...

"Attention!"

The Rinjani Squadron had long gone at this point, and so lives for the convicts went back to normal with many restrictions were reinstated including the prohibition to use ranks in conversations between them.

"Before we start, always keep in mind that any disobedience is punishable. You won't disobey a second time" Colonel Purnama said. "Do not ever test my patience or you will end up like two of your friends."

After Major Heru, the squadron had hanged two more pilots, both because of recalcitrant disciplinary violations with the last straw was their attempt to escape from the base two days ago; First Lieutenants Andi Azis and Muhammad Supriatna, in front of the remaining prisoners.

"The biggest threat of our forces remain the enemy's swarm of drones. So, in order to give them a better breathing space, you will attack and destroy the enemy's refinery. Here. Jubail's Refinery Complex. It's part of the enemy's integrated fuel supply system with pipes used to supply fuel to not just drones, but the entire UCC war machine, if we look at the bigger picture."

He continued. "Those of you whose food privileges has been taken away already know what this means; we brought their war machine into halt by taking their fuels. This operation will be in coordination with other penal units; The Indian No. 404 Squadron and Korean 999th Tactical Fighter Squadron with their respective callsign 'Dumpster' and 'Moonshine'. On the other hand, as we expect drones, we have regular squadron to mop up the rest, but you must do your job out there before they will be dispatched, our 24th Squadron, callsign 'Nyiur' along with Korean carrier Koguryo and the 13th Bomb Squadron from the Americans."

"The UCC claimed that this facility is impenetrable as they have withstand up to nine separate cruise missile strikes including hypersonic ones as well as patrolled with drone of all sizes and fifth generation fighters. You will be the one who will shatter this myth. We are giving them false pictures for your approach and strike but as soon as they saw the explosion expect enemy response!"

"Remember, you are not officially part of the Indonesian Armed Forces nor the Coalition. You are expendable."

...

As the 13th approached the port in a mismatched formation of planes as usual, several targets appeared on radar. The pilots had visual on several oil tanks and ships. From the looks of things, they were in a target rich environment and the job they had was simply to blow everything up. Doni chuckled, thinking of Sausage. "I didn't like the guy, but he knew how to blow stuff, you know, Sausage is going to love this kind of mission, remember when he blow up those supply depots near Quetta as well as in Srinagar?" he said to them with a soft laugh. "I mean just look out there. He'd have had a blast. Literally."

From the left side of Doni and his leader Sonny, Leaflet sneered "Yeah, but the second any trouble shows up he'd be outta here. He went down crying like a baby. And you knew it too well that he was all bark and no bite. Pfft. That coward."

"You're one to talk about being a coward after running off with you're tail between your legs like you did!" Scale snapped at him suddenly. It surprised Doni how upset he sounded. Maybe he really want to prove himself and had no time to entertain any BS talks for now on the comm.

"I wasn't running away. I was retreating!" Leaflet said quickly, not saying much in defense of his abandonment in the heat of battle. It was as if saying that he was retreating was enough of an argument or justification. "I didn't tell you yet, but back then I just left with only one Sidewinder and 45 rounds of 25mm."

"Well, I can't really say I blame you," Scale said in a softer tone. "It was hell out there". Doni and Sonny decided to keep their mouth shut as they came closer to the port. The Chinese-Indonesian sighed and spoke again, "Well, here we go. This oughta be fun."

"This is Sipir, your fellow convict ally is coming from southwest of your position, let's say hello to them before we start this mission."

"AWACS Steel Cage, reporting the 404 is ready.. Requesting datalink connection."

"AWACS Jindo (a breed of Korean guard and hunting dog) to Sipir, reporting for the 999..."

The Indonesians checked their radar for confirmation, and detected two separate formations of allies; Indian Rafale F4s and a mixed bag of Korean two seat F-15K and single-seater KF-21A. All without any markings except the roundel.

"I am in a need to let off some steam, and if you want a better chance for pardon, follow me!" Doni hollered, throttling forward the rest of the squadron as they all began to select their first targets.

"You're correct, Charge. I'm gonna blow stuff up to let off some steam." said Scale.

Everyone else in the squadron seemed to instantly cheer up as the radio chatter began. They finally had an operation where they were encouraged to be less organized. The simplest task in the world: just fire a bunch of missiles at random targets and blow stuff up.

Moonshine 3 and Padlock 5 flight were the first to open fire at the outer AA, bunkers, and SSM sites protecting the harbor area. Meanwhile the Caliphate oil tanks were all lined up in nice, straight lines. A lucky hit would result in a chain reaction and the ones next to it would be taken out or severely damaged by the explosion.

"Rifle" Doni tested such theory out by firing an Israeli made IMI RAMPAGE artillery-rocket based hypersonic air to surface missile supplied via India. As soon as the row of oil tanks burst into flames, he grinned and took out a tanker nearby, then circling around the port to find the next target.

"Target in sight, mostly tanker, well, engaging." his leader said, having being quiet for the entire morning. "Say your prayers!" he exclaimed as he set another moored tanker ablaze.

"Datalink setup complete, all convicts, if you want a better chance for freedom, work together and destroy all the targets!" ordered AWACS Jindo.

"Moonshine 1, roger.. enemy SAM has been taken out"

"Dumpster 1, firing.. "

"Steel Cage here, take out the laser AA first! Our bombers won't be able to get through if even one was left standing!"

Doni craned his neck just to see the tell-tale sign of laser weapon being fired at them, and rolled to avoid being sliced of by the red beam while Sonny pulling up to take care of two patrolling J-31s.

"Destroy everything, and I mean everything in sight. Let's make the regulars to have a walk in a park." Sipir ordered.

13th Squadron's cheers and whoops over the radio told Doni that the three-nations convicts were enjoying their task. Things that making it difficult were the laser turrets as well as responding UCC fighters.

"Padlock 2-1 has been shot down by the laser!"

"Damn lasers cut my wing... Padlock 2-2 Hooves here, goodbye.."

"Dumpster 3-3 reporting enemy fighter behind me.." an Indian desperate call of help was cut off by his plane got shot down by a JF-20.

"Moonshine 1-3, splash one Chukar.."

"Haha! Another one's popped! The show's truly started now! Take this!" called a Korean, followed by another report from his wingman. "Burn baby burn!"

While Leaflet and Scale took out two more laser AA turret..

"Damn! Now that's what I call fireworks! Haha!" Full House cheered as he and Doni both fired at two oil tanks that were side by side, pulling off in different directions as the rest of them ignited and followed suit. The massive explosion took out a nearby Pantsir combined gun-SAM, taking care of another threat to the mission. He could practically imagine the grin on Full House's face as he said, "Burn, bitches!"

More chatters of destroyed targets from the rest of Indonesian, Indian, and Koreans, however a new message went on to their radios.

"We have a good and a bad news" called AWACS Jindo. "Drones approaching at high speed, bearing 090, Angels 10, get ready for more air threats."

"The good news is the refinery has been down to 55% of it's capacity.. Keep it up if you want to stay out of the rat cell" hollered Sipir.

"No time to smell the roses, then," Padlock 3-2, Arie "Blue Ice" Lumbantoruan said with a wistful sigh. "Well, let's hurry it up. Shouldn't be too hard... wait, the drones are here! Engaging!"

"Take your turns to destroy the drones!" ordered Steel Cage.

"Dumpster 2-1 and 2-2, we are engaging the Saeghehs"

Doni and Sonny, had expended their Rampages pulled up to greet the arriving drones.

"Fox two"

"Fox two"

"Your mission objective has been updated" called Sipir again. "You will escort the American bombers, the VFAK-221 from Koguryo, and the 24th Squadron to level this area into the ground. Remember, you won't fail for the second time. If it means ramming enemy drones or take a missile for the regulars, do it! This order is also in effect for Dumpster and Moonshine Squadron."

"Burn, baby, burn," another one of their wingmen said as Leaflet took out a SAM site that was giving him a trouble with his last Rampage.

"Look at Charge and Red Cap. It seems they are only one who are sane here" said Padlock 4-3, had downed one JF-20 himself.

As Doni and Sonny are chasing other drones on their radar, the former said "To be honest I am questioning not just mine, but ours, sanity. Had thought that since my encounter with Aulia." With that, he used his machine gun to take care of a passing drone on it's way towards the B-21 formation. No response from the pilot that told him about the matter.

1st Lt. Alan "Butcher" Teguh, Padlock 4-2, let out a scoff as he leveled his wing after took down one Saegheh drone and one EC155 helicopter trying to escape the facility, watched the scene unfolding around him. "You know, just look at us. Sipir was right. We're no proper military. As well as those Indians and Koreans."

Scale let out an irritated sigh as he pulled away from a processing unit that he hit with his last Mk 83. "Enough with the holier-than-thou act, Butcher. It's not like you're the only one who's realized this."

"You kidding me, Scale? I belong here." Butcher let out an incredulous chuckle. "And you two Red Cap and Charge, are belong here even more than I do! And I mean it!" Doni decided to ignore his statements about him.

"Well, it's all about where you're from," Full House sneered. Doni gritted his teeth as he added in a dark tone, "Am I right, Charge?"

He didn't reply as the squadron continue their engagement with the drones and enemy manned fighters, while the 24th Squadron's IF-21Cs were pulling away after firing their Korean license-built Taurus KEPD 550 cruise missiles against the refinery's associated facilities such as the electrical grid supplying it with power and tank trucks in the area as well followed by Raiders carpet-bombing what was left of the refinery while two Korean Navy F-35 and it's drone escorts were dogfighting against two Saegheh drones nearby.

Their radios crackled again.

"This is Sipir, the regulars had finished off the refinery but stay on your station until they reach the safe line. Remember, deserters will be shot down!"

Doni replied "Roger that, Sipir, we're still engaging!"

"Everyone, you're looking good, keep your guards up if you want to be out of here faster" called AWACS Jindo.

"Fox three" said a Korean KF-21 fired his last two AMRAAMs into a fresh formation of drones.

"Steel Cage to Dumpster 4-1, return to the operation area..."

The rest of the squadron was pumped up by Doni and some other's willingness to engage, and many newcomers even more surprised by the destruction of the drones so far. Butcher let out a hearty laugh that surprised Doni, "Haha! Charge, I like your style! Still, my last words are valid."

Doni frowned a little as two more drones pursued him. He managed to evade their missile but the warnings on his ear started to annoy him, combined with the rest of the three-nation convicts struggling with the UCAVs, with one Korean, Moonshine 3-2 get shot down.

"I've had enough of this shit!" he spat, maneuvering with some effort to evade one of their missiles and get the two UCAVs in his gunsights. Running low on missiles, he shot down one with his 25mm before the second split off and the third was taken care of suddenly when Scale swooped into the rescue.

"Hey! He is at it again!" a 13th member said, sounding a little too pleased. "Now's our chance to retreat!" Oh. That explained a lot.

"Have you idiots forget what I just said about deserters?" Sipir demanded, sounding more and more pissed off by the minute. "I'll have you shot upon landing and your families stripped from their citizenship!"

"Always remember: Stick out with Full House, Scale, Red Cap, and Charge, and you'll make it. Better than rat cell." said another convict.

"You still wanna live? Stand up and fight!" called his wingman.

More drones reported down and five minutes later..

"This is Sipir.. the regulars had reached the safe line. I'm amazed that most of you finally learned your lesson... "

"This is Jindo... that's what I like to see"

"Steel Cage, you have done a magnificent job.. all aircraft, RTB"

...

As they landed and then usual debriefing, the convicts went separate ways, some back to their cells (with four went to solitary), while some went to the hangars. Doni was one of the latter. Suddenly Butcher called him as Doni's looking after his aircraft with the team of mechanics.

"Hey Charge, I've got a question for you. Why do you think that this stupid war keeps dragging on, huh?"

"Here he goes..." Doni heard Scale say, sounding as if he'd talked to him about this before. He himself is curious about what he intends to say.

"Maybe he wants a different answer," added Red Cap dismissively, also standing near his plane.

Doni relaxed a little bit as his craft was on autopilot. "Sorry, Butcher. I don't really have an answer to your question. I guess I've never given it any thought especially with that Civil War still fresh and the UCC threat is real."

"Well, I have, as truth will set you free," Butcher replied, sounding more than a little annoyed. "The Empire."

"What on earth he's talking about?" asked Full House, overhearing the word as he entered the hangar.

"It's all because of the Western World support of the Wahhabists"

"Uh-huh.."

"Want to know what I've done which got me in here?"

"Just tell me," said Doni.

"There are approximately 1.7 billion Muslims on this planet, and in many places they are contributing to national development. No need to go far away, this including you and I, Indonesian Muslims. If even 1 percent of the world Muslims were violent terrorists bent on conquering the world, this war will be over minutes ago."

"You may be right.. but what's the point now that we had a Civil War, and then this Caliphate of 600 million people under its rule?"

"Let's have a little lesson on world history here. The imperial strategy of manipulating our people for their own ends is at least two decades old. The British destroyed the Ottoman Caliphate by using the Arabs. Which then created countries like Saudi and Pakistan, close to the west. However, in 1979, the Shiites, regardless of what they believe, the Iranians regained their independence against colonialism. Under the flag of Islam. That same year, they inspired some Saudis who still have their critical thinking on trying to do the same by occupying the Ka'aba. Then in Syria against back then Hafez al-Assad, and finally, Egypt, 1981."

"Assassination of Anwar Sadat" Red Cap said as he went to Charge and Butcher outside the hangar.

"Yes. But unlike the Iranians these uprisings were crushed, so we, the Sunnis, are still right here and right now under the clutches of the Empire. The Western liberal Western-Zionist world order which denied God's authority. The lists went on and on; Libya, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, you count it. And they also responsible for our civil war and last but not least, Palestine!"

"How about 9/11?" Doni asked.

"A convenience casus belli of the Western Empire. The back-then Bush/Cheney administration covered shit up. For example... WTC No. 7 was blown up."

"Many people in the West and East, if you lot bothered to take your time to search more,has been a part of that badly needed truth-seeking process. The main myth the Empire spread through the globe is that the Arab and Muslim peoples collectively are extremist dangers to the "national security" of the entire planet but especially Western and western aligned civilization. With the 9/11 legend setting the basis of the GWOT's basis to demonize the Islamic world, Western Civ is depicted as a Judeo-Christian construct with Islam as the Aberrant Other. Once again no offense to you, Scale."

"And as the result, it seems to extend permission to exclude many Arab and Muslim peoples, but especially the Palestinians, from the community of citizens invested with universal human rights, including the right for their aspiration to be heard. Basically, we right now are regarding our fellow Muslims, especially the Palestinians, as the new savages! The Arabs were the first to acknowledge our independence, but now, is this our repayment to them?"

"Alright, continue."

"The global economy for nearly one of a half-century has been sustained on oil from the Middle East, which remained in their interest despite the advance of clean energy that the world is embracing. Not mentioning the dollar-based global monetary reserve system with the Fed as it's core. And we are still living with its consequences. This is exploitation. Usury and debt slavery are an abomination in the eyes of God. People are going back to their roots. There is an alternative, and there will always be. Community is much more than money. And the world must know we exist. The only way we could end this is by rejecting the power of money as a first step, and expose what the bankers are doing to our beloved country. But I agree that the UCC as an institution was evil, particularly as they violated the Quran's prohibition of mistreatment against minorities, like you, Scale."

"This manufactured clash of civilization has to be ended. In a multipolar world, Caliphate must exist. This is the only way for us Muslims to be able to contain the spread of Western decadence and having our place back in the world community. If you believe in people's right to self-determination and anti-colonialism as written in the preamble of the old 1945 Constitution which was retained in our new 2025 Constitution, so why not a federated Caliphate with respect and tolerance to minorities that basically just like what we believe in our motto "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" or Unity in Diversity, to be re-established one way or another? And for true democracy in the region, there must be no Jewish state. You Christians here have more in common with us than the Jews! I really hope you think about this, Charge, and everyone here, for sake of our families!"

"Well, to answer your question in the end, Charge; shouting that with a couple of my friends back in Jakarta and throwing a Molotov is what got me in here."