Hey everybody! Guess what day it is!
...
...
Sorry. I started typing this on Wednesday and for some reason almost on every channel I flipped to on TV there was a Geico or an Old Spice commercial.
In other news, Autumn has come at last to the United States, temperatures are no longer in the high 90's or triple digits, and now I have a giant sandbox in my backyard.
I'm serious. I was planning to grow some Autumn vegtables and pumpkins but it has been so dry here that nothing, not even the grass, is growing. The dirt I tilled up has already died up and has become nothing but a big pile of sand. On another note, now that it's cooled down I'm about to start to try and get in shape. My road is three miles long and I'm planning to walk the entire length twice a day meaning if I did my math right that'll be twelve miles a day.
Also hunting season is starting and also I've got my hands full working to get everything ready for the Provencal Fall Festival.
For those of ya'll who don't know or haven't heard of it, every year on the second weekend of November, Provencal celebrates Fall. On Friday we get everything set up, the Volunteer Fire Department (of which I am proudly a member of) helps the vendors set up their stalls as well as enjoy the Gumbo cook-off competition, some games, as well as food, and finally the Evening of Memories in which we remember our family members who are no longer with us. Some people place bags around the walking track with the names of the loved ones written on them and a little electronic candle and others send paper lanterns into the sky.
Saturday is when it all kicks off with the Fire Department firing up the grill and selling BBQ plates (your choice of Chicken, Sausage, or both), live music, dancing, a scavenger hunt (mainly for kids), door prizes, and finally the parade.
But ya'll are here to read the story not my news updates...anyway, onto the story!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THE SPYRO UNIVERS. ONLY MY OCS.
Chapter 17: Beheading the Hydra: Charge Into Concurrent Skies!
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Spyro dived in through the clouds, electricity arcing across his scales and between his teeth. He could see smoking pieces of debris that he had assumed were parts of the machine that had already been destroyed. He looked over the machine for the perfect spot to fire a bolt of electricity and no sooner did he start looking than he saw his target.
A metal grate on the front of the body under the massive top turret was rising revealing windows and a control room of sorts. He was able to see into the machine and saw the crew running back and forth on the bridge to carry out their orders.
(If Bertram is right and this thing has no defence against electricity, I should be able to launch a bolt through the window and destroy their ability to move and command this thing.) Spyro thought as he dove. He closed his wings to pick up speed, angled himself perfectly and managed to fly right between the cannon barrels of the top turret and stop mere feet from the control center.
If the situation hadn't been as serious as this, he'd have laughed at the expressions of the humans inside the control center. All of them, even their officers, going pale to a man and scrambling to get out of the room. One quick-witted soldier rushed towards the controls to the grate and jerked the lever down so hard he broke it from the wall.
A mechanical hum started and the shutter started crawling down the window. Spyro sighed at the dramatics and saw the soldier cursing as the shutter closed. Spyro finished building up energy and launched a high-powered bolt straight into the control center. The window that the bolt hit 'poofed' and turned into a cloud of dust while the other seven shattered simultaneously. The soldier who had activated the shutter hadhis hand on the door and was shoving his way past the other soldiers when the bolt hit.
The electricity arced between soldiers, made their hair stand out on end, and gave stunning displays of their skeletal structures. Machines burst into flames, gauges shattered, papers caught fire and were blown out of the room with the shockwave, lights flickered, grew brighter, then exploded. Then a fire suppression system of some sort turned on but the electricity was so intense that the water flash-steamed with in turn shorted out the machines the electricity hadn't damaged.
Spyro cut the flow of electricity and examined his work. The majority of the enemy were dead, their bodies smoking, those that weren't were twitching, fires had erupted from nealry all the machines and those that weren't were sparking furiously as they shorted out. He heard a metal creak and saw the shutter begining to break free from the window and come down with a slam. A gear flew by him as well as a section of chain. Seeing the shutter beginning to fail, Spyro dropped further and flew away along the port side of the machine.
As he approached the rear, he saw two sections of the machine that looked weaker thanthe rest of the hull and heard a humming noise from inside. He immediately heard a high pitched scream and saw one of the Syllian planes diving at the machine, guns blazing. Spyro pushed himself out of the way and watched as the rounds ripped through the plate. The humming was louder now and the plane had left the machine. Cautiously, he stuck his head down the hole and saw a huge machine working to propel the Hydra forward.
A man's yelling got his attention as he saw a soldier, someone of rank apparently, angrily pointing at the destroyed vent seemingly oblivious to Spyro. The officer might be oblivious but his subordinates sure weren't.
One soldier all but ripped the door off a weapon locker and fumbled with the safety before aiming it at the vent. The officer, at first curious, turned and then swore a string of profanities that seemed more at home coming from a sailor than a soldier. Spyro ducked out fo the engine room just as bullets started bouncing from around the vent and he watched as tracers shot through the opening.
At that moment a siren went off and red lights flashed all along the deck of the machine. Hatches that had blended seemlessly into the deck popped open and out rushed men with everything from machineguns and rifles to knives and even tools such as wrenches, crobars, and large socket wrenches. All of which now pointed at his direction.
A low grinding noise got his attention and he looked to see one of the smaller turrets turn and lower its gun at him. Spyro looked between the turret and the soldiers and shrugged. Without warning, he engaged the time element and shot from the Hydra into the clouds. Needless to say, the sight of a dragon all but vanishing from the deck unnerved the gunner at the controls of the turret and his hand yanked the firing lever out of pure instinct.
Spyro may as well have been gone for an hour by the time the youth pulled the lever, sending the massive round down the barrel and blowing a hole in the machine and killing or wounding nearly all the people on the deck. Nor were they the only casualties of the wild shot.
The shell had pierced the armor, went through the deck, and had impacted the main engine and detonated. Immediately the interior of the Hydra went dark and then took on a red hue as emergency lights came on using the back-up generator in the front. Needless to say, the Hydra, with no power from its engine, screeched to a halt as well.
Spyro allowed himself a moment to savor the victory when the turrets rotated and began firing again. He had stopped the machine from moving but didn't disable the guns.
A clap of thunder resounded through the air and Spyro turned to see Zakwel diving, much like he had done earlier, the only exception being Zakwel released a huge blast of lightning that arced across the side of the main turret and watching in satisfaction as the lightning melted two of the guns encircling the turret and detonating the rounds within the chambers.
There was a loud explosion from the main turret as the side Zakwel hit bulged out and then broke loose, the sound of popping rivets, shredding steel, and soldier's screams added to the noise. The section, as well as part of the roof was gone revealing the guts of the turret.
The Each section of two guns in the top turret was its own self contained room. Each chamber had fittings for two cannons, a hatch to a central lift for crew, and an elevator for artillery rounds, powder, and other things. There was also liquid spraying from severed hoses in the section that smelled strongly of the same type of oil the Syllians used in their planes to lubricate the parts of the engine.
Right behind Zakwel was Ignitus who apparently smelled the scent as well and breathed a stream of fire down onto the open area. The liquid immediately burst into flames and set the liquid that had cascaded down the side of the turret alight.
On the ground, Earth dragons who had followed them used their energies to create barrier after barrier in front of the machine as well as rapidly fortify the Praetorian positions. A few more independantly minded dragons flew over the lines and dropped weapons and ammunition to the soldiers below.
At that moment, another rumbling was heard and Spyro turned to see several tanks rumbling through the Concurrent Skies pass and approaching the Hydra, preparing to assist it. Each tank looked like the ones that were already burning but these had two, three, or four long barrels extending from their turrets and these guns raised up nearly vertical and began firing on the airborne dragons. An ice dragon flew low to attack one of these tanks but the turret turned and all four barrels fired, riddling him with holes and he crashed onto another tank. Spyro heard Zakwel curse as he finished another dive.
"Those are anti-air tanks! Cheeky bastards! They must have improved their firepower if they can take down a dragon!" Spyro nodded and then looked to the other.
"Order the others to fall back! We can't help anyone if we get shot down!" Zakwel nodded but as he turned, he heard a high pitched whine and looked above the clouds to see planes streaking from the clouds. Each plane bore Syllian markings and Spyro immediately recognized the lead plane as Reyson Havvers.
As if on perfect que, the planes spread out and each dropped a single bomb or fired a salvo of rockets at the tanks. Spyro watched in amazement as the bombs all but caved in the turrets before exploding and the rockets, fired in burst of two or three, destroyed their targets as well.
Still though, several tanks were still working and were advancing. Some of the smaller tanks had leveled their guns and began firing on the barricade.
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Inside the Hydra, the alarms were almost to the point of deafening as Sharps, still in Rotiart uniform, ran down the corridor and headed for one of the exits. He'd been forced to silence two more officers and a young private who'd stumbled upon him as he killed the last. The face of the kid, probably seventeen, likely lied about his age, remained with him, his expression changing from one that bespoke a need to relieve oneself to one of sheer terror even as the silenced bullets ripped through his jacket and piecred his lungs and heart he had kept that expression, never crying out, never trying to fight back...
Just afraid.
Sharps cursed and wiped the image from his mind.
(This is war. People die. Kids who should by all means still be in school or trying to start a life of their own die. I do not judge who lives or dies, I just do my duty to protect my country. To protect my children so that they need not make these choices.)
As he rounded a corner, he saw a group of Rotiart soldiers frantically trying to supress a fire that had broken out. They were standing at the only viable exit hatch that was between the front hatch and the largest concentration of Rotarian soldiers, and the back exit that was by now either blocked by debris or in flames. Luckily it seemed that the only one in charge was a young corproal who then saw him and waved him over.
"Sir! Section Nine is secure but in flames, we still have men trapped in Sections Ten, Eleven, and Twelve! Comms are down and we can't contact the Command Bridge, what are our orders?" Sharps looked at the DC (Damage Control) crew and nodded. He may not have a choice of which lives he take sbut at least he can save some, at least until the enemy outside claimed them.
"The Command Center as well as the engines have been destroyed and the Commander has been killed. Corporal, I'm afraid the Hydra is lost. Save what men you can and begin evacuation now. Sector Three is blocked off with debris and we are isolated with no way to reach the turrets either. Take your men and save yourselves."
The Corporal let out a sigh, of defeat or relief Sharps could not say, and then turned to his men.
"DC Fifteen...abandon your posts."
A burly private wrenched the hatch open and then started motioning the crew through the door. The Corporal turned back to Sharps.
"Sir, there's a good chance the enemy is out there. Forgive me for defeatism thoughts but I believe we should surrender. We ARE soldiers but we are not trained in weaponry, we are trained in system repair and mechanics." Sharps looked surprised for a moment then allowed his gaze to soften.
"The men of DC15 are your family are they not? Do whatever it takes to protect them so that you can all see your loved ones again. If that means surrender, so be it."
"Sir, I have a request. Could you go with them? My...my brother is still here somewhere. He went to go take a leak before the attack and I haven't seen him since." Sharps immediately recalled the face and the name of the young man he had killed and looked to the soldier's jacket before him.
Shaw.
The same name that was on this man's uniform before him.
"The reason I ask sir is that our parents are dead and he lied about his age to enlist. I..uh..found him out when my commander thought it'd be a hoot to have two brothers working in the same unit. He's the only biological family I have left." Sharps' face took on a dark cast as he eyed the Corporal.
"I'm sorry. He won't make it." The manm froze as he eyed the officer before him.
"H-He's gone?" Sharps nodded, then thought of a convincing lie to tell both the boy and himself.
"He..He saved my life. I was trapped trying to save a member of my group when he came along and threw me out of the way before a bulkhead collapsed. If it's any consolation, it was quick and he felt no pain. Corporal...things happen in war we cannot explain nor can we forget. Do not think that dying here will justify grief. Live. Live with your successes and your failures. Remember the fallen and do not forsake them no matter what tale history tells. I myself have been doubting the reasons for this war. I have seen too much death for so little gained." He placed a hand on the soldier's shoulder.
"Your brother is dead, yes, but your brothers in arms still need you. Now then, let's go."
The corporal looked to Sharps, tears in his eyes but nodded and leapt out of the hatch. Sharps followed a second later.
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Bertram found relief a little hard to grasp. Mainly because despite the best efforts of the dragons the Hydra was still firing at them and the enemy infantry was still getting over the improvised earthen barricades. Though, not to look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak, he WAS glad of the ammunition that the dragons dropped to them.
A moment later, he heard a loud droning noise above him and, looking up, was greeted by an entire formation of Praetorian twin engine fighter-bombers that were approaching the Hydra.
A split second later, the formation of aircraft launched a barrage of rockets and bombs that could be described as impressive although 'overkill' might be a more suitable term. Bertram could only look on in absolute amazement as the rockets and bombs impacted the Hydra and the surrounding enemy. Fires bloomed throughout the rent places in the armor, sirens from the inside echoed, and Bertram could see soldiers abandoning their posts to avoid being burned alive or trapped in the falling wreckage. Scanning the ground he saw a group of Rotiart soldiers approaching with their arms raised, in the lead was an officer Bertram recognized and pointed out to the troops but otherwise said nothing.
"All troops hold your fire on that group! They are surrendering!"
Gnorc soldiers, upon seeing the Hydra grind to a halt and begin burning, turned and started to flee. The Rotiart soldier were hardly any well composed as they too started to run. Tanks in the rear of the formation were able to turn and retreat, soldiers looking for a quick escape grabbed hold of the rails along the sides and heaved themselves up onto the back of the tanks. The few tanks that were in the front of the formation weren't as lucky as the planes still in the air used what remained of their rockets, bombs and cannon ammunition to crater them where they were.
Bertram gazed at the retreating enemy, looked at the surviving soldiers around him, then looked up and saw Spyro and the rest of his group flying above. Even from below, he could see Spyro straining to turn towards Concurrent Skies. He sighed and then turned to his XO.
"Find me a radio and wave the Dracocorps wing down." The Master Sergeant saluted.
"Sir!"
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Spyro gazed longingly at Concurrent Skies. He had never truly liked the place but he was willing to put aside his feelings if the lair of Tomar was there. If Cynder could be saved...
From below, he saw a flare shoot up and saw the Syllian Dracocorps dragons start to descend. Spyro followed and landed roughly amidst the surrendering enemy and Praetorian soldiers. For the first time in a long time, an edge of aggrivation entered his voice.
"Who called the wing down? Why can't we push forward?" Bertram stepped forward and looked at Spyro who had to stop himself from growling at him.
"Spyro...I called you all down here so that I could inform you...that Command has given the green light to the Concurrent Skies attack. We're just supposed to wait for reinforcements first."
"Why must we wait?! The enemy is there looking for Tomar's lair! They are possibly bolstering their positions! We must strike now!" Bertram sighed and shook his head.
"We can't. Not without reliable intel. If we charge in now we risk destroying the lair and possible incurring horrendous casualties...That's why I've volunteered for another recon mission, only this time I'll be doing it in my own aircraft. I'll never, NEVER, get behind the controls of a bomber again for as long as I live."
Spyro's expression immediately reversed and he became concerned.
"Just make sure you check in with Thera before you do so. You nearly scared the life out of her when word that you'd gone down came through." Bertram laughed uneasily and shrugged.
"That's the risk of being a pilot. Every time I go up there's a chance I may not come down alive." At that moment, the radio came alive and Reyson's voice was heard on the other end.
"Captain Bertram de Launces, your request for a recon mission over Concurrent Skies has been accepted. Screening force will consist of Syllian 242 Squadron, 101 Squadron, and 333rd Bomber Wing. My wing will also assist with your escort. Now if you are done playing soldier, your plane is back in Warfang as well as your sister. If I were you, I'd encase myself in armor. " Bertram grimaced at this and picked up the mic.
"Copy that, one tin can returning to Warfang."
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Ayatane had pursued the enemy plane for a distance as he flew on. He was at full power on the engine and managing to close the distance with him. He was able to get within range and fired a burst. The pilot performed a quick rolling dive and escaped the rounds and dove into the clouds. Not to be out maneuvered or outdone, Ayatane followed.
Blasting through the cloudbank, he managed to catch sight of the enemy plane and fired another burst. He saw the rounds impact the plane but it didn't seem to do any notable damage. Then he exited the clouds and just happened to look to his left and managed to dodge a stream of tracers, cannon rounds, and even a few rockets as he was attacked by a small group of planes with the exact same paint scheme. Ayatane swore vehemontly.
He was surrounded and they were 'guiding' him towards Concurrent Skies.
(Looks like this guy had the same idea as Command did. They want to see what makes our new planes better than they used to be.)
As Ayatane contemplated his next move, tracers arced through the air and impacted one of the fighters beside him. Looking back, he felt both relief and worry as Sahne's plane burst through the clouds, guns blazing.
Sahne engaged another enemy plane in the confusion while they were trying to gather their wits and managed to damage the plane's engine. Trailing smoke, the plane dropped and left the fight. At that moment, another plane appeared and moved to engage Sahne. Ayatane knew he wouldn't be able to intercept the enemy in time and prepared for the worst.
Suddenly, a long burst came from the clouds and struck the plane that was attacking Sahne. Ayatane looked at the clouds and saw something unbelievable.
With a roar, a blood-red plane with Damoneni markings burst from the clouds and zoomed by Sahne and engaged yet another Rotiart plane. The plane was hit in the engine and burst into flames as it fell. Doing a roll, the red plane got behind another of the black planes and fired, this time the rounds split the canopy and painted the inside of the plane red and the plane fell away. By this time, the plane that Ayatane had been tailing tried to get behind the red plane and attack but the pilot executed a near perfect vertical flip and fired his guns as the plane passed under him. Ayatane watched as the rounds ripped into the plane and also as a wing broke off and the engine ignited.
Rather than bail out and risk capture, the pilot stayed and burned with his plane as it fell out of the sky. With the fall of their wingleader, the remaining three black planes turned tail and ran. As Ayatane scanned for more enemies, the red plane pulled alongside. He peered at the plane but could not see through the frosted glass cockpit. Ayatane realized what he was looking at.
(His canopy is a one-way window, he can see out but noone can see in...)
He also was able to catch a glimpse of the plane's weapons and was shocked at what he saw. The machineguns he recognized as Praetorian .303's, the cannons in the wings were Syllian 20mm, and the two large cannons bolted to the underside of the wings were Rotiart 40mm.
As Sahne fell in on his other wing, the red plane dipped his wings in a salute and then peeled off and headed south. Ayatane radioed to Sahne if she was alright, which she was but still a bit shocked.
"Hayate...I thought Callinar was the enemy...why did that pilot save us?"
"I wish I knew. I really wish I knew."
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Okay everybody! Here's the new chapter! Man, talk about your interesting turn of events. Well, you all know the drill by now, please review, follow, fav, PM or whatever you like and I'll respond. Y'all take care now.
Next chapter: The Lost Lair Part 2: Aces High.