Chapter Thirty-Four: The Battle of Altoona Province – The Roman Schism
South of Silverton
Task Force Therian
March 26th, 2246 – 0424 Hours
Calvin ice blasted a battery of Roman field artillery as Henderson, Sheva, and the other post-humans with them attacked the surrounding Roman forces
"You're doing good Calvin! Keep it up!" Valka shouted to Calvin as he turned his attention to a group of a Roman tanks who trying to get into position to fire at him before he ice blasted them
"Looks like we're getting the kind of attention that we want them to give us!" Earc shouted as Roman reinforcements in the form of more tanks and artillery arrived
"Good that means the plan is working!" Henderson replied, "Calvin freeze those fuckers where they stand!"
"I'll be my pleasure!" Calvin said telepathically as he turned to face the newly arrived Roman forces as they rushed to get into position to fire, crushing a Roman self-propelled gun beneath one of his feet as a Roman flak gun began hammering away at Calvin's head, but couldn't penetrate the tough hide which was toughened to withstand deep ocean water pressure before a Gronckle lava blasted it
"FOCUS ALL FIRE ON THE BEWILDERBEAST!" A Roman Commander shouted as two of his tanks fired their guns at Calvin, who ice blasted them and the other Roman forces as two Blackwater Hinds peppered Calvin's side with rockets and cannon rounds
"Take out those hinds!" Henderson shouted to the other post-humans as the Hinds flew over Calvin and began to turn around to make another attack run on his other side, only for one of them to be taken in a strafing run from an F-40
"Good to see some friendly airpower other than us!" Sheva shouted as the F-40 flew by as the other Hind was blasted out of the sky by a Rumblehorn, who shot off its tail rotor and sent it spiraling out of control
"That never gets old!" The Rumblehorn roared as the Hind exploded when it crashed into the ground while Calvin ice blasted a Blackwater tank column, noticing the two laser tanks following it
"Shit I hate these things…" Calvin thought to himself as the first laser tank aimed its cannon up at him as it began to charge up before he ice blasted it and the other laser tank behind it as a nearby Blackwater Trooper fired a RPG at Calvin's leg before Earc fire blasted him
"We're going to need more men to hold all these Romans and mercenaries off Sergeant-Major!" Earc shouted to Henderson
"I agree!" He replied as he contacted Reaper with his translation collar's radio
"What is it?" Reaper replied over the radio
"Its Jayden sir, the plan is working, but we're attracting too much attention and we're starting to get a bit overwhelmed, can you send us some additional forces to help alieve the pressure a little?" Henderson asked him with his translation collar's radio
"I can't, but I know somebody who can and I believe you might be familiar with him unless I'm mistaken!" Reaper replied over the radio
"I would ask who you're talking about, but I'm too busy, just tell him we need whatever help he can send us!" Henderson shouted to him with his translation collar's radio as he narrowly avoided a SAM
"Okay I will, just hold on for a bit longer if that isn't too much to ask!" Reaper replied over the radio as several Blackwater Troopers fired grappling hooks up onto Calvin's head and began trying to climb up while he was distracted by a Roman tank platoon
"I don't think so!" Valka shouted as she used her staff to pry the grappling hooks off of Calvin sending the Blackwater troopers falling to their deaths while the APMSF Stormtroopers riding Henderson and his men picked off Blackwater and Roman soldiers on the ground below
"Okay some of this shit they're throwing at me is starting to hurt!" Calvin shouted telepathically
"Just hold on, back-up is coming!" Henderson replied as a group of Romans began to deploy a battery of commandeered Isotxian heavy howitzers
"Jesus Christ those are some big fucking guns!" Hazel shouted
"They're 203mms, those things are designed to bust bunkers!" An Isotxian Zippleback shouted
"Well I'm not a fucking bunker!" Calvin replied telepathically as he turned toward the heavy howitzers as their crews loaded shells into them
"Fire!" A Roman Officer shouted before the howitzers fired a salvo at Calvin, hitting him and the shockwaves from the blasts almost knocking Valka and Cloudjumper off of him as the smoke
"Shit, that fucking hurt!" Calvin shouted telepathically as an A-15 strafed the heavy howitzers and their crews with its pulse cannon before dropping incendiary cluster bombs onto them, putting the howitzers out of action
"Calvin!? Are you okay?!" Henderson shouted to him
"Yeah, they're only flesh wounds, must have been because they were high explosive shells." He replied telepathically, "But I would very much like not to get hit by more of those!"
"Roger that, we'll keep an eye out from any more of them then!" Henderson said as several APMSF VTOLs flew in and landed, dropping off stormtroopers from the APMSF 2nd Stormtrooper Legion followed by another wave of VTOLs that deployed Pershing IIs, Conrad IFVs, and Unmanned Ground Attack Drones (UGADs)
"We heard you guys needed some help!" An APMSF Officer said to Henderson over the radio
"Yeah and thank god you're here!" He replied with his translation collar's radio, "Protect Calvin Karlson, prioritize enemy heavy weaponry!"
"Roger that!" The APMSF Officer said to him over the radio as one of Calvin's legs was hit by several RPGs
"AIM FOR HIS UNDERSIDE YOU IDIOTS!" A Blackwater Officer shouted
"We can't get a clear shot though!" One of the RPG Troopers replied
"JUST AIM FOR IT!" The Officer shouted to him
"Guys they're getting smarter!" Calvin shouted to the others telepathically
"Hold on Calvin we're coming!" Henderson replied
"I really hope this isn't all for nothing!" Calvin shouted telepathically before he ice blasted a Roman tank column
Somewhere near the Roman Staging Areas
Task Force Therian
With Calvin and the others distracting a majority of the Roman and Blackwater forces, the rest of Task Force Therian was able to sneak its way to the Roman Staging Area, landing behind the nearby Steel Mill while Reaper and Catherine took a small APMSF Force to assault the anti-airship gun positions
"Tiberius sent some of his henchmen into that steel mill for some reason, we might want to deal with them first before they see us." Casca to Barnes, Tullus, Manfred, and Harrison
"We know." Barnes replied as he motioned for Fergus to come toward him
"What is it General?" Fergus asked him
"Take your men through that steel mill and clear out the Romies inside it." Barnes replied with his translation collar
Fergus nodded
"All you blokes on me! We're going in there to kill some Romies!" He shouted to the other Isotxians
"What is there some of those machines in there?!" One of them asked him
"Then use those damned EMP grenades the APMSF gave you before they get close enough to inject you!" Fergus replied, "Now let's move before one of them spots us out here!"
"Are we sure we can trust them?" Manfred asked Barnes telepathically as he looked at Casca, Tullus, and the other Praetorian Dragons
"Not really." Barnes replied telepathically, "But so far we haven't been backstabbed yet."
Manfred snorted
"We better hurry, my dad and his men will start their attack on those anti-airship guns soon." Barnes said quietly as one of Fergus' men used wire cutters to cut a hole through the chain-link fence that surrounded the grounds of the steel mill so they could get into the compound
"So why did you get some of that fancy armor and we got this?" Helga asked Korensky
"Because this happened to me two days ago." Korensky replied
"Oh…how did it happen?" She asked him
"A Gene Corp Scientist stabbed me with a syringe filled with the shit they used to turn people into dragons, that's how it happened." Korensky replied
"What's your name?" Helga asked him
"Corporal Richard Korensky…I was previously with the 8th Airborne Division." Korensky replied
"Helga Carr, I had just graduated from boot camp when all this shit started." Helga said to
"Well welcome to the wonderful world of the ISDF Helga." Korensky replied
Meanwhile Fergus was leading his men into the Steel Mill through the back entranceway
"Dear Isotx it's darker than a coal miner's ass in here!" An Isotxian said quietly
"Oh please, if you want dark, go live in Aleutian Province during winter the months when it's pitch black outside at night because the moon and stars are blocked out by the amount of snow falling." Another Isotxian replied, "I was stationed up there for four months."
"Both of you blokes shut your potholes before you give us away!" Fergus hissed to both of them, "I think I hear something up ahead!"
Fergus and his men entered the chamber that contained the steel mill's six blast furnaces where a group of SCS Troopers and Gene Corp Workers wearing protective suits were trying to subdue one of the mill's workers, who had been turned into Hobblegrunt by the AIUs when they went through the area while the other workers were lying unconscious and tied up in the far northern fall of the chamber
"GET HIM DOWN! WE NEED TO INJECT HIM WITH THE ANTIDOTE!" One of the Gene Corp Workers shouted as the SCS Troopers tried to use ropes to restrain the Hobblegrunt while another one tried to get a snare around his neck
"JUST FUCKING TRANQUILIZE HIM AND GET IT OVER WITH!" One of the SCS Troopers shouted
"No, the tranquilization drugs might cause a complication with the antidote!" One of the Gene Corp Workers replied
"WE ALMOST HAVE HIM! PULL HARDER!" One of the SCS Troopers shouted
"What do they mean by antidote?!" One of the Isotxians asked Fergus
"I don't know." He replied, "But let's find out, take out the ones with the guns first, leave the Gene Corpies alone."
"Yes Captain!" The Isotxian Soldier replied as he, Fergus, and the other Isotxians got into better positions to fire at the SCS troopers
"GIVE THEM HELL ISOTXIANS!" Fergus shouted as he and the Isotxians with silencers on their guns opened fire on the armed SCS Troopers, who were caught by total surprise while the Gene Corp Workers panicked and took cover as the Hobblegrunt broke free from the restraints and attacked the nearby SCS Troopers
"Area secured!" An Isotxian Soldier shouted as Fergus led a group of his men over to where some of the Gene Corp Workers were hiding
"Get up!" Fergus shouted at one of them as he grabbed him and forcibly lifted the Worker onto his feet
"Please! Don't shoot me, I'm just a doctor!" The Worker screamed
"Well tell that to him!" Fergus shouted as he motioned to the Hobblegrunt, who was standing nearby and snorted as some of the other Isotxian Soldiers cut the ropes off of him, "Now what's all this about an antidote?!"
"Its…it's a chemical that we inject into a post-human's bloodstream to kill the nanites in his or her bloodstream so we can reverse the effects of the transformation!" The Worker replied
"As in a cure?!" Fergus asked him
"Yes! You think we would this many people into dragons without a way to turn them back if needed?!" The Worker replied
"Where do you keep this antidote?!" Fergus asked him
"All we have left is in those containers over there, but we can help you produce more of it!" The Worker replied
Fergus scrawled and punched the worker across his face, knocking him to the ground
"Tie these guys up and secure that container!" He shouted as he got his radio out to contact Barnes
Meanwhile outside the Steel Mill, Task Force Therian was getting into position to launch its attack on the Roman Staging Areas themselves
"Is everybody ready?" Barnes asked over his translation collar's radio
"Yes, but we're still waiting to hear from Fergus and his men inside the Steel Mill." Wensky replied with his translation collar's radio
"General Barnes!" Fergus said to Barnes over the radio
"What is it Fergus? What you secured the Steel Mill?" He asked him with his translation collar's radio
"Yes, but we found something else." Fergus replied over the radio
"What is it?" Barnes asked him with his translation collar's radio
"According to the Gene Corp guys in here with us, it's some kind antidote that kills the nanites you guys have inside you." Fergus replied over the radio
"What?!" Barnes said with his translation collar's radio, "Are you sure?"
"Don't know, but we've got several containers of it in here along with a bunch of this mill's workers who have been turned into dragons which they were using it on." Fergus replied over the radio
"Hold your position, do not let anything happen to those containers or those Gene Corp guys!" Barnes said to Fergus over his translation collar's radio, "After the battle is over, I'll send somebody down there to check out this antidote."
"Antidote? What antidote?" Pentrov asked Barnes
"Shut up, I don't want anybody getting excited about this." He replied telepathically
Pentrov nodded
"Fergus, if we lose this battle, I want you and your men to take one of this containers and get the hell out of there!" Barnes said to him over his translation collar's radio, "This is something that could help us greatly after this war is over!"
"Roger that." Fergus replied as Pentrov got closer to Barnes
"Pentrov would you stop eavesdropping?" Barnes asked the Russian Zippleback
"Sorry, just curious to what this antidote business is about." Pentrov replied telepathically
Barnes sighed
"I'll tell you after this battle is over." He said to him telepathically
"It's something that can turn us back is it?" Pentrov asked him telepathically
"I don't know, which is why I don't want anybody getting excited." Barnes replied telepathically
Pentrov nodded
"I understand." He said to him telepathically, "Ready to kick some Romie ass General?"
"More than ever…" Barnes replied telepathically before the sound of gunfire broke in the direction of the anti-airship gun emplacements as the 1st Legion started its diversionary attack forcing some of the Roman forces defending the staging area to rush toward the battle
"FORWARD MY FELLOW ISOTXIANS! FOR ISOTX!" Manfred roared as he and Harrison led the Isotxian post-humans into battle
"CHARGE!" Barnes shouted to the other post-humans as Task Force Therian took off and started their attack on the Staging Area, gunning for the Iskander missiles and their launchers on the far side of the camp while Casca and Tullus led the Praetorian Dragons into the battle after them
IAS Trevor – Bridge
Work was still being done to restore the electronic equipment on the bridge when the fighting broke out below
"What's going on down there?!" Tiberius shouted
"It's Task Force Therian! They've launched a full-scale assault on the assembly area!" A Roman Officer shouted
"THOSE FIENDS! They used the Bewilderbeast as a ruse to make us divert our forces!" Tiberius shouted, "What about the portals?! And the launchers?!"
"Two of the portals have been knocked out along with one of the missile launchers!" The Officer replied
"Divert all forces back to defend the assembly area, call off the attack on Silverton if you have to! I want this attack repulsed before it deals too much damage to our operations!" Tiberius shouted
"But sir that will allow the Isotxians and Coalition to regroup and launch a counter-attack!" The Officer replied
"I don't care! I want Task Force Therian destroyed once and for all!" Tiberius shouted, "Is Casca and his men down there as well?!"
"Yes sir and so is the Skrill that convinced them to betray Rome!" The Officer replied
"Then we'll kill two birds with one stone!" Tiberius said, "Is my dragon ready?!"
"She's in the hangar." The Officer replied
"Good, tell General Pompeius I'm on my way to lead the defense personally." Tiberius said before he walked off the bridge
South of Silverton
Calvin kicked a Roman-commandeered Ripper tank up into the air as he, Henderson, Sheva, their men, and the APMSF 2nd Stormtrooper Legion continued their attack on the Roman forces supporting the attack on Silverton
"Hey! They're starting to fall back!" Sheva shouted when some of the Romans began to disengage and fall back
"The others must have started their attack on the assembly area!" Henderson replied over his translation collar's radio, "We need to get over there and help them out!"
"You guys go on! I think me and the 2nd Legion can handle the rest of these fuckers alone!" Calvin shouted to them telepathically
"Okay then! See you at the victory celebration Calvin!" Henderson shouted to him, "What about you two?"
"We'll stay with them!" Valka shouted
Henderson nodded before he, Sheva, and the other post-humans chased after the retreating Roman and Blackwater forces, but not before dropping Echo Squad off onto Calvin's head
"Wow I really hope you guys are really enjoying the ride up there." Calvin said to them telepathically
"Just don't shake your head too much." Jordan replied, "This is some pretty tough skin you have on you, you barely have a scratch despite all the shit they threw at you."
"Yeah I guess being something this big does have its advantage although something tells me I'm going to be hurting whenever I turn back…if I can turn back from this." Calvin said to them telepathically
"You worry too much." Valka replied as Calvin casually smashed a Roman field gun battery with his tail
"We better start heading toward the others as well, they might need our help." Katrina said to Calvin
"You're right, they could." Calvin replied telepathically, "Hold up on there, this could get a bit bumpy."
"Bumpy? You move slower than a Megathon in this form, I think we don't have to worry about getting bumped around up here while you move!" Ronnie said to Calvin
"That's not what I meant." Calvin replied telepathically as two Roman shells flew other his head
"Oh okay…I see what I you mean now." Ronnie said, "Well at least they can't aim for shit."
"They're probably not used to using Isotxian gun sights yet." Katrina replied
"Why do I always get stuck with this kind of job?" Calvin asked himself as the 2nd Legion along with the USAS Abrams and Eisenhower followed him clearing away Roman and Blackwater stragglers in his wake
USAS Abrams – Command Room
APMSF 2nd Stormtrooper Legion
Titov and the commander of the European contingent of Task Force Therian, Brigadier General Lucile Sévern were standing around the holographic map projector in the center of the Abram's Command Room as the commander of the 2nd Stormtrooper Legion, General Zephaniah Henderson, came into the room walking with his cane due to a back injury he has sustained during the Second Civil War
"Took your time getting here General." Sévern said to Zephaniah
"Good to see you too Frenchie." He replied as he made it to the map projector, "Oh I see Barnes and them started the attack on the Roman Staging Areas without us."
"We're in route to support them now, but that commandeered Isotxian air cruiser is going to be a problem because neither of these airships have the firepower to take it on." Titov said to him, "But we are confident we can outmaneuver it."
"Well I guess it's worth the try then." Zephaniah replied as he sat down in a chair that an APM Officer pulled up to the table for him, setting his cane down next to him, "What about our big friend from the 1st Legion down below us?"
"He's heading there too, but it's going to take a while longer for him to get there." Sévern said to him, "Is there a way we can give him a lift of some sort?"
"No we don't have anything big enough to transport him." Zephaniah replied as he tapped one of his fingers on the edge of the map projector, "But we can slow the Roman and Blackwater forces rushing back to reinforce the assembly area to give Barnes and his guys more time to finish their objectives and pull out."
"How do you suggest we do that?" Sévern asked him
"Well as Titov said since we can't take on that airship without any support, so we'll use the Abrams and the Eisenhower along with mine and your forces to take control of strategic road junctions between them and the assembly area and hold them until Barnes and his men finish doing their things and get the hell out of there." Zephaniah replied
"But that will put our forces at risk of being turned into dragons by those little machines running around down there!" Sévern said to him
"Not as long as they wear their body armor, which they should be anyway." Zephaniah replied, "The only reason why those machines worked so well against the Isos is because their armor only covers their torsos leaving their limbs vulnerable to the little buggers."
"I am not taking that kind of risk with my men!" Sévern said to him
"Lucile, Zeph is right, our intel says the machines don't pose a risk as long as you're wearing tough enough body armor." Titov replied, "If that isn't enough, we can always fall back to EMP weapons, which Zeph and his men have plenty of."
Sévern scrawled
"If any of my men are turned into dragons, I am blaming you General Henderson!" He said to Zephaniah, who pushed up the grim of his cap with the iron head of his cane
"None of them should if they have at least half a brain." Zephaniah replied
Sévern scrawled again and mumbled under his breath
"I think you should slow down on the insults there." Titov whispered to Zephaniah
"Sorry I can't help myself." Zephaniah replied, "Well don't feel too bad, I apparently had a distant relative of mine turned into a dragon according to Reaper."
"You mean Jayden Henderson?" Titov asked him
"Yeah him." Zephaniah replied, "I haven't been keeping track of the rest of my family since after the Civil War ended."
"Speaking about which, aren't you married?" Titov asked him
"Yeah, but my sweet little Adrianna isn't here, she's at home with the kids managing the family business for me." Zephaniah replied
"I thought you Southern Americans only married your cousins?" Sévern asked him
"Oh shut up before I beat you upside your head and this is my command ship you're on." Zephaniah replied, "And isn't Lucile a girl's na-?"
"Oh for fucks sake you two, focus on the battle!" Titov said to both of them
Roman Staging Areas
Task Force Therian
Most of the Roman encampment was in flames as Task Force Therian continued their raid, destroying both the portal devices and the Iskander launchers while Reaper and Catherine's stormtroopers continued their assault on the anti-airship gun emplacements, capturing four of them and turning them on the Trevor, which was unable to fight back as Casca and Tullus tried to locate General Pompeius in the chaos
"The CP is up this way somewhere!" Casca shouted to Tullus
"Are you sure he's going to be there?!" Tullus asked him
"It's the only place he can be unless he's on that airship with Tiberius!" Casca replied as Barnes or Leon plasma blasted a nearby Iskander missile, destroying the nearby ammunition dumps creating a massive explosion
"I just hope he isn't dead by the time we get there!" Tullus shouted
"There's the CP!" Casca replied as he plowed his way through the Praetorian Guardsmen guarding the CP with Tullus following right behind him
"Please be here…please be here." Tullus said to himself as the other Praetorian Dragons followed Casca into the CP, doing their best to incapacitate rather than kill the Roman Soldiers and Praetorians protecting it and checking every tent for signs of General Pompeius as Tullus neared the radio tower where he was suddenly attacked by a Roman Officer armed with a ceremonial gladius sword who he recognized as General Pompeius as the general made a charge at him with the gladius
"General! Wait, it's me Tullus!" Tullus said to the General telepathically as he dodged the General, tripping him with his tail causing him to lose his sword
"Tullus?! Is that really you?!" Pompeius asked him as he looked back at Tullus
"Unfortunately." Tullus replied telepathically
"But Marcus said you were slain by the Germans during your diplomatic mission!" Pompeius said to him
"No! My brother and Yates had their thugs attack my mission to kidnap me and Ulpia!" He replied telepathically, "After that they turned me and her into dragons before separating us and placing me in a prison while she was given to Tiberius!"
"Kidnapped you?!" Pompeius asked him as he stood up
"Yes! Kidnapped me!" Tullus replied telepathically, "And the Coalition freed me from that prison unintentionally while rescuing their own people and they told me of all that my brother and Yates has made the Empire do for their own interests!"
"So I guess you're why Casca betrayed the Empire then?" Pompeius asked him
"Casca hasn't betrayed the Empire, he's betrayed my brother, who has falsely claimed the throne in my absence." He replied telepathically
"I always expected some kind of treachery when your death was announced…your brother always wanted to claim the throne, defiantly after your father announced that you would be his successor rather than him." Pompeius said to Tullus
"General! Get away from that imposter!" Tiberius shouted as he landed nearby riding on a mind controlled Skrill who Tullus immediately recognized
"ULPIA!" Tullus roared
"Tiberius! Stand down! This is no imposter, I know Tullus Salvius when I see him!" Pompeius shouted to Tiberius
"Oh…so you have fallen for his lies as well…very well then." Tiberius replied before the mind-controlled Ulpia began to charge up for a lighting blast and shot it at Pompeius before Tullus pushed him out of the way, absorbing the blast into his body
"Release her Tiberius and I might just let you survive this!" Tullus hissed to Tiberius telepathically while Pompeius got up and fled
"And let you tear the Empire apart?! I don't think so Tullus!" Tiberius replied
"Marcus will tear the Empire apart if this war is allowed to continue!" Tullus said to him telepathically
"Enough of this!" Tiberius shouted, "After I'm finished with you, I will hunt down Casca and kill him as well!"
"I like to see you try Tiberius." Tullus said to himself as the mind controlled Ulpia lunged toward Tullus, "I'm sorry my love, but I have no other choice."
Tullus struck Tiberius and the mind controlled Ulpia with his wing, throwing them aside as Casca showed up
"ULPIA!" Casca shouted when he saw Ulpia as she got up onto her feet, revealing that Tiberius was no longer on the saddle on her back and that her MCD was malfunctioning allowing Casca to rush toward her and rip the MCD off of her neck, freeing her from its influence
"Is she okay?!" Tullus asked him
"I think so!" Casca replied, "Now where did that treacherous slime go?!"
"He must have fled, we cannot allow him to escape!" Tullus said to Casca, who nodded
"I'll go after him, you stay here with her." He replied
Tullus nodded as Casca disappeared into the smoke after Tiberius as Pompeius returned with a squad of Praetorian Guardsmen
"Where is the traitor?!" Pompeius asked Tullus
"He fled, but Casca is after him!" He replied telepathically, "Get me a doctor or somebody else who can help her!"
Pompeius nodded before he left
"Tullus…is that you?" Ulpia asked Tullus
"Yes it's me Ulpia." He replied, "You're safe now."
Meanwhile near the anti-airship gun emplacements, Reaper and Catherine were attacking the last of the commandeered anti-airship guns as APMSF Stormtroopers used grappling hooks to climb onto it while the other AAS guns were being fired at the Trevor, which was trying to get out of their range
"General Reaper aren't those the Isotxian bombers coming in on the horizon?!" A Stormtrooper shouted to Reaper, who looked in the direction the Stormtrooper pointed him too and saw several an arrow-shaped formation of aircraft approaching from the Northeast
"Yeah that's them!" Reaper replied with his translation collar, "Keeping hitting that airship! Force her to face one her sides toward those bombers so they have as big of a target as possible!"
"Yes sir!" One of the Stormtroopers operating one of the other AAS Guns replied
"Are we sure we really want to shoot that thing down this close to us?" Catherine asked Reaper telepathically as one of the AAS guns fired a shell at the Trevor
"Well I don't see any other alternative!" Reaper shouted as one of the other AAS guns fired while Henderson, Sheva, Bravo Squad, and their men joined the battle
"Aren't you guys supposed to be protecting Calvin?!" Reaper asked Henderson over his translation collar's radio
"The 2nd Legion is taking care of that for us now!" He replied with his translation collar's radio, "Plus all the Roman and Blackwater forces are heading this way now!"
"Yeah we've noticed." Reaper said to him over his translation collar's radio, "So will Calvin be joining us?"
"Probably, Valka and his squad stayed with him to keep him some company." Henderson replied with his translation collar's radio
Isotxian 563rd Strategic Bombardment Squadron
Several formations of Isotxian Air Force B-52 Strategic Bombers were joined by American aircraft as they flew toward their target, the Trevor
"Command this is Able Dog One, we have rendezvoused with the American fighters and are continuing onto the objective." The Pilot of the Lead B-59 said over the radio to Isotxian Mission Command
"Roger Able Dog One, proceed as planned." An Isotxian Officer replied
"Copy." The Lead Pilot said, "Listen up all bombers, we're only going to have one shot at this, so we can't fuck this up!"
"Roger that Able Dog One." One of the Bomber Pilots replied
"Five minutes until we've reached optimal firing range of target!" The Navigator of the Lead Pilot's B-59 shouted to him over the radio
Like its historical Coalition Verse counterpart, the B-52B, the Isotxian B-52 "Stratofortress" was a four engine strategic turbojet bomber designed to fight its way through enemy air defenses without escort and deliver ordnance deep behind enemy lines and then fight its way back with its radar-operated 20mm cannons on the top, sides, and bottom of the aircraft which could carry up to 70,000 pounds of bombs, but in the case of the 563rd, twenty Mark XVIII Air Torpedoes mounted six each on two external pylons mounted beneath on either wing and an additional eight on a rotary launcher inside the bomb bay
"Get ready to launch the torpedoes boys and girls!" The Lead Pilot shouted as his Bombardier armed their torpedoes
"Torpedoes armed and ready for launch!" The Bombardier shouted
"Three minutes until optimal firing range!" The Navigator shouted
"Wait for it…wait for it." The Lead Pilot said in his head as he looked at the Trevor, whose outline was visible against the glow of the fires coming from the burning Roman encampments behind it
"One minute!" The Navigator shouted as flak shells fired from the Trevor's long range anti-air batteries began to burst around the approaching B-52s
"Hold steady!" The Lead Pilot shouted
"Thirty seconds!" The Navigator shouted as the nearby B-52 took a direct hit to one its right engines, which exploded into flames, but was automatically extinguished with the bomber's pilot cut the fuel line to it
"Twenty seconds!" The Navigator shouted as an American F-40 was blasted to bits by a direct hit from a flak shell
"Fifteen seconds!" The Navigator shouted as the cockpit windows were shattered by a nearby flak burst
"SHIT!" The Lead Pilot shouted as he shielded his face with his hand to protect it from the flying glass
"Five seconds!" The Navigator shouted, "FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE, WE HAVE REACHED OPTIMAL RANGE!"
"All bombers, torpedoes away!" The Lead Pilot screamed over the radio as the Bombardier pressed the button that began launching the rocket propelled air torpedoes toward the Trevor followed by the second wave of B-52s
Meanwhile Reaper and Catherine watched as the Isotxian B-52s launched their torpedoes which flew toward the Trevor at near supersonic speeds
"TAKE COVER!" Reaper shouted as he and Catherine took off just as the first wave of air torpedoes struck the broadside of the Trevor, dealing severe damage and knocking out one of the turbofan engines keeping the Trevor in the air causing it to list while the second wave of air torpedoes followed, dealing even more damage to the Trevor which was now billowing out smokes while Reaper shouted to the APMSF Crews of the AAS guns, "FINISH HER OFF!"
The AAS guns almost immediately began to pound the portside and the aft of the Trevor, aiming for her engines and turbofans
"NOW THAT'S THE STUFF!" A APMSF Stormtrooper shouted as the remaining broadside turbofan of the Trevor malfunctioned after taking a direct hit from his AAS gun and stop functioning sending the Trevor plummeting to the ground where it crashed and sled across the ground leaving a massive trench in its wake along with chunks of debris as Reaper, Catherine, the APMSF Stormtroopers manning the AAS guns, and the rest of Task Force Therian cheered as the downed airship continued to burn as Calvin, Valka, and Echo Squad watched from a distance
"YES! EAT THAT YOU ROMIE SONS OF BITCHES!" Hazel screamed as the stormtroopers of the APMSF 2nd Legion cheered
"Don't start celebrating now guys, something tells me we still have a few things to contend with before we can call this a victory." Calvin said to them telepathically
"I agree, we must deal with the remaining Roman and Blackwater forces." Valka replied, "Then after this, I need you to come with me back to the field hospital at Charleston because I think Ward could use your abilities."
Calvin nodded as he continued toward the Roman Assembly Area
Meanwhile Tiberius had no time to mourn the loss of the Trevor as he fled from Casca and the other Praetorian dragons while evading Coalition and Isotxian forces along with Pompeius' forces who had sworn loyalty to Tullus
"I need to find a place to hide until things calm down so I can make my escape later." Tiberius thought to himself as he ran across a dirt road before a sudden shaking of the ground knocked him off balance causing him to fall down as Calvin stopped a few meters away from him
"Oh hello…I'm guessing you're Tiberius?" Calvin asked Tiberius telepathically
"DEAR GODS!" Tiberius screamed when he saw Calvin and scrambled up onto his feet to run in the other direction, but was cut off by Casca and his men who landed right in front of him while Valka and Cloudjumper landed with Echo Squad behind him
"Give it up Tiber, it's over." Calvin said to Tiberius telepathically
"You think I'm going to talk?!" Tiberius shouted to Calvin
"Oh I don't need you to talk, I can just look into your mind and get what I need to know from it." He replied telepathically as Casca knocked Tiberius down and pinned him to the ground
"You…you, Marcus, and Yates used me and my men as puppets for your plans!" Casca said to Tiberius telepathically
"If you're going to kill me, just do it, but my death will not accomplish anything!" He replied, "In fact killing me now is doing me a favor because if I return to Rome after this disaster, Marcus will far worst!"
"What Marcus will do to you is of the least of your concerns." Casca said to Tiberius telepathically, "You should be more concerned about what I'm getting ready to do to you!"
"Hold on for a sec General Asshole, I'm trying to learn everything that guy knows." Calvin said to Casca telepathically
"Make it quick…" Casca said telepathically as Manfred, Harrison, and the other Isotxian post-humans landed nearby
"So is this that Tiberius guy?" Manfred asked
"Yes…do you want to share the pleasure of killing him?" Casca replied
"Tempting but no thank you." Manfred said before he looked up at Calvin, "How you doing up there big guy?"
"Just fine, I'm just getting anything important that this guy knows out of him before Casca tears him to shreds." Calvin replied telepathically, "Jesus Christ and I thought Casca was bad, this guy is a natural born sociopath."
"Are you about done?" Casca asked him
"Just about…and I'm pretty sure I have the right to keep your ass waiting asshole." Calvin replied telepathically
Casca rolled his eyes
"So what does he know?" Manfred asked Calvin
"A whole bunch of stuff." Calvin replied telepathically, "I think I might have also found the place where they're making more of those robots, it's some Gene Corp research facility in the Dinaric Alps along with other projects they're working on…including an antidote that kills Gene Corp's nanites which they brought with them."
"Where is it?!" Manfred asked him
"It's in the Steel Mill, they were using it on the workers there so they could turn them back and force them to use to share the secrets on how to make your guys' steel." Calvin replied telepathically
"Barnes sent Fergus and his men in there to secure it! They might have found it!" Manfred said telepathically before he took off into the air
"What was that about?" Valka asked Calvin
"I'll talk about it later." Calvin replied telepathically, "I'm just about done siphoning this guy's brain for everything he knows."
"YOU WILL NEVER WIN! ROME UNDER ITS TRUE EMPEROR WILL BE TRIUMPHANT!" Tiberius screamed as Calvin finished with him
"Okay I'm done, go ahead Casca, kill the bastard, you'll be doing the world a favor…for once in your life." Calvin said telepathically
"Finally." Casca hissed before he lunged at Tiberius' face, killing him
Charleston – Isotxian Headquarters
Erwin was still with his command staff around the map table when an Isotxian Officer ran into the room
"General Schnitter! We have received word from our forces in Silverton that the Roman frontline forces are surrendering in mass to our forces after reports of infighting amongst themselves and Blackwater forces behind their lines!" The Officer shouted, "The Air Force is also reporting that the Trevor has successfully been shot down and has crashed near the Roman Assembly Area which have been secured by Coalition forces!"
Erwin sighed in relief as his Command Staff cheered
"Have we received anything from the Roman commander?" Erwin asked the Officer
"Yes sir, he has requested an armistice so that his forces can deal with the remaining SCS and Blackwater forces." The Officer replied
"Tell him that we accept." Erwin said to him, "We'll let the Coalition and his forces deal with the infighting…we must deal with our own problems like helping the refugees and gathering our dead and wounded."
The Officer nodded and left the room before Margaret patted Erwin on the back
"You want to go check on your parents and the others?" Erwin asked her
"Sure." Margaret replied
Erwin nodded and looked at the nearby Ensign
"Get us a dropship to take us to Silverton." He said to him
"Yes sir!" The Ensign replied before he left the room
"You know we could just fly ourselves there." Margaret said to him
"Dropships are safer and easier." He replied
"Can't argue with that." Margaret said to him
Roman Assembly Area
Task Force Therian
Casca and his men returned to the Roman Encampment with Calvin, Valka, and Echo Squad right behind them as Task Force Therian and recently arrived Coalition and Isotxian reinforcements from the Viking Verse rounded up surrendering SCS and Blackwater troopers except for Barnes, who was with Manfred and Fergus as the canisters containing the "antidote" were loaded onto a Mallard while the Gene Corp Workers were herded onto another one
"So who's going to be the lucky guy to be the first one to get that stuff injected into him?" Fergus asked Barnes and Manfred
"Don't know, we don't even know if it works like those guys say it does because I don't trust any brand that comes from Gene Corp's laboratories none of the less somebody who works at one." Barnes replied with his translation collar
Manfred snorted
"Have you told our leaders about this?" He asked Barnes
"Yes I sent a report about it to General Smict, who will no doubly tell the President, who will tell the rest of the Coalition and your Foreign Minister." He replied
"Do you think this is the stuff that caused your doctor's nanites to die?" Manfred asked him
"Don't know." He replied as last of the antidote canisters were loaded onto the Mallard, which took off afterwards followed by the one carrying the Gene Corp Workers toward the Cape Girardeau which was now hovering overhead as Tullus landed behind them with Casca
"General Barnes I want to thank you for everything you and your men have done for me." Tullus said to Barnes, who turned with Manfred to look at him and Casca
"Not a problem your highness, if you prefer we call you that now." Barnes replied, "How's your woman?"
"Your doctors said she will make a full recovery after she receives proper and full medical treatment." Tullus said to him
"Good." Barnes replied, "And…as much as I hate to say this, but you guys didn't do too bad out there yourselves."
"Thank you." Tullus said
"And what about us?" Casca asked Barnes
"Another I hate to say, but for the time being, the Coalition, in its good graces, have decided to let you and your men keep your freedom and lives for the time being." He replied, "But that doesn't mean you have been completely forgiven either asshole."
"I suspected as much…" Casca said
"And what about my people?" Tullus asked him
"The Coalition Leaders will discuss that with you once we arrive in Cape Girardeau." Barnes replied, "You guys know good as well as me that no matter what you do from now until the time this war is finally over that Rome is going to lose at least most of its territory and probably have its military limited…a lot."
"I would rather lose territory than my entire people." Tullus said to him, "So when do we leave to Cape Girardeau?"
"After we regroup and help the Isotxians take care of their post-humans." Barnes replied
"So what was in those canisters?" Tullus asked him
Barnes sighed
"Well according to those Gene Corp guys and Tiberius before Casca killed him, it's an antidote that Gene Corp developed to kill their nanites to allow somebody to be turned back into a human." Manfred said to him and Casca, "But we're playing it safe and going have it tested before we start injecting our guys with it because it's a Gene Corp brand and Gene Corp's products have done little but to piss us off and we're keeping it quiet so nobody gets too excited if doesn't work as advertised."
"I guess I can agree with your caution with trusting anything that Gene Corp posts their name on, but if you want a test subject, I'm more than willing to volunteer as I will be more helpful to my people in human form." Tullus replied
"Thank you, but all we need is a blood sample with nanites in it." Barnes said to him
"Oh… you could've said that." Tullus replied as he noticed something on the back of Fergus' leg, "Captain? What's that on the back of your leg?"
"What?" Fergus asked as he looked back and saw that there was an AIU on the back of his leg, "ON FRICK!"
Before Fergus could do anything, the AIU stabbed him in the leg with its needle and injected him with the dragon DNA and nanites it was carrying before it deactivated and fell to the ground while Fergus' transformation immediately started
"Oh bloody hell why me?!" Fergus shouted