by Bob Blink
When he thought the plane was near enough, Jolan grabbed the hundred pound rock pile. Taking a hint from one of the mages he’d watched on the ships a while back, he extended his right arm to guide his desired direction, and flung them with all the magic he could draw. The rocks seemed to simply disappear from the ground where they’d been lying, but he could see a hint of them as they flew high into the air toward the approaching glider. More rocks had been flung by the other mages, but Tishe was still waiting.
Jolan knew his rocks were going to miss. He could tell now that he was off to one side a bit, and could see some of the other rocks falling short. He grabbed the next pile and was preparing to fling them when Tishe threw her first pile. He waited to see how she would do. It seemed a long wait, but then he could see the glider wobble and bounce. She’d hit! So far it didn’t look like the plane was in great distress, but he was certain the pilot would be very concerned and trying to understand what had just happened.
Jolan flung his second pile, and realized Tishe had done the same. Dragons, but the girl was fast. This time something broke off the right wing when the rocks struck, causing the plane to bank sharply to the right. That took the plane inland toward the waiting army. Jolan expected to see the propeller start to turn as the pilot fought to gain altitude and control. That didn’t seem to be happening. Perhaps they had damaged the propeller as well.
The pilot had managed to turn the plane back toward the river, but had lost a bit more altitude. Three piles of rocks flew into the air at the wounded glider. It rocked under the impact of the stones, and for a moment Jolan thought it might roll over onto its back. Unless the pilot could get the propeller working, Jolan doubted he would make it back across the river. Unfortunately, he seemed to have enough control and altitude to make it back into the Ale’ald controlled territory.
As the glider drifted past off to their left, Asari and his team of riflemen opened fire. Jolan had hoped to bring the plane down without using rifle fire, but he was more concerned at the moment that the pilot might escape to warn others. Most of the riflemen were using the lever guns, pumping the levers and firing as quickly as they could get a proper bead on the moving plane. Asari still had his single shot, and seemed to be carefully tracking the plane before firing.
Someone must have connected, because suddenly the left wing of the glider dipped sharply, causing the glider to turn back in their direction while the nose dropped toward the ground. Rapidly the glider lost altitude as it made ever tighter circles and spun uncontrolled toward the rocky plain below.
The men had already scattered, and when the plane smashed into the ground, no one was close enough to be hurt by flying debris. Since there were no poison canisters and the plane didn’t have any propellant, the only real danger was from the batteries which were wired to a high voltage and contained dangerous chemicals that might be leaking. The glider caught the lowered left wing first, which caused the plane to flip and roll across the ground, shedding parts and mangling the cockpit as it bounced and crashed its way to a final rest. Parts were scattered over several hundred feet, and Jolan wondered how much would be recognizable. He also expected the pilot wouldn’t be telling them much. Had the man been alive, some kind of shield would have limited damage to the cockpit area at least, and that didn’t seem to have happened.
Cautiously the men approached the downed aircraft. Jolan had warned them about the acid from the batteries, so they allowed him to take the lead. He walked past the scattered junk that had once been a minor miracle, and looked into the badly battered cockpit. He’d been right. The pilot was dead. Most of one side of his head was missing, splattered across the inside of the cockpit, the result of a gun shot that had taken the man as he flew by. The loss was significant, but they still accomplished a major feat. They’d downed one of the dreaded vehicles. Now that they knew it could be done, they’d keep at it. The enemy would be concerned when this plane didn’t return, and would have to be a bit more careful in the future.
As Jolan pointed to items he wanted brought with them, he took time for a preliminary assessment of the vehicle. Up close it looked far cruder than it appeared from the air. It was definitely a copy of an Earth design, but it was certainly far less efficient than its Earthly counterpart. The super smooth and carefully shaped exterior was only partially copied. The hardened cloth was a lot rougher than the glassed surface Jolan was used to, which would mean more drag. Still, Ale’ald had performed a minor miracle. They had learned a great deal, and from what he’d seen already he knew they must have benefited greatly from the manufacturing savvy of captured Kimlelm. Clever use of materials and inspired use of technology and magic had been used here. He wished Shyar could have a look. The skills that had made this vehicle were far superior to those that had made the first rifles he’d seen from Ale’ald. In addition, the resources that had gone into creating the vehicles must have been enormous, but the investment had already paid off handsomely for Ale’ald. Without them it was far less likely they would have had a foothold in Seret as they now did.
Jolan still didn’t understand how the glider operated, or how they managed to get as much capability out of it as they had. He’d run some numbers the past week and, with lead-acid batteries, they shouldn’t have been able to launch it, let alone fly for the distances they had managed. Magic had to be involved in some way he didn’t understand. Hopefully they would know more when he and Buris could examine the remains in detail back at the College. Jolan also wondered if there were a few pilots and engineers missing somewhere on Earth. Simple drawings would probably not have sufficed to create the vehicle and train pilots. He wondered if a few unsuspecting individuals had been exposed to the same kind of mind wrenching Cheurt had tried on him. Even though the technique was limited on Earth, with the power crystals to support the spells and a total lack of concern as to the final state of the selected “donor”, he was certain Ryltas had probably gathered some of the required knowledge for this project in that manner.
There was only so much they could collect and take with them in the little time they could remain here. They took a number of pictures in case they might have missed something, and then headed off. The enemy would be alerted by now, since the glider was late returning. Jolan was certain they would keep a close watch on the aircraft’s progress from the ground, and an alert would have been issued even before the glider was supposed to land back at its base. They were about done when Asari tapped him on the shoulder. Jolan looked up and into the distance where Asari was pointing. He could see a second glider approaching, this one with the distinctive bumps on the wings indicating it carried a pair of the gas weapons.
Everyone else was already alerted. He’d been too preoccupied with the remains of the vehicle. The teams were already forming up, and the support mages were ready to shield the troops from the gas once it was released. There was no time to run now. They’d have to deal with the second glider, then worry about getting out of the area.
The glider passed over them, off to one side a couple of hundred yards, and made for the thickest grouping of men on the ground. Jolan watched as the canister separated from the wing and dropped toward the ground. It struck close to some of the troops, but also close to one of the many mages mixed in among them. Also as soon as it struck, a shield was wrapped around the area, trapping the gas and remains of the smashed canister. As Jolan watched, the mage who’d erected the shields burned the inside with an intense blast of energy, destroying the deadly compound.
Wizard Pilot Presa made the turn. She dropped the first canister, but couldn’t see what happened to it. Her attention was distracted by what had to be the remains of a glider on the ground. Somehow they’d managed to bring down the observation plane. That was why it was late. She’d been ordered off the airfield here in Seret when the plane hadn’t appeared on schedule. Approaching the area directly over the downed glider, she made the decision to drop the canister here. If the pilot was alive, better they didn’t have a chance to quest
ion him. It was more likely Rend was dead, and the canister might avenge his death by taking a few of the men below along with him.
She had already spread her shield as wide as she dared, ensuring the full structure of the plane was protected. She didn’t know how they had managed it. Probably a lucky shot with one of their coppered projectiles she’d heard about. It made her rear end pucker to think about it, but what were the chances they’d get lucky twice? She intended only to make the one pass and then speed for home. This needed to be reported immediately.
Presa was reaching for the release when the first object struck the aircraft. She was surprised by the impacts, and the amount of reaction from the plane. She was reassured when the plane continued on, seemingly undamaged. Then another object struck the front end, just outside the hardened window. Her window was not nearly so large as the picture she’d seen of the plane on which this design was based, and not nearly as strong. She winced when the object struck. It bounced away, and she saw what appeared to be a rock the size of a kickball tumbling away toward the ground. Rocks, for Dragon’s sake!
Another series of thumps came from below and she turned away from her intended track. She reacted without thinking, and turned back away from the river, heading inland toward the enemy troops. Quickly she corrected, but now she’d have to fly over the enemy that was attacking the plane once again. She quickly dropped the canister, knowing she was currently over an area free of enemy soldiers, but she didn’t know if the rocks could burst the container while it was still attached to the plane. She didn’t think the gas could get to her, but why take a chance. It fell well away from the troops below and burst, the gases burned away by a blast of Firewrap before they could spread more than a few feet.
Seeing an opportunity to fly between the two groups and maybe avoid some of the attacks, she turned sharply toward the river. She was just straightening the glider when she sensed something flash by outside mere inches away. Releasing a nervous breath she thought she might be clear when something caught her peripheral vision off to the right and a bit above her. More rocks! This time they were falling from above and she was flying right into the swarm. She tried to turn and had the plane in a forty-five degree bank, knowing she was losing precious altitude by all the maneuvering but seeing no other choice. As nimble as she was, her reactions had been too slow. A foot size chuck of granite came directly at her, smashing through the windshield and smacking her a glancing blow. The rock had only been falling at fifteen miles an hour, but she’d been doing almost seventy when she’d run into it. That was enough to give the rock killing force.
One could argue whether she was lucky. The blow didn’t kill her outright, but the blow knocked her unconscious momentarily and did enough damage that she’d have little chance of survival even if medical attention was immediately available on the ground. As she lost consciousness, her shield dropped away, exposing the aircraft to yet another damaging swarm of the deadly missiles. Still in a bank, the plane began a rapid descent towards the ground. Presa regained consciousness to see the ground coming at her and knew she had only seconds before impact. She raised her shield instinctively, wrapping it around herself as tightly as possible. The plane smashed into the ground, tearing off one wing and sliding across the rocky ground, shedding bits and pieces as it slid. Presa tried to hold on, but lapsed back into unconsciousness as the plane slid to a stop.
Asari was the first one to reach the downed glider, and seeing the unconscious pilot quickly reached into his side pack and pulled out the spring loaded dart. He shot the pilot with the Karonabark and tranquilizer. Maybe the good looking brunette inside was dead, and maybe not, but she was a wizard and why take chances? Jolan arrived a moment later and looked at the pilot, noting the slow movement of the chest. This one was still alive. Knowing it wasn’t doing the pilot any favor, Jolan reached inside and grabbed the hand closest to him. The ring responded as expected, and moments later the head wound had been closed and the ragged breathing returned to normal. She would live, at least until the questioning started.
While the troops pulled the woman from the plane, he looked at the remains of the plane. He was intrigued by the fitting on the underside of the cockpit, and noted the somewhat burned, fire resistant material there. He was getting an idea how this thing might work. He could also see how the wings could be detached relatively easily for transport. He called for help and they pulled off the remaining wing. The men rolled up a wagon and, using the power, he lifted the damaged cockpit and placed in onto the wagon bed, ready for transport.
Directing the men to quickly gather a few remaining pieces he deemed worthwhile, they then turned and headed back away from the river. His spotter had seen signs of the enemy approaching in force. They needed to get back to the main force Wylan had positioned a couple of miles farther inland. They would greatly outnumber the enemy, and if the invaders wanted a fight, there were enough mages here to make a real show of the encounter. Most important, of course, was getting everything back to Cobalo for study.
Making sure Tishe had ridden on ahead with the unconscious pilot, Jolan then turned and hurried after the bounty from today’s work. They’d taken down two of the planes, not just the one they’d hoped for. That would have to cause a great deal of concern back at the airfield, and would gall Cheurt no end when the news reached him.
* * * *
“Did you learn anything from the wreckage?” Vaen asked Jolan when they met the next day.
“I know how it works now, but I’m still very surprised they were able to make it happen. They cut corners and took risks, and I’ll bet more than one pilot died during the testing, but in less than a year they managed to modify and jury rig something that worked better than it should have. The original designers of the craft would be appalled if they could see one of these gliders, and the huge reduction in performance that is being accepted, but for Ale’ald, it is an amazing victory. We have to find the rest of the gliders and destroy them. I’d also like to know where they are being built. Did the pilot know anything?”
“She was quite stubborn, but that only meant her torment was more severe, and everyone will relent eventually. We know where the planes are stored and fly from, although getting in there still presents a number of problems. They had eleven of them by the way, so they’re now down to nine. She implied they get one a month. We know they want to relocate the planes north, we think into Seret. Not the airfield that we’ve seen near the river; somewhere else. We think they want to get within range of Carta. The factories are in Kimlelm, not in Ale’ald. That’s consistent with what we have been thinking and the few bits of intelligence we’ve gathered in the last week. Somewhere in Yermo, the capital. I’ve asked Wylan to have his spies focus on that area more. I suspect we can find out in short order.”
“I can go after the airport then?”
“I’d rather it wasn’t you, but suspect it has to be. You know best exactly what to look for, and are willing to use more of the power to make sure the planes and whatever, or whoever, else are destroyed to ensure there will be no more flights from that area. Get with Wylan and make your plan. The Queen has already asked for it to happen. We’ll need to brief her before we act.”
Chapter 138
While Jolan, Wylan, and Kavel planned their assault on the airport in Belar, Ale’ald troops made an all out assault on Belth, in northern Seret. It wasn’t an unexpected target, but since all the activity had been confined for the past several weeks to the middle of the country, a certain carelessness had set in, and the defenders were not as ready as they needed to be. Owning both sides of a large stretch of the river allowed Ale’ald to launch a large number of the rafts for a second time without earning undue attention. The launches were made in the early evening, and for a long distance the rafts stayed close to the Kimlelm shores. Once they had traveled far enough down river, relying on the current to carry them silently in the dark of the evening past the few places where the defending forces might have noticed them, the
men on board started paddling to transfer across the river to Seret.
Additional forces were positioned north of the city in an area that was somewhat mountainous and hilly, where it wasn’t thought likely to expect an attack. These forces were brought across the open bay from the Kimlelm side where Ale’ald had a number of ships waiting in the harbor city of Einau.
The forces continued to build and form into attack teams through most of the early part of the night. Dawn was still several hours away when the gliders made their first silent runs across the water from the temporary base that had been established in Kimlelm. The attacks were well planned and the targets clearly thought out in advance. The Ale’ald planners had been well informed. They knew where the defending troops quartered, and exactly where the headquarters were located.
Unlike many of the attacks made up river, five planes crossed the river at the same time this night, and the deadly load they carried all dropped within minutes on the first group of targets. Two thirds of the defending soldiers were killed in the initial wave of attacks, and the fact that the gas was non specific and drifted over wide areas of the civilian population didn’t seem to matter to the attackers. More than twenty percent of the civilian population died or were seriously sickened by the attacks. Panic resulted.
Those defenders that hadn’t been killed or sickened were hindered by the number of their compatriots who were dead or dying. Most were far from prepared to be rudely awakened and rush immediately into defense of the city. Besides, for the moment there was no one to defend against. By the time the surviving troops had somewhat organized, the second wave of attacks began from the air. The mages available to help protect the men were far too few. The ranks of the mages had been quietly reduced the past few weeks as the need for their abilities drew the best of them back into the areas that were actively being contested upriver. Many more soldiers and civilians died, and some fled. By the time the second wave was finished, Belth’s military was down to about a tenth of its nominal strength.