Unable to do anything else but wait and see if the weather calmed down, Niall stood by Phidel as she issued commands to her crew. Even if the fighters were not able to fly in the storm, the larger airships of Phidels command could, and now her ten airships faced off against Clovis' seven. Due to the storm there was almost no visibility and Phidel was relying on radar to locate the enemy and direct cannon fire.
The situation was tense and Niall began to shift his weight from foot to foot as his uneasiness grew. He couldn't shake the feeling that something would happen soon, and sure enough, Phidel picked up on his mood.
"Keep your head about you Sir Belford, things will happen very quickly when we locate the enemy, and I don't want you being distracted by anything" she snapped, her irritation at him and the situation quite evident.
Casting a sidelong look at Phidel, Niall frowned at her attitude. He recognized the stress she must be under, and the responsibility she felt for those under her command. He had only recently understood what it meant to be responsible for thousands of lives.
"I'm just frustrated that I can't be out there in my ship causing havoc, that's all, blasted weather" Niall joked in a light hearted manner, trying to make this awkward situation more bearable. To lighten things up a little.
"Well, as frustrating as it is, I think you need more experience in command from a flagship" Phidel spoke, Niall’s poor joke ignored and brushed aside. She stood firm, her hands gripping the back of her captain’s chair as she stood behind it. Niall turned his head, giving her a side long look in confusion. Phidel just stood there, that same irritated expression on her face as earlier.
"Xevec told me about the battle of Kernow, and how you commanded from your fighter. I was not pleased to have heard that. If you had lost that engagement, you would not be standing here right now" Phidel continued in her same irritated manner, this time a hint of anger in her voice.
Frowning, Niall felt his elation and easy manner slip as he was essentially lectured and warned. He had not known Phidel would disapprove of him fighting on the front lines whilst he was in a position of command. Her words actually made him feel pretty shit, and he became sullen. His thoughts turned to Xevec, remembering the old officer at the command center in Pagua. He was one of Phidels closest advisers and the old man had accompanied Niall on his campaign. He wouldn't have missed a detail when reporting back to Phidel.
"I am quite capable of fighting and commanding at the same time, and besides, how can I order my men to do something if I don't show I’m willing to do it as well" Niall stated, his voice a little forceful as he became defensive in the matter. Phidel showed no reaction at first and just remained silent, her focus on the weather as she peered out into the dark cloudy sky. Then she suddenly spoke, her tone angry.
"Quite easily. Being a commander of mine means you have already followed orders and climbed the ranks. You have done what your soldiers do now and more. You now have more responsibilities too many more subordinates, and in turn, more consequences. If things were to take a turn for the worst, how can you expect to make a quick and adequate decision over a cockpit radio with little information of the whole situation? How many soldiers would lose their lives whilst you spend precious time returning to your command post? And what would happen if you were blasted out of the air. Cutting the head off the snake kills the body. Didn't you learn that at school?" Phidel snapped at Niall with steel in her voice. She still stood behind the chair, her fingers digging into the headrest of the thing. She was quite obviously pissed off and was struggling to hold back.
Feeling his own anger rising at Phidels reprisal, Niall forced himself to stay calm, clenching his hands at his sides. What she had said was true, even if it hurt to admit it. But it still angered him. He had never known a person to talk to him so. Sure he had been insulted, bullied and made fun of, but this was different. It was a reprisal coming from a person he liked and respected. It was different. As he opened his mouth to reply a bolt of lightning illuminated the stormy night sky and Niall saw the outline of a cruiser not a hundred meters in front of them. Instantly another flash appeared as the cruiser fired on them and all hell broke loose.
As the enemy ships began firing, they appeared on the radar, and Phidels experienced subordinates moved into action. They all knew their own specific roles, and they played them well. Phidel gave the order to fire at will and the Harlaus' batteries began returning fire.
Knowing he had little part to play in what came next he turned to Phidel and spoke;
"I can see that I’ll only be in the way here, I’ll head to the missile batteries and await your orders" Niall stated as he felt the ship rock under his feet. He cast a look out of the bridge and scowled as he saw an energy blast smash into the shield right in front of them, sending red streaks of light rippling up and down the shield as it was dissipated.
Nodding, Phidel pulled out a small earpiece and held it out for Niall.
"Stick that in your head and stay in contact Sir Belford. Don't forget what I said. There are bigger and greater things at play here, and you are one of the actor's" she added as Niall took the device and stuck it in his ear. Niall nodded and spun on his heel before he strode off of the bridge and made his way towards the elevator that would take him to the engineer bay. That would be where the heavy guns and missile launchers where located. It was a position he was familiar with as he had once been temporarily positioned there as an officer. Stepping into the elevator that would take him there, Niall felt the quiver of fear that he always felt when going into battle as the elevator doors closed in front of him.
* * *
Lady Rella watched as Princess Phidel's chosen knight disappeared into the elevator and frowned. As much as she disliked the man for being a commoner, she could also see he was a natural leader and that the princess had also seen this and had taken advantage of that fact by elevating the young man to such a high position.
There had been a huge uproar in the capital after the decision to elevate the young officer. Many nobles had hated that a commoner be given such a privelege, because no matter what victories Niall had attained for the empire, he was still a mere plebeian. Yet it was these same nobles that complained, that had never even stepped upon a battlefield in their entire lives.
To Rella, the whole thing seemed like an outdated tradition. It was quite common for noble ladies to appoint lesser noblemen as their knights of honour, but in recent years it had become more of a contest to see who had the best Knight, who were usually seen dressed in ridiculous outfits picked by their ladies.
But for a royal princess to choose a commoner and then give him a military command as well. It was unheard of. Rella had heard that Emperor Alden had laughed when he had heard and even made a crude joke about it, saying that even princesse's had needs.
Rella shuddered with distaste before forcing her mind onto the job at hand. Currently, Rella and the other bodyguards of the princess were standing behind and off to the side of their liege so as not to get in the way of her command. Their only job was to protect her highness and not get involved in battles like the one currently being fought.
Rella couldn’t help but smile as she looked around her, noticing the calm expressions of both her colleagues and the princess herself. Rella felt sick she was so nervous, this was only the second battle she had been in after all.
The Princess looked at ease, offering only occasional commands, as it seemed that with a battle like this, it relied more on the men and women manning the ships guns. With almost zero visibility it had turned into a battle of airships bombarding each other and hoping that they would be the first to crush the oppositions shields.
Looking forward, Rella saw a large flash of light and the Harlaus was hit hard with a massive blast of energy, rocking the airship violently.
The princess stumbled and would have fallen had not Rella and another guard dashed forward and steadied her. Muttering a quick thank you, Phidel regained her feet and yelled for a damage report, Rella notic
ed that the bridge was now flashing with red light.
Standing up, a young female staff officer spoke, a hand pressed to a headset used for communications.
"My lady, the portside shields have taken heavy damage, they are currently running at seventeen percent. The engineers in the engine room are also reporting small fires and crystal fractures" she called out before turning back to her monitoring station.
"Damnit, turn portside ninety degrees and reroute all unescessary interior power to the starboard shields, they will be getting hit hard now. As long as we dont get flanked we will be fine" Phidel barked, her left hand being raised and swept in a curt motion. A motion that displayed her decisiveness.
The bridge erupted into a flurry of activity as Phidel's subordinates rushed to carry out her orders, the red lights on the bridge ceasing their flashing even as the enemies barrage increased, and the ship began to shake violently.
"The bastards are targeting us" one of the other bodyguards muttered under her breath, so low that Rella could not tell who it was.
Thinking that was pretty obvious, Rella was about to say something when she realised that there was more than one enemy ship firing upon them. She could only she one airship off to the right, but as they were now turning side on to the fray, the bridge did not allow a complete view to the sides, only in front, so she would not be able to see the other airships.
"My lady, we have just recieved a distress call from the Shaldon, it's been shot down" another staff officer called up to Phidel, his voice hinting at nervousness. Things seemed to be unravelling fast and Rella felt the knot in her stomach tighten.
"What, when did that happen? What is their status?" Phidel demanded, her hands grasping the back of her chair and digging in. She was rigid and tense and the crew was picking up on it.
"We have lost contact with Captain Dresden, he was trying to land the ship safely when he contacted us" the same staff officer replied, his voice lilting somewhat with increased nervousness,
"Damnit it, this is going from bad to wor-" Phidel started but was cut off mid-sentence as an explosion erupted on the portside and the Harlaus tilted hard. As people were thrown from their seats, Rella had to grab a railing in her right hand to stop herself falling over. The ship was now on a forty five degree angle and she could see the ground through the bridge. Her eyes widened as she looked around at the others and the Princess who were all holding onto fixtures of the ship.
"Someone tell me what that was" Phidel demanded and pointed to a man on one of the radar station's with her free hand.
"There is nothing on radar to that side your majesty, I dont know what caused it" he replied to her, his head sweeping left to right as he searched the many instruments that adorned his station. The entire place seemed a flurry of activity and Phidel seemed to be losing control as people panicked. It only worsened when another voice sounded out.
"Your Highness, engineers are reporting the loss of an engine, they say we can't stay in the air" sounded the voice. It sounded like the person was on the edge of hysteria.
Rella could see Phidel grinding her teeth in frustration as the princess said nothing, trying to think of some genius plan. Rella herself was starting to feel afraid and she could see many others becoming anxious as well, especially as the panic spread through the crew. It didn't help that no one seemed to know what had happened, and as the old saying went, Rella knew people always feared the unknown.
However, as the Harlaus began to lose altitude it became clear what had happened. As they fell from the sky and descended below the other airships, a few of the crew members pointed out a half dozen gunships flying at low altitude below the worst of the weather, only dozens of meters from the ground.
"I'll be damned, that Clovis is a wily bastard, he sent gunships into the storm to sneak up on us. A big risk, and it looks to be paying off. Pass this information onto the other Captains, I want those gunships shot down" Phidel demanded of her subordinates. Instantly things began happening and the fear seemed to evaporate instantly from the crew as they threw their attention into their orders.
"Alright, activate the landing thrusters and try to level us out, I dont want to hit the ground too hard if we can help it. If we are going to crash land, it will be on our terms" Phidel called out, her voice strong as it carried around the ships bridge.
As the princesses order was obeyed, the Harluas slowly began to level, and the same officer spoke;
"Brace for impact, in three, two, one".
The Harluas hit the ground and shuddered violently. The vessel instantly tilted to the portside as the damaged areas of the ship gave way, turning the ship onto a thirty degree angle. Rella let go of the railing, thinking she would not need it to hold herself in place any longer.
"What are the damage reports, are there any casualties?" Phidel queried, her expression tight and her voice strained. She was doing her best to stay calm and in control during a very bad situation.
"No my lady, Sir Belford evactuated that side of the ship and is now putting out fires. No casualties have been reported by other units either. There are reports of holes in the portside flank. Shields are fully functional and energy is being rerouted from engine systems to maintain them" someone else spoke up to answer the princess.
"Good. Now these are my orders. Have all missile batteries fire at will, I dont care if we run out of ammunition. Also I want all combat personell to set up a perimeter to fight off any potential land forces. And extend the shields fifteen metres past the original line to protect those outside the ship, we arent out of this fight yet" Phidel spoke out as she actually stepped around her chair and slumped down into it, her left elbow resting on the arm and her hand cupping her jaw. She seemed totally at ease now, but Rella thought it may just be a facade to give the crew confidence.
Rella watched amazed as the Harluas' crew sprang into action, everyone taking confidence from Phidels words and posture. They truly trusted her judgement and believed in her abilities and even Rella felt her spirits rising.
The airship shook again as enemy fire started smashing into the shields as the enemy tried to finish off the princess. Rella knew they couldn’t hold out long, especially with an extended shield that would use more energy than usual. They really needed their other airships to pull their weight and finish the fight.
Chapter 26
* * *
"Put those fires out" Niall yelled to a group of engineers who were attempting to move a beam out of a hallway.
"Leave that there, it doesn't matter. And anyone who has a gun, follow me, we are defending outside" Niall yelled once more as he looked around the hall he was in. The place was a mess. Everywhere there was damage to the ship, and Niall did not think it would be flying again anytime soon.
Niall looked around at the people that gathered around him, most with just side arms. He saw only the occasional rifle held by combat personnel. He gritted his teeth and started to stride through the ship with the group in tow. Before long, he found a gaping hole that had been torn in the ship when it crashed. It had vicious looking jagged pieces of metal around its edges, and was sparking profusely. It looked like no more than a two metre drop to the ground however and he surmised it would do.
"We go through here" he barked looking around at his group. After a few moments he turned back to the gaping hole and leapt through it. He landed heavily and rolled before standing up shakily. Hearing thumps behind him as others followed his example, Niall started walking with a tight expression. As he walked, Niall looked up and saw the rain cascading off of the Harlaus' shield. At least everyone wouldn't get wet, he thought to himself. With a grim smile, he still pushed on, leading his group around to the starboard side of the ship, the most vulnerable area. There he found another group coming from the opposite direction, led by an officer he did not know. This group seemed to be completely made up of combat personnel equipped with rifles and body armour. Niall rolled his jaw and thought about how much he would give for some body armour right now
. He turned back to his own people as the stragglers caught up.
"Spread out people, don't cluster, and dig in, we could be here for a while" Niall stated, catching glimpses of tight nervous faces whenever lightning illuminated the dark sky. He wasn't particularly pleased to be here either, seeing as he was a pilot by nature, not an infantryman.
Nor did Niall like the chances of holding their position under a determined assault. He had said to dig in, yet in reality there was only a few mounds of dirt and scrap metal to hide behind. They would have to rely on the Harlaus' shield more than anything else, and who knew how long that would last under a determined assault. Although he doubted Clovis would send an all-out assault whilst he was still fighting in the air, even if it was a golden opportunity to capture a royal.
Hearing a steady whoosh, Niall looked up and watched as the Harlaus' missile batteries opened fire for the first time in the fight, and as always it was a site to behold. Most captains outfitted their airships completely with energy weapons, but Phidel had opted for previous generation missile launchers. The amount of damage they could do when focused on a small area was absolutely phenomenal and they had constantly proven their worth on the battlefield.
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