"Well they do have a lot to be cautious about. Alright folks get ready to shoot some fish in a barrel" Victor spoke out and a few chuckles rose from those near him, Anne included. Looking down the ravine again Victor saw the shapes coming closer still, the odd glint of light coming from the weak moonlight hitting a piece of metal. It was hard to judge the distance in the darkness, but Victor guessed it was enough, so he lined up one of the figures in his sights and squeezed the trigger of his rifle as he exhaled.
A zap sounded, and a bolt of energy erupted in the darkness, quickly followed by dozens of others as his people opened fire. The entire ravine lit up in lurid red light as the energy blasts sped through the air and Victor saw his shot hit someone, a scream sounding right as the enemy started to return fire. A bolt smashed into the log right in front of Victors face and he hissed, pulling his head back and blind firing his rifle three times over the log.
More bolts smashed into the log and Victor felt it shudder even as the smell of burning reached his nostrils. The logs would probably catch fire soon, but that was to be expected. Peeking back over the log Victor saw flashes of rifles low to the ground and guessed the enemy had taken prone positions. Seeing shots from up high, he watched the blasts from Shawn’s men pummel into the ground, a few more screams sounding from those below. He smiled grimly and fired twice more, aiming at where he had seen some of the flashes from enemy guns. Feeling an elbow hit him from Anne though he frowned and looked over at her, just making out her features in the darkness.
"Look up there. Aircraft" Anne murmured, and Victor hissed, looking up the sky. He felt his blood go cold as he saw two small blobs of light rapidly approaching. The aircraft would be on them within minutes.
"Rifles to the skies folks. Incoming aircraft" Victor yelled out and pointed his rifle up to the sky. These aircraft would most likely be the drop ships that had carried the Imperials to these mountains, but if that was the case, then why hadn't the Imperials used them to hunt down Victor and his fighters. Were they not equipped for combat or something? Victor brought his attention back to the battle as energy fire continued to be exchanged, even though there seemed to be much less coming from the Imperials then before. They didn't seem to be firing much, like they did not want to give away their position.
Quite suddenly the aircraft arrived, and Victor recognised the whirring noise of dropships even as the two of them came to hover over the ravine, great mounted lights being turned on and illuminating Victor and his fighters. Victor hissed at the brightness even as energy fire erupted from the drop ships and began to pepper the barricades, sending chunks of wood flying and small bits of rock and dusk from the ravines surface. Screams sounded from around him and Victor grit his teeth, lifting his rifle and aiming at one of the lights, even as it blinded him.
Victor fired randomly over and over until the light blinding him suddenly moved from him and he hissed, looking up. Blinking to try and bring back his vision, Victor saw energy fire from Shawn’s position ripping into one of the drop ships, the one that had been blinding him and he felt a hit of satisfaction as he saw an Imperial fall from the dropship, shrieking as his rope caught him and swung him underneath the aircraft. It looked like the Imperial had been manning a mounted gun on the side of the ship and Victor blinked again as he realised these drop ships were not meant for combat and were instead lightly armed transport craft. Seeing only one of the aircraft though, Victor looked around and saw the second one, landing further down the ravine where the Imperials had been shot to shit. He snarled and suddenly stood up.
"Anne, on me. We are taking out that ship" Victor stated and then hopped over the log, a muffled protest coming from Anne. He didn’t care. He suddenly felt it was his obligation to make sure these Imperials didn't leave alive. Just like they had made it their mission to slaughter those who surrendered at Pagua. And to execute prisoners of war for not talking. He felt angry, so much so that his very fear seemed to melt away.
Victor ran downhill, the place still lit up by the lights from the dropship above the ravine even as it started firing again, one of its other crew taking over the mounted gun. A few of the bolts smashed into the ground around him but he didn’t care as he instead focused solely on the landed ship. He raised his rifle and started firing again, hissing as he lined up the sights with the now illuminated backs of Imperials who were being lifted onto the drop ships bay via an open side. He hit one soldier, the person crumpling, and Victor grinned in satisfaction even as he felt a ripple through the air.
Victor staggered as a blast of magic sailed past him and collided with one of the rotors of the drop ship, the thing exploding in a spectacular fashion and sending flames and metal flying through the air, including the rotor itself which smashed into the rock wall itself. Victor laughed and ran forward still as the drop ship fell completely to the ground, dropping only a few feet. It spun around then, its rear dragging on the ground as its other rotor functioned completely fine.
Shouting came from around him and energy fire streaked all around him, peppering the drop ship and the surviving Imperials that had been trying to board it. Victor looked around quickly, seeing many of his own people running beside him and he grinned, feeling that anger slip away, only to be replaced with elation. Looking back to the grounded ship he ran faster, right past two Imperials who had dropped their weapons and lifted their hands into the air, surrendering.
Victor ignored them and simply leapt forward, jumping straight into the dropship as it spun and into the middle of four Imperials, all looking at him in shock. Victor growled and lifted his rifle, smashing the butt into the chin of the closest Imperial even as he spread his legs and crouched somewhat, stabilizing himself in the moving aircraft. The man crumpled backwards, and Victor looked to the other Imperials, pointing his rifle at one even as the man lifted a pistol. He fired his rifle and the bolt of energy hit the man in the neck causing a spurt of blood to erupt and splash the wall of the ship as he collapsed.
The other two Imperials appeared unarmed and both came at him, trying to grab him and wrestle him to the ground but Victor just snarled and twisted his body, smashing the rifle butt into the side of the head of one man. The Imperial staggered backwards and fell out of the side of the still turning aircraft and a shrill cry sounded followed by a crunch as he was crushed beneath the still spiralling craft. Victor didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse and just looked to the final Imperial, seeing him wearing a flight helmet and radio. He was a crew member of the craft. Victor just lifted his rifle again and pointed it at the man who went wide eyed and raised his hands right as Victor shot him in the head.
As the man crumpled to the ground, Victor stepped over him, realising the air craft had slowed and was no longer turning. Stepping into the cockpit of the craft Victor looked to the pilot who was gripping the controls and was white faced. The man looked up and at Victor, surprise on his face even as Victor pulled the trigger of his rifle, the weapon doing nothing, and Victor realised the clip must have been empty. Snarling, he lifted his rifle high again and struck down, smashing the butt of his rifle into the man’s face, knocking him clean out. Leaving the man as he was, Victor turned and went back to the bay of the drop ship, his eyes sweeping over the corpses and locking on one of the two mounted guns that protruded out of either side of the open bay doors.
Victor stopped moving and then looked out the door, noticing the other dropship still in the air, its mounted guns still peppering the barricades he and his men had been laying behind. Growling Victor dropped his rifle, letting it hang against his side in his sling and he stepped forward, grabbing the mounted gun facing the direction of the other drop ship. He squatted, having to twist the gun on its mount somewhat to line up the other drop ship and once he did, he grinned and pulled the trigger.
Seeing the rapid beams of energy erupt from the weapon, Victor smirked with satisfaction as he watched them hammer into the other drop ship, pounding into its flank and ripping holes in it. These sorts of small transport
craft were not equipped with shield generators and so they were basically sitting ducks. Still shooting at the craft, Victor watched something in it explode even as it pulled up, trying to get away from the assault it was under. Another explosion lit up the sky from the craft and showered those below in fire and debris even as it lifted further into the air, smoke coming from it in thick plumes and obscuring the light cast by its flood lights.
The craft passed from Victors view and the firing angle of the mounted gun and Victor growled as he let go of it, standing up and picking up his rifle once more. He stepped out of the craft and looked to the sky as he saw the second dropship flying away, high above the ravine and close to one of the mountains flanking it. He just watched as a third explosion erupted from it and it simply spiralled down and then crashed into the mountain side, a huge fireball erupting in the sky. Then quite suddenly there was darkness, the flood lights no longer illuminating the area.
No more gun fire sounded, and Victor exhaled, feeling his blood pumping still, so much so he could hear it pounding in his ears. Turning back, Victor stepped back into the drop ship and then into the cockpit and looked down at the pilot, slumped in his seat. He was illuminated by the lights of the drop ships controls and Victor looked him over, noting a wet gleam on the man’s stomach and legs. Reaching down, Victor felt around, and his fingers touched a jagged piece of metal embedded in the man’s stomach. Withdrawing his hand, Victor looked behind the chair and saw a piece of metal sticking out of the back of the man’s seat. Flicking his eyes to the ship’s windows, he saw it had been smashed and Victor just shook his head, guessing part of the rotor had rebounded off the wall and flown into the cockpit. He just turned away and left the pilot there, convinced he would not survive long.
Stepping out of the drop ship Victor looked around as flash lights and lamps started to light up, illuminating the area and Victor raised a brow as he saw the faces of his.
"Fuck me dead Victor, you were like a one-man army" came a voice and Victor flashed a look at the speaker, seeing Rupert approach him, a lamp in his hand. Victor just snorted and shrugged, feeling his blood start to settle, and his adrenaline leave him. A hand touched his elbow and he looked to its owner and saw Anne, blood running freely down her face from a cut on her forehead.
"Rupert isn't wrong you know" Anne stated and then looked around as more people came forward. Victor could see about thirty people, and six of them were being held by two or more of his fighters. Prisoners. The group came to Victor and pushed the prisoners down, each being forced to their knees and Victor widened his eyes in surprise as he saw a particular man.
"So, you survived my shot in the forest then" Victor said as he looked the Krat over, the man lifting his gaze to stare at Victor angrily.
"So that was you was it. I take it you lead this rabble then?" the Krat asked in his thick accent and Victor raised a brow, looking the man over in the light cast by the lamps. He could see a bandage wrapped around the man’s shoulder under his collar and guessed it went down below his armpit where Victor had shot him back in the forest.
"Hardly a rabble. We are survivors of the Pagua landings, not just civilians taking up arms" Victor stated and scowled as the Krat snorted at him and his words.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter. I formally surrender to you and so do my men. Take us as prisoners of war" the man stated with some confidence in his voice and Victor looked at him in surprise, a rush of anger bubbling to the surface. He lifted his rifle and just pointed it at the man who looked right back at Victor in surprise.
"I don't accept your surrender. You fucking Imperials murder people who surrender, and you are a fucking Kratsch. Krats are fucking worse than Imperials. I fought in the fucking winter war twenty years ago and remember the things your people did" Victor shouted and pressed the rifle against the man’s throat. The Krat just widened his eyes even further and opened his mouth to say something but Victor didn't offer him the opportunity to speak and just pulled the trigger, a bolt of energy erupting into the man’s throat and blowing it out in a mass of sizzling and burnt flesh. The man gargled before simply collapsing and Victor lowered his rifle, anger on his face. He looked around at his people and scowled as he saw an array of shocked expressions.
"Kill them all. Look for survivors and kill them too. There’s one in the ship I knocked out. Find any injured fighters of ours as well and get them looked after. Then loot the fucking Imps and the ships. I want a damage report and inventory report before midnight" Victor snarled and then started to walk away from the group as the remaining prisoners started yammering in their own language, only to be cut off by the zaps of energy weapons. Victor kept walking, simply fuming until he felt a hand on his elbow once more.
Victor stopped walking and turned to look at Anne once more, seeing concern on her face. She just leant forward and placed a kiss on his lips, surprising him at the tenderness. They had shared such moments many times in the last few months, and even more than just a few kisses, but for this to come in the current situation it was a shock to him. As she broke away from him, she smiled weakly and tilted her head slightly.
"You know there is no going back from this right? The soldiers won't take prisoners in the future or accept surrenders. Especially after that rant of yours to the Krat" she said softly, and Victor snorted.
"I don't care. The Imperials kill prisoners depending on their whims. I will only give as good as I get. And I have seen enough battlefield executions to know what I could get. So, fuck them all. I hope they all burn" he growled and turned away from Anne, casting his gaze to look out over the ravine, now lit up by a myriad of lights as his people combed through it, looking for Imperial survivors and his own wounded. He stared silently for a time and then just sighed.
"Once we are done here Anne, I think we should head over the mountains completely, and try to get back home. We are running out of options here, and I am just simply tired of it all. Tired of fighting this shitty war" Victor stated and sighed again, feeling Anne take his hand as she stood beside him, intertwining her fingers with his own.
Chapter 35
* * *
Swallowing, Niall stared out over the city of Pagua, his heart heavy. Standing upon the bridge of his airship, he could see quite clearly the devastation that had been visited upon the place. Thick plumes of smoke rose high into the sky, blurring into a dark mass and mixing with the darkness on the night.
Below him, Niall could see fires throughout the city, mainly concentrated around the buildings Phidel used as her headquarters. The aircraft runways had been cratered, numerous small planes and dropships scattered around in pieces. He could see far less then there were supposed to be and swallowed hard once more, wondering where the others had gone. Was Keran with them?
Shaking his head, he turned his gaze towards the sea and to the city’s docks and wharves. Or what was left of them. Niall could still see some of the buildings and wharves burning fiercely, their glow lighting up the sea in eerie colours. And beyond those fires Niall could see the few navy ships that had been docked, now half sunken in the water, small fires seen on those parts still above water. The devastation of the city was real.
"Sir Belford. Princess Phidel is hailing you" came a voice from Niall’s left and her jerked his body somewhat before turning and looking at the officer, seeing Corporal Hestings. The man wore a tired and drawn expression and Niall tightened his jaw, realising that all the crewmembers he saw around him wore similar expressions. He could not blame them. Even he was feeling deflated right now.
"Patch her through Corporal" Niall stated and turned back to the view of the city, a screen turning on above the window of the bridge. Seeing Phidel’s face appear, Niall stood just that little bit straighter and clasped his hands behind the small of his back. He offered her a nod, seeing a rather steely expression on her face.
"Sir Belford, I have been piecing together reports for the last hour and now have a clear picture of what happened here. To put it simply, we were tricke
d. The northern incursion was staged, and whilst we were away, a fleet of some forty small airships bore down from the north. The fleet was made up of corvette, frigate and destroyer class ships. They attacked Commanders Danzig and Saska at sea, and I am told Danzig did not survive" Phidel stated and Niall suddenly felt like he had been punched in the gut. Danzig was a good man and soldier, and Niall had counted the man among his friends. Niall tightened his jaw and clenched his hands behind his back tightly.
"I see. And I am guessing this force came to Pagua once they broke through and did this" Niall stated and swept his right arm out from behind him to gesture the city before him, not that Phidel would see what he motioned at. He saw her eyes dart down though and guessed she was looking out of her own bridge.
"Yes, you are correct. Saska still lives and made a retreat south. I want you to take your fleet to assist her, and if able return to the site of the battle to look for survivors. Most of the small aircraft on base was scrambled by Colonel Godeslas when Federation ships appeared, and they went south as well to link up with Saska. He also ordered most personnel and civilians into the bomb shelters Thanks to Godeslas quick thinking there was not a great loss of life in the city or of the garrison. I have suffered a lot of material damage, but that can be rebuilt. This was simply a hit and run exercise I believe" Phidel stated and then lifted a hand to rub the bridge of her nose. She simply looked tired now, but Niall knew that both of them would not be getting any rest any time soon.
A New Beginning Page 36