sparked by the actions of Osea and Erusean Radicals. No one knew exactly who had started it, but it was clear that the massive cyber attacks and destruction of telecommunication satellites that followed had plunged the modern world into confusion. Without the free flow of information, no one knew who to trust or what to believe anymore. Not surprisingly, it made waging war difficult so our fighter unit had been forced to sit and wait. That was okay with us. After the losses we had taken in Farbanti, everyone was still feeling the absences of our fallen comrades.
After hitting the gym for a morning workout with Count and Tabloid, I cleaned up and didn't have much else to do before going to breakfast. It was a clear and cool autumn day so I decided to step outside and take a walk. As I rounded the corner of a barracks, I stopped when I heard the sounds of a girl singing. She had a nice voice and while I couldn't quite understand the lyrics of the idle song, it sounded like they were in old Erusean. It was a pleasant and elegant tune with the qualities of an swaying dance. I followed the song until I came across the sight of Princess Rosa sitting on a stone bench by a fenced-in lawn. From this vantage point, it offered a view of the ocean below the ridgeline. Not too far away were some armed guards standing by, allowing Rosa some privacy while outdoors but not too much. After all, she was technically still a prisoner of the Osean forces now. As her dog Prince snuffled curiously around the lawn, I gave the guards a nod and went to join her on the bench.
"It's a pretty song, Your Highness," I offered causing Rosa to stop and turn in surprise. She gave a slightly embarrassed look along with a faint smile.
"Oh... Thomas. I wasn't expecting you'd come out this way."
I shrugged and sat down on the edge of the bench at a respectful distance, "I was just passing by and heard your singing. I thought you had a nice voice so I wanted to listen more."
"Probably more pleasant than any of my recent speeches I'm sure," she sighed wistfully, "I've always loved to sing. Ever since I was a little girl. This song I was singing just now was an old Erusean song my mother taught me long ago."
"Oh?"
She nodded and wrinkled her features slightly, "It's called 'Pensees' and it's about the memories of someone that the singer loved. In this case, it makes me think of both my parents and helps me feel a little bit closer to them, especially in a time like this."
I gave a solemn nod, "I'm sorry... about your parents. I know your father was killed early on in the war."
Rosa grimaced slightly and nodded, "Yes. Perhaps that was the price we had to pay for bringing on this entire war, and the burden I still have to bear to make things right again."
"We're all trying to do that," I reassured her, "And I hope you remember that not all of us Oseans are bad guys either."
"I've started to realize that now," she admitted, "Especially after you saved me from the separatist Radicals back in Farbanti. I never got a chance to thank you properly."
I gave a sheepish shrug and looked out to the ocean which was lit up with the morning sun, "Oh? I uh...you're welcome. Truth be told, I still find it kinda hard to believe that things turned out this way and that I'm here talking to you. Even if you had technically been our enemy at one point, I should probably thank you too."
Rosa gave a curious look and raised an eyebrow, "Oh? How's that?"
I folded my hands together, "Well... let me just put it this way. I heard your words when I was in a very dark and dangerous place and I found your conviction to your cause to be inspiring... so thank you for that."
Rosa smiled gently at that and laughed slightly, "This is a surprise. I didn't think my words had an effect on the infamous pilot that my people called Three Strikes. Fate is strange. Isn't it?"
"Yeah... I guess so," I agreed.
After a pause, Rosa turned to me again, "It's funny, Thomas. I had actually been very curious about you and I wanted to meet you too. Tell me about yourself?"
"Me? I asked in surprise, "Oh... well, I'm a pretty simple guy. I was born and raised in Oured. My Dad was an accountant and my Mom was a nurse. I like country music, action movies, and a good burger and beer. I guess I must sound like some terribly ordinary guy instead of a mythical ace pilot, huh?"
Rosa laughed gently, "That's okay. I can appreciate being... well, ordinary."
I leaned back on the bench with a sigh and looked to the horizon, "I always wanted to be a pilot and joined the Air Force right out of college. My folks were really queasy with the idea, but they came to accept this is what I wanted to do. To be honest... I wish I could call them right now."
"What about other family?" she asked me curiously, "Maybe a wife? Young children?"
I shook my head, "Nah. I've got a lot on my plate as it is right now and... why do you ask?"
"Just curious," she shrugged, "I figured if you did, that might be hard on them when you were sent to a penal unit. When you were accused of killing President Harling?"
I turned in surprise, "Wait. How did you know that?"
"Ah... I had some people looking into you and that whole story made me curious as well," she admitted, "I can't imagine the hell you went through there."
"I try not to think too much about it," I admitted, "But if anything good came of being at the 444th, I got to meet my friends Count, Tabloid, and Avril."
Over the next few minutes, Princess Rosa took her turn and told me about her own friend and classmate whom she spent time with at an experimental air base and testing facility, a girl named Ionela Shilage. I froze and felt chills run down my spine as she revealed that she was friends with the granddaughter of my greatest nemesis in this war. She told me about the tests and experiments that Col. Shilage was being put through to develop AI for Erusea's drone technology and how she feared that the Radicals under a guy named Enrico Moretti were seeking to get hold of it. That just complicated things even further, but right now the Osean Air Force could only deal with one crisis at a time.
When she was done revealing all this to me, I sat quietly with a queasy expression trying to process everything I was learning. Rosa gave an apologetic look, "I'm sorry. I'm sure this must be a lot to take in, and I'm not helping to make it any easier. It does seem selfish of me for having to ask your help in dealing with all this. I can understand if you and your friends would still be angry with me and mistrust me."
After a long silence, I looked to the waters, "What's done is done, Your Highness. We can't change the past or the things we did, but we can change our future. I chose to do whatever it takes to end this war as fast as we can. I can't speak for my fellow Oseans, but if you really want to do the right thing and try to help us, then I'll welcome it."
I offered my hand and Rosa looked at me in surprise before I spoke again, "Well Princess, what do you say?"
She looked at me again before taking my hand and shaking it gently, "Thomas..."
"No need to be so formal Princess. Just call me Tom... or Trigger if you prefer."
She gave a grateful nod, "In that case, I'm Rosa. But my friends call me Cossette."
Before I could say anything more, the moment was broken up as an Osean airman stepped forward and cleared his throat while saluting, "I'm sorry to interrupt Captain. I was told to send word to you. You're being called in for a new mission briefing at HQ. Oh, and they'd like the princess to come along too."
Rosa and I exchanged a curious look and got up off the bench. Whatever was going on, it seemed things had just gotten more interesting.
Erusean Air and Space Administration
Experimental Testing Facility
Dr. Schroeder stood in one of the facility hangers working at a computer console he had set up. He was busy going over new data from Mihaly's recent flights and saving relevant bits to be used for programming later. It had seemed that even though the Eruseans had been defeated at Farbanti, Mihaly's new flightsuit had been a stunning success. Schroeder couldn't help but smile to himself a little bit as he continued to work. He was pleased with the results and if everything turned out well, he would have a perfected program finally worked out. He wondered about the future and if the Eruseans would even be able to last long enough against the recent Osean onslaught. Perhaps if not them, he could always sell that data to someone else. Perhaps to Osea? Or maybe Yuktobania even?
He stopped a moment and looked away from his computer, only to catch sight of the twilight that was setting in over the region. The hangar doors were open and the cool autumn air was coming in. With it, also came a sort of quiet that Schroeder hadn't quite experienced in a long time. With many of the world's satellites and communication networks down, there was no internet or flow of information. People had been cut off and things had grown quiet again, aside from the rumors. There had been rumors of civil strife bubbling, of riots in some places, and even of former Erusean territories declaring independence across Usea. Of course, Schroeder was not a native Erusean so he didn't much care. Still, he found the quiet and the isolation a little unnerving especially when there was still so much unknown out there.
He began to work again when he head some people enter the hanger, people he did not recognize. He looked up and adjusted his glasses to see a dark haired woman followed by two men. They were all wearing suits and looked to be buttoned up and professional. The woman with a tight bun haistyle led the way and approached him as Schroeder raised an eyebrow, "Can I help you?"
The woman gave a thin smile and a curt nod, "Dr. Schroeder? You are the lead scientist on the drone program here?"
"Yes... what is this about?"
The woman studied him carefully for a moment and remained quiet. In a way, she had a serpentine quality about her, like she was some dangerous snake that was coiled up and ready to strike at any moment. "I am Abigail DuMorne of the Erusean government. I work directly on the staff of Parliament's Majority Leader Enrico Moretti."
Schroeder recognized Moretti as the leader of the Radical Party but that was about it. "I see. How can I help you?"
Abigail remained at attention, "The Erusean government has come to collect you and your research. My orders are to convey you to a new location to meet with Mr. Moretti himself."
"I'm flattered, but there's still some work left to be done." Schroeder sighed getting ready to turn around and dismiss them.
The two men stepped forward menacingly to flank the scientist while they wore grim looks on their faces. They reached into their suit coats and Schroeder heard the audible clicking sounds of firearms being readied. Abigail remained stone faced, "I don't think I made myself clear. You're coming with us now. Gather your things and prepare to depart. We can't keep Mr. Moretti waiting."
"But the programming..." Schroeder protested, "I need a little more time."
"And you'll have it during your flight over," Abigail said bluntly, "Surely you can finish it then."
Schroeder looked to the two burly security guards who continued to quietly menace him, "I think that's... doable."
"Excellent," Abigail said with a satisfied smile, "Oh, and Doctor? One other thing. I'd like you to take on one more little task. The Shilage girls are to come with us as well. I'd like you to help look after them."
Schroeder gave a confused look and stared down Abigail in the purple orange twilight of the hanger. "What about Colonel Shilage?"
"Leave that to us," Abigail said before prompting him again, "Now... about the girls?"
"All right."
The woman gave a curt nod and a small smile as her guards fell back to flank her again, "Good. Gather your things and tie up any loose ends you need to here Doctor. Most importantly, do not keep us waiting."
Schroeder watched them as they walked off to reenter the main facility again. He didn't feel like going on another unexpected business trip, but with things the way there were in the world right now, what choice did he really have?
Cape Rainy Air Base, Erusea
When we arrived at HQ, the pilots of the LRSSG had already assembled with some of the other lower ranking officers at the base. At the head of the room, Long Caster stood by a display screen to lead the meeting. Without Major Wiseman around, he was technically the sole commanding officer of our unit now. Although he lacked Wiseman's commanding presence and charismatic voice, all of us pilots who were present still gave respectful deference to him. From the time we had all gotten our wings in flight school, we had been trained to know that when your AWACS controller speaks, you shut up and listen to them.
I took a seat with Count and Huxian while Rosa was given a seat off to the side near the front of the room near Long Caster. Our stocky mustached Major cleared his throat and called the room to order while bringing up his tactical maps, "All right, listen up everybody. As of now, Erusea's communication networks have still been down since their satellites were destroyed. Unfortunately, we're in the same situation. All of Usea has been affected and we don't know when things will be up and running again. Still, we will follow our strategy that was originally planned for after liberating Farbanti."
"Wow. High Command actually had a contingency plan for what to do after this whole mess?" Count muttered sarcastically to us. Huxian simply replied with an elbow to his ribs.
Long Caster shook his head and continued, "Since the war began, we have been receiving communications in secret from a senior officer in the Erusean Army named General Edouard Labarthe. With the capital under our control, Erusea's radical political faction has lost some power and withdrawn to regroup their forces. While they still control large swaths of territory on the mainland, they do not have as much influence on the area known as Tyler Island. Erusean civilian and military elements who are aligned with the Conservative party have gathered there after having been driven out by the Radicals' takeover. We believe this officer will be able to convince the Conservatives there to join us and fight alongside our forces. If we succeed, Tyler Island would be a valuable strategic location to strike at the Lighthouse."
All of us pilots began to murmur quietly and exchange more curious looks at each other before Long Caster spoke again, "Thanks to some help provided from Princess Rosa here, we've been able to locate Labarthe and know the general is currently hiding in the outskirts of Anchorhead Bay. Presently, he's been joined by support dispatched from the Osean Army. Then plan is for them to rendezvous in a harbor at the eastern part of the city where a helicopter will be waiting. Pilots, your job will be to escort that officer from above and keep him safe. Due to the recent losses in battle, the remains of Cyclops will be rolled into Strider Squadron. Be aware that Erusea's intelligence department and the remaining enemy forces there may be aware of General Labarthe's movements and could interfere. We can't afford to squander the advantages that we've won up to now so make sure this operation succeeds."
Jaeger raised a hand and spoke up, "Major, with all due respect but do you actually trust the intel from the princess here? After all, she had been our enemy and she was the one who started this whole war. How do we know she's not leading us into some trap?"
"We can't be a hundred percent certain," Long Caster admitted, "But..."
The princess surprised everyone by standing up and speaking in her own defense. She didn't speak in anger, but her tone was still grave and serious, "Apologies Major. I don't expect any of you to like me, much less trust me right now. The truth is, I have nothing to gain by sabotaging you here. The people in the government and military who claimed to be my allies have turned on me and become terrorists of a sort. I'm going to help you and provide information because I don't want to see any more innocent people lose their life because of Enrico Moretti's ambitions and I'm sure you don't want your people to shed any more blood either."
Her invoking the losses of Wiseman, Skald, and Fencer immediately made the room go quiet until Long Caster waved it off and nodded, "Right. Thank you Princess. Pilots, also take note that our satellite-based IFF has become unreliable so target ID will be done by processing images from the infrared cameras on your aircraft. That means you'll have to close with your targets and get better reads on them. The operation will take place at night and we're going to need you to fly your Flankers one more time so that you will blend in a little more in Erusean territory. Good luck out there."
As we got up and the meeting adjourned, Rosa spoke a little more to Long Caster while I was pulled out of the room by Count and Huxian. They both seemed uncomfortable with the developments as Count grimaced, "I don't know guys. It's bad enough we're already acting on orders outside of mission command. But to be working with the Eruseans too?"
"I know it's not the best situation," I said, "But what other choice do we have?"
"Personally, I still don't trust the princess," Huxian frowned to herself, "Call it woman's intuition."
I gave her a skeptical look, "Really? Come on Lin. I'm sure not all the Eruseans are bloodthirsty warmongers. If we're going to stop this war, we might have to show a little bit of trust here and act in good faith."
"Maybe," Huxian said putting a concerned hand on my shoulder, "But I'm just telling you to be careful Tom. Count tells me you're a little soft on the princess so don't get blinded and lose sight of the mission or the squadron either."
"Wilco," I simply answered.
As she walked off, I turned and looked to Count, "You don't trust Princess Rosa either, huh?"
Count shrugged, "I'm not sure what to think yet. Maybe Rosa's actually on the level, but I'll believe it when I see it. Speaking as your friend though, I do agree a little bit with Lin. Do me a favor and be careful Trigger?"
I was feeling a little annoyed that everyone seemed to be second guessing me, especially because I had offered a friendly hand to the princess. But I couldn't argue that my squadron didn't have a right to be a little suspicious either. My responsibility was to them first and if that was their concern, it was my job to listen to them. I gave a nod to Count, "Yeah. Don't worry. Let's get this next op done and end this war already."
A/N:
Just thought I'd put out an early chapter to prime everyone for what's to come. Until then!
