Act 1, Chapter 10: Tipping the Scales
"What the…What happened?…Del?"
"JD!"
"Where am I?…"
"The Keep Hospital. That explosion knocked you out cold for a month"
"Wait, I've been in a coma for a month!? And what do you mean explo-…..wait…no…no, no. Lizzie, is she-"
Del simply shook his head in sorrow.
"It's my fault…"
"JD, it's not your-"
"Del, you know damn well it is"
"The dragon put her in that situation, you were only trying to help"
"My 'help' got her killed"
The door to the room opened.
"Carmine?"
"Hope you had a good month's sleep"
"Sarge, I tried to get her out of there but-"
"Fenix, it's okay"
"How? How are you okay with what I've done"
"What you did? It's that damned dragon's fault"
"Sarge, I don't think you understand. I couldn't open the driver's door to get her out since it got bent in and jammed, so I tried to saw the door open. It didn't do anything but make sparks and those sparks lit a fuel trail coming from the truck's leaking gas tank and-"
Carmine suddenly slumped down onto a nearby chair.
"Sarge, I never meant to-"
"Asides from the grubs, I know for a fact you wouldn't dream of hurting anyone if you absolutely didn't need to. Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed and upset about losing my only niece, but at the end of the day, she's a Carmine"
"What do you mean?"
"According to what I know about my own family history, every Carmine, except me for the time being at least, has all died in the most sudden and unexpected ways. Every. Single. One. As far as I know, no Carmine has ever lived long enough to die of old age or natural causes. I could be the first but I wouldn't hold my breath"
"Still, I'm so sorry"
"Well, at least she didn't die a slow and painful death like Ben"
"Ben?"
"One of my younger brothers. He died during the Locust War. Apparently, he got eaten alive by parasites living inside the Riftworm"
"Eaten alive by parasites? Inside the Riftworm?"
"Like I said, Fenix, sudden and unexpected"
"It's true, I found Ben's helmet just lying around in Oscar's Village a few months back during a recruitment drive", Del stated.
"Thanks again for finding and giving me the helmet, Lieutenant"
"Don't mention it, Sarge"
"Anyway, Lieutenant Walker and I gotta get going"
"Wait, why?"
"JD, your mom and dad want to see you now but the doctors say you can only have two visitors at a time, so-"
"Yeah, I get it"
"Oh, and JD"
"Yeah, Del?"
"Baird wants to see you at his lab later"
"I haven't been discharged yet"
"Well, the doctors say you are once you wake up, and you have"
"Works for me. I'll see you guys later then"
"See you, JD"
"Take care, Fenix"
Immediately after Clayton and Del exited the room and were out of sight, Marcus and Anya entered the room, with the latter entering at a notably brisk pace.
"James, how are you feeling?", Anya asked as she went to and stood by her son's bed side and rested a hand on the side of his face gently.
"Never better, Mom"
"Dad"
"James"
"Let me explain-"
"No need to. Carmine already did"
"He did?"
"Yeah. You weren't using your head. That's how you got yourself here"
"Marcus! How dare you to talk to your own son like that! What's wrong with you!?"
"Mom, it's okay. Dad, I know what I did wasn't exactly the smartest thing and I should've been more careful about it"
"You don't say?"
"Marcus Fenix, that is quite enough!"
"James, please, just consider your options next time, all of them. Especially when you've got plenty of time to", Marcus simply advised before he left the room.
"James, don't mind your father, he can be so heartless sometimes", Anya said as she knelt down and gave her son a quick hug.
"He does care, trust me. He just does an awful job at looking like it"
"You know, your father wasn't like this when you were just a boy. He was a lot less cold and distant back then"
"I'm a Gear now"
"And?"
"He never goes easy on frontline Gears who mess up. No exceptions"
"Whatever the case, James, you'll always be my baby boy"
"Mom, please stop"
Anya simply smiled at him.
"Never"
JD rolled his eyes at this.
"So, how often have you visited me while I was out cold?"
"Every opportunity I get"
"Of course"
"What? You don't like your own mother visiting you? Especially while you're recovering from an accident that could've killed you?"
"No, it's just…"
"Just what?"
"Never mind"
The door to the room opened.
"Piña?"
"Sir Jaydee"
"Ah, you must be Princess Piña Co Lada, yes?"
"Yes, that is correct"
"I'm so glad you're working with us to try end this war and establish peace"
"The privilege is mine. Pardon me but who might you be?"
"I'm James' mother"
"You're the mother of Sir Jaydee!? Please forgive my casual behavior", Piña said as she bowed.
"Oh, so polite! No need to apologize"
"Might I ask, Mother of Sir Jaydee, wherein is your position within the COG?"
"I serve as the current First Minister"
"First Minister Anya Stroud!?", Piña exclaimed in surprise before kneeling reverentially before her, having previously learned that the First Minister was the COG's Head-of-State and who exactly the current one was.
"It is truly an honor, First Minister"
"Likewise, Princess. I understand this must be appropriate etiquette for you but you don't need to kneel before me like that"
"I must, for someone of your rank. It would be utterly disrespectful otherwise", Piña stated adamantly.
"Very well, I won't argue further. Please stand up, it must not be pleasant to kneel like that"
To this, Piña transitioned to standing from kneeling in way that suggested she was taught how to do so in the 'proper' and 'respectful' way from childhood.
"Well, it's finally been a pleasure to meet you in person, Princess, but I need to go now. I have some unfinished office work to tend to"
"Of course, First Minister", Piña acknowledged as she bowed.
"Be more careful in future, okay James?", Anya said before kissing her son on the forehead.
"Yeah, yeah"
With this, the First Minister waved goodbye to her son and the Imperial Princess before leaving the room.
"Sir Jaydee, I had no idea your mother was the current leader of the COG"
"Oh yeah, now that I think about it, I never brought that up. Well, there wasn't a time I ever needed to, at least as far as I can remember. Anyway, what did you need to see me for?"
"I simply wanted to visit you while you were recovering and see how you're doing"
"My recovery's been nothing but smooth"
"I'm so glad to hear that. Sir Del told me what happened. I didn't think you'd survive, much less with all of your extremities intact, especially your right arm"
"What?", JD uttered in confusion before he looked down at his right arm, apparently fully bandaged and with a Stim drip tube directly connected to it. It was only then he began to realize how bad the injuries must've been if that was the only limb getting that much medical attention.
"Do you think it'll heal enough for you to use it again?"
"I don't know…"
The door to the room opened once again.
"Baird? I thought you said you wanted me to meet you at the lab? Dillon, you here to visit me?"
"I still need you to meet me at my lab later but right now, I'm here to give you something that'll help with your right arm, and I've brought your squad's medic to assist"
"Should I leave?"
"Yeah, sorry Princess. The doctors are only letting any one patient in this ward have a maximum of two visitors at a time, that and I'm about to do a delicate procedure", Baird explained.
"That's no problem at all. I'll speak to you later then, Sir Jaydee"
"See you later, Princess"
With this, the Imperial Princess quickly bowed and left the room.
"Alright, first, we'll get these electrodes off, that Stim drip tube out of his arm and that feeding tube out of his nose, then you'll gently lift his right arm up so I can take off those bandages, got it Dillon?"
"Loud and clear"
"It's okay Kid", Baird reassured JD as he removed the bandages with Dillon's help, noticing he was wincing and gritting his teeth in pain the entire time.
"No, no, no…my arm", JD uttered in distress as he finally saw the extent of how badly damaged his right arm was.
"Kid, I know it looks really bad but trust me, I can save it"
"With what!?"
"This"
Baird brought a metal case to his lap, undid the clasps and opened it, revealing a large folded roughly sleeve-shaped device. The Robotics Expert and the Combat Medic worked together to carefully slip the device in its entirety on the COG Captain's injured arm, but not without causing the Captain a degree of significant discomfort and pain.
"There", Baird said after making careful checks to see if the device was secured to the arm.
"What's it supposed to do?", JD asked, still in pain.
Baird responded by simply pressing a button on a module at the upper end of the sleeve-shaped device. In the next instant, the honeycomb pattern that comprised the mesh of the sleeve began to glow a bright blue, at which point the Captain looked visibly relieved.
"Woah, that definitely helped with the pain. What is this exactly?", JD asked as he sat up and inspected the wearable device, moving his arm and hand around in it without any discomfort.
"It's a wearable Stim drip. Whenever your arm starts to really hurt, just press that same button I just did and it'll give you a quick shot of Stim along with some painkillers"
"Baird, I don't know what to say…Thank you…"
"Don't mention it, Kid. Why don't you go down to the Mess Hall and grab something to eat? Every meal you've had since you got here has been fed to you by that tube I pulled out of your nose. I think some real food will help get you back into the swing of things"
"Yeah, I think I'll do that", JD said before he finally got out of his medical bed for the first time since the accident, but not without some slight trouble.
"Woah, you okay there Captain?", Dillon asked.
"Yeah, it's just been a month since I've actually used my legs for anything"
"Need a walking stick?"
"No, I think I can manage"
"Your armor is in the changing room", Baird informed JD.
"Thanks I'll get changed before I-"
"Something wrong, Kid?"
"Wait, did the doctors shave my head!?"
"Yeah, sorry Kid. They needed to find all the shrapnel that got stuck on your head and stitch your scalp back up afterwards"
JD simply sighed.
"If you need me, I'll be drowning myself in beetle soup"
MESS HALL,
OMEN KEEP.
"Oh, Sir Jaydee! So good to see that you're up and moving again!"
"I'm happy to see you too, Tuka"
"Beetle soup, I take it?"
"Yeah, give me the usual, and a chicken sandwich too"
"You look so…different, Sir Jaydee, especially your arm. No offense", Tuka pointed out after handing the COG Captain his food.
"None taken. The doctors did what they had to, to keep me from dying and how I look now is because of that"
"I still think you can attract women. I hear scars are attractive, especially to female warriors", Tuka cheekily commented before giving a wink and a giggle to the Captain.
JD shook his head at this as he smiled.
"Well, I'll see you around. Tell your old man I said hi"
"Sure! Enjoy your meal!"
The now scarred Captain seated himself at an empty table and began to wolf down his first real meal in a month, not caring if he was being a little messy about it. In the middle of his meal, he heard an eerily familiar voice ask him something.
"Mind if I sit here to eat, lad?"
"Sure", JD responded, not even looking up from his food.
"You're eating like you haven't had a proper meal in a month!", the elderly but strong male voice stated in jest after setting down his tray on the table.
JD ignored this as he finished up his meal and finally looked up to get a good look at the source of the distantly familiar voice.
"Hey, I think I know you…"
"I was dying outside the walls of this fortress when you found me. I asked you to put me out of my misery before I passed out and you took me away to help me recover"
"Yeah, I remember now. Sorry, I never got your name"
"I am King Duran, ruler of the Kingdom of Elbe, well, at least to those outside these fortress walls. Here, I am but another prisoner of war, an exceptionally well-cared for prisoner of war I might add, spoiled even"
"King?"
"Correct"
"When I found you, I thought you were just some duke or something"
"Just some duke? Hahaha! What is your name, lad?"
"Captain James Dominic Fenix, but most people just call me JD"
"Well, Sir Jaydee, you have quite the sense of humor! That's the first time I've heard anyone ever say something like that to me in all my years on the throne. Oh, the ridiculousness of it is what does it for me!"
"Wasn't trying to be funny, but hey, glad to see you got a laugh out of it
"Hmmm…I take it that a recent tragedy has befallen you?"
JD simply returned to having his soup.
"My apologies, my intention was not to pry, but merely trying to understand"
JD was about to take another spoonful of soup before he stopped and gave himself a few moments before responding.
"I tried to save a friend but got her killed instead…"
Duran looked at the scarred man with stoic pity.
"I see…My condolences. I would not know how I could even begin to come to terms with such a loss…"
"Well, I didn't put her in the situation I was trying to save her from. That dragon did"
"A dragon?"
"The Flame Dragon"
"Are you certain?"
"It was massive, winged, had red scales and can breath fire"
"By the gods…"
"Long story short, trying to save my friend almost cost me my arm"
"I was wondering why your arm was like that. Nonetheless, at least you still have all your limbs"
"What?"
Duran gave JD a closer look at his plastic prosthetic arm.
"My missing leg got replaced with an artificial one too. Your healers say they are in the process of making me a fully controllable metal arm and leg to replace my current artificial ones. Can you believe it? I didn't, at least not at first. The things your people are capable of are nigh-unfathomable, it is no wonder you utterly destroyed us when I and the other vassals attempted to seize this place"
JD's face suddenly twisted into teeth-gritting pain as his scarred arm suddenly convulsed in extreme pain.
"Are you alright, lad!?"
"Yeah, yeah, just wasn't expecting it to hurt that bad so suddenly", JD reassured after activating his Stim sleeve.
"Say, what is that you're wearing over your scarred arm?", Duran asked, utterly intrigued at the device, mesmerized at its honeycomb pattern illuminating with a soft blue light.
"It's helping to heal my arm and I can also use it to instantly numb any pain coming from it too"
"Incredible….Simply incredible…So, you're already ready to go back out there and fight?"
"Yeah. I'm ready to get back out there and get some payback on that scaled bastard. It's an upcoming mission I have to complete anyway, on orders from my superiors. Just a matter of time of when they say I can go"
"A creature as devastating as that should be put down as soon as possible. I don't know what good could come of letting it live. Where do you plan on taking your hunt for this beast?"
"Mount Tube, that's where it's nest is apparently"
"By the gods…that's in Elbe, my domain…Sir Jaydee, you must go and slay this beast as soon as you can. Even if I have been relegated to being a powerless prisoner of war, I, King Duran of Elbe, grant you and your people passage into my domain for the purpose of putting down the Flame Dragon. Should your superiors have concerns about the legality of entering my domain, then let that blessing reassure them"
"Thanks, I'll let them know. That'll save us a few headaches", JD acknowledged before having the last spoonfuls of his soup.
"I know even if I was against it, there's absolutely nothing I can do to stop you or your people from entering my kingdom, but now you, in every official capacity, have every right to carry out your hunt"
"Yeah, I'll show that thing that where it really belongs in this food chain", JD stated before leaving the table with his empty tray.
"Stay safe, and good hunting, Sir Jaydee"
BAIRD'S LAB,
OMEN KEEP.
"Recon satellites, huh?", Del stated rhetorically as he assessed the holographic display of Baird's grand project keeping a stable orbit around an almost featureless globe.
"Yeah, they'll help the Keep's on-site artillery batteries to target the Dragon", Baird responded as he checked to make sure all the factors that contributed to his satellites' stable orbits were as they should be.
"On-site artillery batteries? Last time I checked, there's only automated turrets around the Keep"
"They're being pre-made right now back home and they'll be shipped here when they're done. They should be here, installed and ready to use soon"
"So, we just bomb the shit out of the Dragon?"
"Yeah that's the idea, but not while it's at home"
"Why?"
In response, Baird brought up a 3D holographic of the general area containing and surrounding the Dragon's nest.
"This is what the satellites have on where the Dragon lives. As you can see, there's way too many places for that Dragon to hide and way too much in the way for artillery to target accurately"
"So, it's gotta be somewhere wide open?"
"Yeah, and preferably with clear and open sky"
"How are you gonna draw it out to where you want it to be before we start shelling it?"
"That'll be your squads next mission"
Del sighed in response.
"I figured as much…"
"Hey, come on, if everything works out, you won't even need to really do anything besides watching it get blown to kingdom come"
"The key word there being 'If'. Should everything not work out, what then? It's already proven that it's not just some dumb animal. It's gonna wise up and do everything it can to make targeting it at range with anything not easy"
"I've already accounted for that"
"How exactly?"
A beeping sound then issued from a nearby terminal, to which Baird approached it and held down a button.
"Hey Baird, mind letting me in?", JD asked through the speakers.
"Sure. IRIS, if you would?"
"Certainly, Damon"
Soon, the COG Captain entered the room.
"So, what did you need to see me for?"
"It's about your upcoming mission"
"I'm ready to mount that dragon's head on my wall, so what's the plan?"
"Basically, you're gonna need to lure it out of its nest to somewhere wide and open before we light it up, with the help of several implements conceived from a big and very much completed project of mine, currently traveling their orbits around this world"
"Wait, your big project was deploying Hammer satellites here in the Special Region!?"
"They're Reconnaissance Satellites. Command initially wanted them as an upgrade to the way we can see and map out the Special Region but now they're also gonna help us kill that Dragon, but only by helping the soon-to-be-installed artillery batteries here in the Keep to accurately track and target it"
"Oh, okay but how did you launch them? I don't remember seeing a rocket and a launch platform anywhere around the Keep"
"Three words: Mass Driver Platform"
"A what?", JD uttered in confusion
"Mass Driver? You mean like a railgun?", Del asked.
"Yeah, it work's fundamentally the same as a railgun, except instead of firing projectiles for the purpose of dealing incredible amounts of damage the Platform's designed to accelerate large payloads straight up with enough velocity, accuracy and adjustability to eventually get them into a stable orbit. No massive rocket or launch platform needed"
"Where is it in the Keep?", Del asked.
Baird gestured for the two COG Officers to join him around a CCTV monitor that overlooked a particular part of the Keep, where an extremely elaborate, segmented and massive, vaguely elevator-shaft looking device dominated the view.
"Here"
"I was wondering what was being constructed there for the last few weeks…", Del mused.
"What's powering it?", JD asked.
"Imulsion, same with the Satellites"
"Imulsion!? I thought every drop of the stuff was wiped out on V-Day!?", JD asked incredulously.
"Where did you find the Imulsion!?", Del asked, equally as incredulous.
"Remember that lab in Kadar you and Kait paid a visit to?"
"Yeah?…"
"Apparently there was a pretty sizable reserve of the stuff just sitting deep in there. According to the data you two pulled from the place, the researchers who used to work there decades ago kept a reserve to do experiments with"
"So, how did that supply survive when the rest of it on the planet got wiped out?"
"The way the place was built, especially the room and tanks they were kept in, shielded them from the ICM on V-Day"
"You collected it all by yourself?", JD asked.
"What? No. Me, your old man, Cole, Paduk and a JACK unit did, with the help of Raven fitted with a collection tank.
"Had fun doing it?", Del asked.
"If by fun you mean trying to find and collect the stuff while dealing with Sires and Test Tube Drones, then yeah, we had a blast"
"Shit, I thought Kait and I killed them all…"
"Guess you didn't. Anymore questions?"
"When did you launch the Satellites?", JD asked.
"A couple of days ago"
"And they're ready to use?"
"Yup, and only after a couple of hours of launching them too. We've been getting some super high-res scans of the Special Region and I gotta say, this world is pretty and in terms of resources, pretty promising"
"Must've been something to see the launch", JD mused.
"It was basically shooting a really, really massive gun straight up into the sky", Baird summarized.
"Baird, in hindsight, I should've just stayed inside during the launch like everyone else instead of watching it from outside. The noise…I think I might have tinnitus…", Del commented.
"Hey, it's been a month since the accident, right? So, where's Jack? Did Sturm get around to fixing him?", JD asked, only now wondering where his squad's trusty bot was.
As if on cue, the bot in question casually hovered in from an adjoining room and enthusiastically greeted JD and Del with happy beeps upon seeing them.
"Good to see you too, Jack. So, I take it Sturm's done with fixing you?"
Jack beeped in response.
"Awesome, always great to have you with us for missions"
Jack beeped in joy at this.
"Jack, you've been here in the lab the whole time? Even after getting fixed?", Del asked.
"After Sturm fixed him and gave him a few tune-ups, I still needed him here with me in the lab to give me a hand with a few things, especially linking and calibrating the satellites to the JACK network. After doing some final checks on the satellite calibrations this morning, there's nothing else I need his help with, so now he's officially back with you guys. Thanks for the all help again, Jack"
Jack beeped in response.
"Speaking of Sturm, where is he now?", Del asked.
"I only needed him here to fill in for me while I was away working on the satellites back home. Now that's all basically done, I'm here again and I've sent him back home to be working again with DBi's R Department where he initially was"
"Oh yeah, you did say he was just filling in for you. Anyway, I'm just glad the whole squad's back together now"
"And ready to tear apart that Dragon. So, we get started on the mission after the artillery gets installed here in the Keep?", JD asked.
"Yeah, but if you want more details on how things'll go after the artillery's all set up, you'll have to talk Landry"
"Alright, I'll go talk to him, we'll catch you later"
"Wait, before you go, take this with you for the mission", Baird said before handing JD an extremely durable and secure looking case.
"What's inside?"
"If things in the mission end up looking like they're gonna hit the fan big time, this should be enough to turn things around. Sorry but I can't say anymore than that"
"Okay?…Well, if you say it'll help, then I trust you. We'll see you later", JD stated before he gestured for Del and Jack to follow him out of the lab.
"IRIS, if you would"
"Certainly, Damon"
Once JD, Del and Jack exited through the doors IRIS opened for them, Baird, now alone in his lab, once again looked at the real-time holographic display of his satellites orbiting around the Special Region.
"She'll understand, she has to"
THE COLONEL'S OFFICE,
OMEN KEEP.
"Sir, with all due respect, but what the fuck? I know the artillery is going to be doing most of the work but sending us in there with only a few Armadillos, some DeeDees and a Fabricator to defend ourselves if things hit the fan, is just suicide!"
"I know, but as a result of the resource intensive projects being done by DBi, especially Damon's recently completed personal project, a vast majority of our surplus assets are out of use since they've been stripped for critical parts and materials to ensure those projects stay afloat so they can eventually be completed. This means as of now until further notice, the capacity to allocate reinforcements and additional support for future missions is extremely limited. This includes all surplus JACK units, new and old, vehicles, weapons, DeeBees and Fabricators. Simply put, we, for the time being, are operating on what has been carefully assessed and deemed by High Command to be the absolute bare minimum we can work with", Landry explained before taking a sip of coffee.
"Shit…so not even scrapping all the spare JACKs was enough…", JD thought to himself.
"This has been to date the least prepared we have ever been since coming here to this world, but with what has and will be available to us as a result of those projects, are worth this temporary predicament"
"Is there literally anything we can do about this 'lack of support' situation?"
"No, current resource demand from us, DBi and even New Ephyra have well exceeded current supply. We simply cannot keep up with all the demand, and this is even after cutting off resource allocation to any non-essential activities like supplementary training. Fenix, we're running on fumes here, and there's nothing we can do but wait until we can go back to operating at our full potential"
"How about postponing the mission until-"
"No, this Flame Dragon needs to be put down ASAP. We don't even know roughly when we can operate at full potential again and waiting will cost us time, time we could have used to prevent further casualties, COG or otherwise. Even if I wanted to, it's beyond my power to postpone this mission. High Command has made their mind up on this and we have to follow through, whether we like it or not", Landry finished explaining before handing the Captain his mission documents.
"Any further questions?"
"No, Sir"
"You're dismissed. Good luck", Landry stated as he saluted JD.
"Yeah, that's about as much we can hope for with what little we've got to work with…", JD thought to himself as returned the salute before exiting Landry's office.
LATE EVENING,
A WEEK LATER,
CLOSE TO MOUNT TUBE.
"Alright, we're here Baird", JD notified via Tac-Com.
"We're screwed…", Del stated half jokingly, once again taking note of the frighteningly little amount of support they had at hand should things take a turn for the worst.
"Okay listen up, you'll need to lure the Dragon out to where you guys are with the bait. As soon as you think it's on its way to your position, find somewhere to hide at a safe distance and just sit back and watch the fireworks"
"Why can't we just haul ass back to the Keep once we get the Dragon out here?", Dillon asked via Tac-Com.
"I need eyes on the ground to confirm if the initial artillery barrage actually hits after the satellites get a lock on it. If the first barrage misses, you guys can confirm that so I can get the satellites to quickly reacquire a lock-on, so the artillery can auto-adjust their aim. Besides, when one of the satellites pass by overhead, it's only got a ten minute window to get a fix on the Dragon's exact location. Once that ten minute window's up, it'll take an hour for the next satellite to pass by and until then, I'll have to rely on what you guys are seeing to know what's going on over there and what we need to do next"
"So basically, we got to hope this works first try?", JD asked.
"Yeah, pretty much"
"Considering our track record for luck, especially for the last couple of missions, sorry if I'm feeling just a 'little' worried", Del stated sarcastically.
"Oh hey kid, you brought that case I gave you a while ago? You know, the one you'd need of things hit the fan"
"Yeah, it's in one of the Armadillos we have"
"Alright, good"
"Baird, why don't you just tell us what's in it? If that's supposed to be our last resort, it'd be nice to know how much we count on it", JD asked.
"Look, as much as I want to tell you what's in the case, I can't, at least not right now. You know what? I'll tell you what it is when you get back, how does that sound?
"Baird, I have no idea why keeping this 'last resort' a secret until we need it is such a big deal"
"Whatever happens, you'll find out soon, trust me"
"Alright, fine. Can we set down the bait now or is there anything else you need to do on your end first?"
"No, I'm all good here but the next satellite will be overhead in the next twenty minutes, so you'll need to get the Dragon out to your position by then, can you do that?"
"Should be able to, we spotted it not too long ago somewhere near its nest"
"Okay, let's get the ball rolling then. Keep me posted"
"Wilco. Carmine, got the bait?", JD asked.
"Yeah, right here", Carmine responded as he held an air tight container.
"With how strong that bait must smell and how strong that Dragon's sense of smell must be, I'd say we have a good chance of getting out here to us before the first satellite passes by", Tai commented.
"Only one way to find out", Del stated as he gestured for Carmine to hand him the bait container.
"All right…here should be a good spot", JD pointed out, with Del promptly opening the container and proceeding to lay down the bait on the ground, chunks of extremely pungent pieces of meat.
"Oh, wow….I can smell it through my helmet…", Clayton stated, just barely stopping himself from gagging in disgust
"Me too…", Dillon added before turning away in a vain attempt to avoid the smell.
"That will definitely get its attention", Tai stated confidently after taking a quick whiff of the air that the meat pieces' pungency almost immediately took over upon being outside its container.
Del simply dry heaved intensely upon having his nasal cavity utterly violated by the stench, barely just able to get all bait set before retreating to a distance where the smell wasn't nearly as overwhelmingly nauseating.
"Okay, let's get behind the Armadillos and wait for the fireworks", JD ordered as his eyes were watering profusely from the potent odor, gesturing for his team to follow him back to the vehicles in question parked at a significant distance in a wooded area, amongst the thick shrubbery and vegetation.
"Sir Jaydee, what would you have us do now?", Yao asked as she hid among the dense foliage alongside the other Dark Elves the Elders had appointed to also assist Delta.
"The bait's set. All we have to do now is just hide and wait for the Flame Dragon to take the bait", JD explained.
Yao and her fellow Dark Elves understood and remained where they were.
"What should happen once the bait has gotten its attention?", Yao asked.
"We just for it to get close enough to the bait and just wait for death to rain down on it", Del stated amusingly.
"Wait for death to rain down on it?"
"You'll see. Although, you'll want to cover you ears when that starts to happen because it'll be really, really loud"
Yao simply nodded in acknowledgment and promptly relayed everything she had just been told to her fellow Dark Elves, despite still being unsure what was actually going to happen.
Recon Team Delta and the Dark Elves remained hidden in the concealing underbrush next to the Armadillos for what felt like hours before a faint distant echoing roar could be barely heard.
"It's close….", JD stated in a hushed and cautious tone.
"Baird, I think the bait's got its attention"
"Solid copy, kid. The artillery's ready to fire and the satellite is closing in on being overhead of you guys. Keep me posted"
"Wilco"
As time slowly passed by under a dread-filled yet hopeful atmosphere, the distant roars of the Flame Dragon steadily grew louder and louder, signaling its inevitable approach.
The sound of the wind and rustling vegetation were the only audible sounds asides from the Dragon's periodic and soon to be not-so-distant bellowing. Otherwise, dead silence reigned.
By the time the Dragon was practically in the immediate vicinity as the sound of flapping its gargantuan membranous wings would make very clear, the sun had already descended to a point where even the bait, a thing of negligible height, cast an elongated and foreboding shadow, one that was soon to be, quite literally, overshadowed.
The crimson-scaled behemoth of a reptile landed close to the pungent bait, kicking up a cloud of dust as it did so. With every step it took approaching the bait, the ground would shudder and leave behind a clear depression of its step. Once it approached close enough to the bait, it get on its claws and stretched its neck out to thoroughly sniff the bait, JD didn't waste time doing what he had to do in that moment.
"Baird, target is in position. Fire when ready", JD whispered over Tac-Com.
"Perfect, a satellite is directly overhead now and almost done acquiring and confirming coordinates for the Keep Artillery. Standby.
"Wilco"
The Dragon continued to sniff the bait but eventually became visibly confused. Soon, it started sweeping the immediate area around it with it's only functioning but sharp eye and extremely sensitive nose, suspicious of the out-of-place nature of the small pungent piece of meat and wanting to know what left behind otherwise perfectly good food.
"Ummm…Baird?"
"Alright! There! I'm firing…now!"
The Dragon continued to look around while rooted in its position for some time before suddenly being startled by distant explosion.
"Baird! You missed! That was a like a klick off!", JD angrily whispered.
"Shit!…alright, gimme a second, I'm adjusting the coordinates again! It should only take a second…"
The Dragon moved back a little from the bait and began to roar furiously in the direction of the failed artillery strike, seeming to now understand what it's gotten itself into, and as such, began to actively look around the area and searching for the small but dangerous prey items it had the displeasure of attempting to hunt a while ago, now driven to kill out of spite more than anything else. Then after a minute, it suddenly turned its attention to the general direction of where the Gears and Dark Elves were hiding and slowly approached.
"No, no, no….not now! Anytime but now! Work you stupid piece of shit!", Baird cursed.
"Baird, we really could use that artillery strike right about now…" JD whispered in desperation as he took notice of the Dragon approaching their position.
"The artillery batteries aren't responding to my controls! I can't fire!"
Before JD could quietly be outraged at Baird for the sudden and potentially deadly inconvenience, the COG Captain suddenly experienced yet the most agonizing wave of pain in his scarred arm, enough to force him to involuntarily yelp in sheer teeth-gritting fashion before he instinctively activated his Stim sleeve but alas, he had not been quick enough to suppress the pain before letting out his uncontrollable cry of pain.
Upon hearing this, the Dragon roared furiously before rearing up on its hind legs and prepared itself to unleash an incendiary torrent from its maw, inhaling deeply, intending to torch the entire foliage-laden area.
"Damn it! Everyone follow me!", JD ordered frantically as he desperately gestured for everyone to follow him into the Armadillos. By sheer luck alone, no one was left behind as the now passenger-loaded Armadillos roared to life and began to tear through and endure the brunt of the firestorm that now engulfed the once dense area of verdant greenery, desperate to escape.
The Flame Dragon proceeded to give chase as soon as the pack of Armadillos rushed out of the now thoroughly scorched arboreal and shrubbery-filled expanse. The APCs kicked up clouds of dust as they attempted to get to safety, anywhere that their predator couldn't follow.
All vehicles, disperse! We can't bunch up together trying to outrun that thing!", JD ordered, before his and the other two fleeing Armadillos diverged escape routes to prevent the Dragon from potentially taking out all three vehicles in a single attack.
Now forced to choose one and ignoring the other two for the time being, The Flame Dragon gave chase to the one closest to it and eventually reached it and wasted no time destroying the unfortunate Armadillo, furiously clawing at and stomping on it before unleashing a wave of flame at point plank, rapidly reducing the vehicle to just charred steel that promptly detonated, doing little harm to the beast.
"Well, there goes our DeeBees and Fabricator…", Del stated in sarcastic frustration.
"So, any bright ideas?", Sam asked, still driving urgently to get anywhere the Dragon couldn't follow.
"Baird, shit's hit the fan BIG TIME. Whatever 'last resort' is in that case you gave me earlier, now's a good a time as any to use it!", JD demanded.
"Okay, do you have it with you right now?"
"Uhhh…..", JD uttered as he frantically looked around the interior of the Armadillo, and seeing it nowhere.
"Oh, we left it in the other Armadillo…", Carmine stated, only just remembering.
"The one that got destroyed!?"
"No, no. The other one", Tai clarified.
"Hey Captain, just a wee reminder but uhh….I'm still getting chased and I've got nine Dark Elves on board and I'm doing my best to try not to get any of us eaten or roasted, so If you could hurry the fuck up and maybe think of something to help us that would be greatly appreciated!", Mac radioed in.
"I think I got an idea on how to stop that thing!"
"Oh, that was quick. You need me to do anything to execute this miracle you've got planned?"
"Do you remember that case I left in your Armadillo?"
"Yeah?….Oh, you need it, don't you?….."
"Yeah, I need it…."
"This is just….great….just fucking wonderful. Wait…okay, I think I got a way to shake big and angry here off my tail so I ca-Ahhh!-….."
"Mac! MAC! You there!? Respond!"
A minute of dread-filled radio silence followed, as the Captain was just about to come to terms with losing Mac and the Dark Elves, before it was suddenly broken.
"Captain, all the Dark Elves and myself are okay, can't say the same for our Armadillo though. Somehow, we got out just in time and we're holed up now in a good spot where it can't see us", Mac stated very quietly.
"That's good but what about the case?"
"I've got it with me, just before me and the Dark Elves ditched the Armadillo. No way any of us can stick our heads out of our little sanctuary without the very real possibility of getting killed, much less get the case to you on foot, sorry Captain"
"That's okay, JACK can get the case from you while being cloaked and bring it back to me"
"Solid copy"
"Alright, this should be a good enough place to lay low", Sam stated in relief as she parked the Armadillo in a well-concealed position and switched off the engine.
"Now's our chance. Jack", JD addressed the bot as he turned to look at him.
Overhearing the conversation over radio, Jack knew exactly what he had to do. He nodded in acknowledgment before cloaking and being let out of the Armadillo.
The Flame Dragon, now done with utterly obliterating it's second prey item, began to actively hunt down its third and last prey item. It moved around the area frantically, its head darting around, visually taking in every nook and cranny it could with its sole eye while it inhaled deep breaths with its nostrils in an attempt to determine through smell where it's last prey item could've been hiding out of sight.
While hunting, it did notice an odd but very brief anomaly through its heightened predatory senses. For but a few moments, it heard something small and quick go past it and leave behind an unfamiliar slight burning smell as it passed. Turning to expect to find its third prey item, it found nothing instead. Frustrated, it looked skyward as it let out a ground-shaking roar"
"What shall we do now, Sir Mac?", Yao asked quietly.
"Do you remember Jack? That small floating friend we brought with us here to help hunt down the Flame Dragon?"
Yao nodded.
"Yeah, he'll be here soon to pick this up and bring it back to the Captain and he'll use it to kill the Dragon, somehow…."
Before Yao could ask how exactly a small metal box could possibly kill the Flame Dragon, Jack suddenly uncloaked in the tiny sanctuary, revealing himself to Mac and the Dark Elves and deployed his hoist. Some of the Dark Elves got startled at the sudden appearance of the bot but Yao, as quietly as she could, calmed them down. Mac wasted no time getting the case hooked up to the bot's hoist before letting the bot leave, cloaked once again.
"Baird, shit's officially hit the fan and Jack's on the way to us with the case, so can you please tell us what's in the case, now", JD demanded.
"Alright, alright, but first-"
"No, you're telling me what's in it right now. I'm done waiting for an answer"
"Kid, I was gonna tell you how to open it first"
"Okay, fine how do I open it?"
At this moment, Jack was let into the Armadillo with the case secured to his hoist.
"Finally", JD stated in relief before taking the case from Jack's hoist and setting it down on an unoccupied seat inside the Armadillo.
"You got it now, Kid?"
"Yeah, Jack just got back with it"
"Okay, to open the case, you'll need to get one of your retinas and any one of your fingerprints scanned on the respective biometric scanners on the case. Once you pass those scans, the case will unlock itself and you can get what's inside"
"Got it", JD said as he wasted no time getting his biological credentials checked by the case's scanners.
Once a small green light appeared from each biometric sensor, indicating that valid credentials have been detected, the secure metal locking mechanism undid itself with an audible click. Upon hearing the click, the COG Captain grabbed both sides of the metal case's freely pivoting side, ready to finally see what Baird has been unwilling to reveal up until this moment, with the rest of Recon Team Delta in the same Armadillo now gathered around to eagerly find out too.
"Kid, you got it open?"
"Yeah, opening it now"
"Moment of truth…", JD thought to himself before opening the case, finally revealing what the 'last resort' was supposed to be.
Sitting in the case's shock-absorbing foam lined interior was a Hammer of Dawn Targeting Laser Designator.
"Is this is how we're going to die?….Alone all together in this really cramped and dim space?…."
"No, don't say that, Komu, none of us are going to die today, I promise you", Yao reassuringly and quietly stated as she embraced the young and scared Dark Elf.
"Okay, Sir Mac, I must ask how is that little metal box going to be of any help in killing the Flame Dragon. It is simply beyond me…..", Nokk asks in frustrated confusion.
"Nokk, please, calm yourself…", Seymy responded, hoping to prevent any yelling that could arise.
"It's okay, lass, he's got a valid question. To tell you the truth…ummm….Nokk, is it?"
"Correct"
"Well, to tell you the truth, Nokk, I don't even know myself. I'm just a driver for the COG, at least now I am anyway"
"Hey, over here, we can watch the Flame Dragon through these cracks here without being seen ourselves", Met quietly notified everyone else and gestured over to where he was.
"Met? Where are you? How did you go somewhere else in here? It's too cramped to go anywhere else...", Ban asked.
"Over here, there's a big enough passage back here for us to go through to where Met is", Nayu informed everyone else.
"Okay, the passage is only big enough for us to go through one at a time", Fenn stated.
"Hey Met, are you sure we can all fit where you're able to see the Flame Dragon safely from?", Crow asked as he stopped himself from going any further.
"Yeah, we can all fit in here comfortably and have a good view of the beast without risk"
"Well, you all heard the lad, let's get going then", Mac said as he gestured for the rest of the Dark Elves to join up with Met.
Once everyone got to the generously sized area where Met was and could get a good view of the Flame Dragon through some cracks of a cave wall, they all kept on eye on the beast's movements in safety.
"So Captain, what's your miracle plan to end this nightmare?", Mac asked via Tac-Com although very quietly.
"You'll see, speaking of which, are you all still in that little safe spot?"
"Well, yeah, we're just in another part of it one of us found where we can all keep an eye on the Dragon without being spotted, so whatever you're gonna do to put it down, we all can see it"
"Get comfy, because I'm about to put on a serious light show"
"What? Did Baird get the Keep artillery working again?"
"Even better"
"What is it then?"
"It's better if I show you. It'll all make sense when I do"
"Very well then, Captain, carry on. We're all watching"
"Okay Baird, I'm in position and I have a good view of the Dragon from up here and it hasn't seen me yet, how long do I satellite coverage for?"
"Just under three minutes, Kid"
"Solid copy", JD responded before he set the Laser Target Designator from safe to fire.
"All this time they were Hammer satellites…..huh…", JD thought to himself as he briefly looked down at the Laser Target Designator he was holding in his hands.
"Okay, Flame Dragon, let's see how you like my sky fire", thought to himself before getting line-of-sight of his large, red, scales target from the top of a cliff and took aim with the Designator.
He rested his aim on the unaware Dragon's center mass, and upon doing so, he depressed and held the trigger, letting a clear and visible red laser issue onto the beast while the Designator hummed and beeped periodically to indicate a valid target area was being marked all the while.
As the COG Captain held firm and was poised to deliver killing blow on the beast, a wave of near sanity-breaking pain erupted in his scarred arm, involuntarily crying out in unimaginable pain as he attempted to activate his Stim sleeve, to which nothing happened, no matter how many times he tried to get it to work.
Upon hearing this cry of pain, the Flame Dragon turned its attention to the source of the sound from the top of the cliff and took flight from a powerful leap into the air with its hind legs. Soon, the Dragon hovered in the air through its powerful membranous wings beating periodically, now directly looking down at the very same prey that robbed it of one eye.
JD, through pain that should otherwise stop and incapacitate most men dead in their tracks, struggled through and by sheer force of will, just barely managed to bring up the Designator and get it aimed at the Dragon, squeezed and held the trigger and steadied his aim for the laser to accurately track the Dragon, all in a speed at which his life truly depended on. At the same as this process, the Dragon inhaled deeply in preparation to wreck vengeance on the prey that dared to greatly wound it.
As the Designator neared completion of marking its target, the Flame Dragon also neared inhaling enough air to be able drown its prey's area in a tsunami of fire. Time crawled for JD as he held true and firm through the truly debilitating and utterly teeth-clenching pain and waited for the Designator to save him in time, and it did, even if by just an impossibly narrow margin.
The very same moment that the Flame Dragon was about to let loose a scorching blast from its maw, a giant, almost amorphous pillar of nearly-blinding bright plasma ripped straight down through the clouds, parting the sky as it did and roared with a fury that put the roar of the very beast it hammered mercilessly straight down into the ground, to shame.
With the beast grounded and thoroughly incapacitated, JD yet again willed every last bit of strength to fight through the pain as he readjusted his aim at the now vulnerable Dragon, once again steadying the Designator's laser and awaited the coup de grâce.
The Flame Dragon barely managed to twitch a single broken clawed digit right before an almost-divine looking, continuous and massive column of ravenous Imulsion-fueled plasma pierces straight down from the heavens, rending the sky and roaring unyieldingly as it mercilessly consumes the beast in its entirety. The stream of focused yet all consuming plasma persists for ten seconds, and each second slowed to an agonizing crawl for JD as he soldiered on through the resolve-breaking pain to keep the Designator on target. For the brief period the strike persisted, the previously barely lit sky was reinvigorated and the very ground trembled, threatening to compromise the integrity of even the most stable natural formations.
As soon as the strike had concluded with the tail-end of the massive plasma column impacting the target area explosively and throwing debris outward in all directions, the sky almost instantly dimmed and the ground grew silent and still. All that remained within the target area was an almost unrecognizable, aggressively smoke emitting and thoroughly charred black husk that was once the Flame Dragon, that lay in the centre of a massive and shallow but still smoldering crater in which thousands of embers danced across the furnace-hot air that wafted up from the blackened earth that still actively sizzled for some time.
As the sun finally set on the horizon, JD dropped the Designator, gave a small laugh of victory before passing out and collapsing onto the ground.
"Woah…..I've only seen the Hammer of Dawn in action from old war footage but seeing it in person was just….wow….", Mac thought to himself as he continued to look at the thoroughly scorched corpse of the Flame Dragon.
"That was something wasn't…it…..", Mac asked rhetorically but stopped himself short as he turned to look at the Dark Elves who had also witnessed the Flame Dragon's demise, noting that the event that just unfolded had impacted them profoundly, to say the least.
Komu sat up silently against the back wall of the cave with only a 'thousand-yard stare' on his face as tears ran down his face.
Seymy and Nayu balled their eyes out in each others embrace, Mac being unsure if they were shedding tears of despair, happiness or combination of both.
Nokk was in an upright fetal position, rocking back and forth with a blank expression on his face.
Met was prostrated and prayed fervently, begging for forgiveness and a chance at redemption.
Ban was pacing around, hands clutching his head as he muttered to himself.
Fenn was retching in the far corner, emptying his stomach.
Crow had passed out and was unconscious.
And Yao just sat there silently and looked at the ground, in deep thought.
"Oh…..I don't even want to think about how much it'll cost to give them all the therapy they need…", Mac thought to himself.
(Achievement Unlocked)
(20G - Raining Fire on Reigning Fire)
(Read Chapter 10)
(Achievement Unlocked)
(100G - Broken Chains)
(Read All Act 1 Chapters)