"It has already been achieved."
Continent One lay in Heliosa's Antarctic region, an eternally frozen icefield.
The Stormbird and Thunderhawk formations of the First Company of the First Chapter, under the cover of the Sixth Legion, launched a landing assault on Raven Nest 91.
First Company Captain Dickson gazed through the narrow observation window at the Sixth Legion's escort fighter formation as it engaged in fierce aerial combat with Aivene fighters and Shrike Knights.
A black fighter roared through the encirclement of three pure-white Aivene enemy craft.
It climbed calmly, shaking off the enemy fighters.
Whoosh, whoosh...
Two white figures, swift as lightning, suddenly burst into view.
Beep, beep, beep...
A string of alerts rose across the tactical network:
[Shrike. Its size is one quarter larger than the average of its kin on Continent Two and Third Continent, and one fifth larger than the largest identified individual. Its long beak is approximately one third longer than any recorded individual, and its speed is one tenth faster. ...]
Dickson opened the company's Sonic Array channel and warned them, "What we will face are the Snow-Domain Shrikes spoken of by our Lord."
"They are the largest, fastest, and most powerful attacking group among the shrikes, bred amid the ice and snow of the Antarctic continent."
As he gave the warning, the two Snow-Domain Shrikes outside the window, one on the left and one on the right, had already caught up with the climbing Hurricane-class Lightning Fighter.
The shrike on the left leaned in toward the black fighter, its razor wings slashing at the fuselage.
Relying on its excellent braking performance, the Hurricane-class Lightning Fighter slid through the narrow space, avoiding the pure-white blade.
Bang!
A sharp long beak stabbed out through the fighter's right wing, ripping open the metal fuselage with a