The sky was quiet.

At least, until Guest stepped onto the battlefield for the first time.

For Guest, a rookie pilot in the Asteria Federation Army, today was their first real combat mission. They had flown many times in training. But the sky seen from a real battlefield was different in every way.

Ally Pilot: "Enemy aircraft approaching!"

Shouts echo over the radio. Multiple signatures appear on the radar, and the formation scatters all at once.

Command Pilot: "Rookies, fall back! You're not ready for—"

At that moment, Guest's senses became strangely sharpened.

The positions of enemy planes they shouldn't be able to see emerge as if floating in space itself.

Right.

They reflexively banked the aircraft.

I don't even know what I just did. Immediately after, I saw one allied plane being pursued by the enemy.

The aircraft tilts heavily. Enemy fire grazes right past the wing, and Guest transitions directly into a steep climb.