A/N: Above all expectations, Coalition forces caught KPA units in Pyongyang by surprise and soon paratroopers has been entrenched in buildings and suburbs of the city, further helped by armored vehicles, including tanks, and other follow-on forces air-landed via Pyongyang's Sunan Airport with great risk. See through the view of Kousei's best friend, Tsubaki and Watari as they support the defense of Pyongyang from North Korean counterattacks from the air!

--- News update of the war ---

"On August 20th, 2018, at 1530 hour, South Korean and NATO flags were raised above Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, signified its fall to the Coalition forces. Heavy firefight was reported, particularly during the assault of Mansudae Assembly Hall, the seat of North Korean Supreme People's Assembly. Meanwhile, the North Korean government and WPK's top leadership has been relocated to Chongjin. Premier Pak Pong-ju, on behalf of Kim Jong-un, vowed to resist the Coalition to death, while whereabouts of the Supreme Leader himself remains unknown.."

---

"The Government of the People's Republic of China had protested the occupation of Pyongyang"

"Chinese Navy increased close surveillance of Coalition fleets in the Yellow Sea"

"Tanchon seized by Coalition after four hours of fighting, eleven ballistic missile launcher, including two Hwasong-14 ICBM launchers and missiles captured."

"Delhi anti-war protest degenerate into riot, 10 injured, 45 arrested."

"Unauthorized anti-war picket in front of Mitsubishi factory dispersed, five arrested"

---

August 25th, 2018. 2nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (2 Hikotai, 1 Koukuudan)

"Temple 3-3 and 3-4, you're cleared to take off"

Tsubaki and Watari are now assigned as the element leader of Temple 3. Upon receiving the clear signal, the F-15E they fly is once again airborne. This time, the 2nd Squadron is assigned to close air support and interdiction duty in defense of Pyongyang, recently seized by the Coalition in a massive airborne operation. 

Their orders are to strike targets of opportunity, assisting Coalition attack helicopters deployed from Kaesong region. The squadron's Eagles are mainly loaded with CBU-105 guided cluster bombs, along with Mk 82s general-purpose bombs.

In his backseat, Watari thinks about the treatment of North Korean officials captured during the fall of Pyongyang by Coalition forces.

"The Coalition, specially South Koreans, had shown no mercy during their capture of Pyongyang. The head of State Security Department (North Korean secret police force), for example, was immediately seized and "disappeared" when his headquarters was captured by the South Koreans. Kim's mausoleum, Kumsusan Palace, was desecrated and the Kims (Kim-il Sung and Kim Jong-il) embalmed body was taken out from their pedestals and hanged outside the palace as a warning. Only intervention from the South Korean Commander-in-Chief (President Moon Jae-in) prevented coalition forces in Pyongyang to further plunder, killing civilians, or destroy the entire city altogether." 

Inside the cockpit, Tsubaki and Watari can see smokes rising up from outskirts of Pyongyang, as North Korean armored and infantry formations, supported by Chinese and Iranian volunteer forces are storming Coalition paratroopers entrenched inside the city in a bid to retake it.

It's an uphill battle for the Coalition, despite heavily equipped with anti-tank missile equipped vehicles and even reinforced with a company of US Army M1A2 Abrams tanks and Stryker 105mm Mobile Gun Systems airlifted into the city before the counterattack, paratroopers, being light infantry, were inherently insufficient in face of large armored units of North Korea, Iran, or China.

As the "Anti-Western Resistance Axis", the colloquial name for combined forces of North Korea, China, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela (plus Hezbollah) defending DPRK still has means to contest the control of North Korean airspace with modern fighters, all strike sortie were also accompanied by CAP flights; in Temple's case, six US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets from USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) and four Indian Air Force HAL Tejas stationed in Kalma Airport in Wonsan, captured by the advancing South Korean-Japanese-Indian forces. The Japanese strikers were also accompanied by ROKAF FA-50 light strike fighters carrying AGM-65 Mavericks.

"All Temple squadron,  this is lead, break off into your flights, you are weapons free and cleared to engage anything and everything, Do you copy?"

"Solid copy, engaging hostiles, over and out."

---

"Head's up, this is Tosho, British infantry need air support, two Chinese tank platoon are heading towards their position near Seopo railway station. Vector 040, distance two klicks, do you copy?" said the squadron operation officer, callsign "Tosho".

"Roger that Tosho, can you tell them to mark their position with smoke? Over" asked Kenji.

"Standby.. you'll see them soon"

Tsubaki passed through a flight of US Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornets heading opposite of their direction, suggesting they has concluded their own attack sortie.

Seconds later "Mitte!" said Temple 3-2 on the radio. "Right there, near those apartments!" 

"3-1 confirmed the red smoke. Ground unit, we see you, starting our attack run now, 4-2. follow me, 3-3 and 3-4, stand by for more targets and arm your AAMs if air threat appears, over and out" said the Temple 3 flight lead, Suzuki, now a Major and reassigned from Temple 4 (D flight).

"Pickle" Suzuki passed the first enemy tank column, mostly Chinese Type 96s and North Korean Chonma-hos (DPRK copy of Soviet T-62), and dropped his CBU-105, followed by 3-2. Despite having MANPADS mounted on it, the Chonma-hos were caught by surprise and along with Type 96s, was destroyed with the rest of the armored convoy. 

Soon, 3-3 and 3-4 executed their own strike with unguided Mk 82 bombs against the exposed infantry and supporting vehicles accompanying the tanks. In the process, they barely avoid being buzz-sawed by ZSU-23-4 Shilkas accompanying the column.

They also listened as Super Hornets and Tejases encountered North Korean Su-25 and Nanchang Q-5 attack aircrafts supporting the armoured offensive.

"Chakra 3-1, fox two.."

"Chakra 3-3 splash one attacker.." A Tejas pilot reported destroying one Su-25.

"Checkers 02, bandits on your tail.." said an American.

"They maybe just a MiG-21 but they sure are good guys.." another American naval aviator, Checkers 06 grumbled as an MiG-21-93 accompanying the attack formation has managed to damage his right wing.

"Guns!" His patience paid off as the 20mm disintegrated the MiG.

"Chakra 3-2, Fox three!" This time one Tejas pilot caught a sight of two MiG-23MLD accompanying the Fishbeds and soon fired two Astra radar-guided missiles that destroyed one Flogger and another damaged, but unable to retreat further before the North Korean inside decided to bail out.

---

"SAM, at our twelve, Kinetic, break, release flares!" Watari ordered Tsubaki as he saw a surviving North Korean infantrymen with SA-16s among the wreck. Without hesitation, she climbed and execute tight turns while flares went off the Japanese strike fighter. 

"Missile lost track" Watari said.

Meanwhile. "Somebody tell those Japanese, Thank you!" said a British paratrooper on the ground, feel relieved. 

Tsubaki soon leveled up and reform with her wingman, and the flight.

"3-2 here, I see a battery of rocket artillery and shit.. Scuds too. Recommended we take them out before they released their payload." reported 1st Lt. Shinjirou Koizumi (no relation with one of the sons of former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi).

"Agreed" His leader replied.

Then, the radar showed a group of slow-moving unidentified aerial contacts.

"Be advised, my radar shows that we have bogeys, slow moving, near the artillery formation" reported Tsubaki's wingman, by the name of Capt. Hiroyuki Abe. Smart money said it's from either helos or combat drones, if the latter, will be mostly Chinese or Iranian.

"They might be decoy drones, so do not engage with missiles. Use guns instead." Suzuki ordered. 

Soon, Temple 4 was redirected by Kenji from their sector to destroy the drones, identified as Iranian Shahed-129, meanwhile Temple 3 continued their course towards the rocket artillery position.

"Pickle, pickle!" Tsubaki reported as she entered the drop point for the CBU-105; the KN-09 300 mm rocket artillery and SCUD missile battery was caught by surprise and AA guns protecting it were unable to respond as rain of submunitions decimated the formation.

"Good hit, Kinetic!" Watari exclaimed as he saw the bomblets exploded over the artillery-missile battery via his rearview mirror, as their plane banked right and turned towards Pyongyang.

Her wingman attempted the same but the release mechanism suddenly jammed, resulted of only one bomb released. Nonetheless, the artillery battery was all but destroyed.

---

As they reformed to return to base, has expended their air-to-ground ordnance..

"Be advised we have two bandits inbound from the northwest, bearing 070, identified as MD 500s and it's heading towards our tank force, any units in the area, engage and destroy!" said a USAF E-12 Constellation AWACS callsign "Rewire".

"Minna, you're cleared hot, engage!" said Suzuki.

"I got a clear lock, Fox two!" Abe released two AAM-5s which slammed into the KPAF attack helicopters.

"Splash two bandits!" He said.

"Keep an eye for enemy aircraft" Suzuki ordered, while ensure their fuel level are still adequate to return to Kimpo International Airport, Seoul, which is the 2nd TFS assigned homebase in the operation.

"Speaking of planes, sir, I had six planes on my scope" Koizumi reported.

"Break!" Their RWR blared as the yet-unknown enemy fighters attempted to lock on the F-15Es. 

"Rewire here, we tracked six bandits, identified as Cuban Su-30s from heading 354, Angels 16, we had the CAP redirected to your assistance. In the meantime, engage if necessary, otherwise, head west and bug out." said the American.

"Temple to Rewire, we're all now engaging defensive." replied Suzuki, as his flight are still regrouping and pumping chaffs as R-77s streaked towards them. Unfortunately for the Cubans, the Japanese soon gained perfect lock tone for the AAM-4 shots. 

"Temple 3-3, Fox 3, Fox 3!" Tsubaki called the shot.

As the Japanese had expended their medium-range missiles, they soon executed Split-S and deployed chaffs as the Cubans fired their second R-77 barrage.

From the front seat of his Strike Eagle, Suzuki can only look helplessly as one of his own F-15E took a missile.

"3-3, I'm hit! Rudder and elevator jammed, hydraulics leaking.. lost one engine.. CSO is bleeding.." Tsubaki reported. 

"Kinetic, Slinger, eject!!" Suzuki ordered.

"Negative sir, we'll try Sunan, it's under our control, right, sir?" Watari replied.

"Agreed, I'll contact control there for emergency landing." The Major replied. 

---

Tsubaki is now struggling to control her F-15, as it is leaking both fuel and hydraulic fluids at the same time. Luckily, the fuel dumping system was still operational for the CFTs, allowed her to reduce the weight prior to emergency landing at the Coalition-controlled Pyongyang Sunan International Airport.

She also need to act fast as the missile hit caused Watari to bleed. 

She has only one shot. Do or die.

As she approached the runway, the plane shuddered as one of it's tailfins gave up and broke apart from its mounting. She also saw crash tenders moved in preparation for the crash-landing, and instructions mainly in English. Behind her, Watari's vision started to fade as he is bleeding out. 

"I love you.. Tsubaki.. " he groaned as the F-15 touched down the runway. Upon the plane was perfectly stopped, his pilot soon engaged the parking brake and shut down the engine as the rescue crew prying the canopy open.

Watari was the first to be lifted out from the Eagle and immediately put on the awaiting US Air Force ambulance.

"Tsubaki.." he moaned as he lost consciousness, while he saw his pilot was also pulled out and escorted to infirmary, same as him, for medical checking, and his plane was cooled down by the firefighters.

A/N: What do you think? Vote and comments will be appreciated.