A few years prior to the onset of World War 2, the German Luftwaffe took part in the Spanish Civil War. It was over the skies of Northern Spain that a very special Dornier 17 first took flight. It was no ordinary aircraft, but a dragon in disguise that had been discovered some years earlier. This would be her first taste of combat.

In the years that followed, Erika would eventually be pressed into service against the allies in World War 2. She served as a night fighter, silently swooping down upon British bombers and ripping the wings from their planes. Throughout the war, the Nazi government managed to keep her existence secret, but one day, she transferred to the eastern front. Along the way there, she was flown over the concentration camps, and could smell the stench of death in the air. She could see the horrors below, and after that day, she refused to fly. Nazi scientists would attempt to force her, but would prove unsuccessful. Her use as a night fighter became further obsolete with the advent of more advanced radar systems. In time, efforts to continue the program would fade, and Erika would spend the rest of the war locked in a bunker.

After the war, Erika was initially captured by the Soviet military, along with her bunker. Using the very same facility in east Germany, the Soviets tried to harness Erika's power for the Red Air Force. Though unsuccessful, the documents and technology available allowed the Soviets to tame and later deploy their own OTFs in conflicts such as the Vietnam War, and elsewhere.

At the end of the Cold War, and after the reunification of Germany, Erika's bunker would be rediscovered by the newly reorganized Bundeswehr; the Federal Defence Forces of Germany. Found in poor health and deplorable conditions, Erika would not be able to fly even if she wanted to. Though they were able to nurse her back to health, it would still be over two decades before she would choose to fly again. In that time, after the formation of the European Union, the United Kingdom would learn of the surviving OTF and offer what assistance they could. Germany would learn that not only the British, but also the Americans had experience with these rare creatures.

At last, Erika's desire for a pilot would be answered one fateful December morning. Visiting his older brother at the base, young Kleiner mistakenly entered Erika's hangar, and was immediately swallowed by her. Emergency teams rushed into action trying to free the boy, who was only a civilian at the time. Among the rescue team was his older brother, 2LT Guntram, a Tornado pilot serving with the Luftwaffe's Tactical Air Force Wing 33. The dragon swallowed him as well, and then broke out of the hangar. For the first time in 75 years, Erika flew. She flew across the country until her wings could no longer carry her, then came down in the German countryside just after dusk. Miraculously, the two she had swallowed were still alive. Erika became obsessed with the younger brother especially, and so Kleiner was conscripted into service with the Luftwaffe. However, although she would fly with Kleiner, she would not follow orders without his older brother 2LT Guntram. Finding that she needed two Drachenpilots (dragon pilots) to operate, the Panavia Aircraft company developed a disguise for her based off the Tornado, which would allow her to participate in daytime flights.

Today, she still serves under the Tactical Air Force Wing 33, which is the only remaining unit in the German Air Force capable of delivering nuclear weapons until at least the year 2025.

Erika and her pilots are eventually sent to the international war game known as the Red Flag Exercise, which is hosted by the United States. It is said that if a pilot survives their first ten missions, their chances of survival increase dramatically over the course of their career. Red Flag is designed to simulate those first ten missions, and for the first time in the history of Red Flag, Erika is one of several OTFs from the international community who are participating.

Obligatory music.

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Commissioned from  Rupie. Erika is featured in the Hisone and Masotan fan fiction, Dragon Pilot: Red Flag.

Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan is a Netflix original series. Please support the official release.