The Retreating Ice (A Story)

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Ryan
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Location: The Saran Isles, Yardistan
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Re: The Retreating Ice (A Story)

Post by Ryan »

Part XII

“We’ll make better time now that we’re out over the Shire Sea,” said Rainier as he swung around in his seat to face Valeyon.

“Maybe so, but the imperial fleet seems to have pulled a few tricks of its own. First the gravimetric fighter, and now a fuel transport and several other ships have joined up with the fleet of helicopters pursuing us,” noted Valeyon sternly.

“Indeed, they must have come from stations outside of the city, since everything on the ground was destroyed with the impact of the gravimetric ship.” Rainier looked over to the radar console solemnly as the numerous little blips filled the screen. “But they’ll be slowed even more by the additional planes and the need to re-fuel. We, on the other hand, won’t be facing such obstacles.”

“We may face obstacles when we hit Benacia. We still don’t know what they have stationed there that could block us.”

“That’s why we’re going to head southwest down towards the Skyla Isles and skim around the continental coast through Yardistan, which remains friendly to us.” Rainier pointed to a faded and yellowing map tacked to the wall that showed the continent of Benacia looming against the lapping waters of the Shire Sea. To its south and along its southern coast lay the isles loyal to Yardistan, and ultimately those who would give sanctuary to the Celeste.

A dark pall was cast over Rainier’s face as he looked squarely upon Valeyon. “Strategy is not why I called you here today, Valeyon,” he said. “I have another matter of great import to discuss with you. Please, take a seat.” And he pointed to a moth-ridden chair nearby. Valeyon, quietly wondering what was on the Captain’s mind, took a seat without a word of comment.

Rainier continued, “We have in our care some several thousands of people who have entrusted to us their future, among them your dear Belle.” Valeyon rose to protest but was silenced by a wave of Rainier’s hand. “Please do not attempt to cover what is already obvious to the rest of us. She is a lovely young woman, and you should express your affection for her, not bottle it up. You never know when the chance to do so may be taken away from you!” Valeyon was shocked into silence by the rare show of emotion from Rainier. “I have already set the path of my fate in stone, and as such I want to make it clear that should anything happen to me, you are to assume full command of the Celeste and take on the responsibility of leading our people into a better future.”

Valeyon’s face became stern. “I hope you are not planning anything rash?” he asked.

“Is not this entire operation rash?” countered Rainier. “We are fighting a war here, and I cannot guarantee that I will not be one of many victims to these battles. There needs to be a contingency in place should the worst happen.”

“What about Clarion? He has seniority on me and I am certain you trust him more than me. After all, when this war began we were on opposite sides.”

“Clarion is old. He is a great asset, a fountain of wisdom, and a treasure we must cherish and protect. But despite all these virtues he is not a leader, and he is starting to show his age. No, I can trust no one other than you in this task.”

“Very well then, I accept,” announced Valeyon suddenly. “On the condition that you promise not to do anything rash that would otherwise expedite my promotion.”

“But of course,” replied Rainier in a calm manner.

Valeyon nodded and retired from the room, not noticing Rainier’s crossed fingers carefully tucked in his overcoat.



Meanwhile, among the imperial remnant fleet the captain of the destroyer the HMS Astra Equis, Lord Lepardeaux, busied himself with bringing the rag-tag fleet back under the heel of military authority. A short and stocky man, red in the face and short in temper, he was known as “The Leopard” for his stealthy air assaults. But the camouflage was cast aside this time; the enemy was in the open and there was nothing left to go back to. They would pay dearly for the destruction they had wrought upon Lac Glacei!

“Get those fighters into V formation and out in front of the larger ships now!” barked Lepardeaux as he lashed out at his adjutant. The poor officer jumped in salute before running off like a scared rabbit. Shortly afterward he noted the fighters coming into alignment in front of the fleet’s cruisers and destroyers. Among the remnants was an air carrier that, despite being outdated and damaged, provided a place for non-buoyant aircraft to re-fuel. Also to join the fleet were three cruisers and two destroyers, along with a number of smaller aircraft. Most had joined from surrounding bases following the razing of Alpreaux, Jardinais and the other villages comprising Lac Glacei, narrowly escaping the blast from the gravimetric implosion.

The gathered group was not entirely aware of the circumstances that led to their chasing a massive ship, nor why it had attacked Lac Glacei. All that most of the soldiers knew was that rebels piloted the ship, and that it was they who had destroyed their home. And for many, that was enough.

Lepardeaux was a man filled with the hate and anger of war. With the destruction of his home, he saw nothing else but the complete destruction of his enemy now. Nothing would stop him from seeing them destroyed, even if it meant his own destruction!

As the imperial fleet finally maneuvered into an acceptable formation the commander watched the shimmering lake-ship slowly diminishing across the horizon. The skies were clear and sunny, and the ocean waters glistened off the great ship as it sped away. Despite the distance, Lepardeaux felt confident that he would catch them. There was, after all, no place to hide a ship like that out over the great expanse of open sea. When his fleet did reach them, they would be easy prey for the faster ships in his fleet. And with his inflated ego, he relished the thought of victory and the rewards it would entail. Ordering the fleet to top speed, they began their pursuit.
Oh ye who torments me in dreams of dark abysses, beware the sleeping shadow, for it is a bane like no other...
-The Sorcerer of Korgun-Amoth

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Harvey Steffke
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Re: The Retreating Ice (A Story)

Post by Harvey Steffke »

Ryan, I was refering to the Celeste itself. The other gravimetric ship would have been destroyed far too quickly for anyone to have any sort of chance to react. But the Celeste seems to be both a unique and an interesting craft.

Ryan
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Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2001 6:15 pm
Location: The Saran Isles, Yardistan
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Re: The Retreating Ice (A Story)

Post by Ryan »

The Celeste isn't specifically gravimetric. It uses gravimetric drives for lift but is powered by solar prism mirrors that are under the clear ice and water of the "lake" in the center of the ship. The water serves several purposes (besides being a literal flying lake - as opposed to a flying island ;) ) firstly, it serves as a salt water battery that provides additional electrical power; secondly, it provides a type of ballast. Horizontal propulsion (not vertical lift) is powered by electric engines, as is most of the non-gunpowder weaponry and whatever else can be run without draining the batteries too low. So to sum it up, the gravimetric engines of the Celeste are extremely simple and were retconned from scrapped vessels. I tried to explain that in the story, but probably did a poor job of it. :-/ At any rate, you don't have to worry about the technology being flaunted about - this is the only context I plan to use it in.
Oh ye who torments me in dreams of dark abysses, beware the sleeping shadow, for it is a bane like no other...
-The Sorcerer of Korgun-Amoth

Ryan
Posts: 1605
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2001 6:15 pm
Location: The Saran Isles, Yardistan
Contact:

Re: The Retreating Ice (A Story)

Post by Ryan »

Part XIII

The Skyla Isles came and went by without so much as a ripple from the Shirerithian forces stationed there. Whether it was due to their lacking knowledge of what had happened thus far, or whether it was a deliberate ploy was never really known. Yet as the ship neared Mirioth there appeared in the sky several Nelagan ships apparently hearkening from Amity Island. Whether they meant to intervene on behalf or against the Celeste was unknown, but Rainier decided not to stick around and find out and thus redirected the ship in a westerly direction.

The next landmass to come into view over the horizon was that of So-Sara, the islands of the horse riders. Zy-Rodun, one of So-Sara’s grand cities, flew by underneath as the ship soared over it. The city’s collection of wooden buildings and stone facades twinkled in the sunlight, and from the Celeste’s observation deck the crew could see people scurrying about, unsure whether to run and hide or stand and gawk as the immense ship passed over them. By this point, the imperial fleet was closing the gap between themselves and the Celeste, a point Rainier was keenly aware of. Unassumingly he inched the throttle up, increasing the speed of the ship ever so slightly.

The hyperthermic motors kicked in as the speed of the Celeste increased. A loud sizzling noise erupted from the engine rooms as the flow of electricity increased, and Rainier watched as the battery power levels began to drop. He would have to time things carefully if he was to meet his objective. Alas, his train of thought was broken as the voice of Clarion broke over the intercom.

“What is going on? Why have we increased speed?” queried the old man.

“The imperial remnants are closing in on us, I don’t know how much longer we can outrun them. But I want to make sure we’re over Yardistani soil before we engage in another dogfight.” he answered.

“We won’t have enough power to fight at all if you drain the batteries. So watch those gauges. I’ll do what I can to increase the output.” Clarion noted before moving to close the intercom.

“Clarion,” interceded Rainier before he could close the connection, “I just wanted to say that you have been a good friend. Thank you, for everything.”

“Don’t get all sentimental on me now!” lauded the scientist. “We’ll see this thing through to the end, you and I.” And with a click Clarion promptly shut of the intercom. Rainier smiled, knowing his friend’s mannerisms well enough to know that showing emotion was not the scientist’s strong suit.

Getting back to the task at hand, Rainier punched up the map screen and noted that they had now entered over the waters between So-Sara and Florencia. The radar behind him showed that the imperial fleet was now closing fast and would soon be able to engage them before they reached the shore. Florencia would have to be the destination of their landed – if they made it in one piece.

In the skies nearby, Lepardeaux licked his lips with an evil grin as his fleet closed in on the giant ship. “Block all transmissions from that ship!” he barked over the network to the other ships. “We will not listen to their lies, nor will we hear their surrender! The only way we will end this is with their destruction and our victory!”

The grim commander turned to his adjutant and barked more orders. “Increase the speed of the fleet, and get my ship up front! Prime the weapon batteries and make sure the cannons are loaded! I am going to shoot that ship down myself.” And before the adjutant could salute he stomped off towards the gunner’s cockpit.

The gunner turned in time to be grabbed by the scruff of his shirt and hauled out of his seat by Lepardeaux. “Let me show you how to take that flying scrap pile down!” he growled as he took the gunner’s seat and began punching keys on the console.

Across the Astra Equis bay doors slid back into recessed plates and the muzzles of cannon began to poke from the sides of the ship. Across the top of the vessels laser guns spun on their turrets as they aligned in there sights the Celeste. The hum of electricity roared as the lasers primed and warmed for firing, and the click of shells echoed against the metal halls as the cannons mechanically loaded. Lepardeaux turned to the gunner, who now stood idly watching, and barked angrily at him. “What are you standing there for? Get to the command console and tell the other ships in the fleet to line up beside us and prepare to engage!”

The gunner tripped over his own feet but maintained his standing posture before saluting and running off to the command console. Quickly ordering the other ships into position, he also ordered them to prepare for engagement. Lepardeaux, sitting in the gunner’s cockpit, could take in the surrounding view with ease. The commander watched as the fighters began priming their guns and slowly fell back into a long line on either side of the Astra Equis. The gap between them and the Celeste was now minimal, and he would make sure they had a clear shot from all sides before firing.

Back in the Celeste, Rainier watched closely as the imperial fleet began to organize in a line and knew he didn’t have much time to waste. Below the ship the tiny city of Lapano passed by them, the white stucco walls and Mediterranean landscape looking so relaxed in stark comparison to the tense atmosphere of the battlefield about to erupt in the skies above. But they had made the shore nonetheless! At least the relative safety of landing on land instead of water was now an option. He called up Valeyon and Clarion on the intercom. “Clarion, I need you to give us all the power you can muster. Strain the engines to maximum; I don’t care if it overloads them. Valeyon, you get some good marksmen with you and start manning the guns as quickly as you can. There’s no telling how much time we have before they start firing on us!”

A quick “Aye!” from both men and they were off running. Clarion dug in with his tools, barking at some novice engineers who had joined to assist him. Almost immediately the ship seemed to gain a bit of extra vigor as it lurched forward, just out of the range of Lepardeaux.

Valeyon was running along the steel corridors now, down into the belly of the ship and the barracks where a number of Lac Glaceian soldiers were residing. Many of the men were formerly under his command, and still looked to him as commander. Most of the men were spread out on cots, waiting for the inevitable news that they would be called to duty. As Valeyon stepped into the room the men all stood and saluted. “At ease, gentlemen.” he added with a return salute. Valeyon quickly pointed out several of the soldiers and told them to follow him. Together the group went through the barracks to one of the central elevators. “Alright,” he told them, “I want each of you at a primary gun station. I’ll be manning the main guns, so tune your intercom to receive further orders from me there. Be ready in five minutes!” At this point the men broke off in a hurried scuttle to man the numerous gun turrets located around the periphery of the ship.

By the time Valeyon had settled into the gunner’s cockpit for the main guns, his men were already verifying their status over the intercom. Besides the great laser cannons that had earlier taken out the gravimetric fighter, the main guns of the Celeste consisted of a number of smaller gunpowder-based turrets that operated by mechanical controls and with minimal electrical usage. As Valeyon strapped himself into the gunner’s chair and began a preliminary check, the voice of Clarion broke over the intercom. “Valeyon!” asked the scientist, “You won’t be able to use the laser cannons.”

Valeyon grabbed the intercom. “What? Why not?”

“Because,” answered Clarion, “with all the power drain for more speed and by using all the other guns simultaneously it will cause a massive drain on the batteries and shut down the system. We’d drop like a rock!”

“Can we use the mechanical turrets without worrying about a power loss?” asked Valeyon impatiently.

“Yes, yes, those should be fine. Just don’t use those cannons!” and Clarion promptly clicked off the intercom.

Valeyon sat staring blankly at the wall. The laser cannons were the primary defense of the ship. The turrets would only be good at close range. They’d need to bait the enemy in close and suffer a heavy barrage before they could score hits of their own. Well, if that’s what needed to be done, then so be it! He turned and punched a series of numbers into the intercom, connecting him with his gunner crew. “Prepare to engage on my command!” he ordered, “Mechanical guns only. Don’t fire until the enemy is in range – we don’t want to waste bullets. Let’s see how much the Celeste can take!”
Oh ye who torments me in dreams of dark abysses, beware the sleeping shadow, for it is a bane like no other...
-The Sorcerer of Korgun-Amoth

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