The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Dark Vision

Darktower frowned as he leaned back from the map of the hills marking the entrance into Varos Ejzhaka, the City of the Night. The battle plan called for a direct assault on both access points, which were protected by heavy, camouflaged gates. And that was the problem; an assault would pin his tanks and mobile artillery into place while they were battering down those gates. If there was a way they could take the gates out without committing their armor ...

"My Lord Darktower," the Qos Viran base's AI spoke as if it were a person standing beside him.

"Darktower. Go, Hunter," he said without looking up from the map.

When the AI didn't immediately answer, the House Lash general's frown deepened. But, instead of repeating his acknowledgement, he looked at the chrono on the wall. And instantly realized why the AI hadn't continued to speak.

"Hunter, base-wide intercom," he tautly directed.

"Intercom active, High General," the AI immediately replied.

"All assets, to your transports," Darktower commanded as he deactivated the war table with a wave of his hand. "Pilots, to your War Bats and transports. I want everything in the air in ten minutes! House Lash is going to war!"

By the time the grim vampire had reached the flight deck, his own gear over his shoulder and garbed in the enhanced armor that Lord Lash had given him, the place was awash with activity. Even as he stepped onto the flight deck, a pair of Warbats moved onto the launch rack, their high-powered thrusters snarling.

The rack slowly lifted out of the floor on powerful hydraulics to position the futuristic war planes at the perfect angle to exit the slot entrance at full velocity. As it did, one of the massive ShadowEagle transports began to lift off the deck, its four powerful turbofans humming with the effort of getting the transport, filled with troops and two of the Dominator tanks they would be deploying against the city's fortified entrance in its battle hold, off the ground.

Darktower's attention was pulled back to the War Bats as, their afterburners howling, they were slung into the air by the racks, going nearly Mach one before they were even through the slot entrance, thanks to the dual thrust provided by both the rack launcher and their own afterburners. Relieved of their burden, the racks quickly dropped back down into the deck. Just in time to receive the next two War Bats as they used their thrusters to move out of the queue and onto the rack.

Nodding in satisfaction at how quickly the War Bats were getting into the air, Darktower located his Nighthawk, which would carry him and his command staff into battle.

- Does this all have a point, Mordecai? - Lash asked as the Dragon's Own continued to launch in his mind's eye, his impatience flaring. - I've seen my House's military deploy before. -

- It does, - Mordecai assured him. - Just keep watching. -

Darktower stood on the flight deck as his Night Wolf pilot guided the Nighthawk through the aircraft that filled the fjord towards the front.

"Darktower, Kassidy," came over the com system.

"Kassidy, Darktower, go," the grim House Lash officer replied out loud.

"All Silver Legion assets are in the air and accounted for, general. We await your command," the Silver Legion colonel indicated.

"Roger that. Follow our lead, Kassidy, and keep your transports in tight formation," Darktower directed. "We'll be passing through several radar fields during our egress to the projected theater of operation. We need to avoid detection by the humans."