Chapter Eighteen
Weeks passed without incident. No Dominion or Necromyan forces made any sort of counterattack. Not even minor skirmishes. However, while there had been a complete lack of activity regarding the enemy's counterattack, their comm channels were very active; if the analysts were to be believed, the Necromyan and Dominion forces were calling for off-world assistance. But how would they get such assistance past the orbiting DMC fleet? Indari and Faasnu both surmised that the enemy had a way around that particular detail – otherwise, they wouldn't be calling for help. They'd be preparing their defenses for their final stand. No, the enemy had a way to get help and bypass the orbiting DMC fleet.
But one question stood out in Faasnu and Indari's minds; who were they calling for help? Indari reasoned that it was some faction they hadn't encountered before; The Necromyans had no other allies after the Marauder War, and, while it had occurred to Indari that the Draconian Combine may have gotten involved, he discounted that theory in light of the fact that the Draconian Combine had a standing cease-fire treaty with the DMC and their allies; neither side had any motive to violate the treaty. Faasnu suspected that the enemy may be hiring mercenaries, but almost immediately discarded that idea; recent defeats on the enemy's part had put their economy in utter turmoil, and as a result, they would lack the resources to pay any such mercenaries. Even if they did, there were very few mercenary factions willing to oppose the DMC and their allies, and fewer still had the capability to inflict any sort of serious damage on the DMC. Even the intelligence documents that Faasnu and his team recovered made no mention of who the enemy was contacting.
So, with nothing to do but wait, the allied forces dug in and waited for what was sure would be a massive counterattack. The allied troops were both antsy and excited; the end of the war was in their gun sights. Everyone could see it. Faasnu could feel it. It was close. While things were quiet in Valenwood, Faasnu refused to return to his home in Skyrim; he intended to see this war finished – to hold off the enemy counterattack, to invade the Aldmeri homeland, and end this conflict once and for all.
So, it was a complete surprise that, on the eve of what allied leadership had expected to be the counterattack, a Mirdakian sea ship was spotted sailing into the docks. Faasnu was just armoring up when he noticed this, and immediately readied his weapon. Kabier and Elenwen were already present when the ship stopped, both frowning in confusion.
"What ship is that?" Elenwen asked.
"It... looks like a Mirdakian vessel, but I don't recognize the emblem," Kabier responded.
"Who are the Mirdakians?" Elenwen queried.
"An elven race allied with the Dragonarian Empire and the DMC," Faasnu answered.
"I didn't know they were involved with our war effort," Elenwen commented.
"They weren't," Faasnu corrected her. "This is someone else."
"Are they hostile?" Kabier asked.
As if to answer Kabier's question, several spheres were shot from the upper deck of the vessel, which landed in the midst of the allied troops that had come to investigate, and exploded seconds later. This force was hostile. Doors opened on the Mirdakian vessel, and armored elves began pouring out like angry wasps. The enemy's counterattack had begun. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen took cover with the rest of the troops, and returned fire on the enemy.
"Since when did the Mirdakians switch sides?!" Kabier exclaimed over the gunfire.
"They're not the Mirdakians we know!" Faasnu answered. "They must be from another 'verse!"
"That's comforting," Kabier growled, rising momentarily to fire on an elf that strayed too close.
"All allied forces, alert – we have inbound enemy drop ships! Repeat, inbound enemy drop ships! Repel all attackers!" the radio squawked. Faasnu looked up and saw them; four Mirdakian drop ships headed right for the city.
"Shit," Faasnu cursed, "This isn't good!"
"How'd they get drop ships past the orbital fleet?" Kabier asked, pausing momentarily to shoot another elf dead.
"They didn't," Elenwen said. "They have a portal."
"And you didn't bring this up earlier why?!" Faasnu demanded.
"Because it wasn't finished when I defected!" Elenwen responded. "I didn't think they'd finish it before we got to Summerset Isle!"
"That's helpful," Faasnu growled. Rockets lashed up and blew two drop ships out of the sky; the other three landed almost in the same area.
"Alert!" Someone exclaimed over the radio, "Enemy drop ships are dropping troops at the command center!"
"If they take the command center," Kabier said, "They'll have us hemmed in!"
"Your call, Colonel," one of the troops stated. "Stay at the docks, or head to the command center?"
Faasnu thought for a moment, then issued his command. "All nearby forces, fall back to the command center! It must not fall into the hands of the enemy!"
Faasnu, Kabier, Elenwen, and all nearby forces high-tailed it to the command center. Just in time, it seemed – General Indari, General Tullius, Ulfric and what looked to be a platoon of allied soldiers stood amongst numerous corpses – allied and enemy soldiers alike. The first hint that the enemy troops got that indicated Faasnu and his men were behind them was when a barrage of grenades was thrown into their midst. The resulting explosions decimated most of them; the allied troops moved in and killed whoever was lucky enough to survive. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen approached General Indari and his party.
"Need a hand, General?" Faasnu asked.
"Even though I didn't ask for one, Colonel," Indari admitted, "These bastards are vicious; I don't know how much longer we would have held out before I shifted to dragon form."
Faasnu frowned. "The dragons!" he murmured. He yelled into his radio, "All dragon forces, this is Colonel Faasnu – we are under attack! Launch counter-aircraft and anti-personnel assaults immediately!"
"About time!" Paarthurnax exclaimed over the radio. "We've been sitting here watching the fireworks!"
In the distance, numerous dragon roars could be heard. Faasnu turned to his troops and commanded, "Okay, comrades – let's push the enemy out of here!" The troops cheered, and took up positions to counter the enemies headed their way. Mirdakian elves clad in dark armor made their way to the command center, but the allied troops were ready; on top of that, by the time the enemy soldiers had reached the allied lines, the dragons, led by Paarthurnax, arrived on the scene, and began torching the enemy troops. The Mirdakians, apparently not prepared to fight dragons, scattered. Some of them took potshots at the dragons, but few of them actually managed to land a hit. Even then, their shots glanced off the energy shields of the dragons' armor.
"We have them on the run!" Someone shouted. "Let's-"
"They are not retreating!" Faasnu shouted, "They are regrouping!"
Just as Faasnu had predicted, the enemy came at them again, this time by throwing grenades to cover their advance. Faasnu, Indari, and a number of other dragon-shifters tapped into their powers and halted the grenades mid-trajectory, then hurled them back at those who'd thrown them. The enemy soldiers screamed with surprise as they were suddenly bombarded and blown to hell by their own grenades. Then they began truly retreating.
"Now we have them on the run!" Faasnu yelled, "Let's take it to them! All positions, advance!" Moving across what cover was left, the allied troops advanced on the enemy positions. With dragons covering from the air, they mopped up those that didn't fall back; the enemy continued to put up considerable resistance. When the allied forces clashed with the enemy in the market adjacent to the docks, they came upon an impasse; the market provided both sides with ample cover, and command wanted as little damage to the market itself as possible, making the task of driving the enemy out of the market that much harder. Still, Faasnu had a plan: While allied forces kept the enemy's attention in the market fixed on them, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen would take command of a platoon of allied soldiers elsewhere and move around the market, linking up with other troops elsewhere and taking the docks, cutting off the enemy's only line of retreat back to Summerset Isle. Once that was done, Faasnu and his men would close in on the enemy in the market and force a surrender if they could; if not, he'd slaughter every last one that put up a fight.
As Faasnu came into contact with his platoon, the head NCO of that platoon saluted him. Faasnu returned the salute and requested, "Platoon status, Sergeant Major?"
"We're green and go, Colonel," the NCO responded.
"Good, let's get going," Faasnu suggested. "We need to take back the docks. Platoon, let's move out!"
Faasnu, Kabier, Elenwen and the platoon of allied troops – a mixed bag of Stormcloak, Imperial, and DMC personnel – headed out. They came upon numerous firefights along the way, blasting the enemy personnel and linking up with the allied troops, until they finally hit the docks.
"What's the plan, chief?" Kabier asked with a hint of malicious humor.
"We bury these fuckers," Faasnu growled. "Grenades at the ready!" He pulled out and primed a plasma grenade, and when he gave the order, everyone threw a grenade. The varied devices rained down on the enemy positions, and blew half of them in multiple directions. The allied troops advanced from cover, icing the dazed enemy troops had survived the blasts. The firefight lasted no more than two minutes; the enemy presence in the docks was surprisingly light. Faasnu surmised that the other troops were either dead or deeper in the city. This was confirmed when Faasnu got a radio transmission.
"Colonel Faasnu," Indari said over the radio, "Change in plans – enemy forces from the market and all other districts of Falinesti are headed your direction. Hold the docks. We have dragon air support on station, and infantry reinforcements are en route... good luck, Colonel."
"We got company coming, troops!" Faasnu told his men. "Defensive positions!" Faasnu's troops took up defensive positions all over, ready to take on the enemy as they headed for the docks; it was a complete surprise, then, when allied troops arrived first. Faasnu frowned, confused at this; he was expecting the Mirdakian troops to arrive first. So why, then, did allied troops arrive first?
As though to answer the question, one of the Imperials in the group now arriving shouted, "They're right behind us!" The allied troops now arriving took cover where they could, and, just as they said, Mirdakian troops began pouring out of the woodwork. The allies lit into them with assault rifles, shotguns, disruptors and grenades. Hell, even a group of snipers that were roof-jumping earlier joined in the action, firing on the enemy troops from afar. The enemy soldiers from the market appeared afterward, all of whom went down riddled with bullets, shotgun pellets and disruptor pulses. The final wave came when the remaining troops came out of the city depths, tossing grenades and explosive devices. As they had at the command center, Faasnu and the other dragon-shifters used their powers to halt the devices mid-trajectory, but rather than immediately hurl them back at the enemy, they kept them stationary for a second or two – cooked them, before throwing them back. Some exploded in midair, others exploded as the Mirdakians picked them back up to throw them away from them. Needless to say, the enemy was decimated again by their own explosions, and the allied forces mopped up the stragglers.
After the final wave, no more came. Silence settled over Falinesti. "Command," Faasnu requested, "Status on the assault?"
"Enemy ships are turning back to Summerset Isle," Indari's voice answered. "Well done, Colonel. You and your team need to report to the war room in the command center; we will discuss our next move there."
"Affirmative, General Indari," Faasnu said. The radio cut out afterward, and Faasnu gathered Kabier and Elenwen, then made for the command center. En route, Faasnu posed a question: "Elenwen – anything else you can tell me of that portal?"
"Nothing concrete," Elenwen answered. "It emits a unique energy signature, and requires massive power to operate. How the Thalmor were able to get it working before we got here is something of a mystery to me."
"Any idea who else they might contact?" Kabier asked.
"Not a clue – we'll only know for sure once we arrive on Summerset Isle," Elenwen admitted. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen entered the command center, headed down to the war room, and saluted General Indari together.
"At ease, you three," Indari said as he returned the salute. Ulfric and Tullius arrived afterward, and Indari stated, "Now, to the business at hand – do any of you have any idea who the hell we just faced today?"
There was a long pause before Faasnu answered, "I believe I do, sir."
"I was afraid you'd say that," Indari sighed.
"I believe we faced Mirdakian elves from a 'verse... unfamiliar to us," Faasnu explained. "I recognized the ships and the elves – but not the emblem, which is what led me to my conclusion."
"Do you have any clue how they got past our orbital defenses?" Indari queried.
"I do, sir," Elenwen said. "The Thalmor have a portal – one that links this world with another. I believe that the Thalmor had the Mirdakians in league with them, as a contingency in the event that they began to lose the war."
"And it's a fair bet that the Mirdakians will be helping the Dominion and Necromyan forces fortify Summerset Isle," Kabier added.
"Gods only know what kinds of other reinforcements they've called in," Indari murmured. "I'll wager they'll have a few more surprises in store for us."
"But we're still going to Summerset Isle?" Ulfric asked. "Taking it is the only way to end this war, end the Thalmor, the Dominion, and their Necromyan and Mirdakian allies."
"We could, but they could escape through the portal," Indari said, "Come back to fight us another day with gods-only-know what kinds of allies."
"Then I'll find the portal... and take it out," Faasnu said.
"That portal's going to be heavily-guarded," Indari told Faasnu. "You'd be an idiot to go alone."
"He won't be going alone, sir," Kabier said. "I vowed to stay with him to the war's end and beyond, and I'm not backing down now."
"Faasnu saved my family and I from Thalmor retaliation," Elenwen added. "I will go with him."
Indari looked over Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen. "Faasnu," he sighed, "Your... companions... could get killed in such a mission. And don't think I don't know of your plans to marry Kabier at the war's end. Kabier and Elenwen... are all you have. Do you trust your skills that much?"
Faasnu didn't hesitate for even a second. "Sir, yes, sir."
Indari again sighed. "Well, this is either the best decision you've ever made or the worst... hell, if it is, Colonel... I doubt I'll be here long enough to find out which." He paused, then continued, "You go into enemy territory... take out their portal. We'll handle taking Summerset Isle. But before you go..." He tossed Faasnu a small box. Inside, Faasnu found, were the stars of a Lieutenant General. "Let no one say I didn't acknowledge your accomplishments in the face of impossible odds. Whatever happens to you out there... good luck. Your father would be proud."
Faasnu, Kabier, and Elenwen all simultaneously saluted General Indari, who promptly returned the salute. For better or worse, this was the beginning of the end...