So, it looks like no one was getting updates from the site last ween Not only was I not being updated when the fics I'm following get a new chapter, but I'm wasn't getting any of the usual updates on Dragonoid either. It looks like it was a site-wide problem, so I'm sorry I uploaded so late last time and possibly made it look like I didn't update last week.
Anyway, here's the final part of the final battle. Hope you enjoy!
SECTION 015
FINAL FLIGHT
DATE: JANUARY 15, 251 A.D.E.
TIME: 1525 HOURS
LOCATION: ENGLAND, NEWQUAY RUINS AIRSPACE
So that thing had wings. Time to see if it could use them.
A new battle, the last battle I hoped, had already broken out by the time Ruusaan and I returned to the skies. It was a chaotic mess; the IFF signals useless as those who were loyal to Zearaan fought with those who had rebelled in a mass of red on my radar. Even the Dragonoids we'd borrowed from the arena were mere specs of green. Tactics were worthless and the loyalists knew that. They broke through the ranks, splitting allies apart. They aimed for the mechs doused in green paint, trying their best to destroy potential grouping points. On the ground, it wasn't much better. At least the Assault Frames were distinct enough for the lines to stay drawn.
Meanwhile, the Ge'tal Kyr'am continued to charge. Without the additional power from the Ruus, what had been a slow charge to begin with had been reduced to a snail's pace. Even with time on our side though, the emitters still began to turn red, lightning already jumping from the first to the pylon. The loyalists kept the worst at bay, and those that got past were forced to face Zearaan's Fury. In more ways than one.
The purple Dragonoid was a monster, keeping away anything and everything. Mechs, missiles, energy bolts and plasma mortars, all were cut down if he entered their path.
I had a horrible suspicion that Zearaan hadn't become Al'verde through political prowess alone.
"Any ideas? Dajun?"
Ruusaan actually laughed. "Naasad vaii mhi k'oyacyi oyacyir."
"A plan with death in it on our end wasn't what I was hoping for." I rolled my eyes. She had a point though. One at a time, multiple at once. Nothing was getting past Zearaan as a defence. But there had to be a way. Something that, if we couldn't beat him with it could at least distract him long enough for someone else to deal with the Ge'tal Kyr'am. We needed a plan. Any plan. Something crazy.
Something stupid.
The Night Fury roared as I pulled it into a steep climb, Ruusaan crying out in alarm at the sudden acceleration.
"Hallex! Meg copaani gar mirdira!?"
"Majyce di'kutla!" Something really stupid. "Just get ready to fire okay? Tracyn tion'tuur ni sirbur!"
I heard her mutter something about my brain cell being lonely, but took her relative silence for understanding as I cut the engines high above the battlefield.
The Fury fell, its' nose arcing lazily head over thrusters to the ground as gravity took hold. The Dragonoid dropped like a rock, even before I kicked the thrusters into high gear. Blurs on the beaches below became units in battle once more. If someone was winning, I couldn't tell. All of my focus was on keeping the Night Fury in a straight line. Down, down, down towards the purple blot that quickly became Zearaan's machine.
"Hallex?"
"Hold on." Just a little faster.
"Hallex!"
"Just hold on!" It had to be close. It had to be as close as I dared.
"HALLEX!?"
There. Right there.
Perfect.
"Jii! Tracyn jii!"
A sonic boom thundered across the skies as the Ge'tal Kyr'am filled my screens, Zearaan's Fury dead centre. The purple mech looked up at the noise, in time to see our Fury's plasma energy cannon rain bright blue blasts down upon it. We had him pinned. Move, and the Ge'tal Kyr'am would take a fatal hit. Stay, and Zearaan was in the firing line.
It didn't surprise me at all that the Al'verde stayed where he was.
The Fury's shield came up as the blast hit, energised plasma streaming off in all direction except down. The Ge'tal Kyr'am was safe. Zearaan was safe.
And he never saw us coming.
The Furys' collided at supersonic speeds. Alarms screeched and cameras reduced screens to static under the sudden impact. The control sticks resisted my commands as I tried to pull us out of the dive, not helped by the extra tonnage of Dragonoid now attached to the nose. We cleared the Ge'tal Kyr'am with the barest scrape of metal against metal before we were out into the open sky, engines straining against the weight.
"You…"
The voice crackled over the speakers. Low and loud and filled with rage…and speaking perfect English.
This beskar'ad…you are the one who escaped the Ruus beh Tsad Droten. You are the Humans who managed to evade us." As the monitors cleared, Zearaan's Fury leaned forward, its' visor filling the cockpit with crimson light. "And now you try to evade your fate. The fate of your race. I will not allow it-"
"Ruusaan! Lose him!"
The vulcan cannons belched energy bolts, a few hundred bouncing in off the enemy's armour before Zearaan pushed us away, no worse for wear.
Should I be surprised? I wasn't so sure. After all, Gadarrl hadn't needed a translation matrix to get his message across. But that had been centuries ago, right? What good was learning the enemy's language if your sole goal was to wipe them out?
I struggled to find my voice. "We know what happened. We all saw the message, right? We could stop the fighting right now if we wanted too. Gadarrl-"
"Gadarrl," Zearaan sneered the name. "Our most forgetful fool. How could he not remember why we fled our homeworld? How could he forget what his race lived for, died for! How could he not see that we were and still are a race meant to conquer!?"
The Fury lurched towards us, wrist blades deployed and aiming for the cockpit. I managed to boost clear before it got too close, spinning around to let Ruusaan give Zearaan a barrage of energized plasma. He twisted and turned through the blasts, returning fire and scorching the hull.
"I've seen the Ruus," I spat through gritted teeth. "You didn't look all that war-loving to me."
"That is because you have seen the weakest of our number. And they number many." Zearaan laughed hollowly. "Do you think we would have fled our homes if we had been victorious? If we had been strong? No, only the weak flee into the dark. We allowed ourselves to be forced off-world. We allowed ourselves to spend centuries in the void searching for a new home. And when we found this place, did we learn from our mistakes? No! By Gadarrl's order, we stayed our hand. For fifty of your years, we stayed in orbit as nothing but talk was exchanged between Human and Tsad Droten. We had the power to take this world from you. We proved that in the days that followed. I proved that!"
"You?" the cockpit rattled and groaned as I tried to stay ahead of the oncoming fire and give Ruusaan the chance to return it. A quick look behind me showed me what I didn't want to see; that even having apparently got Zearaan's attention, the remaining loyalists were still doing just enough to keep us at bay. All the while the Ge'tal Kyr'am continued to charge. All six emitters now coursed lightning into the pylons and nothing we did seemed to stop it. Even the thrusters were now just as protected as the weapon itself. And Zearaan's words, they bounced around my mind, refusing to leave. The way he talked, it sounded like…
"You were there."
"From the beginning." I could almost see his prideful grin; splitting his face and all teeth as sharp as knives. "I was so young then, born into this life twenty of your years after we made orbit. I grew up learning of what we were and seeing what we had become. And all too soon, I understood Gadarrl's plights were foolishness. I saw that he spat in the faces of his past lives and I knew I had to usurp the defiler. For ten Earth years, I rose through the ranks, gained allies strong and likeminded and power both political and military. And when the solar flare struck, I was given an opportunity to set all Tsad Droten on the right path. And as the Ruus' Chief Communications Officer, I was in the right place to take it!"
Communications? No. No, it couldn't be…
"You destroyed the communication array?"
"And your people did the rest." He was getting too close, keeping me too distracted. "An alien vessel comes crashing into your world's atmosphere and your first urge is to shoot it down. Perhaps we are more similar than I would like." Now there was a sickening thought. "It was almost pitiable, watching Gadarrl's attempts to bring an end to the fighting. Perhaps it was a mercy to send him back to the universe."
"Ibic shabuir linibar aht ash'amur."
I didn't entirely catch what Ruusaan said through gritted teeth, but I probably would have agreed. But whatever he was, Zearaan was shabuir that was winning. Ruusaan couldn't lay a hit on him, and I was doing everything I could to keep our Fury ahead of his. I couldn't even risk a transformation. Who knew if Zearaan would let me shift back when time ran out?
…
Although maybe…maybe that didn't matter.
I had an idea. A horrible, desperate idea. Maybe it would save everyone. Maybe it would just stop Zearaan. Maybe it would just end with me going up in a blazing fireball. All I knew was it was the only way forward that I could clearly see, it was stupid and suicidal and Ruusaan would never go for it.
…
"Ruusaan."
"Meg la te?" she sounded agitated. "Ni vaabir'naas ganar ca'nara aht-"
I smiled slightly. "I need a promise from you. Ni linibar gar'ra miit. You and Astrid. You take care of each other, alright? Hiibir ulur beh solus ashi."
"Meg copaani gar jorhaa'ir? Ni vaabir'naas-"
"Weapons control: Command Seat Enabled."
"…Hallex?"
I tried to keep my smile, even as I saw her surprise and confusion reflected in my screens. "Ret'urcye, Ruusaan."
"Halle-!"
She was gone before she could stop me, ejected on my command with a roar of jets and wind, armoured plate slamming shut behind her.
"My, a coward leaves the battlefield, or a commander tries to save who he can?" Zearaan scoffed. "A fruitless gesture either way-"
He tried to aim, tried to fire. He found my sword in his way, slicing through rifle barrel and power cell, forcing his Fury to drop the weapon before it exploded into fire and shrapnel.
"Oh no you don't," I grinned in the N-Link's light as my Night Fury finished its' transformation. "I'm not done with you yet."
That idiot! That moron! That jare'la shabuir! Ruusaan would have cursed Alex's name a thousand times if she hadn't thought he would need all the help he could get.
What was he thinking!? What kind of jaro gallantry was he trying to pull!? Already she could see the two Ca'furor fighting, clashing sword against wrist blade, energy bolts exchanged and energized plasma narrowly missed. Ruusaan had to get back to Alex, had to keep him safe before his lonely brain cell got the idiot killed.
And yet, she dropped away from him with every passing moment. The chair's ejection jets were designed to get her to the ground, not back into the fight. She needed another way, a faster way…
Another Beskar'ad.
Through the settling dust, Ruusaan's eyes fell on the Ruus beh Tsad Droten.
She had toppled towards away from the beach into the ocean, her head dipping over the horizon, such was her size. Ruusaan didn't want to think about the casualties such a fall had created. Despite this, there were protocols in place for such a fall, and they seemed to have been followed to the letter. Pods were being launched from the hull, some landing in the water and on the beaches, others flying off into the sky to either escape or leave in disgust. Anywhere there was a hatch, outer cargo bay or hanger door not completely underwater, it had been opened to allow boats filled to capacity to be pushed out into the ocean or cargo Beskar'ad to rise up to take survivors to dry land. It wouldn't be too long before the Ruus' head sank into the deeper waters, possibly dragging the rest of the ship under.
That wasn't what caught Ruusaan's eye, however. One of the hangers had been opened, but no one was trying to escape through it. Maybe no one was close enough, or perhaps the inner doors were blocked with debris that had fallen against them. But it looked to have been a military hanger, or at least a storage facility for spare combat Beskar'ad. Most had been crushed against each other when the Ruus fell, but at least one had managed to escape. Its armour was dented from the crash and its position, smashed up against the remains of its fellows, would make take off a nightmare. But Ruusaan knew it would fly. She was sure of it. After all, her Ca'furor was still in the air after everything it had been put through. Why should this one be any different?
The Night Fury was stuck.
Maybe something had been dislodged. Maybe an energy bolt had seared something it shouldn't have. All I knew was the Fury was stuck in its' Humanoid mode, alarms blaring and the AI screaming "Malfunction!" over and over every time I tried to change back. And time was running out on all fronts.
As timers warned I had a minute and counting before the N-Link began to feedback, so did the Ge'tal Kyr'am's howls tried to drown out all other noises.
"How does it feel, Human? To be at the end of all things?" Zearaan's voice goaded as swords locked and sparks flew. "Perhaps you feel as though you have accomplished something? Anything? Temporary setbacks, I assure you. With the fall of The Dome, our civilisation will expand and thrive. No more will we have to hide in a single ageing ship. We will spread, we will grow and when the time is right we will go back to the stars, back to the homeworld, and we will show them the power of true Tsad Droten!"
"Don't think so far ahead," I said through gritted teeth, an ache in my brain starting to form as the timers turned red. "You've got to live through this fight before you think about the next."
"Please. I have already lived far longer than any mere Tsad Droten. Medical procedures and chemical therapies, organ replacements, both organic and cybernetic. I will live as long as I need to, Human, to make my people great again." His Fury seemed to leer at mine, "Which is more than I can say for you."
The timers hit zero, blinking red urgently as alarms blared in my ears. Pain exploded within my head, surging through my body and setting every nerve on fire. Agony seemed like such a pitiful way to describe it, but it was all I could feel as I screamed, fingers raking at my helmet's faceplate as I tried to claw the pain out.
Zearaan struck the Fury hard, with sword, shield or energy bolt I couldn't tell. All I knew was he sent me flying, sparks burning as screens and circuits overloaded. Again and again, hit after hit, the Fury took the brunt and Zearaan refused to let up. We fell together, Zearaan laying down blow after blow while I was powerless to stop him.
Everything hurt. My mouth tasted of copper and my vision was slowly going red as blood vessels burst in my eyes. This was it. The end. I couldn't stop Zearaan. I couldn't stop the Ge'tal Kyr'am. I couldn't save The Dome. I couldn't-
"ALEXANDER!"
A roar ripped through the haze, and a missile from below forced Zearaan way.
The voice…it almost sounded like…
"Dad?"
Through the blood and static, I saw the guns of Saint George fire once more, blasting a barrage into the sky from whatever was left that could fire. And there, standing amidst the ruins of the Command Centre, General Gregorio 'Stoic' McKrillen worked the controls. He darted from console to console, firing off everything he could before the guns themselves exploded into useless slag.
"Don't you dare die before I do, boy!" I thought I caught his glare through the cameras as he turned it to Zearaan. "And you! You finish your fight with me before you move on to the next generation!"
"Impudent bug."
Zearaan moved, but up into the sky rather than down towards the wreck. The twin-barrelled energy plasma cannons deployed and the Al'verde returned the General's favour.
"Dad…DAD!"
Saint George was torn to pieces. Armour splintered and magazines exploded, Stoic lost to me in a hail of debris, his startled cry the only way I knew he had survived.
The barrage stopped. Zearaan's Fury glided down to the smouldering wreckage. Dad coughed and wheezed in my ears, a noise I desperately tried to cling to above the pain trying to tear me apart.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Alex," he sounded so weak, so tired. "I'm sorry, for everything."
"Dad…don't…"
The smoke was starting to clear now. The roof of the Command Centre had been completely blown away, leaving Stoic's broken, bloodied body exposed to the Dragonoid that landed before it.
Somehow, even as I plummeted to the ground, I seemed to meet my father's gaze. He was barely conscious, caked in dust and blood. But he smiled, even as Zearaaan raised his rifle to him, point blank.
"I don't think…you're right." his words were a whisper, yet so painfully loud in my ears. "Humans and Dragonoids…it'll never work. But…" he staggered to his feet, facing down death one final time, "you stand for what you believe in. You speak up. You fight for it. I…I can respect that. And for what it's worth…" his smile became a grin as white light engulfed him, "I'm proud…to call you my son."
I didn't see him die. Zearaan merely fired, a single energy bolt engulfing the entire Command Centre, reducing my father's body to atoms and scattering them to the wind.
I didn't feel anything. Not pain, not horror. No, that's not true. I felt…cold. I felt it pool in my gut, seep through my veins, envelop me, body and soul. The pain ebbed away, but so did everything else. Fear, horror, disbelief, all of it was drained until only two things were rattling around in my head.
My father was dead, and Zearaan had killed him.
Above me, the N-Link turned white, bathing me in a soft warm glow. My hands, aching and protesting all the way, once more gripped the controls sticks as my feet found the pedals. Something felt…different. Sharper, more refined. Before, the N-Link had allowed me to control the Night Fury. Now, it felt like I could push it to its' limits. And as the computers targeted Zearaan with a passing thought and thrusters pulled me out of my dive without the press of a pedal, I realised I was feeling something. Something that burned red hot through the cold.
Rage.
"ZEARAAN!"
He barely had time to turn, barely had time to see the Ca'furor bare down on him with sword at the ready and light pouring from every joint and battle scar. The blade sliced through the air where his Beskar'ad had stood, the ground cratering underfoot as the enemy launched himself after Zearaan.
This wasn't supposed to be happening. That the Human had been able to use the Neural Linkage in the first place had been a feat; another annoying similarity to Tsad Droten Zearaan was forced to admit. But even the mentally strongest of the prototype pilots had been able to use it for only so long. Only Zearaan had had his brain fortified to withstand the feedback the Neural Linkage eventually sent back; the stimuli of mechanical parts that no normal being had within them. The Human's body should have been completely overloaded trying to process it all. And yet, if anything, he seemed to have more control than the Linkage should have allowed. He was faster, more manoeuvrable, and stronger. A wrist blade deployed in defence, only for the wrist to be completely sliced through. He lay down covering fire, only for the enemy to dodge and weave through every bolt and blast.
"You insolent little worm!" Zearaan was forced to cast his shield aside to stop the blade from taking the rest of the arm with it. "You think you can challenge me!?"
The enemy Ca'furor drew its' second sword in response, getting in close, a storm of blades forcing Zearaan upwards and back towards the Ge'tal Kyr'am. With every movement, the light from under its plates only glowed ever brighter. The Ca'furor was overloading, systems not strengthened for extended use being pushed to the brink. Zearaan knew all he had to do was keep out of range until the Human burned his Beskar'ad out.
Were actions as easy as words.
"What is this going to accomplish!?" He managed to take out an arm with a blast of energised plasma and yet still the Human pursued. "You cannot win, your home will be wiped out no matter what you do, so why!? Why. Won't. You. Die!?"
The Ca'furor got too close and received a rifle butt to the face plate for its' pilot's trouble. It lost a leg as he fell back, sheared off by Zearaan's energy bolt to the kneecap, and still the Human gave chase. Up the Ge'tal Kyr'am's side, cutting through targeting arrays and thrusters assemblies in its' path. Through the petal armoured plates, past the pylons now on the brink of a full charge and back out into the open sky. Still the Human followed.
"This changes nothing!" Energy plasma cannons deployed, only for the barrels to be sliced into as the Ca'furor screamed by. "Even if you could defeat me and destroy the Ge'tal Kyr'am, it would all be for nothing! Humans and Tsad Droten will be forever at each other's throats! It is our way! You cannot stop it!"
"Maybe…" the Human croaked as his Ca'furor arced around once more, "but we'll have a better chance to try without you."
Zearaan saw the plan too late, a panic flitting through his mind as the Human's Beskar'ad plummeted. He tried to move, tried to flee, but a thrown sword lodged itself in the thrusters of the wing assembly, blowing him a few feet and no further.
The Ca'furors collided with a bone-rattling crash, alarms shrieking as Zearaan was forced down towards the Earth. Through static and crimson light, the enemy Beskar'ad seemed to grin white light through the crack in its faceplate, exposed cameras flaring like demonic eyes through the fractured visor. His remaining fingers dug into the shoulder armour of Zearaan's machine, thrusters aiding gravity to push them ever faster towards the ground.
No, not the ground. The Ge'tal Kyr'am.
Fury overwhelmed fear, his Beskar'ad's fists, both with hand and ruined stump, slammed into the enemy's head again and again. What thrusters he had left tried to change course, but even as the head splintered into shrapnel and the two machines spun through the air, the Human managed to keep them on course.
"No! NO! NO!" his own fist slammed into the monitors, mimicking his Ca'furor's movements as he tried to tear the enemy off piece by piece. "I WILL NOT DIE HERE! YOU WILL NOT OUTLIVE ME! "NI RI AL'VERDE ZEARAAN BAL NI MAV NAAS-"
"You should have thought about that before you came to a battlefield." the Human laughed as the Ge'tal Kyr'am filled Zearaan's rear-view cameras. "Didn't you know? You're a soldier now. And this…this is an occupational hazard."
For a moment, Zearaan couldn't speak, couldn't curse, and knew he couldn't escape. All he could do was watch as the Ge'tal Kyr'am dominated his screens, his Beskar'ad's intelligence trying desperately to make him see the hazard he had no power to avoid. All he could do was slump in his seat, fear and terror clenching in his chest as a single word made it past his jagged teeth.
"Haar'chak."
The Beskar'ads hit. The Ge'tal Kyr'am screamed as one of its pylons was torn from its moorings. There was pain, heat, a blistering white light. Zearaan knew no more as his very being was torn apart, his mouth open in a silent scream as it vanished into the Ge'tal Kyr'am's blast.
Astrid felt her blood run cold, her breath hitch in her throat. She thought she should scream, shout his name for all the good it would do her. Her mouth merely hung open in silent horror as she watched Alex and Zearaan's Night Fury's plummet into the heart of the Ge'tal Kyr'am.
The effect was instant. Fire and heat erupted, more explosions blooming across the weapon's hull as it listed to one side. The Ge'tal Kyr'am could no longer fire, and now all that energy had nowhere to go.
Except outward.
What thrusters fired carried the weapon upwards, smoke trailing as its top blazed like a torch. Perhaps the crew was trying to escape, perhaps systems were firing off at random as the weapon slowly died. Whatever the reason, it came to an end quickly.
In an instant, the Ge'tal Kyr'am erupted into a fiery inferno. Astrid was blown off her feet as a second sun flared into being in the bay. For the second time that day, she screamed as she tumbled head over heels, spots dancing across her vision with the whirlwind of sand and debris kicked up by the blast. And for the second time that day, something cold and metallic plucked her out of the air, massive fingers closing around her to keep her safe.
Astrid looked up, and saw the glowing green band of a Night Fury's visor staring down at her.
"Alex?"
"Hastrid!"
"Ruusaan…" disappointment was quickly overrun by confusion. "What are you…? How are you here? Where's-"
"Halp me!"
Astrid froze, her heart beating too fast in her chest. This wasn't Alex's Night Fury. It couldn't have been. And yet, Ruusaan was piloting it and she hadn't heard a word out of Alex. Which could only mean…
"Ruusaan," her voice felt fearfully tight, "where's Alex?"
The Night Fury didn't respond, save to pull her up to its chest and cockpit hatch.
"Halp me," Ruusaan's voice said. "Halp me find hym."
It was quiet, so Sarah 'Waif' Andrews thought. Deathly so, really. What light seeped into the debris cloud from the Ge'tal Kyr'am's destruction was fading now, leaving the beaches in a swirling mess of sand and gloominess.
Waif was surprised, and maybe a little proud, that she had managed to stay flying until the very end. Her Nadder had been caught in the final blast, but even then she'd managed to bring it down in one piece. Sure, she would need a lift back to The Dome, and the fact her radio was out would hamper that plan until the dust settled, but she could wait. She was safe. She had survived.
And then, she heard the crying.
Her radio had been destroyed, but her cameras and external mics were still intact. She hadn't been sitting quietly for more than a minute before they'd picked up the sniffles and a dark shape in the clouds.
Maybe it was dangerous. Maybe it was fatigue playing tricks on her. Whatever the sound was, it sounded like whatever was making it was in trouble. So she popped the hatch, pistol raised, and approached the shape in the cautious quiet.
Her cameras hadn't lied. A small figure sat curled up in the damp sand. She looked like a girl, her dirty blonde hair and stained white dress caked in grit and sea salt. She looked like a child, her small body drenched and shivering. But when she flinched at the oncoming footsteps, and turned a pale tearstained face towards the approaching Waif, it would have been plain to anyone that she didn't look Human. Bright blue slit-pupiled eyes blinked at her, a watery smile revealing small yet sharp teeth.
"Mesh'la…"
Waif smiled, forcing the corners of her mouth upwards despite her unease. This was a Dragonoid, sure, but she wasn't a soldier, not as far as Waif could see. And she was obviously scared (Waif being something of an expert on the subject). The Ge'tal Kyr'am's blast had probably separated her from her parents, and with clouds of debris still swirling around them, it was easy to see why the little one was so distraught. Waif kept her smile as she knelt down, the Dragonoid's never leaving her as she holstered her pistol.
"Sarah," she said, tapping a fist against her chest as Alex had taught them.
The Dragonoid sniffed, sitting up a little straighter as she mirrored the gesture. "Juuniis."
"Juuniis," Waif nodded. "Vaabir gar linibar gaa'taylir?"
Do you need help?
The tears threatened to flow as Juuniis nodded. "Ori'vod. Ni nuhaatyc mar'eyir kaysh. K-kaysh ganar aht akaanir, a-al ni vaabir'naas coplanar kaysh aht akaanir j-jorcu Hallex b-bal Hastrid-"
It was too much. Waif wrapped the girl up in a warm embrace as tears fell and words dissolved into miserable sobs. Small hands clenched against her pilot armour, Juuniis burying her head into Waif's shoulder as she quietly soothed her fears. Alex's crash course in the Dragonoid language was basic at best, but mar'eyir, find, stuck out to her now. Juuniis was lost and looking for someone. Waif found it ironic that she could relate.
"Shh, it's alright," she soothed and rocked, a hand gently stroking the young girl's hair. "Ni mav gaa'taylir gar."
I will help you.
She felt Juuniis nod, her arms coming around Waif's neck as she stood, carrying her. Yesterday, she might have thought it an odd sight, and evil sight. Today though, right now, after everything that had happened, Waid hope that scenes like this, of Humans and Dragonoids helping each other, would become more commonplace in the future.
"Hiccup, this is Valkyrie, come in. Hiccup, this is Valkyrie, please respond."
The dust cloud was dispersing now, swirling low against the ocean and pooling around the Rock like an island in a misty sea. The sky above was clear weather-wise, the clouds vaporised by the Ge'tal Kyr'am's destruction and only Dragonoids left being from The Dome or those who had rebelled.
And yet, no matter how hard Astrid looked, she couldn't see any sign of Alex's Night Fury.
The soldier in her didn't want to be surprised, as small a voice as it was these days. The Ge'tal Kyr'am itself was gone, largely atomised by the energy build-up, the outer hull blasted into shrapnel and littering the beaches or burning up as it fell back down from where it had been thrown into the atmosphere. Alex had been at the heart of the explosion. Nothing else had survived. Why should his Night Fury have been any different?
And yet, Astrid kept looking, searching the sea and sky for him. Any any time she start to doubt, started to believe it was hopeless to keep searching-
"Mhi mav mar'eyir kaysh."
We will find him.
…Ruusaan always got her mind back on track.
"You're right. Serim." she turned back to her screens with a sigh. "He's got to be out here. A guy like that's too stubborn to die…"
But then again, the same had been said about his father.
Astrid shook her head, banishing such thoughts as she turned her radio back on. "Hiccup, this is Valkyrie, please- Shit!"
She cursed, Ruusaan muttering murder under her breath as a large chunk of debris bounced off the Fury's hull. Most of the debris that had been blown up into the stratosphere hadn't been much bigger than a suitcase, streaking the sky with red and burning up before it hit the ground. Some of the larger pieces weren't breaking up so easily, however, and as more time passed, flying was becoming more of a hazard.
"Di'kutla duse!" mutinous mutterings came from the pilot's seat. "Hastrid, Chack aboff. Parth klear?"
"Checking," Astrid spun her cameras skyward, grimacing at the streaks of red against the blue. "Nayc, path not clear. Course correct eighteen degrees west to…"
She stared. She checked her readings, then checked them again just to be sure desperation wasn't playing tricks on her eyes.
"Ruusaan…"
"Meg la bic? La te draar utrel'a-"
"Look up. Mes utrel'a"
She saw Ruusaan frown in the monitor's reflection, and then saw her eyes widen as she pointed her own cameras above them.
It had probably been one of the Ge'tal Kyr'am's emitters, its underside scorched clean of broken moorings and frayed circuitry by re-entry. That it had not only survived the explosion but also the fall through the atmosphere was amazing in itself, but that wasn't why it had caught Astrid's attention. It was what had been attached to it, and what had fallen away from it as Ruusaan had looked her cameras up.
"Hallex!"
The Night Fury shifted, transforming into its Humanoid form as Ruusaan was bathed in blue. Astrid was forced back into her chair as they rocketed upwards, her eyes never leaving what could only be the wreck of Alex's Night Fury.
Its' armour was dented and scorched. Its' head was missing and only one of its' arms was fully intact. Even then, several of the fingers had fused together where it had grabbed the emitter's side and melted in the heat of re-entry. Its' wings were twisted and bent, thrusters firing feebly to try and slow the descent.
"Hallex! Hallex!"
The radio was silent as the two Furys met, Ruusaan managing to match the falling mech's speed. It fell with its' back to the ground, what was left of its' limbs flailing uselessly in the air, keeping them from getting too close.
Astrid touched her radio. "Hiccup, this is Valkyrie, come in."
More silence, and the Earth was getting closer.
"Dammit Alex! Respond! Don't get this far just to trip at the last hurdle!"
More silence. Her throat burned.
"Please Alex! You…you promised me, remember? You promised nothing would go wrong. You have to respond, don't you!?"
More silence, and with it her vision blurred with tears.
"Please Alex, don't leave me too."
…
"Hallex," Ruusaan spoke softly, the Fury's hand held out, "olaror norac aht mhi."
More silence. The ruined Fury's hand flailed listlessly in the air, and then grabbed Ruusaan's outstretched limb.
Astrid jumped at the sound of metal on metal, Ruusaan giving a startled gasp as she almost automatically drew him in.
"Ni ganar kaysh. N-ni ganar kaysh!"
Astrid barely heard her. She was already out of her harness and chair as Ruusaan slowed their decent. She popped open the hatch before Ruusaan could stop her. Wind whipped against her face as she jumped the gap without a care for the long drop below. She found the emergency release and wrenched it down, the hatch opening with an angry hiss as she ducked through into the darkened cockpit beyond. Where Alex was waiting for her.
The cockpit was dead. Even the AI's light had gone out. A body lay slumped against the safety harness, hands still clenched around the control sticks, a spider web of cracks spread across the faceplate.
Alex's body.
Astrid hesitated, then stepped up to the chair. Her hands grasped his shoulders, and dread seeped into her chest when we didn't flinch or moan in pain. She moved down to his fingers and found her panic rising when she found them stiff, refusing to give up their grip. Now taking all of her effort not to panic outright, Astrid's hands tore at the harness and shook as she fumbled with the releases on the front plate of Alex's pilot armour. She cast it aside without a second thought, ripping her helmet from her head as she knelt down and pressed an ear to his chest.
One agonising second passed. Then another. Then she heard it; soft and faint, yet rhythmic and constant.
The comforting pulsing of a Human heartbeat.
Vision watered, her throat burning around a lump that made it hard to swallow. Fingers tightened around a fistful of his pilot suit as Astrid's tears stained the fabric.
He was alive. The Night Fury had brought Alex back to her alive.
Dragonoid Translations
"Dajun?"
(Plan?)
"Naasad vaii mhi k'oyacyi oyacyir."
(None where we stay alive.)
"Hallex! Meg copaani gar mirdira!?"
(Alex! What are you thinking!?)
"Majyce di'kutla!"
(Something stupid!)
"Tracyn tion'tuur ni sirbur!"
(Fire when I say!)
"Jii! Tracyn jii!"
(Now! Fire now!)
"Ibic shabuir linibar aht ash'amur."
(This bastard needs to die.)
"Meg la bic? Ni vaabir'naas ganar ca'nara aht-"
(What is it? I don't have time to-)
"Ni linibar gar'ra miit."
(I need your word)
"Hiibir ulur beh solus ashi."
(Take care of each other.)
"Meg copaani gar jorhaa'ir? Ni vaabir'naas-"
(What are you saying? I don't-)
"Ret'urcye,"
(Goodbye.)
….jare'la shabuir!
(…oblivious bastard!)
…jaro…
(death wish)
"NI RI AL'VERDE ZEARAAN BAL NI MAV NAAS-"
(I AM HIGH SUPERIOR ZEARAAN AND I WILL NOT-)
"Haar'chak."
(Damn it.)
"Mesh'la…"
(Pretty…)
"Vaabir gar linibar gaa'taylir?"
(Do you need help?)
"Ori'vod. Ni nuhaatyc mar'eyir kaysh. Kaysh ganar aht akaanir, al ni vaabir'naas coplanar kaysh aht akaanir jorcu Hallex bal Hastrid-"
(Big brother. I can't find him. He had to fight, but I didn't want him to fight because Alex and Astrid-)
"Ni mav gaa'taylir gar."
(I will help you.)
"Mhi mav mar'eyir kaysh."
(We will find him.)
"Serim."
(Correct.)
"Di'kutla duse!"
(Worthless junk!)
"Nayc,"
(Negative,)
"Meg la bic? La te draar utrel'a-"
(What is it? Is the way clear-)
"Mes utrel'a."
(Look up.)
"olaror norac aht mhi."
(Come back to us.)
"Ni ganar kaysh. Ni ganar kaysh!"
(I have him. I have him!)
Author's Notes
Oh, Gregorio. The historical update to the Modern Era has not been kind to you, has it?
In fairness, Stoic's death was a real last minute thing though. As in I was still wondering if I should save him right up to his last moment in the spotlight. Back when I first started writing, he survived to the end; right up to my ideas for the finale, 'The Throne Room and End Title' from Star Wars: A New Hope or the last fifty seconds of 'Coming Back Around' from HttYD's soundtrack blaring in the background. The longer I worked on Dragonoid though, and the further I moved away from the plot of the film, the more I realised that realistically, a colossal messup like the final battle was going to be wasn't going to end with all being forgiven.
Even putting that aside, Stoic's sudden change of heart from the movie wouldn't have made sense in Dragonoid, right? This is a man who has been so consumed in his hatred of the Dragonoids he covered up the death of his wife by Human hands just to continue the war that inadvertently led to her death. That wasn't going to go away just because his son showed him a message telling him that the Dragonoid's weren't so bad.
I tried to think of ways to keep him alive. Most of them ended with him being jailed, still swearing that Dragonoids were evil or just babbling madly and completely broken. When I was thinking about the sequels, I thought about keeping him alive just so he could escape and become the Drago Bludvist of the next story, but when Dragonoid became a standalone, I felt a heroic sacrifice was the best way to send Stoic off.
Zearaan's death however was a given from the getgo. Being killed using the Ge'tal Kyr'am in some way always had a kind of irony I liked about it. His final fight with Alex was heavily inspired by the final fight between the Aegis and Strike from Gundam SEED, hence why both mechs are loosing limbs left, right and centre.
Speaking of, even I'm not really sure what Alex's 'powerup' thing at the end is supposed to be. On paper, it was supposed to be that the N-Link was turning the Night Fury into an extension of Alex's body, his rage over the death of Stoic being enough to keep the pain of his brain turning to mush for long enough to defeat Zearaan ("Rage is a hell of an anesthetic." ~ Zaeed Massani, Mass Effect 2), but I'm not sure if that came across or if the sudden boost came out of nowhere. Maybe if I'd implied the Night Fury's movements in Humanoid mode got more fluid or natural the longer it was active? Hindsight, I guess.
Waif's scene with Juuniis was really only meant to give Astrid and Ruusaan time to get up into the air, but I also used it to showcase how the potential for Humans and Tsad Droten working together could work, if given the right people.
The reunion sequence in the sky was largely inspired by Gundam Unicorn, specifically the scene in the first episode where Banagher catches a falling Audrey. I did think for a while of having the three of them crash before the end of the chapter, but I felt it would just ruin the moment. The scene where Astird finds Alex was partly inspired by a Mikasa/Eren moment as it is seen in the the first season of Attack on Titan. Those who have seen it probably know which moment I'm talking about, but it's a major spoiler for the series and I don't like doing that if I can avoid it.
Music played another major role in this chapter, mostly surrounding Alex and Zearaan's final battle. 'Coupling sequence', track 28 on disc two of the Buddy Complex OST inspired a lot of the early battle up to when Ruusaan was ejected. While 'Saikisen', track 13 from Gundam SEED OST IV was probably the original inspiration for the final scenes, seeing as that's the track to the above mentioned 'Aegis vs. Strike' battle, it was actually 'Barricades' Track 1 from the Attack on Titan Season 2 OST that got me through the final fight from Stoic's death to the end. It's a powerful song, one that was really underused in the anime itself, but something about its' lyrics and beat just helped me get through to the end of the fight. Finally, 'Audrey', Track 10 from Gundam Unicorn OST 3 was the inspiration behind Alex, Ruusaan and Astrid's reunion in the sky (Which is ironic because it's not even the music that went with the scene that inspired it).
That's all for today. Next week will be the final chapter. It also might be delayed slightly, as I've got appointments to keep around 4:00pm (GMT) that will probably keep me from uploading around 5:00pm. Hopefully it might just be delayed by an hour or two, but barring any unforeseen circumstances it will definitely be the usual day.
See you next time!