Prologue

-Dagon-

Spartan 5, This is Phantom 8, over.

This is Spartan 5. Phantom 8, request you authenticate, Foxtrot Echo.

Spartan 5, come back delta, authenticate Oscar Tango.

Phantom 8 authenticates Kilo.

Spartan 5-1 and Spartan 5-2, flight of 2 Alpha 10s, break.

Mission number 4H2187, currently at Fujsia Tower Base East, base plus 10 break.

We have 8 mark 82s, 1200 rounds of mike mike both Alpha-Charlie, break.

We have one plus thirty minutes of playtime, and will abort using India Foxtrot. Over.

Spartan 5-1 and 5-2, 2 Alpha 10s, mission number 4H2187, each carrying 8 by mark 82s, with 1200 rounds of of mike mike. You give me 1 plus 30 mikes of playtime, and the abort code will be India Foxtrot. Do you copy, over.

Copy that, Phantom 8. Over and out.

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I was in my jet, waiting for takeoff. I really didn't want to fly yet. I wanted stay put. Fate had decided that it'd be my day to finally face combat. I sighed heavily, anxiety creeping in my chest.

"Hey Dagon, it'll be okay, try not to worry so much", my friend Briggs said quietly.

"Yeah", I murmured.

It was silent in the jet. Mostly because Briggs was a quiet-natured person; he tended to not talk a lot. A while had passed in silence and I started to doze off in the jet. I was awoken by a nudge.

"Ten more minutes", Briggs said in his deep, gravelly voice. I nodded.

I was exhausted, for we had been awake for over 30 hours, going through safety briefings and practice drills. Miraculously, Briggs was still wide awake. I felt I had to ask.

"How are you still wide awake", I asked.

The was a long pause.

"Do you have someone at home that you really care about, Dagon"

I thought for a minute. I have my parents and my little sister, but I wasn't seeing anyone.

"My family"

He nodded. Moments later, the signal went off.

"Spartan 5-1, prepare for takeoff."

"Copy that, Phantom 8."

I started up the jet, feeling uneasy. I could hear the engine humming. As the jet started to move forward, I started feeling more and more uneasy. As we left contact with the ground, I could feel my stomach doing flips.

We were heading towards enemy territory.

Just then, I saw unfamiliar aircraft.

"Spartan 5-1, danger close, thunder incoming."

Damn, I knew what was coming.

"Spartan 5-1, you are to in northeast."

"Roger Phantom 8, Spartan 5-1 runs ID on bandit, please standby"

"Phantom 8, this is Spartan 5-1, A/C isn't friendly, we have tally."

"Spartan 5-1, area is hot, you are cleared to engage."

"Copy, Phantom 8, we are sending ripple."

I fired a missile at the enemy, but it missed.

"Damn", I cursed quietly.

"Fire again", Briggs said.

I fired a missile, and so did the enemy. The missile hit the front of the plane, and it exploded simultaneously.

"Attack complete"

"Spartan 5-1, fire coming your way, you need to pop."

"Roger."

I began to fly as high as I could, but the missile hit the right wing.

"Phantom 8, we've been hit, abort echo, abort echo, abort echo."

Just then, the radio went out.

The plane was losing altitude, and I don't know what we were going to do.

I stared through the windshield, still. I knew this would happen. Briggs grabbed a parachute.

"Take it", he said.

"No, you take it, you have someone back at home."

"I'm not gonna let you die", he yelled, handing me the parachute.

I pushed it back towards him.

Just then, the windshield of the jet cracked, and then broke. We were both thrown out of the jet.

As the jet was headed towards the ground, my life flashed before me. I just kept staring, motionless, prepared for what was to happen next.