Mobius Squadron: Shattered Skies

Chapter 24: Tango Line

Mobius 1

Frontline Airbase 152 or as the pilots had christened it, 'The Valley Air Force Base' was quickly filled up with ISAF personnel. The ammunition dump had arrived and now the plans for the next sorties were underway. For Mobius and the others it was just a waiting game now. Currently Mobius was sitting with Omega 11, Halo 4 and Rapier 12. One of them had suggested a game of Monopoly. They didn't remember who but it was certainly turning into a very fraught game. Omega 11 had managed to get 70% of the tiles and eliminate both Halo and Rapier leaving only himself and Mobius. Halo had called it 'King Bailouts Wild Ride' due to Omega's nickname. Whenever Omega sortied without Mobius, he was more often than not forced to eject. He had the highest ejection numbers of any pilot. The game was dragging on and just as Mobius approached King Bailout's Wild Ride, the PA called the pilots to the briefing room. They left the board there and headed off, hoping no one would disturb it.

The briefing room had only four pilots in it. Mobius and Omega 11 were joined by Omega 3 and Halo 8 as the commander walked in front of the blue screen that started displaying the usual Usean map with Stonehenges range indicator. Absent in previous briefings was a section of the continent coloured blue. This indicated the ISAF ground forces and the territory held by them. "The Tango Line is a vital line of defence for the Erusean forces on the eastern mainland". The map flashed at a point within Stonehenges range and zoomed in with the traditional red and blue triangles. "Istas Fortress is a strategic foothold on that line. It utilises unique terrain features that make it virtually impenetrable. Support our troops by attacking and neutralising the combat power of Istas Fortress". The commander paused to catch his breath before continuing. "Be forewarned, this will put you within range of Stonehenge. However, your skills should prove to be more than a match for it". He stopped and looked at the four assembled pilots. He had been in their shoes once, being asked to fly on sorties that anyone else would deem as insane. He couldn't keep up with the g-forces anymore but he strove to make sure his pilots didn't take unnecessary risks. With that he nodded, the lights came on and the usual routine of launching a sortie commenced.

The whine of jet engines filled the valley. The sounds were reverberating due to the valley formation in a way they never had at North Point. It was an odd experience as Mobius climbed into his cockpit for his preflight checks. Rebecca tossed his helmet up and wished him good luck to which Mobius responded with his customary thumbs up. The F-22 rolled forward and turned onto the taxiway. The E-767 led the way off the tarmac, followed by an F-16, Typhoon, F-18, and finally Mobius' F-22. The formation flew out of the valley and into the sky, heading off towards their objective.

Mobius could see why this place was considered a fortress. It was an entire mountain range. It was covered in jungle the entire way. Judging by the physical disturbances, some places had been hollowed out in the mountains and turned into firing positions. There was a river running right through the entire place and that would obviously be used for river boats by the Eruseans. Mobius and the others came into the area in formation as their AWACS called over the radio <<Sky Eye here, commence operation. Our aim is to eliminate at least 65% of the fortress' defensive components. Resupply can be achieved by heading back to the Valley AFB direct to the east. Mobius 1, engage>>. The final message was echoed by the callouts of the other three pilots as they split to engage separate areas. Mobius checked the radar to identify where the targets were located. The area was filled with them but the closest one was located on the river. The Raptor banked over to the now identified river base. Several patrol boats could be seen scattering away as the F-22 dove and released four XSDBs on targets in that area before pulling up and around. The first one impacted one of the fleeing boats, causing it to sink down into the river while some of its counterparts sailed over to rescue the crew. Second to detonate was the bomb aimed at the loading crane positioned on the dock. It impacted about halfway up the crane's height, and the top half toppled over. It impacted on the dock and blocked off the entrance, rendering it unusable by the boats. The third bomb hit the ammunition depot and the resulting explosion shook the other Erusean positions in the mountains. The final one hit the fuel storage, with the same result as the ammunition depot. Mobius flew away from the base as it was now out of commission. Other sparks of orange could be seen around the range as the others launched their own attacks that were damaging the main fortifications. Mobius pulled up and gained height then rolled into an inverted dive. The mountain he was over had been hollowed out and the Eruseans were using it as a VTOL base. AV-8B Harriers could be seen starting up within. They wouldn't be going far. Mobius fired off several Heatseekers at all of them. The resulting detonation was a sight to behold. All the Harriers were up in flames before the first one even left the ground. After making sure he wasn't going to impact anything, Mobius checked his ammo supply. It was running low and it wouldn't hurt to fly back and resupply as there were still a lot of targets left to destroy. He turned to the east and flew back.

The warning came through to prepare cannons 2 and 6 for immediate fire. The gun crews inputted the necessary coordinates and checked the shell reserve. To get one of Stonehenges guns ready to fire was an arduous task. To get two ready at the same time was near impossible for any other gun crew, but the Stonehenge personnel were trained for this sort of job. Technicians made final checks on all the fire control systems, targeting officers checked the solutions turned out by the 8192 super computers and the ammunition personnel started carrying shells out from the main depot. The first airburst was loaded and the breach sealed on cannon 2 as cannon 6 went through the same process. Both gun platforms were rotating now, their massive bulk getting set to fire. Soon enough the shell was loaded into 6 as well. In the command centre were a set of light indicators for each cannon. 2 and 6 were lit up indicating their use. 6 went from red to green as the shell was ready. Someone grabbed the trigger mechanism, set it for both cannons and fired. Both gun barrels rocked back with the recoil and the gun crews moved to load the shells again as the first salvo was underway.

Mobius was heading back from the Valley and had just gotten visual on the mountain range. There were smoke pillars rising all over and the others were starting their own journeys back to resupply except for Omega 3. Then Sky Eye came over the radio with a warning that sent fear through both of the pilots. <<Incoming from Stonehenge confirmed, all aircraft get below 2,000 metres>>. <<2,000 metres! What do you expect us to do, fly through the mountains?>> Omega 3 called. Mobius snapped over the radio <<Shut up and stay focused! There's plenty of room if you manoeuvre right>>. The first salvo impacted shortly after Sky Eyes' call and both Omega 3 and Mobius were able to avoid it. The sky was lit with fire as the airburst shells detonated just under the mountain tops. The simple ground attack sortie had just become a lot harder for all the ISAF jets. With Stonehenge now engaging them, they would have limited windows in which to climb up, make their attack runs and then get back below 2,000 metres. It was a tall order, but the ISAF fighters were somehow able to manage it. The other two returned from resupplying and joined in dodging the balls of fire. The river was littered with black pillars of smoke. The VTOL bases were filled with burning wrecks of Harriers and the fortresses were now no more of a factor. <<Sky Eye here, all enemy forces are now no factor, rtb. This will definitely help the ground troops>> came over the radio and the four headed for the valley, leaving wreckage scattered everywhere in their wake.

Yellow 13

San Salvacion had fallen into its usual state of twilight quiet. The Sky Kid Bar filled with the Yellow Squadron members after the snow had cleared out enough for them to move around. All the pilots weren't sitting around in their isolated groups, but were all gathered around one table. They were all watching 13 and Jean-Louis review the Comona furball. Specifically, they were reviewing the Ribbon's performance. Jean-Louis was departing tonight, and so 13 was doing one last in depth review with him before he headed off. 13 held the model F-22 in his hands, the Ribbon insignia painted on its vertical stabilisers. Everyone was waiting for his verdict on this pilot's performance. He finally spoke. "He's so close. If he stays alive just a little longer, he will be a worthy fight". 13 then continued to ponder it as the Yellow Squadrons pilots all separated off to their groups again. The boy stood off to the side with the beekeeper's daughter as she stared at 13. The boy had quickly picked up on something about the girl: she had a crush on Yellow 13. It was obvious to everyone, except for 13 himself. Though being a squadron leader for the most elite unit within the Erusean Air Force probably didn't lend itself to worrying about ground based problems. Soon enough, the boy was back to playing his harmonica as the routine in San Salvacion continued.