The Franco-British Union: The Trials of Time

Chapter 11: Touchdown

A few minutes earlier...

Somewhere to the southeast of Raveryn

     More than a dozen flying objects were silhouetted sharply against the orange glow of the eastern sky whilst Raveryn became scarcely discernible amidst the gathering night clouds in the west through the slowly brightening sky.

     The objects were flying on a very-low flight course at treetop levels, or as people back on Earth would call it, a nap-of-the-earth (NOE) course. The pilots flying the objects carefully manoeuvred their "helicopters", exploiting the valleys and folds in the terrain as they rapidly flew towards Raveryn.

     At the very front of the formation were four Eurocopter Tiger AH1s, leading the formation of 12 Merlin HC4As helicopters, carrying more than 200 Royal Marine Commandos from Whisky Company (W Coy), 45 Commando augmented by specialists from the Logistics Company and the Brigade Patrol Troop, who will be inserted into Raveryn as part of the first wave of the assault on the Quistadorians' positions.

     Inside the cabin of the Merlin helicopters, it was relatively quiet, the silence was only broken by a few conversations on the radio between the officers. One of them was Major Lennox Murray, a Scotsman and an experienced mountaineer who is the second-in-command of 45 Commando, assisted by Captain Anthony Crowe, the officer commanding of W Coy.

Anthony: "Two minutes to the target, sir. Looks like we're just in time for the party."

Lennox: "Very nicely done, Captain. It's about time we teach those bloody bastards a lesson."

     The side doors were finally opened as the Royal Marines checked their equipment one last time as they await their turn to join the battle... Except for a single elf who immediately stood up and looked out of the helicopter as soon as the side doors were opened as Lennox shook his head in disbelief, the elf is the liaison officer assigned to 45 Commando, Edreviar.

Lennox: "Who the fuck is that dipstick trying to hang out of the bloody chopper?"

Anthony: "With all due respect, sir, he is the liaison officer from the Kingdom of Pais."

Lennox: "Tell him to get back to his bloody seat, or just kick him off the chopper."

Anthony: "...Yes, sir."

*                  *                  *                  *                  *

Present

5th of May, 6:07

The Inner Ward, Raveryn, Kingdom of Pais

     Efeus briskly pulled his sword out of a Quistadorian's chest as the Quistadorian collapsed forward, blood pooling on the ground. However, before he has time to catch his breath, another Quistadorian throws himself at Efeus from behind, only to be cut down right after. By then, it has been several minutes since the mysterious iron dragons first arrived, and they have already disappeared. But ever since their arrival, the Paisians' morale soared and with it, came hope.

     But even as the iron dragons have already destroyed a significant portion of the Quistadorians' equipment and their battering ram, the situation grew more untenable as time went by with the fighting intensifying on the walls - the Quistadorians trying to climb the walls with sheer numbers and the Paisians trying to push them off with whatever they had.

     If this went on, it was safe to say they wouldn't be able to last longer than an hour. Normally, Efeus would've been able to think of a plan to delay the Quistadorians even further, but as the grunting and shouts of men facing their dooms grew louder and with everyone's attention now focused on either killing or defending, nobody could spare a thought for the overall situation.