Well, here we go with another chapter in World Fury. It is now February, January is gone, the second season of The Expanse is on TV (yay!), a new show, APB, is on, and exverything is just rolling along nicely.
Well, now if you'll excuse me, I have to call my Aunt Tammy and ask her if she saw her shadow on the 2nd. The rest of the world depends on the Groundhog but my family depends on Aunt Tammy.
On with the story!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.
Chapter 65: Kicking In The Door
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The mood was angry. The people of Launces were relieved that they were no longer occupied but no one cheered, no one sang, no one celebrated. The castle was almost dark, very few lights were on. After recognizing James in the transport being abducted, Lysa had tried to pursue the aircraft but in the end was too exhausted to follow as it vanished from sight. The few remaining OAC soldiers fought valiantly for a moment before realizing that there was no rescue coming and hastily surrendered in order to avoid facing destruction at the claws of over a hundred irate dragons.
After the Syllian forces interrogated the OAC officers, they were then turned over to the Royalist Rotarian forces for internment. Still, the fact that James de Launces, the King of Syllia, was captured disheartened the Syllian forces. Lysa found herself bombarded with various plans ranging from a full-scale assaults, armored blitz tactics, a massive airborne assault, a amphibeous landing and even a plan which combined all the previous plans which, to her mind, was impractical.
In Launces, the generals had established a war room of sorts in the throne room and had a map of the continent spread out on a large table.
Following the battle for Launces, Rotarian forces had effectively been routed from the area and had been forced to retreat all the way back to the Syllia/Tellanos border. At last report, Royalist Rotarian (RR) forces had deadlocked Loyalist Rotarian (LR) forces at the ruins of Union City. Syllian forces from Peninsula City had linked up with the Schildhaven forces and had retaken the capital city of Stauffenberg.
Northumbrian forces, in conjunction with Nevoran, Tellanian, and Espan forces, had pushed the LR back across Northumbria and into Tellanos, liberating the city of Mursk. The Tellanian front had also been bolstered by the news of the victory and the combined forces of Praetoria, Syllia, Espan, Anozira, Tullinar and Tellanos had launched three seperate attacks from Dovograd heading north, northwest, and west.
The front line wasn't the most stable at the moment but the intel wasn't wrong. Essentially, seven-thousand LR forces were surrounded at Union City, and their closest allied forces were halfway across Tellanos in what was being called a 'fighting withdrawal'. The LR was essentially routed but their commanders refused to give up the fight.
A fact that made Lysa in a particularly irate mood.
Not only was she being forced to divert forces needed to cross Tellanos to stamp out this last bastion of resistance, the LR was doing a damned good job of defending their positions. She had honestly wondered what it was going to take to dislodge and obliterate the remaining LR forces. Hoping to try and set her mind at ease, she left the castle and went to the Dracocorps dragon hospital where, despite being almost fully healed thanks to the Blood Rite awakening, Caldor was still being sequestered and under the watchful eye of Zafra.
The hospital was large compared to human buildings which, considering the patients, was natural. Caldor's room was at the far end of the hall and Lysa was momentarily stunned when she caught sight of seven light dragons, each wearing the archaic armor of the Knights of the Blood-Rite, standing at attention outside. The dragons inclined their heads respectfully to her as she neared and when she entered, she caught sight of Lord Palas the Behemoth lying near the far side of the room, sharing a laugh with Caldor and Zafra about something said before she had entered. Palas immediately dipped his head to her as he rose to leave before turning back to Caldor.
"Once you are rested enough, find me and we'll decide on the best course of action to take next. As the son of Illuma, and as one who just learned of his abilities, you have a lot of catching up to do so that you can call on your powers at will instead of being near death." Caldor nodded his thanks and then looked to Zafra and then to Lysa and inclined his head. Lysa nodded to him and sighed.
"Sorry I haven't been by sooner Zafra, Caldor; but I've been at my wit's end with worry and it doesn't help that every general in the field is throwing plans left and right to see which one sticks. My mind has already gone over the worse case scenarios about what Mechanos may be doing to James." Zafra gazed at her grandmother and nodded.
"I know Grams. Still, Mechanos knows that if he does indeed do something to hurt him that he may as well leap from a cliff onto some sharp, pointy rocks. The prisoners all said something about 'Operation Serpent' which was to capture a member of our family..." Caldor then looked to Lysa.
"Your Majesty, here's a thought, though not a pleasant one. Mechanos may not have captured the King because he is simply 'the King of Syllia'. He may have had him captured because before he was the King, he was a Mechanist, the same as Mechanos. I mean, I know His Majesty would never consent to building anything for Mechanos unless he was put into a position of duress. What I'm thinking is, just what all has His Majesty invented or knows how to make that Mechanos would want?" Lysa gave him a sharp glance that she quickly relaxed and sighed.
"Too much. James is a great inventor but, like all inventors, even he makes mistakes or invents something that flops. One of his greatest successes was the pioneering of crystal energy, but the first device he made that used crystal energy, the Juggernaut, was a failure." Zafra looked to Lysa curiously.
"The Juggernaut? I never heard of that one." Lysa nodded.
"It only existed for one battle, many years ago when the rogue Slayer Corps occupied a fortress in Schildhaven. It was a massive suit of armor that used hydraulics to move and was armed with a light cannon and a heavy machinegun. The suit performed well but the drain on the crystals was too much for it to be effective, plus the armor required a few too many special parts to function, thus making it too expensive for the military to accept." She turned her gaze out the window and sighed.
"Plus... something happened during the battle. I... I never knew what had occured but, after returning, James had the Juggernaut scrapped and the blueprints for it destroyed. By what accounts I was able to dig up, the Juggernaut alone accounted for roughly forty percent of the casualties inflicted. There was also the incident in the Dalon Conflict."
"During the last battle, James and the Dragoons encountered soldiers using a weapon called a flamethrower. It was a device that, according to James, was originally intended to burn away obstructions such as wooden barriers and hedgerows and allow the infantry to proceed to their target." Zafra nodded.
"I remember hearing about that one. Apparently, Dalon figured out that adding gel powder to the fuel mixture created something he called 'napalm' that stuck to whatever was hit with the spray. Anyway, Dalon armed some soldiers with these new flamethrowers, sent them into battle, and they caused mass havoc until snipers started taking shots at the explosive tanks on their backs." Lysa nodded.
"Indeed. A device intended to be used as a tool was remade into a weapon of terror. The worst fear most humans have is burning alive, and a weapon that inflicts such fear and injuries upon people is a soldier's worst nightmare. That is James' worst fear, that a creation of his may be used for great evil. He will not bend to Mechanos' will easily." Zafra nodded and then gazed out the window and saw several large bombers and then motioned a wing to them.
"Grams, what do you suppose they're up to?" Lysa rose and gazed out the window and immediately sighed.
"That, I assume, is General Hartwig's idea. We need to break through Union City to devote the entirety of our forces to the Tellanian campaign and he seems to think that launching a massive wave of bombers to obliterate what's left of the city is the only way. Ever since James finished the prototype of the new heavy bomber and rushed it into production, Hartwig has been absolutely foaming at the mouth to get a chance to put the new bomber through its paces." Zafra gazed at the large bombers and nodded.
"They do seem to be more impressive than the older bombers. How many does General Hartwig plan to launch into battle?" Lysa shrugged.
"I believe he plans to start off with fifty bombers from here and link up with several more formations as they advance. Unfortunately, the bombers leaving from here are the only new types, the rest are the older bombers. The Tellanians are all for the idea, as they said, 'giving the bastard a taste of his own medicine'. Apparently Hartwig got the idea after hearing of Mechanos' 'round the clock' bombing of Chamberlain." Zafra nodded and then looked to her.
"Is Uncle Bertram escorting them?" Lysa shook her head.
"No, Bertram and his unit are needed further forward. The Rotarians, that is the Royalists, under Colonel Dieter Muntz's command, will be escorting them along with several flights from the Tellanians." Zafra returned her gaze out the window.
"Here's hoping that they can work together..." Lysa nodded as the first bomber, Hartwig's own Modern Art Masterpiece, was towed into position on the runway.
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Hartwig gave the signal to the ground crew as the tractor which had towed them onto the runway detatched it's tow arm and trundled away and then nodded to his co-pilot, Captain Jacob Winters.
"Well Jacob, while we wait for the other little ducklings to get behind momma, let's go through the checklist, get the girl ready for the dance." Jacob nodded and placed his headset on.
"Attention crew, we're going through the pre-flight checks. Sound off when your section is called. Bombadier?" The radio crackled and a woman's voice piped through.
"Bombadier checking in, all systems clear. Ready for action."
"Co-pilot copies Jenny, glad to be working with you again. Alright, Nose Gunner?"
Silence...
Growling, Jacob lifted his right foot and stomped down on the floor three times, hard.
"Bart! Pick up your damn radio!"
There was the sound of something being dropped and then a click.
"Nose gunner here, sorry about that. Still... uh... 'aqainting' myself with the systems." There was a scoff.
"Hardly. He's checking out some rather... revealing... literature that, if I wasn't used to his behavior, I'd find it insulting." Jacob coughed harshly and keyed the radio.
"Bart! Put that damn book away and go over your guns! Ahem... Oscar, how's life in the Bubble?"
"Just fine, sir. Radio's working just fine, and I've just finished going over the Pathfinder. As soon as we're up, I'll get it going." Hartwig chuckled at that and gave a glance to Jacob.
"A radar station in a bomber. Who'd have ever believed it?" Jacob smiled and nodded and then went back to the radio.
"Okay, top gunners, belly gunners, sound off."
"Wallis, top turret one, ready."
"Beets, top turret two, ready."
"Miles, top turret three, wilco."
"Benny, belly gunner one, same here."
"Ned, belly gunner two, ready to bark at the moon."
"Joyce, belly gunner three, same as the rest of 'em."
Jacob nodded and that and turned to Hartwig.
"Sir, all positions have checked in at the ready. We are all clear for take-off." Hartwig nodded.
"Alright, give me the flight order list. Who are we going up with first?" Jacob nodded and produced a list.
"First off, there's us the 408th. A Wing is first with us in the lead. We've got The Flying Anvil, The Barbershop Quartet, and Ill Winds with us. Then we go to B Wing. Formation lead is Eight Kilts and a Skirt, followed by Ma Belle, Kiloton Can-opener, and Five Alarm Fire. Next is C Wing with Door Knocker in the lead followed by Hello Dolly, Man O' War, and First Rate Headache. Our group is rounded out with D Wing led by Son of Thunderer, they're followed by Monte Zuma's Revenge, The Jolly Bomber, and The Mile High Club." Hartwig nodded.
"Alright that's the first take-off group. Who's next?" Jacob flipped the page on the log.
"Next is the 410, A and B Wings. A Wing is led by Ace of Clubs, which is in turn followed by Ace of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, and Ace of Hearts. B Wing is headed by Aces & Eights, then they have The Full House, Three of A Kind, and The Joker's Wild." Hartwig scoffed.
"Boneheads. Don't they know the Ace of Spades is tops? Wait a tic... you said the 410?" Jacob nodded and Hartwig slumped in his seat.
"Damn. I owe those guys a chunk of change after that last poker game." Jacob chuckled.
"Unlucky in cards, lucky in love, sir?" Hartwig chuckled.
"Yeah. Happily married but as lucky as a black cat walking under a ladder with an upside-down horseshoe around it's neck and the number thirteen tattooed on both asscheeks." Jacob gave a whistle and turned the page again.
"Well, some good news here. We have the 522nd with us today. Royal Mail is leading with Special Delivery and Whiskey Wringer on the wings and Tarelton's Quarter taking the rear-guard position." Hartwig nodded.
"522... good lot those lads. I flew with them at the start of the war. I wonder if ol' Piss and Vinegar Charlie is still the leader of that flight..." Jacob shrugged.
"Following them sir, we have the 555th. Saturday Evening Post, Yesterday's News, The Late Edition, and Breaking Headlines." Hartwig scowled.
"Breaking Headlines... yeah... if those bastards try that same shit they did over Avalon, I'm going to break something of their's and it ain't going to be headlines. It'll be plain old heads." Jacob chuckled at that and continued.
"Next up we have the 612th. This Ain't The Army is flight lead followed by Whirlin' Wittaker, Rainmaker, and Joe Melvin & His Orchestra." Hartwig nodded.
"Melvin... He's that composer who does ragtime in Cedarsberg isn't he? Also tried to start something with mirrored balls called 'disco' that never caught on?" Jacob nodded and Hartwig chuckled.
"Well, at least this trip won't be as silent as I'd feared. Who's next?" Jacob glanced at the list and paled.
"Great... just great... we got the FUBAR 711th flying rear guard for the whole formation. Five o'clock Charlie is in the lead followed by Bombs Away Bobo, Jennie Sue, and This Is Your Wakeup Call." Hartwig 'hmm' ed to himself and gave a slight nod.
"Well what they lack in professionalism they make up for in having sheer dumb luck. Twenty-seven missions flown and always being shot to shit but still coming home with no losses, no reserve bombs, and all targets destroyed or damaged. An interesting flight to be sure." Jacob nodded.
"At least the formation will get fleshed out once we pick up the other groups that'll be joining us." Hartwig nodded and then heard the tower clear him for take-off as he and Jacob started the engines of the B33 heavy bomber. As the engines whirred up to full power, Hartwig keyed the radio to all bombers.
"Attention, all bombers, this is Modern Art Masterpiece. We're taking the lead and bringing you lot to your target today. Once we're all up, set your course north-northwest for Union City. We're going to kick in the door."