Operation Hush was the final battle of the Lighthouse War. It took place around the International Space Elevator. The operation aimed to prevent Hugin and Munin from transmitting their flight data to drone factories across Usea, leading to an unending war.[1]
Prelude
During Operation Daredevil, the International Space Elevator's communication systems were disabled in order to shut down Arsenal Bird Justice's Microwave Powered Dome. Following the destruction of Justice, two ADF-11F Ravens entered the airspace and inflicted significant damage to the Osean-Erusean coalition's air power. Outgunned, the allied aircraft were forced to retreat to the Admiral Andersen.[2]
The two drones—codenamed Hugin and Munin—aimed to transmit their flight data to drone manufacturing factories across the Usean continent by using the space elevator as a transmission tower once it regains power.[1]
Battle
- "The space elevator is able to broadcast and communicate. With the information infrastructure down, it's the only place capable of wide-area data transmission. The drones are waiting for it to power up again."
- ― AWACS Long Caster[1]
On November 1, 2019, coalition squadrons approached the lighthouse, where the drones were still waiting for the elevator to power up. With the aircraft approaching, Hugin and Munin quickly intercepted and engaged the coalition forces, downing many Osean and Erusean aircraft in the dogfight that followed, including Wit. After a difficult dogfight, Trigger managed to shoot down both drones. Losing altitude, one ADF-11 detached its wings and continued flying. While it continued to engage coalition aircraft, the drone analyzed Trigger's flying abilities and gathered data on him to be transmitted via the lighthouse. It was ultimately shot down by Trigger.[1]
Believing to have won, Long Caster began planning celebrations. However, Rosa Cossette D'Elise later revealed that the other drone managed to detach its wings as well. The remaining ADF-11 then flew into the undersea tunnel connecting Selatapura to the space elevator. To stop the drone, Trigger and Count pursued it. While flying through the tunnel, the drone managed to cause noticeable damage to Count's engine. After entering the area beneath the elevator, Trigger managed to destroy the repeaters and shoot down the final drone.[1]
Now trapped under the elevator, Count told Trigger to fly through the tower's windbreak. As Count's engine was damaged, he instead attempted to belly land within the structure while Trigger escaped the elevator. After Trigger left the windbreak, he joined a formation of Osean and Erusean aircraft.[1]
Aftermath
- "This is Captain Kei Nagase... of the spaceship Pilgrim One. The ocean of stars in our galaxy is finally within our reach. To the pilot who generously gave this spaceship a place to dock, we are forever grateful. The universe lies ahead of us, waiting to be discovered. And now, at last, we have a gateway to ascend to it. Over and over again. I salute the pilot, who gave us all a future."
- ― Kei Nagase[1]
Shortly after the Trigger exits the windbreak, the spaceship Pilgrim 1 docked with the International Space Elevator, completing its seven-year journey to the asteroid belt. Its captain, Kei Nagase, then thanked Trigger for giving the ship a place to dock.[1]
With the destruction of Hugin and Munin, the Arsenal Birds, and the recapture of the International Space Elevator, the Erusean Radicals were defeated, bringing an end to the Lighthouse War.[1]
Gallery
Trigger battles a Raven.
