Blockland Aces: The Cartelian War [On Base]

[Mikoyan]

I sprint to Jacov's hospital room. "You're coming with us." I quickly but gently put Jacov into a wheelchair. I can tell he's in pain.

Once he's settled, I wheel him out, running, to the masive B-1. The crew is standing around waiting for me. "What the hell sir?" the co-pilot says. "Well we can't just leave him here! Unlock the back and put him in a bunk."

I climb the ladder up to the flight deck of the giant aircraft after they get him in. "Come on let's get this thing moving!" I say, fastening my harnesses. The flight deck is a flurry of switches and knobs being turned. "WE'LL GO WITH WHAT WE'VE GOT" I wave my hands outside the window of the roosterpit at the technicians standing around. The F-101s begin spooling up.

[Ad Bot]

[Comatose]

As the alarms blare, Nerverak fighters scream across the sky. "No.."

I watch as Haythem, Clay, and Xavier run out of the room, and follow before pulling out my phone. I speed dial Ian. "Get to the hangar."
"Will do." His often playful and mischievous demeanor is absent, and the somberness is palpable in the only two words he says to me before hanging up.

I then dial the main technician. "This is Ochoa."
"If this is about some bullstuff, I don't have time! There's Ner—"
"Nerverak fighters, I know, I know. Load the Sukhoi with anti-air."
"But you're air—"
I completely blow up at him. "I'm the loving pilot! Do what I say, and load the loving plane!"
"Mhm." He hangs up without another word, and as I round the corner, I notice Clay turn off toward the infirmary. I silently commend him and continue running toward the hangar.

[NoZoner]

I let the magazine fall onto my chest as my arms flop lifelessly onto each side of the bed. Going to the meeting did nothing to ease my anxiety.

The sirens go off, and a voice echoes all across the base ordering all available pilots to scramble. I feel the adrenaline rush kicking in as I throw on my G-suit and grab my helmet. loving Nerverak actually came to try and finish the job.

Upon arriving at the hangar, one of the engineers tosses me a particularly bulky helmet with the visor protruding out in front. The Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System. I completed all the necessary training for it, but they refused to give me one when I first entered service due to budget cuts.

I toss back my old helmet and give my thanks before inspecting the aircraft. Once everything is in place and the ground crew is clear of the area, I put on my helmet and climb into the roosterpit. I spool up the engines, run through the checklist, radio the tower for clearance and taxi out.

[Mr. Hurricane]

"Holy forget stuff!" I cry, rolling out of bed and comically crashing on the floor.

Sirens warn of an air raid, not just another call the scramble fighters.

Steele's words echo in mt head.

"I think we're next..."

The thought stops me in my tracks. I feel, scared. Heroes, or premier aces, they don't get scared, do they?

I realize what is happening again and run for the lockers. Everybody is in the locker rooms. I grab my helmet and mask and run for the hangers.

Surprisingly, the maintenance crew was waiting on me to get there. The plane was already ready, perhaps the ground crew realized the direness of the situation. Pete salutes me, but has no expression on his face. His eyes, glazed in worry. The Mikoyan employee did not seem the least bit worried. He approaches me, and we shake hands.

"Enjoy the aircraft. Treat it well, and it will treat you well," he says, in a calm, almost soothing deep voice.

I get in the aircraft as the hanger doors open, and I am shunted out into the elephant walk to the runway. The stars glitter in the sky, with soft, ageing contrails among them. The moon shines bright on the airstrip. It is truly beautiful. The serenity is shattered by the tower's urgent, rushed messages and the overwhelming radio chatter.

"All aircraft, Nerverak forces approaching, climb to angels 10 to intercept as soon as you take off, this is not a drill. forget-face Falcon sitting on the runway, GO! Your holding people up! You have to go! All aircraft, Nerverak forces approaching..."

I finally get on the runway and swallow hard. I push throttles full and burn into the sky.

"All aircraft, once you are in the air, set radio to frequency 166.3 for inflight briefing,"

I switch my radio over, and Blackwater's voice comes over.

"All aircraft, the situation has not been ascertained. Possible ground forces approaching from Etral and Ramond. Three flights of Nerverak forces incoming. Flight one consists of fighter aircraft, flight two is composed of bombers with a few top cover aircraft. Flight there consists of transport aircraft. Do not let one aircraft come over the coastline!"

"God help us all," an unfamiliar voice says.

Blackwater cuts in, "Nerverak aircraft approaching from vector 270, heading east, at angles 10, range 100. All fighter aircraft head 270 and engage, do not allow any aircraft to reach the coast, let alone the base!"

Blackwater calls me specifically.

"Tempest, data and sensor fusion enabled with AWACS."

I turn toward the dark sky in the west, and my helmet begins to box in aircraft, dozens at a time.

"Mother of god..."

[Gojira]

"...gah. I loving knew it, and now they're evacuating base. Just wait for the huge forgetin bomb to drop."
The B-1B takes off, me strapped safely to a bunk to avoid injury during flight.
"We all know that we're heavily outnumbered. We have to evacuate, there's no other way. We can't take down all of those bombers."

[Mr. Hurricane]

I roll over upside down to get one, perhaps last, look at the base.

Even the bombers and transports are getting ready. I notice the nose of a B-1 in the hanger. It's Clay's.

"Tempest, climb to ten thousand feet, what the forget are you doing Tempest?!" Blackwater yells.

Damn I hope he has his radio on.

"Clay, Clay?! I hope that's a B-1R, you wouldn't happen to have some LRAAMs on there would you, I could link up and I could get rid of them for you,"

[Mikoyan]

"Negative Tempest. No ordnance on board."

"Hold on to your hats boys.." I advance the power levers to full capacity. The B-1 gracefully takes to the air.

"Blackwater, Lancer, with you angels 1 decimal 5 for 10" I wait a couple minutes over all the radio chatter.

"Lancer, Blackwater, turn heading 185, climb and maintain flight level 480. Standby for loiter point."

"Lancer copies." I put the plane into a rather steep bank and sweep the wings back.

[Gojira]

I get a bit of a jolt.
"stuff."

[Mr. Hurricane]

"Damnit!" I yell to myself.

"Tempest, what the forget is your major malfunction, get to 10,000 feet!" Blackwater repeats.

"Copy, damn, I'm just trying to get one last look of my home, okay?"

"Look, I know your attached to your base, but you have to get up to 10,000. You have to buy time for the others to go," Blackwater replies.

I've never heard him be sentimental. Damn.

My radar zooms out to show Blackwater, far to the east of the battle. The hordes of aircraft show up before me.

I look at my loadout.

Something isn't right. These aren't AMRAAMs. They are AIM-7's. Pete also left me with the newest AIM-9's, the X variants, which are semi-active radar instead of infrared.

Six AIM-7's, four AIM-9's, full cannon. 75% fuel.

I notice a sticky note on the left wall of the roosterpit. It reads

"Six 7's, 4 9X's, all Semi-active. Be vigilant, we'll be fine. They told us to get on the transports as soon as our planes were off.

Don't let me down. Contact you soon.

-Pete"

I stuck it back where it was. The radar locks up a fighter, and I fire. Seconds later, I get a kill confirmed. I fire away the last of my 7's. The total is 5 hits, one miss. I press for more altitude and head for the fighter wing.

[Gojira]

"I don't want it to end like this. Not today."
ooc
i just had the best round of super murder mystery ever
i was maf
i got the first kill
and the last
and half of what was in between

[Mr. Hurricane]

They are contemplating an admin position for me in SMM


"Clay, err uh, Colonel, are you there? Your bomber wouldn't happen to intercom system in it, would it? I'd like to talk to Steele."

It felt like a bit awkward of a request for me. I generally find extensive conversation draining, and petty conversation, useless.

[Gojira]

They are contemplating an admin position for me in SMM


"Clay, err uh, Colonel, are you there? Your bomber wouldn't happen to intercom system in it, would it? I'd like to talk to Steele."

It felt like a bit awkward of a request for me. I generally find extensive conversation draining, and petty conversation, useless.

Good luck, is it BlockoBlocko's? If so, I'm SA. I'll see what I can do about getting you in if it is BlockoBlocko's.

[Mikoyan]

"I can relay a message. What is it?"

[Mr. Hurricane]

Lurker (Blocko?) asked me if I would admin his server.


"Tell him that, uhh..."

I trail off, trying to think of what to say.

"Tell him I won't let them take the base without a fight. That's all."

[Swat 3]

I take off, and I gain a suitable altitude wear I am above the battle. Danna is using the turret's camera to count the numbers and recon the situation, as well as give live feed to Blackwater.

"This is Mayhem, with callsign Seaflower as my navigator. We are heading toward the majority of the landing fleet. Blackwater, do you copy?" I speak to Danna, "Do you know where the infantry are?"

I can hear her moving around and flipping switches, as she looks through the electro-optics on the ASQ-228 ATFLIR pod that was fitted to the A-10BC for laser designation and range finder, electro-optics, infared optics, and other optical capabilities.

"Mayhem-Seaflower, this is Blackwater. I do copy..." A faint voice can be heard in the background, "Please mark locations for the CS Falcon's artillery fire. Friendly aircraft are coming in from behind the invasion force, a gift from Captain Walter, Mayhem."

I smile, "Hear that, Danna? Walter is finally helping us for once. I am dropping two of our cluster bombs." I flip a switch and press a red button on my joystick. I can hear the bombs disconnect from the plane and the cluster bombs find their way to infantry that are landing on the beach. I talk to Blackwater, "This is Mayhem, patch us through to the CS Falcon."

"Alright." A static can be heard, and then Captain Walter comes on. "What the hell do you want this time, Hay?"

I sigh, "Did you see the pretty explosion? Please fire your ordinances at the coordinates Danna is sending to you."

A whisper can be heard, and a rise of laughter can be hear all over the bridge, "Oh, do you like the present we sent you? XOXO" I respond with silence. Multiple pilots from our base pitch in on the laughter. "Blackwater, did you really re-route this to all of the coms?" I blush, and Danna is behind me cracking up.