Hey guys, sorry it's been so long but with everything that's been happening I haven't had much time to write.
You know I was looking through some old story drafts of mine (I write ideas on paper before putting them on the computer and I caught myself looking at my original summary of World Fury. I had originally named Dieter as 'Siegfried Kronan' and Mechanos was originally Doctor Joachim Bruim. Funny how things can change from original concept to final draft, eh? Anyway, a long overdue chapter.
Again, sorry about it being almost a year since I updated last.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.
Chapter 70: Knightfall
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It had finally happened.
After what seemed like years, elements of the Royalist Rotarian forces, led by none other than Colonel Dieter Muntz and the 1st Royal Guards Wing, in conjunction with the Rotarian 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Griffon Corps, the 1st and 2nd Queen's Rifles, 4th Queen's Armored Corps, and flanked by elements of the Syllian, Tellanian, and Espan militaries, finally breached the front lines, breaking the stalemate in Tellanos, and were now on Rotarian soil.
More importantly, they were near Gotha, Dieter's home town and birthplace of the Rotarian Air Force.
The news of George's injuries had been enough to grant Bertram temporary leave to see his brother before he was sent home. As a result, the Syllian 1st Air Wing was, temporarily, under the command of Reyson Havvers. Not that this had any negative impact as everyone in the Rotarian forces felt they owed Havvers for assisting Voss when he rescued Princess Ayura from Mechanos' dread griffons and Marks' attempted assassination.
The new standard of Rotiart flew proudly before its advancing forces. After crossing from Tellanos, a small border town Dieter remembered as Valksrest seemingly came alive with cheers and celebration. There had been reports of Rotarian soldiers who had defected and formed a small militia to protect the people from the so-called 'Rotiart First Movement' ripping down the old flags and burning their old uniforms in the streets. These soldiers later volunteered to rejoin the fight and were issued brand new uniforms. These however, instead of black, were a light grey.
They made quite a sight standing alongside the soldiers of Syllian, Tellanos, and Espan, being clad in their respective uniforms of blue, white, and green. After taking Valksrest, the army stumbled across an old radio broadcasting tower from which a 'Rebel Radio' was broadcasting the news of the war openly to the Rotarian public. By the end of the day, Rebel Radio had changed its name to Royalist Radio and was not only playing records of music hearkening back to the olden days of the griffon kings but also slammed Mechanos and the RFM with anti-Mechanos/RFM propaganda.
Well, it was called 'propaganda' but there was a simpler name for it in most people's opinions: the 'Truth'.
Almost daily, soldiers and civilians made statements about how Mechanos had been fooling the nation all along and how he was a traitor in every sense of the word and that every soldier who willingly follows that megalomaniacal bastard was just as big a traitor as Mechanos himself.
Since Ayura was still a child, she was known by the Royalist faction as the Princess-Accendant. A Council of Twelve, six humans and six elder griffons, had been formed to lead the nation-in-exile and instruct the young queen to be.
Ironically, she was also learning to better grasp the human language. Much to her amusement (and her caretaker's frustration) she had become very fond of the word 'no' lately. Still, there was no doubt in any Rotarian soldier's mind where their loyalties lay. Every soldier, pilot, sailor and marine in the Royalist faction would willingly lay down his or her life to protect their future Queen.
None, however, were more loyal to Ayura than the Griffon Corps.
Johann Strauss, Commander of the 1st Griffon Corps, flew low over the city of Gotha while Colonel Muntz and his force flew at a much higher altitude. From his position at the lead of the formation of griffons, he could see the entirety of Gotha spread out before him.
Along the east side of the city was a grey stone wall that he knew was the only surviving part of the original Rotarian Wall, a defensive line that, in ancient times had stretched from the ancient fortress of Black Peak to the now abandoned village of Tolkstedt. Beyond the wall was the city's residential areas, then the buisness center, the industrial center and then the agricultural zone. Outward from the north of the city was an elevated man-made hill where sat North Gotha Air Force Base. South from the city was South Gotha Regional Airport. Lastly to the west sat the Gotha National Avionics Complex or GNAC.
A city that, once upon a time was a small mining town that, with the discovery of flight and the creation of the first Rotarian Air Corps, became known as the 'City of Angels'.
Now, amid the crystal blue skies, there were numerous black dots that were flying towards the city. With Gotha declaring itself a free city, whatever forces Mechanos still had under his command as well as elements of the RFM were now making their way to make an example of Gotha. The black dots Johann saw were dread griffons. Higher up in the clouds, he could make out the shapes of single engine fighter-bombers, twin engine bombers, even a few larger multi-engine bombers. The contrails of a few jet fighters could also be seen.
Using hand signs to communicate to those closest to him, he spread the word that dread griffons were spotted and then the entire formation of griffons turned to engage them.
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"This is Blitz Breaker to all gunships and fighters, Pathfinder has solidly pinged numerous inbound aircraft, multiple types: light, medium and heavy bombers with jet escort. Gunships, break formation and assist the ground forces, escorts, split into two groups. One will protect the gunships, the other will protect the city. Gotha must remain unmolested!" Dieter nodded and flipped his radio on.
"This is Ritter to all Rotarian aircraft, break formation and take up a CAP above and outside the city. If we are to be the shield that protects the nation in the days to come, we may as well start right now. Today, we let the people know that we are here for them!"
The two forces converged like two opposing storms. As soon as Dieter was certain the first bombers were within range of his cannons, he opened fire, tracers and cannon shells racing across the sky and slamming into the cockpit of the bomber directly in front of him. Amid the carnage of the lead bomber falling away, several more bombers were shot down by the fighters around Dieter. He was also proud to see his son, Kaleb, also make a kill.
He himself then performed a textbook roll that brought him behind a light twin-engine bomber. A quick burst saw the starboard engine erupt in flames and sent the aircraft plummeting down, the G forces created by the spin ripping the plane apart as it fell. He rolled again, dodging fire from an incoming escort, flipped almost vertical, tail over nose, and shot the offending interceptor as it flew almost right under him.
A smoke trail and three more burning wrecks heralded four victories for his group and looking around he could see that, like his group, his allies were having similar results. The only thought that Dieter had was that Mechanos was either more desperate than before or that he was once again sending half-trained kids into battle against seasoned veterans.
Suddenly, from within the formation of bombers, a blinding flash erupted and and entire group of bombers disappeared into thin air. Dieter, knowing what the explosion was, keyed his radio.
"Someone just goofed up big! A nuclear bomb just suffered premature detonation and took the entire rear group with it!" A crackle followed by laughter came through.
"What you saw was not an atom bomb but a time bomb! There are reports all over the line that some of Mechanos' 'Nuclear shells' are suffering catastrophic failures, premature detonations or becoming outright duds! The Resistance managed to implant a few members in the arms factories before Mechanos moved them all to Black Sand Island. Roughly forty-five percent of his wonder weapons are nothing more than glorified paperweights or time bombs waiting for the right moment!" Dieter gave a sigh of relief and then continued his assault on the bewildered fighters and bombers.
Turning back however, he noticed something odd in the distance.
A wing of fighters were approaching; unlike the regulars though, these aircraft were different. The fuselages were streamlined, the wings swept back, and one large engine in each of the wing roots. Worse, they were painted in Loyalist colors. Dieter keyed hos radio as they drew into attack range.
"Attention all fighters, new enemy approaching using fighters I've never seen before!"
"This is Gotha, we have them on radar! Ritter, those are the new R-type prototype jet fighters! At last intel, there are only two-dozen in existance and they've only been assigned to Mechanos' elite guards!"
" I have eyes on about seven- no, eight of them. Is Alfred Marks among them?"
"Negative! Last report has Marks and the remnants of 666th holed up on Black Sand Island."
"Ritter copies, turning to engage."
Dieter was as good as his word as he closed with the new fighters. Upon closer inspection, he could see two rotary machineguns in the nose and a small divit marking a large caliber cannon dead center. Under each wing were small mounts that held small rockets. The machineguns opened fire at a greater distance than he had thought possible and he rolled to avoid getting a full face of lead although rounds still struck the front of his plane. Levelling off he saw another R-type nearby and this one was moving strangely. Again, he caught glimpse of the rockets fixed under the wings. His curiousity about them was sated quickly as he watched an R-type flip over and around behind a Tellanian plane with them and fire one of the rockets.
His eyes picked out a thin wire trailing the rocket, linking weapon to plane, the fighter tried to evade but the rocket followed, striking the fighter in the tail, ripping it clear off. Dieter growled, doing a wing over and lining up behind the fighter who was unaware of the danger and fired a burst, his rounds striking a rocket on the left wing, causing it to explode which in turn destroyed the entire aircraft.
"Ritter to all fighters, they have some kind of new weapon that allows them to track your movement and engage you even when you evade, for goodness' sake don't let them get behind you!"
"My God! We thought Mechanos truly mad but the bastard did it! Ritter, those rockets, they're called Wire-Guided Rockets, they were an experiment that Mechanos had devised but we thought it insane." Dieter grimaced.
"Well they do seem to have a flaw, once launched the pilot must manually guide the weapon and thus his control over the aircraft slacks."
"Squire to Ritter, that's not the only flaw, the R-type's rudder! It can't sustain much damage, all I did was clip one with a passing shot and the bastard spun himself into the ground!" A voice from somewhere on the ground came through.
"It's the construction, that fighter is entirely made of aluminum instead of steel, lighter and faster but not as well armored!" Dieter frowned.
"Who is this?"
"Jacob Gracer, former student at the Kleinstadt Mechanic's Institute. Mechanos had several metalurgists, blacksmiths, geologists, welders, hell, anyone with any knowledge of metalworking drafted to help him create new machines. The R-type was Mechanos' idea but using aluminum to reduce weight and improve maneuverability was mine." Concerned they may have been at a disadvantage, he asked for clarification.
"What benefits are gained by substituting aluminum for steel?"
"Besides reduced weight? Increased speed and maneuverability, the lightweight aluminum allows the craft to turn easily and the engine doesn't have to pull so hard. Lower maintenance cost for repair and easier to mass produce than all-steel versions, as well as lower fuel consumption."
"The main drawback, as you have seen, is that it can't take a hit. As long as the frame remains unwarped or damaged, the benefits apply but once damage is introduced, it's only a matter of time until something gives way."
As he listened, Dieter lined up another burst and struck down another fighter. He then turned and what he saw made him blanch.
"Squire! Break left, you're got an R-type on your tail! Break! Break!" The voice that replied was panicky.
"I've been trying! He's all over me!" Experience told Dieter the enemy was an ace, and was likely toying with his son. Still, it was a chance, a risky one, but nonetheless a chance the enemy was distracted with toying with Caleb and wouldn't be aware of Dieter's movements.
"Alright, I'm going to tell you what to do. Break left, point the nose down, you'll bring him right by me."
Caleb did exactly as his Father said and gave Dieter's incoming aircraft a glance of hope as he evaded the enemy R-type. Dieter's hunch was correct as the enemy pilot didn't even see his plane until several 20mm cannon rounds shredded his right wing. The damaged wing then buckled, flipping the jet over and over in a death spiral straight into the mountainside.
Dieter gave his son a wave as he flew into line with him before turning away to engage another bomber that was approaching the city. However, Dieter's experienced hands told him that something was off with his aircraft. His mind suddenly flashed back to the near miss from earlier and he swore and keyed the radio.
"This is Ritter. I've suffered damage to my engine and I'm losing altitude."
He didn't hear a reply as almost instantly, the hydraulic and oil pressure gauges dropped to zero and thin grey smoke started pouring from the cowling as the propellor slowed to a stop. A thin trail of black oil was slowly moving back along the cockpit.
The stick was heavy in his hands. Without hydraulics, he was essentially trying to fly a brick wall. He grimaced when more oil started leaking out of the engine.
"This is Ritter, I'm bailing out near the GNAC. Probably splash down into the lake nearby. To all other planes, I'll be alright, keep fighting! Squire, follow Havvers' orders!
Again, the radio remained silent.
Dieter first tried the latch on the canopy. It didn't catch or break away like it should have. His altimeter was busted but instinct told him it was now or never. He drew his sidearm, pointed at the canopy and emptied the clip into the area where the exterior latch was, leached through the hole and unfastened the canopy from the outside.
The wind all but ripped the canopy from the plane, a shard of glass cutting Dieter's arm and knocking his sidearm away but he managed to climb out of the plane and jump, deploying his parachute when he was far enough away.
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Caleb saw his Father go down and was relieved to see the parachute but there was no time for worry as he closed with another R-type that was going after another Royalist fighter. As he pressed the trigger, his rounds ripped into the aircraft's engine causing it to explode. Around him there were cheers and looking around Caleb could see why.
The Loyalists were in full retreat. Apparently after several more 'accidental' detonations, the bombers had turned tail and retreated, their fighters keeping an almost suicidal rear guard action, sacrificing the majority of the R-types, and what Caleb had to estimate as sixty percent of Mechanos' remaining fighters.
As he eased back he keyed his radio.
"Squire to all planes, did anyone see where Ritter landed? Do we have a unit going to him?" A voice came over the radio.
"He went down by the GNAC but... Commander Havvers, don't let Squire come down here..." Caleb frowned.
"Why not? What the hell happened?!"
The radio remained silent and Caleb did a wingover and flew towards the GNAC and lowered his altitude and speed to get a better look at what was going on. He saw a truck with Royalist markings near the lake and the men were milling about as if in a daze. Then, he saw his Father.
And what he saw chilled him to the bone.
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(moments before the retreat)
...
Dieter pulled himself ashore from the lake and gazed back at the wreck his plane had become. The impact in shallow water had practically crushed the plane though thankfully the water had extinguished any possibility for a fire. He brushed the water weeds from his flight jacket and slowly looked towards the sky, smiling as he picked out his son's plane darting to and fro.
In Dieter's mind his son was going to be Rotiart's greatest Ace in the years to come. Whether Caleb knew it or not he had, in many ways, already surpassed his Father. The sound of a vehicle stopping got Dieter's intention. However, instead of a rescue ground team from Gotha, out stepped Alfred Marks and three soldiers, all with scowls on their faces.
Marks stopped shy of the lake and looked down at his former commander, disdain clearly written on his face.
"Tell me Dieter, how long did you think you could go on passing yourself off as 'Invincible'?" Dieter frowned and shook his head.
"You tell me, how Mechanos can keep passing himself off as Rotiart's last and greatest hope when all he has done is slowly destroy it from the inside out?" Marks sighed and glanced at the men nearby.
"Truth be told, we all know the war is ending. However, it will end with Mechanos as the victor over all others." Dieter's frown deepened.
"How do you figure?" Marks gestured to the sky.
"The R-types served their purpose. They were a nessessary sacrifice but a step towards the future. Their loss is unfortunate, yes, but all that matters is the end, not the means by which you achieve that goal. Mechanos has already learned of this battle and of the weapon malfunctions and is taking steps to remove those problems. The curtain has raised in preparation for the final performance." Dieter scowled and spat into the water.
"So it would seem. I suppose we can stop with the speeches as we both know how this little meeting ends." Marks nodded slowly and motioned for the three men who stood on the lake shore.
They each had a submachinegun...
Dieter stood tall and glared at each of the men and then to Marks.
"Long Live Rotiart! Long Live Princess Ayura!"
The three men opened fire...