Flak rounds hurled towards each of the falcons, enveloping them in a black smoke, either leaving them injured to fly back or falling from the sky.
Varis, shocked, aimed his flak rifle around, desperately turning to find the source through the dark night sky.
Soldiers began flying around, avoiding flak as it seemed to just appear out of thin air to hit them.
"ENGAGE ANY YOU FIND!" The officer yelled. More got hit as they flew around, locating the unknown shooter, or shooters. With his rifle's sights aimed in front of him, Varis spotted one of them, through the darkness, a figure dashing out of sight. With shock and a spike or adrenaline he charged through the sky towards them, giving chase as he engaged at night. As he flew to the location, he spotted the figure, dashing around opening fire on Varis along with a few others around the sky. Through clouds and passed other dogfights, Varis engaged with the enemy, firing flak, passing through it as he pushed on. The two spiraled around, trying to hit each other, merely grazing or missing as their bodies breezed around, in great speeds, flying in different directions.
A flak round blew up in front Varis, in less than a second, shards embedded into his armor and gear, shielding his face with his hands, he felt the piercing pain around his body. Injured, Varis continued chasing, firing more and more, forming walls of black in front of the enemy as they flew.
The hostile continued flying around, reloading as they fought on.
The hostile turned around, prepared to return fire. But before the trigger could be pulled, a flak round slammed into the hostile's chest.
The enemy looked down at the wound, shocked.
"Eat the dirt runt." A flurry of flak buried the hostile quick. Varis continued firing as more rounds were shot at the target, making a ball of black smoke in front of him.
The mangled silhouette of the hostile fell through the sky, coupled with bits and pieces of metal, disappearing under the clouds below.
Varis clenched his chest, his arms absorbed the flak headed for his head, on his armor, he could feel the damage on it, stopping less shards but still taking damage.
Observing his wounds for a few seconds, he held his rifle once again, flying back to the lights of his comrades, joining them in the fight.
He quickly engaged in a dogfight with a fellow falcon, the two flew around as they both supressed the hostile in front, in a few seconds, the battle was over. Their body quickly falling in the sky unto the dirt far below.
Varis' strength weakened as the pain and wounds continued on, but the battle was not yet over, looking around Varis looked for more engagements, joining the first one he found. Falcons dashed around him as they fought on, seeing more of his allies falling down the sky, getting caught or falling to the clouds.
In the dogfight, his fellow teammate fell, hit by flak, Looking back at the flying enemy, he flew down to get his ally, wrapping his arm around their chest, hearing the pained groans. He began fleeing away, the hostile, looking back, began flying forward.
Varis was weaker, along with carrying a fellow soldier, he struggled to fire. With his rifle he shot at the rapidly approaching hostile, the tables turning seeing flak explode nearer and nearer to him as he tried his best to protect who he was carrying and himself. With one arm, he fired his flak rifle, the rounds missed the hostile, irritating him as he continued flying, slower than before. Flak shards became embedded as he continued fighting back, feeling each shard embedded into his exposed skin and the flak armor taking more and more damage, sensing himself weakening as he continued trying to shield the injured soldier.
As he flew, a cloud of smoke spawned in front of him as flak fired from his side, the enemy who was once firing was buried in flak shards, falling down. Varis looked to where the shots came from, fellow falcons flew forward, assessing the kill they did. One flew towards Varis, looking at him and the unconscious ally he held with his arm. The falcon took the man, another falcon approached, looking at Varis as he stood, his consciousness fading in and out. As his gear malfunctioned from the sustained damage, and slowly succumbing to his wounds, Varis closed his eyes, starting to fall before one of the falcons grabbed onto him.
"All units regroup into formation." The leader ordered. Now carrying two, they flew back to the rapidly converging lights as they formed into a square.
"If you're carrying any injured or unconscious allies, head to the front of formation, same goes for those who are still conscious but injured." The leader added while the two flew back.
As they arrived, they both formed at the front, a line of falcons hovered at the front of the square, staring at the leader, carrying the bodies of their comrades, unconscious and injured while a few others were clenching their arms or chests. The leader moved along the line, looking at the injured in front of him.
The leader spoke into his comms, but it wasn't received by anyone.
"I called medical personnel to the landing platform, stay inside the formation, we'll head back." He spoke.
The line of falcons went inside the square, positioning themselves at the center of it as the non injured moved away to give room.
In a second, the leader flew back, the battalion following after.
Falcons, injured or carrying others flew in the center, a circular gap formed with them and the other falcons of the battalion.
Varis remained unconscious, injured but stil alive as the flak injuries took their toll on him.
The flight back was accompanied by silence and the cold breezing winds. Their speed was faster than normal as the falcons gripped onto their unconscious comrades as they sped through, racing against time to arrive in time to the medical personnel.