One thing about this part, I wrote it exactly like one of the original Conan the Barbarian stories. It turns out it's faster to lay out a Great Big Battle from the bad guys' side.
The Orange Desert was known as a land of sand, of which it had plenty. But the first thing to be seen of it was rock, more red than orange. It curved upward in a half-crescent, as if yearning to touch the Major Peninsula and the Indigo Realm across the strait. At the bottom of the cliff was a spit of sand that gradually expanded into a sandy plain. It was there that the surface fleets, heavy troops and armored corps of King Aurelius had massed to subdue his own rebellious Sky Marines. The troopers could be seen shuffling nervously around their tanks. Among them were a team of Myrmidons carrying pikes and pepperbox pistols.
"A single charge by Sky Marines could wipe them out," Ajax said.
"And a single volley by the fleet could push them back to the Plateau," Xaja countered.
Cerasa pointed to a spot on the map. "This is going to be where the battle is decided," she said. "It is the closest place where their tanks can ascend to the high ground."
"Yes," Xaja said, twirling his mustache. "We must prepare our defenses there…"
"Actually," Ajax said, "I have another idea…"
Aurelius had insisted on commanding from the bridge of his flagship. That required the Myrmidons who were both his honor guard and senior advisors to come with him, which made the bridge crowded indeed. "We must win this day," the rebellious King said. "And we will. We will defeat that interloper Xaja and the disloyal Marshals. Then the Sky Marines will fall in line. We will take the Aquamarine Isles and the Gold Mountains and the Dowager's Palace. Then we will see what Lord Morel says about sharing power…"
"Your Majesty," the senior Myrmidon said, "we have repeatedly advised you, even if the Sky Marines are removed, your forces are not unlimited. Your directives are to proceed with blockades and tactical landings in the Minor Peninsula, until Lord Morel is in position for decisive action…"
"Decisive?" Aurelius fumed. "I am the heir to the Emperors! I will show them decisive! General, how soon can you reach the high ground?"
The commander of his ground forces patiently explained, again, "We are in position to advance to the Upper Plain now. But it is not so simple. Our scouts have gone ahead to clear the path of mines, sappers and spies. Our engineers are building ramps for the tanks and wagons to supply them. The path to victory is open, but it is a steep and winding one."
Aurelius took out his telescope and looked for himself. A group of Lindorms were pounding down gravel on an earthen ramp from the beach to the next level of terrain. More were being built on either side, but the engineers found that they were low on dirt, save for fine desert sand that blew away even as they shoveled it. "I see one ramp that will hold a tank, will it not?" the King said querulously. "So move the tanks inland."
"My Lord," the General said, "I have told you, we are not ready…"
"Hold on," said the Myrmidon. "An advance armored group is not out of the question. One heavy tank could hold the high ground against a massed attack until we are prepared for a general advance. It might force our opponents to reveal themselves, if they have not already retreated."
"Yes, to be sure," the General said. "But I advise a screen of scout tanks as well…"
All told, four tanks were sent up. The three light tanks would have been recognizable to an Earthly commander, though they bore their turrets at the top of tall superstructures and two of them were armed with Gatling guns. The heavy tank, however, was of a kind not seen or dreamed of since the days of trench warfare: Its elliptical tracks were as tall as a man, with a bunker-like hull suspended between them. Its guns were in sponsons and ball mounts that bristled from the sides, with a single heavy cannon two Thumbs in caliber in the front of an upper cupola. A smoke stack protruded from the back. It moved like a snail up the ramp, slower than the already weary and wary troopers who marched on either side. "There," Aurelius said. "We have the high ground now…"
Even as he spoke, shots and several explosions rang out. A half-completed ramp crumpled into sand and gravel. "Sappers!" came the cry. "And Ajax and Hector are with them!"
The General sneered. "Men who have failed in their duty would swear that a sand dog was Ajax," he said. But even as he spoke, a greater cry rose up. On the top of the lesser cliffs, a rider on a jackelope fired a rifle in defiance. There was no mistaking King Ajax. On either side, two more riders appeared. One was Hector, the other was Xaja. Ajax raised the Expunger of Evil and shook it in defiance. Then they raced out of sight.
"Pursue them!" Aurelius shouted. "Catch them!"
"Your Majesty," the Myrmidon said, "this is most likely a feint. It may be a trap. Send out a contingent of the loyal Marines. They can find the riders from the air…"
"Catch them!" the King roared. His advisor prepared to protest, even countermand him, but there was little even the King could have done to stop the rush to intercept Ajax. Already, a whole cavalry company was rushing up the ramp to join the chase.
The jackelopes were far from ideal mounts, but they were both swift and maneuverable, capable of bounding in long leaps or loping with a profile lower than a man on an Earthly horse. They were called on to do both as the Royal trio raced over dunes and into a winding canyon. Hector laughed as they raced up a trail where mountain goats would have feared to tread. Ajax looked back at Xaja before joining in.
"Look out!" Ajax called out abruptly. A pair of light tanks had made their way around to the other end of the canyon.
"We can go back!" Hector said. His jackelope pivoted a full 180 degrees and rushed the other way, somehow handily avoiding a collision with Xaja and his mount. He barely stopped in time as a shell hit the cliff face. Below was a heavy tank, its bulk nearly filling the canyon.
"We are cut off!" Xaja said.
"Perhaps," Ajax answered. "But so are they!" He led a retreat back down. Then, at the last moment, he veered aside and raced uphill. At the narrowest point of the canyon, he leaped across. At least three guns of the heavy tank fired, and a light tank joined in with a spray of Gatling fire. The jackelope came down in the shelter of a column of rock and kept racing. Anyone who had dared to look would have seen the commander of the heavy tank open a hatch to look around, suddenly fearful. He ordered the tank to reverse, too late. An explosion roared through the canyon, just ahead of a cascade of rock that buried the tank and blocked the pass.
"My Lord!" cried the returning air scout. "We are undone! The nomads of the inner desert have joined the loyalists. Everywhere, we are met by ambushes when we advance and traps when we try to retreat. Only the tanks can hold their own, but at least one is destroyed, and those that remain are low on ammunition and fuel. And, and, there are reports of- of- Ostrakoi!"
The King looked silently to the Myrmidons. "It is not possible," said his advisor. "Only Cadmus ever made alliance with the Ostrakoi, and he was more mad than they are. If they did become involved, it would only give us license to use our full technology."
"Then use it!" Aurelius said.
"No," said the advisor. "Whatever else may come, this battle is over. Give the signal to withdraw. We must regroup at the Blue Cliffs, or risk finding the Sky Marines already there."
"You cannot give me orders," the King said petulantly, "nor can you abandon me. You are vowed to fight to the end-"
"I have gone over this several times," the Myrmidon countered. "Our vow is to serve you until the resolution of the conflict. If we assess that you are unable to prevail, our first duty is to advise an end to hostilities. And if we find ourselves in an unwinnable situation because you ignored our counsel, we can by all means- DUCK!"
He threw himself and the King to the deck as a crimson blur streaked overhead. As it turned, the shape launched a single fiery bolt directly at the ramp. Rock exploded, timber burned, and gravel and sand melted into glass. "Meliboia," said the Myrmidon.
"Does that let you call your ships?" the King said irritably.
"Yes, but we are still withdrawing," the Myrmidon said. As he spoke, another cry rose up. From the cliffs above, the Sky Marines descended, held aloft by their winged helmets, wielding pikes, pepperboxes and bombs. Behind them came gray winged shapes, spanning 10 Cubits or more. Still more troops rappelled down, led by two silent and shirtless warriors, a robot, and a miserable but defiant man in a well-worn Myrmidon uniform. Then from the slopes came Ajax, Hector and Xaja, at the head of a whole battalion of jackelope riders.
The Myrmidon defiantly drew a pistol and attached a stock for selective fire as an Ostrakoi descended. In its secondary arms, it held a strange staff that launched a ball of fire at the flagship's main battery. Its feet held what could only be a bomb. Its mandibles expanded like a pair of grasping hands, in a gape that made the warrior of the stars half-believe that the rush of its wings was in truth a scream. He fired two bursts, once at the chest and once at the face. The creature tumbled into the waves, not before its bomb crashed through the deck of a transport. Three more shapes peeled off to follow it.
Then a final apparition appeared that made the Myrmidon freeze. It was the face and head of King Ajax, complete with his cap, magnified to the size of a naval tug. It smiled and winked as it began to rise from the surf, revealing a fully formed replica of the King, more than half a Stadion in height. Ships and tanks and ordinary soldiers already desperately beset turned their guns on the shape, to enough effect to show that it was made of metal that readily dented under fire. But the damage seemed inconsequential as it moved into the shallows, crushing landing craft, launches and at least one hapless tank underfoot. "It is the Golem Mark 1!" Aurelius cried out in indignation. "It is not an engine of war! It is not even armed!"
Indeed, the giant was slowing down as the naval guns and heavy tanks concentrated on its visible joints, freeing the troops and light tanks to deal with more immediate threats. At the reforming center, an entrenched artillery crew blew the robot Ultra to pieces with a direct hit from a light cannon. But the damage was done. The bulk of the forces on the beach were scattered in flight or futile attacks, while the Ostrakoi and the Sky Marines rained down devastation on the fleet. Another flyer swooped low over the flagship, and dropped a bomb straight down a smokestack. The charge was small, but it detonated a boiler with force enough to tear through the deck and one side of the hull. Aurelius spoke one word: "Surrender!"
As the white flag raised, a window in the center of the giant's cap swung open. Daffodil waved and blew a kiss to Hector. "This is fun!" she said to Lady Cerasa beside her.
"Yeah, it's nice," the other woman said as she touched up a chip in the black nail polish on her ring finger. "But I miss carpet bombing…"
Within the hour, Ajax stood before the main camera of Amphion. Behind him, King Aurelius, his General and the chief Myrmidon advisor were tied up. "We hold Aurelius captive, with his counsellors," he said. "We have also operationally annihilated his Second Army and damaged, destroyed or captured a quarter of his fleet. All hostilities by the Indigo Realm against its fellow Realms are to cease immediately. Once a delegation for the Realm can assemble, Aurelius is to complete a formal surrender and abdicate his throne to the next in his line of succession, his nephew the loyal Argentius.
"His advisor, Achilles of the Myrmidons, and all other Myrmidons taken captive will be held until Emperor Naam and Prince Robert are released. Any exchange is to be preceded by the withdrawal of all Myrmidon troops and ships from the World Island and the Disc, except the flagship Geryon. When an exchange is complete, the Geryon too is to withdraw from the Disc forever."
While Angelo and the Guard carried the captives out, the King sat down with a sigh on Lady Meliboia's bed. "It is done," he said. "At least, we see the beginning of the end." He looked to Mel herself. "I offered the demands you advised. What happens now?"
"Most likely, Aeacus will honor them, or at least concede most without much argument," his Queen answered. "He really has little reason to refuse. The forces of Morel and the Biarmamen are strong enough to hold what they have gained, and as I have warned you, the Geryon is powerful enough to lay waste to the World Island."
"What will happen then?" Ajax asked.
"He will demand the release of his men and a surrender to his client powers," Mel said. "Then when we refuse, he will use the weapons of the Geryon to destroy organized resistance and, if necessary, the seats of government and population centers of the Realms."
"And what if we resist?" the King said, not doubting the answer.
"He will be counting on it."