Chapter 14
The bitter cold air rushed through the feathers of the guards. They were a small group, keeping watch for the security soldiers that were regularly checking the airport terminals. There were many dealings and skepticism about Gryphnia needing an airport, born to the air as they naturally were. But the same argument was put forward as to why they needed an air force. Some gryphons had a hard time flying, and even more could not travel such distances. With the length of travel time shortened, Gryphnia adopted its own airport system to coincide with the rest of the continent.
Of course now, with the break out of the war, the airport had been silenced of civilian travel to the other nations, much as the rest of the continent had. This kept gryphons confined to local travel, although limited even then. Nothing was truly stirring at this hour, save for the airport personnel who had sufficient clearance. The rest were military personnel and a number of air force fighters and their pilots. The latter of which was sleeping instead of their usual of staying up and causing a ruckus at the terminal bars.
It was late though now, and there was hardly a thing stirring. The security guards were making their rounds, but proceeded normally. There was a light bit of frost and snow on the windows that allowed view to the tarmac and the runways which made the airport for a rather cheerful site to behold.
But now, it was about to become a possible battlefield.
With a subtle wave of his claws, the first guard, who had been hiding from the patrolling soldiers which passed into the security checkpoint, ordered the mass group of civilians further into the terminal. He gave a whisper to a few other guards who nodded and silently went after the soldiers to neutralize them. The civilians however, almost a hundred strong, kept themselves as quiet as possible. Whole families, mothers, children, infants, elders, all kept themselves low and silent.
The lead guard looked up to make sure the lights on the cameras were out, showing they had been deactivated. Seeing they were, he once again waved forward for the families to move forward. Looking out the large, frost covered windows, he saw their two large passenger jet liners waiting at their gates, the boarding ramps attached and ready for takeoff. It had taken some bribes, threats, and altogether dicey negotiations with the airport personnel, but these two had been secured for transport.
Giving a swift nod, the pilots, co-pilots, and flight attendants sprinted forward and down the ramps to prepare the planes. With no luggage, this should be a fairly simple flight. They had forgone the drinks and food, deciding this needed to be done swiftly and quietly, and without attention from the guards. Civilian airliners had often been flown further into the country for inspections, so the hope was that this would not arouse enough suspicion.
Virgil's two colleagues once again join him, keeping their eyes on any possible ambush points in case they were compromised. "Is the tower secure?" he whispered.
The first nodded. "Bravo called in as we were coming back. They are knocked out and dragged into the closet at the bottom of the tower as planned."
"We also knocked out some of the grounds crews. Military eyes have also been neutralized," said the second. Virgil didn't need to know 'how' neutralized, just that they were.
Taking a look out the side, he heard the shrill whining of the turbines coming to life and the lights beginning to flash. Standing up, Virgil fiercely waved his claws at the civilians. "Go!" he hissed. Needing no further urging, the group moved out, half going to one plane and the rest to the other. Less than an another hour, and they'd all be taking off. With any luck, they would be airborne and on their way to Equestria.
Splitting his guards into two groups, they boarded the planes along with the civilians, Virgil himself boarding the lead most plane. After making sure everyone was secured and buckled in, he gave a quick knock on the cockpit door. "Get us out of here," he muttered to the pilots. He looked back to the boarding ramp and gave a salute to his troops who would be staying behind. They returned it and activated the controls to pull away from the plane. As Virgil sealed the door, the flight attendants gave their usual, if paraphrased instructions, and they seated themselves and the two planes began to taxi. Virgil gave a sigh of relief, letting his rifle lean against the wall before looking out the side window.
A pair of guards were emerging from a side passage, alerted by the start-up of the turbines, and stared at the planes. One of them suddenly grabbed his radio and yelled into it. Virgil hissed when he saw them take wing towards the control tower, already spotting muzzle flashes. "King's forgive you, boys," he whispered to his troops in the tower as the lead plane made it to the runway.
Within minutes, both were taking off and climbing. And according to the cockpit, so were a number of fighters.
Rhapsody continued bobbing her head to the music. Being a boring air patrol so far, they opted to break regulation for a few minutes to listen to the local music relayed by the AWACS. Scootaloo had agreed to let it slide in return for letting her and the rest of the crew of AWACS have a chance listen to it as well. Aside for an occasional grunt from Sprig on the other side of the patrol zone of boredom, and a number of cheesy jokes from Mythic, it was a quiet run through the sky.
Taking a moment to look out, Wraith decided to gaze at the clouds that hovered lazily in the air. Giving her control stick a tilt, she let the wingtip of her Tomcat brush through one, creating a slow ripple. After a soft chuckle she returned her fighter to autopilot and leaned herself back and flexed her wings a little. At times, she hated flying in a fighter. Her wings were scrunched in and her tail flapped itself between her hooves. Though short and cropped, as per military standards for mane and tail cuts, it provided enough of an annoyance to be noticeable.
With a quick glance back, she heard one of their favorites begin to play. She gave her thumb a few jerks up and Ditzy turned up the volume, though with plenty of space to hear their radios in their helmets. When it reached the chorus, Rhapsody couldn't help herself but sing along...
"And I'm just hangin' on, while this ol' world keeps spinning!"
"And it's good to know it's out of my control."
Scootaloo shook her head with a smile as she listened to Rhapsody's karaoke. Not a bad singing voice, but really, she needed to stick to the harp like her cutie mark suggests. Leaning back, she gave her wings a few good flaps to give them a stretch along with her arms. It was going to be a long day after all.
"Hey Scoots!" Rumble suddenly called.
Scootaloo finished her arm stretches and relaxed. "What's up?"
The light grey stallion jabbed a finger at his console. "I've got two civilian airliners from out of Gryphnia shouting a distress call over all the channels. They're looking for any AEGIS aircraft in the vicinity."
Scootaloo pursed her lips and slid over to Rumble's station, putting the headset on. She tapped a few buttons and adjusted a dial before speaking. "This is Equestrian Royal Air Force Airborne Warning and Control System Sky Gazer, state the nature of your intentions." Static suddenly greeted her. She frowned and hissed. "AWACS Sky Gazer to Gryphnian civilian aircraft, respond!"
Static was her answer for a few moments until a voice cut through. "This is King's Airways Flight 601. We are under attack by Gryphnian fighters and are requesting support."
"This is Gryphnian Continental Flight 230. We are together and he's telling the truth! We need help!"
Scootaloo tilted her head back and looked at Rumble, who shrugged and shook his head. "No idea. Could be a trap, but I heard some screaming. This could be legit."
The mare bit her lips and turned back to the console. "Flight 601, this is Sky Gazer. We'll need an accurate assessment of the situation and of the nature of your current - "
"We are being shot at by our own air force! How's that for an accurate assessment?" the pilot shouted, nearly knocking Scootaloo out of her seat. A few blinks later, the speaker continued. "I've got civilians onboard and... um..." he stopped, causing Scootaloo to purse her lips and wave her hand in a circle for him to continue."Look our situation is dire and we've got information and scientists onboard who can be an incredible help to AEGIS."
The two pegasi shared a look of disbelief, but their concentration was cut short by what sounded like a massive crack and shouting in pain. Scootaloo pushed her attention back to the console. "Flight 601, do you copy?"
"We copy!" the voice replied loudly. "One of the fighters just let a hail of bullets tear into us. We're losing cabin pressure and need to desc- Agh!" He hissed in pain. "Shrapnel in my hand... I can't... ergh!"
"Gryphnian airliners, this is Sky Gazer, I've got patrolling aircraft in the area. I'm sending them to you now." Scootaloo pointed at Rumble and jerked her thumb to the back of the plane. He hurried off to relay the order. "Now... what kind of scientists?"
The Tomcat's engines roared and the radio had been shut off. Ditzy was now holding on for dear life as Rhapsody pushed her Tomcat as fast as she could get it. The wings had folded back as well, giving room for the small canards at the front to jut out.
"Sky Gazer here. Wraith, those planes are not out of the woods yet. The fighters that caused damage to them have backed off since they were out of fuel, but others are on the way. You need to hurry!"
"Wraith to Sky Gazer. I'm going supersonic. This bird is going as fast as she can!"
"Roger that. I've got contacts coming in fast!"
Rhapsody swore and narrowed her eyes. She was under orders to assist those airliners over the Equestria border where the local defense squadron would escort them to Canterlot. But that wasn't the primary source of her agitation. Gryphnian fighters were attacking civilian airplanes. Passenger aircraft had no way to defend themselves, let alone maneuver out of trouble. AEGIS may have been at war with Gryphnia, but it was against their military. She had no ire against the civilian population. As such, she was going as fast as she could to protect them.
The clouds had begun to move away from her, as if sensing her need to get to the area unhindered and also give her a clear view of the mountain range she was now flying over. As if right on cue, she saw two sets of flashing lights in the distance. Giving a small grin, Rhapsody pulled up into a high angle of attack.
"Sky Gazer here. Wraith, I've got a contact on radar. Lone fighter heading for the rear plane at high altitude. Be advised for other enemy aircraft."
"Roger that. I have visual on the bogey."
Pulling up just a little higher, Rhapsody got her finger on the trigger of her cannon. The reticule popped onto her HUD and she aimed it at the enemy fighter. The Hornet didn't seem to notice her, staying directly behind the airliner. The massive plane was weaving left and right, keeping the enemy fighter from getting a direct lock. The passengers had to have been getting sick by now, Rhapsody mused. Seeing little other opportunity, Rhapsody pulled up and to the right, aiming the reticule just past the hornet and opening fire.
Scores of hot lead and tracers shot forth and raked the nose of the fighter all the way to the engines. The fuselage then caught fire and a wing broke off, causing it to spin out of control to the mountains below.
"Wraith here, splash one!"
"Copy that, Wraith. More enemy contacts descending on the lead plane." She heard Scootaloo growl. "It's a sitting duck. Flight 601, can you raise altitude? This will assist the AEGIS fighter."
"Negative!" came a panicked voice over the radio. "We cannot maintain cabin pressure if we climb!"
"Wraith, they've got two enemy fighters coming up behind them! Take them out!"
With nothing else needing to be said, the sea green mare pushed down below the rear plane and caught sight of a pair of MiG-29s bearing down on the wounded plane. The first opened up with its cannon, aiming for one of the engines. The large airliner listed to the left to avoid, but a few struck the tip of the wing itself.
Gritting her teeth, Rhapsody decided to go with her missiles. With a high angle of attack, a single blip shot out from the bottom of her HUD and locked onto the lead MiG. Seemingly getting a missile lock warning, they split off. Rhapsody immediately pressed the button. One missile dropped from her plane and shot out to tail the enemy fighter just as she locked onto the second and fired. One of the missiles jerked a bit and slammed right into the fuselage of the first, but the second exploded just shy.
"Damn! But he's damaged."
"I got him!" Rhapsody looked out and smiled as an EF-2000 decorated with a sword with dragon heads on the hilt on the nose blasted the retreating MiG with a missile. "Sorry I'm late. Had to chase down a pair of Eagles."
"Sky Gazer here. Shade, pull up and cover 230 from enemy fighters!"
"Copy that. They better give me free peanuts for this."
"You won't get much of anything if we get shot down," a female gryphon's voice suddenly said. "But I'll remember your callsign the next time you fly with us."
"As long as I get a complimentary in-flight lapd-"
"Cut the chatter, Shade!" Rhapsody cried.
"More enemy planes coming in! Intercept before they reach 230!"
Mythic pulled up high, letting his delta wings catch the wind and brake his speed. This caused a short missile warning and the death shot flew right over him. It was followed by a pair of F-15Cs and a pair of MiG-29s. He pushed forward after them, arming a missile and firing immediately after a lock. The rearmost MiG disintegrated and caused his wingman to veer off... into a hail of cannon fire from Rhapsody.
As he watched, the Tomcat took up position beside him and the pair fired missiles jointly at the two Eagles also trying to get away.
"Take him into the back," the attendant said.
Virgil grunted in protest, but allowed himself to be guided into the back. As he walked down the aisle, he took note of the passengers. How terrified they must have been. Mothers cradled their children close to them while they were carefully guarded by the wings of their husbands and fathers. They didn't deserve this sort of fear struck into their hearts. And these children would be forever scarred by the rumbling of explosions and bullets outside their windows. He thanked whichever King was watching over them that the youngest would never understand what was happening right now.
"Close all the window shades! Don't let them see what's going on outside!" he shouted. The attendants and a number of volunteer passengers got up and began sliding the shades down on the windows. But as he looked outside, his vision was still sharp enough to make out two more fighters heading right for them at high speed. He swallowed hard. "Please tell me those are friendly..."
"We got here as soon as we could!" Amethyst announced.
The two F/A-18s pulled up into formation beside Rhapsody and Mythic.
"Banshee here," Sprig called. "Sky Gazer, any more bogeys on radar? My trigger claw is itching."
"Affirmative. It seems Gryphnia really doesn't want these guys to live across the border. We've got a total of six enemy fighters heading right for you."
"Six against four?" Amethyst whimpered. "That doesn't seem fair."
Mythic laughed heartily. "I agree. They should've brought a few more."
"Read my mind Shade," Sprig commented. "Hey, Wraith. You should have your phoenix missiles right?"
Rhapsody checked her armaments, forgetting she had four locked underneath her. Giving a light smile after sensing the hippogriff's intentions, Rhapsody pulled up ahead of the rest of the flight and armed them. "Affirmative. Switching to phoenixes."
Her HUD suddenly clicked and four blips shot up and locked onto four black spots amongst the clouds. Gritting her teeth, she pressed the button. "Wraith, fox three!"
Four loud thumps echoed underneath and were followed by four equally loud roars and smoke trails as they flew with breakneck speed to the horizon. Narrowing her eyes, she watched them all the way to their intended targets. Finally, after a few moments, she counted the blasts. Sky Gazer then called them in. "Splash one, two, three... fourth is damaged! Nice shot Wraith!"
"Ghost Wing," Rhapsody started. She suddenly pulled her stuck up and to the left, letting her squad mates fly under her. She grinned and finished, "Sick em'." Pulling into her turn and leveling out, she glanced back and saw Mythic, Sprig, and Amethyst's afterburners kick in and they flew directly for the enemy fighters. The fight was over in seconds, however. All her friends made one kill, taking down the last of the contacts.
Mere seconds later, Sky Gazer reported again. "The liners have made it out of the combat zone. All enemy contacts have been neutralized."
"We're free! We're alive!" came a voice shouting from one of the planes. Rhapsody allowed a smile as she could hear faint cheering from the other side of the radio. "This is Commander Virgil. Please thank those fighters."
Pushing her throttle up, she moved up beside one of the airliners near the cockpit. Tilting herself, she gave shifted her stick left and right, giving a wave to the large plane, which managed to do the same, albeit sluggishly because of the size and the damage it had sustained. Slowing herself down, she cruised right beside the passenger windows. As she looked a few young gryphons were opening the shades and looked out. She met their gaze and waved, which was returned in earnest, the young faces grinning through their beaks.
"Sky Gazer, this is Commander Sentry, callsign Lancer," a voice suddenly called. "Thank you for delivering them through the Gryphnian attack. We'll take over from here."
Ghost Wing was suddenly joined by a flight of six Rafale Ms, each bearing the royal defense squadron's insignia on the tail, the typical escorts for the royal family's private airliner. They began taking up positions around the airliners, the leader flying up beside Rhapsody, giving her a wave. "Nice work Ghost, we'll be sure these gryphons get to Canterlot safely and are escorted to their enclave."
The Gryphnian Enclave was a sanctuary for gryphons that were visiting or lived in Equestria. They lived other places, but were under constant scrutiny from the ponies. It was guarded by Canterlot royal guards on the outer walls and Gryphnian soldiers within. Days before the war broke out, back when Gryphnia was still saber rattling, Celestia was prepared to grant amnesty and asylum to those living there, but she was swiftly refused and Gryphon transport planes were permitted to evacuate the civilians to their native land. The same day the war broke out, the Princess ordered a lane of air vacated for the gryphon planes to land and take off upon loading all Equestrian Gryphons that demanded to be returned home.
"Roger that, Lancer. Ghost, our work is done. Let's head home," Rhapsody ordered. She pulled away from the airliners and the Royal Defense pilots to do their jobs. Ghost soon gathered into formation and they sped away to their air base in the Minotaur Principality. But on their way there, Amethyst suddenly spoke up after a few minutes.
"Just what was so vital about defending those planes?" she asked quietly.
Mythic then answered back. "I was wondering that myself. Guess they have really good peanuts?"
"Shade, I'm gonna shoot you, lad," Sprig suddenly.
The stallion chuckled. "Only if I get to return the favor. If you know what I mean, ah thank you!" The hippogriff groaned.
"Sky Gazer," Ditzy suddenly chimed. "What exactly did we just protect."
"Specter, it's not really what you protected, it's more of a who," Scootaloo answered, almost cryptically.
Rhapsody quirked her brow and looked back at the airliners, which were beginning to head further west. "Okay," she murmured. "Then who did we just protect?"
Her question was unanswered for a few moments, before Scootaloo sighed heavily. "You aren't really supposed to find that out yet, but it couldn't hurt, considering all you just did for them." Clearing her throat, the AWACS operator then concluded with an answer that left the five ponies of Ghost Wing in utter silence.
"Onboard those planes were the engineers for Sky Breaker."