Hi guys, sorry about the delay but hey, better late than never right? Anyway, starting the chapter is a list of ships amassed by each allied nation against Mechanos. I racked my brain for DAYS coming up with all the names for the ships however the destroyers and escort destroyers and submarines are exempt from that rule.
I decided that only destroyers that have performed extraordinarily well or heroicly are given names instead of numbers or those that inherited names. Submarines are named by some nations but others simply list them with numbers.
Anyway, you'll soon see for yourselves. On with the story!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.
Chapter 72: Checkmate, Part 1
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(Near Cape Apraksin, Tellanos West Coast, Approx. 248 nautical miles from Black Sand Island)
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United Alliance Combined Navy Forces, "Operation Checkmate":
Syllian Royal Navy: 3rd Carrier, 4th Battleship, 5th Carrier, 9th and 12th Marine Dracocorps Fleets, 1st Royal Marines, 3rd Royal Marines, 9th Engineers, 307th Armored, 1st Royal Elite Rifles, 'The Queen's Guard': Admiral Joshua de Launces, Commanding.
Total Force: 70 vessels, 1,030 aircraft, 330 dragons.
1x Leviathan-class Supercarrier, RNV Leviathan (SCV-1). Admiral Joshua de Launces, Captain Anne Roberts, Commanding. 120 aircraft ready, 30 reserve. 150 aircraft total.
3x Arkibus IV-class Fleet Carriers: RNV Arkibus (CV-3), RNV Thomas Lorde (CV-5), RNV Gregory Winn (CV-12). 80 aircraft ready, 20 reserve each. 300 aircraft total.
6x Voltinus-class Dragon Carriers: RNV Voltinus (CVD-15), RNV Luminary (CVD-22), RNV Mystara (CVD-23), RNV Tenacity (CVD-29), RNV Galeron (CVD-45), RNV Retemed (CVD-55). 55 dragons (5 flight wings: 2 ready, 2 standby, 1 reserve). 330 dragons total.
5x Saint-class Escort Carriers: RNV Jeanne (CVE-1), RNV Arcadia (CVE-7), RNV Lancia (CVE-20), RNV Agnes (CVE-22), RNV Victoria (CVE-27). 60 aircraft ready, 20 reserve each. 400 total.
3x Expedition-class (formerly BC30)-Battlecarriers: RNV Expedition (BC-30), RNV Adventure (BC-31), RNV Journey (BC-32). 40 aircraft ready, 20 reserve each. 180 total.
4x William Greagor-class Fast Battleships: RNV Admiral William C. Greagor (BB-18), RNV Admiral Jacob L. Gardner (BB-19), RNV Admiral Thomas C. Fischer (BB-20), RNV Admiral Horatio N. Lorde (BB-21).
7x Maelstrom-class Battleships: RNV Maelstrom (BB-41), RNV Tempest (BB-42), RNV Typhoon (BB-44), RNV Squall (BB-46), RNV Hurricane (BB-47), RNV Crosswind (BB-48), RNV Storm (BB-50).
3x Rampant Lion-class Battlecruisers: RNV Rampant Lion (BCA-116), RNV Grandeur (BCA-117), RNV Persistant (BCA-118).
5x Aquila-class Heavy Destroyers: RNV Aquila (DDH-011), RNV Interceptor II (DDH-018), RNV Dare (DDH-022), RNV Marmora (DDH-031), RNV Fort Challenge (DDH-045).
12x D25-class Destroyer Escorts: RNV Winter (DE-250), DE-251, DE-252, RNV Harriet Layne (DE-253), RNV Vindicator (DE-254), DE-255, DE-256, DE-257, RNV Harrier (DE-258), RNV Challenger (DE-259), RNV Storm King (DE-260), RNV Teaser (DE-261), RNV Advance (DE-262).
5x Sea Dragon-class Submarines: RNV Pioneer (SS-161), RNV David (SS-164), RNV Goliath (SS-165), RNV Nautilus (SS-171), RNV Thrasher (SS-177).
2x Hospital Ships (converted passenger liners): RNHS Sanctuary, RNHS Mercy.
4x Ammunition/Fuel Supply Ships: RNAT Attentive, RNAT Phrobis, RNAT Standard, RNAT Enforcer
10x Troop Transports
Tellanian Federal Navy: 6th Carrier, 12th Battle, 13th Escort Fleets, Federal Reserves: 1527th Regiment, 1622nd Regiment, 1624th Regiment, Federal 8th Army: 1st and 3rd Corps, Federal Armored Corps 1444-C, 1444-D, 1445-A: Admiral Aleksander Rusayev Dmitri Sokolov, Commanding.
63vessels, 205 aircraft.
1x Ranger/Galahad-class Conversion Carrier: FNV Glory (CV-2). 70 aircraft ready, 20 reserve.
2x Galahad III-class Carriers: FNV Pervenietz (CVG3-6), FNV Pozharski (CVG3-7). 80 aircraft ready, 35 reserve each. 115 aircraft total.
3x D'Arc-class Battleships: FNV Tessarevitch (FBB-5), FNV Retvisan (FBB-6), FNV Veliki (FBB-7).
4x Colias-class Cruisers: FNV Colias (CAF-11), FNV Pobieda (CAF-12), FNV Peresviet (CAF-13), FNV Osliabia (CAF-19).
10x Obelisk-class Anti-Air Destroyers. DDA-112, DDA-113, FNV Survivor (DDA-114), DDA-115, DDA-116, FNV Hunter (DDA-117), FNV Tempter (DDA-118), DDA-119, FNV Defiant (DDA-120).
15x Hale-class Destroyers: DD-135, DD-136, DD-138, DD-139, FNV Bravery (DD-141), DD-143, FNV Trident (DD-144), FNV Pike (DD-147), DD-150, FNV Unshakable (DD-155).
10x Stingray-class Submarines. K103, K105, K110, FNV Widowmaker (K111), K112, FNV Kraken (K113), K120, K121, FNV Sweeper (K123), K124.
2x Hospital Ships: THMS-141, THMS-142
4x Ammunition/Fuel Supply Ships: TMSV Bolshoi, TMSV Volga, TMSV Villnius, TMSV Dovograd
12x Troop Transports
Espan Royal Navy: 1st Carrier & 6th Escort Fleets: Admiral Juan-Carlos Garcia Ramos Pariso, Commanding.
52 vessels, 340 aircraft.
4x Bravado-class Escort Carriers: ENS Bravado (CVE1), ENS Courageous (CVE2), ENS Jaime (CVE4), ENS Gena (CVE7). 60 aircraft ready, 20 reserve each. 320 aircraft total.
3x Conquistador-class Battlecruisers: ENS Conquistador (BCA1), ENS Cortez (BCA2), ENS Pizarro (BCA3).
10x Jáve-class Destroyers: DD-201, DD-202, DD-203, DD-204, ENS Niná (DD-205), ENS Maria (DD-206), DD-210, DD-234, DD-235, ENS Encalada (DD-237).
10x Dolcia-class Destroyers: ENS Dolcia (DD-300), ENS Rocinante (DD-301), ENS Quixote (DD-303), ENS Capitan (DD-307), DD-311, DD-313, DD-315, DD-317, ENS Counter (DD-321), DD-323.
10x Mosquito-class Destroyer Escorts: DE-250, DE-252, DE-253, DE-255, DE-256, DE-257, DE-259, DE-260, DE-262, DE-292.
6x Type V-class Submarines: E-V109, E-V110, E-V111, E-V112, E-V117, E-V123.
4x Type XII-class Submarines: E-1201, E-1202, E-1204, E-1206. 5 aircraft per sub. 20 total.
2x Hospital Ships: ENHV Angeles, ENHV Santa Maria.
3x Ammunition/Fuel Supply Ships: ENSS Barrozo, ENSS Latore, ENSS Capitan Cabot
Anoziran Republic Navy: 12th CV Corps & 14th BB Corps Admiral Jaques Francois le Martineque, Commanding.
21 vessels, 162 aircraft.
2x Pyrennes-class Fleet Carriers: AGN Bonne Richard (CV3), AGN Rochambeau (CV5). 80 aircraft ready, 40 reserve. 120 aircraft total.
2x Glorie-class Battleships: AGN Glorie (BB1), AGN Béarn (BB4). 5 aircraft each. 10 total.
4x Calnus-class Cruisers: AGN Bree (CA8), AGN Coleigh(CA12), AGN Valne(CA22), AGN Somne (CA29). 3 aircraft each. 12 total.
10x Gaul-class Destroyers: G-107, G-111, G-121, G-123, G-141, G-145, G-155, G-177, G-191, AGN Bieuvet (G-201). 2 aircraft each. 20 total.
1x Hospital Ship: ANSM Notre Dame
2x Ammunition/Fuel Supply Ships: AMSV Dardenelles, AMSV Marginot.
Praetorian Imperial Navy: 1st Fleet of Battle, 33rd Escort Flotilla, 151st Sub Corps, 13th Imperial Marines, 18th Imperial Marines, 22nd Imperial Engineering Corps, Section IV, Groups I, II, III, V, IX. Admiral Roger Edwin Howe, Commanding.
43 vessels, 274 aircraft.
2x Edward II-class Carriers: INV King Edward II (CV1), INV Black Prince (CV4). 100 aircraft ready, 30 reserve. 260 total.
4x Nelson-class Battleships: INV Nelson(BB-1), INV Champion (BB-4), INV Invincible (BB-13), INV Defender (BB-19). 3 aircraft each. 12 aircraft total.
1x Halifax-class Battlecruiser: INV Halifax (BCA-1). 2 aircraft.
10x Whitmore-class Destroyers: INV Whitmore (W12), W16, W19, W22, W36, W37, W44, W45, W49, W52.
10x Type XXIV-class Submarines: U-24, U-29, U-33, U-49, U-51, U-64, U-65, U-70, U-81, U-94.
2x Hospital Ships: HMHS Carpathia, HMHS Respite
4x Ammunition/Fuel Supply Ships: INSV-124, INSV-127, INSV-139, INSV-141
10x Troop Transports
Rotarian Royal Navy: 1st Fleet, 1st Royal Griffin Corps, Rotarian Army Regiment 224, 225, 227, 409, Rotarian Engineering and Demolitions Corps (RED Corps), Groups I-A, II-C, IV-D, XIII-F. Admiral Frank Gustav Willem Lightoller, Commanding.
40 vessels, 148 aircraft, 165 griffons.
1x Kaiser-class Fleet Carrier: RRN Silver Queen (formerly Friedrich von Grosse) (CV7). 90 aircraft ready, 30 reserve.
3x Voltinus-class Dragon Carriers (repurposed for griffons, renamed by griffons, on loan from Syllia): RRN Seashomen(Seahome) (CVG-18), RRN Olcesliege(Sealord) (CVG-19), RRN Grautznees(Shorebird) (CVG-20). 55 griffons each, 165 griffons total.
2x Titan I-class Battleships: RRN Liberty (BBD2), RRN Victory (BBD5). 4 aircraft each. 8 total.
4x Legend-class Battlecruisers (formerly Tyrann-class): RRN Legend (BCA1), RRN Siegfried (BCA2), RRN Hagen (BCA3), RRN Hildebrand (BCA4). 3 aircraft each. 12 total.
4x Wilhelm-class Anti-Air Cruisers: RRN Eugen (CAA3), RRN Austra (CAA7), RRN Wilhelm (CAA9), RRN Brandt (CAA15). 2 aircraft each. 8 total.
10x Kreuz-class Heavy Destroyers: RRN Kreuz (DKH-012), DKH-021, DKH-022, DKH-025, RRN Standoff (DKH-030), RRN Scalpel (DKH-033), DKH-041, DKH-044, RRN Arrow (DKH-055).
4x Type XVII-class Submarines. S17-12, S17-24, S17-44, S17-103.
1x Gigantic-class Über-Submarine: RRN Olympia (SSMS-2)
1x Hospital Ship: RNHS Hope.
3x Ammunition/Fuel Supply Ships: RSV-012, RSV-033, RSV-041.
7x Troops Transports
Combined Fleet Strength: 286 vessels, 2,159 aircraft, 330 dragons, 165 griffons, 10,267 Ground troops.
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Joshua still couldn't believe his eyes as he looked over the list of vessels that were assembling for the final push on Black Sand Island. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would be a part of what was correctly being called as 'the largest assembly of naval power in history'. Vessels from the allied nations (except for Tullinar which had been recalled because of Damoneni, and the Syllian Maelstrom-class battleships which were still en route with their escorts) were at anchor on the western coast of Tellanos.
Something that a lot of the older sailors had voiced that they had never before seen or contemplated such a thing. Indeed, such a gathering of vessels in modern times was almost unheard of, with the most recent example being the Holy Praetorian Armada back in 1710.
And that fleet was only one-third of the size of this one...
Joshua stood proudly on the bridge of the Leviathan taking in the sight before deciding to head back inside to where the senior officers of the entire fleet were gathered to go over the plan of attack for the upcoming battle. All along the way to the staff room, numerous sailors, enlisted and junior officers of various navies saluted him as he passed and by the door to the room, a familiar face greeted him.
His former XO, Henry Walker, stood beside the door and snapped a sharp salute.
"Admiral, glad to see you again, sir." Joshua nodded and returned the salute.
"Good to see you as well Captain Walker, congratulations on the promotion by the way. I take it they're all here?" Walker nodded.
"Everyone except for Admiral Bern from Tullinar who, as you no doubt know, was recalled because the Damonenians were rattling their sabers again." Joshua sighed.
"And it hasn't even been a year since they ceased hostilities in the first place. They must be gluttons for punishment or their leaders just stupid." Walker shrugged.
"Don't rightly know sir, that's a little above my pay grade. However, word along the grapevine is that Damoneni has its hands full with numerous revolts breaking out across the lands. Already there is word of three small republics: Vaticori, Venicia, and Florescia being formed and the improvised governments of those republics, including a band of rebels in the Bartolamaio Province requesting aid from Tullinar and Praetoria in securing their claims for independence. The Damonenian government's warmongering has all but thrown Damoneni back to the age of city-states and minor republics." Joshua smiled as he heard this and nodded.
"Well if all goes well for them that'll be one less headache we'll have to worry about once the dust settles from this war." Then, stepping inside the room after bidding Walker farewell, he found the room dominated by a map and surrounded by enough brass to start a band.
The highest ranking officer (other than him) was Admiral Roger Edwin Howe of Praetoria, a veteran with some fifty years experience to his credit. The man stood nearly seven foot tall and was impressive for a man of his sixty-eight years of age and unbowed by time. He had an expressive face made even more so by the large bushy mustache he sported that seemed to move nonstop when he spoke.
Admiral Howe motioned for Joshua to stand beside him and Admiral Pariso of Espan as they went over the final plan. The Rotarian Admiral, Frank Lightoller, had a pointer stick and was going over the map of the area.
"Now then ladies and gentlemen, let's go over the plan. Firstly, we can rest assured Mechanos is aware of our forces. Our fighter groups from numerous carrier CAPs have turned away multiple recon and at least a half dozen attempted attacks with reasonable success. However, this does not mean this will be an easy fight." Lightoller looked to Admiral Sokolov of the Tellanian Navy.
"Mechanos has demonstrated that he still has multiple nuclear weapons at his disposal. Everything from AA rounds, artillery shells, as well as short, medium and long range rockets. Thankfully, it appears that the Resistance in Rotiart managed to get some of its people into the facility and sabotage several of these projects before they were captured and executed. This mean thatthey are unsure which weapons are functional and which have been tampered with, meaning they'll be less likely to use them." He pointed to a line drawn on the map.
"Thanks to our combined submarine forces blockading the island, Mechanos has been unable to get ships in or out and furthermore, we have seized and/or turned away at least three dozen vessels flying the flag of the neutral Tai-Lang Empire. As intel suggests, Mechanos has been using state funds, as well as stolen or salvaged treasure to pay for nuclear materials. With the submarine blockade in place, we have reduced his nuclear material income by roughly eighty percent." Joshua nodded.
"That is in no small part thanks to you Admiral Lightoller, as well as the men and women on board your flagship Olympia as well as the advanced submarine warfare tactics of the Praetorian Sub Corps. Still, this means that with the remaining twenty percent he is getting, he could still create weapons and-" A cough echoed in the room and a lieutenant handed a missive to Admiral Martineque of Anozira who grimaced as he read the note.
"Just thirty minutes ago, Tellanian submarine K-121 and Espan submarine E-V123 reported having been depth charged and later engaging a Qiun-class heavy destroyer of the Tai-Lang Imperial Navy and two Tiberius-class gunboats of the Land's End Navy's Jaeger Corps. They were escorting seven vessels flying Mechanos' colors and were putting up a rather rushed defence of the ships." Lightoller frowned.
"We must put an end to Mechanos' plans before the remaining 'neutral' countries forgo their neutrality and side with him. If that happens, the war could be extended for another two or three years." Joshua nodded.
"According to my Father, from what he told me, the Shanghai Republic and the Island Kingdon of Ursae would be our allies should Tai-Lang turn hostile but for most of my knowledge with diplomacy, the Kingdom of Rhein has always held a more 'wait and see' mentality with Land's End. The Independant State of Austein and the Tovoro Confederacy would remain neutral until either we establish that we are not the aggressors or the war threatens their own economic bottom line." Admiral Howe nodded understandingly before looking back to the map.
"Either way it seems to be a race against time. We've got him in check, now we just need to finish him off." Lightoller agreed but also frowned.
"Easier said than done, Mechanos still has a sizable fleet on the island's harbor including the Titan II and III class battleships. He hasn't any carriers but I wouldn't put it past him to try something so crazy that it just might work. He's cornered, and as anyone will tell you, a man or beast that is cornered is one of the most dangerous things in the world."
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than an alarm went off on the ship and a pale runner came into the room.
"We're under attack from the air! Airships! Damn airships are incoming!" Josh looked to the man.
"Derrigibles or actual airships?" The man grimaced.
"Derrigibles. But for the life of me I can't figure out how he did it! These airships have full sized flight decks mounted to the tops!" Lightoller frowned and looked to the other Admirals when they looked to him in askance.
"There was a project that he had abandoned called 'Skyfort'. Conversion of several massive F3-type airships with lightweight wooden flight decks bolted to the frame. They were a concept he designed back during the Incursion but it supposedly never got past the blueprint stage. The few prototypes he designed were either too heavy to fly or so unwieldy they were useless. Plus, landing on a carrier at sea is one thing, landing on a flying deck, that was something else entirely." He chuckled at something and nodded.
"Scuttlebutt was that not even the late Dieter Muntz attempted to land on one. It was actually on his word that saw the project ended." Josh gave him a flat look.
"Sounds like he decided to revisit a few of his previous decisions." He went to the nearby PA system and keyed it.
"All hands man battlestations! Get the CAP up immediately! Captain Roberts, have the radio signal the escorts to come alongside and pick up the others and deliver them to their respective flagships." Josh then ran up to the bridge of the Leviathan and looked at the radar operator.
"How many airships and enemy planes are there?" The operator paused for a moment, flipped a few switches and jotted down a few notes before looking back to him.
"I'm counting roughly eighteen airships and roughly sixty aircraft so far, however, I'm also detecting more contacts just outside the extreme range of the scope." Josh nodded and looked to Anne and the other bridge officers, including the Air Boss.
"Airships like those can't carry many planes or they'd never function as a carrier properly. Let's assume that Mechanos, despite his main force being essentially in tatters, still has a sizable number of long range aircraft and the pilots to fly them. How many aircraft can the entire flotilla bring to bear?" The Air Boss looked at his numbers and then back.
"Leviathan alone can contribute roughly one twenty on standby with thirty in reserve. Most of the others have between sixty and eighty aircraft on board with an additional twenty to thirty in reserve. These remaining aircraft of Mechanos' though, sir, even if they're twin engines or jets... based on the numbers I have, it's a one-way trip for them." At that moment, the radar operator looked to Josh and nodded.
"I concur with the Boss, sir. I just saw about six planes drop off my screen. CAP says the engines appeared to stop mid flight and they just dropped away." Josh nodded.
"Any parachutes?" The RO shook his head.
"The planes are going down in survivable angles but no pilots are attempting to bail."
At that moment, the radio came to life with a familiar voice.
"This is Havvers! I just did a close fly by of the incoming fighters. Unless my eyes are deceiving me, their cockpits are bolted shut!" Josh immediately blanched and looked to Anne.
"Why the hell would these pilots be locked in their planes?" Anne shrugged but then the RO piped up.
"Enemy plane diving! It's headed for the Battlecarrier Adventure!" Josh stepped to the starboard side of the bridge and watched in sheer shock as a Rotarian plane, damaged by AA fire but not destroyed, fell into a steep sixty degree dive angle and aimed itself at the large battlecarrier. Then, after a few more rounds striking the plane, smoke began to pour out of the engine but the plane didn't reverse the dive.
Instead it plunged straight down and crashed into the lightly armored flight deck on the stern of the Adventure. A massive explosion shook the windows of the Leviathan's bridge and a fireball launched upwards from the gaping hole in the deck, followed by several more explosions as ammunition and fuel being stored below caught fire.
On board the Leviathan, Josh was pretty sure his jaw had dropped in horror, nor was his the only one. He recovered his wits and all but leapt at the radio and sent a frantic call to the CAP.
"Put the word out! Those planes are packed full of explosives! The pilots are literally flying bombs into their targets!" The RO shook off his shock and transmitted the information.
After hearing a series of colorful explicitives from the CAP and the pilots just taking off, the ocean was rocked with the sound of practically every AA gun (and more than a few of the main guns from the capital ships) in the fleet going on high alert and firing into the air.
Another explosion from the Adventure made Josh look just in time to see the battlecarrier roll to her port side and begin to sink by the stern. A second explosion, this time from port had him running to the other side of the bridge just in time to see the remains of the AGN Bieuvet slip beneath the waves. Near him a pale lookout was watching, transfixed in horror as more planes began dropping from the sky, seeking targets.
"S-She was struck amidship by a large two-engine bomber. Her entire midsection was ripped to shreds. What wasn't destroyed in the blast was incinerated in the flashover. I can't see any survivors."
The anti-air on board the Leviathan was doing an admirable job shielding not just the carrier but the escort screen that had huddled closer to her. A thunderous blast and cloud of smoke heralded the disabling of another vessel. This time the battleship, FNV Veliki, slowed to a stop with a gaping hole where the first twenty feet of her bow section should have been.
Fire alarms sounded from the mighty Tellanian warship moments before an explosion finished blowing out the bow section and actually lifting the forward turrets out of their housings.
Josh was shaken from the sight when alarms blared to life on his own ship and he saw, of all things, a small single-engine biplane drop into a steep dive and aim straight for the carrier.
Needless to say almost every AA gun turned to the plane and within moments, a round struck the bomb fitted to the airframe and a large explosion roughly twice as big as the biplane had been rattled the window on the bridge. Josh swore under his breath.
"They're throwing everything but the kitchen sink at us. Just how is Mechanos getting these men to throw their lives away so needlessly?"
He hastily scanned the fleet around the Leviathan and noticed that there were more smoke plumes than previously.
(If we can't get a lid on these attacks, the fleet won't have enough ships to launch the assault...)
Nearby, a roar went up from the dragon carrier Tenacity as a wing of lightning and wind dragons took off and soared into the clouds. Their plan: to make unstable windcurrents which, hopefully, would cause enough turbulence to detonate the explosives midair or, failing that, launching a high power electric arc to detonate them that way.
Among those taking to the air, was none other than Zakwel, Josh's uncle.
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(above the fleet)
As Zakwel climbed he saw everything unfolding below. Out of all the ships that had assembled, at most, thirty had been sunk and another twenty were ablaze from the initial wave of suicide aircraft. In his opinion that was already too many lost to such cowardly tactics.
If he had his way, hell, if it was within his power, not one more ship would be hit...
To put action to this thought, he fired a lightning bolt at a gliding twin-engine fighter-bomber whose engines had quit for lack of fuel. His aim was true, the bolt slamming into the starboard section of the split tail. The arc travelled up the metal fuselage and practically blew out the glass in the cockpit and set fire to the lubrication oil still in the engines. The aircraft fell away and started a death spiral towards the sea.
The wind dragons were also doing a remarkable job. One of them managed to combine his air currents with another and collided two of the airships together, the flight decks and other gear on the balloons ripping into their envelopes and forcing them down. A lack of an explosion likely meant they were using helium instead of the more flammable hydrogen making fire attacks next to useless at the moment.
What stood out from these airships was that aside from the control gondola, there was no other structure save for a massive flight deck that was fastened to struts that came alongside and looped under the envelope. Behind the gondola was a brace system that held several old metal biplanes, likely scouts, and from the flight deck on top more monoplane fighters, fighter-bombers, torpedo bombers, and dive bombers were taking off.
Moreso, in the distance, a smoke plume could be seen in the distance and he realized with a shock what it meant.
Mechanos' fleet was no longer at anchor. It was making way towards the fleet.
He rose higher, preparing to fire a burst at the airship when movement caught his eye and he turned and fire a bolt just in time to fricasse the dread griffon that had been trying to blindside him. All at once he became aware of a separate threat. Escorting the airships while the fleet moved into firing position was an entire division, some three-hundred, dread griffons.
As other dragons joined the fray, he woefully gave the thought that the CAP and the AA were all that was left to protect the ships of the fleet. And while the planes of the allies technically did outnumber the Loyalist aircraft some ten-to-one, it was not a straight up fight.
The Loyalists pushed their aircraft to the structural limits during a dive to crash their planes into the targets. The CAP and other fighters were forced to play catch up, pushing their craft to similar limits to catch the attackers and having a small window, some three to five seconds, to fire a burst that (hopefully) would deal enough damage to the lightly armored planes to bring them down harmlessly.
He huffed at the airship and moved to engage the dread griffons.
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Tracers from the mixed machinegun/cannon armament of the aircraft riddled another diving fighter-bomber. Reyson watched it for a moment to make sure it wasn't angling towards another ship or if it would land on one.
The original target of the plane, the ENS Cortez was moving into formation with the RNV Persistant, RRN Hildebrand, AGN Coleigh, and INV Halifax to form a spearhead to shield the crippled AGN Rochambeau which had been struck on the port side by a torpedo bomber that failed to explode, crippling the carrier's port bow retrieval elevators and igniting a fire on the flight deck as well as creating a gap in her overall AA defences. As he shot down another plane his radio came to life.
"Nightowl to fleet, all pilots listen up as well, we have multiple smoke plumes on the horizon just outside of standard radar range. Looks like Mechanos' remaining ships are coming out to play. I count fifteen battleship-size vessels, likely Titan I, II, and III classes, thirty battlecruisers, forty light cruisers, and fifty-five destroyers. Sonar is also recieving intermitant pings indicating hostile submarines en route as well." A reply from the fleet was instant.
"This is Admiral de Launces, I am hereby ordering all reserve aircraft into the air and armed with torpedoes and five-hundred pounder bombs. With the sinking of the Adventure and Journey as well as the crippling of the Rochambeau, all aircraft from those carriers shall be redirected to the Leviathan to rearm and refuel before taking up escort duties for the strike aircraft. Any launches from the Rochambeau, begin ferrying ammunition and fuel to us and, if needed, begin evacuationof the wounded to the nearest hospital ship."
"This is Admiral Lightoller, I have been given permission to take command of all submarine forces and now issue orders to all submarines currently with the fleet. Sail forth and engage the enemy surface fleet. All destroyers remaining with the fleet switch to active sonar as soon as the subs are clear!"
As supply vessels shuttled between the Rochambeau and Leviathan aircraft began landing to rearm and refuel. Reyson checked his ammo counter and fuel gauge, nodding that he was still good on both, he turned to reengage the next wave of suicide planes.
Planes, dragons, and griffons filled the skies around him. Occasionally a plane would explode in a burst of fire and plummet from the sky, disintegrating as it fell. However, occasionally, a plane would explode in midair, seemingly of the pilot's own accord and the explosion would catch either a plane, a dragon, or a griffon in the blast.
The enemy pilots were beginning to get desperate for a victory, no matter how small or how costly it would be. In their line of thinking, if they could clear the skies of defenders, the others following them could have greater success. An orange glow caught his eyes as yet another plane found its mark, the ENS Pizarro, and the battlecruiser slowly rolled onto its starboard side, fuel hemoragging from its tanks setting the sea ablaze.
A crackling burst of static from his radio caught his attention moments later and as Reyson adjusted his radio, he somehow simultaniously turned pale and red with fury at what he heard.
"This is the hospital ship RNHS Mercy, we have lost the two destroyers shielding us from air attack and now they're after us! We have multiple launches in the water recovering the injured and have no defences! Requesting immediate support!"
A series of colorful language in Anoziran flew through the radio and Reyson watched as a flight of Anoziran Naval Air Force C7N-4 twin-engine fighter-bombers darted by and started flying around the unarmed Mercy.
"Mercy, this is Hammerhead, a flight of Anoziran planes are en route. If you can, begin evasive maneuvers and have the launches stand aside until the enemy planes are down."
Reyson angled his plane to assist the Anozirans, all the while a group of ships appeared on the horizon and closed with the fleet.
What no one could have known though, is that while the naval arm of the plan had stalled, over the skies of Shadowfell, the aerial arm of the operation was proceeding smoothly...
...
...
... for the most part.
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