ABS FIESTA REDUX

[Operator¹]

"So if I defect, I'm definitely not going home. At least I have a bit of a chance if I go with the strike fleet."

Ellie sighs and looks back over at the departing planes.

"Seems like a lose-lose situation either way, North Aesthia gets invaded again if the strike fails, or the world is destroyed, huh? What would you like to do?"

[Ad Bot]

[ZombiLoin]

Gaffe decides to side with the loyalists.

"No way I'm going to become a traitor. At least I'll go down swinging."

[Gojira]

"G- Gaffe? What the hell, man?"

[ZombiLoin]

"G- Gaffe? What the hell, man?"

"I should be asking the same of you," Gaffe sneers, "Izzy's taken too much for us to let him go when he's already in our grasp."

Gaffe changes his heading to meet with the strike force.

[Mr. Hurricane]

"It is," he agrees.

Jaakko looks at his hands. They're shaking.

The world will go on, perhaps, if you defect. Otherwise it's a coin toss.

And what of it, if the Imperium runs all of it?

You're still Aesthian! You can still fight the Imperials later! Just don't end the world now!

Stop being indecisive!

Jaakko swears he can feel a hand grab at his forearm and yank it, the same way he remembers after being berated.

He looks his controls. The groups were leaving.

"I will go with the Kintharians. Bell, Kommandant, as an officer of the Aesthian Coalition Air Force, I accept whatever punishment may come to me from a court martial for my actions today. I am an Aesthian at heart, and I will return home, but I cannot allow this harm to come to Aesthia and the world,"

Jaakko salutes Ellie, and pulls away.

[ZombiLoin]

Gaffe sarcastically clicks in over the communications, "Thanks for abandoning us, Major! You never did go against your principles. Just remember that the deepest pits of the underworld are reserved for cowards."

[Gojira]

"So you're willing to be responsible for a nuclear loving holocaust? By the Ark, what is wrong with you?"

[NoZoner]

Lorens' eyes dart back and forth between the white Wyvern and Bell's Su-57. He slumps over in his seat and stares blankly at the front console.

"What's on your mind, Snowman?," Ash calls out. Lorens lifts himself up and turns his head towards his brother's Tukreb. While the distance made it hard to see clearly, he could tell Ash was looking straight at him.

"A lot of things," Lorens ends with a sigh. Thoughts of his home and family race through his mind. He silently listens to the comms chatter, unsure of what else to say.

"... I'm going to join Raiden," Ash declares, breaking the silence between the two, "I think the prospect of saving the world from nuclear armageddon is a little more my speed."

Lorens urgently picks himself up. "I'll go wi-"

"Lorens," Ash cuts him off, "I want you to stay with the fleet. There's no telling if the Kintharians are actually right. Between the two of us, I think at least you should have a chance to make it back home-"

"Make it back home? Ash, dammit! What the hell am I supposed to do if there really is a dead man's switch? We're talking about the loving world ending-"

"What would you do if there isn't one? Where would you run if you were branded a traitor?"

The break in communications between the two is made evident with other voices flooding the channel.

"I know you'll make the right decision, Snowman," Ash finally speaks up, "Mom and dad would want to see you back safe."

The Tukreb gives a wingtip salute and pulls away from the flight. Lorens could only watch despondently as the afterburners fade into a twinkle against the evening sky.

"They'd want to see you back in one piece too, you know," Lorens croaks. He increases power and makes for the fleet.

[Mr. Hurricane]

The weight of the brother's conversation buries itself in Jaakko's gut. He is overcome with grief. They'll be fighting each other. Tries to contain himself.

Gods damnit all.

Gaffe sarcastically clicks in over the communications, "Thanks for abandoning us, Major! You never did go against your principles. Just remember that the deepest pits of the underworld are reserved for cowards."

"At least something lit the fire under your ass, kid, nearly forgot what your voice sounded like. May whoever's right be the victor," Jaakko says, steeling himself.

[Gojira]

"...Gaffe, please. I don't want to fight you."

[Operator¹]

"This is goodbye, Major, Scorch."

Ellie breaks off and heads for the fleet.

[Gojira]

"...goodbye, Skytracer."

[Mr. Hurricane]

"Goodbye Ellie,"

[Qwepir]

"I will go with the Kintharians. Bell, Kommandant, as an officer of the Aesthian Coalition Air Force, I accept whatever punishment may come to me from a court martial for my actions today. I am an Aesthian at heart, and I will return home, but I cannot allow this harm to come to Aesthia and the world,"

: I was wrong about you, you really are as spineless as I first thought.
: By the way, I'm leaving too. forget every single one of you.
: Good riddance, you psychotic manchild.
: Virvel, I would love to go with you and see how long you last on an Imperial ship before they either execute you or throw you in the brig.

As Crash's group increases distance from the compromised Wyvern, the jamming ceases, and ESAM functionality is restored. Eventually, Skytracer's plane gets too far from the Kintharian group and likewise she, Shortsword, Gaffe, and Lorens are released from the interference.

Cualli sets Elu in one of the escape pods and looks over at the engineer. "Are you going to explain things any further now?" she asks.

The engineer sighs.
: Whatever. Nobody's going to believe you anyway. You guys are trying to nuke the Goths, but if you do that they're going to nuke every GTO-aligned state in retaliation. So we hatched a plan to make sure this carrier wouldn't be able to contribute to the offensive. I was supposed to remotely control the Wyvern to help our squadron shoot down all the pilots, but apparently they talked it out or something. I don't know and I don't care, I just need to finish covering our tracks.

They input a few commands on their tablet, and you faintly hear the Sabre's engine coming to life from the direction of the hangar bay.
: Probably best if we take separate pods, when my pickup gets here they won't be expecting me to have brought a friend along. Thanks for helping me out of here.

[carolcat]

"Cover our tracks? How?" Cualli glances down at Elu.