18) The Roll of Righteous Thunder (Tock)

Sargent Hamish McTavish was the Medical Sargent to the Black Kilts and the youngest brother of Pappy. He was an experienced adept in healing and life force magery. He had just finished restoring to full function Lieutenant Calver’s left eye and was taking up his implements and other equipment to go work on the other less injured soldiers,

“Sir, you will experience some blurring and maybe some itching as the eye heals the rest of the way over the next week or so. Don’t let it worry you. You’re lucky we were here where the magical powers are enhanced, or I probably wouldn’t have been able to save the eye.”

“Don’t sell yourself short Sargent. I expect you would have managed.” Calver said appreciatively.

Victoria II was nearby talking in a quiet conference with Pappy McTavish while surrounded by a phalanx of protectors comprised of two sentinels, a former shadow sentinel, Brother, Sister and a squad of Black Kilt soldiers. Lieutenant Calver stood and approached the group. He was about halfway there when several other Black Kilts stood up with their rifles ready to block his approach.

Victoria II looked up and said, “It is alright, let him approach us.”

The soldiers parted to allow his approach but two of them stationed themselves to his right and left and ready to stop him with lethal force if he made the slightest wrong move.

Lieutenant Calver stopped a respectful distance as protocol dictated away from Her Eminence and knelt, head bowed, awaiting permission to speak.

“You may speak Lieutenant.”

“Your Eminence, we were under the understanding you were assassinated and quite frankly there was a move to replace you with an imposter. To be honest, Your Eminence, I am still doubtful of your identity.”

“Lieutenant, you have been misinformed, and We fear deliberately. Yes, there were several attempts on our person since yesterday. However, We have persevered and endured. Tell us this Lieutenant, if we were to prove our identity would your fellow soldiers stop this armed insurrection?”

“Indeed, we would Your Eminence. We are sworn first and foremost to the crown above and before our lord.”

“Very well Lieutenant, if you and your men will escort Us to the palace then We shall put on the Breastplate of Arkan. Thisshould remove all doubt.”

The Breastplate of Arkan was a heavily enchanted piece of armor which was handed down from Emperor Arkan I. Among the various protection enchantments was also a measure to prevent this artifact from being used by anyone other than the rightful heir to the empire. If placed on someone who was not the rightful wearer of the crown it would crush the life out of that person. Therefore, it had been incorporated into the coronation ceremony as proof the person being coronated was indeed the rightful heir to the crown. In history it had crushed the life out of three would be usurpers, one of which was the younger twin who was accidentally being crowned because of mistaken identity which was conveyed since their birth. So, it didn’t matter if the wearer truly believed they were rightfully being crowned, the decision of the armor was inviolate and had no appeal.

“That would indeed confirm your identity. The fact you are willing to take such a risk, Your Eminence, also allays my doubt in your identity. I, and the remainder of my command are willing to see to your safety in order to prove such.”

“Very well Lieutenant, We thank you. Please convey to your men we shall forgive yours and your men’s insurrection. You were only following, what you believed to be, the lawful orders of your superiors. In the larger issue there will be a full pardon for all soldiers who took up arms against Our Legions and our own person, if they will lay down their arms once We have proven Our identity.”

Commander Cassandra McClain was flying her raptor fighter aircraft below rooftop level down Imperial Avenue, her turbines screaming like banshees in the damp pre-rain air. She was heading toward the Grandeur City Tower Bridge where forces were engaged in close combat. Beyond the fever pitched battle lay the large black pyramid and palace where the legions held firm control.

The Grand Regiment of Calador was on the east side of the bridge firmly dug in to prevent the breakout attempt by the First Amazonian Legion of the Grand Army of The Civilization. There were advantages on both sides. The Legions had a three to one advantage in numbers, heavy artillery support and close lines of communications with their fellow legions.

The Regiments were heavy infantry, compared to the light infantry of the First Amazonians and they were dug in and the First Amazonians were channeled by the bridge crossing. Worse, the Regiments had no regard for the safety of the Grandeur City citizens. Their orders were quite simple. Suppress the mutiny of the legions at all cost. No regard at all for collateral damage.

As the pathfinder for the mission, Commander McClain readied a marker flare string in order to set the limits for her follow up fighters to strafe to. She was thinking to herself, “Well you are about to find out the Legions have one more advantage.” As she fired the flare to the front line of troops of the enemy.

Brigadier Maxwell Snyder heard the turbine scream from behind him of the raptor craft of the Valkyrie Squadron fighters and he was thinking, “Good, they are here to push back those Amazonian Witches.” He was briefed the HEAS Monarch had been secured by his lord the Baron of Calador the day before and was ordered to support his push to take the palace. So, he was happy to hear the approach of the fighter craft were part and parcel of the Monarch’s compliment. His elation fell away quickly when the marker flair hit one of his forward communications centers where his son was commanding their first battalion from. He shook his head and thought, “Well that’s just a marker flair and it fell a little short.” This was not unusual and so he anticipated he might experience some small number of casualties from his forward troops, but the enemy will still bear the brunt of the attack. This consolation went away as well when he watched the multiple rocket launchers in front of him get shredded by the beginning of several strafing runs of the Valkyrie fighters. His horror grew as each subsequent fighter strafed from just in front of his command post all the way up to the communications center his son was at.

“Damn those bastards! They are mutinying too!” he heard someone yelling incredulously. It took him a moment to realize it was him who was doing the yelling as he watched his troops melt away under the rain of heavy aerial guns. He looked around at his command staff who were looking to him for orders. He shook his head and began shouting out orders to have his troops take cover and dig in further. He was halfway through a set of orders when he saw the forward communications center erupt into an explosion of steam and black smoke followed by a billowing mushroom of flame.

Brigadier Snyder doubled over as if he were physically hit in the gut by the realization his son was no more. His staff looked on in stunned silence not knowing what to do next.

Colonel Reinhardt Denny, Brigadier Snyder’s Chief of Staff was the first one to gather his wits and began ordering the battalions to pull back to either side of Imperial Avenue and take cover. He knew this would give the First Amazonian Legion ability to establish a beach head on this side of the bridge and river, but he saw no alternative at that time. Once Colonel Denny was sure the appropriate orders were issued, he looked to his Brigadier who was crying uncontrollably in a fetal position on the floor of the command center and yelled, “Medic! See to the Brigadier!”

Colonel Denny, who was not enthusiastic about the whole operation to begin with, thought to himself, “Thus the bitter fruit of foul deeds.” As he continued to see to the survival of his command.

Captain Magubo Indiro, Company Commander of Company A, Second Battalion, saw the shift in the line of troops in front of her as a result of the air attack on her enemies. She had just finished ordering her troops to prepare for incoming fire from the fighters which were headed in her company’s direction because she had been under the understanding the HEAS Monarch was under the command of the regiments. It only took her a moment for her to process the turn of events which were revealing themselves before her eyes and rapidly reached a decision. “Company A charge!” she yelled and punctuated her order by waving her leopard skin hilted cutlass in a circle above her head. She didn’t wait for her troops to move but rather led by example and charged forward herself.

The First Amazonian Legion’s khaki uniforms with their various regimental accoutrements of leopard skin, Ostrich feathers and lion claw necklaces made it easy for the forces now engaged in melee to differentiate friend from foe.

Captain Indiro gave out the uniquely undulating Amazonian battle cry as she charged full speed into a squad of obviously confused soldiers of Calador. Her charge was punctuated by a streak of lightning which split the sky right above the battle and a horrible clap of thunder pounded at the very souls of the troops of Calador.

Company A answered their commander’s battle cry with savage glee as they charged forward into the fray.

Corporal McDermott was the first to exit the underground through the access hatch which Brother had showed him. This hatch opened to a back-alley access in this normally upper scale neighborhood. Brother was the next one to leave the hatch followed by a man from the platoon of Lieutenant Calver.

To one end of the alley, a company of the Grand Regiment of Calador was using it as an impromptu command post. A soldier of Calador saw McDermott’s black kilt and turned and fired his rifle in his direction nicking Brother’s arm and killing the other soldier of Calador with the same shot. Brother and McDermott dove for cover, firing their weapons in return. The next soldiers to the hatch were Lieutenants McTavish and Calver. McTavish dove for cover as well firing his Webley revolver. Calver used the heavy metal hatch as a shield he started yelling out, “Hold your fire you bastards!” he then flashed his platoons guideon.

This only was answered by a fusillade of rifle and pistol fire.

Systematically the remainder of the soldiers from both the Black Kilts and Calador, with covering fire from their fellows were able to deploy effectively to the far end of the alley. Because the Company Command Post of the Calador soldiers were in a bit of a crossfire between Victoria II’s troops and the Amazonians who were establishing a beach head, they weren’t able to effectively contain her troops and entourage.

The other end of the alley opened up to a small plaza with a gazebo in the middle. Victoria II, Sister, and Mousy took cover in the base of the old gazebo with both the sentinels and Willis to provide cover.

Around the corner of the west side of the small plaza came Captain Indiro and the rest of her company looking to outflank the Calador soldiers. Captain Indiro paused when she saw the Empress’ unit digging in, momentarily stunned in disbelief after catching the briefest of glimpse of who was being protected. There was no hesitation afterwards. The shear visible aura surrounding the Empress left no doubts as to her identity. It pulsed and radiated strong enough to throw shadows and she could swear she saw it turn thrown a blade which was launched by an unseen attacker. That frozen moment where even raindrops seemed to hover, was enough for her to change her company’s mission on the fly. As if a switch had been thrown, the commands were automatic and felt to her core.

“Rally to the crown! Sovereign Commander on the field!”

Off to the east down Crown Street a company of shadow sentinels were approaching in full charge. Lieutenant McTavish was the first to see them and he turned to Victoria II and yelled, “Incoming trouble east Your Eminence!”

In that moment the deluge of rain had permeated the air came crashing down from the heavens like the fist of an angry god.