Darkening Skies: The Cyclonia Ascendant
The Storm Hawks world concept is copyright to Nerd Corps and Asaph Fipke.
Aerrow, Stork, Piper, Starling, Junko, Finn, Radarr and other Sky Knights are the intellectual property of Asaph Fipke and copyright to Nerd Corps.
Master Cyclonis, Dark Ace, Ravess, Snipe and the Talons are the intellectual property of Asaph Fipke and copyright to Nerd Corps.
Repton and the Raptors are the intellectual property of Asaph Fipke and copyright to Nerd Corps.
Ageless Specter, Lord Xivor and The Ancients are the intellectual property of AgelessSpecter and used with permission.
Marrshal, Psychos and Lord Astrel are my intellectual property; please credit them as such if for some reason you use them.
Chapter 6
The infiltration of the mining terra had gone off nearly without a hitch, the only problem occurring when Nimbus almost slammed his skimmer into the side of the terra due to nervousness. What he had said before was true, he really was not the best Sky Knight in the world, but now that they were on solid ground again he seemed more at ease. At least that would make this next part of the mission that much easier. The six of them had kept mostly out of sight, but always acted as though they belonged there; a ruse greatly enhanced by the Talon uniforms they were wearing. Piper had always wondered why the Cyclonians had never bothered to change the design of their uniforms considering how many had been stolen by Sky Knights. Then again, maybe Master Cyclonis did not realize just how many uniforms had actually been stolen or lost.
Casually, so as not to arouse too much suspicion, the team boarded the first destroyer and headed for the engine room. There Junko and Nimbus pretended to run an engine analysis while the rest of the team planted eruption crystal empowered explosives in critical areas of the engines. Since there were not many Talons about right now, no one noticed their abnormal activity, a mistake they would certainly regret here soon. As the team finished planting the explosives, they headed over to the second destroyer to repeat the process. However, as they approached the second cruiser, a voice came from behind them.
"Hold it, I don't recognize you." A Talon said as he and his squad marched up to the group of incognito Sky Knights. "I'll need to see your work order and identifications."
"Of course, just a second." Aerrow said as he reached into his work kit to pull out the forged identifications and work orders. Under other circumstances, Radarr would have been hiding in the work kit to attack the Talons, but they all had agreed that security at the site would be too tight for then to cause such a racket. So instead, they had crafted false identifications and work orders to hopefully fool a casual inspection by any Talon. By the look on the squad leader's face, he was not quite convinced.
"Well, I suppose everything checks out." The squad leader said thoughtfully as he looked over the group of 'workers.' After a long moment of thought, he finally continued, "Although you would probably be more useful working on the crystal converters in the mining equipment power plant," he said, pointing at Junko. At this pronouncement, Aerrow felt a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. If they were separated, there was no guarantee that the separated people would manage to escape the terra before they were discovered. Both his and Piper's minds raced as they tried to think up an excuse that would prevent the Talons from breaking up the group.
"I should probably be the one to go." Nimbus said suddenly before either Aerrow or Piper could speak, "My friend here may be more experienced with crystal converters in general, but as you can see from the specialization codes on my ID, I have more experience with the requirements for mining equipment crystal converters. I would have a better understanding of the tolerances the converters would need."
"Well, alright." The Talon said, caught slightly off guard by this new development.
"Just give me a minute to transfer some of my blueprints to my colleagues and I'll join you." Nimbus said as he started sorting through the equipment in his work kit. The Talon squad, clearly uninterested in the proceedings, backed off and waited for Nimbus to finish.
"What are you doing?" Starling whispered in a harsh voice, "You don't have the tools necessary to do any of that work. They'll catch you for sure."
"Better me than one of you Storm Hawks." Nimbus replied in a hushed tone as he handed over the explosives hidden in his kit, "Can you imagine the blow to morale if one of you were to be killed? I'm no one special, no one will miss me, and I'll just be dismissed as a casualty of war. I don't want to do this, but I know my duty as a Sky Knight. All other concerns are secondary." From the tone of his voice, it was clear that the other Sky Knight knew what his fate would likely be and was prepared to accept it. His tone also said that he would not let anyone else take his place, not that they could do so anymore without raising suspicion among the Talons. With nothing else to say, the other Storm Hawks quietly accepted the explosives and nodded silent goodbyes as Nimbus walked over to the Talons and gestured, indicating his readiness to get to work on the mining converters. Realizing their cover could be blown any minute now, the remaining members of the team quickly boarded the second destroyer and planted their explosives. Once they had accomplished their aims, the group quickly made their way back to where their skimmers were hidden, leaving Nimbus's skimmer behind in case the other Sky Knight managed to escape. According to the plan, as soon as they returned to the Condor, they would detonate the explosives, clearing the way for the Sky Knight assault to proceed.
"Finally, it is good to be back in proper uniform." Marrshal said as he adjusted his chest armor and strode quietly out of the empty conference room adjoining the defense command center. In the center of the command center, the Dark Ace stood watching the Talons conduct the day to day business of monitoring security threats. At the sound of Marrshal clearing his throat, Dark Ace turned and nodded to his fellow Talon commander as Marrshal walked up to the taller man.
"I trust you have completed your mission successfully?" Dark Ace said as he turned his attention back to the Talons working at their consoles.
"Who do you think I am, Snipe?" Marrshal said in a slightly grating tone. Obviously the spymaster had not taken his failure to prevent the prison break well and, although Master Cyclonis had taken his failure in stride as simply the result of his lack of combat ability, Marrshal evidently held himself to a higher standard of performance in his tasks. Probably a good sign that he was frustrated at his inability to fight, a marked difference from Ravess or Snipe, who probably would have made up some excuse. Nonetheless, the Dark Ace did not hold such a low opinion of Marrshal, at least not yet, and he may as well make that opinion known.
"Not at all spymaster, I was merely asking a rhetorical question. I await any information you might supply, as soon as you wish to provide it." The Dark Ace said in as contrite a tone as possible, which was less a remorseful tone and more a tone used for idle banter.
"Your tone is rather insincere, although no doubt your apology is relatively sincere. Very well… the Sky Knights are planning a frontal assault on this terra, as could be expected considering that Harrier of the Rex Guardians is the one leading the attack. Such a tactic would normally result in horrible losses among the Sky Knights, but the Storm Hawks have devised a plan that would shift the strategic advantage back to favor the Sky Knights. The information Nimbus so willingly provided before we shipped him off to prison has revealed the details of the plan in full. The Storm Hawks have planted explosives in the engines of our destroyers, intending to detonate them just prior to the main Sky Knight assault. While it would be a relatively simple matter to find and remove the explosives, this is not what our master intends. Instead, the explosive should be relocated to non-vital areas of the ships where the explosions will visually approximate the same result as the detonation of the explosives in their intended locations." Marrshal explained in a quiet voice so the Talons would not overhear, "A diagram of the exact positions the explosives must be relocated to will be provided for any of the Talons that you assign to the task, but haste is of the essence. You know the plan that our master intends, and the Storm Hawks have provided the perfect cover for the plan to proceed."
"I remember the message Master Cyclonis sent, you just be sure to follow through with your part." The Dark Ace said as Marrshal left the command center. Once the spymaster had left the room, he looked down at the map that had somehow appeared in his hand, silently griping about how sneaky the man was. After taking a moment to indulge his irritation, the Dark Ace called for several of the Talon squad captains.
Aerrow sighed as he and the rest of the infiltration team returned to the Condor. With the explosives in place and the team back on the Condor, now was the time to detonate the explosives and then join the main incoming assault. Originally their plan had been to launch their own separate attack that would carry over into the Sky Knight attack, but the other Sky Knights had organized with haste and had probably launched no more than an hour or two behind the Storm Hawks. With that information, Piper had revised their plan in route so that the team would join the main assault. It was partially a matter of convenience but more a matter of dealing with the Dark Ace, who was certain to show up in the coming battle.
"Stork, take us out of here and hit the detonator." Piper said into the intercom system as the Condor's engines roared, moving the ship forward and about as Stork turned the Condor toward the oncoming Sky Knight attack. It did not take long for the attack wave to come into view, a massive armada of Sky Knights and any associated carriers, all headed for the mining terra. As the Condor joined the formation, Aerrow and the other Storm Hawks deployed out of the hanger and took up their own positions in the formation. It would only be a few minutes before the attack wave broke through the inner 'wall' of the cloud bank surrounding the terra, and then the real attack would begin.