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>>3524911
Scene Music [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI2HMia8vc4]
Music Notes: The music may be a little quiet; probably a good one to turn up a little.

You look up from your finished weapons request form to take in the scenery around you. This is going to be the last you see of the base. The midday sun lights your surroundings with its full radiance, and a gusty breeze keeps you comfortably cool. Any other day, you’d describe it as a beautiful afternoon, but as you watch the clouds drift lazily through the sky, you begin to wonder which ones are full of deadly fallout. You shake your head; you can’t even delude yourself with the image of a nice day, not when the threat of deadly rain and ash is so close at hand.

With your weapons sheets in hand, you head off to look for Sokolov. You spot a cluster of maintainers doing their busy work on your aircraft, and sure enough, their odd little leader is whipping the crew into shape. He’s not even paying attention to you as your steps echo across the concrete, but soon enough you’re right behind him, listening to him marshal his troops. “Hey, make sure those intake guards are on right, y’hear? I ain’t dyin’ ‘cause some idiot let our bodyguards suck in a chunk of runway on takeoff. Good work on the landing gear though, just make sure you treat the rest of her like that.” You interrupt, before he can move on to the rest of the flight.

>Get his attention formally; ”Specialist Sokolov, we’ve got a gift for you.”
>Get his attention less than formally; ”Oye, Sokolov!”
>Other (Write-In)

Previously on Rogue Pilot Quest
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=rogue+pilot

It's all in the archive.

>>3524913
>>Get his attention less than formally; ”Oye, Sokolov!”

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>>3525130
Oh hey, it got a response. I’ll update this quest throughout the day tomorrow, while waiting to see if any of the old players come back.

>>3524913
>Get his attention formally; ”Specialist Sokolov, we’ve got a gift for you.”

>>3525438
Caught up, i like the quest so far, would've participated earlier if you posted a link to the archive in previous threads
>Get his attention less than formally; ”Oye, Sokolov!”
Regarding waifus, leaning a bit more on no, its a guilty pleasure but when every quest has this aspect it can easily get mundane and boring
Also, a bit more info on world state during the flight? How's central Not! Europe? What about Not! China and Not! Japan? How's the border with Not! Finland doing?
Also just saying for later, whenever we get a chance for a gun kill ill betcha ass ill take it for the rule of cool.

>>3524913
>>Get his attention less than formally; ”Oye, Sokolov!”
He lives!
Good to see you back OP

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>>3525130
>>3525787
>>3525826
>>3525818
Ayy glad to see you all back! I’ll definitely do the “previous thread” link next time. And yeah, I’ve got some worldbuilding during the flight already planned!

Anyway, looks like we’re buddying up with Sokolov. Writing! In the meantime some PlaneFacts (tm)

The MiG-31 is famous as an interceptor and successor to the MiG-25. But did you know that it has a datalink with a range of 200km? It even has an IRST, though like all Soviet IRST systems, how good it was is debatable (for the purposes of this campaign I’ve given you guys working IRST sensors because they’re really fun to use). It also had a Passive Electronically Scanned Array radar, which is an incredibly powerful tool. No other aircraft had a phased array radar like the MiG-31 (1981) until the Japanese F-2A (2000), though the Japanese-built Active Electronic Scanned Array is considered more flexible and overall superior. These things all supported its interception mission; it even carried one of, if not THE largest missiles ever put into service: the Vympel R-33. Basically an 80s equivalent of the AIM-54, it had a stupid range and ridiculously huge warhead.

Overall, despite not being a shiny new fighter, the MiG-31 was an incredible interceptor on paper, and continues service to this day.

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>>3524913
“Oye! Sokolov!” you shout, hoping to catch his attention. Sokolov turns around and raises an eyebrow, grinning as you offer the forms to him. “Great ta see you livin’, Saber.” He takes your papers, leafing through them while nodding in assent. “Looks alright to me.” he says, before continuing. “I guess we’ll be busy ’til takeoff. Hey come ta think of it, I left a few of my things back in Hangar Six, would ya mind grabbing them for me? Just mah green bag, I think I left it under the cot, under the shade at the entrance. I’d be mighty grateful, it has a few important bits in it.” Before you have time to respond, a loud CLANG reverberates from the MiG-29 behind him, and he spins around to see what’s happening, jogging off while yelling to another worker. “Go grab Jurg and send him over ta here, I know he’s good with them nose panels. The sooner we get this done, the sooner ya get that vodka that’s waitin’ for ya.”

With little else to go on, you shrug at your crew and start the long trek across the airfield. Popov walks quietly next to you, while Gulayev looks around at the base, lagging behind. “God damn, I never thought I’d see the day when we got to leave here. Weird to think that we would just leave it all behind.” He kicks a rock, which skitters off into the distance, before joining back up. You think for a moment before responding. “Well, it’s not like we’re going to be missing much in the way of amenities. It’s the people that made the base in the end; the Chef’s cooking, the crew chiefs keeping the planes running, Major Novikov keeping everything under control… I guess none of that’s gone, just that shitty mess hall and the musty barracks.” Popov grunts an affirmative, and the Gulayev shrugs and grins, stuffing his hands in his flight suit’s pockets.

You arrive outside the hangar, and sure enough, there’s a cot in the shade of the overhang near the side door. First the vodka, then a spare cot… You wonder what Sokolov -can’t- get his hands on. You squat next to the makeshift bed, bending over to peer under its canvas straps. The bag is there, just like Sokolov said. A gust of wind blows harshly, knocking it over. A small envelope spills out of the bag, and in turn, a few pieces of paper spill out. As you rush to grab them and stuff them back in the envelope, another gust of wind catches one, blowing it past your hand as you snap out to grab it. It lazily tumbles down the runway, before the wind picks it up again. You’d rather not leave it behind.

>Chase the paper (Roll 3d10 to catch it)
>Let it go
>Send Gulayev after it
>Send Popov after it
>Other (Write-in)

Rolled 8, 2, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>3525953
>>Chase the paper (Roll 3d10 to catch it)

Let's see if we make a fool of ourself.

>>3526009
Waiting for one or two more responses, or 30 minutes.

Rolled 2, 3, 4 = 9 (3d10)

>>3525953
Nat 30 let's go.

>>3526040
Close enough.

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>>3525953
Scene Music: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVFkUR2UTJ4]

You immediately bolt off after the paper. If Sokolov said it was important to him, you should probably make sure it gets back in one piece. As you walk up to pick it off the ground, you notice that the tape holding it shut has sprung open. Picking it up, you realize it’s not just some piece of paper, it’s covered in writing. The weatherbeaten page reveals remarkable penmanship. As you squint down to read the contents of the page under the bright sunlight, your gaze softens.

“January 2nd, 1987

Dearest Son,

We could not be more proud of you. Your father says thank you for the television set you had delivered to us last month. The neighbors all come over to watch on the weekends, and it keeps us happy to see them. My heart smiles every time we get these letters from you. Twenty years, and you rarely miss a week without sending one, even nowadays with phone lines everywhere. I remember when you were just a boy, tearing apart tractors and working on our old Moskvitch. But some days, your father’s mind is going, you know? He doesn’t always remember anymore. Some of his days are better than others, and he always seems so proud of you whenever you come up.

Oh yes, the old factory in town is still building those giant bombers you always wanted to work on. They brought in missiles last week to station around it, just in case, they say. I can’t see why anyone would want to attack us all the way up here, but you can never be too sure. Are they sending your base extra missiles, too? Oh, and how is Golaya doing? I know he broke his arm last week. Did he end up proposing? Keep us updated! That boy is lucky beyond belief if she says yes. The gossip from your little family on base keeps us entertained up here in the cold.

And since you asked last letter: Masha is doing good for an old dog. She cornered a cat the other day, and almost got clawed trying to lick it. That dog is too sweet for her own good; I blame you for spoiling her when you were little. Ha ha. Anyway, we don’t have much that’s new this week, but keep us updated on your life!

Love,

Mother and Father

P.S. When are you going to find a wife?”

You fold the letter back as it was, and slowly insert it into the bag, letting out a sigh. January was hardly three months ago. If the air defense forces were moving weapons into the area… You don’t want to think about it. You look up at the tiny, distant figures milling around the aircraft as they refuel and re-arm them for your flight, trying to make out Sokolov. No luck.

“You alright, Dhovy? What was in that letter?” Popov asks.

>”I’m fine, but I’d rather not say. Let’s head back.”
>”It’s a letter from Sokolov’s parents. They’re probably dust by now.”
>Other (Write-In)

>>3526056
>>”I’m fine, but I’d rather not say. Let’s head back.”
I dont think we should invade his privacy any more than we have already.

>>3526056
>>”I’m fine, but I’d rather not say. Let’s head back.”

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>>3526056
Scene Music: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI2HMia8vc4]

“It’s a little personal. I probably shouldn’t have read the whole thing.” You say, sliding the contents of the bag back where they belong. As you sling it over your shoulder, Gulayev pipes up. “Aw, c’mon boss. Not gonna tell us?” “No.” You respond, curtly cutting him off. “Whatever you say.” As the conversation dies down, your trio enjoys the quiet, pleasant walk back to Sokolov. For once, he’s waiting for you, and he gives a quick salute as he takes the bag. “Many thanks, mon ami.” he says, faking a horrible Oropean accent. You stand back, watching the crew scurry about as they mount Gulayev’s R-73s and rocket pods. As a truck dragging a train of munitions carts pulls up behind the cluster of workers, you also see Major Novikov draped over a chair, her cap covering her face while she takes a brief nap.

>Ask Sokolov about his family
>Go bother the Major
>Let the base staff be for now and grab a snack, this is you last opportunity to relax before your flight
>Other (Write-In)

>>3526171
>>Let the base staff be for now and grab a snack, this is you last opportunity to relax before your flight

That shit's his to deal with. We gotta relax while we still can.

>>3526171
>>Other (Write-In)
Ask him about his family but take him to the side first. No need to make a scene

While we wait for a tiebreaker and for me to get some lunch, what do you guys think of using scene music? Keep doing it, or no? I tried to pick thematically fitting stuff to play in the background instead of just songs to play at the start of the thread.

>>3526171
>Let the base staff be for now and grab a snack, this is you last opportunity to relax before your flight
Let's chow down, we're already running on fumes and adrenaline, lets not make it worse

>>3526204
Personally i don't really care for it , i usually play my own thing while reading, however i'll admit the right music for an action scene can vastly improve it.

Alright, so I’m cheating and writing ahead a little bit. Do any of you guys know about AM radio? I’m curious if an Su-27, MiG-29, or IL-76 could pick up AM radio transmissions in flight. Since your base has no long range comms equipment, the best bet for getting intel IMO is to listen in on radio frequencies during your flight out of the continent. I see no reason that it’d be impossible, but I’ve by no means got a physics background.

>>3526186
>>3526186
support

>>3526294
Progress made: some. It’s definitely doable, but the problem is, in order to listen, you need a radio direction finder to point your antenna at the radio tower so you can receive. So. Now I gotta figure out if the planes in our formation have radio direction finders (probably) and if so how they are operated and where they are in the cockpit. Thanks for bearing with me.

>>3526373
AHA
https://www.yakuk.com/apk-15m-radio-compass/
>so yes

Time to write!

>>3524911
Fuck damn this is a good quest OP, really well written. Still catching up in the archives but keep up the good work.

>>3526486
Awesome! What was your favorite part so far?

>>3526497
Definitely the dog fight against the NOTO and NC fighters while we were escorting the transports.

Popov making it back to base is a close second though.

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>>3526171
Time to kill two birds with one stone. “Hey, Popov and Guly. Go grab a snack and some rest; it’s not much, but an hour’s an hour. Save something for me!” The two of them nod, turning to disappear in search of something appetizing. With your wingmen out of the picture, you step forward, next to Sokolov. He looks back at you, and for the first time, you can see the slump in his shoulders and bags under his eyes. Packing up an entire airbase, handling multiple quick turnarounds, and the general stress of surviving a nuclear war must have taken a brutal toll on the man.

“Sokolov…” You start, unsure how to begin. “This whole clusterfuck is like a giant weight on our shoulders. If you ever need to talk about anything, I’m here to listen. Not even the flyboys are carefree assholes all the time, and I figure if anyone’s got stress, it’s you singlehandedly running the day-to-day here. Alright buddy?” Sokolov’s face gives a sad grin, his forehead creasing with uncharacteristic lines. “That means a mighty lot to me, if I may presume to call ya friend.”

>”You got it, buddy.”
>”Please don’t misunderstand. As your superior, it’s my job to make sure you have good mental support.”
>Other (Write-In)

>>3526544
>”You got it, buddy.”

>>3526544
>>”You got it, buddy.”

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Sorry for the wait, I've been working on better maps for future skirmishes, like the one you're probably gonna run into on your way to Rabati.

What do you guys think?

>>3526544
>>”You got it, comrade"
>>3527025
Based OP
Now we can pull off our moves on a grid

>>3527058
There may not be much or any more story until tomorrow afternoon. I'm building radar cones and IRST cones and weapon ranges and all the other information you need to see on a map.

>>3527063
Unfortunately, finding radar and IRST arcs is kind of a pain. At least the weapons are easy.

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Map elements are basically done; each grid is 10km x 10km. Obviously, the planes are not to scale, and it's not color coded yet, but the basics are:

Red: Radar
Blue: IRST
Yellow: RWR
Green: Datalink Range

>>3527342
Obviously that's a ton of shit cluttering up the image, so if anyone's got suggestions, I'm listening.

>>3527345
What was RWR again? To ease up the clutter you could basically put all the radar cones and other elements in groups on the same layer so they don't overlap as much. Also you could put a legend someplace on the image.

>>3527619
Radar warning receiver

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>>3526544
“You got it, buddy.” You say, clapping him on the shoulder. “Now, I’ve gotta get some food and a little rest before we get the hell out of here.” He nods, waving his hand to shoo you away, and you oblige. Looking around, you notice your wingmen haggling with a pair of soldiers standing guard outside an IL-76. Gulayev is gesturing and laughing, and Popov is holding what looks like a pack of cigarettes. As you walk off to join the negotiations, your thoughts drift back up to the deceptively beautiful clouds overhead. The sooner you’re out of here, the better…

END CHAPTER 3.5

>>3527345
>>3527342

Map looks good and the color coded circles and cones are good ideas. As for the clutter, it make more sense to just have the designations of our own aircraft's Radar, IRST, RWR, and Datalink visible on the map. If one of our wingmen spot something we don't, you can have a quick update where said wingman calls out the contact, then you put a vague area around where he spotted it which would then follow with the option of changing course to better identify, avoid, or ignore the contact.

>>3529590
Perfect. My phone’s dying and I’m at a giant ass highschool graduation today, but next session is combat-heavy, so I’ll be incorporating those suggestions.

NEW SORTIE ALERT:
>>>>>3532263