Engagement at Rowsdower

We are still combing through records, but it's thin.
This article's title is a conjecture. There is no official name for the article's subject slthough it contains canon information.Any changes to the article's title should reflect consensus.
*This article is about an in-universe event. For the in-game mission, see Wayback.*

## Details

### Outcomes

**Pyrrhic Sicario victory*** Most of Sicario confirmed destroyed
* Hitman Team's identities publicized
* Rowsdower abandoned and condemned for Highway 34

*"And here they are. You're off the hook, sellouts."*
― Klara Rask
Following the Prospero Disaster, Sicario's Hitman Team and their AWACS headed back to Rowsdower Air Force Base, only to find themselves, caught up in an **impromptu engagement** with bounty hunters aligned with the Pacific Federation, along with some jealous allies turned traitor.

## Prelude

*"Turns out picking up your scraps wasn't enough for us, Hitman. This was the better deal. It's all business, I'm sure you guys understand."*
― Master Goose 1 explaining his betrayal
Despite losing the SP-34R to Hitman Team in Operation Null Star, Klara Rask eventually secured an X-PF prototype fighter and somehow learned of and leaked Hitman Team's identities. She also hired Master Goose Squadron, who'd been expressing bouts of jealousy towards Hitman Team's successes and fame, and convinced them that the Federation would eventually prevail as they'd done before. This led to them securing bettter aircraft later.

Because of the Cascadian Calamity Event, communications across the country were cut off, and bases on both sides were cut off from their frontline units. Furthermore, Hitman and their AWACS wanted to leave the now-burning country now that they considered the war as a lost cause, though the latter emphasized they had to find their allies first.

## Engagement

*"Sicario is toast, 'Mick, we should just cut it and run."
"You think I'm running?! All my stuff is down there!"
"We don't have the fuel to make it out of Cascadia anyway."*
― Hitman Team and their AWACS about fleeing the bounty hunters
The survivors, upon reaching their base, attempted to make contact with it, only to receive no response. Just then, Rask and Master Goose provoked Hitman Team into combat, leading to a tense fight Hitman couldn't run away from. They called Master Goose out for their defection, but in turn, Rask lectured them about the futility of their continued persistence and questioned them still being mercenaries.

Once Master Goose was dealt with and Rask's aircraft was damaged repeatedly, she revealed her knowledge of Hitman's identities and backgrounds, shocking them. She refused to elaborate other than claim their reputation was what got them into that mess, and when she was shot down a second time, she resigned to her fate and perished.

## Aftermath

*"This is Assassin 1 to all surviving units, cease radio silence."*
― Commander Arnold Frenken
Shortly after the dogfight ended, Arnold Frenken went on radio, confirming the base's survival. Radio silence was lifted and Sicario's survivors were sorted out. Just then, Captain J. Griffiths entered the airspace as well, and attempted to convince them to continue their contract. A hostile conversation ensued, with Griffiths begging to be listened to. Sicario reluctantly agreed to the arrangement and, after some tense minutes, settled to accept the deal he was handing to them to cover Hitman's backs and rebuild Sicario after the war.

Frenken was ordered to leave Cascadia to gather men from the Periphery to reinforce the now-battered Cascadian Independence Force. It would not be until over two months later that he returned to continue fighting with what remained of his organization. Due to Rowsdower Airbase about to be swallowed by the nearby geothermal fractures, Hitman opted to relocate to Highway 34, an unfinished roadway which in the past served as a series of emergency airstrips for aircraft in trouble.

## References

1. ↑ Sector D2 Limited. (2020). *Project Wingman* [Video game]. San Francisco, CA: Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Highway 34