September 1st, 2016

Operation Leviathan

We got to take it easy for a week, because the Empire’s forces were turned back and didn’t try us again for some time. Projections claimed that the Empire was unlikely to hit us for another two months, but they were faster than that, and I knew it.

High command knew it too, because we were supposed to attack the Imperial Navy in two days. Technically, the mission started today, but it would take two days just to reach Norigrad.

The Provincial Navy had sent two of their carriers to ferry us most of the way. They would stop outside the Empire’s sensor range, and then we would take off. Along with our squadron, they had pulled a dozen other squadrons into this operation. In total, we would be hitting the harbor with nearly a hundred various fighters and bombers. The goal was to sink as many Imperial ships as possible.

Since they were all gathered in Norigrad’s colossal harbor, busy staging their forces for a second assault on the Sapent coast, they were all clustered together. Unprepared, unorganized, trapped by the confines of the harbor, and busy refitting and resupplying, they would be sitting ducks for our attack force.

The carrier trip was long and dull. We had nothing to do most of the time except check the systems on our aircraft. It was important, of course, because the worst thing that could happen during our mission is our reliable aircraft breaking down mid-flight, but not the most entertaining of duties.

After the carriers stopped, we got in our planes and took off. There’s a majestic feeling I can’t describe when I’m flying in formation with all those aircraft. Anyone who was in a similar scenario knows the feeling I’m talking about.

Anyway, we were off. After about two hours, the city was coming into view, and we saw them.

The Imperial Navy prides itself on its fleet of large, powerful, and numerous warships. Their navy is one of the largest in the world, with over 120 vessels. We often joke that half of that is probably speedboats with machine guns strapped to them, but we know that they are a formidable force.

One that we were about to send to the bottom of the harbor!

We fanned out and began attacking their fleets. Their ships’ guns filled the sky with tracers and lead as we soared over them to attack them all. Enemy comm chatter exploded and filled our radios as we moved on their ships.

INS Demeter Captain: “This is the INS Demeter; we’ve got several dozen Allied Forces aircraft showing up on our sensors!”

Imperial Soldier: “Radar is picking up multiple squadrons inbound fast. They aren’t ours!”

Imperial Soldier: “Where did the even come from?!”

Imperial Commander: “Start rolling the AA guns! Don’t let them sink the fleet!”

Imperial Crewman: “Get us out of the harbor! We’re dead if we stay here!

Imperial Crewman: “We can’t move! Our ships are blocking each other in!”

Looking back, I still don’t regret what I did that day, but Hell, do I feel guilty about it.

We split up and descended on our terrified enemies. Weaving between round after round of enemy fire spewing up at us.

Imperial Commander: “Open up on all guns! Set fire to the sky if you have to! Don’t let them get through!”

The Imperial Navy is usually calm and levelheaded when it comes to combat, but I don’t think they’re like that when they aren’t expecting to be attacked. I bet half the officers were loudly awoken by sailors rushing to get them and are commanding their ships while still in their pajamas or whatever they wear when they sleep.

The bullets sprayed up in wide arcs but continued to miss.

Tally: “Their gunners can’t hit the broadside of a war!”

Tally taunted them, but we all knew deep down that those bullets, even if they missed, would still cause damage when they came back down. Then things got spicier.

You see, the Imperial Military has these weapons called “M-SARs,” or “Mobile Surface-to-Air Rocket launchers.” These things do exactly what it sounds like they do, and that’s fire lots of rockets at aircraft.

One of those rockets flew right past my wing and blew up. I could feel the shock wave from the explosion, and a piece of shrapnel made a small crack in my cockpit. Rockets continued firing up. I didn’t know if we’d lost any aircraft, but part of me didn’t want to know.

I fired a pair of missiles at the nearest Imperial ship and watched as it listed to the side, veering off its course and scraping against the harbor before slowly lowering into the waiting cold, wet embrace. I looked around the harbor and saw similar successes unfolding across it. I pulled up and made another pass at a second ship trying to escape the harbor and had mirrored results. This ship, a cruiser, hit the harbor head-on and ran aground, carving a tear into it and knocking aside stacks of cargo containers, before its stern side sank, and the ship slid back into the water.

A third ship tried to escape the harbor, but the wreckage already in the harbor scraped against the ship’s hull and caused it to sink itself. Any other ships in that part of the harbor were trapped, and other squadrons were already sinking them. This whole fiasco went on for another hour or two.

Norigrad’s harbor was consumed in fire and smoke. Burning and sunken ships littered the harbor and all the nearby area outside of it. Every ship. Every vessel. Their navy was in ruins.

We had won, but it still didn’t feel over yet. I found out soon after that it was right. A new female voice entered the mess of comm chatter.

AWACS Forge: “AWACS Forge to all squadrons, spread out and deal with the Allied aircraft. Force them out of the airspace or shoot them down. We’ve already lost too much today. Don’t let them do any more damage! Paladin Squadron, Ascendant Squadron, split up the enemies and take them out!”

Yep. The Imperial Air Force had arrived. Highlander wasted no time in coordinating units for pulling out.

Highlander: “Well, the IAF sure took their sweet time getting here. Okay. All units, objective complete. Evacuate the airspace immediately and return to base. Do not, I repeat, do not, engage the enemy. Pull out.”

All of our aircraft, whittled down to around three quarters of their original numbers, turned and fled back from the way we came. The fighters fled faster than the rest, going as fast as they could in hopes of escaping the faster and more advanced Imperial aircraft or getting out of range of their long-range missiles.

The bombers fled slower, but they were safer. Their high altitudes and stealth technology allowed them to remain safely out of range of the Imperial air power. We returned to the carriers and settled in for the long trip home. I didn’t sleep well that night. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but I think I just couldn’t sit well having participated in the massacre of so many people only a few hours earlier.

The little sleep I got was met with unsettling dreams. Dreams of the harbor, still burning well into the night. Sirens wailing across the city and rescue workers trying to cut trapped sailors out of their capsized warship tombs. Punctured fuel tanks leaking, igniting, and spreading fire across the water and harbor.

Then I imagined it afterwards. A depressing mist hung over the harbor. Everything was a dull gray. The remains of ships poked out above the surface of the water. And corpses. Corpses, bloated and pale as the rest of the scene, hung limp in the water. More and more floated to the surface until the harbor was choked with them. And then…

What am I talking about? There was no “and then.” I woke up. That was the end of it. I woke up in a cold sweat. The ship’s alarms had woken me. I poked out of my quarters to ask one of the marines running by me what was happening. He shrugged at me and kept going, so I flagged down the next one.

Allied Marine: “We’ve reached the mainland, but the airfield we were supposed to drop one of the squadrons off at is burning.”

I pulled on my shirt and shorts and ran to the flight deck. I got to the surface and joined the gathering crowd staring at the smoking airfield. A dull gray similar to the kind in my dream hung over the carrier and the airfield. We all just stared in silence. Some lowered their heads and took off their hats. Some cried. Others left. Some didn’t come at all. I can’t blame them.

Once we got to land, the squadrons went to meet their various commanders for debriefing. I remember exactly what the commander said to us.

Commander: “So, the mission was a success. The enemy’s naval power has been rendered no factor. However, in the days since the attack, Imperial stealth bombers have conducted retaliatory strikes at Allied Forces bases. Damage reports are still coming in, but it's safe to say the damage is severe.

Despite this, their navy’s decimation has opened up an opportunity to attempt a landing operation on Astean shores. Strategists are already drawing up battle plans for a full-blown invasion. We’re placing you on standby until further notice. Dismissed.”

I didn’t have anything to say after that. I just felt so emotionally drained after all of this that I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. I walked off to my quarters and went to sleep. I slept better that night, but there was still that same dream. The same harbor, The same sea of bodies.