Now it is (hopefully) getting exciting. Yey! Nearing conclusion! It will be
good to be free from the clutches of Deirdre and Pacifist's War. Hmm. As
usual, enjoy! I must make this point, however. There is so much I could
right about the fighting, but I find it morbid and depressing. Assume that
there is much more going on, and you will get a more accurate depiction.
These chapters will be short, as there is only a certain amount of battle
writing that you can actually done without feeling completely and utterly
drained of all emotion.
The war against Zakharov began at dawn two weeks after that meeting. Every single day of those two weeks had been consumed, as the immense numbers of troops had arrived at New Jerusalem, and had been stationed either in that city, or in the other cities, or at the bunkers and trenches in the mountains. Now matter how much larger the forces of Zakharov were, he would find it incredibly hard to penetrate far enough into the dusty mountains to threaten any of the Believing cities.
As if working to some transcendent beings theatrical production, the University and Hive forces attacked at dawn. Watching the view from the HQ deep under Calvary Memorial, Deirdre saw the incredible amount of warriors that Zakharov and Yang possessed. The bases in that unoccupied sector of land had obviously boosted his population to the point that his armies were unimaginable.
About a billion soldiers attacked, swarming into the mountains. The first Believing and Gaian emplacements were literally drowned with sheer numbers, but as the momentum of the attack was lost, the trenches and bunkers started to slow the advance.
Deirdre watched the screen, and said calmly over the comm-link, speaking to Admiral Lisa Tarnus:
"Commence air strikes. Full-strength, every aircraft. Fighters and bombers. Use the fighters to protect the bombers from attacking University aircraft. Hold the Hawks in reserve."
Miriam nodded. "Good. I will hold my own aircraft in reserve with the Hawks, with the other factions' aircraft. You all agree, yes?"
Simple nods. The leaders were too busy watching with awe, and a little trepidation at the sheer size of the University armies, not to mention those under the Hive banner.
Waiting, Deirdre breathed out quickly when she was her aircraft attack. Fire leapt into being, greater and more consuming than anything she had seen before. It was hideous. The air shimmered crazily with the heat, and the smoke would have made it hard to see anything, had it not been for the infrared technology of the satellites.
Her birds were in the sky, and they were dealing death.
The ranks of University soldiers seemed to disappear under this display of airpower, and after ten minutes of incessant pounding, they started to break. Somebody must have relayed orders to the forces, however, because within half-a-minute, the University air force had been flung to meet the Gaian force.
Both sides attacked with boundless ferocity, tearing at each other, gripped by a hatred of such passionate intensity that it could not be held in any longer. The Gaians fought, for hear was an enemy who had destroyed three of their cities, and who had forced their leader to humiliation.
By God and Planet! There must be about five-hundred thousand aircraft up there, and only a hundred-thousand of them her own. Sighing, Deirdre whispered a prayer, to both Planet, and the Lord. They both held an equal place within her heart now.
"Miriam, can I launch my Hawks. Air superiority is vital. If we lose it, we will have to kiss goodbye to any hope of winning right now."
Miriam said: "Yes. Launch all aircraft. Codeword: Jesuit."
Deirdre shouted into the comm-link: "Jesuit, I repeat, Jesuit. Launch all aircraft into the skies. Wipe anything out that has a different digital field. You fight for your lives, now. Do your duty."
That last of the aircraft was launched into the sky, only about another fifty-thousand, but the Hawks, both craft and pilots the best ever seen, tore apart any opposition. Flying in twenty formations each shaped as an arrow, they pierced into the fight. The University aircraft were too many though, and Gaian after Gaian fell into the mountains, their lives ending in an explosion, and a plume of smoke.
Now, when they fell, the pilots directed their craft into the University forces, determined to sell their lives at a high cost to the Bastard, as they called him. Zakharov, the Traitor, the Defiler. Even Satan, in some circles.
Miriam stood, and murmured quietly:
"Artillery, lock onto University digital fields, and fire. Morgan!"
The leader of the Morganites turned to her. "Yes?"
Miriam asked:
"Can your satellites do anything to help? Destroy their tracking systems, or something. Just get your people to try. As Deirdre said, we must win this air battle, or everything is lost."
Morgan nodded.
"Very well. I will go to a different room. From there, I should be able to co-ordinate something, Miriam."
She smiled. "Good."
Imala said: "I may be able to help."
Deirdre frowned. "How?"
Imala tapped her fingers nervously on the table. "Well, my probe teams can get into University transmissions, and jam them. That would prevent them from co-ordinating their air attacks, and would at least add to confusion."
Miriam said: "Make it so."
The battle went on for hours, turning uglier every minute. The satellites in orbit launched massive blasts of electrical and high frequency energy at the University planes, able to differentiate between the communication signatures. Hundreds of the aircraft plummeted to the ground, their controls disabled. Most of them landed amongst their own troops, as well.
When the Nevus probe teams captured University communication bunkers, exploding them with powerful explosives, it created more than just a little confusion. Even the ground forces were demoralised, and Miriam took advantage of that to order a full attack with ground troops, tanks and artillery.
The massive University army was driven back, and slowly, the air force of the Gaians and their allies began to triumph, driving the University out of the skies. Finally, and order was intercepted from a hoarse Zakharov, screaming: "Retreat! Retreat!" By then, it was too late. The aircraft were trapped in the sky by the cunning flying of the Gaian Hawks, who would not allow them to disengage. They left it to the weaker craft to destroy every aircraft within sight.
Bruised and battered, the University troops retreated to their bases, to suffer a night of continual bombardment and air strikes from the Gaians, who exploited their air superiority brilliantly.
As Miriam remarked happily at the end of the day:
"The heavens now truly belong to the Lord's Believers."
The next day, the University came much more prepared. When the aircraft of Gaia were launched into attack mode, anti-air fire tore many of them down. Horrendous casualties were inflicted on both sides, but eventually the Gaians were forced to withdraw their aircraft.
Taking advantage of the lull in 'Allied' air activity, Zakharov launched choppers into the sky, and began dropping thousands of paratroopers, who fought tooth and nail to capture the key positions. Gradually, the Believing defenders were driven back, bombarded almost incessantly into a final, desperate and full retreat. Artillery was left, forced to be dismantled, for fear of it falling into enemy hands.
The second day of the war was a bleak day, for as night fell, the mountains belonged to the University, despite every ploy attempted by the faction leaders. Things looked bad indeed, and looked even worse when the bombardment of New Jerusalem began.
The war against Zakharov began at dawn two weeks after that meeting. Every single day of those two weeks had been consumed, as the immense numbers of troops had arrived at New Jerusalem, and had been stationed either in that city, or in the other cities, or at the bunkers and trenches in the mountains. Now matter how much larger the forces of Zakharov were, he would find it incredibly hard to penetrate far enough into the dusty mountains to threaten any of the Believing cities.
As if working to some transcendent beings theatrical production, the University and Hive forces attacked at dawn. Watching the view from the HQ deep under Calvary Memorial, Deirdre saw the incredible amount of warriors that Zakharov and Yang possessed. The bases in that unoccupied sector of land had obviously boosted his population to the point that his armies were unimaginable.
About a billion soldiers attacked, swarming into the mountains. The first Believing and Gaian emplacements were literally drowned with sheer numbers, but as the momentum of the attack was lost, the trenches and bunkers started to slow the advance.
Deirdre watched the screen, and said calmly over the comm-link, speaking to Admiral Lisa Tarnus:
"Commence air strikes. Full-strength, every aircraft. Fighters and bombers. Use the fighters to protect the bombers from attacking University aircraft. Hold the Hawks in reserve."
Miriam nodded. "Good. I will hold my own aircraft in reserve with the Hawks, with the other factions' aircraft. You all agree, yes?"
Simple nods. The leaders were too busy watching with awe, and a little trepidation at the sheer size of the University armies, not to mention those under the Hive banner.
Waiting, Deirdre breathed out quickly when she was her aircraft attack. Fire leapt into being, greater and more consuming than anything she had seen before. It was hideous. The air shimmered crazily with the heat, and the smoke would have made it hard to see anything, had it not been for the infrared technology of the satellites.
Her birds were in the sky, and they were dealing death.
The ranks of University soldiers seemed to disappear under this display of airpower, and after ten minutes of incessant pounding, they started to break. Somebody must have relayed orders to the forces, however, because within half-a-minute, the University air force had been flung to meet the Gaian force.
Both sides attacked with boundless ferocity, tearing at each other, gripped by a hatred of such passionate intensity that it could not be held in any longer. The Gaians fought, for hear was an enemy who had destroyed three of their cities, and who had forced their leader to humiliation.
By God and Planet! There must be about five-hundred thousand aircraft up there, and only a hundred-thousand of them her own. Sighing, Deirdre whispered a prayer, to both Planet, and the Lord. They both held an equal place within her heart now.
"Miriam, can I launch my Hawks. Air superiority is vital. If we lose it, we will have to kiss goodbye to any hope of winning right now."
Miriam said: "Yes. Launch all aircraft. Codeword: Jesuit."
Deirdre shouted into the comm-link: "Jesuit, I repeat, Jesuit. Launch all aircraft into the skies. Wipe anything out that has a different digital field. You fight for your lives, now. Do your duty."
That last of the aircraft was launched into the sky, only about another fifty-thousand, but the Hawks, both craft and pilots the best ever seen, tore apart any opposition. Flying in twenty formations each shaped as an arrow, they pierced into the fight. The University aircraft were too many though, and Gaian after Gaian fell into the mountains, their lives ending in an explosion, and a plume of smoke.
Now, when they fell, the pilots directed their craft into the University forces, determined to sell their lives at a high cost to the Bastard, as they called him. Zakharov, the Traitor, the Defiler. Even Satan, in some circles.
Miriam stood, and murmured quietly:
"Artillery, lock onto University digital fields, and fire. Morgan!"
The leader of the Morganites turned to her. "Yes?"
Miriam asked:
"Can your satellites do anything to help? Destroy their tracking systems, or something. Just get your people to try. As Deirdre said, we must win this air battle, or everything is lost."
Morgan nodded.
"Very well. I will go to a different room. From there, I should be able to co-ordinate something, Miriam."
She smiled. "Good."
Imala said: "I may be able to help."
Deirdre frowned. "How?"
Imala tapped her fingers nervously on the table. "Well, my probe teams can get into University transmissions, and jam them. That would prevent them from co-ordinating their air attacks, and would at least add to confusion."
Miriam said: "Make it so."
The battle went on for hours, turning uglier every minute. The satellites in orbit launched massive blasts of electrical and high frequency energy at the University planes, able to differentiate between the communication signatures. Hundreds of the aircraft plummeted to the ground, their controls disabled. Most of them landed amongst their own troops, as well.
When the Nevus probe teams captured University communication bunkers, exploding them with powerful explosives, it created more than just a little confusion. Even the ground forces were demoralised, and Miriam took advantage of that to order a full attack with ground troops, tanks and artillery.
The massive University army was driven back, and slowly, the air force of the Gaians and their allies began to triumph, driving the University out of the skies. Finally, and order was intercepted from a hoarse Zakharov, screaming: "Retreat! Retreat!" By then, it was too late. The aircraft were trapped in the sky by the cunning flying of the Gaian Hawks, who would not allow them to disengage. They left it to the weaker craft to destroy every aircraft within sight.
Bruised and battered, the University troops retreated to their bases, to suffer a night of continual bombardment and air strikes from the Gaians, who exploited their air superiority brilliantly.
As Miriam remarked happily at the end of the day:
"The heavens now truly belong to the Lord's Believers."
The next day, the University came much more prepared. When the aircraft of Gaia were launched into attack mode, anti-air fire tore many of them down. Horrendous casualties were inflicted on both sides, but eventually the Gaians were forced to withdraw their aircraft.
Taking advantage of the lull in 'Allied' air activity, Zakharov launched choppers into the sky, and began dropping thousands of paratroopers, who fought tooth and nail to capture the key positions. Gradually, the Believing defenders were driven back, bombarded almost incessantly into a final, desperate and full retreat. Artillery was left, forced to be dismantled, for fear of it falling into enemy hands.
The second day of the war was a bleak day, for as night fell, the mountains belonged to the University, despite every ploy attempted by the faction leaders. Things looked bad indeed, and looked even worse when the bombardment of New Jerusalem began.
