ABS FIESTA REDUX

[NoZoner]

"Sabre, engaging offensive at angels 15, five miles! Let's go, Talisman!"

I can already feel my blood coming to a boil as my breathing hastens. Fight's on.

The turbofan roars fiercely as the burners kick in. The acceleration buries me back into my seat, and I speed forward to meet the hostile escorts head-on.

Numerous contacts are on my BVR scanner, but I decide to hold off on firing any radar-guided missiles until I figure out what's causing the interference AWACS is indicating.

Once I get within range, I fire off an AAM at the first bandit in my boresight.

[Ad Bot]

[Qwepir]

I take advantage of the enemy plane's weakened state, and aim back towards it from my climb, firing the gunpod on my aircraft's belly at it.

A barrage of 30mm shells lay into the fuselage and roosterpit, and the enemy plane crashes hard in the desert. Another plane attempts to chase you, and Kelton breaks off to engage it.
: I'll cover you, Junkers, go silence those guns!

Once I get within range, I fire off an AAM at the first bandit in my boresight.

: [What the hell? Where did these guys come from?]

The enemy plane attempts to outmaneuver the missile, and had it been a simple heatseeker, he would have succeeded. Instead, the missile explodes just off his tailfin, shearing it clear off and forcing him to disengage from the Kintharian fighter he was chasing.
: Finally, you make yourselves useful.

Now freed up, the Kintharian pilot flies up and over the barge and destroys some exposed electronics equipment with an unguided bomb.
: That did it! The interference is gone. I'm reading twenty aircraft in the area right now; Mjolnir Flight, Taiho Flight, and eleven enemy fighters.

Current hostiles:
1x Air Cruiser
     ??x AA Emplacements
     ??x Artillery cannons
10x Saab Draken
1x Dassault Rafale

I turn on the Artemis module and face the battle zone. The Artemis gets confused attempting to target the large dirigible, but does, at least for a few seconds.

You know the ARTEMIS system is for targeting multiple separate hostiles, right? You don't need it if you're firing both your missiles at the same thing.

[Operator¹]

Bell closes some distance between her fighter and the enemy escorts so that she can retain her altitude advantage. Bell locks on to an enemy fighter and fires a seeker at the plane below, then she breaks off to reposition her aircraft.

[blockguy™]

lol stuff were all of us dispatched to get some

[Qwepir]

lol stuff were all of us dispatched to get some

more or less

[Mr. Hurricane]

You know the ARTEMIS system is for targeting multiple separate hostiles, right? You don't need it if you're firing both your missiles at the same thing.

I though it allowed you to ripple fire. So did they hit?

[Qwepir]

You can always ripple fire thanks to the invention of science magic. ARTEMIS lets you fire at up to 4 different targets in a single salvo. They didn't launch because I wanted you to be sure of what you were doing. So do you still want to shoot two RGMs at the barge or do you want to do something else?

[Mr. Hurricane]

Let them loose at the barge.

[Juncoph]

A barrage of 30mm shells lay into the fuselage and roosterpit, and the enemy plane crashes hard in the desert. Another plane attempts to chase you, and Kelton breaks off to engage it.
: I'll cover you, Junkers, go silence those guns!

"Got it."

I kick on the afterburners and fire my coax cannons at one of the offensive artillery turrets on the warship.
 It's a mystery how they've managed to make that thing fly...

"Turtle, I think I saAAw-- Sorry, recoil from the cannons-- some heavy bombs on your bird. They'd make a pretty good hole in this thing's armor, and then some."

[Gojira]

I lock on to an enemy fighter and fire one of my HSMs, then turn around and spray another with flak.

[Qwepir]

Bell closes some distance between her fighter and the enemy escorts so that she can retain her altitude advantage. Bell locks on to an enemy fighter and fires a seeker at the plane below, then she breaks off to reposition her aircraft.

The hostile craft takes a hit, but continues to fly.

Let them loose at the barge.

They blow two neat holes in its side, but don't seem to have impeded its combat ability. It lets loose another salvo of artillery fire at some entrenched forces.

I kick on the afterburners and fire my coax cannons at one of the offensive artillery turrets on the warship.

Your entire plane rumbles with each shot, and after firing both cannons in quick succession, a warning on your hud pops up.
[STRESS DAMAGE]
Your plane's readout shows nothing seriously broken, however. The gun turret on the receiving end of the cannons fares far worse, being totally destroyed. As you pass underneath the barge, you make a quick count of how many other artillery turrets are down there. A pair of fighters break off to come after you.
: Someone get those guys, I'm tied up here!

I lock on to an enemy fighter and fire one of my HSMs, then turn around and spray another with flak.

Fortunately, Steele is there to back you up. The first craft drops flares and breaks, but the second gets hosed down with flak and drops out of the sky.

Current hostiles:
1x Air Cruiser
     ??x AA Emplacements
     5x Artillery cannons
8x Saab Draken
1x Dassault Rafale

[Swat 3]

I gain altitude and fire ten of my heavy unguided rockets at the barge's AA turrets along with a long burst of my GAU/8 before making a sharp turn away from the action.

"Clear some airspace for me so I can drop these."

[Juncoph]

"Thanks, Talisman!"

I assess the damage, looks like firing both at the same time was a bad idea. I can probably get away with firing them individually, though.

I gain a meager amount of distance from the primary target, loop around, and drop both of my bombs so that they fly-- hopefully-- into the damaged part of the craft that was previously struck by Oxide's missiles. Then I fire another cannon round into an artillery turret, although I hold off on firing both this time.

This is all followed by a hefty stick tug away from the hulk, as I'd prefer to A: not get damaged by the blast from my bombs and B: not be in Turtle's way.

"Aim them at the chink that Oxide made for us, Turtle!"

[Gojira]

"On it."
I turn with the last Rafale, lock on to it, fire my other heatseeker, then toss some flak its way.

[Qwepir]

I gain altitude and fire ten of my heavy unguided rockets at the barge's AA turrets along with a long burst of my GAU/8 before making a sharp turn away from the action.

You destroy a handful of AA emplacements, but you take a good deal of damage yourself. You remain airworthy, but another pass like that may get you shot down. To make matters worse, another Kintharian pilot is shot down, and the plane responsible now turns its attention towards you. You did get a glimpse of its AA capabilities, though.

I gain a meager amount of distance from the primary target, loop around, and drop both of my bombs so that they fly-- hopefully-- into the damaged part of the craft that was previously struck by Oxide's missiles. Then I fire another cannon round into an artillery turret, although I hold off on firing both this time.

The first bomb impacts (relatively) harmlessly against the armor plating, but the second one hits its mark and the barge shudders with a massive explosion. Black smoke pours out of the gaping wound in the side, but the titan soldiers on.

"On it."
I turn with the last Rafale, lock on to it, fire my other heatseeker, then toss some flak its way.

The Rafale evades your missile and flak, making it look easy as he does so.
: [Idiot.]

He breaks hard to the left, and before you know where he went for sure, he is already peppering you with cannonfire.
: [Slaves! Keep this dipstuff's friends off of me while I pound him into the dirt.]
: [Understood, sir.]

Current hostiles:
1x Air Cruiser
     6x AA Emplacements
     5x Artillery cannons
8x Saab Draken
1x Dassault Rafale