LAST TIME ON PEACEKEEPER: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6198317/

The cinders of Arkanar's civil war were never truly frozen, they smoldered beneath a treaty paper sealed with blood. Now stoked by radical ideals, political ambitions, and old grudges, the flames of war blaze anew.

For years, the northern Free Republic covertly rallied armies and amassed resources in preparation for a war that could span generations. This was no desperate rebellion of defiant guerrillas from decades past, but a well-organized military campaign that will unify the fractured land of Arkanar and purge the existence of the Imperial State to the south.

The Imperial military, having grown complacent after their previous victories over the Free Republic and the years of peace that followed, have been caught unprepared. Spread thin over the demarcation line, the Imperials struggle to mount a coherent defense against the northern invasion. For every piece of land lost, their morale is chipped away, turning past triumphs into distant memories.

To prevent a wider regional collapse, the IUN has called for intervention through the deployment of an Osean and Erusean-led multinational task force, to assist the Imperial State of Arkanar in achieving a swift end to the war with the hopes of containing the conflict from spilling beyond Arkanar's borders before it can become a continental catastrophe.

You are Captain Adele "Chaos" Farrington, a Erusean Navy pilot and veteran of the Lighthouse War. Stationed aboard the IUN Peacekeeping Force submersible aviation cruiser OFS *Nautilus*, you serve as the flight lead of its premier fighter unit, the Fairy Squadron.

The skies await for your sortie, Fairy 1.

KIEV
REPUBLIC OF PIRTUNI
1300 HRS

This was no interception. It was vengeance at Mach 1.5.

Two fighters pierce through the clouds over the city of Kiev, one gray and one black. You, the pilot in the soot-scorched gray aircraft—a Pirtunian MiG-29M Fulcrum—slammed your throttles forward, pushing your Fulcrum's twin engines to the edge as you aggressively tailed the obsidian black aircraft—a Donovian Su-35S Flanker—fleeing the battlespace to the north.

<< AWACS | Smersh >>
"Zvezda 1, you have been ordered to disengage and break off. Stand down, now!"

The adrenaline rushing in your veins stifled the voice from your radio. You weren't listening, or perhaps you were and simply didn't care. Whatever it is; you have come this far and you were not about to let the enemy get away because someone sitting relaxedly on a desk somewhere told you to. Not after they invaded your home city and reduced it to a field of ashes while your people were left to salvage what little remained.

<< AWACS | Smersh >>
"Zenit, I say again—DISENGAGE! That is an order!"

Once again, the barks of Smersh fell on deaf ears as your vision narrowed to the shape of the fighter ahead of you. Your IRST systems locked onto the enemy with a shrill. Your heads-up display flashed red, and your thumb hovered over the weapons release trigger.

>[FIRE SAAM - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, SINGLE MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE GUNS - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO AMMO DEDUCTION]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] Su-35S: 2
TOTAL: 2

ENEMY TARGET DATA
[TGT] Su-35S "PRIZRAK 2"
DMG: 50%

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 4
SAAM: 1
FLR: 2
DMG: 60%

>>6243272
It's back! And we're playing vidya?!
>[FIRE SAAM - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, SINGLE MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>6243272
>>[FIRE SAAM - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, SINGLE MISSILE LAUNCH]

>>6243272
>[FIRE SAAM - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, SINGLE MISSILE LAUNCH]
Dude Ace Combat the video game in Ace Combat the setting
Splash one more bandit folks

>>6243272
>[FIRE SAAM - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, SINGLE MISSILE LAUNCH]
Starting with a flashback, huh?

Since OP fumbled the mood music by putting links in filenames (which get truncated from view, can't have certain symbols and can't be clicked), I've pulled them from the HTML and fixed them
First: https://files.catbox.moe/eq0l61.mp3
Second: https://files.catbox.moe/7g3fat.mp3

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>6243272
>[FIRE GUNS - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO AMMO DEDUCTION]

>>6243564
+1

oh how spoiled we are, with an Ace Combat quest QM and a semi-realistic air mercenary quest QM back to back, planebros can't stop winning

>>6243292
>>6243342
A little trivia: An early iteration of this quest's idea took place in the DATE setting.

>>6243348
It worked fine on my machine..

>>6243696
I told that other QM I'd read his quest. So far, I'm liking it!

>[FIRE SAAM - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 3, SINGLE MISSILE LAUNCH]
SAAM: 4 [SUCCESS]

<< Zvezda 1 | Zenit >>
"FOX-1!"

With a solid tone on the bandit, your thumb jammed the weapons release, and a single R-27R Alamo missile is dropped from the pylon of the Fulcrum with a sharp clunk-thwunk before it ignited its propellants and surged towards the Flanker with murderous intent.

The enemy banked hard to the left, so hard that its wings groaned as they were stressed to their limits under the G's, but the missile did not relent—if that word was ever in its vocabulary. No, the missile's guidance systems were locked firmly on the Flanker as long as you held the bandit steady within your sights. In a desperate attempt to ditch the lock, the enemy deployed chaffs to spoof the seeker.

But it was too late.

The missile remained fixed on the real target, burning towards it with certainty until it slammed its warhead onto the Flanker's fuselage and detonated in a blinding fireball that disintegrated the airframe in an instant. What remains of the Flanker's carcass spiraled into a nosedive, leaving a trail of smoke and debris as it plunged towards the city below.

<< [!] AWACS | Smersh [!] >>
"Zvezda 1, a bogey is on your six and closing!"

Smersh's voice cut through the static, snapping you out of the brief, intoxicating high of your kill and replacing it with sudden urgency. You glanced at the rearview mirror mounted inside your canopy, and there it was: a second Flanker whose gray paint shimmered in the sun, like it wanted your attention. A chirp then screamed in your ear—a missile lock. The Flanker had you.

It had been some time since you've been up in the air. You needed a break. A sliver of distance. A moment. But the enemy won't recognize that, not when you've just shot down his comrade moments ago. You had to make a move now, or the first missile launched from that Flanker would have your name etched on the warhead.

>[CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT]
>[DISENGAGE AND RETURN TO SECURE AIRSPACE]

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 4
SAAM: 0
FLR: 2
DMG: 60%

>>6243711
>[CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT]

Either this is a supa realistic vidya, rear view mirror notwithstanding, or Chaos has hell of an imagination. Adler must be stoked to have a freak of a superior officer roleplaying at every movement of the controller. Or maybe we just drool, and it is all in our head.

>>6243711
>[DISENGAGE AND RETURN TO SECURE AIRSPACE]

>>6243711
>>[DISENGAGE AND RETURN TO SECURE AIRSPACE]

>>6243711
>>[CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT]

KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL!

Rolled 1 (1d10)

Rolling a tiebreaker!

>1-5: [CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT]
>6-10: [DISENGAGE AND RETURN]

>[CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT]

<< AWACS | Smersh >>
"Zenit, you've sustained too much damage. Retreat now, dammit!"

Retreat was never an option for you; your pride would never allow it. Even now, with your Fulcrum riddled with damage and bleeding out fuel, you weren't done. You could feel the airframe shudder, just barely keeping itself together, and see warning indicators flickering across the cockpit. But beneath all of that, you still had fire in you. You could still fight, so long as the Fulcrum could heed every move you wanted it to make. There was just one enemy left. Just one. You could end this.

And if that bastard wanted you dead, he'll have to work for it.

<< Zvezda 2 | Medved >>
"Zvezda 1, this is Medved. Refuel and re-arm complete - I'm on my way to you now. Don't die before I get there, yeah Captain?"

You exhaled sharply in your flight mask, a grin tugging at the edges of your lips. It felt good to hear your wingman's voice again.

<< Zvezda 1 | Zenit >>
"Took you long enough, Lieutenant. No promises though."

Your eyes darted at the mirror once more to see the glint of gray steel approaching fast. And then, like a cocktail of panic-inducing cacophony that would make a lesser pilot lose their nerve, the radar warning receiver shrieked. Your HUD flashed in violent reds. And a monotonous voice, in a cruelly calm tone, repetitively uttered a single word.

Raketa. Raketa. Raketa.

>[DEFENSIVE MANEUVER - ROLL 2D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6]
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] Su-35S: 1
TOTAL: 1

ENEMY TARGET DATA
[TGT] Su-35S "PRIZRAK LEAD"
DMG: 0%

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 4
SAAM: 0
FLR: 2
DMG: 60%

>>6243791
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

That's what they are there for.

>>6243791
>>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6243707
I'm guessing you're using 4chanx or whatever the extension is that allows for sound embeds in images, unfortunately outside of boards like /vt/ it's not common

>>6243791
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6243791
>>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>>6243791
>[DEPLOY FLARES - NO ROLL, -1 FLARE]

>[DEPLOY FLARES]

Thumps reverberated through the airframe as a salvo of brilliant magnesium streaks were dispensed from the belly of the Fulcrum. The enemy missile locked onto the brightest decoy and struck its warhead onto it without hesitation, causing it to erupt in a fireball just short of your tail. The shockwave violently rocked your Fulcrum, jarring your battered airframe even more than it already was, but you were still flying.

<< Zvezda 1 | Zenit >>
"Just one more bandit. Just one."

You gritted your teeth and yanked the stick hard, wrenching the Fulcrum into a break-turn in order to position yourself as the attacker on the Flanker's rear, and the G's sustained by your aircraft threatened to make the whole thing to fall apart, but the risk was worth it. The Flanker came zooming past over your canopy, shielding your cockpit from the sunlight with its massive frame for a split-second. You could see its nozzles flare in twin cones of searing blue flame and the air rippling in blurs from the heat before you.

You were on the offensive now. The reticle on your HUD snapped onto the Flanker's nozzles instantly for a lock as you lined up your gunsight precisely on the bandit's center. It was your turn to pull the trigger on the bastard.

>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]
>[FIRE GUNS - ROLL 1D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 6, NO AMMO DEDUCTION]

ENEMY TARGETS SPOTTED
[TGT] Su-35S: 1
TOTAL: 1

ENEMY TARGET DATA
[TGT] Su-35S "PRIZRAK LEAD"
DMG: 0%

AIRCRAFT STATUS DATA
MSL: 4
SAAM: 0
FLR: 1
DMG: 65%

Rolled 7, 2 = 9 (2d10)

>>6244260
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 2, 6 = 8 (2d10)

>>6244260
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

Rolled 8, 8 = 16 (2d10)

>>6244260
>[FIRE MSL - ROLL 2D10, SUCCESS THRESHOLD: 5, TWO MISSILE LAUNCH]

>[FIRE MISSILES]
MISSILE 1: 7, 2, 8 [SUCCESS]
MISSILE 2: 2, 6, 8 [SUCCESS]

<< Zvezda 1 | Zenit >>
"FOX-2, FOX-2!"

Your grip tightened around the flight stick, and in rapid succession, you pressed the weapons release trigger twice. Two R-60 Aphid missiles ignited their rockets with a shrill whine and roared free from the Fulcrum's pylons. The bandit attempted to jink away, but he was too slow. The first missile struck his left wing, tearing it apart from the fuselage cleanly, followed by a hit on the fuselage itself. The Flanker was then engulfed in flames as it began spiraling down. There was no ejection, no parachute, and no sign that the pilot had made it out.

One final threat, erased.

You sank back into your seat and let out a sigh of relief. It was time to call it a day here. You then looked at your radar and saw a friendly IFF signature approaching five o'clock - Medved. His Fulcrum cruised next to you, its gray paint was sleek and pristine, as if it had just rolled off the factory floor, while yours looked like it had barely survived an artillery barrage. Scarred panels, scorched paint, creaking control surfaces. It's a miracle you've lived this far; your aircraft was practically held together by prayers and duct tape.

<< Zvezda 2 | Medved >>
"Sorry I'm late, Captain. But man, look at you! You've seen better days."

<< Zvezda 1 | Zenit >>
"I would have been a lot prettier if you arrived on time."

<< Zvezda 2 | Medved >>
"I said sorry, didn't I?"

The two of you shared a hearty laugh over the comms. The tension that's been in every fiber of your muscle bled out in waves. The adrenaline had worn off. And the weight that's been on your shoulders began peeling away. Just for a second, it all felt light again.

Then, the radio crackled, and a voice not so forgiving in tone, came along.

<< AWACS | Smersh >>
"Zenit, that was goddamn reckless! Entering combat with your aircraft in such a condition—what the hell were you thinking!? Were you asking to get killed!?"

The channel went silent. Medved didn't dare speak up and neither did you. But then, you hear something unexpected. A light scoff from Smersh. Not cold nor mocking, but cheeky. You could almost picture Smersh leaning back into his seat with a smile.

<< AWACS | Smersh >>
"...But. That was some solid work. Even when the odds were stacked against you, you still pulled through."

A beat. Long enough to let the words settle.

<< [!] AWACS | Smersh [!] >>
"Great work, Zvezda Squadron. Now come on, let's go home. Your comrades are waiting for you."

<< Zvezda Squadron | Unison >>
"Roger!"

You and Medved flew side-by-side with your return courses set to Kiev. Though the war is not over yet, our home city's skies were finally yours. And for you, that was good enough for now.

|| MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ||

OFS NAUTILUS
PACIFIC OCEAN - 200 MILES OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH-EASTERN ARKANAR
1030 HRS

"Alright, I think it's best to call it a day here," you said.

You set the controller down on the floor and rose up to your feet for a stretch. Your palms and fingers, still tingling and sweaty from all the button-mashing, relaxed as you held both arms high above your head and your back cracked audibly from being hunched for too long. Instinctively, you looked at your wristwatch to check the time.

10:30 AM.

You blinked in confusion. Ten in the morning already? Holy shit, has it really been that long? You remember being woken up by the steady thrum of Nautilus's engines at four. Had shower by 0430. Shared pancakes, eggs, bacon, and coffee with your squadron at five, and by 0530 you were back in your quarters, legs crossed in front of the TV, holding a controller.

"Boss," Erich called out to you as he sat on the floor, star-struck from watching your performance in the game. "You were totally awesome! How did you even beat that guy with low health? I've seen people online struggle with that boss. And this was your first time playing an Air Combat game?"

>["I got a lucky shot."]
>["I've beat people like him before in—real life."]
>["The game wasn't hard enough."]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6244504
>["The game wasn't hard enough."]

>>6244504
>["I've beat people like him before in—real life."]
You're used to using a UI like that in real life? What are you talking about, man?

>>6244514
+1
>he doesn't know

>>6244514
>picrel
I think you should install 4chan-x, that's what makes the embed work apparently.
>You're used to using a UI like that in real life?
Wait, pilots actually don't????

>>6244504
>>["I've beat people like him before in—real life."]

>>6244504
>["I've beat people like him before in—real life."]

>["I've beat people like him before—in real life."]

"I've fought against pilots like that before. In real life, I mean. The way that fight played out, it felt natural. Like second nature, really. I'm used to it."

"You're telling me that boss in the game reminded you of a dogfight you've flown in? What kind of hell have you been through before you got here?"

"It's nothing so dramatic. The real skies may differ in many aspects from virtual ones, but the mindset remains the same. You learn how someone flies by just watching them, you wait for that one thing—that one beat in the rhythm where they screw up—and that's when you take the shot."

Then you glanced sideways at Erich, half-smirking. "Besides, you're a pilot yourself, aren't you? Use what you learned at the academy. Spatial intuition, pattern recognition, you can apply it to everything, even to something simple as a video game."

"Don't say stuff like that, Boss." He let out a groan and flopped onto his back, letting out a long sigh as he did so. "Now you're making me feel like I slept through half my classes."

"And now you have me wondering how you even passed." You smirked.

Erich chuckled, lifting his hand lazily into the air. "Family business; I've been flying cropdusters with Dad back home since I was fifteen. Tight turns, low altitude, dodging power lines! So when it was time for me to get into the cockpit of a jet, it felt like hopping from a bike to a motorcycle, you know?"

You raised an eyebrow, curious to learn more about your Lieutenant. "So, baptism by air?"

"Mhm, something like that," Erich replied. A wistful smile formed on his lips as he looked away from you. He missed home. "I learned more from actually flying than I ever did reading manuals. I guess it stuck."

>["Your father, was he a soldier too?"]
>["What was home like?"]
>["Family business still alive?"]
>[SAY NOTHING]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6244997
>["What was home like?"]

>>6244997
>["What was home like?"]

>>6244997
>>["What was home like?"]

>["What was home like?"]

"Sounds like you came from a good home. Mind telling me more about it?"

"Oh no, I don't mind! Honestly, I'd love to tell you. I haven't really talked about it in a while." Erich sat up and leaned back against the wall. "So back in Dinsmark, it was just Dad, me and my twin little sister Karla. Mom passed away when we were still young. I don't remember much of her, but I've seen the old photos. She was beautiful."

"Dad did everything after Mom died; he held down three different jobs for a while. Whenever he could come home in time, he would make us breakfast, pack our bags, and drive us to school before collapsing on the couch. We didn't have much, but what was there was enough for us. We had food, we had a roof, and most importantly, we had him. And that was all me and Karla needed to be happy."

His eyes glinted. The memories played out in his mind vividly, like a recording on home video.

"Then Grandma got sick. She was alone out in the Belkan countryside, and none of Mom's siblings were around to help. So we packed up what little we had and left Dinsmark behind. The house was dusty, smelled like cedar and smoke, and had this weird creak in the hallway that would freak Karla out at night. We spent our first week there sleeping in our coats because the heater in our rooms didn't work." He looked to you and smiled. "But we managed to make it work. We always did."

"One day, Dad went poking around this pole barn out in the back of the house and found Grandpa's agro-plane. Its engine was rusted, the paint was chipping off, and a lot of parts that needed replacing were no longer being manufactured. The thing looked like it hadn't been flown since the Osean War! But Dad just... went to work. He saw something in it; spent every minute he could spare fixing it up and by the end of that year's summer, it was flying again. Then he pitched to me this crazy idea—'why not start a cropdusting business?'"

"And it worked?" You asked.

"Oh, you bet. There weren't a lot of crop dusters at the area then, so farmers were lining up for us. For a while, it felt like we had something really special going. But of course, good things don't last forever."

"What happened?"

"Drones came around. Cheap ones, easy to use. You could buy a whole fleet of them for a single summer's contract with us. Farmers started doing the job themselves, and the calls soon stopped. Slowly, we went from flying every day to flying once a week. And then once a month. Then... nothing. Dad couldn't bring himself to sell the plane; he said to me that it was part of the family or something."

For a split second, you caught a glimpse of tears beginning to form in Erich's eyes, but he soon turned his face away. He couldn't bear letting you look at him in such a state.

"Anyway, when I came of age, I thought about carving my own path, do some good all the while. So I chose to enlist. Dad didn't approve; he flew in the Belkan War and was the sole survivor in his squadron when the war ended. The two of us would start arguing, and not just over my enlistment, but over the pettiest things too. Karla—she'd hide in her room, keep herself busy with her books and music just so she wouldn't have to deal with us yelling."

His voice cracked now, but he swallowed hard and clenched his fists on his lap to steady himself.

"Some evenings, when the sun was setting, I'd catch him outside staring out to the horizon with his hands in his pockets. Back then I thought he was just zoning out or meditating. But now, I think he was waiting for his comrades. The ones who couldn't come home. Maybe that's why he was so against me enlisting; because he was scared I'd end up just like them, that I wouldn't be there to come back and land again."

>["What would you say to him if he was here now?"]
>["Say sorry next time. If not for him, for Karla."]
>["You had every right to stick to your gut."]
>[SAY NOTHING]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6245248
>["Say sorry next time. If not for him, for Karla."]
My boy ain’t making it.

>>6245251
>>["Say sorry next time. If not for him, for Karla."]

>>6245251
>>["Say sorry next time. If not for him, for Karla."]

"If you ever have the chance to talk to them again, say you were sorry," you spoke gently. "If not for your father, do it for Karla. She's still there, isn't she? I'm sure she misses you dearly."

"Before I was assigned to the Nautilus, I had been meaning to reach out to them. Got as close as pulling up their contacts on my phone, but whenever I'm about to call them, I just lose my nerve. But you're right, Captain. I'll talk to them again. I mean, I have to. They deserve as much of an apology from me, that I admit I left things wrong." Erich chuckled dryly. "Anyway... sorry about rambling to you about all that. I've just been keeping it bottled up for so long that once it started pouring out, I couldn't stop it."

"Don't apologize to me, Erich." You assured the Lieutenant. "I'm actually glad you trusted me enough to tell me."

You and Erich shared a moment of silence together to let the words sink in. Then finally, he slowly stood up and wiped away the unshed tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his flight suit. "Well, I guess I have an idea what to do now. Thank you, Captain."

>["They're waiting for you, I'm sure. Just make the call."]
>["You don't have to call me Captain at all times. I have a name too."]
>[Put a hand on his shoulder. "You're a good man, Erich. You've got this."]
>[WRITE-IN]

Sorry for the long-overdue post that ended up being short, everyone. I'll try my best to get more at a faster pace this time around!

>>6245252
You don't know that.

>>6245662
>>["You don't have to call me Captain at all times. I have a name too."]

>>6245662
>["You don't have to call me Captain at all times. I have a name too."]

>>6245662
>["You don't have to call me Captain at all times. I have a name too."]

>>6245662
>["They're waiting for you, I'm sure. Just make the call."]
followed by
>[Put a hand on his shoulder. "You're a good man, Erich. You've got this."]

"You don't have to always refer to me by rank when it's just the two of us here. I have a name too, you know?"

"Huh?" Erich blinked. He was caught off guard by your suggestion. "Okay then... Miss Adele?"

He paused immediately after saying your name. It felt strange on his tongue. Too personal and too.. close. Not quite the right fit to refer to someone who was his commanding officer. But you gave him a reassuring smile, easing him from further embarrassment. "Farrington is okay. You'll work your way up to first names eventually."

He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck abashedly before murmuring, "Yeah... alright. Miss Farrington, then?"

You chuckled, shaking your head. "Just Farrington will do. You'll figure it out eventually, kid."

Suddenly, the intercom speaker overhead crackled to life, followed by an announcement from the Nautilus' comms officer.

"To all SACS personnel, you are ordered to assemble and stand by in the briefing room for tasking. I say again: All SACS personnel, assemble in the briefing room."

"That's us," you spoke, with the past ease in your voice now replaced by a professional, yet not unkind, solemnness. "Come on, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Captain." Erich replied with a matching tone.

You and Erich stepped out of your quarters and fell in with the rest of the aviators moving down the hallway. The hallway hummed with murmurs of chatter and boots tapping on the metal floor as the aviators headed in the same direction with a shared sense of urgency. It wasn't long until you reached the briefing room and inside, seats were quickly filling up. The two of you took your spots in the front row alongside your squadmates, Jadyn and Aliyah, who were already there in the room and gave you subtle, acknowledging nods when you entered.

"I thought the briefing was supposed to start at 1 PM, like Captain Torrano said last night?" Aliyah murmured, leaning slightly towards you.

"I know as much as you do, Lieutenant," you replied. "Something must have changed."

But before you could speculate any further, Torrano stepped into the room and took his place on the digital podium to operate its console. "Aviators, I'm afraid I have some bad news to share."

With a tap on the console, a map of Arkanar is displayed on the large screen of the briefing room.

"As you're all aware, Republican forces launched a large-scale offensive across the Demarcation Line last night. But the western sector has taken the brunt of the assault. In the hours following Fairy and Vega Squadrons’ last sortie, the city of Al-Tanf has fallen, and as of 0900 this morning, so has Awbari. Obviously, this was not a random push. This offensive was spearheaded by one of the Free Republic’s elite armored divisions—supported by a number of Republican Air Force squadrons and a network of foreign independent outfits and domestic paramilitary groups."

An aviator from the third row raised his hand. "Independent, sir?"

"Mercenaries." Torrano replied. "People who fight not for a cause but for a paycheck, and right now, the Free Republic's cutting checks thicker than anyone else on the planet. This brings us to the problem: the Republicans control aerial superiority in the area. Without it, the Imperials could not mount an effective counterattack. That's where we come in."

"The High Command has postponed yesterday's planned sorties and greenlit a new joint-IUN-Imperial mission in Awbari airspace. Your task for this mission is simple: Reclaim aerial superiority over Awbari through the total eradication of Republican air assets. Personnel for this mission will consist of two IUN squadrons and a single Imperial squadron."

"A single Imperial squadron? What good is that going to do?" Another aviator asked.

"You won't be flying with just any squadron. The squadron you'll be working with is the Dragon Squadron of the Imperial State's Royal Guards Corps Air Wing. They are one of two most decorated fighter squadrons in South Arkanar, and I'd hesitate about underestimating these pilots. Any questions?"

>[YES - WRITE-IN]
>[NO]

Not me promising to get more posts faster only to catch a cold the next day, jfc..

>>6246731
>Estimate of enemy forces?
>Availability of resupply in the event of an extended engagement?

You raised your hand up and asked..

>[Estimate on enemy forces?]

"We believe the enemy has committed 20 aircraft into Awbari alone, with augmentation of mercenary forces raising that number up to 35."

>[Availability of resupply in the event of an extended engagement?]

"The Imperials with assistance of IUN personnel stationed in the country has restored a nearby airfield into working order should there be a need for repair and rearm, but supplies are limited so be conservative and make good use of them if you can. Anything else?"

>[YES - WRITE IN]
>[NO]

>>6246766
>[YES - WRITE IN]

>Do we know anything about the quality of the enemy mercenaries? Any surprises we should be aware of?

You lowered your hand shortly after you asked your question, and the squadmate next to you, your XO, Jadyn, raised his and asked...

>[Do we know anything about the quality of the enemy mercenaries? Any surprises we should be aware of?]

"The enemy mercenaries primarily operate second-to-third generation and early fourth-generation fighter aircraft. Not what I'd call 'cutting-edge.' I trust none of you will find yourselves outmatched by a few pieces from Osea’s National and Air Space Museum?"

The remark drew a round of quiet chuckles and amused smirks from the aviators before him, and Torrano himself faintly smiled, satisfied at the response he produced, before returning to the mission at hand.

"Good. Anyone else?"

>[YES - WRITE IN]
>[NO]

>>6246819
>[NO]
Enough talk, let's move!

>[NO]

Jadyn lowered his hand, and Torrano passed the room one last glance, waiting to see if anyone else would speak up. But no one followed. Everyone knew the score by now.

"Alright then." Torrano said as he pressed the ‘exit’ prompt on the console, and with a beep, the screen then dimmed to black. "For this mission, SACS-1 Fairy and SACS-3 Kobalt will take point. SACS-2 Vega will stand by as the reserve squadron. That will be all. You're dismissed."

The feet of chairs scraped against the floor as the aviators stood up in unison and filed out of their rooms. Tension, as always before sorties, lingered in the air. It was not of fear, but out of preparedness and for some, even excitement.

[ENEMY PRESENCE]
AERIAL PRESENCE = SIGNIFICANT
GROUND PRESENCE = NON-FACTOR
NAVAL PRESENCE = NON-FACTOR

CHOOSE YOUR AIRCRAFT
>[F/A-18E SUPER HORNET] An Osean naval multirole fighter, the Super Hornet is known first and foremost for its versatility. Equipped with the AIM-120 AMRAAM HCAA, the Super Hornet is a deadly force to be reckoned with.
>[RAFALE M] A Erusean naval air-superiority fighter, Rafale M's primary purpose is to attain uncontested dominance in the skies. Its special weapon, the MBDA Meteor LAAM, enables the Rafale M to engage air targets with deadly precision.
>[MIG-29K FULCRUM-D] A Yuktobanian naval fighter, the Fulcrum-D is the sword and shield of multiple naval fleets all over the globe. With this variant compatible with the R-77 Adder 4AAM, the Fulcrum-D makes for a terrifying enemy to encounter up in the skies.

>>6246956
>[F/A-18E SUPER HORNET]

>>6246956
>[RAFALE M] A Erusean naval air-superiority fighter, Rafale M's primary purpose is to attain uncontested dominance in the skies. Its special weapon, the MBDA Meteor LAAM, enables the Rafale M to engage air targets with deadly precision.

We are going for air annihilation and I assume we’d have the most experience with this one being Erusean ourselves

>>6247080
+1

>>6246956
>[RAFALE M] A Erusean naval air-superiority fighter, Rafale M's primary purpose is to attain uncontested dominance in the skies. Its special weapon, the MBDA Meteor LAAM, enables the Rafale M to engage air targets with deadly precision.

Job is to deal with the skies.

>>6246956
>>[RAFALE M] A Erusean naval air-superiority fighter, Rafale M's primary purpose is to attain uncontested dominance in the skies. Its special weapon, the MBDA Meteor LAAM, enables the Rafale M to engage air targets with deadly precision

>[RAFALE M]

BIRDS OF PREY
12.January.2024 – 1130 – Awbari, Imperial State of Arkanar – Cloud Cover: None – Operation: Battle Royale
Achieve air dominance.

A flight of eight fighters, divided into two fingertip formations, soared over the scattered clouds of Arkanar. Comprised of Fairy and Kobalt squadrons, these aircraft maintained their formations with practiced discipline, and at this leg of the flight, the sole objective they had was to reach the rendezvous point halfway to Awbari and link up with Dragon Squadron as previously instructed. Yet, as they arrived on station, the Imperial squadron was nowhere to be seen. You consulted the map strapped onto your left thigh, and the route your squadrons had taken checked out.

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
"Cat's Eye, give me a sitrep."

<< AWACS | Cat's Eye >>
"Cat's Eye to Fairy 1, we have no radar contact in your area aside from you and Kobalt."

<< Fairy 1 | Chaos >>
"Copy that. Keep us updated."

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
"You guys don't think they're.. you know.."

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
"Punched their tickets? It's a bit early for that. If that did happen, I'd say the Imperials deserve what's getting to them."

<< Fairy 3 | Adler >>
"You really think so, Commander?"

<< Fairy 2 | Noble >>
"Yeah? No? I don't know. I'll gladly eat my heart out if they even show up and are half as good as the brass makes them out to be."

The chatter in your squadron's comms faded into noise as you shifted your focus downward for a few moments, observing the earth below—a sea of heat and sand that stretched as far as the eye could see. It made you wonder why the IUN is getting involved in a place like this to begin with. Then, as if she could sense your thoughts, Aliyah spoke..

<< Fairy 4 | Witch >>
"It's actually prettier farther south. Way more grass and trees there. And clouds."

>["You were from the capital, Lieutenant?"]
>["Maybe we could stop by at the Imperial Palace after this."]
>[WRITE-IN]

>>6247388
>>["You were from the capital, Lieutenant?"]

>>6247388
>["You were from the capital, Lieutenant?"]

>>6247388
>["You were from the capital, Lieutenant?"]

Hello all. CINDER QM is gonna be putting the quest on hold for a little bit. Life is piling stuff on.

Hello all. As the anon above me has posted, PEACEKEEPER will unfortunately be going into hiatus as I have personal matters to attend to at the moment. But don't fret, the quest will continue later this year. Promise!

I apologize for all the inconveniences happened throughout this thread and I thank you all for playing. Your participation means a lot to me. 'Till next time, aviators!

Also, the thread has been archived. Read here!
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Peacekeeper:%20A%20Strangereal%20Quest
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6243266/

>>6248006
The curse is merciless