Before he knew it, he had broken through the force around him followed by a number of his squadron and they all started turning and breaking off from the main group as aerial battle began to descend into dozens of dogfights above the ocean and city. The battle quickly became more heated and intense as more and more fighters from both sides came to join the fray. There were many more enemy fighters than Niall thought Clovis should have been able to field from his small battle fleet, and looking out over the naval forces, he noticed a half dozen aircraft carriers launching their own fighters into the air.
The battle intensified dramatically as the larger ships under the command of Phidel and Harald engaged Clovis' own battle fleet, massive blasts of weaponized energy lighting up the sky. The battle became desperate as the fire from the larger ships hit friendly and enemy fighters alike as the dog fights continued in between the arrayed battle fleets. As the battle wore on and the sky lightened, it became obvious that the imperial air forces were suffering the most as the naval units assailed the airships from below, even with the imperials obvious advantage in the air.
Niall turned his fighter again in a slight roll breaking away from a fighter he had been tailing and instead started a pass along the coast line. He caught site of the beach below and scowled, seeing that the federation navy had ceased its bombardment of the beach's, and was now bombing the city itself. Perhaps it was a good thing many of the cities inhabitants had fled the city center months ago. He cast his gaze down to the federation marines on the beaches who were trying desperately to hold onto the small strip of land that they had captured. The beach defenses that had been constructed over the last few days had now become a formidable obstacle to the assaulting forces and were proving hard to overcome. Whereas the battle in the air seemed to be turning into a stalemate, the amphibious assault had ground to a definite halt as Colonel Godeslas commanded the regiments on the beach's and within the city itself.
His eyes then flicked to a number of heavy transports landing on the beach and dumping their load of armored vehicles. He watched as the vehicles opened fire on the buildings occupied on the main defensive line of the Imperials and he scowled before hitting the switch for communications to his squadron.
"Twenty Third battle squadron. We are making a pass over the beaches. Aim for the armored vehicles. Over" he spoke into the communications device, and he heard a number of his subordinates acknowledge his orders. Niall pushed down on his controls, and guided his fighter to low altitude.
Within moments he was in range and he lined up his guns with the first vehicles in sight. He let loose and his rounds streamed forward again, peppering into the sand and a vehicle. He didn't even see the damage it did because he was gone, his round's ripping through a section of trench occupied by marines, and then two more armored vehicles and a tank before he pulled up, climbing into the air once more. Fighters behind him did the same and he grit his teeth as he saw federation fighters come in behind his squadron on the radar.
Streams of fire streaked past his own fighter and he pulled up hard as he accelerated, gritting his teeth as he was forced back against his seat by the speed and force. His eyes flicked down to his radar and he noticed a few of his ships disappear from radar, most likely shot down. Pulling out of the climb, Niall flicked his gaze at his fighter’s energy reader, noting its low level and he scowled. He was already sweating profusely and was tired and tense. He didn’t have much energy left in his fighter and would need to refill fast or he would simply fall out of the sky.
Deciding to head back to the Harlaus' hangar, Niall banked to the right and made to pull away from the battle, an enemy fighter pulling in behind him to follow. Niall pulled back on his controls even more making his fighter fly straight up into the sky once more. The fighter rattled somewhat as it climbed higher and higher and Niall could feel the pressure changing slightly around him as he started to pull out of the climb, turning and rolling away to the left. Looking out of his cockpit, he saw the enemy that was following him pull away too and go in search of an easier target. Clenching his teeth once more, Niall started on his approach to Phidel's flagship once more. As he came in range, the on board computer beeped as the fighters signature was recognized by the Harlaus' crew, allowing him to pass through the energy shield.
Niall slowed down as he came into the hangar, and he looked around as he landed. There were dozens of fighters in the hangar that were badly damaged, and quite a few pilots being attended to by medics, more than a few screaming out in pain from horrendous wounds. Niall pursed his lips and took on a hard expression. This was the reality of war. As his fighter’s engine winded down, the whirring noise becoming quieter and quieter, he simply waited as the engineers rushed to his ship, checking it over for damage whilst other crew members made to replace his ships energy crystal. Flicking his eyes at the ship's clock, Niall perked a brow as he saw how late in the morning it was. It explained why he felt so tired. As tired as he was though, he couldn't imagine how the men fighting on the ground must feel. The imperial infantry often took the brunt of the fighting in battles like this. On the modern battlefield, infantry were only used to capture or defend important installations, if the air force didn't achieve air superiority, the infantry rarely moved in. More than anything else, they were used to occupy captured territory, to keep the conquered nations populace in line.
When the engineers gave him the thumbs up that he was ready to fly out again and that the crew had finished the crystal exchange, Niall nodded grimly and his hand moved to start the ignition once more. He stopper however as an order came on over the radio. Niall couldn't believe what he heard, all pilots assigned to Phidels ships were being ordered back to their respective airships leaving only the aircraft from the airfield and Harald's fighters in the air. This move was going to considerably weaken their forces in the air.
Unable to comprehend what had happened, Niall ripped off of his helmet and threw it down into the cockpit even as he flicked the switch to open the cockpit. As it opened, he stood up and not even waiting for a ladder to be brought for him, he jumped out of his fighter, landing heavily. He swore and started to stagger out of the hangar, stumbling occasionally as the airship rocked.
It did not take Niall long to reach the bridge and as the automatic doors opened for him, he pushed past the guards and made his way to the captain’s chair where he found Phidel slumped in it, and in the middle of a heated discussion with a number of the other battle fleet commanders via a video link. Obviously missing an important development Niall came to stand just behind the princess and waited for her to finish her conversation and explain the situation.
Within seconds she wrapped up her discussion and waved a hand to dismiss her commanders. As they closed the link one by one, Phidel let out a long sigh and closed her eyes briefly. After a few moments she stood up and stretched, a few subtle cracks being heard from her joints. Niall just made a light coughing sound to catch her attention and Phidel turned her gaze, a perplexed and surprised look on her face as she noticed Niall standing nearby.
When Niall lifted an eyebrow in silent query, remaining standing with his arms crossed over his chest the dour faced Phidel forced a smile and shook her head slightly before speaking.
"You are probably wondering what's going on aren't you Sir Belford?" She asked of her knight as she sat back in her seat and pushed her legs out before her, a small grimace playing out across her face. Niall just stayed silent, his silence eliciting a scowl from the princess and after a few moments she sighed and continued.
"Not long ago, I received word that the other half of Clovis' battle fleet just flew over Kernow, bombed its parliament and then started to make its way here. We now have a fleet before us, as well behind us. Being surrounded will do us no favors, so I am going to take my personal fleet to meet this new fleet above the Harell plains" Phidel explained as she looked out over the battle from the bridge. Niall could see thick plumes of smoke everywhere and continuous explosions in the air. From this posi
tion he could not see the ground itself, yet he could see a good chunk of the enemy naval and sky fleet. A few of the naval ships were smoking badly and some even appeared to be half sunken. He just smiled grimly at it all before shaking his head and speaking.
"Your Highness, abandoning this battle will prove disastrous surely. Would it not be prudent to wait for this other sky fleet to get closer to the city so we can fall back if necessary" Niall stated as thoughts whirred through his mind. They were not in a good position right now and had seemingly been outmaneuvered by a larger force. He couldn't think of a worst scenario that could possibly happen.
"No Sir Belford. I will not. There are other cards for me to play here" the princess stated firmly as she stood up and turned to face her knight, a look of disapproval on her face and Niall felt his heart sink. His advice rejected, he just held the woman's gaze, not wanting to lose face before her. He could already sense eyes on them from a number of crew and he clenched his fists somewhat, hidden by his crossed arms. Phidel just surveyed him and perked a brow, seemingly picking up on his mood.
"I am taking only my fleet to confront this new threat whilst I leave Harald here. I've given him orders to only engage the enemy away from the navy for now. And so you know, the Imperial navy is on its way from the south, so soon there will be heated battles at sea as well as on land and in the air. Perhaps you would have known this had you not flown out into the fray" Phidel stated with a cool temper as she turned back to the front. The Harlaus was turning now and the sea was disappearing from view and being replaced by rolling hills and forested plains.
Niall scowled deeply and relaxed, not liking the fact he had been scolded by the princess in front of the crew. But that was royalty for you. He lifted his hands and started rubbing his temples in what he considered to be becoming a bad habit of his before turning and starting to walk away. He stopped briefly and spoke over his shoulder.
"Well, be that as it may your highness, I shall endeavor to remain closer to command in the future. But for now I am going to grab whatever sleep I can before we meet this new fleet. I'll be telling my men to do the same" Niall stated, his face grim and with barely a word of recognition from Phidel, Niall left the bridge in search of somewhere he may be able to sleep for an hour or two.
Chapter 23
* * *
The room was bright. The lights were so bright they hurt the eyes. There were people there too, all wearing white masks and dark glasses. No one had a face and they all seemed to speak in strange words. Everything hurt as visions swam through the mind. Screams, sobbing and words begging for them to stop with their attentions. Then came a shriek as pain tore through the consciousness. Shouting from the masked people and panicked cries as the consciousness rolled off of the table and fell to the floor, a hard crack sounding as pain lanced through a skull.
With a cry, Sain opened his eyes to the blinding light surrounding him and sat up, that cry turning into a terrified scream. Instantly shouts sounded out and a number of people rushed to his bedside. Hands grabbed onto shoulders, arms and legs and he was pushed back into the mattress of his bed. Unable to think clearly, he thrashed at his captors, limbs lashing out and striking more than a few people. He quickly became exhausted and stopped fighting, his breath ragged and his chest heaving as his wide eyes stared around the room, trying to understand where he was and why. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Sain found himself surrounded by worried looking nurses and doctors, one of them holding a wicked looking needle, seemingly prepared to use it as well.
"No no no, please, not again, I won't fight, just please no" Sain whispered, his voice thin and weak as he stared at his captors with terror. A few of the nurses just stared at him with perplexed looks and a few others actually stared at him with outright pity. Sain whimpered again and stopped moving, his lips moving as he muttered something over and over again, trying not to lose himself in his despair once again. He felt hands leave his limbs he looked around wildly as the nurses stepped back, most of them with hands raised and palms outstretched. He just lay there shaking, his eyes flitting around his location, taking in his surroundings. He appeared to be in a hospital ward of some sort, which was now swarming with unfamiliar people all busy with tasks. He could see other beds here too, each with a patient of their own. Eyes wide, Sain tried to sit up again but his body collapsed under him and he just lay there, eyes still wide as he looked around him and shivered constantly.
Hearing a door slam Sain whipped his head around like a crazed animal and latched his terrified gaze on a new group of people that had entered the room and were now conversing with some of the doctors. One of them, an old man with brown skin and a short white beard shot a worried look at Sain before waving the doctor away and slowly approaching laid out youth. He was accompanied by two other men, one a pale skinned and thin man, the other a stout, burly man with a full beard and balding head. A woman trailed after the trio also and she was dark skinned with short black hair, and carried a very deadly air about her. Sain automatically shrank away from them, pulling up the sheets of his bed to cover his head and hide himself away.
When the group reached him, the old man sat on a chair offered to him by a nurse whilst the other three stood by silently. The old man just sat there a few moments, a dark look on his face. After a moment, he just reached out with his hand and touched Sain on the ankle through the bed sheets. Instantly Sain recoiled, his legs shooting up to hug to his torso. The old man pulled his hand back and took on a sad expression.
"Son, come, show your face, my people and I mean you no harm" the old man stated, his voice so soft amid a strange accent that Sain actually felt soothed by it. Sain relaxed some oddly enough and dropped the sheets from his face a little so that his eyes could peek over the edge of the cloth. His eyes met with the old man's and he just stared, his eyes still wide, though the earlier terror had seemed to dissipate. There was complete silence for a while and Sain gazed around, noticing that all the other nurses and doctors were gone, and all the other rooms of the ward had been secluded from his own by curtains. He looked back at the old man and spoke.
"What, what do you want?" He asked, his voice weak and croaky to the point he did not recognize it as his own. His speech caused the old man to furrow his brow and sit up straighter.
"I want nothing from you son. I just wish to see if you are alright. To see if there is anything I can do for you" the old man stated in his strong accent, as though the language he was speaking was not his native tongue.
Sain kept his eyes locked on the old man's face, studying him in a way. After a few moments the bed sheets dropped further to lay on Sain's chest. He shifted some and tried to sit up again, his body shaking from the effort. Getting comfortable, Sain smiled weakly and spoke out once more, his voice a bit louder as he seemed to be a bit more at ease.
"Where am I? How did I get here" he asked in a quiet and shaky manner, his eyes still darting around and betraying a level of nervousness. He seemed to have completely ignored the old man’s previous words, which caused the old man to sigh softly before he replied.
"Well son, you were a prisoner of the Gestonian Empire. My companions broke you out and brought you here, to the South Island Republic, where you are completely safe. There is no man or woman here that wishes you harm. Just your wellbeing" the old man said in a very relaxed and assuring tone. He even ventured to reach out and pat Sain on the knee. This time Sain did not pull away. Sain blinked in surprise and seemed to digest what was said, his mouth dropping open slightly.
"Well son, if you don't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions. Nothing serious I assure you and if you do not wish to answer any of them, then that is alright" the old man continued, his words jolting Sain back into proper concentration.
"Oh, um, sure I guess. But why did you, you know, break me out? I am not important" Sain stated, his eyes becoming wide again and he seemed about ready to disappear under the bed sheets once more. His question made the old man frown slightly and then sigh
once more.
"Son, we sought to hurt Gestonia so broke into a research facility for a specific reason, but seeing a young prisoner there under such horrific conditions, we just had to do something" the old man stated, not a single indication of a lie on his face. Sain just narrowed his gaze once more, suspicion pushing through. He stayed silent though as the old man continued.
"Now son, my name is Broderick, you may call me Brody. My companions are Ryan, Kasui and Manny. May I have your name as well? It is only polite" Broderick asked, his face taking on a firm expression, belying a hard edge beneath his gentle features.
"My name is, my name is Sain" Sain stated with a weak smile, warming up slightly to Brody. The old man smiled right back rather brightly, his eyes disappearing beneath a mass of wrinkles. This old man was really making him feel at ease with the way he acted and spoke.
"Sain. That is an odd name. Not one I have heard before. Well, anyway, I don't suppose you would be willing to share how you came to be a prisoner of the Empire" Brody asked, his smile still on his face and his tone gentle.
Narrowing his eyes at the question, Sain hesitated, not really wanting to share the details and reasons for his incarceration. Truthfully he could not really remember himself. It all seemed so long ago, and what he did remember was foggy at best, almost like a hazy dream, so much so that he thought it really may have been a dream. His most vivid memory of the beginning was when he had woken up sometime after his supposed execution and he had been surrounded by a number of guards and scientists. Directly before him had been the dark haired man that he had seen so often during his trial and come to hate with an almost single minded rage. Then the tests and torture had started. He shivered and shook his head silently.
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