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Only a thing can break the darkness of a nation lost in the shadows of chaos and war... the blinding light of bravery.

Chapter 10: The darkest hour of Kesteven - The knights of the sky

The Predators with their perfect, white uniforms looked from their trenches and positions towards the gate in the tall wall of concrete of the airport, seeing with infinite pleasure the promised reinforces walk in the perimeter with discipline and determination, following closely the imposing figures of twenty heavy IFVs. Sure, the Infantry Fighting Vehicles aren't the same of a heavy main battle tank, but they are useful nonetheless. They are armored and able to bear even the fire of weapons of a certain caliber, forcing the enemy to take cover with their own fire power... or use a missile launcher or the gun of a tank for stop them, that was. They are similar to tanks, but the rear of the body is formed by a room with armored, protective seats for up to ten soldiers fully equipped which can be moved on the battlefield in security and then dismount from the door in the back and begin the battle with the close support of the vehicle. Obviously, the loss of space from the transport room forced the vehicle to have a smaller turret compared with a tank... so, the armament of the IFVs were compounded by a light cannon of forty millimeters with armor piercing rounds and a coaxial machine gun, plus another machine gun or a grenade-launcher placed on a remote-controlled mount on top. A fire power impressive against infantry... but nearly useless against tanks. Fortunately, the latest IFVs of Kesteven and Kendrew had also two missile launchers, derived by the PAM Javelin, placed on each side of the turret. That two missiles were able of knock down a main battle tank or an aircraft... and the Predators were gonna need both these capabilities in the flat, hard to defend environment of the airport.

But what really lifted the mood of all the soldiers, was see the legendary general in perfect form and at full power jump easily down from the first IFV, reaching immediately the nearer officer for verify the situation with his decided, naturally martial step. He wasn't any more the general... he was even the king, now... the message had reached them too from the loudspeakers of the airport, making them all shout cheerfully to the sky. Sure, Seth was a great king... but Killer had gained all their respect, admiration and even veneration on the battlefields and during the military life. Most of them had shared with him a garrison, a training, battles... blood. There was friendship between them... And gods, he had always been the heaviest punch of all the army of Kesteven... an army that hadn't still found in centuries of history an enemy stronger. It was good to have him back on their side.

Killer and Alexis reached rapidly an officer of the First Coy Predators that was standing under the tall tower, followed closely by Alexander and Siegfried, now both armed with assault rifles and twin swords and handguns at the belt.

"Majesty! Welcome to the epicenter of the crisis!" Exclaimed playfully but with absolute respect the twelve feet tall tiger in white uniform, a wide smile on his muzzle as he waved his military salute before nod easily at the old friend, less martially.

"There's another place where I was used to go, Ken...?" Answered Killer with an amused smile, giving a friendly slap on the other's shoulder, still strong enough to make the soldier gasp and stagger a bit. But Wyvern seemed to not notice it, his cold glance already focused on the tankers on work around the bunker with the fuel reserves, in one of the very rare points lightened up of the town. Several civilian operators of the airport, now with at least an handgun and often an assault rifle on their shoulders, were working closely together with soldiers and Predators around some great tubes attached to every refueling-position in the light of several floodlights, filling up a tanker after another, others Predators and soldiers forming a solid perimeter of defense all around and shouting instructions to the drivers of the tankers.

"Ken, I want that work ended as soon as possible. I want also a team of Explosive Disposers there for place a few firebombs... Riaku needs fuel and we have or to take it all away with us or to destroy it, understood? No one will leave until all the fuel will be out of the range of his hands." Killer said calmly, looking as a few men attached a tube to another tank for transfer other precious petrol.

"No one, majesty. We will fight as in the village of Wycherley. Meter for meter." Ken answered seriously with a nod. Killer nodded back before turn towards his troops and yell some orders for the displacement of the Predators in the different sections of the huge airport and especially ordering of drive the IFVs down to the hangars and hide them inside until use them for repeal the attack. Then he turned again towards Ken and, feeling Alexis lean loosely on his side, an arm wrapped as always around his waist and seeing the officer watch the female with amused but great interest, he laughed a bit. "Sorry mate. This battle is gonna make me crazy... she is my wife Alexis."

Ken laughed back sincerely. "For some mysterious reasons, I had understood..." He said amusedly.

"Ken is an old friend of my precedent life. A man reliable and trustable and a good warrior with every sort of fire arm. But he's... just slightly over the sufficiency with swords, we can say so, huh?" Wyvern said amusedly, looking down at the smaller tiger with an amused smile as he looked back with calm. "Sufficiency for you is what the normal peoples call "excellence ", so I think I can agree..." He mused playfully.

Alexis looked with interest at the smaller male, a white tiger with two nice green, cheerful eyes behind the visor that he had on. He had at the belt two handguns and a sword, plus a long, sheathed knife-bayonet... but she noticed more a powerful binocular, a laser designator and some other little signs that told her that he was a sniper as her.

Killer caught hers thoughtful glance and understood easily. "Yes, he was mine best sniper at Wycherley... probably the only one that I know that could bear a comparison with yours shooting-tricks."

Alexis nodded easily, an interested glance for the rifle that the soldier had in his hands... an ancient bolt-action with a body and butt of clear wood, with two parts that covered also most of the barrel. A magazines jut out just in front of the trigger's guard, telling her that it was an enlarged, old Lee Enfield No4 caliber .303. She couldn't say exactly what was now the true caliber... the entire weapon was been reproduced much bigger, even if it was still almost ridiculously small in the hands of the muscular, toned white guy, but she was almost sure that the rounds were magnum explosives ones and not normal ones. "Nice toy." She said amusedly as he intercepted her glance. "Nostalgic...?"

"A bit... and affectionate to this old model." The other said gently with a smile, his hand patting affectively on the rifle.

Killer was talking rapidly with Alexander and Siegfried... the first was gonna reach the green zone for guide the soldiers there, Seth, a time finished the last issues as king, was gonna take again his weapons and his armor and reach another sector and Siegfried would reach the command post in the thirty floor tall International Hotel of Kesteven, the main point of resistance of the green zone. Killer, Alexis remained in the airport for fight the hardest battle from the first to the last moment.

Killer watched all around as he followed with rapid, decided steps the smaller figure of Ken that was heading towards one of the trenches that the Predators had dig in the meadows between the different runways of the airport. The activity was frenetic in all the airport: everywhere around he could see soldiers moving machine guns, towing cannons in position, yelling orders and working for deepen the trenches or pile up rocks and sacks of sand for increase the protection of their hiding places and generally moving boxes of ammo of all the calibers towards every position of resistance. Around the huge structure of the airport, he could see placed the huge trucks with the launchers of surface-to-air missiles ready for fire and the CIWSs ready for constitute the last chance against the enemy's attack. And, scattered on all the vast surface of the airport, he could see also a great number of old cannons of air defense, from single-barrel 40 mm guns to four-barrel 20 mm ones and even heavy machine guns placed on tripods in small positions delimitated by walls of sacks of sand.

The runways were still clear, and he bit a bit his lower lip... in a normal situation, he would have mined them and covered most of the flat zones around with sharp pylons pointed to the sky with a mine on the tip for make impossible even think to a landing of parachutists or, even worse, of assault gliders and airplanes... but this time they couldn't. Huge cargo aircrafts were still landing, followed even by civilian planes, tourism's planes and whatever able of fly and transport soldiers or material. The noise was incredible, from the whistle of the jet and from the roar of the military cargo aircrafts with their huge propellers to the noise of the vehicles that ran down from the loading ramps of the aircrafts still in movement on the runway. The king stared at a huge, four-propellers cargo plane which landed with the loading ramp opened, two WMKRV full of soldiers and fully armed running down from it as soon as the aircraft slowed down enough for dare, soldiers running down too and following the vehicles in a hurry out of the long runway for free the way for another plane, this one rolling along the ways towards the refueling point for be refueled and take off again.

"I'm the president of the welcome committee here... get off that runway now! Vehicles out from the north gate towards the gathering point... soldiers, reach the control tower. There you will be directed. Go, go, go!" A Predator officer yelled towards them immediately, walking towards them with such a decision that he seemed almost furious, slamming rhythmically his stick on the open palm of his left hand. Killer only grinned a bit before jump easily down in the small trench that they had reached, a long hole in the meadow just a pair of meters away from the limit of the asphalt of one of the runways. Several soldiers and a few Predators were waiting in there, curled up a bit and working with attention almost religious on their weapons, but they all jumped on their feet as he walked inside, waving him with veneration, someone calling him "general", someone else "majesty", someone only Wyvern. It didn't matter that much for him... but he could feel the deepest respect in their voices and that indeed was always pleasurable and sign of a constructive relationship.

"Here Wyvern, to everyone. If you see Riaku, avoid the battle with him. Inform me on his position, update me if possible until I reach the zone... but break the contact if he spots you. Especially if you are alone or in small groups. He's playing seriously. He's gonna be pissed off, dangerous and probably surrounded by dangerous guards, too. Don't try to kill him... that's only gonna get worse things. I will challenge him to duel and force him to solve the question so. I apologize for all the chaos that this question is gonna cause for my fault..." Killer said in the microphone as he walked along the trench, giving the first, vital instruction to his men on the field. And also, admittedly, say clearly that, even if was Riaku to chose this painful way for solve the rivalry, it was also his fault, despite how piercing it was to think about.

Alexis reached the extremity of the trench, curling a bit hers tall, wonderful body for vanish under the level of the ground, placing immediately hers huge sniper rifle as she opened easily the set of legs under the long, square- section barrel and checked the correct application of the long, black suppressor that had the task of hiss the sound and reduce the flash of the shot. Then she checked the optic and set it as best as possible and immediately after a final, complete and accurate check of the weapon, she begun to wrap it in mimetic rags and small branches. He watched her with interest as she accomplished all the moves that she was so used to do... he knew well that, a time in action, she was colder than ice, unseen like air and that no one of hers shots was a waste. He slipped behind Ken as he too begun to check his trusted, customized Lee Enfield and reached his beloved wife, taking his deadly assault rifle in his hands, mechanically doing every checking needed and preparing the weapon to fire. No one was talking in the trench and neither in the others positions around... they could see only taunt faces, hands closed tightly on the weapons and officers that were watching the sky with binoculars.

Killer opened his mouth to talk, but suddenly the alarms torn that silence with their loud, obsessive and sad scream over the entire town, as the artillery placed on the hill around the palace opened fire with a gloomy, frightening rumble. It was begun... the enemy was near. Death was near. The artillery was the first of his numerous voices to talk... but he knew that Riaku was gonna answer heavily with pretty much everything.

The male bended slowly down on hers loved wife and kissed softly hers cheek as she leaned gently hers head against his own, two both whispering affectively one to the other even without heard themselves... they both knew what to say, what the other was saying as the air filled up with the sinister whistle of the artillery's shells in the sky over their heads and the rockets flied over them with a tail of flames.

"Attention, attention... enemy para-troops are landing in the sector A1 and K1, taking positions on the roads and highway of both east and west. We have... twenty-four aerial contacts on ours radars confirmed as fighter-bombers by advanced visual identification, a wave of other aircrafts, probably bombers, and about seventy-six big cargo planes, take cover immediately. Anti Air defense in red alert." A friendly but nervous voice launched the first message from the loudspeakers of the control tower, where was placed an advanced unit of REMFs for follow the battle and give directions exploiting the facilities of the airport.

"So Riaku has also para-troops and an air force much bigger than what we known. I don't know what to say... or counter-espionage is his best point, or our espionage sucks." Exclaimed Killer with bitterness, slamming almost angrily forwards the small lever on the side of his rifle, closing the shutter and placing the first bullet in the barrel as his thumb removed rapidly the safe from the weapon.

"Intelligence... they are never intelligent enough." Said with bitter irony Ken from his side as Alexis only snorted quietly, her finger already on the trigger and the other hand placed firmly on the butt of the rifle for keep it absolutely motionless, her fingers tapping impatiently on the weapon and her icy blue eyes rummaging in the darkness over the flat airport.

"Tower, what about ours cargo-planes?" Asked Killer in his microphone, his left hand placed on the visor as his finger pushed the small button still with some difficulties, seen his imposing sizes.

From the other side, after a low rustle, a calm, warm voice answered clearly. "We have still planes in the sky, Majesty. We have a cargo that's short on fuel and can't absolutely loiter and other four that we are sending towards the air force base of High Wycombe. Ours fighter are already loitering in the sky out of the town zone, ready for enter in the battle soon. But that cargo absolutely needs to land... the approaching is already in progress."

Killer watched nervously at his side, towards the start of the long runway... he knew that the lights along the two sides of the long road, that seemed off, were actually signaling on the infra-red frequency for the pilots, that had surely on their Night Vision glasses for follow them. The big cargo was effectively descending, the undercarriage lowered and the huge load ramp in the back that was slowly opening...

"Christ, make that they do it..." Wyvern whispered nervously, biting his lower lip. The enemy fighter were coming... and if one of them managed to acquire the target on its radar and shoot a missile, the cargo and the probably one hundred men inside were dead.

But the Riaku's fighters rumbled in the night, the twin powerful jets of each plane leaving long flames behind as the pilots launched them at full power, pushing convulsively the buttons for activate their electronic counter measures and release chaff and flares for try to deceive the missiles of the Kesteven defense.

The first four of the formation were flying just over the roofs of the buildings and the tips of the trees, trying to escape from the radar surveillance of Kesteven... and then they rose suddenly with a deafening rumble of thunder, their embarked sensors tracking the enemy's radar emissions and the finger of the pilots running rapidly on the buttons of their consoles for arm the missiles...

The commander of the squadron, on board of the first Suhkoi 30 MK, the major Fenrir "Shadow", the older son of Riaku in Mottram, saw a missile emerge with an huge flame from the darkness of the town under them and reach the plane at his side, hitting precisely under the fuselage and erasing the aircraft in a ball of fire. No one of the two men on board had the time for eject...

"ChafFA: " He exclaimed coldly, taming his fear and nervousness, in direction of his second, the sergeant Harry "Eagle", that was sat in the seat behind, tracking the radars of the Kesteven defense. Chaffa was the order for launch the chaff and flares, a defensive countermeasure compounded by little strips of metal for confuse the radars (chaff) and little fireworks devices able of distract the thermal and infra-red sensors of the missiles.

"Alright, chaff at maximum." The other said in a hurry. "Target locked!" He added immediately after as his superior launched the aircraft in a bold turn for avoid another Surface to Air Missile (SAM) as the counter air artillery begun to shoot furiously against them, drawing long queues of luminous projectiles in the sky and surrounding their aircrafts of explosions that shook their planes like leafs.

"Shadow" hit immediately the button in the middle of his cloche before launch the aircraft in a bold climb over the level of the obsessive fire of the enemy AA artillery. Under the wings of his black fighter, two big missiles leaved the pylons with a huge flame, bending down towards the target immediately.

Killer saw them coming, two impressive flames that ran in the sky at amazing speed, by his guess and for what he could remind of the characteristics of the missiles that had bought for his own air force, around four time faster than the sound... but they weren't aimed on the cargo that was now touching the runway, so slow to seem almost motionless in the moment of supreme danger. And as the missiles pointed directly towards the control tower and other couples light up the night, he understood suddenly.

"Wild weasel! Wild weasel! Turn off the radars immediately!" He shouted in the microphone, following with his eyes the first two missiles, which were running directly towards the tall tower. He heard no answer this time, but only screams and nervousness in the men on the other side... they had understood and they were surely turning off the radars, but going at four times the sound's speed, the missiles won the race.

Wild weasel is the military slang for Suppression of Enemy Air Defense, probably the more dangerous mission of all the wide range of the air force. Fighters equipped with sensors of detection and localization of the emissions of the enemy's radars and armed with appropriate Anti-Radiation Missiles (ARMs) able of follow the radar waves have the task of challenge the enemy in the first moments of a battle for destroy his sensors, blinding his defense. And Killer was right... That was exactly the task of "Shadow", the brilliant ace of the Mottram air force.

A CIWS placed exactly under the tower took life, the huge seven-barrels gun rising with a low buzzing and turning towards the missiles coming, guided by his own little radar, and begun automatically to fire, the barrels beginning to rotate with amazing speed and drawing a deadly hurricane of piercing rounds.

But CIWS had a range of only three kilometers and the much smaller than cruise missiles current threats were far too fast. Needing just about 2,25 seconds for cover that distance, the two missiles won the race. The Centurion gun overcome himself, placing a bullet in the first missile and destroying it in a ball of fire and a rain of burning slivers, but the second hit with precision the centre of the tall structure with the aerials of the radars of the control tower, an huge explosion breaking the darkness as the radars all but disintegrated, adding other slivers at the huge amount generated by the missile. The tall sail of concrete gave a distressing whimper and then broke down in two parts, the superior one falling on one of the two wings of the airport and destroying the dome of crystal with a musical but deafening jingle before slam down with a terrible rumble on that was the passenger stop.

Other missiles were running in the sky, aimed towards the huge trucks with the flat, erected arrays of the radars of the anti-air batteries, but fortunately Killer had understood in time. His alarm had alerted the crews, which turned off the systems as fast as possible. Wyvern counted other two explosions in the area of the airport, all radar lost with who knows how many victims, too... but he seen also with satisfaction three missiles carry out a nice and useless ballistic arc in the sky before be destroyed by their timers, remained without signals to follow.

"Shadow" was gaining altitude, his fighter launched at the maximum speed allowed by its powerful jet engines and followed closely by the other two survivors of his first squad of Wild Weasels, that had took distance each from the other in the furious fire of the anti-aircraft artillery. He had guided the first attack with a section of four aircrafts, directly towards the airport, meanwhile other two sections had assaulted the town, trying to localize and destroy every radar.

"Black bishop, here Shadow. We haven't hit all the pheasants." He said clearly in his microphone towards the ground advanced combat center, where he known was probably his father the king. He closed shut his eyes for a second in shame... but he really had no reasons for. They all knew that was hard demand to blind completely the enemy defense at the first shot. Unfortunately, they had still only these Anti-Radiation Missiles for hunt radars, lacking of a backup of position. The new ones had a GPS receiver that memorizes the position of the target... and at that point, turn off the radar is useless. But they weren't still arrived at the beginning of the campaign.

"Shadow, here Black Bishop. How many remained?" Asked simply a voice from the other side, calm and almost bored. Sure. They aren't here in the middle of the enemy fire, for them is all easy. "I don't know, Black bishop. We need another wave." He growled back, his eyes catching the sight of another of his guys being destroyed. A long burst of projectiles from the ground had cut off one of its wing... but at least he seen the two parachutes open a moment later with a low sigh of relief.

"Negative, Shadow. Supply air cover for the bombers... you have now the command of all the fighters in the sky. The attack isn't delayed. Repeat: the attack isn't delayed. We will exploit the moment. Their radars are still off."

"Shadow" made a grimace of disgust and incredulity, but his eyes were fixed on the confuse sight of the large airport in his infra-red Head Up Display, as the others section reached him from the sky over the rest of the town. The second squad had only two fighters, the third still all the four. He knew he had another wave of twenty-four fighters that were loitering at a major height, ready for jump over any enemy in the sky... but he was unnerved at the idea of an air defense still so strong. He was a great supporter of the doctrine of preventive Suppression of Enemy Air Defense... but his father was in a hurry to conquer Kesteven, evidently.

"Affirmative." He growled irritated. How many men were gonna die for that error...?

Richard "Talon", general of the Kendrew air force, had under his command a great total of sixteen fighters, ten of Kendrew and six of Kesteven, with no reserves. They were already all in the sky... on the runway of the airbase there was nothing apart from a now useless little business plane, a two-engine for the transport of the men of the squadron. Kesteven had also a huge, precious AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) plane and an air-tanker for flying refueling with other six fighters around for defense in the sky, one hundred kilometers far from the town's air space. These two planes, in fact, were what he was used to call BUFST, for "Big, Ugly, Fat, Slow Target", easy to destroy for the enemy... But for the high command they were HVHAAs, High Value Heavy Airframe Aircrafts. And gods, they were precious, sure... even thought they all knew with almost hate how these two aircrafts were vulnerable and how much they needed protection, stealing fighters from the real battle, every crew in the air was also well aware of their value. The AWACS was their only guide now that the airport and most of the ground headquarter were blinded... but the huge aircraft was still completely operative and his huge, circular, electronic eye mounted over the fuselage was scanning the sky for 300 kilometers all around as eighteen men inside the fuselage were analyzing the images and talking with the pilots for the operations, giving order, coordinates, guiding the attacks and giving them every useful instruction possible. No one could avoid the Great Eye. And the air-tanker was their only chance of remain operative and in the sky for fight. The fighters hadn't so much fuel, after all... and their available time of operation was little... practically after every fight against the much bigger enemy air force, they were gonna need new fuel and they were determinate to avoid as much as possible the recourse to ground bases. These were relatively far and especially still more vulnerable, if possible. Killer had taught them a lesson on everything... "You can only use air power or lose it." He had seen too many battles for ignore that probably there were patrol of enemy fighter-bombers ready to jump at the first chance over the aircraft on the ground in the bases for destroy them. He had seen a lot of air forces destroyed still before can take off during air raids at surprise... seen others try to hide their precious fighters in thick bunkers of reinforced concrete, only for find later that the enemy had hit with bunker-buster piercing bombs and leaved only an hole in the ceiling and a blackened wreck inside. Sure, neither with the air-tanker they could hope of be in the sky for ever... but they were decided to remain there as long as possible.

"Magic on channel 5. Bandits... repeat... multiple bandits on Black Hole (Kesteven in the code of that day), 186 degrees for 70 (miles), airport under attack. Screaming Eagles squadron, engage immediately. Yours codename from now is BUSTER (engine at full power). Follows indications on number and composition of enemy forces..." The voice of the young operator on the AWACS was excited and slightly nervous, but the officer was doing perfectly his work. "Talon" and the other pilots could hear him clearly in their headphones as they immediately pushed forwards the throttle and passed the radar of their fighters in active modality.

"Oh, Jesus..." Muttered "Talon" as the screen on the left of his console tracked immediately an incredible number of aircrafts... all signed in red, with near a little F. The F of Foe. The alarm of the Radar Receiver Warning system was growling lowly in his headphones, too... sign that also the enemy was watching him with his own radar. But at least the Missile Warning system was still silent, a good sign. They were still out from the range of the long-range, radar guided R27 Alamo missiles of the enemy.

"Seen? It's like be in the middle of Kendrew the Sunday morning." Said the nervous but somehow even amused voice of David "Maverick", the WSO sat in the posterior seat of the fighter. The Weapon System Officer normally is not a pilot, but a specialist in the weapons and sensors of the plane, even if he can often take the direct command of the aircraft for basilar maneuvers in chase of emergence... but "Maverick" was much more.

He wasn't a tiger, but a cheetah that has been for years the best pilot of the air force of a free state out of the control of the domineering tigers and then a pilot of a group of action linked at the New World Order Army of Dark, decided to help his similar to free themselves from the so-called "owners". But the victory of Killer in Wycherley, battle that he had never seen, beside, had changed everything, destroying every plan or idea of challenge the domination of the biggest felines. And for be sincere, the experience with the NWOA had deeply and badly impressed him. Dark wasn't changed and his organization was still mostly a terroristic army than anything else, oriented on extremism, unjustifiable in his speciesism and especially in his absurd level of violence. He leaved the weakened but still dangerous organization immediately after the chaotic events that followed the defeat of Dark, despite the opposition of the others members, who tried to kill him in a gunfire and later in more than an ambush. He flied for a bit in a civilian air line... and in the years he slowly changed his mind about tigers... at least about some of them. Especially about one of them... An open-minded, absolutely not speciesism and especially respectful and just tiger called Killer, rightly the one that a time he has been trained for fight and possibly kill. At that point, near at the end of his career as wingman but still full of wish of fly, David had accept easily the offer of the new king of Kendrew, becoming the first pilot and instructor of the new founded Kendrew Air Force. "Talon" was his pupil... he was like a son for him and was the better pilot he had never seen; a student formidable. He was young, really young... one of the first generation of sons of Killer in Kesteven, but he was already a real ace.

"I see, Maverick..." Richard grinned a bit despite himself, the situation and the nervousness he could feel as the fighter roared in the sky pushed by his powerful jet engines. It was his first real battle, after all... and the AWACS, codename Magic, was still instructing them, advising that they had to go across the fighter cover of the enemy and reach a wing of bombers, possibly destroying them before attack an huge convoy of big cargo planes and cause there the maximum possible damage. Almost a suicide... but they had to try.

"It's a damn to me to admit but... We really need you Eagles here." The powerful, warm voice of his father reached his ears from the headphones, the sound of the battle as background as his hand trembled a bit as he passed the modality of the weapon system on "SLAVE". Now his missiles were linked to the radar, following the targets selected by it as it begun to track the nearest targets. "Talon... good luck. You are our warriors now." Killer's voice spook again before the communication ended and the radio returned engaged only by pilots' voices and instructions from the AWACS.

"Good luck, dad..." Richard whispered as he prepared also the short-range missiles with their infra-red sensors of guidance before grin with the rising exhilaration of the battle and the cold humor of the pilots in deadly danger as he realized that they were going to need a landing in any way because they had no chances of left over missiles with the huge number of foes in the air. They were going to need to be rearmed...

Killer followed with his eyes the run of the cargo plane on the long runway, seeing the plane slow down, reversing the rotation of the propellers and lowering every control-surface for brake as fast as possible... even Alexis and Ken watched nervously towards the cargo as he approached them with a terrible racket, smoke around the numerous wheels of the undercarriage as the pilots tried to brake and behind, from the opened load ramp, the jeeps WMKRV and the soldiers begun to run down...

For a moment, everyone in the airport thought they were gonna make it. But it was a moment. The bombers of the Mottram air force roared in a sleep descent from the black sky, challenging the fire of the anti-air artillery as Killer instinctively embraced Alexis even if she was already taking cover herself and pushed her down in the trench, covering her as a fighter bomber flied over them dropping an huge bomb directly in the cargo as the gun in the root of the right wing of the enemy plane growled, spraying of burning, long bullets the ground and drawing a line of death, throwing in the air slivers of concrete, ground and dirt before destroy a small 20 mm AA gun with a big explosion and a chorus of screams.

But nothing comparable with what was going on in front of the trench, where the explosion was deafening, completely destroying the huge four-propellers cargo and killing most of the soldiers that were still running down from the ramp, easily throwing in the air one of the two WMKRV together with bodies and pieces of burning metal as the other rocked furiously for the air moved by the explosion as the driver drove the jeep in a bold zig zag for avoid the deadly bursts of guns from the sky as other fighter-bombers attacked again and again.

Alexis opened hers eye with fear, feeling the weight of her husband on her... unusual. He was always so attentive with her... "Killer! Christ! Are you ok?" She exclaimed as small chunks of metal landed all around, her hands reaching up almost with violence for his neck.

But the huge male straightened immediately on his muscled arms, coughing a few times and cursing something about slippery ground and damned thirty millimeters rounds. She seen the back of his armor slightly damaged for a smear of a very near piercing bullet from the gun... and for the first time in years she felt a shiver of pure fear down hers spine as she thought to what could happen. She understood that something in her was changed forever... she wasn't anymore the cold colonel of always, the girl of ice without weak spots and without feelings... she was madly in love with him and he was somehow hers weak point. She was by now incapable of conceive the idea of a life without him at hers side... and that gave strength to her. Have him at side. He was strong as hell, too... and together they were a deadly duo. But feelings... feelings were dangerous in war. He was part of her strength... Or he was only hers weak point...?

"Alright, alright... let go mine neck, please. You are pulling my mane painfully." He said amusedly as he crossed her relieved eyes with his own and she brought her hands at his cheeks, giving him a rapid, affective lick on his muzzle before rose to a crouch at his side and recover hers rifle, patting away the dirt and ground from it. They seen the unrecognizable, blackened wreck still on flame... and then the corpse of a soldier fallen on his face on the edge of the trench. Most of his upper body was gone, destroyed by two rounds of the gun. Other piercing bullets had dig craters in a queue and cut in half the trench... Ken was fallen on his ass and was still breathing heavily, watching the soldier dead, reversed where he was just a moment before as Killer reached him and he scrambled rapidly again on his feet, hiding the terror in front of his friend and commander.

Wyvern and Alexis looked on the corpse for a second with regret as she opened one of the tubes and prepared easily an anti-air missile as he shouldered the launcher. All around was the chaos. The racket was terrible as all the guns in the airport opened fire in the sky, trying to take down the enemy planes, aircrafts roaring at a few meters of height dropping bombs and shooting with their Gatling guns on the positions of defense. Alexis growled slightly as she pushed the missile in the tube and Killer pulled back the lever, following immediately a first fighter...

Wyvern seen the plane in the center of the optic and hear the low growl as a circle around the enemy flashed in red... the target was locked. He immediately pulled the trigger and the powerful spring threw the missile in the air, before the rocket turned on with a huge flame and begun to follow the aircraft. After a few seconds of race, the missile hit the tail of the target, turning both engines on fire and the aircraft, too low in his attack with the gun on an anti-air position, turned suddenly towards the ground and crawled with sparks and then flames on the concrete of the runways. Miraculously it not exploded and the two men inside opened the cockpit... only for find immediately under their muzzles the rifles of some very pissed off soldiers of Kesteven jumped out from a trench for capture them.

Also from other trenches rose missiles as Killer and Alexis prepared a new shot and also the crews of the anti air tried to turn on their radars and shoot their powerful rounds. The enemy had still Wild Weasels in the air and some radars received sudden hits of ARMs... but no one was ready for give in without fight. The few teams remained turned on the radars only for a few seconds every time, one or two scansions of the sky for lock a target and launch a missile before turn it off again...

The battle become rapidly desperate, as the attack seemed to become always more furious despite the losses in the air force... Killer fired off another missile, watching at three balls of dirty orange fire in the night over the airport that were all destroyed enemies as the bullets shinned everywhere in the night trying to follow the fast bombers, similar to a swarm of furious, deadly hornets... they weren't going to be gentle or merciful with the enemy.

"Maverick, to you the control of long range engage. Hit them with the Meteors!" Talon exclaimed easily as the cheetah answered with a calm "affirmative" and begun to follow the engage, choosing six targets and preparing the Behind-Visual Range Air-Air Missile, the BVRAAM Meteors. They were one of their little advantages... missiles of last generation with extremely accurate radar-guidance and especially a range of one hundred kilometers, double respect the past missiles. Respect the enemy R27.

"Eagles, here Talon. Red against the bombers, blue try keep away the fighters... we will fight until shoot the last round from the gun. Good luck, everyone." Richard hidden every emotion or worry as he talk gently in the radio, watching out from his cockpit in the night first towards his right and then towards his left, watching a last time his full, wonderful squadron. On his left he his fighters, the Kendrew's ones, lined up perfectly slightly diagonally, each one a bit behind the preceding. His pilots answered at the wish on the radio as he watched the wonderful Typhoon fighters, monsters of agility and speed with their big delta-wings and the weird canard surfaces of the muzzle instead of the normal taileron surfaces of the tail, in their aggressive all jet black color with the little lion's head of Kendrew depicted in gold on the faces of the wings and on the sides of the fuselage... he watched the cockpits, slightly lighted up in the darkness from the soft blue and red light of the instrumentations and managed of see the green light of the visor-screen of the helmets of the two men on the nearer plane... he wondered a last time on the low lights on the fuselage that were indications for the fly in narrow formation and on the flashing red lights of signal on the tail and extremities of the wings... then he felt pride in his chest as he took in with his eyes the coat of arms of the squadron depict on the rudder. The white head of a royal eagle with the beak opened in the scream. They were the "Screaming Eagles", after all... On his left, he could see six planes of the same type, EFA 2000 Typhoon, but white with small black stripes and spots. He smiled a bit... Kesteven took everything always really seriously and he had to admit that, seen that Kesteven was almost all the year covered by snow, that was a good mimetic drawing for hide the planes from visual reconnaissance from the sky. On their rudders they had drawn a lightning and their symbol was the winged sword of Kesteven, but they were all warriors on the same side, that day. They were all for Kesteven. They were all Screaming Eagles.

In the rear seat, Maverick set the Meteors and then pushed all the six buttons in a rapid sequence, his fingers dancing on the console with the elegance of experience as the missiles leaved the pylons with a blinding flash, covering at over four time the speed of sound the eighty kilometers for reach their targets, leaving long and fine tapes of white smoke in the sky. Immediately, the other crews headed their fighters in the sky, forming a perfect line of fire and exchanging data about their own targets in real time, avoiding every waste. Every target was gonna be engaged by one and only one missile. They called this maneuver Grinder... a rapid and deadly show of brutal strength with the Meteors for open empty spaces in the huge enemy formations. In a few seconds, there were ninety-six missiles in the sky... and in these moments, even the pilots of Riaku, sure of the victory and much more numerous than the defenders, sweated icy sweat of fear as their Missile Warning Systems screamed seeming madly in their cockpits and they broken their formations for carry out bold evasive maneuvers and use every trick and electronic countermeasure for divert the Meteors.

"Four less, Talon!" Exclaimed Maverick as the young pilot launched the agile fighter in a steep, whirly descent for confuse the enemy radars with a wide smile on his muzzle as he activated every defensive countermeasure and controlled another time that all was ready for the hard part. On the radio, he could hear other messages of victory... but they all knew that their ace was gone, now. And was the turn of the enemy. The entire squadron lost a goof few thousand meters of height in the evasive maneuver before pull back their sticks and launch again their planes towards the enemy at full speed, jets roaring in the darkness with blinding flames.

The Missile Warning system begun to growl furiously, incessant and obsessive... still more fastidious because it was the proof that someone is trying to kill you. Maverick begun to control the sensors of the defensive system, preparing every countermeasure.

"Talon, multiple R27 Alamo coming! Do you remember the procedure?" He exclaimed nervously as a few drops of sweat flied inside the helmet during the rude maneuver.

"Affirmative." Answered simply Richard from the frontal seat as he launched the fighter again in a sleep, dizzy descend. Never climb. Climbing you lose speed. Speed is vital. Richard pushed the throttle to the red zone, gaining every pound of thrust possible from his two jet engines and forced rudely the stick towards the left. A narrow turn is the best way for put on the wrong path a missile that follows you. And then Talon forced more on the stick, activating the vectorial-propulsion, a system of titanium plates used for direct the jet of the engines and allow incredible turns and sudden, impressive steep climbs. The Typhoon immediately closed still more his tight turn, almost doing an inversion at right angle with a violent shake of protest. A sudden vectorial turn could break the radar contact of the enemy for a precious second.

In the rear seat, Maverick launched all the possible electronic counter-measures and then gaped at the frightening sight of a first lightning out of the cockpit; a fleeting flash followed by a tape of white smoke as an R27 turned towards them, but not tight enough, ending far from the plane. Then Talon seen another two missiles point directly on them and he stared with terror as the first missed them with a too large parabola and the other turned at the last moment for follow one of their launches of anti-radar straw, tricked. In the radio they heard the screams of who has been hit... but there was no time even for think to the friends that maybe where dying. At the most, Talon found himself asking to a God which he had never trusted to make that his friends were out In the sky, hanging from a parachute... but alive.

"Shut the fuck up!" Talon growled with fury as he slammed a fist over the little pilot light of the Missile Warning System that was still screaming. The sky was full of missiles, everywhere. The chaos was total... and then he blinked as his fighter emerged like a lightning between two enemy planes which turned on the opposite sides like scared birds.

"We are in the middle of their formation!" Exclaimed Maverick, watching out from the cockpit and seeing around only enemy planes, from fighters to the slow, huge cargos that were still far in front of them. Then, somewhere on their right side, an enemy plane exploded as another solitary Typhoon emerged there...

Talon grinned furiously. The visor of his helmet seemed crazy... the Helmet Mounted Sign was a system projected on the visor, capable of report vital information on aircraft state, give nocturnal view like in that moment, protect him from dazzling of every sort... and especially, it was linked with the searching-heads of the short range missiles at infra-red guidance. Over the right eye of Talon, a small mobile circle was the aiming sight... and all what he watched, begun immediately the target. Combined with the Direct Voice Data Input, vocal commands, shortly, he could watch, engage and launch missiles on targets everywhere around the fighter only watching them... a good advantage on the enemy that was limited to a range of engage of the frontal 180 degrees. But now the aiming sight was mad, scrambling from plane to plane without lock neither one...

"Calm down, Talon! Choose a target and focus only on it! There's only yours target, nothing else, remember...!" Exclaimed Maverick from behind, understanding the situation and reawakening the young ace, entrapped from the terrible show of that massive air parade. Richard blinked and then focused his glance on the first cargo plane... but it was by now too near and he lost the contact too fast for lock it. Instead, the circle turned red on the second in line and he said immediately only "Fire A1". Immediately, under the more external pylon under the left wing, an Advanced Short Range Air-Air Missile ASRAAM left the plane with a flash and shattered neither a second after rightly in the cockpit of the huge cargo, exploding and tearing apart a good part of the muzzle. In the same time, two ASRAAM hit the cargo that he had missed a moment before as another Typhoon reached the zone... they weren't still all died, then! Thank you, sky...

And then he saw something strange... like a huge black wing... the form of a swallow, but without a tail... a swollen winged body colored of plain jet black, big almost as a normal cargo plane. And it wasn't on the radar... and even the infra red searcher barely signed a difference of temperature in correspondence of the strange object, so that the missiles don't locked it... and then he saw a big towing cable snap away from the cargo plane that was falling on flames, leaving the object alone...

"Wyvern, here Talon! Be careful on the ground! They have stealth glider, repeat stealth glider! Seen the number, here we have two, repeat two divisions of paratroops!"

The black birds where glider, made of a light structure of composite, plastic materials and a plastic covering. The form of the object was studied for reflect far away the radar waves, far from the receiver aerials, giving no image and the absence of metal was an added advantage, letting the radar waves go through them without return. The absence of engines reduced to almost nothing the thermal and infra-red signature... the orange-red stain on the screen of his sensor was due probably only to the heat of the friction, very little seen the low speed of the glider and especially to the body heat of the probably seventy soldiers inside...

The Typhoon had already leaved far behind the slow glider that was now heading silently towards the ground...Talon guided the fighter in a tight turn as another R27 threatened them and followed the shadow with his eyes, the black spook visible against the light of the fires, of the explosions and of the anti-air artillery fire in the airport zone. He thought for a moment to try to attack it, but a Typhoon ran in front of him, maneuvering daringly for try to get ride of three big, stubborn Mottram fighters that were trying to take him down with guns and short range R73 missiles.

Talon hammered immediately the stick on the other side, interrupting his turn only for point the fighter in the other direction and run on the three enemies. He could see the dark green mimetic scheme on the three huge planes, the two jet engines well distanced one from the other, the two different vertical rudders on the tail and the imposing muzzle with the long cockpit for two men... the Sukhoi 30 MK were older than the Typhoon, but bigger and faster... so, even if the Typhoon was a touch more agile and had technology and weapons generally better, they weren't absolutely easy targets or rivals to disvalue. Especially when three to one and behind your tail.

Again, the vectorial propulsion put the delta-fighter behind the tails of the three Su30, realizing suddenly a perfect "Sandwich" move, closing the enemy in trap... and Talon didn't missed. The HMS locked easily the fighters, one after the other, each time with the launch of an ASRAAM... and from less than two kilometers of distance, the lithe missiles didn't let chances of escape: all the three green fighters vanished in three explosion as the two Typhoon scrambled in different directions, pointing again towards the convoy of cargos as the saved crew thanked Talon and Maverick on the radio and tens of white parachutes begun to appear in the sky, the enemy parachutists launching the assault on the airport where the anti-air defense was by now almost completely destroyed, huge fires lightning up a great part of the town around, where all the other lights were off...

Talon had still two ASRAAMs and 150 rounds for his twenty-seven millimeters cannon hidden in the root of the right wing... it wasn't so much, but he had to try. He counted seven cargo planes in front of him and pointed on one slightly distanced from the formation, a bit more isolated as its parachutists were launching over the southern extremity of the airport. And again he didn't failed as his two ASRAAMS hit the center of the fuselage, tearing apart a wing of the cargo and cutting it in half as it begun to fall madly towards the ground, rolling ridiculously on itself in every direction without any control...

And then he seen two Typhoons duel with six Su30... the first instinct was do a steep climb and reach them... but the vital target were the cargos and the gliders which were launching two entire divisions of parachutist-infantry on an airport defended only by a few hundreds of soldiers. He placed the index on the small button of the modality GUN on his stick and prepared the assault on a nearby glider.

Shadow did a steep climb in the sky, rising over the chaos of the broken formation, a few hundreds meters higher than everyone else in the sky, trying to understand as he panted... He was alone. The Meteors had destroyed most of his group and then a few Typhoons had sowed the chaos in the formation of the Mottram air force, as the Su30 seemed to be unable of stop the little delta-fighters. The inexperience of most of his pilots and the superiority of the enemy material was come out in an impressive way, humiliating them despite the massive numerical advantage. He was chocked for the level of the loses... sure, they had almost completely destroyed the little squadron of bold Typhoons; he the same had took down two of them with his missiles... but what a price!

"Give me a radar image of the battle." He growled at his WSO, tilting the plane from side to side for watch down, past the wings... but there was too chaos for understand what was going on from there. The officer in the second seat worked immediately, pointing down the radar and catching the image of sky under them... and locking immediately a bold Typhoon that was following a glider, putting holes in it with his gun. Shadow grinned cruelly with rage and wish for vengeance... he had finished the long-range, radar guided R27 Alamo missiles... but he had still a single short range, infra-red guided R73 Archer under the left wing. And he was decided to use it as well as he forced the fighter in a sleep descent on the smaller delta-fighter, his HUD already locking the target... Then the growl in his headphones, the red on the HUD and the finger that pushed the button. The Archer was out.

"Archer coming! Out from here!" Screamed Maverick as he watched back, out from the cockpit as the infra-red warning system growled his threat. Talon muttered, trying this time a steep climbing, releasing the button of the cannon... the glider staggered away, full of holes. Inside, there has surely been a horrible massacre under the bursts of 27 mm... but he had no more time for end the work.

The Archer roared under them... but too near. The time was too little and the distance still too low as the proximity laser detonator on the warheads of the Archer felt the Typhoon and immediately exploded, spraying of slivers the belly of the fighter, causing numerous and heavy damages. Both Talon and Maverick felt the need of hit the button for the ejection of their seats... but they hesitated and seen that the Typhoon was still willing enough to stay in the air. Their hands returned immediately on the consoles for a control.

"We have a minor fuel leak from the main tank... light damages in the engine of the left side and I've no signals from the navigation system. Flying controls are ok, the HUD, vocal commands and HMS are out of service..." Listed Talon with a fast check of the systems and lights on the console as he turned violently on the right for hopefully break the contact with the enemy that he still hadn't seen. The worst enemy is always who you don't see.

"Weapon system ok, gun operative... minor damages in the auto-defensive electronic suite." Added Maverick after a control of his own. And then Talon seen... seen the dark green Su30 that had hit them fly over their heads and begun to turn for finish the work. He seen the red muzzle and extremity of the wings, the Mottram symbol on wings and fuselage and a huge cobra drawn on the rudders as well... all twisted up more and more times on itself and with the fangs opened wide in his threatening hiss. And against every good sense, with his plane damaged, instead of choose a prudent retreating, Talon pushed forwards the throttle, forcing one more time the engines to their maximum as he growled lowly. "Let's hit that fucking bastard..."

Shadow cursed the small warheads of the Archer and activated the GUN modality for end the work... and then he watched out from the cockpit seeing with utter surprise the other, smaller fighter roar again in the sky, rising almost vertically towards him. He blinked in surprise as he thrown the stick towards the other side, rolling away with his huge Sukhoi as he felt a short burst of gun hiss in the air outside, really near. "Wow, this guy is really good..." He muttered as he established again the visual contact, seeing the delta-fighter rise still more in the sky, vertically, and he maneuvered the heavy Su30 for follow the unknown rival and trying to cut his way... but Shadow found that if it was faster on horizontal speed, the Su30 was slightly inferior as climbing values as the Typhoon, at the apex of his vertical climb, seemed to fall backwards, then performed a bold turn on its horizontal axes for turn in position and shot another short burst, even if inaccurate. Shadow grinned as he maneuvered for answer with a long burst of his own... he couldn't know that Talon was fighting without an aiming sight, with both the HUD and the HMS in failure state... "But as aim, he's scarce."

But then his grin died on his muzzle as the Typhoon vanished from his own HUD with another sudden climb powered by its two vectorial, powerful engines and he pushed his Su30 for follow it in the climb seeing the jet-black mimetic and the small lion heads in gold of Kendrew... the screaming eagle drawn on the rudder... and then he noticed with interest on the sides of the fuselage the drawing of an unevolved white tiger, depicted in the middle of an assault, the thick, long fangs uncovered and every claw ready for sink in the plumber. "He's probably their commander! We have a great target here..."

The two fighters keep rising in the sky, crossing their ways at every chance and trying to take down each the other with their guns, every time shooting very short bursts of rounds, Shadow with the 30 mm gun of his Su30 and Talon trying to hit the target with his own 27 mm one also if lacking of aiming sight, using only the drawing projectiles for understand where he was shooting...

Shadow guided his imposing fighter in a tight turn on his right side, forcing the plane towards its limits and framing the agile Typhoon for a moment in his HUD... but still before can shoot, the rival plane vanished again with a flash of engines pushed to their maximums and a loud roar in the sky...

Talon trembled, in a bath of sweat, his eyesight red one more time... red because of his own blood that flooded towards his head for effect of Negative Gravity during the bold maneuver, which pushed again the Typhoon and its crew to overcome the level of 9 times the normal force of gravity. Despite the special Anti-G Suit that every airman has on during the missions, the force of gravity is a nearly invincible enemy. Positive G is cause of Dark Sight, because all the blood tends to run towards your feet, meanwhile Negative G cause the Red Sight. Added to the physical stress of feel almost continuative a body weight of 9 times the normal, that duel and mission was becoming extremely tiring out. But he was decided to win that duel... the unknown on the Su30 with the cobra on the rudder was really a great pilot and probably he was also the commander on field of the Mottram Air Force. He had to take him down... he had to take him...

The Typhoon exited from the tight turn and the G indicator returned towards a more acceptable 2.1 on the console as Talon grinned with a pant tinged with satisfaction. The huge Su30 was turning itself, trying to follow him... but Richard knew that was an error of the rival. The smaller delta-fighter was able of accomplish much more narrow turns and as the two planes accomplished another complete circle in the sky, following each the other, attempting to reach each the other, another vectorial maneuver brought Talon in a position of advantage, the Typhoon's muzzle pointed towards the tail of the rival.

Talon grit his teeth as pain filled him again, almost blinded by his own blood, but the fighter continued to turn docilely under his commands... and he could see the tail of the rival in the switched off HUD. "You are mine." He hissed as his finger pushed for a moment the button on top of the stick. The huge green Sukhoi tried immediately to exit from the circle with a furious, audacious turn towards the external as a first short burst of rounds brushed its tail threateningly from less than three hundred meters of distance...

But Talon easily followed and shot again. This time the first drawing rounds missed the rival for still less... and then, after an instinctive correction, Richard pushed down the button. The gun Mauser BK in the root of his left wing growled again and this time the pilot grinned as the strip of piercing bullets destroyed the right rudder of the rival, then pierced across the right engine, explosions and smokes covering the fuselage as the rounds went back up along the spine of the Su30... and then the gun clicked, empty, a moment before give the fatal blow, hitting the cockpit.

Talon growled, furious and disbelieving, his eyes still fixed on the heavily damaged rival that was flying away with the right side shattered and on flames, his finger still pushing a button by now useless.

"Is gone, Talon... we need to run away now. Our duty is done... let's try to reach the base, if we still have one. We are disarmed, damaged and with only the Bingo fuel." Said gently Maverick from behind, reawakening him. "Bingo" was the slang for fuel enough barely for return to home... Talon panted, nodded slowly even if knowing perfectly that the other couldn't see and leaved the button with regret, maneuvering towards the town.

"Affirmative."

Shadow could feel his heart thud madly in his chest, his breath broken as the echo of the explosions in the back of the Su slowly died. All the indicators of the right engine and rudder flashed in red, together with the fire alert. He closed immediately the right throttle, interrupting the flow of fuel towards the fire and turned on the fire extinguisher system for tame the flames in the shattered side, still disbelieving. He watched the Typhoon run away... and understood immediately that his rival had finished the munitions.

He followed the smaller delta-fighter... but not for repeat the attack. He had lost and his rival was now unable of fight. Exploit the moment wouldn't be fair. Especially because the other crew had proved his superiority. He felt the need of... show his respect.

The Su30 approached calmly, showing that he hadn't hostile intentions and reached the side of the black Typhoon, staying there, near and respectful... and Shadow watched amused in the near cockpit as his rival and his wso - a cheetah. I never would have imagined a similar thing... - looked towards him with surprise. Or at least he believed to see surprise in these features that he could glimpse as he lifted the visor of his helmet and waved with his hand at his forehead. Eagle, on the rear seat, done the same... and immediately after the crew of the Typhoon answered in the same way, just before Shadow guided his fighter in a sleep descent, running towards the base with a strange, amused grin on his muzzle despite everything, despite the sadness for the comrades died, despite his own coldness... even on the other side there are knights.

Talon smiled, amused and pleased of see that even the enemy knew how to be chivalrous and respectful as he guided the Typhoon on the town lightened up by the flames, an eye always fixed with worry on the fuel indicator as he and Maverick tried to navigate at the old manner, with maps on their legs and looking for every point of reference around in the dark night.

"Maverick, try to make work that fucking radio! We need to talk with the AWACS! I don't know this town and neither this zone. I could fly here for hours without find the way for the base, in these conditions!" Exclaimed irritated the young pilot, pulling away the useless microphone of the radio, that was currently silent, died.

"I'm trying, I'm trying...!" Said irritably from behind the cheetah, that was working hard for find a solution and put the radio again at work as the aircraft roared in the night flying just above the roofs of the buildings as Talon followed nervously the road towards Soldiers's Square, the only place that he knew of that wonderful, but now dark and died town. He cursed for the hundredth time for the loss of the vital navigation system, probably torn apart by slivers of the R73 that had almost hit them... and then watched out from the cockpit, upwards and backwards.

For a pilot of fighters is a reflex conditioned, a move instinctive... a good pilot will watch around really often. And that time, it saved their life. Talon cursed furiously as Maverick looked up from the map with a terrified expression, understanding. And when he watched backwards, he saw two green, huge and threatening Sukhoi following them, descending for a superior height, ready for an easy kill.

The Typhoon lost other meters of altitude, Talon daring down in the street, flying foolishly at less than fire meters of height between two wings of tall buildings, so low that he could see an hurricane of air, dust and old papers fly all around as the power of his two jet engines overturned easily a truck in the street like a toy.

"The radio!" Richard growled, sweat running down his cheeks as he keep the fighter in the center of the large avenue... even so, the fighter had a very reduced maneuver margin, the wings almost brushing the fronts of the buildings. An error, and all was finished in a ball of fire against the solid front of a palace. The two Su30 followed from some meters above, don't daring to descend so much.

Talon watched forwards, catching a confused glimpse of the huge Soldiers's Square in front of him... and he grinned nervously at the thoughts in his mind. "Bingo fuel, no navigation system, aircraft damaged and no munitions. No radio for call help. This was really a suicide mission..."

But a sudden whistle in his hears almost deafened him, before die, replaced by voices and sounds of battle from his headphones. And the shout that leaved his mouth, was of joy, not of pain for that sharp whistle. The radio was again with them and that was what mattered.

"Here Talon, here Talon. We need help... if someone is listening from Soldiers's Square, please answer!"

For a moment, no one answered... and the two Su30 fired each a R73 Archer from less than one kilometer of distance. Talon guided the Typhoon in another bold turn, tilting the fighter on one wing only as the two missiles maneuvered in the tight road, trying to follow him, but not with enough agility, ending up for hit the front of two big buildings and exploding as the two enemy fighters tried to reduce furthermore the distance, firing short bursts with their guns to take better aim.

"Here Soldiers's Square. What we can do for you...?" Scratched the radio.

Talon closed his eyes in relief as he maneuvered for avoid the bursts of piercing rounds that smashed into the buildings around, breaking down walls like paper. "I'm coming... you should see me and my friends here. I'm bringing there two enemy planes... when I will be there, hand steady and round ready in the barrel. They are all yours!"

"Of course. We will be happy to help... ok, I can see you. Good luck."

"Good luck. Don't miss them... I can't give you another chance. I haven't another, either."

The Typhoon roared out from the avenue, air hissing out with incredible violence from the tight tunnel formed by the two tall wing of buildings on the sides... and Talon caught a glimpse of soldiers running and shouting, all holding on to something solid for don't fall in the sudden hurricane... and then, as the fighter suddenly begun a vertical climb, he seen the flash of several guns opening fire and at least two Man-Portable Air Defense (ManPAD) leaved the tubes on the shoulders of two tall, bulky figures in the darkness.

A moment after, two explosions lightened the sky behind them as the black delta-fighter was already high enough to see only a glimpse of the form of the town, two wrecks that once a time were powerful Sukhoi falling down on flames and striking rightly across the front of a tall skyscraper. The same voice of before, on the radio shouted cheerfully. "Good luck, hijacker! This time we worked out good."

Talon laughed a bit, answering with his own relieved thank you as he finally managed to calm down a bit. "Magic, here Talon. I've Bingo, I've damages on board and no answers from the navigation system. Think you could help?"

"Talon, here Magic. Of course, Talon... we have you on ours screens. Follow the instructions. We will guide you to the base of High Wycombe, out of town. It has been bombed and badly damaged, but we still have it at least. Can you reach it?"

Talon and Maverick checked the fuel indicators and did some calculations on the map...

"I suppose we could make it just for a puff. But we need a calm travel." Answered Richard. On the other side, after a very short silence, the same voice laughed softly and answered gently. "Calm, warriors... Two fighters of our escort are already reaching you for protect your return. Your next rout is..."

And as the young female tiger on the other side listed the new route to follow with the compass and the old, tradition instruments, Talon smiled a bit, wishing to get to know her... to kiss her. She was the voice of help, of salvation. The two men worked again on the commands of the fighter, preparing themselves to the last part of their hard mission... the return. They had been ten minutes really long.