Three Strikes [✓]

Lesson Learned

Mihaly quickly recovered and pulled up to perform a maneuver similar to the one he tried with the last pilot that tried to chase him through the rocks. The Osean reacted faster than he'd expected, having apparently learned from his wingman's demise. Mihaly craned his neck and looked behind him as he continued through the valley, just in time to see the F-2 level out and continue its pursuit. "Those three lines..." he mused out loud, hearing the missile lock warning but ignoring it. The pilot didn't fire. "What do they signify?"

Another missile warning. Mihaly adjusted his plane and took the first one in a non critical area. It wasn't a direct hit and did little more than scratch the paint. The second one hit his wing. Mihaly grunted as he pulled a high G turn to get out of the valley and behind him once more. "Warning! Warning!" a robotic female voice yelled in his ear. "Over G! Over G!" He got a lock and fired a missile, ignoring the warning, grunting in mild discomfort from the turns. The missile didn't connect and once again he was in the crosshairs. Dammit...Two more missiles hit. Now his wing was starting to trail smoke. "Warning! Systems malfunction! Warning!"

He wasn't giving up that easily. Mihaly ignored how tired he felt himself becoming and managed to get on the F-2's tail. He fired a missile after waiting for the perfect shot and the Osean began to roll to evade. The foolish move did little to help and the missile struck its target anyways. "Target has been hit," Mihaly announced to his wingmen, studying the enemy plane for a few moments. He had a lock. He could finish him off right then and there. But he didn't want to.

"Is he down?" Wit asked hesitantly, occupied with a second Osean aircraft that had jumped into the fray. An Su-33 with only one line on his tail. Wit and the other Osean pilot seemed to match one another move for move, but Wit didn't sound at all fazed by the small game of chase they had going on.

Mihaly turned his attention back to the F-2 as it pulled up from the ground and its pilot undoubtedly began to go over his remaining options. "No..." Mihaly muttered and started to pursue again. "He took it in a non-critical area. I'll teach you how to do that when we get back." He wanted to keep the fight going, but with the weather worsening he knew it wouldn't last much longer. He'd had a taste of what it meant to have a real challenge and he wanted more. This Osean pilot showed promise.

"Sol 1—" Wit began, but Mihaly cut him off.

"My status is fine!" he snapped, not pleased by his thoughts being interrupted. "Do not interfere!"

"General...the clouds are moving in," Wit added nervously after a pause, barely taken aback by how harsh Mihaly's order had sounded. "I think we should head back."

Mihaly thought for a moment, looking towards the dark thunderclouds that were approaching. "Affirmative." He broke off from his pursuit and began to climb, into the clouds to shake off the F-2 that moved to continue their chase. By the time he'd catch up, Mihaly would be gone. Sol Squadron formed up, leaving behind the Osean forces. Positive that they weren't being followed, they adjusted their course to return to the EASA base. "Wit, Seymour, when we get back I have a few things to teach you. I want you both to get Roald and Hermann together when we get back. I need to speak with Dr. Schroeder when we return."

His wingmen muttered in reply and Mihaly began to wonder how he could find out more about the pilot with the three lines. The flying style looked familiar to him, but it was also...different in a way. He couldn't quite understand it or put his finger on it. He needed to know more in case he ever encountered this pilot again. Perhaps it was an ace from a previous war that he'd fought without realizing it? One that he hadn't faced in combat but heard stories of long ago, perhaps. No, it couldn't be. He'd recognize them in an instant.

Regardless, Mihaly knew that he had some research to do. And he also had a request for Schroeder to design a stronger flight suit for him. Once again, the suit wasn't holding up and Mihaly needed to be in top condition if Erusea was expected to win the war. Suit or no suit he wasn't going to be of any use to them unless he was able to fly the way he used to be able to. His body was failing him and if he couldn't fly then he was nothing. He was staying in the air, any risks be damned. And now he had even more reason to fight and want to stay in the air.