Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

            Presidia- the crown jewel of Cascadia. Even Prospero and Solsitium in its prime couldn’t compare to the regal majesty of the capital city and everything it stood for. It stood unwavering in the face of the endless stretch of blue that was the Pacific Ocean. Its skyscrapers reached up high as if trying to pierce the veil of scattered clouds above. Before long, those clouds were swept aside as a C/T-17 glided through the air toward the nearby Presidia Air Force Base. Its landing gear slowly fell into position as the transport plane’s altitude fell further and further. After making the necessary adjustments to its heading, the C/T-17 lined itself up perfectly with the runway, and its wheels touched the ground. The plane slowed further and further until finally, it had reached a stop, and after taxying off the runway, its rear cargo door opened. Out came countless people; airmen, maintainers, and above all, pilots. Most wore the Cascadian Air National Guard’s flight suit, but one woman wore the flight suit of the Federation Air Force. She scanned the crowd of people that were waiting as the newcomers arrived and spotted an older man dressed the same as she was.

            “Are you Glade?” the man asked as he led her away from the large crowd.

            “Yes, sir. Lieutenant Avery Finch, reporting in,” the woman nodded, still standing at attention as she followed him. She offered the man a salute, which he quickly responded to with a dismissive hand wave.

            “It’s alright. I’m not one for formalities.” He gave her his hand, which she promptly shook as firmly as she could, hoping to make the best first impression she could. “I’m Captain Jackson Page. I’m the XO of the 25^th Federation Fighter Squadron. You can just call me Cutter, though. Welcome to Presidia.”

            “Oh, this isn’t my first time here, sir. I’ve lived in Presidia all my life,” Avery explained. “Shipping out to the Academy in Ulaanbaatar for my flight training was really the only time I’ve gone anywhere outside the city.”

            Cutter gave her a curious glance. “Really? Not often that you see Cascadians going into the Air Force. Most tend to join up with the National Guard.” He shrugged before carrying on. “Anyway, the Major wanted to be here to greet you himself, but he’s still out of country on leave. He won’t be back until tomorrow, so I’m still running things until then. For now, though, let’s go and introduce you to the others. They should be in the rec room.”

            Avery looked around as she followed Cutter, taking in the surroundings of what was now her new home. “So, how many are there?” she finally asked, breaking the momentary silence.

            “Well, there’s the Major, myself, Padlock, Babble, and ASH, and now that you’re here, that makes six,” Cutter explained. “Don’t worry; you’ll get to know them in no time.”

            As Avery followed Cutter through the winding halls of the base’s barracks, she couldn’t help but notice just how many National Guard pilots there were compared to Federation pilots. It seemed that for every Federation pilot she saw, there would be another four Cascadians. It made sense in her head, but the part that was offputting to her was the way they distanced themselves from each other, the expressions of discontent that would be flung in both directions.

            “Seems like tensions are a bit high around here,” Avery observed, keeping her voice low as she looked around.

            Cutter scoffed. “You can thank Captain Griffiths for that. He’s one of the National Guard pilots in what’s basically a glorified clique that’s become increasingly vocal against the Federation. Now everyone’s on edge as things get more hostile within the government.”

            Avery cocked an eyebrow up. “So, they’re just going around complaining about the Federation? Are they just trying to pick a fight or what?”

            “Some people seem to think so,” Cutter replied with a shrug. “A few think their intentions are a bit more malicious, but I think that’s reaching a bit. Regardless, things would be going a lot smoother if they weren’t going around and fanning the flames.” He looked down at the young pilot and noticed the increasing concern on her expression, quickly adding, “You won’t have to worry about any of that, though. If any of them give you a hard time, we’ll be there to tell ‘em off.”

            The two pilots rounded a corner and stepped into a room that couldn’t be anything but a rec room, although it wasn’t as big as the one back in Ulaanbataar. There were all kinds of people doing all kinds of things, but Cutter quickly zeroed in on two pilots across the room. A man and a woman sat across from each other at a table, staring each other down intensely as they put all of their might into an arm-wrestling contest. Both of them gained the advantage and lost several times, and all the while, the woman grinned while the man had nothing but determination on his face.

            Cutter slowed his advance to the table, keeping his footsteps quiet until he stood over them. After loudly clearing his throat, he asked, “So, how long has this been going on?”

            The man looked up at Cutter, taking his attention away from the woman for just long enough that she mustered the strength to slam his hand against the table. “Aha! Suck it, Pad!” she cheered, shoving her fists into the air.

            “Oh, come on, that’s bullshit! You only won because he showed up, and you know it,” Padlock protested.

            The woman shrugged. “Hey, a win by technicality is still a win. It ain’t my fault you’re too easily distracted.”

            Cutter chuckled. “Gracious in victory as always, eh Babble?” he quipped. “I suppose it’s better than putting up with you after you lose at something.”

            “Nonsense. I‘m as gracious in defeat as I am in victory- humble as can be,” Babble replied. She quickly noticed Avery and turned her attention toward her. “Who’s this, then?”

            Cutter put a hand on her shoulder. “This is Locksmith Squadron’s newest pilot, Avery Finch- callsign Glade.”

            “Glade?” Babble echoed. “How does someone get a callsign like Glade?”

            “I was a bit too… enthusiastic about keeping my quarters clean back at the Academy,” Avery explained. “Now, it doesn’t take a whole lot of guesswork on my end to tell me where the name Babble comes from,” she added with a smirk.

            “Oh, I like you. We’re gonna get along just fine. I can tell.”

            “Well, you’ve already gotten to know Babble more than most can stand to know her. This right here is Padlock, so excluding the Major, the only one left to meet is ASH. Where is she anyway?” Cutter asked the other two, who both responded with a casual shrug.

            “Sir!” Cutter’s attention was quickly drawn to a voice coming from across the room. As if on cue, a younger woman, only a year or two older than Avery, came running up to the group. “Sir, the- the Commander wants to see us, said it was urgent.”

            “Ah, perfecting timing, ASH. Our newest pilot just showed up. This is Avery ‘Glade’ Finch,” Cutter introduced the newcomer.

            “But, sir, we really should-“

            “Easy, easy, take a breath, ASH,” Cutter assured her. “Grayson can wait two minutes while we get to know our new wingman.”

            ASH shook her head. “No, sir, it’s urgent. He wants us in the briefing room ASAP for a sortie.”

            The other pilots all looked at each other, surprised and confused, while Avery stuck close to Cutter, her one source of security up to that point. “Well, Glade,” he said, looking down at her. “Guess you’re gonna get to show us what you’re made of sooner than we thought. Let’s go.”

            The pilots rushed off to the briefing room as fast as they could, although Cutter hung back to make sure Avery didn’t get separated from them. Before long, they came to a surprisingly unimportant-looking door that was already cracked open. The pilots quickly filtered inside, where a man dressed in a Federation officer’s uniform stood in front of a large screen at the other end of the room.

            “Lieutenant Finch, I presume?” the man asked, right at Avery.

            The young woman stood at rigid attention, giving the man a salute as fast as she could. “Yes, sir. I just arrived a few minutes ago.”

            The officer nodded. “I see. Well, I’m Commander Grayson. I’m in charge of the Federation forces here in Cascadia. Now, introductions aside, we have a situation brewing.” He stepped up to the laptop on the table in front of him and powered it up, which in turn powered on the screen behind him as it pulled up a map of Cascadia. “Ten minutes ago, ATC picked up a group of unidentified cargo planes heading for the Cascadian Border without any clearance. We believe they’re arms dealers trying to smuggle weapons into the country. However, there are an unusually high number of them if that is the case. They’re not flashing any IFF or responding to our attempts to make contact with them, so we’re sending you up. Locksmith Squadron, you will intercept them at the Fresnon Mountain Range, make contact with them, and force them to change their heading. However, you are to keep weapons safe on these cargo planes at all times. If they refuse to comply, then we’ll arrest them once they land. All the same, we’ll be sending you up armed just in case. Now get to your planes. Dismissed.”

            All five pilots stood up and saluted the Commander before turning around and leaving the briefing room. Avery did what she was best at so far and followed the crowd to the hangars. Although, the fact that she recognized some of the hallways and corridors gave her hope that she wasn’t going to be perpetually lost in this base.

            “Hey, does this happen often?” she finally asked, breaking the silence as the group closed in on the hangars.

            Cutter shrugged. “It’s pretty uncommon, but you’d be surprised how many illegal border crossings we stop.”

            “Besides, it’s a nice change in pace to get a little actual action,” Padlock added. “Sure as hell beats the boring CAP flights.”

            The group stepped into the hangar, and Avery took a long look at everything she could. There were all kinds of planes crammed in from front to back, but the others led her to a group of six F/C-16s. All but one were loaded with four MLAAs and two STDMs. Cutter pointed out which plane was hers, and she promptly wasted no time in starting it up.

            “Locksmith 2, ready for takeoff. All callsigns, confirm,” Cutter ordered over the radio.

            “Locksmith 3, good to go,” Padlock confirmed.

            “Locksmith 4, ready to roll,” Babble confirmed.

            “Locksmith 5, ready for takeoff,” ASH confirmed.

            Avery looked over her cockpit one last time, and after confirming everything was in order, she spoke up. “Uh, Locksmith 6, ready for takeoff.”

            “Locksmith Squadron is ready for takeoff. Tower, requesting clearance,” Cutter continued through the process.

            “Takeoff clearance granted, Locksmith Squadron. Take off whenever you’re ready.”

            One by one, the F/C-16s taxied onto the runway and sped off into the sky. Once it was Avery’s turn, she looked around and took a deep breath. Slowly, she pushed the throttle forward. As the plane picked up speed, she was forced further back into her seat until finally, she was airborne with all the others as she followed them to her first sortie.

            “Locksmith Squadron, you’re twenty klicks from the target. Begin transmitting to the bogies,” Commander Grayson ordered.

            Cutter cleared his throat before broadcasting over an open channel. “Attention to the unidentified aircraft on heading 330; you are approaching Cascadian airspace without clearance. Change your heading immediately, or you will be arrested as soon as you land. Please acknowledge.”

            The flight of five F/C-16s pierced through the clouds, and moments later, four C/T-17s appeared on their HUDs. However, there was no response, nor did they change their heading. The Federation pilots buzzed past the cargo planes and immediately began to loop back around. One by one, they formed up on the bogies’ wings, hoping to get any kind of reaction from them, but there was nothing. It was almost like these planes weren’t being piloted by anyone and instead had just been sent on their way. Soon, though, Avery was ripped from her thoughts by a new sound- a harsh, incessant beeping coming from her RWR.

            “What the hell? I’m targeted?” she exclaimed, already taking evasive action.

            “Same here. What the hell’s going on?” Babble replied.

            Padlock was the first to spot them. “There, coming up from below us! MG-21s!”

            “Are you telling me these bastards have escort fighters?” Babble asked, totally dumbfounded.

            “Dammit, those are mercenary roundels on the wings,” Cutter observed. “Command, this is Locksmith 2. The bogies have mercenary fighters providing escort. I repeat, the bogies have escort fighters.  Requesting permission to engage!”

            Grayson sighed. “Dammit. Permission granted. Sanitize the airspace, Locksmith Squadron- transports included.”

            “Anyone got a tally on the bandits?” Padlock asked, turning wide as he went defensive.

            “I’m seeing… six, seven, nine, ten, eleven… twelve. There’s twelve of them,” ASH reported, following Locksmith 3’s lead.

            “Then we’d better get to work,” Cutter decided.

            Avery shifted all her weight to go along with her plane as she pulled to the right, dumping chaff and flares. The missile tracking her got closer and closer, pulling onto her tail with a straight shot at her engines until it crashed into her countermeasures, exploding prematurely. With her tail clear, she inverted and pulled down to face the incoming bandits as they climbed. Setting her sights on the one at the edge of the formation, she thumbed the weapon selection switch and readied an MLAA. The missile locked on in an instant, but the MG-21 quickly went defensive. Chaff lit up the midday sky as they inverted and started downward, gaining as much speed as they could. However, as the bandit tried to escape, Avery went after them, and it didn’t take long for her to find the opening she needed.

            “Locksmith 6, Fox 3! Fox 3!” she called out, pulling the trigger.

            Avery yanked back on the stick, curling her plane upward as the missile shot forward. The MG-21 banked to the left, bleeding off most of its speed in the process. Although, it made up for this by launching off as much chaff as it could. However, it was too late by then. The missile had found its target, and the older airframe didn’t stand a chance against its might. One explosion later, the wreckage of the first bandit was plummeting toward the mountain range below.

            “Nice kill, Locksmith 6,” Cutter praised her. “Keep it up.”

            “Hold up, hold up, you’re saying the newbie got the first kill?” Babble asked, lacing tone with a jesting edge. “Guess that means I’ve gotta step up my game.”

            “Oh boy. Now you’ve done it, Glade. Babble’s getting overly competitive already,” Padlock groaned.

            “Not much she could do about that,” ASH pointed out with the slightest hint of a snicker. “Babble probably would’ve seen her not getting kills as an insult and challenged her anyways.”

            “You guys realize I’m on this comm frequency too, right?” Babble replied. “But now that you’ve mentioned the idea of a kills competition, I think we’ve gotta do it- for the new kid’s sake.”

            “The new kid. Riiiiiight,” Padlock replied, making the snark in his voice apparent for all to hear. “And I’m the Prime Executive of the Federation.”

            “How about we focus on taking down the bandits?” Cutter interrupted. “Or did you forget that we’ve only splashed one of twelve?”

            “No harm in a little chat while we work, Cutter,” Babble replied. “Normally, you don’t have an issue with it.”

            Cutter groaned loudly. “Normally, we’re not outnumbered two to one by hostile bandits. In fact, y’know what? I’m ordering radio silence until we’re picture clean. Anyone who breaks it gets to help write the mission report, which I can say for a fact is gonna be a long one.”

            “Hmph. You’re no fun,” Babble replied, switching off her mic.

            Suddenly, Avery found her attention drawn to the RWR in her cockpit as it blared to life. She twisted her head back over her shoulder to see one of the MG-21s firing an STDM her way and turned defensive as quickly as she could. Her hands reached for the flare dispensers instinctually, and before long, she was turning back around to meet the bandit head-on. Thanks to the flares and her maneuvers, the missile went wide, hitting nothing but air, leaving Avery free to focus her attention on the MG-21 that fired it.

            Neither of them could get a shot off on the other as they passed by, forcing them to curve back around and try again. Avery went straight up, pulling back on the stick as hard as she could as her F/C-16 made a wide loop through the sky. Her opponent had opted for the same strategy, but since their plane lacked the maneuverability of her Viper, it was helpless to do anything as an STDM flew off her left wingtip and smacked straight into it.

            Taking a minute to collect herself, Avery straightened out and took a deep breath. She looked down at her radar, trying to figure out which hostile she should go after next. Of the twelve that first ambushed them, only seven now remained, and ASH had seen to it that the transports weren’t going anywhere but the mountains below. One of the bandits was headed her way, but she seemed to have things under control, so Avery instead changed her heading toward the two MG-21s headed for Cutter.

            She readied her MLAAs, opting to fire off one at each of them while she still had some range between herself and the bandits. Both MG-21s split off in different directions at full speed, banking this way and that as they tried to evade the missiles headed straight for them. In the end, though, only one was able to survive, and once they had eyes on Avery, they sped toward her. An SAA shot off their left wing, as Avery’s RWR made her very aware of, and began hurtling through the sky as it found its target. Acting as fast as she could, Avery sent off the last of her MLAAs and went defensive, pushing through the weight of the g-forces as she tried to escape her pursuer’s lock. The MG-21 stayed its course, hoping to get a kill on its prey before the missile heading for them could find its target. Unfortunately for them, though, they underestimated the missile’s speed, and they, like all the others, found themselves engulfed in flames. With its host no longer painting the target, the SAA lost its mark and cruised absently into the mountains.

            Avery didn’t have long to celebrate her victory, though, as another MG-21 found itself behind her. Tracers flew by her cockpit, leaving her with little time to think or react. She jinked instinctively, avoiding any hits by the slimmest of margins. No matter what moves she made, though, the bandit stayed glued to her tail. They tried firing off their last STDM, but more flares from the F/C-16 deterred it with ease. Avery looked down at her radar. Another bandit was heading her way, so she needed to deal with this one and fast. Seeing an opportunity present itself as the pursuer whiffed its last missile, she acted as fast as she could. She quickly lowered her flaps and went into an aileron roll. Her plane gracefully spun over and around the MG-21 as she bled off more and more speed. Once she was far enough behind, she straightened her plane back out and raised the flaps, readying her last STDM.

            “Alright, one shot. Gotta make it count,” she murmured to herself as she fixed her pipper to the bandit.

            The Fox 2 left her right wingtip, leaving her bingo Remington as the heater picked up speed. It pulled to the right along with the plane it was chasing, getting closer and closer until it finally made contact with the flares that the bandit dropped as it continued flying unscathed. Avery glanced down at her radar again. The second MG-21 was getting closer, leaving her with two choices; go for guns and risk getting shot down on her first sortie, or break off and regroup with one of the others. As she pushed the throttle all the way forward, she decided to go for option one. She expected 500 rounds on her gun to be more than enough, but with one burst of gunfire after another resulting in not a single hit, she found herself down to 120 rounds. Fortunately for her, though, she was about to get the best shot she could ask for, and she took it, holding down on the trigger until the MG-21 was sent spiraling down with no control to speak of.

            The second bandit had already fired an STDM, and Avery turned up to meet them head-on, deploying flares along the way. She looked down at her HUD- only ten rounds left. As the very real possibility of her own demise began to seem more and more likely, she felt the panic creeping up her throat as it tried to manifest itself as a cry for help. Nothing came out, though, and her fight or flight instincts decided to go down fighting. She quickly spent the last of her ammo which, as she suspected, missed entirely. Another STDM loosed itself from the bandit’s wings, and Avery climbed higher and higher, using the last of her flares to evade it. She looked over her shoulder at the MG-21 as it came in close for guns but almost jumped in her seat when she saw a missile crash into it. She looked around frantically to see ASH coming up behind her and forming up on her wing now that the last bandit had been destroyed.

            Avery tried to speak- give some semblance of gratitude to the woman that saved her life, but the fear she felt still left her speechless. Instead, her wingmen spoke up. “Holy shit! Did Glade really just make ace on her first sortie?!” Babble asked in disbelief.

            Padlock chuckled. “Damn, Babble. You got totally played.”

            Locksmith 4 scoffed. “Boy, I’ll say. Can’t believe I got served by the girl who’s been in the squadron for less than half a day.”

            “It’s no small feat,” Cutter agreed. “And it deserves to be celebrated appropriately. We’ll have to do that once we get back.” The other F/C-16s regrouped with him as they turned back toward Presidia. “Just a shame that the Major’s gonna miss out on it.”

            Avery took hard, deep breaths, moving as much oxygen through her body as possible, and when that didn’t work, she pulled off her mask, sucking more air in directly through her mouth. Slowly but surely, she managed to steady her nerves and cool her blood. She was still alive, and that was all that mattered.

Chapter Text

            Commander Grayson let out a heavy sigh as he sunk into his chair. “Well, the intercept was a success, but we’re left with more questions than answers.” He stared idly at his screen, finger drumming along his desk. “For a flight of smugglers to be protected by so many mercenaries… it just doesn’t add up. I’ll have to make some calls. It looks like I’ve got a busy few days ahead of me, but as for you, Locksmith Squadron, good work out there. Go get some rest. Dismissed.”

             Without another word, the five pilots made their way out of the briefing room, leaving Commander Grayson alone with his thoughts. Avery looked out the window, watching a golden hue blanket Presidia as the sun began its descent behind the ocean horizon. It was a sight that never got old to her, but she was even more glad to see it today. Her first day had been more eventful than she initially thought it might be, but now that it was gradually drawing to a close, she couldn’t help but think that she would come to enjoy her time here.

            “Well, Grayson was certainly right about one thing,” Cutter said, finally breaking the silence. “I think we all deserve some rest after all this action we’ve had.” He turned to face the newest member of the squadron. “Especially you. Those moves you pulled out there were really something. You’re bunking with ASH, so she can show you the way to your room. All your stuff should be there as well, so take some time to unwind. That goes for all of you,” he added, turning to face the others. “Rest assured, though, tonight we celebrate, so don’t rest for too long,” he said with a smirk spread across his face.

            Avery turned to ASH, who nodded and began making her way down the hallway. Neither of them spoke a word, but Avery felt as if she had a million things she needed to tell her new wingman. Except none of the words came out, so all she could do was follow along and watch her. ASH had a sort of quiet swagger to the way she carried herself- as if she wanted nobody but those immediately around her to think that she was as confident as she looked. Her eyes were locked forward- only looking in another direction when she rounded a corner- and her arms moved back and forth in a perfect rhythm, angled close enough to her body that they just barely avoided brushing against her swaying hips. Finally, she stopped in front of a door and opened it up. Avery followed her in to see a small room with a single bed on each side, a locker built into the wall across from both beds, and a tiny desk with a rickety metal folding chair at the foot of the beds.

            ASH stopped in the center of the room and turned around to face Avery again, arms outstretched. “Well, here it is. It ain’t much, but it’s home,” she said, sitting down on the bed to the right. “Your stuff is right over there. Although it looks like it shouldn’t take you too long to unpack.” She pointed to the two bags sitting in front of the locker.

            “Yeah, I travel light,” Avery replied as she kneeled down in front of her few belongings. She unzipped the first bag that had all of her clothes in it. “I don’t need a whole lot, so I don’t wanna bother lugging around huge suitcases when I don’t need to.” She pulled out one of her folded shirts and hung it up.

            “Heh. At least I won’t have to worry about you taking up all the space in here,” ASH joked, watching her new roommate as she unpacked. “I just hope you’re not a big snorer.”

            Avery laughed. “Well, I haven’t had any complaints yet.” She hung up the last of the clothes from her first bag before sliding it under the small gap between her bed and the floor. She unzipped her second bag and looked inside. It was heavier than the first even though it was only half as full. All it had was a laptop, a few framed photos, and a sealed letter. It took just a few moments to set it all up on her desk. “There we go,” Avery said, stepping back to admire her handywork. “Looks like home already. It’s got that kind of… charm to it, I guess.”

            ASH nodded. “Few years down the line, it’ll start to feel more like home than your actual home.”

            The smile on Avery’s face slowly dissipated as she sat down on her bed across from ASH. “Provided I live that long. Hell, I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for you,” she pointed out, doing her hardest to avoid looking the other woman in the eye. “Seeing that bandit getting closer- being totally powerless to do anything- it was uh… it was scary, to say the least, so… thank you, truly.”

            Avery finally looked up at ASH, and to her surprise she was smiling. It wasn’t a smile that came off as smug or teasing. It was just a genuine, reassuring smile- a beautiful smile, even. “That’s what wingmen are for, isn’t it?” she asked as she stood up and walked over to Avery. “As long as we’re in the same squad, you can count on me keeping you safe,” she promised.

            The two of them shared a brief hug, and Avery felt her anxieties vanish. It was completely unexpected, but nice. “Thanks, ASH,” she finally said as they broke off.

            ASH waved her hand dismissively. “Ah, you can just call me Amber. After all, we’re roomies. Speaking of which, I think that means it falls to me to give you the grand tour around here, so I won’t I show you around and then we can find the others?”

            The two pilots then got up and began making their way around the base. ASH explained everything as they walked, and things gradually began to make more and more sense for Avery. The dots started connecting, and she started feeling like she could actually get around the base on her own. After all, the general layout of the place was easy enough to memorize. All it took for her was to remember one important thing in a general area, and then to think about what all was around it. It was a strategy that had served her well in the past and seemed to be keeping up that track record. Finally, though, she and ASH found their way back to the rec room they had met in just a few hours prior. Cutter, Pad, and Babble were already there, gathered at one of the bigger tables near the center of the room.

            “Heh, ‘bout time you two showed up. We’ve been waiting,” Pad teased them as the two women joined the group. “Hard to have a celebration without the one we’re celebrating for.”

            ASH rolled her eyes with a smirk and took a seat. “Yeah, yeah. For your information, I was giving her The Tour.” She put airquotes around the tour as if it was some big event.

            “This place honestly looked a lot more confusing from the window of the transport plane as I was coming in,” Avery said as she followed ASH’s lead and took a seat.

            Cutter smiled. “Well, not only are you one of us, now, but you’re officially an ace- congrats, kid.”

            “Gotta admit, that was some pretty good flying you did up there for someone just out of the Academy,” Babble said, looking at Avery from across the table. “You were really something.”

            Avery shook her head. “Oh, no, I was never that good during any of the exercises at the Academy. It must’ve either been the adrenaline from being in combat for the first time or just plain good luck,” she dismissed the compliment.

            Cutter shrugged. “Luck or not, five kills is five kills, and that warrants a celebration,” he pointed out. At the center of the table there was five shot glasses and a bottle of beer- Avery wasn’t knowledgeable enough on alcohol to know what specifically it was. Screwing off the cap, he filled up each glass, passing each of them off to one of the pilots before picking up the last one and raising it high. “Here’s to Glade, the newest ace of the Federation Air Force!”

            Everyone raised their glasses and a there was a slight clink as they came together. “Hear, hear!” the others cheered before taking a drink.

            Avery looked down at the small glass, swirling around the alcohol inside. However, it didn’t take long for Pad to notice. “You not a fan of scotch?” he asked. Think we’ve got some bourbon or tequila if that’s more up your alley.”

            Avery shrugged, not taking her eyes off the shot glass. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never really had any kind of beer.”

            A mischievous grin spread like a plague onto the face of every pilot sitting around her. “Well, c’mon then. No better time to find out what it tastes like,” Babble insisted.

            “Alright, alright- as long as it gets you all off my back,” she joked, looking once more at the glass in her hands. “Here goes nothing, I guess.” She put the glass to her lips and gulped the liquid down. Almost immediately, though, she found herself ready to gag. Her reflexes went to work before she even had time to process what it even tasted like and blocked the scotch from going down her throat.

            Everyone laughed at her reaction. ASH reached over for a small trash bin and picked it up. “Here,” she offered, holding it in front of Avery, who wasted no time in spitting the drink out.

           Avery took a few deep breaths before resting her head on the table. “How the hell do you guys drink that shit?” she asked.

            “With difficulty,” Cutter admitted. “I’m not as good at holding my liquor as I was a few years ago.”

            Avery set the now empty glass down and pushed it away toward the center of the table. “I’m still just trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. I mean, I never would’ve thought that I’d see actual combat on my first day here- nevermind getting five kills in a single sortie.”

            Suddenly, a deep voice spoke up behind Avery in a surprisingly pleasant tone. “Really? Seems I’ve missed quite a lot.”

            Avery whipped around in her chair to see a tall, older man standing above her. “I, uh… hi?” she said, unable to really say anything else.

            “Well, well, well, look at who’s back early,” Cutter said, gesturing to the man. “Glade, this here is Major Mitchell Ryan, callsign Shepherd- CO of Locksmith Squadron.” Cutter turned his attention from Avery to Shepherd. “I thought you weren’t getting back ‘till tomorrow?”

           Shepherd shrugged. “Got lucky, I guess. There was an open seat on a flight leaving today, so they offered it to me. I just got here a few minutes ago,” he explained before returning his attention to the newest member of the squadron. “So, you’re Lieutenant Finch, then?”

            Avery nodded. “Yes, sir- callsign is Glade.” She felt like she should be saying more. After all, this was going to be her boss. Despite that, though, nothing else came to mind, and she just sad there looking up at him awkwardly.

          Shepherd was unphased by this, though. He simply looked down at her with a warm smile. “Pleasure to meet you, kid. Grayson told me about that little scuffle you had with the mercs at Fresnon- weird stuff. Probably the first time I’ve ever heard of smugglers having a fighter escort.”

            “They must’ve really wanted whatever it is they were smuggling to get where it was going,” Pad speculated. “Especially if they had that many fighters.”

            “Well, no point in worrying about it,” Shepherd decided. “Grayson’ll get to the bottom of things like he always does. What I’m more interested about is hearing about the details from the sortie today- especially from our new ace,” he said as he pulled up a chair to sit with the others.

            Babble took the lead in explaining everything- to nobody’s surprise- and even used her hands as a diagram of sorts to explain the maneuvers everyone was performing. Before she even realized it, Avery had jumped in and began explaining everything she had done during the mission. Shepherd listened on curiously and intently, along with the others, and Avery couldn’t help but smile as she continued talking. As her first official day in the Federation Air Force drew to a close, she thought about how it went better than she could’ve possibly expected it to have gone, and it was mostly thanks to the men and women that were part of her squadron. She could already tell that she was going to get along with everyone just fine.

Chapter Text

            Shepard looked down at Avery and Babble, eyes practically narrowed into slits. “So… you two understand your mission?”

            Both women nodded. “Yes, sir- rest assured, you can count on us,” Babble assured the CO.

            “Not just me. The entirety of the Federation Military in Presidia is counting on you two,” Shepard reminded them. “Are you sure you’re up to the task? There’s no shame in backing out now.”

            “These are the kind of missions we trained for. It’s as good as done,” Avery said.

            Shepard nodded solemnly. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather wallet. The crisp sound of bills folding on themselves hit Avery’s ears as Shepard pulled out three one-hundred bills. “Then get going, and don’t come back until you have enough fireworks to wow the whole base,” he said as he handed Babble the money. The corners of his mouth finally curled into a smirk as he nodded at them. “Dismissed.”

            Avery followed Babble to her car, and once they were in, they began driving down the road. Before long, they were out of the base and on the highway, driving into the city. Having lived downtown for most of her life, Avery was still getting used to looking at Presidia from so far away. It was only from a distance that she could appreciate just how tall some of the buildings were. She leaned her head against the window, watching the city stand tall as the landscape passed by. For a moment, Avery was so engrossed in the view that she didn’t even notice that Babble was trying to get her attention.

            “Huh? What’s up?” she asked, leaning away from the window and looking at the driver.

            Babble rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face. “I said have you ever seen the Air Force celebrate New Year’s Eve before?”

            Avery shook her head. “I’ve never actually celebrated New Year’s Eve at all. It just never really mattered that much to me,” she admitted.

            “Really?” Babble asked, looking her with an almost confused expression before a smirk settled on her face. “Then you’re in for one helluva surprise. Nobody does New Year’s quite like we do. And you’ll start seeing what I mean when you see the kind of fireworks we’re getting.”

            “Who exactly are we buying these from, anyway?”

            “He’s an ex-military guy. He used to be an explosives specialist until a few years ago when he quit the Army and started up a pyrotechnics place downtown. We’ve been buying fireworks from him since he opened up- he even gives us a sweet discount for being active service. He’s a cool guy,” Babble explained as she began to veer off the highway and onto the exit leading into the city.

            Avery looked around at the sidewalks as they passed by. The only movement to be seen was trash tumbling through the winter breeze. “Sure seems quiet today- especially for New Year’s Eve,” she observed. “I guess things have really changed since I left for flight school.”

            “No, something’s definitely off here,” Babble replied as she pulled into a roundabout and came out the other side. “Not sure if there’s some event going on but it’s never this quiet.” She shrugged as she pulled into a parking space on the side of the street. “Oh well, guess it just means less traffic for us on the drive back.”

            Avery stepped out of the car and followed Babble into a small store that was part of a much larger building. A sign that read “Carson’s Pyrotechnics” hung above the door, hand-painted in bolded orange letters against a white background covered with fireworks. As the two pilots stepped inside, the door hit triggered a bell to ring out through the store, immediately attracting the attention of the man at the counter.

            “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Carrie, and who’s this with you?” he asked in a jovial voice- far more so than Avery expected from the way Babble described him.

            Babble put a hand on Avery’s shoulder. “This here is Locksmith Squadron’s newest pilot: Avery Finch.” She closed the remaining distance between herself and the counter and leaned up against it. “And I think you know why we’re here.”

            Carson rubbed the back of his neck as he tried his hardest to avoid eye contact with her. “Er… about that. If I had known that it was gonna be as busy as it was today, I absolutely would’ve tried to hold onto some for you, but as it stands… I’m completely out of fireworks.”

            Avery shared a confused look with Babble before they both looked back to him. “Seriously? Surely it can’t have been that busy.”

            “I was surprised by it myself,” Carson admitted. “Truth be told, I think that was the busiest it’s ever been in here.”

            Babble drummed her fingers against the counter as she looked at him with something of a scowl on her face. “Do you at least know where we could get some fireworks?”

            Carson shrugged. “This late in the day? I honestly don’t have a clue. I’m sorry I can’t be more of a help, but I guess that’s just how it goes.”

            In the week Avery had been part of the squadron, she’d gotten to know Babble well enough to tell when she was about to go off on a tirade, so she quickly grabbed her arm, and started pulling her away. “Thanks anyway, Carson. It was nice to meet you!” she called back as she and Babble left the shop.

            “Well, that pretty much screws everything up,” Babble said as she got into the car and slammed her door shut. “I’m sure Shepard’s gonna be absolutely thrilled when we come back empty-handed- unless you happen to have any bright ideas on where we can get some fireworks.”

            Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Avery’s mind. It had been years since she’d even seen him- let alone solicited his services, but it was worth a try. “As a matter of fact, I think I just might. Take us to Woodview. I’ll give you directions from there.”

            “Woodview?” Babble echoed. “You do realize we’re gonna need some actual, legitimate fireworks, right- not the kind you find at a general store? How are we supposed to find those in the suburbs?” she asked as she started driving.

            “Trust me, we’ll get ‘em,” Avery assured her. “Growing up, there was this kid in the neighborhood- name was Jimmy- and he was always the one you went to whenever you were trying to get stuff,” she explained, looking out the window as the storefronts passed by. “His parents were… actually, I don’t really remember what they did for a living, but that’s how he got his hands on so much stuff.”

            “And you think he’s gonna be able to get us some fireworks?” Babble asked.

            Avery scoffed. “Oh, without a doubt. He’s definitely gotten weirder for other people,” she assured her. “Trust me, if anyone in this city is gonna have fireworks, it’ll be him.”

            Babble turned around a corner and suddenly stopped the car. “That’s if we can get to him.” She let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back against her seat. “God dammit, this is just what we needed.”

            Avery looked ahead and instantly saw what the problem was. The way ahead was entirely blocked by thousands of people standing in the street. Most of them were holding signs that she was too far away to read, and they seemed to be yelling at a sizable group of armed Federation soldiers that were blocking their path.

            “These protestors need to stop making everything so goddamn difficult,” Babble groaned as her fingers drummed against the steering wheel. “I mean, they can’t seriously think that they’re actually accomplishing anything here, can they?”

            Avery’s gaze shifted between the protestors and Babble. “What are they protesting, exactly?”

            “Us- the Federation. They keep talking about how all of a sudden we’re using Cascadian resources to “forcefully expand our empire” or some bullshit- even though we haven’t even had a military intervention somewhere since Oceania, which I think everyone can agree was necessary.” Babble leaned forward and swung the car around in a U-turn to start driving away from the protestors. “Well, looks like we’re out of options.”

            Avery, on the other hand, wasn’t about to give in so easily. “Not yet, we aren’t. I know a back way to get to Woodview. It’s a bit longer of a drive, but It’ll get us there,” she promised.

            Sure enough, Avery’s route took them around the protestors without any issue, and before they knew it, they had made it to the neighborhood she grew up in. She couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of pride as she helped Babble navigate through the streets that she once played in. The feeling she got when she made a difference- that feeling of belonging- filled her with pride.

            Finally, they pulled over on the side of the street in front of one of the bigger houses on the block. It looked like it had barely aged a day since Avery last saw it. She looked over her shoulder at Babble as the two got out of the car. “Just follow my lead, and those fireworks will be as good as ours.” She led Babble down the paved pathway through the front yard and stepped onto the front porch, taking a deep breath in and out before ringing the doorbell.

            About twenty seconds passed, and Avery was about to press it again when she heard footsteps on the other side of the door. A moment later, it swung open, and the face she couldn’t forget if she tried stepped out. “Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is that none other than Avery Finch on my doorstep?” Jimmy asked, grinning from ear to ear. “Man, how long has it been.”

            “Gotta be close to about six years now- at least,” Avery guessed, pausing to get a good look at him. Unlike the house he lived in, he had most definitely aged since she last saw him, but it seemed to be for the best. “You look good. How you been?”

            Jimmy shrugged. “Oh, you know, same-old, same-old. To be honest, not much has really changed since high school.”

            “Well, you know what? I think that actually works out rather well, because I’ve come to er… enlist your services, if you catch my drift.”

            Jimmy looked at her with a grin. “Is that right? Well, it certainly has been a while since you’ve done that. And just what might I be able to help you with this time, hm?” he asked.

            “We need your help getting fireworks- proper fireworks,” Avery explained. She turned to Babble and nodded, signaling her to pull out the money Shepard had given them and hand it to her. “As big and as many as you can give me for this kinda money.”

            “Y’know what, Avery? I think you’re in luck. With Unification Day right around the corner, I actually happen to have some fireworks right here at home. Give me just a minute.” He turned around and left into his house, leaving Avery and Babble standing on the porch until he returned about a minute later with a fairly large box of fireworks. “How’s that for you?”

            Avery smiled. “It’s perfect. We’ll take it,” she said, handing him the money and taking the box from him. “It was a pleasure doing business with you again, Jimmy.”

            “Likewise, Avery,” Jimmy replied with a single nod. “It was good to see you, and I wish you the best of luck.”

            As the two women went back to Babble’s car, Avery set the fireworks securely in the trunk before getting back in. “See? I told you we’d get it sorted,” she told Babble with a cocky grin.

            Babble rolled her eyes as she started the car. “Gotta admit, I’m impressed, Glade. It’s a good thing you grew up here or else we woulda been screwed, and trust me, you don’t wanna see Shepard when he’s mad. It’s not a pleasant sight.”

            “In that case, we should probably get a move on and head back,” Avery suggested. “After all, we wouldn’t wanna be late with the fireworks.”

            “I couldn’t agree more,” Babble replied before turning back onto the road and beginning the long drive back to the air base.

            “Well, you two certainly took your sweet time,” Shepard said, half-teasing as Avery and Babble stepped out of the car. “I was just about to call and see where you’d gone off to.”

            “Hey, it’s not our fault!” Babble protested as she pulled the fireworks out from the car. “Blame Carson for not planning ahead and running out of fireworks by the time we got there. We woulda been shit outta luck if not for Glade.”

            Shepard looked toward Avery with curiosity. “How’s that?”

            Avery nonchalantly waved her hand. “Oh, it was nothing. Just had a feeling an old friend of mine would be able to help us out, and he did.”

            “Well, it paid off, so I’d say it’s a win-win.” Shepard nodded to a pair of what looked to be mechanics walking up to them, who promptly grabbed the box of fireworks and hauled it off. “The boys’ll get everything set up. In the meantime, we’re missing out on dinner, so let’s get down to the mess.”

            “Heh, you don’t gotta tell me twice, sir,” Babble assured him, already leading the way.

            “I just wish we could’ve gotten here earlier,” Avery said as she followed both of them through the main building. “Although, to be fair, we probably would’ve if not for that protest that made us take the long way.”

            “Another protest?” Shepard asked before shaking his head. “Feels like they’ve just been getting more and more frequent lately. I just wish we could sort this out together instead of yelling at each other all the time, and it doesn’t help that a bunch of Cascadian nationalists keep getting more and more violent.”

            “Well, we can worry about that some other time- a time when we’re not celebrating,” Babble decided as the three pilots entered the mess hall.

            It didn’t take more than a few moments for the other pilots to notice them through the crowd and call them over. “Hey, Glade, c’mere! I’ve got something for you,” Pad called out, holding a bottle of wine.

            Avery rolled her eyes, already knowing what was about to happen. “Oh, Dust Mother, not again. You really think this is gonna end up any different from the last time?”

            “No, no, no, trust me, this’ll be better for you,” Pad assured her, turning around to the table and pouring into a wine glass. “This is a sweet red. I think it’ll be much better for you.”

            “Well, I suppose I don’ t really have much of a choice here,” Avery groaned, picking up the glass and looking at the wine swirling around. “Here goes nothing.” She put the rim of the glass to her lips and slowly tilted it back until just a few drops landed on her tongue, which she instantly regretted. She coughed profusely, putting the wine glass back down and putting as much distance between it and herself as possible. “How is that worse than the first one?”

            “Seriously?” Babble asked in disbelief. “I swear, Glade, one of these days, I’m gonna find you an alcohol that you enjoy drinking, mark my words,” she promised, wrapping her arm around Avery’s shoulder.

            ASH scoffed. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

            Avery was about to reply one a voice echoed through the room. “Hey! Someone turn on the TVs, quick!” they called out.

            A few moments later, the two TVs on opposite sides of the mess hall came on, both showing a news reporter sitting at a desk. “-this horrible tragedy. At least six people are dead and a dozen more injured after a group of Federation soldiers fired into a crowd of protestors just moments ago,” the reporter said. The screens switched to a feed from a helicopter hovering over downtown, where the light from EMS sirens lit up the night. “According to initial reports, the protestors were becoming increasingly hostile with the Federation soldiers sent to keep a handle on the situation- even going as far as to throw rocks at them. Suddenly, they all heard a loud sound, and, thinking it to be gunfire aimed at them, opened fire at the protestors. We’ll keep you all informed on this situation as it develops.”

            “Oh shit,” Cutter murmured.

            The news went to a commercial brake, which was barely audible as the mess hall exploded into chaos. Arguments broke out between the National Guard and the Federation soldiers, none of them fully audible to Avery, but that hardly mattered because she knew what the rest of Locksmith Squadron, and surely everyone else on the base, knew; which was that things were about to get a lot more complicated, and more importantly, dangerous.

Chapter Text

            “Locksmith Squadron, you’re up for the CAP flight,” Grayson informed the squadron as they stood in front of him. “You all know the drill, and the route, so I expect you all to be back here promptly.”

            “Er, sir, with all due respect, are you sure it’s wise to send fighters up when the situation is as rocky as it is?” Shepard asked. “I mean, it’s been nonstop riots ever since New Years. You’ve even got a good amount of people saying that Cascadia should leave the Federation outright.”

            “The delicate nature of the situation is exactly why we need to display a message that the Federation is standing strong despite the difficulties we face,” Grayson told the Major in a strong and commanding voice. “Besides, with all the calls for separation from the Federation, the fact that it’s Unification Day is bound to make things worse. We need to be alert and on our guard as much as possible. Am I clear?”

            Shepard nodded and gave the Commander a salute. “Yes, sir. Don’t worry, we’ll do everything we can to keep a lid on the situation.”

            Once the squadron started walking, and Grayson was out of earshot, Babble was the first to speak. “How exactly does he expect us to ‘manage’ anything from about twenty-five hundred meters in the air- or at all, for that matter? I don’t know if he realizes it, but fighter jets aren’t exactly the greatest tool for de-escalation.”

            “At the end of the day, it’s just sticky situation all around; better to have us in the air and not need us than to need us in the air and being stuck on the ground,” Cutter pointed out, walking backwards beside Shepard to face the rest of the squadron as they made their way to the hangar.

            “Still, it just feels… off- like I’ve got a bad feeling about the whole thing,” Babble replied.

            Shepard chuckled, still looking straight ahead as they walked into the hangar. “You’d be crazy if you didn’t. After everything that’s happened, it feels like things are reaching a breaking point- just a matter of when its gonna happen.”

            “Whaddyou think, Glade?” ASH asked her wingman, finally breaking the trance Avery had unwittingly slipped into. “Feels like you’ve been awfully quiet since the New Years Shooting.”

            Avery fumbled over her words for a moment, struggling to put the thoughts she had into a rational thought. Eventually, though, she just shrugged. “I honestly have no idea,” she admitted as the squadron approached their planes. “I mean… what am I supposed to think? I’m Cascadian, so surely, I should be pissed off at the Federation, but I’m also a Federation pilot, so shouldn’t I also be frustrated at the Cascadians? It just… it feels like I don’t really know anything- like the gears in my brain are all gunked up.”

            To her surprise, Shepard had paused his own preparations for takeoff and stood next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder that made her jump. “You’re in a position that few people should ever find themselves in- stuck between a raging volcano and a hellish inferno.  But I know that you’ll make it through the other end of this crucible, and you’ll be a changed person when you do.”

            Avery looked at him with an eyebrow cocked up. “That’s some uh… weirdly profound advice, sir.” What else was she supposed to say? How was anyone supposed to respond to that kind of insight?

            Shepard smirked, giving her shoulder one last tap before he returned to his plane. “Gotta keep an eye on my flock, don’t I?” he asked over his shoulder as he climbed up into his cockpit. “Now let’s get a move on,” he ordered in a far more serious tone, raising his voice to reach the rest of the squadron.

            Avery finished the last of her preparations and climbed up the ladder into her F/C-16. Each switch to flick and knob to turn can instinctively to her by now- as natural as putting one foot in front of the other. As her engine roared to life, she lowered the canopy around herself and fastened the oxygen mask on her helmet over her mouth, pulling air in through her nose and out through her mouth- as if to double check that she could still breathe.

            “Locksmith 1, ready for takeoff. All callsigns, confirm,” Shepard announced over the radio.

            “Locksmith 2, ready.’’

            “Locksmith 3, ready.”

            “Locksmith 4, good to go.”

            “Locksmith 5, all set.”

            Avery’s heart was pounding, but she couldn’t for the life of herself figure out why. She didn’t like it, but she sounded off nonetheless. “Locksmith 6, standing by.”

            “Tower, Locksmith Squadron is ready for takeoff- requesting clearance on Runway 2-1,” Shepard sounded off.

            “Copy, Locksmith, 2-1 is yours- cleared for takeoff,” Tower replied.

            That was all the confirmation they needed. As soon as the main doors to the hangar opened, the six Vipers began rolling down the taxiway. One by one, they stopped at the edge of the runway before speeding off into the air- each pilot following the one before them as they assumed their formation. Avery looked down at Presidia as they got higher and farther away before turning to fly overhead. It looked so small that she could’ve held the city in her hands. From up here, there was no border between Cascadia and the Federation. There was just Presidia in all its majesty.

            It doesn’t last for long, though.

            “Command to Sable, we’ve got reports of hostilities over at the Federation Embassy,” Grayson reported, his authoritative tone coming over the radio crystal clear. “Investigate and see if you can’t get a handle on things.”

            “Sable 1 Actual, roger. We’ll go check it out,” came the reply, sounding both bored and downright annoyed.

            “That doesn’t sound good,” Pad commented as the six fighters flew over downtown Presidia.

            Shepard let out a sigh that was heavy with… something- uncertainty, maybe? After a brief pause, the flight lead spoke. “It’ll be fine. As long as our boys on the ground get there in time to keep a lid on things, we shouldn’t have anything to worry about,” he reassured the squadron, keeping up his usual tough and stoic demeaner- even through nothing but his voice.

            “Nickel 2-4 to Command, the rioting is just getting more and more violent- and we’re starting to see people showing up in milspec gear- possibly partisans,” another of the ground units reported. “Please advise, over.”

            “Keep weapons safe 2-4. If we’re in the headlines again because another of our boys got trigger-happy, then it’s over for us. Stick to the ROE,” Grayson ordered.

            “Somethin’s not right here. I don’t like this,” Cutter said with an edge to his voice that Avery had never once heard before.

            Then, as if on cue, the radio exploded to life once more, with the crackle of gunfire in the background filling everyone’s ears. “Sable to Command, shots fired at the Embassy- repeat; shots fired at the Embassy! Requesting support!” came the desperate plea from the soldiers on the ground.

            Even from thousands of meters in the air, all of Locksmith Squadron heard it- the sound of the city exploding into gunfire and explosions. All of them tried to say something, but it all got caught in their throats. There was nothing that any of them could say in response to something like this.

            “Copy, Sable- wait one,” was Grayson’s immediate response before turning his attention to everyone else. “All callsigns- give me a SITREP, now!”

            “Nickel 2 Actual- we’re taking fire from- from… shit, we’re getting shot at from everywhere at this point! We’ve already got multiple casualties! What the hell’s going on?”

            “Locksmith 1, we can see firefights all over the city. What are our orders, Command?” Shepard asked, already turning to circle back around.

            Grayson was quick to work with what he had at his disposal. “Locksmith Squadron, stand by and await my orders. Nickel 2, fall back and regroup with Sable 1. All other available callsigns, get downtown ASAP and- damn!” The explosion in the background of the Commander’s radio was clear as day, and it only made everyone even more on edge.

            “Command!? What’s going on?” Shepard asked the question once more, but at this point, he just wanted a response to know that Grayson was still alive.

            At first, all the Federation soldiers were greeted to over the radio was the loudest silence any of them had ever heard, but finally, the sound of crackled gunfire cut in over the radio once more- this time coming from Grayson’s position. “This is Command to all Federation forces in Cascadia: green-on-blue; repeat, green-on-blue! All Cascadian Guard forces are hereby considered hostile. You’re cleared to engage!”

            Avery felt her head start to spin. This couldn’t be happening. Surely, this wasn’t real… right? Her own country- her home- was fighting against the order that she had known all her life- the order that had pulled her up from nothing. How was she supposed to pick between the two? The dilemma made her head spin. Little did she know, however, that the answer was about to reveal itself.

            “Locksmith Squadron, we need you back at the Air Base, now! It’s a shitshow over here and we need control of the runways. Hurry up,” Grayson ordered.

            “Are you serious!?” Babble demanded. “What about all of the boots on the ground that need our help right here? We can’t just-“

            It happened in an instant. One moment, Babble was there, flying just in front of and to the left Avery. The next, an explosion occupied the space where her plane just was, leaving Avery’s ears ringing, and the remains of Babble’s F/C-16 falling down into the city below, crumpling apart as the flames of the explosion chewed through the weakened metal. Avery couldn’t help but watch it fall the whole way down, and it was only when the wreckage hit the ground that it finally set in for her: Babble was dead.

            “Dammit! Locksmith 4, lost!” Shepard cursed, already breaking away and dropping flares. “They’ve got MANPADS below us. Everyone, evasive maneuvers, now!”

            Avery’s RWR lit up a moment later, and she turned defensive. Flares lit up the afternoon sky as she pulled hard to the right, making the missiles from below lose their track and hiss by, hitting nothing but empty space. More MANPADS came up from the city, which prompted more flares which prompted more misses. Each pilot’s head was rushing like a waterfall with different thoughts and worries, but above all else, there was but one signal that their brains kept fresh: survive.

            “Dammit, Command we can’t keep this up for much longer. We need support, now!” Cutter insisted as he narrowly avoided another missile.

            “Carrier aircraft from the Dejanus’s battlegroup are already inbound, but until they get here, you’ve got Cascadian fighters taking off,” Grayson warned them.

            Avery looked down at her radar, and sure enough, six air contacts- already flagged as hostiles- were headed right for them. She followed her squadron as they turned to meet the bandits head-on, but… but these were her countrymen. If she fought against them, then she’d be a traitor to her people, and that was wrong, wasn’t it? Her eyes squeezed shut, but all she could see was that one moment of Babble getting shot down, being replayed in her mind over and over again. Her mind was made up. She was no traitor. It was these extremists- these rebels- that were the traitors. Six SK.27s appeared on her HUD, and she sped up to intercept. The fight was on.

            As soon as she had tone, Avery unleashed an MLAA at the bandit just left of the flight lead, forcing them to move defensive. ASH and Padlock did the same, going after the two on the edges of the formation. Meanwhile, Shepard lit his burners to close the distance, and Cutter followed him in- both dropping flares as they went. Doing her best to steady her breathing, Avery kept her eyes on the one she fired at. Her missile went wide thanks to the chaff they dropped, but her quarry had to pull up higher to shake it. Her window was short, so she had to act fast. With the throttle pushed as far forward as it would go, Avery readied another MLAA and let it loose toward her target. More chaff spewed out from the Flanker, but thanks to the speed it lost after its first evasion, they didn’t have enough to make another, and the missile made contact as they were halfway through a turn. The first Cascadian blood had been drawn.

            “Garter Squadron, hurry up and get airborne, dammit!” Grayson ordered, his voice serving as nothing but background noise as the fighter pilots continued their dance above the capital. “Ground forces are reporting that Runway 1-6 should be clear enough to take off.”

            “Should?” echoed Garter’s flight lead. “Can’t say I like those odds, but we’ll do our best.”

            Avery’s RWR lit up once more, and a brief glance over her shoulder confirmed that the last bandit unaccounted for had crept up behind her and launched an STDM. Her hand reached for the countermeasures instantly, dumping flares as she turned hard, initially trying to circle around and face them down, but upon realizing that she didn’t have enough time, she yanked back on the stick and pulled up, lighting her burners as she went to keep from losing too much speed. The STDM sped past her canopy, leaving a trail of smoke behind it as the missile careened off into the sky. Tracers followed soon after, forcing Avery to jink one way and then another. Finally, she inverted and pulled hard. She could feel the g-forces pressing against her body from all sides, but she powered through until she evened back out and saw one of the Sk.27s on ASH’s tail just ahead. The growl of an eager STDM, waiting to be launched, came to life as she but her sights on the bandit, and after checking behind once more to make sure her own pursuer wasn’t too close, she got just close enough to fire. ASH’s tail was too busy chasing her down to realize in time, but by the time they did, it was too late. And once ASH realized it, she quickly pulled hard, angling herself at the gap between Avery and the Sk.27 behind her. A quick burst of gunfire later, and the third bandit was falling to the ground with smoke behind it.

            “Thanks, ASH,” Avery barely managed to say between deep breaths in and out to regain the air she’d lost from her lungs.

            “Don’t mention it,” her wingman replied, sounding equally exhausted.

            “Locksmith Squadron, this is Garter 1. We’re taking off and ready to assist,” the familiar voice of the pilot from earlier reported as a flight of four MG-29s lifted off from the Air Base. “How are you guys looking?”

            Avery looked around and quickly spotted Shepard passing by a burning Sk.27. After a sharp turn to the left, his last two MLAAs flew off the rails, arching through the sky and colliding into the last two bandits. “All bandits eliminated,” the Major reported.

            “I wouldn’t say that just yet,” Grayson warned. “The runways are ours- for the moment at least- but we’ve got hostile fighters coming the north and east- too many to handle. Shit… that’s it, I’m calling it.” A moment later, there was a brief ping over the main Federation comms before he spoke again. “This is Regional HQ to all Federation forces in Cascadia. I’m ordering a tactical withdrawal effective immediately. If you’re able, fall back to Prospero. Local forces are reporting that they’ve secured the city, but do not- under any circumstances- return to Presidia. Godspeed.”

            Avery looked down at her radar, and sure enough countless hostile contacts were headed straight for them. She didn’t bother counting, but there had to be at least two dozen. Before she could say anything, though, Cutter beat her to the punch. “Holy shit. Where are all these guys even coming from? We definitely don’t have the ammo to take them all on.”

            “Agreed, I’m down to just my two heaters,” Pad chimed in. “We need to get out of here, now.”

            “We’re loading everyone and everything we can into the transports. We just need a minute or two more,” Grayson insisted.

            “Leave that to us,” Garter 1 replied as he led the MG-29s toward the onslaught of hostile fighters. “We’ll keep them busy. Locksmith Squadron, get those transports out of here! If any of us make it out, we’ll meet you at Prospero.”

            “What?!” Shepard demanded. “You guys are outnumbered at least five to one. You can’t possibly-“

            “GO!”

            As the C/T-17s lifted into the air, Locksmith Squadron was left with no choice but to turn around and follow them as they withdrew from the city. Avery looked over her shoulder, watching her home get smaller and smaller away as she ran away. She felt so damn full of hatred, but she couldn’t tell if it was for herself, or her countrymen. Honestly, she wasn’t sure which answer she hated more. One thing she did know, however, was that things were about to change- drastically. And when Cascadia came out the other end of this crucible, it was never going to be the same again.

Chapter Text

            By the time Locksmith Squadron had arrived at Prospero, the sun began creeping behind the horizon, casting an orange hue over the city. A handful of other flights joined them along the way, so by the time they arrived, they had at just shy of two dozen fighters with them, and they weren’t alone, by the look of things.

            “This is Prospero AFB to approaching Federation aircraft, identify yourselves,” came the order from ATC.

            Grayson was first to speak. “This is Commander Grayson aboard the transport plane Sundial 3. Escorting us is Locksmith Squadron, Azure Squadron, Blue Squadron, and Surfside Squadron. We’re looking to land.”

            “Affirmative- good to hear from you, Commander. Wait one.” After a brief pause, the ATC controller spoke again. “Right, Sundial, you’ll have to come in through Runway 2-8 to the north, but lucky for you, it’s all clear at the moment, so you can land immediately,” he explained, his voice keeping a single, thorough tone as he spoke. “As for the rest of you, wait one while we see what all we have for hangar space.”

            As the C/T-17 broke off from the formation, the remaining fighters began circling around the city. Avery looked down at the city as they flew and scowled. For a city that she’s been hearing about all her life, it was a lot smaller than she thought it would look. Not to mention the fact that she could never imagine living so close to a volcano- regardless of whether or not it was active. Above everything else, though, there was one thing in particular that stood out to her.

            “Uh… where are the runways? Or the base itself, for that matter?” she asked.

            Azure 1 chuckled. “The whole base is underground,” he replied. “The runways are in the port, so make sure you line yourself up right.”

            ATC spoke up again. “Alright. Azure, Surfside, and Blue, land on Runway 1-5 and finish filling up Hangar 6. Locksmith, land on Runway 1-2 and taxi to Hangar 7,” he ordered effortlessly.

            Avery followed her squadron as they finished circling the city and lined themselves up for a landing. Shepard and Cutter went down first, making a flawless landing before disappearing under the city. Padlock went down next, with ASH following close behind, leaving Avery to bring up the rear by herself. Maybe it was the exhaustion from being up in the air for several hours, maybe it was the stress from everything that had happened in a single day, or maybe it was just her experience, but as she came closer and closer to the runway, she felt her F/C-16 wobbling back and forth. For a brief moment, she debated pulling up and coming back around, but quickly decided that she was too close to abort now. Her front wheel hit the ground first, followed shortly afterward by the back left wheel, and after several moments spend with her heart in her mouth, fearing that the plane would roll over on the runway, the back right wheel made contact, allowing her to slow down enough to taxi into the hangar.

            Considering how many planes were being corralled into one little space, it was almost weird seeing Hangar 7 so empty. Save for the four planes of her wingmen, the only other things Avery could see was the equipment used by the ground crew, which was scattered about all over the place. Although, it mostly kept to the edges of the hangar, leaving her enough space to park alongside her squadron. As her engine gradually quieted down until it was silent, Avery took a deep breath in through her nose as soon as she removed her oxygen mask. The air felt heavier than it dead before- thicker with the weight of either more people, or a heavier burden; she was having a hard time deciding which one. The heavy sigh that fell off her lips was accompanied by a hiss from the aircraft as the canopy opened, allowing her to finally get out after what surely had to have been an eternity.

            As soon as Avery’s feet touched the ground, though, she immediately felt Padlock’s weight slam into her, pinning her against the plane as he grabbed the collar of her flight suit. “You’ve got some goddamn nerve, y’know that?!” he snarled.

            “Pad… Padlock what are you talking about?” she barely managed to wheeze out as she tried to regain the wind that had been knocked out of her.

            “Pad, what the hell are you doing? Get off her!” Cutter ordered, trying to pull him off with no success.

            Padlock ignored them, keeping his narrowed eyes fixed on Avery. “It wasn’t enough for all of you people to make things a living nightmare for us, but you had to start an insurrection, too? When’s it gonna be enough for you Cascadians, huh?”

            “Pad, take two goddamn seconds to think for once!” ASH snapped. “She’s here with us because she chose to fight with us. She killed her own countrymen for shit’s sake.”

            Pad finally whipped his head around to face ASH. “You don’t know that! For all we know, she could just be a spy.” He returned his steel gaze to Avery. “Gotta say, it’s mighty convenient that all this went down less than a month after you joined us. And now Babble is DEAD because of YOU!”

            Avery flinched at his words. Up until this point, she thought that the two of them had bonded enough that he might consider her a friend- apparently, she was wrong. It was then that she noticed the tears welling up in his eyes. For a moment, it felt like she was about to join him, but then Shepard’s voice echoed throughout the hangar.

            “That’s enough!” the Major barked, pulling Padlock off her with ease. “I understand that you’re angry- we all are. Everyone in this squadron is like family, and Babble was no exception. But there was nothing Glade could’ve done to save her- none of us could. It hurts like hell to say, and I’m sure it hurts just as much- if not more- to hear, but it’s the truth. Glade is one of us. She proved that today tenfold, so turn your venom toward the enemy rather than your wingman.”

            Padlock’s gaze shifted between Shepard and Avery, then it fell over Cutter and ASH. He looked almost like a frightened animal, backed into a corner by trappers. In the end, though, he said nothing- not out loud at least. He simply scowled and stormed off, not giving his squadron so much as a second glance as he disappeared into the bowels of the base.

            Shepard watched him leave and let out a heavy sigh as he turned to the newest member of the squadron. “Don’t worry, he’ll come around. He just needs time,” he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder that was firm yet gentle at the same time. “You did good today. I can’t imagine that it was easy for you, but you pulled through.”

            “It… wasn’t easy, sir,” Avery barely managed to squeak out. “In the moment, it felt like everything I knew just got shattered, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put the pieces back together.”

            “Once this is all over, you will. It may take you some time, but you will. And that’s because you made the right decision today. I’m proud of you.” He took a step back to look at the rest of the squadron. “Now, come on, let’s go find Grayson and see just what the hell is going on.”

            Avery didn’t think it was possible, but somehow, the layout of this base was even more confusing than Presidia’s. She kept a slight scowl to herself, thinking about how it was just her luck that as soon as she was getting the hang of things at the old base, she had to get whisked away to a new one. Fortunately, Shepard and Cutter had been here before, and could lead the way effortlessly. Although, it wasn’t very hard to guess where their destination was. All they had to do was follow the mob of people all heading in the same direction. Before long, Locksmith Squadron found themselves in a large open commons area- the only place on the base big enough to hold everyone that had gathered here in Prospero.

            Commander Grayson stood in the center of the room on a small podium, allowing everyone to see him. For a moment, he stood murmuring with a handful of officers nearby about something Avery was too far away to hear, but eventually, he grabbed hold of a microphone and stood up tall. “Attention everyone,” he began, his voice echoing throughout the whole base. After pausing briefly to adjust the microphone, he held it back up to his mouth. “Firstly, I’d just like to say that I’m glad that everyone here has made it to Prospero- especially those that came from Presidia.” He let out a sigh and his head hung low before he looked back up at the crowd. “I know things are rough right now. We’re still trying to piece together what exactly happened, but one thing is clear: we lost people today- good people- because of these rebels, but rest assured, I can speak confidently for the entire Federation when I say that they’re deaths will not go unpunished.”

            Cheers erupted throughout the commons area, but Avery didn’t join in. How could she? The longer this day dragged on, the more stuck she felt- stuck between Cascadia and the Federation. What in the name of the Dust Mother was she supposed to do? What was the right way forward?

            “Crystal Kingdom has already issued the order for all active-duty Federation Military members in the core states to be mobilized. Within the next few weeks, they’ll start arriving en masse,” Grayson continued, pacing back and forth and rotating around to catch the gaze of everyone in the room. “Until then, though, it’s up to us to keep the fight going- to honor the legacy of those that were killed by these rebels today. So all of you, rest up and prepare yourselves in any way you see fit for the fight to come. Starting tomorrow, we show these Cascadian rebels what the Federation stands for.”

            Once more, the room erupted into cheers, and gradually, people began to file out of the commons area, spreading out all over the base. For a brief moment, Avery could’ve sworn she recognized Padlock’s face in the crowd, not far from her and the rest of the squadron, but he was gone as soon as she saw him. However, she didn’t have long to dwell on it, as she quickly noticed that none other than Commander Grayson was approaching them.

            “Locksmith Squadron,” he greeted the pilots, dipping his head as they all instinctively saluted at him. “I wanted to thank you all again in your exemplary service today. Were it not for your flying and Garter Squadron’s sacrifice, countless more lives would’ve been lost today.”

            Shepard nodded in agreement. “We were simply doing our jobs, sir,” the flight lead replied, modest as ever.

            “Indeed.” The Commander’s gaze shifted from Shepard to Avery, making her hear skip a beat. “Lieutenant Finch, I’d like to speak with you alone, please.”

            Avery swallowed hard. “Uh, of course, sir. Lead the way.”

            She followed close behind the highest-ranking Federation officer in Cascadia as he led her through the commons area and into a long hallway. Her heart raced as her mind went through a myriad of possibilities as to what he could want to talk to her specifically about, but the longer they walked, the less likely they all seemed. Finally, he stopped and opened up a door, leading into a room that was nearly empty- save for a table with a chair on either side. Avery’s mind immediately made the connection to the kinds of interrogation rooms on cop shows, which didn’t help to settle her nerves at all.

            “Please, sit,” Grayson said, gesturing to the chair opposite to the one he began sitting down at. “This shouldn’t take long.”

            Avery nodded and sat face-to-face with Commander Grayson. The silence was unbearable. She had to say something. “So, er, what is about, sir?”

            “I have some questions to ask you, in the interest of preserving our operational and internal security. I’m sure you understand.”

            That’s what this was about? He was doubting her loyalty because she was born in Cascadia? After everything that she did for them, what right did they have to doubt she was anything but 100% loyal to the Federation? She could practically feel her blood boiling. It took all the willpower she could muster to simply say, “Of course, sir.”

            Grayson took out a small notepad and pencil from the inside of his uniform and set them down on the table. “Firstly, do you consider yourself to be a citizen of the Pacific Federation or Cascadia?”

            “The Federation,” she replied instantly. “Cascadia has been a member of the Federation since before I was born. It’s a partnership that’s benefited both parties for as long as I can remember. Calling myself a citizen solely of Cascadia would be the same as saying I’m a citizen solely of Presidia.”

            Grayson nodded, writing quickly as he spoke. “Why did you join the Federation Air Force over the Cascadian National Guard?” he asked, looking back up at her as he set his pencil back down.

            “Because I felt that it would give me the opportunity to help more people around the world, rather than just the people of Cascadia- not to mention the higher quality training and equipment.”

            “Right, just one more question, then: Are you willing to fight your own countrymen for the Federation?”

            “Absolutely,” she answered, speaking in a more confident tone than she realized she was capable of speaking in. She would prove to him- to everyone- that she was loyal. She was going to make damn sure that nobody doubt would doubt her allegiances. “The only future I see for Cascadia is one with the Federation. That’s how things have always been, and it’s how things have to be, and if that means fighting against extremists to preserve my homeland’s future, then that’s a price I’m willing to pay.

Chapter Text

            The collective mood of Prospero Air Base had changed overnight. The night before, everyone was dazed and confused- reeling from the attacks of the extremists. Now, though, the Federation personnel were ready to get back to work- downright eager, even- and give back to the rebels twice as bad as they got.

            Avery looked around the briefing room as just about every pilot on the base crammed themselves inside. She and her squadron were among the lucky ones that arrived early enough to get chairs. Everyone else was left packing themselves into any space big enough to fit them. Padlock chose to sit as far away from Avery as he could while still staying with his squadron, and despite her best efforts, he had yet to even give her a passing glance since yesterday. More than once already, she had debated being the one to initiate the conversation- after all, it had to get done eventually- but ultimately decided against it. She trusted that Shepard was right that Padlock would come around when he was ready to, so if he wanted time, then she’d give it to him- even if it meant enduring a little awkwardness for the time being.

            Suddenly, the door into the briefing room creaked open, and everyone turned to see Commander Grayson enter- accompanied by several other officers. “I apologize for being late, everyone. The call with Crystal Kingdom ran far longer than I hoped it would,” he said as he squeezed through the crowd until he reached the front of the room.

            One of the other officers set a laptop down on the podium at the front of the room and connected it to the screen. After a few effortless keystrokes, it powered on, showing the boot screen to the entire room. As soon as it was on, the officer logged in and brought up the briefing software. The desktop being displayed to the large screen was quickly replaced by a map of Cascadia and two flags off to the side: the flags of the Federation and Cascadia. The officer looked up at Grayson and nodded, giving the Commander a thumbs up.

            Grayson returned the nod and looked back out toward the crowd of pilots, steadily pacing back and forth along the front of the room. “Over the last few hours, we’ve gained invaluable intelligence about our situation, and believe it or not, we’ve even managed to formulate the beginnings of a plan.” He nodded to the officer at the laptop, who, in response, shaded Presidia and the surround area purple as opposed to the light blue that the rest of Cascadia was colored. “The fighting that erupted in Presidia yesterday was a carefully coordinated strike by a group of rebel extremists known that we now know as the Cascadian Independence Force. Despite being their primary target, however, Presidia wasn’t the only one. Contrary to what our previous intelligence suggested, the CIF appears to be a nationwide group as opposed to a small faction within the Presidian National Guard. This allowed them to coordinate attacks up and down Cascadia successfully take and hold several large regions up north.”

            Once more, Grayson and the officer shared a nod, and a moment later, three large blobs of purple appeared with a handful of blue spots inside them. It was certainly a disheartening amount of ground lost to these rebels, but to be honest, Avery thought there would be more. This was definitely doable.

            “Although they are the largest, consisting mostly of elements from the Cascadian National Guard, the CIF aren’t the only faction that are outwardly hostile toward us. Federation Intelligence has confirmed the existence of several smaller cells of resistance throughout the country. However, none of them are remotely close to the scale of the Independence Force. For the most part, these smaller groups are made up almost entirely of partisans and extremists, and luckily for us, there seems to be quite a bit of infighting between all of them, which we plan on using to our advantage.” He stopped at the middle of the room, turning around to face the screen. “Now, that takes care of the who and the where. That leaves the what and the how.”

            The map of Cascadia disappeared, and in its place was a screen showing images of all kinds of vehicles, ranging from tanks and APCs to fighter jets, transports, and even an air cruiser. The pictures were dubious in quality, but there was no mistaking the markings of the Cascadian National Guard on the jets.

            “As I said before, the Cascadian Independence Force is comprised primarily of elements from the National Guard,” Grayson continued as he resumed his pacing back and forth. “As such, we’ve already got a decent idea of what their force projection looks like. As a member state of the Federation, Cascadia was equipped largely by us for years. That means a lot of the hardware we’re going up against here is our own. However, the Cascadian Guard has always been secondary to our own forces, so at the end of the day, our equipment is going to be newer, better maintained, and more numerous than theirs. In other words, we have a sizable advantage over them. However, that may soon change. Ever since the fighting started, the rebels have been trying to broadcast propaganda out to the world- falsehoods and lies in a fleeting attempt to gain political and military support from around the world. Fortunately, we’ve been doing our best to combat this by utilizing the Solana Communications Array down south. Any signals not belonging to the Federation Military are blocked from going out of the country, leaving them alone with no allies or support of any kind- for now, at least. Intelligence agents in the periphery have reported seeing Cascadian diplomats going in person to search for allies, but for now, their efforts have yet to bear any fruit. As such, it’s vital that we press the attack now.”

            Grayson nodded to the officer, and the map of Cascadia returned with the same spots of blue and purple as before. He pulled a laser pointer out of one of the many pockets in his uniform, and after verifying that it was on, he turned his back to the crowd to face the screen.

            “The CIF managed to catch us off-guard with their opening blows, but the element of surprise will only take them so far. Their attacks have left them spread thin across the country, with most of their forces concentrating in three main areas- the largest of which being Presidia,” Grayson explained, pointing to each purple region as he talked. “Given its strategic location, as well as its immediate proximity to Prospero, I think it’s obvious that Presidia should be our primary target. Fortunately, our two top of the line battleships and their fleets were spared from the attacks, so they’ve had the chance to continually barrage the city. When the time comes to retake the city, they’ll move into the port and force them out. Until then, however, our focus needs to be on pushing the rebels back into Presidia. Because if they get a foothold this far south, then it’ll cause problems for us throughout the war. However, if we ignore their forces further north, then they’ll quickly outflank and surround us, so it’s crucial that we keep them on the defensive while keeping ourselves from spreading too thin. The bulk of our ground forces have already mobilized, and before long, they’ll be making contact with the enemy. As for you pilots, we’ll begin regular sorties starting tomorrow. There’ll be plenty to do, so make sure that you’re ready for what’s to come. Dismissed.”

            The room quickly exploded into chaos as the dozens of pilots cramped into a small room all rushed to get out as quickly as possible. However, the pilots of Locksmith Squadron remained seated. After all, it’s not like any of them were in a hurry to go anywhere. In fact, the opposite was true more than anything else. They had just a few hours left before they were about to be busier than they’d ever been before, and all of them wanted to make those hours count.

            A heavy sigh escaped Shepard’s lips. “Truth is always the first casualty of war, it seems,” he murmured softly.

            Avery looked over at him curiously, tilting her head slightly to the side. “What’s that, sir?”

            “Nothing, nothing,” the Major assured her, shaking his head. “I was just… remembering, is all. The way this is all playing out, it’s reminding me a bit of Oceania. The restlessness, the… uncertainty of it all. It’s like we’ve gone back to relive the same events again.”

            “You flew in Oceania?” ASH asked, joining in the conversation.

            Shepard nodded solemnly. “That I did. I had just finished my flight training before it all went down. I was hardly any older than you two when the bullets started flying.” His voice trailed off as memories he’d hoped to not think about again came rushing back. “With any luck, this’ll all be over before it has a chance to get that bad.”

            “Don’t you worry about a thing, boss. We may be in a bit of a rough spot right now, but we’ll pull through it,” Cutter assured his wingman, giving him a friendly nudge with his elbow. “Besides, last time around, you had to deal with some of the scariest mercenaries alive. Now we’ve just gotta deal with a few errant Guardsmen. It may not be easy, but we’ll come out on top in the end.”

            “I hope you’re right, Jackson,” Shepard said with a sigh. “Because quite frankly, I think I’m getting a bit too high up in years to deal with another Oceania.”

            Avery looked around, and upon seeing that the room had emptied out enough for them to leave, she stood up and stretched. “Hey, as long as we’ve got each other, we’ll make it through this just fine.”

            ASH immediately scoffed at the comment. “And here I was thinking that you couldn’t get much more cliché,” she teased her as she followed her lead and got to her feet.

            Slowly but surely, the squadron of pilots began making their way out of the briefing room and splitting off from each other. One by one, they all veered away as they all sought to spend their last few hours in a way that left them with as much satisfaction as they could get. Because all of them knew that their troubles were only just beginning. They may have survived the initial blows, but the Cascadian Independence Force wasn’t about to roll over for the Federation so easily- as much as Avery wished that they would. But there was nothing she could do about it now. Whether she wanted it to happen or not, the Federation and Cascadia were about to go to war, and starting tomorrow, the real work was only just beginning.

Chapter Text

            “Alright, Locksmith Squadron, you’re up, so listen close and listen good,” Grayson ordered as he booted up the briefing software. Once the map of Cascadia appeared on the screen, it gradually zoomed in on the northern region of Cascadia and centered on the Aleutian Islands. “During the initial attacks by the CIF, most of our forces were caught completely off-guard, especially in the north. We tried to pull them out as best we could, but amidst all the chaos and confusion, many of our units got cut off by the enemy. Unfortunately, we’ve since lost contact with most of them, but the ones we’re still communicating with have all rallied together in the Daner Valleys.”

            He selected the area with the software, and it zoomed in even further. A 3D display of the region appeared, and camera gradually circled around. The focus, however, was on a small group of friendly units with many hostiles to their north.

            “The rebels have, thus far, been relentless in their pursuit of ground forces, and now they’ve got them backed up against the sea. If we had the ships to spare, we’d organize an evacuation by sea, but our Navy is preoccupied with attacks up and down the coast,” Grayson explained. “However, these units have invaluable experience in dealing with the rebels. If we can get a handle on their tactics and the way they fight this early on, it’ll be a game-changer for us. That’s why it’s imperative that we get them out safely. One of our Spec-Ops squads is already en route to rendezvous with them, but the trapped units need an opening to make a break for it. That’s where you come in. In their eagerness to finish our units off, a section of the rebels’ line has moved ahead without the rest, leaving us with a weak point to break through. Locksmith Squadron, your mission is to punch a hole in the rebel line, allowing our forces to escape and withdraw. Any questions?”

            Cutter raised his hand. “What kind of air power do the rebels have on station?”

           “Their air presence this far north is fairly limited- as they’ve concentrated most of their aircraft at Presidia for the time being- but the ground forces reported that the rebels have been calling in close air support with low to moderate effectiveness, so expect some resistance from the sky- albeit minimal.”

            “Should we be worried about anti-air from the ground?” Avery asked.

            Grayson shook his head. “Aside from MANPADS, no. Their dedicated anti-air in the region was all knocked out by a raid from the survivors- although it came at the cost of the rest of their anti-armor, which further escalates this mission’s importance. Any other questions?”

            The squadron looked at each other, and upon seeing that they all had the same answer, Shepard relayed it to the Commander. “No sir. We’re ready.”

            “Good. Then hurry up. We’re working against the clock here, and every second counts.”

            “Alright, Locksmith Squadron, we’re about to enter the AO. Get set to engage,” Shepard announced.

            A voice that Avery didn’t recognize scoffed in response. “Well, it certainly took you all long enough,” he griped.

            “Y’know, we haven’t saved you guys yet,” Padlock reminded them. “So maybe you boys on the ground could show a little bit more gratitude.”

            “Not so fast. You misunderstand, Locksmith 3,” the man over the radio replied, speaking firmly with a sort of snide confidence to his voice. “This is Airborne Warning and Control Systems Aircraft North Star. I’m going to be keeping an eye on you lot for the foreseeable future- especially you, Locksmith 6.”

            Avery scowled. She had hoped that Grayson would put a bit more trust in her- especially since he seemed so understanding the other night. She was about to speak up in her own defense, but to her surprise, ASH beat her to the punch. “Hey, Glade’s already proven that she’s willing to fight her own countrymen for the Federation, so maybe back off a bit,” her wingman defended her.

            “It’ll take more than that to convince me. For all I know, you could just be trying to get deep undercover- earn our most sincere trust,” North Star replied, each word laced with venom as he hurled it toward the young Cascadian fighter pilot. “Just know that I’ve got my eye on you, 6. If you screw up even once, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

            Shepard let out an annoyed groan. “AWACS, if you’re quite finished ragging on the kid, we’ve got a job to do.”

            “Hmph, fine. You’re coming up on the target, Locksmith Squadron. Hurry up and punch through the enemy lines. I’ll patch in the ground forces.”

            Avery looked down at her radar. Ten allied ground units were on the move, slowly retreating further south- toward the coast- as a sizable group of enemies began their advance. They didn’t have much time left. Reaching for the master arm, Avery switched it on and selected her UGBLs. It was time to prove everyone wrong.

            “Allied aircraft, thank god,” an older woman spoke up. “This is Major Ackers. We’re trying to draw these guys further out for you, but the terrain is giving us some problems. And of course, these damn tree-huggers are barely affected by it all, so they’re closing in faster than we’d like.”

            “Not to worry, Major. We’re on station and ready to provide air support,” Shepard assured her as he closed the distance with his squadron close behind. “Although, you and your men might want to try and back up to enjoy the fireworks.”

            Ackers chuckled slightly. “You don’t gotta tell me twice. We’ll be waiting. Out.”

            As the flight of five F/C-16s began closing in, the hostile and friendly units finally appeared on Avery’s HUD. For the most part, the rebels’ forces were made up mostly of artillery and APCs, but there were also a sizable number of tanks that was going to make this difficult. It’s a good thing she brought along enough air-to-ground munitions because she was going to need it all.

            The squadron broke apart from their tight formation and began the assault. Avery turned her attention toward a cluster of APCs and a tank closest to friendly forces. Pulling back gently on the stick, she climbed higher up into the sky. Once she made it to three thousand meters, she leveled back out and set herself up to pass right over them. The reticle for her unguided bombs got closer and closer to the enemy armor, and just before it passed over the first target, she inverted and pulled down, quickly rolling over again and speeding toward them on a downward trajectory. As soon as the reticle passed over the middle target, she pulled the trigger. A single UGBL released from its pylon, and the F/C-16 that dropped it immediately began pulling up again. Avery climbed higher and higher until finally, two pings in rapid succession sounded off, informing her that the bomb she dropped had hit its mark. She banked hard to the left, circling around to confirm that the two APCs had been destroyed.

            Although the tank was still standing, the missile alert in her cockpit warned her that she had more pressing concerns to deal with. A quick glance at the ground confirmed her suspicions that they’d fired MANPADS at her, and they were quickly closing in. Avery reached for her countermeasures, dumping flares as her plane curled through the air. The missiles did their best to maintain a lock, but the flares proved to be too tempting of a target to resist, leaving her facing the last tank and closing in fast. A quick burst from her gun was all it took to finish it off, allowing her to pull back up to a higher altitude and focus on the next group of hostiles.

            “That was quite the show, and thanks to you, we’ve got our opening,” Ackers said, her voice heavy with relief and admiration. “This is Longsword Actual to all ground elements; the flyboys have punched a hole in the enemy’s line. Now’s our chance to make a break for it. I want everyone to push heading 040 and keep an eye on those ridgelines. I’ll be damned if I let us get hit by another ambush.”

            “Longsword, Locksmith, this is AWACS North Star. We’ve got eyes on bandits closing in from the north- bearing 010 at angels 20, about five minutes out,” North Star warned everyone.

            “Just what we needed,” Ackers grumbled sarcastically. “I hope that you flyboys are on top of that.”

            “Don’t worry, Longsword. We won’t let ‘em near you,” Cutter assured her.

            “Dogfighting with a full load isn’t gonna be easy,” ASH grumbled.

            “Then make sure you drop all your bombs before they get here,” Shepard replied. “Just make sure that you put it all to good use.”

            “Easier said than done,” Padlock muttered. “These assholes have MANPADS up their asses.”

            Avery banked right, looping around to face the hostiles farther away from the ground forces. ‘You bought them some time. Now, you’ve just gotta get ‘em home,’ she reminded herself silently. Her finger flicked the switch to expand her radar, giving her a better view of the targets in the area. Cutter and ASH were farther north than the rest of the squadron, so she decided to trust that they’d deal with the bandits once they got close enough. Once more her gaze flicked downward to check on Longsword and the other ground units. They were making good progress, but they still had a long way to go. As such, Avery took it upon herself to stick with them and deal with the hostiles closest to them.

            As she circled back to make another pass over her allies, Avery eyed up a group of APCs closing in and a cluster of artillery further to the west. The two groups were quite some distance apart from each other, but at the right angle, Avery could take them out in a single pass. All she needed to do was line herself up right.

            “How much farther do we have to go?” One of the Federation soldiers on the ground asked. “Before long I’m gonna be out of ammo for everything except my pistol.”

            “We’ll keep going until we’re out,” Ackers barked back. “If you’ve got a problem with that, you can take it up with the rebels; I can’t make any guarantees that they’ll listen, though.”

            “Hey, if our boys in the air keep doing as good a job as they are now, we might not even have to fire another shot,” a second soldier pointed out.

             “Hah, don’t count on it- not with the way our luck’s been going,” another scoffed.

            Avery tried her best to tune them out. She needed to focus. The APCs were already on the move, closing in on the ground forces, so she had line this up just right. Her F/C-16 rocked back and forth as she made little adjustments to her course. Finally, she yawed left, letting her pass cross right over the rebels’. Her finger hovered over the trigger as she closed the distance. The reticle for her UGBLs dragged across the ground, going up and down with the terrain. Finally, it went from green to red, but still she didn’t fire- not until it was as close to the middle of the group as possible. She could feel the bomb release before she heard it. The difference in weight was distinct- and it was just what she needed to pull up and away from the blast radius. Five pings sounded off in rapid succession, informing her that she’d hit the mark dead on, but Avery had no time to celebrate. Already, she was in the middle of another turn to center herself on the artillery group. Flames spewed out from her exhaust as she lit the burners. The artillery units made no attempt to get away, but even if they did, it wouldn’t have mattered. Avery’s targeting reticle went red once more, and the third of her four bombs dropped off the pylon, hitting just barely off the mark, but still close enough to splash all four.

            Just as she was about to report the kill, however, North Star interrupted her. “Locksmith 6, two bandits slipped past the others and they’re heading straight for Longsword. Intercept them immediately,” the AWACS ordered.

            Avery looked down at her radar. Sure enough, two Accipiters were closing in on the ground forces. She went out of afterburn for but a moment, cutting her throttle to half to make a sharp turn back around before charging off again at full speed. The Accipiters were closing fast, but she was faster than they were. All she had to do was get a good firing angle on them. Unfortunately for her, they hadn’t quite committed to their runs yet and were now turning to meet her head-on. Avery cursed under her breath as she thumbed the firing switch to ready her STDMs. Neither side was equipped for long-range, meaning this was going to be a dogfight.

            The rebels locked on first, each firing an STDM at Avery and forcing her to move defensive. She went high, dumping flares along the way to encourage the missiles to lose their track on her. The two STDMs got closer, and Avery felt her heart skip several beats. She needed more speed. Groaning to herself, she jettisoned her last UGBL, causing it to freefall into the valley below and giving her just enough speed to evade both missiles. Now it was her turn to go on the offensive. Her heatseekers let out a low growl as they began their search, and it didn’t take them long to find one of the two Accipiters closing in fast. The growl’s pitch went high, and she fired. The missile sped off toward the target, despite their attempts to evade, and found its mark within seconds.

            The second bandit tried to go for guns on her but fell just short as they passed. This was Avery’s chance. She rolled to the other side, pulling hard to follow after the Accipiter that had just overshot. The growl of her STDMs started up again, and she fired without a moment’s hesitation. The missile tried its best to pursue its target as it banked left toward the ground units, but the flares it left behind threw off its lock, send it careening into the sky. Avery only had a few moments to act before the bandit was within range of Longsword and the rest. She had to act fast, and desperation took over. She fired both of her remaining STDMs and followed up with a burst from her gun. The Accipiter tried to escape the onslaught, but it proved to be too much for the pilot, and before long, they were spiraling down toward the ground in a ball of fire.

            “Bandits splashed!” Avery reported, pulling up and circling around the friendlies as they continued their advance.

            “And not a moment too soon,” Ackers chimed in. “A few seconds more, and we woulda been mincemeat. Thanks for the help up there.”

            “Hey, we said we weren’t gonna let ‘em touch you,” Cutter reminded her. “We’re pilots of our words.”

            “ALCON, this is Dagger Actual,” a new voice spoke up. “We’re in the AO. Longsword, we’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

            “North Star copies all, Dagger,” the AWACS replied. “Alright, Locksmith, they’ll take it from here. RTB to Prospero.”

            “Thanks again up there,” Ackers said. “We owe all of you our lives.”

            “Think nothing of it, Longsword. We were just doing our jobs, same as you’d do for us,” Shepard assured her.

            “Well, for some of you at least,” North Star chimed in with an edge to his voice.

            “Oh, come on! After everything she did, you still think Glade’s some kinda spy?” Cutter asked in disbelief.

            “It’s got nothing to do with her being a spy- even if she very well may be,” North Star replied. “Call me old fashioned, but I don’t trust anyone that turns on their own countrymen on a dime like that- can’t be sure that they won’t switch back just as fast.”

            Avery rolled her eyes, doing her best to ignore him as she regrouped with the others on the way back to Prospero. If this was going to be the gut reaction of anyone outside her squadron for simply being Cascadian, then it was going to be a long war.

Chapter Text

            The airspace around Prospero was particularly busy when Locksmith got back. All kinds of aircraft were coming and going from the airbase to the point that they barely had any room to taxi once they were on the ground. Even when they did, the hangar that once been occupied solely by them was almost completely full now. Suffice to say, the war was now in full swing.

            “Seems to be getting awfully cramped in here,” ASH remarked as she and the others climbed out of their planes. “Honestly, I didn’t think that’d be possible considering just how massive this place is.”

            “With Presidia under the rebels’ control, Prospero is the biggest Federation-controlled port in Cascadia, especially for our airships,” Cutter replied. “This place is probably gonna be where the bulk of our air force is at until we retake the capital.”

            “Which hopefully won’t be too far away,” Shepard added. “With Presidia cut off, we should be able to put them to siege pretty easily. From there, it’s just a matter of keeping the pressure on until they break.”

            Avery nodded along with the conversation but didn’t say a word. She was too busy focusing on other things; like the dirty looks her comrades gave her as they walked by, the way North Star cast suspicion on her from the moment he met her, or even the fact that Padlock had yet to even speak to her since the war started. No matter where on this base she went, she felt like an outsider- and not just because of how new she was to the Air Force. This felt damn near close to total ostracization. She remained silent as her squadron carried on their conversation while they made their way to the briefing room. Her mind, however, was busy as ever.

            ‘Surely…’ she thought to herself, silently. ‘Surely, I’m not the only Cascadian in the entire Federation Military. Why am I the only one getting these looks?”

            For a brief moment, she almost questioned whether or not she had done the right thing in siding with the Federation. At least, the rebels would’ve treated her as one of their own. Then, she stopped and realized that Cascadian or not, she was still part of the Federation Air Force. To them, she’d be nothing more than a lowly deserter. It was like Shepard said just before the war started; she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but she was confident that she made the right choice.

            “We’re back, sir,” Shepard announced as he led his squadron into the briefing room where they all took their usual seats, looking up at Grayson expectedly.

            Grayson looked up from his computer and nodded upon seeing the pilots filing in. “Locksmith Squadron, excellent timing,” he greeted them, dipping his head slightly before letting his gaze shift across the room. “We should just be waiting on one more.”

            Avery raised an eyebrow at him curiously. She was mere moments away from asking who else they could be waiting for when, as if on cue, the door to the room opened once more, and a man no older than 30 stepped in with short, dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes. “Sorry for being late, sir- we had to wait for another flight to take off,” he apologized as he sat down. Avery’s heart sank as she recognized his voice immediately. It was North Star.

            “That’s quite alright, Sergeant Ivo. Locksmith Squadron only just arrived,” Grayson assured him before returning his attention to his computer. “Now, let’s get this underway, shall we?” He brought up a map of Cascadia on the big screen and stood in front of it. “The last few hours have been busy and particularly chaotic. Pockets of resistance have been engaging with our forces up and down Cascadia, but excluding Presidia, most of the rebels seem to have concentrated themselves further north. Most of our forces there have already been lost, so the fact that you were able to get Major Ackers and her men out of rebels’ reach is going to be crucial for the coming weeks.”

            “Dagger Actual made contact with me just before we landed,” North Star chimed in. “They said they got everyone out safely, and they’re back in Federation-controlled territory.”

            Grayson nodded toward the AWACS operator. “Excellent, I’ll have to reach out to them to see if they gained any useful information about the enemy’s tactics. With any luck, they’ll be able to help us turn this around quickly and keep putting pressure on Presidia. In the meantime, though…” he paused, shifting his attention from North Star to the pilots of Locksmith Squadron. “How would you five describe the air cover that the rebels had during this operation?”

            It took a moment for them to respond, but ultimately, Shepard was the one that spoke. “Well, sir, to be honest, it was pretty underwhelming- only a handful of Accipiters that didn’t exactly put up much of a fight.”

            “They were rebels, correct?” Grayson asked.

            Cutter eyed the Commander curiously. “What else would they be?”

            He shook his head. “That’s a problem for another day. For now, though, Locksmith Squadron, you’ve all done great work today. Go ahead and get some rest. However, we may end up needing you for another operation later this evening, but that’s not set in stone. You’re all dismissed.”

            The six people all stood up and saluted Grayson in unison before making their way out of the briefing room. Avery was about to start toward her room when she heard Cutter’s voice behind her. “Hey, you!” he demanded. Avery turned around, unsure of what to expect, only to see Cutter glaring daggers at North Star. “Lemme offer you some advice: ease up on Glade, or else things won’t turn out well for you.”

            “Sir don’t…” Avery pleaded weakly, but it was too late. They’d both gotten going now.

            North Star scoffed. “With all due respect, Captain, do you have any idea how many men and women are under my responsibility when I’m up in the air? The answer is hundreds- literally hundreds. Hell, if they weren’t out of country, I’d even be working with Crimson Squadron. And whether she’s your wingman or not,” he paused, pointing to Avery. “She’s a security liability. If Grayson were smart, he wouldn’t even let her near a plane- let alone on a sortie. Because whenever she’s in the air, she puts the hundreds of people under my responsibility at risk.”

            Shepard opened his mouth to speak, but Avery cut him off. Her brain told her over and over not to say anything- to just let it go- but she couldn’t. “Tell me, then; when would it be enough for you? How many of my own people do you want me to kill before you’re satisfied? While you’re thinking on that, I’ll ask you another question: would you rather me fight for the rebels instead? Would that make you feel better?” If she were wise, she would’ve stopped there, but she was too far in to stop now. “Ever since this war started, people I don’t even know have been looking at me like I’ve offended them by merely being here. Well, I’m sick of it! I’m here, fighting for the Federation, and I’m going to stay here fighting for the Federation whether you like it or not.”

            North Star was silent for a moment. His face held an expression that was unreadable to her, but it was quickly replaced by an expression that she did recognize: annoyance. “I don’t have time for this. I need to get back up in the air,” he grumbled, shouldering past her.

            Shepard let out a heavy sigh. “Glade, I-“ he started before she cut him off again- another decision that she questioned in retrospect.

            “Don’t… say anything- just don’t,” she replied in a tired voice. “I know you’re gonna tell me that you’re sorry I have to go through all of this, or that I’m so brave for putting up with it all, but I just don’t wanna hear it right now,” she said before turning around and walking away.

            The Major took in a deep breath, watching as his youngest pilot walked away. Just before she was out of earshot, though, he called out to her, “Thank you, Glade.”

            She stopped for a moment, turning to look around at him, but she gave no other reaction beyond that before continuing on toward her room. Once inside, she made sure the door was firmly shut before letting out a heavy sigh as she paced back and forth. She undid her ponytail, letting her hair fall to its natural resting place on her shoulders and then stopped when she heard the door starting to open. Her head quickly snapped toward the sound to see ASH walk in, shutting the door behind her.

            Avery exhaled sharply. “I said I’m not in the mood to talk,” she insisted, doing her best to look away from her wingman.

            ASH shrugged her shoulders. “It’s my room too, y’know,” she replied with a playful yet gentle smile. “Besides, you forgot something.”

            “What? What’d I forget?” Avery asked, looking up at ASH curiously.

            “This,” ASH said, taking measured steps toward Avery before wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. “I know telling you that ‘I know what you’re going through sucks’ isn’t gonna help, but you’re not doing it alone. All of us are right here with you, and we’re all gonna do our damndest to help you get through this. I promise.”

            Avery wasn’t sure what to say. All she could do was return the hug. It felt… nice- like something she didn’t even realize that she was missing until this very moment. “Thank you, Amber. I… it means a lot to me. This has all been so frustrating, but…” she trailed off and let out a sigh filled with so much of the stress she’d been feeling. “But it feels good to know that I’ve got all of you with me.”

Chapter Text

            Avery leaned her head against the window, watching as planes came and went on the runways. It had been just under a week since the squadron’s last sortie, and she was beginning to feel like she was going mad. If there was one thing that she hated, it was being left to sit around, twiddling her thumbs while everyone else was off fighting a war. She had gotten to the point where she spent at least an hour scrutinizing every little detail on the daily updates being sent out- just so she could try to piece together how things were going.

            Suddenly, the door behind her opened, and Shepard came in. When she turned around and saw him already dressed in his flight suit, though, she felt heart skip a beat. “Glade, I’ve got some good news for you,” he said, the corners of his lips already curling into a smirk.

            The young pilot practically leapt to her feet. “You better not get my hopes up, sir. You have no idea how much this wait has been killing me.” Her eyes were practically beaming with anticipation.

            Shepard chuckled. “I admire your enthusiasm, kid. Back in the day, I was the same, but I think I’m a bit too old to have that kind of energy nowadays. Plus…” His expression darkened as his voice trailed off. “It’s a bit harder to after the things I’ve seen.”

            “You mean Oceania?” she asked curiously, following close behind as her CO started toward the briefing room.

            He nodded solemnly. “Among other things, yes, but Oceania was the first, and the worst.”

            She hesitated before saying anything, trying to choose her words as carefully as she could manage. There wasn’t exactly a right thing to say, but there were definitely several wrong ones. Eventually, she decided on just one question. “What was it like?”

            Shepard was silent for a moment as he collected his thoughts, his memories, his suffering- into as clean a thought as he could manage. With a war like Oceania, though? There was nothing clean about it. “It was… shitty,” he finally said. “The Cabal was insane- everyone knew that- but with the way things unfolded, you’d have to sit and wonder if the Federation was much better- especially the Cascadians.”

            Avery flinched at that final remark, gazing up at him with a curious expression. “What do you mean by that?” The question came out with a tad more hostility than she intended it to, but Shepard didn’t seem to pick up on it.

            “You’d think the grudge was personal the way they fought the Cabal. To call them ruthless would be an understatement. Granted, they were far from alone in that regard, but they took it to an extreme. And it only got worse toward the end when things… took a turn. You’d think they formed a cabal of their own with the way they carried on- like they found… something.” As Shepard continued on, Avery noticed something in his eyes. It was faint, but the more he explained, the more she saw a hint of fear. He shook his head in the hopes of clearing away any bad thoughts. “It was a horrible situation all around,” he concluded as the two of them finally reached the briefing room.

            Avery said nothing. She just followed him in and took her usual seat while her mind raced with thoughts. Was that why everyone here seemed to look upon her with such scorn? The scars of a decade and a half old conflict? It was a thought that left her with more questions than answers, and yet it still felt like a massive piece to the puzzle that she’d been missing.

            “Alright, Locksmith, I know you’ve all been very eager to get back up since your last sortie,” Grayson began. “We’ve had a very chaotic week, so I thank you all for bearing with me. With any luck, though, you’ll be going up far more frequently after this.” He turned toward the map of Cascadia on the screen behind him. “Fortunately for us, Major Ackers’ tactical intel was exactly the game-changer we were hoping it to be. We’ve routed the rebels’ advances in the north and put them on the back foot, allowing us to focus the brunt of our forces toward our main objective at the moment: Presidia.”

            Avery listened on intently. She could feel it deep down in her bones. They were so close to taking back her city that she could practically see it clear as day. She just hoped that the rebels had left the city in an at least somewhat salvageable condition.

            “However, there’s been something of a… complication within the last few days,” Grayson carried on. “A third party has entered the fray: mercenaries pouring in from the Periphery. Already there are several high caliber mercs that have been proving to be exceedingly difficult to deal with. As of now, keeping as many mercenaries as possible from entering Cascadia has become one of our top priorities. Fortunately, Border Control has been working around the clock with Federation Intelligence to pinpoint as many mercs as possible before they enter the country. Your goal today, Locksmith Squadron, is to intercept one of the largest of these border crossings.”

            Cutter studied the map intently. “So, who’s the target? What kind of firepower are we talking about here?”

            “The majority of them are a detachment from a large mercenary corps called the Octant Group. However, Intelligence suspects that quite a few freelance mercenaries will be tagging along as well,” Grayson explained, pulling up shaky and blurry photographs of planes all bearing the mercenary roundel. “According to our estimates, they’ll be crossing northeast from the Aitor Desert, presumably to link up with a small pocket of rebels hoping to establish a foothold in the south. However, you five will intercept them at the border, keeping them from ever arriving.”

            “Is it going to be just us going up against them?” ASH asked.

            “Ideally, yes. Until reinforcements from the core states can start arriving, we have a lot of ground to cover with a minimal number of pilots. If things get tricky, though, the airship Verrigan will be close enough to provide assistance. Any other questions?”

            The pilots all looked at each other and shook their heads. A few moments later, they were all heading toward the hangars, ready to take to the skies once more. There was a tension in the air that everyone could feel was there, but nobody risked acknowledging it- not until they were making their final checks before takeoff.

            “So… mercenaries, huh? Never would’ve thought,” Avery said, finally breaking the silence that had been present since they left the briefing room.

            “Mercenaries are nothing but bloodhounds,” Shepard spat with a level of vitriol that felt downright uncharacteristic of him. “All they do is make things worse- let their lust for greed blind them to the suffering they inflict everywhere they go. It was only a matter of time before they started seeping in like mold.”

            “Then I guess it’s a good thing we’re stepping up to the plate to keep too many from getting in,” Cutter suggested, shrugging as he climbed into his plane. “Don’t you worry, Mitch. Once we show ‘em they ain’t welcome in Cascadia, they’ll get the message.”

            As Avery went through her system checks, she glanced over to Shepard. He said nothing in response to his wingman. He simply looked down at his cockpit as it gradually came to life. Avery watched on with a hint of regret nagging at her. She couldn’t help but feel like this was her fault- at least partially. She shouldn’t have pressed about Oceania.

            Eager to change the subject, she lowered the visor on her helmet and fastened her oxygen mask over her mouth. “Locksmith 6, ready for takeoff,” she sounded off.

            ASH did the same. “Locksmith 5, ready to go.”

            “Locksmith 3, standing by.”

            “Locksmith 2, good to go.”

            There was a brief pause, punctuated by a heavy sigh. “Locksmith 1 ready, requesting takeoff clearance.”

            “Locksmith Squadron, cleared for takeoff,” ATC replied in an instant. “Taxi to runway 2-1 then climb to angels 15.”

            Shepard led the way, as he usually did. One by one, the others followed him out of the hangar and onto the runway, and they took off shortly thereafter. As her wheels retracted into the fuselage, Avery formed up alongside her squadron while they climbed. To be back in the cockpit after what felt like ages was beyond exciting; it was downright invigorating. She didn’t realize how much she missed the feeling of being airborne until she was back up in the sky. Not long after, though, her eagerness was very swiftly tempered by the realization that they still had to fly all the way to the AO, and with Padlock still giving her the silent treatment, and Shepard still clearly bothered by the news of mercenary, conversation was going to be few and far between.

            To her own surprise, however, the flight down south wasn’t nearly as long as she thought it was going to be. Unfortunately for her, though, she only knew this because their arrival was punctuated by North Star. “Locksmith Squadron, be advised, we’ve got confirmed mercenary IFFs crossing into Cascadian airspace- looks like an advance element for the main force. Prepare to engage.”

            “Might as well flash ‘em the usual warning,” ASH suggested.

            “Not that they deserve it,” Shepard replied before taking a heavy sigh. “Attention all mercenary aircraft approaching into Cascadia. As of two weeks ago, all inbound flights to Cascadia have been grounded or diverted away. If you do not change course immediately, we will respond with deadly force. This is your first and only warning, mercenaries.”

            Silence…

            “Guess we’ve got our answer, then,” North Star said. “Locksmith, push bearing 100 and maintain current angels. You’re weapons free on all mercenary IFFs in the airspace.”

            Avery looked down at her radar, confirming five hostile aircraft straight ahead. As she looked back up, they all appeared on her HUD. It was a non-uniform flight- all different aircraft from one another. They were definitely mercenaries. As she followed her squadron in, she flicked the master arm switch readied herself. The fight was on. “Locksmith 6, engaging.”

            “Alright, we’re man-to-man, here. Everyone, pick a target and stay glued onto ‘em,” Cutter ordered. “We need to take these guys out before the rest get here or we’ll be in deep shit.”

            Avery called out the SV-37 on the far-right edge of the formation and lit her burners to meet it head-on. An MLAA from this far away straight ahead would surely miss- she knew that for just about certain. No, she’d need to get in close for this. Her quarry felt the same, as neither of them fired a shot- not yet, anyway. It was going to come down to who was quicker on the trigger. Avery kept her eyes glued to quickly decreasing distance to her target, waiting until it in range. The STDMs started growling to life, keeping a low tone as they stalked their prey. Neither plane deviated course- not yet. As soon as the missile found its target, her finger squeezed on the trigger acting on nothing but pure instinct. A missile alert in her own cockpit followed shortly after, and both planes went evasive as the dance began.

            Avery reached to deploy countermeasures without a moment of hesitation. Her other hand, gripping tightly onto the stick, yanked left and pulled back hard, bringing her into an aggressive turn toward the SV-37. Both missiles went wide, careening off into the sky after they lost their lock before detonating harmlessly in the distance. However, the fight had only just begun. While the Viggen was busy trying to shake the missile headed towards it, Avery took the opportunity to get in nice and close- close enough that she could see the chips in the gaudy paintjob it was sporting. She let out a burst of tracers toward the bandit, but they were quick to react. Before the last of her shots left the gun’s barrel, the merc pilot was already inverted and diving away. Rather than chasing directly after them, Avery banked right, hoping that she would cut him off on the way back up, and fortunately for her, she was right. The Viggen pilot was helpless to do anything as her other STDM launched off the pylon and sailing directly into the SV-37, blowing it up on the spot.

            “Locksmith, the main group is almost on you- ETA two minutes,” North Star warned. “You’ve gotta hurry up or else you’ll end up getting swarmed.”

            “These guys aren’t exactly making things easy for us,” Pad responded with a distressed grunt as he persisted through the g-forces pressing down on his body. “Not to mention the fact that we’re gonna end up outnumbered anyway.”

            As much as Avery loathed the AWACS, she had to admit that he at least took his job seriously. “I’ll see if the Verrigan is able to provide support, for now, just keep at it,” he assured the pilots, already working toward a solution.

            Avery looked down at her radar, taking stock of who all needed her most. She eventually settled on Padlock- especially since he was the one closest to her- and turned in his direction. The MG-29 glued to her wingman’s tail was relentless. With each turn Padlock made, the merc seemed to almost anticipate it. With each evasive maneuver he took, Pad found the gap between himself and his pursuer growing ever shorter. She was moments away from firing one of her MLAAs but stopped when she glanced back down at her radar, specifically toward the incoming mercenary convoy. She switched back to guns, opting to save her missiles and instead close the gap between herself and the two pilots locked in combat by lighting her burner. With each moment she spent closing in, she waited longer and longer for the merc to react to her presence, but they gave no indication that they even saw her. By the time they did, though, it was already too late. A short burst from her gun, followed quickly after by a longer one after realizing it didn’t do the job, was all it took to send the plane spiraling down to the ground below.

            “Looks like that’s the last of the ones on point,” ASH observed as the last hostile contact in their immediate vicinity vanished from their scopes.

            “Now the real challenge begins,” Shepard replied. “Locksmith, form up on me. Let’s send these mercs packing.”

            Directly ahead of them, just shy of 3 dozen mercenary aircraft were closing in fast. Most of them were fighters- an assortment of all kinds of bandits- but bringing up the rear was a handful of transports and even an AWACS. It was a good think Avery still had six missiles left, because she was going to need every last one of them. The missiles began tracking eagerly, waiting for the slightest hint of an enemy radar signature, and when they did, Avery let two of them off her pylons. They moved in unison for a time, but as they got closer to their targets, the two missiles split off from one another. One went straight for one of the lead planes, while the other sailed right past the fighters and instead toward one of the transports. They both hit their targets with ease, and with the missiles that the rest of the squadron fired off alongside her, the mercenaries’ formation was already broken, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

            The Federation pilots went charging in as soon as blood was drawn- not unlike bloodhounds. Meanwhile, Avery opted to keep her distance. After all, with both of her Fox 2s used up, she was going to be at a disadvantage at short range.  She’d be far better off taking on the mercs from outside their range, so that’s exactly what she did. Her first target was an easy kill- although it was admittedly more or less stolen since Cutter was the one that put him in such a vulnerable position to be taken down, which he was clear to voice his objections to. Her second target was better off than the first, dropping chaff and even trying to notch her missile. Unfortunately for him, though, he acted just a moment too slow, and the missile caught him mid turn. By the time she fired her third missile, leaving just one left hanging off her wing, it became clear to Avery that she’d need to get in close. They just needed on last push to finally finish off the last. Her missile just barely missed its target of an F/E-18, but in evading it, the pilot put themselves right in Shepard’s sights. This was it- now or never. Avery fired off her last missile toward the AWACS, already trailing smoke from a strafe that Padlock made on it. In the state they were in, there was nothing they could do. More importantly to Avery, though, she had didn’t have to deal with missiles weighing her down, allowing her to chase down the last bandit with all the speed she needed. Shepard fired off his last missile, forcing the mercenary to drop countermeasures as they took evasive action, but in doing so, they chased themselves right into Avery’s gun sights. To their credit, they held on for quite a while, but there was only so much he could get away with jinking when a full squadron was after you.

            “Looks like that was the last of ‘em.” Avery noted, looking around through the sky and seeing nothing but her own squadron. “To be honest, Grayson made it seem like they’d put up more of a fight.”

            “For you maybe- after all, you were doing nothing but clinging to the edge of the furball and picking them off at the edges,” Cutter teased her.

            Avery shrugged dismissively. “It’s like you said, Cutter. Kills are kills. I’m here and they’re not. I’d call that a win.”

            “Standby,” North Star interrupted. “Is that…? Shit! Locksmith, disengage- retreat from the AO immediately, we’ve got more bandits coming in fast- same bearing as before.”

            “Damn, we don’t have the ammo or fuel to take them on. Locksmith, let’s hurry up and turn tail before they can get too close,” Shepard ordered, waiting until all of his pilots were headed back before he took his position at the front of the formation. “North Star, you got anything more for us?”

            “Intel suggests they’re a pack of mercenaries from the equatorial Periphery called the Thorn Rose Group. You might not wanna mess with these guys even if you did have the ammo to take them on. Don’t worry, the Verrigan’s getting on station. They’ll give you your opening to slip away.”

            Just as soon as Avery took note of the 20 hostile aircraft quickly gaining on them, a friendly air cruiser made its presence known. They wasted no time in putting themselves in the mercs’ way, and before long, they were engaging with them. Luckily for Locksmith Squadron, the mercs were all far too preoccupied with the 205-class cruiser to pay them any mind, and before long, they were safely outside the AO- free to head back to Prospero at their own leisure.

            As was to be expected by this point, Grayson was waiting expectantly for them once they returned. If Avery didn’t know any better, she might’ve thought that he had done nothing but stand in that same spot since they left. After all, it was the only place she ever seemed to find him nowadays. Although, given everything that he’s been tasked with coordinating practically by himself, she didn’t exactly blame him.

            One the pilots were all seated, Grayson cleared his throat. “Locksmith Squadron, the intercept was a success. It’s estimated that you destroyed at minimum of 80% of the Octant Group’s active personnel, and I’m sure the remaining 20% will think twice before even looking at Cascadia the wrong way. As for the last minute additions…” he paused for a moment, taking the time to gather his thoughts up before he pressed on. “The Verrigan did a sizable chuck of damage to their squadrons before they had to pull out, but unfortunately the mercs did make it into Cascadia proper. Border Control is putting together all the intel they can find on them, but as of now, we’ve got far bigger concerns to worry about.” He stopped to offer the pilots a reassuring smile. “Get some rest, Locksmith Squadron. We’re going to be expecting quite a bit from you in the coming weeks. I hope you all take the time to enjoy this brief respite you’ve had while it lasts, because in a few days’ time, the first forces from the Federation Mainland arrive. And that’s when our work will truly begin.”

Chapter Text

            “Alright everyone, listen up! This is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” Grayson bellowed as his voice, dripping with authority, echoed across the briefing room.

            Avery felt her heart skip a beat. There was only one mission that would call for this many pilots and be something that the Commander treated with this kind of gravitas; it was time for them to take back Presidia. They’d been putting pressure on the capital for months now, but it seemed that it was finally time to move- to take back her home from these rebels.

            “Last week, the first waves of reinforcements from the Federation mainland arrived in country- including the Federation Navy’s 1^st Battlegroup,” Grayson continued as the map behind him powered up and zoomed in on Presidia. “Not wanting to waste any time in letting the Cascadians garrisoned at the capital dig in any further than they already are, our reinforcements opted to move directly into Presidia, and we followed them in. Overwhelmed by the sheer force closing in on them, the rebels were forced to withdraw from Presidia, which brings us to the mission at hand.”

            Grayson paused as he stepped to the side, allowing everyone to get a clear view of the screen as it focused on the city, orbiting around the edges to get a clear view of everything within its limits. The map was covered with an overwhelming amount of blue. Allied units on the air and in the port stretched out across the city, with only a handful of aircraft watching over them. Avery nodded to herself with satisfaction. This was what she expected of the Federation, and now it was time for these rebels to face the consequences of their actions.

            “Although a vast majority of the CIF forces within Presidia managed to withdraw, there was still a sizable number of them that were cut off from any escape route and had to go into hiding, primarily within the vast systems of underground tunnels under the city. Our forces that took the city have spent the last week trying to root out the stragglers, but they’ve proven to be more difficult to get rid of than we initially thought,” Grayson explained, returning to his usual spot at the front of the room to point out areas of interest on the map. “Now, they appear to be making a last stand, as they’ve come together and routed our forces at Presidia Air Force Base. Rebel aircraft are already on their way, and we cannot, under any circumstances, let them dig their heels in. We’ve already wasted enough time and manpower on Presidia. Everyone, your mission here today is to drive out the last rebel forces from Presidia, make sure they know that this city belongs to the Federation. Understood?”

            There was a chorus of, “sir, yes, sir”s that swept throughout the room, but Avery made sure that her voice was among the loudest.

            Grayson nodded in approval. “Good, then get to your planes. With any luck, I and most of the other command personnel will be there when you’ve succeeded. Dismissed.”

            Avery leapt to her feet as all of the pilots stood up and she quickly squeezed out of the briefing room, not even bothering to check if her squadron was still following after her. She couldn’t contain her excitement anymore- although, in reality, it was half excitement to be back in Presidia, and half being fed up with Prospero. After spending just shy of two months in this place, she was certain that whoever came up with the idea of building an entire air base underground needed to be punished severely. She longed for the open skies that the skyscrapers would reach up to for eternity. She longed for the vast seas that stretched past the horizon. She longed to be home again, and now she was so very close.

            “Sheesh, Glade, ease up on the gas there. Some of us are too old to be runnin’ this much,” Cutter said between heavy breaths as he and the rest of the squadron rushed to keep up with her.

            “Oh please, talk to me when you start closing in on your 40s,” Shepard scoffed, teasing his wingman with a jab in the ribs. “You’ve still got a ways to go before you can start pulling the age card, Jackson.”

            “Less banter, more taking off,” Avery insisted as she scurried into the hangar. “C’mon, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” she insisted as she started climbing up into her plane.

            The two older pilots gave ASH a judgmental glare- as if she was somehow complicit in her almost contagious enthusiasm- prompting her to give them a confused shrug. “Don’t look at me. This is all her- must be a Cascadian thing,” she defended herself as she followed Avery’s lead and began going through pre-flight checks.

            By this point, Avery should’ve known better, but she just couldn’t help herself. As she went through her checks one by one, she let her mind wander on things to come. After they took back Presidia, what would happen next? Surely, they rebels would start to run out of steam after losing the capital, so really, it was only a matter of time before this would all start winding down. All she could do was let her expectations run rampant as she thought about how long it would be before her life returned to some semblance of normalcy- months? Weeks? Days? Her heart felt like it wanted to break free from her chest at the mere thought of it. They were so close now, she could feel it, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t going to get done by just sitting in a hangar. No, she needed to be the one to get things moving first.

            As the engine on her F/C-16 roared to life, she let the canopy seal itself around her. Her eyes wandered across the hangar, landing on each of her wingmen’s planes before she was confident. It was time, and she was as ready as she could ever be. One by one, they taxied out of the hangar and onto the runway, speeding off into the sky and joining up with the other squadrons as they set a course for Presidia- for home.

            “All aircraft, be advised, you’ve got bandits inbound from bearing triple zero; it’s a mix of rebels and mercs,” North Star warned, wasting no time in getting to work once the dozens of Federation fighters entered the AO. “You’re gonna need to split up here. Surfside, Azure, and Aqua, maintain your current vector and assist the ground forces with the Air Base. Alchemist, Marine, and Locksmith, push bearing 340 and intercept those bandits. All aircraft, engage. It’s time to take this city back!”

            Avery brought up the rear for her squadron as they fell in with the other two squadrons, flanked by F/C-15s on one side and SK.27s on the other. Slowly but surely, the hostile aircraft directly in front of them appeared on her HUD. A flight of Cascadian MG-31s led the charge, with a squadron of F/E-18s and a mixed flight of mercs not far behind. Avery took a deep breath in and out as she reached for her master arm switch. The fight for her home was on.

            “Longsword Actual to all ground elements, we’ve got air support closing in, so now’s our chance to push the offensive,” the familiar voice of Major Ackers ordered. “Sable and Headwind, push up through the concourse and take the hangars. Everyone else, we’re clearing a path right down the main runway.”

            “Keep an eye on those terminals. I bet they’ve got snipers watching out the windows for us,” one of the soldiers warned.

            “Use the tanks as cover and keep an eye out for any AT that’ll pose a threat to them. Our flyboys’ll deal with any armor they’ve got.” another replied.

            “Approaching bandits,” Shepard announced as he led the three squadrons in toward the Cascadians coming in with the sun to their backs. “Locksmith engaging.”

            “Alchemist engaging.”

            “Marine engaging.”

            Avery thumbed her weapon selection until the MLAAs strapped under her inner four wing pylons were itching for a lock. Shepard and the other flight leads sent out a volley first, and six missile trails streaked in unison toward the group of fighters. Countermeasures followed immediately afterward as the bandits took evasive maneuvers. As the Federation pilots all broke off to chase after their prey, Avery stayed the course; her vision locked on the MG-31 at the edge of the formation, pulling as hard as the airframe would allow to notch the missile headed their way. Luckily for them, it worked out, and the missile lost its track. Unfortunately, however, Avery was ready for them to put their nose back on her. Her first MLAA shot out, and the Foxhound had already bled off too much speed to get away. Moments later, a fireball erupted where they once were, and Avery’s plane gave a satisfied beep in recognition.

            “These bastards sure got here in a hurry,” Padlock remarked as he dove in behind an F/E-18. “How’d they get this many fighters so far past the front lines on such short notice?”

            “Probably spent all week planning this,” Cutter guessed. “God knows there’s probably plenty of ‘em that’d rather die a thousand times over than let Presidia fall.”

            “Well, scopes are showing just one more group of hostiles coming in- same bearing as before. They’re still a ways out, though, so I’ll let you know when they’re closing in,” North Star told everyone.

            “Then let’s take the rest of these bandits out and go help the others with the ground forces while we still can,” Avery insisted, pulling hard left toward a mercenary F/C-16. The merc rolled onto their side and twisted around, drawing sharp contrails to meet her head-on. Fearing a mid-air collision, Avery let out a short burst of her gun before rolling over and flying knife-edged past the other F/C-16. Her hands moved instinctively, yanking back on the stick to pull straight up and back around. Her eyes stayed glued to her target the whole way, watching as smoke poured out from its exhaust. This was her chance. Both her body and her airframe protested heavily, but she persisted through it, turning as hard as she could to put her nose back on the rapidly decelerating bandit. Her heatseekers growled eagerly, practically begging to be let loose, and she obliged. The STDM on her left wingtip flew off the rail, curving effortlessly through the air toward the F/C-16 riddled with bullet holes.

            “Shit, we’re taking artillery fire!” Ackers cursed as the echoes of a loud boom faded into the background. “Someone, get a fix on those bastards before we lose our momentum.”

            “I think I see ‘em- bearing 040,” North Star called out, marking them as HVTs on the radar. “Azure, divert to neutralize the threat before it’s too late.”

            Avery looked down at her radar. Her eyes flicked rapidly between her own position, the artillery, and Azure Squadron. The thought entered her mind almost immediately, and her brain was quick to try and dismiss the idea, but it was too late. She was already turning to take them out. “No need, Azure. You guys just stay there and help the ground forces. I’ll deal with the artillery.”

            “What? By yourself?” ASH asked in disbelief. “Glade, what the hell are you thinking?” She tried breaking off from the Cascadian F/E-18 chasing after her, hoping to regroup with her wingman, but she couldn’t shake them and instead had to turn deeper into the furball.

            Avery lit her burners, speeding closer and closer to the target. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this,” she assured her, despite the fact that she didn’t have remotely as much confidence as she was letting on.

            North Star scoffed in response. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Locksmith 6. Those bandits are closing in fast, and when they do, they’ll be right on top of you. Although, maybe that’s what you’re hoping for,” he sneered.

            ‘Just ignore him,’ Avery told herself over and over again in her mind, biting back a retort with all the willpower she could muster. ‘You’ll prove him wrong in the end.’

            One by one, the ground targets started appearing on her HUD, and Avery wasted no time in getting to work. Setting one of her screens to the targeting pod hanging under her intake, she slowly maneuvered it until it locked onto one of the two AA guns guarding the artillery. Once the first MLAG flew off its pylon, she didn’t even bother watching it all the way to the target. Instead, she lined up the shot on the other AA gun. Tracers lit up the sky as her target started leading their shot, but it was already too late. The second MLAG flew effortlessly to its target and hit it dead-on, leaving all of the artillery defenseless- for the moment, at least.

            “This is Headwind 2-3, we’ve taken the hangers, but these damn rebels have us pinned down!” one of the soldiers reported with gunfire blaring in the background. “Longsword, if you guys could link up with us to drive these assholes back, that’d be a huge help.”

            “Say no more. We’re en route,” Ackers responded without a moment’s hesitation. “Thanks to our air support, we’re almost to your position. Then all that’s left is to take the control tower, so just hang in there a little longer!”

            “C’mon, everyone! These merc pilots ain’t special. Let’s push the offensive and drive them outta here,” Cutter insisted as he looped around to get behind an SK.27.

             ASH chuckled. “Hey, as long as you can keep up, old man,” she taunted him.

            “Oh, that does it,” Cutter replied, letting out a laugh at his own expense. “If you think I’m so old, then I guess I’m gonna have to show up a young whippersnapper like you by getting more kills.”

            “Hey, you’re the one who said it- not us,” Pad insisted, coming to ASH’s defense. “Maybe you just oughta accept that you’re gonna be on your way out in the next couple years.”

            Shepard cleared his throat deliberately. “You do realize he’s not the oldest one in the squadron, right? Besides, we’re short a pilot- in case you’d forgotten.”

            Avery allowed herself a small smirk. “Oh, please, don’t worry about me I’ll be…” she paused, allowing herself to strain under the g-forces as she dove closer to the ground to pass over the artillery. “I’ll be just fine.” Almost immediately after the words left her mouth, though, she found herself regretting them as five F/C-15s appeared on her HUD, vectoring straight toward her.

            ‘Gotta be quick,’ she told herself silently as she readied her guns. ‘This’ll be cutting it close even for me.’

            Her radar warning started beeping, but she just needed to get a little bit closer. She was lined up perfectly and couldn’t afford to make another pass. Just a few more seconds now- 3… 2… her cockpit started blaring a missile launch warning at her. Just one more second, and she was finally in range. She squeezed down on the trigger held it down. One by one, the artillery units blew up and bit by bit, the missiles fired at her got closer. As soon as the last one was destroyed, Avery yanked back on the stick, pulling up as hard as she could as her hand reached for the countermeasures. Chaff and flares lit up the sky and she turned to face the bandits head-on. Her odds in a five-on-one weren’t great. She only had one chance. All three of her remaining MLAAs flew off their pylons, and each of them hit their mark with ease.

            ‘C’mon. You’re almost there. You’ve almost got your home back,’ she assured herself. ‘Just two more.’

            She’d come too far to stop now. She’d seen these rebels who flipped her life upside down being driven out of her home. She wasn’t going to let two F/C-15s stop her. As they turned in opposite directions to box her in, Avery pulled up higher into the sky, waiting for the sound of her cockpit’s missile warning to return before inverting and pulling down, dropping chaff and flare behind her as she went. Once her tail was clear, she quickly turned to face the one on her right, firing her last STDM as soon as she had a lock. All that was left to do was take down this last bandit.

            Avery deployed her airbrake, letting herself bleed off more and more airspeed until she could see her adversary about to pass her. Then, with all her might, she retracted it again and slammed the throttle as far forward as it would go. Her F/C-16 lurched forward just as the Cascadian eagle overshot her, giving her a perfect window to gun them down. Just as she was letting her nerves settle, though, another missile lock quickly snapped her back to reality. Evidently her STDM had missed its mark. She reached once more for her countermeasures, only to find a dissatisfying click in response. She was fresh out. Her heart felt like it was trying to break free from her ribcage, but she didn’t let it stop her. After cutting the throttle, Avery pulled hard to the right, setting herself perpendicular to her final target and dove as close to the ground as she could manage. The missile tried its best to keep track of her, but eventually, it lost its mark and crashed into the ground instead. Now all she had to do was get this bandit off her tail. Pulling her throttle back halfway, Avery let her speed drop and turned toward the city. She weaved in between the tall skyscrapers reaching up to the sky, flew over the streets she knew so well, and rolled this way and that past any obstacle in her way. Sure enough, she found herself on the last F/C-15s tail, and the best part was that they didn’t even seem to realize it. They tried getting out over the sea, hoping to get a visual on her, but all that did was give her a clear shot without worrying about collateral damage below. A quick pull of the trigger later, the last Cascadian fighter disappeared beneath the sea.

            “All enemy aircraft confirmed destroyed. We’ve finally got air superiority over Presidia,” North Star reported. “Longsword Actual, what’s your status?”

            “North Star…” Ackers began, already sounding downright ecstatic. “Presidia Air Base is ours.” There were several cheers in the background of her transmission. “Any Cascadians still here are either surrendering or leaving for good this time.”

            Avery pulled up above the city, circling around as she took in the view. “We… we did it,” she murmured, almost in disbelief of the sight she was looking at: a Federation-controlled Presidia. “By the Dust we actually did it! We took back Presidia; I'm home!”

            “You’re god damn right we did!” one of the soldiers on the ground replied. “That’ll show those damn rebels not to mess with us.”

            A series of beeps sounded off over the radio, indicating a broadcast across all Federation military channels. “This is Commander Grayson to all Federation callsigns in Cascadia: Presidia is back under Federation control- repeat, Presidia is hours,” he announced. “All aircraft in the AO, good work. Command personnel are inbound from Prospero and should be entering Presidia airspace shortly."

            "Heh, that certainly was… one hell of a battle," Shepard remarked, breathing heavily. "More importantly, it looks like everyone's still up."

            "Now that sounds like a reason to celebrate, if you ask me," Cutter chimed in.

            One of the other pilots chuckled. "Hell, I say we keep the party going all night long! We've definitely earned it, I'd say."

            "Hey, flyboys, why don't you start landing?" Ackers suggested. "Then we'll really get this party started."

            Avery quickly circled back around, waiting for their turn on the runways. The whole time, though, she couldn't take her eyes off of Presidia. When the fighting started almost two months ago, part of her thought that she'd never see her home again, and yet, here she was. She felt several tears starting to roll down her cheek but quickly wiped them away. She could be sentimental about all of this later. For now, it was time to celebrate.

Chapter Text

            One by one, the Federation fighters that had helped to take Presidia touched down on the runway. Avery was the last, but she didn't mind all that much. As she moved onto the taxiway, the base already seemed to be returning to its old self. And as she followed her squadron into their old hangar, it looked almost exactly the way she remembered it- like it did when they took off that fateful morning that felt like a lifetime ago now. The only thing that seemed out of place was that it had an empty spot where another F/C-16 should've gone.

            "Y'know, as much as I hate to admit it," ASH remarked as she began climbing out of her plane. "The rebels at least seem to know how to keep the place clean."

            "No kidding," Cutter agreed, looking around with an almost awestruck expression. "Makes me worried what the place will look like in a month if all the people keeping the place clean were rebels."

            Shepard chuckled as he put his arm around Cutter's shoulder. "Well, if push comes to shove, we can always put the young whippersnappers to work."

            Avery rolled her eyes. "Hey, this whippersnapper got seven kills today. I'd like to see you get that many in one sortie old man."

            Suddenly, the Major's expression shifted to a far more serious tone. "Not that you really needed to," he reminded her. "There was no need for you to take on that flight of five by yourself. What were you even thinking?"

            "I was thinking that maybe all of these people who look down at me because I was born here might actually realize that I want to help." He really still didn't get it? Did she have to spell it out for him? "These people-"

            "Who gives a damn what they think?" Shepard asked, cutting her off. "You said it yourself: you are going to stay here, helping fight for the Federation whether they like it or not, so why are you still trying to prove yourself to them? Is their approval really going to change anything?"

            Avery let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't try and psychoanalyze me, sir. You wanna know why I care so much? Do you wanna know why it drives me nuts? It's because I feel like a goddamn outcast! I did what I thought was right, and what do I have to show for it: everyone on this whole damn base turning their noses up at me.  And with the way you're talking, it's starting to seem like even you're having doubts, so tell me, did I make the right choice? Or do you think I woulda been better off with the rebels?"

            "Avery." Shepard insisted. His voice was heavy and dripping with authority, but there was something else in there too- something that, to Avery, seemed to be close to parent's gentle reassurance. "I ask because I care about you- we all do," he paused, taking a moment to make a wide gesture around the hangar at the other four pilots, including Padlock, who had seldom even looked at her since they landed. "If you continue down this path, it will only end leaving you bitter and hurt. That's why I am telling you that you don't need their validation. You're no outcast, and you did make the right choice. Do you want to know how I can tell?"

            Avery didn't dare utter a word- not just out of fear of angering him, but also concern that it would somehow distract him from what he had to say. All the young pilot could do was shake her head in the affirmative.

            "Look around. You're still here, with all of us. More importantly than that, though, you have your home back. The blood you've spilled, the tears you've shed, and the sweat you've dripped has gone toward something. You're helping to build a better world not just for the Federation, but for yourself."

            "We all care for you, kid," Cutter added. "We're helping fight these rebels not just because it's in the Federation's best interest or even because we're being ordered to. We're doing it because it's important to you, Glade. By fire and dust, we'll stand by your side until the very end- or die trying."           

             It was only then that Avery felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She tried to play it off with a small laugh, and did her best to wipe it off as discreetly as she could- which wasn't easy when all eyes were on here. "Thank you- all of you. I…" Avery trailed off. She wanted so desperately to tell them how she felt- that she cared for them. She wanted to tell them how much they meant to her; how much she valued their company, their camaraderie, and most of all, their compassion toward her, even when she felt that she didn't really deserve it. She wanted to tell them that she loved them as much as any person could love a group that they met less than three months ago. Try as she might, though, she couldn't find it within herself. All she could manage was a meager but genuine, "thank you."

            ASH smirked, giving Avery a gentle nudge with her elbow. "C'mon, now. We're supposed to be celebrating! We better hurry over to the mess hall before those army guys eat all the food."

            Shepard chuckled. "Right you are, ASH. Let's get moving," he said, already stepping out of the hangar and toward the main building just across the tarmac.

            "Ah, I wouldn't be too worried about it," Cutter replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "After all, it just wouldn't be much of a party without us."

            As the pilots approached the door leading into the building, they all stopped as a low rumbling sound in the distance gradually got louder and louder. Avery was the first to see the source of the noise and quickly pointed it out to the rest of the squadron. Three C/T-17s approached from the north east, all bearing Federation markings. Once they had touched down onto the runway, the rear ramps opened, and the first one to step out was none other than Commander Grayson himself- followed shortly thereafter by a swarm of command personnel, ground crew, and everyone in-between.

            "Locksmith Squadron," Grayson greeted the group as he approached them, giving them a curt dip of his head. "You all did well today, as did everyone that helped take Presidia back today."

            "Any word on the last rebels that managed to slip away after the battle?" Cutter asked as they continued along their route to the mess hall.

            Grayson shook his head. "Major Ackers reported that any escaping rebels were scattered and in too few numbers to waste resources and manpower pursuing," he replied before shaking his head, replacing his usual indifferent expression with a smile so rare from him that Avery considered taking a picture. "Enough about that, though- for now at least. Tonight, we're going to celebrate."

            As they all rounded the corner into the mess hall, the room fell silent upon the sight of everyone's commanding officer entering- a feat that Avery would've thought impossible had she not seen it with her own eyes. The soldiers slipped into attention so fast that she had to wonder whether or not there was some sort of hive mind involved.

            Grayson climbed onto a table, looking around at every last Federation soldier. "At ease, everyone. There'll be no need for formalities tonight. I just wanted to say a few words first. These past two months have been- well, to call them challenging would be the understatement of the decade. We've all been tested in ways that we probably never thought possible. Our comrades, friends, even family, have died, but we didn't let that stop us. We didn't let it get in the way of the greater good. But above all, we wouldn't have made it here without each other, and that's what the Federation is all about. Tonight is all about you and the victory that you earned, so go on; take this night as your opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your labors. Nobody has earned it more than you."

            Cheers filled the room in unison, hats were flung into the air, and most importantly, champagne bottles were popped- a clear message that the party had officially begun. Nobody bothered to even think about keeping track of time- even suggesting such a notion would get you laughed out of the room. As such, the time passed quickly. The sun had completely vanished behind the horizon, and still the Federation soldiers showed no sign of even coming close to stopping. Avery took a few steps to distance herself from the crowd as the continued dancing, taking a moment to catch a breather before looking for an opportunity to jump back in. As she scanned the crowd for anyone that she knew, however, she realized that someone was missing: Padlock.

            'He's probably around here somewhere. You're just not seeing him,' she tried to reason with herself, hoping to fabricate an excuse to avoid going to look for him.

            No matter how hard she tried, though, her conscience wouldn't allow it. She just couldn't let him miss out- even if they weren't on the best terms- and so her quest to find Locksmith 3 began. After triple-checking to be sure that he wasn't lost in the crowd somewhere, she started checking the corridors and rooms closest to the mess hall. All of them turned up empty. It was at this point that Avery began to question whether or not she should abandon her search- after all, she didn't want to miss out on too much of the celebration, but still she kept going. Her search took her further and further away from the mess hall. Eventually, she found herself stepping out of the main building and onto the tarmac, and sure enough, there he was, sitting on the pavement and looking out at the city in the distance with a pack of glass bottles sitting beside him. Avery took a deep breath. The two of them hadn't spoken a word to each other since the war started. It was time to rip off the bandage. She slowly approached behind him, making sure not to startle him, but just as she was about to open her mouth, however, he beat her to the punch, speaking without averting his gaze.

            "You did well today," were the first words he chose to give her after the extended silence between them. "Shepard can think you were reckless all you want; I think you were pretty brave taking on that flight of five by yourself."

            Avery thought long and hard about her response as she sat down beside him. "I wouldn't've minded getting some of that praise a little earlier- or… any kind of interaction, truth be told."

            "Yeah…" Pad replied, nodding solemnly as his voice trailed off. "Look, Glade, I… I'm sorry- for everything, and I know that's probably the bare minimum of what you were expecting to hear from me, but it's the truth. The things I said, and the way I treated you… that just wasn't okay. Shepard was right: we're all in this together, but it doesn't really feel that way when we're at each other’s throats all the time, so I'm sorry for being such an ass to you." He let out a relieved sigh, already feeling an immense burden off his chest. "You think we can start over?" he asked, offering his hand to her.

            Avery went right past his hand and instead brought him into a hug. "I'd like that a lot," she told him. "I've missed being around you, Pad."

            After a few moments of confusion, Padlock returned the hug. "Yeah… me too- about you, I mean." He pulled himself away and diverted Avery's attention to the case of bottles sitting between them. "So, how's about we bury the hatchet officially by sharing a drink or two?"

            She gave him a smirk accompanied by a heavy roll of her eyes. "I would've thought that you'd get the message after the last two tries."

            He pulled out a bottle and held it out for her. “C’mooon just try it,” he insisted. “It’s not like it’ll kill you.”

            “To be honest, I’m not so sure about that, but alright,” Avery replied, begrudgingly taking the bottle from him and twisting off the cap. The tint of the glass distorted the color of the drink as she peered inside, but she could still tell that she was going to regret this. “Well, here goes nothing. Cheers, I guess.” She tapped the neck of her bottle against his and took a drink. Her throat muscles tensed, preparing to spit it out at a moment’s notice as the drink slid down. To her own surprise, though, it went down pleasantly- or pleasantly enough at the very least. She looked down at the bottle with a confused look. “What is this stuff anyways?”

            Pad’s eyes widened. “Wait, do you like it?”

            She took another drink, confirming that the first sip wasn’t just a fluke. “I think so?”

            “Hot damn!” her wingman cheered, pumping his fist into the air. “I knew I’d find a booze you like eventually- shoulda figured it’d be something fruity like cider.”

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked him with a smirk.

            Pad gave her a friendly nudge with his elbow. “I think you know what it means.” His voice trailed off, and he stared back out at the city in the distance. “Y’know, it’s funny…” He tried to let out a soft chuckle, but it was clear that his heart just wasn’t in it. “The only reason I wanted to try and find some kind of alcohol that you’d drink is because I know how hard Babble worked to do the same. It almost feels like a relief- one more remorse off my chest, y’know?”

            Avery nodded as she took another sip. “Yeah, I get it.” She opened her mouth to speak again, but Pad cut her off.

            “Look, I know I already got done apologizing and all, but… I am just so sorry for even insinuating that you had anything to do with her not being here anymore,” he insisted. “Even if I was mad, it was a line that I never should’ve crossed, and I-“

            Now it was Avery’s turn to cut him off. “You don’t need to worry about it; like you said, it’s water under the bridge.”

            “No, it’s not,” Pad insisted, shaking his head profusely. “That’s not something that you can just sweep under the rug. I was a selfish ass who was only worried about how her death affected me without ever once thinking about the rest of you.” He looked back to Avery, meeting her eyes with as serious a gaze as she’d ever seen from him. “I’m not gonna make that mistake again. I promise.”

            Avery wasn’t sure what to say. It was clear that this had been eating away at him for a while, now. She couldn’t even imagine how torturous that must have been. Eventually, though, she smiled and gave him an approving nod. “I’m… glad to hear, that, Pad.”

            He smiled as he shook his head. “C’mon, you don’t gotta keep calling me Pad when we’re talkin’ serious shit like this. Alex is fine.” He paused for a moment, grabbing his bottle and heaving it up into the air. “Speaking of which, I propose a toast: to Carrie- probably still using that sharp tongue of hers to annoy everyone she can, wherever she ended up.”

            Avery laughed as she brought her bottle up to match his. “I’ll drink to that- gonna miss her.” She took another swig, and her gaze flicked between Pad and the main building in the base. Finally, she stood up and offered him a hand. “C’mon, we should head back- wouldn’t wanna miss out any more than we already have.”

            “I suppose not,” Padlock conceded as he took her hand to get back on his feet. “Besides, I think I’ve hit my quota of solitary brooding for the rest of the war. A chance to unwind after everything we’ve been through is exactly what I need.”

            By the time they got back, Avery fully expected the excitement to have died down. After all, she did end up taking far longer than she anticipated. But when the two pilots returned to the mess hall, it seemed just as busy as it did when she first left, much to her own confusion. Fortunately, the rest of the squadron had put some distance between themselves and the main congregation of people, so they were easy to spot. In the few seconds it took for Avery and Padlock to walk up to them, their expressions went from happy to see them, confused that they were together, and back to happy as the realization hit them in a surprisingly short window.

            "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Cutter asked with a smug grin as they closed the gap to the table that they were all sitting at. "You two finally buried the hatchet?"

            "Never mind, is Glade holding a bottle of alcohol- an opened bottle of alcohol?" ASH asked, pointing to the cider in her hands.

            "Damn right she is- because I found a drink that she likes," Pad proclaimed, brimming with far more pride than he probably should have for such a trivial matter.

            Cutter chuckled. "It's good to see that you finally came to your senses, Pad. I was wondering how long it'd take you to pull your head out of your ass," he said in tone clearly meant to tease him but without any malice behind it.

            Pad sighed, nodding to himself with a slight smile. "I suppose I should've expected this. Alright then, let's get it all out now."

            ASH rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Seriously, were you just going for douchebag of the year, or what? Like did you even speak to her at all between the war starting and now?"

            Pad was about to defend himself, but Shepard spoke up first. "Look, I think we can all agree that it's good to finally be back together again- properly," the Major said, flashing Padlock an understanding glance.

            ASH gave him a dismissive handwave. "Yeah, yeah, we're all pals. Now c'mon, I wanna see how much of a lightweight Glade is."

            "Oh, she totally is," Pad said as the two of them sat down at the table with their squadron. "She's been on that one bottle for the last fifteen minutes and she's barely halfway through it."

            "Why would I just hammer the thing down? I'm not even that thirsty!" Avery protested.

            Shepard smiled, shaking his head. "Ah, you've still got a lot to learn, Glade. You may be an ace but you're still our nugget."

            "Gotta admit, the kid's come pretty far in such a short amount of time," Cutter pointed out, taking a sip from his drink. "Considering everything she's been through; I can't help but feel a little proud of her."

            ASH laughed. "Well, I mean… it's not too surprising that she turned out the way she did. After all, we were there to guide her." She nudged Avery with her elbow, flashing her a teasing glance.

            "Hey, I'm bein' serious here," Cutter insisted. "In the span of about three months, she went from fresh off the transport from Ulaanbaatar to one of the pilots liberating Presidia." He paused for a brief moment. "You've done good, kid; to be straight with ya, better than I thought you would've done."

            Avery shrugged. It was all she could think to do. After all, she wasn't used to such thorough praise- especially after the last two months of getting put down and ostracized for being a Cascadian. "Well, ASH isn't entirely wrong. Dust Mother knows I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as I have without the rest of you. Hell, I probably might not even be here, so… thanks, to all of you."

            "That's what the rest of us are here for, to look out for one another," Pad said. "Took me a while to realize it, but it's true."

            Shepard nodded. "That's how it’s always been- since I was young at least."

            "When were you ever young?" Avery teased him.

            Shepard, as always, took the joke in stride. "Longer than you might think. When you get to my age, the years start flying by, so take a little advice from your "elders" and enjoy these years while you've got them. Before you know it they'll be slipping through your fingers like grains of sand."

            "Excuse me," came a voice behind Avery. She spun around in her chair to see a man only a few years older than her dressed in an army uniform. His patches revealed that he was a Sergeant, but she could gain no more information at a glance than that. "You're Lieutenant… Finch, right?"

            Avery looked back at her squadron, whose expressions all told her that they were just as clueless as she was. "Yeah, that'd be me," she replied, turning her attention back to the soldier. "What can I do for you?"

            The man smiled at the answer he got; it was warm and reassuring, as if the two of them had already known each other for years. "I was hoping to speak to you for a second in private- if it's no bother, that is," he hurriedly added.

            "Sure, it's not like I'm lacking in time at the very least," she decided, getting up out of her chair with a shrug. Once he led her to a spot that felt at least somewhat secluded, she gave him another curious glance. "So, who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

            He gave her an indifferent shrug. "Well, if you wanna be formal, you can call me Sergeant Stattson. If you wanna be casual, then just call me Statts- or just Mark if you want. But really the pleasure is all mine. Y'see, I was down here on the ground fighting to take the airbase. I'm the one leading Headwind 2-3," Statts explained. "Really, I just wanted to thank you. I'm not privy to the details but I heard that it's because of you that Major Ackers got to help us so quickly. And since I figured nobody else has probably thanked you for it yet, I might as well do it myself."

            Avery cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "What makes you say that?"

            Statts flashed her a knowing look before gesturing to the large group of Federation soldiers before them. "Look around, damn near everyone in this room fought to take this air base back from the rebels. Has a single one of them thanked you?"

            She opened her mouth, mere seconds away from saying that of course they have, but then she stopped to think. No matter how hard she thought on the matter, she just couldn't remember a single person thanking her even once. She closed her mouth and Statts nodded.

            "You've seen it too, haven't you? The glares? The doubts? The venom lacin' their every word?" Statts asked her. "They look at folks like us and think we're lesser 'cause we were born here- like this whole shitshow is somehow our fault."

            "You're Cascadian?" Avery asked, blinking in surprise.

            Statts chuckled as he gave her a nod. "Damn right- grew up down south in Navarro. But you… I can tell you've been a Presidian all your life- y'got the accent."

            Avery laughed. "You mean I don't sound like a cowboy?"

            "Don’t matter how you look at it; accent is still an accent, city girl," he teased her before he gave her a more serious expression. "Look, I just wanted to tell ya that you ain't alone. Maybe after we win this thing, we can show the rest of 'em that we belong in the Federation just as much as they do, but until then, you ever wanna talk? Come find me."

            "I just might do that. Thanks, Statts."

            He shrugged. "Don't mention it, " he told her before turning around and vanishing into the crowd.

            Avery stood there for a moment, unmoving. All she could do was watch the spot that Statts disappeared from. Until that point, she'd gone the whole war without once seeing another Cascadian fighting for the Federation. Now, though, she not only didn't feel alone anymore, but she felt appreciated. It felt as if a massive stone had been lifted off of her chest and she could finally breathe again. Smiling to herself, she took another swig from her cider and headed back to join the others. She was determined to make sure that this was a night to remember.

            "Glade…" ASH murmured weakly and groggily. "Glade, c'mon. Get up." She groaned, poking her wingman in the ribs.

            As soon as Avery felt conscious enough to move on her own accord, she reached up to massage her temple, hoping to alleviate the throbbing she felt against her skull. "Agh, Dust Mother give me strength." Despite the fact that it felt as if gravity itself was trying to keep her laying down. "What time is it, even?"

            "10:20. I think Grayson gave up trying to get everybody awake about two hours ago," ASH told her.

`           "Well, that's something at least." Avery tried rubbing some of the sleep out of her eyes with only moderate success. An awkward silence fell over their room that she just had to break. "Sooo… last night was, uh… fun."

            ASH smirked in a way that made Avery's stomach tie itself in knots. "I'm glad you think so. And just so we're on the same page, we aren't telling the others about… y'know, the end of the evening?"

            Avery scoffed. "Oh, hell no, we aren't. I'm not about to be taking any chances."

            "Take any chances with what?" Asked in a voice that made it all too clear that she knew exactly the answer she was looking for. She feigned a shocked gasp with her hand over her mouth as she made a show of pretending to figure out what she meant. "Avery Finch, I never would've imagined you to be so devious."

            Avery rolled out of her bed and reached for her flight suit while trying to move as little as possible. Eventually, she capitulated and looked up at ASH, her eyes asking the question for her. And when she handed Avery her flight suit, she finally stood up. "Last night should've given you a clue, at least."

            ASH snickered before walking over to the door. "Well, I'm gonna go on a walk and then grab some coffee. You coming?"

            Avery nodded, quickly hurrying along to follow her wingman out into the barracks. As the two of them moved through the winding halls and out onto the tarmac, they went over their accounts of the previous nights, going over what all they thought were the highlights and what they thought should stay locked away in their memories.

            "Y'know… maybe it was just the booze, but I couldn't help but feel like you seemed a lot happier last night than you usually are," ASH pointed out. "It suits you."

            Avery shrugged. "Well, I've got a lot to be happy about nowadays: Pad and I finally made up, I don't feel as alone anymore, I'm finally getting some recognition for all the work that I put in, and most importantly," she paused to gesture grandly to the cityscape of Presidia in the distance. "I've finally got my home back!" She let out a heavy, longing sigh. "ASH, you have no idea how much I missed this place."

            ASH laughed at the sheer amount of enthusiasm that her wingman had on full display. "I'm starting to get an idea. But, in all seriousness, I really am happy that you're finally… happy; because you deserve it. Seeing you get put through so much bullshit that you didn't deserve in the slightest drove me nuts- mostly because there wasn't much, if anything, that I could even do about it. To be honest, I was starting to get worried for you."

            "Trust me, you don't have to start worrying about me any time soon; that goes for down on the ground and up in the air," Avery assured her, smirking slightly.

            "Well, if my memory serves me correctly, I do very certainly recall a certain someone having to swoop in to rescue you during your first combat sortie with us- even if you did make ace," ASH pointed out, nudging Avery with her shoulder. "I was looking out for you then, and I'm gonna keep looking out for you. That's a promise."

            Avery shrugged, looking at ASH with a feigned arrogant smirk. "Well… if you think you can keep up with me, then by all means feel free. Just don't feel too bad when I leave you in the dust."

            Suddenly, their attention was drawn to the sound of a low rumbling far off in the distance. They both looked all over, trying to pin down the source of the noise with no luck. Gradually, it got louder and louder, and only then did the two pilots see what was making the noise. Nine aircraft were coming in from over Presida- based on the angle they were approaching from, they seemed to be coming in from over the ocean. As the planes got closer, it didn't take long for Avery to identify them: a C/T-17 in the center of the formation, flanked by four SK.37s and four VX-23s.

            Avery paused, that formation seemed familiar. Why did she seem to recognize it? 'Could it be?' she wondered silently, studying the aircraft as they came in for a landing. When the fighters approached, and she saw the iconic shade of red, she gasped. "By the Dust," she murmured just loud enough for ASH to hear.

            Her wingman started at her, confused. "What? What's up with you?"

            All Avery could do was meekly point a finger in the direction of the landing aircraft. "It- it's them… it's really them. I never thought… that I'd ever get to meet them, and holy shit, ASH please pinch me I have to still be asleep!" She could hardly believe her eyes, because sitting on the other end of the tarmac, spooling down their engines as they taxied into the hangar just next to Locksmith's was none other than Peacekeeping Squadron Crimson.

Chapter Text

            Crimson Squadron. Avery could hardly believe her own eyes, but there the Peacekeepers were, just a few hundred feet away from her. She'd had the privilege to see them fly at an airshow once, long, long ago. Their planes looked just as beautiful now as they did back then, and now she got to see them up close. and potentially even meet their pilots- a thought that terrified her down to her core. She looked over at her wingman, looking to see if she was even close to as nervous as she was, only to see ASH smirking at her.

            “What?”

            ASH snickered. “I never would’ve thought that you’d be such a fangirl, is all,” she teased Avery. “It’s actually kinda cute.”

            Avery’s gaze flicked between her wingman and the Peacekeepers as they taxied into their hangar. “How are you not more excited about this? We have the Peacekeepers in the hangar right next to ours.”

            “Guess it’s just not as novel to me,” ASH guess with a shrug. “Back before I was assigned to Locksmith I was flying in Magadan for a bit. When I was there I got to fly with Sapphire Squadron once or twice,  so seeing the Peacekeepers isn’t all that new to me.”

            “ASH, these aren’t just any Peacekeeper squadron. This is Crimson we’re talking about. Hell, they practically turned the tide in Oceania by themselves! They’re probably the best pilots in the world.

            ASH smiled, rolling her eyes as she finally conceded. “Alright, alright, I guess it is kinda cool. Still, it’s fun watching you geek out over this.”

            One by one the eight pilots emerged from the hangar, and leading the group was none other than  Crimson 1 himself. Growing up, Avery had seen dozens of videos, documentaries, and interviews with him, but there was something about seeing the man in person that was just so much different. She deduced that it had to be the way his squadron followed him- the way they looked up to him and just seemed to enjoy being in his presence. In a way, it almost reminded her of the way she and the others looked up to Shepard. Before long, though, she noticed another, much older, man following the squadron out of the hangar. He was dressed in an officers uniform, and although Avery couldn’t see his rank from the distance they were at, it was clear that he was an important man. With the way that he carried himself- chin held high and shoulders propped back as he strode across the tarmac- there was only one person that he could be. She’d never seen his face before, but Avery knew without a doubt in her mind that the man who quickly surpassed the Peacekeeper pilots and assumed the head of their formation was none other than General Caine, the Commander of Crimson Squadron.

            After they disappeared into the main building, Avery glanced back over to ASH. “C’mon, let’s follow ‘em.” And before her wingman had any time to object, she was already moving.

            Everyone that the two pilots passed in the halls was murmuring to each other, their gazes still following the Peacekeepers as they passed by. The braver ones even pointed to them, but only well after they were certain that they wouldn’t be seen doing so.  Before long, they arrived at the commons area. Avery and ASH sat down at the closest table they could to avoid being seen as conspicuous. A moment later, Grayson emerged, smiling as he close the distance between himself and the Peacekeepers.

            “General, it’s good to see you again,” he said, already extending his hand out for Caine to shake.

            Caine ignored his hand, which Grayson quickly returned to his side to avoid a further embarrassment. The General’s eyes flicked around, taking in every little detail around him. “It seems quite a bit has happened in our absence. Crystal Kingdom filled us in on everything.”

            Grayson nodded. “Yes, sir, but rest assured, we were more than capable of handling the situation.”

            “Indeed…” Caine’s voice trailed off, and he began pacing back and forth near the center of the room.  Finally, he smiled. “I must commend you, Commander. Lesser men would have surely frayed under the stress of such a difficult task. You, though, are no lesser man; and because of that you allowed us to retake Presidia. No doubt the rebels fought tooth and nail for it.”

            “Like cornered animals,” Grayson agreed. “Even as they were evacuating, their air power was giving us quite a bit of of difficulty- especially the mercenaries they hired.”

            “Ah, yes… the mercenaries,” Caine spoke softly, nodding to himself. “Crystal Kingdom told us that they’ve gotten reports of some high-caliber pilots doing some heavy lifting for the rebels- especially one with a Crown. Rest assured, though, Crimson Squadron will see to them. It seems that the wild dogs must be reminded of how things went for them fifteen years ago.”

            Avery and ASH shared a confused look with one another. “The hell is he talking about? With all that Crown nonsense?” ASH was the first to ask.

            Avery shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine,” she replied before turning her attention back to the conversation a few yards away from them. “Now shh!”

            “Tell me, Commander, how many fighter squadrons do we have stationed here at this base?” Caine asked, finally stopping his pacing.

            “Six at the moment,” Grayson answered. “Although we only just began moving supplies and manpower back into the city yesterday, after we drove back the last of the rebel stragglers.”

            “I’d like to speak with them, please. Send them to the briefing room as fast as you can,” Caine told him before he began moving again, and the rest of Crimson Squadron went with him.

            Grayson murmured something into his radio, and a moment later, the PA crackled to life. “All pilots, please report to the briefing room. Repeat: all pilots to the briefing room ASAP,” they said, in a bored, monotone voice.

            Several others in the commons area stood up to begin moseying over to the briefing room. Among them, as Avery and ASH quickly noticed, was Padlock, who, after making eye contact with them hurried to join up with them.

            “Grayson sure has some nerve, calling everyone in for a briefing when we’re still reeling from last night, “ Pad groaned, still trying to wipe away the sleep from his eyes. “What could even be so important that they need every single pilot on the base to be there for it?”

            “Grayson wasn’t the one that called the meet, Pad. It was the Peacekeepers,” Avery insisted.  She paused, taking a moment to look him up and down- his wrinkled flight suit, his messy hair, the bags around his eyes. “So you might wanna take a minute to make yourself look more presentable than…” she gestured to his whole body. “That.”

            Pad’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, really?” He immediately started combing his fingers through his hair as they walked. “Why the hell didn’t you just say so?”

            “Pad… how in the ever-loving hell did you not notice them?” ASH asked him in disbelief. “They were literally just in the commons area like a minute ago.”

            Pad tried once more to rub the sleep away from his eyes. “ASH, I don’t think you realize just how little sleep I’m running on right now. Because unlike you two- who chickened out and went to sleep way too early- I was busy having the time of my life last night with Shepard and Cutter. Seriously, we went on for another two hours after you to slinked away.”

            Avery and ASH smirked as they exchanged a knowing look with one another before looking back to Padlock, who by now, at least looked somewhat presentable- definitely not Peacekeeper presentable, but it would have to do. When they arrived at the briefing room, Cutter and Shepard were already there. The three younger pilots quickly slipped through the growing crowd to grab seats next to them before they filled up. Slowly but surely, every pilot filtered into the room, wondering amongst themselves what exactly they were here for, and as if on cue, the door swung open. Grayson led the way, with Caine close behind and the pilots of Crimson Squadron bringing up the rear. Nobody peeped a sound. Most just looked at them in disbelief, but Shepard’s gaze followed Crimson 1 with an expression that Avery couldn’t quite describe.

            Grayson situated himself in front of the podium at the front of the room and cleared his throat. “Everyone, I’d like to start off by saying that I apologize for calling you all in on such short notice, especially after last night. However, as I’m sure you can all gather, this is quite important.” He stepped to the side, gesturing to the Peacekeepers standing next to him. “I’m sure Crimson Squadron needs no introduction, but for those unaware, this is General Adam Caine, he’s the commanding officer of Crimson Squadron and all Peacekeeping forces in Cascadia.” He stepped further away, giving the General the floor.

            Caine stepped up to the podium, looking out into the crowd of pilots. “I have served the Federation loyally for the better part of four decades now,” he began, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts. “In that time, I’ve learned a lot about the bond that we, as soldiers, share with one another- specifically, there is but one truth that remains absolute: trust is the key to victory. I’m sure you’re all wondering where we were- where the Peacekeepers of Cascadia were when they were needed most- as you rightly should. In truth, we were across the Pacific in the Core States. Quite simply, we failed you. Bureaucracy got in the way of our duty, and that is a mistake that Crystal Kingdom will never make again. If we had been here, things could very well have been different. Perhaps this war would be avoided entirely, but none of that matters now. What does matter is that we are here, and mark my words: we are going to show these rebels what it means to fight a war with the Federation. With Presidia under our control once more, we can finally focus on wiping out this so called “Independence Force” once and for all. Brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. For the real counterattack is only just beginning, and we will ensure that the rebels understand the true might of the Federation.”

            Just before the room could erupt into patriotic cheers, Crimson 1 stepped forward. Addressing the entire room with a firm voice, commanding and authoritative. “Make no mistake, though. The rebels will not roll over and accept defeat. They will fight to the last man, the last bullet, and the last drop of blood, and so too will their mercenary dogs. Several of them have already proved to be a significant threat. Many of these lowlifes will be the vermin that escaped their judgment fifteen years ago at Oceania. No doubt, they intend to sink their claws deep into the soul of Cascadia- to corrupt it for their own twisting desires. In turn, we will deliver unto them the same wrath that the dealt to their comrades, and this time, they won’t escape. We will extinguish the last pathetic embers of their Round Table. Make no mistake, this war isn’t just about Cascadia’s soul. It isn’t even about the integrity of the Federation. This war we fight is for world peace as we know it, so prepare yourselves. The real fight is only just getting started.”

            The crowd of pilots finally cheered. Avery looked around at her comrades and couldn’t help but notice that everyone seemed so… enthusiastic. Maybe they were still riding the excitement of the previous night, but Avery thought that maybe- just maybe- they were all beginning to understand. Ever since the war started, she felt that none of the others that were born elsewhere in the Federation could ever fully understand the importance of this fight. Now, though, she believed that this war could finally be over soon.

Chapter Text

      Over the next week, Avery was busier than she had even thought possible. Although she and the rest of the squadron hadn’t gone out on a sortie since they retook Presidia, there was still plenty to do. Most notably, there was the matter of strategizing. As one of the senior-most officers still facing active combat, Grayson had come to value Shepard’s tactical opinion quite a bit, and whenever he would be asked to help plan the offensive, he took Avery with him. She tried pressing him as to why- Dust Mother knew she was no tactical genius by any measure- but he never gave a straight answer one way or another.

      “Call it… faith,” he finally said with a twinkle in his eye. It was hardly a satisfying answer, but it was the clearest one she’d gotten all week.

      Grayson stood hunched over a table with a map of Cascadia. The approximate frontlines and various CIF positions were crudely scribbled on with different colored markers. Finally, he exhaled heavily through his nose. “I don’t like it,” he said, straightening up to start pacing around the table. “We’re stretching ourselves too thin.”

      Shepard nodded in agreement. “There’s just too much ground to cover. At this rate we’re going to have to push the offensive to keep them from getting too dug in.”

      “It’s already happening,” Grayson pointed out. “I’m already getting reports from the frontline that the rebels are starting to dig trenches with barbed wire scrawled across the top.”

      “Christ…” Shepard murmured.

      Avery studied the map intently. Her brain was working in overdrive trying to make sense of it all. “What if…” she trailed off as she struggled to wrangle her thoughts together. “We tried focusing our attention on all their forces east of the channel?” she suggested. “That way we can outflank the ones on the west and box them in.”

      Both of them gave her something of a surprised look before thinking it over. “It’s a possibility,” Grayson decided. “But it would certainly be risky. If the rebels realize we’re focusing our forces elsewhere, they could take advantage and push us even further back. Maybe we could-”

      Suddenly a junior officer burst into the room, panting heavily. Once he regained his breath he shouted, “Commander, we have an emergency!”

      He now had Grayson’s full attention. “What’s happened?” the Commander asked, hurrying over to him.

      “We’re receiving reports up and down Cascadia. We thought they were coming from just one spot but it’s everywhere, we can’t-”

      “Out with it, soldier,” Grayson snapped.

      “They’re hitting Yellowstone- all of it!” the officer told him. “Mercenary aircraft are pouring in from all over. They’re taking out the geothermal plants!”

      Avery’s eyes widened. “What the hell are they doing?”

      Shepard scowled. “They’re trying to drain us of our resources.”

      “Damn them,” Grayson grumbled. “Where’s Crimson?”

      “They’re already inbound to the Appodock Fracture. The Crown was spotted there,” the officer reported.

      “Where else are they causing the most damage right now?”

      The officer took a moment to think. “Er, off the top of my head… probably the Hayden Valley Fracture. They just have too many aircraft for us to deal with them all.”

      Grayson turned his attention to Shepard and Avery. “That means you’re up, Locksmith. Get out there as fast as you can and take them down,” he ordered.

      Shepard was already moving. “We’ll get it done, sir,” he assured the Commander before gesturing to Avery. “Come on let’s go!”

      As the two pilots rushed to the hangars, Grayson sent an announcement over the PA for the rest of the squadron to do the same, saving them the trouble of hunting them all down. Avery’s head was practically reeling with all the thoughts swirling around in her mind. How could these mercs do this- and moreover, how could the Cascadians let it happen? They claimed the whole reason they were fighting was to keep their cordium from feeding “The Machine” as they put it. Did they have any idea how many people depended on that cordium? The thought alone made her blood boil.

      The others arrived at the hangar just a few moments after them, already dressed head to toe in flight gear. “We’re here. What’s the situation?” Cutter asked.

      Shepard was already climbing into his cockpit. “We need to get to the Hayden Valley Fracture ASAP. We’ll fill you in on the way,” he told him as he began going through his pre-flight checks.

      The other pilots did the same. One by one, the engines of their F/C-16s roared to life, and their systems came online. As soon as the hangar doors creaked open, the squadron was already taxying, taking positions on the nearest runways and getting airborne as fast as they possibly could. Once her wheels were off the ground, Avery pulled hard to the right, hurrying to get into formation with the others as they rushed to salvage whatever they could of the mess that had been sprung on them.

      “Dust Mother, look at all this damage,” Avery said in disbelief as her eyes looked out upon the already scarred landscape, with plumes of smoke rising all over.

      “Leave it to the mercs to know how to destroy something so thoroughly,” Shepard grumbled. “North Star, Locksmith Squadron’s on station. Requesting bogey dope,” he reported.

      “The aircraft came in from the north- bearing 340. Ever since they showed up they’ve been moving south along the fracture. Nearest ones to you are at bearing 030- eight F/C-15s fifteen clicks out. Maintain current angels and eliminate all aircraft in the AO,” the AWACS told the group.

      “Roger that, Locksmith Squadron engaging.”

      The audacity these mercs had; it drove Avery mad just thinking about it. All she could think about was all the people whose lives depended on the cordium brought into the Federation from this one facility alone- let alone all of them across Cascadia. More importantly, though, the rebels were just letting it happen. She let out a heavy sigh, lowering the visor on her helmet over her eyes and following her squadron into the fight. Before long, the flight of F/C-15s realized that they had company, and turned to face the squadron of Federation fighters head-on.

      Avery’s radar growled to life as it searched for a lock. Her MLAAs were eager to be let loose, and she would oblige them. The tone went solid as she zeroed in on one of the Eagles at the edge of the formation. She just had to wait a little bit more. Just as she heard her RWR chime up, she pulled the trigger and went defensive. The Fox 3 shot off the pylon, leaving nothing but a trail of smoke behind as it honed in on its target. Chaff lit up the sky from both Avery and her target, but only one would prove effective.

      “Locksmith 6, splash one bandit,” she reported.

      “Ditto on that,” Padlock chimed in.

      “Their formation’s broken,” Shepard observed as the remaining six Eagles split off in all different directions. “All aircraft, move in. Chase them down, but don’t forget that they still outnumber us.”

      “Not for long, they don’t. Fox 3, Fox 3!” Cutter called out as an MLAA launched out from under his wing toward the enemy.

      Several miles ahead of them, another explosion lit up the sky for but a moment- a telltale sign that his missile had struck true. “Jeez, are these guys even trying?” ASH asked in disbelief. “It’s a miracle that the rebels have made it this far if these are the kinda mercs that they’re hiring.”

      “I wouldn’t get cocky just yet, Locksmith 5,” North Star warned her. “Tally on five more bandits in a non-uniform flight formation- bearing triple zero, and about five minutes out.”

      Cutter let out an exasperated sigh. “Ya just had to go and jinx it, didn’t you, ASH?”

      “Oh whatever,” she replied dismissively. “You’re starting to sound like Salty.”

      Avery raised a curious brow. That was a name she didn’t recognize in the slightest. “Who?”

      “Pilot that used to be in the squadron- before your time,” Pad explained. “He got rotated out a few months before we got you. No idea where he ended up.”

      “He was superstitious as all hell,” Shepard added. “The whole reason we called him Salty was because he carried this little bag of salt with him everywhere to throw some over his shoulder.”

      “Y’know what the funniest part was?” ASH asked. “He was freaking out about that stray black cat that got onto the base, saying something bad was gonna happen and then he got transferred a week later.”

      Cutter sighed wistfully. “Damn I miss that guy. He was always a little nuts, but he was funny as hell, too.”

      “Locksmith Squadron, cut the chatter,” North Star ordered. “Or did you forget that you’ve still got five Eagles to take care of.”

      “Hmph, you’re no fun, North Star,” Avery told him as she readied her STDMs for the merge.

      “Oh, I’m plenty of fun, Locksmith 6, but you’ll never see that side of me,” he replied bitterly, making it clear as crystal that he wasn’t going to fall for her banter.

      Avery watched as the five F/C-15s came into view. Her eyes locked in on the one closest, and she turned to put her nose on them. Suddenly, her RWR blared and screamed, desperately warning her of the MLAA they fired while they still had the range for it. She back on the throttle immediately, pulling hard to the right and launching chaff as she went. Her radar warning beeped faster and faster as the missile grew closer, and at the last minute, she turned back toward her opponent. The MLAA came straight at her and flew directly over her canopy. As soon as the warning went silent, she yanked back on the stick, pulling straight up into the air and curling back around until she was on her target’s tail.

      ‘Nice and close already,’ Avery thought to herself. ‘Just gotta finish him off with guns.’

      But the Eagle wasn’t about to give up so easily. With one burst from her gun after another, the merc jinked left and then right. No matter how steady she flew, she just couldn’t get a hit on him. Her target lit their burners, putting as much distance between themselves and Avery as possible. Finally, she conceded- throwing back her airbrake and firing one of her STDMs off its resting place on her wingtip. With no time to react, the mercenary was out of options, and the missile crashed into them. Avery quickly turned toward the next closest bandit, an F/C-15 on ASH’s tail, and fired off an MLAA as soon as she had the lock. Fortunately for her, they were too busy focusing on their target that by the time they noticed the missile coming for them, it was already too late, and sure enough, the last F/C-15 fell from the sky.

      “North Star, all Eagles are splashed,” Shepard reported. “We’re moving onto the next group of bandits now. Any others headed our way?”

      “Affirmative, they just keep coming. You’ve got four Fulcrums inbound from bearing 300, and it also looks like… hang on, standby…”

      “What’s up, North Star?” Cutter asked.

      “ALCON, be advised, we’ve got friendly helos coming in from the south to evacuate personnel from the facilities. Command says you’re to ensure that not a single one of them goes down,” the AWACS ordered.

      “Say no more, North Star. We’re on it,” Avery replied, lighting her burners to meet the next group of mercenaries head-on.

      The flight of five all flew different aircraft- an F/C-15 at the lead, flanked by an F/E-18, F/C-16, Accipiter, and SK.25. Avery smirked, the last two would be quick to take care of- no doubt they were loaded for air-to-ground attacks as well. By the time she had her MLAAs ready to fire, they were already locked on. Two missiles shot out from under her wingtips and sped toward the mercenaries. The other three mercs split off and went defensive as the rest of Locksmith went on the attack, leaving the other two to fend for themselves. The SK.25 went down almost immediately, but to Avery’s surprise, the Accipiter just barely managed to outmaneuver the missile headed their way. Although it was nothing that a second MLAA couldn’t solve. Having used up all their energy to defeat the first missile, the merc couldn’t get enough speed to get away, and exploded shortly after. Avery was about to jump in to help deal with the rest, but a quick glance at her radar showed that the other mercs didn’t fare much better.

      “Only four bandits left” Cutter pointed out. “C’mon, we’ve got the momentum. Let’s finish these bastards off.”

      “Friendly helos have landed and are boarding as many people as they can,” North Star reported. “Press the attack and take down these last mercenaries, Locksmith Squadron.”

      Avery looked back at her radar, gauging the distance between her squadron and the last group of hostiles. They were already getting too close for comfort- too close for her last MLAA to do any good. No, this was going to be a knife fight. As soon as both flights passed one another, they all sprung into action, dipping and turning this way and that as they chose their dance partners. Avery locked in on one of the MG-29s headed away from her and readied her last STDM. Padlock was honed in on the same fighter, and together, the two of them chased the merc down. Pad lit his burner, closing the gap to his target as he let out a hail of gunfire. The MG-29 evaded with ease, and they were just about to take a shot at Padlock when he cut back on the throttle, dropping his speed and giving Avery an opening to take the perfect shot. The heatseeker found its mark in an instant, and once Avery pulled the trigger, it got there just as fast. With Padlock boxing them in, the merc had nowhere to go, and soon met their demise. Avery was quick to turn back toward the rest of the bandits, hoping to fire off her last missile, but by the time she got close enough, the other three mercenaries had all been dealt with.

      “Locksmith Squadron, picture clean. All hostile aircraft confirmed destroyed,” North Star reported. “Plus, all of the choppers are safely outside the AO. Good work today. Stand by and prepare for- wait. Hold on a sec.” The air was heavy as the five Federation fighters all waited for more information. “Shit, we’ve got multiple bandits inbound from the north and closing fast. Tally six mercs in a non-uniform flight formation. They’re all flying advanced fighters.”

      As if on cue, six more enemy air contacts appeared on Avery’s radar. Two VX-23s, two SK.37s. and two F/S-15s. “Shit,” she growled. “I don’t have the ammo to take them on.”

      “Me neither,” ASH reported.

      “We wouldn’t wanna take them on even if we did,” Shepard told them. “North Star, Locksmith is disengaging.”

      “Copy that, push bearing 200 and egress from the AO as fast as you can. Hurry!” the AWACS insisted.

      “All aircraft, use the terrain as cover,” Shepard advised. “They’ll have a harder time getting a bead on you.”

      Avery followed suit as the rest of the squadron lit their burners and descended to be amongst the hills and valleys. It was times like this where she wished that she wasn’t the one bringing up the rear of the formation- times when she’d be the first one to get shot out of the sky. But there was still sizable gap between the mercenaries and them. She just had to make sure that gap didn’t get any narrower.

      “Holy shit,” North Star remarked. “Locksmith, you’re never gonna believe who you’re getting chased by.”

      “Do we want to know?” Pad asked.

      “Federation Intelligence has them marked as Compass Squadron. They’re the last mercenaries from the border crossing that you intercepted a few weeks back- the Octant Group.”

      “Faaaantastic,” Avery muttered sarcastically as she banked along with her squadron to follow the terrain. “So, we’ve got mercs with a grudge after us.”

      “Not even mercs like this will waste time and effort chasing us for too long,” Cutter replied. “Just a little bit further and they’ll realize we’re not worth their time.”

      Avery looked over her shoulder at the mercenaries closing in on them- close enough that they were within visual range. “By the Dust, I hope you’re right,” she said with a heavy sigh.

      One by one, the pilots of Locksmith Squadron pushed as fast and as hard as they could to get away. Avery was constantly looking over her shoulder, watching as the mercs got closer and closer. Suddenly, she heard beeping from her RWR- low-pitched and slow; they were looking for a radar lock, but they hadn’t found it yet. Sighing to herself, Avery flipped the jettison switch for her last missile, letting it free fall to the ground and shedding just enough weight to give her the speed she needed. Sure enough, the mercs began to peel away, turning back in the direction they came from, and Avery let out a heavy sigh of relief as she rejoined the others.

     “That was… way too close,” Padlock said between heavy breaths.

      “No kidding,” Avery agreed. “Definitely do not wanna tangle with those guys again. That’s for sure.”

      “Enemy aircraft confirmed disengaging,” North Star reported. “Locksmith, you’re clear to RTB.”

      “Wilco, thanks North Star,” Shepard replied as he led the formation back toward Presidia. “What a day…”

Chapter Text

            As was to be expected by this point, Grayson was already waiting by the time Locksmith Squadron had returned to the briefing room. If Avery didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought that he hadn’t moved an inch since they first left- although it was still a distinct possibility. At this rate, the man was going to end up working himself to death. And yet, he still smiled from ear-to-ear as soon as the five pilots entered the briefing room.

            “Ah, Locksmith Squadron. It’s good to see you all back safe and sound,” he greeted them as they all found their seats. “I heard you ran into some trouble.”

            Shepard shook his head. “It was nothing we couldn’t handle, sir. Sometimes, it’s just better to run and fight another day than rush into a fight you can’t win.”

            Grayson nodded in agreement. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Speaking of which, I must commend you all for your remarkable work today. Thanks to your quick and decisive action, we managed to not only prevent a significant amount of damage to the geothermal facilities at the Hayden Valley Fracture, but you also saved countless lives protecting those evac choppers.”

            “Ah, we’re just doing our jobs. No need to thank us for it,” Cutter replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

            “Hey, speak for yourself. I’ll take all the praise I can get- especially when it’s coming from Grayson,” Pad chimed in with a smirk.

            “Make no mistake, though,” Grayson interjected. “The assault on Yellowstone that happened today has been nothing short of a disaster. The rebels have caught us completely off guard and drained us of precious resources in the process. In short, they’ve put us on the back foot. If we want to have any chance at all of preventing our front lines from collapsing, we’ll need to dig in and wait for them to make the next move.”

            “Is there anything else we can do, sir?” Shepard asked.

            Grayson shook his head. “No, that’s quite alright. You’ve all done plenty to help out today. Thank you, though.” He plopped himself down at his desk, leaning idly back into his chair as he stared blankly at the screen in front of him.

            The five pilots all stood up and saluted him before filing out of the briefing room. For a time, they all walked together, talking about what they all thought of the mission, and what it signaled for times yet to come. Shepard, as usual, did his best to dispel any doubts the rest of the squadron might’ve had, but even he could only do so much. The thought of the Federation- the most powerful entity on Earth- being put on the back foot by a bunch of rebels made everyone on edge. Slowly but surely, though, they began to split away from one another, all going their separate ways until Avery found herself walking through the halls alone. No doubt, ASH was going to turn in for day, and Avery didn’t blame her one bit. Although she wasn’t ready to join her quite yet, so she started toward the mess hall instead, opting not to disturb her.

            By the time she arrived, there were only a handful of people around- all spread out at different tables. Eventually, though, she managed to catch a glimpse of Statts,  dressed from head to toe in combat gear, and it didn’t take long for him to see her. After giving the pilot a quick wave, he gestured for her to join him, and she obliged.

            “Hey, there ya are. Was startin’ to wonder where you’d gone off to,” Statts greeted her as she sat down across from him.

            Avery shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, you know… just went out to Hayden Valley and back, shot down some mercs, you know the deal.”

            “Ah so you were right in the thick of things, eh? Lucky you. My boys’n I just got back from the front lines, holding back the rebels’ advances.” he paused. “Was it as bad as folks are makin’ it out to be?”

            Avery’s expression darkened. “There was damage quite literally as far as the eye could see. I’ve never seen so much smoke and fire before.”

            “Dust Mother preserve us…” Statts murmured gently, toeing the line between a simple expression and an actual prayer. “Let’s just hope it’s not as bad by the time we get there.”

            “You’re going back out?” Avery asked curiously. “I thought you just got back.”

            Statts scoffed. “We did. But accordin’ to Grayson our involvement in the next battles is “of the upmost importance” to the Federation.” He made heavy emphasis on the air quotes he was using.

            “Sounds like he must think pretty highly of you guys,” she replied.

            Statts shrugged. “Nah. Y’see, everyone on this base has a weapon. You’ve got your plane, I’ve got my rifle, but Grayson? His weapon is flattery. He’ll make ya feel like the most important person on the continent- someone who he values and respects, but it’s all just a veil. He makes ya do all this shit, but you go way past what you should because ya just think’ve it as doing it for a guy that respects you, and that you respect in turn.”

            Avery looked down at the table. Although his assessment may not have been entirely wrong per say, it didn’t exactly feel like a fair judgement to make of a man in Grayson’s position. “Maybe…” she conceded aloud. “But then again, he is the Commander of all the Federation forces in Cascadia. That’s kind of his job.”

            Statts shrugged. “Sure, but there’s a limit to how far you can push people. Y’push long enough, someone’s gonna break. And if shit like what happened with Crimson keeps happenin’ then that day’ll come sooner than you think.”

            “Crimson?” Avery echoed, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “What happened with Crimson?”

            Statts gave her a look that shared just as much confusion as the one she was giving him. “Mean you haven’t heard yet? Apparently Crimson went to Appodock to intercept the merc with the Crown emblem that everyone’s been blabbing about. Soon as they got there, all the other mercs started high-tailing it outta there, but the Crown fought ‘em head-on- nearly shot one of ‘em down, too.”

            Avery’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

            “Damn straight I’m serious. Only reason I knew about it was ‘cause I heard all them Peacekeepers arguing once they got back,” Statts explained.

             “By the Dust…” Avery murmured mostly to herself. She’d looked up to the Peacekeepers- especially Crimson Squadron- for most of her life. For as long as she was old enough to know what planes were, her parents would take her to airshows whenever they could, and without fail she’d spend the whole time waiting for the planes in red to do their flashy maneuvers. It was why she became a fighter pilot in the first place. To think that there was a mercenary out there who could send her idols running… it instilled in her a feeling that she wasn’t equipped to describe.

            Finally, Statts let out a heavy sigh as he stood up. “Well… been nice catchin’ up with ya, Glade, but I better start gettin’ ready to head out. You take care o’ yourself, alright?”

             Avery simply nodded in response. It was all she could manage. Before long, she was alone again, but she decided that at that moment, she didn’t need to just be alone, she needed solitude- to hear her voice in her own mind rather than the comings and goings of those around her. She quickly slipped out from the mess hall, and before long, she found herself sitting outside, just a few dozen yards away from the tarmac. All things considered, it was surprising peaceful, and it was just what Avery needed; a place where she could unwind and decompress.

            She let out a heavy sigh, briefly glancing up at the dark clouded sky above her. “Just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?” she asked herself before scoffing. “And right as I was starting to think that things were going my way for a change.”

            Suddenly, she felt something land on the bridge of her nose, then another something on her cheek, and again on her hand. She looked up at the sky, and sure enough, it had started to rain. She never would’ve imagined herself getting excited at something so mundane as a little rain, and yet, here she was. It almost felt like it marked a sense of… finality, for lack of a better word; as if one chapter was ending and another was about to begin.

            Suddenly, she heard a groan behind her. “Ah, great. That just figures, doesn’t it?” It was Cutter, leaning up against the wall of a building.

            Avery whipped around in surprise, her heart thudding heavily at the realization that she wasn’t alone. “How long have you been here?”

            He smirked. “Longer than you.” He paused to look around at the secluded area they’d both found themselves in. “Choice spot we’ve got here, isn’t it? I come here when I need a little time to think.”

            Avery followed his gaze as it swept across the area. “Well, it’s definitely a good spot for that,” she agreed, pausing for a moment before looking at the second-in-command. “What uh… what brought you out here, then?”

            Cutter shrugged dismissively. “Ah, nothin’ much- just thinking about home, is all. That and collecting my thoughts for my next letter back.”

            The younger pilot raised a curious brow his way. “Who to?”

            “My daughter,” Cutter answered with a warm smile. “She’s probably just a few years younger than you, actually. Right now she’s at Ulaanbaatar for flight training.”

            Avery never would’ve suspected Cutter to be a parent. Not only did his hand not bear a ring, but as she thought harder on it, the math of a man in his early thirties having a kid in their twenties didn’t add up. Her brow furrowed as she thought harder on it, but none of the answers she could think up made much sense.

            Cutter took notice of her struggle to comprehend the concept and chuckled. “She’s adopted,” he finally told her. “Found her on the streets not too long after I’d gotten back from my first deployment. She was probably around… ten or eleven, I think. Anyway, she was all alone with nowhere to go, so I took her in, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

            “I never imagined you as the type to have ties across the ocean,” Avery said.

            He looked at her with an expression mixed of surprise and confusion. “Of course. We’ve all got family. It’s what keeps us going. I’ve got my daughter, Shep’s got a wife and two kids, Pad has his sweetheart down in Victoria, and ASH has her parents and sisters in Magadan. I’m sure you’ve got your own family here in Cascadia.”

            She nodded. “I do- just my parents though.” The wait she went through to hear back from them after the war started was agonizing. There was a time when she was convinced that her father didn’t make it. After all, he was in the Federation Embassy- where the first shots of the war had been fired- on that fateful day. He was nothing more than an advisor to some politician, but she knew perfectly well how common collateral damage was. Fortunately, he’d always been tough as nails- as was her mother, and they’d both managed to flee into the countryside.

            “See? We’ve all got someone. After all, we’re social creatures at heart. It’s just who we are.” Cutter paused for a moment, staring blankly ahead toward the tarmac. “Lotta people in our line of work don’t talk about their families and loved ones back home. Hell, most of ‘em seem to avoid it like the plague. They say it’s bad luck and that you’re just asking to get killed but… I disagree. To keep such a big chunk of our identity under wraps- to just lock it away and bottle it up- it denies us a part of ourselves that’s crucial in this profession: it keeps us grounded to the why- to understanding what we’re fighting for and keeping that in the forefront of our minds.”

            Avery looked up at him and smiled. “Awfully insightful of you, Cutter.”

            He shrugged. “What can I say? I guess Shepard’s rubbing off on me as I get older.” He nodded toward the barracks as he straightened himself up. “C’mon, now. Let’s get out of this rain already.”

Chapter Text

            “Alright, Locksmith Squadron, time is of the essence, so I’ll do my best to keep this quick,” Grayson began as the five pilots took their seats in the briefing room. He turned to face the screen behind him displaying the briefing software and zoomed in on a region near the northern coastline. “In order to counteract the mercenaries’ continued attacks on our geothermal facilities in the east, the Federation Navy is executing a massive offensive across the Cascadian coastlines to force them away from the Exclusion Zones and force them to react accordingly. Ever since the war started, Cascadia’s navy has been extremely limited in scale- consisting almost entirely of various Coast Guard vessels. As such, their capabilities in their fight against us have been reduced largely to hit and run attacks on our naval convoys moving equipment and manpower in from out of country,” Grayson explained as he brought up the screen centering in on the AO- nothing but ocean for miles. “The primary objective of this offensive is to ensure absolute naval superiority for the Federation. The operation will be split into two different attacks, each spearheaded by one of our two top of the line battleships. Locksmith Squadron, you will be joining the FNS Jerusalem in the northern prong of this offensive.”

            “What’s our role in this mission?” Shepard asked. “Are we gonna be the ones hitting those ships?”

            Grayson shook his head. “No, that task will fall on the Jerusalem and the naval aircraft from her battlegroup. Your mission is to provide air cover for the offensive. The Cascadians will no doubt send fighters loaded with anti-ship missiles to stop our advance, and you’ll be there to stop that from happening. Protect the Jersualem and her battlegroup from harm’s way and ensure that their fighters can get the job done. Any further questions?”

            Silence fell over the room.

            “Then get to your planes. The Jerusalem is already underway, and I want you to rendezvous with them within the hour,” Grayson told the pilots as they prepared themselves to get moving. “Remember, we have a lot riding on this mission’s success. Under no circumstances can we afford to let the Cascadians carry on with their attacks unimpeded like this, so get moving Locksmith Squadron. You’re dismissed.”

            “Locksmith Squadron, you’re approaching allied fleet. Fence in,” North Star ordered. “Patching into Jerusalem’s comm frequency now.”

            “Copy all,” Shepard responded. “This is Locksmith 1 to FNS Jerusalem. We’re vectoring toward you feet wet- ready to proceed as fragged.”

            “Admiral Linder receiving you, we’ve got you confirmed on radar,” the Jerusalem replied. “Push bearing 280 and link up with friendly aircraft.”

            Two groups of eight allied aircraft appeared on radar- one consisting of F/E-18s and the other F/D-14s- all flying straight toward the scattered presence of enemy vessels. Before long, the flight of five F/C-16s turned to join them. Avery followed her squadron’s lead as they slipped into formation with the rest. Together, the group of twenty-one fighters reported that they were ready.

            “Jerusalem to all callsigns in the AO, Phase 1 of Operation Leviathan is a go. Proceed to your assigned objectives, and engage the enemy. Out.”

            “Storm 1 copies, moving in to engage the advance element,” the leader of the Super Hornets reported as they all dove down until they were just above sea level. “Hail Squadron, follow us in. We’re gonna need those destroyers stripped of their defenses ASAP.” A moment later, the Tomcats followed close behind.

            “ALCON, this is AWACS North Star. Be advised, we’ve got two groups of Cascadian fighters vectoring in hot from bearing 020. Tally five in the first group and ten in the second- all Frogfoots,” North Star reported.

            “That’s our cue,” Shepard said, already turning to the designated heading. “Locksmith Squadron, turning to intercept.”

            Avery briefly glanced over her shoulder, watching as the naval fighters sped toward the lead ships to clear the way for their own fleet. ‘They’ll be fine,’ she reminded herself. So long as she and her squadron did their job, then they wouldn’t have any issue- theoretically, at least. Given Locksmith Squadron’s track record over the last few weeks, some surprise that throws a wrench in the operation wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for her, but until that happened, she had a job to do.

            The first five SK.25s blinked into view on her HUD. At the moment, all of them were headed straight for the fleet. Whether it was because they had yet to see Locksmith or because they were too tunnel-visioned to realize that they were about to be targeted, it hardly mattered. What did matter was that it gave the Federation pilots an advantage that they were quick to take advantage of. As the one at the back of the formation, Avery was the last of her squadron to get within range. Radar tones went solid, and MLAAs launched out from each plane. Avery set her sights for the last plane to be targeted and fired. The flight of Frogfoots tried their best to notch the radar-guided missiles, but it was too late, and all five fighters vanished from radar at almost the exact same time.

            “Five down, ten to go,” Cutter reported. “We’re making good timing so far- just gotta keep it up.”

            “Storm 1 to Jerusalem, forward picket fleet is out of action. You’re clear to advance.”

            “Copy that. All ships, we are go for Phase 2.  Move in and surround those ships. Time to remind these Cascadians who controls the seas.”

            While the rest of the fleet advanced, Avery and her squadron turned to face the second group of Frogfoots head-on, putting themselves between the Cascadians and the fleet. Her radar began beeping fanatically as it searched for a target, but the SK.25s were still too far out of range for a lock. In the end, though, it wouldn’t matter. Those planes were undoubtedly loaded for air-to-ship combat. If they had any anti-air missiles at all, they’d be heatseekers with too short a range to pose a threat to Locksmith. All they had to do was hit their targets before the merge.

            The Federation fighters lit their afterburners, picking speed as they got closer and closer to the approaching bandits. Avery’s MLAAs growled as they found their lock, but she didn’t pull the trigger just yet- not while they still had plenty of time and space for evasive maneuvers. She watched and waited as the SK.25s appeared on her HUD. Her RWR remained silent, and she nodded contently to herself, satisfied that her theory was right. Just a little bit more… now! Two more MLAAs launched out from under her wings, spewing smoke and exhaust as the sped toward their targets. A few moments later, two fiery blips briefly lit up the sky and then went dark. Her plane let out two satisfactory beeps, confirming the obvious. The others had been similarly successful with their attacks, but three Frogfoots still remained, heading straight for the Federation pilots as they finally came within range. Avery’s RWR finally began screeching as all six STDMs fired off from their wingtips. Her hand reached for the countermeasures immediately, dumping flares as she followed ASH into evasive maneuvers. The two pilots banked hard to the right, pulling as many g’s as their bodies and planes would allow. Avery’s RWR beeped faster and faster until she heard the sound of a missile just barely missing her cockpit. Once her tail was clear, she pulled up as hard as she could, fighting to get on the bandit’s tail while they did the same. Fortunately for Avery, her Viper was the more maneuverable of the two planes, and she found herself in the perfect position to take them out with guns. Two short bursts were all it took to send the burning wreckage that remained tumbling into the ocean below. She quickly formed back up with ASH, who had just fired off one of her STDMs to clear Shepard’s tail. With all three of them free of bandits, they turned their attention to the last one being chased down by Cutter and Padlock. The last SK.25 was no match for all of them as it quickly got surrounded and gunned down.

            “North Star, all Frogfoots have been splashed. Requesting bogey dope,” Shepard reported as he led the squadron to circle back around to rejoin the fleet.

            North Star’s reply went out to the entire group rather than just Shepard. “ALCON, enemy reinforcements are approaching the AO. We’ve got mercenary interceptors closing fast from bearing 090 and more ships approaching from 340.”

            “Jeez, these guys just keep on coming, huh? Guess nobody warned them about being sore losers,” ASH mumbled.

             “All ships, form up on the Jerusalem,” Admiral Linder ordered. “Arm all secondary batteries and finish the last of these ships off so we can deal with those reinforcements.”

            “Storm to Jerusalem, requesting permission to engage the bandits with Locksmith Squadron. We’ve all got ammo to spare.”

            Linder sighed. “Permission granted, Storm Squadron. Just don’t get trigger happy.”

            “Wouldn’t dream of it, Admiral,” Storm 1 replied as he led his squadron out to meet up with Locksmith. “Hail, keep an eye ‘em.”

            “Holy shit!” Pad exclaimed as he looked down at his radar. “It’s a good thing you guys are joining us because that is a lot of bandits to deal with.”

            Avery checked her radar and sure enough, twenty mercernary fighters of varying aircraft types were headed straight for them. Had it not been for Storm Squadron joining up with them, they would’ve been outnumbered by an absurd degree, but thirteen against twenty was far more manageable than five against twenty. Readying her remaining missiles for the fight, Avery lit her burners and followed her squadron to face them head-on.

            Her first target was an F/E-4 at the edge of the formation- easy pickings without a doubt. She quickly found a lock and fired one of her MLAAs, but only a few moments later, her RWR screeched to life. Her adversary had fired a Fox 1 at her and had a clear shot. For a moment, Avery hesitated, making split second decisions in her mind about what to do before ultimately opting to maintain her approach. It was risky, to be sure, but if her missile found its target before theirs did, then she wouldn’t have any problems escaping its lock. Her RWR beeped faster and faster as the missile approached, and she watched as the F/E-4 kept its nose painted on her, keeping a good lock for its target. This would ultimately be their downfall, and as soon as her cockpit beeped in recognition of the mercenary’s demise, Avery yanked back on the stick, pulling straight up and watching the SAA pass right underneath her.

            But the fight was only just beginning, and Avery only had a few more moments until everyone would be within range of heatseekers. She quickly locked up a pair of F/C-16s and shot off her last two MLAAs, providing some much-needed weight reduction for the coming dogfight. Both Vipers launched chaff behind them as they went defensive, but only one would be fortunate enough to break the lock. And now, it was time for the real fight to begin. She lit her burners and chased after the fleeing F/C-16, quickly closing the gap between them. The mercenary tried to make one last attempt to outmaneuver their pursuer, but all it did was put themselves directly in Avery’s boresight, allowing her to squeeze the trigger and gun them down. She didn’t have long to celebrate her victory, though, as her RWR sounded off once again. Her hands moved to deploy flares instinctively before banking hard to the right and pulling down toward the water. As she went through her turn, she tried to crane her neck to get a good look at who had fired at her, only to see to a mercenary Flanker hit by a missile from one of the Storm Squadron aircraft as they passed by effortlessly.

            She quickly made one last turn to ensure that the missile on her tail would miss its mark and set her sights on her next target, a lone MG-29 near the center of the furball trying to make its way out. She cracked a smirk, locking on in an instant and firing one off her two STDMs. Then came the usual dance lit up by flares as they went defensive. The missile twisted and curved to follow its prey, but ultimately missed its mark, careening off into the sky before making contact with nothing. The MG-29 leveled itself out directly in front of Avery, and the two prepared themselves to face each other head-on. Locks were made, STDMs were fired, and flares were dropped. In the end, only one of them came out unscathed, and it was Avery. It almost felt like she was holding her breath, and yet she could still feel the oxygen circulating through her lungs. She may have been out of missiles, but she was still in this fight. Only five mercenaries remained, and the Federation pilots were all beginning to circle in around them. Avery readied her guns and closed in on the last SK.27, which had just narrowly avoided a missile shot by one of the Storm Squadron pilots. Once she closed the gap, she let out short bursts with her gun, sending tracers flying toward the Flanker. Not a single shot hit its mark, but as the last of her ammo was used, she nodded with satisfaction as she achieved her goal, driving them right into Cutter’s missile.

            “Well…” Avery began, panting heavily as she fought to regain her breath. “Looks like that was the last of ‘em, and not a moment too soon.”

            “And we’re finishing off the last of the ships over here as well,” Hail 1 reported. “North Star, you got any more surprises for us on the long range?”

            “Negative, scopes are clean all around. Mission accomplished. Good work, everyone,” North Star said in a tone that, if Avery didn’t know any better, almost sounded impressed.

            “Storm Squadron, Hail Squadron, return to the carrier,” Linder ordered. “All ships, come about 180 degrees and return to port. The Jerusalem will meet you there later.”

            “Where are you going, Admiral?” Storm 1 asked. “By yourself, no less?”

            “We’re predisposed on other orders that I’m not at liberty to discuss,” the Admiral answered sharply. “But we won’t be alone. We’re linking up with the FNS Cat Eye not far from here. Now go.”

            Shepard hummed as he led the squadron of F/C-16s on one last pass over the fleet before circling back. “Come on, Locksmith Squadron. It’s about time that we did the same.”

            Pad scoffed. “Yeah, this all sounds like it’s above our pay grade anyways.”

            “Locksmith, push bearing 140. We’ve got tanker aircraft waiting for you once we’re back over land,” North Star ordered.

            “Wow, look at that, I didn’t even have to ask. How courteous of you North Star,” ASH teased him. “Who would’ve thought that underneath that hardass exterior you put up, is a true gentleman.”

            “Heh. You wish, Locksmith 5.”

            “Woah, hey, you got a laugh out of him ASH,” Cutter pointed out. “Well, okay, it was more like a chuckle, but still. He really can show emotion.”

            Avery snickered alongside the rest of her squadron, but she didn’t say anything. All it would do was prompt some overly-aggressive remark from North Star that would ruin the moment. She felt a pang of annoyance that she had to sacrifice her own enjoyment to keep others from unleashing their venom on her for no reason at all, but she was gradually coming to accept the fact that this was just how things were as a Cascadian pilot for the Federation. Maybe some day she would get to change that, but today was not that day.

Chapter Text

            “North Staaaar, are we there yet?” Avery groaned, making her boredom known and very much everyone’s problem.

            He let out an annoyed sigh. “No. The tanker aircraft is still about two minutes out. Also, what are you, five?”

            “Maybe I am at heart.”

            The AWACS operator scoffed. “Well, that would certainly explain a lot.”

            “I thought you said they were close?” Pad asked. “It’s been almost two hours since we left the fleet.”

            “Yeah, and at the time they were close- to me.”

            “Asshole,” ASH remarked, rolling her eyes with a smirk. “You just better hope I don’t run out of fuel in the time it takes them to meet up with us. If I have to get rescued because I bailed out after running out of fuel, I promise you here and now that I will be positively insufferable to the rescue crew.”

            “Well, it looks like you’re lucky, then, ASH. I’ve got eyes on one friendly contact- bearing 140,” Shepard said.

            “Cando 3 to Locksmith Squadron, heard you guys could use a topping up,” the tanker aircraft said as they appeared on Avery’s HUD. “Go on and line up behind us, we’ll fill you up.”

            Avery followed the others’ lead as they filed in behind Shepard. After passing by the tanker on their left, they circled back around. The five pilots moved almost completely in sync, maintaining their rigid formation effortlessly. Slowly but surely, they situated themselves at the rear of the tanker aircraft and prepared to refuel.

            “So, how’ve you guys been doing today?” the boom operator asked as Shepard easily lined himself up and connected with the tanker.

            “Ah, we’re just coming back from an operation with some of those navy boys.”

            “You run into any trouble?”

            “Nothing too bad, really- some ships, a few mercs, the usual. Luckily, we had two of their carrier squadrons backing us up.”

            “Oh, sounds fun. We don’t see those navy pilots often, but when we do, they’re a blast to be around- real cool guys.”

            Once Shepard was full, he slowly backed away from the boom and pulled away, allowing Cutter to step up to the plate and continue the conversation. “Y’know, I don’t know how, but those guys always have the best food with them. I don’t even know where they get it.”

            “I actually asked one of ‘em about it when we were refueling them once. They said whenever they’re on shore leave, they spend a whole day going around to all the best places for food around town and stockpile a whole bunch of shit to take with ‘em.”

            “Wait a minute that’s actually a really good idea.” Cutter let out a wistful sigh. “If I’d thought of that before I left on this deployment, I woulda brought some food from home. Probably the thing I miss most from back home,” he said as he broke off to join Shepard.

            “Alright, we gotta do it,” Pad said as he hooked up to the tanker. “Favorite food to eat: go.”

            “Ooooh tough question. I think I’d have to say… pizza probably. I love me a good pizza- especially with some stuffed crust.”

            “Oh, hell yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. What kinda toppings do you usually go for? You the type to put everything on or keep it minimalist?”

            “Oh, I can’t stand veggies and shit on my pizza. I always load that sucker with as much meat as they’ll let me.”

            Pad chuckled as he pulled away. “Hey, careful now. I’ve still got a long flight back and if I’m still hungry by the time we get back I might end up impulse ordering a large for myself.”

            “How about you, then?” The boom operator asked as ASH connected. “If you could get any food from anywhere in the world right now, what would it be?”

            ASH paused for a moment to think. “Y’know… I think I’d have to go with chicken wings, I think- the spicier the better.”

            “Oh, now you’re speaking my language. Have you ever been to Blazer’s before?”

            “I’ve never even heard of the place.”

            “Oh, you’re missing out. It’s this local place in downtown Presidia. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I have never had better chicken wings in my entire life. They’re quite literally to die for.”

            “Well, shit, now you’ve piqued my interest. I’m gonna have to check ‘em out once we get back. Do they do delivery?” ASH asked.

            “See, that’s the best part; they’re open 24/7.”

            “You serious?”

            “Hey, now. I would never lie when it comes to food.”

            “Well, in that case, god bless ‘em. With what you’re saying, they just might end up becoming my favorite place to eat when I’m here.”

            ASH peeled away from the tanker, clearing the path for Avery to connect. She pushed the throttle forward ever so gently, practically inching closer to the boom as she centered herself. Her wings rocked back and forth gently as she steadied herself and finally felt and heard the boom link up with her plane.

            Suddenly, a realization hit her. “Wait a second. I thought they closed Blazer’s a couple years ago- something about health code violations?” From what she recalled, the place looked like it was one bad business day from going bankrupt, so the news didn’t surprise her all that much.

            “Oh, they did, but then they reopened a couple months ago under new management. They completely leveled the old building and started from scratch. The place looks amazing now.”

            “Who’s the owner? That kinda renovation couldn’t have been cheap.”

            “No clue who the owner is, but apparently he’s buddies with one of the Kennedys.”

            “Thaaat explains it,” Avery replied, looking down at her fuel gauge and watching it tick up. Just a few seconds more and she’d be back to full. “Well, thanks for the recommendation. If I heard myself that they’d opened back up I probably wouldn’t have gone near it with a ten-foot pole, but now it sounds like we’ve gotta go check it out.” She pulled slowly back from the tanker and banked to the left and rejoined the others.

            “Always happy to help. Take care,” the boom operator replied.

            “Alright, North Star, Locksmith’s good on fuel,” Shepard announced as the squadron veered away from the tanker.

            “Copy that, Locksmith 1. Resume heading 140 and return to… wait a minute. Hold on, Locksmith Squadron, you’ve got allied fighters approaching from bearing 180, closing really damn fast.” North Star paused for a moment, switching to the open Federation channels. “Allied aircraft, this is AWACS North Star. Identify yourselves.”

            “This is Azure Squadron. Clear the airspace! We’ve gotta get through,” came an urgent response.

            “What are you talking about? What’s going on?”

            “We’re on an emergency sortie. The FNS Jerusalem’s been hijacked and the Crown’s helping them escape!” Azure 1 explained as they got closer and closer.

            “Are you kidding? We were just with them!” Pad replied exasperatedly.

            “How in the hell did they let one of the most advanced battleships in the Federation Navy get hijacked by rebels?” ASH asked.

            Shepard sighed. “North Star, do you want us to rearm and get out there once we get back?”

            “Negative, from what I’m seeing, it looks like we’ve got too many squadrons heading there already. We don’t wanna overcommit on our forces. Just return to base.”

            The flight of eight F/C-15s sped by and vanished into the clouds just as soon as they appeared. Avery let out an annoyed huff. “First those attacks on the geothermal plants, and now this hijacking on the Jerusalem. Is it just me, or does it feel like whenever this Crown is involved, we’re always one step behind?”

            “They’ve got the momentum right now. We’re busy picking up the pieces of all the messes they make while they’re off making new messes,” Shepard explained. “It’s just the ebb and flow of war. Soon enough we’ll be the ones putting them on the back foot.”

            Avery hoped that he was right, but as she thought on it as they headed back to Presidia, she just couldn’t tell. Even as she and the others taxied into their hangar, all she could think about was how wrong she ended up being. When the fighting first started, she thought it would be nothing more than an insurrection that wouldn’t last a month. Now it had escalated into a full-blown war- and one that they didn’t have a clear advantage in, at that.

            As the rest of the squadron filtered out of the hangar, she took one last loop around her plane, inspecting it up and down for anything out of ordinary. Once she deemed everything to be satisfactory, she nodded to herself. A few steps more and she would have been out of the hangar, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Shepard, still sitting in the cockpit of his plane and writing in a pocket-sized book.

            “Watcha writing?” she asked as she walked up to his plane.

            Shepard looked up at her for a moment, smiling briefly before returning to his writing. “Just a quick paragraph or two for my journal. Although, technically, this isn’t actually my journal, just what I try to keep with my everywhere I go to keep myself from forgetting anything,” the older pilot explained.

            “I guess someone who’s been in this business for as long as you must have so pretty interesting stories to tell.”

            “Potentially,” Shepard replied with a shrug. “Who knows, maybe once I retire, I’ll turn it all into a memoir- get published and everything. Then again… I’m not sure if I want to have to get mixed up with the Information Bureau about what all I’d be allowed to put in. I can’t possibly imagine they would approve of everything I have to say.”

            Avery leaned up against the nose of his plane. “What would you say about me, then- the kinda stuff that would get me promoted or discharged?”

            Shepard let out a soft chuckle. “Well, I suppose that, in the end, it would depend on how this all works out, but… I think that I’d write about you from the perspective of the position you find yourself in- stuck between the Federation and Cascadia- and how that’s guided you forward.”

            “That is… an annoying vague answer,” Avery replied with a frown.

            “Come, now. I can’t tell you everything, can I? A man is entitled to his secrets, after all.”

            “How’d you get into journaling, anyway? Maybe it’s just me, but you seem like the kinda guy who could never have enough free time on his hands to be able to sit down and write something that isn’t paperwork.”

            Shepard jotted down one last sentence and close his tiny journal, putting it back into one of the pockets of his flight suit. “It’s a good way of winding down after the stress of combat- a way to let my blood cool once all is said and done.”

            “What, mediation, didn’t do it for ya?” Avery joked.

            “Laugh all you want, but it’s the truth,” Shepard told her as he climbed out from his cockpit. “When I was about your age, right at the start of the Oceanian War, my flight lead at the time told me something that’s stuck with me to this day. After one of our first sorties after the war started, he told me: there are few imperatives greater to those like us than to have something, anything, to remind ourselves that we aren’t just soldiers. You need to find something to remind yourself that you’re more than just a cog in the machine of the Federation- something that reminds you that you’re still a human being. So then, my question to you, Glade, is what would that be for you?”

            Avery paused for a good, long moment. It was a question that she had never given an ounce of thought to, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that there wasn’t a clear answer. “Well, I think it would probably be… my faith.” The Church of the Dust had always given her purpose and belonging when she needed it most. It was her light in the dark, and it was what led her, in a very roundabout way, to becoming a fighter pilot. It was a part of herself that she could not live without.

            Shepard gave her an understanding nod. “Few things are more important to a human being than faith- whatever form it may take. With that being said, though, it’s not something I would choose. It’s crucial t hat you find something that’s central to you- something that doesn’t tie your identity to something bigger than yourself.” After a moment, it was clear to him by looking at the sense of almost aimlessness on Avery’s face that she didn’t have something like that. He smiled gently at her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Trust me, Glade; if you can find something to center yourself- then you’ll already be on the right to track to becoming one of the Federation’s finest- which is more than many of our colleagues can say. The reason I’ve lived as long as I have in this profession isn’t because of my skills. It’s because I take the time in life to do the little things like this, and if you can do the same, then you might just be exactly what the Federation needs.”

Chapter Text

            Avery let out a content sigh as she looked around from her cockpit. It was clear skies all around- both in terms of the weather and the status of the AO- and that was just the way she liked it. The sun shone brightly overhead, bouncing light off the metal of her squadrons’ planes and directly into her eyes. It was times like these that she was oh so relieved that the visor on her helmet was tinted.

            “Sheesh, lotta civilian airships out today,” Padlock observed, watching the countless airships- nothing more than dots in the distance marked by yellow IFF signatures- passing by. “We sure it’s safe for them to be out here when we’re so close by?”

            “If we had any other choice, then I’m sure we would’ve taken a different route,” Cutter replied. “But the Cascadians have been setting up more and more anti-air systems in the mountain ranges, so all we can do is stick to the major airways.”

            “I can’t believe that the Cascadians are the ones dictating where we can and can’t go,” ASH chimed in. “We oughta be sending in our boots on the ground to take out these AA systems and then calling us in to clean up the rest.”

            “Well, that’s why we’re doing this,” Shepard told her. “With all this equipment and manpower that we’re moving in from out of country, we’ll hopefully be able to finally put the Cascadians on the back foot for a change.”

            Avery let her eyes wander as she kept herself in formation with the others. Just shy of two dozen C/T-17s were all scattered across the AO, headed straight for Prospero. They were also accompanied by two other fighter squadrons sent to provide escort along with Locksmith Squadron. There were probably around thirty-five of them in total- all spread out over a one-mile radius.

            She was looking down at her radar, trying to gauge exactly how far they had until another squadron would come in to replace them, when she saw a blip on her radar. It was gone as soon as it appeared, but she still saw it. Frowning to herself, she began fiddling with her radar, adjusting the range and mode to see if she could get another hit before brushing it off as a false positive. Try as she might, though, the only thing her radar was detecting was the myriad of friendly aircraft around her. Still, though, something about it didn’t sit right with her.

            “North Star, this is Locksmith 6. I could’ve sworn that I just saw a blip on my radar, but I can’t seem to find it again,” she reported. “Are you seeing anything on your sensors at all?”

            North Star let out a bored huff. “Wait one, Six. Lemme cast a wide net here and see if there’s anything out here to-“

            The AWACS operator kept droning on for a few seconds more, completely unaware that one of the transports just a few dozen meters away from Avery had just exploded. The rest of the squadron all broke off, going defensive as VX-23s emerged from under the clouds, but try as she might, Avery couldn’t move. No matter how hard she willed her arms to move and pull back on the control stick, she wouldn’t budge. All she could do was watch as the wreckage of the C/T-17 that had been up and flying next to her just moments ago fell to the ground below in a ball of fire. In that moment, Avery was back in Presidia, watching helplessly as Babble met the same fate. It wasn’t until the sound of a missile alert in her cockpit that she finally snapped out of it, dumping chaff and flares behind her as she only narrowly evaded the missile headed her way.

            “Break, break, break! This is Locksmith 1; we are under attack!” Shepard called out. “We’ve got stealth aircraft right on top of us.”

            “Dammit!” North Star spat. “All fighters, move in. Protect those transports!” he ordered.

            “Ah shit, we’ve got more coming- bearing 345!” one of the other fighters pointed out. “Looks like there’s a lot of ‘em too.”

            “There’s too many for just us. We need support, now!” Cutter urged.

            “AWACS North Star to Regional HQ, our air convoy Over the Palter Range is under attack; requesting any support in the area to be diverted to the AO to provide assistance.”

            “Negative, we are unable at this time,” Grayson replied. “We’re getting reports like this all up and down Cascadia. Our forces are spread thin. I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to make do.”

            “Damn them! They’re trying to cut off our supply chain,” Shepard cursed.

            “North Star, get these civvies out of here! Our multi-locks might as well be dead weight with them here,” Pad said.

            “Working on it- just do what you can and keep weapons safe on those Fox 3s for now!”

            Avery scoffed. “Feels like I’m hearing that more and more these days.”

            She reached for her master arm and pulled hard into one of the VX-23s’ paths. Her STDMs growled to life immediately. Already, they were eagerly searching for a lock, and Avery was doing her best to give it to them. The VX-23 twisted and rolled away, forcing her to pull straight up into a loop to chase after it. As she settled on the bandit’s tail, her missiles got a good tone on the heat coming from their afterburners. Now was her chance. The STDM on her left wingtip sprung to life, shooting forward toward the VX-23 as it tired to get away. The mark of the Round Table on its wingtips glinted in the sun for a brief moment before the whole plane went up in flames.

            “This is Federation ATC out of Prospero Hub issuing an airspace wide alert to all aircraft. I repeat, this is a Federation Aviation Agency declaration effective immediately. All civilian flights within all Cascadian regional airspaces are grounded at once. Follow all orders as transmitted by Federation military callsigns.”

            “North Star to all fighters; civilian aircraft are exiting the AO- well outside of radar range. You’re weapons free on radar-guided missiles.”

            “Locksmith 1, requesting bogey dope. Which of these bandits are closest to our transports?”

            “They’re pouring in from all over. You’re gonna need to split up to take ‘em all. Aqua Squadron, divert bearing 120 and engage the flight of MG-29s. Blizzard Squadron, take care of the mercenary aircraft at 020. Locksmith, finish up with those stealth aircraft and engage the bandits at bearing 270.”

             Avery had already formed up with Pad, and together, the two of them were chasing down one of the last VX-23s. Since she was the closer of the two, she let bursts of gunfire fly out toward the bandit. Unfortunately, they were taking full advantage of the VX-23s maneuverability, jinking this way and that to evade the hail of tracers passing by. Suddenly, the mercenary pulled straight up into the air, bleeding off all of their speed and allowing Avery to speed by. They wasted no time in getting a lock on her, and just a moment later, there was a missile in the air headed right for her. Fortunately for her, though, Pad was already closing in on the merc’s tail, chasing them away from Avery and keeping them from firing off another missile at her. The RWR in Avery’s cockpit beeped faster and faster as the missile on her tail closed in. Her thumb fell to its usual resting place on the switch to deploy countermeasures and held it down. Flares lit up the sky behind her and the missile followed them, leaving her to pull away right into the VX-23s path and squeeze down the trigger, letting a hail of gunfire engulf the mercenary before the plane exploded.

            “Aqua 7 was just shot down!” one of the Federation pilots cried out.

            “There’s too many of these mercs. They’re shooting down the transports before we can even get a shot out on them!” another said.

            “This is Blizzard 3, I’ve been hit!  I’m down an engine and have multiple systems failing. I have to disengage, I’m sorry.”

            “I want all planes in the air, right now!” Grayson barked. “We can’t afford to have our forces picked apart in transit. If we don’t get our forces reconsolidated, then we’re gonna spend the rest of the war disorganized!”

            “Can we get some god damn reinforcements out here already?” ASH snapped as she and Shepard shot down the last VX-23. “These guys have us completely outnumbered.”

            “CAP flights are refueling and rearming as we speak. Once they’re up, I’m directing some of them your way. Just hang tight!” North Star assured them. “It looks like the airship Verrigan is headed our way as well. They’ll be here shortly.”

            ‘Just a little bit longer,’ Avery assured herself as she followed Shepard and the others to deal with the group of bandits that North Star had called out for them.

            As the cluster of transports that they were headed to protect appeared on her HUD, so too did the flight of ten mercenaries buzzing around them like flies. Closing the gap between them with her burners lit, Avery readied her MLAAs, locking four of them onto the closest bandits and firing as soon as she was in range. She didn’t expect all of them to hit, but it would at least get the mercenaries away from the transports long enough for the fighters to close the gap. Cutter and Shepard did the same, and a wave of missiles went shooting forward, each curving away from the others as they chased after their targets. Two of Avery’s four shots hit their marks, and thanks to the missiles that the other two shot out, only five mercs remained.

            Finally, they came into visual range, and the dogfight began. Avery cut her burners and turned after an F/C-15 headed straight for her. She quickly readied her last STDM, firing it as soon as she had a lock. Just before they went defensive, the merc fired off a missile at her as well, forcing her to evade. She pulled back on the stick, dumping chaff and flares behind her as she pulled up and turned hard to the left, chasing after her target as they just barely evaded her missile. Fortunately, the one that they fired at her had also missed, allowing her to go full throttle after the Eagle. Suddenly, her RWR began beeping at a low, infrequent tone, signaling that someone was locking onto her. She quickly looked around and found her new assailant- an M/G-31 approaching her from the same direction that her target was going. Noticing an opportunity, Avery pulled back on the throttle and deployed her airbrake, bleeding off just enough speed to watch the two mercenaries pass right by each other. She squeezed down on the trigger, letting a barrage of gunfire hurl out from the nose of her plane, riddling both of them with holes and sending them spiraling down to the ground.

            “North Star, this is Primo 6. We’ve got eyes on the airship Verrigan approaching our position,” one of the transports reported. “They’re not responding to our communications.”

            “Copy, wait one,” North Star replied before switching to a different channel. “FVN Verrigan, this is AWACS North Star, say status. Are you able to escort the transports in your AO to Prospero.”

            Silence.

            “Verrigan, please respond. Are you able?”

            “What the hell? They’re targeting us!” Primo 6 cried out. “What are they-“ The radio went static.

            “Dammit! All aircraft, get away from that airship!” Blizzard 1 ordered.

            “What the hell is going on, North Star?” Padlock asked.

            “Dammit give me a minute!” he snapped. “Wait… what? Are you serious?” he asked someone on another line. “Well, dammit, why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” He paused for a moment, letting out an annoyed sigh. “All aircraft, Federation Intelligence is telling me that the FVN Verrigan has been hijacked by the Cascadians. All fighters, you are hereby ordered to shoot down the air cruiser. IFF is being updated now.”

            “North Star, most of us are already running low on ammo. How in the name of the Dust Mother do you expect us to take on a 205-class airship by ourselves?”

            “Just make it work, Six,” North Star snapped. “Besides, reinforcements are entering the AO now. They’ll assist.”

            Avery looked down at her radar, and sure enough, new allied air contacts had appeared, and they were approaching fast. When she looked closer, though, she realized that there were only two. She was moments away from pointing this out when Padlock beat her to the punch. “We’re out here busting our asses by ourselves, and they only send two planes? Are they out of their goddamn minds?!”

            A few moments later, Avery found herself silently thanking the Dust Mother that their reinforcements had yet to switch onto their radio channel when Padlock asked that question. “This is Crimson 5 and 7, we’re getting on station now,” the Peacekeeper reported. “Apologies for being late. As you can imagine, thinks are a bit chaotic right now.”

            “Tally ho on one rebel airship. Preparing to engage,” Crimson 7 spoke up.

            Avery went dead silent. She didn’t dare say anything at the risk of saying something stupid and having the Peacekeepers that she looked up to for practically her whole life think that she was just some annoying fangirl. No, she was going to let her actions speak for her. She readied her last two MLAAs and turned toward the airship while Padlock and Cutter finished off the last of the mercenaries. Already, the two SK.37s were darting back and forth, letting out short bursts from their guns to strip the 205-class of its defenses bit by bit. Her radar let out a solid tone, and she pulled the trigger immediately. The last two MLAAs practically leapt off their pylons and sped out toward the rebel airship, curling elegantly through the air until they made contact with their target, taking out a pair of AA guns.

            If she was smart, she would’ve backed off then and there when she was out of missiles. But she was determined now, and what better way to impress the Peacekeepers than to stay on task with nothing but machine guns. Tracers spewed out from the airship toward her as she came within range, but she stayed on course, lighting her burners and closing the gap. She squeezed down on the trigger, letting out one long barrage of gunfire as she evaded the ones headed her way. Explosions ripped through the hull, causing a chain reaction across the entire ship, but ultimately, it was a missile from Shepard that sealed their fate.

            “Airship confirmed destroyed. Picture clean of all hostiles,” North Star reported.

            ASH took deep, measured breaths. “Well, that was certainly, uh… intense.”

            Pad scoffed. “Yeah, no kidding.”

            “We’ll stay with the transports and escort them the rest of the way to Prospero,” Crimson 5 told the group of fighters. “Any aircraft low on fuel or ammo, switch off.”

            “That’s our cue, Locksmith Squadron. Let’s get out of here,” Shepard said, already turning toward Presidia.

            Avery followed after him, but she had to say something. Her heart was racing. Her mouth didn’t want to open, but despite it all, she forced the words out. “Thank you, both- for everything.” It wasn’t much, but she at least got to say that she had spoken to Crimson Squadron. It was quite literally a childhood dream come true for her, and despite the circumstances it was under, that was all that mattered to her.

Chapter Text

            It took all the willpower that Avery possessed to keep herself from tearing open the large box she was carrying and devouring its contents- that and ASH keeping an eye on her to make sure the package got to its destination safely. Even then, though, it was no easy task. The aroma from inside floated gently upward and directly into her nose. It smelled absolutely delicious, which was precisely what made this assignment borderline torture.

            “Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” ASH told her with a wry smirk on her face. “Y’know, you’re very brave for doing this.”

            Avery scoffed. “You say that as if I had any say in the matter.”

            “Newest person in the squadron is always the snacko- just how it is,” ASH replied with a shrug.

            “Then why’d you come with me?”

            ASH smirked as the two of them rounded a corner. “If my memory serves me correctly, then you were the one that was practically begging me to tag along.”

            “You could’ve just said no,” Avery pointed out. “I would’ve just dragged Pad with me kicking and screaming.”

            ASH chuckled at the mental image that gave her. “Who knows… maybe I just enjoy spending time with you.”

            Avery smiled. “I thought that was a given, especially after the party when we took back Presidia.”

            “Hey, for all you know, that was just a release for me- a way to let out all the tension that had been building up.”

            “Did you actually manage to get yourself to believe that?” Avery asked with a teasing smirk. “It’s a shame, I guess. And here I was thinking that we should try to recreate the magic, so to speak.”

            ASH’s eyes gravitated towards the floor. “Well… when you put it like that, then maybe we should take another shot at it. Although, to be honest, I never would’ve imagined you to be this direct about it. I would’ve thought that you would just try to keep dancing around it without actually saying it.”

            “You say that as if that isn’t what we’re doing right now,” Avery pointed out.

            ASH laughed. “Fair enough…”

            Avery looked around at the numbers on the doors. She’d never been to this part of the barracks, so all she had to go on was the number that Shepard gave them. After what felt like ages, she finally had a match, and both pilots stopped in front of the door. ASH gently tapped her knuckles against it, waiting for Shepard’s muffled voice to usher them in from the other side. Upon stepping inside, Avery found herself looking around the room- the layout, the different beds, the desks… they even had a TV mounted on the wall.

            “Okay, what the hell? How come your quarters are so much better than ours?”

            Shepard chuckled lightly. “Privileges of being an O-4, Glade. If you stay with the Air Force for 15 years, then maybe you’ll get quarters as nice as this someday.”

            Padlock was more focused on the box that Avery was holding. “C’mon, c’mon, let’s open up the goods already!”

            Avery set the box down on one of the desks. It was shaped into a large cube made up of several layers. The new and improved Blazer’s logo was plastered onto every side. Moving slowly and deliberately, she pulled out each layer from the frame, which in turn made it into six smaller boxes- all loaded to the brim with chicken wings.

            Cutter sighed wistfully. “God, what a magnificent sight that is. Makes me wanna shed a tear just looking at it.”

            Shepard put a hand on Avery’s shoulder, smiling. “You did well, Glade- damn well.”

            “What can I say? I’m just so happy to do my duty,” she replied with a shrug. “The duty that you so kindly voluntold me for, I would like to point out.”

            “Ah get over yourself- we’ve all been the snacko at one point or another,” Pad told her. “Just think, once this is all done and behind us and we finally get some fresh blood in this squadron, then you can boss them around.”

            “Alright, alright,” Shepard said, standing up while the others all sat where they could. “Jackson knows what this is all about, but as for you three,” he paused as his gaze shifted to Avery, ASH, and Padlock. “It’s been something of a tradition in this squadron for quite some time now that whenever we’re put on a sortie at some ungodly hour of the night, we spend the hours leading up to it together. That is why we’re here.” He opened his mouth, but stopped before any sound could come out. He wanted to carry on, telling them about how the tradition started and why it was important, but he could see the fire in their eyes burning hotter than the one on the Blazer’s logo. All he could do was smile at them and say, “Dig in.”

            Each of the boxes was labeled with a different flavor and colored accordingly, and they’d all been organized from least to most spicy. Looking over all of them damn near gave Avery decision paralysis. They all looked so good and there were so many to choose from. How could she possibly know where to even start. Eventually, she closed her eyes and reached out her hand, letting her subconscious decide for her. She picked up a perfectly middle-of-the-road buffalo wing, and that was just fine for her.

            “Alright, I’ve got an important question for our friendship,” Cutter said as he took his first bites. “When you go to take a wing, do you go for the drumsticks or the flats?”

            Padlock gave him a confused look. “The hell are you talking about? It’s not like there’s a difference between them. They taste the same.”

            “What?” ASH asked in disbelief. “Pad… Pad, please tell me you’re not serious.” She paused for a moment, picking off the last of the meat from the bone in her hands before tossing it aside and licking the sauce off her fingers. “For the sake of our friendship, I need you to tell me that you’re not serious.”

             “It’s not about the taste. It’s about…” Cutter trailed off as he searched for the right words. “…the experience of eating the wing.”

            Padlock rolled his eyes before tossing his bone cleaned of all meat aside. “God, you guys are weird.”

            “Hey, I’m pretty sure it’s a requirement to get into this squadron, so you’re right there with us, Pad,” Avery teased him.

            Shepard chuckled. “Ah, you caught me. I actually slipped that requirement in under the radar years ago.” He picked up a parmesan garlic wing and bit into it.

            “Okay, so aside from Padlock, drums or flats?” Cutter asked.

            ASH scoffed. “Oh, come on, flats- no doubt about it.”

            Avery nodded in agreement. “Damn straight. Drums are just such a pain in the ass to get all the meat off of, and there’s so much of it that you just cannot eat because it’s too hard.”

            “That, and the fact that with flats you can do this.” ASH pressed the wing in her hand against her plate, pushing all of the meat off the bone and allowing her to eat it all in one bite. She smiled as she licked her fingers clean of sauce. “Can’t do that with drums.”

            Shepard let out a sigh. “It’s a shame that you’re all wrong,” he said as he picked up another drum. “With drums you get so much more meat on. Besides, this…” he paused, holding the wing in his hand up high for effect. “This is the quintessential chicken wing. I bet you money that 90% of people that hear the words ‘chicken wing’ will first think of drums over flats.”

            “What? You can’t be serious, Shep,” Avery replied. “Flats are just better in every sense of the word.”

            The older pilot shrugged. “It’s okay, you’re entitled to your opinions- even if they’re wrong. Go on, tell them, Jackson.”

            Cutter shook his head. “Sorry, Mitch. I’m with them. If you actually prefer drums over flats, I think there is a dangerously high chance that you might be a psychopath.” He picked up a sweet barbeque wing and followed ASH’s lead, pushing the flat down against his plate and biting all the beat off at once. “Damn, this really works, ASH. How have I never thought to do this before.”

            “That’s how we do it in Magadan,” ASH said, cracking a smirk.

            Pad stood up, meandering over to the TV and switching it on. “Alright, let’s see if there’s anything good on.”

            Shepard scoffed. “This late at night? Good luck with that.”

            Cutter grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels with Pad. “No harm in looking, at least.”

            While the two of them started flipping through the channels, Avery felt a buzz in her pocket. She blinking curiously to herself, she reached in and pulled out her phone. Normally, it was all but dormant all day long, so she couldn’t help but be surprised when she saw a text from Statts waiting for her. For a moment, she completely forgot that she’d even given him her number at all.

First, they give us an op with jack shit for air support and not 5 minutes after we’re back at the FOB they’ve got the gall to send us on another mission about 10 miles away. I swear they have it out for us.

They won’t even give us a lift in the choppers, either- found that out the hard way when they ditched us at the exfil the last time.

damn that sucks :<

Tell me ‘bout it. We didn’t even have time to restock on ammo.

I mean they’re not even sending us out on ops with other units anymore.

Shit’s leavin’ me wondering if I did something to piss off Grayson.

maybe I could have Shepard talk to him?

try to get him to find someone else for the op tonight

Cute of you to offer- as if Grayson would EVER make a decision like that on such a last-minute basis. Especially when it would be something that inconveniences anyone other than my boys and I.

idk is there anything at all I can do?  

kinda sucks that you’ve gotta deal with all this bullshit

Nah, don’t bother. It won’t do any good anyway.

I’ll have to take care of it myself.

Don’t worry, though. We’ll be ready and waiting later tonight.

groovy- see u then ;)

            “Aha! Here we go!” Pad’s voice caused Avery to look up as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

            Gazing up at the TV, Avery almost immediately rolled her eyes as she saw what they landed on: Top Eagle. It was a movie that came out a little over six years ago and was almost immediately rejected by most audiences for being absurdly cheesy. It was about a Federation pilot during Oceania that was meant to be some big hotshot, and because of how comically bad it ended up being, it was mostly deemed to be taboo in the Air Force. However, it seemed that in their struggle to find anything good on TV, desperate times called for desperate measures.

            That didn’t mean Avery had to like it, though. “Are you serious? We’ve got over a hundred channels and this is what you settled on?” she asked Pad, raising an eyebrow at him with a smirk.

            “First of all, no, there is quite literally nothing else on that is even remotely good,” Cutter said, coming to Pad’s defense. “Second of all, if we can’t find something good to watch, then what better way to enjoy ourselves than to watch some hot garbage of a movie and rip it to shreds together?”

            “That’s… actually not that bad of an idea,” ASH admitted as she picked up another chicken wing.

            Pad grinned. “Of course it’s a good idea. I came up with it.”

`           “Easy there, Pad. We wouldn’t want you to an even more swelled head than you already have. You might not be able to fit into your helmet otherwise,” Shepard teased him.

            The movie had only just started, and already, there was no shortage of things to point out that the movie had gotten wrong- sometimes to a laughable degree. Naturally, all of the scenes with the planes in the air were CGI, and bad CGI at that. The physics, or lack thereof, was an easy target for them to make fun of. With the way the F/E-4s were moving in all of these scenes, they almost didn’t look real. Worse than all of that, though, the one aspect of the movie that all five of them were consistently poking fun at the whole time, was the fact that no matter how many missiles the protagonist fired, they’d always have more in the next shot- like they were regenerating somehow.

            “Okay, seriously, what the hell is up with that?” Avery asked as they passed the halfway mark. “Like… was there a single person that was even remotely connected to the Air Force in the slightest that helped work on this movie? It’s like they’re not even trying at this point.”

            Shepard chuckled. “Oh, you think it’s bad now? Just wait until you see the ending. It may very well drive you insane.”

            “Oh, she passed that point of no return a long time ago,” ASH teased her, giving her wingman a slight nudge with her elbow.

            Avery took another wing from the rapidly dwindling supply. “This dialogue isn’t much better, now that I think about it- both in terms of how it’s written and how it’s delivered.”

            Padded nodded in agreement. “Yeah, this guy could’ve at least made the shitty script work, but I don’t think he even cared enough to see it through.”

            Cutter scoffed as he let his eyes wander around the room. “Yeah, well in that case, he definitely isn’t the only one to- woah shit!” he exclaimed as his eyes found their way toward the clock: 2216 hours. He reached for one last wing and picked it clean just as quickly as he grabbed it. “We’ve gotta be down to the briefing in four minutes, let’s go!”

            Avery looked at the clock in disbelief, then checked the one on her phone just to be safe. “How in the absolute hell did that time go by so fast?”

            “That’s my genius on full effect for you,” Pad replied.

            “Alright, alright, lock it in, you guys. We’ve gotta get this show on the road,” Shepard reminded them, even though he still had a smile on his face.

            Slowly but surely, the squadron began filing out of the room before making their way down to the briefing room together. As usual, Avery brought up the rear, but she didn’t have a problem with that. It gave her that little bit more time to think as they walked. As much as she liked to give him grief- and she wouldn’t dare admit this to his face- Padlock was right. She never would’ve thought that there was any enjoyment to be had from a movie like Top Eagle, and yet, here they were. Things may be rough, both with the Federation still not having an advantage against the Cascadians and the actual personnel on the basis still not even giving her the time of day, and yet all Avery could think about on the walk down to the briefing room was just how lucky she felt to be in such good company.

Chapter Text

            The walk to the briefing room was short and quiet. All of the banter that the squadron had been exchanging with each other mere moments ago was gone. Maybe it was because after having such a fun time with each other they actually had to work now, maybe it was just the usual stress and unease that came before a mission, or maybe it was because it was 10:20 at night, but none of them particularly chatty, and Avery was fine with that. She couldn’t speak on the others’ behalf, but speaking personally, she was dreading this mission. All she could think about was how they probably wouldn’t be getting back until at least 12:30. This was going to be a long night.

            If Grayson noticed the pilots as they walked into the briefing room. He gave no indication of it. He was sat at the desk, staring intently at the screen of his laptop and occasionally taking a sip from a blue mug with the text “WORLD’S BEST CO” on the side. It wasn’t until the chairs that Locksmith sat in squeaked underneath them that he finally acknowledged their presence.

            “Alright, Locksmith Squadron. I’m sure you all don’t want to be here anymore than me, so let’s get this underway.”

            Cutter offered a smile. “Oh, trust me, sir. We definitely don’t.”

            Shepard nodded in agreement. “The sooner we get all of this done, the better,” he added.

            Grayson stood up and meandered over to the large screen on the back wall, powering it up. The briefing software opened automatically and displayed a blank map of Cascadia. After a few slow keystrokes from Grayson, key information appeared on the screen- flight paths, enemy and friendly locations, the works.

            “As you all witnessed firsthand, Cascadia has been increasing the frequency of their attacks on our air convoys,” he began. “Interceptions have become commonplace to the point that our entire air supply chain is at risk. And with the rebel ships wreaking havoc on the coastlines, both supplies and manpower are all but stuck out of country. Your mission tonight, Locksmith Squadron, is to rectify this by clearing new paths for our air convoys to travel through.”

            The Commander zoomed in on a region of Northern Cascadia, just north of the main channel.

            “With our air support running cover for our transports, the Cascadians have been taking advantage of our lack of CAS, and they’ve set up several vast anti-air systems in the northern mountains. The largest of these defense systems is situated at the rather blandly named R20 Mountain Range- which is where you will be headed shortly.”

            “So, just to make sure I have this right… you’re sending us- a squadron of aircraft- to fly out and take out the largest enemy anti-air system in Northern Cascadia?” Pad asked. “Respectfully, sir, what the hell did we do to piss you off?”

            Grayson paid his comment no mind. “Friendly ground units will be on station to assist in this operation, as well. When you first arrive, they’ll knock out the main radar cluster, essentially rendering them blind and deaf on the long range. With that being said, though, they will obviously still present a serious risk once you get within their range,” he warned. “Your best bet will be to keep as low as you can, ideally below the higher peaks to keep yourselves concealed.”

            “Okay, so you are trying to get us killed. Good to know,” ASH murmured under her breath.

            “What kind of defenses should we be anticipating aside from the AA itself?” Shepard asked. “Will they have interceptors within response range?”

            “It’s entirely possible, but we can’t say for sure one way or the other. You’ll have to be ready for anything.”

            Locksmith Squadron could work with that. Hell, that’s what they’d already been working with since the war started- so many unknown variables with too many outcomes, and they had to be ready for all of them. After giving Grayson a quick salute, they all filed out of the briefing room and began making their way down to the hangar. Avery joined ASH and Padlock in complaining that this whole mission was crazy while Shepard and Cutter insisted that this was nothing that they couldn’t handle. In fact, the two of them had already done a similar mission, years and years ago. It instilled Avery with at least some confidence, but not much.

            Before long, they were in the air, flying in formation toward the AO. It was damn quiet, too. Nobody uttered a word beyond what was necessary, which made the flight all the more boring. Normally, Avery passed the time during these long, quiet flights by looking at the scenery from above, but with how dark it was, she could barely see a thing. She sighed to herself, fidgeting with the controls for the brightness of her HUD.

            “Hey, look up at the sky,” Pad said, breaking the silence.

            The cloud cover that had been blocking their view of above since they first took off had finally shifted, revealing a blanket of stars above them, stretching out across the sky into infinity. It was beautiful. Avery had always loved the stars. They were what got her into aviation in the first place. Over time, her attention had gradually shifted to the goings-on within the atmosphere, but even now, she could still appreciate a good view of the stars when she saw one.

            ASH whistled. “Quite the view we’ve got from up here- almost makes a girl feel special.”

            “It’s one that I’ll never get tired of seeing,” Shepard said.

            Suddenly, North Star’s voice came over the radio with a heavy sigh. “Alright, Locksmith Squadron, you’re approaching the AO. Begin your descent.”

            “Damn, North Star, they kept you awake for this, too?” Cutter asked with a smirk as he and the others angled their noses downward.

            “You wish. I’ve got about five other operations I’m wrangling in addition to yours,” the AWACS operator said with an annoyed huff.

            “This is Headwind 2-3. The main radar array has been destroyed,” Statts reported. “We’ve got QRFs coming our way, so we’re gonna draw ‘em out and away for you guys while trying to hit whatever secondary objectives we come across.”

            “Copy that, 2-3,” North Star replied. “Locksmith Squadron, that’s your cue. The enemy AA system is broken up into several smaller clusters scattered across the mountain range. I’ve marked each of them as well as the most ideal attack vector on your radars. Begin the attack.”

            “Wilco, cheers North Star,” Shepard responded.

            As the squadron came to a low valley, they all split off toward different clusters, vanishing from Avery’s view. She kept herself low, weaving between the peaks and walls of the mountain range as she followed her path. Her eyes darted back and forth between her radar and the valley in front of her. There was a left turn coming up- a sharp one, at that. She cut back on the throttle, slowing her approach to the turn and rolled onto her side, pulling back on the stick immediately and hugging the wall of the mountain as she curved around with it.

            The cluster was dead ahead, tucked safely out of Avery’s direct line of sight by another mountain. She needed to do this right. If she went to high to get over it, then she’d be a sitting duck for the very air defenses she was here to destroy. Pushing ever so slightly forward on the throttle, Avery kept herself low as she made her approach. Just before approaching the base of the mountain, she pulled up, following the angle of the mountain as it climbed higher and higher. As she flew overhead, snow from down below flew all over in the backwash of her plane. The moment she crested the peak, Avery inverted and came back down on the other side.

The anti-air defenses detected her instantly, and her RWR lit up like a Christmas tree. Two missiles shot up into the air from a pair of L-SAMs and adjusted their course to head straight for her. She needed those SAMs dealt with. Thumbing the weapon selection switch, she readied her two MLAGs and locked up both SAMs. An orange glow lit up the night around her as both missiles lurched forward and she went evasive, pulling hard to the left. The beeps in her cockpit got faster and faster. Chaff and flares lit up the night. Avery made one last turn, this time, toward the AA cluster, and both missiles sailed right past her to collide with the mountain. In that same moment, both L-SAMs exploded simultaneously, and Avery took it as her chance. Flames spewed out from her plane’s exhaust as she lit her burners and sped toward the cluster. Tracers from the AA guns spewed out in her general direction, but by then, it was already too late. A pair of UGBLs dropped from her pylons, and both of them hit dead center, wiping out the entire cluster in a single pass.

“Defense clusters Alpha, Charlie, Echo, and Golf confirmed destroyed. Looks like only three more clusters left in the area,” North Star reported.

“Make that two,” Statts chimed in. “We’ve got explosive charges planted all around Bravo, ready to detonate as soon as we’re at a safe distance.”

“Shit, ALCON, be advised, we’ve got mercenary IFFs closing in hot, bearing triple zero at angels 20,” North Star called out. “Don’t let them get close enough to hound you guys, otherwise you’ll be in for a rough time.”

“I’m closest. I’ll make the intercept,” Cutter offered, already turning for the merge. “Anyone else want a piece of the action?”

            “Sure, I used up all my bombs on that last pass anyway,” ASH replied, moving to link back up with him. “Although I don’t know how effective we’ll be with only two heaters each.”

            “Just do what you can for now. The rest of us will come to help you out once we’ve taken out the last of these AA clusters,” Shepard assured her. “Glade, Padlock, take out cluster Delta. I’ll deal with Foxtrot.”

            “Wilco. C’mon, Pad, let’s hit these bastards with a pincer attack. They won’t know what hit ‘em.”

            “Copy that. Let’s raise some hell.”

            Both of them continued snaking their way through the dips and valleys of the mountain range, keeping themselves as low as possible. Avery’s eye flicked back and forth between her radar and the path in front of her, watching as she and Padlock positioned themselves on opposite sides of the AA cluster. Finally, they both moved in for the kill, pushing up over the mountains keeping them safe and closing in. Pad fired his two MLAGs, knocking out a pair of SAMs, and clearing the way for Avery to get in close. She was just about to drop her last two bombs when an orange light appeared down below, only this time it wasn’t a missile. A railgun shot up directly at her, giving Avery only a few precious seconds to break away before it hit her.

            “Holy hell! Where did the rebels get railguns?” she asked as she began to circle back around for another pass.

            “If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the mercenaries, most likely,” Shepard replied with content in his voice. “The longer this war drags on, the more and more advanced tech the mercs get to bring in from out of country. All they’re doing is fanning the flames.”

            ASH scoffed. “Of course they are. That’s how they make their profits.”

            “Y’know, those Cascadians really oughta be careful. The more comfortable these mercs get here, the less likely it is that they’ll leave,” Cutter warned.

            “You have no idea,” Shepard replied forebodingly.

            It was a truly terrifying thought to Avery; letting the mercs sink their claws into Cascadia and not let go. They wanted another shot at Oceania- that much was clear to the entire world, but if they wanted that to happen in Cascadia, then they had another thing coming.

            Pad made a pass with his gun, taking out a pair of AA guns. The railgun began to glow again, and Avery took it as her chance. She sped toward the remaining hostiles, and as soon as the reticle on her HUD turned red, both of her remaining UGBLs dropped from their pylons, shedding weight from her plane. She pulled hard to the left, avoiding the AA fire coming up at her that was quickly silenced as her bombs hit their mark. All that remained was a single radar that Pad finished off with his last bomb, allowing them to finally climb up to a higher altitude.

            “Defense cluster Delta is down,” Avery reported. “Locksmith 3 and 6 moving to engage the remaining bandits.”

            “Foxtrot is down as well,” Shepard reported.

            “Copy. All anti-air systems confirmed destroyed. Eliminate all remaining hostiles in the AO before withdrawing,” North Star ordered.

            Avery and Pad lit their burners, speeding toward Cutter and ASH as they danced through the night sky with the mercenary fighters. Shepard joined up with them along the way, and before long, all of the bandits appeared on their HUDs: four F/C-15s. Shepard led the way, with Avery and Pad close behind him as they came within visual range. Avery’s STDMs growled eagerly as they searched for a lock, and it didn’t take very long to find one. As soon as one of the mercs lit their burners, Avery pulled the trigger. The missile flew off her wingtip effortlessly, curling through the darkness towards its target. Shepard fired a missile at them, too, and as they tried to avoid one missile, they flew straight into the other. Avery cut back on the throttle, bleeding of speed to turn hard onto another bandit’s tail. They were closing in on ASH, who at this point was out of missiles entirely, and trying to finish her off with guns. Fortunately, they were too lost in bloodlust to notice the missile that Avery fired at them. The two remaining mercs turned to one as Cutter gunned one down, and the last one made a final, futile effort to try and escape, but by then, they were already boxed in. One hit after another, the F/C-15 was ripped open by bullets before exploding mid-air, leaving the scattered remains to fall into the mountains below.

            “North Star, Locksmith Squadron is picture clean on the radar. Do you have anything on the long-range for us?” Shepard asked.

            “Negative, looks like clear skies all around. Good work. Locksmith Squadron, push bearing 150 at angels 15 and RTB. Headwind 2-3, proceed to exfil and wait for the chopper.”

            “Sorry, North Star- much as I’d love to finally head home, we’ve got a whole buncha shit still on our plate,” Statts replied.

            “What are you talking about? I don’t have any other taskings on my logs for you.”

            “Last minute changes’n all that,” Statts quickly explained. “Some stuff came up while we’ve been out and we’ve gotta take care of it.”

            North Star let out an annoyed sigh. “Fine, but you’re on your own, then. If something goes wrong, it’ll be on you. Got that?”

            “Don’t worry, we’ll make our way back sooner or later,” Statts assured him. “We’ll see ya on the other side,” he said before cutting comms.

            Avery let out a relieved sigh as she and the others climbed to the altitude North Star designated. “One hell of a night out, I’d say.”

            “With any luck, Grayson’ll let us sleep in after tonight,” Pad said. “Quite frankly, that’s the least he could do for us.”

            Shepard chuckled. “Don’t get your hopes up, Pad. With how much things have been heating up lately, I’d expect us to be all hands on deck in the coming weeks. If things keep up like this, we’ll end up reaching a boiling point that shift the entire war. It’s only a matter of when it happens, and being ready for it when it does.”

Chapter Text

            “AWACS North Star to all callsigns, Phase 1 of Operation Dry Season is a go. Complete destruction of the Cascadian fuel reserves is the primary objective of this operation, but don’t forget about their vehicle depot. All elements are clear to begin carrying out their assigned objectives starting now.”

            “Copy that,” Major Ackers replied. “Longsword Actual to all armored units, push up to Phase Line Gamma and hold that position. We’ll need to clear a path quickly once the bombers and artillery have softened the place up. Everyone else, stick behind them.”

            “This is Chiron Squadron, preparing for bombing run. All ground elements stay clear of the danger zone.”

            “Locksmith Squadron’s inbound with more fighters in tow, ready to provide escort and top cover.”

            Avery flipped her master arm switch as they formed up with the bombers. Another squadron of F/C-16s pushed past them, slipping in front of the bombers to lead the way, and a squadron of F/E-18s went on either side, leaving the bombers entirely surrounded by escort fighters. It seemed like an excessive number of escorts for just one squadron of bombers, but if the intel Grayson told them about during the briefing was true, then they were going to need every single one of them. The depot itself didn’t have an airbase nearby, but it was directly in the center of an area marked by three rebel-controlled airfields. If they didn’t play their cards right, they would end up getting completely swarmed.

            “Target coordinates received. Locking in locations of key Cascadian defenses. Fire support is inbound, ETA 5 seconds,” artillery reported.

            “All aircraft, be advised, we’ve got bandits inbound from northwest, bearing 330- looks like a mix of mercs and rebels,” North Star warned. “Locksmith Squadron, intercept and engage. Marine Squadron, Wyvern Squadron, remain with the bombers and deal with any stragglers that make it past them.”

            “Copy that, North Star. Locksmith’s engaging,” Shepard reported as he and his squadron peeled away from the formation.

            “Turning to intercept. Let’s have some fun,” Cutter replied, staying glued to his leader’s wing throughout the turn.

            As Avery rounded out her turn, she made a few last-minute adjustments to her radar and centered the screen on the eight hostile contacts approaching the squadron head-on. Her MLAAs began searching for a lock immediately, but they couldn’t find anything yet- not while the bandits were still out of range. The non-uniform flight formation finally appeared on her HUD, still making no attempts to change course. She and her squadron didn’t budge either.  The second that the radar tone in her cockpit went solid, an MLAA shot out from under her right wing. The others did the same, and all but three of the bandits broke away to take evasive action. Avery just barely had enough time to watch her missile find its target before one of the three remaining bandits fired a missile at her. She yanked back on the stick, pulling straight up into the sky and dropping chaff behind her. Once she was high enough, she inverted and pulled straight back down, watching as the missile flew right through the path of where she had been just a few seconds prior. With her tail clear of threats, she and ASH lit their burners to get in close to one of the last three bandits, a rebel F/C-15. ASH fired an STDM the moment they came within range, and the bandit was quick to react, cutting their burners and pulling hard to right to loop around and face the two fighters head-on. By the time the Eagle had turned completely around to face them, though, Avery had them dead to rights, and a quick burst from her gun was all it took to send them falling down to the desert below in a ball of fire. She and ASH quickly tried to regroup with the others to finish off the rest, but by the time they got close enough, the two remaining bandits were already gone.

            “All bandits, splashed. Bombers are clear to advance,” Shepard reported as he led the squadron back toward the friendly aircraft.

            “Copy that, we’re entering the drop zone now. Bombs away, bombs away!” Chiron 1 replied.

            Dozens of bombs dropped from eight different bombers, carpeting the ground with explosion that were only enhanced by the rows upon rows of oil tanks and even the occasional cordium container. The flak guns that had been hurling fire up into the sky towards the bombs went silent, along with a good number of bunkers, tanks, and other defenses.

            Padlock whistled. “Talk about a fireworks display, eh?”

            “Tell me about it,” ASH agreed. “This place is gonna be burning for days on end.”

            “Not if we don’t stay focused,” Shepard reminded them. “

            “North Star, Chiron Squadron’s reporting good effect on target,” Chiron 1 reported. “Most of us still have a bit of payload left, so we’re gonna empty the last of it over the vehicle depot.”

            “Roger that, Chiron 1. Marine 3 and 4, continue escort of the bombers until reassigned,” the AWACS operator replied. “All callsigns, we are go for Phase 2. All ground elements, get rolling ASAP. Marine Squadron, engage at will. Wyvern Squadron, provide direct CAS for the ground forces as needed. Locksmith, continue maintaining air superiority.”

            After everyone replied with some affirmative answer, they all split apart from one another, moving to their assigned objectives. The tanks and APCs that had amassed on the ridgeline overlooking the facility began rolling forward, converging on the fuel depot from all sides. The other fighters began strafing the ground with gunfire and bombs while Avery followed her squadron higher up into the sky, watching as more hostile contacts began appearing on her radar.

            “I’ve got bandits on radar- tally five at bearing 130, angels 10 hot,” she reported.

            “I’ve got seven more at 330 again, they’re coming in fast,” Cutter added.

            Shepard let out a deliberate hum as he assessed the situation. “We’ll have to split up. ASH, Glade, fall in with me. We’ll take the bandits at the northwest. Cutter, Padlock, you deal with the ones from the southeast.”

            Before anyone could reply, North Star began to speak, but his words were quickly drowned out by a loud wave of static. Avery nearly threw her helmet off to get away from the sound. She quickly rebooted her radio transceiver, but when it came back online, the static persisted.

            “What the hell’s going on?” she asked, hoping that anyone could even hear her.

“They’re jamming us!” Shepard growled. He sounded much clearer than North Star, but even when he was flying a few feet away from her, the static was still there. “Everyone, stay close together.”

            “Shit… all… standby… investiga…” was all she could decipher from North Star’s next message over the static. After a silence that felt like it lasted a lifetime, he spoke again. “What… talking… about?” North Star asked someone on a different line. “What? How… Solana… destroyed?”

            “The rebels destroyed Solana?!” ASH asked in disbelief. “How the hell did they even get close to the place?”

            “Worry about that later. We’ve got enough problems of our own at the moment,” Shepard ordered. “And they’re only gonna get worse at this rate.”

            “We need to take out their jammer. We’re blind and deaf without North Star,” Avery chimed in. She glanced down at her radar, hoping to get a fix on where they were coming from, but her entire screen was covered by interference. Her radar was effectively useless.

            “Without radar, that’ll be like looking for a grain of sand in a haystack,” Shepard replied. “We have to maintain our current heading and deal with the bandits in front of us.”

            Easier said than done. Without her radar to display contacts on her HUD, Avery had to rely almost entirely on her sight, making this fight the deadliest game of spot the difference. Fortunately for her, though, her RWR still worked as it quickly and loudly made her aware of an incoming missile straight ahead. She pulled hard to the right, popping chaff and flares behind herself as a trail of smoke got closer and closer. The moment it slipped past her vapor trails, the RWR stopped, and Avery looked back up at the sky to find her pursuer. Sure enough, a shape just barely identifiable as a plane soared past the clouds. Avery rolled onto her side and turned as hard as she could to meet them head-on. Her MLAAs may not be of much use, but she still had four STDMs that just needed a good enough heat signature.

            The heatseekers growled to life as Avery closed in on her target. It didn’t take long for them to lock in on the shape in the distance, now more easily identifiable as an F/E-18, but Avery didn’t pull the trigger just yet. She needed a sure shot. The Super Hornet turned perpendicular to her and she gave chase. Just as she was about to settle in on the bandit’s tail, though, she spotted a flash of the round table mark in her mirrors, and then the plane it was attached to. She needed to make this quick, but her target wasn’t exactly making things easy for her. Her RWR began beeping slowly, warning her that the mercenary on her tail was looking for a lock. Avery let out an annoyed grunt, cutting back on the throttle and beginning to turn away. But just as her pursuer was moving to follow after her, she rolled back over and went back in the opposite direction. Without enough time or space to correct, the mercenary overshot and ended up in front of Avery, giving her the perfect opportunity to hit both of them with an STDM.

            “These assholes just won’t let up,” ASH griped as she fired a hail of tracers at an F/E-18 in front of her, with only a handful of shots making any contact.

            “Just keep at it!” Shepard insisted. “There’s only two left. Then we can focus on finding this jammer.”

            “This… Chiron… we’re… swarmed… fighters… ne-“ the already staticky voice stopped prematurely. Avery could figure out the rest.

            “We’ve gotta go help them!” Avery insisted.

            “We can’t. The best way for us to help them is by taking out that jammer,” Shepard replied sternly as he turned hard on a bandit’s tail, firing an STDM that just barely went wide.

            “But they’re dying right now!”

            “And if we can take out that jammer, then our allies will be able to stop them long before we’ll even get within range. This is the only way, Glade.”

            “Hey, look!” ASH chimed in as she finally gunned down the F/E-18 in front of her. “I think I see something- bearing 040, about 5 miles out.”

            Avery followed her directions to see two shapes moving through the sky. They were definitely planes, but at this distance, she couldn’t quite tell what kind. “I see ‘em. Tally two bogeys,” she replied.

             Shepard blasted the last bandit out of the sky with an STDM and climbed up higher into the sky. “Let’s get closer and ID them- just in case. For all we know, it could be Cutter and Pad. I’d hate to get caught up in a blue-on-blue incident.”

            Avery followed ASH as they burned forward to join up with Shepard as he moved closer to the unidentified aircraft. Her thumb danced around the control stick nervously, gliding over each button and switch without actually pressing them. With each passing second, the battle turned against them that much more. It was beginning to feel as if the entire war was shaping up to be like that. Time and again, the rebels managed to get a step up on the Federation, and every now and then, her fears that the Federation would lose felt a lot less irrational.

            “Got a visual on the bogeys,” Shepard announced, pulling Avery away from her thoughts. “It seems we’ve found our jammers. Those look like E/G-18s to me.”

            The pair of Growlers was moving straight past them, seemingly oblivious to the trio of F/C-16s headed their way. Avery readied her STDMs as they closed the distance, but just before she could get a lock, the two E/G-18s sprung into action, turning hard in opposite directions. For a brief moment, one of them slipped into range of Avery’s heatseekers, and she took full advantage of it, firing off a missile and lighting her burners to chase after it. The Growler popped flares as fast it could, pulling nearly straight up into the air in order to evade the missile. In doing so, however, they bled off nearly all of their energy, leaving them totally vulnerable for ASH to hit them directly with an STDM of her own. Circling back around, Avery went to close the distance between herself and the Growler that Shepard chased after. After firing his last STDM at the jammer, Shepard went high, hoping to cut them off as they tried to evade, but rather than going up, the E/G-18 pulled hard to the left, just narrowly evading the missile and meeting Avery and ASH head-on. Her RWR let out a series of low warning beeps, but Avery didn’t move. As soon as the Growler’s only two STDMs flew off their pylons, she quickly cut her afterburners and launched her last heatseeker as well as a blind-fired MLAA for good measure. Even while she evaded the missile that had been fired at her, she kept her eyes glued to the jammer, watching as they did everything they could to evade the missiles headed straight for them, but in the end, there was nothing they could do as both of them found their mark.

            “Locksmith 1 to all callsigns, enemy jamming has been neutralized!” Shepard announced over the radio.

            “Well, it certainly took you long enough!” North Star snapped. “AWACS North Star back on station. All callsigns, give me a SITREP.”

            “Marine 2 here, Chiron Squadron’s gone. Bandits got every single one of ‘em,” one of the fighters reported. “And if things keep up like this, we’re not gonna be very far behind them. We’re getting swarmed by hostile aircraft.”

            “We did as much damage to the fuel depot as we could, but they’ve got reinforcements pouring in from all over,” Major Ackers said over the sound of gunfire. “I’m giving the order for my men to pull out. We can’t do anymore here.”

            “This is Locksmith 2, we’ve got eyes on enemy aircraft coming in from… shit, just about everywhere at this point!” Cutter chimed in. “These aren’t numbers we can win against.”

            “Dammit!” North Star cursed. There was a heavy silence as everyone awaited his next orders. “Shit. All callsigns in the AO, withdraw immediately. Push bearing triple zero and get the hell out of there,” he ordered. “You’ve only got a few minutes before all of those reinforcements will be right on top of you, so haul ass!”

            Avery followed Shepard to regroup with Cutter and Pad before withdrawing while they still had a window. She glared angrily at the fuel depot getting smaller and smaller in her rear view. After all the effort and manpower that had been put into blowing it off the face of the planet, it had the audacity to remain standing. Once more the rebels had put them on the back foot, and Avery decided that it was only a matter of time before this streak of losses reached a critical breaking point that would change this war forever.

Chapter Text

            Avery stared blankly out the window, listening to the gentle pitter patter of rain against the glass. Lightning cracked through the night sky, and a few seconds later, thunder shook the mess hall for but a moment. A full week had passed since the last mission, and although she and her squadron hadn’t gone back up since it happened, she could tell that things were only getting worse.

            It was as if the destruction of the Solana Comm Facility had caused a switch to be flipped. The confidence of those on the base had been effectively decimated. TVs now almost exclusively played international news broadcasts about the war. Any attempts by the people on the base to try and organize some way to boost moral stopped. Moreover, the general attitude of the base was different. Nowadays, people seemed almost scared, and Avery didn’t blame them. Hell, she was one of them.

            She sat a table by herself, staring intently at a glass of ice water in her hands as she swirled it around. Aside from her, the mess hall was entirely empty. She was hoping that she might run into Statts at some point, but she hadn’t seen him since the night raid on the R20 range. ASH was there with her not too long ago, but she had since turned in for the night. And yet, Avery remained. She didn’t feel like sleeping anyways, not yet, at the very least. How could she, with so much on her mind? The uncertainty of the whole situation was practically eating her alive. There were so many unknown variables that it drove her mad.

            Suddenly, she heard distant footsteps growing louder. Turning around to face the entrance to the mess hall, Avery watched as North Star sauntered in. At first, she almost didn’t recognize him. His shoulders hung low, bags clung to his eyes, and his face which had once been clean-shaven now had quite a bit of stubble on it. He stopped in the middle of the room, looking around, and when his eyes rested on Avery, he scowled. With no one else to go to, he let out an exasperated sigh as sat down across from her.

            “Oh, so you can acknowledge my existence down here?” Avery asked snidely. “That’s good to know.”

            “Don’t get used to it,” North Star replied with a scoff.

            “And why would I want to get used to being around you? You think I’m some kinda masochist that enjoys getting constantly berated for the simple fact that I was born here? When the hell are you gonna let up and realize that I’m not your enemy here?”

            “As soon as I’m convinced that you’re not a threat to all the people I’m responsible for. And so far, you’ve left a lot to be desired.”

            “So, the last three months of me putting my life on the line for the Federation hasn’t been enough for you? I’ve probably done more to help win this war than people from the core states, and you’re still not satisfied?” Avery asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

            “Listen here, Lieutenant Finch, you may be a good pilot- a great pilot, even, but that only makes you more of a threat, not less of one. I’ve said it before, but I don’t trust anyone who’s so readily willing to turn on their own countrymen. For instance, let’s say you decide to defect- which, believe me, is a distinct possibility considering how much it’s been happening over these last few days- and against all odds, you manage to successfully get away from the Federation to fight for the Cascadians. Then, all of that skill of yours is just another hurdle that the Federation will have to overcome. And on top of all that, despite all the work you’re putting in, we’re still losing battle after battle, so in actuality, you’re nothing but a liability.”

            Avery huffed angrily. “It’ll just never be enough for you, will it? Why am I even here, then? What’s the point of it all?”

            North Star narrowed his eyes at her. “That’s a question only you can answer.”

            Another flash of lightning outside grabbed Avery’s attention. It was far more interesting than this conversation anyways. The clap of thunder came much faster than the last time. Another flash lit up the black sky. The crack of lightning split this way and that, reaching as far across the sky as it could, like tendrils of a heavenly body up above. Suddenly, the lights cut out and the mess hall went dark. Avery and North Star exchanged confused glances with one another, looking around and realizing that the entire building had just gone dark. A few moments later, the auxiliary power kicked on, and the lights flickered back to life.

            “This storm’s really got some teeth to it,” North Star remarked as he stared vacantly out the window. “Here’s hoping it’s hindering the Cascadians as much as it’s hindering us.”

            Avery opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when the lights went out again- only this time, they didn’t come back on. “Fantastic,” she muttered sarcastically. Back when she was little, blackouts used to be fun, and yet, out of all the people she was stuck in a blackout with, it just had to be North Star.

            Several more flashes of lightning struck in rapid succession. As Avery was watching them through the window, however, she heard a loud boom that she initially thought to be thunder, but the orange glow in her peripheral vision quickly put an end to that theory. She and North Star both ran up to the window to see the wreckage of a tanker aircraft burning on the tarmac. Another explosion boomed through the night sky that neither of them could see, and before long, the sound of gunfire erupted across the entire base.

            The emergency power sprung to life, bringing online only the necessary systems, like the emergency lights and the PA system to allow the sirens to blare a monotonous warning sound. “Attention all personnel, Presidia Air Force Base has been infiltrated by the rebels,” General Caine announced. “This is not a drill- I repeat, this is not a drill. Man, your stations,” the commander of the Peacekeepers ordered.

            Avery and North Star exchanged a glance with each other. Fortunately, it was too dark for either of them to properly read the expression of the other. No doubt, North Star thought she was involved with this somehow. In fact, she was surprised that he hadn’t shot her yet. Although that seemed to be about to change as North Star undid the clasp on his holster and pulled out his sidearm. Her eyes squeezed shut instinctively, hoping that he would at least make it quick, but there was nothing.

            “C’mon!” the AWACS operator hissed. “We’ve gotta go get the power back on!”

            Avery pulled out her own pistol and looked at him skeptically. “And what the hell do you think we’ll be able to do? Last I checked neither of us are electricians.”

            “The Cascadians probably just shut everything off. All we’ve gotta do is get to the breaker room, take them out, and switch everything back on,” North Star explained.

            Avery let out a nervous chuckle. “Right. When you say it like that, it sounds so simple,” she said sarcastically. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

            North Star began making his way out of the mess hall, and Avery stuck as close to him as she possibly could. The last thing she wanted to do was get separated. It was damn near pitch black, save for the spinning red emergency lights lining the hall. Gunfire and shouting echoed through the halls, and before long, the two of them were close enough to see muzzle flashes headed their way. They dove for cover behind a nearby corner, and North Star watched as four men were backing up into their path forward. In the darkness, it would’ve been nearly impossible to tell whether or not they were rebels if it weren’t for the inconsistent body armor and weapons they carried. North Star peered around the corner, flicking off the safety on his pistol and aiming right at the center of one of the men’s backs. One squeeze of the trigger later, the first of the four men fell to the ground dead. The remaining three quickly spun around to face the threat behind them, and North Star practically leapt behind the wall again. Avery quickly peeked out from the corner to blindly fire a handful of shots in their general direction, but not a single one of them hit. Suddenly, the Federation soldiers that the rebels had been shooting at mere moments ago seized the opportunity and charged forward, catching the Cascadians entirely off guard and shooting all three of them in moments.

            “Stop where you are!” one of the soldiers shouted as he aimed his rifle with a flashlight on the rail directly at North Star and Avery.

            Both of them emerged from behind the wall with their hands up. “Hold fire, we’re friendlies!” Avery insisted.

            The soldier let out a sigh of relief and lowered his rifle. “Thank God. We were starting to think that we were the only ones.”

            “We’re on our way to the breaker room- hopefully to get the power back online,” North Star explained.

            The soldier smirked. “Well, how’s that for coincidences? That’s exactly what we’re doing. C’mon,” he and his soldiers began moving again and gestured for the two of them to follow. “The more the merrier,” he said before reaching for the radio on his vest. “Dagger Actual to Longsword Actual, we’ve linked up with two more friendlies en route to the breaker room. We’ll be there shortly, over.”

            Major Ackers gave a reply that Avery was too far away to properly hear, or perhaps she just had too much adrenaline in her system to pick up on little things like that. Her nervous system was in overdrive, and her brain was so rapidly switching between fight and flight that it had settled on some strange combination of the two.

            ‘Just a little further,’ she told herself silently as she followed the soldiers toward the breaker room. ‘Not much more to go before this is all over.’ Although, in truth, she wasn’t actually sure how much she believed that.

            The soldiers stacked up on a door with a plaque that read ‘Breaker Room’ along with a high voltage warning sign. Avery and North Star followed their lead. Dagger Actual grabbed the handle and waited for one of his men to situate themselves on the other side of the door, a flashbang ready in their hands. As soon as they pulled the pin, Dagger Actual cracked the door open just enough for them to toss it inside before closing it again. A loud crack and flash of light under the door was the signal for Dagger Actual to kick the door open, revealing a staircase into darkness. The soldiers charged in and Avery and North Star followed close behind, pistols drawn and at the ready.

            The room was small, and the ensuing gunfire felt as if it was going off right in Avery’s ear.  She dove for the nearest cover, watching the soldiers move and following their shots to the rebels lurking around. Peeking out from around a corner, she took aim with her pistol and watched as intently as possible. The moment she saw a helmet stick out from behind its own cover, she squeezed down on the trigger, but the helmet quickly dipped back behind cover and the bullet ricocheted uselessly off the wall behind it. North Star crawled up beside her, making an attempt of his own to take potshots at the rebels with slightly more success than Avery. A rebel soldier staggered backward, making themselves just exposed enough for Dagger Actual to finish them off.

            The shooting stopped just as soon as it began, and without the muffled sound of the sirens coming from up the stairs, it almost seemed eerily calm- suspiciously so, as a matter of fact. Avery could tell by how much the soldiers were fidgeting with their rifles and refusing to sit still that they didn’t trust this moment of reprieve one bit.

            “All right,” Dagger Actual said with a relieved sigh. “Now let’s hurry up and-“ he stopped mid-sentence, bringing a finger up to his lips as his eyes flicked toward the stairs. Slowly but surely, the sound of combat boots running toward them got louder and louder. “They’ve got more headed our way,” he said in an urgent whisper before turning toward Avery and North Star. “You two, get the power back on. We’ll hold ‘em off.” Before either of them had time to object, the soldiers ran back up the stairs, and a few moments later, the sound of gunfire resumed.

            As Avery and North Star looked around at all the switches, gauges, and dials, her eyes drifted to the dead rebels on the floor. Something about them seemed… familiar. “Hey, I’m no expert on this kinda stuff, but don’t these look like Federation plate carriers to you?” she asked North Star.

            North Star walked over to her and observed the body at her feet curiously. “Yeah, they are…” his voice trailed off as he began to think. “Which means that these guys must be-“

            He didn’t have time to finish his sentence as a figure sprung out from the darkness, smacking him with the butt of their rifle and sending the AWACS operator sprawling to the floor. Avery fumbled for her the safety on her pistol, switching it back off and trying to aim at the figure in front of her while they aimed their rifle at North Star. But as she trained her sights on the figure’s head, she froze in horror upon realizing who it was.

            “Well, I’ll be damned,” the familiar southern drawl of Statts said snidely. “Fancy meetin’ you here, Glade- and with this prick, no less.”

            “Statts… what- what in the name of the Dust Mother are you doing?” Avery asked in disbelief.

            Statts sighed. “C’mon girl, I know you’re smart ‘nough to put the pieces together here.” He glanced back down at North Star, and upon seeing that he was trying to reach for the pistol that had been knocked out his hands, he took another step forward to kick it away.

            “I just… defecting? How could you, Statts?”

            He smiled, shaking his head, kneeling down and pressing the barrel of his rifle to North Star’s temple. “Y’know damn well why, Glade. These people- like him-“ he nodded his head toward North Star. “They don’t give a shit about us, and they never will. We’re subhuman to them. Besides, I’ve seen what the Federation is doing- what they’re making us do, and at this point, I don’t know if this is even the same Federation that I signed up to fight for anymore. I know you feel the same, Glade. I’ve seen it in your eyes from the very first moment we met. S’why I came back for ya.”

            Avery cocked a brow at him curiously. “What the hell are you talking about?”

            “When I defected, I told my new superiors about you. They offered me a Deal to bring ya: if you defect, the Independence Force won’t just give ya a full pardon and all that jazz, they’re offerin’ you command of a new squadron bein’ made up of other defectors.”

            “Bullshit.”

            Statts chuckled. “I’m a lotta things, Glade- a murder, a defector… a coward, but I ain’t a liar. I give you my word that what I’m tellin’ ya is the truth.”

            “Even if I believed you, why the hell would I turn my back on everything I’ve worked so hard for? Why would I abandon my squadron- the last few people that actually care about me?”

            “Oh please,” Statts scoffed. “They couldn’t give the slimmest shit about you, Glade. They care about you as far as your killcount. After that, you’re just a means to an end for ‘em, and once ya stop bein’ useful, they’ll throw you out like yesterday’s trash.” He stood up and took a step closer to her, standing just a foot away from her as he offered his hand. “Come with me, Glade. You and I can kill this fool and slip away before anybody notices. You can fight for a cause you believe in with people that treat you as equals. You’ll be a hero to them.”

            Avery’s gun was aimed between North Star and Statts, not quite fixated on either one. Her mind was a raging river, coursing with thoughts that were all contradicting each other. She didn’t know what she was supposed to think- what she was supposed to do. Maybe Statts was right- at least in part- but did that mean she should betray the Federation she’d been apart of her entire life? Then again, what reason did she have to stay if people like North Star were never going to treat her as an equal? Avery let out a sigh, heavy with the weight of the decision in front of her. She closed her eyes and let her heart aim for her. A single shot rang out and a thump followed after it. After opening her eyes again, she saw Statts dead on the floor as blood pooled beneath his lifeless body.

            Avery had made her choice, and it was one that she would stand by. The Federation had its flaws, but it had brought order to nearly the entire world, and it wouldn’t have been able to do that without Cascadia. She had been a proud Federation citizen since the day she was born, and to fight for them in the interest of unity… there were few causes in this world more righteous than that. And yet, all she could think about in that moment was Statts- his betrayal. He made himself out to be someone she could trust, someone she could look to for support when she was at her lowest, and he tried to topple Avery’s world as she knew it. It disgusted her. She walked up to his body, standing directly over it and shot it again, and again, and again until all her gun did was click angrily.

            “What a waste,” North Star murmured solemnly, still sitting on the floor.

            Avery dropped down to her knees beside him, staring blankly ahead. “I- I thought…” She didn’t know what she thought anymore.

            North Star let out a heavy sigh, looking over at her. “Glade… I’m sorry- for everything. I know it’s a long time coming- matter of fact, this whole thing might’ve been avoided had I plucked my head out from my own ass sooner- but the truth is… you were right. From the very start, you were right.”

            “How do you mean?” Avery asked.

            “All this time, you’ve risking your life, putting blood, sweat, and tears into Cascadia for the Federation, and the whole time, I’ve been scorning you for it,” he explained. “But the worst part? I don’t even know why. You have no idea how many nights I stayed awake, staring at the ceiling and asking myself ‘why’ without an answer and sight. I do know one thing, though: you’re a good woman, Avery- potentially even the best of us. I just wish it didn’t take me so long to figure that out.” For the first time since the two of them had met, he smiled at her. “The Federation is lucky to have a pilot like you- to have a person like you.”

            Avery smiled back, nodding at him. “Thanks, North Star.” She stood up and offered him a hand. “Now, c’mon, let’s get these lights on.”

            After much work on their end, Avery and North Star finally bypassed all of the work Statts and his men did to shut off the power. Both of them cheered when the lights came back on, and quickly went up to rejoin Dagger Actual and his team, who had already dealt with the rebels that had attacked them. Once General Caine came back on the intercom, announcing that the rebel threat had been dealt with, Avery and North Star thanked the soldiers for all their work before going their separate ways. As the two of them passed by the mess hall on their way to the barracks, Avery spotted her squadron congregated inside out of the corner of her eye. Shepard and Cutter were both sitting at one of the tables, deep in worried thought, while Padlock took frequent sips from a glass of water, and ASH paced nervous around the room.

            ASH was the first to spot them, and the moment she did, her eyes lit up. “Avery!” She began running toward them, but the expression on her face quickly shifted to a mortified one as she got closer. “Oh my god, your face!”

            Avery looked at her curiously before peering at her reflection in the window. Her face was covered in blood. “Don’t worry, it’s not mine,” she insisted, wiping as much of it off as she could.

            ASH let out a sigh of relief. “You scared the hell out of us! Don’t ever do that again!”

            “I’m glad you’re all right, Avery- we all are,” Pad said as he, Shepard, and Cutter walked up to join them. After a moment, he added, “And you too, North Star- I guess.” Their faces all carried the same expression of relief mixed with joy- all except for Shepard who seemed to have another emotional layered underneath: skepticism.

            North Star shook his head. “I wouldn’t’ve made it without her. She saved my life.”

            Cutter smirked. “Well, I’ll be damned. It looks like your charm finally rubbed off on ‘im, Glade. I had a feeling he’d come around sooner or later. Now, tell us what happened, and don’t spare a single detail.”

            Avery and North Star took turns telling the story as the six of them all headed back to the barracks together. As she watched their looks of surprise and fear, she very quickly decided that she would tell them about Statts’ defection and nothing more. His attempts to try and get her to defect would die with her and North Star. After all, telling them wouldn’t accomplish anything. She was a pilot fighting for the Pacific Federation, and nothing was going to change that.

Chapter Text

            Avery sprinted around a corner as fast as she possible could. Her boots squeaked against the floor as she pivoted hard before she kept running. Alarms blared in her ear as she ran, echoing across the entire base. Whatever it was that was happening, everyone here knew about it. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran harder and harder. It almost felt like it was about to break free from her ribcage, but still she ran, and she didn’t stop until she practically slammed into the door to the briefing room. Just about every single pilot on the base was already there, including the rest of Locksmith, who she quickly joined to look up at Grayson standing at the front of the room. More pilots were still funneling in, but he wasn’t about to waste any more time.

            “Alright, everyone, listen up and listen well. I’m only saying it once!” he spoke up. His voice was commanding and authoritative, and everyone before him listened intently. “As of right now, the mission schedule for today has been scrapped, and all combat-ready fighters are being send on an emergency sortie,” the Commander explained as he brought up the briefing software on the screen behind him, pulling up a map of Cascadia.

            Shepard let out a heavy sigh under his breath. “This is it,” he murmured softly. “The breaking point.”

            “Following the destruction of the Solana Communications Facility, the Independence Force has been supplanting our blanket jamming with their own electronic warfare countermeasures. With this, along with a more unified offense with the restoration of their long-range comms, they’ve been scoring victory after victory across the frontlines- to the point that some fronts are now at risk of collapsing entirely,” Grayson explained as he began pacing back and forth across the room.

            “In order to combat this, Crytal Kingdom ordered a large number of Federation units to be withdrawn back into the core states to resupply, reorganize and increase individual unit combat effectiveness. A mass aerial convoy began making its way into Magadan using the cover of an arctic storm in the north, but a rebel patrol intercepted them and their escorts over the Beiring Strait. Given the importance of these transports making it back to the Federation, it was of the utmost importance that they not be shot down, so we sent reinforcements to cover them. The Independence Force did the same, and for the last five hours, this engagement has been spiraling out of both our control and theirs.” Grayson zoomed the briefing software into the Beiring Strait where at least a dozen aircraft markers- both hostile and friendly- were all mixed together. “Both sides have committed a vast majority of their air power to this fight, which means that it is of the utmost importance that we come out on top not just for the sake of protecting our transports but to potentially decide the outcome of the entire war. Dismissed.”

            The second the words left his lips, every single pilot in the briefing room began scrambling out the door and to the hangars. Now that they all knew the stakes of what was happening, time was of the essence, and every moment spent on the ground was a moment that the war itself was turning against them. Avery followed the rest of her squadron into their hangars to see their planes already loaded and ready. They all carried the same loadout: two STDMs on the wingtips, another two on the inner two pylons, the inner four all carried missile racks with two MLAAs each, making eight in total and twelve missiles overall.

            Avery took a deep breath in the hopes of steadying her nerves. “They’re really going all-out for this,” she remarked as she climbed up the ladder into her cockpit.

            “Well, it seems we didn’t really have a choice in the matter,” Cutter replied while he did the same. “All we can do is get out there and finally put the rebels on the back foot for a change.”

            Shepard sighed heavily. “I wish I shared your optimism, Jackson, but I just can’t. It seems history is repeating itself, and I don’t know if we can do anything to stop it.”

            “You worry too much, Shep. We’ve got this- all of us,” ASH assured the flight lead as their engines spooled to life.

            “Besides, it’s not just us the rebels are going up against. With how close the Beiring Strait is to Magadan, the rebels are about to experience the full force of the Federation Air Force,” Padlock reminded him. “This moment right here is when they finally lose their momentum.”

            Shepard didn’t reply. Instead, he began taxying and led the way out of the hangar. As Avery brought up the rear, she couldn’t help but look around at the tarmac. Planes were scrambling out of the hangars, ground crews were running this way and that, carrying all sorts of equipment, and air marshals waved wildly to direct all of the planes to the correct runway. It was as if the base itself had sprung to life.

            Avery stopped at the end of Runway 2-1, watching as ASH sped off into the sky in front of her. After waiting for an F/C-15 to burn past on a different runway, the air marshal guiding her gave her a thumbs up, and she pushed the throttle as far forward as it would go. She quickly sunk into her seat as the F/C-16 lurched forward, getting faster and faster until she gently lifted herself into the sky and joined up with the others.

            As they began their flight northbound, more and more squadrons joined up with them along the way. By the time they were halfway there, the flight had probably around two dozen aircraft in one big swarm. And yet, none of them uttered a single word- not aloud, at least. They were all tangling with their own thoughts, making peace with their deities. For all they knew, this was the last chance they’d get.

            “Locksmith 1 to AWACS North Star, we’re fencing in now. Entering the AO shortly,” Shepard reported.

            “North Star copies all, Locksmith 1,” he replied. “You should be getting visual shortly.”

            Avery’s eyes drifted back and forth, scanning the skies for any trace of even a single aircraft. With the way Grayson was describing it, he made it seem like this was one the biggest furballs the world had ever seen, and yet, she saw nothing. For a brief moment, it made her think that maybe this mission wouldn’t be as bad as she was thinking it would be, and she was just getting worked up over nothing. But as she and the others emerged from the other side of a cloud, her jaw nearly dropped at the sight in front of her. The sight of contrails and missile trails covered the entire sky, and she could see over fifty fighters twirling and spinning through the sky.

            “Holy shit!” Padlock remarked. “Look at all of those planes!”

            “We’ve got bandits all over us,” Storm 3 shouted. “We can’t keep this up for much longer!”

            “They just keep coming. There’s no end in sight,” Marine 6 added.

            “This is AWACS North Star to all Federation callsigns, allied reinforcements are entering the AO to provide support.”

            “Thank god,” Blizzard 1 said with a sigh of relief. “Now let’s turn the tide on these rebels.”

            “North Star, do we know if the Crown’s here or not?” Shepard asked.

            “Not from what I’m seeing,” North Star replied. “But I do see your old friends, Compass Squadron in the thick of things.”

            “Perfect. Time to dive into the fireworks then,” Shepard replied. “Locksmith Squadron, engaging.”

            “Aqua Squadron, engaging.”

            “Wyvern Squadron, engaging.”

            “Azure Squadron, engaging.”

            Avery took a deep breath in and out. “Alright, let’s do this,” she murmured to herself.

            She lit her burners and sped forward into the furball, setting her sights on one of Compass Squadron’s V/X-23s. Her target twirled and spun around as they chased after a Federation F/E-18, unaware that she was closing the gap. Her MLAAs began beeping frantically as they started searching for a lock, but just before she got a solid tone, the V/X-23 zipped away as they went defensive. Avery chased after them, deploying her airbrake and pulling up hard. The mercenary flew right into her path, and she immediately fired an MLAA. Chaff spilled out from behind the V/X-23 as they banked hard to the left before suddenly drifting through the air and zipping off in the opposite direction, leaving Avery’s missile in the dust as it sailed right past. Avery pulled up hard behind them and let out a few short bursts from her gun. A few shots found their mark, but not enough for a kill. All the same, it was enough to significantly slow them down, and that was all Avery needed. She held down on the trigger of her control stick, letting out much longer burst that engulfed the V/X-23 in a hail of tracers.

            “Splash one!” she called out proudly as she pulled up and away, flying further into the furball.

            “Nice shootin’, Glade,” Cutter replied as he launched two MLAAs at a pair of Cascadian F/E-18s. “Let’s keep up the pressure.”

            “This is insanity,” Hail 5 said. “How the hell did we let it get to this point?”

            “There’s nothing we can do about it now. We just have to take out as many of them as we can,” Azure 3 replied.

            “We’ve got ‘em outnumbered for now, but they’ve got more reinforcements that’ll be on you soon,” North Star warned. “Just keep up the pressure, and don’t give these bastards an inch!”

            “You don’t gotta tell me twice,” ASH replied. “Fights like these are why I joined.”

            “I better see everyone making ace at least once over today,” Shepard said. “There’s no shortage of targets to pick from.”

            “I say drinks tonight are on whoever bags the most bandits,” Pad chimed in.

            Avery’s RWR suddenly sprung to life, beeping frantically at her. Instinct kicked in as she thumbed the button for countermeasures, holding it down while heaving her plane as far to the right as it would go. Her eyes darted around, hoping to get a view on who had fired the missile at her, but in this mess of a furball, she could barely see the missile headed her way. It wasn’t until it was practically close enough for her to reach out and touch that she was able to see it bank sharply not toward her, but to the flares she left behind her. More importantly, though, she finally saw who her pursuer was: Compass Squadron’s second V/X-23. Both pilots tried to riddle the other but neither one had a good enough angle as they passed by.

            “Damn, these guys really have it out for us,” Avery grunted under the stress the g-forces as she cut her burners and looped back around.

            “Tell me about it,” Pad agreed as she rolled away from one of the mercenary squadron’s F/S-15s. “And I thought I held grudges for a long time.”

            “How the hell are we supposed to make it through this mess? We’re gonna be nothing but big defenseless targets to them!” Sundial 4 asked.

            “Straight through is your only way forward. Just keep moving,” Grayson replied.

            Avery watched the V/X-23 turn to meet her head-on while she did the same. Her MLAA’s locked onto her adversary with ease, but she didn’t fire just yet. At the angle the mercenary was currently flying at, it would miss for sure, and she needed to conserve every shot she had. As soon as they passed each other again, she immediately inverted to face the same direction as her target and get on their tail. Avery was just a second away from pulling the trigger when the V/X-23 rapidly turned up, making full use of their AOA limiter to turn hard through the air to face her. They immediately fired a missile, and Avery had just a few short seconds to react, launching chaff and evading with just a second to spare. Both pilots circled around again, and the moment Avery had a good angle on the merc, she blind-fired two MLAAs at them.  The missiles’ internal targeting systems kicked themselves into overdrive as they careened through the air toward the V/X-23. The first one sailed right past as the mercenary evaded it with ease, but in doing so, they bled off all of their speed, leaving them helpless against the second one as it crashed into them.

            “Another one gone!” Avery called out.

            “Look, the rest are turning tail!” ASH pointed out as the remaining four planes of Compass Squadron quickly broke off and got away from the furball as fast as they could.

            “Hah, serves the cowards right,” Cutter chimed in. “That’ll teach ‘em to mess with us.”

            “Now’s our chance. We have the advantage, so don’t let it go to waste,” Shepard ordered. “Push the offensive against them. Don’t give these bastards an inch of space to breathe!”

            “Shit,” North Star muttered. “All aircraft, be advised, enemy reinforcements approaching! You’ve got a large formation of mercenaries vectoring in hot- bearing 090,” he warned.

            Avery followed North Star’s directions to see a flight of F/C-16s, F/S-15s, and leading the charge, a non-uniform flight of three, with an F/C-15 and an MG-29 on either side of the F/D-14 leading the way.

            “Do we have any more reinforcements?” Wyvern 5 asked.

            “Negative, almost every combat capable fighter on this side of the world is already inbound,” Grayson replied.

            Blizzard 2 groaned. “Who the hell chose this route of evac for the transports?”

            “If we try to do any maneuvers in this, we’re more likely to crash into our escorts!” Sundial 1 griped.

            As the new mercenary reinforcements entered the fray, Avery squinted at the lead plane, and her eyes went wide as a realization struck her. “It’s him, the Crown!” she called out.

            “Everyone, watch out; those pilots that the Peacekeepers keep talking about are here!” Hail 1 warned.

            “Locksmith Squadron, steer clear of him as much as you can,” Shepard ordered, his voice urgent and almost pleading yet firm and commanding at the same time. “Don’t do anything stupid. This furball’s big enough for you to give him a wide berth.” Avery certainly didn’t need to be told twice, as she quickly pulled away from the approaching mercenaries and moved toward a less crowded part of the furball.

            “Taking on a king in a battle royale. Just our luck,” Aqua 6 grumbled.

            Avery set her sights on a pair of Cascadian F/E-18s trying to get on Cutter’s tail. The moment she was in range, she fired off an MLAA at each of them as she lit her burners to close the gap. Both planes lit up the sky with chaff as they disengaged from their target. As they pulled up higher and higher into the sky, though, it was clear that one of them wasn’t going to make it. The first F/E-18 went up in flames, and the second pulled back around to face their pursuer. Avery’s RWR sprung to life as they began to lock onto her, and she immediately went on the defensive. She watched as an MLAA shot out from under the F/E-18’s wings and started heading directly for her. She could barely hear herself think with the instruments in her cockpit beeping faster and faster as the missile approached. Just before the missile could make contact with her plane, though, she quickly rolled over on her side, and the missile blew by the space that her right wing had occupied just a moment ago. The F/E-18 continued its descent down toward Avery while she came back around in a wide loop to get another angle on them, and while the bandit was trying to level themselves out, she fired an STDM at just the right moment to catch them right in the center of their plane.

            “We’ve got the a-okay from Crystal Kingdom. Peacekeeper deployment confirmed- rerouting from other theaters,” Grayson reported.

            “What?! Are we still escalating?!” Padlock asked in disbelief.

            “The Peacekeepers were never meant to wage war outright. They were meant to stop it from escalating to this point!” Marine 1 griped.

            “Aqua 3’s been shot down! The Crown got him!” Azure 5 cried out. “Oh shit, he’s coming back arou-“ was all she had time to say before a missile ripped through her plane like a knife through wet paper.

            “Storm 2, watch out, he’s coming for you!”

            “I can’t get away! He’s-”

            “Dammit. We’re losing pilots out here!” Shepard cursed as he fired an STDM at a merc SK.27. “Everyone, stay focused. We can’t let them tear us apart like this.”

            “How the hell is this happening? We had them on the back foot just a few minutes ago,” Avery asked.

            “The rebels have better pilots than we expected,” Grayson stated the obvious.

            “Of course they are. Only the good ones have survived this long,” Wyvern 3 replied bluntly.

            Avery set her sights on a mercenary F/C-16 at the edge of the furball and loosed a single MLAA toward them. She lit her burners and followed the missile toward its target, watching as they went defensive and dumped countermeasures. For a moment, it looked as if her missile was going to hit, but at the last second it veered away to chase after the merc’s chaff as they sped away toward Avery. With plenty of distance still between them, Avery braced herself for a joust, readying one of her STDMs to fire the second the F/C-16 was in range. Her RWR began beeping frantically the same moment her missiles growled in approval of the target in front of them. Her left hand mashed the switch for countermeasures while her right held firm on the control stick, pulling the trigger on her missile before pulling straight up into air. The mercenary in front of her did the same, and both missiles ended up colliding with each other, leaving the two pilots to get in close. Avery pulled hard to the left, making an aggressive turn to cut off her target’s path. The mercenary F/C-16 tried to correct, but it was already too late, and they fly straight into a hail of gunfire from Avery’s cannon, sending the plane spiraling down into the sea below.

            “This is Sundial 3, we’ve got bandits closing in all around us! We need help or else we’re-“

            “Wyvern 1 is down! The Crown is making mincemeat of us!” Wyvern 4 cried out just seconds before they met the same fate.

            “Escorts, the Cascadians are trying to cut us off. We need help, please!” Sundial 6 pleaded as they launched flares to try and escape the bandits swarming all over them only to get gunned down.

            “If we don’t disengage, we’re all going to get shot down!” Aqua 2 cried out.

            “That’s it. I’ve had enough of this!” Storm 1 decided as they lit their burners and sped toward the Crown. “I’ll put this mercenary in their place!”

            “Remember, getting these transports back home is your main priority, focus!” Grayson reminded the pilots.

            “You’re asking us to fly through a furball and a snowstorm!” Sundial 1 replied irritably. “I don’t like our chances.”

            As Avery pulled away from an SK.27 that she had just gunned down, she made a realization that made her blood run cold: for every one plane she and her allies were shooting down, the rebels were shooting down another three. In other words, they were losing. Bit by bit, the Cascadians and their mercenaries closed in on the Federation pilots more and more, and it wouldn’t be long before there was nowhere that she and her squadron could go without the Crown bearing down on them.

            “Aqua 1, Marine 1, form up on me,” Storm 1 ordered. “Put a crosshair right on that Crown. We take out the king, and the rest will fall!”

            “He’s coming in hot- take evasive action!” Marine 1 warned as he turned sharply away from the approaching F/D-14.

            “It’s too late!” Aqua 1 cried out as a salvo of MLAAs shot out from Crown’s plane and took out all three of them at once.

            “We can’t hold out for much longer,” Shepard said. “They’re boxing us in on all sides. It won’t be long before we won’t be able to get out of here.”

            Avery’s eyes darted around frantically. There were only a handful of friendly pilots left- barely more than a dozen at this point. The Cascadians and their mercenaries had them completely surrounded and they were beginning to close in to finish them off. Avery did her best to stick with her squadron, firing off her last two MLAAs at a pair of Cascadian MG-29s. Neither of them hit, but she suspected as much when she pulled the trigger. All she could do now was force the bandits to keep their distance. But even then, she knew this wasn’t going to last forever. She looked all over the furball, getting a look at each of her wingmen for what she presumed to be the last time. No matter how hard she thought, Avery couldn’t think of a way out of this. She and her squadron were going to die.

            Suddenly, the voice of North Star came over the radio. “All Federation aircraft still in the AO, be advised, Crimson Squadron is vectoring in hot with more reinforcements in tow,” the AWACS operator said urgently. “Just hang in there a little longer!”

            Padlock let out a massive sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. I don’t think we would’ve lasted much longer without them.”

            “Stay sharp! We’re not out of this yet!” Shepard replied. “Everyone, get ready!”

            “Crimson Squadron, ready MLAAs. We’re putting an end to this party,” Crimson 1 ordered as the final wave of Federation reinforcements sped toward the furball.

            “Looks like it’s those mercenaries. Think they might turn tail and run again?” Crimson 4 asked.

            “Not this time. Open fire.”

             All of them dove into the furball headfirst and the battle began anew. The Peacekeepers fired missiles like they’d never run out of them while the reinforcements they brought with started picking off the bandits at the edges to make their way in. Meanwhile, the Federation pilots at the center of it all fought with a rejuvenated spirit. They had a chance now, and they weren’t about to let it pass by without a fight. Avery cut back on her throttle and maneuvered away from an incoming missile. With her tail clear, she checked over and instruments and panic set in once again. Not only did she have just two STDMs left, but her low fuel indicator had begun flashing as well. One way or another, this fight wasn’t going to last long.

            “All survivors, rally behind the Peacekeepers! It’s our only chance!” Hail 4 shouted.

            “Don’t worry. We’ve got this,” Wyvern 6 replied confidently. “Now that Crimson’s here, they’re all goners!”

            Avery let out a regretful sigh. “Locksmith 6, here. I don’t have the fuel or ammo for this fight,” she reported.

            “Shit. Now that you mention it, neither do I,” ASH replied.

            “Ditto. I’m down to one heatseeker and a few seconds on my gun,” Pad agreed.

            “Dammit. That’s it. I’m calling it,” Shepard decided. “Locksmith Squadron, we need to withdraw while we still can, or else we’re not going to be withdrawing at all.”

            “Crimson, engage the mercenary IFFs, they’re the backbone of the enemy air force,” Crimson 1 ordered as the Peacekeepers charged into the middle of the fighting.

            “Shepard, how the hell are we supposed to disengage in this mess?!” Pad asked. “I’ve got hostiles all around me. If I try running, they’ll shoot me out of the sky.”

            “We need a rearguard,” Cutter decided. “All of you, get ready. I’m gonna come in and clear your tails for you. Once your clear, get back to Presidia as fast as you possibly can.”

            “By yourself?” Avery asked in disbelief.

            “We put anyone else at risk, and they might not come home either. When it’s just me, I’ll be able to slip away easier,” Locksmith Squadron’s XO explained. “I know what I’m doing.”

            “ID on one: the jester,” Crimson 2 reported.

            “The fighter with the peace symbol on it. Tag him,” Crimson 7 added.

            “I’m on the leader. The one with the Crown,” Crimson 1 chimed in.

            “Shep, you’re closest so I’m coming for you first. Get ready,” Cutter told him. “Everyone else, just hang on a little bit longer. I’ll get to you as soon as I can.”

            Avery did her best to steel herself with a deep breath in and out. Just a little bit longer and only two missiles left to defend herself. For a moment, it seemed as if the others would give them more time, but the reinforcements Crimson brought with them weren’t faring much better than the survivors, and even the Peacekeepers seemed to be struggling with the Crown and his wingmen.

            Suddenly, Avery’s RWR sprung to life as a mercenary F/S-15 closed in on her. She immediately pulled back on the throttle and dumped as many flares as she could. She arced her nose up and rolled to the side, minimizing the space for the missile that had been fired at her to lock onto. The missile just barely missed its mark and she lit her burners for as short an interval as possible- just enough to regain some speed. As the F/S-15 got closer and closer, she readied one of her last two STDMs. It didn’t take long for it to find its target, but at the last second, she decided not to pull the trigger, wanting to conserve her missiles while she still could, and instead opted to fire a burst from her gun that fell short of its mark. The F/S-15 flew past unscathed, and rather than turn around to get another shot at them, Avery kept flying, putting as much distance between them and her as she could. For the briefest of moments, she thought that things might work out, and that her squadron would all get away. Then her worst fears were realized.

            “Come on merc! Is that really the best you’ve goAAAH-“

            “Crimson 8 was just shot down!” Crimson 5 called out.

            “Who was that? Who shot him down?” Crimson 2 demanded.

            “It was the Crown!” Crimson 3 replied. “That Crown mercenary just shot down a Peacekeeper!”

            It was at that exact moment that Avery knew beyond a reasonable doubt that they were going to lose this fight. By that point, it was probably a matter of minutes, and she wasn’t sure how many she had left- especially with her fuel dwindling more and more. Bit by bit, the remaining Federation pilots were getting chipped away, and she was terrified that she might be next.

            “Locksmith 1, breaking off!” Shepard reported as he broke free from the furball and turned back toward Presidia. “Be careful, Cutter.”

            “I always am, Shep,” Cutter replied. “Alright, Pad, you’re next.”

            “Better make that quick, I’ve got bandits all over me!” Pad said with fear creeping into his voice.

            “Crimson 4 lost!” Crimson 6 cried out as another red V/X-23 went up in flames.

            “Do you understand what you’re doing?” Crimson 1 asked over open comms. “You’re getting in the way of world peace!”

            “Adjust our tactics and reform the attack pattern. We’ll make ‘em pay for that,” Crimson 7 growled.

            Avery rolled onto her side and turned as hard to the left as her F/C-16 would allow. The airframe shuttered and creaked under the pressure of the g-forces, but it still obeyed. A Cascadian F/E-18 came in just close enough for her guns to reach, and she held down the trigger until her cannons replied with an empty click. Her last shots flew forward, riddling her target with holes before it exploded.

            Nodding to herself, Avery looked around and saw Cutter racing to help Padlock deal with the four bandits on his tail. Her fight or flight was begging her not to, but she did it anyway, turning toward them to help however little she could. Cutter fired his last two MLAAs at the bandits, and one of them found their mark, but the remaining three bandits maneuvered just enough to evade his attacks before continuing their chase of Padlock. As Avery closed the gap, her STDMs growled eagerly, and she launched one of them at the plane closest to Pad before speeding past and away. That was as much as she was willing to risk her own neck, but it seemed to work out as the missile found its mark and the remaining two bandits, in their haste to get away, found themselves right in Cutter’s crosshairs as he gunned them both down.

            “Locksmith 3, bugging out!” Pad said as he sped away from the fighting to rejoin Shepard. “Thanks a million, Cutter.”

            “The Crown! He’s coming around for me. I need suppor-“ was all that Crimson 3 could get out his mouth before the Crown riddled their SK.37 with bullets until it exploded into a fireball.

            “We’re not gonna last much longer!” Wyvern 3- the last surviving member of his squadron said before a mercenary stuck him with a missile.

            “Cutter, I need help, please!” ASH cried out. “They’ve got me surrounded!”

            “Hang on, ASH! I’m comin’ for you,” he assured her as he rushed to her aid.

            Avery watched from a distance, her heart pounding in her chest as if it was trying to break free. Every fiber of her being wanted to go and help her; if ASH died, Avery wouldn’t have been able to live with herself, but she had her own share of problems to deal with. Several mercenaries and rebels were starting to zero in on her, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she would last. She offered a silent prayer to the Dust Mother that ASH would make it out alright, as that was about all she had the power to do.

            “Six, look out! You’ve got the Crown on your tail!” Crimson 7 warned as she tried to get in close enough to stop the mercenary.

            But it was no use, and Crimson 6 suffered the same fate that all the others had faced. Crimson Squadron- the best pilots Cascadia had to offer- were getting ripped apart by a mere mercenary, and all Avery could do was watch it unfold. Hostile aircraft were chasing after her from every direction, and each missile they fired at her was one she feared would be the one to end her life. Forcing a deep breath in and out through her lungs, Avery pulled hard around, and with the narrowest of angles, she fired her last STDM at a mercenary F/C-16. Miraculously, the missile found its target effortlessly, and it provided Avery with just enough of a window to put some distance between herself and her pursuers, but she knew it wouldn’t last forever.

            “Shit, I- I’m winchester!” she cried out. “I need help.”

            “ASH, your tail is clear. Go now!” Cutter ordered. “I’ve gotta go help Glade.”

            “Go, Cutter. Please save her… for me,” ASH pleaded as she took her window and pulled away to follow the others back to Presidia.

            “Don’t worry, Glade. I’m coming,” Cutter assured Avery as he began making his way toward her. “Just hang in there a little longer and I can- ah shit!” he cursed as he dumped countermeasures and jerked away. “Oh, no you don’t! You’re not getting her while I have a say in the matter!”

            Avery looked around, and her eyes went wide in horror as she saw who was chasing after him. It was the Crown. Cutter pulled up high into the sky, and the Crown followed after him. Two missiles shot out from underneath the F/D-14 and flew straight toward him. The first one Cutter evaded with ease, but the second missed him by the skin of his teeth, forcing him to bleed off speed rapidly. Forcing himself into a stall, Cutter’s nose fell back down toward the Crown, and he fired off both of his last STDMs at the merc. As the F/D-14 evaded the missiles, Cutter let out a hail of tracers from his machine gun. To both his surprise and Avery’s a handful of shots actually hit, but none of them were enough to even slow the merc down.

            “Cutter, go! Get out of here while you still can!” Avery pleaded as she evaded the onslaught of missiles being fired at her with every ounce of willpower she had.

            “Not… while you’re… here!” he grunted under the weight of the g-forces he was pulling to follow after the Crown to get on their tail.

            “Jackson, don’t be an idiot!” Shepard pleaded his wingman from afar. “Get out of there, now! Please!”

            But it was too late. Avery was helpless to do anything but watch as the Crown mercenary curled through air, drawing sharp contrails behind them as they expertly maneuvered through the furball and ended up with a perfect line of sight on Cutter, who was still trying his hardest to turn and face the merc. A single missile left the Crown’s plane, and it turned Avery’s wingman into a fireball right in front of her.

            “CUTTER!” she cried out, watching as the wreckage from his plane fell into the sea. The tears welling up in her eyes blurred her vision, but she could at least still see enough to hit her switch for countermeasures, dumping flares behind herself to put as much distance between herself and the bandits on her tail as possible.

            “NO!” Shepard shouted. “DAMN THEM. DAMN THEM ALL!”

            “Avery, you have to get out of there, please!” ASH begged her. “Come on, you can make it!”

            Avery grunted as she pulled hard to the right. She could see the remaining pilots of her squadron getting farther and farther away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t follow. “I- I can’t! They’re all over me!” Unable to rejoin her squadron, she instead went further away, hoping that being in the vicinity of the remaining Peacekeepers would be enough, but she very quickly found out how wrong she was.

            “Crimson 2, look out!” Five warned.

            “Dammit! Get these dogs off my tail!” Two growled, making as many maneuvers as he could to escape the wrath of the Crown and both his wingmen. But in the end, it didn’t matter, and the last Crimson Squadron V/X-23 was brought down by all three of them.

            “No!” Crimson 1 called out. “These damn dogs! They have no idea what they’re doing!”

            “That’s enough. We’ve sustained too many losses. All elements within the AO, pull back. I repeat, pull back! Crystal Kingdom has issued a full retreat,” Grayson ordered.

            “Tell them we have them! Just keep sending reinforcements. Don’t take this from me!” Crimson 1 begged.

            “That’s an order, Crimson 1!” Grayson snapped. “We have no more combat effective reinforcements. The transports were all shot down- we’d just be sending men to die! I won’t repeat myself!”

            “No, no, no!” the leader of the Peacekeepers growled. After a brief pause, he let out a heavy sigh. “All Federation elements, pull back across the IDL. Use the clouds as cover.”

            “Go, Avery. Run!” Shepard ordered. “Fly away now- as fast as you can!”

            Avery looked one last time over her shoulder. Her squadron’s markers on her HUD had completely vanished, and she had no choice but to follow the handful of remaining Federation pilots across the border into Magadan, hiding just below the clouds as the arctic storm the transports had initially been using as cover continued to rage on. Even as she put more and more distance between herself and the Cascadians chasing after them, her heart continued to race, and then it began to ache as she remembered that Cutter was dead. For a moment, her brain had tricked her into forgetting, but now, it was all she could think about. Had he just held on another minute longer, he would’ve been right here with her, and she wouldn’t be alone, but he was gone- dead- and she was alone. And alone, she had to reconcile with the truth: they lost, and with such a large portion of the Federation Air Force decimated from the battle, this war was about to change forever.

Chapter Text

            “AWACS North Star to all Federation aircraft retreating over the IDL into Magadan, be advised, you’re falling outside of my operational coverage,” he reported, his voice barely audible over the heavy static. “We’ll be losing contact any second now.”

            Avery let out a heavy sigh to herself, looking around at the few survivors that made it out. They had gone into the Beiring Strait with over fifty aircraft, and came out with barely a dozen. Not even the legendary Crimson Squadron stood a chance against the might of the so-called Crown.

            Fortunately, Avery could at least take solace in the fact that the rest of her squadron had gotten out safely. With any luck, they were halfway to Presidia by now- all of them except Cutter, that is. Her brain kept replaying the moment his plane exploded over and over again, and each time, she willed it to be different, hoping that she might do something to save him, but it was always the same. Now, she had to go on without her squadron, and with North Star quickly losing contact, she felt more alone than ever.

            Suddenly, the static picked up again as North Star went over comms. “Break, break, break! All aircraft, you’ve-“ was all he could say before the static overwhelmed him, and he lost contact entirely.

            “Can’t say I like the sound of that,” Marine 4 said cautiously.

            As a precaution, Avery looked down at her radar, but the moment she did, her blood ran cold at what she saw. “We’ve got mercenaries closing in on us!” she called out.

            “Oh shit! We’re done for, aren’t we?” Blizzard 6 asked. “What the hell are we supposed to do? We’re all flying empty on ammo and fuel. If we try to fight, we’re dead, and if we light our burners to try and run, we run out of fuel!”

            “Keep it together!” Aqua 4 snapped. “Panicking won’t do us any good. We’ve just gotta keep going.”

            Avery was about to agree with him when a new voice with an Oceanian accent came over the radio. “This is Airborne Warning and Control Systems Aircraft Vita,” he introduced himself. “All Federation aircraft over the Beiring Strait, be advised, we’re approaching now to provide support as needed.”

            Aqua 2 scoffed. “You’re a little late for that!” he replied. “We’re all that’s left. We need reinforcements!”

            “What?!” Vita asked in disbelief. “I’m trying to raise High Command, but nothing is getting through. Where are you going?! The battle is still on!”

            “Like hell it is!” Storm 3 replied. “We have mercenaries on us, hot!”

            “We lost all of the transport planes; it was a complete wash! We need help!” Avery added.

            “Dammit!” Vita cursed. “Alright, maintain current course. Division K-9 is inbound to provide support. Just hold on!”

            “K-9? That’s reservist naming conventions, isn’t it?” Marine 4 asked.

            “Reservists? Is that really all we have left?” Blizzard 6 asked. “That’s it, we’re doomed.”

            “Some help is better than none,” Aqua 4 reminded them. “At this point, I’ll take all that I can get.”

            As if on cue, the first four new allied radar contacts Avery had seen since Crimson Squadron arrived appeared on her HUD; four F/C-15s marked as K-9A through D. However, something quickly became apparent to her: the mercenaries chasing after them were much closer than K-9, and they were about encircle the retreating Federation fighters. She and the other survivors weren’t out of the woods just yet, but she had no intentions of dying here- not after everything she’d been through today.

            “The mercs are closing in on us!” she cried out. “We need help, now!”

            “Multiple mercenary IFFs crossing into Magadan airspace,” Vita warned both the reservists and the retreating pilots. “K-9, hold your ground!” he ordered before sighing heavily. “What a god damned mess!”

            “We’re engaging?!” K-9B asked in disbelief.

            “Everyone’s on deck after the shit that just happened,” Aqua 2 replied. “It was a disaster. Command… just sent us out there to die!”

            “What the hell did we miss?” K-9D asked.

            Avery was about to reply but a low, monotone beep in her cockpit grabbed her attention. The mercenaries were within range, and with her fuel running out more and more by the second, her ability to take evasive maneuvers was steadily dropping. Her cockpit began screaming that the first missile since the battle at the Beiring Strait had been fired at her. Her left hand stayed glued to the throttle but it didn’t move an inch- not yet, anyway. With her fuel reserves getting emptier by the second, she had to play this just right or else she’d be gliding the rest of the way back. She craned her neck upward, setting her sights on a trail of smoke coming from the missile headed her way as well as the mercenary MG-29 that fired it.

            “Come on! I didn’t come this far just to get shot down at the final stretch,” she muttered to herself.

            Avery pushed the throttle forward for just a second- long enough to get the last bit of speed she needed to climb up higher into the air. The moment she pitched up, she immediately pulled back on the throttle and rolled back down toward the ground, letting gravity give her a boost to outmaneuver both the missile, and the bandit that fired it as both overshot her. With no weapons to take them out, she took advantage of the moment to put some distance between herself and the merc, but she still had a long way to go, and the mercenaries were only getting closer and closer.

            “There’s too many of them! We need help or we’re not gonna make it!” Marine 4 cried out.

            “K-9 is already engaged with the frontmost aircraft,” Vita reported. “They can only do so much, though. I need one or two of the retreating aircraft to form a rearguard.”

            “None of us are in a position to do that, Vita!” Storm 3 snapped. “All of us are either damaged, winchester, out of fuel, or some combination of the three.”

            “You mean to tell me you’re all combat ineffective?” Vita asked in disbelief.

            “It was a massacre out there. We barely crossed the IDL with those bloodthirsty dogs on our heels!” Aqua 4 told him. “We thought they eased up when we crossed over, but we were wrong.”

            “The Peacekeepers brought up the rear to cover us, but there was only so much that even they could do,” Avery chimed in.

            “Dammit,” Vita muttered. “Just keep going.”

            “Actual combat! I can’t believe we’re fighting!” K-9B said, not instilling any of the survivors with much confidence.

            “Get your head out of the clouds. We went to the Academy the same as any other pilot!” K-9C reminded him.

            K-9D groaned. “I ain’t missing my son’s chess match for this!”

            K-9A had yet to speak a word. From what Avery could see of them in the distance, though, she wouldn’t need to. For a moment, she was so caught up in watching the flight lead’s maneuvers as they downed one mercenary after another that she almost forgot she was being chased. She quickly jinked to the left as the mercenaries behind her let out a hail of gunfire in her direction. Tracers flew over her canopy and she turned away as tightly as she could manage. The mercs followed after her, but she kept going, following after the others as best she could.

            “Not less than an hour ago I was taking bets on horse races,” K-9B complained.

            “Yeah, an hour ago I was on the shitter, doesn’t matter now does it?” K-9C replied.

            The reservists definitely weren’t like the regular forces, but Avery could hardly complain, considering the short work they were making of the mercenaries. Then again, they still had quite a way to go before they would be close enough to clear Avery’s tail. Until then, all she could do was make the slightest adjustments to her course, conserving as much of her rapidly dwindling fuel as possible while also doing the bare minimum to keep herself alive. She felt less than powerless. She felt like a liability, and she hated it- the fact that there was nothing she could do to help drove her up a wall. But the worst part of it was the mercenaries- the way they relentlessly chased after a handful of pilots who had no means of defending themselves and hurled insults at them over open comms while they did so.

            “You know how much you’re worth to me, Fed? About 300 bucks! Now line up and die!” one of them sneered as they fired a missile at Avery, forcing her to use up even more of her fuel to evade.

            “We’re dead without cover! We need support!” Blizzard 6 cried out as he twisted and turned away from the mercenaries swarming him.

            “AWACS, we can’t be the only ones combat capable in Magadan!” K-9B snapped.

            “Crystal Kingdom mobilized every fighter they had to join in over the Beiring Strait. You’re all that’s left now,” Vita explained.

            “It’s not supposed to be my problem they went all in on a dogfight!” the reservist replied.

            “Just keep up the pressure,” Vita replied. “All other aircraft, vector directly to Anadyr AFB. The Reserve Division will cover you.”

            “I don’t know where the hell that even is!” Avery snapped. “I’m Cascadian, I don’t know anything about this airspace!”

            “Fall in with us. I don’t think there’s anyone with a viable squadron left,” Aqua 4 offered her. “Besides, there’s safety in numbers and all that. Maybe we might even make it out of this shitshow alive.”

            Avery looked around frantically, picking out Aqua 4’s mark on her HUD and turning toward it. The mercenaries swarming around her gave chase, but she didn’t care. She lit her afterburners for a fraction of a second to pick up speed and close the gap. By now, the fuel warning blaring in her ear was getting so frequent that she had to just turn it off outright. The mercenaries fired a volley of missiles at her as came closer to Aqua 4 and the other survivors around him, and Avery had to use the last of her flares to escape it. She pulled hard to the left to level out and fall into formation with the others while the mercs sped past, making a wipe loop around to get another shot at them.

            “I don’t understand how it came to this. We were winning just a few hours ago!” Storm 3 said.

            “The goddamn Crown is what happened,” Avery replied bitterly. “As soon as they showed up, we got picked apart.”

            “What? One fighter did this?” Vita asked in disbelief. “Impossible.”

            Aqua 2 scoffed. “You don’t get to say jack shit. You weren’t there.”

            “Look alive, everyone. Our saviors are coming in hot!” Aqua 4 alerted the rest of the group.

            Avery’s head swiveled around, and sure enough, all four F/C-15s were closing fast. “Already? With all those mercenaries between them and us?” she asked in disbelief.

            “Heh. I guess the reservists have some pilots worth their salt,” Marine 4 replied.

            Avery’s RWR lit up once more as the mercenaries came back around. Her heart raced as they came in close and she began to realize just how out of options she was. She had no weapons, she was so low on fuel that she couldn’t make any more evasive maneuvers, and she was completely out of countermeasures. Just before the mercenaries could unleash their missiles on her and the other survivors, though, K-9 came in from below, scattering the mercs in all different directions. Avery couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the way K-9A flew, twisting and turning with elegance and ease as they shot down one bandit after another. She barely even had time to realize that all of the mercenaries had been shot down before the survivors cheered out for them.

            “Holy shit, that was legendary!” Storm 3 said. “You guys really saved our asses!”

            “I take back anything I’ve ever said about you,” Blizzard 6 chimed in. “You reservists are the best!”

            Avery didn’t join in on the celebration. She was happy, and moreover, grateful as hell to K-9 for saving her life, but they weren’t all safe yet, and she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if their rearguard didn’t make it.

            “K-9, be advised, we have the last group of stragglers coming across the line,” Vita informed the reservists. “Designate: Peacekeeping Squadron…” his voice trailed off, and the last word spilled out as more of a question than a statement. “Crimson?”

            “It wasn’t supposed to be like this, dammit!” Seven spat.

            “I’m Winchester on everything and my engines are about to cook off! We need help!” Five called out.

            One growled angrily. “Mercenary dogs! If I had the ammo, I’d gut you all where you stand!”

            “K-9, vector to the Cascadian Peacekeepers. Get them to safety!” Vita ordered.

            “Run, poster boys! You’ll die tired!” one of the mercs sneered over open comms.

            “This isn’t for business. This is for Oceania!” another chimed in.

            “I don’t like this…” K-9B said hesitantly as the flight of four moved past the other survivors and toward the remnants of Crimson Squadron.

            “Incoming Federation fighters, get these criminals off our back!” One ordered.

            “We’re putting you into the ground, Peacekeepers. We won’t let any mook get in our way! Thorn Rose Gang, engage!”

            All Avery could do was watch over her shoulder as K-9 dove headfirst into the last flight of mercenaries, putting themselves between the bandits and Crimson Squadron. The Peacekeepers, recognizing an opportunity when they saw one, put as much difference between themselves and the dogfight as they could, finally slipping away from their reach. Avery let out a silent sigh of relief. With the remnants of Crimson Squadron safely away, they stood that much more of a chance of staying alive. Now all that remained was for their saviors to not die at the last hurdle.

            “You think you’re hot shit because you’re mercs? Goddamn punks!” K-9C spat.

            K-9A didn’t need any insults or reassurance. Their F/C-15 moved in ways that an airframe like that shouldn’t have been able to, and yet it did. Even as a second wave of mercs came pouring in, the four reservist pilots weren’t phased. Their flight lead effortlessly flew circles around the mercenaries, shooting them down one by one until there was nothing but friendlies in the AO.

            Avery let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Holy shit. It’s over. It’s finally over.”

            “I ain’t gonna lie… I was starting to wonder if this nightmare would ever end,” Blizzard 3 said.

            “Hey, let’s not lose focus just yet. We’re still not back on the ground yet,” Aqua 4 reminded them. “I dunno about you guys, but I think it’d be embarrassing as hell to survive all that just to crash on the landing.”

            “All aircraft, you’re cleared to land at Anadyr AFB,” Vita told them. “Anyone who’s damaged or low on fuel gets priority. The rest of you, maintain holding pattern. Don’t make this difficult for me.”

            Crimson 1 sighed. “So, this is what we’ve resorted to. Letting the dogs fight it out,” he murmured. His voice trailed off, and the thoughts swirling around the Peacekeeper’s mind could almost be heard over the radio.

            “There’ll be another time, Commander,” Seven told him.

            “Oh, there will be, Sev. There will be,” he replied. “Crimson Squadron, regroup and prepare for landing. We need to get back to Cascadia.”

            Cascadia. After everything that had gone down in the last hour alone, Avery had nearly forgotten that she was an ocean away from her home- from her squadron. The Peacekeepers were right- as they always were- she needed to get back to Cascadia. But that was something she could focus on later. Now, the only thought in her head was a single reassurance that she was still having a hard time believing: she was alive, and she survived the Beiring Strait. Now she needed to ready herself for whatever came next.

Chapter Text

            As the engines on Avery’s plane spooled down, she practically ripped her oxygen mask off her face. No matter how she tried to suck enough oxygen into her lungs, it still felt as if she couldn’t breathe- like she was drowning. She threw the canopy open, hoping some fresh air would help, but it didn’t. Her heart pounded against her chest, threating to break free from her ribcage. In retrospect, it may not have been the best idea to immediately try and climb out of her cockpit. She only made it down three rungs of ladder before she plummeted down the rest of the way, landing on the tarmac with a thud.

            As she was trying to pick herself up off the ground, she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you alright?” she recognized the voice. It was Aqua 4.

            Avery nodded. It was the only response she could give in that moment. Her knees tried to push her up to her feet, but her ankles wouldn’t keep her up. “I just… I just need a second,” she finally said between labored breaths, sitting down on the tarmac.

            Aqua 4 nodded, kneeling down next to her. “I don’t blame you. After everything that’s happened, it’s a miracle we made it. Shame about the others, though- damn shame.” He looked over at her. “I’m sorry about your squadron. I’m lucky enough to have Two with me, but you?”

            “They made it out,” she replied, her gaze unmoving before she hesitantly added, “All but one of them. Hopefully, the rest of them are back at Presidia by now.”

            Aqua 4 nodded along. “Still, to have to go through all this without them… That must be hard.” He paused for a moment, and finally stood up. “You said you’re Cascadian back there, right?”

            Avery nodded meagerly. “Only time I’ve ever left was to go to the Academy in Ulaanbaatar.”

            “In that case, welcome to Magadan,” he replied, gesturing around at the landscape around them. “Back when I was little, my family would take road trips across the border from Ulaanbaatar.” He chuckled as an old memory came to mind. “We’d drive across the whole state, and my old man would stop at every single historical marker he could find.”

            Avery let her gaze wander, watching the mountains in the distance arc up and down. “The sky seems so much… bluer over here.”

            Aqua 4 nodded. “It’s something about the cordium deposits up north being so close to the arctic circle,” he explained. “When the Ring of Fire releases pressure up here it has some kind of reaction with the sky- the auroras are one hell of a sight to see.”

            Avery let out a heavy sigh. “Thanks, by the way.”

            He gave her a confused look. “What for?”

            “For showing me the way here. Without you, I might not’ve made it,” she replied. “Actually, I definitely wouldn’t have made it, so thank you, uh….”

            “Duncan’s the name,” he told her, offering a hand to her.

            She took it and pulled herself up to her feet. “Avery.”

            Duncan nodded. “Well, Avery, it was nothin’. I was just looking out for people is all. Now, come on. I think it’s about time we go see what the situation around here is.”

            Together, the two of them followed the other pilots into one of the buildings. The base- if it could even be called that- was puny; just one runway, a few small hangars, and the only buildings required to keep the place running. The one they were going into was the only one big enough to even remotely be considered a command building. It didn’t take long for them to find the ready room. The rest of the pilots had congregated outside, listening in through the door on the argument taking place.

            “Come on, man! There’s no goddamn reason for me to be here,” a young woman snapped. “Just let me go home, already. All you’re doing is wasting my time.”

            “As long as that Tomcat is in the hangars, you are needed. We need anyone and everyone that we can get our hands on, and radar intercept officers are in short supply.” Avery recognized the second voice as Vita’s. “You aren’t going anywhere, and that decision is final.”

            The woman huffed angrily and stormed off, bursting through the door and cutting through the crowd of pilots on the other side. Once she left, the other pilots filed into the tiny room, where Vita stood waiting for them. As Avery sat down, her eyes wandered, looking at the other pilots and trying to figure out what they thought about all of this. Eventually, her eyes settled on the three pilots of Crimson Squadron, especially their leader. There was a fire in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read, and yet she found herself feeling the same way.

            “Good, you’re all here,” Vita said as the pilots all took their seats. “First and foremost, it’s good to see that you all made it here. However, that’s likely the only good news I have at the moment.”

            “Why am I not surprised?” Marine 4 muttered under his breath.

            Vita ignored the remark. “By now, it goes without saying, but Battle at the Beiring Strait has become a categorical failure for the Federation in every imaginable way. Not only did we did we fail to escort the transports back to the mainland- utterly failing at our original objective- but the Federation Air Force both in Cascadia and Magadan, have been completely and utterly decimated by the Cascadians. Worst of all, though, there is an extremely high likelihood that in the coming days, the Cascadians will attempt a full-on invasion of Magadan.”

            “They wouldn’t dare… would they?” Blizzard 6 asked.

            “Surely, not even the Cascadians would be that stupid, right?” Aqua 2 asked. “Nobody’s invaded the Federation mainland in a hundred years. It’d be suicide.”

            “We need to be prepared for all possibilities,” Vita replied. “And at the moment, we are laughably underprepared. Reserve divisions are being hastily activated, and reinforcements from the core states are scrambling to get ready, but it will take some time for them to arrive.” He paused, closing his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath in and out. “For now, all of you, along with Division K-9, are the only Federation fighters in Magadan.”

            “Even if we are, that’s not gonna do us a whole lotta good,” Duncan said, standing up. “My bird was so shot up that I was barely able to land, and the rest didn’t fare much better.”

            “The mechanics are already working on getting your aircraft in working order. The situation is less than ideal, to put it mildly, but we have to work with what we’ve been given,” Vita said. “Each of you will be crucial in the defense of Magadan in the coming days, so stay on alert.”

            Crimson 1 stood up from his seat and began walking toward the door with his wingmen close behind. “I wish you all the best of luck. The Federation is counting on you.”

            “And where do you think you’re going?!” Vita demanded.

            The Peacekeeper whipped around, his face twisting and contorting with rage. “Do you see this emblem?” he asked, gesturing to the Crimson Squadron patch on his flight suit. “It’s the mark of a Cascadian Peacekeeper- Cascadian. You said it yourself; the Federation Air Force in Cascadia has been decimated after today. They need us just as you need them.” He nodded to the other pilots still sitting.

            Vita’s glare at Crimson 1 didn’t falter. “Even if your planes were in working order, there’s no way that you would be able to get back. Normally, you would be able to use Sawaiiki as a stepping stone with the help of tanker aircraft, but obviously, we have none at our disposal at the moment.” The AWACS operator paused for a moment. “As it stands now, the Beiring Strait is the only way into Cascadia, and it’s still far too hotly contested for us to even think about crossing over. You’re stuck here whether you like it or not.”

            The Peacekeepers didn’t reply. They merely scowled and stormed off, and Avery felt her heart sink as they slammed the door behind themselves. If Crimson Squadron of all people weren’t able to get back to Cascadia yet, then she didn’t stand a chance. The idea of seeing her squadron again began to seem more and more distant by the minute.

            After skimming through a few more bullet points that Avery was too distracted to pay attention to, Vita dismissed the survivors, telling them to get some rest. However, there was one problem with that: Anadyr AFB had no barracks, meaning all Avery could do was find somewhere to hunker down. A brief tour through the tiny command building was quick to show that there was no place for her in here, so she decided to try her luck in the control tower.

            As she stepped outside onto the tarmac, she saw dark clouds rolling in from the east. The arctic storm that had once been the cover the transports were using just a few hours ago would soon be bearing down on them. She looked around for the control tower, however, Avery quickly spotted the woman that had stormed off earlier, along with three other people in flight suits that she didn’t recognize. She concluded that they must be the reservist pilots that had saved her. Swallowing the grief and anxiety she felt welling up inside her after such a long day, she walked up to them.

            They had yet to notice her, and continued their conversation unaware that she was approaching. “Sorry, kiddo, looks like you’re stuck with us,” said the older woman with a deep voice. Avery recognized her as K-9C.

            “Don’t you worry, Eye Tee. We’ll try and keep things interesting for you down here,” K-9D said.

            Eye Tee scowled and let out an exasperated sigh. “This sucks.”

            Avery cleared her throat behind them to get their attention. “Hey…” her voice trailed off as she felt her thoughts vanish from her brain. “I, uh… I was one of the pilots from earlier, as you could probably guess,” she said, gesturing to the flight suit she was still wearing. “But I never got the chance to thank you guys for, y’know, saving my life and all.”

            K-9B waved his hand dismissively. “Ah, don’t sweat it. We were just doing our jobs. I bet you woulda done the same for us.”

            “Well, yeah, but it’s nice to hear, I guess,” Avery replied. “Or at the very least, it feels nice to say, so thank you, K-9- truly.”

            “No need for the formal titles and all,” K-9D replied. “I’m Brick, this is Cobb, Bookie, and Eye Tee- she’s our on call wizzo,” he said pointing to each one as he named them off.

            Avery looked at them peculiarly. “What about your flight lead?”

            “Who, Driver?” Cobb asked before scoffing. “Not a damn clue. I try not to worry about what the hell he does on the ground, and I ain’t about to go looking for ‘im.”

            “Oh… Well, when you see him next, tell him I said thank you. He was really something out there.”

            “Will do, see ya around!” Bookie told her as they all walked off.

            Avery stood there for a moment before flinching at a flash of lightning in the distance, followed by a clap of thunder not long after. She took that as her signal to get inside, and quickly hurried into the control tower. After climbing up a flight of stairs, she saw a room that seemed mostly empty- save for an empty desk, a table in the center of the room, and a couch. Jackpot.

            She plopped herself down, and her back felt more relieved than she had ever felt in her life. The cushions were hard and lumpy, but it would have to do. Before long, the storm was right on top of them, and the night came with it. With nothing else to do, Avery found herself looking out the window as the storm raged on. Her teeth chattered against each other and her skin had goosebumps from the cold. Her attempts to find a blanket had been unsuccessful.

            That was the moment when Avery finally began to cry. How could things have gone so horribly wrong for her? Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts, but the one she always came back to was a fact that she was only just now beginning to fully accept: Cutter was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not only that, but she was an ocean away from her home and completely alone. All she could think about was how terribly she missed her squadron- all of them. She missed Shepard and his sage wisdom- cryptic as it was. She missed Cutter and how down to earth he was- the glue that held the squadron together. She missed Padlock and his selflessness- the selflessness that she had indirectly helped him discover. She missed Babble and her quick tongue. Most of all, though, she missed ASH- she missed Amber- everything about her, and the image of her in all her resplendent beauty that Avery’s mind produced was the only thing that provided any semblance of warmth that night.

Chapter Text

            “Lieutenant Finch, please report to the ready room ASAP. Repeat; Lieutenant Finch to the ready room,” Vita’s voice echoed across the building through the PA system.

            Avery felt her heart skip a beat and immediately leapt to her feet, hastily throwing on her flight suit before running out the door. Did she oversleep? Why was she the only one being asked for? She didn’t remember anyone saying anything about needing to be up at a certain time. As she burst out of the door to the control tower, her fears only worsened as she heard the deafening shriek of jet engines. Not long after, the four F/C-15s of Division K-9 taxied onto the runway and took off one by one.

            She was now in a full-on sprint across the tarmac. The doors between herself and the ready room didn’t stand a chance at stopping her as she burst through each and every one of them. Finally, she began to slow herself down as she approached the final door, making a few last-second adjustments to look at least somewhat presentable. As she finally entered the ready room, she stopped dead in her tracks. Confusion set in as she quickly realized that the room was entirely empty, save only for Vita standing at the other end.

            “What happened? What’d I miss?” she asked as she walked up to him. “Where’s everyone else?”

            “You’re the only one that needs to be here at present,” Vita replied.

            As he turned around and began booting up the screen on the wall behind him, Avery began to put the pieces together, and horror set in on her face. “No… You- you’re not serious,” she pleaded. “You can’t serious be telling me that-“

            “We need you up in the air ASAP,” Vita finished for her.

            “Alone?!” Avery asked in disbelief. “What about K-9 or any of the others? What in the name of the Dust Mother are you expecting me to do by myself?”

            “K-9 have their own mission, and none of the other survivors’ aircraft are combat ready yet. At this current moment in time, you are the only combat-effective Federation pilot aside from K-9,” Vita replied, briefly turning around to tweak a few settings on the briefing software. “I don’t like it anymore than you do, but we are out of options.”

            There was no way she was getting out of this. Avery knew that perfectly well. Letting out a heavy sigh, she relented and looked up at Vita. “Fine, so what is this mission, exactly?”

            Vita brought up a map of Magadan on the screen. “In the week since the disaster at the Beiring Strait, the Cascadians have been gathering their forces in the north, and knowing that our airpower in country is utterly decimated at the moment, they’ve decided to do the unthinkable: a full-blown invasion of Magadan. They’ve amassed a massive fleet and are approaching land as we speak. K-9 and whatever Ground Reserves Divisions we could scrape up are already en route to the landing site. However, there’s another issue that we’ve taken notice of- one that, if not rectified, could be disastrous for us.”

            “Man, you really know how to sell it, don’t you, Vita?” Avery asked facetiously.

            The AWACS operator ignored her. “In the last few hours, we’ve noticed that a sizeable contingent has broken off from the main fleet and headed further north. It appears that they’re trying to make a secondary landing to outflank our main defenses,” he continued. “Now, it’s clear as day that they want us to divert some of our forces away from the primary landing sight to weaken our defenses. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to play into their hands. Several of the Ground Reserves Divisions have headed north and fortified positions to hit the Cascadians as they approach. You are to provide any and all air support possible.”

            “I really don’t know what you’re expecting from me, Vita. I am one goddamn pilot, and I can only carry so many bombs.”

            “If we had any better options, then we wouldn’t be doing this. This is the only way forward. Now hurry up. Time is of the essence.”

            Sighing to herself, Avery stepped out of the ready room and began to prepare herself. Once all her flight gear was on, she stepped outside onto the tarmac, taking in the surrounds of Anadyr AFB in case this sortie was her last. It wasn’t until she was about halfway to her plane that she saw Duncan walking toward her.

            “What’s all this, then?” he asked as she climbed up the ladder into her cockpit.

            “Vita, in his infinite wisdom, is sending me on a sortie alone to give CAS to try and stop an entire landing force,” Avery replied, her voice oozing sarcasm.

            “Shit, really? I guess we really are that desperate.”

            “Tell me about it. And here I was thinking I’d just be waiting around for the heat to die down before going back to Cascadia.”

            “Well, good luck out there, Avery.”

            She nodded as her engines began to spool up. “I’m gonna need all the luck I can get.”

            Her canopy sealed itself around her and she began to taxi across the tarmac. On the sidelines, she could see some of the other pilots watching. A few of them gave her thumbs ups and salutes, and she couldn’t help but smile. Just before she got onto the runway, she spotted the three pilots from Crimson Squadron watching her. They all wore the same expression: some mixture of envy and frustration, but also a hit of interest as well. Avery didn’t blame them. She could only imagine how infuriating this whole situation must be for them. For a moment, she considered getting out and offering her plane to one of them to fly, but it was too late for that now. Positioning herself at the end of the runway, she sat holding down her brakes. Once ATC gave her the green light, she floored it and began to pull up into the sky. As she climbed up higher and higher, she noticed Vita’s AWACS plane had begun to taxi as well, and once they were up, she followed his directions toward the AO.

            The flight was unbearably long. Normally, she would try to pass the time by making idle conversation with her squadron, but since they weren’t here, and Vita wasn’t exactly a conversationalist, she sat there in silence. So still was the air around her that she nearly jumped in her seat when Vita next came on the radio.

            “Locksmith 6, be advised, you’re entering the AO,” he told her. “I’m patching you through to the ground forces now.”

            “This is E-2 to ALCON, we’ve got confirmed enemy movement on our sensors- approaching from bearing 035, number unknown. Get ready. This is the big one.”

            “AWACS Vita to ground forces, commence defensive operations. Air support is vectoring in hot. Call them in for CAS as needed.”

            Avery flipped the switch for her master arm. “This is Locksmith 6, fencing in. I’m on station and ready for tasking at your discretion.”

            “One plane? That’s all we get!?” one of the ground troops asked in disbelief.

            “Consider yourselves lucky that you’re even getting that,” Vita replied.

            “Dammit,” E-2 cursed. “Alright, we’ll just have to make do. All callsigns, commencing defensive operations. Pax Federation.”

            Allied ground units began to appear on Avery’s HUD, but she had yet to get a visual on any of them thanks largely to some heavy cloud coverage blocking her view. As she began to push through the clouds, though, she almost wished she didn’t. Dozens of enemy units appeared on her HUD- an entire battalion, at least- all trampling over the landscape to continue their advance. That’s when Avery realized that what she was looking at in that moment was the future- a future where the rebels got their way. They weren’t going to just stop at Cascadia. They were going to bring their carnage with them across the seas, and she would not let that happen.

            “By the Dust, look at all of this,” she murmured in disbelief before scoffing. “Yeah, ‘Independence’ my ass.”

            “E-5 to E-2, be advised, we’ve got a confirmed sighting on the enemy. By my estimates, they’re about two battalions in strength- maybe three. It looks like their force composition is being spearheaded by the Cascadian Army Guard- Wild Boar Division.”

            “Dear god… it’s him,” a soldier murmured.

            As if on cue, a new voice, deep and commanding of both fear and respect, came on over open comms. “This is General Elizabeth to all Federation defenders in Magadan: lay down your weapons and surrender immediately or we will light this frozen wasteland on fire. This choice has always been on you, Feds; don’t make us do this.”

            “You come into our home and expect us to just roll over?” E-2 demanded. “Go to hell, you goddamn Cascadians. I’m sure you remember the way there after last time.”

            “Fine, have it your way, dogs. We gave you your warning,” Elizabeth replied. “All units engage!” he bellowed before cutting the line.

            “Enemy artillery inbound!” one of the men on the ground warned. “They’re gonna start shelling the frontlines. Everyone, scatter!”

            “We need those guns neutralized, ASAP. Air support, get on it!” E-2 ordered.

             Avery’s burners were already lit as she began speeding toward the enemy. “Copy that, CAS is inbound. Just hang on a little longer.”

            It was at that exact moment that it began to sink in for her that all of these people’s lives were in her hands. Close to a hundred men and women were all counting on her to make it back alive, and she didn’t plan on letting them down. Pulling back ever-so-slightly on the stick, she climbed higher into the air, hoping to get a clearer shot on the artillery. As she scanned the waves of enemy forces, she couldn’t help but be relieved upon realizing that there was barely any AA or SAMs to speak of, and she then decided that she was going to make them regret it.

            After finally locating the rebels’ artillery in the back line, she readied her two UGBLs. Short of a well-executed gun run, those two bombs were her only shot at taking them all out in one pass. Especially since the rest of her bombs, while packing more of them, were still smaller- meaning she’d need to use each of them sparingly. Fortunately, the Cascadians were still hastily rolling out their AA defenses, so she had all the time in the world to line herself up just right. The artillery units tried to pack up and run, but by then, it was already too late. Both her UGBLs were perfectly on the mark, and the artillery went silent.

            “We’ve got eyes on. Good effect on target! All artillery has been splashed!” E-5 called out. “Spot on support up there, CAS.”

            “Alright, now’s our chance. All units, move in! Use those ridgelines to your advantage and let’s send these damn Cascadians back where they came from,” E-2 ordered as the sound of tank engines roared the background. “Locksmith 6, we don’t have a lot of AT on hand, so if you could work your magic on those tanks, I’d sure as hell be grateful.”

            “Say no more. I’m on the case,” Avery replied.

            “Hold that thought, Glade,” Vita chimed in. “ALCON, be advised, we’ve got enemy bombers vectoring in hot- bearing 090, number unknown.”

            Avery scowled. She only had two air-to-air missiles loaded, so dealing with aircraft was going to be challenging. As long as they were just bombers, though, she could potentially get away with finishing them off with her guns. “How far out are they, Vita?” she asked.

            “About five minutes, give or take.”

            “Shit. E-2, I’ll do what I can, but I won’t be able to stay for long.”

            “Don’t worry, just do what you can! We can still handle ourselves down here.”

            As Avery began making her way toward the frontlines, her RWR began to let out a slow, rhythmic beeping. Just a few moments later, several trails of smoke shot up from the ground as missiles came her way: MANPADS. Her brain froze for a moment as the sound of the missile alert sent her mind right back to the Beiring Strait, but a moment was all it was. Immediately, she pulled back on the throttle, cutting her burners and pulling away. Flares lit up the sky behind her as she dove away from the missiles, and as she watched them streak past, her hand instantly moved back to the throttle, pushing it all the way forward to close in on the tanks at the front.

            Her eyes flicked down briefly at her weapon stores- 12 bombs to deal with two battalions. She was going to have to make each one count. As she closed in on the tanks, Avery tightened her grip on the control stick, watching the reticle on her HUD skim the ground. Once the circle turned red, she held off on pulling the trigger for just a moment- long enough to account for lead time. Two bombs dropped from her pylons, gliding through the air and hitting their marks perfectly. Each one engulfed two tanks in an explosion as she pulled back up into the air for more momentum.

            “Locksmith 6, be advised, those bombers are getting close,” Vita warned her. “You need to intercept them!”

            “Shit,” Avery growled as she pulled away from the tanks on the frontline to climb higher into the air. “Can’t we get any reinforcements? I’m running myself ragged over here.”

            “They’re already on the way, but they’re still a ways out,” Vita replied.

            “Who, K-9?” Avery asked. If their performance last week was anything to go off of, then some help from Driver and the rest of K-9 would come in handy right about now.

            “Negative, they’re RTB after pulling out our forces from the main landing.”

            “What? I thought we were the only ones combat capable in Magadan. Who else could it be?”

            “Don’t worry about it. Just stay focused.”

            Avery groaned. “I hate it when you AWACS types get all cryptic and shit.”

            She glanced down at her radar, turning toward the bearing that Vita had specified. Slowly but surely, slow-moving enemy air contacts began to appear. First one, then two, and then they quickly multiplied until there was a full ten of them headed her way. This was going to be cutting it close, but she had to before they had a chance to drop their payloads. Fortunately for her, though, they didn’t seem to have any escorts with them. She just needed to get close enough to gun them all down.

            “Vita, there’s a lot of bombers here. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop them all,” she warned him.

            “Just do what you can,” the AWACS operator replied. “All ground forces, I advise you take cover just in case.”

            “You heard the man! Go, go, go!” E-2 yelled to his men.

            Avery took a deep breath, readying herself as the bombers appeared on her HUD. She turned to face them head-on, readying her guns to fire the second they came withing range. The first one was powerless to do anything as she let out a single burst, engulfing it in fire as it fell to the ground. Tracers lit up from the other bombers as their gunners opened fire, forcing Avery to pull away before they could get a hit on her. She scowled as she made a loop to come back around. She was wasting time that she didn’t have, and with each passing second, the bombers were that much closer to dropping their payloads.

            As she came back around behind the bombers, she readied her only two STDMs before hesitating. Those missiles were her best line of defense if anything more threatening to her than a bomber showed up. Sighing to herself, she switched back to guns and began closing in on the bombers. The rear plane’s tail gunner tried their best to shoot her down, but she got just close enough to let out another burst of gunfire. The other bombers were easy targets. One by one, she shot one down and moved onto the next. She’d shot down another five bombers before the remaining three forced her to break off and come around again. She was running out of time. Despite the protesting from both her body and plane, Avery made as tight of a turn as she could to circle back around. Her heart raced as she closed the gap. She was close enough to see the Cascadian markings on the bombers, but just before she could finish them off, all three bombers’ doors opened and their payloads fell out. Avery watched in horror, powerless to do anything but watch as fire fell from the sky and set the land ablaze.

            “Good God, they’re dropping napalm!” one of the soldiers screamed. “Everyone, run!”

            “Those tanks are coming in hot! They’re gonna box us in!” another said.

            Avery pulled away from the burning wreck of the last bomber. “Just hang on, air support is on the way!” she reassured them. These rebels had gone too far, and now they were going to pay the price.

            With her afterburners at full blast, Avery sped toward the tanks moving to encircle the ground troops. A large group of them had unknowingly lined themselves up perfectly for her, and she planned on taking full advantage of that. Four more bombs dropped from under her wings, and one after the other, they all found their mark, taking out another nine tanks in a single pass. More MANPADS shot up from below, but Avery evaded them with ease. She was determined now, and nothing was going to stand in her way. She came back around to make another pass, this time diving in low enough to feel the heat from the napalm the Cascadians had dropped. The rest of her bombs all fell from above, and tracers from her gun shot forward, shredding one tank after another until she finally pulled back up.

            “Look, LT, their line is broken!” one of the soldiers pointed out.

            “Good, now’s our chance,” E-2 replied. “All callsigns, pull yourselves together and push forward! We’ve got these bastards on the back foot, now let’s knock ‘em down.”

            “All units, be advised, we’ve got bandits inbound from due east- same bearing as before,” Vita warned. “They’re strike aircraft. If you’re not careful, they’ll flatten you.”

            Avery let out an annoyed sigh. “Vita, there’s only so much I can do by myself here. I can’t intercept an entire squadron by myself with only two heaters and barely any ammo in my gun.”

            “Then how about a little help?” a deep-voiced man asked over the radio. “This is Peacekeeping Squadron Steel, vectoring in hot,” he introduced himself. “We’ve only got so much ammo after covering the last fight, but we’ll do what we can.”

            “Copy all,” Vita replied. “Locksmith 6, I advise that you switch off and RTB. Steel will handle the rest.”

            Avery looked down at her fuel stores, then over her shoulder at the two missiles hanging off her wingtips. “Negative, I’m still good for a dance- long as I’ve got them, at least,” she replied, turning to meet up with the Peacekeepers.

            “Alright then, you lead the way,” Steel 1 told her.

            “Me, are you sure? You guys are the Peacekeepers here.”

            The Khan chuckled. “It’s your fight, kid. We’re just the muscle,” he said as the group of F/S-15s formed up behind her. “Go on, take us in.”

            Avery felt her heart racing. The pressure was on, and now she had to make sure she left a good impression. She turned toward the incoming fighters, watching as eight SK.25s appeared on her HUD, coming head-on. She didn’t change course, and neither did Steel. Her finger hovered just above the trigger, waiting for her missiles to find a lock. Once they did, Avery gave the trigger a single squeeze and pulled away as the dogfight commenced. Steel did the same, only they didn’t break off. They pushed forward, relentless as any Peacekeeper, which gave Avery the chance to make a wide loop around and catch one of the bandits from behind. She fired her last STDM and watched it find its mark without any challenge. Another three had already fallen to Steel Squadron, and the remaining four were already scattering. Avery lit her burners and chased after one of them with Steel 1. While he stayed glued to their tail, Avery went to cut them off, using up the last of the ammo in her gun to shoot them down. She didn’t even have time to tell them that she was winchester before the other Peacekeepers effortlessly hunted the last three bandits down.

            “E-2, to Vita, be advised,” he said, panting heavily. “Enemy forces are pulling back. We’ve got them running scared.” Avery heard cheering in the background. “Should we pursue?”

            “Negative, regroup and standby for further tasking,” Vita replied.

            “Roger that. Hey, fly girl. Thanks for your help today. You really saved our asses down here,” E-2 said.

            Avery took a deep breath in and out to steady her nerves. “Don’t mention it. I was just doing my job,” she assured him.

            “Not everyone’s got what it takes to support an entire battlefield by themselves,” Steel 1 told her. “A feat like that takes skill and determination- the kind you might find in Sapphire Squadron.”

            The remark caught her off guard, and for a moment, she didn’t even know what to say. “Well, I uh… I’m flattered, sir, but I’m not from Magadan, so I don’t think I’d qualify,” she finally said.

            “I see…” the Peacekeeper said. “Where are you from, then?”

            “Cascadia, born and raised.”

            “Is that right?” His voice trailed off, seemingly lost in thought. “Well, we’ve done all we can here. We’re off to go help elsewhere. Best of luck to you…”

            “Lieutenant Finch, sir,” she finished for him.

            “Right,” was all he said before the F/S-15s all peeled away in unison, leaving Avery to return to Anadyr alone.

Chapter Text

            “Alright, everyone. Now that your planes are all in working order, you’ve got a mission lined up,” Vita announced to the pilots huddled into the ready room.

            “Almost all of our planes,” Marine 4 remarked.

            “Yeah, what the hell is taking the mechanics so long to get Crimson’s planes in working order?” Blizzard 6 asked.

            “The only mechanics we have on hand at the moment are civilian contractors. Your planes are all similar enough to what they’re used to working on, but Crimson’s advanced aircraft are beyond even their expertise. They’re doing what they can. They just need a little more time,” Vita explained.

            “Sure, would be nice to have some Peacekeepers up there with us,” Duncan remarked. “Where’d Steel piss off to, anyway?”

            “They’re off covering as much ground as they can at the moment. They’re spread thin as it is. Now, without further ado, you’ve got a mission, so listen up,” Vita said before turning his attention to the briefing software. “In the days since the Cascadians made landfall, they have made leaps and bounds into Magadan, and it is time that this comes to an end. Two days ago, our forward reconnaissance units reported that a contingent from the invading force- likely the ones that Lieutenant Finch went up against last week- have pulled out from Magadan.  It seems that they’re intent on putting as much pressure on our forces in Cascadia as possible while we’re preoccupied here.”

            “So, in other words, Cascadia is screwed?” Aqua 2 asked.

            “This whole situation does have an aspect of sucky-ness to it,” Storm 3 agreed.

            Vita loudly and deliberately cleared his throat, silencing the conversation. “With the sudden withdrawal of Cascadian forces, we’ve taken this as our moment to retaliate,” he continued. “Yesterday, K-9 and our ground forces, with the assistance of a bomber squadron from Victoria, were able to force the Cascadians out of Tseliadan- completing Phase 1 of our directive. Phase 2 is where you all come in today. With Tseliadan clear, we now have a secure air corridor to finally reinforce ourselves with units from the core states. However, the route is not without its dangers. We expect that once the Cascadians get wind of our plan, they will try everything in the power to intercept. That is where you all come in. Your mission today is to escort our reinforcements into Magadan and protect them from all from harm.”

            Avery felt her heart racing. They were finally getting actual reinforcements. Now they actually had a chance at defending Magadan, and more importantly, it meant she was another step closer to getting back home- to Presidia and her squadron. The thought alone of getting able to see everyone again put a smile on her face that she couldn’t even try to hide. Although it soon faded after reminding herself that she wasn’t going to get to see Cutter again- that no matter what changed, he was still dead.

            “Do we have any idea what specifically we should be expecting as far as resistance?” Aqua 2 asked.

            “We can’t say for certain, but in all likelihood, you should expect mercenary fighters to be trying to intercept,” Vita explained. “Additionally, it’s within the realm of possibility that they try to set up some last-minute anti-air defenses, so be on the lookout for that as well.”

            “Are they all coming here?” Avery asked, pausing for a moment to look around the tiny ready room. “To be honest, I don’t know if we can fit many more people here- let alone all the reinforcements for Magadan.”

            Vita shook his head. “No, they’ll all be dispatched to reinforce the various Federation Air Force bases around the country. We just need you to guide them past the danger zone so they can do that. Any other questions?”

            The pilots all looked around at each other before shaking their heads.

            “Good. Then get to your planes. Dismissed.”

            Avery led the way, making a short trip out from the command building and onto the tarmac. She briefly spotted Crimson Squadron, standing next to the mechanics working on their planes. The three SK.37s seemed to be in a lot better shape than before. With any luck they’d be combat ready and able to provide assistance soon. For now, though, Avery and the others were on their own. She climbed up into her cockpit and began flicking switches and knobs as her aircraft hummed to life. One by one, they all taxied onto the one runway and took off into the sky, waiting for everyone to get airborne before turning toward their objective.

            “Man… it’s crazy to think that the six of us plus Crimson are the only ones that made it out of the Beiring Strait- or the tail end of it, at least,” Blizzard 6 said, breaking the silence that had set in as they flew idly.

            Avery looked over her shoulders, observing the planes behind her. An F/C-16 leading two F/C-15s, an M/G-29, an SK.27, and an F/E-18. From a distance, they would probably be mistaken as a mercenary squadron. And they were all following her. She wasn’t quite sure how or why it happened, but it did. Perhaps it was just that she was the only one out of all of them that had seen combat here in Magadan. She liked to think that was all there was to it, but couldn’t help but wonder if there was some other reason.

            “Not all of us, a few other people got out. They just went the other way while they still had the chance,” Duncan replied. Avery couldn’t help but smile to herself at the thought that he cared enough to remember her ramblings to him.

            “Tch, those lucky bastards,” Storm 3 scoffed. “They should be glad they didn’t get roped up into all this shit.”

            “Then again, they have to worry about running into the Crown again,” Marine 4 pointed out.

            “Hey, speaking of which, has anyone else noticed that Crimson 1 seems to be a bit… preoccupied with the Crown?” Avery asked. “The other day I heard him just muttering to himself about the Crown and how he needed to stop him.”

            “Ah, he’s losing it,” Blizzard 6 said dismissively. “The stress of being the top Peacekeeper in the country is finally getting to him. I think the fact that he actually lost to a mercenary of all people finally pushed him over the edge.”

            “I mean, to be fair, the guy’s got a lot of people looking up to him. That kinda stress would weigh on anyone,” Aqua 2 pointed out. “I sure as hell know I wouldn’t wanna be in that position.”

            “All aircraft, focus up,” Vita chimed in. “Allied aircraft are approaching for bearing 300. Link up with them and begin escort.”

            “Copy that, Vita,” Avery replied before switching channels. “Attention incoming Federation aircraft; this is the flight approaching you from your southeast,” she announced. “We’re inbound to provide escort.”

            “This is Bronze 1, we copy. Glad to see we ain’t goin’ into this mess completely by ourselves,” one of the fighters replied. “Although, with any luck, we won’t even need you along and it’ll be smooth sailing to the air base.”

            “Dammit, now you’ve done it,” another pilot complained. “You just had to go ahead and jinx it, didn’t you?”

            “Ah, give it a rest, will ya, Salty?” Bronze 1 teased him. “We’ll be fine.”

            The six survivors of the Beiring Strait finally got a visual on the reinforcements. Dozens of transport aircraft, bombers, airships, and fighters all flying in formation. Avery couldn’t help but smile. With all of these forces coming into Magadan, they would have no problem defending this place from the rebels. And that mean that, with any luck, that she would finally get the go-ahead to return home. It was all coming together.

            “AWACS Vita to ALCON, be advised, you’ve got inbound mercenaries from the south- bearing 210. Escort flight, intercept before they could get close!”

            “See! What’d I tell you?” Salty said. “All because you had to go running your mouth.”

            “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it. That’s what we’re here for,” Avery assured them, turning to face the bandits with the others following behind her. “Locksmith 6, engaging.”

            “Wait, Locksmith?” Salty asked before laughing. “No goddamn way, I can’t believe my old outfit made it out here! Where’s Sheperd and the others?”

            Avery nodded to herself as she put the pieces together. By some twist of fate, she found herself flying the same skies as her predecessor in Locksmith Squadron. It almost made her smile until she had to answer his question. “I’m all you’ve got. The others are… they’re all over the place.”

            Salty seemed unphased by her answer. “Well, at least this means I’ll get to see if my replacement is up to my standards,” he teased her. “So go on, let’s see what you’ve got.”

            Avery flipped her master arm on, readying her MLAAs as the bandits appeared on her radar. It was a non-uniform flight formation- definitely mercenaries, but there weren’t very many of them. With any luck, they were just a patrol that got unlucky. Avery fired a missile the second they came within range, forcing the mercs on the defensive as she and the others pushed the attack. The unfortunate F/C-15 on the receiving end of her missile broke off hard, dumping chaff as they pulled away. But the MLAA was persistent, and it didn’t ease up until it found its target.

            Her wingmen found similar success with the attacks they made, and with five bandits down, the mercs were sufficiently on the back foot. Despite being outnumbered and outmatched, however, they were relentless. As soon as an F/E-18 had an angle on Avery, they dumped off two MLAA in her direction. She immediately cut back on the throttle and pulled to the right, waiting until she was fully settled into the notch before popping chaff to distract the missiles enough to miss. With her tail clear, Avery inverted and pulled down, looping toward the ground and curving back up to chase after the merc that shot at her. They were too busy chasing after Storm 3 to notice the STDM she fired at their tail, and by the time they realized it, it was already too late.

            “Looks like that was the last of ‘em,” Duncan observed as the six aircraft all regrouped with each other.

            “Vita, all bandits in the area have been splashed,” Avery informed him. “You got any more surprises on the long range?”

            “It looks like you’ve got more mercenaries inbound from due east, and some anti-air defenses being set up at 060,” Vita replied. “Neutralize both threats ASAP.”

            “Shit. We’re gonna need to split up to hit both of them in time,” Aqua 2 realized as they all assessed the situation on their radars.

            “Nonsense. We can go ahead and pitch in,” Bronze 1 chimed in. “You guys deal with that AA. Leave the bandits to us. Come on boys, lets earn our paychecks. Bronze, engaging.”

            “Coral, engaging.”

            “Opal, engaging.”

            Avery turned toward the anti-air defenses and the others followed after her. In truth, she had hoped that she wouldn’t have to do any more air to ground after the last mission, but if it was what needed to be done, then she would do it- even if all she had at her disposal for ground targets was machine guns. Slowly but surely, the ground targets began appearing on her HUD- AA guns, SAMs, and to her surprise, even a few flak guns. She gently pushed her nose down and began to dive, lining herself up with enough of the defenses to take out a good chunk in a single pass. Tracers shot up from the ground, and flak lit up the sky. It took quick reflexes and steady hands for Avery to guide herself to the targets unscathed, and once she did, her finger held down on the trigger. A torrent of gunfire spewed out from her nose, lighting up one target after another until she finally pulled back up.

            Most of the flak guns went silent after her pass, but a good number of the SAMs were still online, and to them, Avery was an easy target. Her RWR sprung to life, beeping incessantly to warn her about the two missiles that had been fired at her from below. Fortunately, Blizzard 6 took out the other SAMs behind her, so it was just the two missiles she had to worry about. Her right hand stayed glued to the stick to keep maneuvering while her left moved to deploy flares. She pulled straight up into the air, climbing higher and higher until finally pulling away and angling herself ever-so-slightly downward to pick up more energy. The missiles sailed clean past her, leaving her in the perfect position to join up with Marine 4 to make one last pass over the remaining AA defenses.

            “All anti-air has been neutralized,” Avery reported. “How are you guys holding up over there?”

            “Heh, we’re having a blast!” Bronze 1 replied. “It’s been ages since I’ve had a fight this good.”

            “Well, damn, if it’s that good, then what are we doing missing out on it?” Aqua 2 asked.

            “It looks like you’ll need all the help you can get. We’ve got another wave of fighters inbound,” Vita announced to the group.

            “These damn mercs are persistent, I’ll give ‘em that,” Opal 3 said with a grunt as she chased after one while evading another.

            “Just keep pushing. They can only throw so many fighters at us,” Salty insisted.

            “Don’t worry, we’re on our way,” Avery assured them as she led the others toward the growing furball. “We’ll link up and drive these assholes back for good.”

            She readied her remaining MLAAs as the bandits came within range. Her wingmen all opened fire as soon as they had a lock, but she held off for just a moment. The F/D-14 she was locked onto was almost out of energy as they chased after Salty. Despite how relentlessly they chased after the Federation pilot, they just couldn’t get a clean shot off. And the moment they lost their speed, Avery opened fire. Despite the merc’s best efforts to drop chaff, they just didn’t have the speed to get away and found themselves on the receiving end of Avery’s missiles.

            A radar lock warning began to sound off in her cockpit, but it was quickly silenced when one of the Opal Squadron pilots knocked out an SK.27 in the distance. Avery couldn’t help but smile. She missed this feeling- this sense of cohesion and togetherness that truly made her feel like part of the Federation. In truth, she hadn’t felt it fully since they retook Presidia, but now that it was back, she felt like nothing could get in her way.

            She fired off another STDM, just barely catching an F/C-16 and shearing their wing off. To her surprise, the merc pilot managed to hold it steady, but when Duncan came in to finish them off, they didn’t stand a chance. The Federation pilots had the mercs on the back foot, and they kept pushing every advantage they had. Avery locked up two F/E-18s and fired off a double volley. One missile found its mark with ease, but the other just barely missed as the merc evaded gracefully. Unfortunately for them, however, it put them in the perfect position for Salty to catch them with his gun.  Before long, all that remained was a single SK.27 that didn’t stand a chance against two dozen Federation fighters encircling them and dragging them down to the ground.

            “ALCON, be advised, I’ve got bandits on the long range, but they’re all turning away,” Vita informed the group. “Looks like they’ve been called off.”

            Coral 1 scoffed. “Serves the dogs right if they think they can mess with us!”

            “We’ve barely been in Magadan more than 30 minutes and we’ve already got ‘em running scared,” Bronze 1 sneered. “This’ll be over in a flash.”

            “There you go jinxing us again,” Salty replied with a sigh.

            “Alright, everyone, we’ve officially passed the intercept corridor,” Opal 1 announced. “You all know your stations, so continue on your designated bearings and sound off once you land,” he instructed. “Escorts, you can switch off. Thanks a million for showing us a good time.”

            Avery responded with a light chuckle. “It was nothing. Just go ahead and show the rebels who they’re messing with.” It was all coming together in her mind, and now, regardless of what happened next, she was decided; one way or another, she was finally going to be leaving Cascadia, and soon.

Chapter Text

            It took Avery a full day to steel herself- to work up the courage to do what she needed to do.  After all, she reasoned with herself, she was only one pilot. And now that they’d been properly reinforced, missing one pilot would hardly be the worst thing in the world- a setback, maybe, but nothing an entity as power as the Federation Military wouldn’t be able to recover from.

            She took a deep breath as she stood up and began making her way toward the command building where Vita spent most of his time when he wasn’t in the air. With each step she took, her anxiety grew that much more. The thought of finally getting to see her squadron after two weeks made her ecstatic. She missed them all more and more with each day, and now she was so close to getting to see them again. As she approached the command building, she spotted K-9, minus Driver, loitering around the entrance. She put on a smile and approached. After all, a ‘thank you’ and a ‘goodbye’ were the least they deserved.

            Brick was the first one to notice her. “Hey… Glade, right?”

            She nodded as she closed the remaining gap between them. “Yeah. With any luck, now that we’ve got proper reinforcements I’ll be headed back to Cascadia soon.”

            Cobb scoffed. “Lucky you. Been trying like hell to get Vita to deactivate us, but unfortunately, we’ve actually become somewhat important to them.” She trailed off, letting off a tired sigh. “It’s always the same goddamn story.”

            “Hey, at least you guys actually get to be doing something and not just sitting around all day,” Eye Tee protested.

            “Ah, don’t worry, Eye Tee. I hear Driver might be taking you up in that Tomcat on the next mission,” Bookie assured her.

            “Look, I just wanted to… y’know, thank you guys,” Avery said. “Not only did you guys save my life, but you’ve also been doing most of the heavy lifting around here,” she explained. “We… I would be way worse off if not for you guys, so… thank you, truly.”

            Brick waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it. We’re just doing what they brought us here for. Good luck out there, kid. I hope you get back alright.”

            She nodded. “Who knows, maybe we’ll even see each other in the future.”

            Avery heard Cobb mutter, “I sure as hell hope not. If they send me to Cascadia, I might go AWOL,” as she walked away and continued on into the command building.

            By now, the route to the ready room had been burned into her brain. With how small the building was, it didn’t take very long. Although on this walk she hoped would be her last to this room, she couldn’t help but notice that it almost felt as if she was having a harder time imagining Presidia AFB in her mind. Although, to her, that was just one of the many reasons why she needed to get out of here. Finally, she stopped at the closed door in front of her. Despite the feeling that her heart was trying to break free from her ribcage, she raised her hand up and gently taped her knuckles against the door.

            “Come in,” came Vita’s voice from the other side of the door.

            ‘This is it,’ Avery told herself as she pushed open the door. “Vita,” she began, swallowing hard as she stowed away her fear as best she could. “I’ve got something I wanna ask you about.”

            He looked up from the screen of the computer he was typing at. “Alright, what is it?”

            Avery took a chair from the front row and moved it closer to the desk he was sitting at. “Well… lately, I’ve been thinking…” She began to feel the words leaving her mind, and she tried so desperately to keep them in her thoughts. “And I was wondering if, now that we’ve got reinforcements in country and K-9 is doing as well as they are, I’d finally be able to go back to Cascadia.”

            “No, I don’t think we can do that at this time,” Vita said without hesitation before turning back to this computer.

            “What? Why?!” Avery demanded. “Magadan is fully reinforced, and we’re finally going on the offensive against the rebels. Is one pilot going back to Cascadia really the worst thing in the world?”

            Vita sighed, looking toward Avery once more. “Lieutenant Finch, I’m not sure whether you’re doing it intentionally or not, but you are drastically underselling your abilities. Not just anyone would have been able to do what you did last week, holding off an entire Cascadian advance alone. Quite frankly, I’m not even sure if any of the other Beiring Strait survivors- barring Crimson, of course- would have been able to do it,” he said. “You may not be quite on the same level as someone like Driver or Crimson 1, but you are still an invaluable asset in the defense of Magadan.”

            Avery wasn’t sure what to say for a moment. She never thought of herself as being more than just a regular pilot, but if that’s what others saw her as, then it only underscored the importance of her getting home. “I need to be an invaluable asset in the defense of Cascadia, Vita- of my home. It’s been two weeks since the Beiring Strait, and we still haven’t even been able to get in contact with Cascadia. I need to get back there.”

            “You aren’t going anywhere and that’s final!” Vita rebutted. “Consider it an order- at least until our problems in Magadan are resolved.” He looked up at her. “Now, if that’s all, you’re dismissed.”  

            Avery wanted to say something- to have the last word- but she just couldn’t. Scowling, she turned around and stormed off out of the ready room. However, she just barely made it out of the room, closing the door behind herself, when she felt one hand cover her mouth while another grabbed her by the collar and pulled her behind a corner. She tried squirming free until she noticed the one pinning her up against the wall was Crimson 7.

            “Don’t say anything!” the Peacekeeper hissed in a low voice. “Do you truly want to get back to Cascadia? No matter what it takes?”

            Her hand didn’t move away from Avery’s mouth. All she could do was nod, but she did it without hesitation.

            Seven paused for a moment, looking around to make sure nobody else was listening in before returning her attention to Avery. “Good, then meet us tonight on the tarmac. Midnight. Come alone, but most importantly: Don’t. Tell. Anyone. Got it?”

            Once more, Avery nodded.

            “Good. We’ll explain everything there. Don’t be late,” Seven said before letting go of her and vanishing into the halls of the command building.

            Avery wasn’t sure what to make of the encounter. She returned to the room in the control tower that she had made her own in these past two weeks to think about it some more. And yet, no matter what answers she had for herself, they all prompted more questions. One thing was clear, though: they seemed to be trying to get out of Magadan- against Vita’s wishes. If that was the case, then they were her lifeline. Her only chance of returning to Cascadia anytime soon was with Crimson Squadron, and she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by.

            Time seemed to barely be moving while she waited. With the anticipation of actually leaving, Avery couldn’t keep still. For a while she tried to get some rest; after all, it was likely the last chance she was going to get before going up into the air. Ultimately, though, she just couldn’t do it- not when it carried the risk of oversleeping and missing her window.

            Eventually, though, the sun disappeared behind the horizon, and darkness swept across the country. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the cordium interference in the air was so minimal tonight that she could even see the stars perfectly. It almost felt like a sign that this was what she had to do, and now was the time to do it. After collecting her flight gear and putting it on, she began making her way down the steps of the control tower. Just one flight of stairs remained before she found herself frozen, wide-eyed as she remained at a standstill with Duncan.

            “Avery…” was all he could say at first. “What, uh… what’s all this?” he asked, gesturing to all the flight gear she was wearing.

            Avery let out a heavy sigh. He, at least, deserved the truth. “I’m sorry, Duncan, but I just can’t keep doing this. I can’t be over here fighting in Magadan while my squadron is off dying for my home,” she explained.

            “And so, what, you just decided sod on the rest of us?” Duncan asked. “You weren’t even going to tell us goodbye? After everything we went through?”

            “I tried getting Vita to see reason, but he just… won’t. He doesn’t understand what he wants me to do,” Avery defended herself. “This was the only way. I- I’m sorry, but I… I had no choice.

            Duncan was silent for a moment that felt like it lasted for an eternity. His expression was unreadable. Finally, he let his head hang low. “Alright, Avery. I understand. Go on, I won’t tell anyone- promise.”

            Avery smiled, and she couldn’t help but throw her arms around him. “Thanks, Duncan. You’re a damn good friend, y’know that? I hope we see each other again, someday.”

            “We will. I know it,” Duncan assured her as the two broke off the hug.

            “Goodbye, and… thanks again- for everything.” She slipped past him and continued down the stairs toward the tarmac.

            “Avery!” Duncan called out behind her, causing her to stop and turn around. He smiled. “Give ‘em hell.”

            Avery nodded. She was going to give them more than that, but hell was a good start. Without another word, she went down the last of the steps and stepped out onto the tarmac. It didn’t take her long to locate the three Crimson Squadron pilots, all circling their planes with hers right next to theirs.

            “Good, you made it,” Seven said as she approached them. “I was starting to wonder.”

            “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Avery responded solemnly.

            “And you’re sure about this, now?” Five asked her. “Technically speaking, you’ll be disobeying direct orders.”

            “If it means that I’m able to get back home, then I’m sure,” she answered.

            One walked up in front of her, towering over her by almost half a foot. He looked her up and down, as if inspecting her before giving a satisfactory nod. “Missiles are over there,” he said, nodding to the racks that they had rolled out from the hangars. “You’ll need them.”

            As the Peacekeepers helped her load up, Seven began explaining the situation. “So, after the first ten days we started to get suspicious as to why the mechanics were taking so long with our planes- especially after everyone else’s was all ready to go,” she began.

            “We asked the mechanics a few days ago, and they gave us some bullshit excuse about how they’re not used to advanced planes like ours,” Five continued as he helped Avery feed the gun belts into her plane. “Only, the thing is, our planes aren’t that new anymore. These things have been around since just after Oceania.”

            “So yesterday, while you lot were out on that mission, we snuck into the hangars to get a better look at our planes, and sure enough, they were completely fine. By the look of things, they had been for some time,” Seven continued.

            “Long story short: they lied to us about our planes still needing repairs because they knew once our planes were combat ready, we’d try to go back to Cascadia,” One summarized. “So, we’re doing just that.”

            “Alright, so what’s the plan?” Avery asked as she took the pins out of her missiles.

            “Simple: we punch right through the Beiring Strait,” Seven told her. “After two weeks, the rebels’ presence at the Strait has no doubt been scaled back since the furball- even with the invasion. Now is our best shot it getting through.”

            Avery paused for a moment after making the final adjustments to her weaponry. She was ready. Looking around at the Peacekeepers, she finally said, “Well, what are we waiting for?”

            Five smiled. “My thoughts exactly. Let’s kick some tires and light some fires.”

            “Once our engines are on, this whole base is going to wake up,” One explained as he began climbing into his plane. “We’re gonna have to taxi fast, so get ready.”

            Avery climbed into her cockpit, and took a deep breath. This was it. It was do or die. After putting on her helmet and fastening her oxygen mask over her mouth, she looked over her instruments and began flipping them on one by one. The systems in her plane came to life with beeps and hums, and finally, it was time to ignite the engine. All four of them did at the same time, although she barely heard her own plane’s engine over the roar of the three SK.37s.

            “Hot damn, listen to that!” Seven cheered. “She’s purring like she just rolled off the factory floor.”

            “Y’know, if they didn’t lie about it to us, I would’ve probably hugged those mechanics for the job they did,” Five agreed.

            “Everyone focus up!” One barked. “The clock’s ticking, so let’s move!”

            Avery brought up the rear as they began to taxi to the runway. She looked around and saw lights all over beginning to come to life. Their window was quickly closing. Her heart raced as she watched the Peacekeepers take off one by one, and finally she sat at the edge of the runway. A few people had come out onto the tarmac, and Avery could’ve sworn that even in the darkness, she recognized Vita’s figure, but it was too late now. There was no going back now. She slammed the throttle forward and her plane lurched to life. She felt herself sink deep into her seat as her Viper got faster and faster until finally, she lifted off the ground, leaving Anadyr AFB behind her for the last time. Avery hurried to catch up with Crimson, but once she did, she looked over her shoulder, getting one last look at Magadan before she left it behind.

Chapter Text

            “We’re coming up on the Beiring Strait. Everyone, get ready,” One announced.

            Avery’s heart hadn’t stopped racing since they took off. She was almost home. The thought alone made her giddy, but she wasn’t about to let that show. Not when she was flying in formation with Crimson Squadron. If someone told her when she first arrived in Locksmith Squadron that in just a few months she would be flying alongside Crimson Squadron, she would’ve called them crazy, and yet, here she was.

            “Still not seeing anything on my radar,” Five replied. “It looks like we’re clear for now.”

            “Let’s not take it for granted,” Seven said. “We’ve gotta cover as much ground as we can before they spot us.”

            Avery looked down at her radar and frowned. “I think you might’ve spoken too soon,” she said. “I’ve got bandits inbound- bearing 050.”

            Five let out an annoyed sigh. “I guess a quick flight in unnoticed was too much to ask for. Alright, let’s do this.”

            “Hey, what was your callsign again?” Seven asked Avery.

            She raised a confused brow. “Locksmith 6?”

            “Perfect. Alright then, Six. Why don’t you stick with me. Let’s hit ‘em where it hurts. We’re on the home stretch. Let’s not fumble at the finish line.”

            The four pilots passed through a cloud and the familiar airspace of the Beiring Strait appeared in front of them. It looked so much different at night, or at least it felt that way- almost like it was a completely different place. Yet, it was still the same patch of water, and much like last time, they had mercenaries to their front, and they were closing in fast.

            Avery’s grip on the control stick tightened as she followed the Peacekeepers in. “Alright assholes, line up. It’s time for Round 2,” she murmured to herself. She may not be getting revenge on the one that killed Cutter, but a victory over the Beiring Strait would suffice for her- at least for now.

            She flicked her master arm switch, letting her targeting systems come to life as a flight of F/C-16s appeared on her HUD. The three SK.37s in front of her sped forward- their red liveries glinting in the moonlight. Even with her afterburners at full power, Avery’s F/C-16 just wasn’t quick enough to keep up. On the upside, that meant she got to watch the Peacekeepers at work as she closed the gap. Each of them drew sharp contrails in the night as the twisted and turned this way and that around the flight of mercenaries.

            By the time Avery finally came within range, Crimson had already taken out three of the five bandits, but now it was her turn. This was the first time that she would truly get to show them what she was made of, and she had no intention of disappointing. The moment she had a solid tone on her radar, she gave her trigger two quick squeezes, launching a pair of MLAAs at the remaining F/C-16s. Both of them were so preoccupied squaring off against the Peacekeepers that they didn’t even notice. The one closer to her went down almost immediately, but the second one managed to evade by pure luck. Avery tried getting closer but it was no use, by the time she was in range to use her heatseekers, Crimson Squadron had already boxed them in and gunned them down.

            “There weren’t that many of them,” Five noted. “Looks like they were just a CAP flight that got unlucky.”

            “Regardless, they probably let their higher-ups know we’re here, which means this place will be swarming with rebels soon enough,” One replied.

            “You think we’ll be able to clear off before they’re here?” Avery asked.

            “Only one way to find out,” Seven said with a grin.

            The four pilots resumed course on their original heading, moving due east toward Cascadia. With each passing moment, they grew closer, and Avery grew more restless. The thought of finally being home after everything that had happened over the last two weeks made her downright anxious, but she wasn’t back yet.

            “More bandits, dead ahead!” Seven called out. “There’s a lot more of ‘em, this time.”

            “Eyes on. It’s a mix of mercs and rebels,” One reported. “It looks like they’re fanning out to try and encircle us. Five, you take the right flank. I’ll get the flank.”

            “C’mon, Six. Let’s hit these bastards head on,” Seven said.

            Avery nodded as she formed up on Seven’s wing. “Copy that, I’ve got your back.”

            Sixteen hostiles appeared on Avery’s HUD, coming straight at the flight of four. One and Five broke off in opposite directions, leaving Avery to stick close to Seven as they remained on course. The bandits’ already loose formation completely fell apart when One and Five made contact from the sides, giving Avery and Seven their opportunity to charge in. Avery made a point to fire off the first missile, launching an MLAA at the first hostile to come within range. The mercenary F/C-15 on the receiving end of her missile swooped down to their right, dumping chaff as they went evasive. Avery lit her burners and chased after them, picking up more and more speed as she followed them down toward the water. The mercenary’s plane jerked up the last minute, flying just a few dozen meters above the water. They clearly wanted Avery to follow after them, but she didn’t take the bait. Instead, she followed from above, waiting until they finally tried to climb again before catching them directly in her crosshairs and gunning them down.

            “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think these guys have it out for us- I can’t imagine why,” Seven said sarcastically as she shot down a rebel SK.27.

            One scoffed. “If they knew what’s good for ‘em, they would’ve sent more fighters. This won’t be enough to stop us.”

            “They’d have to send their whole air force to stop me,” Avery replied. “I didn’t come this far to be stopped now.”

            “Oh yeah? Well, now’s your chance to prove it, Six,” Five told her. “Looks like we’ve got another wave of bandits coming in hot.”

            Avery glanced down at her radar, making note of the new hostiles approaching fast, but her attention was quickly drawn back to the sound of an RWR alert in her cockpit. As she and Seven continued mopping up the aircraft at the center of the formation, One and Five had corralled the ones on either side into a killbox, and now they were directly on top of her. She yanked back on the control stick, pulling up higher into the sky, dropping flares behind her as she went. A rebel F/E-18 chased after her, letting out a barrage of gunfire that Avery narrowly managed to avoid. With one maneuver after another, Avery tried to get them off her tail with no success until she finally made an aggressive turn to the left, cutting off her pursuer as they tried to circle around and blasting them out of the sky with an STDM.

            With her tail clear, Avery checked her radar once more. A flight of five was moving in to join the rapidly-escalating furball, effectively undoing all the work that she and Crimson Squadron had just done. Her eyes flicked briefly down to her weapon stores. All she had left was one STDM and three MLAAS, and she was starting to wish she had been assigned a different plane with better payloads. Regardless, the five new bandits- a squadron of rebel F/C-15s- was joining the fray, and Avery turned to meet them head-on. She let out several bursts from her canon, sending hails of tracers toward the rebels, and before they knew it, two of their planes went down in flames, and the remaining three scattered into the furball.

            “C’mon, it’s like these guys aren’t even trying to put up a fight. I thought just the four of us against whatever the rebels are willing to throw at us would be more of a challenge,” Seven complained.

            Five chuckled. “Sev, you’re the only person I know who can find a way to complain about having an easy fight ahead of them.”

            “Don’t get cocky. That was our mistake last time,” One warned them. “Remember: The Crown could show up at any time, so stay sharp.”

            “You worry too much, Commander. They’re not gonna send the Crown to intercept four planes in the middle of the night,” Seven replied. “Besides, we’re almost to Cascadia. Once we make landfall, we’ll be home free.”

            “Well, we haven’t gotten there yet,” One reminded her.

            Avery rolled onto her side, deploying her flaps and airbrakes to rapidly bleed off speed. As her airspeed dropped further and further, she made a split-second roll onto her other side. The rebel SK.27 on her tail shot right past her, and the moment they did, Avery pushed her throttle as far forward as it would go. Her last STDM flew off its resting place on her wingtip and crashed right into the bandit’s exhaust. Another explosion briefly lit up the night. A few moments later, several disjointed scraps of plane fell down into the ocean.

Avery’s attention immediately refocused toward her original target: one of the two mercenary MG-29s that was fleeing from Seven. Her radar-guided missiles began beeping eagerly as they searched for a lock, and it didn’t take them very long to find it. Even as they let out a single, solid tone, though, Avery didn’t fire- not yet, at least. With her ammo dwindling more and more by the minute, she needed to make sure that every shot she made resulted in a kill. Fortunately, the MG-29 that her missile locked onto made a risky turn that would ultimately be their downfall. She pulled the trigger without hesitation, and the missile sped out from underneath her wing, curling through the night to chase after its target. The MG-29 tried pulling away to regroup with one of their allies, but in doing so, they only brought an F/C-15 into the blast range of Avery’s missile, killing the first target and catching the second with shrapnel. Smoke began trailing out from their engines, and Avery moved in for the kill. Despite their best attempts to evade, there was nothing they could do to get away from the barrage of gunfire she unleashed upon them. Upon pulling back up to help the others, Avery soon realized that the Peacekeepers had been making short work of all the fighters that she wasn’t engaged with, and before long, the last of the bandits went down.

“Looks like that was the last of ‘em,” Avery observed. “Now let’s book it while we’ve still got the chance.”

“Too late. I’ve got one more bandit on radar- same bearing as before,” Five announced.

            “That signal is massive,” Seven observed as the four pilots continued straight ahead toward the last hostile air contact. “Is that a goddamn airship?” she asked in disbelief.

            “We must really have them spooked if they’re sending airships on intercept missions,” Avery noted.

            One scoffed. “Good. They’d better be scared if they know what’s good for them. Now everyone, get ready. We’re taking this airship down.”

            Avery hesitantly maintained formation with the Peacekeepers as a Cascadian Littoria-class airship appeared from within the shroud of darkness. With only two missiles and barely any ammo on her gun left at her disposal, there was only so much that she could do, but with any luck, it would be all that was required of her.

            Tracers began spewing out from the airship as the AA guns began fixing themselves toward the four Federation fighters. While the Peacekeepers all broke off to approach from different angles, Avery stayed the course, readying her last two MLAAs and locking onto the airship’s defenses. She fired them both simultaneously. As she pulled away from the SAMs trying to find a lock on her plane, she craned her neck over her should to watch the two missile trails streak through the night- each hitting one of the two AA guns on the nose and knocking them both out.

            The Peacekeepers took this as their chance, diving in toward the airship, and letting out a volley of their remaining missiles. Explosions ripped through the Littoria’s hull one after another, but it was still flying with smoke and fire trailing behind it. Avery followed them in, and with most of the defenses cleared out by Crimson’s attacks, the path ahead of her was almost entirely clear as she sped forward and held down on the trigger until her canon made a serious of clicks. The remainder of her ammo found hits all over the airship- wings, engines, cockpit, everything- and the Littoria gradually began falling through the air before crashing into the water.

            “I’m not seeing any more hostiles on radar,” One observed as the four pilots all resumed formation. “We’re clear, for now.”

            “Hey, look! I think I see land up ahead!” Seven pointed out.

            Sure enough, the northern coast of Cascadia was directly below them. They had finally made landfall.

            “About goddamn time,” Five said, letting out a relieved sigh. “It’s been too long since we’ve been back. It feels good.”

            “I’m just happy that all that bullshit with Magadan is finally over- for us at least.”

            Avery didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. Her mind was racing with a thousand thoughts all at once, and she feared that voicing any of them would ruin the goodwill she’d built up with the pilots that she’s looked up to all her life. Above all else, though, one thing was clear: after two long weeks since the Battle at the Beiring Strait, Avery was finally back in Cascadia. She was finally home.

Chapter Text

            The flight back to Presidia was long and unbearably quiet. Nobody uttered a word as they were all to preoccupied with their own thoughts. Save for the hum of their engines, muffled by the glass of their canopies, they carried on in complete silence. But that all changed when the lights from a city’s skyline in the distance: Presidia. They’d finally made it.

            The familiar voice of Presidia’s ATC came on the radio. “Attention unidentified aircraft on heading 350, you’re approaching without clearance. Identify yourselves at once,” he demanded.

            “This is Crimson Squadron plus one. Clear the runways, we’re coming in to land,” One replied.

            “Oh, uh… of course, sir. Go on ahead, you’re cleared to land.”

            The three pilots of Crimson Squadron all landed first, touching down one by one before taxying off the runway. Finally, it was Avery’s turn. Her heart began racing as she lined herself up and began to slow down. After what felt like an eternity, she was finally landing back at Presidia. Her wheels touched down against the asphalt and she was jerked forward by the sudden loss of speed. She deployed every measure at her disposal to slow down as fast she could until her F/C-16 came to a gradual stop at the end of the runway.

            Out of habit, she almost followed Crimson Squadron into their hangar, only to pivot away at the last moment toward her own. She wasn’t sure what to expect after everything that had happened. When she finally rounded the corner into Locksmith Squadron’s hangar, though, she felt a tremendous weight fly off her shoulders at the sight of three F/C-16s all parked in their usual spot. They were all still here- all except the one that they had lost.

            Once her engines finally spooled down, Avery threw open the canopy and climbed down the ladder onto the hangar floor. She was finally back on Cascadian soil. She emerged from the hangar to see a small crowd gathering on the runway. They all looked on with interest at the four pilots that had just arrived, but out of caution, they didn’t get too close. Avery didn’t blame them. An unscheduled landing would’ve piqued her interest too.

            In all honesty, though, she didn’t care. All that mattered to her was the people in the crowd. As she moved closer to the crowd, she scanned all of their faces, looking for three in particular. At first, they were nowhere to be found, but suddenly, there was a disturbance in the back of the group, and a familiar face shoved through to the front. It was Sheperd, and following close behind were Padlock, ASH, and to Avery’s surprise, even North Star.

            They didn’t see her at first, but when they did, they all stopped dead in their tracks, staring wide-eyed at the pilot standing just five yards away. Sheperd was the first to break the silence. “Avery? Is that… really you?”

            She stood alone, awkwardly rubbing her arm. “Yeah, it’s me. I, uh, I’m home,” she finally replied. Her mind was doing everything in its power to try and get her to avert her gaze, but she didn’t.

            Avery couldn’t utter another word before all three pilots rushed forward, practically tackling her to the ground and embracing her. She couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear as she returned the hug that all three of them had surrounded her with. Upon looking closer, she noticed tears streaming down Sheperd’s face, and it wasn’t just him. All three of them made no effort to hide their tears, and at that point, neither did she.

            “Don’t you ever scare us like that again! You hear me?” ASH scolded her, despite the fact that she still had the biggest smile out of all of them.

            “We were worried sick about you!” Pad agreed. “We thought you were dead!”

            “C’mon, you really think I’d die so easily?” Avery joked through her tears. “I’m way too stubborn to die.”

            “It’s… it’s good to see you again, Avery,” North Star said, standing above them. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

            “He’ll never admit it, but he was worried, too- quite a bit, as a matter of fact,” Pad told her.         

            Finally, the four pilots all stood up. Avery looked around until she spotted the three pilots of Crimson Squadron. They were all talking with General Caine, who had come out to meet them. She was too far away to hear what they were saying, but the Peacekeepers’ expressions said it all; loss, regret, bitterness, and anger. She wanted to say something to them- to thank them for everything they had done to help her get home, but by the time she worked up the courage to do so, they were already gone, heading back into the barracks.

            Suddenly, Commander Grayson’s voice caught her attention. “Lieutenant Finch. I must admit, part of me was expecting not to see you again,” he said as he walked up to join the group of pilots. “Although, I’m glad that I was proven wrong.”

            “Well, sir, I don’t give up so easily,” Avery replied. “I’m just happy to be back.”

            “I can imagine,” Grayson replied with a nod. “It’s good to have you back, Lieutenant.”

            ASH threw her arm around Avery’s shoulder. “C’mon, you’ve gotta tell us everything!” she insisted as she and the others began dragging her away. “And you’d better not omit a single detail! I wanna hear the whole story.”

            Avery wriggled free from the increasingly tight grip ASH had on her, smiling. “Ack! Alright, alright!” she insisted, rubbing the part of her neck that ASH had squeezed. “Dust Mother, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

            “Damn right, you’re not,” Sheperd told her with a smirk. “We just got you back. You really think we’re gonna let go of you so easily?”

            As the four pilots plus North Star all sat down at a table in the otherwise empty mess hall, they all looked at her expectantly. “So, c’mon, spill,” Pad insisted. “We heard the Cascadians actually invaded Magadan. It true?”

            Avery paused for a moment. The memories of everything had happened over the last two weeks came rushing back and left her stuck in those moments as if she was living them all over again. “Yeah…” she finally said, bringing herself back to reality. “After we all pulled back across the IDL, the mercs chased after us. They wanted to finish us off when we had no way to fight back.” That was when she noticed that her hands were clenched up into fists. She took a deep breath, easing her grip. “And they would’ve had it not been for these four reservist pilots. They saved our asses.”

            Sheperd let out a heavy sigh filled with regret. “If I had known those dogs would actually be crazy enough to fly into the heart of the Federation, I would’ve tried to come with you. You shouldn’t have had to go through that alone.”

            “You had no way of knowing, and you still had the others to look out for,” Avery reminded him. “Besides, I wasn’t alone. There were nine of us in total, counting Crimson Squadron. When we landed, they wanted to get right back here. I did too, but the guy in charge over there- an AWACS operator- kept us put there. They said they needed everyone they could get their hands on.”

            “And so, they just kept you there for two weeks?” Pad asked in disbelief. “What’d you even do there?”

            “A whole lot of nothing,” Avery replied. “Most days, I was just sitting there bored out of my mind. But…” she paused and her voice trailed off. Once more her hands reflexively tightened into fists. “They did send me out there twice. The first time I was alone. The other planes were still being repaired, but they need a pilot, so I- I had to go out and defend against one of the landings the rebels were making in Magadan,” she explained. “After all this time, I’ve never seen them so ruthless. They were using napalm for crying out loud.”

            “Jesus…” ASH murmured quietly. “And they had you fending off against all of that by yourself?! What the hell were they thinking?”

            “Well… I wasn’t entirely alone. I had the ground forces down below, and toward the end I even got help from PK Steel,” Avery explained. “Anyway, yesterday they had all of us except Crimson Squadron go up to escort reinforcements into Magadan. Once we got them in safely, Crimson and I took it as our chance to finally come home.”

            “Wait, you just left?” Pad asked.

            “I tried asking the guy in charge to let me leave- several times, actually. Even after Magadan had been fully reinforced, he kept spouting some bullshit about how I was crucial to the defense of Magadan. But he didn’t understand. I had to do this. I couldn’t just be sitting an ocean away while you all were fighting for my home. It just wouldn’t be right.”

            She looked around at everyone, trying to gauge their expressions. ASH seemed to understand and even agree with her. Padlock and North Star seemed hesitant, but ultimately, they looked like they understood. As for Sheperd, the more she talked about everything that had happened to her over the last two weeks, his smile faded bit by bit. Now, though, he almost looked concerned- scared, even. As for what he was scared of, Avery couldn’t tell.

            “Look, I’m sure you’ve had a long night,” ASH said, breaking the silence. “Why don’t we hit the hay and let Avery get some much-needed rest.

            Avery was about to protest. After all, she still felt a bit of an adrenaline high from the rush of combat not too long ago. However, she stopped herself when she saw the look in ASH’s eyes that she was giving her. It was a look of impatience and of thoughts that needed to be said- alone. She finally nodded in agreement and yawned, stretching out her arms.

            Sheperd nodded as he stood up. “You’re right. It’s already late. Besides, we can always talk more tomorrow.

            “Man, I can’t tell you all how excited I am to finally get to sleep in my own bed for a change,” Avery said as she followed ASH back to their room. “Back in Magadan, they didn’t have enough room in their barracks for all of us, so I had to sleep on a couch in the control tower. It was awful.”

            ASH chuckled. “That sounds awful. Don’t worry, though, your bed is waiting for you.”

            She led Avery through the familiar halls of the barracks until they finally arrived at their room. As she stepped inside, Avery looked around, taking it all in. For a moment it seemed so foreign to her after spending two weeks away from it all, but eventually, the memories all came rushing back, and it almost felt as if she never left.

            “Y’know some guys tried coming to take all your stuff away- several times, actually,” ASH said softly as she sat down on the edge of her bed. “I was this close to fighting ‘em.”

            Avery cracked a smile. “Serves them right for thinking they can mess with you,” she joked.

            ASH smiled for a split second, but it faded away just as soon as it appeared. “All that time, they were insisting that you were dead- that I was just in denial. Over time I was inclined to believe them. If they’d come one more time, I probably would’ve let them take it all.” Her voice trailed off and she stood up, meandering to stand in front of Avery at the center of the room. “Avery, I- I thought you were dead, and that just… it destroyed me. Ask the others. They’ll tell you I was a wreck the moment we lost comms with you.”

            Avery put her arms around ASH’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’m here. I promise,” she murmured softly but deliberately.

            ASH shook her head. “It’s not just that it’s…” She trailed off, averting her gaze for a moment as she searched for the right words. “I had to think about what life was going to be like without you, and I just… couldn’t.” She looked up at Avery, and two pilots met each other’s’ eyes. “Promise me, Avery. Promise me that you’ll stay with me forever… please.” The last word was barely audible- a whispered plea.

            They both moved in sync, leaning forward and pressing their lips together. Avery’s hands moved to cradle ASH’s cheeks and ASH’s arms moved up to rest on Avery’s shoulders. There were no words spoken between them- just a release of pure passion and a feeling of bliss enveloped them. It was a moment that both of them wished they could live in for eternity, and they tried to keep it that way.

            Finally, the two broke apart, and Avery put her hand under ASH’s chin, gently lifting it up to face her. “I promise you, Amber. I promise that as long as I live, I’ll stay by your side forever. Not even the earth itself will keep us apart, and nothing is going to change that.”

Chapter Text

            The next few days were quiet- blissfully so. They had yet to go out on another sortie, and Avery was starting to prefer it that way. For a time, it almost felt like they weren’t at war at all. It was nice to finally feel like her life wasn’t at risk at all times. After everything that had happened and everything she’d been through, it was a nice change of pace. Deep down, though, she knew it wouldn’t last forever.

            “You’ve got that look in your eyes again, Avery,” ASH said from her bed. “The one where you feel like you’d rather be staring wistfully at the horizon.”

            “Is it really that obvious?” Avery asked as she sat down next to her.

            ASH smiled. “Maybe I just know you that well. Now c’mon, tell me what’s up.”

            Avery waved her hand dismissively. “Ah, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking about how quiet it’s been recently- wondering what’ll happen when this is all said and done. Life after the war and all that.”

            “Personally? I think I’ve had enough fighting for one lifetime. After my contract’s up I think I’m gonna get out while I can.” ASH paused for a moment, smirking at a thought that came to her. “The last thing I’d want is to be in the Air Force for half my life like Sheperd.”

            “I don’t have the foresight to plan that far ahead,” Avery admitted. “Truth be told, I have no idea what I’m gonna do after war. Well, actually, I do know one thing for certain.”

            ASH looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Oh? And what’s that?”

            “No matter what I end up doing when all this is over, I wanna do it with you- whatever that means.”

            ASH smiled. “Well, that’s a condition I’ll gladly oblige,” she said as the two pilots leaned in for a kiss.

            Suddenly, a knock at the door grabbed their attention. “ASH? Glade? You in there?” It was Sheperd.

            Avery rolled her eyes. “We’re here. What’s up?”

            “Grayson’s got a mission for us,” Sheperd replied through the doors. “Get ready and get to the briefing room.”

            “At this hour?” ASH mumbled aloud as she started putting on her flight suit. “It’s gotta be, what, quarter to one?”

            “Well, I guess that’s on us for still being awake this late,” Avery replied. “C’mon, let’s go see what this is all about.”

            Once both of them were ready, the emerged from the barracks and followed Sheperd to the briefing room. By the time they got there, Padlock was already seated and looking none too pleased to be there. Grayson stood at his usual spot at the front of the room, looking considerably more tired than usual.

            “Locksmith, I apologize for calling you all in on such short notice- especially at this hour- but we’ve got a situation brewing and, quite frankly, you’re the ones available that I trust to get it done,” he began as the other three pilots took their seats.

            “What’s the issue, sir?” Sheperd asked.

            “Mere minutes ago, the Icarus Armories naval facility at the Harkema Industrial Park reported that the Crown was attacking and laying waste to their facilities. At present, that facility is housing several of our test platforms that could prove vital to the war effort in the future,” Grayson explained as the map on the screen behind him centered itself on the facility. “Normally, standard procedure is to send them into secure containers on the sea floor. However, one airframe in particular was far too valuable to take any risks with, so one of the pilots at the facility took off and began flying away.”

            “Awfully bold to go airborne when the Crown is in the area,” Pad remarked. “I sure as hell know I wouldn’t take that risk.”

            “Better than sitting around waiting to get blown up,” Avery pointed out.

            “The pilot is heading southeast and is currently scheduled to pass over Presidia in less than half an hour. Locksmith Squadron, your mission is to link up with them and provide them with escort to the island of Sawaiiki, which they will use as a stepping stone to head to the core states.”

            “Escort?” ASH asked in disbelief. “It’s a goddamn Icarus Armories airframe. That thing could probably take out an entire air wing by itself.”

            “Under normal circumstances, yes. That would be the case. However, at present, the airframe in question is flying unarmed as to not risk its weapons technology falling into the wrong hands,” Grayson explained. “As such, you will be their only line of defense should anyone come to intercept them. I cannot stress enough the importance of this mission. It is imperative that the pilot and their plane make it to Sawaiiki unharmed.”

            Sheperd nodded as he stood up, leading his squadron to follow his lead. “Don’t worry, Commander. You can count on us.”

            Without another word, the four pilots filed out from the briefing room and began making their way down to the hangars. It was then that Avery realized that this was the first time she had walked this route since the Beiring Strait. She let out an involuntary shudder as memories from her time in Magadan came flashing back. ASH seemed to take notice and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. It was a small gesture- as much as they were willing to do in front of the others- but it was enough for her.

            Avery brought up the rear as the squadron entered the hangar. Each of them climbed up into their cockpits and began starting up. Avery took a deep breath through her oxygen mask as the engines on her plane spooled up. This time, it was going to be different.  She was a different pilot than the one that had left with the others to go to the Beiring Straight; she was better. And she wasn’t going to let what happened to Cutter happen to anyone else. One by one they all took off into the night until they were flying in a holding pattern above Presidia.

            “Locksmith Squadron, be advised, the test pilot’s headed your way- bearing 020,” North Star informed them. “Patching them into your comms now.”

            “This is Mark 01 to escort squadron,” a familiar voice announced. “I’m coming in hot, ready to link up.”

            “Crimson 7? Is that you?” Avery asked in disbelief.

            “Ah, it’s you again, Six,” the Peacekeeper replied. “You sure do have a habit of turning up unexpectedly.”

            “So, what, you’re a Peacekeeper and a test pilot for Icarus Armories?” Avery asked.

            Seven scoffed. “Oh god, no. This just sent me to Harkema to check on this thing’s status. Then the goddamn Crown showed up and now they’ve got me flying this thing all the way to Sawaiiki. Would’ve been nice to have some weapons onboard at least.”

            “Did you run into any trouble getting here?” Sheperd asked.

            “No, the Crown was more focused on an airframe that one of the other pilots took up to fight ‘em- some batshit crazy ex-merc- so I got away no problem,” Seven answered. “Although I don’t expect that to be the case for very long.”

            Avery watched as a friendly contact marked as “Unknown” appeared on her HUD. Whatever it was that Seven was flying, it was fast as hell and letting off a trail of cordium behind it. Seven slowed up as they approached, slipping into formation with Locksmith and allowing Avery to get a better look at the plane. Although, even when it was just a few meters away, she still had no idea what the hell it was- just that it was big, sleek, and mean-looking.

            “Hey, don’t worry. That’s what we’re here for,” Padlock assured her. “We won’t let ‘em near you.”

            “You might wanna hold that thought, Padlock,” North Star warned him. “ALCON, be advised, you’ve got bandits coming up the rear- looks like a squadron of mercs from across the channel.”

            Avery looked down at her radar and froze upon seeing a flight of three approaching from behind. “North Star, we got any idea who they are? Is it the Crown?”

            “Negative. Looks like they’re just some schmucks from the Periphery,” North Star reported. “But they’re not gonna be the only ones on your tail for very long, so I’d deal with ‘em quick before more get involved.”

            “Agh. I hate being helpless in a fight like this,” Seven growled. “What idiot thought it was a good idea to send out a supposedly precious airframe without any goddamn weapons?”

            “The same idiots laying off all their workers in weapons production in the middle of a war,” ASH remarked bitterly.

            “Of course they are. Icarus barely pays their workers at all in the first place,” Sheperd replied. “Outsourcing your weapons contracting to mercs is just cheaper for them.”

            Avery was already mid-turn, moving to face the flight of three mercs head-on. “Everyone, focus up. We’ve got bandits to deal with, so let’s get moving.”

            “Sheesh, Glade, you’re really all business tonight,” Pad remarked.   

            “With how late it is? I don’t blame her,” Sheperd replied as he led the other three in a turn around to follow Avery. “She’s right, though. We’ve got a job to do, so let’s do it.”

            An F/S-15, SK.27, and an F/E-18 appeared on Avery’s HUD, coming head-on toward Locksmith Squadron as Seven maintained her present course. While the Peacekeeper put as much distance between herself and the bandits as possible, Avery set her sights on the lead plane, locking them up with an MLAA and waiting for just the right moment to fire. Her RWR began letting out a low, steady beep as the mercenaries got closer. Her finger rested just above the trigger, waiting for just a few seconds more before finally giving it a squeeze. The Fox 3 cast an orange hue with its booster as it shot forward, hurtling toward the F/S-15. Three more missiles joined hers from behind as the rest of the squadron followed suit.

            All three mercenaries went evasive before they got a chance to fire, giving Locksmith Squadron an opportunity to push the offensive. Avery set her sights on the F/S-15 and charged in, switching to guns and moving to cut them off. The mercenary pulled up hard, dumping chaff and curving through the air to try and face Avery. She let out a burst from her canon, hoping it would be enough to dissuade them, but they stayed on course. Her hands readied themselves on the switch for countermeasures preemptively, waiting for them to fire a missile at her, but at the last minute, they broke off. Avery looked over her shoulder to see Pad firing an STDM at the merc and immediately gave chase. The bandit just barely evaded the missile, but doing so put them right in Avery’s crosshairs, and one quick squeeze of the trigger later, the mercenary was falling down toward the ocean in a fireball.

            “All bandits splashed,” Sheperd reported as he fired an STDM at the mercenary SK.27. “Mark 01, we’re coming back to catch up with you now. What’s your status?”

            “Ah, shit,” Seven growled. “I’ve got a ton of bandits on the nose,” she reported.

            “Damn. Looks like a squadron of Cascadian fighters off their carrier,” North Star replied, already quick at work. “Locksmith Squadron, get back to Mark 01 and stay as close to them as possible.”

            “Alright, everyone, double time!” Sheperd ordered as he led the squadron in a tight turn back toward Seven. “I don’t want a single shot fired at the plane, so let’s haul ass!”

            Avery lit her burners and followed Sheperd back. Her thumb worked the weapon selector as she readied her MLAAs. As if on cue, a full twelve F/D-14s appeared on her HUD. Even at full speed they were going to be cutting it close, and Avery wasn’t about to start taking any risks- not when she knew what was at stake. The moment she had a solid lock, Avery fired all of her remaining MLAAs simultaneously. As the five missiles lit up the night, she followed them in, blowing right past Seven and closing the gap between herself and the incoming fighters.

            “Glade, what the hell are you doing? He said to stay with the plane,” ASH asked with fear creeping into her voice.

            “I know what I’m doing! You guys just stay with her,” she insisted.

            “Dammit, Glade!” Sheperd cursed. “Pad, go back her up.”

            Avery rolled her eyes. She didn’t need them to back her up- not after everything she’d been through. Besides, it was better that she was the only one in the line of fire over risking anyone else getting hurt, or worse. They didn’t see what she saw, but with any luck, and as long as she was good enough, then they wouldn’t have to.

            Out of the five missiles she fired, only one missed its target. The remaining eight Tomcats all broke formation to protect themselves, but it didn’t take long for them to reorganize and press the attack. Avery’s RWR began blaring nonstop as several missiles began hurtling themselves toward her. Countermeasures wouldn’t be enough. One hand yanked back on the throttle while the other stayed glued to her control stick as she rolled upside-down and pulled back. Chaff and flare dotted the skies behind her, and one by one, the missiles whiffed by, and as soon as one of the F/D-14s made the mistake of passing in front of her nose, she made sure they regretted it by launching an STDM at them.

            As the fifth Tomcat went down, the others pulled away to regroup, but before they could get another pass at Avery, they were forced to evade once more as Pad came charging in, dumping three of his MLAAs. All three missiles hit the mark and the rest scattered, giving Avery her chance keep them on the back foot. She set her sights on two of the F/D-14s that had gotten just a bit too far from the others.

            “Agh, who sends an entire flight of twelve fighters to intercept one plane?” ASH demanded as she and Sheperd watched the dogfight from a distance, keeping close to Seven. “Just what the hell is this plane, anyway?”

            “Trust me, I don’t have the slightest goddamn clue,” Seven replied. “But General Caine was insistent that I go to Harkema to make sure that it was coming along, so I guess it matters to someone.”

            Sheperd scoffed. “You’d think they would’ve learned after last time not to put all their eggs in one basket again- especially when it’s Icarus’ basket,” he grumbled.

            Avery pulled up hard to cut off one of the Tomcats. Her whole body protested under the weight of all the G’s she was pulling, but by now, she had gotten rather good at the complaints that her body made against her. She let out one burst after another from her gun, but the shots always fell just shy of hitting the mark. Her RWR began warning her that the second F/D-14 was trying to get a lock on her from behind, and she sprung into action. She pushed the throttle all the way forward, sinking back into her seat as her Viper lurched forward, picking up speed. Her target began to let their guard down, thinking that she was going to overshoot, and at the last second, she pulled back around, gunning down both planes before either one could fire a shot. With only two bandits left, Avery turned to link up with Pad and finish them off, but by the time she did, ASH and Sheperd took them both out from a distance.

            “AWACS North Star to all aircraft, I’m not seeing any more hostiles in the AO,” the AWACS operator reported. “Our intel shows no hostiles in the area close enough to make an intercept in time.”

            Seven let out a heavy sigh. “Thank the Dust. Does that mean I’m off the hook?”

            “Affirmative. Mark 01, you’re clear to go the rest of the way to Sawaiiki,” North Star replied. “Locksmith Squadron, RTB at your leisure.”

            Sheperd was already leading the turn back to Presidia. “Wilco, North Star. Locksmith is oscar-mike. Gives us time to chastise you for that stupid stunt you pulled, Glade.”

            Avery responded with an annoyed sigh. “I did what I had to, Sheperd. Besides, what’s the harm? It paid off and the mission was a success.”

            “The harm is that we don’t want you throwing your life away for needless heroics, Glade,” Pad pointed out. “We just got you back, we don’t wanna lose you again for real this time.

            “C’mon, we’re a team, here. We all watch each other’s backs.” ASH reminded her.

            Avery paused for a long moment before conceding. “Fine, fine, no more heroics.”

            “That’s all I ask, Glade,” Sheperd said in a more lighthearted tone. “Remember, we’re in this for the long haul, and the only way we’re doing that is together. Now let’s head home and get some sleep.”

            Silence set in as the four F/C-16s headed back to Presidia, but Avery didn’t mind. It gave her time to collect her thoughts and reflect. Maybe they were right. Maybe she was worrying to much, but how could she not after what she’d seen? She hoped more than anything that Sheperd would ultimately end up being right, because she wasn’t sure what she would do with herself if he wasn’t.

Chapter Text

            “Well, this is it. I guess I’ve had a good run,” Avery whispered to herself as she walked through the hall. “Six months give or take was a little short for a career as a fighter pilot, but at least it was a good six months.”

            With each step she took closer to her destination, her heart began beating that much faster. When she first heard that General Caine, of all people, asked for her by name, Avery nearly passed out. For the entire time she’d been making the seemingly endless journey to his office, her mind raced through the myriad possibilities of what he could want with her. Ultimately, she concluded that she must be in trouble for something. Maybe Crimson 7 complained about her from the mission last week, or maybe she was about to face the consequences for leaving Magadan with orders to explicitly stay.

            She rounded a corner and saw a door at the end of the hallway. Even from so far away, she could see his name on the plaque. Her legs felt like they were about to collapse- their own way of protesting what was about to happen- but she pressed on. Before long, she found herself standing in front of the door. Her hand slowly reached up before falling back to her side. She quickly ran a hand through her hair and straightened out her uniform. There was nothing more she could do now. Slowly, but deliberately, Avery’s knuckles reached up to the door and tapped against it.

            “Come in!” General Caine called out from the other side.

            Avery took a deep breath, gently pushing the door open and stepping inside before standing at the best attention she’d ever been in. “You summoned me, sir?”

            General Caine looked up from his screen. It was so unnerving to see a man with the presence he carried smile. Yet he did it all the same. “Ah, Lieutenant Finch. Just who I was looking for. Please, have a seat.”

            In the few months that she’d been near him, Avery had never once even seen the man have anything more than a grimace on his face. To say that this complete reversal intimidated her was an understatement beyond words. “Forgive my asking, sir, but… what is it that you wanted to see me for?” she asked as she sat down across the desk from him.

            The Commander of the Peacekeepers paused for a moment, looking briefly out the window toward the tarmac before returning his gaze to her. “Allow me to answer your question by telling you a secret, Lieutenant. It may sound obvious, but I didn’t get where I am today alone. Over the last 40 years, my career has been built on not just my feats, but on the people I’ve known and the connections I’ve made.”

            Avery resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Why did everyone feel the need to be so goddamn cryptic around here? “I don’t follow, sir,” she finally said cautiously. “Specifically, I don’t understand how that relates to me being here.”

            “Well, let me put it to you this way, Lieutenant.” General Caine took a manilla folder that had been open on his desk and shut it. Avery froze as she recognized her own name on the front- her personnel records. “My service in the Federation Military has become what it is today by surrounding myself with people worth knowing. And you, Lieutenant, strike me as one of those people.” He paused for a moment, allowing himself to stand up from his desk and begin pacing around. “In the six months since you’ve arrived here, you’ve gotten more experience than some pilots get in their entire lifetime.”

            She wasn’t sure what to say. How was she supposed to respond to the highest-ranking Federation Officer in the country calling her into his office just to sing her praises? “Well, sir, I suppose that’s just something that happens in a war- especially in one of this magnitude.”

            “Under normal circumstances, I would be inclined to agree, but I think you and I both know that these aren’t normal circumstances,” Caine replied. “In just 15 combat sorties, you’ve racked up almost a hundred air-to-air kills and left a lasting impact on the war. In summation, you’ve intrigued me, Lieutenant Finch, and so that led me to do a little digging.”

            “Digging into what, sir?” She was hesitant to even ask- unsure of what he was even looking for, let alone what he’d found.

            General Caine sat back down at his desk, looking back down at her personnel file in front of him. “In truth… everything. I must admit, your records made for quite the interesting read. Very few in the Federation Air Force can count themselves as both a survivor of the Beiring Strait and a defender of Magadan. And with a service record as robust as yours, it only leaves me with one question: what is it all for, Lieutenant?”

            Avery paused a good long while before answering. She wasn’t sure if this was a test of loyalty like the one Grayson gave her at the start of the war, or a question for some other reason. Regardless, she ultimately decided that it was in her best interest to speak from the heart. “Well, sir, I believe that Cascadia’s place in the world is with the Federation. In spite of its problems, the Federation has earned its place in the world theater time and time again, and they’ve done good work in time. Moreover…” she paused, taking a deep breath to steady the trembling in her hands. “I’ve seen the future in store for this world if the rebels get their way.” Her mind went back to the sight of the Independence Force setting Magadan ablaze. “I will not let that come to fruition.”

            The smile on General Caine’s face shifted into a wry grin as he nodded satisfactorily. “Congratulations, Lieutenant, that is exactly what I wanted to hear. You have vision, drive, courage, dedication, and, passion- all leading qualities that would make you a perfect fit for Crimson Squadron.”

            Avery felt her heart stop. Out of all the things she expected to be called into his office for, this was so far down her list of possibilities that she barely even acknowledged it. She wasn’t even sure what to say. All she could manage was a meek, “…Sir?”

            “You received an official Letter of Recommendation from PK Steel,” Caine explained. “You seemed to have impressed them with your actions in Magadan, which is no easy feat. They seem to think that you would make a good candidate to fill one of the vacant spots in Crimson Squadron, and I’m inclined to agree.”

            “I, uh… I’m not sure, what to say,” she admitted, feeling all of her speaking ability leave her body instantly.

            “I can imagine, but I believe that this is a Deal not to be taken lightly, Lieutenant Finch. To become a Peacekeeper at such a young age would be a game-changer for your career- potentially even allowing you to reach the title of Crimson 1 someday,” General Caine explained to her. “Not to mention the promotion that comes with it.”

            Avery stared blankly at the General. She wasn’t sure what to think. On the one hand, becoming a Peacekeeper for Cascadia… it’s something she never would have imagined even in her wildest dreams. On the other hand, though, every Deal comes with its price, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was a price too steep for her to pay. In short, she just didn’t know.

            “I…” Her voice trailed off as she chose her next words very carefully. The last thing she wanted was to say the wrong thing and lose this opportunity before she even had it. “Could I get some time to think about it, sir? After all, this is a big decision- maybe the biggest I’ve ever made- and I don’t think I can or even should make it on the spot.”

            General Caine nodded. “Of course. I understand. Just remember that time waits for no one. You have until…” he trailed off to look at his watch. “Until this time tomorrow to return with your answer.”

            24 hours. 24 hours to make the biggest decision of her entire life. It wasn’t much, but it was what she had to work with, and to be honest, it was a lot more than she expected to get. She stood up from his desk. “Thank you, General,” she told him, saluting before excusing herself from his office.

            Avery felt her head spinning as she began to make her way down the halls. She leaned up against the wall for a moment, taking a minute to collect herself. She felt as if she’d been spun around a dozen times and shoved into a void, unsure of what to do next. After reorganizing her thoughts, she stood up straight and began making her way back to her quarters.

            ASH was already there when she arrived, and the moment she saw Avery enter, her eyes lit up. “Well? What happened? What did General Caine want?” she asked as she ran up to her wingman.

            Avery let out a heavy sigh. “Well… to be honest, I- I’m not really sure how to say it,” she stammered, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. She took a deep breath to steady herself. All she could do was come out and say it. “He offered me a place in Crimson Squadron.”

            ASH’s eyes went wide. At first, all she could utter was a small, “Holy shit…” The longer she was silent, the more fearful Avery grew. “Avery, that’s… it’s incredible! What’d you say?”

            “I asked for some time to think it over. He gave me a day. I just… I’m not sure what to do. It all feels so overwhelming.”

            “Hey, c’mere. I’m here for you,” ASH said softly wrapping her arms around her and holding her tight. “It’s alright.”

            Avery let her head rest against ASH’s shoulder. “But that’s just the thing, you might not be if I say yes. If they ever find out about us when I’m a Peacekeeper, we’d get in so much more trouble. It could cost us our positions.”

            “Bullshit,” ASH replied bluntly. “If they wanna get between us, then they’ll have to go through me, first. But what would they do to stop you, anyways? You’d be a Peacekeeper for crying out loud. Nothing is going to stop us from being together.”

            Avery sighed. “Amber, I… I dunno. What do you think I should do?”

            “Avery, I can’t make this decision for you,” ASH said as she gently stroked her hair. “You’re the one in control of your life, not me. Just know that whatever decision you make, I’ll stand by you all the way.” She looked Avery dead in the eyes. “I promise.”

            Avery nodded meekly before leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, Amber. I think… I think I just need to go walk around. Clear my head for a bit.”

            “Of course. If you need me, I’ll be right here,” ASH promised.

            Avery gave her one last smile before stepping out of their quarters and moving further into the base. She had hoped that a bit of solitude would help make it easier for her to decide, but it didn’t. She felt just as lost as when she first stepped out of General Caine’s office.

            Suddenly, she felt herself ripped from own thoughts by the sound of Padlock’s voice. “Hey, Glade!” he called out. Avery looked around and found herself passing by the mess hall. He and Sheperd were sitting alone at one of the tables as he waved her over.

            “Hey, guys,” she replied as she approached and sat down next to them.

            “You alright, Glade? You seem a bit lost,” Sheperd asked.

            “I, uh… I’ve got some news…” She trailed off, keeping her voice as low as possible. “General Caine just called me into his office to offer me a place in Crimson Squadron. I’m still thinking it over, but I’m not sure what to decide.”

            “Holy shit, for real?” Pad asked in disbelief. “Glade that’s incredible! That’s like… the tippy-top of the pile.”

            Sheperd was silent for a long moment. His eyes filled with some emotion that Avery couldn’t quite place. “That certainly is big news,” he said in a low voice.

            “You don’t sound all too thrilled,” Avery replied.

            “Well, if you say yes, then I’ll be down another pilot- and a damn good one at that. My squadron of six would be whittled down to three.”

            Avery’s eyes narrowed. “No, there’s more to it than just that. I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

            Sheperd shook his head. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Just some bad memories, is all. Let’s just say that I didn’t have the fondest experience with Crimson Squadron back in Oceania.”

            “So, there is something you’re not telling me.”

            Sheperd shot her a glare. “Don’t go picking at old scars, Glade- lest you wish to make them bleed again.”

            Avery threw her hands up defensively. “Alright, alright, consider it dropped. I was just looking for some advice. That’s all.”

            “This is your choice to make, Glade. It’s your future that hangs in the balance,” Sheperd replied. “None of us can be responsible for that. Only you can.”

            “But what about you guys? I’ll be worried sick about you if I’m not able to help protect you out there,” Avery admitted.

            “Ah, come on, you don’t gotta worry about us,” Pad insisted, waving his hand dismissively. “I mean, we’ve made it this far, haven’t we? By now, I don’t think there’s anything the Cascadians can throw at us that would surprise us. We’ll be fine.”

            Avery shook her head as she stood up. “I… I just don’t know,” she murmured as she walked away.

            Maybe what she really needed was a good night’s rest to clear her mind. With so much going on nowadays, getting some time to sleep on such a big decision would probably make it easier to process. Either that, or it would somehow make things worse. By now, Avery had begun to accept the fact that anything was possible when she was involved, and more often than not, she found herself subject to the whim of Murphy’s Law.

            She rounded a corner and froze as another figure appeared on the other side. She tried to stop or move away, but it was already too late, and she ended up crashing right into North Star, who staggered backward with a confused huff. After straightening his uniform out, he looked up, ready to chastise whoever had run into him before stopping upon realizing who it was.

            “Oh, Glade, it’s you.” The AWACS operator paused, clearing his throat. “I heard you have some big news.”

            She raised her brows in confusion. “What? How could you possibly know that?”

            “You’d be surprised how much info I pick up- both in the air and on the ground,” North Star replied. “So… an invite to Crimson Squadron. What’d you say?”

            “I… I asked for some time to think. It’s such a big decision and I have no idea what to say,” Avery admitted, averting her gaze. “I mean, what am I even supposed to say to an offer like that?”

            North Star shrugged. “Can’t say I’ll ever have the experience necessary to answer that question. I do know one thing, though: if anyone in the Federation deserves such an honor, it’d be you.”

            She looked up at him. “You really think so?”

            He nodded without hesitation. “Of course I do. In the few months I’ve known you, you’ve put more blood, sweat, and tears into your service for the Federation than some people give their whole career- even in the face of people like me pushing you down at every turn. You’ve earned this, Glade.”

            “I guess, but there’s still so much I’m worried about. What about Locksmith? What if I’m not good enough? What if…” She swallowed hard before continuing in a quieter voice. “What if the Federation loses Cascadia. Do you really think I should do it?”

            “I can’t say one way or the other. It’s your call to make,” North Star replied. “But whatever decision you make, I know it’ll be the right one.” Before Avery could say another word to him, he walked off, leaving Avery alone once more.

            As she stood there, alone in that hallway, Avery began to think on it more- on what everyone had said to her. Maybe North Star was right. Maybe she had earned this, but what would it cost her in the end? She sighed longingly, wishing with all her heart and soul that Cutter was still around. If anyone would be able to show her the right way, it’d be him, but now he was gone.

            That’s when a realization struck her like a freight train. Cutter was gone because the old Crimson Squadron wasn’t good enough. Countless people died under their watch at the Beiring Strait, but maybe she could change that. Maybe if she had more power at her disposal- the power that came with the title of Peacekeeper- she would be able to make things differently.  This Deal… it came with power to change things. It was an opportunity- a chance to ensure that nobody else has to die- not just from her squadron, but for the Federation as a whole.

            Filled with a newfound sense of determination, Avery began marching back to General Caine’s office. She had made her decision. She moved unwaveringly through the halls, making one turn after another, and finally up a flight of stairs. His door stood where it had before at the end of the hallway, and she walked right up to it. She didn’t even knock, and General Caine didn’t even have time to greet her with the usual pleasantries before she gave him her answer.

            “I accept.”

Chapter Text

            “So… why exactly is all of this necessary, sir?” Avery asked as she stood on the tarmac, watching a C/T-17 spool up its engines.

            General Caine looked away from the plane to meet her gaze. “I assure you, it’s quite necessary. In these trying times, we need to send a strong message to these rebel dogs that in the face of all that they have done to us, the Federation won’t abandon its principles- its traditions.” He explained. “All of the pomp and circumstance may seem overboard, but it will pay off in the long run.”

            As things began to get loaded in up the ramp of the transport plane, Avery looked around and froze when she saw ASH hiding around the corner of Locksmith Squadron’s hangar, beckoning Avery over. Glancing around to make sure nobody was watching, she quietly slipped away and followed ASH out of sight.

            “Y’know we’re taking an awfully big risk here,” Avery said, looking down at ASH as they crammed themselves between the narrow gap of two hangars. “Wouldn’t wanna get reprimanded before I’m even officially a Peacekeeper.”

            “You worry too much,” ASH said in a hushed voice, smiling as she looked up at her. “Besides, if they’re not gonna let me come with you to this grand “Induction Ceremony” they’re so uppity about, the least I could do is say goodbye.” She paused, sighing longingly. “I’m gonna miss you, though.”

            Avery chuckled. “I’m only gonna be gone a day, y’know.”

            “Exactly! That’s a whole day I won’t be able to see you. What am I supposed to do when you’re gone?”

            “Bully Pad?” Avery suggested with a shrug. “That’s always fun.”

            ASH let out a heavy sigh. “I guess… But I’m still gonna miss you.”

            “Then I guess I’ll just have to hurry back,” Avery replied, smiling as she leaned down.

            The pilots’ lips met halfway. In each other’s embrace they stood, content in spite of the situation surrounding them. Avery truly wished that she didn’t have to go. Every moment she spent away from ASH was spent waiting to see her again. Yet, this was still something she had to do. She pulled away slowly, her hand caressing ASH’s cheek.

            “You know what? I just realized something.” ASH spoke softly but deliberately as her hands rested on Avery’s shoulders. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you in your dress blues before. Personally, I think they make you look about five times more attractive.”

            Avery smiled before looking over her shoulder toward the tarmac. “Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to get a good look at them later, but I really should be going.”

            “Fine, fine, go on,” ASH said with a reluctant sigh. “Enjoy yourself, though. It’ll only happen once. Just… don’t enjoy yourself too much,” she said with a wink before shoving Avery out. “Now go on!”

            Avery gave her one last look before returning to the C/T-17 on the tarmac. Luckily, nobody seemed to notice her absence, so she had no trouble returning to the group. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two SK.37s of Crimson 1 and 5 taxying out of the hangar, ready to escort the transport to its destination: the Federation Core.

            Slowly but surely, everyone began to make their way into the plane. Avery sat near the ramp, watching as everyone piled in. Along with herself and General Caine, there were four others- the pilots chosen to fill the other slots of Crimson Squadron. She didn’t recognize a single one of them. It was disappointing, but she would at least get to know them soon enough. Suddenly, the ramp closed, and the C/T-17 began to move. Before long, they were in the air. It was time.

            “Alright, everyone,” General Caine announced once the plane reached a steady altitude. “The plan is as follows: we’ll meet up with a tanker aircraft to give us the fuel we need to head straight to the Core. Once we’re there, we’ll meet up with Crimson 7, and then head straight for the Induction Ceremony.”

            “Why wouldn’t we just use Sawaiiki as a stepping stone?” One of the other pilots asked. “Seems unnecessary to get a tanker aircraft all the way out here for just one transport.”

             “Because as of a few days ago, Sawaiiki and its port- along with Task Force One docked there- has been raided by mercenary forces,” General Caine. “Until we can resolve the issue, Sawaiiki is keeping any Federation Military personnel away.”

            “Shit, I guess we’ve really got our work cut out for us,” one of the other pilots muttered under their breath.

            “Sure as hell explains why they were so quick to pick us as replacements,” another agreed.

            Avery said nothing. She had her head leaned against the wall of the plane, watching everyone around her. Maybe it was just nervousness, but she was starting to feel a bit of regret. Perhaps she really was in over her head, but whether she was or not, it was too late to do anything about it now. All she could do was her best.

            The flight was agonizingly long. And the worst part was that her new squadmates weren’t exactly the best conversationalists. The most exciting part of the trip over was the stop to refuel, and that only lasted about five minutes. When Avery felt the plane jerk forward as its wheels touched the ground, she felt more relieved than she had ever been before. The boring part was finally over. Now came the Induction Ceremony.

            General Caine stood at the end of the plane as the ramp lowered. “Before we all go, there is one issue that must still be addressed,” he announced. “Those rank patches you’re wearing are all wrong.” He moved his hand out from behind his back, revealing five new rank patches. “As of this morning, each of you has been promoted to the rank of O-3. Wear it with pride.”

            Avery took the patch from him as she descended down the ramp. It wasn’t until she took off her old patch and replaced it with the new one that it truly set in for her. Captain Finch. It rolled off the tongue so effortlessly, but more importantly, she had to say it over and over again in her mind to assure herself that this was actually real. She’d made it.

            Crimson 1 and 5 dismounted from their planes, moving over to the group as they assembled on the tarmac. While they waited for Seven to arrive, Avery couldn’t help but look around and take it all in- the Federation Core. A few months ago, she never would have imagined that she would make it this far, and yet here she was. The city almost didn’t look real- its skyscrapers piercing up through the clouds and lightrails stretching as far as they eye could see.

            “It’s about time you all showed up,” Seven remarked as she walked up to the group. “Been sitting here for days with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs.”

            “Yes, I heard you ran into some… trouble in Sawaiiki. Is-“

            “Yeah, yeah, your precious little airframe is safe,” Seven cut Caine off. “Icarus was downright ecstatic to get their grubby little mitts on it.” She paused, looking over the group of Peacekeepers-to-be. “So, these are the ones you settled on, huh?”

            “They are,” Caine replied. “And we’re on our way to the Induction Ceremony as we speak.”

            Seven dipped her head, stepping aside. “Then, by all means, lead the way.” She watched group move past her, waiting for Avery to pass before falling in behind her. “And so, we meet again. I see you made the right choice.”

            “I’m hoping so,” Avery admitted as they walked. “Truth be told, I’m a bit nervous.”

            “Everyone always is. Trust me,” Seven assured her before leaning in. “Besides, between you and me, I think you’re the only one out of this group that actually qualifies,” she said in a voice barely a whisper. “Normally, Caine takes a good two weeks to decide on just one candidate. He rammed all five of you through in just a few days. If you ask me, he’s letting his standards slip for the sake of honoring some bullshit customs.”

            Avery didn’t reply as they soon found themselves walking into the large building that was their destination. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she followed the others through those doors, but seeing an extravagant event hall with a stage was not what she was imagining. Dozens of tables lined with silk tablecloths and fancy silverware dotted the room, which itself was jam-packed with countless people- all wearing some kind of officer’s uniform. As Avery and the other Peacekeepers made their way through the room, her heart sank at the realization that almost every single person attending this ceremony was a Peacekeeper from all across the Federation.

            Once the group was backstage, General Caine gathered the group around him. “Alright, you five, this is how this will go,” he announced. “There are eight marks on the stage- one for each of you. All you have to do is stand on the one designated to you at attention. When the time comes for you to speak, you’ll know what to say.”

            “Then once the actual ceremony is over, you’ll all get to mingle with the other Peacekeepers,” Five said with a smirk. “Just remember the example you’ll have to set now that you’re the best of the best.”

            “Don’t forget: we’ll be back in Cascadia by tonight, so we’re not staying long,” One reminded them, raising his voice.

            “Your positions are marked by your new callsigns,” Seven explained. “So as long as you can remember them and count to eight, you should be just fine.”

            Avery nodded. She did remember, and no matter how nervous she was, she would never forget. She was Crimson 6 now. Part of her thought that the other Peacekeepers put her in that position because they were already used to calling her Six, but it didn’t matter to her. All she could do was follow the others out onto the stage and stand at the space marked for her. She stood at rigid attention and the others did the same. None of them wanted even the slightest chance of a mishap.

            General Caine walked up onto the stage, taking hold of the microphone at the center of the stage. “I’d like to thank all of you for coming,” he began looking out at the crowd of people before him. “As you’ve no doubt heard, tragedy struck last month, and five of Cascadia’s greatest defenders- the valiant Peacekeepers of Crimson Squadron- were struck down by the Cascadian rebels over the Beiring Strait in proud service of their country.” He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and looking down. “We will carry their loss in our hearts for as long as we shall live, but now, we’ve gathered here today to honor the next generation of Peacekeepers.” He stepped aside, gesturing to the squadron lined up on the stage behind him. “These five men and women have proven themselves to be the best of the best that Federation has to offer, and as such, it’s only right that we give them the highest honor worthy of their dedication.”

            “Here it comes,” Seven whispered under her breath to Avery.

            Caine turned to face the Peacekeepers in front of him. “Do each of you solemnly swear to ensure the prosperity, security, and future of Cascadia in the name of the Pacific Federation?”

            “I do,” they all said in unison.

            “And do you swear your undying loyalty and fealty to the Pacific Federation and her interests, no matter the cost to you or your own creed?”

            “I do.”

            “And do you swear that, if need be, you will lay down your life in the name of Cascadia and the Pacific Federation?”

            “I do.”

            General Caine smiled. “Then by my command, I dub each of you Peacekeepers-the sworn protectors of Cascadia in the name of the Pacific Federation. May your service in her name be fruitful and prosperous. Pax Federation.”

            “Pax Federation,” the newly-dubbed Peacekeepers said in unison with the crowd.

            After a few more pleasantries, the crowd began to break apart as they began conversing with one another, and the new pilots of Crimson Squadron descended from the stage to join them. Avery looked around at the crowd, unsure of who to speak to. A waitress walked by, carrying a tray of champagnes and she gingerly took one, holding it by the stem with her thumb and forefinger.

            “Captain Finch!” At first, she almost didn’t acknowledge the call, but after quickly remembering her promotion from mere minutes ago, she snapped her head around to see a Peacekeeper calling her over- perhaps even the Peacekeeper: Steel 1.

            “Ah, your Highness. I hear I have you to thank for this position,” Avery greeted him as she walked over to him. She swirled the champagne in its glass before forcing down a sip and silently wondering how anyone could possibly drink something like this.

            Steel 1 chuckled lightly. “They would’ve found you eventually. I merely pointed Caine in the right direction.”

            Avery nodded, looking around at the room and everyone in it. “Quite a turnout we’ve got here. Jade, Onyx, Violet, Cerulean, Tanager, Black, Ivory… It seems every Peacekeeping squadron in the Federation showed up.”

            “Almost everyone,” Steel 1 corrected her. “Midnight is still overseas in Cascadia, Gold is off doing whatever Gold does, and- well… Sapphire doesn’t exist at present.”

             “Well, there’s certainly four excellent candidates to start off with if you’re looking to rebuild it,” Avery pointed out.

            “I felt the same way,” Steel 1 replied before grimacing. “Imagine my disappointment when all four of them turned me down. Such a waste.” His head lifted up as he heard the sound of his name being called from a distance. “Excuse me.”

            Avery nodded as he slipped away, forcing down another sip of champagne purely for the sake of blending in. That’s when two Peacekeepers- a man and a woman- caught her eye. Even from a distance, she could spot the emblem of Violet Squadron on their uniforms, but what drew her attention to them was their age. She had convinced herself already that she was going to be the youngest person in the whole ceremony, and yet, these two Peacekeepers seemed even younger than she was- barely old enough to be pilots at all. Curiosity got the better of her, and she walked up to them.

            The man was the first to notice her, giving a friendly smile as she approached.  “Hey, you’re one of the new Crimson Squadron pilots, right?”

            She was about to reply, but as the woman turned around to face her, Avery felt her blood run cold. The moment she read the name on her uniform, the pieces all came together. The Peacekeeper standing before her bore the name of Lieutenant Page    - Cutter’s daughter. She had to say something.

            She made a point to look down at the name on her uniform before meeting her eyes again. “Lieutenant Page? I, uh… I knew your father. We flew in the same squadron.”

            Page’s expression darkened. “Oh… I- I see. To be honest, I didn’t expect anyone to know he was my father.”

            “He mentioned that he had a daughter to me once… before he died,” Avery explained. “Although, to be honest, when he said you were in the Federation Air Force, I didn’t quite expect you to be a Peacekeeper.”

            “Peacekeeper in training, technically,” the man with Page corrected her. “Part of some new initiative the Federation’s trying out. Both of us got selected as the first candidates for PK Violet.”

            Avery nodded along in understanding. “I see. Did your fath-“ She stopped herself, pausing for a moment. “Did Jackson know?”

            Lieutenant Page nodded meekly. “He did. I told him on his last visit stateside. I’d never seen him so happy before.” She trailed off, her gaze sinking to the floor before looking back up at Avery. “How did he die?” she blurted out. “I mean, I know he was shot down over the Strait, but how… how did it happen?”

            Avery tried to speak, but all she could feel was a lump in her throat. Even now, over a month since it happened, she still her mind trying with all its might to lock that memory away- to use it as a weapon against her. “We were cut off- surrounded,” she finally said. “The whole squadron was running low on fuel and ammo, but we had no way out. He… he put himself in harm’s way- gave his life so that we could get out. He died saving my life. I just hope that it was worth it.”

            The man shrugged. “I guess in the end, we’ve just gotta live to make it worth it.”

            Avery opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when the sound of an intercom cracked to life. “Attention all designated Peacekeeper Squadrons, please prepare for takeoff immediately. Repeat; all designated Peacekeepers prepare for takeoff,” they droned.

            “I guess that’s me,” Avery replied. “It was nice meeting you Lieutenants.”

            “Good luck out there!” Lieutenant Page called out after her as she began to walk away.

            Avery looked around as people began to stir. To her surprise, it seemed that a good number of Peacekeepers- well beyond just Crimson Squadron- had begun to move. After a quick change into her new flight suit, she followed the others out onto the tarmac, and eventually into the hangar, where eight planes sat ready.

            “Alright, we’re on our way back to Cascadia,” Crimson 1 announced to the group. “These are your new planes. Get associated with them and prepare for takeoff.”

            Avery walked up to one of the V/X-23s lined up in the hanger, circling around it as she inspected every detail. The most notable part was that the flashy liveries once adorning Crimson Squadron’s planes was now gone. Instead, they all bore a more practical splinter camo. The only once of red on her plane was the emblem on the tail.

            “What’s with them?” Four asked, pointing to all the Peacekeepers from the other squadrons getting ready for takeoff.

            “They’re flying with us until we get to Magadan, where they’ll be helping drive off the last of the rebels from our shores,” One explained. “Within the next few weeks, they’ll all be headed to Cascadia to finally finish this fight.”

            Half the Peacekeeping Squadrons throughout the entire Federation all converging onto one country. Even now it hardly seemed real to Avery. Such a thing hadn’t happened since Oceania, and now it was happening to her home. Although, there was at least a small measure of comfort to be taken in the fact that this meant Crystal Kingdom was finally taking this threat seriously. With any luck, the war would finally be over soon. It almost made her feel downright eager.

            “Well? What are we doing standing around then?” she finally asked. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

            “I admire your optimism, Six,” Two admitted as he climbed up the ladder into his plane. “Let’s just hope it pays off.”

            Avery’s eyes drifted up and down the controls of her V/X-23 as she climbed into the cockpit. Everything looked so much more different to what she was used to in her F/C-16, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. She was a Peacekeeper in Crimson Squadron now. Nothing was going to stand in her way.

            One by one, the engines of each plane in the hangar roared to life. Avery watched the main doors slide open, letting the light from the setting sun pour into the hangar. One led the way, taxying out of the hangar and onto the tarmac. Dozens of Peacekeepers from six different squadrons all moved this way and that as they took off. Finally, it was Crimson Squadron’s turn. With all the other Peacekeepers already in the air, they were free to climb up off the runway into the sky.

            Avery followed along with her new squadron, flying in tight formation as they brought up the rear to the flight of Peacekeepers. Together, they headed east, preparing themselves for the fight ahead. Over time, the sky began to get an orange hue, and even in her cockpit, Avery began to feel an intense heat. When they entered Magadan, she realized that something had gone very wrong. It seems what she witnessed when she was here was only a fraction of what the rebels intended to do, and if given the opportunity, they would no doubt try again.

            As the flight of Peacekeepers neared the coast, a battlefield began to come into view. The Federation was finally forcing the Independence Force off Magadan. The full force and fury of the Federation was about to come crashing down on them, and it was only the beginning. Bit by bit, the Federation forces pushed the rebels that much closer to the shore with nowhere else to go, and a flight of four F/C-15s led the charge.

            “Well, this is our stop,” Steel 1 announced. “This is PK Steel to Federation Ground Command. We’re inbound with PK Jade, Onyx, Ivory, Black, and Tanager, requesting permission to enter the AO.”

            “Negative, Steel. Lock down the flanks and box the Cascadians in,” the ground forces replied. “Your time will come.”

            “Typical,” Steel 1 said with a chuckle. “Even now, they’re still too afraid to let us off the leash.”

            “They’ll learn soon enough,” Crimson 1 assured him.

            “Good luck over there, Crimson. We’ll meet you there when the time comes to finish this war once and for all,” Steel 1 replied before leading the other Peacekeeping Squadrons down toward the flanks of the battlefield.

            “Wait, they’re not gonna try and stop us, too?” Eight asked.

            “They know better than to try. Nothing they can do is going to stop us,” One told them.

            The flight of eight fighters carried on, soaring high above the battlefield as they headed toward the IDL. Avery looked back over her shoulder one last time at Magadan. The rebels would face the consequences for their misstep soon enough. Now that Crimson Squadron was back at full strength- and more importantly, she was part of it- the fight was about to change, and before long, this war would finally be over.

Chapter Text

            “Alright, everyone, listen up!” General Caine barked as the eight pilots of Crimson Squadron filed into the briefing room. “We’ve got a busy day and a lot of work to do, so let’s not waste any time.”

            Avery felt her heart racing as she sat there. Her first sortie as a Peacekeeper. Even now, days after she and the others were inducted, it still felt baffling that she had come this far. Part of her was worried that she wouldn’t live up to expectations after all this time, but she did her best to shove those fears aside.

            “Following the rebels being driven off Magadan, there’s been a lot of activity on the frontlines,” Caine continued. “And with the destruction of Task Force One in Sawaiiki, many frontlines waiting for their arrival are at risk of collapsing. And so, we’re faced with a dilemma: Crimson Squadron is needed all across Cascadia, but we can only be in so many places at once. To rectify this, we’re splitting you up into pairs for your missions,” he explained.

            “Great. Two planes each to save an entire frontline,” Four murmured under her breath. “This’ll be pushing it, even for us.”

            General Caine carried on, unaware of the remark. “Taskings are as followed: Crimson 1 and 3, you’re to head north toward the Beiring Strait to deal with the remnants of the rebels’ invasion fleet to allow our forces an easier time crossing over. Crimson 2 and 8, you’re on escort duty for our forces in the east to reinforce Prospero before the rebels can lay it to siege. Crimson 4 and 7, you’re headed to Trinity Bay to provide cover for our retreating forces there. Lastly, Crimson 5 and 6, your mission is to link up with ground forces near the Inertia Region and provide support as they make their advance north for the counterattack. Any questions?”

            Silence.

            Caine smiled, his gaze scanning the room to look at each pilot. “Good, then hurry up and get moving. There’s not a second to lose.”

            “Well, Six, looks like it’s you an’ me out there today,” Five said as the two of them followed the rest of the squadron out of the briefing room. “The rebels won’t know what hit ‘em,” he added with a smirk.

            Avery slipped her hands into the pockets of her flight suit as they walked together. She couldn’t help but let her gaze wander to the people standing idly in the halls. Even as the two of them just passed by, the way people looked at them was so much different than what she was used to. In truth, it still hadn’t fully set in for her that she was a Peacekeeper, and yet here she was. Back when the war started, people would look at her with suspicion and narrowed eyes. Her Cascadian heritage was nothing but an obstacle for her to overcome. Now, though, it was a source of pride.

            “Kind of a shame that our first sortie with the squadron at full strength isn’t all together,” she remarked idly. “It would’ve sent a nice clear message to the rebels and their mercs.”

            Five responded with shrug. “Gotta take what we can get, Six. Besides, imagine how much the rebels are gonna freak when they get reports of attacks from Crimson Squadron all across Cascadia.”

            “I guess so. I just hope that we’re gonna actually start making a difference. This last month or so feels like we’ve just been pissing into the wind.”

            “Oh, don’t you worry, after Magadan, the whole of Crystal Kingdom is on high alert. Before long, half the Federation Military across the world will be here in Cascadia. The rebels won’t know what hit them.”

            And to think, the only reason that they needed to commit so many of their forces from around the globe into this single conflict was because of just one mercenary. Whoever the Crown was, Avery couldn’t help but hate him. Without him, this war would’ve been over by now. The rebels would’ve been extinguished and Cascadia would be at peace again. Instead, though, he and his ilk kept on fighting, giving the rebels someone to rally behind- all while profiting off the whole thing. But beyond all of that, he would forever be the piece of shit that killed Cutter. Now that she was a Peacekeeper, Avery hoped that she would get to even the score, but that would come later. For now, she and Five had a job to do.

            As the two of them stepped into the hangar, Avery’s gaze briefly shifted toward Locksmith’s hangar. The only plane that was in it was her old F/C-16. Even as she climbed into her new V/X-23, her mind wandered to Shepherd, ASH, and Pad, offering a silent prayer to the Dust Mother that wherever they were and whatever they were doing, they’d be okay.

            Slowly but surely, she brought her new plane to life. The process of doing a cold start on a V/X-23 was so much different than her viper, but she made it work. The engines let out a shrill howl as the canopy sealed itself around her. She fastened her oxygen mask around her face and followed close behind Five as they taxied out of the hangar and onto the tarmac. After waiting for Four and Seven to take off, the positioned themselves at the end of the runway, and as soon as ATC gave them the green light, both of their planes surged forward, rapidly picking up speed until they lifted off effortlessly into the air before turning toward their objective.

            “Hey, Five, can I ask you something?” Avery said, breaking the silence between them as they flew.

            “Shoot.”

            “Has One always been so… I dunno- distant? I never got to actually meet him until Magadan, but even from what I’d seen of him before, he seems so much different now.”

            “Well, he’d always been a little distant, but that’s just the kind of person he is.  Not necessarily cold, but more… reserved. This, though, he was never like this before.”

            “What changed, do you think?”

            “The Crown did. It was bad enough when he nearly shot one of us down at Yellowstone, but after the Beiring Strait, it’s like One’s a totally different person. The Crown is all he talks about.”

            “Guess he’s really determined to take him down,” Avery guessed. In truth, she was, too. After what he did to Cutter, it was the least he deserved.

            “He’s obsessed is what he is,” Five retorted bluntly. “One’s not used to losing- especially not to some merc. After Oceania, it’s probably driving him absolutely insane- especially considering how crucial they’ve been for the rebels. It’s like seeing his failure plastered on every piece of rebel propaganda from here to the east coast.”

            “Well, I guess he’ll get his chance to set things right soon enough,” Avery replied shrugging her shoulders. As her gaze shifted forward, she saw the battlefield below them coming into view and flicked the master arm on. “Alright, let’s do this.”

            “Headwind 1-5 to Longsword Actual, the Cascadians are making another advance!”

            “We’ve got tanks rolling in! Bearing 280!”

            “Watch out for the mortar fire!”

            “Major Ackers to all units, the enemy has begun their counteroffensive. Dig in and maintain defensive positions!”

            “This Crimson 5 and 6. All callsigns, be advised, we’re entering the AO now, ready for tasking on your mark.”

            “Peacekeepers, thank god!” one of the soldiers cried out. “We’re saved!”

            Major Ackers let out a sigh of relief over the radio. “I would’ve liked a bit more firepower, to tell you the truth, but I’m not about to get picky- especially when I’m getting Crimson pilots at my disposal. The Cascadians are pushing back against our advance. We need to stop them in their tracks and push them back. Which means their armor needs to be gone,” she explained.

            “Say no more. We’re on it,” Five replied. “C’mon, Six. Let’s turn and burn.”

            Avery followed him as they turned toward the line of Cascadian tanks advancing on friendly units. Her thumb rested on the trigger, waiting to apply the slightest bit of pressure to fire. As Five broke off to the left, she went to the right, lining herself up to destroy the tanks with guns. Despite their best efforts to evade, the first line was helpless as the two Peacekeepers caught them in a pincer attack. Tracers from their machine guns spewed out, knocking out one tank after another until they slipped past each other and pulled back up into the sky.

            Avery yanked back on the stick, bracing herself for the incoming g-forces that came with her plane pulling into a loop and coming back around. The second line was quickly moving to take the first’s place, but now they had to contend with the advancing Federation troops as well. She and Five just had to keep up the pressure. Preparing for another pass, Avery thumbed the weapon selector switch and readied her MLAGs. Perhaps she was getting too far ahead of herself, but she opted to dump all four of her air-to-ground missiles at the approaching enemy armor. Each one found its mark effortlessly, and half of the rebels’ offensive line went up in flames in an instant. The remaining rebels began to scatter, but by that point, it was already far too late. Between her and Five, chasing them down and finishing them off with guns was like shooting fish in a barrel.

            “The Peacekeepers gave us our opening! This is our chance!” Ackers barked. “Markinson, take your men and push up to phase line green to establish a perimeter. Crossbow 3-2, move your tanks up to Point Gamma and lay down suppressive fire. Everyone else, follow me!”

            “ALCON, this is AWACS North Star. Bandits are inbound from bearing 015- tally six mercenary fighters closing fast. It looks like the advance element of a larger contingent.”

            “Shit. We can’t let them get air superiority over the area,” Avery decided, already turning toward them.

            “They’re diving down into the valleys to mask themselves with the terrain. Crimson 5 and 6, push 035 at angels 10 and hit them as they come back up,” North Star ordered.

            Avery readied her STDMs, watching as the six hostile contacts appeared on her HUD, obscured from her vision by the hills and valleys. At the end of their path, however, was a mountain jutting up into the sky- the perfect spot for Avery and Five to lay in waiting. Sure enough, the non-uniform flight formation popped up into view, cruising up along the edge of the mountain. Avery sprang into action, firing one of her missiles toward the lead plane. Flares lit up the sky as they went evasive, but it wasn’t enough. The F/C-15 exploded mid-air, and the wreckage that remained tumbled back down the mountain.

            Five darted ahead of her, closing to gun range as the remaining five mercs began to scramble. She followed his lead, closing in on an F/E-18 that split up from the rest. The hornet began diving for cover within the valley again, and Avery gave chase. Short bursts spewed out from her cannons that the mercenary jinked over and over. She was just about to fire a missile at them when the hornet arced up sharply at the last minute, pulling up fast and bleeding speed so that Avery would overshoot. Her RWR roared to life, blaring frantically as the bandit fired an STDM at her. Her hands moved quickly and deliberately. One hand yanked on the stick, taking evasive maneuvers while the other launched flares and then moved to pull back on the throttle. Avery felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as the sound of the missile screeched past her canopy and collided with the mountain. She made another hard pull to the right, but the hornet continued its pursuit. In search of options, her eyes drifted down toward the instruments in her cockpit. That’s when she remembered the paddle on the back of her flight stick- the AOA limiter. Air filled her lungs as she inhaled sharply, and in one fluid motion, she pulled back on the throttle, followed by the stick with the limiter held down. Her V/X-23 felt as if it had chosen to ignore all laws of physics, drifting upward and back around at a speed that Avery didn’t know was even possible. She felt the g-forces bearing down on her in all directions, like she was being compressed, but she pushed through it. Her plane was inverted when she leveled out, but that wasn’t her concern at that moment in time. She was focused on the fact that she was now facing the mercenary head-on with only a few hundred meters separating them. She had only a split second to react, and after a single burst from her gun, the F/E-18 went down in flames.

            “The rebels are pulling back!” one of the tank crews reported. “Looks like they’re trying to find cover within the city.”

            “Keep pushing. Don’t let them get away,” Ackers ordered. “We can’t let them regroup and dig in. Continue the offensive.”

            “Their artillery is back up! Everyone, take cover!”

            “Dammit! Crimson, we need that artillery taken care of, or our advance is dead in the water!” Ackers shouted.

            “A little busy at the moment!” Five grunted, as he maneuvered around the last two mercs after he shot down two of his own. “North Star, what’s the status of those other bandits?”

            “30 clicks out and closing,” the AWACS operator reported. “Don’t worry, allied reinforcements will be arriving shortly. Just hang in there.”

            Avery readied two of her MLAAs as she sped toward Five and the last two mercenaries. The three of them were locked in an intricate dance together- weaving this way and that, looping around and back. None of them could find an opening to cause an upset, but Avery was about to create one. Two missiles shot out from under her wingtips, careening through the air toward the mercenaries. One was too caught up in their maneuvers to notice in time, and the other, while narrowly avoiding her missile, was caught dead to rights by Five as he gunned them down.

            Neither of them said a word, and instead instantly turned toward the artillery that Ackers had pointed out. Without any fighters or anti air to stop them, the two Peacekeepers effortlessly made their way to the rebels’ back line. The artillery was even organized into perfect lines for them- almost as if they were trying to make it easier for them. All it took was a handful of passes with their guns to silence them.

            “Enemy artillery destroyed!” Avery reported as she pulled back up into the sky after her last pass.

            “Solid copy. We’ve got the Cascadians in the city surrounded. Time to tighten the noose,” Ackers replied. “All units, advance!”

            Suddenly, eight friendly aircraft appeared on Avery’s HUD, heading their way. “This is Opal Squadron to all callsigns in the AO, we’re fencing in now, ready to provide air support as needed,” the flight lead reported.

            “ALCON, two flights of mercenary aircraft are entering the airspace, hot,” North Star advised. “Opal Squadron, form up on Crimson 5 and 6 and take out those bandits.”

            “Holy shit, Crimson Squadron?” one of the other pilots murmured.

            “Don’t fangirl too hard there, Opal 4, we’ve still got a job to do,” Opal 1 told her.

            Avery couldn’t help but chuckle under her breath, thinking back to the first time she got to see Crimson Squadron as a pilot. It felt surreal to think that just a few short months later, she was now part of the squadron, and now it was time for her to set an example. As she and Five led the charge, she readied all four of her remaining MLAAs. Five did the same, and the moment all fifteen bandits were within range, they both fired. Each missile began closing in on their target- their trails filled the sky in an instant as the split off from one another. When the smoke cleared, only five mercenaries remained. Now, it was Opal Squadron’s turn to take the lead. They rushed forward and launched their own volley of missiles. One by one, the remaining mercenaries began to fall. Avery and Five didn’t even need to join them. The writing was already on the wall. All the same, though, Avery fired off her remaining STDM at the last mercenary, and the sky was clear of hostiles once again.

            “North Star, do we have any more bandits headed our way?” Five asked as the flight of aircraft began turning back toward the city.

            “Negative, continue providing CAS for the ground forces as they push into the city.”

            “Break, break, break!” a new voice shouted over the radio. “Attention Federation forces in and around the city of Inertia; this is the commanding officer of the Cascadian Independence Force unit currently engaged with you. We surrender. Please, cease fire immediately.”

            “Seriously? Now?” Avery asked with an annoyed huff. “They’ve got some goddamn nerve.”

            “All Federation elements, stand down. I repeat, stand down. Headwind 1-5, move into the city center and clear a space to process POWs. Everyone else, tag prisoners and grab their equipment,” Major Ackers ordered.

            “Opal Squadron, maintain presence over Inertia until further reassigned. Crimson 5 and 6, RTB,” North Star chimed in.

            “Crimson copies. Thanks, North Star,” Avery replied as she and Five began to turn back toward Presidia.

            “Helluva day, huh, Six?” Five said. “The two of us make a pretty good team, I’d say.”

            “Yeah…” Avery agreed before trailing off, watching the clouds pass overhead as they flew back.

            “So, how was your first combat sortie as a Peacekeeper now that all’s said and done?”

            “It was…” she paused, searching for an answer that she hadn’t really thought of until that point. “Good,” she finally decided. “Over the last couple months, it’s all felt like one long stretch of bad luck, but now, for the first time in a long time, I’m starting to feel hopeful again- hopeful that we can finally turn this around, and hopeful that in the end, things might turn out alright.”

Chapter Text

            “Crimson 6, you’re cleared to land Runway 2-1.”

            By now, landing had become second nature to Avery. Even in her new plane, it was just a matter of muscle memory. She came in, smooth as could be, and set her wheels down effortlessly on the runway. As she touched down and began taxying into the hangar, she couldn’t help but look around at the air base, watching all kinds of planes coming and going in different directions. This was the busiest the base had been for a long while, and with any luck, it was a sign that things were finally on the up and up.

            As her engines spooled down, she unfastened her oxygen mask from over her mouth and opened the canopy. The fresh air felt crisp as it came in through her nose. In a way, it was almost refreshing. She climbed out from her plane, tucking her helmet under her arm, and began moving over to Five. As the two of them met up, though, their attention turned toward the man door as it swung open, making way for Crimson 1 to walk in- dressed from head to toe in flight gear.

            “Hey, Commander,” Five called out as he got closer. “They sending you out again?”

            Crimson 1 walked right past them without so much as a passing glance. “I have work to be done- justice to be carried out,” he said as he climbed into the cockpit of his SK.37.

            Avery and Five exchanged a look with one another before looking back toward their flight lead. “Well, uh… good luck out there, sir,” Avery told him. He didn’t offer any response. Instead, he shut the canopy around him and began bringing his plane to life from a cold start.

            “C’mon, let’s get out of here,” Five said as his engines began roaring to life.

            Avery nodded and followed him out of the hangar. As they stepped onto the tarmac, she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander to Locksmith’s hangar. All three of her former squadron’s aircraft were now parked inside. Whatever mission they’d been sent on, they all made it back safe, and for that, she offered the Dust Mother a silent prayer of thanks. Perhaps the greatest downside of her new position was that wherever Shepherd, Padlock, and ASH went, she wouldn’t be able to keep them safe if anything happened. Granted, they were plenty capable of taking care of themselves, but she didn’t want to take any chances. The safest hands were still her own, and she didn’t like them being out of her reach, but if it meant bringing about a swifter end to this war once and for all, then it was a risk she was willing to take.

            It was then that a realization struck Avery. As far as she could tell, this was the closest feeling to normalcy as a fighter pilot that she’d experienced since she got here a few months ago. From the very first day she was chasing after the early beginnings of the war before it had even truly begun, but the chaos didn’t truly begin until the first shots were fired and they abandoned Presidia. Even after they had retaken the city, their problems were only just beginning as the tide began turning against the Federation. After that came the Beiring Strait and then the invasion of Magadan, and now, finally, she felt as if things were finally beginning to get under control.

            And yet, in those few short months, she’d somehow gone from the newest pilot on the base to a Peacekeeper in Crimson Squadron. Every now and then, she felt as if she had to remind herself of it- of how well she’d done for herself. General Caine’s words from earlier still occupied her mind, even now. Did he really think that she could become the next Crimson 1 someday? Was that even something she wanted? In truth, Avery hadn’t given much thought to what she wanted to do once this war was over- or if she had, becoming a Peacekeeper had undoubtedly thrown a wrench into her plans. All she could do was what she had been doing since she got here: play it by ear.

            As she and Five moved across the tarmac toward the base, their gaze turned upward at the sound of Crimson 1 shooting off into the sky, making a sharp arc upward before vanishing in the cloud coverage.

            “Sheesh. Wherever he’s going, he sure went in a hurry,” Five observed.

            “Wonder if that means they’re gonna send us back out again,” Avery mused.

            Her fellow Peacekeeper shook his head. “Nah. Ever since we got back after the war started, he’s always been going on lone sorties like this- always of his own volition. Grayson and Caine know better than to try and stop him, so they just let him go. Sooner or later, he always comes back completely out of ammo and running on fumes.”

            “Dust Mother, I had no idea the guy’s such a workaholic.”

            “Nah. It’s like I told you earlier, he’s obsessed,” Five reminded her. “All there is to it.”

            Avery didn’t say as much to him, but she was inclined to disagree. This went beyond just an obsession because he was beaten. The Crown was a serious threat- arguably the biggest threat to the Federation since Oceania. If they didn’t take that Merc out sooner or later, they could very well lose Cascadia. She’d seen them fight firsthand. Even when faced with the full, all-encompassing might of the entire Federation Air Force on this side of the planet, they came out with barely a scratch, and if that wasn’t enough to stop them, she didn’t know what would. Still, something had to be done, and soon.

Eventually, the two Peacekeepers found themselves at the ready room, where the rest of the squadron seemed unusually fixated on… something. They had all surrounded the table at the front of the room, looking down at it with great intrigue and fascination.

“What’s going on?” Five asked as they approached the squadron.

Seven held up a manilla folder. “FIIA finally came through and made up a dossier on the Crown,” she explained. “The Commander was pouring over every detail of it before he left.”

Five rolled his eyes. “Oh great. As if he wasn’t bad enough already. Now we’re egging him on,” he droned sarcastically.

            “Does it tell us anything good, at least?” Avery asked.

            Seven handed it to her. “See for yourself.”

            She opened it up and read through the paper inside:

HITMAN 1 | MONARCH

            The Mercenary pilot hired by the Cascadian Independence Force that has come to be known- both by our people and theirs- as the Crown Mercenary, operates under the tacname Monarch. [No actual name could be found at this time. Our agents chasing that particular lead were found dead in a ditch in the Oceanian Outback shortly after the Battle of the Bering Strait. Investigation is still ongoing.]

            Monarch is a pilot of the Sicario Mercenary Corps- a smaller-sized Mercenary group specializing in aerial operations along the Periphery- leading their point squadron, Hitman Team. In truth, very little could be found on this pilot regarding their past. [This is putting it mildly. I’m telling you; this Merc is a ghost.] The only concrete information about this pilot from before they joined Sicario PMC is that they are believed to have at least lived in Cascadia for a large duration of their life. However, we believe that despite living in Cascadia for most of their life, and likely being a Cascadian citizen officially, they were likely born elsewhere and came to Cascadia at a young age. This means they most likely trained at the Flight Academy in Ulaanbaatar as either a Cascadian National Guard pilot or for the main Federation Air Force. Agents are presently combing through the Academy’s records to find possible matches, but due to how wide our criteria are, this lead will take some time before it bears any results.

            Information on the Mercenary following their employment with Sicario some years ago has yielded slightly more results, but not much. The most we could find is an incomplete list of their operational history prior to Cascadia:

                      -The Good Hope Dispute

                       -Operation New History

                     -Sinking of the “City on a Lake”

                       -Hunt for the Maester [Potential lead to be explored later]

            Assessment: More intel is required. Given the closed nature of the Mercenaries, [especially if the leads we’re following on Sicario’s leader are to be believed] it is unlikely that we will find anything more than this through conventional methods. Sending in undercover agents may yield better results. If that fails, we may want to try a direct approach to someone within Sicario itself with a hefty bribe; we’re currently looking through our list of known Sicario Mercenaries for any potential candidates for this. On a final note, one of our agents noted that we aren’t the only ones digging for info on Monarch. According to them, Mercenary and Icarus Armories test pilot Klara Rask is doing an investigation of her own. It may be worth it to put an agent or two on her trail, following from a distance and using her intel to supplement our own.

            Avery frowned. “Well, that was… anticlimactic. Can’t believe they couldn’t even get a name.”

            Eight shrugged. “That’s the FIIA for you.”

            Five remained fixated on the dossier- his eyes squinted as they scanned back and forth across the page numerous times. “This doesn’t make any sense…” he finally murmured. “After all this time, the one that killed the Maester was another Merc?

            “I thought it was our people that bagged him,” Four chimed in. “Why would a Mercenary kill one of the most influential lords of the Cabal? You’d think they all would’ve rallied behind him after the Round Table fell.”

            “The Round Table never went anywhere,” Seven pointed out. “The lords may have fallen, but just about every Merc around the word still bears its mark. It went from a seat of power to a symbol of everything they stood for. All the death and destruction they left in their wake is carried on by every plane that still bears that emblem. As for the Crown…”

            Avery shook her head. “Probably just a bid for power and glory. Aside from their blood money, it’s all they seem to care about. Quite frankly, though, I don’t really care. As long as we stamp them out from Cascadia before they sink their claws into our home and never leave.”

            “Amen to that,” Three agreed. “The sooner we get these dogs out of Cascadia, the better. With any luck, we’ll get some real intel soon that’ll allow us to finally take out that Crown.”

            After everything that had happened throughout the war, all the death and destruction, it all came back to the Crown- to Monarch. This war would’ve ended by now, had it not been for them. With each sortie they made more money than Avery could care to quantify, all through the deaths of her comrades. Without Monarch, none of this would have happened, and if they were gone, then the rebels would crumble within months. Besides, not only was Monarch the single most strategically important target in all of Cascadia, but they were still the bastard that killed Cutter. This was just as personal to her as it was for Crimson 1.

            Avery’s eyes shifted back to the dossier, looking over it one last time. This Mercenary was using their anonymity as a shield- a convenient one at that. When all you leave behind is an emblem of a Crown, then it’s harder for those seeking justice to weed it out. Sooner or later, though, that would change. Whether the FIIA finally came through with actionable intel, or the Merc simply slipped up in their overconfidence, Monarch was going to die, and Avery wanted nothing more than to be there when it happened.

Chapter Text

            “I just love it when you’re all here waiting for me,” Caine said as he stepped into the briefing room. “Time is short, and every second counts, so let’s get straight to business. We’ve got a lot on the agenda today.”

            He pulled up the briefing software in seconds, bringing up a map of Cascadia with several locations of interest. More splitting up.

            “Now that we’ve officially pushed the remnants of the Cascadians’ invasion of Magadan back onto their own soil, reinforcements are beginning to pour in from the Core. With any luck, this will help to stabilize the frontline, but we need to ensure that the situation when they arrive is contained. That means we’re covering a lot of retreats as frontline units regroup and rearm at more defensible locations. Firstly, Crimson 1 and 2, you’ll be headed north to provide CAS to Major Ackers’ counteroffensive as they continue their advance. 3 and 5, you’ll be headed to Yellowstone to cover their retreat. 4 and 8, you’re headed for the frontlines to help our vanguard fall back to Prospero. Lastly, 6 and 7, your mission is to head to Grimwood Coast to help our units trapped there. They’ve been setting fires to block the rebels’ advances, but thanks to the Crown, they forced our troops to surrender. However, special forces were able to catch the remaining rebels in the area off guard and set our men free. With the fires still raging and QRFs approaching from all sides, it’s imperative that you get them out no matter what.”

            One by one, the Peacekeepers all began filing out of the room. Avery and Sev brought up the rear. Following the others as they all made their way to the hangar.

            “Y’know… call me crazy, but I’ve got a good feeling about today,” Avery decided. “I don’t know what it is, but I think something’s gonna happen that’ll be the start of turning this whole thing around.”

            Seven scoffed. “Hey, if you wanna be blindly optimistic, then go right ahead, Six. Personally, I think this is just gonna be more of the same: cleaning up high command’s mess as they flail around to try and come up with an actual plan.”

            “Y’know what your problem is, Sev?” Avery asked facetiously, corners of her mouth already curling into a grin. “You’re too pessimistic.”

            “Oh please, if you think I’m bad, you should’ve seen the old Crimson 2- guy had a stick wedged farther up his ass than Caine, and that’s saying something,” Seven replied as they came into the hangar. “Besides, it’s not pessimism, it’s realism.”

            “That’s what every pessimist always says,” Avery teased her as she climbed up into her V/X-23.

            As she began to bring her plane to life, Seven’s voice crackled into her ear through her helmet. “What’s got you so chipper today, anyway? You sneak off to see that old wingwoman of yours?”

            “No I just-“ Avery froze. “What are you talking about?”

            Seven chuckled. “C’mon, don’t play dumb with me, Six. I saw how you were after we came back from Magadan. I’ve got an eye for these sorts of things.”

            “Well, I’m sorry to inform you that your ‘eye’-“ she held up air quotes despite Seven not being able to see them. “Has sorely mistaken you. To answer your original question, though, I thought I’d try changing my mood for once. Ever since the Bering Strait, I’ve just felt so… gloomy,” she explained as the canopy sealed itself around her. “So, I decided that if I want that to change, it’s gotta start with me.”

            “Well… good on you, I guess. Helluva time to try and start turning your mood around, though,” Seven replied. “Now, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

            “Good plan,” Avery replied as she briefly switched radio channels. “Tower, this is Crimson 6 and 7 are requesting takeoff clearance. We good?”

            “Copy, wait one,” Presidia ATC responded before going quiet for a brief moment. “Confirmed, take the taxiway to Runway 1-6. Once Crimson 1 and 2 are airborne, you’ll be clear.”

            The Peacekeepers both issued confirmation before following the instructions and holding short of the runway, giving them a front-row seat to watch Crimson 1 and 2 takeoff into the air before making a sharp turn to the north toward their objective. Even now, it still felt bizarre that she was now flying in the same squadron as the man that she would practically beg her parents to take her to airshows to watch, but fate worked in mysterious ways. Once the runway was clear, Avery and Seven moved to the very edge, waiting for the final all-clear from ATC before shooting forward at full throttle. Their engines roared and rumbled, shaking the airframe down to its very core, but they both took off effortlessly before setting a course for Grimwood Coast.

            “Okay, for real, though, are you seriously going to tell me with a straight face that there’s nothing going on between you and that girl?” Seven asked after an extended silence.

            “Yes. I’m sure,” Avery replied, deadpan, making her distaste for the topic clear. “You really think I’d mess up my big chance at being a Peacekeeper by getting in trouble for violating fraternization clauses?” That was, of course, exactly what she was doing, and truthfully, saying it out loud did make her feel a lot more conflicted about it, but the fact remained that she didn’t exactly trust Seven not to blab about it to the wrong people.

            “Uh huh, sure. Whatever you say,” Sev replied sarcastically.

            Avery rolled her eyes. “North Star, how much farther away are we?” she asked annoyedly.

            “At your current pace, about 15 minutes,” the AWACS answered. “If you’re really in that much of a hurry, I guess you could light your burners now, but if you run out of fuel before we get back, that’s entirely on you.”

            “Hey, that just gives you more time to slip back into that positive mindset you were talking about,” Seven reminded her.

            “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Avery hummed. “Although, I wouldn’t need to in the first place if you weren’t quite so obnoxious,” she said, only half joking.

            “What can I say? Getting under people’s skin is what I do best.”

            Avery finally cracked a smile. “Trust me, we’re all painfully aware of how annoyingly adept you are… at…” her voice trailed off and her smile was gone as soon as it appeared. All she do was stare in awe at what lie before them and murmur a shocked, “Holy shit.”

            When General Caine mentioned setting fires to block the Cascadians’ advance, she thought he was just talking about a few small brush fires, but this… this was beyond what she possibly could’ve imagined. The massive inferno before the two Peacekeepers was big enough- devastating enough- to rival some of the biggest naturally caused wildfires she’d seen in her entire lifetime. And their people were right in the middle of it all. For a brief moment, she wondered how the Cascadians could do this- chasing retreating soldiers through a raging inferno at all costs- then she remembered what they did in Magadan, and it all made sense. She wasn’t about to let the same thing happen twice. She was going to get them all out of there.

            “This is Dagger Actual to all ground forces, drop anything and everything you don’t need. Repack your mags and dump the empty ones- anything weighing you down is a liability.”

            “Good God, they just keep coming!” one Federation soldier cried. “What’s it gonna take to stop these rebels?!”

            “They’re like hungry predators. Now that they’ve tasted blood, they’re not gonna rest until they get what they’re after,” another replied. “Take those fallen branches over there and make a line out of ‘em. That good bit of kindling will slow those bastards down once it lights!”

            “We’re still lighting fires?! Have we not learned our lesson?”

            “This isn’t on us- never has been. I saw what they did back home. We’re just returning the favor.”

            “AWACS North Star to ground forces. You guys are too spread out. We need you to regroup and get out of this together.”

            “Easier said than done, flyboy. The fires are making it hard enough to move through these trees- never mind the bloodthirsty Cascadians trying to kill us!”

            “This is Locksmith 1, I’ve got eyes on a clearing that should be big enough for everyone. Dagger, it’s about two klicks south by southeast of you.”

            “Copy that. We’re Oscar Mike. Broman, take your men west and try to find Lieutenant Dunn. Help them clear a path.”

            Avery blinked in surprise. In truth, she had completely forgotten to check on her old squadron before she left, as she’d made a habit of doing these last few weeks. Nonetheless, it would be good to finally fly with them again- especially since that meant she would be able to keep them safe. With Shepherd, Padlock, ASH, and Sev behind her, Avery was unstoppable.

            “ALCON, this is Crimson 6 and 7. We’re fencing in now. How copy?” she announced.

            “Glade? Is that you? Hot damn. You’re a sight for sore eyes, I’ll tell ya that much,” Padlock heaved.

            “Tch, yeah, ‘hot damn’ is right,” ASH added sarcastically. “I’m smelling this damn smoke in my cockpit up here.”

            “Focus up, you two!” Shepherd ordered. “It’s damn good to see you, Glade. We’re up against it here. The Cascadians on the ground ditched their vehicles a while back once it got too hard to move them through the fires, so they’re pursuing our boys on foot.”

            “Problem is, we can’t see shit from up here with all this smoke and fire- meaning CAS is a no-go,” ASH added.

            “Exactly. All we can do is take out the choppers and fighters overhead. Without a bird’s eye view, the rebels might lose our troops long enough to give them the window they need,” Shepherd continued.

            Avery glanced down at her radar- plenty of hostile air contacts to choose from. She didn’t like having so much out of her control, but as long as she did her best up in the air, then that would hopefully give the ground forces ample opportunity to escape. “Copy that. Let’s get ‘em.”

            “You seriously have no idea how good it’s gonna feel to fly with you again, Glade,” Pad chimed in.

            Avery smirked as she lit her burners to group up with Locksmith and follow them toward the incoming hostile aircraft. “I didn’t think you guys would be missing me this much already. I’ve only been a Peacekeeper for a few days.” she teased them.

            “They always do,” Seven chimed in. “Trust me.”

            Master arm was on. As Avery and Sev took the lead, she scanned her radar for the nearest hostiles and turned to face them head-on. In this case, it was a formation of three attack choppers- essentially free kills. They tried to maneuver away as soon as they noticed a Peacekeeper making a beeline straight for them, but it was already too late. One long burst from her guns was enough to shoot all three of them down into the inferno below.

            The moment they were down, Avery pulled back up higher into the sky, setting her sights on a pair of rebel SK.27s. They were already headed her way, but she had both locked up with MLAAs in a second. She just had to wait a little closer. Just a few more seconds until they’d be too close to get away. Her master caution started beeping to warn her about the lock they had on her. Still, she kept them in her sights and made sure she kept tone on them. The moment that the beeping from her master caution got faster she fired both missiles, using a quick combination of her AOA limiter, throttle, and stick, to rapidly make a sharp turn before darting away at high speed. Both Cascadians lost their lock on her before they could fire but failed to successfully escape the missiles she sent their way.

            “C’mon, we have to keep moving! No way am I letting them take me prisoner again!” one of the Federation soldiers below shouted.

            “Jameson, y’see that huge tree over there? Take your explosive charges and set them up around the base of it. Once we’re far enough away, blow it.”

            Shepherd let out a heavy sigh. “How did we let this get so far out of hand?”

            “Ask the rebels,” Seven replied bluntly.

            “Dammit, can’t we get any more reinforcements out here?” Padlock asked. “There’s only so much we can do from up here.”

            “No one else is close enough to get here in time. I’m doing the best I can to reroute survivors and other units, but there’s only so much I can do in this shitshow,” North Star answered. “For now, just do what you guys do best.”

            Avery circled back around to link up with Shepherd and Sev as they approached the largest remaining group of bandits in the area: a flight of five Cascadian F/C-16s. ASH joined up with them shortly after while Padlock went after another formation of helicopters. Briefly assessing her weapon stores, Avery nodded confidently to herself, readying one of her two STDMs as they entered the merge.

            With her sights set on the Viper at the tail end of the formation, she let out a couple brief bursts from her gun. She didn’t expect any of them to hit, but it would be enough to force them on the defensive. The F/C-16 pulled hard to the left, and Avery lit her burners to chase after them, closing the distance to get within range of her missiles. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw ASH locked in a head-on with one of the other Vipers above her, just barely seeing the tracers rip through the wing of the Cascadian fighter. Her STDMs suddenly let out an impatient growl, signaling to her that they’d found their lock. Firing without hesitation, she waited for them to bleed off more speed through evasive maneuvers. The flares deployed by the Cascadian barely registered in her mind with all of the fire around her, but it was enough for her missile to lose its lock. But yet, they’d still bled off enough energy that they couldn’t do anything to escape as Avery closed the gap between them, getting in gun range and letting her gun tear the plane to shreds.

            “They’ve won today, already. What more do they want from us?” one of the Federation soldiers wondered aloud, panic creeping into their voice.

            “Who cares what they want? We wouldn’t be in this situation if not for that damned Crown!” another snapped.

            Suddenly, Avery’s RWR sprang to life, beeping frantically. Instinctively, Avery deployed chaff and flares within a second, already turning sharply to the right. As another second passed, her eyes moved down to look at her radar and see one of the F/C-16s chasing after her. She let out more countermeasures just to be safe, and once the missile lost its mark, began turning toward her pursuer. They circled around each other at too sharp an angle to get a shot off on one another, but Avery planned on changing that. In one fluid movement, Avery disabled her AOA limiter, pulled back on the throttle, and drifted sharply through the air, giving her a perfect line on the F/C-16’s tail. She was just about to take the shot when a missile from Padlock slammed into it as he sped by.

            “Hey, that was mine,” she protested with a smirk.

            “Sorry, Glade, not my fault I’m better than a Crimson Squadron pilot,” he teased her.

            “Dagger Actual to ALCON, we’ve made it to the clearing and regrouped. Do you lot see an easy way out for us up there?”

            “Move bearing 195. You’ll come out of the trees into a valley in about three and a half clicks,” Seven advised the ground troops.

            “Copy that, we’ll start to- shit!” An explosion could briefly be heard in the background before the radio cut out.

            “They found us! We have to move!” one of the soldiers cried.

            “Wait, sir, look! It’s him!”

            “Well I’ll be damned, it’s General Elizabeth himself, finally doing his own dirty work for a change,” Dagger Actual mused. “Lieutenant Dunn, do as our air cover says. Take the men on 195 and don’t stop no matter what. Dagger Team’ll hold them off. And if we’re lucky, we may even take out one of the highest-ranking officers in the Independence Force while we’re at it.”

            Before anyone could object, North Star cut back in. “AWACS North Star to all callsigns, you’ve got inbound from due north. A large detachment of Mercenaries is coming in hot, including an Anura-class airship.”

            “They’re really not making this easy for us,” Shepherd groaned. “We can’t let that airship make it to the ground forces, it’ll be a slaughter.”

            There was no choice here. Avery was already turning to face it. “Sev and I will take care of it. The rest of you deal with those fighters. We’ll come to help you as soon as we can.”

            “Good luck, Glade,” ASH said as they split apart from one another.

             There was a time, not too long ago, when Avery would’ve been terrified to take on an airship with only one other pilot as backup. Now, she saw it as a responsibility. It didn’t take long for Locksmith to engage the Mercenary fighters, but they were definitely one hell of a distraction. None of the Mercs seemed to even notice Avery and Seven slipped past them to hit their airship. However, it didn’t take the Anura very long to see what was happening, and it was eager for a fight.

            The airship unleashed a hail of tracers their way, but the two Peacekeepers were still too far away for them to hit anything. Avery locked a pair of MLAAs onto the two missile launchers and fired without a moment’s hesitation. The two missiles shot forward, screeching toward their targets, but not before the airship could fire off its own missiles, forcing Avery and Seven on the defensive. Seven had tried to take out both of its AA guns before breaking, but one still remained as they both took evasive action. Avery passed underneath the Anura, the missile still tracking her as the ships remaining gun began to fire at her. Then, she used her AOA limiter to make a rapid, upward turn, dropping chaff and flares at the same time, and curling around the airship to come out on top. She fired off her last STDM, taking out the remaining AA gun and putting distance between herself and the Anura to line up the kill shot. Seven made a pass of her own with guns, hitting several critical areas while Avery approached the Mercenary airship head-on. She fired off a single MLAA while unleashing a full barrage of gunfire, all making direct contact with the bridge. It may have been a tad overkill, but with airships, it was better to be safe than sorry. Slowly but surely, the airship began falling from the sky and down into the inferno below.

            “Airship destroyed. We’re on our way to help you guys out,” Seven reported.

            “Good, good,” Padlock replied, RWR blaring frantically in the background. “These guys are putting up a helluva fight, so we’ll take all the help we can- AH SHIT!”

            “Pad?! Are you okay? Respond!” Shepherd asked immediately.

            “…Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay,” he said between deep, heavy breaths. “Damn Merc got a lucky hit on me though. I have control, but they must’ve hit my fuel line or somethin’ because my needle’s dropping faster by the second.”

            “Just hurry up and RTB, Pad. That’s an order,” Avery said sternly as she and Seven approached the dogfight. “We’ll cover you, just get out of here.”

            “Alright, copy that,” Padlock replied, his voice still shaky. “Locksmith 3, disengaging.”

            The two Peacekeepers arrived just in time to see Padlock pulling out of the fight. Not long after, two Mercs broke away from the fight, leaving just three left. As Sev shot forward, moving toward the one that the other two weren’t chasing after, Avery decided to come help ASH with the MG.29 she had in front of her. She let out a single MLAA, leaving just two left at her disposal. Fortunately, the Merc was too preoccupied dealing with ASH to notice Avery’s missile until it was too late. A moment later, Sev had already shot down her target as well, leaving the three pilots to converge on Shepherd and his target. Avery fired an MLAA at it, but it lost its track a moment later, as Shepherd gunned it down and they all regrouped.

            “All hostiles have been destroyed,” Shepherd reported. “Ground forces, what’s your status?”

            The first thing the pilots heard over the radio was the sound of gunfire and explosions. “This is Lieutenant Dunn, we need support, ASAP!” he shouted. “We made it to the edge of the forest, but the damn rebels outflanked us! They had armor waiting for us in the valley! Requesting immediate CAS on our position!”

            Already, the flight of four was turning in in the direction of the ground forces, lighting their afterburners to close the distance. Avery checked over her weapons. She may not have had any air-to-ground munitions, but she still had plenty of ammo on her gun to work with. Between the four of them, they would surely be able to make quick work of whatever line the rebels could amass on such short notice, it was just a matter of doing it quickly to minimize the number of casualties. A handful of tanks and APCs soon appeared on Avery’s HUD, and she was moments away from diving down to make a pass when one radio communication changed everything.

            “Dammit! Break, break, break! This is Locksmith 3, I’m under attack!” Padlock shouted urgently. “I’ve got two Mercenaries on my tail! I- I can’t shake ‘em! I need help, please!”

            Avery’s head spun to Pad’s location, and her heart dropped as the two Mercenaries that had broken away from the fight not long ago were now chasing after Padlock- a defenseless target who couldn’t even fight back. The only reason she let them go was because she assumed they were the same, but this sight unlocked a feeling of pure anger that she would’ve let burst immediately, had she not been overcome with fear for Pad’s life.

            “Hang on, Pad, I’m on way!” she assured him, already heading toward him at full speed. “Just a little bit more!”

            “I- I don’t wanna die- not… not like this!” Pad whimpered as he tried his best to evade the two Mercs.

            “You’re not going to Pad, get ahold of yourself! Avery’s almost there! She’ll help you!” ASH shouted.

            “Don’t worry about your fuel, Pad! Make any maneuvers you need to!” Shepherd told him. “You can bail out if you need. Planes are replaceable, Alex- you aren’t!”

            Avery watched as he heeded his flight lead’s advice, doing everything in his power to evade the two Mercenaries, but he was out of ammo, and burning fuel fast. Avery was moving as fast as she could, but they just seemed to get farther and farther the closer she got. Then, finally, she got within range for her missiles. As soon as she heard a solid tone, she pulled down on the trigger, only to look on in horror as only one missile- the last missile she had- went out. She would need to close into gun range to take out the second Merc, but just as she was about to get within range, all she could do was look on in horror as the Merc lined up a perfect shot. The Round Table mark on the bastard’s wings glinted in the light of the fire below as tracers spewed out from their nose. Padlock tried to evade, but enough shots made contact in all the right places that he began falling from the sky at an alarming rate.

            “No, please! No, no, no, not like this! Not-“ his radio went static as his F/C-16 slammed into the blazing forest, and an explosion erupted from the flames.

            “Pad! Dammit, you Mercs!” Avery cursed, tears already welling up in her eyes.

            “No!” Shepherd cried.

            “C’mon, Pad! Say something- anything!” ASH pleaded hopelessly.

            But it was no use. Padlock was dead, and Avery was helpless to stop it. She was supposed to be better. She was a Peacekeeper now- in one of the most revered squadrons on the planet, so why couldn’t she save him? Was she not good enough? No. This was on one person, and only one person: the gutless, spineless Mercenary who just wanted an easy payday by shooting a retreating, defenseless pilot, and as Avery spotted the Merc beginning to exfil, she just felt something snap.

            “Oh no you don’t asshole! Don’t think you’re getting away so easily! You’ve cashed your last check you son of a bitch!” she roared, engines at full throttle as she chased after him.

            “Go, Six, make the bastard pay,” Seven murmured softly.

            Avery heard Shepherd let out a heavy sigh, but she didn’t care. Her brain barely even acknowledged it. All that she cared about was chasing down this one F/C-15. The cowardly bastard was running away at full speed, but Avery wasn’t about to let that stop her. As she began closing into the gun range, she began firing off short bursts. None of them were close enough to hit yet, but they were still close enough to make the Merc panic. They tried to break left, but all they did was bleed off enough speed for Avery to close the gap and catch them right in her sights. Once she had the shot lined up, she held down the trigger until her gun ran out of ammo. A hail of gunfire erupted from the nose of her plane, ripping the F/C-15 to shreds, and then ripping those shreds to bits until there was nothing left.

            “That’s how it feels you bastard! That’s what you get for killing Pad!” she shouted.

            “Avery, they’re already dead. Take it easy,” Shepherd told her.

            “This… is Sergeant Peterson. All enemy armor is destroyed. What’s left of us have a clear shot out of here. You have our thanks.”

            “Any word from Dagger Team?” North Star asked hesitantly.

            “… They’re dead,” Sergeant Peterson murmured. “General Elizabeth killed them.”

            “Damnit," the AWACS operator cursed softly. "...Understood,” North Star replied after an extended silence. “I’m sending you coordinates to regroup with allied units. Head there and await further instructions. Locksmith, Crimson, RTB.”

            “WILCO, North Star,” Seven replied with as much meager energy as she could muster. “C’mon, Six, let’s go home.”

            “This day takes a heavy toll,” Shepherd said softly, looking out at the burning landscape beneath him. “How much longer can we keep going on like this?”

Chapter Text

            The first thing Avery did once her feet were both firmly on the ground again was throw her helmet as hard as she could. It skipped and bounced across the floor, eventually coming to a stop in a corner of the hangar. Seven watched from the cockpit of her plane, opting not to say anything yet. Even now, hours after Padlock had died, Avery still felt so much rage pent up inside her. She looked around, desperately hoping to find something to vent out her frustrations on, but when nothing made itself apparent to her, all she could do was drop to her knees, staring blankly at the wall in front of her.

            Finally, Seven climbed out from her plane, slowly approaching Avery from behind until she was sitting down next to her. “I’m sorry for your loss- truly,” she said softly.

            Avery didn’t respond for what felt like ages. Her eventual response was barely audible- a softly spoken, “I should’ve been better.”

            “When I first got transferred into Crimson Squadron, I felt like I was one of the greatest pilots in the world- hell, I might’ve been,” Sev continued. “Then, this whole thing happened, and I saw people dying all around me.” She lowered her head, staring down at the floor. “Truth to be told, it was really messing with me- getting under my skin. The thoughts about how I was supposed to be better than this- that these people weren’t supposed to be dying- kept me up at night for hours on end. It didn’t click for me until the same thing you just went through happened to me.”

            Avery looked up at her. “What happened?” she asked hesitantly.

            Sev took in a deep breath through her nose, holding it in for a moment before forcing it back out through her mouth. “It was a few years ago, before all this shit ever started. We were sent out of country to intercept a large aerial convoy of Mercs crossing the Pacific- only, we weren’t alone. My old squadron that I flew in before I became a Peacekeeper was alongside us. It was the first time I’d flown in combat with them since getting transferred. They…” she trailed off, and Avery barely noticed her quickly wipe a single tear away from her eye. “They didn’t make it- any of them. I tried to cover their retreat as best I could, but there were just so many of those damned Mercs, and I just… couldn’t.”

            Avery nodded along silently. She was barely handling losing one of her old wingmen. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to lose all of them on a single sortie. Even now, Seven seemed more composed than Avery could bear to be even reliving such an ordeal.

            “It wasn’t until we got back from the mission that One pulled me aside and told me… It’s not about how good you are- never has been, never will be- because the people that are truly good are always the first casualties in war. And those who remain? We’re the ones who have to forge on, carrying with us the hope that we’ll ever live up to the legacies of those we lost.”

            In spite of the grief weighing down on her, Avery managed to crack a small smirk. “Are we talking about the same Crimson 1?”

            Seven flashed a brief smile. “May not seem like it now, but the guy used to be one helluva leader. Calm, collected, able to act on a moment’s notice, and always making sure he had everyone’s back. Then I look at the state he’s in now- borderline losing his mind over one Merc pilot, and I just… don’t know- makes me feel a little sad, even. It’s like ever since he saw the Crown, something… changed in him and made him a completely different person.” Her voice trailed off, as she continued staring off into space. Eventually, she pulled herself back into the moment and looked over at Avery. “Anyway, that’s beside the point. Your friend didn’t die because you weren’t good enough, or you failed him somehow. He died because of the Mercenaries and their bloodlust. Never forget that.”

            Avery nodded solemnly. “Trust me. I don’t intend to.”

            “Y’know, in a way, I envy you a bit. At least you got to kill the bastard that did it,” Seven said, standing up off the floor and offering Avery a hand to pull her up. “Must’ve felt satisfying.”

            Avery took Seven’s hand, hoisting herself back up to her feet. “It did. I just hope that this is all over soon- that all this death and destruction finally ends before the rebels and their Mercs break Cascadia beyond repair.” Her mind went back to Magadan, to the sight of that frozen land when she first arrived, and the sight of it still burning as the rebels were driven off its shores. This all had to stop. Soon.

            Seven nodded. “Just hang in there, Six. We’re gonna make it through this- the right way,” she assured Avery as she walked away, leaving her alone in the hangar.

            To put it simply, Avery’s mind was a mess. So many different conflicting thoughts, emotions, and desires were all clashing with one another nonstop, and it just made her more tired than words could do justice. She just needed to get some sleep, she decided. After the chaos of everything that had happened today, a nice, long rest would probably do her some good.

            The cold air felt good on her face and in her lungs as she walked across the tarmac. After spending so long above that forest fire, she was almost worried that she’d never get the taste of smoke out of her respiratory system. It felt nice to be wrong. It also felt nice to just take in this cool summer night. The summer solstice had already come and gone, meaning they were now in the tail end of her favorite season. Before long, the temperature would drop further, and the leaves would change colors. Autumn would make way for winter, where they might even get some snow this year, but above all, she hoped above all that the war would be over by then.

            Once she was in the barracks, Avery made her way through the halls effortlessly. It was quiet- as was to be expected at this hour. She only passed a handful of people on her trek across the building. A few of them acknowledged her as she passed, some merely stared, but none spoke so much as a word to her. As she approached the room, she stopped with her hand on the handle, listening intently as she swore she could hear something faint on the other side. She pressed her ear up against the door. It almost sounded like… crying. Sighing to herself, she took a deep breath and stepped inside. ASH was sitting on the edge of her bed, face buried in her hands. She didn’t even seem to notice Avery walking in.

            She moved slowly, trying her best not to startle ASH as she sat down next to her. “I’m sorry… about him- Alex,” she finally said.

            ASH leaned her head against Avery’s shoulder, wiping a tear away from her eye. “Avery, I’m just… so scared,” she said softly. “First Carrie, then Jackson, now Alex; we keep losing people, and I just can’t take it. I miss them all so much.”

            Avery nodded, wrapping her arm around ASH’s shoulder and pulling her in close. “Me too,” she agreed. “Watching us get whittled down, bit by bit, the longer this war goes on… it just makes me feel powerless, watching all my friends die while I can’t do anything stop it.”

            “I keep telling myself that it’s gonna be okay because I still have you and Shepherd, but then there’s a tiny part of me that just keeps saying that it’s only a matter of time until I lose both of you, too,” ASH murmured softly, taking Avery’s hand to feel some semblance of security.

            Avery rubbed her thumb gently across the back of ASH’s hand. “I made a promise to you already, Amber. I’m not going anywhere, and neither is Shep. I know that you’re perfectly capable of handling yourself, but I swear to the Dust Mother that I will do everything I can to protect you. After Alex, I just can’t take it anymore. I can’t let anyone else die- not so long as I can help it.” Though she meant those words with all her heart and soul, she wasn’t sure it was a promise that she could actually keep.

            ASH sighed. “I… feel the same way, you know,” she finally said. “I’m trying to make my peace with the fact that you’re always going to be out there making a difference when its most important- even when I may not be there with you. But, watching go out risking your life, time and time again, it’s more than I can bear sometimes. I just want you to be careful. You and the Mitchell are all I have left.”

            Their eyes met, and Avery saw, in ASH’s eyes, a mirror of her own fears and doubts. There was a deep understanding between them that went beyond words, yet she spoke all the same. “I love you, Amber- as much as any one person can possibly love another.”

            Avery had so much she still wanted to say, but no words to say it with. Luckily, though, Amber got the message. She wrapped her arms around Avery’s neck, pulling her in as close as possible. As their lips met, Avery’s hands came up to softly caress Amber’s cheeks. They could feel their worries and anxieties melting away with each passing moment. Both of them could’ve stayed that way all night long, if they wanted. Unfortunately, though, it wasn’t meant to be.

            By the time either of them could even process that the door to their room was opening, it was already too late, and Shepherd walked in only to freeze in his tracks. Avery and Amber knew better than to try and make any attempts to cover for themselves. He was too smart for that, and he’d seen enough.

            He let out a low hum, still not having moved a muscle since he walked in. “I see…” he said with a cadence that was impossible for Avery to read.

            ASH looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Sir-“

            The Major raised his hand to cut her off. “Don’t. We all know it won’t do any good.” He exhaled sharply. “Besides, I’ve had a feeling that this was the case for a while now.”

            “What? Since when?” Avery asked in disbelief.

            “The night the rebels attacked the base, not long after Solana was destroyed,” he answered. “I had suspicions before then, but that’s when I knew.”

            Avery and ASH exchanged a sheepish glance with one another. He had them figured out before they had themselves figured out. Well, there was the night after they retook Presidia, but at the time, both of them agreed that it didn’t count. Regardless, it didn’t matter now. The cat was out of the bag, and their careers were now in Shepherd’s hands.

            “So… what now?” Avery hesitantly asked after an awkward pause.

            Shepherd’s tired face betrayed no emotion. “What? You’re wondering if I’ll tell anyone? Wouldn’t matter if I did. Grayson’s not stupid enough to throw away pilots he still needs. Besides, I already know by now that Crimson Squadron never faces the consequences of their actions.”

            “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Avery snapped, rising to her feet.

            Shepherd shook his head. “Nothing, I-“

            “No, you don’t get to do that!” she cut him off. “You don’t get to just say some backhanded, cryptic shit and then not explain it.”

            The Major sighed. “Fine. Originally, I came in here to talk to ASH, but maybe it’s a good thing you’re here. Maybe I still have a chance to save you.”

            “Save me?” Avery echoed annoyedly. “Save me from what?”

            “From yourself, Avery. Ever since you came back from Magadan, I can’t help but see hints of you slipping more and more. I should’ve warned you against joining Crimson Squadron when I had the chance, because I know they would just enable it.”

            Avery scoffed. “Oh, please, you wanna save me from myself? You have no idea what I’m going through- what I’ve seen and felt. I can’t help but be what everything around me has made me into.”

            “Avery, just listen to me, please,” Shepherd pleaded. “I know you’ve suffered; you’ve lost people, you’ve been tested in ways you should never have had to go through, and you’ve seen terrible things. I get it. Everything you’re going through right now? I’ve already seen it 15 years ago. I almost let it consume me. I don’t want it to consume you, too. We can win this war. We can defeat the rebels and drive the Mercenaries out of your country, but you don’t have to let their ruthlessness define this war.”

            Avery couldn’t believe this. He had the gall to try and preach to her about not being as bad as the Mercs? “Unbelievable,” she remarked, throwing her hands up in the air. “Unbelievable. You’ve got some nerve, y’know that? But I’ll tell you what, if you wanna go about fighting this war the “right way” otherwise known as losing, then you be my guest. After all, look what you have to show for that so far: half a squadron dead in six months, and you don’t even seem to give a damn!”

            She froze, feeling her heart pounding against her chest hard and fast. She knew as the words were coming out, that it was too far. It was a line she shouldn’t have crossed, and yet she did it anyway. Silence filled the room, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on their wall.

            Finally, Shepherd took a deep breath in through his nose, then out again. “Goodnight,” was all he said before walking out, vanishing into the halls of the barracks.

            Avery couldn’t even bother to turn around- to even look and ASH’s direction. She didn’t want to know what she thought.

            “Avery-“ ASH began.

            “I’ll be back in a bit- need to clear my head,” Avery decided, stepping outside and shutting the door behind her.

Chapter Text

            Something was wrong. General Caine was never this late. In fact, if any of the pilots of Crimson Squadron were ever this late, he’d take them off the sortie roster for the day. Anxious murmuring swept through the group of pilots. A few checked their watches to make sure they weren’t early only to reaffirm that they were, in fact, correct. A few of the Peacekeepers were even considering going out to look for the General but stopped when a familiar voice rang out from outside the room.

            “Good afternoon Crimson Squadron.” It was Commander Grayson. “I apologize for keeping you waiting, but as you can imagine, I have a lot on my plate at the moment,” he explained.

            “Where’s General Caine?” One asked.

            “Well, that leads me to the first bit of business. The CIF is advancing on Prospero. We knew they’d be doing it sooner rather than later, but they’re causing us to speed up our timetable a bit,” Grayson explained. “Fortunately, we have a plan that, if executed correctly, could deal a lethal blow to the rebels, and ideally kill the Crown for good. That’s why General Caine is on his way to Prospero to assume command of the garrisons there.”

            Now he’d piqued Avery’s interest. She’d spent so long feeling as if they were running all over the country just to catch up with the rebels, but if they this was as big of an opportunity as Grayson was making out to be, then this could turn the whole war around. “What’s on us to do, sir?” she asked eagerly.

            Grayson pulled up the briefing software. “First and foremost. Crimson 1, Crimson 2, Crimson 5, and Crimson 7, you’re all going to be headed for this valley.” He paused, highlighting the area on the map. “The rebels have been using this as a corridor for all of their air power to reach Prospero, and if left unchecked, they’ll overwhelm our forces in the city. As such, you’re going to eliminate as many aircraft as you can before they arrive. Make vitally sure that nobody else gets in or out.”

            Crimson 1 exhaled sharply. “We’d be of better use fighter over the city itself,” he protested.

            “I’m sure you would be,” Grayson agreed. “But rest assured, everything is going exactly as planned for the first time in a long time.” He returned his attention to the briefing screen. “Next, Crimson 3, Crimson 4, and Crimson 8, you’re each being deployed to the following areas to cover retreating forces there. Make sure that as many of them make it back here as possible. We’ll need everyone we can get our hands on for what’s about to come. Now, all of you are free to go about your assignments. I’d like a word with Crimson 6 in private.”

            Avery remained seated, watching as the other Peacekeepers began filing out of the room. After briefly exchanging a look with Seven, she returned her gaze to the Commander of all Federation forces in Cascadia. “Sending them all away for little old me?” she asked sarcastically.

            “Captain Finch, you may not have been here long, compared to the other Peacekeepers, but I think you’ve proven yourself to be an invaluable pilot on many, many occasions,” Grayson began. “Perhaps I’m biased because I’ve worked more closely with you than I have with them, but I know you well enough by now that I know that you will be the perfect candidate for this assignment.”

            “More perfect than Crimson 1?” Avery asked in disbelief. “Respectfully, sir, I’m flattered, but even I know that I’m not that good.”

            “Crimson 1’s assignment is vital to the plan we’ve drawn up. As such, I wanted to make absolutely sure that it not be compromised. That’s why I sent him along with half your squadron,” he explained. “There is, however, another aspect to the plan that is also critical to its success, and you’re the literal ace up my proverbial sleeve.” He zoomed in on a segment of the coast further north. “As you’re already aware, we’ve committed a great deal of manpower, including several sorties from your squadron, toward a counterattack, farther away from the main rebel line. Today, that counterattack reaches its primary target: Trinity Bay. The city was taken by a sizable detachment of Mercenary forces not long after the destruction of the Solana Comm Facility, and since then, it’s become something of a haven for them. Currently, it’s the second largest concentration of Mercenary forces in the entire country- second only to Rowsdower up north, which is well beyond our strike range.”

            “How many are we talking about, exactly?” Avery asked.

            “FIIA is unable to get an exact number, but they estimate that roughly 40% of all Mercenary forces contracted to the Cascadian Independence Force operate out of the city and its adjoining air base,” Grayson answered. “Our ground forces will take the city without much issue, that much I’m already sure of. However, the sheer number of Mercenary fighters stationed there will pose an extreme threat to them. Your mission is to join the assault on Trinity Bay and eliminate as much of their air power as possible. When the time comes, we’ll hit the city with a barrage of cruise missiles, to utterly eliminate them. The Mercenaries have gone on for far too long thinking they’re giving the rebels an actual shot at victory against the Federation. With any luck, such a devastating strike both at Trinity Bay and in Prospero will not only demolish a vast majority of Mercenaries in the country but also demoralize the rest by reminding them that they don’t have a chance against us. Do you understand?”

             She did. She understood perfectly. This was exactly the opportunity that Avery had been waiting for. As the war dragged on, she’d seen more and more of the Mercs entrenching themselves in Cascadia, and everyone knew that once Mercenaries dug their heels into a place and called it their own, they would never leave- not unless they were forced to, like in Oceania. This was her chance to stop them before they even got that far, and she was eager to make it happen. “Yes, sir. Don’t you worry, this’ll all be over soon.”

            Grayson nodded. “Good. Now, get going. The clock is ticking and every second counts.”

            Avery practically leapt to her feet, offering Grayson a quick salute before she rushed out of the briefing room. Today was the day that the war finally turned around. Ever since the Bering Strait, it had been one defeat after another. Even repelling the Cascadians off Magadan only felt like a momentary reprieve. But if everything went according to plan, crippling the mercenaries, killing the Crown, demoralizing the rebels, then this war could be over within the month, and Padlock truly would be the last one to die. Rushing out toward the hangar, Avery triple checked to make sure she was ready for what was about to become the most important day in the entire war.

            “Major Ackers to all callsigns, prepare to advance on the city on my mark. Their forward defense line has crumbled, and they’re beginning to falter. Push the attack and don’t give them a second to breathe.”

            “Headwind 3-3 reporting in. We’ve broken through on their right flank! Three tanks are on fire- the rest are mobility kills!”

            “Target coordinates are locked in. We’re good for one last round of artillery fire before friendlies are danger close. Ordinance is inbound.”

            “Locksmith 1 to ALCON, we’ve got bandits approaching from inside and outside the AO- looks like we’ve got their attention.

            “North Star copies all. Intercept and engage. Don’t let them get air superiority.”

            This was it. Time to do or die. “This is Crimson 6, getting on station,” Avery reported. “North Star, I’m ready for tasking on your mark.”

            “Copy that, Crimson 6,” North Star replied. “Push bearing triple zero and assist Locksmith 1 and 5 with sanitization of the airspace.”

            “Good to see you, Glade,” ASH chimed in. “We’ve been pounding these assholes for hours, but it feels like we’ve barely made a dent. We just came back from refueling and rearming, so let’s make the most of it now that you’re here.”

            “Agreed. Friendly fire support will be here soon. We just have to clear the airspace for them,” she reported. “For now, let’s show these Mercs who they’re dealing with.”

            Avery flipped on her master arm, surveying the situation on her radar. Shepherd and ASH were tied up with a handful of fighters directly over the city, and another flight was coming in from the northeast, but they were still a ways out. Instead, Avery focused her attention on a flight of four taking off from the air base. Already, she was thanking her past self for loading more MLAAs than usual. She was definitely feeling the weight of the six extra missiles her plane was carrying, but she didn’t expect that to last long. In fact, she still was concerned that she wouldn’t have enough ammo to get her through the fight.

            As she approached the flight of four Mercenary Accipiters taking off vertically from the airfield, they finally noticed her coming and immediately slammed forward. However, one hadn’t gained enough altitude before switching out of VTOL, and without the momentum to recover, crashed back down against the tarmac. Avery couldn’t help but smirk at the sight. If the rest of these dogs were going to go down even half as easy as that, then it was going to be an easy fight. She set her sights on the rear plane and lined them up. A single burst from her gun was all it took to send them back to the ground in a ball of fire. The remaining two took evasive action, splitting off in opposite directions, but she wasn’t worried. She fired off an STDM at one- already sure that it would hit its target- as she turned to chase after the other. The Mercenary Accipiter preemptively deployed flares, keeping her missiles from locking onto the target enough to get a shot off. She let out an annoyed huff and lit her burners to close the gap. Once she was close enough, her radar lock corrected her gunsights for her. All she had to do was line up the shot and pull the trigger.

            “Jesus, these damn Mercs just won’t stop coming. How many of them are there?” a soldier on the ground asked in disbelief.

            “We should be calling ‘em roaches, not dogs,” another agreed. “We just gotta smoke the bastards out. Keep fighting.”

            “Bandit splashed!” ASH reported. “That’s my eighth kill today.”

            “C’mon, ASH, that’s rookie numbers,” Shepherd replied lightly. “I’m up to ten.”

            “Well, I just got here, and I’m already at four, so I’d watch yourselves if I were you,” Avery chimed in.

            “More like three,” North Star corrected her. “That first Accipiter definitely doesn’t count.”

            “It was a maneuver kill!” she protested. “He wouldn’t’ve gone down if not for me, so I say it counts.”

            “Uh huh. Whatever you say…” the AWACS operator replied sarcastically. “It looks like you’ve got bandits inbound from bearing triple zero, angels 20,” he reported. “It looks like a squadron of bombers with escort fighters.”

            “Damn. Our ground forces won’t be able to survive a bomb run,” Shepherd grumbled, already starting to climb up to a higher altitude to meet the bombers. “ASH, you keep putting pressure on their air power above the city. Glade and I will take care of the bombers.”

            “Wilco. Give ‘em hell, you two,” she replied, diving down onto an MG-21.

            As Avery formed up with Shepherd to meet the bombers, she couldn’t help but watch ASH continue the dogfight on her own. After Padlock, to say she was hesitant to leave either her or Shepherd alone when she had the power to look after them would be an understatement. Still, she knew what needed to be done, and ASH was more than capable of looking after herself. Besides, if things went nearly as well as Grayson believed they would, she likely wouldn’t have to worry about it ever again after today.

            “General Caine to Command, I’ve assumed command of the garrison in Prospero,” Avery’s CO reported. “They put up some resistance, but we made sure to… eliminate their concerns. We’ll be ready shortly.”

            “Understood,” Grayson replied. “Crimson Team, sound off. I want reports on your objectives.”

            “Crimson 3 here. Four, Eight, and I have regrouped after helping friendly forces in designated areas retreat to safety. We just refueled and rearmed at a nearby base, and we’re on route to help the others.

            “We’re engaged with the Mercenary dogs outside Prospero.” Crimson 1 reported. “I still think we could easily keep them from taking the city if you let us.”

            “Negative Crimson 1. We already have confirmation that the Crown is here. They’re almost in the net. We just have to let them think they’re winning for a little bit longer,” Caine told him. “Crimson 6, what’s your status?”

            “Allied forces are moving into the city now. I’m currently helping friendly aircraft engage the Mercenaries overhead to secure air superiority. We’ll have the city taken in no time at all,” Avery said.

            General Caine couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle that the radio barely picked up. “Good. All of you, just remember this: whatever happens today, we do for the good of all Cascadia. By the Dust.”

            “By the Dust,” all the Crimson Squadron pilots replied in unison.

            Avery returned her attention to the squadron of bombers and escort fighters directly ahead of her and Shepherd. Six I/A-52s, each being escorted by an F/C-15. Shepherd moved to target the right side of the formation, leading Avery to take the left. The Mercenary escorts sped forward to meet the two Federation fighters head-on and so began the fight.

            “Keep pushing!” Major Ackers bellowed. “We’ve got these damn Mercs on the run. At this rate we’ll have taken the city in no time!”

            “We’ve taken up a sniper position in one of the skyscrapers. It looks like they’re regrouping near the airport.”

            “Perfect. They’re gathering all their forces in one place just for us. Box them in and tighten the noose.”

            Avery locked up the two F/C-15s closest to her with a pair of MLAAs, firing the second she had a solid tone on them. The two Mercs went defensive, breaking off in opposite directions in the hopes of notching the missiles headed their way. Only one was successful. As soon as the MLAA lost its track on the other, the F/C-15 circled back around, closing the distance between them and Avery as quickly as possible. She put the nose on them, ready to gun them down as soon as they were in range. Instead, the F/C-15 launched an STDM right for her. Her hands moved on their own by now, acting on instinct whenever they heard the RWR go off. She cut back on the throttle, going defensive while dropping flares. The F/C-15 tried chasing after her, but in doing so left her the perfect opening. Yanking back on the stick with all her strength, Avery curled sharply through the air, thanks to her AOA limiter. By the time the Mercenary F/C-15 was in range to fire another shot, she already had her nose on them, letting out a small burst from her gun to take them down.

            “AWACS North Star to ALCON. I’m reading multiple bandits taking off from the airport. Be ready for reinforcements.”

            “They can’t possibly have anyone left to throw at us after this,” ASH mused. “This has to be their final stand.”

            “We’ll be there to help you out in just a minute, ASH. We’re mopping up the last of the bombers in just a minute,” Avery assured her as she gunned down one of the I/A-52s. “Just a little longer until the cruise missiles arrive.”

            Shepherd let out a pensive sigh. “More mass destruction. If only it didn’t have to come to this,” he spoke softly, in spite of being locked in a dogfight with the two remaining F/C-15s.

            “Blame the rebels,” Avery replied, firing off an MLAA at another bomber. “If they didn’t set Magadan ablaze, maybe things would’ve been different.”

            Shepherd didn’t reply. He just exhaled sharply.

            Avery watched as he gunned down one of the F/C-15s, leaving just one escort remaining, and since that escort was also tied up with her former flight lead, she was free to dispatch the rest of the bombers without any interruptions. Slowly but surely, she began working her way down the line of Mercenary bombers, gunning them down one by one. By the time she reached the last one to finish it off, Shepherd had already killed the last escort. Now, the only hostile aircraft left in the AO were the ones directly over the city. The ones that- despite only having to contend with one F/C-16- still could not shoot her down.

            “All bombers confirmed destroyed,” North Star reported. “Good work, you two. Now help ASH take out the bandits over the city and establish air superiority.”

            “Copy that. We’re on our way,” Avery reported, already moving toward the furball with Shepherd hot on her heels.

            “Ah shit! Ambush!” Major Ackers cursed. “No wonder the damn dogs were making things so easy for us. All ground elements, pull back and regroup. We need to reassess if we wanna take these bastards down.”

            “Just withdraw from the city, Longsword Actual,” North Star told her. “It’ll make things easier when allied fire support arrives.”

            “Alright, everyone, you heard the man. Let’s get moving!”

            As Avery and Shepherd regrouped with ASH, they made an assessment of the situation. Only eight bandits remained- all flying various airframes- with ASH in the center of them all, keeping the Mercs at bay. Avery checked her remaining weapons, and smirked. These Mercenaries were putting up far less of a fight than she thought they would. She hadn’t even used up all the extra missiles she brought. She locked up four targets simultaneously, waiting for them to be close enough that the radar guidance would guarantee a hit on all of them. Fortunately for her, all of them were too preoccupied with ASH to notice. A few moments after four missiles shot out from underneath the wings of her plane, the number of remaining bandits had been cut in half. And after ASH and Shepherd each shot one down, the remaining two began moving frantically, clearly trying to break off and get away, but it had become too late for that- several months too late. With Shepherd on one, and Avery and ASH on the other, the final two Mercenary fighters didn’t stand a chance.

            “Locksmith 1 to AWACS North Star. All enemy aircraft in and around Trinity Bay have been neutralized.” Shepherd sounded off. “Do you have any more surprises on the long-range for us?”

            “Negative, Locksmith 1. Standby and maintain air superiority until new orders come through.”

            This was it. Things were finally going their way. Avery circled around the city in formation with Shepherd and ASH, watching everything from above. Ever since the Bering Strait, it had just been one setback after another. Now, it seemed Grayson and Caine’s plan was proceeding flawlessly. She was just about to contact them to report her status when-

            “They’re in the net, Command. Send it. Authenticate: Solutions, 0-8-1-6.”

            “Authenticate: Blaze. Readback.

            “Blaze. May God have mercy.”

            The circle closes. The end begins.

            The event horizon has been crossed, the die has been cast, and now, there’s no turning back. Everything that is about to happen cannot be changed. Everything that is and everything that has ever been, leads to this moment. Nobody still living has the power to stop it anymore. This story has already been told- its deeds, already done, and its ending set in stone long before its inception. Never before in this world were a group of people’s fates pre-determined as thoroughly as these. Try as they might, the Power to stop all of this was gone long before any of them had been born. Now, they were merely a conduit to move History ever closer to its inevitable end.

            “AWACS North Star to ALCON, I repeat, AWACS North Star to ALCON: be advised, allied cruise missiles are entering the AO. All ground forces are advised to take cover until the bombardment is over before moving into the city to sweep for any remaining Mercenary forces.”

            “Here we go,” Avery murmured.

            “Hope you boys are ready for one helluva fireworks display,” Major Ackers told her men. “Those Mercs won’t know what hit ‘em.”

            There was an uneasy silence that fell over the battlefield. Without any meaningful anti-air on the ground or fighters in the air, these cruise missiles were guaranteed to hit their target- everyone knew that. All they could do was wait with bated breath for them to arrive.

            Then, the silence was broken. “Hey… is anyone else getting a spike on thermal readings?” ASH asked.

            “Yeah, I see it too,” North Star replied. “Huh, this is… weird. Wait one, I’m gonna ping the nearby monitoring stations to see if geothermal activity is kicking up.”

            “My readings are still climbing. I’ve never seen them go this high,” one of the soldiers on the ground murmured.

            “All three monitoring stations in the area are reporting no signs of increased geothermal activity. What the hell’s goin’ on?” the AWACS asked.

            “I think I see the cruise missiles in the distance. They’re comin’ in hot.”

            Finally, someone put the pieces together. It was Shepherd. “No… They- they wouldn’t. They couldn’t. Not after last time,” he said in disbelief, horror creeping into his voice.

            “What are you talking about, Shep?” ASH asked.

            “This is Locksmith 1 to ALCON. I repeat, this is Locksmith 1 to ALCON, ALCON, ALCON, all fighters and anti-air batteries, we need to take out as many of those cruise missiles as we can! North Star, switch their IFF to hostile while there’s still time!”

            “What?” ASH replied.

            Avery didn’t let him answer. “Shepherd, what you’re suggesting is more than just crazy. It’s treason.”

            “Dammit, Glade, just listen to me!” the Major snapped. “Those are no ordinary cruise missiles. If we let them hit, there’s no going back- for anyone. There will be more innocent blood on our hands than you could possibly fathom!”

            “That blood is on the rebels’ hands,” she retorted. “You haven’t seen what I’ve seen Shepherd. You weren’t forced to watch as they set Magadan ablaze, plunging the people living there into freezing darkness. I’ve seen what will happen if we let the rebels and their Mercenaries win. If we don’t show them absolute terror- if we don’t demolish and demoralize them on a scale that only the Federation could- we will lose this war, and I refuse to let that happen.” She couldn’t believe she was hearing these things from her own flight lead. After everything they’d seen and everyone they’d lost, he still didn’t get it, but Avery had come too far and sacrificed too much to stop now. “I’m going to give you one chance, Mitchell; drop this here and now. We can forget it ever happened, and we can finally end this war. Don’t make me do this.”

            The man that had once been known as Locksmith 1 let out a heavy sigh. “You know I can’t do that Avery. I won’t stop. I didn’t have the Power to stop the senseless death and destruction then. I do now, and I will not let anyone stand in my way- not even you.”

            ‘You damn stubborn bastard,’ Avery cursed silently. There was nothing she could do about it, though. He’d made his choice, and now he had to live with the consequences. “Fine. North Star, Shepherd is deserting. Change his IFF to hostile.”

            “…Understood.”

            As soon Shepherd’s marker on her HUD changed from blue to green, she issued a new order. “All callsigns in and around Trinity Bay, this is Crimson 6. Your new orders are to kill the deserting aircraft. Defend those cruise missiles with your life.”

            “C’mon, ASH. She stacked the deck against us, but we can still do this!” Shepherd urged, already turning to intercept the glowing lights headed their way. “We can’t let a single cruise missile hit the city!”

            “ASH, don’t you dare! That’s an order!” Avery snapped.

            “ASH, please! We can still make this right- we can do it together,” he pleaded, pouring out his entire heart for all to see. “I know you know it’s the right thing to do. Don’t make me do it alone, please.”

            A heavy silence set in between the three of them. Shepherd was going at full burners to intercept the cruise missiles, and Avery was chasing after him, waiting until she was within range to fire. Between them, though, was ASH, and she didn’t speak a word. The other two remaining pilots of Locksmith Squadron could do nothing but wait with bated breath, hoping that she would take their side against the other.

            Finally, she let out a heavy sigh over the radio. “I- I’m sorry,” she said, clearly on the verge of tears. “I didn’t want it to come to this. I wish it hadn’t, but…” her shaky voice trailed off.

            “Avery’s right, sir. We’ve lost too much- too many people. We have to end this. No matter what it takes.”

            “Dammit, ASH! Damn you both, then!” Shepherd cursed. “I won’t let you stop me! I can’t!”

            Ten cruise missiles appeared on their radars, headed straight for Trinity Bay. Each one glowed in front of them like a beacon cutting through the hazy sky. At this rate, Shepherd was going to reach them first, and by the time the Avery caught up to him, he’d already have downed too many. But then, he suddenly made a sharp turn to the right. ASH had fired a missile at him, and in forcing him to engage defensive, she was giving Avery the opportunity she needed to close the gap between them.

            “I should have said something about you two as soon as I put the pieces together. I see that clear as day, now. Maybe if I did, I could’ve stopped this. Maybe this could’ve been avoided had I just said something, but it’s too late for that, now. You deserve each other,” Shepherd said as he circled back around to face the two pilots.

            “Did you even care about any of them? Babble? Cutter? Padlock? Did their deaths mean nothing to you?” Avery demanded, just barely out of range.

            “Of course they did, but setting this world- your own home- on fire, isn’t going to bring them back.” He replied as he fired his last STDM at ASH.

            “Don’t try to pull that cliché bullshit,” ASH replied as she took evasive maneuvers. “This isn’t about bringing them back. It’s about justice.”

            “Justice?!” Shepherd echoed in disbelief. “Look around, ASH. This isn’t justice, it’s a massacre. How many innocents have to die before you get what you’re after?”

            “Less than the rebels and their Mercs would kill if we let them fight their war to the very end,” Avery countered. “You have no right telling me what’s good for me and my country!”

            Shepherd didn’t reply. He was too focused on the cruise missile that had just flew past him and ASH as they were dogfighting. He sped after it, hoping with all his heart and soul that he could still catch it, but in doing so, he ran directly into Avery’s firing range. She launched two MLAAs at him the second they had a lock. He tried for as long as he could to ignore them to continue chasing after the cruise missile, but at the last minute he broke away, dumping chaff and notching the two missiles and sending them careening off into the sky. He turned back around to meet Avery head-on, but before either of them could get a shot off on each other, their attention was drawn back to the city. An orange hue filled their vision as a massive explosion erupted like none that any of them had ever seen before. The first cruise missile hit its mark.

            “Look, now, you two! Don’t you dare look away!” Shepherd demanded. “This is your doing! You wanted this! Is this all you wanted? Is this the “justice” you’ve been chasing after?”

            “Think of how many Mercenaries we just killed in a single blast. Think of all the harm they could’ve done to the world- all the people they could’ve killed- that they’ll no longer be able to. All of them returned to the Dust to be given a new purpose. This is a more pure justice than I could have imagined,” Avery replied, her eyes fixated on the explosion.

            Despite being locked in a dogfight with both of the last pilots in his squadron, a moment of clarity suddenly hit him. “I get it now. I can’t believe I couldn’t see it sooner. You’ve gone insane! All the terrible things you’ve seen in such a short time… You had no idea how to cope with it all, and you lost your goddamned mind!”

            “You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?” Avery replied. “It’d be so much easier for you to brush me off as just a crazy person to avoid having to look in the mirror- to think- even once- that maybe you’re wrong. Maybe I am where I am now for a reason, but no, I’m insane. There’s no need for you to do any self-reflection because I’m just someone who lost my mind. But the truth of the matter is that my head has never been clearer in my whole life, Shepherd. I know what my purpose is, and I know that you’re not going to stop me!”

            Another cruise missile hit its mark- followed almost immediately afterwards by another. A loud boom shook the air, and the sky began to darken. Avery could see in his movements that Shepherd was starting to get desperate. He practically blind-fired an MLAA at the next closest missile, but unable to find a lock, it sped off into the distance, not making a single turn, and the fourth cruise missile directly hit the runway at the airport.

            “H- hey, do you guys feel that?” one of the Federation soldiers asked.

            “What’s with all the shaking? I thought we were far enough away!”

            “Look! The roads are cracking up!”

            “What do we do?!”

            “It’s too late to back out now. Longsword Actual to all units, move in! Don’t let these spineless Mercenaries get away! Give them no quarter! Kill them all!”

            Another pair of cruise missiles sped past the three pilots. Still, none of them had an advantage over the other. Shepherd tried getting a shot off on either of the cruise missiles before they left his range, but ASH fired a missile at him, forcing him to break away and evade. Avery took advantage of the moment by getting as close to him as possible and letting loose her last STDM. In spite of the rising thermal readings all around them, the heatseeker was still locked onto its target like a bloodhound. It came within just a few feet from blowing its proximity fuse on Shepherd but ultimately lost its lock when he dumped enough flares to distract it.

            “Just give up already, Shepherd,” ASH said. “You can’t stop us.”

            “There is nothing you could ever do or say to get me to stop- not anymore,” he replied. “You have no idea what I’ve lost- what I’ve sacrificed. I can’t let it all be for nothing.”

            “Neither can I,” Avery said as she fired an MLAA at him.

            Shepherd evaded the missile with ease, but in doing so, he saw the final four cruise missiles move past them and toward the city. With Avery and ASH closing in on him, he’d have to act fast, and he would only have once chance. Avery got a radar lock on him and closed the distance, ensuring that her next missile wouldn’t miss. ASH climbed to a higher altitude, ready to dive on him if he tried to evade. Instead, he was moving toward the city at full speed. All three of his remaining MLAAs were locked onto a target. He fired without hesitation and centered his nose on the last one, letting out a hail of gunfire. Avery fired another MLAA at him just as he gunned down one of the four missiles. His three MLAAs were still chasing after their targets as they got closer and closer to the city. He dumped as much chaff as he possibly could, settling into the notch. MLAAs closed in on their targets, coming just inches away from hitting the mark. When suddenly, everyone’s vision went white.

            Explosions ripped through the air. Fire shot up from under the ground. It looked like Hell on Earth. As the white faded from Avery’s eyes, she frowned at what she saw. Her HUD was glitching frantically, but even though most of it was barely legible, she still saw in the center of it all that her missile had missed its target, but that wasn’t what concerned her the most. Shepherd was gone.

            “ASH? ASH, are you still up?” she asked worriedly.

            It would’ve been silent if Avery didn’t feel her own heart pounding against her chest. “Yeah. I’m here,” she finally said.

            “Hel-o? He-o? Thi- is AWAC- orth St-r. Is any- th-re? Dam- -is int-fer-ce”

            “North Star, can you hear me? This is Crimson 6,” Avery reported. “ASH and I are both here.” She paused, looking around across Trinity Bay- or what was left of it, anyway. “Looks like we’re the only ones, though.”

            “Gla- tha-k -od,” she barely heard North Star say. “It’s g-od t- -ear yo-r -oice- kin- of, a- le-st.”

            Avery looked down at her radar and frowned upon realizing that it was completely blank. Even ASH, who was right next to her, wasn’t there. “North Star, do you have a bead on Shepherd? I’ve lost visual.”

            “Neg-ive, I -an’t se- sh-t. Jus- fo-et ab-t -im. I’m -ending -ou co-rdin-es to l-nk up w-th me. W-‘ll ne-d t- wor- tog-her to g-t h-me.”

            Avery frowned, her eyes fixated on the last place she saw Shepherd. This wasn’t over- that much she was sure of. She wasn’t going to let him go easily, but for now, North Star was right. They needed to get home.

            “Copy that. Crimson 6 and Locksmith 5 are en route.”

            “There’s no going back now,” ASH murmured. “Not for us, not for him, not for Cascadia, not for the rebels, and definitely not the Mercenaries. Nothing is going to be the same.”

In the days of the Long Cold, when the Cabal first took hold of this new World on Fire, a new Signature was birthed from flames; the bigger the pyre, the more Power they held. And yet, even the Maester’s Signature- a pilot who bore the blood of millions on their hands and felled entire countries in weeks- had a pyre that was only a few dozen feet in size. Now, the entire Ring of Fire has been set ablaze for something entirely new- something horrifying that this world had never seen before. This wasn’t just a massacre; it was a Coronation.

Chapter Text

            It took Avery and ASH about a half hour, flying easy by southeast, to meet up with North Star. Once the three of them were together, they began heading south toward Presidia. Despite having left Trinity Bay behind long ago by that point, the landscape looked the exact same with no signs of changing. Geothermal storms stretched out as far as the eye could see while fire erupted from the ground. For this to be so widespread… something must have gone wrong- very wrong.

            “Hey, North Star…” ASH piped up, breaking the silence that hung heavy over the air. “Have you gotten any word from anyone else?” she asked hesitantly, fearing the answer she knew she was about to get.

            “Negative. Not a one,” he replied. “But then again, with all this thermal interference in the air, I can’t be sure of anything. GPS and comms are still on the fritz, and I doubt that’s gonna change anytime soon.”

            “What about the rest of Crimson Team? Do we know what their status is?” Avery asked.

            “Last I saw before I lost them on radar, they seemed to be heading back to Presidia, same as us. It’s been a while since then, though, and I still haven’t managed to make contact with them,” North Star replied.

            “Let’s just hope the Cascadians are struggling in all this as much as we are,” ASH murmured.

            Avery looked down at her fuel gauge. Already, her tanks were down to just a third full. ASH and North Star weren’t faring much better, which is why they had agreed to make a stop at the small air strip that ASH and Shepherd had gone to for fuel and ammo during the operation. However, none of them expected the intense geothermal activity to be this widespread. All they could do was hope.

            Lightning ripped through the sky, sending booming thunder echoing through rolling hills beneath the three planes. This weather wasn’t doing them any favors, even ignoring the havoc it was wreaking on all of their sensors. Of course, none of them dared to even mention the cause of all this- the events that had transpired not long ago. None of them were in the right headspace to talk about it- not yet.

            “We should be coming up on the base in just a minute,” ASH announced. “North Star, have you managed to make contact with them yet?”

            “Negative. I’ve been trying for the last five minutes, but I can’t even tell if they’re receiving me or not,” the AWACS operator huffed annoyedly.

            As they came over a hill beneath them, Avery felt her stomach drop at the sight before them. “Yeah, I think I see why.”

            The small airstrip was never much to look at, even before all this. Now, though, there was barely anything left to look at. The heat, flames, and destruction that continued on as far as the eye could see did so without any remorse or hesitation, and the airstrip was no exception. The few facilities that it did have were no longer recognizable as such, and the single runway was all but destroyed.

            ASH let out a heavy sigh. “I guess a moment to refuel and recover was too much to ask for.”

            “Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks. I’m gonna try hailing them again now that they’re directly below us. Just stick close to me for now,” North Star told them. “This is Federation AWACS North Star to Rainer Airstrip. We’re running low on fuel and need to land. If anyone is capable of receiving this communication, please respond.”

            Silence.

            “C’mon, dammit, someone just answer already,” he grumbled.

            Avery and ASH stayed in formation with the FC-8 as they circled around the airstrip. She didn’t bother stating the obvious. They all knew it was true, but after seeing the airstrip from every angle, all of them knew that it was, in fact, just as bad as it looked. They wouldn’t be landing here anytime soon.

            “Oh, c’mon, really?” North Star griped. “Heads on a swivel, you two. Bogies coming in hot- bearing 090, ten klicks closure.” Before Avery and ASH could even fully turn to meet them head-on, he spoke up again. “Wait, no… Shit, these are hostile!”

            “Well, well, well…” a voice Avery didn’t recognize hummed over open comms. “Out of all the Fed bastards we could’ve run into in this mess, what are the chances it’d be you?”

            Avery looked down at her remaining weaponry: only eight MLAAs and a few seconds left on her gun. This was going to be cutting it close, and that was ignoring the fact that they still had no way of getting more fuel.

            “Got an ID on the bandits- tally four Mercenaries,” North Star told the two pilots. “They’re… oh you’ve gotta be kidding me. It’s Compass Squadron!”

            “Really? These jokers again?” ASH asked annoyedly before switching to open comms. “Can’t you assholes just let it rest? I thought we taught you enough of a lesson over the Bering Strait.”

            The four Mercenaries finally appeared on Avery’s still glitching HUD- two SK.37s and two F/S-15s. It was going to be a tough fight, but she was better now than she was at the Strait, and even then, she managed to kill two of them. Neither of them was going anywhere. One way or the other, one of them was going to die.

            “Oh, we burned that bridge a loooong time ago,” one of the Mercs replied. “You thought you could just get away with wiping out our boys? Killing our wingmen? This ain’t business anymore, girlie. No, this is personal”

            “You couldn’t beat us last time. What deluded reality do you have to be living in to think you could even come close to beating us now?” Avery asked as they closed the distance, waiting to cross into firing range.

            “Seems to me like you’ve suffered some losses since then,” the Mercenary sneered. “That Crown sure is something, eh?”

            Avery felt her grip on the control stick tighten. Just for that, she was going to make sure their deaths hurt. Her radar got a solid tone on one of the SK.37s, and she instantly pulled the trigger. ASH did the same, forcing both SK.37s on the defensive. Of course, Avery knew full well that the missiles would miss, but as long as they kept the Flankers on the back foot, they’d be able to focus down the F/S-15s long enough to take them out and make it an even fight.

            Both F/S-15s fired STDMs at the two Federation pilots, forcing them on the defensive. However, Avery wasn’t about to let them get the edge on her. As soon as she popped flares, she was already in a maneuver to push them back on the defensive. Even with her AOA limiter, her V/X-23 protested heavily to the stress she was putting on it. By that point, the STDMs had long since lost their lock, meaning Avery was free to go on the offensive. As soon as she circled back around, she found her nose already centered directly on one of the F/S-15s’ paths. She let a few quick bursts from her gun, carefully watching her ammo count. A few stray shots hit the mark, but not enough to do any meaningful damage.

            “I’ll admit, when I first heard that you lot wiped out the rest of our company, I was a little impressed, but you’re a fool if you ever thought that we’d let this lie. We’re gonna make you pay for all those lives you took.”

            “Are you expecting me to feel sorry for you?” Avery asked in disbelief. “Nobody forced you to come here. You could’ve just never gone near Cascadia, and your pissant friends would still be alive. Instead, you chose to let your greed get in the way.”

            “Oh please, don’t act all high and mighty after what you Feds just did,” the Merc snapped back. “Besides, you talk as if the Federation has never hired Mercs like us before. Think about how many Mercs from Oceania are still alive and kicking. That’s because the only ones the Federation actually cared about killing were the Lords and their Signatures- the ones that threatened their rule. The rest of us, though? We’re assets to them.”

            “Did you know that when this war started, the Crown was on a contract with the Federation?” another Merc asked. “This ain’t just about greed- not to us, and not to them. No, this has always been for so much more.”

            “Big talk for a couple Merc pilots that haven’t done shit this whole war,” ASH snapped back. “All we ever hear about is “the Crown” this, and “the Crown” that. Nobody gives a damn about you. Hell, I barely even remembered you!”

            Avery’s RWR started beeping frantically once more. One of the SK.37s had come back around and was firing an MLAA at her. She scowled, breaking off from the F/S-15 that she was just a few seconds away from having a clear shot on. She dotted the sky with chaff, pulling hard G’s to properly notch the missile and make it lose its lock. Then, she found her opening. The F/S-15 she had originally hit was coming back around for a head-on with her. Her head snapped back to the MLAA headed her way, watching and waiting for it to lose track of her. The moment the missile veered away from her she pulled the trigger, pulling hard with her AOA limiter to evade both planes. The F/S-15 was much too close to evade her missile in time and quickly met its end as a result. Meanwhile, the SK.37, caught off guard by Avery’s maneuvers, didn’t react in time and found itself right in her sights.

             “Heh, not bad,” one of the Mercs chuckled. “Guess I can see how a pilot that’s only been in the Air Force a few months was good enough to be picked as a Crimson Squadron pilot. Ain’t that right, Captain Finch?”

            “How did you-?”

            “You’d be surprised how easy it is to access the Feds’ military personnel records,” the Mercenary cut her off. “Pay the right computer nerd enough, and you can get your hands on just about anything. Gotta say, the stuff on you made for some pretty decent reading- same with you Lieutenant Kurasov.”

            ASH scoffed. “You expect us to be scared of you just because you know our names? Newsflash, asshole: you aren’t threatening enough to make us scared of you,” she said as she fired an MLAA point-blank into one of the F/S-15s, ripping it apart in an instant. “We’re low on fuel and ammo, and you still can’t even touch us!”

            “You couldn’t even beat us when you had us outnumbered two to one,” Avery joined in on mocking the remaining two Mercenaries. “Now you’re screwed no matter what.”

            “I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were you,” the Merc replied just as the SK.37 she was chasing arced sharply into the air with their AOA limiter. She tried to do the same and cut him off, but she didn’t have the speed to do it without stalling, leading to the Merc getting behind her and firing another MLAA at her.

            “What the hell are you guys doing here, anyway?” Avery asked, letting out an annoyed grunt as she went defensive against the missile fired her way. “You just want some easy kills before you ran away from Cascadia with your tails between your legs?”

            “Run away?” the Merc echoed. “Run away? Trust me, we ain’t goin’ anywhere- not now.” As soon as he saw his missile get outmaneuvered by Avery, he closed in with guns, firing short bursts at her. “After what you Feds just did, you basically handed Cascadia to us on a silver platter. Woulda been nice if it wasn’t Kaiser that you handed the keys to, but we can just kill ‘im once we finish with you- Crown or no Crown. Either way, you Feds ain’t ever setting foot in Cascadia again.”

            “We’ll see about that,” Avery growled, looking over her shoulder at the Merc behind her, then back at ASH to see her in a similar position. She sped forward, and as soon as ASH saw her closing in, she did the same. Both of them knew what to do. By now, they were so in sync that they didn’t even need to bother with words. Each of them locked up the plane on the other’s tail and fired MLAAs. ASH’s missile hit dead-on, and even though Avery’s only got close enough to prox fuse, it was still enough to send the Mercenary SK.37 hurtling toward the ground.

            “Damn. Helluva shot,” they chuckled, alarms blaring in the background. “I hope you realize this doesn’t change a thing, though. You’re both doomed, and so is the rest of the Federation. Whatever happens from here on out, just know that you, solely, are responsi-“ the line abruptly cut short.

            “Damn, and here I was wondering if they’d ever shut up,” North Star grumbled. “Good work, you two. Thanks for saving our asses up here.”

            “Well, that certainly didn’t do us any favors with fuel,” ASH replied. “What do you think, North Star, think we can land down there still?”

            He scoffed. “Definitely not. As much as I hate to say it, our best bet is to huff it back to Presidia while we still can and pray that we make it there on fumes.”

            “Well, in that case, we’d better get moving,” Avery said, already turning back in the direction of Presidia. If we’re gonna run the risk of running out of fuel and crashing, I sure as shit don’t want it to be here. Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter Text

            As time went on, Avery started to get worried that they wouldn’t have enough fuel to make it back to Presidia. Already, the warning lights in her cockpit wouldn’t stop flashing at her, incessantly reminding her of how close the needle on the fuel gauge was to reaching zero. This was going to be cutting it close, even by her usual standards.

            A flash of bright orange from the geothermal storms filled her vision, followed shortly after by booming thunder. There were still a lot of unknowns surrounding what was happening, but one thing was for sure: these storms showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. On the bright side, though, as they got closer to Presidia, the devastation on the ground had slowly faded away, so at the very least, Avery could take solace in the fact that the city hadn’t sustained any major damage.

            “I’m running on fumes, here- not gonna be flying for much longer I don’t think,” ASH reported.

            “Same here,” Avery agreed.

            “Hang on. I think I’m getting signal, but it’s weak,” North Star replied. “Gimme a minute, I’m gonna try and cut through all this thermal interference.”

            Gargled static over the radio gradually gave way to a familiar voice. “I repeat, this is Presidia ATC to approaching unidentified aircraft. Identify yourselves at once or we will fire on you.”

            Avery couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh. They made it. “This is Crimson 6. I’m here with Locksmith 5 and AWACS North Star,” she answered. “We’re dangerously low on fuel and need to land ASAP. Do we have clearance?”

            After a brief pause, ATC came back on the line. “Affirmative. You’re cleared to land.”

            “Perfect timing,” ASH chimed in. “My engine just died, so I’m gonna have to glide the rest of the way down.”

            For a moment, Avery worried that she may not have enough speed and altitude to make it all the way down, but as the three planes came over a hill, they finally saw it: Presidia. The geothermal storms that seemed to be taking hold of the entire landscape were just as prevalent here as they were everywhere else, but at the very least, the city had been spared from the effects on the ground.

            One by one, the three planes each made their own nerve-wracking landing. First it was ASH, then Avery, and North Star brought up the rear. As soon as they taxied off the runway and onto the tarmac, the first thing Avery noticed was a host of planes that weren’t there when she left. Her gut reaction was that they were squadrons from other bases, looking for shelter where they could, but after taking a closer look at the planes, she spotted familiar markings and liveries. These were Peacekeepers- from several different squadrons.

            As she made her way toward Crimson Squadron’s hangar, she made note of a large gathering of pilots by the planes- which she could only assume to be the Peacekeepers they belonged to. First however, her attention was drawn to the other seven Crimson Squadron pilots all huddled together in the middle of the hangar. As she got her V/X-23 to its spot, however, she realized that it was not a friendly discussion.

            The first thing she heard after spooling her engine down was Five yelling, “What the hell was all this even for, then?!”

            “How could you possibly be asking that after everything we’ve seen?!” Seven replied as Avery climbed out from her plane. “Appodock, the Beiring Strait, Magadan?! The rebels took this too far, and they needed to be put back in line.”

            “You think I don’t know that?! I’m not stupid. Obviously, the rebels need to be taught a lesson, and the Mercs need to be kicked out, but there are better ways to do that than setting the whole goddamn country ON FIRE!”

            “Are there?” Crimson 1 asked. “What other choice did we have? Even at our strongest, we- the best pilots in the Federation- couldn’t kill the Crown at Appodock. The entire Federation Air Force on this half of the planet couldn’t kill them over the Bering Strait. Even Icarus Armories and their experimental weaponry couldn’t kill the Crown at Harkema. So tell me then, Five; if even the might of the Earth itself couldn’t kill the Crown at Prospero, then what is it going to take? We may have pulled the trigger, but the Crown made us to this. All of this is their crime to bare.”

            “What the hell are you talking about?” Avery asked as she joined the group. “Are you saying we didn’t get them?”

            “Before our radars got too messed up by the interference, we saw three aircraft leaving Prospero,” Two explained. “If we weren’t all running low on fuel and ammo, we would’ve engaged then and there.”

            “In other words, all of this death that we caused was for nothing,” Five huffed.

            “It wasn’t for nothing. Between Prospero and Trinity Bay, we just utterly decimated the rebels’ forces,” Avery pointed out. “Before today, they’d probably be putting Presidia to siege by the end of the month. Now, there’s no telling how long it’ll be before they pick themselves back up again.”

            “In case you hadn’t noticed, Six, we’re not doing much better,” Eight replied. “And what good is it anyway if we’re just delaying the inevitable?”

            “The only thing that’s inevitable is the Crown’s death,” Crimson 1 said bluntly. “There have always been pilots like them trying to make their mark on History. They think that because they can kill enough people to get their way, they deserve all the Power they could possibly fathom. Yet for all the deaths the cause, chasing after wealth and Power, they lack the purity of will to direct it. This is why they always fail. By the time this war is done, the Crown and everything they represent will fade from History. This is inevitable- as it always has been.”

            Five scoffed. “And how many of our countrymen will still be alive to see that happen?” he asked sarcastically before storming off.

            Avery watched him go but didn’t say anything. Knowing him, he probably just needed to blow off steam. By all accounts, she should be paranoid that he’ll go the way of Shepherd. Yet, for all his protestations, at least he was still here. Shepherd couldn’t even say that much. “C’mon, the other Peacekeepers are all outside. We should see what’s up,” she said.

            As soon as the Crimson Squadron pilots emerged from the hangar, the gathering of Peacekeepers immediately took note of their presence, most notably, Steel 1. “Well, well, well… look who it is,” he greeted them as they joined the group. “It’s good to see you all again- especially considering what it looks like out there.”

            “What are you guys doing here?” Avery asked.

            “It’s like we said, we’re here to help finish this war once and for all,” Steel 1 explained. “Granted, it took us longer than I would’ve liked, but Crystal Kingdom does what Crystal Kingdom does best, I suppose.”

            “Quite the gathering you’ve brought with you,” Crimson 1 mused. “How many squadrons?”

            “All of us that helped push the Cascadians off Magadan: Steel, Jade, Onyx, Ivory, Black, and Tanager. With you here, and Midnight somewhere around here, that makes eight in total.”

            “What, Gold couldn’t grace us with their presence?” Crimson 1 asked.

            “You know how they are,” the Khan replied with his lips curled into a slight smirk.

            Crimson 1 nodded. “We’re just on our way to debriefing. Afterwards, we can help you settle in.”

            “No need. We know our way around,” Steel 1 assured him. “Give Grayson my regards,” he said before leading the Peacekeepers into the barracks.

            After watching them for a moment, the pilots of Crimson Squadron pressed on toward the main building. The whole base seemed to be in this bizarre, nebulous state between being busy and a ghost town. It was almost unsettling. As the Peacekeepers made their way through the halls, several soldiers made note of their presence- a few even whispering things that Avery couldn’t quite make out. It gave her a strange feeling that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

            By the time they arrived in the ready room, Grayson was already there- as was Five. The Commander now looked constantly like he was just a few seconds away from falling asleep standing up. In spite of this, though, he still managed to greet the squadron with a somewhat rousing, “It’s good to see you made it back, Crimson Squadron.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Probably the only good news I’ve gotten all day.”

            “What’s the situation?” Crimson 1 asked as the Peacekeepers all took their seats.

            “I wish I knew,” Grayson replied with a light chuckle. “We’re still trying to figure out exactly what happened today and why, but from what we’ve been able to deduce, it seems our strikes on Prospero and Trinity Bay may have triggered some kind of intense reaction from underground cordium deposits. These reactions led to a domino effect of cordium reacting upon cordium until, before we knew it, the entire Ring of Fire in Cascadia had re-ignited.”

            “Dust Mother…” Eight murmured softly.

            “Even ignoring the damage that’s sure to come from all of these eruptions, the chain reaction has led to intense geothermal activity both in the air and on the ground,” Grayson continued. “The geothermal storms alone are leaving our aircraft grounded and our ground troops scattering to take shelter in safe zones. It’s likely that this could continue for some time.”

            “Surely it can’t be all bad, though, right?” Avery asked. “Do we have reports on how badly the rebels were hit by the attacks?”

            Grayson paused for a moment, drumming his fingers against his desk as he peered into his laptop. “Well… for starters, they’re likely going to be hindered by these conditions just as badly as we are, so for now, it seems this war is at a standstill, which will give us precious time to regroup, reassess and reconsolidate our forces to come up with a plan going forward. As for the rebels’ losses, it seems that this operation has proven to be even more successful than we initially thought in regard to decimating their forces- even if it did come at a high cost.” He made several keystrokes before returning his gaze to the Peacekeepers. “It’s likely going to take us a while to get more exact numbers, but initial estimates indicate that between the strikes on Prospero and Trinity Bay, around a quarter of active combatants- both rebels and Mercenaries- have been decimated. More importantly, though, we’re getting unconfirmed reports that General Elizabeth- one the Independence Force’s key officers- is dead. If this is true, then it would be a devastating blow- one that they may not be able to recover from even if the Crown survived like Five says.”

            “What about General Caine?” Crimson 1 asked. “Has there been any word from him at all?”

            Grayson lowered his head with a sigh. “No,” he finally said after a long pause. “Intel out of Prospero has been… spotty, to say the least- which is why I’m hesitant to believe the reports that Elizabeth is dead quite yet. As of now, we only have contact with a handful of scattered pockets of troops on the ground, and so far, nobody’s seen or heard from him since the missiles hit. Once the geothermal activity lets up, we’ll be sending in patrol forces to try and help locate him, but for now, he’s MIA.”

            “So, from what I’m hearing, there’s nothing else we can really do for now but wait,” Seven said.

            “Correct,” Grayson replied with a nod. “Just remember that we’re not out of the woods yet,” he reminded the pilots. “There’s still a lot to be done in a short amount of time- all urgent for the fate of the Federation. Until we’re in a position to do any of that, however, get some rest and stand by for your next orders.”

Chapter Text

            “Dust Mother preserve me. If this goes on for much longer, I may very well lose my goddamned mind,” Avery groaned.

            As if replying to her pleas of boredom with its own laughter, the geothermal storm overhead let loose another series of lightning bolts. Just over a month had passed since Prospero, and so far, Grayson’s determination that they were going to stay grounded remained true. In fact, Avery hadn’t even had a chance to go near her plane in weeks, and she was starting to get a bit restless.

            This feeling of powerlessness was beginning to get on her nerves. She knew that she could be out there making a difference when it mattered most. If they would actually send her and the rest of Crimson Squadron out on sorties, they could even keep the rebels and their Mercs from picking themselves back up at all. Instead, they simply sat here, all because the geothermal storms would put too much of a strain on the airframes.

            However, there had thus far been one exception to this, and based and low growl in the air, they seemed to be coming back. After locating the source of the sound, Avery spotted two planes coming in for a landing- all Grayson would dare to send in this weather. The SK.37 and F/S-15 bore the same livery and markings. It was two of the pilots from Peacekeeping Squadron Jade.

            As soon as the two pilots effortlessly landed on the runway and taxied over to their spot on the tarmac, Avery made her way over to them, watching as they climbed out from their planes. “And? What’s the word?”

            Jade 4 skipped the last few rungs of the ladder, jumping down onto the tarmac. “Who was it that gave us this tip anyway?” she asked, tucking her helmet under her arm.

            Avery shrugged. “Grayson didn’t say. To be honest, I don’t think he even knows. Apparently, the communication was through some practically ancient Federation channels- heavily encrypted,” she explained. “Why?”

            “Whoever they were, they were right,” Jade 5 said as he came up to join his wingman. “I don’t know how or why, but there was a massive contingent of rebels making a beeline for Presidia. Weirdly enough, though, it was just Cascadians- not a single Merc in the whole area from what we saw.”

            Avery’s eyes widened. This could finally be it, a chance for her to see some action for a change. “How close were they? How much time do we have to get ready?”

            Much to Avery’s dismay, Jade 4 shook her head. “No, this is where shit gets weird. That whole Cascadian force? Gone- decimated. When we got there, the place was a deserted battlefield,” she explained. “Whoever they went up against, they didn’t leave any survivors.”

            “It looked like there had just been another eruption there as well, so that could’ve been a factor, but there was definitely a fight with someone,” Jade 5 added. “Who it was? I don’t have a clue.”

            Avery looked at them with a blank stare, but her mind was racing with a thousand thoughts all at once. Whoever it was that gave them the intel, they had to be at least associated with the Federation. Her leading theory was Crystal Kingdom having to resort to more archaic ways of getting communications across the Pacific, but she also wasn’t ruling out the possibility of it being General Caine, considering there still had been no updates on his whereabouts, or even if he was still alive. Then, there was the matter of whoever it was that destroyed the advancing army. It was most likely to just be a splinter cell of Federation forces they hadn’t been able to make contact with. Then again, though, if they were able to stop an advancing Cascadian army when they were just a stone’s throw away from Presidia, why would they not just go to Presidia. Her mind flashed back to the fight with Compass Squadron, and the way they were talking. Could it be possible that Mercenaries had a falling out with the rebels?

            It was a mystery to be sure- one that could even been a fun way of passing the time spent trying to crack, but not one she’d be figuring out today. “Well, I’m sure Grayson will love having another thing to keep him up at night, so have fun telling him,” she told the two Peacekeepers.

            Jade 4 smirked. “Don’t worry, we will,” she said as they began making their way into the main building.

            Avery sighed, watching them disappear before making one last scan over the tarmac. After concluding that there was nothing else here for her, she turned around and made her way back into the barracks, hoping that it was late enough to justify turning in early. Although this past month had been excruciatingly boring for her, it also brought with it a peculiar sense of tranquility, despite the situation they found themselves in. Part of Avery wondered if this is what life after the war would look like, should they win in the end- minus the geothermal storms, of course. If it was, then maybe all this would have been worth it after all.

            She was just a few halls away from her quarters when she stopped, staring at the door next to her, cracked ever-so-slightly ajar. It was Shepherd’s old room, laying dormant now that both its occupants were long gone. Avery hadn’t been in here since the all-nighter they had before the mission to take out the anti-air network all those months ago. Driven by curiosity, she gently pushed it open and peered inside, making sure that it was, in fact, empty before sliding in.

            Miraculously, the room seemed totally untouched since the last time Shepherd left it- one the many minutiae that had fallen by the wayside, forgotten amidst the chaos of the last month. Though one side, that had once belonged to Cutter, had long since been cleaned out, Shepherd’s half of the room still had all of his belongings neatly organized and tucked away.

            She meandered over to his desk, her eyes drifting across everything on it. The surface had accrued a thin layer of dust in the time Shepherd had been gone- something that he would no doubt deem unacceptable if he were still here. She was letting her finger drag against the surface, collecting dust as it went, when it stopped at an object blocking its path. Avery looked down and felt a sharp pang in her heart. Her finger had run into a framed picture- one that she had a copy of in her room as well. She picked it up, staring longingly at it. They took this picture the day she first transferred into the squadron. It felt like an eternity ago now, and all of them just looked so… happy- oblivious to the fate that awaited them. Now, three of them were dead, and one may as well be to Avery. All she had left at her side was ASH.

            She set the picture back down on the desk, moments away from walking out of the room when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Poking out from one of the shelves on Shepherd’s desk was a large blue book. The cover had no words or any other design on it, which was what made it so intriguing to Avery. She picked it up, opened it to the first page, and began to read.

            “AC 418, February 15^th: To be honest, I’m skeptical that this’ll even do me any good, but Dr. Winters seemed insistent that I start journaling. I just don’t see how me writing down my feelings is supposed to help me overcome everything I saw in Oceania. Still, the guy does at least give the appearance of knowing what he’s doing, so I guess I should at least give it a fair shake. Who knows, maybe he’ll even end up being right.”

            ‘Shepherd’s journal,’ she thought to herself. She could scarcely believe it. Inside this book was all of her old flight lead’s deepest thoughts over the course of the last 15 years. This, she decided, would be an interesting read. And so, she took it with her back to her room.

            When she got back, ASH quickly took notice of the book her in arms as she came in. “What’s that?” she asked, nodding to it.

            Avery set it down on her desk. “Shep’s journal. He’s been writing in this thing for the last 15 years. I just wanna know if maybe it’ll give me some insight into why he…” she paused, her voice trailing off.

            “Chose what he did?”

            “Betrayed us,” Avery corrected her. “It just… doesn’t make sense. There has to be a reason for it.” She opened up to another random page.

            “AC 421, September 3^rd: Today, I set foot in Oceania for the first time in four years. Even after all this time, I can still see the destruction, the death, the carnage… And I helped do all of it. We never should’ve let those Cascadian regiments take point, but then again, it’s my fault for following them in the first place. They promised an end to the war and I believed them. Now I have to live with the consequences of my actions forever. I just hope, when all’s said and done, that by the time I leave here next week, I’ll at least have left it better than when I ran away the last time.”

            Avery shook her head. More vague cryptic nonsense- the kind he always liked to spew, but it still didn’t give her any answers. She skipped further ahead.

            “AC 425, June 20^th: I finally got to meet my new wingman today; his name’s Jackson Page- a good guy to be sure. I don’t doubt that we’re gonna get along just fine. It’s still difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I’m already filling the XO position for an entire fighter squadron, though. Then again, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. The more that I think about it… I think getting that promotion after Oceania- whether it was in spite of, or because of everything I had done- made me lose faith in the Federation Military. If that’s the kind of action that they deem fit to reward, then it’s no surprise why Oceania happened. I suppose that makes me a hypocrite for still flying. After all, I’ve had multiple chances to get out by now, but maybe now that I’m finally getting to a point in my career where I actually carry some measure of authority, I can work to change the military for the better. I may never be able to atone for the sins of the past, but if I can keep it from happening again, maybe I’ll be strong enough to stand at the Gates to Heaven and be judged by Saint Peter for all I’ve done. In the end, I can only hope.”

            “After all this time,” ASH murmured, reading alongside Avery. “To think that he’s dedicated this much of his life to trying to change the Federation from within. I never would’ve known.”

            Avery sighed. She had a feeling she knew how this story was going to end, but she wanted to be sure. All of this reminded her of the early days of the war- when anyone and everyone would look at her through narrowed eyes, doubting her loyalty at every turn. The only thing that kept her going through it all was the hope that she would prove them all wrong, and in the end, she did. However, she was starting to think that Shepherd never got that chance.

            “AC 427, March 18^th: I knew today was shaping up to be too good to be true. FNN aired a new documentary about Oceania ten years later. I know I shouldn’t have watched it, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I paid the price. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t forget the faces and the names that haunt my every waking moment. Perhaps it’s for the best that I don’t forget- it’s the least I deserve for the things I’ve done. But as time goes on, I can’t help but feel like the Mitchell Ryan that went into Oceania ten years ago wasn’t the one that came out. Sometimes… it feels like I’m nothing but a ghost.”

            Now, Avery was just letting her curiosity get the better of her. She thumbed through a large chunk of pages, skipping ahead a few years.

            “AC 431, November 10^th: With Salty getting rotated out of the squadron next week, I decided to head to Ulaanbaatar in search of a replacement. Specifically, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the class of pilots graduating from the Academy this year, and I may have lucked out right away with a particularly promising individual. Her name’s Avery Finch, and she’s practically bursting with potential. Jackson seems dead set on me picking her to fill the slot, and to be honest, I’m starting to agree with him. There’s only one thing causing me to hesitate: not only is she Cascadian, but she seems to be a devout follower of the Church of Dust, and I saw firsthand in Oceania how dangerous of a combination that can be. I know I shouldn’t make generalizations, but after what I saw- what I helped them do- I just don’t want to rush into any decisions I may regret- especially when tensions with Cascadia are on the rise. Jackson’s telling me that I worry too much, and maybe he’s right… I just need some time to think this through.”

            Avery could barely believe what she was reading. “After all this time, I thought he was one of the few people in this entire damn Air Force that didn’t care that I’m Cascadian. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, considering what we know now,” she huffed.

            “Well, not that I wanna defend the guy, or anything, but to be fair to him, he did stick up for you at every opportunity since the war began,” ASH pointed out. “Any time your loyalty was called into question, he was ready to defend you.”

            “I- I guess that just makes this so much harder for me to read,” Avery replied, reading the passage again and again.

            “Makes you wonder what it is that really happened in Oceania that made him this conflicted,” ASH pointed out as Avery flipped to the next page.

            “AC 432, January 3^rd: It seems my worst fear has been realized: Cascadia is going to war with the Federation. They caught us off guard and managed to chase us out of Presidia. Carrie’s dead. It happened in an instead. One minute she was there, the next she was gone. The loss has been hitting everyone hard, but on the other hand, I’m happy to admit that I seemed to be wrong about Avery. I’ll admit, as things have continued to heat up over this last week, I’ve been worried about which side she would choose with how conflicted she’s been about all this. But when everything was said and done, she didn’t even hesitate to jump into the fight for Federation. Perhaps it’s time that I be the leader and the mentor figure that she needs me to be so that she may reach her true potential.”

            “I just don’t get it,” Avery murmured. “He seemed to be so… balanced. What changed to make him do this?”

            “AC 432, March 4^th: One of these days, I really ought to thank Jackson for pushing me to pick Avery for the squadron. Not only has she proven herself to be an exemplary pilot, but even in the face of so many people acting with the premature judgement that I once acted with- that her Cascadian heritage was liability to us- she’s continued to stand firm with the Federation in the face of the Independence Force. As a matter of fact, I truly do believe that she could become the best of us- perhaps even help spark the change that I’ve been hoping to achieve within the Federation Military for so long.”

            Then, a few entries down the page, everything began to make sense.

            “AC 432, April 17^th: So much has happened in such a short amount of time, and almost all of it bad. After the Solana Communications Array was destroyed, I feared that things would escalate more and more until everything came to a head. I was right. Today, both the Federation and the Independence Force threw all of their air power at each other resulting in a massive furball over the Bering Strait, and it was a disaster. The overwhelming majority of our forces, including Crimson Squadron, suffered absolutely devastating losses, but to make matters worse, Jackson’s dead- killed by the Crown Mercenary covering our retreat. But perhaps the worst outcome of all from today alone is that Avery got separated from the rest of us, having to retreat across the IDL into Magadan with Crimson Squadron and a handful of other survivors. Mercenaries were chasing after them, but as terrible as this may sound, I may honestly be more worried about what happens if she survives. She’ll be in a foreign land, going through the grieving process not just without her squadron but with perhaps the worst group of pilots she could possibly be near during such a vulnerable time. I’ll be honest, I’m scared that Crimson Squadron will get into her head and plant ideas inside to twist and corrupt her, all while I’m an ocean away- powerless to stop it.”

            “AC 432, May 10^th: It’s all happening again. I tried so hard to stop it, but after 15 years, it’s all happening again. When Avery came back from Magadan, I knew that Crimson Squadron would have planted the seeds, but she seems so much different in such subtle ways ever since she returned. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m starting to think that Avery’s resoluteness in the past few months has been for different reasons than I first thought. It seems that in the face of everyone around her doubting her loyalty, she internalized positive reaction from her comrades coming from her showing pure, unwavering support for the Federation rather than the quality of her character, and Crimson Squadron has made this so much worse that they’ve now chosen her to be part of the squadron. To make matters worse, I’m now sure that Avery and Amber are in a romantic relationship with each other. I fear that should anything happen to one, it may be enough to set the other off, or even worse, if I can’t get Avery back on the right path, she may drag Amber down with her. Time is running out. I need to act fast.”

            Neither of the two pilots said a word. They simply moved down to the final entry in the journal.

            “AC 432, May 26^th: As much as I wish I could, I can’t deny it any longer: I’ve failed, but the final straw came not from Amber like I feared it would, but Alex. Ever since the Crown killed Jackson over the Bering Strait, Mercenaries have always been something of a weak spot for Avery; and to be honest, it’s something that I certainly didn’t help with. I let my past get in the way of helping her understanding their nature, and now that they killed Alex as he tried to retreat, it’s turned into a burning hatred for Avery. I tried to make one last attempt to confront Avery and Amber directly- finally getting direct proof that they were, in fact, together- but Avery was already too far gone. I could see it in her eyes, in the venom dripping from her voice as she lashed out at me. I failed to be the leader and mentor I needed to be, and now more innocents are going to suffer- all because I bought into the foolish damn hope that the Federation could change. But there’s too much at steak for me to give up now- I can’t. This whole thing is coming to end, and when the time comes, I think I’ll need to take drastic action to make things right.”

            Avery felt her hand clenching up into a fist. “That pompous, arrogant, wishy-washy, know-it-all… bastard!” she snapped. “Who in the Dust Mother’s name does he think he is? He spends the entire war being cryptic about Oceania and expects me to be able to read his damned mind about it?! Then he goes on some quest to save my soul even though it doesn’t need saving! What did I ever see in him? How did I ever look at him as a leader?”

            ASH shushed her gently, leaning in and planting a kiss on Avery’s neck. “You saw him as a leader because he was a leader. But he said it himself: he failed you. He failed both of us. Now he’s letting his guilt drive him on a crusade to save his own soul from judgement.

            Avery let herself relax at ASH’s touch, leaning her head onto hers. “I just don’t understand… why he had to be so…” Her voice trailed off as she searched for the right word.

            “Shepherd?” ASH offered.

            “Yeah,” Avery conceded with a heavy sigh. “I didn’t…” she paused, making a futile effort to wipe away the tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I didn’t want any of this to happen. I didn’t want this huge burden dumped on me. I didn’t want all these people to die. Now, after everything that’s happened, I can’t help but look back at the path we started on- all those souls lost- and wonder… if I could’ve done things differently- if I made the right choices.”

            ASH pulled back, but just for a moment- just to put enough distance between the two of them to properly look into her eyes. “You did make the right choices, Avery. I wouldn’t still be here, otherwise. Shepherd may not have given you the belief you deserved to have from him, but I believe in you enough for both of us- hell, for the whole squadron.”

            She moved in quick- faster than Avery could react to in time- squeezing her lips against the other pilot’s. She wrapped her arms around Avery’s waist, pulling her in close so their bodies pressed against one another while Avery put her hands against Amber’s cheeks. In that moment, any doubts or concerns Avery may have had simply melted away. This was exactly where she needed to be, doing exactly what she needed to do, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything.

            “We’ll prove him wrong, Avery,” Amber promised her, leaning their foreheads against each other. “And we’ll do it together.”

Chapter Text

            “Well, it’s about damn time,” Seven said as Grayson came into the ready room. “If you kept us cooped up in here for any longer, I might have just exploded.”

            “Consider yourself lucky that you’re getting cleared to fly at all, Crimson 7. Geothermal conditions are still barely at acceptable levels for a proper combat sortie, but in the current situation, barely acceptable is going to have to do,” Grayson replied, making his way up to the front of the room before turning around to face the Peacekeepers.

            “Do we have any word on if things are stabilizing or not?” Three asked.

            Grayson shook his head. “Following the reignition of the Ring of Fire, many of the monitoring stations across the Cascadian mainland have since gone dark. As such, the remaining few that are still up and running are working overtime to get us data we can use. So far, though, it’s been slow-going,” he explained. “Still, something’s come to our attention, and it’s simply too important for us to overlook.”

            “I think we all gathered that much, at least. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here,” Five chimed in. “So, what’s the mission, then?”

            Grayson turned his head over to the briefing software. “With geothermal interference still as severe as it is and radar and long-range communications still spotty at best, getting an accurate assessment of our forces across Cascadia has been… difficult, to say the least,” he began as the map of Cascadia appeared on the screen behind him. “We’ve been making use of highly specialized scouting units suited to the dangerous terrain to get as accurate of a headcount as we can get, but in doing so, they’ve stumbled onto something unexpected: a sizeable force of Federation units congregated around a large strip of highway down in the southern desert regions- about 90 miles north of Navarro. Although, I suppose ex-Federation units would be a better way to describe them, as they attacked our scouting units on sight. However, since they seemed to also be openly hostile towards rebel units in the area, we believe that they’re a large coalition of deserters rather than outright defectors.”

            Avery felt her heart skip a beat. That sounded like Shepherd to a T. If he was going to be anywhere on this continent, it would be here, with these people; he had to be. She found herself getting downright excited at the prospect of getting a chance to settle the score. Then, once he was dealt with, Avery could finally put all of her focus towards taking out the Crown and finally ending this war.

            “Over the last two months, they’ve amassed a respectable amount of manpower. In all likelihood, they’re probably the largest congregation of active combatants outside of a major urban center,” Grayson continued. “In the week since our scouting units first made contact, they’ve been observing them from a distance and making note of their activity. During that time, they’ve gained an additional three platoons worth of manpower and seemingly carried out multiple offensive operations against both our own forces and the rebels. Furthermore, they appear to be using the highway they’ve gathered around as a makeshift runway for aircraft- about two or three squadrons worth, to be precise.”

            This was it. Shepherd couldn’t possibly be anywhere else. It didn’t matter how many other people he hid behind. Nothing was going to stop Avery from getting even with him- making him pay for his betrayal. She possessed a sense of certainty and finality that few would ever even know in their lifetimes- the kind of certainty that made her know as an objective truth that this was going to end here and now.

            “Needless to say, we cannot let this group of traitors and deserters gain any more of a foothold than they already have. We already have our hands full enough with the rebels as is. So, Crimson Squadron, your mission is to engage and destroy everything in the area. Make sure no one comes out alive.”

            Crimson 1 nodded to Grayson as he stood up. “We always do,” he replied before turning his attention to the rest of the squadron. “Ready up, Crimson Squadron. I want wheels up in five,” he ordered.

            Avery was the first one on her feet, already out the door before some of the pilots had even stood up. The sooner this was over with, in her eyes, the better- the more time she and the others would be able to devote to finding and killing the Crown. For as much as she wanted Shepherd dead for what he did, she still had to remind herself that he was nothing more than a distraction- a loose end that needed tying up.

            “Six!” she heard a voice call out from behind her. She turned around to see Crimson 1 closing the gap between them, slowing to match her speed once he caught up. Silence hung heavily in the air between them until he finally spoke again. “I read the reports- about what happened in Trinity Bay. I can tell you’re… more eager than usual.”

            Avery resisted the urge to audibly sigh. “Don’t worry, Commander. You have my word that I’m not gonna let my emotions get in the way of the mission. I know what needs to be done- short term and long term,” she assured him.

            Crimson 1 looked up, staring straight ahead as he exhaled softly. “I would advise to the contrary,” he told her.

            Avery looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. “Pardon, sir?”

            “Don’t mistake my reticence for apathy. I’ve been keeping a close eye on the squadron ever since you all were inducted, and I see in you a piece of myself,” he explained. “You and I are different, Six- from all of the others.”

            She paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond. “Well… I’m flattered, sir, but do you really think I’m a better pilot than even Five and Sev?”

            Crimson 1 shook his head. “I don’t just mean your abilities as a pilot. You possess something vital- something no one else in the squadron has other than me: understanding. You’ve seen this war for what it truly is. You know what the real stakes are. This is for the good of the world. We are more than just the world’s last hope. We are their solution. Use that to give yourself the strength you need to do what must be done.”

            “I see…” was all Avery could say at first. She sat there in silence for a good, long moment, letting his words resonate in her mind. He was right. Shepherd may have turned his back on her, but if he couldn’t understand what drove her to do what she did, then that was his failure- not hers. She was now one of the only things standing between Cascadia and complete collapse. This wasn’t just her choice, it was her obligation. “Good advice. Thank you, Commander,” she finally said, nodding to him before climbing up into her plane and starting it up.

            One by one the engines in Crimson Squadron’s hangar roared to life until Crimson 1 spoke over the radio. “Crimson Squadron, sound off.”

            “Crimson 2, standing by.”

            “Crimson 3, standing by.”

            “Crimson 4, standing by.”

            “Crimson 5, ready to roll.”

            “Crimson 6, ready,” Avery sounded off.

            “Crimson 7, ready for takeoff.”

            “Crimson 8, standing by.”

            “Heh. How about that,” Five mused aloud. “It’s been almost four months, but we’re finally going on our first combat sortie as a full squadron since the Bering Strait.”

            “Good,” Avery replied bluntly. “Let’s show these traitors and cowards what it means to betray the Federation.”

            “Agreed,” Crimson 1 replied. “Tower, this is Crimson Squadron, requesting takeoff clearance.”

            “Clearance granted, Crimson 1,” ATC replied almost instantly. “Runways and taxiways are all clear. Give ‘em hell out there.”

            “Don’t worry. We will.”

            Nothing but fire and ash as far as the eye could see. Even now, two months after this new Calamity, Crimson Squadron was still flying under the cover of a geothermal storm. Avery watched as lightning ripped through the sky, striking somewhere on the ground below just a few kilometers away from her. All of this destruction and carnage, borne out of necessity due to just one pilot. The Crown was going to answer for this- all of it.

            “Crimson Squadron, you’ve got hostiles on the nose- 12 klicks closure,” North Star told the pilots. “I’ve got their IFFs updated. You’re cleared to engage.”

            “Copy that,” Crimson 1 replied blankly. “Crimson Squadron, engage.”

            Avery flicked her master arm switch, looking at her radar to gauge the closest targets to her: a small cluster of tanks on one of the far ends of the highway base. She thumbed the weapon selector until her two UGBLs were primed and ready, waiting only to come into range before dropping onto their targets. Slowly but surely, the troops on the ground began to get moving, assuming their defensive positions. The fight was on.

            “Grayson was right. There sure is a lot of manpower concentrated here,” Four noted.

            “Where’d these people even come from? Are there really that many people that would desert from the Federation so easily?” Eight asked.

            Avery scoffed. “You’d be surprised. There was someone in my old squadron- someone I thought I knew- that deserted. The way I see it, if they’re able to turn on their own countrymen so easily, then we’re better off without ‘em.”

            “You make it sound like us lighting the Ring of Fire back up was just a helpless little accident- like we didn’t hurl dozens of cruise missiles at Prospero and Trinity Bay,” Five responded bitterly. “I don’t blame ‘em, but I don’t pity ‘em either.”

            “It was their choice to desert- their choice to fight against us, even now. Now, it’s time they dealt with the consequences,” Crimson 1 added.

            Avery watched the targeting reticle for her bombs turn red as she lined it up with the first cluster of tanks. A moment later, she pulled the trigger and the first bomb dropped. Before she could line up the second one, though, her RWR began to go off. One of the SAM sites below was tracking her. She broke off from her attack run, dumping chaff and flares behind her as she spotted the one targeting her, along with a pair of AA guns beside it. By the time the SAM site fired a missile at her, she was already much too close, and despite the AA guns’ best efforts, she managed to line up the shot and destroy the SAM with guns before speeding forward away from the AA guns before circling back around and finishing them both off.

            Returning her attention to her original targets, Avery’s eye was drawn to one of the tanks that was far enough away from her first bomb that it managed to survive the explosion. The only problem was that the blast had rendered them immobile, making them an easy target for the Peacekeeper to mop up. Then, came the second tank formation. She waited for her targeting reticle to center perfectly on the middle of the formation and pulled the trigger. This time, there were no survivors.

            “Crimson Squadron, be advised, enemy aircraft are taking off from the highway,” North Star warned the group. “Tally twelve bandits in a non-uniform flight formation, closing fast.”

            “Twelve?” Seven echoed. “I thought Grayson said there were three squadrons’ worth at this base.”

            “The last one must be out on a sortie,” Two guessed.

            “Well, they’ll be in for a rude awakening when they come back to find their buddies dead,” Avery replied. “The aircraft are mine.” She was already turning toward the new radar contacts, waiting for their information to appear on her HUD.

            One by one, the hostile aircraft began coming into range; four F/C-15s, a pair of F/E-18s, three SK.27s, an Accipiter, and two F/D-14s. But not a single F/C-16 among them. Shepherd wasn’t here. Avery tightened her grip on the control stick out of frustration. After everything else he’d done, now he had the gall to try and hide from her? He would pay soon enough- that much she was sure of- but for now, she would make do with these traitors.

            Seven formed up with her on her right wing. In a few seconds, the two of them would come within range of the enemy fighters. Avery preemptively selected the formation leader on her radar, and as soon as they came within range, her radar began searching for a lock. She readied one of her MLAAs, waiting to hear a solid tone before firing and going on the defensive. Seven did the same, and so the dance begun. Both Peacekeepers hit their marks before any of the deserters could even get a missile off on them, but the remaining ten weren’t about to give up. The Accipiter fired a missile at Avery just seconds before getting blown up by an MLAA launched by Three, who came up from below them. While Three caused chaos amongst the deserters from up close, Avery took the time and distraction to make sure she thoroughly notched the missile headed her way before circling back around to rejoin the fight.

            She watched from a distance as Seven came close enough to shoot down one of the SK.27s with an STDM before gunning down a second one. Readying another MLAA, Avery set her sights on the last F/D-14, waiting for them to be at just the right range and vector before firing. Even when the Tomcat tried to notch, it wasn’t enough, and it soon exploded in a fireball. Just as she came within STDM range, though, one of the F/C-15s had fired one at her. Before her brain even properly recognized the threat, her hand was already moving to deploy flares as she cut her burners and went evasive. The F/C-15 chased after her, hoping to close into gun range after their missile went wide and careened away into the sky. Before her pursuer could get too close, though, Avery readied her AOA limiter, pulling sharply back on the stick and causing her plane to seemingly drift through the air as its nose arced backwards. Once she turned back around, she blind fired one of her MLAAs, betting on the seeker inside to get close enough to find a lock on its own. In the end, her risk paid off, and the F/C-15 was too blindsided by the maneuver to react in time.

            With her tail clear, Avery began turning toward the last two F/E-18s that were trying to get on Three’s tail. Before she could even get a lock on either of them though, they both vanished from the radar before her eyes, followed almost immediately after by another F/C-15. Avery looked up to see Crimson 1 had joined the fight, speeding toward the last two hostile fighters and destroying them both with MLAAs- all within just a few seconds.

            “All enemy aircraft eliminated,” Crimson 1 reported. “North Star, is there any sign of that last squadron on the long-range?”

            “Negative, Crimson 1. No sign of anything for miles around- although there’s only so far I can see with this damn thermal interference everywhere,” the AWACS operator griped. “Just keep up the attack on the base. Engage until they’re all destroyed.”

            Avery certainly didn’t need to be told twice. In fact, none of Crimson Squadron did. They’d already done severe damage to the base, even with the distraction their fighters caused. If anything, sending the entirety of Crimson Squadron to destroy this one base was probably overkill. But after the Bering Strait, overkill was the Federation’s only option left.

            With the whole squadron focused on the last dwindling defenders, the remaining targets on Avery’s radar were disappearing one after another. The only targets she could see that nobody else had chosen to focus on was a line of artillery units. Easy pickings. They tried to escape to the best of their ability, but they were slow-moving and out in the open. All it took was a single gun run from Avery, and they were all destroyed, along with the rest of the base.

            “Looks like that’s all of them. Good work, Crimson Squadron,” North Star observed. “Make one last sweep of the area and then RTB.”

            “This wasn’t much of a fight, North Star. I think we’re fine by my mark,” Seven replied.

            “It wouldn’t hurt. Maybe we’ll get lucky and that last squadron will come back,” Avery suggested.

            “You and I have very different definitions of “lucky” Six,” Five replied. “All the same to you, I’d rather be out of here as soon as possible.”

            Avery scowled disappointedly. Her best chance at getting payback on Shepherd had slipped through her fingers. Despite how desperately she wanted to settle the score, it seemed fate had other plans. If nothing else, she hoped the bastard lived a long, regret-filled life, wracked with doubt and uncertainty for the rest of his days.

            “I guess you’re right,” she finally conceded. “Besides, if I stay out here in this heat for much longer, I might end up sweating through my flight suit.”

            “Come on, Crimson Squadron, let’s go home,” Crimson 1 decided as all eight planes set a course for Presidia, leaving the decimated ruins of the deserters’ makeshift base behind.

Chapter Text

            “This is Dr. Scott Dumblauskas transmitting from the University of Presidia, with an update on the geothermal activity that has wrecked our nation,” the radio said as it crackled to life from silence.

            “Finally,” ASH murmured as she and Avery sat beside the radio on their desk. “I was starting to wonder if they’d ever get this show on the road.”

            “As we’ve learned, the Ring of Fire as a whole has erupted in varying degrees of disaster throughout, so we Cascadians alone are not bearing the sole brunt of this reprise of the Calamity. That being said, as we are at the epicenter, we have had the worst of it,” the Doctor continued. Then came the news that everyone across the country- Federation, Rebels, and Mercenaries alike- had all been waiting to hear. “That time is over now. Cordium reactivity levels are down to ambient levels in all but the most concentrated areas, largely, and so we can expect the cessation of geothermal storms and tectonic disturbances. I advise high caution to any who would dare move from shelter or travel in affected areas, but for the most part, the natural dangers that remain will be a great deal less an issue compared to the destructive effects from the loss of infrastructure and ongoing wildfires. However, rest assured, it’s not going to get any worse.”

            Avery couldn’t help but smile as she let out a sigh of relief. “It’s about damn time. Maybe now we can finally pick up where we left off and put the rebels where they belong: scattered and on the run.”

            “Yeah, and maybe I’ll actually be able to get some air time now,” ASH agreed. “Or better yet, maybe you and I will be able to go out on a sortie together.”

            Avery nodded along in agreement, but her attention was elsewhere, staring blankly out the window. “Yeah…” she finally said.

            Of course, ASH knew her well enough by now to know what was wrong. She paused for a moment before gently putting her hand over Avery’s. “You thinking about Shepherd again?”

            She nodded. “I know I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help it,” Avery admitted. “After everything he did for me, to throw it all away is just so… insulting.” She clenched her free hand into a fist. “I want him to pay for it.”

            ASH sighed. “I know you’re going through a lot right now- more than I probably know. It’s hard, and it’s… unfair. Even just watching you have to struggle with all this hurts. But as hard as it might sound, I think it’d be best if you just let him go. Forget about him,” she suggested gently.

            “After everything that’s happened- after what he did- how am I supposed to?” Avery asked, her voice a pleading whisper. “Why should I have to let him go?”

            “You shouldn’t have to,” ASH replied softly. “I don’t want to, either. But you’re dealing with enough already, and he’s not worth the worry.” She interlocked her fingers with Avery’s, letting Avery give her hand a light squeeze. “If he really was at that base like you said, then chances are that was his last chance to see himself as whatever twisted, delusional hero he thinks he is. He’ll probably never fly again. Hell, he’s probably already left Cascadia by now. Let him live out the rest of his life in misery and failure; it’s what he deserves.”

            Avery was silent for a long moment. Maybe there was some truth to what ASH was saying, but deep down, she could feel an instinctual urge telling her not to let it lie. She wasn’t sure what to think or what to believe. One way or another, she knew that this wasn’t over. Before she could respond to ASH, though, both of them turned their heads to a knock at the door of their quarters. They both had just enough time to make themselves look inconspicuous before Crimson 7 walked in.

            “Six, the Commander’s called a briefing. It’s urgent,” she told her wingman.

            Avery was already standing up. “Why? What’s going on?”

            “He thinks we’ve finally found Him, Six.”

            Avery already knew perfectly well who she meant. “The Crown…” She was silent for a moment, her eyes drifting back to ASH before looking up to Seven again. “Alright. Just gimme a minute to get ready. I’ll be there shortly.”

            Seven nodded. “Just haul ass. I’ve never seen him this riled up before,” she replied as she shut the door behind herself.

            As Avery hastily threw on her flight suit, she looked back to ASH, who was already looking up at her with an unreadable expression. “Amber… I-“

            “Avery, I know you need to do this,” Amber cut her off as she rose to her feet, slowly walking over to her old squadmate. “I also know it’d be futile to try and stop you.” She stopped with mere inches separating the two of them. “Just…” her voice trailed off. No words could convey what she wanted to say, so she settled for a kiss instead. She leaned up suddenly, not giving Avery any time to react as their lips met. The two shared each other’s’ breaths, and Amber didn’t dare let Avery back away until she knew how serious she was. “Promise me you’ll come back, Avery. Please.”

            Avery leaned her forehead down until it met with Amber’s. “I’ll come back to you, Amber. I promise.”

            Silence hung heavy in the air as Avery left. Both of them knew that this promise was one that was likely to be broken, but neither had the courage to say it. All Amber could do was watch her vanishing into the hallway, doing her best to commit that final image of her to memory- just in case.

            Meanwhile, Avery began the trek to the briefing room; her head flooded with too many emotions to count. Ever since the Bering Strait, she’d longed for this moment: a chance to avenge Cutter’s death and finally deprive the rebels of their main source of strength, and yet, as she moved through the nearly empty halls of the base, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread running deep into her core. But now was no time to let fear get in the way of what could very well be the most important moment in the entire war. It was time for the Crown’s reign to end and for Cascadia to finally be free of their tyranny.

            “Good, you’re here,” Grayson greeted her as she joined the rest of her squadron. She was the last to arrive, but none of the others paid this any thought. She simply found a seat between Seven and Crimson 1, allowing Grayson to continue.

            “As all of you are, no doubt, aware by now, the Crown Mercenary has become the greatest hinderance the Federation’s efforts here in Cascadia,” he continued. “So much of our resources and manpower have gone toward neutralizing this one threat, and so far, it’s all been in vain. Even the strike on Prospero proved not to be enough, however, it seems we’ve been given another opportunity to set things right.” He paused as he loaded up the briefing software. “Rather upsettingly, it seems that the rebels have been unusually quick to get back up on their feet after the geothermal activity kicked back up again, undoubtedly thanks in no small part to the Mercenaries at their disposal. However, less than an hour ago, one of our long-range scouts made contact with us to share a particularly valuable piece of intel: the rebels are picking up from where they left off and they appear to be moving into Prospero once again. There’s a chance that the underground facilities sustained minimal damage compared to the rest of the city and its surrounding areas, making it an ideal place for the rebels to consolidate their forces to resume a proper offensive. Helicopters and cargo planes have been spotted moving into the area, and most importantly, a flight of three fighters is en route.”

            “The Crown…” Crimson 1 murmured.

            Grayson nodded. “Yes. Crimson Squadron, your orders are to fly to Prospero and eliminate any rebel forces moving into the Prospero area, including the Crown. Failure is not an option.”

            “That much, we agree on,” Five remarked.

            Crimson 1 was already stood up, making his way out the door and toward the hangars. “Then we haven’t got a moment to lose. Come on, Crimson Squadron. We have justice to carry out and a war to end.”

            “Crimson Squadron, you’re almost to Prospero. Get set for contact,” North Star advised the Peacekeepers. “Thermal interference is still wreaking havoc on my long-range sensors, so I can’t give you a clear picture on what’s waiting for you, but our patrol forces in the area have gone dark already.”

            Avery flipped the switch on her master arm. “We’re all way ahead of you there, North Star. This has been a long time coming.”

            “That’s what we said over the Bering Strait. It didn’t turn out well,” Five remarked.

            “Oh, quit your bellyaching, Five,” Seven said back to him. “If it’s not gonna be us that puts a stop to the Crown, then who? We’re the only ones that’re up to the task.”

            “This is where it ends,” Crimson 1 said definitively. “This is where it has to- fitting that it be at the place that has become a martyr for their sins.”

            “Yeah? And what if they’re not actually here and we’re so bent out of shape about the Crown that our people piss themselves over any sight of a non-uniform three ship formation?” Five asked.

            As if on cue, Avery looked down at her radar and saw exactly what they were looking for. “Contact, dead ahead- angels 13, hot,” she reported.

            “Unsurprising,” Crimson 1 replied. “They always return to the scene of the crime.”

            “Tally-ho on three bandits. It has to be him,” Eight replied.

            Crimson 1’s response was simple. “Of course it is.”

            Three hostiles appeared on Avery’s HUD, closing fast. An F/C-15 and a MG-29 flanking an F/S-15 on either side. This was it. Avery was a better pilot now than she was over the Bering Strait, and she had a score to settle. This time, nothing was going to get in the way, no other hostile fighters in the area- nobody to save them. One way or another, this was going to end here and now.

            “Crimson Squadron, engage. Avenge this land.”

            Avery’s RWR sprang to life as MLAAs were launched on both sides. Her hands moved to the AOA limiter and switched it on, jerking her plane away at a sharp enough angle for the missiles to lose their locks. The three Mercenaries got closer as the Peacekeepers’ missiles failed to hit their marks. This was going to be a knife fight- down to the wire. Four and Eight were dead before they even hit the merge. Both exploded before her very eyes, but Avery didn’t care- she didn’t even flinch. As far as she was concerned, it was just two less pilots to risk stealing her kill.

            “Sheep are to be protected, and wolves like you have to be fed. Do you see the problem here? We are the sheepdogs,” Crimson 1 challenged the Mercs over open comms.

            “Sheepdogs herd the sheep to slaughter, you asshole!” one of the snapped in reply.

            Avery set her sights on the Crown. The sooner they died, the better. It was hard to keep a solid lock on them long enough to fire, but soon enough, she got an angle on the F/S-15 that allowed her to dump a pair of MLAAs onto them. The Mercenary made quick use of their own AOA limiter, zipping away with ease and abandoning their pursuit of Two to focus on one of the other pilots. She turned to follow, only to see Crimson 1 right on the Crown’s heels.

            “Come back here. You’ve made this personal,” he demanded.

            “Monarch, hurry up and shoot this guy down!” the Mercenary from before said as they evaded a missile from Seven.

            Another missile alert sounded off in Avery’s cockpit. The MG-29 had gotten behind her. Flares lit up a sky dimmed by cloud cover from geothermal storms. The only light came from the fires below them. Avery’s grip on her control stick tightened as the G-forces from her AOA limiter made her feel like she was being crushed, but she persisted. The missile went wide, and after bleeding off all her speed, the MG-29 shot right past her banking hard to the right away from a missile fired by Seven.

            With her tail clear, Avery returned her focus to the Crown. They had reversed the fight and were now behind Crimson 1, with Three trailing after them. Avery lit her burners, speeding toward the fighters as she locked up the Crown on her radar. A single MLAA rocketed forward from underneath her plane, but the Crown made no effort to evade it, not until it got closer. They once more utilized the AOA limiter on their F/S-15 to drift through the sky in a completely different direction, turning so sharply that the missile couldn’t keep up and lost its lock. It wasn’t until too late that the realization hit that the Crown had evaded Avery’s missile in such a way that they now had Three dead to rights.

            “My plane’s flying apart-“ was all they had time to cry out in terror before they were undone from existence. Avery watched the Crown emblem on the F/S-15’s tail flash in the low light as a hail of tracers came out from their gun, ripping Three’s plane to shreds.

            “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance,” Crimson 1 snarled as he resumed his pursuit of the Crown.

            Avery broke off to instead set her sights on the Crown’s wingmen. If she could take them out, the rest of the squadron would be free to surround the last Mercenary without any further distractions. Bit by bit, she closed in on the F/C-15 as they twisted and turned through the air in a knife fight with Five. She just needed to get a little bit closer. Her STDMs found a lock the moment she came into range, and she pulled the trigger just as fast. The heatseeker cut effortlessly through the clouds as it pursued its target. The F/C-15 responded with flares almost immediately, and with just the right maneuvers they were easily able to defeat it. However, it had, at the very least, allowed Five to regroup.

            Having made her presence fully known to the Mercenary, Avery prepared for the F/C-15 to set their sights on her. Her RWR quickly informed her that they had locked onto her. Instinctively, she leveled out her plane, ready to deploy her AOA limiter at a moment’s notice. The Mercenary in the F/C-15 fired their missile, but Avery didn’t move yet. She just needed it a little closer. Then, in what felt like an instant, she pulled straight up and then back around before turning as hard to the left as she could, just barely notching the missile before it was too late.

            These pilots were good; there was no doubt about that. It was no wonder why the rebels had come to rely on them as heavily as they did. But in the end, it wasn’t going to be enough to save them. Avery would make sure of it herself if she had to.

            “If I had killed you over Yellowstone, this war would’ve been over by now,” Crimson 1 said, as if reading Avery’s thoughts. “It was a mistake. I intend to correct that.”

            The Crown offered no reply.

            “You know, they used to call me obsessed. Now, they call me their solution.”

            Avery returned her attention to the fight between the two flight leaders just in time to see the Crown land a pair of STDMs directly into Two. His plane exploded instantly, and the Mercenary moved on without a second thought. Avery’s face contorted and twisted as she began turning back toward the F/S-15. This had gone on for long enough. It was time for this to end.

            “At the end of the day, you’re just a criminal, looking for your next handout,” Crimson 1 remarked as he and the Crown resumed their duel.

            Avery’s radar let out a single, solid tone, informing her that she had a radar lock on the crown. She fired another MLAA, making note of her remaining ammo. She was down to four MLAAs and a single STDM. But at the end of the day, one missile was all it took to finish this. She just needed a good angle.

            The Crown evaded her missile with ease, hardly even diverting their attention away from their fight with Crimson 1. Avery decided to use this as an opportunity to get as close as possible. Slowly but surely, she approached the two fighting aces- the figureheads of their respective sides. As soon as the gun reticle appeared on Avery’s HUD, she began positioning herself behind the Crown. She let out short bursts whenever they crossed into her path, but the hails of tracers would fall just short of their target every time. The Crown jinked effortlessly, keeping their focus on Crimson 1 in front of them. They fired another missile, that the Peacekeeper defeated with chaff. This gave Crimson 6 an opening to end this war once and for all, and she took it without hesitation. She let out a longer burst from her gun, watching the tracers spew out toward the Crown. In spite of their best efforts, Avery felt her heart skip a beat as she watched a handful of shots connect with the F/S-15. It wasn’t enough to down them- in fact, it seemed to barely even affect them, but it showed that they could be hit. She just needed to finish them off. However, it appeared that this hit came a cost.

            One moment, Five’s panicked voice came over the radio. “There’s smoke in the cockpit!” The next, his plane was vaporized by the Crown’s wingmen.

            This appeared to enrage Crimson 1. “You’ve taken too much. You’ll lose everything in turn!” he snarled as he maneuvered away from the Crown to get back on their tail. “The world will prove you wrong, even if you win this war. But it’s not like you’ll live to see it, Mercenary,” he spat at his opponent, voice dripping with pure disdain and hatred.

            Avery felt her heart pound in her chest as the Crown turned away from Crimson 1, and put their nose directly on her. She instantly went on the defensive, lighting her burners to put more distance between the Merc and herself. Tracers spewed out from the Crown’s gun in a hail of bullets, but Avery managed to get out of their gun range just in time for all of them to fall short.

            The Crown wasn’t about to give up so easily, though. As soon as they saw their shots miss the mark, they followed up with an MLAA. She responded instantly with chaff, but it wouldn’t be enough on its own. She would have to make a daring move. With her AOA limiter active, she pulled her plane backward so sharply that was inverted within a second. Then, with her engines at full power, she sped forward toward the Crown. With not enough room between the two for either to get a shot off on the other, they passed directly over each other- close enough that Avery could peer into the F/S-15’s canopy and see the pilot at the controls, looking back up at her. In that moment, she could feel all her hatred and rage that had been directed at this one pilot for so long bubbling up to a boiling point. She hated this pilot, and she was going to make sure that they suffered before they died.

            Crimson 1 rejoined the fight, giving Avery a chance to regroup. However, in doing so, both of the Peacekeepers realized something: Seven was dead. Neither of them even saw it happen. More importantly, though, it was just the two of them left, and with the Crown’s wingmen closing in, the odds were quickly shifting against them. But neither of them was about to let that stop them. This had to end- here and now.

            “Just think, how many have you killed?” Crimson 1 demanded.

            “God, just shut up!” the second wingman snapped.

            “How dare-“

            “Shut up! Nobody asked!” he cut Crimson 1 off. “You think we asked specifically to fight you?! You think I care so much to keep fighting you?!”

            “You’re wild dogs! Of course!” Crimson 1 responded with just as much fervor.

            “Shut up! Just shut up! Fight us! Don’t talk! I don’t care! SHUT UP!” the Mercenary shouted.

            That was the final straw for Avery. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. “You don’t get to say that!” she snapped. “You’re the ones who chose to come here! You’re the ones who chose to play kingmaker! You can’t just claim apathy because you don’t give a damn about the consequences! Nobody forced you to fight for the rebels! You’ve could’ve just ignored all of this because you have that luxury! This is our home! This war is about more than just a paycheck for us; it’s about the future of every last person that lives here! This has always been our home! We never had a choice, but you did! All of this is your fault! You, solely, are responsible for this!”

            Little did she know, however, that her words fell on deaf ears. None of the Mercenaries even cared enough to hear her. And in her rage at the Mercenaries’ apathy when actually confronted with the consequences of their actions, she was too focused on the Crown’s wingmen to see the F/S-15 diving straight for her. Tracers ripped through her V/X-23, and she instantly lost control. Several systems in her cockpit lost power, and alarms blared incessantly at her. It wasn’t until she was just a few hundred feet above the ground that she was able to process what had happened. And that was when reality set in for her: she had failed. She was going to die, and all she was going to be was a tally on the Crown’s kill count- just another zero on their paycheck. But as her plane hit the ground and her vision went dark, all Avery could think about was the promise that she broke.

Chapter Text

            “Wake up!” the familiar voice of a woman insisted, echoing through nothingness.

            “You have to wake up,” came the voice of a man, gentler than the first yet sounding just as familiar.

            A third familiar voice joined the others. “You still have a promise to keep,” he insisted.

             Avery was dead. She had to be. Right? Here she was, enveloped by a dark void. This was it. Soon the Dust Mother would come to embrace her soul, and her body would return to the earth. From the Dust she came, and to the Dust she shall return.

            She spent her entire life living by those words, and yet… she began to hear something past the familiar voices. It wasn’t until it began to fade away that she realized she was hearing ringing, and as it subsided, she heard thunder overhead, and flames consuming metal nearby. Then, came the intense feeling of heat. She could feel… her body- from her head down to her toes, and this was followed immediately after by an intense wave of pain all over. This could only lead to one conclusion: Avery was alive. She had to be.

            Bit by bit, her senses began to return to her. She could smell a thick layer of smoke in the air, and the taste of blood lingered in her mouth. Then, finally, her eyes opened once more. At first, all she saw was the sky, blocked by cloud cover as a geothermal storm raged on. She was lying down on her back, but she felt something… soft underneath her. She managed to swivel her head 90 degrees to see that she was on top of a security blanket pulled from the ejection kit of a plane.

            That’s when she saw the carnage.

            Spanning as far as the eye could see, Avery saw nothing but a fiery wasteland littered with the wreckage of planes. Even in the condition that the debris was in, Avery could still make it out clear as day: all of this metal belonged to the planes of Crimson Squadron. She looked up into the sky. Both the Mercenaries and Crimson 1 were nowhere to be seen. As much as she hated to even think it, though, Avery had a feeling she knew what the outcome was. There was still that little bit of her that held out hope he was still out there somewhere, but as far as she knew, she was the last pilot left alive in Crimson Squadron.

            She rolled onto her stomach, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her whole body. One way or another, she needed to get out of here- back to Presidia. Slowly, she extended her right arm forward, reaching out as far as she could before gripping down on the ash-covered soil. Her muscles tensed and her body shuddered as she used all her strength to pull herself forward. She repeated this process over and over again, using all her strength to cover mere inches of ground. She looked over her shoulder to see how far she’d gone when a realization struck her: that blanket she was lying on as she came to had been pulled out ahead of time. Someone put her on top of it, but as far she could tell, there was nobody else around.

            Then again, there was only so much she could see laying on the ground. She moved her hands beneath her shoulders and pushed with all her might. Her joints ached in protest, but she didn’t stop- she couldn’t. Her feet gradually shifted up to support her center of gravity. A sharp pain in her right shin nearly sent her collapsing back to the ground, but carried forward by nothing but pure determination, she endured through the pain until she was fully back on her feet again. Much to her dismay, though, standing up didn’t yield any better results. As far as she could tell, there was nobody around for miles.

            “Hello? Is anyone there?” she called out weakly.

            “You’ve shown a resilience that few others could even dream of,” the first voice from earlier said. It seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. “You’re a survivor, Avery.”

            Having regained her senses, Avery now recognized why the voice sounded so familiar. “Babble?” she mumbled, barely even able to process all of this.

            “Nobody is ever truly gone. We are all one- joined together by the Dust beneath our feet,” the second voice, Cutter, said to her. “Is that not what the Dust Mother says?”

            Avery coughed in the hopes of getting the smoke out of her body. The sudden movement made her wince immediately after. “Well… it does,” she said with a scratchy voice. “But I think it’s far more likely that I’ve just finally lost my mind.”

            “On the contrary, Avery. You’ve never been more lucid,” the third voice assured her. It was Padlock. “Through failure you’ve been given a purpose that only a rare few to ever live will have the joy of knowing.”

            Avery’s head snapped this way and that, despite knowing fully well that these voices in her head had no physical source to look at. “What are you talking about?”

            “There is no avoiding what’s to come. Your failure here, to the come, is a message that will ripple through the entire world: the Federation is going to lose Cascadia,” Cutter told her.

            In truth, Avery had known this for quite some time. She tried to deny it for as long as she could, but here and now, surrounded by the ruins of her greatest failure, she had no choice but to come to terms with that fact. This war was as good as over. It was only a matter of time, now. “But what do you mean by purpose?” she insisted. “If my home is doomed, then what purpose could I possibly have?”

            “You are more than what you think yourself to be, Avery. You aren’t just a pilot or a Peacekeeper, or even a member of the Federation; you, Avery, are a true survivor,” Padlock told her. “There is nothing the rebels can throw at you, not even the Crown, that you can’t survive. Because of this, you are perhaps the last person in the world who is able to do what must be done.”

            “Which is?” Avery asked.

            “Make them bleed,” Babble replied. “They may take Cascadia, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make them suffer like they’ve never known the true meaning of the word. These are the people that took your home from you- handed it away to lowly Mercenaries. They deserve to feel pain not previously thought possible. They deserve to burn, Avery- so that the ones still here that matter can be saved. It’s the only way.”

            She was right. This was the only way forward. If Avery’s place here in Cascadia was doomed, then so be it. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to take as many of them with her as possible. For her people. For the Federation. For Amber.

            Amber…

            Avery still made a promise to her, and as long as she drew breath, she planned on keeping it- which meant that she needed to return to Presidia come hell or high fire. She limped forward toward the wreckage of the plane that looked to be hers- wreckage that appeared to be, for the most part, largely intact. Her right leg sent a sharp pain up her body every time her foot touched the ground, but she persisted through it nonetheless. With each painful step, she inched closer and closer to the ruins of her V/X-23, laying sideways in the dirt. The cockpit was in pretty good shape, all things considered. Particularly, the thing she was looking for appeared to still be in tact- the first thing to have gone right for her all day. It hurt with every fiber of her being, but after reaching inside, she felt something underneath the seat. She yanked on it as hard as she could. Her muscles didn’t want to cooperate, but they didn’t have a choice. After two more big pulls, her prize came loose: the ejection kit.

            Avery sat down a few feet away from her crashed plane and emptied its contents out in front of her. Rations, a first aid kid, a map and compass, a blanket, radio, knife, and two flares. Instantly she grabbed the radio. She didn’t even try to switch it on; she already knew damn well that nobody was going to hear her- much less respond- but it would be good to have nonetheless. Next, she grabbed the rations and first aid kid, stuffing them into one of the pockets of her flight suit. She did the same with the flares, and most importantly, the map and compass. The knife she chose to keep in her hand.

            “What are you going to do?” the voice of Cutter asked her.

            Avery shrugged as she rose to her feet. “Find my way home,” she replied. “After that? I’m gonna kill as many of these dogs as I can.”

            She was just about to set off toward what was left of the main urban area of Prospero when she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. It was big, but not any sort of armor- probably a truck of some kind. As the sound grew louder and the vehicle came into sight, she realized that’s exactly what it was; specifically, it was a troop transport truck.

            “Shit,” she murmured, doing her best to limp around to the other side of her plane, hiding behind it.

            She watched the truck come to a stop about ten yards away from her. They cut the engine and a rifle squad dismounted from the back- rebels. Their uniforms- if they could even be called that- were varied in just about every way they could be. One of them was even wearing arctic camo. Their weaponry wasn’t much better on that front, but it was more than she had with her measly little knife. She needed to get out of here.

            “I’m telling you, man, after this, it’s a done deal. War’s over,” one of the soldiers said in the distance. “Monarch just took down the best pilots on the planet. The Federation’s got nothing left.”

            “It’s not over till our flag is flying over Presidia again,” another one replied. “And that’s not happening until we regroup with the main force.”

            “Well, it looks like they’re coming to us, instead,” the first soldier said, looking up at the C/T-17s overhead, escorted by a squadron of CIF MG-29s.

            “But they’re not here yet,” the second one reminded him. “Now focus up. We need to see if there’s anything worth salvaging here that we can use. And don’t forget to snap photos of everything. He’ll want to see every last detail.”

            The first soldier scoffed. “If he wants to see all the gory details so bad he oughta come up here and see it himself.”

            The eight soldiers began to spread out, sweeping the debris field littered with the remains of her now dead squadron. It would only be a matter of time before they found her. Before she stood up to move, her hands moved up and down her body, trying to undo the straps and buckles for her flight gear as quietly as possible. It was only going to weigh her down, and she needed every advantage she could get.

            Crouching down, she began to move to the right, toward to the closest bit of wreckage that was big enough to hide her from the soldiers. Her body felt as if it were breaking apart with each step she took, but she was just going to have to endure the pain. The alternative would be far worse. Once she had made it to her new cover spot, she made quick, darting glances, surveying the area to see where she should move next. Then she spotted a particularly dense bit of debris. It looked to be the combined remains of Five and Seven’s planes. If she could just make it the handful of yards that separated her from them, they would be able to help her one more time to make her escape.

            She was just about to start moving, only to immediately stop herself when the sound of heavyset footsteps grew louder. One of the soldiers was directly behind the wreckage she was hiding behind. The slightest movement or sound would have given her away then and there, but miraculously, she was a statue. After a few moments scanning his surroundings, he moved on, and Avery took it as her chance. With her destination in sight, she scurried towards it, moving as fast as she could without being loud enough to give away her position. However, in doing so, she pushed her body just a bit too far, and it finally gave way. It took all the willpower she had not to cry out in pain, but the sound she made as she fell into the dirt was enough.

            The closest soldier heard it instantly, raising his rifle as he spun toward the noise. As soon as he made eye contact with Avery, though, he just stood there, stunned. Why he didn’t pull the trigger then and there would forever be a mystery to her. Instead, he simply muttered a barely audible, “By the Dust,” before turning back to rest of his comrades. “Hey, Adrian! You’re not gonna believe what I just found!”

            Avery made no attempts to even move. She knew it wasn’t going to do her any good.

            As the second soldier joined the first, his eyes went wide and the two began cautiously approaching her. “Holy shit. Now, that’s one helluva find, Risso! Looks like Monarch’s getting sloppy on us- can’t believe he missed one.” He turned his full attention to Avery. “You’ve got some nerve showing your face here after what you did. Y’know that?”

            “I could say the same thing about you,” she replied in a soft voice- all she had the strength to speak with.

            Risso’s brow furrowed, and Avery could see his grip on his rifle tighten as he raised it up to fire, aimed directly at her head. He was probably about a second away from shooting when Adrian grabbed his barrel, lowering it gently. He looked at his comrade, shaking his head at him before looking back to the Peacekeeper laying on the ground before them. “You’re lucky, Fed,” he spat as he reached down to take her knife away. “If we had our way, we’d just shoot you right here and leave her body to rot. Quite frankly, that’s all you deserve. Fortunately for you, though, there are some people higher up the chain of command than me that are gonna love to watch you swing at the gallows when this is all over.” He looked back at Risso. “Get her up. We’re taking her back to camp with us.”

            Risso nodded, yanking Avery up to her feet. He produced a zip tie from one of the pouches on his vest and kneeled in close. “Don’t get excited, Fed. This is just a stay of execution for you.” He grabbed her wrists tightly, forcing them behind her back. The zip tie felt cold against her skin. If he didn’t tie them as tight as they could possibly go, it would almost be a brief moment of relief in this heat. Risso’s hands lingered around her back area for just long enough for it to be uncomfortable. She jabbed her elbow into his stomach and he backed away wincing.

            Adrian responded immediately by shoving her in the back with the butt of his rifle. “Move,” he commanded.

            Avery had no choice but to comply, limping over to the truck that they arrived on and climbing up into the back- much to her body’s dismay. Once inside, she was packed in there with the rest of the soldiers like sardines. Risso was pressed up next to her while Adrian glared at her from the other side. Eventually, the truck rumbled back to life and began to move. Each bump and shift caused her to let out an involuntary wince or groan, to which one of the two soldiers that had found her told her to shut up.

            “To think that some people could even remotely view these people- these degenerates- as some sort of noble freedom fighters- liberating themselves from tyranny,” Padlock scoffed from within Avery’s mind. “This is their true face- one that you’ve known for quite some time already.”

            “There’s no saving or fixing these people. They’re corrupt and rotten down to their core. The only way to deal with them is to stamp them out like bugs,” Babble said.

            Avery didn’t make an effort to keep track of time. It simply passed as it did. She didn’t even really process that they eventually came to a stop until the soldiers next to her began climbing out. They dragged her along with them, and it wasn’t until she was fully out of the truck that she saw where they had taken her. It didn’t look like much. In fact, it was barely much more than a few dozen tents scattered around an open clearing within the city. But this was main camp of the rebel survivors from the attack on Prospero.

            Risso kept a firm grip on the zip tie around her wrists as he shoved her along, deeper within the camp. A few of the other soldiers around the camp quickly took notice of her- their eyes going wide. Some murmured amongst themselves, but most chose to follow the squad that had found her as they took her to a specific point in the camp. Before long, they stopped in front of one of the bigger tents. Several guns were trained directly on Avery’s back.

            “General!” Adrian called out. “You’ll want to see what we found out there!”

            The door to the tent rustled, and as a figure emerged from within, Avery could scarcely believe her eyes. She had never seen the man with her own eyes, but the patches on his officer’s uniform told her, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the man who stood before her was none other than General Morgan Elizabeth. Somehow, he was taller than Avery imagined him being. Most notably, though, were the several burn marks visible across his face.

            As soon as he realized who was standing in front of him, his eyes narrowed, hoping to pierce through Avery’s soul. He took slow, measured steps toward her, eyeing her up and down as he approached- studying every inch of her. Once he got close enough that Avery could see the hints of green in his blue eyes, one of the soldiers behind her kicked the back of her knee, causing her to drop to the ground, groaning in pain.

            General Elizabeth looked down at her with disgust- as if the very idea that she felt pain was insulting to him. “I want you to know that at the beginning- long before all of this,” he paused, gesturing to the ruins of Prospero that surrounded them. “This war truly wasn’t personal. It started as the independence war that so many people believe it to be, but after everything we’d seen- in Salvemini, in the evacuation of Presidia, in Grimwood, and now this- there were a select few of us within the Independence Force that knew this war had changed. The only way out of this now is to kill every last one of you. You’ve given us no choice in the matter, but even if you had, it still wouldn’t have saved you.”

            “This man has undoubtedly killed scores upon scores of people- innocent or otherwise. What right does he have to lecture you?” Babble asked. “For all you know, he could be the very person that started all of this to begin with. How dare he make you out to be a monster when all you’ve done is respond in kind to what he started?”

            “You…” Avery paused, taking a deep breath to recover the breath that had been forcefully knocked out of her. “You were in Magadan,” she finally said. “I saw what you did there. You can try to justify the horrible things you did with whatever bullshit arguments you’d like, but it won’t change a damn thing. You don’t care about Cascadia- about our people. You never have because if you did, you never would’ve subjected them to all of this. All of the blood that’s been spilled over this last year is on your hands, and that’s exactly what you wanted.”

            The General’s gaze on her softened for the briefest of moments at the mention of Magadan. A flash of what could only be described as curiosity lit up his eyes before vanishing just as soon as it appeared. “You speak as if we’re at all different. That’s your naiveite showing. The only thing separating you from me is that I’m not foolish enough to think that the Federation is worth saving- not anymore. You, though, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do to try and “fix” the Federation’s greatest flaws. But in doing so, you crossed a line that never should have been crossed. Even now, two months after it happened, the fires are still burning and geothermal storms still rage across the country. You angered the Earth itself, and beset its righteous fury on all of us.” He knelt down to be at eye-level with Avery. “Ever since that first cruise missile hit our forces in the city, I knew that I wanted each and every one of you Crimson bastards to hang at the steps of the capital building when we take back Presidia. In truth, if it had to be just one of you, I would’ve preferred it to be General Caine, but since he’s seemed to have vanished without trace. You’ll do just fine as a consolation prize, though.”

            Avery didn’t dignify him with a proper response. All she muttered was a spiteful, “We’ll see about that.”

            General Elizabeth smirked before rising to his feet. “Alright, everyone, I want this camp broken down in 30!” he called out to his men. “It looks like our people are headed for the airport, so we’ll meet them there.” He paused before muttering to himself, “Griffiths is gonna have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, that’s for damn sure.”

            As rebel soldiers began hustling and bustling all around her, Avery thought, in that brief moment, that they had forgotten all about her. After General Elizabeth lambasted her in front of all of them, they seemed to be satisfied. She knew better, though. In a few moments, one of the soldiers would pick her back up and forcefully drag her all over the camp until they were ready to move.

            Or at least, that’s what she thought was going to happen until she saw what she could only describe as a glint of light coming from the top of one of the taller buildings left standing around the clearing that they had camped in. Then it happened. She saw it before she heard it- or rather, before her brain had time to process the sound. One of the rebel soldiers staggered backward before falling to the ground dead. The thud their body made as it hit the ground was accompanied by a loud crack. A gunshot.

            The other soldiers around Avery sprang into action, jumping into cover and searching for the source of the shot. Another one rang out, finding its mark with ease. Avery laid down on the ground, curling up and making herself as small as possible. More shots rang out, this time in rapid succession to one another and from the other side of the camp. Shouting ensued, followed by more gunfire. Avery didn’t dare move or even look. A small explosion echoed across the city ruins. The shouting from the rebel soldiers got louder as they were pushed back closer and closer to Avery.

            That’s when she got her chance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a rebel soldier fall dead just a few feet away from her. Avery looked around. They were all too busy fighting whoever was attacking them to even notice her. Inch by inch, she scooted closer to the dead rebel. It took some awkward positioning and movement, but she was eventually able to grab the knife off his belt, angling it toward herself and pushing it back and forth against the zip tie binding her wrists. Once it finally broke off, she reached for the sidearm fastened in the rebel’s holster before doing her best to run to the nearest cover. That’s when she saw who had shown up: Federation soldiers. It was now or never.

            She flicked the pistol’s safety off and aimed at the closest rebel. It was Risso- too distracted by the attacking soldiers to notice her. Breathing in deep through her nose, Avery centered the gun’s ironsights on his chest. She gave the trigger a firm squeeze and a single shot rang out. He didn’t even have time to react to the sound of the gun going off before he collapsed. Avery looked around at the remaining rebel soldiers, scanning their quickly dwindling numbers for her next target, and that’s when she saw him: General Elizabeth.

            He was crouching behind a flipped over table for cover, resting the barrel of his rifle against the top as he squeezed of shots at the incoming Federation attackers. Avery couldn’t help but smirk. For all his years in the military- all the people he'd killed to get where he was now- one simple mistake was all it took for her to end his life. In his rush to repel the Federation attackers, he had forgotten all about her. This gave Avery a chance to line up a shot on him while he was none the wiser. By the time he realized, it was already too late. The two made eye contact, and the General tried to swing his rifle around to fire on her, but before he could get a shot off, Avery had already pulled the trigger. He tried to stand up and evade the bullet, but he didn’t have the time to move before Avery’s shot hit him just a few inches above his waist. The General fell to the ground with a thud, and Avery looked to see how many rebels remained just in time to see the last two get gunned down.

            “Y’know, when our sniper said he saw these guys unloading a captured Peacekeeper from Crimson Squadron, I honestly wasn’t sure that I believed him,” one of the Federation soldiers said as he approached her. There was a certain aspect about the way that he held himself that radiated authority. “But damn it feels good to be wrong for once.”

            Avery did her best to stand up straight, which still lead to her being slouched over a tad due to how sore all the sudden action had made her. “You all have no idea how relieved I am to see some friendly faces.”

            “I can imagine,” the soldier that walked up to her said as he put his hand forward. “Staff Sergeant Lyle Yates, Headwind 2-1,” he introduced himself.

            “Captain Avery Finch, Crimson 6,” she replied, shaking his hand.

            Before Yates could reply, everyone’s attention was drawn to a sudden long, drawn-out groan coming from nearby. Avery didn’t even have to look to know who it was. Yet as the other soldiers followed her to the source of the noise, they found themselves approaching General Elizabeth lying on the ground, clutching his side in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

            “Well, I’ll be damned,” Yates muttered. “After all this time, we finally nailed the bastard- and the best part? He’s still kicking. Now that’s resilience.”

            The Federation soldiers made a circle around him, watching him intently as if he was some exotic animal in a zoo that they’d never seen before. General Elizabeth grunted and groaned with each small movement he made. And as his gaze flicked from one soldier to another, and then eventually landing on Avery, he realized that there was only one way out. His hand shot down to his belt, unholstering the pistol at his side. He was halfway through the movement of putting it to his head when Yates stepped on his hand, pressing it firmly against the ground.

            Once more Avery smirked at the sight of his pain. “After everything he’s done. This is the least that he deserves,” Padlock murmured to her. “If time were some figment of our imagination, there’s no amount of suffering you could inflict on this man that he wouldn’t have earned throughout his life.”

            Avery knelt down beside him, looking into his eyes. “Perhaps you’re right. Maybe we are the same,” she sneered at him, watching the once proud General shift through a thousand emotions at once. “But do you wanna know what it really is that separates the two of us?” She stood up tall, looking him square in the eyes as she cocked the hammer on her pistol and aimed it directly at his head. “I’m not the one who fights against the only Order that can guarantee the safety of our people.” And at that, a single shot rang out, leaving Morgan Elizabeth dead in the dirt.

            “I bet that felt good,” Yates said, still looking down at his dead body. “I’ve been dreaming about doing that for months, now. Truth be told, I envy you.”

            Now that she was free from any distractions, Avery’s focused was now fully back on her original mission- on the promise she needed to keep. “I need to get back to Presidia as fast as possible. Can you help me with that?”

            “Well, I suppose I’ll have to ask the LT about that. I’m sure she wouldn’t take too kindly to me making that kinds of decision without her-“ he cut himself off as his eyes drifted up into the sky. Another group of rebel C/T-17s flew overhead, circling back around to land at the airport. “C’mon, we gotta get out of here. Our FOB is about 2 klicks southwest of here. Think you can make it that far?”

            Avery looked down at herself, observing her condition and the state of the wounds she had endured. “Might be tough, but I think I’ll manage.”

            Yates nodded. “C’mon then. At this rate, we won’t have long before this whole city is crawling with Cascadians, so keep up.”

            To the soldiers’ credit, they were kind enough to ensure that she was able to keep up with them. She’d run two kilometers before- with ease, more often than not- but in her present state, it often felt like a challenge just to stay on her feet. Fortunately for Avery, though, the squad’s medic, Daniels, had something that-to her- was worth its weight in gold at the moment: painkillers. The water he offered her to wash them down with was also sorely-needed. Come to think of it, she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d even had water to drink. It felt so cold to her as it ran down her throat that it must’ve come straight from a glacier. In reality, it was lukewarm at best.

            “Listen, I apologize for bringing this up so soon after it happened, but I’m just too curious,” Yates said as they continued walking down an old-worn down road. “What happened that led to you being down here with us? In Prospero of all places?”

            Avery sighed. She would have to come to terms with this sooner or later, so she may as well just get it over with. “The Crown happened,” she replied bluntly. “They were escorting the rebels moving into the city, so we were sent up to stop them.” She paused for a good long while- long enough for Yates to look over his shoulder at her to make sure she was alright. “We failed,” she finally said.

            “Wait,” one of the other soldiers interjected. “If you’re the only one we found, does that mean that Crimson 1 is…”

            That was the question, wasn’t it? Technically speaking, anything was possible in however much time passed while she was out. But given that the only debris scattered around the place that she came to belonged to her own squadron, she could say with relative certainty that he didn’t get the Crown or their wingmen. And yet… someone pulled Avery out of her plane. “I… don’t know, truth be told,” she finally admitted. “When I got shot down, I blacked out. He was still up and flying, fighting the Crown and their two wingmen. By the time I came to, they were all gone.”

            “Damn,” another said. “He was probably our best bet at beating these damn Cascadians. Without him, I dunno how much hope I have left in me that we’re gonna come out on top of this.”

            “You see? They don’t know what you know,” Babble told Avery. “They cling on to the tiniest scrap of hope because it’s all that keeps them moving. Without the promise of victory at the end of all this, they would go mad at the lack of purpose they truly have.”

            “But you know better,” Cutter added. “You know not only how this is all going to end, but what you must do because of it. That’s something these people will never have.”

            Eventually, they came over an agonizingly steep hill to see a sight that Avery couldn’t have been more relieved to see: a Federation military encampment. In making it to this point, she had overcome the hardest part of surviving her encounter with the Crown. Now, she just needed to get back to Presidia- no matter the cost. The squad escorted her inside the camp, keeping her in the middle of all of them. It didn’t take long for Avery to notice how much neater and more organized this place was in comparison to the rebel camp she’d been taken to. It was a refreshing change of pace.

            “Hey, LT!” Yates called out. “We’ve got a situation here- a big one!”

            Avery watched as a woman dressed in an officer’s fatigue- sleeves rolled up to the elbow, seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She was probably a few years older than Avery was, and about the same height. There was a shift in her eyes at the moment she saw Avery. She knew exactly who she was.

            “I’ve gotta say, Yates, out of all the things you’ve brought me, this is definitely one of the most interesting. Although, I have no idea how the hell you found a pilot from Crimson Squadron or what they’re even doing here.”

            “It’s… a long story,” Avery admitted. “But I need to get back to Presidia as fast as possible.”

            The LT smirked, doing her hardest to suppress a chuckle at the woman who outranked her. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not from up in your plane, but down here, fast ain’t how the world works anymore,” she explained. “Getting to Presidia from here? That’s about a ten-day trip.”

            “Doesn’t matter. I’ll make it alone if I have to,” Avery insisted. “But you don’t understand how important it is that I get back there.”

            The LT paused for a moment, pacing back and forth on the small patch of grass she stood on before eventually letting out a heavy sigh. “Fine. But I’m not about to just send you off like this. Take some time to rest up, we’ll give you fresh supplies- or at least what we can spare to give you- and then you can get on your way.”

            “Let’s get going, then. The sooner the better.”

            Without another word, the LT led Avery into one of the tents. “First thing’s first.” She kicked a small trunk at the foot of a bet. “You’re gonna want some new fatigues. The roads are littered with partisans and rebel snipers. If they see someone in a flight suit- especially one that has the Crimson Squadron patch on it- they won’t hesitate to fire. Some unassuming private, though? At this stage in the war, it’s not worth the ammo.”

            “You sure about that?” Avery asked as she opened up the trunk, pulling out a fresh pair of fatigues from inside. “Seems like a gamble with my head.”

            “Well, it’s worked for me, so far,” the LT replied, turning around to give Avery what little privacy there was to give. “Not exactly the same- I know. Still, nowadays, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

            After transferring the contents of her flight suit into her new change of clothes, Avery followed the LT back out into the open area of camp. She couldn’t help but let her eyes wander as she walked, watching the soldiers around her all going about their various tasks. She had to admit that it was admirable for these people- who had been the closest to the carnage that the rebels unleashed- to be carrying on so resolutely. At the very least, it was more than Shepherd could ever have done.

            “Well, I’ll be honest, it’s kinda slim pickings,” the LT said as they reached what looked to be an impromptu armory. “After everything that’s happened and being cut off from high command for so long, we’re running low on pretty much everything, but there’s no way I’m letting you make this trip unarmed.”

            Avery nodded. Truth be told, she’d never been very into guns. She was more than certified to use them thanks to her training, but it always felt like a chore to her. Throwing on a plate carrier, she looked over what few rifles there were for her to take before eventually settling on an XM8. The LT gave her an approving nod before directing the pilot to the table where the ammo was stored. She grabbed what few magazines they could spare, loading them into her vest.

            “C’mon. I got one last thing for you,” the LT said, moving back toward the rear entrance of the FOB.

            As Avery followed her out, a peculiar sound caught her attention- some sort of heavy exhale, but not from a person. As she rounded the corner, she paused for a moment, caught off guard by what she saw: four saddled horses with reins tied to a long bar.

            “Our last vehicle went kaput about a month back, so we’ve been using these fine animals to help get us around quicker when needed,” the LT explained. “You know how to ride a horse?”

            “Not in the slightest.

            “C’mere, then. I’ll give you a crash course,” she said, untying the reins of an all-gray horse and walking it over to Avery. “Her name’s Ghost. Climb on.”

            Avery hesitated for a moment, staring dubiously at the creature. Ghost returned the gaze. Truth be told, she would rather just walk, but if it meant getting back to Presidia quicker, then she was willing to give it a go. She raised her foot up, making sure it was securely in the stirrup before using it to hoist herself up onto Ghost’s back. The horse snorted at the weight, but she offered no form of protest beyond that. Once Avery was fully on the horse, she made sure her other foot was secure before looking down at the LT.

            “Here,” she said, handing Avery the reins. “Squeeze with your legs to make her move, pull on the reins to make her stop.”

            The pilot nodded, doing as the lieutenant instructed and prompting Ghost to start trotting forward. After getting a handle on how to steer, she circled back around to the LT and stopped. “Thank you, for everything. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I won’t forget it.”

            “What, you thought a pilot from Crimson Squadron was gonna show up at my doorstep asking for help and I was just gonna say no?” the LT asked sarcastically. “I do have one favor to ask of you, though.”

            “Which is?”

            “Give ‘em hell.”

            Avery nodded. “Oh, trust me, I’m way ahead of you, there. If I have my way, there won’t be a single one left standing by the time I’m done with them.”

            With that, Avery turned Ghost around and set out on her way, heading southwest. Despite the odds, she survived. And while she may not be able to stop the Crown, she still had a chance to take out as many of those damn rebels and Mercenaries as she could. It wasn’t just her choice, it was her duty- her moral obligation. As long as she drew breath, she wasn’t going to stop until each and every one of them burned.