Darkening Skies: End Infinite
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 2
It was dusk when the Storm Hawks quietly snuck onto Atmosia by flying in below the Wasteland cloud line and then climbing their way up to the habitable surface of the terra. A time consuming method to be sure, but it was the best way to infiltrate the terra without being spotted beforehand. Thankfully no patrols spotted them and they were able to sneak into one of the outlying garrisons with relative ease. The Talons here might be more skilled than the average Talon by virtue of their commander, but they still were useless when it came to preventing a covert infiltration. Provided the spymaster did not have any operatives stationed here on Atmosia currently… The man was not omniscient though, he might not see this coming. Even if he did, the mass assault on Cyclonia would necessitate the primary deployment be at Cyclonia. Especially considering that the assault would begin in only a few short hours, while it was still night in Cyclonia. With the carriers as backup, particularly the Ancients' carrier, they should be able to make a good fight of it until the Storm Hawks could arrive with Aerrow. And that was exactly what they would do, using the uniforms liberated from the patrol garrison to infiltrate the main citadel that had been built up on top of the Council building and Beacon Tower. The citadel loomed over the once peaceful terra, darkly outlined through the stars blotted out by its walls and towers. Of course, they would have to sneak into the guard rotation, but that would not be too much of a problem.
Vespos stood quietly on the bridge of the Rex Guardian carrier, trying his best not to show how disgusted he was to be on the vessel instead of his own. The Rex Guardians were the respected legacy bearers of the Sky Knights however and so he was forced to command the Sky Knight fleet from this position, if only to maintain appearances. Appearances were ever so important sadly, even in times such as these. Speaking of appearances… Vespos looked out the windows at the black skies that surrounded the carrier; skies devoid of all light, even the running lights of the carriers had been extinguished to maintain as much stealth as possible. All was in readiness; all they had to do was keep Cyclonis occupied long enough where she would not realize what their true aims were.
"So, do you think this will work?" Harrier asked from behind him suddenly, his first attempt to communicate with Vespos on the entire journey. "Do you think we can trust the Storm Hawks given all that has happened?"
"You do not trust them then I take it?" Vespos replied tersely.
"Well, two of their members did betray the Sky Knight Code and now one of them has switched back to our side and is working to rescue the other traitor. It sounds suspiciously like a setup to me; they infiltrate and then tear apart the resistance from the inside." Harrier said casually.
"There are extenuating circumstances in this case… Piper is truly on our side and so too will Aerrow be." Vespos said, his tone indicating that the conversation, such as it was, was finished.
"You're simply saying that to contradict me Vespos. Ever since we met you have treated me in a condescending and rude manner and I will not tolerate such an insult to my honor."
"You deserve no better treatment than you receive, unless you can tell me why I would treat you in such a manner. As for honor, the Rex Guardians have none."
"Now see here, I don't know why you insist on being so callous, but I will not let this stand, I hereby challenge you to a duel!" Harrier shouted indignantly as he drew his blade and pointed it at Vespos.
"You do not know why I have cause to hate you? Very well, we have nothing further to say to each other, and I will not duel you since our mission comes before any petty vendetta you may have. And do not lecture me on hypocrisy; I at least am able to correctly assess our priorities. Now put your blade away before I am forced to defend myself, believe me when I say that I have no compunction against harming you." Vespos said calmly without turning to face the other Sky Knight. After a tense second of silence, Harrier finally put his blade away.
"You raise a point, just bear in mind that I will not allow you to besmirch or honor, we will duel someday and I will restore our honor."
"Whatever you say, truthfully though, the stain on your honor cannot be removed by a simple duel, it goes far deeper than something so trivial can resolve, Rex Guardian. Now prepare yourself, our assault begins soon and everyone must be prepared to fight a desperate battle. Cyclonis will come at us with everything she can muster except Night Aerrow and we must endure until the tide can be shifted in our favor."
"Careful Junko, we don't want these explosives to detonate at the wrong time and the calibrations I did would be impossible to jury rig here, without my tools." Piper said as she planted a bundle of explosion crystals behind an arch in the Portal Tower of Atmosia. The explosives had been tuned to special transmitters on the weapons of the carriers that would be participating in the assault on Cyclonia. The system was set up so that a few minutes after the initial volleys were fired the explosives would detonate, cutting Atmosia off from the portal crystal network that was so vital to maintaining the Cyclonian Empire.
Night Aerrow paced back and forth in the 'throne room' of his citadel, located in the former Aurora Stone room atop the Beacon Tower, quietly playing with a small ring that he had planned to give Master Cyclonis during their dinner tonight. Unfortunately, the impending Sky Knight attack had forced them to cancel their dinner together and he had not been able to propose as he had originally intended. Well, one more day would not hurt, that was all the time it would take for the Sky Knights to be crushed by the might of Cyclonia. Then he and Master Cyclonis would have all the time together they wanted, without the distractions that the Sky Knight attacks produced or the quiet worry that showed whenever Master Cyclonis took him out of harm's way by sending him away from the battlefront. There were always the Claw squadrons to duel against and they really were getting fairly competent so it would not be a boring fight, but they lacked the Sky Knight move of the Sky Knights and those always made the fight interesting. Perhaps that was something he and the Dark Ace should incorporate into the training regimen during the next 'lesson.' His friend was sure to like the concept, particularly since it meant that they would get to smack the Claws around with their own Sky Knight moves. For now though, he would simply have to wait in idleness while the battle over Cyclonia played itself out.
Suddenly however, the doors into his chamber burst open as the Storm Hawks charged in, weapons held at the ready. A moment later, a large rumbling explosion shook the citadel, followed by the sounds of some massive structure collapsing in upon itself.
"I here I thought today was going to be boring…" Night Aerrow said in mock relief as he pulled out his twin swords and ignited each in turn.
"Don't worry Aerrow; we're going to save you this time, with the portal to Cyclonia destroyed and a specialized shield crystal preventing any Talons from coming to your aid." Piper said as she pointed her staff at Aerrow.
"You forget about my Link Crystal as well as a few other surprises I have in store for you." Night Aerrow said as he pulled out two Dying Light crystals and locked them into his blades in place of the firebolt crystals that had powered his sword. At the same time, he pulled out a small radio (Marrshal had called it a remote, although Night Aerrow was not sure what was so remote about the device…) and pressed the transmit button. A second later, a series of small pedestals rose up around the edge of the room, a leech crystal encased in a glass cylinder topping each stand. As the pedestals locked into place and the glass cylinders opened through some mechanism Marrshal designed, Night Aerrow grinned, the spymaster had managed to duplicate his contained battlefield perfectly. It had been part of his training regimen to practice fighting under as many different conditions as possible and it would serve him well here. The Storm Hawks, who were not used to being forced to fight in a confined space, would be at a severe disadvantage. That would be the key to his victory…
"Nice trick Aerrow." Starling said as she led off the attack, rushing toward Night Aerrow while spinning her nunchuku around her in a whirling display of violet light. Night Aerrow quickly deflected each successive strike, and then countered by slamming one of his blades into the floor and sending out a shockwave of energy. The blast threw Starling backward into Finn and Junko, the force of her impact knocking both off their feet and Piper and Radarr ran in to engage him. In response, Night Aerrow leapt over their oncoming attack and kicked Piper from behind, sending her sprawling on the floor. Radarr ducked around the blade Night Aerrow swung at him and threw one of his omnipresent wrenches in retaliation. The Cyclonian Knight easily deflected the wrench and stabbed downward, barely missing Radarr with his strike as the 'mission specialist' scampered out of striking range. Not wanting the pest to escape, Night Aerrow gave chase, only to have an energy arrow shoot by his face. He immediately whirled around and deflected another bolt that Finn shot at him. Without further pause, he charged toward Finn, only to be intercepted by Junko, who tried to grab Night Aerrow. In one smooth motion, Night Aerrow dropped down and slid beneath Junko's grasp then catapulted himself back to his feet by going into a handstand and flipping over. As he landed, he swung both blades down at Finn, who quickly was forced to block with his crossbow. Unfortunately, the power of Night Aerrow's Dying Light-empowered blades was much greater than a normal blade and he neatly cut through the crossbow,it was only by luck that Finn managed to escape a similar fate. The blond Storm Hawk fell backwards, causing Night Aerrow to lose his balance as well. Junko was on it immediately and locked Night Aerrow in a bear hug that trapped the fallen Sky Knight's arms.
"Piper!" Junko called over his shoulder as he tried to ignore the pain caused by a sharp kick from Night Aerrow.
"On it!" Piper said as she ran over and locked one of the blocker crystal collars on Aerrow's arm. Before she could lock the next one on however, Night Aerrow kicked forward to knock her away from him, and then swung his legs back into Junko's legs, causing the Wallop to close his eyes from the pain. Taking advantage of that momentary lapse in attention, Night Aerrow jerked his head back and smashed into Junko's face. Reeling from the dual sources of pain, Junko loosened his grip enough for Night Aerrow to slide free and sweep his leg around as soon as he landed, knocking Junko off his feet and kicking Piper further away from him.
"Annoying pests!" he rasped as he stood back up. "You think you can hope to win against the might of Cyclonia? You are sadly mistaken… Even these annoying crystal collars will not imprison me behind the façade of Aerrow, your efforts are pointless."
"You are wrong, you mockery." Piper said as she slowly stood up, "We know more than you think and we will save our friend." With that final proclamation, Piper leapt backward and grabbed one of the leech crystals, infusing it with energy from an energy crystal before throwing it at Night Aerrow. The Cyclonian commander dodged backward in alarm just before the crystal exploded, catching him by surprise as he was unable to get out of the way in time. The explosion sent him sprawling onto the floor, but he quickly recovered and leapt back into a fighting stance, laughing as he did so.
"Well, well, well, how exciting! I shouldn't have expected any less from you Piper! Turning any feature of the battlefield to your advantage, maybe this fight will not be so boring after all." Night Aerrow said as he watched the other Storm Hawks assemble around Piper, positioning himself in the center of the room as they took up fighting stances. "However, you have neglected one fact…" he continued as he leapt up into the air and swung his blades downward, sending a massive arc of energy streaking toward the Sky Knights. Acting quickly, the Storm Hawks dodged out of the way of the deadly wave of energy, but to their surprise it dissipated before it reached them.
"To the center of the room!" Piper yelled suddenly as she realized what had happened and a quiet humming began to fill the room. A second later and every leech crystal in that half of the room exploded; the concussive force propelling the Storm Hawks toward Night Aerrow, who stood in the center of the room, blades held at the ready…
With furious speed, Vespos dispatched Talon after Talon, causing them to either vanish in a flash of light or, rarely, deploy a parachute to stop their free-fall plummets to the Wasteland below. Below him, the Ancient carrier opened fire with every gun available and lashed out with the Lance of the Ancients every time the weapon was charged enough to fire. As a result of this constant barrage of fire, seven of the destroyers present in the battle had been destroyed, although only one had turned out to be real and not a duplicate. Still, any loss of the Cyclonian forces present here was an improvement, regardless of if they were duplicates or not. The one thing that really concerned him however was the fact that the most ominous of Cyclonia's warmachines had yet to appear. The vessel known only as the Devastator had not been seen in months according to the resistance and Vespos doubted very much that Cyclonis had simply melted it down to make more vessels. That was not how she operated by all accounts, and if that vessel showed up, the resistance would be caught between it and the sky fortresses that slowly circled around the main tower of Cyclonia. They would likely not survive such a massing of firepower. It was probable that Cyclonis was merely luring the Sky Knight fleet deeper into a trap, one that would only be triggered when there was no chance of the Sky Knights being able to retreat. Their one chance for survival rested primarily in surprising the Cyclonians and key to that was the successful liberation of Aerrow combined with the destruction of the Duplication Crystal.
"What fun, I thought for sure you'd hide for a while longer before emerging again, but it looks like I was wrong and we get to face off once more." A familiar voice said from above and Vespos pulled into a barrel roll to avoid the energy bolt the Dark Ace flung at him. A second later, Dark Ace went shooting by on his skimmer, but Vespos was not fool enough to think that was the last he would see of the man, a suspicion confirmed as the Dark Ace leveled out and turned around to head back to where Vespos was. Inwardly, Vespos grimaced, he had hoped that the Dark Ace would not spot him, he had no time to play with the Cyclonian Knight right now, and he needed to get to where the Duplication Crystal was kept. True, that was the goal of every Ancient currently, but Vespos wanted to be there to help destroy that accursed crystal. He had sensed it before when they had infiltrated Cyclonia, the tainted energy of a Stormweaver crystal. That a Stormweaver crystal would be found in Cyclonia was no big surprise and so he had not fathomed the importance of that tainted crystal until Piper had described the Duplication Crystal notes she had read.
A sudden leap from the Dark Ace snapped Vespos out of his thoughts and refocused his attention on what the Dark Ace was doing. Thankfully the leap had not been the precursor to a Knight move, but rather was the Dark Ace leaping over to fight Vespos hand to hand on his skimmer. With a seemingly lazy ease born of practice, Vespos raised his blade to block the Dark Ace's initial strike, then leaped out of his seat, propelling the Dark Ace backward due to the sudden shift in momentum. The Dark Ace only stumbled slightly however, then recovered and brought his sword down and around in a vicious horizontal slash. Vespos quickly wrapped his cloak around the hilt of the sword as it passed by and pulled, throwing the Dark Ace off his skimmer and into the open air when the man refused to let go of his weapon. Not waiting to give the commander a chance to catch up, Vespos kicked the accelerator on his skimmer and shot away from the fight zone, dropping back into his seat as he sped along. Behind him, he heard the Dark Ace deploy his glider pack and fly off, heading back to his own ride to pursue Vespos, but the Ancient intended to vanish into the flurry of fighting around them before that could happen. True, his flight would probably alert the Dark Ace that something was up, provided the Cyclonians did not already know what their 'plan' was. Besides, Vespos conceded wryly, as long as the Dark Ace was pursuing him the other Sky Knights would be relatively safe. Now all he needed to do was rendezvous with the other Ancients and follow their senses until they lead them right to the Duplication Crystal. Thankfully, their prior infiltration of Cyclonia had proven that the crystal they sought was not in the throne room, meaning that Cyclonis herself might not be protecting the tainted gem. However, that was not a guarantee, so Vespos would have to make sure the others were prepared to fight the crystalmancer again.
