Hiccup dashed up the hill dodging a flaming stream of kerosene gel, which set alight to a rack of fish. While protein synthesisers made up the vast majority of the colonies food, actual animals and grown crops where occasionally used for rewards, celebrations or for those who could afford the food, by that he meant mainly the occasional trader or tourist who would stop by. The nightmare lunged again, grabbing a habitat wall and attempting to seize Hiccup in it's oversized jaws.
Stoic spotted Hiccup weaving across the ground, dodging kerosene blasts and diving away from the mouth. He sighed, "Do not let them escape!". He retrieved his Tachyon splitter and began nearing the beast, which had managed to pursue Hiccup behind a small Gatling Cannon. He ducked down as the superheated gel incinerated the post and spilled around the edges, casting a faint orange glow on the nightmare, which was now making it's way around the post. He swung the weapon into position, and began firing blue bursts of FTL particles, many of which collided with the tough particle barriers of the nightmare, causing it to take note of his position
He swung the heavy rifle across it's jaw and threw it down. The dragon attempted to fire a stream of it's fire towards Stoic, but it only let out a small jet of flame, before making a belching sound, and spewing out the last of it's fuel reserves. "You're all out". He retrieved his gravity hammer and swung it again and again, knocking the nightmare down and cracking it's particle barrier. The now weakened dragon lunged, but he was ready for it and swung the hammer again, catching it in an uppercut and breaking several of it's teeth. The nightmare let out a screech and climbed into the night, lacking any food or resources to show for it's battle.
Oh, and there's one more thing you should know.
The AA tower collapsed as the steel foundations where burned away by the fire. The ammunition drums connected to the elongated barrels disconnected, and began rolling towards the three nadders trapped under a net. They escaped, grabbing several sheep on the way out and Hiccup flinched as it made contact with a wall and exploded, sending metal in all directions. The few remaining dragons disappeared into the morning sun as the two class K stars (Thor and Loki) in front of the outline of the main sequence class B star called Odin.
"Sorry Dad...", he said, cringing as it boomed distantly.
The now flaming ammunition drums exploded and Hiccup flinched again. He has turned back round to the heated stares of the entire colony. "Okay but I got a night fury", he said quickly. Instead, Stoic grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him forward.
"It's not like last time dad, I carnally did", he trued, hoping he would listen. "You guys weren't looking and my LIDAR got a clear shot, it went down just off ravens point, let's get a cruiser to bombard the - ". He was stopped when his dad turned around with a heated glare. "Stop!".
He paused for a moment, "Just stop, I have enough problems. It's been months since we got our last shipment from the alliance, the solar flare season is almost upon us, and I have an entire colony and a station to feed".
He looked around to the slightly... Wider bodies around him. "Between you and me the system could use a little less feeding don't ya think". He heard several murmurs as some people looked down, obviously self conscious of their weight.
"This isn't a joke. Why can't you follow the simplest orders". Some of the crowd (okay nearly all of the crowd) started nodding, "I can't help it, I see a dragon and I have to just, kill it you know?". His father just facepalmed, "Hiccup you are many things, but a dragon killer is not one of them", turning to Gobber he began to address the master-at-arms. "Take him back to the house, I have his mess to clean up again".
He glumly began the trek across scorched earth towards the chief's habitat module. On the way, he endured the ribbing from the other teens, who laughed gleefully at his humiliation. "Great work" "I've never seen anyone mess up that badly".
"Thank you all, thank you. I was trying, so...". Gobber knocked his bionic attachment against Snotlouts helmet which caused him to stumble and fall into the earth, he continued chuckling though after picking himself up. Astrid and Fishlegs where both silent. Astrid didn't even pay attention, Fishlegs gave him a pitied look as he continued up the hill, beginning to rant to Gobber, who listened to the boy.
"I really did hit one though"
"Of course you did Hiccup"
"He never listens, and he's so stubborn".
"I know, it runs in the family"
"And whenever he does it's with this disappointing scowl, like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich". Gobber rolled his eyes as the boy began to impersonate his father. Scottish accent and all.
"Excuse me, waitress. You've brought me the wrong offspring. I asked for an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra honour and glory on the side", he said, pointing to the muscles on his arms, or rather the lack thereof. "This here, this is a talkin' fishbone". They reached the sliding door and a shoom announced it had opened. Still they continued talking, "No yer thinkin' about this all wrong, it's not what you look like, it's what's inside he can't stand". Hiccup just stared, his mentor hadn't done much to help, "Thank you for summing that up". Gobber tried a different approach, "Look, the point is, stop trying to be something you're not". He pushed through the entrance, lowering his head in defeat, "I just want to be one of you guys". The door closed, but moments later the back door opened, and he leapt through, racing into the woods with a data-pad.
B3RK Command Center
The command centre of berk. A place where strategic decisions took place, military alliances where negotiated, and the few frigates, cruisers and corvettes where coordinated. As of the current moment, the room was in a slight uproar as the admiral attempted to solve the problems. "Either we finish them or they finish us!". A huge holographic representation of the system was projected in the center, with various locations marked, including a huge asteroid field covered in dense nebula dusts and DRADIS proof barriers. "It's the only way we'll be rid of them". He grabbed a bayonet from the side, "If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave, they'll find another home". He thrust the bayonet into the projector, causing it to crackle slightly and leaving a slight mark on the table. "One more search, before the solar flare begins".
One of the less aggressive colonists raised a fair point, "Those ships always end up destroyed". He ignored it, "We're alliance colonists, it's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?". The table was suspiciously silent. With several colonists and military men murmuring in the background. After a few moments, he used his trump card, "Alright... those who stay, can train hiccup in explosive and nuclear ordnance disposal". Literally moments later the entire room had raised their hands, including his brother Spitelout, who stated, "I'm with you Stoic". He grumbled in victory, "That's more like it".
Spitelout nodded, "How do we go about it?". Stoic gestured to the defence fleet in orbit. "Prepare three cruisers and 12 frigates, full weapons complement. Load their MACs and prepare the FTL drives and DRaDiS sensors for asteroid field". He nodded and began shelling out orders. "Hoark? Load the ships with small arms and have the ODP network on maximum alert". He nodded, pressing several buttons, as dozens of small plasma lances in orbit began high intensity scanning. Several asteroid mounted missile batteries extended LIDAR arrays, which where outdated compared to DRaDiS, but could detect subspace signatures and stealthed enemies.
Gobber finished his Elysium brewed cider, "Rightio, I'll pack my undies". Stoic approached the two limbed colonist and shook his head, "No, I need you to stay and train some new recruits". He sat back down, pushing his pint glass back slightly on the table. "Oh perfect, and while I'm busy Hiccup can cover the arms locker. Ionised plasma, explosive compounds, magnetic accelerators, lots of spare time. I wonder what could possibly go wrong". He took a sip from his drink, "Oh what am I gonna do with him Gobber". His lifelong friend looked at him with a gaze that said the answer was obvious. "Put him in training with the others".
"I'm serious"
"So am I".
Stoic fixed him with a cold glare, "He'd be killed before you let the first dragon out of it's cage".
Gobber waved him off, "Oh you're not a psionic you don't know that".
"I may not be psionic, but I do know that"
"No ye don't"
"Actually, I do"
"No, yah don't", he said, finishing the discussion, or so he thought. "Listen, yah know what he's like, from the time he could crawl, he's been... different. He doesn't listen, he has the attention span of a sparrow. I take him shooting, and he goes hunting for... for Cylons". Gobber turned round, a deadly serious look on his face, "Cylons exist! They're sentient robots. But only female ones look good, the males are just old, what's with that?". He retook his seat at the table. "When I was a boy".
Gobber rolled his eyes, having heard this speech so many times before. "Oh here we go", he continued to peer into his drink, looking for his prosthetic tooth, which had somehow managed to detach itself when he mentioned the Cylons. "My father told me to bang my head against a titanium-C plate and I did it. I thought he was crazy, but I didn't question him. You know what happened?", he asked rhetorically. Gobber, who was still fishing around for his tooth answered sarcastically, "You got a headache and went to the med tent to be treated for blunt force trauma". Stoic ignored him, "That armour split in two, It taught me what a colonist can do Gobber, he can crush planets, level asteroid fields, tame neutron stars".
He calmed down slightly and took the seat next to Gobber. "Even as a boy I knew what I was, what I had to become. Hiccup is not that boy". Gobber twisted to face the aging admiral, "You can't stop him Stoic, you can only prepare him". He stood up again, facing the huge map, "I know it seems hopeless but the truth is you won't always be around to protect him. He's going to get out there again, he's probably out there now!".
Stoic considered his friend's words, before finally coming to a decision.
