Ace Combat 6: Garuda's Angel
Chapter Fifteen: Chandelier
Gracemeria Air Force Base
Republic of Emmeria
General Roberts spoke, "Alright ladies and gentlemen, this is what we have on the Enemy's new superweapon." He then spoke, "It is called Chandelier, and it was built as a defense against the Ulysses Catastrophe years ago. It seems that the Estovakians got it working." Kristen looked at it. "So we preform an airstrike."
Col. Daniels spoke, "Sir, with all due respect, we can shoot down the missiles. We cannot waste fighters attacking this thing. Who will protect the city?" Kristen countered. "They are picking us off from five hundred miles away Colonel. Sooner or later, they're going to wear us down, and then we'll be defenseless. We have to do an airstrike on it."
Daniels spoke, "We don't have a shred of intelligence on this thing, we don't know where to hit it." Kristen responded, "That's not the point Colonel. We're going to run out of fighters and pilots if we just tough it out and some of those missiles might get through. Look." She brought up one of the satellite photos. "This railing must be some kind of reloading system, if we can knock that out, we can prevent any more shells from being fired at us."
General Roberts spoke, "I'm inclined to agree, but we do not know how to take this thing out Major." Kristen spoke, "We have no choice, the only other alternative is for this weapon system to keep on grinding us until we break. If we attack it, maybe we might get lucky enough to inflict some kind of damage on it.
"Alright Major. It's either we go out fighting now, than to linger here while we get ground down." The General noted. Daniels spoke, "What about our city, we didn't just liberate it just to leave it undefended." Kristen spoke, "Daniels, I don't like this any more than you do. But this is what has to be done. General, we need our ground forces to evacuate the city. If we fail, we'll at least buy some time for our people to escape."
General Roberts nodded, "Good luck Major."
Kristen began to speak, her pilots standing at attention. "Ladies and Gentlemen. We have seen too much war. Too much of this bloodshed. But we must end this now. We're tired, we're homesick, we want to be with our families, our loved ones. We want to go one day without killing someone. But our homes are, once again, in danger." She stated.
"Pilots, this may be a suicide mission, and I will not order you to go with me. But it is the same, in our histories, as when the Golden King himself asked his tired and freezing army for one more month of service to our people. And so, I find myself in the same unpleasant situation of asking for one more battle." Kristen stated.
"I ask you now, to render one more service to our people. And after this battle, despite the outcome, I will release you from my service." Kristen stated. "Those who volunteer, step forward." There was some slight hesitation, until Shamrock walked forward. "I volunteer Ma'am." One by one, the other pilots did so. Avalanche, Sky Kid, Windhover, Lanner, and even Ghosteye and his crew. There was not a single pilot left that did not volunteer. "Thank you, all of you." She then spoke, "Let us go forward, and end this war."
She flew her fighter on, staring out into the obscured horizon. A blizzard, cold. Everything about this land seemed cold. So cold that it easily filled anyone's heart, and drowned out the warmth. "Look at this place, it's giving us a good look in the Estovakian soul. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kristen heard some static on her radio.
"... can you hear me?" A woman's voice asked. "I'd like to say hello, hello to all Emmerian Air Force pilots in the northern sky."
"What the? Who's voice is that?" Lanner asked.
"I'm just a Civilian, my name's Melissa Herman." The voice said. The name meant something to Kristem "Herman... Herman... I think I know that name."
"I think it's coming from Gracemeria's Radio Station. Hey, we're in a war zone here!" Ghosteye stated. Melissa responded. "I don't know a whole lot about war. But there's something I need to tell you."
"This airband is reserved for wartime defense purposes." Ghosteye stated.
"Please, pilots, listen to my mom. She has something important to say." A young girls voice stated.
Kristen finally spoke, "Wait! Ma'am, do you know a Lieutenant Daniel Herman?" She mentioned. Melissa responded. "Yes, he was my husband." Kristen then spoke. "Alright, we'll hear you out ma'am."
"The Estovakian Military has that battery, and it can't be destroyed." Melissa stated.
Ghosteye spoke, "It looks like she's trying to disrupt our plans, I better contact Gracemeria Base." Shamrock spoke, "Wait!"
"But that's when its construction was completed." Kristen then heard an operator over the signal. "Recovered to optimal cooling, We can resume with launching." A response was heard, "Roger, resume with attacks immediately." Kristen then picked up some approaching fighters. "Alright pilots, we have incomming. Standby to. Suddenly something large was fired past Talisman toward Gracemeria. "Dammit! It's firing again!"
"Can you hear me?" Melissa said. "The Battery's weak points are its cooling units. If you destroy those, it will heat up and collapse on its own." Melissa stated. Her daughter responded. "Not only that, even if they get those heat thingies, there's also a backup, they have to get that too."
Shamrock spoke, "Do you have proof of this?" Melissa nodded, "We're trying to get you the data. The radio station's crew is sending it now."
Ghosteye spoke, "Data received, Hold on here. Ma'am, how did you get ahold of this?" Melissa responded, "I got it from a flight instructor in the Estovakian Air Force, his name is Lieutenant Colonel..." Kristen finished, "...Voychek."
Kristen spoke, "Garuda team to Ghosteye, Send us that data..." Ghosteye responded, "Roger, all planes, I'm sending you data on the enemy's defense capabilities."
Kristen spoke, "Got it..." She checked the data. "Mother... of... God..." She said. Chandelier was, literally, a fortress. "All pilots, engage Chandelier." She and Shamrock dove toward Chandelier, which erupted into a firestorm of tracer fire. "Alright Shamrock, concentrate on the cooling units. Suddenly a voice spoke, "Prepare stauros for for launch, initiate loading." Kristen broke off her attacks on several of the fortresses anti-aircraft batteries and headed for the, "Damn, they're loading one of those shells."
"Those huge missiles are being carried in a gutter below the gunbarrel." One of her pilots said. "I'm on it... Continue your attack." She flew into the loading chute, and saw the shell being carried to the loading area. She opened fire on it and it exploded. "Got it." She then noticed some familiar looking fighters. Strigon team was here. She had to finish this, once and for all. She managed to get behind one of the Strigons, He twisted, attempting to evade Kristen's lock. Finally she got a lock. "This is why you should've never gone back to war!" She fired a missile into the Strigon's tailpipe. Another Strigon managed to get behind Kristen, and she lead him on a chase through the struts supporting the cannon. "C'mon, make a mistake, One of the Strigon's stabilizes were taken off by one of the struts and he began to spin right into another strut. Kristen set her sights on a series of side cooling units on the weapons side and unleashed some SOD dispensors toward it.
They impacted on the ground, taking the cooling units with them. Ghosteye spoke, "We got some of the cooling units. She then noticed a Aegis cruiser providing ESM and fired at it's radar tower. "I got one of the ESM craft, that should help us a bit." She set her sights on another cooling unit. "Shamrock, help me with this cooling unit." She opened fire on one of the cooling units with shamrocks help. After a barrage of concentrated missile and gunfire, the cooling unit exploded. Ghosteye spoke, "We got another cooling unit!"
"Prepare Stauros for launch, initiate loading." This signal made Kristen jump. "I'm on it!" She broke approached the Chandelier's loading chute from the side and turned into it. The shell was approaching fast, and she fired a missile at it. It exploded. "This is Lanner, We got another Cooling unit on the side." Ghosteye spoke, "Understood, Cooling unit destroyed." She set her sights on the remaining side cooling units and launched a SOD Dispensor toward them. The bomblets managed to take out some more of the cooling unit, another one was finished off with gunfire. "Fifth one down, Cooling unit five is destroyed.
Kristen evaded another missile from one of the destroyers near Chandelier. "Someone deal with these ships, there is a lot a fire coming from them. The Squadron provided some cover fire for Talisman, She turned toward another one of the cooling units and began to open fire. It's cover was blown off, followed by its its shielding and then the unit itself, she pulled up barely to avoid the blas. "Another Cooling unit down. That's number six." She spotted more Strigons. "Strigon team..." she stated. "Stop fighting, or I will destroy you all." She said to them.
"We have no choice. We cannot let you into Estovakia demon." One of Strigon's pilots stated. "I am not a Demon, I am an Angel." She stated as she dogfighted one of them. "Do you want to know what your leader told me? He told me that corrupt governments and marred lands aren't worth defending!" She said as she dogfighted. "There is only one thing worth defending, and that is the future." The Strigon spoke, "You have destroyed many of our comrades, our darkest dreams now have you in them, dark angel of Emmeria. We cannot let you bring more war to Estovakia." Kristen dogfighted with them more. "Is this what it is about? Is this what your general has told you? This war is over, I have accepted this fact, those who haven't accepted that war must end are nothing but weapons to be used!" She stated.
"Prepare Stauros for Launch, initiate loading." She broke from combat, toward Chandelier's loading chute, and fired an SOD dispenser into the chute. She then focused on Strigon again.
General Sokovich slammed his fist on the command room's mapscreen. "Someone kill that woman. Damn her! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!" He got on the com system. "Landsford. I will kill you, I swear that I will kill you." He then spoke to his subordinate. "Work quicker, I want Chandelier loaded!"
One of the soldiers manning a console spoke, "Sir, we're working as fast as we can." Sokovich drew his gun and killed the soldier that stated that. "You, take his place, work faster than he did, or you will die!" Sokovich did not know that his words were carried on the radio.
"Strigon team, what kind of leader kills his own men? Do you not see what he is now? He has gone insane. Is he worth fighting for? Is this worth fighting for? Because I am fighting for someone very dear to me." Kristen stated.
"Who?" One Strigon asked. Kristen spoke, "If you must know, he's a doctor." This managed to get a response from the Strigons. "Doctor Anders? You're the one he spoke of?" Kristen nodded. "Yes." There was a moment that seemed like forever, until one of Strigon team's pilots spoke. "General Sokovich, this war is over, end this at once."
"What?" Sokovich stated.
"This is Lieutenant Tosha Miyajek. Your war is over General. We will not fight for you anymore. The demon you spoke of is willing to forsake war. We are willing to do the same. She is not a demon, she is an Angel."
Sokovich spoke, "Treason! Treason! How dare you! All defenses, shoot down everything. Kill everything!" The General's staff in Chandelier spoke, "No General. This war is over, it's too much now." The General opened fire in his command center. "Computer, Directive Zero, Execute." The Chandelier's computer spoke, "Voiceprint ID confirmed, Directive Zero activated." The General escaped the room.
"Garuda, this is Lieutenant Vasyev. General Sokovich has escaped, but he's locked us out of the computers. We can't shut down Chandelier. You'll have to destroy this base."
"Lieutenant, evacuate your men from Chandelier, hurry." Kristen noted. Strigon's fighters took up formation with her. "We will fight with you Garuda, for the glory of our country, and for the promise of the future." Kristen spoke, "Strigon focus on Chandelier's defenses, we'll focus on the cooling units, All Emmerian Squadrons. The Estovakians are not hostiles, repeat, not hostiles. Focus solely on Chandelier, cover the evacuation from it. The Combined Emmerian and Estrovakian squadrons focused their firepower down on Chandelier. Kristen and one of the Strigons opened fire on one of the cooling units. "Cooling unit down. Three remaining."
"Prepare Stauros for launch, initiate loading." The mechanical voice of Chandelier's computer said. "Someone take that out!" Tosha responded. "I got it." He entered the Chute and began firing on the shell in the chute. "Thank you, we can't let one of these shells past us." Kristen stated.
"This is Sky Kid, me and Lanner have got another one." Ghosteye spoke, "One cooling unit remaining." Kristen spoke, "I've got it, She opened fire on the last unit, and kept on firing until an explosion errupted from it. Chandelier groaned under its own weight as the glacier it was built on shifted. Ghosteye spoke, "That monster's got a backup unit. An Extra cooling unit." Shamrock spoke, "The little girl was right. That thing still isn't dead."
"Thermal Scan data confirmed. I don't believe this. The backup unit is within Chandelier itself." Ghosteye stated.
"We can't do this, we're being hammered out here." One of Kristen's pilots said. Shamrock spoke. "Leave this to me, I'll go in for a closer look."
"Don't be stupid Shamrock, you'll get full of holes before you can get close." One of the pilots stated.
"This is Garuda Two, I'm going in alone and at low altitude." Ghosteye responded, "Garuda Two, that's too dangerous."
"I know it's dangerous, but it's time for me to dance with the angels." Shamrock stated. Shamrock went in low, and entered the loading shute. The Automated defenses fired in the tunnel. "Almost there, just a little further, gotcha." One of the guns in the chute managed to score a hit on one of Shamrock's engines.
Shamrock spoke, "Did you get the data?"
Ghosteye spoke, "Data confirmed, now pull up Garuda Two."
"I'm loosing thrust, but maybe I won't need it." Shamrock stated. "Lets see what these angel wings can do." Shamrock's fighter crashed. "Marcus! Marcus!" Kirsten stated. "Shamrock!"
Ghosteye spoke, "All planes, get in there and save shamrock. He's gotta be alive!" Kristen spoke, "Easy Ghosteye, I've got the cooling unit."
"Prepare Stauros for launch. Initiate loading." The Computer stated. "Oh no you don't All fighters, cover me." She dove toward the front of Chandelier, as the remaining fighters provided her with cover fire to draw off their attacks. She did her best to evade the defenses, when she dipped into the stauros chute. The shell had already made it down the chute. "Stauros loading complete, prepare to fire in five..." She had to get through this. "Four..." There were too many people at stake. "Three..." Jason... " Two..." Marcus... "One" She fired her last missiles at the cooling unit. The explosion erupted in the tunnel and she managed to see an opening in the tunnel, she shot out of it.
Chandelier began to move further, as the battery was placed under intense pressure from the fragmenting glacier. It's barrel began to open like a giant maw. Ghosteye spoke, "It's vital area is inside the barrel." Kristen flew toward the weapon's maw. "Time to end this." Suddenly shots barely missed Talisman, an SU 47 was tailing her from behind. "Now you die Garuda, like your friend. Die!" It was Sokovich in a SU 47. Kristen entered the Barrel, with Sokovich behind her. "Die! Die! Die!" He screamed as he fired everything at Kristen in the barrel. His missiles impacted in the barrel, and Kristen opened fire on the core inside. The Barrel exploded, and only Kristen's fighter emerged from it. It was trailing smoke. Everyone could hear a wrenching scream on the radio. "No!"
Chandelier began to fall to pieces, like a beast of destruction being defeated. However Kristen's fighter was not fairing well. "I can't keep her up. Ejecting!" Kristen reached up and pulled the eject cable. She was shot from her fighter with incredible force as the Ejection seat fired, Suddenly her parachute opened and she began to descent. Her fighter crashed into the sea. She didn't need it anymore anyway. She watched as the angel of mercy and destruction finally crashed into the sea.
As she descended, she noticed the crashed form of a Raptor floating in the water, and she manuvered her parachute close to it. With excellent timing, she managed to land on the raptor's fuselage. She released her parachute and moved up to the cockpit. Pulling the emergency release, she started unstrapping Shamrock from the fighter. She put all of her strength into pulling him from the cockpit, but the fighter started to sink fast into the sea. Grabbing the emergency raft from Shamrock's ejection seat, she inflated it, and managed to drag Shamrock onto it. She climbed into it herself, and she thanked the manufacturer of these rafts that they could hold two pilots instead of one. It was times like that she was grateful Emmeria didn't cut corners on the defense budget. Shamrock came through, as the fighter began to slip into the frozen sea.
"Did you do it? Is it done?" Marcus asked. Kristen spoke. "Yes, it's all over." She stated. In the distance, she noticed an approaching patrol boat. "We can stop fighting now, there's no more need for weapons." She heard a fighter fly by overhead.
She and Marcus were rescued by the Estovakian Survivors on the Patrol Boat, and brought to what was left of Chandelier. The Estovakians also started to treat Shamrock's injuries, as she approached an old Estovakian Major who had just arrived, and was nearby a Helicopter. "Greetings, I am Major Grigori Antovich, of the Estovakian Army, and the Provisional Estovakian Government." He stated.
"I am here, on behalf of the Estovakian Government, to offer you and Emmeria a cease fire. You have fought us on every front, destroyed every army we sent against you, destroyed even Aigaion itself. We have nothing left to fight you with. If you were to set foot on Estovakia, nothing in this world would stop you. We surrender to you Garuda." He bowed before Kristen.
Suddenly something, that was once done in Emmerian History, repeated; Kristen smiled. Not just any smile, but one that was in the same spirit as the Golden King himself. "I accept your cease fire, and you do not need to surrender." She grabbed the Major's arms, "Lets just end this terrible war that has taken so much away from all of us."
Two Days later
Kristen stepped off the Helicopter, with Shamrock in a wheelchair. To the cheers of thousands who had gathered to greet her. Now, the war was truly over. She walked, as she was greeted by friends and family.
But there were so many who were not here for this day. She walked toward her parents and hugged them both, she held to them for quite some time before she released them, and approached Jason. She embraced him in her arms.
It was a brand new day.
A man was sitting, in a lone chair, within a large room. Before him was a laptop computer, and a large window to a mansion. "So, the Estovakians have failed?" Lightning erupted in the distance.
"It is no matter, our plans will not be interrupted." He stated.
A man behind him spoke, "Sir, we're ready to recover Garuda Team's fighters."
He spoke, "How long?"
"Ten years to analyze the data." The man stated.
"It is no consequence, we Belkans know patience well. And wait we shall." He then typed on a keyboard and pilot data began to appear on it. The Demon Lord, Mobius One, Yellow Thirteen, Solo Wing Pixy, Heartbreak One, Blaze, Edge, Chopper, Archer, Pasternak, Shamrock, and Talisman. Data had been gathered on all of these pilots. The Computer spoke. "Analysis Ready..."
Lightning Erupted again...
Author's Note: I wish to thank all my readers and reviewers. Without your support, this fanfic would've never been completed. Also, this ending is different than the one in the game. I just think the game's ending dose not do the story justice, so I've created my own.
