531036

(-.-)

Fixed thread title.

531013>>531036>>531241>>530045

"All ships, ahead full." The flight command reported.

"Confirming heavy casualties to human fleet. Moving to assist."

"Repairs complete. The Fortitude is at full power again."

"Get the Gale Force, tell them to land in the water and begin rescue operations." Hawkeye looked on as the giant Frigate lurched downwards, landing softly in the water and launching rescue boats.

"Rest of the fleet, begin Operation: Stonewall. Interdict all attacks to the Fleet whilst the Gale Force attempts to help."

"Hawkeye..." Riley began.

"You know what? I think there's an intact dropship and a willing, dedicated crew of Ten NLR commandos waiting for you." Hawkeye smiled and turned.

"Wait..."

"Yes. You, go down, find the advance pilots." Hawkeye answered.

Riley brightened and nodded furiously.

"Missiles launched!"

The Yuktobanian Admiral Pitomik looked at the five flying... things above the Human fleet.

"They seem to be offering assistance, sir."

His face grew hard. "Show them what it means to be an enemy of the Solar Empire. Target them and shoot them!"

He watched with glee as the storm of missiles began to fly.

"Tracking nearly fifty, no, a hundred missiles in the air."

"Beginning interdiction."

The four ships turned, and began lobbing AA burst shells out of their 330 mm, 240 mm and 120 mm cannons.

"Launch the Sea Sparrows." Hawkeye ordered.

On the Destiny, several missile silo doors retreated, showing off many missile turrets. The CIWS missile, the Sea Sparrow, begin streaking out of the said missile turrets.

The screen cleared rapidly, as the counter measures took effect.

"Is that all you've got?" Hawkeye smiled.

531644 (Fuck, you just destroyed my WIP text. Sigh, I'll be back.)

531651

(Oh sorry)

531644

Admiral Pitomik watched in displeasure as his swarm of missiles were swatted effortlessly out of the sky. He could hear the other officers in the bridge gasp in horror at the sight, but Pitomik seemed completely unphased.

"Arm another burst missile. And send them another missile volley with it to keep them on their hooves."

Zmerya flight passed over the newly converted Yuktobanian fleet, his temper boiling at both their brash actions and their sudden flip to the Solar side. However, North knew he had to serve his country. But not this way.

"This is wrong, we should be helping the NLR free themselves, not oppressing them."

"I'm not siding with traitors to the cause." Sabaka 1's retort to North's claim was quick and suprisingly hostile.

"But you were there when they almost killed us. It took down your whole squadron for Luna's sake!" North replied back, wondering where Sabaka 1's new-found pride had come from.

"And? That is the price was must pa-" Sabaka 1's tirad was cut off by a machine gun burst into his canopy. With no pilot to guide the plane now, it unceremoniously rolled its way towards the sea.

"I was getting sick of him. What next Captain?" Zmerya 2 asked over a secure comm, obviously sounding proud at his handiwork.

"First, we try not to die. Second, we try not to fucking die. And third, we somehow find a way to get the NLR to trust us."

531693

"Missile salvo 2 inbound!"

"Same response. Take them down!" Hawkeye ordered. He watched with apprehension as the counter measures streaked and connected with the inbound missiles.

"Tracking something else! This one's a big one!" The missile in question burst from the smoke, flying straight towards them.

"Target that one! If it hits the Fleet, it's all over!" Hawkeye ordered.

The Fortitude's point defense Gatlings spat a hailstorm of lead at the missile. The bullets sparked off it's outer shell, rendered useless.

"It's no use! It's casing is super-hardened!" One pony screamed.

"Time till impact, ten seconds!"

"Brace for impact!" Hawkeye answered, gripping the rail.

The missile approached... And exploded.

531644>>531651
Cole moved into position, it was now or never.
He pulled out from behind the tree, his pistol extended, but the Cerberus operative incredibly was ready for the attack. He pulled Cole's arm away, sending the pistol flying into the nearby brush. The man threw a rock-hard punch into the pilot's stomach. It drove the wind from Cole's lungs, as he tried to fight back. The other man kicked, sending Cole to the ground with a thud. He was back on his feet instantly, charging back into the fight. This man was good. Too good. It was as if he knew Cole's every blow before he even made a move. Fortunately, he had a weakness. He fought like a young man, one who had been in much training, but nothing even resembling the amount of life-or-death situations Cole had been in his entire life. He fainted left, all of his mind except the very back focused on the attack, then he broke off, driving the man back with his body, pinning him against a tree.
"WHY IS CERBERUS WORKING FOR THE SOLAR EMPIRE?!"
~~~
As the battle raged on around outside, Riley looked at the Republic commandos.
"Scan for any and all allied forces beacons." He ordered, determined to show no weakness in front of them.
"Scanning now," One said.
"Two detected," Said another, looking at a tactical display.
"This one right here looks like a standard ISAF recovery Beacon." Probably Shattered, I almost forgot about him. Sorry Pal.
"And this one appears to be a New Lunar Republic beacon." Riley's heart sank.
"No Federation Beacons?"
"No Sir, not yet."
Come on Tals, Riley though. I will NOT lose you now.
~~~
New Lunar Republic Border
"Hey, something's moving," One of the guards said, pointing his weapon. "Star!" He shouted.
"Eclipse!" The response came. The pony lowered his weapon, a scowl on his face.
"It's the bloody humans." He mumbled. From the Brush, the four ARC Troopers emerged along with Daring and Storm.
"We have wounded," Phoenix said. "We'll need to take them to a med bay."
"Right," One of the Guards sneered. "Cause we need to patch up the primate lovers."
"What was that?!" One of the humans demanded.
"Oh, did I hurt the monkey's feelings?" The guard continued to mock. "I'm surprised you learned to hear, let alone speak."
"Why you ungrateful little..." The human growled. "Us 'Monkeys' are half the reason you're not under Griffin control right now!"
"Yes, and now we have you come crawling back to us after you supported a tyrant in the name of honor," The Stallion scoffed. "So much better."
"That's it!" The soldier lunged, the pair getting into a scuffle before their commanders pried them apart.
"Stand down Sergeant!" Phoenix Barked at his commando.
"But sir-"
"But nothing! If simple words from a guard can get under your skin, then how the hell do you think the Solars will act during an interrogation?! You are a Special Forces soldier of the Federation, and you will ACT like it or Maker help me I will shove my foot so far up your ass the water on my knee will quench your thirst! Have my made myself clear?!"
"...Yes sir."
Meanwhile, the Lunar Guard wasn't being treated much better.
"Private, you are the stupidest soldier I've ever had the misfortune to command! What were your orders from the Princess when we saw the humans?"
"To help them in any way they requested..."
"And did you think your petty grudge is more important than the Princess Luna's instructions?!"
"N-no sir! I didn't-I didn't mean-"
"Good answer. 'I didn't mean too, I'm just incompetent!' Are you compotent enough to do 200 pushups?!"
"Yes sir...."
"Good! Sergeant Blazer, make sure it's done!"

531725

Orion watched the two grown men fight in front of her. She watched with awe as Cole effortlessly pinned the man he called "Cerberus" to a tree. What he didn't notice, however, was a Trooper, sneaking up behind him.

Orion struggled with her own body, moving an inch every time she struggled. She could see the pack which the "Cerberus" man dropped. It would most likely contain the cure for her aliment... If only she could get there in time.

The two men began shouting again. Cole seemed to be slowly losing the battle. Orion was so close to the bag... Her hoof was inside it, rummaging around slowly, feeling two syringes. She felt the used one prick her again, and immediately reached for the other. The needle pierced her skin, and she was up instantly.

The Trooper was aiming. She had only one chance. She hoofed it, running directly into his line of fire. He pulled the trigger, just as Orion pulled out her knife and threw it...

531693

Alarms blared in the background. Many consoles sparked and returned to life. The ponies in the Bridge slowly woke up. Medical ponies rushed in.

"Damn... Status report." Hawkeye slurred as he got to his hooves.

"Burst Missile explosion dispersed. Sections one through fifteen report hull damage and breaches. Repulsion at fifty percent. Reactor five is unstable. Shutting down. Active camouflage system is offline. Hanger bay three is rubble."

"Reaper reports hull breaches and casualties. Destiny reports heavy damage to starboard front missile silos. The missiles exploded within the silos. Super-hardened armor saved the rest of the ship. Gone With The Wind took the brunt of the damage, armor is worn to seven centimeters on front bow. Gale Force, reactor offline. Continuing rescue operations."

"Can we get a lock on what shot that missile?"

"No sir. What ever it is, it's gone now."

Hawkeye grunted as the medical pony bandaged his hoof.

"Most likely a submarine."

"Orders, sir?"

"They hit us, now we hit back. Begin locking on to missile boats and any outlying ships. Launch EMP missiles and take them out. Continue launching until targets are immobile. Scrap the Aircraft Carrier decks with Shredder Shells. They cannot take air superiority. Maintaining the defensive is top priority, so we take away their weaponry."

"Roger."

Dammit, I don't want to have to hurt you! Hawkeye thought.

(I can read your mind. You want this to happen, don't you guys?

Okay.)

531725>>531744

Admiral Pitomik's grin grew as he watched the effects of his missile wear off. All of the ships appeared to take heavy damage and would give him the window he needed to attack.

"Admiral, hit appears to be successful."

"Good. All ships, spread out and advance towards the airships. We need to capitalize on their confusion, and not let them get any momentum. Also, get any plane you can into the air, I got a feeling this is going to be a close battle."

His comm technicians spread out quickly, informing all of the ships of their plans.

This time it was Zmerya 4's voice who came across the radio, a faint beeping in the background as he relayed his message.

"Hey Captain, my bird's wings are starting to fall apart, I don't think she'll last much longer. Should I bail out?"

"Negative, there's no evac available at the moment, and there's no land to bail out to." Northern said back to the young pilot, already knowing how bailouts into the sea normally ended. He found himself involuntarily shuddering at the thought of the cold north sea.

Zmerya 2 was the next one to speak up. "Captain, I got something, it looks like an atoll."

"Nah, its got Solar Empire ships all over it." North warned, obviously noting the massive mark of the sun across the ships.

"I've got no option. I'm going to bail." Zmerya 3 replied, breaking formation and turning his plane towards the small island.

"Be careful 3. No need to die if you don't need to."

"Alright, 3, 2, 1, Jumping!" With a final grunt of exertion across the radio, his canopy blew open, sending his increasingly small form into the sky. After a few seconds, his parachute deployed, lazily carrying the pilot to the small speck of land.

"Come on, we have to cover him."

(And yes, that would be pretty fucking awesome.)

531940>>531744
"Our Fleet's taking a beating," one of the Soldier's growled. "We have to wrap this up fast."
"Agreed," Riley nodded. "Let's go get those pilots."
The dropship came in over the ISAF beacon, and Riley spotted Shattered and Dare taking cover behind a log from Solar fire.
"Covering fire!" The ramp dropped, and the soldiers disembarked, giving a steady stream of suppression fire on the Imperial troops.
"Come on!" Riley waved. The pilots started towards the ship, Dare clutching her side from a wound. Once they were safely aboard the ship, the disciplined commandos made their ship.
"We're good, go!" The dropship took off.
"Boy are we glad to see you." Shattered said.
"Ya, took you long enough." Dare tried to laugh, but she was forced to clutch her side in pain.
"Gunshot," Riley observed. "Trooper, get a med kit."
The second pick up went smoothly, as the two members of Talon squadron had evaded the Solars.
"I'm picking up another beacon!"
"What kind?" Riley demanded.
"Federation."
Scarcely daring to hope, the dropship came in for a landing. The hatch opened, and there she was.
"Talisman!" For a second, his strict military demeanor broke, as he embraced his wife in a tight hug. He knew the other soldiers may have thought less of him for the show of affection, but right now, he didn't care. Talisman was safe, and that was all that mattered.
"Aw, were you worried?" The pilot winked. "That's adorable."
~~~
The shot rang out, and Cole turned to see a trooper with a knife in his eye, and Orion bleeding on the ground. That was all the distracted that the Cerberus operative needed. Kicking Cole away, the man bit down on a pill. The human foamed at the mouth, then collapsed to the ground, dead.
Cole swore in six different languages, then rushed to Orion's side.
"Sith spit!" He cursed. It didn't look good, she needed help soon. Using his last card, he withdrew a flare gun from his pack, then fired into the air.
~~~
"Flare!" Justin called. "That's Cole, I know it is!"
"We'll have to grab them quickly," the pilot of the dropship said. "That flare is gonna draw a lot of attention."
As the transport came in to land, the hatch opened, and Riley, the NLR soldiers, and Talisman, now carrying a rifle, flooded out.
Cole sprinted for the ship, carrying Orion as he did so.
"There they are!" A distant Imperial soldier yelled.
"Cover!" Bullets began to strike against the wood of trees and pinging against the metal hull of the ship, but the allied troops quickly boarded.
"All pilots recovered, bugging out!"

532078>>531940

Orion felt the bullet penetrate her in the chest. She fell backwards, feeling numb. She saw Cole look her way, and 'Cerberus' pushing him away.

Orion wasn't sure what happened next. The guy seemed to foam at the mouth and fall backwards. But, judging from the way Cole reacted, it wasn't good. She coughed, and blood came with it in a bloody spray.

Coughing blood. Most likely a lung hit. Orion told herself.

"Sith spit!" Cole shouted as he knelt by her side. He gave her a once over, and then pulled out a flare.

"I'm sorry, Cole." She coughed out.

"Why?" Cole turned and sat down with her. He began to compress the wound, to try and stop it from bleeding.

"The man. He killed himself, right?" Orion said weakly. Cole simply nodded, concentrating on the blood flowing out.

"I'm sorry, for being a distraction." She was fading. Cole could see it.

"Oh no, you do not get to meet death on my watch. Stay awake!" Cole tapped her head.

Orion slowly forced herself to smile. "Okay." She rasped.

The two were quiet for a few minutes. Then, the roar of a NLR dropship came around the atoll.

"There's our ride!" Cole waved madly. The dropship came in for a landing.

He turned to pick up Orion. As he turned, he saw a couple Troopers burst out of the bush as well.

"There they are!" Was all one got to say before a Fifty caliber blew his head open.

"Go..." Orion whispered in his arms. That jerked him back to reality and he began to run.

"Confirmed, EMP missiles away. Shredder rounds loaded, firing."

The barrage flew up and over, landing right in the heart of the Yuktobanian navy, The EMP missiles shorted out all electronics and let ships drifting.

The Shredder rounds were more devastating. They landed and split into a million peices, effectively 'shredding' the metal decks of the aircraft carriers.

"They got some planes in the air." Hawkeye eyed the RADAR screen. There were about a hundred planes in the air.

"Sir, this one is contacting us, IFF places them as the 'Zmerya' squadron. Should I patch them through?"

"Sure. The more the merrier."

"Sir, got another rescue beacon." The pilot of the dropship shouted into the hold.

"Which one?" Riley watched with sadness as the Commandos helped to stabilize Orion.

"Different, sir. This one is Yuktobanian." The pilot replied.

Riley wasn't sure what to do. Suddenly, Orion whispered something.

"Common... Equestrian... Air... Airfaring Law." She barely got out, before going back to her comatose state.

"Common Equestrian Airfaring Law..." Riley repeated. "What's that?"

"Sir, it's a law, that holds anypony with the ability to recover a fallen pilot responsible for that pilot's safety." The pilot answered.

"I see..." He looked to Orion. She nodded weakly.

"Let's pick him up. See what tales he has to tell."

532917>>531940
Cole nodded,
"Like Federation Pilot honor," he said. "We'll get him." His tone turned serious. "Talisman, Riley, there's something else."
"What's going on?"
"Out in the field, we saw a human leading the Solars." Talisman frowned,
"A human?"
" not just any human," Cole looked her in the eye. "He was a Cerberus agent. " All the humans jaws dropped.
"Cerberus?!" Riley sputtered. "Are you sure?" Cole nodded,
"He had the insignia on his uniform, and before he killed himself, he said a few last words, I think it was the Old Language."
"What was it?" Talisman asked. Cole thought for a moment, then did his best to repeat what he had heard.
"Mir sune alad Cordes Dia." he said. "Does that mean anything to you?" The two Emerians looked at each other, then nodded."
"It's old Mandalorian," Talisman explained. "Cerberus uses it for their propaganda."
"It means: The day of Judgment Approaches. You say this guy killed himself ?"
"Ya, poison by the looks of it."
"Fits Cerberus's MO. Killed himself to avoid being captured, and spouted propaganda before he died."
"What I don't get is why Cerberus would be helping the Solar Empire."
"Celestia probably promised them control of the Federation if they help her," Cole said. "Either way, our situation just got a lot worse."
~~~
"Sir," One of the Controllers called to Hawkeye. "We're getting another transmission!"
"Put it through." A burst of static sounded, then a voice broke through.
"...Repeat, Republic Fleet, this is F.S.S. Leviathan. Be advised, friendly fighters incoming on vector 987."
"Sir," another controller said. "I'm not picking up any ships or... hold on. One fighter squadron on radar. Two, now three! Where are they coming from?"
"Who cares? So long as they're here to help, they could have come from Tatarus itself for all I care!"

533243>>531940

(SOME NUT KEEPS CHANGING THE TITLE...

SEEMS LIKE FUN.)

532078>>532917

"You ready to confuse the shit out of some Solars?" Zmerya 4 asked, a break from her usually quiet demeanor. The flight was now decending upon the atoll, XMAA at the ready, prepared to blow the shit out of anything that threatened Zmerya 3. As soon as the Solar ships began turning towards the chute, the three remaining pilots got locks.

"Fox two, fox two." They called out in unison, unleashing their deadly salvo upon the unsuspecting aircraft. As the missiles connected with their targets, Zmerya flight was greeted with a explosive fireworks display. The few remaining ships scattered in confusion, only to meet the same fate at their compatriots from another salvo.

Zmerya 2 did a quick pass over the island before making a suggestion, "Airspace appears to be clear. Why not try to bring up some NLR transports on the radio?"

"Our IFF's should tell them we're Yuke craft, there's no way they'd listen to us." Zmerya 4 replied, trying to be the voice of reason.

Arguing isn't going to get anything done. "It's worth a shot, it's not like the Solars would help us out now."

"Okay, Captain, just try not to get them to fire upon us."

"Can do, 4. I'm switching comms now." North hated speaking Equestrian, but he doubted anyone on the NLR side spoke Yuktobanian.

"This is Zmerya 1 of the Yuktobanian Air Force, requesting support from any friendly NLR forces in sector one-dash-two-dash-seven. We have a downed airpony and we could use support recovering him."

The bridge of the Razpuncha was pitch-black for a moment before the flashing emergeny lights kicked back on. The Admiral lie on the cold floor, knocked over by the sudden force of the blast. It was just a moment before medical teams rushed onto the bridge.

"Admiral Pitomik, are you alright?"

"I'm fine" he huffed, struggling back onto his hooves, "Tend to the other wounded." He plainly stated, the result being the pony galloping off to another sailor. In his place, his comms Lt. galloped up, out of breath from his previous run.

"Lieutenant, damage report."

"Fifty percent of our fleet is disabled in the wàter, working on regaining power from the EMP blast. The Katyusha took the majority of the hit, but most of our capital ships are out of power, in addition to the loss of two PT boats. Currently, all of our carriers are now disabled, all taking direct hits from some kind of shredder weapon. However, we appear to have gotten a sizable amount of planes in the air before they hit."

"Alright, work on getting power back to our disabled ships. Tell all the ships who are operational to spread further out and continue with the battle plan. Use our aircraft as a buffer and have them keep the enemy from attacking our fleet while we repair." The Admiral's voice was firm, but full of concern for his men. The Lt. took off again, leaving Pitomik to his thoughts.

(Calamity, wat r u doin? Calamity, staph)

533251 (But you're OP, how the fuck is someone else changing it?

It is pretty funny though.)

533297

(What? Oh... You think it's me... Nah. I'm not that childish.)

533310 (Sure... Mature... I'm pretty confident it's VDNkH(Spelling?) is doing it as a gag joke, considering his earlier post.)

533314

533331

(Is tha meant for the maturity side of me or the atheist side of me? I'm so conflicted

Also, no one is truly mature. I learned that in a near-death experience)

533297 Back to life...

"This is Zmerya 1 of the Yuktobanian Air Force, requesting support from any friendly NLR forces in sector one-dash-two-dash-seven. We have a downed airpony and we could use support recovering him."

"I tell yah, this guy has balls. Contacting us like that?" The pilot grumbled. The leader of the NLR commando's, Skybolt, nodded.

"Well, better send an acknowledgement." The co-pilot reached for the radio. "This is the New Lunar Republic dropship X-117. Message acknowledged. Will comply."

"There. The flare. Put her down." Skybolt pointed. The pilot signaled okay, and landed the VTOL.

"Commandos! With me!" Skybolt pointed out the door, and the nine other's jumped out.

"What about us?" The human who had been commanding them asked.

"Sir, please stay back. Let us handle this one. Take care of our Commander." Skybolt winked before jumping out.

533357

"This is the New Lunar Republic dropship X-117. Message acknowledged. Will comply."

Northern was surprised at the sudden reply, it almost felt like they were waiting for him. Man, did he feel like he had big balls. However, he shrugged it off as coincidence.

"Solid copy X-117, moving into defensive formation. While we wait, do you think you could patch us in to your brass. Tell them it's important." North felt it was a bit abrupt, but he really didn't have a lot of options when it came to the situation they were in.

Zmerya 3 hit the ground suprisingly soft, the sand providing extra cushion as his hooves hit the ground. However, that was the last thing on his mind raced with survival tactics. He decided to opt for hiding himself, leaving the MP443 on his foreleg in its holster. He quickly unbuckled his harness, and began his beeline straight for the treeline.

He knew firing it would only attract attention, and his parachute had done him no favors. Zmerya 3 sweared as he stuffed himself into a bush that offered a fair amount of camouflage, buy left much desired for comfort.

He hoped the rescue team would get here soon.

533378

The Commandos moved through the bush, like wraiths in the light. They quickly found the pilot's landing spot.

"The pilot is gone sir."

"Quickly. Use the heartbeat scanners." Skybolt ordered.

His visor flashed once, and bathed the world in a bluish hue. He could see the slight disturbances in the Electromagnetic spectrum that all living creatures made. And right now, there was one in the bush right there...

He smiled. "You there, in the bush! It's safe to come out!"

"Solid copy X-117, moving into defensive formation. While we wait, do you think you could patch us in to your brass. Tell them it's important."

Orion sat up, and was quickly pushed down by Cole. "You just got shot." Cole stated.

"Please. It'll take more than a simple bullet wound to take down the Specter." Orion smiled. She stood up and began hobbling to the cockpit.

"Commander." The co-pilot greeted.

"Patch me through." Orion looked out the windscreen, and watched the SU-33 Sea Flankers orbit like hawks.

"Aye, Commander. Patching you through." The pilot flicked a few switches and gestures to the empty AWACS Console.

"This is the Commander of the NLR speaking." Orion started...

533396

"You there, in the bush! It's safe to come out!"

Zmerya 3 nearly leapt for joy as he heard the new voice. Instead, he opted for the cooler route, slowly rising himself out of the brush.

"About time, that bush was fucking uncomfortable." He replied, making a point to stretch out as he said it. "Let's get out of here."

"This is the Commander of the NLR speaking."

"This is Zmerya flight lead, we're cutting it close on fuel and would really appreciate not getting shot at for once. I'm sure you guys would appreciate a few burst missiles defecting with us too, right?" North assured the pony on the other end, referring to his ring of contacts within the Yuktobanian navy. He hoped it would be enough to convince her.

(I reeeeeaaaally need some sleep. I'll be back later today.)

Edits: (Orion is a mare, herp a derp)

533404

"Made contact." Skybolt reported to the VTOL.

"Same as always, Leader. Treat all rescued personnel as hostile unless otherwise proven."

The pilot rose out of the bush. Skybolt nodded once. "Come out, sir."

Idiotic protocols...

"I apologize sir, but..." He pulled out a pair of hoofcuffs, "Regulation."

"This is Zmerya flight lead, we're cutting it close on fuel and would really appreciate not getting shot at for once. I'm sure you guys would appreciate a few burst missiles defecting with us too, right?"

Orion considered this deal. On one hoof, it was damn attractive. Stealing their toys out from under their collective noses? Sweet deal.

However, on the other, it could alienate the Humans, who had tried to swear off using WMD's. Orion didn't want that either.

Orion made up her mind.

"Zmerya, that's a bloody attractive offer. I can assure you, as long as it is agreeable, and that you defect to our side, our forces will not fire upon you, and the Fortitude is your homebase. However, I simply cannot accept your gift of Burst Missiles, on the risk of losing our allies." Orion stated.

"Half the Yuktobanian navy has stopped moving, sir."

Hawkeye smiled. First bloodless salvo in a thousand years.

"Hail the Yuktobanian fleet. Tell them that if they persist in complicating matters, they WILL be taken out of the equation." Hawkeye ordered.

"Yessir."

"Status of rescue operations?" He asked another free pony.

"The Gale Force has managed to evacuate all sinking or heavily damaged ships. Rescued personnel have been transferred to other, surviving ships and wounded are being treated on the Gale Force itself, sir."

"Good. Status of our own fleet?" Hawkeye asked.

"All ships report okay. Damages are substantial. The Destiny can no longer fire her starboard front missile silos. All other ships report armor breaches and minor fatalities."

"Better than nothing... We'll have to sort out the dead later." Hawkeye fiddled with his jockey cap.

(Oh, and Orion's a mare. )

533463

Zmerya 3 stared awkwardly at the hoofcuffs for a moment, considering his options. He promptly decided that temporary discomfort would definitely outweigh being abandoned on a remote speck of land. He trotted up to the soldiers offering one of his hooves at a time as they shackled together his legs.

"Давай, давай уйдем отсюда. Чем раньше, тем лучше." Zmerya 4 spoke to the soldiers, realizing too late that they likely didn't speak Yuktobanian. He huffed in frustration as the soldiers looked at him with curiosity.

"Lets guu plase."

"Zmerya, that's a bloody attractive offer. I can assure you, as long as it is agreeable, and that you defect to our side, our forces will not fire upon you, and the Fortitude is your homebase. However, I simply cannot accept your gift of Burst Missiles, on the risk of losing our allies."

The mare's voice was calculated, and Northern could already hear years of experience behind her. He thought for a moment before replying.

"Alright, it's your funeral. We'll continue pulling defense till our pilot is extracted."

533463>>533378
Cole walked to the cockpit.
"Thank you." He said. "Even if the President authorized use of WMD's, we wouldn't use them." Overhead, the arriving Federation fighters covered the Republic ships. "Looks like reinforcements have arrived. One we get back, and after you take a trip to the med-bay, we need to talk. I think you deserve some answers."

533693>>533681

Alright, it's your funeral. We'll continue pulling defense till our pilot is extracted.

Orion found the strength to be firm. "No, Zmerya. You're most likely low on fuel. Retreat to the Fortitude. As long as your on our side, our under my orders. Please, don't make me give a direct order."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Go." Orion watched the three Sea Flankers take off.

"Looks like reinforcements have arrived. Once we get back, and after you take a trip to the med-bay, we need to talk. I think you deserve some answers." Cole approached.

"Pfft. If it were that easy, I would have eaten my wings by now." Orion waved.

"What do you..." The approaching Federation fighters exploded.

Orion looked at the carnage. "Did they really think such a small flight could support us? Underestimating the enemy."

"What the?!?!" The pilot said. Two YF-99's with the Solar Empire Insignia flew past the cloaked dropship.

"We're still in Solar Empire airspace. The Monolyth is somewhere above us. It's fleet, all around." Orion stated.

"So... What do we do?" The copilot asked the very question haunting Orion's mind.

"Well, we wait for the commandos to get back... Which is now." The door opened and the Commando's filled in, with a forlorn pilot in tow.

"Могу ли я снять их сейчас? Они начинают болеть." The pilot jabbered in fast Yuktobanian.

"Да, можно." Orion answered. The pilot turned to look at her.

"Подождите, как вы знаете язык Yuktobania?"

"Опыт. Take his cuffs off. Lets get off the ground." Orion ordered.

The dropship powered up with a high pitched whine. It took off, and headed for the clear blue sky.

"Incoming transmission, I got it. This is X-117 responding, go for secure." Orion pulled on her headphones and gestured for Cole to get off the flight deck and strap in.

"Frequency secure. Hello, Commander Orion." Depth, the Fortitude's V.I. replied.

"Good afternoon, Depth. It's nice to see that the eggheads finally got you working."

"Is this a bad time? Your heart rate has gone up a lot."

Orion coughed and grasped her chest. "The L.Z. was... A little hot. Anyway, we're headed back to the Fortitude."

"Understood. All personnel accounted for. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"I will see you soon, Commander. Fly safe, and have a nice day." The radio winked off.

"Hey, can somebody back there check our six? Thanks." The pilot yelled.

"I got it!" Talisman shouted back. She disengaged her safety harness and moved to the rear facing window. She peeked out, and shuddered.

"Heads up, we got company back here!" The same two YR-99's from before slotted themselves into place behind the dropship.

"Missile lock! Hold on..." The missiles homed in and struck.

"Dammit!" Orion held fast to her console as the dropship wobbled. As it rightened itself, she Looked back into the hold.

"Everybody okay back there?" She asked, and got an affirmative.

"I'm not okay..." She turned to look and saw the pilot. He had slammed forward and hit the dashboard when the missile hit. His visor was broken, and blood leaked out of his helmet.

"Damn. Trade places with me, I'll drive!" Orion shifted the wounded pilot into the AWACS and took the stick.

"Who're your friends?" The co-pilot asked.

"Just somepony we met at the party. No biggie." Orion answered, concentrating on flying the dropship.

Another missile exploded nearby. The co-pilot gave a half-grin. "They seem bloody nice."

"Yeah. Real party ponies." Orion gauged the distance and deemed it sufficient. She flushed the air brakes, causing the two planes to overshoot.

"Nice moves. Launching missiles!" The four SASM's streaked forward. Orion watched the fighters pull a hi-gee turn and easily evade the missiles, falling in back behind them.

"Dammit, Orion, can't you get us out of here?" Orion spared a glance back, and saw Talisman holding on to the bulkhead between the hold and the cockpit.

"Working on it Talisman." Orion answered. Suddenly, an angry sounding alarm began to sound, and a flashing red light appeared besides Talisman.

"What's that noise?" Talisman asked.

"They have missile lock on us." Orion said through gritted teeth.

"That's bad." Talisman gave the most 'No shit' answer in the world.

"Yes, Talisman. That's bad." Orion was getting a bit pissed.

The sound intensified, becoming a continuous whine.

"Well then, do evasive maneuvers!"

"I'm trying!" Orion pushed the dropship into a barrel roll. The missiles closed and exploded, not hitting the dropship.

"Well then, try harder!" Talisman shouted back.

"Hey, Talisman. Do me a favor, will ya?" The co-pilot shouted.

"Yeah? What?" Talisman let go of the wall for a bit, distracted. The co-pilot smashed the button and the bulkhead to the hold Talisman is in closes between them.

"Thanks." The co-pilot answers.

"You stupid bitch!" The duo can hear Talisman raging in the hold behind them in seventeen different languages. Orion laughed and held out her hoof, and the co-pilot shared the brohoof.

"Thanks. She was getting annoying." Orion reached for the accelerator and gunned it. The dropship went into a vertical climb.

"They're firing again!" The co-pilot looked at the RADAR. Eight blips were headed towards them. "Releasing counter-measures!" The hull shuddered and began spitting out red hot flares and cylinders of chaff, while Orion again did a barrel roll.

"I hate pilots who fly like drunks!" Talisman shouted.

"Countermeasures depleted. Coming through cloud layer." Orion watched sadly as the last flare was tossed out by the computer.

"Oh shisnaps." The co-pilot mumbled.

They had just been driven by the pursuing planes into a trap. The Solar Empire fleet was all around them now.

"Dammit." Orion opened the P.A. "Hey um... Everybody hold on back there, things are gonna get a little... uh..."

"Bumpy?" The co-pilot offered.

"Yeah. That."Orion shut off the P.A.

"That wasn't it, right?" The co-pilot asked

"Uh, well I was gonna say crashy, but yeah... Um... Bumpy works." Orion answered as she flew straight down the belly of the beast. All around them, Airships fired, trying to get a hit. But the dropship was fast, and many shots ended up becoming friendly fire.

"Well, here goes nuthing." The co-pilot began emptying the dropship's missile pods, driving the SASM's home. A small tunnel appeared in the fray ahead of them.

"Gunning it!" Orion out the engine's into 120% mode, and the dropship leaped forward, jumping out of the Solar Fleet.

"Damn, those bitches are still on to us." Behind them, the same two YR-99's took positions again.

"If we're to make it, we'd better bloody get some ground." Orion made the dropship dive.

Suddenly, one of the YR-99's explode, hit by a fast moving object.

"Whoa!" Orion grappled fro control as the turbulence shook the dropship.

The other YR-99 turned and began to run. But it wan't fast enough, and joined it's sister plane in destruction.

"Fortitude, we are inbound. Be advised, we have wounded. One CAT B, several CAT C's." Orion sent out the message. She watched the smoking 120 mm cannons on the Fortitude swivel and retract into stealth hiding.

"We will have medical personnel waiting for you in hanger bay 2. Welcome home, X-117."

"Thank you, Depth. Feel's great to be back."

533783
When the doors to the cockpit, finally opened, Talisman was in a rage, being held back only by Riley.
"MENAV NI!! BAROON TANIS FLARIN! TAAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!
She was screaming at Orion in Mandalorian, threatening to murder the Mare and hide her body in a nuclear reactor, along with other things Riley didn't want to translate.
"Sorry about this," the marine apologized. "She usually doesn't get this angry. She's just probably just upset about being shot down."
Talisman spat something at her husband in Mandalorian that Cole couldn't understand.
"Hey now," Riley shot back. "There's no need to talk about my mother that way!"

533783>>533826

Zmerya squadron broke off from the atoll, their destination the NLR ship, the Fortitude. Within minutes they found themselves in front of the massive ship. Northern switched on his comms.

"Attention Fortitude, this is Zmerya flight requesting permission to land."

"Roger that Zmerya, land and taxi your plane to hanger bay two. We'll brief you from there."

"Alright, we're coming in." The runway was just large enough for two planes to land at the same time, so Northern let 2 and 4 land first. As soon as they cleared, he began his landing.

After taxing through to hanger two, the flight waited in silence as ponies swirled around them, questions ranging from why they defected to were they loyal to the NLR. However, the flight would keep their muzzles shut until their downed pilot returned, safe or not.

"Это было офигенно!" Zmerya 3 cheered as he stepped off of the transport planes ramp. He turned towards Orion, putting his foreleg around the mare, "Ты чертовски хороший пилот."

Zmerya 4 mustered the best Equestrian he could manage before continuing, "Dranks on meh toniha!"

Northern trotted over to his estacic wing-mate and gave him a solid punch on the shoulder. "Успокойтесь Золотой, не нужно напиваться сейчас." North turned his head towards the mare, "Thanks for getting him out."

(OK. Now that my work load is down to a more reasonable level, I'll start writing in Shattered's perpective, starting with a recap of whats happened through my OC's eyes. Please give me a little time to do so.)

534082>>533826

"Yeah? Well, fuck you too." Orion replied with an ever increasing grin towards Talisman.

"Thanks for getting him out." Orion turned and saw the flight leader of Zymera.

"Вы знаете, я никогда не привлекло ваше собственное имя." Orion poked.

"Мое имя на Севере. Приятно встретиться с вами, командующий Orion. Ваше понимание Yuktobanian родном языке очень хорошо."

Orion smiled, before clutching her chest again.

"Now, about that CAT B..." She grabbed a passing medic's attention. "Redheart. Are the CAT C's okay?"
Orion coughed,

"Yes, Commander, although we couldn't find a CAT B anywhere..."

Orion coughed again, this time with blood. ""I was the CAT B." She said before beginning to topple over.

Redheart grabbed her falling body. She gave Orion a once over, and swore. " This is no CAT B .MEDICAL! Got a CAT A here, Immediate Zero Gravity surgery required!" The medical team rushed over with a stretcher and gently loaded Orion onto it. Cole was nearby.

"I'm sorry, Cole. That discussion will have to wait." Orion's sight faded.

"Come on team let's move, we're losing her!" The head medic shouted. The stretcher team begins to move towards a set of red airlocks.

Cole stopped Redheart. "Can't you stabilize her?"

"We're doing our best, Sir." She replies, before trying to push past.

Cole stopped her again. "Is there something I can do?"

"Sorry Sir, you're gonna have to wait here. Medical crew only." Redheart entered the red airlocks. "The best you can do now, sir, is to pray to your Maker that she pulls through."

"Activating surgical field."
"Zero Gravity is go."
"Come on ponies, we're starting to lose her."
"Vitals are stabilizing at very low."

(I have a decent grasp of Russian, or in this case, Yuktobanian)

(Part 1 of ISAF's perspective starting at post 68 and going to 72)
It felt good to be sitting the the cockpit of the X-02. Shattered Skies allowed himself a small sigh of content, before looking over his instruments one last time before takeoff. As he looked over the various readouts, a muffled roar filled his ears as a plane entered after burner in preparation for takeoff. The new noise attracted the blue pegasus’s attention, bringing his nose away from his instruments. The busy deck of the F.S.S. Glory greeted him. Suddenly, a human in a yellow suit began to wave him forward, gesturing towards a free catapult. Other humans in green suits began swarming Shattered’s aircraft, checking over the various parts of the plane and hooking up the forward landing gear to the shuttle.

“Mobius 1, you are clear for take off. Take off immediately to clear the flight line.”

The man in the yellow suit gave a thumbs up as the other humans in green scattered. Once everypon- everyone was clear and the jet blast deflector had risen, he opened up the throttle, sending the plane into afterburner. White hot gas erupted from the engines for a few moments before the catapult accelerated his plane off the flight deck and he soon found himself high up in the air. One by one, the rest of Mobius squadron formed up around him, including Mobius 6, who was flying an F-15E.

“Sky Eye, this is Mobius 1. Do you read me?”

“Sky Eye here, I read you. We’ve also got reports coming in from Omega, Viper, and Rapier.”

“I thought Viper and Rapier were still at the base.”

“Command wanted everyone together for this one. Just remember, we need heroes after the war too. Make it back in one piece.”

Suddenly a new voice came over the radio. “Ghost Eye here. All Death Watch Federation Wings report in.”

“Bolt Squadron on standby.”
“Cloud Squadron on standby.”
“Falcon Squadron on standby.”
“Raven Squadron on standby.”
“Garuda Wing on standby.”
“Rogue Squadron on standby.”

“All forces in the green. Now syncing with AWACS Sky Eye.”
Shattered looked around at the human aircraft, scanning for his own compatriots. Suddenly a blue and white F-15C pulled up next to him. He quickly identified as an ISAF plane by the blue stripe and black 118 on its nose. Soon more began to form up around him. “Sky Eye here, all ISAF wings report in.”

“Viper Squadron on standby.”
“Omega squadron on standby.”
“Rapier squadron on standby.”
“Mobius squadron on standby.”
“All ISAF squadrons have reported ready.”

Once Sky Eye completed the roll call, another new voice came over the radio. This one, however, was much more familiar.

Never before have so many come together for such a singular effort.
But never have we faced an enemy such as this.
We hail from different nations. We are two different species, and yet we stand here together, ready to stand side-by-side to protect our homes.
For many of us, war is no stranger, we have fought and bled in invasions, revolutions, and civil wars. Now here we stand. Our people, our very ways lf life threatened by the Solar Empire.
They will try an Terrorize our populations, we must stand strong in the face of that Terror.
They will advance until our last city falls, but we will not fall.
We will prevail.
Each and every one of us will be defined by our actions in the battle, and none will come out with no scars.
But take heart. Look around you, and you will see others who will stand by you until the very end!
Today, we take back the Shattered Skies of our world!
Today, we will show the Solar Empire that we will not give into their demands!
Today, we secure the future for not only ourselves, but our children and our children's children!
Stand strong, Stand Fast, Stand Together!"

Shattered smirked at the speech. He knew Cole wasn’t the usual type for speeches, so it obviously took some act of Luna to get him to do one. He had to remember to hold it over Cole’s head. Any more musing was quickly cut off by a feminine voice shouting an explicative. The reason for the explicative quickly became clear, literally. A large hovering vessel suddenly materialized out of thin air.

“Garuda 1, engaging!”

Shattered knew that attacking such a thing would be foolish, but there was something else off. If it had any malicious intent, it would have immediately engaged after decloaking“Hold on! They’re not attacking.” With a moment to look over the aircraft, he realised that it looked familiar to recon reports from Leopard. “It looks like one of the new NLR ships.”

"Uh, Lead..." Justin said. "What the hell are we looking at?!"

"Damned if I know," Cole replied. "But whatever it is,we can safely assume that the Federation can kiss it's reputation on being the most advanced Military in the world goodbye." Another voice broke into the radio.

"Hey Cole," Riley said. "Our new supership friends have contacted us, and terrified our comms officer."

"What did they say?"

"They said they want to meet you guys on that big hunk of metal."

"Us?"

"Yep, you, Talisman, Shattered, and your squadrons. Scootaloo and her squadron are also on their way."

"Well, I guess the Lunars have forgiven us by now."

"They've opened a hangar for you guys. Want me to hold the fort down here?"

"No, I'm guessing the NLR wants to hear our idea, you should be there. Hitch a ride with a VTOL and get up here."

"Copy that."

With their dialogue finished the humans began to fly into the massive vessel.

“Mobius 1 to Sky Eye. Are we clear to accept the NLR’s invitation?
“Command’s worried about putting our most advanced fighter in an unknown ship, but they have agreed. Mobius Squadron is clear to enter the vessel. The rest of you will maintain a CAP over the fleet.”

With Sky Eye’s blessing, Mobius squadron followed the humans into the looming maw of a hanger. The five Wyverns and one Eagle landing smoothly on their own side as the humans gathered on the other side. As Shattered’s plane came to a stop, he shut the engines down, allowing some other ponies to place chocks on the wheels. With the threat of a rogue rolling airplane out of the way, Shattered opened up the canopy and lifted himself out of the cockpit with a quick flap from his wings. The roar of an unfamiliar engine brought his attention to the hanger’s entrance. A strange looking aircraft was entering the hangar. It reminded Shattered of an Osprey, but instead of propellers, it was equipped with jet engines. As it landed, a human stepped out, wearing full combat gear.

"Geez, where was this tech when the Griffins invaded?" Riley asked, looking around. "You'd think Equestria would like to spend more money to build it's economy."

Shattered Skies lit up as the opportunity to be a smartass presented itself. He quickly regained his composure before anyone could notice and, with a raised eyebrow for emphasis, let him have it.

"Really? And what has the oh so noble Federation spent it's money on to rebuild itself after the last war?"

Riley, refusing to acknowledge the sarcasm, replied simply “Weapons of course.”

“But we’re humans.” Another human, Dare according to her uniform, chimed in. “War IS our economy.”

Any further discussion was cut off as a pegasus mare emerged from a peculiar looking aircraft in the middle of the hanger. Her sudden appearance quickly made her the center of attention.

"What? Never heard of a COFFIN system before?"

Shattered frowned at this. He had indeed heard of a COFFIN system. In fact, he used one along with every other ISAF pilot, but her system was nothing like the one in his plane. The mare continued, oblivious to Shattered’s pensive state.

"Okay, this is just disgraceful. Lets get those jets into safety before they become target practice."

A macabre comedy ensued as the humans promptly scattered, reporting to their various planes while technicians worked around them to help guide them to better locations. Shattered watched in silent amusement while finding a bit of pride in the fact that his squadron had not made the same mistake. Movement caught the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Cole approaching the commanding mare. Suddenly, the mare drew a pistol on Cole. Shattered faired his wings and prepared to tackle the aggressive pegasus. Before he could move, the mare let out an awkward laugh and holstered her pistol. The two began talking as if nothing had happened. Shattered relaxed somewhat, seeing that his friend was not in immediate danger, and moved off to get the of his squadron situated.

“Hey Captain!” somepony called out. Shattered turned and saw Cloud Striker approaching him with the rest of the squadron. “This is pretty wild huh?”

“Yeah.”

Cloud Striker suddenly stood on his back hooves, raising a hoof dramatically in the air. “Oh Captain, my captain. Your are a pony of so many words. Its no wonder you choose to fly among the birds.” This elicited a few chuckles and eye rolls from the rest of the squadron.

“Well, I know I didn’t choose you for your poetry skills.”

“Ouch! You wound me with your words.” Cloud Striker replied, stilling trying to be dramatic. After a moment, he gave up and continued. “Seriously though. What if these ponies are like space ponies or something. Can we actually trust them?”

“At this point, I don’t think we have a choice.” Shattered answered with a bit of finality, hopefully boosting their confidence. He took a quick look around the hanger and found that all of the human pilots had left. “Oh. I think I’ve missed something.” He turned to his squad. “Stay and watch the Wyverns, I’ll go see if I can found out where everyone went.” With that, Shattered trotted towards one of the technicians.

“Excuse me. Could you tell me where the rest of the pilots have gone?”

The technician jumped at the sudden interruption, but quickly recovered. “Uh yes. They went to the briefing room.”

“Could you show me where it is?”

“Sure.” The technician replied with little enthusiasm.

After a brief trot down a few hallways, the pair arrived at their destination. The technician hastily left blue pegasus in front of the door. Shattered could hear voices on the other side of the door, but they were unintelligible, so he waited for a break in the conversation. After a few moments the voices paused, and Shattered slipped in unnoticed.

"Well, we're in good company for crazy." Cole said. "Chandelier, Stonehenge, Excalibur, Megalith; we've done it all."

"To say the least," Talisman mumbled. "I had to fly down the barrel of a giant gun!"

Shattered realized that Cole had remember him and decided to make his presence known. "Please," Shattered snorted. "I had to take out a nuke in an enclosed space with a missile!"

"And yet through this insanity, we're all here." Cole continued. "We'll get through this today." He looked Orion up and down, then smiled. "I knew there was more to Talon Squadron than just the rumors. It'll be an honor flying with you." He gave an informal salute.

"May the Maker be with us today." Shattered smiled as well, showing teeth.

"Let's bring the might of the world's greatest Aces to bear on the Solar Empire!"

(end of Part 1. I'll try to continue this tomorrow.)

534798
The nurse's advice rang in his head.
And he followed her advice.
He prayed as hard as ever, pleading with the Maker to spare Orion. He clutched the Chantry symbol in his hands, the Wooden object being important to the pilot as it was the only thing he had left from his parents he never knew.
"You alright?" Cole looked up to see Talisman.
"I'd bring the Grand Cleric down here personally if I thought it would help." His friend nodded.
"I believe it. I've never seen anyone pray so hard in my life."
"I have," Cole offered a weak smile. "You. Aboard the F.S.S Valiant after Operation Megalith. When Riley was shot three times, remember?"
"All too well." Talisman gave a sad smile
"And I still have the scars that remind me every day." Riley entered, standing next to his wife. "Got lucky."
"Ya, lucky." Cole scoffed. Talisman smiled.
"Did I ever tell you what my name means?" Cole shook his head, grateful for the distraction. "A talisman is a lucky charm that old Mandalorian clan leaders would carry around. Some believed it would bring them luck in battle, others that the Maker himself would follow them into war. I guess my parents hoped I would be a lucky one. I have to say, they were right."
"How do you know all this?" Cole asked quizzically. "I thought you were a street rat like me."
"Well, in Emeria, the Mandalorian culture is still huge, especially in Gracemeria, where almost every is fluent in Mando'a"
Cole stood up, shaking his head.
"Why does it feel like the world is moving so fast?" He asked, pacing as he waited for some news, ANY news about his friend. Riley placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"It is moving fast. All of us are just trying to keep up."
~~~
"Uh, This is Air Defense Command. We're picking up three dozen bogeys entering Gracemarian airspace, be advised."
"Very funny Command. That's a big Negative, over."
"We're detecting units in Erusian region, can you confirm Hunter Three?"
"Skies are clear over here. You've got some phantom dots, over."
"Usean Command, we might have a malfunction will the Radar systems, can you verify?"
"THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!"
"Repeat your last!"
"I'm seeing Solar fighters over Coronet! How the hell did they break through?!"
"Say again Coronet, what Solar forces?"
"The entire Imperial Army dammit! We're being invaded!"

534976>>534882>>534082

"Uh, This is Air Defense Command. We're picking up three dozen bogeys entering Gracemarian airspace, be advised."
"Very funny Command. That's a big Negative, over."
"We're detecting units in Erusian region, can you confirm Hunter Three?"
"Skies are clear over here. You've got some phantom dots, over."
"Usean Command, we might have a malfunction will the Radar systems, can you verify?"
"THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!"
"Repeat your last!"
"I'm seeing Solar fighters over Coronet! How the hell did they break through?!"
"Say again Coronet, what Solar forces?"
"The entire Imperial Army dammit! We're being invaded!"

"Dammit! I should have known!" Hawkeye slammed his hoof onto the table.

Eagle was still drinking a cup of milk. "Oh really? What tells you that?"

"It was pretty obvious, Eagle." Rocker popped in. "Back at the attack on the Monolyth, didn't you notice the severe lack of something?"

"Ah... No. I'm pretty sure that every single bucking Solar was up there haunting our collective asses."

"Up there, yes. But what about down low?" Eagle thought hard. Suddenly, an epiphany.

"There were no Naval ships at all..." She whispered.

Hawkeye nodded. "Correct. The Solar Empire's 3rd naval fleet has gone missing."

"How did they manage to sneak a whole fleet out from under our nose?" Rocker mused.

"No idea, but this war is getting more and more hectic."

"Sir! Yuktobanian planes beginning attack!" A Radio controller poked her head into the Ready Room.

"Scramble all available NLR squadrons. I want that sky locked down tight." Hawkeye ordered.

"We're launching nearly thirty squadrons, each squadron a four-pony flight. We're launching a hundred and twenty aviators." Rocker did the math.

"That's one crazy sky out there." Outside of the window, engines roared and turbines whined as the NLR began to scramble. Eagle watched the collective FENRIR, XFA-27 and F/B 22 Concepts spew out from the hanger bays.

"I think you guys should go. Bolster the troops, show that Talon is not yet defeated." Hawkeye said.

The two other ponies nodded. "Have our Fregata's brought to Hanger 4."

(@ Smoers06 Haha LOL. You caught on to my trend. )

535022>>534798
"Breaking news this hour, we are bringing you live coverage of battles in Coronet, Gracemeria,and the Estovakian countryside. It is not looking good, as the Federation units are being pushed back by Imperial Forces, though rumors of Gorilla fighting behind..
The TV volume turned down, as the humans remained silent.
"How the Hell did this happen?" Riley demanded. The Navy was supposed to stop something like this from happening!"
"Blood has been spilled on our soil..." Talisman mumbled. "Our blood."
"There's no redemption for the Empire now."

534976>>535022

Northern sat uncomfortably in the waiting room as the human and pony on the other side of the room kneeled, praying to some foreign god that North didn't know. He had never been one for religion, but he respected other people's beliefs enough not to be outspoken against it. Instead, he opted to wait quietly while the doctors operated on Orion, hoping that they were good enough to save her.

Any further thoughts on the subject were interrupted as warning alarms went off.

"Attention all NLR units, we are under attack! Repeat we are under attack, this is not a drill! All pilots report to your planes and scramble!" Everyone in the room snapped to attention as the message played. Within seconds, they were already out of the room and running towards the hanger towards their planes.

By the time the group reached the hanger, most of the other planes had already taken off, and they redoubled their efforts to mount up and take off. Northern was glad that his squadron had already entered and fired up their planes, and he quickly teleported to his plane, sparing himself from galloping the remaining twenty feet. In a flurry of movement, Northern put in his flight suit, strapped himself in, and started up his engines. Finally, he turned on his comms, only to be greeted by Golden Dawn's voice.

"Damn, what took you so long Captain?"

"I got busy 3, now be quiet and focus. Today, I want you guys to follow me closely, and I don't want to see another one of you go down." With that, he began taxiing his plane, going through all of the usual take-off checks as he did so. North tensed himself as he rolled his way onto the runway.

"This is Zmerya flight, ready for take-off."

(And then they had wild pony smex)

Phoenix said at the radio, listening to any and all information that was coming from the Mainland.
"What's happening?" Daring asked, only recently being released from the Infirmary.
"The Solars are pushing deep into Estovakia, there weren't many units there and we're trying to put up a reasonable defense. Gracemeria is ls also being overrun, though we're trying to get more support there. Coronet is turning into a firestorm, as both armies are receiving reinforcements to drive back the other. In all, it's not looking good."
"We need to get back to the Mainland ASAP." The humans all nodded their agreement. The Lunars kept quiet, unsure of what to say.
"We're coming too," Storm said. "You protected our homes once, we want to return the favor."
"Thank you," Phoenix said, truly grateful. "I only hope we won't be too late."
~~~
Coronet, Human Mainland

At one time, The Scarlet Rose had been a majorly Ritzy hotel with over fifty stories high. Now, it was less than thirty stories, the top blown away by Imperial fire. Now, instead of rich guests filing the halls, it was being used as an improvised barracks for the army.
Currently, it was all but empty save for a small squad from the Corps of Engineers.
"BTR!" One shouted.
The armored vehicle fired its machine gun, shattering the expensive glass as the bullets flew into the lobby.
"Overlord, we're pinned down by enemy armor! We need an immediate airstrike!"
"All air elements are currently preoccupied, standby."
"STANDBY?! Oh that's bloody great!"

535281>>535256

Most of the action concentrated on the lower hangers, so Talon Flight had Hanger 4 to themselves.

Eagle gave her Fregata a once over, checking the hardpoints and making sure that the missiles were armed. About twenty meters away, Rocker did the same. They watched another forlorn and pilot-less black Fregata settle on it's struts.

At a distance, one could easily see the difference in the planes that distinguished the pilots. Eagle's was a deep reddish hue, with black for her leading edges. Rocker's was a light sky blue, and had white for a leading edge. Orion's was completely black, with a tinge of gray splotches.

"I wished Orion was here."

"Yeah."

"Talon, you're clear. You can take off whenever." The subdued Air Traffic controller watched quietly as only two planes began to move to the runway.

"The Yuks still ain't standing down?" Hawkeye asked.

"No, sir. From what I see, the planes still are coming forward."

"Okay. Weapons tight until they fire."

"Yessir!" The AWACS squadrons split off to get into the air.

"Engineering! Is the generator online?"

"Is possible, sir. But with reactor 5 down, the camo is not perfect." An engineer replied.

"Anything to stealth our FENRIRs. They need the edge."

In the airspace outside, nearly a hundred and twenty planes waited. The NLR, with their FENRIR, XFA-27 and F/B 22, the Humans, with their F-22, F-15 and X-02, and the lone Yuktobanian squad of SU-33.

And at the head of the formation, two Fregatas.

"This is one for the books. The greatest air battles of all time." Rocker mused.

Orion was half-conscious. She could hear the klaxon for full alert coming on from outside her room.

"Tenderheart, what's going on?" She asked, sitting up.

"Hawkeye launched all the fighters." The nurse replied while applying the last few bandages. "Now, be a good girl and sit in that regenerative field for a bit. You can get out there soon enough."

"Yes, mom." Orion replied bitterly. Tenderheart just laughed.

"Lucky for you, the bullet was clean. We had to replace your left lung. Thank Luna that she had the brains to have turned you into a Moonblessed."

"Yeah..."

536530>>535281
"Screw history," Talisman growled. "Let's put these devils in the ground and be done with it."
"But these aren't the Solars," Justin protested. "They aren't our real enemies!"
"So what?" The leader of Falcon squadron interjected. "They're standing between us and the mainland."
"When the lines between good and evil blur, always remember one thing," Cole said, his voice showing no emotion. "Sometimes, the enemy is just the guy who's stopping you from going home." A stoic silence followed his words, before he switched to the Alliance frequency. "All Federation Aircraft, you're cleared to engage any and all bogeys. Keep them away from the ship!"

536615>>536530

Northern listened quietly as the humans discussed. As they finished, Northern was ready to snap.

"So what, now they're just targets!?" He shouted into his mic, "What if we were shooting down humans and I talked like that? I bet you would claim it was an injustice and declare war against them! You think I want to shoot down my own countrymen?" He was fuming now, and he was more than willing to sock Cole in the face.

536638>>536615

"Lets stay calm, boys, remember, the real enemy is out there." A new Fregata approached and took it's position as flight lead.

"Wut? You're supposed to be in surgery." Rocker asked.

"It was a fast one. Plus, a blessing from the moon itself." Orion smiled. Then she grew serious.

"All aircraft, hold back. Do not initiate attack, I say again. Do not attack."

536615>>536655

"Glad to see you're back Talon 1. Let's try not to get shot again, okay?" Northern joked at first, but his focus instantly switched. "Do you want me to send one last surrender message? I think they'd listen more to a familiar name and flight."

536638>>536655
Cole listened to Northern's rant. Then he spoke, his voice cold.
"Let me be clear," He Said, his voice slowly rising. "My nation is under attack, my Capitol is burning, my fleet was just destroyed by a missile launched by YOUR countrymen, a terrorist group of my own species is plotting to kill us, and to top it off, I have a friend in the med bay who might not make it because of MY stupidity . So, all in all, I don't give a DAMN what you THINK!"
Then the new NLR fighter entered the formation.
"Orion? Thank the Maker you're alright." Relief flooded Cole's voice. "What are you talking about?"

536679>>536673

"Moonblessed. We get a faster recovery time. Basically, like your human's superhero, Wolverine, whose wounds healed immediately."

"Do you want me to send one last surrender message? I think they'd listen more to a familiar name and flight."

Orion considered this. "If it helps. Do it."

My nation is under attack, my Capitol is burning, my fleet was just destroyed by a missile launched by YOUR countrymen, a terrorist group of my own species is plotting to kill us, and to top it off, I have a friend in the med bay who might not make it because of MY stupidity . So, all in all, I don't give a DAMN what you THINK!

"Cole, really? I made a promise defend everybody with my life. Trust me. We'll just get this outta the way first."

536679

"Oh, your problems are so damn bad. Not one human stepped up when Yuktobania, or any other country for that matter, was tearing themselves apart in useless wars. NOT ONE! Hell, the only reason you helped Equestria was because you guys owed them a damn favor. So tell when I should start giving a fuck about your tiny little country!" Northern hadn't been this pissed in years. He was already contemplating shooting the bastard down, but reason won its way and he kept formation.

He was glad when Orion came back on the radio.

"If it helps. Do it."

"Alright, give me a moment." North switched back to Yuktobanian comms. He chatted with his flight for a moment before they accelerated ahead of the NLR formation. North steeled his nerves before switching to wide-range Yuke comms.

"This is Zmerya flight lead to all Yuktobanian planes opposing the NLR formation. It is a futile effort to attack their formation. You are all heavily out-classed and it would mean nothing to throw your lives away for the tyrant Celestia. Please, disengage and turn back to your carriers before we have to resort to violence."

536712>>536707
Cole gritted his teeth, ready to let loose on the bastard Yuk. Instead, he silenced the frequency, not giving the opposing pilot the satisfaction of a response.
"Orion, I don't care how we do it," he said. "But we need these guys out of our way YESTERDAY. Believe it or not, I don't want to fight these guys any more than the Yuk, but I have over two dozen angry pilots who are screaming mad for blood. We need to figure out quickly."

Oh, your problems are so damn bad. Not one human stepped up when Yuktobania, or any other country for that matter, was tearing themselves apart in useless wars. NOT ONE! Hell, the only reason you helped Equestria was because you guys owed them a damn favor. So tell when I should start giving a fuck about your tiny little country!

Orion, I don't care how we do it, but we need these guys out of our way YESTERDAY. Believe it or not, I don't want to fight these guys any more than the Yuk, but I have over two dozen angry pilots who are screaming mad for blood. We need to figure out quickly.

Orion sighed. She had been in this place before. Between two very difficult allies.

Between Luna and Celestia.

"You know what?" Orion was angry. Her friends weren't getting along, and if they didn't, they would all be defeated.

She maneuvered ahead of the formation, and began to lock on to EVERYTHING.