Civil War

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

(November 26, 2026)

On the flightline of NAS Pensacola, pilots of the newly minted Florida Air Force are strapping themselves into their aircraft. The aircraft are F-15s and F-16s from Air Force units based further south in Florida that had been redeployed to Pensacola to defend against air strikes from the US Air Force. And not long ago, radar sets on the ground confirmed that large strike forces were inbound on all four secessionist states.

One of the pilots, an F-16 pilot from the 482nd Fighter Wing, is a Major by the name of Jacob White. White is one of the wing's senior officers, and is also recognized as one of the most talented pilots in the 482nd. When Florida declared its independence from the United States, White, along with most of the unit's pilots, had decided to remain in Florida and serve the new government. And now, for the first time, he is about to go into combat against former comrades.

White finishes strapping in and double checks his systems as the F-16 comes to life. After he confirms everything is in working order, he calls out over the radio to his wingman, a younger 1st Lieutenant, callsign Beaver, "Alright, Beaver, let's go."

The two pilots throttle up and start taxiing to the runway. As they go, the control tower calls down to them and gives them clearance to take off as soon as they reach the runway.

It takes them only a few minutes to reach the runway. As soon as they finish the turn onto the runway, they shove the throttles forward. The F-16s' engines roar as they streak the runway and climb smoothly into the skies. They pull back on the sticks, pulling into a 40 degree climb, and shoving the throttles into afterburner. The F-16s climb quickly to 10,000 feet before leveling off and cutting the afterburners. Both pilots then start a turn to the north, vectored towards the incoming US aircraft.

It doesn't take long before they have the US fighters on radar. Despite the fact that war is expected, the Floridian pilots have been ordered to allow the planes to get very close to their airspace to make their response more justifiable to the international community.

However, before the US planes even reach the limit set by the Floridian commanders, the normal radio chatter is broken when one of the pilots calls out over the radio, "I'm locked! I'm locked! And someone just shot at me!"

"All pilots, incoming aircraft are hostile. Clear to engage!" the lead pilot, a Colonel flying an F-15, calls out over the radio to the other aircraft flying out of Pensacola.

The Floridian fighters begin to lock up the incoming aircraft and fire off AIM-120 missiles at long range before being forced onto the defensive as they try to avoid the AMRAAMs that have been fired at them. Missiles streak past each other in the open sky as they home in on their distant targets.

It takes over a minute and a half for the missiles to start reaching their targets at the ranges they were fired at. In the opening volley, in multiple engagements all along Florida's northern border, the US loses 12 planes, and Florida loses 10.

Major White feels a sense of triumph as he realizes that he shot down one of the incoming US planes. Deciding to take the fight to their opponent quickly, he throttles up into full afterburner and heads straight for the incoming US planes. Other pilots see White heading straight into the fight and follow his example, ready to defend their home.

In a matter of minutes, fighters are engaging each other all along the front. However, as the fighters from both sides begin engaging, the next stage of the US plan begins as radar sets in Florida begin to detect dozens, and then hundreds, of cruise missiles inbound. The missiles were a mix of JASSM missiles launched by B-52s and B-1s and Tomahawks launched by warships off the coast of the Carolinas.