Summoning America

Chapter 131: Draconic Wrath (3)

November 17, 1640
Holy Mirishial Navy Zeroth Fleet
HMS Quasar

Alarms blared throughout the ship as Mirishial, Agarthan, and Centrallite sailors alike scrambled to their posts. While enlisted personnel hurried around the vessel to conduct their duties, the officers remained relatively calm. The men on the bridge had no duties to hurriedly accomplish; all they could do was wait as their subordinates carried out their pre-established plans. Although they seemed calm on the surface, many – if not all – of the officers were tense, breaking out into cold sweats or desperately staving off creeping anxieties.

"That is one hell of an air force," Admiral Tetryon said, voice laden with uncertainty. Having previously engaged in battle with Gra Valkan carrier fleets, he knew first-hand how potent their fighters and bombers were. They outclassed every counterpart in the EDI arsenal, save for American-bought jets and Mirishial Alpha-4 fighters.

The Eimorian attache haughtily dismissed Admiral Tetryon's uncertainties. "Fret not, elf. Our Plasma Dragons have humbled even Pal Chimerae. No matter how many planes the Gra Valkans throw at them, they will be no more of a nuisance than a swarm of gnats."

"I admire your confidence, Commander Draudak," Tetryon said, unconvinced of the Eimorian's words. "While their fighter's guns stand no chance of penetrating the hides of your Plasma Dragons or the shields of our Pal Chimerae, their rockets can. You've read the report on the Battle of Otaheit, yes?"

Draudak nodded, shifting his tail as he elaborated. "Your forces worked with the Muans to achieve victory over the invading Gra Valkans. The Gra Valkans matched your numbers, but you were able to turn the tide with the use of Pal Chimerae and American weapons."

"It was a pyrrhic victory, more akin to a defeat than a win," Tetryon lamented. "We won the battle, but lost half of our assets. Even a Pal Chimera was damaged, rendered immobile by a direct hit from the enemy's flagship, the Grade Atlastar. Had it been fully shielded, it may have been able to withstand the strike. However, an attack run by Gra Valkan fighters dealt significant damage to its shields." As he said it aloud, he became more wary of the Gra Valkans' capabilities and stressed his concern once more, "If 30 fighters were sufficient to weaken our shields, then it is likely a hundred or so could overwhelm the Pal Chimera."

Draudak realized what Tetryon was implying. His pupils widened as his hubris was shattered and with a shaky tone, he pointed out what Tetryon already knew, "The enemy has almost a thousand aircraft. The Plasma Dragons are more vulnerable than your Pal Chimera, so casualties may be unavoidable..." His emotions darkened, reflecting his trepidation at the likelihood that he could do nothing about losing some of the Eimor Kingdom's most prized assets. "What can we do?"

"We can only hope that our first strike is enough to even the odds," Tetryon admitted. "Our heavy aerial units will pull back to draw the enemy in, but there's no guarantee we can pull off any tactics when our forces are too busy fighting their overwhelming numbers. On top of that, there's no telling what new tactics or weapons the enemy is bringing to the battlefield this time."

A solemn silence swept over the increasingly despondent leaders. They had grown overly confident in a naval victory and the strength of their superweapons, causing them to neglect the power of enemy air assets. Only the Pal Chimera had sufficient point defense to ward off fighters. He couldn't say the same for the Plasma Dragons, which relied on heavy magic strikes.

A new voice spoke up, raspy yet wise, "It is possible for us to illusify a Plasma Dragon or Pal Chimera. This was never part of the original plan due to the sheer amount of mana required to perform this task, but we can choose to forego creating illusions of our fighters in order to illusify a larger decoy instead. If done correctly, we can cause them to waste their attacks, but this will only work once."