Three Strikes [✓]

King and Lionheart

Chapter Fifty-Four: King and Lionheart

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Shilage, Erusea.
October 24th, 2019.
0605hrs.

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The early morning skies over Shilage combined with the landscape looked like something straight out of a painting. They arrived just in time for the sunrise, met with pastel shades of pinks, blues, and yellows, and it was hard not to want to take a moment just to admire it. But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, Naomi had to remind herself the reason they were here. And it definitely wasn't for sightseeing. Given the circumstances, she would have given anything for that to be the case, but there wasn't anything that could be done about that.

Strider Squadron led the way, Golem Squadron keeping a tight formation not far behind them, while Cyclops led the transport further away. It kept them safe and out of any potential fights, leaving the vanguard with enough distance to clean up any hostiles long before they would ever run into them. Of course, they were still within range to radio them, needing to keep up communication in case they somehow ended up in over their heads.

If anything messed up, Naomi was ready to throw the whole mission for their safety, considering the people that had come along. Major Grimm and Bandog had volunteered for the mission, and then her father went and asked to join them. It complicated things even further, but they all stayed focused on their mission. Although the passengers she personally knew didn't change anything, she was still worried about dragging a transport through Erusean territory and then leading them right to Mr. X's front door. Nothing would have changed even if it was just Major Grimm and his men.

The whole mission had her on edge, feeling more scared than she ever had before. She was worried about everyone. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Naomi glanced down at her radar as she eased off the throttle. One by one, the rest of Strider Squadron followed her lead, likely seeing the same thing she did. Several blips finally appeared ahead of them, and a few seconds later she picked them up on her HUD. Keeping herself steady, she announced to everyone, "Looks like we've entered the AO. Pretty sure they'll be spotting us shortly, so everyone keep your heads up."

"We've had our heads up since we left Tyler Island," Húxiān said, her voice sounding flat. She was likely trying to keep her exhaustion and frustration at the whole operation from showing, just like the rest of them.

"Have to, waltzing into enemy territory like this. Wouldn't wanna push our luck more than we already have, right?" Knocker was the next one to speak up. It almost sounded like he was back to his normal self. Cool-headed, focused. It was hard to believe that that same man had barely been holding it together when he volunteered to fly the mission. Naomi was glad he was keeping his head, at least for now, but she was barely keeping it together herself. She wasn't in any place to judge. He went on, getting right down to business. "How are things looking for us up there, Long Caster?"

"There's no Osean forces in the region ahead. We've got no allies here. So, no need to ID your targets," Long Caster informed them after a short pause, not sounding anything like himself. Even if they all more or less decided they had to do this, it didn't mean they had to be happy about it. Their HUDs were promptly updated, the targets ahead of them all marked down as hostile. "From what we can see, we've set a number of priority targets, focusing mainly on their anti-aircraft weaponry. The only thing you have to worry about is avoiding any collateral damage once you reach the castle. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that we're not here for the civilians."