571 Defea (1/2)
The weary and injured crew of the airship stumbled out from the wreckage and they joined a large crowd just off the sandy beach who had been gathered there by soldiers wearing a strange uniform that appeared to be a patchwork of colours.
Another airship came sliding to a halt on the beach and more Cartel sailors poured out of the beached ship. Overhead, there was a constant drone of aircraft circling in the air and finally, the last of the Cartel airships landed on an island.
UN Marines ushered the Cartel prisoners off the beach on to a gathering point while the local fishermen and farmers watched. Many of the locals were cheering the UN Marines and they spat and kicked at the short Outsiders that came off the airships.
Grand Lord Hammerfall stumbled over the sand together with his crew and some soldier in a strange uniform yelled at them, gesturing them to sit down. He joined the earlier groups of crewmen already seated down on the warm sand and looked around. He could see hundreds of his crew sitting on the sand and dozens of locals in that strange mottled uniform walking among them.
Looking at the small number of soldiers guarding them, he toyed with the idea of ordering his people to rush the guards. He was certain their numbers would overrun the guards but he gave up on the thought when he stopped what looked like an eight legged War Jack half hidden in a grove of trees.
And also the loud roar of the fearsome flyers that forced his surrender could be heard flying overhead and Hammerfall knew that they would be slaughtered if they made an attempt to breakout. He gave up any thoughts of escape and concentrated on making sure his wounded were given care.
The defeat was shocking and at first humiliating to him especially when thinking how backwards the locals were in the New World in terms of magic and steam. But the more Hammerfall thought about it, the more impressed and amazed he was of the United Nations' magic and steam!
He regretted greatly not having the first contact with the United Nations! If they had met the United Nations first, things would not have gone this way and they might in fact benefit even more! As he thought more about this issue, he started to question the information told to him by the Isles. Could it be that they were played by the Isles, by that soft looking long legs Akron?
”Rock and stone!” Hammerfall broke into a genuine smile as he saw his old friend still alive and grasped arms with him. ”I had assumed the worse when your fleet was destroyed!”
”It was a really close shave there!” Lord Copperstone rubbed the ends of his singed beard and sigh. ”Thankfully my invention saved me! The magic saving pod protected me when my ship blew up!”
”But alas, it saved only me and none of my crew...” Lord Copperstone said dejectedly. ”May their poor souls return to the Mountains!”
”The enemy fished me off the waters,” Lord Copperstone continued after a moment of silence. ”And here I am!”
”These United Nations have very powerful magic and weapons!” Lord Copperstone said in a low voice. ”Their steam works is also beyond what we are capable of! When they picked me up, I have seen their work up close!”
”I have a feeling that our old friend Akron has deceived us...” Grand Lord Hammerfall replied in a grim tone. ”He had spoken nothing of the magic and steam works of the United Nations! I have a feeling he led us on, on purpose!'
Lord Copperstone nodded, ”Aye, I think so too, now that you mentioned it. There is something more going on here! To think we were playing these backward lands, but in truth, we were the ones being played!”
Grand Lord Hammerfall nodded too, ”We had been too confident and complacent! Now I worry about our people left behind in our outposts! And the coming reinforcements!”
”We need to find the ones in charge here!” Lord Copperstone hurriedly advised. ”We must make peace at once or all our people coming to the New World will perish!”
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Further out of the ocean from the island turned prison, the UNS Vengeance laid anchor while a detachment of the Task Force was coasting around the battle flotsam and searching for survivors.
”Captain, in total, twelve of the Cartel Air Fleet were shot down,” Commander Ford reported to Blake inside the Admiral's Bridge. ”Of nineteen airships, only seven survived, with different degrees of damages. Four were forced to land here and another three heavily damaged in the opening airstrike from the 1st Carrier Wing had retreated while the rest where all shot down in one way or another.”
”Casualties sustained by the opponent is estimated to range between seven to nine thousand,” Commander Ford continued as he read off a document. ”Numbers are still being tallied from the prisoners, but we expect to have around two thousand in custody. As for the wounded, we have over seven hundred being treated by field aid stations set up on the island.”
”And ours?” Blake's image on the screen asked. ”Any damage taken?”
”Two deaths,” Commander Ford replied. ”Both pilots and the loss of one Viper and three Cobras to anti air fire. The rest of the pilots had managed to eject safely and Search And Rescue had picked them up. Other than that, there are no other damages or casualties.”
”SAR operations are also still ongoing around the site of the battle,” Commander Ford added. ”We are working with the ships of the Isles' Home Fleet at combing the waters for any more Cartel survivors.”
”And the last three retreating airships, they are too crippled or damaged to pose any threat for now,” Ford said. ”But the Cartel still has around eight airships of various types still scattered around the Eastern Islands.”
”Ignore them for now,” Blake said. ”What is the situation with the Council now?”
”Dijon had Fleet Master Akron and a few other accomplices arrested,” Ford reported. ”And he also disbanded the Council and has taken solo command over the entire Isles.”
”Help him consolidate his power over the government,” said Blake. ”Once the shock and momentum run off, the disbanded Council members will start to question and things might get messy for Dijon.”
”Yes, Sir,” Ford nodded. ”As for the whereabouts of Fleet Master Megan, she should be lurking around the Eastern Island onboard some special ship.”
”As to what kind of ship that is...” Ford frowned as he said. ”No one knows, and those that know are too loyal to Megan to tell us...”
”I had launched all my AWACS birds out to comb the area, especially at that Seabone Reef which Akron so wanted my fleet to head there,” Ford said. ”It shouldn't be hard to find Megan unless she's in hiding...”