A New Beginning

by Alexander W Meurant

  Godeslas turned back to Niall and brandished the paper, as if aiming to bring emphasis on it to his next words.

  "The Captain was supposed to be an expert. Perhaps you should ask her Highness to speak to General Harriet. We were assured this was going to be an easy task, and yet the Captain seems to have made amateur mistakes" the Colonel continued, his voice betraying his anger further.

  "And this report just came in from a north eastern outpost on the other side of the Altai mountains. It watches a crossing at a major river that sits a day’s travel behind the front lines. A number of barges have travelled down river and landed. The Federation must be attempting to set up a bulk head behind the frontlines and encircle our northern flank" Godeslas stated, his voice a practical growl as he looked down at the map on the table and moved a few unit markers to indicate the new forces.

  Niall stayed quiet and Rella couldn't see his face, the man's back now to her so she could not guess his mood through his expression. Feeling a vibration in her pocket Rella shoved her hand in and pulled out her work phone. A text had come through from Mark, her Captain and she looked it over feeling her heartbeat quicken. She whipped her head up and looked at Niall as he leant over the table.

  "Lord Belford. Hate to interrupt you, but her Majesty has called the Battle Fleet to arms. You are required on your own airship" Rella stated out loud, hearing her voice quiver a little. Niall turned sharp and looked at her and she placed a stony expressive on her face and willed her heart to stop hammering.

  "Well. Let’s get to it then. It may be pertaining to this incursion. Colonel excuse us. I will notify the Princess as well. For now, keep tabs on the incursion and let General Harriet know if she doesn't know already" Niall stated and walked away from the table. Rella shot a look at Godeslas as the man nodded but stayed silent. She guessed the man was already intending on doing just that. It wasn't like he actually needed to take advice from an air force commander on how to handle army matters.

  She turned away from him and followed Niall out of the pavilion and approached the waiting car that would take them back to the airbase and to Phidel.

  * * *

  Quivering with excitement Elai opened his eyes, remaining seated in his meditative position.

  "That was extraordinary" he murmured to himself. He slid his legs from the bed he was seated on and let them touch the floor as he thought over what he had experienced a few hours before, the scene still vivid in his mind.

  Whilst skimming through the spirit realm, looking for connections to the physical world, he had found exactly what he sought, just in an area completely different to what he had expected. He had seen a ship, out in the middle of the ocean somewhere, he wasn't sure exactly, but he had seen a vast amount of energy pulled directly from the spirit realm, and it had been given form in that of a streak of lightning. The lightning had covered a soldier and turned the man into what could only be described as a magical catastrophe. And that catastrophe had gone about destroying anyone it deemed an enemy. He had not been able to see everything, as he was viewing everything through the spirit realm, so it was like watching a shadow puppet play, and the shadows were simply at the edge of his vision.

  But a physical event such as that would not be easy to hide in the material realm, and Elai supposed he would only have to grease a few palms to get the information he needed.

  Still quivering Elai stood up from the bed and walked towards the window of the small motel room he had rented for the last few days. Opening the wooden shutter, he looked out onto the dirty street as the noise of a busy city washed over him. The sounds of cars, trucks and buses going about their daily routines. And then the smell hit him. The smell of pollution. The city of Daigon, even if it was the supposed capitol of the Samite Union, was still decades behind that of cities belonging to other world nations.

  Crinkling his nose in disgust Elai closed the shutters again, instantly cutting off the smell and most of the noise. He sighed and moved back to the bed, sitting down again and closing his eyes, concentrating as he sought to sink back into a meditative state. Once he felt the familiar sensation of his mind leaving his body, Elai reached out with his mind, and looked about his surroundings, trying to find where he was. Even if the spirit realm and material realm overlapped each other, they did not necessarily look the same.

  Looking around he saw he was standing in a forest, just before a stream, with massive mountain ranges in the distance. He could hear the hums of creatures around him but couldn't see them, every creature seeming to stay in the corners of his eyes, always flitting away when he tried to look directly at them. Elai sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, centring his mind on his ethereal presence in the realm. He opened his eyes then, the vivid and brilliant colours of the spirit realm completely different to the glum colours of the material realm.

  "Are you free Ra'Lath?" he queried, trying to make contact with his familiar, whom was currently in the middle of an important task. Instantly Elai's attention shifted as he sensed his familiar a vast distance away. Sensing Ra'Lath's attention switch to him as well, Elai grimaced inwardly as Ra'Lath appeared before him in the blink of an eye. Distance was very different in the spirit world and it always unnerved Elai at how fast one could travel if they knew what they were doing.

  "I am. What is it you need?" came the slightly echoed voice of Ra'Lath.

  "Nothing much. Were you able to track the source of the magic use from earlier?" Elai asked as he looked over his familiar. The spirit could take any shape it wished and had appeared before Elai simply as a floating blob of water, so it was quite disconcerting to hear a voice come from it.

  "Simply put, no. Once the energy was drawn from this realm, the connection was cut off near completely. Whatever spirit did it can no longer commune with this realm I believe, and as such I cannot track it. It is what your kind would compare to searching for a needle in a haystack" Ra'Lath stated, its voice rather eerie and squeaky. Elai frowned at the explanation and then sighed.

  "Alright, I guess I will have to do this the old-fashioned way and track the source here. Let’s just hope whoever used that energy comes back to this part of the country" Elai stated and pulled his consciousness back to his physical body. Opening his eyes, Elai found himself back in the material realm and he sighed as he got up off the bed once more, feeling somewhat deflated. He always suffered a sort of melancholy when he left the spirit realm. The place was a sort of addiction for him.

  Bringing his attention back to his surroundings, Elai looked around his room for his boots and found them next to the door to the room. He picked them up and pulled them on as he thought about the next step he should take. In Daigon the best source of information was usually the bar's and pub's, especially if they were frequented by militia or soldiers. So that would be his next step he supposed.

  Making his way to the bedroom door Elai opened it and stepped into the small living area and found his two travelling companions in the middle of a card game and a bottle of rum. As he entered the room, they both stopped playing and looked at him curiously.

  "Hanna, Marus, I think it's about time we headed out for a drink. What say you two?" Elai asked, suddenly getting a feeling he didn't need to even ask the duo. Marus, the big stocky Samite man grinned and slapped his cards down on the table.

  "Thought you'd never ask boss" he declared and stood up, his chair scraping on the wooden floor. Hanna, a woman of the Talmaran Continent just offered a small smile and placied her cards down gently before she too stood up even as she reached behind her head and tied her light brown hair into a simple tail.

  "I wouldn't mind getting out and seeing a bit of the city myself" she said, her voice soft.

  Elai just chuckled at them both and reached forward, taking the bottle of rum from the table and tipping it up to take a healthy swig from it. Once done he planted it back on the table.

  "Then let’s get to it. I have people to find that can answer my question's" Elai stated and moved for the door, rolling u
p the sleeves on his long-sleeved shirt. It was around midday and would be damned hot outside. Reaching the door, he made his way out into the hall and down to the bottom floor. As he headed out, he wondered which bar he should hit up. It had been a few years since his last visit. Well, he may as try all he could find then.

  Letting a grin splay out over his face Elai stepped out onto the street and looked around, seeing a pub a few buildings down on the other side of the street. Well, that would be as good a place to start as any he supposed and started walking towards it, shoving his hands in his pocket and whistling a merry tune.

  Chapter 31

  * * *

  As Niall stepped onto the bridge of the Liston, a buzz of activity erupted around him. Niall strode to his chair and sat, casting his gaze out of the bridge windows. The sun still sat low in the sky and he grimaced. It was barely even midday.

  "Lord Belford, Princess Phidel ordered us to connect a call with you and the other fleet commanders as soon as you arrived. Can I connect you now?" a voice piped up and Niall tore his gaze away from the sun and latched it on to the person speaking. He recognized the young man as Corporal Hestings and he smiled at the man.

  "Please do Corporal. Time to see why we got out of bed this morning" Niall stated and chuckled softly, the sound carrying around his subordinates as well. As the man turned away and created a connection to Phidel's own ship, Niall saw an image of her pop up on the overhead screen. Shortly after another three images popped up, splitting the screen into four sections.

  Each image showed one of Phidel’s fleet commanders aboard their ships, and they all seemed to be in the middle of a conversation already. Phidel noticed Niall and lifted a hand, all chatter from the conversation dying instantly.

  "Lord Belford, you join us finally" Niall's liege stated, a small frown on her face. Niall felt his heart jolt a little, wondering if Phidel was disappointed in him.

  "I apologize for my tardiness my lady, I was held up with Colonel Godeslas. Apparently there has been an incursion from the north. Amphibious landings and such" Niall stated and to his relief he saw Phidel's frown ease somewhat.

  "I see you are somewhat appraised of the situation. I have passed orders to the other fleet commanders already, and your staff have been given coordinates for a heading also" Phidel stated before glancing around her own bridge.

  "All of you, get back to your own fleets and take off. Appraise your captains of the situation. All hail Gestonia" Phidel stated and she turned her attention back to Niall as the other fleet commanders repeated the last few words she had spoken, before breaking off contact, leaving just Niall and Phidel to converse. He quickly flicked his gaze down to his own staff and nodded at his flight officer.

  "Lieutenant Dorn, take us up and notify my Captains to follow us to the coordinates provided by her Highness" Niall stated and received a salute from the man as he began the take-off procedure. The whole bridge seemed to settle down as everyone settled into their set routines. Feeling the ship shudder a little Niall smiled as he saw the ship start to rise slowly as it took off and turn its heading towards the northeast. Other ships came into view as the Liston turned and he caught sight of Phidel’s own flagship, the Harlaus, surrounded by a half dozen other craft.

  "Now that we are underway Sir Belford, I will fill you in" Phidel stated, causing Niall to turn his attention away from marvelling at the airships in the distance and focus it solely on his liege.

  "You said you were already aware of the incursion in the north, beyond the Altai mountains. What you won't know is that my brother Harald bit off more than he could chew at Jamiche isle. He heeded Xevec's advice for only a few days and then engaged in another campaign against the isle. Simply put he ran out of supplies and was defeated soundly. Most of his airships were sunk" Phidel stated and Niall scowled deeply. Harald was quickly becoming a liability, not a damned ally.

  "And I am guessing his defeat triggered consequences in the area" Niall stated, his voice betraying a hint of annoyance. Phidel frowned slightly, no doubt picking up on it.

  "Yes, you are correct. As I have been increasing my forces steadily since the Pagua campaign, so has the Federation. And with Harald now out of the picture, I sit at a slight military disadvantage. There is a fleet of eleven airships positioned at Jamiche isle, and they have started to move south, threatening supply lines at sea. I have had to dispatch Commander's Danzig and Saska with a dozen ships just to stave off that fleet" Phidel added and Niall frowned. That would not be a force capable of beating the encroaching Federation fleet. Niall surmised Phidel was just wanting to present a force where a victor would not be conclusive in any major confrontation. There would be skirmishes over the ocean, but that would most likely be the extent of a battle between the two forces.

  "And what of the rest of us? That leaves us two and Commander Kreen" Niall asked. Surely, they all were not going north to this incursion. That would leave Pagua with no airships to protect the city.

  "We will go north and confront the landing forces. Whilst reports have still been filtering through, the Federations numbers of ships and troops have been inconclusive. I would rather not invest too little and risk a defeat. Besides that, I cannot afford to have General Harriet's northern flanked encircled. That would result in tens of thousands of Imperial lives being lost" Phidel stated and shook her head.

  "Well, if Harriet wasn't a foolhardy woman and stopped fighting under trench warfare doctrines, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation" Niall stated softly and Phidel frowned, obviously not having quite heard what Niall had said. Niall saw a few surprised looks from his subordinates and scowled. It was not his place to say such things about Army officials. They had their own way of doing things.

  "I didn't catch that Lord Belford. What did you say?" Phidel asked, obviously having picked up on the surprise of Niall's subordinates.

  "Nothing my Lady. I was just musing. Is there anything else then? Or would you like me to fill you in on the results of Colonel Godeslas' and my operation in the Altai?" Niall asked, changing the subject.

  "No. Submit a report when you are able. For now, maintain your heading and speak to your Captains. As more information is made available, I will decide on a formation for our forces to take" Phidel replied and Niall nodded. He watched Phidel turn her attention elsewhere and the screen turn off. Niall was suddenly left with only his crew and he sighed. Looking around he frowned. He didn't really have a staff officer to help him run things. Phidel had Xevec, so perhaps he should look into making a similar arrangement for himself. Well, for now he would speak with his Captains and fill them in with what Phidel had shared with him.

  "Corporal Hestings, please connect me to my fleet Captain's" Niall called out and watched as the six captains under his command came into view on the screen, all situated upon the bridges of their own ships. Shifting his weight in his chair somewhat, Niall mused that it was not an extremely comfortable fixture. Perhaps when he got a staff officer as an assistant, he would get them to get a much comfier chair.

  * * *

  As the drop ship came to a stop Travos watched the bay door open slowly. Gritting his teeth, Travos squatted and picked up the end of the stretcher behind him. As soon as the bay door touched the deck of the airship Travos started walking down the ramp. Others walked past him in the opposite direction as they went to help the other wounded soldiers of his platoon. A few cast wary looks at him briefly but all they would have seen from him would a be a tight, stony expression.

  Seeing a man approach him from the left Travos didn't stop, recognizing the man as Sembak. And he looked pissed. Travos scowled at that. If the Commander was pissed, then Travos was absolutely livid.

  "Major. Hand the stretcher off. You need to come with me" the commander stated as he got within Travos' hearing range. Feeling a surge of anger Travos turned his gaze on the man and snarled at him. Sembak stopped mid-step, a look of confusion on his face for a brief moment before a look of anger replaced it.

  "Fuck off Se
mbak. I'll see to my people before I have words with you" Travos snarled right at him and he heard gasps from some of the men and women around him as he continued walking right past his Commander. Travos didn't look back or afford the man an opportunity to reply as he made his way into the ship's corridor's, aiming for the infirmary.

  After a few minutes of walking Travos arrived at the entrance and the automatic doors opened as he approached. Stepping inside, Travos saw the place was already a hub of activity as the medical staff prepared to receive the wounded, likely having been notified in advance. One woman stepped forward and gestured to her right and up the end of the room, indicating where Travos should take his charge.

  Travos shuffled up to a bed at the far end and stood beside it, shuffling the stretcher over onto it. Letting go of his end he turned and saw Roland depositing the other end as well. He hadn't known the man had been the one helping him. They exchanged a glance and a nod before Roland turned and made his way out of the ward. Travos watched him go before looking back down at the stretcher he had been carrying, a white sheet laid out over the body upon it. He gulped as he stared, seeing the slight rise and fall of the chest of the soldier beneath it.