519 Freedom! (1/2)
Rows of airships were parked parallel to each other with ample distance between each ship to prevent any accidents or fire from spreading, were docked to a series of towers. Dozens of metallic leg beams extended out from the bellies of the airships and supported the entire weight of the ships as the ships' boilers went cold and the aetherium cooled down to a solid state.
Only the airships on duty lazily circled around the camp as they patrolled the perimeter. The massive flying fortress of the 3rd Iron Fleet had too landed, but unlike the airships, its size, shape and weight were not suitable to land on the ground, instead, the island fortress had landed into the deepest portion of a lake, the flying island's reinforced bottom dug into the soft mud and sand of the lake and displaced the lake's water, forcing the water levels to rise and flood its banks.
When the muddy waters of the stirred up lake finally settled down, an island with a castle appeared on the middle of the lake and the rest of the Combined Fleet settled down along the shore of the lake. Over the course of a month, the region around the lake the locals called the Sword Lake, due to the lake looking like a sword, changed drastically.
A wood and stone wall and numerous wooden buildings were erected along the lake together with docking towers that serviced the docked airships. A bridge also made out of wood, extended from the shore and connected to the island fortress. It was large enough for five steam wagons to steam through side by side and traffic was constantly moving up and the bridge.
Work on these structures was still ongoing by a mixed workforce of locals and soldiers. Every few days, loads of new workers joined the construction work, all of them taken in raids along the coast of the mainland. Day by day, the defences of the Combined Fleet grew stronger and stronger and the confidence of the outlanders grew as well as they barely faced anyone able to resist their attacks.
Unknown to them, all their ongoings were being recorded and spied upon by a United Nation Navy, FB - 1S2, a brand new redesigned variant of the flying boat medium bomber, FB - 1 Mariner. The Mariner S2 was the first purpose built tactical airborne early warning and surveillance aircraft of the UN, fully taking over the role of the older S variant which was just a converted bomber turned surveillance aircraft. The Mariner S2 was also intended to fulfil the role of the hi tech but ageing Owleye UAV which had reached the end of its service life over a year ago.
Now, one such aircraft was circling in the skies in an altitude so high that even if one was to stare up directly at the aircraft, they would not be able to even see even a speck of it. The powerful sensors and cameras on board the Mariner S2 were trained directly over the Combined Fleet's camp, every detail recorded and transmitted over to the UNS Vengeance's CIC many many kilometres away.
-----
Entrance to Exile's Passage, UNS Vengeance, Command Information Center
Data streamed into the Vengeance's CIC computers that once adorned the insides of the space cruiser, UNS Singapore. Unlike the crude computers systems produced locally, the computers of the UNS Singapore that were deemed obsolete by the standards of the United Nations of Mankind was still vastly powerful, with processors that were still unreplicable yet by the current production, technology and education level of the still growing UN.
The operators patiently compiled and updated the data flowing in from the Mariner S2 into intelligence reports which currently, Commander Ford in the Flag Bridge was reviewing. He sat behind his work desk, his eyes glued to the scrolling display of images and reports of Group Alpha.
He has ordered Taskforce Flag to sail north again, returning to the mouth of the channel between Exile Island and the mainland when the Imperial messengers and envoys returned and landed. The envoys had stated the Emperor was willing to accept their assistance with the sky raiders and also help clear up any misunderstandings between the UN and the Empire.
Since the envoys had so kindly provided a map of the region and even marked the coastal regions where the raids occurred, it allowed him and his staff to determine where the Old World airships raiding routes begin and end. To prevent getting spotted and losing the elemental of surprise, Ford's Taskforce has anchored off in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the ocean.
The map provided by the Imperial envoys did not fully list out each and every village or settlement along the coast, as only towns, cities or villages with strategic or monetary value were listed. Hence, there were actually many other villages that had been raided without the Empire knowing.
Almost every hour or so, a courier wyvern or dragon would come fluttering into a landing on the carrier deck where the Imperial envoys had set up shop at one corner of Flight Deck A. Cages of courier wyverns had been delivered from dragons were stacked together and a simple awning covered and provided shelter for the feathered animals.
A crystal mounted on a wooden tripod served as a magical homing beacon for the courier wyverns, which they were trained to hone into the magical signature, allowing messages to be delivered. Ford had been half tempted to just loan the Empire a radio set for faster and easier communications but gave up the idea as he did not want some unforeseen consequences to occur in the future.
”Sir,” An aide appeared and handed a note over. ”Word from the Imperials has arrived.”
Ford nodded and read the note, which said of an invasion force was being readied to make an attempt to cross the channel and march towards the sky raiders' camp. Ford frowned as he finished reading the note and he asked his aide, ”That's all? Nothing else?”
”Yes, Sir,” The aide nodded. ”The Imperials handed the message to me just now.”
”How the fuck are we going to coordinate such an attack if they just give us such a half assed message!” Ford cursed. ”Tell them to give us more details! Timings, dates, locations all this information!”
The aide saluted and left the Flag bridge to carry out his orders. Ford shook his head in defeat the way of communications between his Taskforce and the Imperials. ”Maybe I should just blow the shit out of Group Alpha instead of working together with the Imperials... Fucking waste of time...”
-----
Skies over the Great Ocean Plains
Blue Thunder leisuely flapped his wings as he flew at the head of an arrow formation of dragons. He felt free and relaxed at last after leaving the borders of the UN and Rastraz behind with the eggs. He hummed to himself happily, enjoying his newfound freedom.
”What the hell you so cheerful about?” UN Air Force Captain Stamford asked as he sat on the back of Blue Dragon. hooked up to his harness. He had returned with a promotion and to captain Blue Thunder after a year, joining him on his mission to Fortress Hensink to speak with the survivors of Group Bravo.
”No Rastraz! No eggs to look after!” Blue Thunder rumbled. ”Heheheheehe!”
”You are lucky Rastraz did not want to go and leave her eggs behind to be watched by some other dragons!” Stamford kicked the flanks of Blue Thunder's neck. ”I thought you like being henpecked?”