A/N: The Latin sentence above means "Through Adversity to the Stars". This quote is mostly known as the motto of the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and South African Air Force (the latter use the word "aspera" instead of "ardua" which is interchangeable in meaning). Fasten your seatbelt as Kousei and Emi once again engaged in battle, above the Yellow Sea.

...

Ulsan Air Base, July 9th, 2018

4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, callsign "Symphonia"

Elohim essaim.. elohim essaim..  Kousei muttered as he taxied his F-15J into the runway of Ulsan Air Base for his second sortie. Today is a HAVCAP (1) mission. Kousei's flight was assigned to protect a South Korean Boeing 737 AEW (E-7 Wedgetail) which is coordinating allied air defense above Seoul. Upon clearance, the four-ship flight immediately takes off, followed by the 1st flight of the same squadron.

The 4th TFS pilots have been told to expect more modern enemy assets like Su-27 Flankers or Chinese-piloted Shenyang J-11s and Chengdu J-10s with North Korean markings, along with strike aircrafts targeting Seoul and the surrounding area, including the port and airport of Incheon, northwest of Seoul. Recent intelligence also raised concern that the North Koreans had hired mercenaries, as significant number of their senior or "elite" pilots has managed to defect to the Allies over past two months. 

"Symphonia flight, form on me" Capt. Natsuki ordered. 

"Roger that" Kousei replied.

"Affirmative" Nara said.

"Ryougai! (roger)" Emi confirmed.

They climbed to 30.000 feet heading north to Seoul, and four minutes later, they rendezvoused with the Korean AWACS over the Yellow Sea. 

"This is AWACS Ilsig (eclipse in Korean). Confirm HAVCAP mission, over."

"Copy that, Ilsig, we are the escort for your mission today. We'll keep the North Korean fighters off you while you are on station". Natsuki replied.

Passing the Japanese's formation were two flight of Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons and a flight of ROKAF KF-15Xs (2), all assigned to CAP duty over Seoul, complemented with a flight of US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II STOVL stealth fighters. 

Soon "Be advised, multiple bandits coming at 9 o'clock, co-alt (same altitude), they're coming hot!

"Understood Ilsig, we're engaging now. Seems they want to make us blind by knocking you out." Natsuki said. "Symphonia flight, form into a line-abreast formation and head west, 090 and keep the vector. Weapons hot, you can open fire upon my permission."

"Ryougai!"

"Symphonia, heads up, bandits identified as Su-27 Flankers, Shoot them down before they got into missile range!"

"Yaruzou! (let's do this)" Kousei exclaimed, as he pushed his jet into full military power.

Immediately the Flankers were painted on the Japanese's F-15 radars.

---

"Minna, open fire!"

Upon Natsuki's command, four AAM-4B radar-guided missiles streaked over the sky, heading towards the North Korean Flankers. Another textbook BVR engagement went well, too well, with all Flankers were destroyed. One more kill for each pilots.

"I got a bad feeling about this" Emi muttered. 

Kousei answered her in his enjoyment of his kill. "I love the smell of Kimchi in the morning."

Meanwhile, the flight lead ordered us to tighten formation, and go into a holding pattern alongside their current position, over Yellow Sea, in order to keep eye on the AWACS. 

Her feeling confirmed as the AWACS called once again. "Be advised, more bandits heading from the north, Angels 8, the west, Angels 25 and southwest, Angels 15, all units in the area, engage at will!!"

"Symphonia 1 will remain with the AWACS as the final line of defense and as support if the B flight need our assistance or out of ammo. Symphonia 2, continue west and engage the enemy" ordered the Symphonia A flight lead and the squadron CO, Lt. Col. Toyotomi Hamada.

"Symphonia flight, this is Broadsword flight, we are coming to assist you and deal with bandits from the southwest." said the leader of one of the RAF Typhoon flight.

"This is San-geo (shark in Korean) flight, we are en-route to intercept enemy fighters heading for the AWACS."

"Understood, Symphonia lead, moving to intercept" Natsuki replied.

---

"Head's up, Ilsig, bandits are identified as J-11 Flankers. Engage at will!" said the operator as the AWACS aircraft began to bank and turn right heading for the Peninsula

Meanwhile, after rendezvousing with San-geo flight' F-15Xs, the Japanese pressed forward to meet the enemy. The picture soon become clear; The Allies were once again outnumbered 2:1, sixteen J-11 Flankers vs eight Japanese-Korean Eagles. 

The Allies gained lock first, and fired a barrage of AMRAAMs and AAM-4s towards oncoming Flankers and knocked five of the Chinese-made jets out from the sky. But this time, the Flankers soon retaliated with their own salvo of PL-12s. 

"Missile approaching, go evasive!" Natsuki ordered his flight to break off to avoid the missiles. The same also with the Korean flight, led by Major Pi Seon-mi.

"CHAFF" the F-15J's warning system echoed on Kousei's ear as he pumped out chaffs to confuse a PL-12 trailing his six. In addition, he executed a sharp turn towards the missile to further disorient it's guidance system while climbing. However, the Flanker's maneuver soon rendered him on the defensive once more as he is now positioned behind Kousei. He know that Su-27s have higher-level of agility compared to his F-15, especially as the North Korean pilots were well trained ones. As the result, he proceeded into a defensive spiral, hoped to lure the Flanker trailing him to crash into the sea. He dropped his nose and executed spiral turns, using gravity to supply the energy he needed to evade the attacker. 

"PULL UP" The new warning blares on Kousei's cockpit, indicated his plane is close to the sea below. As the result, he activated the airbrake and lower his speed, barely avoiding a stall as his pursuer, which was unable to level his Flanker's nose in time and plummeted at high speed into the Yellow Sea. He was killed instantly. Kousei's first maneuver kill and his fourth overall. 

---

On the other hand. Emi engaged another Flanker which has damaged her flight lead with its 30mm cannon.

"Symphonia lead, I'm hit and is leaking hydraulic fluid, request permission to bug out" Nara called.

"Permission granted, clear to bug out, 2-4, cover him as he is exiting the battlespace" Natsuki ordered.

Her HMD immediately registered a solid off-boresight lock on the Flanker positioned above her, overhead, turning in order to put himselves in range on her plane.

"Fox two, fox two!!" Emi shouted as two agile AAM-5s went off from her plane's outer wing hardpoint. Despite the Flanker deployed its flares, one missile went through and destroyed its engine; the communist plane went up in flames and falling into the Yellow Sea as the pilot bailed out.

"Splash two Flankers!" She reported her second kill in the encounter, and the fourth in her career in general.

The rest of the J-11s retreated after losing three more of it's own. 

Another air-to-air combat victory of the F-15 Eagle ended without any losses.

A/N: 

1. An abbreviation for High Value Combat Air Patrol. As the name suggested this variant of combat air patrol is used to protect slow moving high-value air assets, especially tanker and early warning aircrafts (AWACS).

2. As I said before, I took liberty and in this timeline, the South Koreans acquired 55 F-15C/D Eagles, it's second East Asian operator after Japan, assembled locally by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), designated as KF-15, in 1985 to complement it's fleet of F-16C/D Fighting Falcons, some also assembled by KAI and when the hostilities with North Korea recommenced, 70% of the fleet has been upgraded to the advanced X standard.

3. McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle air-superiority fighter has (currently) the best air combat record in history, 102 kills with zero combat losses, with majority of the kills are from the Israeli Air Force. (Source: http://www.migflug.com/jetflights/the-combat-statistics-for-all-the-aircraft-currently-in-use.html) 

4. Hope you enjoy this chapter!