The invasion went well. A few more beasts were killed than was typical, but the losses were within acceptable margins. With the population run to ground, it was time to send in the foot troops to pillage any worthwhile technological resources or food stores.
He watched as the trooper cars decoupled and descended towards the surface, heading for Kerucester and the other major metropolitan areas spread over Griffonia.
He turned his attention to his console, checking to see the latest notifications from the portal. ‘Latest’ was a truly relative term, since the communications from the portal could only travel at the speed of light, but the reports indicated that the dragon’s maw would be travelling towards him by the time he received the message.
The threat of Griffonian interference gone, the portal would be brought to orbit Griffonia to make travel simpler. In theory, it was risky to begin moving the portal before news of victory could be relayed, but the strategy had always served Farbin well.
He had always been an efficient Herald, and found himself daydreaming about the possibilities faster-than-light travel would afford him and his people. Surely he would be richly rewarded for his efforts, maybe even promoted to the next phase of being. He smiled slightly at the thought but quickly turned his attention to the job at hand. Daydreaming would not bring him his reward; diligent work would.
***
The familiar sensation of his weightless body being clamped to the floor had never felt more like being chained in a cell. Quarters were more cramped on the Bombard than on the Wingspan, and with Raivyn angry at him Vanbrook felt trapped.
Part of him was happy to be going back to Hittania. It was where he started the process of admitting there was more to his feelings towards Raivyn than professional respect. Given the current situation, the return was bittersweet, leaning towards bitter.
The trip was no fun for Raivyn, either, as she mulled over Vanbrook and Lawbine’s behavior. She wanted to stay mad at Vanbrook, but the excuse that there was no time during war to let him try to apologize wore thin pretty quickly on a week-long trip through the aether.
Stepping out of the quarters he was sharing with Doc and D’Jarric to stretch his legs, he saw Raivyn stepping into the hall as well.
“Oh, hey,” he said, trying to muster his most winning smile. “I’m just going for a bit of a walk.”
“I was thinking of doing the same,” she replied.
“Maybe we could, um, walk together?” he asked, trying not to sound too desperate.
She shrugged. “I guess I can’t stop you.”
That was good enough for Vanbrook. He fell in next to her and moved quickly to keep up with her brisk pace.
“You move pretty quick for your height,” he noted.
She shot him an unamused look with her one good eye and quickly returned her attention to her path. He shrugged.
“Back to Hittania,” he said, trying again to strike up a conversation. “Where it all started.”
“Yeah,” said Raivyn absently. “But the Cornucopia Cluster will have to wait until we’ve dealt with our Drakmundi.”
Vanbrook’s shoulders slumped. That wasn’t what he meant, and he wondered if she knew that.
“Heard you talked to Lawbine before he headed back to Aerat,” he dared. “How’d that go?”
“Why?” asked Raivyn.
Vanbrook blanked for a moment, unsure how to respond. “Um, y’know, how’d it go? Are you two okay now?”
“I explained to him that I’m not a prize for the winning,” she said. Her voice was bitter and her eye was scouring Vanbrook when she said it.
Vanbrook stopped short, caught flat-footed by the comment. Raivyn continued walking, quickly leaving him behind.
“I’m sorry, Rai,” he said. But she was out of earshot by the time he did.
***
Hunt stood nervously on stage, side-by-side with Dekken in the Wingspan’s auditorium. The two of them had just had a long talk with Prime Minister Skritka via ripmed, and now it was time to address the entire fleet, minus the Bombard, of course. They would have to be filled in later.
Everyone quieted down as the lights dimmed, and then the screen lit up behind Hunt and Dekken. Skritka’s face appeared on the screen, sat behind a desk, his spectacles perched on his snout.
“Greetings, Blue Griffon Fleet,” said the Prime Minister. “I am with you today via ripmed for one central reason: to explain to you that the situation on Griffonia is dire. The majority of those who were not able to evacuate Griffonia or reach the Undercity are likely lost. Our enemy, who call themselves the Drakmundi, is merciless, not differentiating between combatants or noncombatants, adult or child. The path forward is hazy, but in the broadest sense it is this: we will bring the fight to our enemies and defeat them.
“The shielding technologies we have employed thus far have been ineffective unless buried below yards and yards of clay and stone, such as the ones powering the Undercity. We will continue to try new techniques and technologies, and send any information we can garner to you, the next line of defense in the Republic’s war for survival.
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“In light of these desperate times, I am reinstating Admiral Hunt to his former command.”
A ripple of applause broke out. It was not deafening, or even resounding, but it heartened Hunt to know that he had some support from his crew.
“The action that Hunt took which put him under scrutiny was one of bravery and loyalty,” continued Skritka. He knew that Grak-Yurp was likely listening in from his office, smiling a wide and warty smile as he saw things, once again, work out the way he’d arranged for them to.
“That was true at the time, and it is true now. The reasons for that scrutiny pale in comparison to the threat we now face. At this moment, I cannot and will not put a good sailor aside because of an incident that I am not able to fully investigate, particularly one where the motives appear, by all accounts, to be justifiable.
“With that, I must go. There is no end of work to be done, and I will continue to do it as long as I have breath in my lungs and strength in my hands.
“Admiral Hunt, the crew is yours to address. May Providence shine on us all.”
The transmission ended and Hunt walked up to the podium. “Blue Griffon Fleet,” he said, trying his best to project confidence the way he’d seen Admiral Jasken do so many times before. “I am grateful to Prime Minister Skritka for his mercy and wisdom in this matter. Not because I believe I can do a better job than Chief Officer Dekken, to whom we all owe a great debt of gratitude, but because as the Prime Minister said this is no time to sit idly by.” A rumble of agreement worked its way through the crowd.
“I will lead this Fleet because I have been called on to do so, and I will do it to the best of my ability. All I ask of you is to do the same.” Hearty cheers rose up from the crew. “We ask that the Progenitor, whose mercy and wisdom we also must lean upon, would shine his Providence upon us, and would see that our enemies come to rue the day they picked a fight with the Griffon Republic.” The cheers rose to a crescendo, accompanied by applause and pumping fists. Despite himself, Hunt looked out over his crew and smiled. If this was to be the end of the Republic, he would make sure it was as spectacular and costly an exit as he could make it for the Drakmundi.
***
Vanbrook stepped down onto the rocky soil and breathed in the warm twilight air, spiced with subtle scents of the forest just beyond Fort Bog Iron. The Fort had grown immensely since he’d last seen it, but the surrounding forest and mountains were just as he remembered. On the horizon, Lux and Nyx, Hitannia’s binary moons, rose, beginning their twirling waltz across the night sky. The setting sun behind him lit the forest, its green leaves burnished to gold as they danced in an evening breeze.
“Ugh, this dump again,” whined Reclan.
“Hey, I like this world,” said Vanbrook.
“Really?” asked Reclan sardonically. “Was it the leg-eating frogs, the killer boar apes, or the writhing nests of man-sized, flesh-eating centipedes that caught your eye?”
“Look at those colors,” said D’Jarric, indicating the field between the fort and the forests to the north. Crops of orange and purple stone jutted up from the green-coated ground. A flock of red cranes flew overhead, their shrill calls piercing the air. “Many worlds are home to dangerous predators, but few to such exquisite beauty.”
“Of course you see the bright side,” snorted Reclan. “You’re a walking star, wherever you look is where the light’s shining.”
D’Jarric chuckled.
“Rai?” asked Reclan. “You excited to be back on the planet that tried to bury us–sometimes literally–a dozen times over?”
All eyes turned to her, Vanbrook’s with an almost pleading look in them. “I- I don't know.”
“Didn't think it was that hard a question,” shrugged Reclan. “Doc? Only fair you get to sound off.”
“Hittania is an interesting world,” he said. After a moment it was clear he did not plan to elaborate.
“Alright then,” said Reclan. “Two to one with two more undecided. Our official policy is that we like Hittania, but let the record show I am a conscientious objector.”
An Army officer approached Captain Yulun as she too descended the ramp, breaking up the Squad's banter. The officer was a youthful Krauqian with smooth, dark green skin. Though he held himself ramrod straight, a worried look in his eyes betrayed the pressure he was under.
“Captain Yulun?” he asked with a salute.
“That's me,” she answered, stepping around Talon Squad and returning the salute. “I take it you’re Captain Frek-Rep?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied. “I really appreciate you folks coming out. If you want to get your command together, we can meet inside the Fort proper.”
Lady Rewna had exited her star tree and came over to stand with the others, greeting them with a grim and silent nod.
“Looks like we’re all here,” said Yulun, turning to see Drixen coming down the ramp, greeting the group with an easy smile and a wave.
The group walked from the airfield to the Fort, past a bustle of traders and workers heading home for the night. The Fort was a much larger and more permanent building than the pre-fabbed unit that had been in place the last time Talon Squad was there. The new Fort Bog Iron was a stout block of steel and reinforced glass, draped with flags and sporting a tall watch tower that rose from its center, giving the soldiers stationed there a commanding view of the surroundings. They walked in past the guards and down the hall to a large conference room. Frek-Rep motioned for everyone to take a seat around the table.
“You know, Talon Squad, you’re something of a legend out here,” said Frek-Rep. “You being the first to set up camp here, and everything.”
“Feels like ancient history now,” noted Vanbrook.
“I’m sure it does,” he answered with a nod. “So much has happened in the galaxy since then.”
“And continues to happen,” said Rewna. “Can you tell us about what’s been happening with the Koomites?”
“Of course,” said Frek-Rep. “To business, then. The Koomites have been raiding settlers out on the fringes of what amounts to civilization here, mostly the plains to the north and west of the fort. Cattle theft, mostly, but basically anything they can lift that isn't heavily defended.”
“And where are they located?” asked Yulun.
“We’re not entirely sure,” said Frek-Rep, activating the screen embedded in the table to bring up a map of the planet’s surface. “Most of the attacks have been happening out here, to the north and west, as I mentioned. The star trees sort of appear out of nowhere, but most witnesses have them coming from and going back towards either the west or the aether itself. It’s a small enough band of star trees that we’ve had trouble locating them, and we believe they’re basing their operations on the surface and relaying supplies to someone aetherside. If there were any large fleet or capital ship-sized trees, we’d have detected something by now.”
“As a rule, star tree captains avoid wide open plains,” said Rewna, pointing to the mountains to the west. “It’s likely their base of operations is in this area.”
Reclan groaned. “That’s where the Ferryman went down. I can hear the centipedes crawling already.”
“That bad?” asked Captain Yulun.
“I’ll put it this way,” said Vanbrook. “Despite the fact I’m happy to be back on Hittania, I was really hoping not to see that particular part of the planet.”