The room finishes filling, and Akja returns to her comrades to pass on what she learned.
: [That Aesthian is dangerous. Were he truly without guilt, he would not have avoided giving a straight answer.]
: [Hmph, I can't say I'm surprised. I'll still give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he was nervous that denying it outright would be just as suspicious.]
: [What he may or may not have done years ago is irrelevant. Right now, he's on board and ready to fight, and I don't want anyone harassing him and making things worse.]
Another officer arrives at where the Auxiliaries and Raiden are seated, issuing earpieces to the unit and explaining that he will be interpreting the contents of the briefing for those whose first language is not Gothic. Around this time, the room is bathed in a dim green glow as the large monochrome screen at the end of the room flickers to life, displaying the crest Imperial Air Force.
Briefing
: [Your attention please. At 0315 hours, GTO forces from the Aesthian Coalition detonated the nuclear payload of one of their bombers to prevent it from abandoning their formation. Minutes ago, the Aesthian aerial detachment off the coast consolidated and began moving south, their predicted terminus being the Aerospace Defense Command complex in lower Zentragothorum.]
: [We believe their objective is the complete annihilation of the complex, followed by the destruction of Battlegroup Indomitus, destruction of key military targets within Zentragothorum, and finally the sterilization of the entire metropolitan area. brown townysts have estimated the yield of the blast earlier to be in the 200 to 400 kiloton range, and we are aware that each of their larger bombers can carry dozens of known warheads of comparable yield. GTO forces identified so far include four flying carriers, fourteen super-heavy bombers, and over one hundred and fifty fixed-wing small craft.]
: [Most of Battlegroup Indomitus is already positioning itself in the path of the enemy squadron, to either intercept them directly, or force them to divert and take a route that places them more at risk to ground-based air defenses. Detachment Ourossea is moving into position to shore up weaker static defenses to the West, should the Aesthians attempt to move around that way. We will deploy air superiority squadrons from Arx Cypristar fish and the Indomitus, to force the Aesthian fighter contingent to engage.]
: [Parallel to this engagement, strike squadrons will be launched to attack the squadron from the side, accompanied by the stealth destroyers Ardea and Zentragothorum. Now, the unfortunate reality of the situation is that if, or rather
when the heavy bombers reach the mainland, each one shot down could kill hundreds on the ground. That is unavoidable. What
is avoidable, though, is the kind of death these will rain down upon our capital if they are permitted to complete their objective. Do not take any uneccessary risks trying to shoot them down early just because it will cause less damage to the city. Make sure you live to shoot them down at all.]
: [The goal of this strike mission is to weaken the Aesthian heavy squadron in preparation for it making contact with Battlegroup Indomitus. Ideally, the squadron will adjust course towards the west to distance themselves from Detachment Ardea and the direction of the strike missions, causing them to enter primary weapons range of Detachment Ourossea as well. If they have lost their numerical advantage by that point, the Aerial Fleet should be able to destroy every superheavy bomber before they reach their objective.]
: [We will also have two AWACS craft to provide electronic support and midair resupplies. Unfortunately, there are too many planes for the AWACS units to resupply at once, so priority will be given to the air superiority squadrons. Strike craft will have to return to Indomitus to rearm, barring special circumstances.]
: [Finally, it is imperative that you properly identify your targets during this sortie. Civilian air traffic is at an all-time high as people are evacuating the metro area. There are hundreds of helicopters flying about below 2 kilometers, ZAC has redirected all incoming flights and is trying to get as many people off the ground as they can, and two AFMF industrial haulers have set down in the coliseum. Don't go below 5000 meters, and make sure you don't shoot down any airliners that may have gotten lost in the confusion.]
As the screen returns to the display of the crest, the Wing Commander holds his hand up, palm facing outwards and elbow at a 90 degree angle. The interpreter doesn't translate what follows.
: Vulthus Austerra.
Every other pilot, sans Raiden, rises up from their seats, standing at attention and placing their arm horizontally across their chest as they belt out the reply in unison.
:
Vansei Gutiskereik!The Wing commander drops his arm back to his side and dismisses the room.
: Auxiliaries, come down and see me.
Poll