//------------------------------//
// Rough Seas 
// Story: Shattered Skies 
// by The card holder 
//------------------------------//

Comberth Harbor was in a state of mild disarray, as almost an entire fleet of ships was stranded, no fuel available to get them running.

The moment hostile aircraft was spotted entering the area, the entire harbor went on alert, scrambling whatever fighters they had, arming defenses, and using what little fuel they had on hand to send a select few ships towards the sea, hopefully to escape the incoming offensive.

As Twilight watched from her seat in the AWACS, she couldn't help but balk at the sheer scale of things. She could see dozens of planes beginning to take off, not to mention the vast amount of ships in the water.

Of course, her fears were somewhat quelled by the matching force of ISAF planes flying alongside her, Dash and Mobius at the front, like usual.

<<Initiate attack. All aircraft cleared to engage any and all targets. Sink the "invincible" Aegir fleet while they're at anchor. Good luck!>>

<<Got eyes on some ships making a break for it, engaging.>>

<<Roger, Storm 1. Mobius 1, engage.>>

Many other ISAF pilots announced their engagements, as Dash swooped down into position to attack the fleeing ships. Mobius followed behind her, staying high to meet any interceptors head on.

<<I'm supporting.>>

<<Don't fret, this ship won't sink!>>

As if in answer to the enemy's boast, Dash sent a group of missiles towards the leading ship.

<<Storm 1, fox two!>>

The ship's AA guns could only get a small burst out before they were obliterated by the missiles, the ship itself following directly after.

<<Battleship Tanager sunk!>>

<<These are the only ones that made it outside the harbor?!>>

Dash picked up a tail following her strafing run, but Mobius was quick to shoot it down before it could come anywhere close to getting a lock.

<<Dammit! I'm hit!>>

<<Say your prayers.>>

<<Enemy destroyer sunk!>>

The offensive continued in this fashion, with most of the planes taking out the ships while Mobius and a few others provided air cover. There were a couple ISAF losses, but they were quickly avenged.

<<This is bad, we're surrounded!>>

<<Another one of our ships went down!>>

<<Don't fall on our ships!>>

Once all the ships in the open water were sinking, Dash began to turn around.

<<This is Storm 1, returning to carrier to refuel and reload!>>

<<Roger that, Storm 1. Mobius 1, start to target the ships in the harbor!>>

<<It's no use, most of ours never made it.>>

Mobius flew deeper inland, stopping only to take out an occasionally pesky bandit. The rest of the ISAF craft followed behind him, engaging and mopping up anything that he didn't manage to destroy utterly on his own.

<<Are we clear to shoot? This isn't an exercise?>>

At that moment, Mobius sent a cluster of missiles at the ground, where each one took out a different defense emplacement.

<<Evac everyone! Evac everyone!>>

One by one, the anchored ships met explosive ends at the armaments of Mobius 1, and the Erusians fell even more into a panic, doing their best to down the ace, but to no avail.

The closest they came was a single fighter that managed to get behind him, but it was quickly shaken off as Mobius dove between two buildings on the coast, and quickly looped back around just in time to slam a pair of missiles into the fighter head on.

<<We've lost another one!>>

<<Drag him this way.>>

Just before a previously-hidden SAM site could fully lock on, however, it was decimated by another missile.

<<Enemy SAM destroyed!>>

<<Were you hogging all the fun during my break, Mobius?>>

<<The sunken ships are blockading the others!>>

<<I can't believe it. The Aegir fleet is sinking...>>

As the harbor started to go up in flames, the action started to slowly move farther inland, Dash leading the way as Mobius took his own chance to get rearmed.

<<Enemies entering harbor airspace!>>

By now, ISAF forces had reached the fuel tanks, which exploded spectacularly when they were bombed.

<<We have them on the ropes, now push forward and finish sinking their fleet!>>

<<Storm 1, bandit at 6 o'clock!>>

Dash began evasive maneuvers, but did not stray from her bombing run, as she blew up enemy weapon emplacements and ships left and right.

<<Fox two.>>

The fighter tailing Dash managed to get a lock and a missile out, but she was quick to swoop back into the sky, causing the missile to crash into a building instead.

<<Too slow!>>

Dash took this time to begin engaging some of the Erusian air cover, confident that the rest of the ground assault was being covered. This was doubly true once Mobius returned, ready to once again start dishing out missiles.

<<Our ships took heavy casualties!>>

<<Don't let them escape, make 'em fish food!>>

The onslaught continued, both sides trading blows, though with ISAF doing far more damage than the Erusians. As was now par for the course, this was largely due to the efforts of Dash and Mobius, who were starting to clean up a group of enemy submarines.

<<Where are our fighters?!>>

<<Missile! Break! Break!>>

<<Can't see through the smoke from our ships!>>

<<Don't let your flying get sloppy!>>

Eventually, there were no more ships to be sunk, so the remaining ISAF forces started to clear the sky of what was left of the Erusian air support.

<<Bandit on your tail! Evade!>>

<<Mobius 1, fox two.>>

<<Right on the money!>>

<<One of ours went down!>>

<<Just who the hell are these people...?>>

<<Sierra Hotel!>>

<<It's not working, get out of there!>>

After a couple minutes of dogfighting, only a handful of Erusian fighters were left, all of which turned tail and retreated towards the mainland. Mobius gave a parting shot to the slowest one, and was able to take down one more bogey, but the rest managed to slip away.

<<SkyEye here. Enemy fleet and harbor facilities confirmed destroyed.>>

All at once, the radio came alive with pilots letting out congratulatory whoops, hollers, and other such merriment. Twilight wanted to say she would've joined in, but she found her gaze constantly drifting to the destruction just out her window, marked by tall plumes of smoke from the burning fuel and ships.

She was convinced that they were doing this for the right reasons... but was this really the only way?

<<Mission complete, all aircraft RTB.>>

Just as she was ruminating on this, and as the remaining ISAF planes fell back into formation, one of the pilots started singing what sounded like some sort of national anthem over the radio. It wasn't long before the others joined in, even Dash, and Twilight simply grew more puzzled. Here were the pilots, singing about justice and freedom, and yet she could still see evidence of the war painting the ground and water below, as fire engulfed the coastline.

"Hey, Sunset?" she asked. "How... how do you deal with all..." She gestured outside. "This?"

Sunset let out a sigh as she took her headset off. "Truth be told, I'm not so sure myself. I think..." Suddenly, she winced. "This is going to sound terrible, but... I think it's because war is a bit easier to deal with from up here."

Twilight had no answer to that, so Sunset kept talking. "Don't worry, once this war is over and done with, I'll do everything I can to keep things peaceful from here on. Hopefully, everyone else will, too."

"...thanks, Sunset." The two shared a small hug, but Twilight's heart was still a bit heavy.

It never really was that easy, was it?