As I settle into my chair, savoring the salty crunch of fries, I glance up at the sky just in time to catch my F-1 Eagle and F-2 Fighter locking horns in a fierce dogfight. The engines roar, distant but intense, as the F-2 barrels down on the Eagle, trying to keep pace with its quick and nimble maneuvers. The F-1 dips, dives, and rolls, dodging the tracer rounds zipping through the air.

The F-2 isn't backing down, though. It presses hard, lining up for a shot, and a quick burst of gunfire echoes as it attempts to nail the Eagle. But my F-1’s pilot knows better. With a sharp yank on the stick, the F-1 pulls into a tight, wild turn—what I like to call the “doo-turn,” a move so sharp it almost feels unnatural. The F-2 overshoots, blowing past its target, leaving it wide open for a counterattack.

I can’t help but grin. Classic rookie mistake.

The Eagle immediately stabilizes, and I watch as it swings around with predatory precision, the F-2 now in its crosshairs. The F-1 fires, and I hear the distant thud of its 20mm cannons unleashing hell. The rounds slam into the F-2, rattling its airframe, but the heavy fighter takes it like a champ. The F-2’s stronger armor and bulk keep it airborne, though it’s clearly struggling.

Not ready to call it quits, the F-2 switches tactics. It pulls into a two-circle fight, banking hard to get behind the F-1. It's a gutsy move, and for a second, I’m impressed by its tenacity. The F-2 is slower, but its pilot’s pulling out all the stops. I watch as the two fighters spin and twist through the air, circling each other like sharks, each trying to get the advantage.

But I know the outcome before it happens. The F-1, with its lighter frame and better turning radius, starts to close the gap. It’s only a matter of time. A few more seconds pass, and the F-1 locks in for the kill. Another burst of cannon fire erupts, and this time, the F-2 doesn’t stand a chance. The rounds tear through its engine, and the aircraft erupts into flames, spinning out of control as it plummets toward the ground.

I let out a low whistle as the fireball crashes into the distant hills. That’s going to be a hefty bill, but I can’t complain. Watching my fighters push their limits, even if it’s costly, is always worth it.

I make a quick note in my mind of needing atleast two F-2s fighters necessary to properly hunt down an agile single-engine fighter like the F-1. Despite their size and firepower, the F-2s need teamwork to pin down the smaller planes. Although, when they do catch the F-1 in a straight-up gunfight, the F-2’s extra weight of 20mm lead has no problem ripping through the Eagle’s light frame. But today? The F-1 came out on top.

With the dogfight over, I sent all the fighters back to base for repairs. The lost ones... well, they’re gone for good, but at least I got some solid insights out of it. Maybe if I’d added remote-controlled turrets to the F-2s, they might’ve had a better chance. Something to think about for the next batch.

I gathered up my utensils and plates, carefully balancing them as I headed back home to wash up. The clatter of dishes filled the kitchen as I rinsed everything off. My airbases are now stocked with F-2 fighters, and so far, logistics have been holding up. Nothing too fancy, but it’s working. Though now, that little voice in my head, what I’ve come to call the ‘snail,’ is urging me to push my fleet logistics even further. I glance at my budget screen—8 million credits per day. It’s something, but if I’m being honest, it’s not as much as I’d like. Still, maybe I could treat myself to a new aircraft role or two.

As I scrubbed the last plate, my mind drifted to bombers. Or maybe even better—an AWACS plane like the E-2 Hawkeye. I’m not entirely sure how one works, but it seems simple enough: slap a radar on it. The F-1 and F-2 fighters already have basic radars, though they’re forward-facing and short-range. An AWACS, on the other hand, could scan in all directions—full 360 degrees, both above and below. That kind of advantage in scouting would be huge. Yeah, that’s it. An AWACS aircraft would give me eyes in the sky like never before.

I started drying the dishes, already thinking about what I’d need to design one. But then another idea hit me—what about aerial refueling? Those could be a game changer for long-range strike missions. With refueling, my fighters could stay in the air much longer, hit targets way out of range, and still make it back. I guess it’s time to add one or two to the list for trials.

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After washing the dishes, I decided to take a long, relaxing bath before heading to the aircraft design room. With the AWACS and refueling planes on my mind, another idea had started creeping in—bombers. I hadn't come across any missiles yet, so bombers carrying glide bombs could fill that gap perfectly. Glide bombs have way more punch than old-school gravity bombs, and the thought of them raining down on targets sounded... well, devastating.

I found myself standing in the design room, staring at the system screen, trying to picture what this new plane would look like. It needed to be big, powerful, and capable of handling multiple roles. I decided to go with a large airframe, something sturdy with four propeller engines, each pumping out 3000 horsepower. The idea is to give the bomber a high maximum ceiling, so it could hide itself up above the clouds, out of sight from most threats.

The design started taking shape. It had that classic heavy bomber look, reminding me a lot of the B-29 Superfortress, so I named it the B-1 Bomber. It could carry up to 15 bombs, each weighing 500 kilograms, all packed into its bomb bay. And the best part? They’d be guided glide bombs, not just dumb gravity drops. I smiled at the thought—precision bombing from the sky, with each payload drifting silently down toward its target.

I sat back, admiring the design. The B-1 is going to be my first true heavy bomber, and with its high altitude and payload capacity, I is confident it could deliver the kind of devastation I needed.

With the bomber design complete, I moved on to the next variant—the AWACS version. This one needed some major tweaks. I added larger fuel tanks for extended range and a more powerful radar system, which required cutting a hole in the top of the aircraft for the radar dome. I also packed in plenty of ground sensors, making it a true scouting machine. This aircraft isn't built for combat, just to scout, gather intel, and stay out of trouble.

Next up is the refueling aircraft. I kept the same airframe but replaced most of the internal carrying capacity with additional fuel tanks. I added a nozzle for aerial refueling, which would allow my planes to refuel mid-flight. It seemed almost magical how everything worked so easily—just by following my commands, the planes came together as if the universe itself is bending to my will. I named the refueling plane the RA-1, short for Refueling Aircraft. As for the AWACS, I called it the E-1 Skyeye. The name had a nice ring to it.

I am not done yet. With all the copy-pasting going on, I figured why stop there? I designed a cargo variant, using the same airframe and stats but with slightly more powerful engines—3500 hp each—and more efficient powerplants. I could've given these upgrades to my earlier designs, but I figured the cargo aircraft would benefit more from the extra power, especially for emergency supply drops. And honestly, having a dedicated cargo plane for strategic use sounded pretty handy.

By the end of the day, I had all the aircraft designs finalized. Tomorrow would be the real test—getting them airborne and figuring out if there were any kinks to work out before putting them into full production. With my daily credit income growing, I figured the 200,000-credit cost for each aircraft isn't too bad. I only ordered one of each model for testing, just to be safe.

*

After a couple of days, my aircraft finally arrived at Port Dos, shipped in parts and ready to be assembled at the airport. It took most of the morning to get everything put together, but by late morning, all my planes were ready for their trials.

Time to see how the bomber variant handled in action. I wanted to see its precision with my glide bombs, so I took the B-1 up for a trial bombing run. Reaching a high enough altitude, hiding above the clouds, and I marked a bunch of targets-which are just flatlands.

As the B-1 glided smoothly over the target, I gave the command. The bomb bay doors opened with a soft hum, and one by one, the 15 guided bombs dropped into the sky. Watching from the control room, I tracked each one as it gracefully soared down, gliding with pinpoint accuracy. The first few hit dead-on, followed by the rest. Almost all of them hit their mark, turning the structure below into a smoking wreckage. I smiled. The precision is nearly perfect—just what I wanted.

Next up is the mid-air refueling trial. I watched as the RA-1, my refueling aircraft, flew into position. Below it, a lone F-2 Heavy Fighter soared in, lining up with the nozzle trailing behind the RA-1. The process is delicate, but watching the fighter match its speed to the tanker and connect with the refueling nozzle is impressive. The F-2 latched on, and fuel flowed seamlessly, giving the fighter an extended range that would be crucial for longer missions.

The tests went smoother than expected. The AWACS performed beautifully, soaring through the sky like it's born to scout. Its radar picked up everything within range, and after a few hours of testing and flying from Port Dos to Port Primo, I knew it's a success. The refueling aircraft did its job, and even the cargo variant handled well.

By the time the trials wrapped up, I felt satisfied although this air fleet is pricey, I'm sure my air fleet will be greatly effective in terms of combat powers. With everything working as planned and the day’s work done, I called it a success.