Hello everyone! Well, it's that time of year again. School is starting again and my nephews will be going back. Good grief I feel old. It seems like it was only yesterday that my sister-in-law was pregnant with Hunter, my oldest nephew, and now he's in the 8th grade and my other nephew, David, is in the 5th.
Ah, but I'm rambling again. So, I shall get on with the story.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.
Chapter 9: A Gnasty Surprise
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Pyre caught himself before he dozed off again listening to the King greet and address the leaders of the ruling races. He caught a disapproving glance from Cyril but other than that nothing else. Already he had met Kain, the abstinate, but selfless, leader of the atlawa who, though getting on in years, was still as strong and capable as he was the last time Pyre saw him. He had also met Wolver, the new leader of the wolf tribe after the death of their previous leader. True to wolf form, Wolver was stoic, calm, patient, and above all things, unreadable.
Next was, of course, Prowlus of the cheetah race who was acompanied by his chosen successor, Hunter. After that was Mole-yair and his brother Exhumor of the manweersmalls. After trade had begun with the human race, the manweersmalls were the first to open their doors to humans, who, with their advanced technology, were able to extract more metals, minerals, and other things from the many, many mines in Boyzitbig and abroad. Naturally the manweersmalls were in complete control of the industry and, with the help of their larger cousins, the moles, were able to moniter it carefully.
Pyre vaguely wondered where the mole delegation was or when they would arrive when the doors were opened and in, of all people, stepped Gnasty Gnorc, the leader of the gnorc race and one of the original commanders of the Southlands Liberation Force. Indeed, for a gnorc, he cast an impressive figure. Armored in gold plate, he strode confidantly across the room and greeted the King and the others like old friends.
Truth be told, the gnorcs had not been the best of neighbors. After the threat of Dalon ended, Gnasty had attempted to salvage some of Dalon's weapons of war and was even rumored to have salvaged the Poseidon wreckage and sold it off as scrap to fund his forces. Naturally this had raised an uproar with the humans when a gnorc trade vessel bearing a striking resemblance to the Crusader, a battleship that had sank in Gnorc Harbor along with Admiral Greagor, sailed into the Admiral's home town of Southport. The ship had been inspected, found indeed to be the Crusader, and had been seized by the port authority.
There was no question the gnorcs were the only race that kept a standing army at all times ready while the other races kept militias or patrols at the ready. After the attack on Warfang, the King had issued an order to rebuild the army and had sent a request to Syllia for more human troops.
Needless to say that when Pyre's brother, Shimmer, arrived along with a full flight of Dracocorps dragons and Dragoons and explained the situation elsewhere in the world, the King and indeed, even the Guardians had been taken aback. Still, as Pyre looked at Shimmer, he could see a slight look of relief on his face.
Merely minutes before the meeting, Shimmer had been called to the radio barracks of the Warfang Home Guard and had only just arrived at the meeting, catching a few glances of the other dragons there and a few murmurs of what had happened. Shimmer had whispered something to the King's senechal who nodded and then returned to his place by the King.
After Gnasty had been greeted and the mole delegation arrived (finally). The senechal spoke to Skyclaw who in turn nodded and addressed the room.
"I welcome you all, my friends and fellow leaders to Warfang. I have asked you all here to discuss a matter most dire. I'm not sure how many of you have humans working in your lands but surely you have heard some rumors and have had people take leave and return home. The human lands are in chaos at the moment and are also in a state of war with a nation known as Rotiart. We, too, have been touched by this conflict as one week ago we were attacked by forces our Praetorian allies identified as Damoneni. Already Rotiart had conquered half of the nation of Tellanos and are being held back by both Tellanian and Syllian forces."
He paused for a moment to gauge the room and also to catch his breath before continuing.
"Furthermore, vessels from a nation known as Callinar have actually invaded the Syllian territory known as the Blue Isles and are in stalemate with the Syllian navy. It is now that I ask you all if you will combine your forces with ours so that we may protect our homeland no matter what may come."
Pyre looked around at the delegates with worry. The moles and manweersmalls would, without a doubt, ally with the dragons. The cheetahs, atlawa, and wolves were far more independantly minded. The gnorcs were the only wildcard. Nobody knew what Gnasty's price for an alliance would be, nor could they know what he would do if he decided to stay neutral or perhaps even engage the enemy with his own forces.
Off to the side, Pyre could see his old friend and partner from the Dracocorps, Gerald Ross, son of the late Bertram Ross, and his officers of the Syllian military branch and next to him was Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Collins, commander of the Praetorian forces known as the 'Queen's Guard', a man of impressive stature, noble bearing, and a notorious habit for smoking like a freight train. This was one of the few times Pyre had seen the man without that large pipe in his mouth and without the dark cloud of smoke that always hung over him. He was a kind enough sort, if you didn't mind the smoke smell.
True to form, (and just as Pyre had predicted), the moles and manweersmalls joined with their old dragon allies. Though only the moles had a standing army, the manweersmalls had access to most of the mines and materials in Boyzitbig and abroad making their assistance essential for any kind of military action.
Then came the disappointments. Prowlus didn't think the enemy concerned them as they hadn't attacked Avalar like Dalon had and thus didn't think this alliance was neccessary. Ever abstinate Kain, always believing his island nation was impregnable, turned down the alliance flat. Then it came to Wolver, who chuckled.
"I have no doubt this enemy threat is genuine, but my troops are busy holding off another threat from the west. This Callinar you mentioned has sent probing raids to our small ports which are caught in between gnorc and cheetah territories and should I divert any forces, they will surely succeed. I regret that, though I belive this alliance is the proper action, I cannot ally with you here nor can I send any troops."
Pyre thought he was imagining it, but he thought he saw a ghost of a smile on Gnasty's mouth before it vanished. Nor was he the only one. He saw Spyro and Cynder look at Gnasty as if something about him rubbed their scales the wrong way. Pyre was about to voice his opinion when the gnorc cleared his throat, effectively getting everyone's attention, then, for the first time here, he smiled and nodded towards Skyclaw.
"King Skyclaw; as Wolver said, I too believe in this alliance, however, unlike the wolves, I can and I will send troops to your alliance. Upon my honor as leader of the gnorcs, I pledge you my forces. However, I do this on the promise that, after this war is won, we can go back to our independant ways."
Pyre was dumbstruck and took a moment to make sure his jaw wasn't hanging open. Had he heard right? Gnasty Gnorc, the most disagreeable, egotistical, militaristic, and by far the delegate with the shortest temper among them was actually agreeing with Skyclaw. Furthermore, he was actually pledging support from his own forces to assist the alliance? While Pyre thought on this, Shimmer, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
"I also have something to say. Before I came to the meeting, I was called to the radio office and recieved some good news. The front at Tellanos has indeed stabilized and now Syllia has its bearings again. They are dispatching a carrier group here to assist Warfang and are currently gathering pilots for the squadrons and are also putting together ships for an escort squadron. Keep in mind though that all of Syllia's main carriers are currently engaged elsewhere so this carrier group will likely be made up of escort carriers but there will be several of them."
Spyro looked at Shimmer and spoke a question that Thera had asked before when Shimmer first arrived but he had declined to answer.
"Shimmer, I ask this question on the behalf of my daughter-in-law, Magothera. What of her brothers? Joshua and Bertram?" Shimmer sighed at this and nodded.
"Due to their exemplary performance during the siege of the Tellanian capital, Retorinc, Bertram's squadron, the 242, is currently on the short list of experienced combat pilots and it is highly likely they will be transferred here on the carrier force. As for Josh...well..."
Shimmer looked like he was unsure to say it with Ignitus also in the room and eyeing him with a worried expression. Not to mention Gerald and several others who knew Joshua. He sighed and continued.
"Joshua de Launces has been temporarily removed from active duty due to the damage the Interceptor took while engaging an enemy supership, the Whirlwind, off Kage Island. The enemy vessel punched a hole through the Interceptor's engine room that effectively rendered the vessel unsalvagable. Joshua and his crew have been put on shore duty back in Sanijo until a new vessel can be assigned to him." Shimmer noticed the looks of Spyro, Cynder, and Ignitus and hurriedly added.
"N-Not to worry. He is unharmed, however, he essentially sacrificed his ship to sink the enemy supership. He is a hero for his actions but at the same time, he went against the battleplan and needlessly lost his ship in the process. The Syllian Admiralty tends to weigh such things carefully. Since I've broached the subject, if Josh is assigned a new vessel, there is a fifty/fifty chance he will be assigned here. On the other paw he might continue as part of Task Force Echo. It depends on how the after action review goes." Pyre huffed and looked to his brother.
"You mean to say that his career is in jeopardy just because he lost a vessel that, if I remember correctly, was scheduled to be scrapped anyway? He's a hero! They aught to put him in command of a battleship or a carrier for a job well done!" Shimmer chuckled as he glanced around at the peoples assembled. No matter how much of a Guardian Pyre is, he will always be a Syllian Dracocorps dragon at heart. At that moment, the Praetorian commander spoke up.
"Commander Shimmer, when can we expect these Syllian reinforcements?"
"By my understanding of the orders, it could be anywhere between one to two weeks. The orders have been issued, now they need to get the pieces assembled and on the board."
That was apparently the last thing that needed to be said as Skyclaw then dismissed everyone but the delegates. Apparently, he hoped that a private meeting may be enough to change their minds.
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Thera wearily watched as Zane and Ryu practiced sparring in the courtyard (again). It had been several days since the battle and she still hadn't recovered her energy much. Without even realizing it, she went into a light doze and only snapped out of it when she heard Ryu's exhasperated shout of dismay as Zane 'killed' him yet again. She cracked one eye open and smiled at her two sons then felt a presence by her and felt Ignitus' warm body settle down next to her and he began to explain the events at the meeting.
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Ryu leaned on his practice sabre and glared at his elder sibling. Zane, as always, stood cool and confidant and with an air of confidence.
"That's two out of three Ryu. Would you like to try again? Or are you done having your tail whipped for the day?"
Ryu smirked and readied himself again. One thing Ryu never let be said of him was that he backed down from a challenge. His brother was the only person his own age who could beat him in a mock duel in either human or dragon form and he was determined to best him...eventually.
"Best three out of five, Zane? Or am I cutting into your study time?"
There it was. Zane smirked and readied a stance again, broadside to his opponent, his rapier-like tailblade ready to strike or defend. The tip of the tail covered in a thick rubber that negated the possibility of a wounding or accidental fatal hit. Though they dueled like rivals and had their fights, Ryu could honestly say he had no better friend than his brother. When they were younger, Zane would take time to help Ryu with his own studying and would often listen to him. Before Ryu had started learning how to fight from him, Zane had always been there to protect him from bullies because he was a shapeshifter. The jokes between them were many and they never truly insulted one another.
"Ready Ryu? On three. One...two...three!"
"En garde Zane!"
Ryu and Zane leapt at each other and locked sabre and tailblade in the first strike. When Ryu was in human form, Zane only fought with his tailbalde so to even up the field. Only when both were in dragon form did they go all out.
Ryu disengaged and ducked, the riposted, disengaged again, and then charged. He blocked an attack to his right calf, thenswung the blade around and tapped Zane on the flank.
"That's one!"
"Enjoy it, cause it's the only one you'll get!"
Zane locked his tail with the sabre and twisted, disarming Ryu and and then flicking the ball up to Ryu's throat and smiled.
"Dead. Yet again. Maybe you should take up another fighting style. You don't have to be like me or grandfather and master the sword you know? You could take a page and learn how to use a mace. Or perhaps martial arts." Ryu had heard this speech before and said the same thing he always said.
"My blood is that of heroes. My grandparents and my parents are all heroes, each and every one of them. They never quit and neither shall I." Zane smiled and then tackled his brother, using the back of his paw to ruffle his little brother's hair.
"Blood of heroes, eh? Well, if you stay this course you'll show promise. You actually landed a hit on me just a moment ago. Just last week you never would have been able to touch me. You're getting better, and never let anyone, not even me, tell you otherwise. Now then, let's go bother our dear sisters and see what Zafra's been working on."
As the two brothers turned to leave, they noticed Shimmer coming in and he stopped by their mother and father, who had obviously been expecting him.
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Thera managed to wake herself up to see Shimmer, and shortly thereafter, Pyre, come into the courtyard of their house and lay down before them. Now that Ryu and Zane were gone, Shimmer could speak candidly on the matter of her brother, Josh.
"Shimmer. So, Josh has been removed from combat status?" The light dragon nodded.
"I can tell you this however, it is more than just a fifty/fifty chance he'll come here. I didn't want to say anything in front of the gnorcs. Just something about them sets me on edge. Anyway. Yes, Josh is in Sanijo. Yes, he is not active, at least not at the moment. The fact remains he is the hero who sunk the Whirlwind and saved the front line at Kage Island. Word from command is that he is going to be given a naval squadron and will be one of the groups escorting the carrier force here. It's not official mind you, but, that is what the Admiralty is thinking. Bertram is the only confirmed one I have and that is mainly for his safety."
That caught Thera's and Ignitus' collective attentions.
"Safety? What happened?"
"During the battle of Retorinc, Bertram went against Dieter Muntz, Rotiart's Ace of Aces. By all accounts he shouldn't have survived the encounter but then again, Muntz is known to single out an opponent and then test himself against him. He's a pilot who likes pushing himself against those he considers worthy rivals. If they make the cut, he pursues them relentlessly, if not, he has no qualms about shooting them down afterwards. By all accounts, Bertram got Dieter's attention. It would be a crushing blow to Syllian morale if Bertram de Launces was shot down and killed by the enemy. More so if that enemy was the Ace of Aces." Thera looked at her paws for a moment then nodded as if remembering something.
"Ace of Aces. That's the name given to the elite fighter of any nation isn't it?" Shimmer nodded.
"Indeed. It began during the Callinar Incursion in 1919. Callinar and Tellanian aces crossing the skies and fighting each other. There were fifteen pilots who earned the title 'Ace of Aces'. Nearly all of them lost their lives in that war. That monicker...it's like painting a bullseye on your back. It lists you as the best pilot the enemy has. Down him, their morale plunges, they lose their most powerful ace, and the bullseye goes to the one who shot him down. The last Ace of Aces was Captain Edward Garfield of Callinar, the man known as the 'Crimson Tide'. After the war, he vanished. No one, not even his own government, knows where he is now. What I'm getting at is this. In that one battle over Retorinc, Bertram shot down nearly twenty enemy fighters and sixteen bombers. He rivals Reyson Havvers' kill score from the Southlands Conflict and is listed as Syllia's number five ace."
"Who are the other four?"
"Aces one, two, and three are Reyson Havvers himself and two wingmen, the fourth is a naval pilot, Marine Lieutenant Frank Stone who is actually part of the small fleet Syllia already has stationed here. He fought in the Southlands Conflict, then went covertly to Tellanos during the Incursion, was shot down three times, once by the Crimson Tide himself, came home a hero, and assigned to carrier flight operations to finish out his career." Ignitus yawned, and looked at the clock Thera had in the courtyard and smiled.
"Well, that's enough doom and gloom for one evening. So, Bertram is coming here and possibly Josh as well. That's great news as they'll be away from the worst of the fighting. Plus, the kids love seeing their uncles so it'll give Thera and I a chance to brake away and relax." Thera kissed him lightly and then sighed.
"I've got to help Zafra, she's a little over her head with this project. Shimmer, Pyre, thank you both for coming." Pyre looked a little confused when she said this.
"Zafra? In over her head? What's she trying to build, a land battleship?" Thera laughed and shook her head.
"Close but not quite, she's trying to build a orrery but while she can make the parts, she can't fit them into place properly."
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Zafra actually began to sweat through her scales as she eased the small gear into position. With a satisfying clink it fell into position. Grinning, she then used a small spanner to wind up the spring and then eased a switch up. Crossing her wingtips, she released the switch and watched as the grand clock she was working on sprang to life. Gears clicked and clinked, the pendulum swung back and forth, the reciprocating gear twisted first to the left, then to the right in rapid pace keeping with the swing of the pendulum.
Just as she was beginning to feel satisfied with her work and turned away, she heard a clunk from within the machine. She turned back just in time to see the mainspring snap, fly into a large gear which broke loose from its bearings, fell, landed on a series of smaller gears which sent them all cascading to the ground where they rolled along the marble floor. The clock face spot outwards, the hands spinning in opposite directions, the bell and clapper seperated and fell to the ground as well making an aweful racket, finally the pendulum which had continued its motion, broke free and fell, lastly the beautiful porcelain painting on the face of the clock broke free and fell prompting Zafra to dive and catch it before it shattered. She examined the painting of her mother and father in flight over Launces and sighed, thankful it was intact.
Setting the face aside and looking at the remains of the grand clock, Zafra felt her right eye twitch in anger. That had always been her tell that she was annoyed or worried or angry about something. Three days of work gone in thirty seconds. Her parents anniversary was coming up in less than a week and she still couldn't get the blasted timepiece working right. She looked back at her workdesk and saw her grandfather's original blueprints laying out. She had followed the directions to the letter yet still the device didn't want to work.
The sound of footsteps approaching made her remember what she was supposed to be working on and quickly she threw a sheet over the clock, covered the porcelain face painting, rolled up the blueprints and then laid out the plans for the orrery and quickly laid out the parts for the device and with a broad sweep of her tail sent the gears and pieces of the broken clock tumbling and rolling under the table. She just finished hining the pendulum, bell, and clapper when the door opened and in stepped her mother, looking both curious and worried.
"Zafra? If I may ask, what part of an orrery is supposed to ring loud enough to echo through the house?" Zafra hemmed and hawed before coming up with an idea.
"Th-The...uh...timer! Yeah, the timer to let you know the orrery has run its full course!" Thera looked at her daughter and saw the faintest twitch of her right eye, her tell, and chuckled.
"Okay then, why would an orrery, a device that shows the night sky at any place in the world, need a timer? Are there star showers that happen at certain times? Are you timing celestial events such as eclipses and equinoxes?" Zafra hoped her mother wouldn't start rumaging through her machine pieces and find the spare parts for the clock. She then saw something and gasped, she had missed a single small gear that was right under her mother. Thera noticed this and looked down and picked up the gear.
The gear was a small thing, a little bigger than the palm of a human hand. Yet it was made of titanium-infused gold. Yet another of Zafra's abilities, she could take two metals or a series of them that had nothing in common and fuse them together to create a super alloy. This particular alloy was something she had developed for giving the normally soft gold a harder, more resiliant form for more practical uses. Thera couldn't help but wonder what she was making to require this combination of strength and beauty. Then she saw her daughter's face and set the gear down.
"Zafra, tell me what is wrong."
Though a young adult now, Zafra was particularly sensative when it came to her machines. Once someone had ridiculed her for making her own toys and often giving them to younger classmates as gifts during holidays or hatchdays. She had shut herself in her room for a week and didn't come out until Thera had coaxed her out only to discover Zafra had made an entire mechanical scale model of Warfang. The model was so accurate no one ever mocked her again but she still didn't like anyone trying to 'pick apart' what she had been building.
Zafra, seeing she was caught, brought out the porcelain clock face and pulled the sheet off the clock. Thera was speechless at the sight of it. A clock this size could easily contain over three-thousand parts. She could see it had been previously complete but then something had failed in the machine causing it to come apart. Zafra then brought out the blueprints and that was when Thera saw it. On the blueprints, in the bottom right corner, her father's signature and copyright mark dated 1901, the year she had turned five, and recognized the clock for what it was.
During the time her father had been in the Southlands fighting Dalon, Thera had been in Launces being courted by Ignitus. Eventually though, a dragon she despised insulted her, prompting Ignitus to challenge the dragon to a mating duel for Thera. The night before the duel, the other dragon had sent an assassin to kill both her and Ignitus. Thanks to Ignitus' quick thinking, however, they survived the attack although Thera had lost one of her most treasured possessions, a great clock her father had made for her on her fifth birthday.
Now before her was the same clock, repaired and obviously meant to be in full working order but with a new face, new parts, and just a few days shy of her and Ignitus' anniversary. She pulled Zafra into a hug that seemed to allieviate any fears that she was mad at Zafra and then smiled at her.
"Zafra, thank you. I know you meant it to be a surprise but...maybe I can help you. You see...your grandfather designed this for me yet, he left out one crucial part. There is a gear that goes dead center of the clock. Without it, it will always break. That gear was meant to symbolize me, being one of a kind and having this clock belong to me and me alone."
Zafra watched as her mother went into the room used to hold the family treasures and came out a little while later holding a strange looking gear that consisted of three gears fused together and of different sizes, tooth patterns, and capable of independant movement. Pulling out new parts, they began to reassemble the clock. Thera was particularly moved when she saw the new face and saw her brother, Joshua's, signature in the lower curve of the face just under the five mark. When the clock was reassembled, Thera brought the gear and held it for Zafra to see.
"When my father showed me this, he told me what these gears meant. The first and largest gear is my heart. A heart that knows nothing but love for my family, friends, and now, my children. The second with so many teeth and spins rapidly is my mind. A mind that always wonders, always working, never tiring. Endless curiousity, endless wonder. The third represents my will and resolve. To be unbendable, unbreakable, and to never waver in my faith, my beliefs, nor my convictions. Here. Put this in that empty peg in the center just above where the mainspring attaches."
Zafra did as she was told and then wound the clock slowly. She braced herself for it to break and come apart as it had done time and time again yet...she opened her eyes and stared in wonder.
The pendulum worked back and forth, the gears clicked and clinked without incident, the main gear in the center of the clock turned beautifully. The large inner gear turned slowly clockwise, the middle gear turned quickly counterclockwise, the small outer gear turned one click at a time clockwise with every tenth swing of the pendulum. Zafra turned and looked at her mother who now had tears in her eyes before she blinked them away.
"Now then Zafra. I believe that orrery is due tommorow isn't it?"
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Flaire took her station on the walls of Warfang as she had done time and again. Though newly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, she still felt she had something to prove to the higher ups. She was determined to show these Syllian dragons what an Avalon born and bred fire dragon was capable of. Her passion for her work and her sense of duty led everyone to call her a 'hellfire' dragon. It was all thanks to her spitting blue flames and also having a unique ability to wreathe herself in the blue flames that made her who she was.
Behind her, the city was settling down for the night yet off in the distance, she could see what she had been told were gnorc forces coming to bolster the garrison. She made no secret about disliking the gnorcs but for the sake of the alliance she kept her mouth shut. A loud whistling sound broke her thoughts and she looked left just in time to see an artilery shell blow a hole through the cannon housing not fifteen yards where she stood. She turned back and gasped, seeing more tell-tale flashes as gnorc artillery pieces opened fire upon the city. She leapt to the alarm bell and began ringing it. A flight of dragons flew to the wall quickly and she shouted to them.
"The city is under attack! The gnorcs have betrayed us!"
A high pitched whine was the next thing she heard as gnorc planes dived from the dark skies above and began to strafe the city streets and alarms rose up from the fleet at anchor as Damoneni vessels opened fire on them.
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Alright everbody! Here it is as promised. Wow so, talk about caught between a rock and a hard place. Not to worry though help is on the way.
Next time: Deja vu: A Rushed Deployment!