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Eugene Solano's Memoirs: Skies of Deception
1st Volume


To tell the truth, I'd had a hard time growing fond of the emblem of Gryphus Squadron. I couldn't help but feel that its design, a condor wearing a complacent smile, beefed up the atmosphere of a provincial base. It just wouldn't make me feel fit.

Located far away from foreign countries, Aubrey Base was mainly assigned maritime defense roles, but was not regarded as an important asset. I figured that was the reason why an inexperienced communications operator like me was stationed there. The sea air was everywhere as the base was surround by the ocean, and the weather was cold most of the year since it was in a high latitudes area. Back then, I always thought about leaving this base.

After a training, I often went to see aircraft, but there was no special reason for me doing so. It's just that there was nothing other than that to do to kill time. There were nothing but a small fishing village and a harbor within several tens kilometers around this base, so we didn't have to care about conducting trainings frequently. Having finished a training, 2nd Lt. Rick would often talk to me while I was watching aircraft aimlessly.

"Hey, rookie." He was always frank and kind of rude. He pointed to the emblem of Gryphus Squadron and tapped me a bit hard on the shoulder without caring about me feeling it hurt.
"Your were too diligent in today's training, as always. At this rate, you're gonna be laughed away by this cute Gryphus birdie. You better know how to relax and smile."
"You were inattentive, 2nd Lt. Heck, this bird is always smiling like there's nothing to worry about."
"Eh? You don't like the emblem of our own designing, do you?"
Everytime he talked about the emblem, he became serious.
"Mind you, the desire we entrusted to this emblem when we made this is..."
2nd Lt. Rick started to explain it endlessly. I interrupted him and a little sullenly said,
"I've heard that story many times before."
I left the hangar and went back to my room. That's how things went then.



I guess I was confident in my ability at that time. That's why I felt kind of impatient in a place like this provincial base and with people like 2nd Lt. Rick. I groundlessly thought I was good enough. That sure was a pitfall that awaits unwary young people.

That confidence of mine was to be shattered so easily when I was plunged into battle for the first time.

After the 10 days that came and went like a storm, most of Aurelia had been taken by Leasath. The assault of the Leasath forces was so quick and fast that we were unable to do anything. We only found that Aubrey Base was isolated like a desert island in the ocean. And the information was delivered to us that the Leasath forces were intending to attack and capture Aubrey Base. Fortunately or unfortunately, we could catch this information in advance. But when I first heard the information, I thought about if I was lucky or not.

An emergency briefing was immediately held for the intercept mission, but weariness and resignation had already predominated the base. We had been cut off from HQ. The intercept mission itself was proposed as a kind of bravado to let Leasath know what we could offer them with what little we had. On behalf of my superior who was on leave and incommunicado, I was assigned a role of briefing the mission. And... dammit, I was so confused that I almost lost it. I was nervous. I tried to focus, but words from my mouth got thiner.

"So, launch please. I'd like you to get back at Leasath as much as possible." I managed to finish the briefing with those kinds of words, but it was after a quite a while that I noticed that I'd been trembling.

But my apprehensions were swept away once the mission started. My pilots were all sharp. 2nd Lt. Rick, who was always fooling around, shot down enemy planes, shouting vividly.

Watching their maneuvers, I thought they didn't need strep from me. In fact, I was having a helluva time keeping track of them. Among those pilots, the Captain was one of a kind.



The deafening roars of fighters, and the sounds of exploding bombers. The number of Leasath aircraft was decreasing one by one.

3 planes left, and 2 planes, and 1... And, it was over.

When the last enemy bomber blew up in the air and crashed into the water, I heard 2nd Lt. Rick on the radio saying, "How about we fly on and take back the capital Gryphus 1? I'm sure they'll be running scared!"

Feeling all stiff, I couldn't even tell them that the mission was successfully completed.

I tried to calm down at the voice of 2nd Lt. Rick, and then... I saw something in my sight. A blip on my radar. I screamed before I recognized what it was. "Radar contact! Something is approaching fast! It's... a missile!"

Dammit, the information was there. 'Gleipnir', the Airborne Fortress of the Leasath Forces. It's the thing that made possible Leasath's lightning quick invasion. Its special weapon...

"SWBM! Hurry up and retreat!"

"Where should we fly? Direction?! Distance?!"

2nd Lt. Rick's voice echoed.
I couldn't tell him anything though. The blip on radar was moving too fast. I shouted how I felt.

"It's no use, the missile's too fast!"

At that moment, a column of light tore the sky apart.

And then, a flash of light exploded in midair. The light simultaneously gave birth to an intense shockwave, and it instantly consumed the surrounding airspace. A moment later, thunderous sounds of the explosion filled the sky and I felt I was almost blown off by that blast.

Our friendly planes fell easy victim to the hammer of the air. They were all blown away, destroyed, and crashed into pieces. And...

"Gryphus 2, please respond!"

His plane's emblem turned into a fireball in front of me as I was crying out desperately.

Honestly, the emblem of Gryphus Squadron didn't use to be a legend. Gryphus, which depicts a soaring Condor and being associated with the spirit of the base in the country side, was not accustomed to receiving so much attention. As for Aubrey Base, which designated Marine Defense as its primary duty, and its distance from foreign countries made its importance vary. That was my first assigned duty as a communications operator. Because it is close to the ocean, the fragrance of the tide always abounds, the place where latitude is high and it isn't cold often. I, of that time, thought of the positive image the base leaves.
After the training ended, I looked around the area surrounding the base. Near this base is a small fishing village and a port. The frequent flybys disturb the air and the local sea urchin population. Junior Lieutenant Rick who also finished flight training said. "New member?", as he was always being frank. He pointed to the emblem of Gryphus Squadron, painfully to me and into the air, and I seemed to get what he meant.
When it was about the story of the emblem, he always became a little giddy. "It is good, or the thought which we included in the first place about this emblem" said Junior Lieutenant Rick, emphasizing.

I, of that time, thought that I had self confidence.
10 days after the abrupt storm passed, most of Aurelia was taken over by Leasath. The speed at which Aurelia fell was unbelievable. Aurelian intel was useless in tracking Leasath troop movements. As for being able to catch that in advance, you probably can say that as expected it was unfortunate. The base became a hotbed of frantic soldiers and pilots everywhere.

A sound of a plane was heard, then explosive sound of the bomber which it shot down..
The number of Leasath’s bombers kept decreasing one after another. 3 machines and 2 machines... 1 machine...... and… finished.... The last bomber exploded, fell to the sea. Junior Lieutenant Rick joked on the radio "Gryphus 1, lets go take the capital right now!", ! I looked at the radar, and out of the corner of my eye, a blip appeared. "Something is inbound on radar.....its a missile!"
"What?" The voice of Rick echoed on the radio.
I looked at the blip, and was struck with a feeling of dread.
"Its an SWBM! Evacuate the area!!" "What!? Where is it? Wheres it coming from? Answer me now! Eugene!" The voice of Junior Lieutenant Rick echoed.
I realized that it was too late.
"Its too late!"
The missile exploded with a bright disc shaped flash, and most of Gryphus Squadron was destroyed instantly. I could see flames where planes used to be, and the parachutes of a few lucky pilots. Most were dead, and i couldnt see any airborne aircraft.
"Gryphus 2, please respond!"
"Gryphus 1! Gryphus 3! Anyone!"
Before my eyes, i could see Rick's logo, on his plane, and i remembered.

Source: PROJECT ACES: ACX WEBSITE

Accreditation:
Gryphus 1 for his effort on nicely interpreting article
yellow26 for the translation

*Original Article by Ribbon-Vermilion*