Date: 03/03/2077 (Celestial Year 997)

Time: 1209 Hours (3 hours after mission commencement)

Mission Class: Delta

Starting Objectives:

Train inductees in use of new gunship model.

Protect and support Omicron Squad.

Crew:

HL: Human Leader and Backup Gunner

AL: Android Copilot

EI: Earth Pony Gunner

UI: Unicorn Gunner

PI: Pegasus Pilot

00:00 HL (Radio): This is “Eye In The Sky,” Omicron come in if you read us.
(Routine call, no anomalies.)

00:07 Specter (Radio): This is Commander Specter, your assistance is appreciated.
(Gunfire in background. Omicron already engaged the enemy.)

00:14 HL (Radio): No problem, this is a good time to test the inductees.
(Inductees refers to the pony trainees.)

00:21 Specter (Radio): Understood, we will keep our distance.

00:30 HL: Heh. Looks like they are insulting you.
(Specter was not insulting inductees. HL was talking to his crew to relieve tension.)

00:45 AL (Radio): Command can we start dropping ordinance?
(Though not the leader of the mission, the co-pilot was the highest ranking member of the crew. She needed to make the request to command.)

01:17 Command (Radio): Approved.
(The green light signal is given and backed with vocal confirmation.)

01:27 AL: We are good to go. Keep her steady.

01:30 PI: Yeah, yeah.

01:42 UI: There sure are a lot of them.
(The UI’s HUD displayed hostiles for the first time. His remark was also a way to confirm his reception of the information.)

01:45 HL: Likely thousands.
(Reconfirms the view on the HUD to crew.)

01:47 PI: Won’t be for long!

01:55 HL: Omicron will send us their hit list. Of that list, pick your targets and strike.

02:13 EI (Radio): Cannon unlocked. Salvo away. So, I heard you left the army for Armor Incorporated?
(All gunship attacks must be broadcast over radios to alert ground units to incoming friendly fire. After impact, EI asked HL a question.)

02:27 HL: You spent more time prepping your suit and bed then you did training. Too rigid. The environment here is much more relaxed. Armor Incorporated just cares about efficiency, not style. You can say what you want as long as they can easily understand you. For instance, I can respond to your question before reprimanding you for not doing your job and broadcasting that question over the radio.

02:57 EI: Oops, sorry.

03:21 UI (Radio): Shells away.

03:45 Ghost (Radio): Good kill support, good kill.
(These exchanges between ground units and air support help coordinate proper firing patterns and target allocation.)

04:01 Daemon (Radio): “Eye In The Sky” Requesting support pod 4227.
(Omicron had been operating for five days. Gunship was equipped with pods to resupply upon request.)

04:34 AL: That is your job.
(To maximize multitasking, the pilot was given all of the copilot’s jobs. PI forgot this part of her assignment.)

04:35 PI: Oh uh, repeat Omicron—

04:37 HL: Radio.

04:38 PI (Radio): Repeat Omicron, which pod?

04:45 Daemon (Radio): Pod 4227.

04:53 UI (Radio): Switching to Gatling.
(The targets were nearing Omicron’s position. Explosives were too risky at current distance.)

05:03 PI (Radio): Assault rifle ammo, torque rifle, claymores, and combat knives?
(PI needed to confirm pod numbers matched payload.)

05:12 Daemon (Radio): Correct. Send it down.

05:18 PI (Radio): Pod away.

05:59 Specter (Radio): “Eye In The Sky,” you are cutting it close. Pull back on fire.
(UI’s Gatling rounds were within 20 meters of Omicron’s location.)

06:10 UI (Radio): Omicron, there are one hundred and fifty coming your way. No support?

06:17 Wraith (Radio): Engaging. How many “Eye In The Sky?”
(Omicron targets hostile group. Gunfire is heard before radio cuts out.)

06:19 UI (Radio): One hundred and… whoa, they’re disappear— they’re gone, where’d they go?
(Omicron Squad eliminated group with precision gunfire.)

06:35 Wraith (Radio): Neutralized.

06:39 EI: Mother of Celestia, they are amazing.

06:43 AL: Best of the best.

06:45 HL: Discounting Unknown Soldiers. Even they aren’t near that level. Test it.
(Gunship equipped with prototype “magic guns.”)

06:59 EI (Radio): Testing magi-tech cannons.

07:12 PI (Radio): Omicron, I’m releasing support pod 7072 is that clear?
(Pod was sent at PI’s discretion.)

07:17 Specter (Radio): Roger “Eye In The Sky.”

07:22 PI (Radio): Released.

07:41 EI (Radio): Works like a charm.
(Test was successful for multiple firings. Data sent back to R&D labs.)

07:53 HL: Doing good everyone, keep it up.
(“Eye In The Sky” eliminated 2,734 targets by this point of the operation.)

08:00 UI: I feel like we are wasting ammo. Krastos can just make more of them.
(UI has spent 33,775 rounds by this point and saw this on the HUD.)

08:05 AL: Bullets are cheap, training is necessary. We have to clear them.

08:11 HL: Cost is negligible. One bit for ten thousand bullets last time I checked. Even then, that’s why we’re testing alternatives.

08:21 EI (Radio): Omicron, I’m clearing group six A.
(Most large target formations are gone.)

08:34 Wraith (Radio): Clear.

08:36 EI (Radio): Autocannon unlocked. Firing.

08:44 UI: What the hay was that?
(Several loud bangs and pings are heard.)

08:58 Phantom (Radio): Be warned “Eye In The Sky” you are taking fire.

09:03 PI: Shoot!
(PI changes flight path.)

09:05 AL: Calm down. It is blind fire. They cannot accurately hit us.
(AL briefly takes control to prevent alteration of pylon turn.)

09:08 PI: But what if they do hit us?

09:10 AL: A few shots have. The gunship’s armor can withstand anything up to anti-air missiles. The system is redundant. Even if it is shot down we would survive. We are not in any danger.

09:17 PI: Right, right, sorry. But who is shooting at us? I thought these were the standard mindless drones.
(Nonliving targets rarely understand attacks are not always from nearby ground and air units.)

09:32 UI: Uh, hey, she’s right, who is shooting at us?
(HUD showed fire was not coming from initial targets.)

09:41 AL: Hang on.
(AL updates the HUD showing two groups moving towards Omicron Squad.)

09:45 HL: The hell? Are those live targets?
(HUD readings could distinguish between living and nonliving objects to assist in reducing friendly fire.)

09:48 EI (Radio): Got another group.
(EI remained focused on initial targets. She was not firing at new contacts.)

09:53 AL: Tell command.

09:55 HL (Radio): Command, this is “Eye In The Sky,” we have spotted living targets... And they are pursuing what appears to be a group of possibly human humanoids and ponies.

10:21 Command (Radio): Are the live targets manipulated?
(Brainwashed individuals would be harder to classify and deal with.)

10:39 HL (Radio): That’s a negative but they are hostile. We can confirm one Type-A is with them.
(Type-As are Krastos Apparitions.)

11:02 Command (Radio): What are the IDs on the pursued group?

11:07 HL (Radio): Unknown.

11:09 Command (Radio): Repeat.

11:12 HL (Radio): Unknown command. We have no idea who or exactly what they are. They are armored, probably soldiers, but I see no technology. They are not Guardians are far as I can figure.

12:45 AL (Radio): Command?

13:21 Command 2 (Radio): “Eye In The Sky” this is Unknown Soldier Seventy-Seven, you are clear to engage hostiles. Your objective has been modified. You will support Omicron Squad in the protection of unidentified assets. Is this understood?
(Upon change of situation, command was redirected to higher authorities.)

13:36 HL (Radio): Roger command.

13:39 HL: You heard them. Pick your targets.

13:43 EI: What’s going on?
(EI finished off Omicron’s target group. Question asked was “why did an Unknown Soldier take over?”)

13:45 AL: Could be anything.

13:52 HL: If you have any reservations about killing, you can allow me to take over.
(HL assumed inductees might hesitate. Inductees did not sign up for a killing mission. They were not under obligation to fire.)

14:07 UI: As long as they are just dots, I think I am good.

14:14 EI: Same here.

14:17 HL: I’ll maintain my offer.

14:31 EI: They’re bunched. We only need one shot.
(HUD showed the live targets were in standard quick-march formation. Likely a military unit. Only one gunner had to kill.)

14:38 UI: I got it.

14:45 UI (Radio): Bombs away.
(Gunship did not carry bombs. He was making a general statement of attack.)

14:51 PI: And there they go.
(Explosives detonate right on target.)

15:00 AL: Assets are unharmed. One target is left.
(One target reformed after direct hit.)

15:03 PI: What? Was it the Type-A?

15:07 UI: No, that Krastos Spawn was vaporized. There’s a humanoid. Actually, I think it’s a diamond dog. A big one.

15:13 EI (Radio): Focusing fire.
(EI traces target with automatic fire.)

15:32 EI: It’s having no effect. I’m cutting it to pieces but it won’t go down.

15:36 HL: Dammit. It’s an Absolute.
(Absolute is common soldier term for immortals that cannot be killed by normal methods.)

15:39 UI: Like those things that took out Vigil Platoon?

15:45 HL (Radio): Command, there is a target we believe is an Absolute. How should we proceed?

15:57 Command 2 (Radio): “Eye In The Sky” you are to release the rest of the support pods and disengage. You have done all you can. Report back to base.

16:20 EI (Radio): What about Omicron Squad?

16:49 Command 2 (Radio): They will neutralize the target and retrieve the assets. A transport is on its way. If it helps, I am on that transport.

17:00 PI: Hopefully there will be someone left to pick up.