• Published 10th May 2020
  • 243 Views, 2 Comments

Sky Aces: Aerial Combat - Yellowtail



Trooper, a pilot with almost no experience under his belt, is placed under a veteran to learn how to fly and face off against enemies. In the end, he must prove himself to be just as capable a pilot as anyone else!

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Mission 03: Counter-Ambush

Equestrian Air Base, 1100 hours.

I huff as I walk to the hangar. Today, we’re getting orders to escort some sort of cargo from the enemy territory in Griffon Stone. I was put on standby for the last mission, which had ended up in a dogfight between Scar and some poor soul that couldn’t match his speed. I caught sight of Flik, Patch, and Half-Shield, crowding around him in the bar. I didn’t want to rain on their parade, so I stood back and watched at the time. They looked relatively happy. I mean, Scar actually talked more than five words, so I assume they were having a good time. I didn’t stay long, I finished a glass of soda and left. The next day. Keen hooked me up with a guy that could bring in aircraft I could use. After a bit of haggling, and some cash I had earned from my previous two missions, I bought an aircraft that’s a bit better than the F-15. I got myself an Su-30M2. I admit, it’s certainly different from the standard aircraft I used until now, but according the seller, it’s better than the F-15.

Anyway, I had it come in the other day, in time for me to use it today. Today, we’re going on an escort mission for some cargo plane in Griffon Stone. Apparently, this mission is really important for some reason. All Joker would tell us, is that we do not have the luxury for failure. I mean, that should go without saying, which confuses me for his insistence that we succeed. What’s even stranger, is that we’ll be flying a five-plane formation, along with Scorpio Squadron, who will also fly five planes. They’re heading out ahead of us, we’ll be patrolling in circles at a certain location above the ocean, where Scorpio Squadron will catch up with us with the escort. This is so their air forces will believe that we didn’t send more pilots, and send fewer planes to intercept them. We would then spring into action to take advantage of their fewer numbers. This is all to secure the cargo plane we’re escorting.

I snap out of my mental replay when I bump into someone. I blink and look up to see the captain of Scorpio Squadron. Speak of the devil... “Ah, you’re Trooper, correct?” He asks. “I was just checking with Joker about something.” He smiles, crossing his arms. “I’ve heard some rumors about you, a fast ace.” I give a stern look in return. He smirks. “An attitude, I like that in a pilot. The name’s Stinger, but my TAC’s ‘Sharper’.”

“... Okay, so what is it?” I ask. He blinks in confusion.

“... No, my TAC, is Sharper,” he clarifies. I tilt my head in confusion.

“I mean, Grunt isn’t that good of a name, I know, but-“

“No, not like that, I meant- oh forget it,” Stinger says, sighing. He looks up to me, smiling. “I’ll see you in the air my wingless friend.” With that, he walks away. I look after him in confusion.

“... Weird,” I mutter, continuing my walk to the hangar. I honestly figured he’d be more of a jerk, but that was strangely pleasant...

Off-Shore of Western Griffon Stone, over Celestial Sea, 1320 hours.

The ocean below is a mix of teal, blue, and other words of color that are basically blue but slightly different. In the distance, there are rocky cliffs, and along the coast further away, there’s a beach. I think I can see civilians. They look like the tiniest of dots, like ants. I smile a little, hoping that nothing happens during this mission. I put my focus back towards my group, where I fly in the farthest to the left, behind Half-Shield, who’s to behind Scar to the left. To his right, Bugger flies in front of Topper. Our five-plane formation forms an arrow. Since I’m still technically the rookie, I’m Spades 5.

“Hey! Grunt!” Topper calls. “When did you get the new plane!? It looks good!” I smile a little at the compliment.

“He probably called up Dealer,” Bugger says. “Yo, Nutter Butter, is that right? There’s no one else who’s allowed to sell to our Air Base.” A tired sigh is heard.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, I just felt bad the rookie keeps getting the short end of the stick, that’s all,” Bird’s-Eye responds. “Besides, this means he owes me one.”

“In what? Peanutbutter?” Topper asks, bursting into laughter with Bugger. I can hear Half-Shield give a chuckle, as small as it was. I myself smile under the flight-mask as well.

“Cut the chatter, I can see the Cargo is coming in. Be sure to-“

“Mayday, mayday! This is After-Rain 6, a bogey’s chasing us!” The radio chatters. I can feel my heart skip a beat as I hear this.

“This is Sharper, Scorpio 1, I’m in a dogfight with multiple bogeys! I’m requesting help, ASAP!” I feel my eyes widen as my HUD pops up with several new contacts. All except two are enemies.

“Spades, engage!” Bird’s-Eye orders.

“Roger. Disperse,” Scar says. In a flash, we all break off and chase random enemies. I go for the ones chasing down our escort.

“Don’t let them escape! She can’t leave, it’ll cost us too much if she escapes!” The enemy’s radio chatters.

“Spades, take out any threats towards the cargo at all cost!” Bird’s-Eye says. I quickly pull around and trail behind the two chasers. I fire two missiles, and quickly switch to my special weapons. Four air-to-air missiles, which have multiple lock ones. I mentally kick myself as I fire one, realizing I could have just switched to it earlier. In any case, I down the two of them and quickly fly past the cargo’s plane before pulling around. I immediately target another plane, but to missiles come out of nowhere and make it explode the moment I lock on. Scar flies past, confirming his kill as I grunt and turn around to find another target again.

“Those two planes...” A female voice says over the radio.

“Ah! Damn!” Half-Shield says. I glance at the radar and see an enemy on her tail. I debate in my head whether or not she’ll ask or want help. I see Scar is busy with some other enemy, and Bugger’s too far out to be of any use in time. Topper is trying to gun down some other enemy. I scowl to myself as I see that Half-Shield is still struggling to regain control of her situation. I sigh and start speeding towards them.

“This one’s mine,” the enemy says. I twirl, pulling up to trail behind the shooting plane. “This is Fire-Claw 3, Fox 2.” The plane fires a missile the moment I fire a missile. “Wait, what the-“ The plane gets hit as Half-Shield gets hit as well.

“Shit!” Half-Shield yells. I grow concerned as I see smoke trailing from her plane.

“Half-Shield, are you alright?” I ask.

“... Yeah, I can still fly,” she says, albeit, with a bit of hesitation.

“Spades 2, try to keep out of dogfights for the remainder of the mission,” Scar says. I pull off and circle around to check on our cargo. I grimace as I see three more enemy planes tailing it. One of them fires their missiles, but the plane shoots off flares and makes the, miss.

“This is After-Rain 6, we require help!” Yells the escort. “Damn it, I wish I could fight them off myself!” I go full throttle, glancing at the radar to see another ally speeding towards them as well. I have no doubt it’s Scar. I feel a rush of sorts come over me again. I can feel the excitement wash over, filling me with what I now realize is a competitive nature. Yet again, like the last mission, a smile creeps onto my face. I push the plane’s limits for speed, trying to surpass Scar’s.

I flip to special weapons, lock on to the three enemies, and fire. I flip back to missiles and lock on to the nearest opponent. One missile hits the pilot closest to the escort. The other two missiles are trashed due to one of them doing a barrel roll while the other just shoots off flares. I am following the one who did the latter. I use the opportunity of the used-up flares to fire two missiles, which almost immediately destroy the plane close to me. I aim at the second and final plane, firing my machine gun. However, my bullets are too sprayed to hit. Suddenly, two missiles come from behind and destroy the plane. I feel a shockwave, grimacing as I know who took that one out.

“... Not bad,” I hear Scar say.

“I could do better if you’d butt out,” I hear myself say. I reel back a bit from myself, but I only hear Scar chuckle in response.

“We’ll see, Grunt,” he says. I can tell there was no malicious intent in those words. No, if anything, it sounded like a challenge. I smile, getting even more competitive. I pull off, doing a high-g turn and speeding towards our next target.

“Tch,” a new enemy voice chimes in. “Worthless. I leave them to sort it out, and they come crying for help.”

“Spades, Scorpio, there’s a new bandit coming in!” Bird’s-Eye says. “He’s coming in fast! Vector 90 of Spade 5!” I quickly look to my right, and my HUD shows a distant target speeding towards me. I grunt and turn towards it, willing to meet it head on. Adrenaline rushes through me. I know this feeling by now. The target is labeled ‘Ash’. This pilot must be another ace, to be able to have a label. I go ahead and start firing my machine gun, hoping to get a lucky shot in. However, the enemy pulls off. I can their plane, an Su-37. Their tail has an emblem that looks like a fire with a smile on it.

“That one’s excited, isn’t he?” The voice asks herself.

“Wow, Grunt was quick!” Topper mentions, catching up to the escort. I pull off a twirl and start my chase with the ace. I see Scar is catching up too.

“Oh? Two eager beavers? How cute, I guess I feel like playing,” the enemy says. I get a lock on and fire two missiles. As expected, the pilot dodges with ease by doing a barrel roll. I switch to my 4AAM, and fire off a couple. Instead of releasing flares, the pilot does a wider barrel roll, twirling a bit as the missiles fly past her.

“I’ll deal with him!” Half-Shield says, turning towards us.

“Half-Shield, break off! You’re damaged!” Scar yells.

“This Ace is mine Half-Shield!” I yell as well.

“Half Shield, stick with the cargo. The same goes for Topper and Bugger. Let those two sort it out,” Bird’s-Eye says.

“I’ve seen what that- that thing did, I’m sticking with the cargo!” Sharper says, who I finally notice. He’s flying next to the cargo, with smoke trailing from the tip of his left wing.

“Wait, where’s your squadron Scorpio 1?” Bird’s-Eye asks.

“T-they were shot down by that ace! Their TAC is Ash!” He replies with panic.

“Wait, Ash!?”

“Remember Ash, we want to the Cargo incapacitated, not dead!” The enemy chatters.

“We’ll see what happens,” Ash responds. “However, if you wanted them alive, I personally wouldn’t have pick myself to do this? You’ve seen my records.” I fire off my machine gun, but Ash is just out of reach for my gun fire to hit. Scar speeds up, firing off two missiles at the enemy as it turns. I go ahead and start turning with the him, trying to lock on with a missile.

“Grunt, I want you to pull off, this one is no joke,” Scar says.

“No! I can do it!” I claim.

“...” Scar doesn’t reply, but Bird’s-Eye certainly does.

“Grunt! That’s a direct order! Listen to-“

“It’s fine, I’m sure he’ll manage,” Scar cuts off. I give Scar’s plane a glance of confusion before returning my attention to Ash. I finally lock on, and fire two missiles.

“Alliyoop!” Ash says, slowing down and pulling up to do a high g-turn, just barely dodging the missile. I fire my gun, but Ash does a barrel roll and dodges most of the bullets, except for one that hits her craft. “My turn!” Suddenly, the plane slows down dramatically, making me panic and veer off the collision course with her plane. “Hm? A Royal Guard helmet? What kind of emblem is that?” My HUD lights up red with a missile warning, and I quickly fire off some flares.

“Hang in there Grunt, I’m coming up behind them,” Scar says.

“Flares? No fun!” Ash says. I start barrel rolling, trying to make her overshoot. However, I only manage to fly into machine gun fire, taking some damage. “Barrel rolling? Please, I’m not a newborn chick!” I notice that my HUD is warning me of her locking on, and grimace. Where the hell is Scar!?

“Finally,” Scar says.

“Agh! Damn it!” I pull up to try and look at my pursuer, only to see some smoke coming off of her plane. “I forgot about his buddy, oh well. Guess he’s more fun to deal with then!” Ash pulls off, and Scar follows close. I point my jet to follow them, trying to get back into battle.

“Ash! We didn’t ask for you to have fun, we asked you to-“

“This is my airspace at the moment, don’t get your feathers in a twist. I’ll get the job done when I get it done,” Ash replies. “Right now, my focus is on their ace, as well as this other plane that’s caught my attention.”

“Scar, Fox 2,” Scar says, firing a couple missiles. However, both projectiles miss when Ash pulls off another barrel roll, and starts diving to the ocean. Scar and I dive as well, ready to give chase. Scar is faster though, catching up to the ace before me and firing off his machine gun. Ash twists her plane, dodging the bullets flying past.

“Close, but no cigar,” Ash says. Suddenly, her plane slows down and flips upward, getting behind Scar. “Ash, Fox 2.” Ash fires a couple missiles, one of which lands a hit on Scar’s aircraft.

“No!” Half Shield yells. I grit my teeth as I finally lock onto Ash. I fire two missiles of my own. She rolls, dodging them.

“Heh, too slow-“ I switch to special weapons, and fire my other four missiles at her. “Huh!?” She tries to barrel roll, but she’s too late as a couple manage to hit her. “Agh! Damn! I have to eject!” A figure ejects from the plane. I barrel managed to see what it is before passing it. It looked like the pilot.

“Spade 1! Scar! Are you alright?!” Bird’s-Eye yells.

“... I’m fine, but my wing’s damaged. I’ll need to RTB,” Scar responds. I finally notice Scar’s plane is still in the air, heading west back to base with the transport plane.

“Thank you Spade and Scorpio Squadron, we wouldn’t have made it without you,” the After-Rain says. “Hm?... Sure, why not?”

“Who’s she talking to?” Topper asks.

“... Hello, brave warriors. I am Princess Luna, the er... Cargo? Such a strange thing to be referred to as,” a royal, slightly loud voice says.

“P-Princess!?” Bird’s-Eye exclaims. I’m surprised as well, unable to say anything. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

“We wish to thank everyone, it had been quite a journey to get out of there. I’m sure my sister kept my kidnapping a secret to avoid panic,” Luna continues.

“Princess!” I blurt out. “What are you- why are- how long had you been gone!?”

“... Lieutenant Trooper, is that you?” Luna asks. I fall silent, unable to respond accordingly from the calm question. “We never forget a royal guard’s voice. Tell me, does your mother still send you chocolates?” I start blushing in embarrassment as Topper and Bugger try to conceal their laughter from the radio. “We would like some when we return, your mother always picks out the best chocolates in her travels.”

“Uh, sorry Princess, um, she didn’t send anything this month, other than a post-card,” I mutter. I come up to the transport plane to be in view.

“Aw, such a shame,” Luna replies. “... I admire your plane’s tail-art. I imagine you had some words for- What?... Very well, we’ll return to our seat. Everyone, thank you for your protection.”

“Yo, Super Trooper, can we have some chocolate?” Bugger asks, snickering. I don’t respond, merely grunting as I shoot Bugger’s plane a glare. I look to the side to see the beach I saw earlier. It’s empty now, save for a wreckage that was a plane. I hope no civilian got hurt...


“... That plane...” Ash says to herself, watching the plane that took her down. “... Pops, take a note. There’s a plane with a broken royal guard’s helmet and a spear as an emblem. They’re a new ace.”

“Did you see their TAC?” Her radio asks.

“No. But I suggest that we should keep an eye on them.” A hum sounds out, as well as a scribble.

“What should we call them?” Ash hums to herself as she unbuckles her seat and frees her wings. She hovers in place, allowing her seat to fall into the ocean below.

“... Grim-Spear?” She asks, starting her flight east back to base.

“Grim-Spear... okay, updated. Now, about your failure...” Ash sighs, knowing that things are not going to be pleasant when she returns...


I sigh, slumping into my seat with my drink at the bar. Joker told us how good of a job we did, but we’re getting a new addition to our squad. Stinger, who’s squadron had been confirmed MIA for the moment, is being reassigned to ours. He’s not bad, unlike his squad-mates, but he’s a bit awkward. He was kinda shaken up from earlier, but he’s calm down knowing that at the very least, his squad’s alive somewhere. In any case, I’m hanging out with Patch, Flick, and Keen, as usual. “Super Trooper, my guy, lemme tell you,” Patch says, a bit tipsy. “When my ma comes in, and sees the mess I made, she was all like- ‘Did I drop you as a baby or something!?’” Flick laughs as Keen rolls his eyes.

“Patch, you told us this story yesterday,” Keen says.

“Still funny as ever!” Flick says. I give a smirk as I sip on some soda.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” A female voice asks. I look over to see Half-Shield, who looks a little embarrassed. I drop my good attitude and shrug. “Thanks,” she says. She looks at the bartender. “I want the cheapest booze you’ve got,” she says. He nods and goes off to fulfill this order. Half Shield looks at me for a moment before looking away. “... Thanks for Uh, earlier,” she says. I give a courtesy nod and try to focus on the story Flick’s telling. However, Half-shield taps my shoulder. I give an irritated look. “Snuffle,” she says. I stare at her for a minute. “... My name’s Snuffle,” she elaborates. My eyes widen a bit before taking an awkward sip.

“... So that’s why you didn’t want to tell me your name,” I say. She blushes and crosses her arms.

“No, it’s because I trust you enough,” she says.

“Oh, hey Half-Shield!” Patch says, just now noticing the hippogriff. “Did you finally tell Super Trooper your name yet?”

“Stop calling me that,” I say, taking a sip as Snuffle nods.

“... Super Trooper?” She asks herself as she looks at me, cracking a smile.

“Not my name. It’s just Trooper-“

“I dunno, you look like a Super Trooper,” Snuffle says.

“Well, you don’t look like a Snuffle,” I reply. She laughs as she gets her order.

“True,” she says. She takes a sip, nods, and guzzles the pint-sized glass. I look on with surprise, but Keen snickers.

“Do we need to talk about your drinking problem again?” He asks. She sets her glass down and sighs.

“No, it’s not a problem. It’s a solution,” she says. Flicks snickers and leans over to me.

“Last time Snuff got drunk, she broke a table from a bar-fight she got into,” he says. I scoff, giving Snuffle a glance.

“Hey, the table had it coming. I bumped into it way too many times,” she says. With that, everyone starts laughing and talking, while I simply sit and enjoy the conversations they have. I admit, this is much nicer than I ever thought it would be...

Author's Note:

Some of you have probably noticed I changed the title. Well, I changed it because I just didn’t like it and felt like it didn’t fit.