Yet again, a number of things happened simultaneously. The most immediate development was the final approach of the transport Euphonia. It launched one parasite craft, but held the other. Then it circled low, in parallel with its sister ship, before rising toward the rear right of the Palace, where mission data, including the highly regarded book of King Ajax, showed the structure to be compromised. They might have gone another way if those who had assembled the briefing had more attentively read the King's own harrowing account of the sheer and treacherous cliff face where a section of the Island itself had fallen away, nearly taking the rear right face of the structure with it. The fearless Nauplius found himself looking up at a crescent-shaped inlet that rose up to the cracked, fallen or wholly vanished battlements, like a bitten scone viewed by an ant.
Still, there was no thought given to changing the plan, much less abandoning their objective. A ramp was deployed from the front of the portside hull, allowing 8 Hoplites to scramble onto a ledge that could bear their weight. They quickly made their way up, and soon, they made an unequal split. Five continued the ascent toward the Palace, but three followed a safer route toward the far end of the Island, where the Amphion lay at rest.
And as the remaining Hoplites prepared to follow, Autolycos stepped in. "No," he said to the most elite Triad of the elite Agema, "your brothers are sufficient to take their objective. For us, there is another path…"
As the first of the Hoplites drew within engagement range of their objective, King Hector made a bold move. From the reinforced left battlement of the Palace, he made a running leap for the Ataraxes. He wore the Feather of Lightness in his cap and the Boots of Sticking on his feet. Around him shimmered the field of invincibility cast by the Star Gem. Across his back, he had slung the Hammer of Hector and the Manhole Cover. The power of the first two Relics was enough to hit the tail plane with a fraction of the energy gravity would have imparted and stay upright instead of bouncing off the perfectly smooth and non-reactive metal. He staggered but did not fall as the main turret opened fire. As the guns shifted to track him, he ran down the inner edge of the port fin and tail boom. As he reached the wing, he unslung the Manhole Cover.
That was when Ajax made his own move. He launched himself from the guardhouse battlement, wearing the winged Helm of Hermes. He soared aloft, to coast at altitude past the transport. He fired down at the turret with the rifle his bride had given him. The supposedly negligible recoil propelled him nearly twice as fast. Unfortunately, it also sent him spinning. He glimpsed the flash as the incendiary round struck the turret, visibly damaging the transparent canopy as it tracked ahead of Hector. When he spun around again, he found the turret swiveling to follow him. Simultaneously, he saw the Amphion, and just beyond it, a Hoplite scrambling into view.
As the 5 Myrmidons that were the main force approached, they split again. Three continued toward the rear left guardhouse, while two proceeded along the cliff toward the rubble of its counterpart. The three halted just below the level of their target, unlimbering equipment while their companions continued. The pair pulled themselves up to what had been the elevated first floor of the guardhouse. An entryway in the diagonal face of the bastion stood wide open before them. They kept climbing.
With the madness of pure love and the love born of pure madness, Hector dived under the turret's arc of fire as it swung back around. He slid along the wing until he was nearly in line with the turret. That was when he slammed down the Manhole Cover. As if it was completely natural, the disc embedded itself in the hull. The bulk of its mass and diameter flipped up as if on an unseen hinge. Hector flipped as he dived through, to hit the deck with the Manhole Cover held over his head. "Nice," said a voice in the dark. "I don't suppose that works more than once?"
The attacker pointed toward the Amphion and raised a missile launcher. King Ajax loaded a solid penetrator round and fired again, hoping to drive the Myrmidon and his companions back to cover. He caught the Hoplite squarely in the chest. He toppled and dropped from view, and the other two did indeed drop out of sight. This time, Ajax made a summersault, to come to rest on the tower at the far end of the Isle. Already, the Amphion had lifted from the ground. A hatch opened in the center of the turret. But behind the Myrmidons, another craft was rising. It was a parasite craft, its chin guns already blazing. He aimed and fired dead center as it swooped forward. He ducked instinctively, then looked up to see it already pitching out of sight. Then he saw the Ataraxes rise in turn. He made another leap, aiming for the open hatch, just ahead of a lazy volley that obliterated the tower. Behind him, a triple-winged fighter sheared through the clouds.
"Who are you?" Hector demanded. His surroundings were almost completely dark, but it was clear that it was a holding area. The voice came from a cell on his left. The one on his right was smashed open. The smell was enough to know that there was a good deal of blood.
"Hylas," the voice said. "I suppose you're Hector. Lady Daffodil was telling us all about you. I'm afraid you just missed her. For what it's worth, the others must not have got her either."
"I suppose you're going to tell me you helped her escape," Hector said. He frowned and shook his head as he picked up Daffy's purse.
"You could say I gave her a hand," Hylas answered. "If you can let me out, I'll help you."
"Why?" the High King said with menace.
"I failed to stop a prisoner's escape," the Myrmidon answered. "My life is forfeit. My shares are null and void, and my weapons and goods will be divided by lot. For what it's worth, I like her, in my own way. Frankly, it would be worth it to me to see you in action."
"Fine," the High King said. He raised the Hammer and swung.
Moments later, the door from the hold opened. The next, a scream rang through the ship. Hector shrieked and clawed at the scaly shape that pinned him down, until a familiar or at least recognizable voice said, "Sorry."
The High King stared up at the creature with the voice of his wife, lover and beloved. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "You went to all this trouble, and I've just messed it up, haven't I?"
Hector reached for her cheek, and touched horn. "My Queen!" he said. He threw his arms around her and wept. He leaned in for a kiss, forgetting that she no longer had lips. He was more shocked to taste her tongue. He opened his eyes and found her with closed eyes and open beak, flicking her tongue to entwine with his.
"Wow," Hylas said. "Now, I'm glad I didn't get in on that."
Hector slapped him. "Do not speak loosely of my Queen!" he said.
On the left rear side, a Hoplite finally rose into view, rifle raised. A volley of fire erupted from a narrow slit in the fortified corner. From the opposite direction, another Hoplite popped up just long enough to launch an anti-armor rocket. In the time it took for the rocket to reach its target, two more were lobbed upward in an indirect arc. One detonated in mid-air, adding a rain of shrapnel to the cloud of dust and rubble. The other landed and released a lazy blanket of flame that washed over the bastion. A third Hoplite scrambled to reload the launcher, while the one who held it raised his head. As the dust and flame cleared, the first Hoplite vaulted onto the open pavement and rushed for the wide open doorway of the guardhouse. He froze as a drone gun mount toppled from the breached firing port. The other two ducked very low, just before the claymore mines went off.
"I got all the way to the funny little pod in front," Lady Daffodil said. She led the way, still in the form of a Lindormess. "But I couldn't launch it."
"No, you couldn't," Hylas said. "The docking clamps have to be released from the command deck." Hector noted that he was holding his right wrist out of sight. He pointed to a door across from the cell block. "Watch out, there's a battle mech in there."
"Oh," Daffy said. "That's what that was…"
"What-?" Hylas shook his head. He pointed ahead. "We have to take the bridge."
"Go," Hector said. He pushed the Manhole Cover into Daffy's hand. "It will let you climb down, then you can use your wings. Get back to the Island, and Ajax will pick you up."
"No," she said. "I haven't had enough practice to use my wings. Pruna told me how it was for her. Besides, I have an idea…"
As the explosions roared on the left, the ascending pair reached a gaping crack in the face of the Bastion. Beyond it was a stairway up to the lower balcony. They scrambled through the gap, itself 2 Cubits deep, and up the stairs. The first had reached the top when a blast rang out behind him. He rushed forward ahead of the collapsing stairs… and straight into the blade that came shearing at the level of his neck.
Meliboia stooped over the helmet of her former comrade. "Meleager," she said. She picked it up and set it on the railing. She rose and strode to the balcony. An antenna on her helmet extended. Then all the channels of the Myrmidons began to play the Dirge of Amphion.