October 2/Afhumryanj 28

Several days later, they see the dragon leave the mountain and it seems to be in a rage. It lays waste to the side of the mountain with its fire. Piper and Chloe cling to each other for comfort as they watch in dismay, afraid for their the little invasion party. The size of the beast appears to be a category 4 or 5.

When the beast finally gives up scorching the side of the peak, Piper is absolutely beside herself. Chloe isn't holding up well either. Mako sits with them, holding them as they let out their grief. Raleigh brings his thought on the beast's attacks and a tidbit of hope, "Girls, I don't think the dragon found what it was trying to kill. It wouldn't have taken long to roast that small party. But he kept at it for a long time. He was really frustrated. Dragons were lazy creatures in the legends. He wouldn't spend that much time for nothing. They could have taken shelter in the peak. You had said they were the stuff of legend. Have faith in them."

...
October 3/Afhumryanj 29 -Mid morning...

With a roar that carries the distance, Smaug leaves his den again, flying fast.

Raleigh notices first that Smaug is headed south toward them, and orders the crews to battle stations. They barely have time to initiate drift before he's close enough to attack with his flaming breath. Smaug is easily larger than either Jaegger.

"I hate the flying ones..." Raleigh mutters aloud to all as he and Mako dodge the first blast.

Piper and Chloe run and jump, tackling the beast and bringing it down to the ground. They start rolling out the chain blade to go for the kill, but Smaug tucks in his wings and rolls over on top of the Corona hoping to crush his attacker.

The Gipsy manages the first strike, but it's a glancing blow. No real damage. Smaug flips over away from the Gipsy, and frees the Corona. He's about to go airborne again, but Chloe and Piper make a strike to his wing, crippling it.

Smaug roars, "No one can defeat me. I am Smaug the Golden, The Terror of All!" He sucks in a breath, preparing for a massive fire spurt. The girls try to dodge, but his long agile neck can track any direction they can go.

The Gipsy's stab into the dragon's side distracts him from the Corona. He only singes the Jaeger. It leaves him open to the girl's blade and a deep cut to the neck near the top of the head. The next blow from the Gipsy renders him unable to lift his head. Chloe and Piper scream together in rage as they take the stroke that decapitates the beast.

After a few moments to catch their breaths, the girls have a plan. "Captain, requesting permission to deliver the head of Smaug to the king," Piper proudly half asks, half demands.

"Very well. They should know it's fate," Raleigh relents.

The Corona's hands pick up the head like a bowling ball and both giant robots make their way at a quick pace toward the solitary peak.

"Piper, what are we going to say? I don't think they're in the market for a drake's head." Chloe asks.

"Well, we could leave a note," Piper suggests semi-seriously.

"That would be sooooo romantic..." Chloe's sarcasm makes Piper sticks her tongue out at her sister.

"I was kind of serious. It would get Thorin's attention..."

"And you think we can just leave a little paper note with it? It's not like we have any with us anyway?"

"No, but we'll think of a way..." Piper insists on hanging on to the plan.

It takes several hours to reach the Lonely Mountain, when they thought it would be just a short jaunt. The sheer height of the peak made the distance deceptive.

Upon reaching the base, they take a break and plan their approach. Piper exits and takes her blow torch to write a message in the runes of the Khuzdul language on a fairly flat faced boulder.

When both crews are ready for the encounter, they make their way to the gates. Enormous dwarf statue guardians with double bladed axes on each side of the gate stand much taller than the Jaegers. Cathedral like spire carvings tower above the broken ramparts. Large chunks of the battlements lay strewn around the base of the former gates. Many large scratches are in the lower sections where Smaug must have clung to the battlements when he chose to enter from above.

"I wish we could have seen this before Smaug took over! That must have been Dale behind us. And the gates to Erebor had to be even more impressive..." Chloe remarks as they take in the scene.

"Whoa...That's where the dragon broke in. He tore through the ramparts like they were kids building blocks..." Piper gapes then adds, "That's where we're going to leave it!"

Piper and Chloe duck into the dragon's entrance and turn on their outside speakers to announce their presence, "Uhm, hello...anyone home? The crews of the Black Corona and Gipsy II have news for the company of his majesty, Thorin..."

The Corona places the items in the entryway that Smaug had used. Hoping that those who see the items would enjoy the irony.

"Hello? King Thorin! Is anyone here?" Chloe's voice resonates in the once stunningly ornate chamber.

"Whoa, girls - check this out!" Raliegh's voice excitedly invites them as he turns on the Gipsy's night lights to highlight walkways, stairways, pillars, statues that reach the ceiling of the great cavern and windows everywhere to what must have been an unimaginable city. "No wonder the dwarves don't feel uncomfortable underground. This place is so vast!"

As they walk over to the other crew, the Corona's foot steps off a cliff and they grab the wall to regain balance. They turn on their lights and see a remnant of a network of bridges going off into a deep, deep black chasm. Mako's voice comes in as the Gipsy helps the Corona regain it's feet, "Smaug must have headed down there, and considering how big he was and how amazing this place is...the treasure he stole had to be of astronomical proportions..."

"But where are the fourteen? Where are Thorin and Fili and Kili and the others?" Piper worries out loud.

"How do we let them know it's safe and that we're here? I don't want to damage this hall any further by jumping up and down or smashing anything" Piper adds her concern.

"I'm getting out and checking this place out on foot. Maybe we can split up to search for them and mark our paths so we don't get lost," Chloe decides.

"Girls I don't think we'll be welcomed here, if they are here. Mako and I will be staying here - keeping guard over the entrance. I won't stop you from going - knowing how worried you two are, but you're entering a place you could be attacked," Raleigh informs them.

Both girls wrap up in coats and grab water, flashlights, flare guns, and radios before heading out. Piper looks to Chloe and verifies, "Check in every 30 minutes, right? Ok. I'll head East, you head West. Good luck sis!"

Stepping over the multitudes of remains of a dwarven army, Chloe makes her way down the interior West passage ways, scanning in each doorway and yelling for Thorin's company.

Several hours in, the gloom and voices in her head get to her. Her dread grows to the point that it feels unbearable. How can she ever hope to find them here in this entire kingdom underground, IF they did survive? Why wouldn't Thorin let the Jaeger crews come with? Where did they go when Smaug attacked the mountain? What would she do if she did find them and they didn't make it? How would she deal with it if Kili didn't make it?

"Damn it!" Chloe screams at the doubts taunting her and takes her pain out on the wall pounding her fists into it until she's sure she's bruised them. Crackling on her radio brings her back from her despair. "Chloe, how are you holding up?" Piper's voice sounds upset.

"Not well. The voices in my head won't shut up and it's driving me crazy. It's so blasted depressing here in this abandoned place. You?"

"Not much better. This place is beautiful but the gloom of lives and hopes lost here is getting to me too. How about we mark our places and rest for the evening?" Piper suggests.

"Sounds like a plan girls. The temp is dropping already and snow is falling outside. Hurry back if you can before the sun sets. I'm guessing it will be an hour to hour and a half earlier due to being in the bowl of the mountain's arms."

"Piper, talk with me on the way back..." Chloe meekly requests.

"Ok. Tell me what you'll do when you see Kili again."

"Oh, Sis, how did we fall for them so fast? It wouldn't be so hard if this was a rescue party for random people."

"Well, they might be the first guys in a long time to like us for more than our status. But they are pretty darn easy to fall for, aren't they?"

...

After making it back to the entrance, the crews eat and setup watch shifts for the night. The winter cold forces them to stay inside the Jaegers.