The Celestial Way

Chapter 13.4 - Warrior's Way

On the next day Airo's plans were put into motion. Vorzii left the hidden base and took off toward the Beacon Highway in search for surviving settlements. Yeoman Cloud had made an extensive data analysis, projecting an approximate advance front of the Revenant. The origin point started at the Shard on the equator, and then spread in an outward circle. The skyship was tasked with skirting the periphery of this theoretical front, evacuating all mapped settlements while on the lookout for trouble. These patrolling incursions were to be done continuously, with Vorzii on constant duty, while the crew rotated between missions. Airo was aboard the skyship every time, since he wanted to personally supervise each operation, and because the mere thought of sitting idle back at the stronghold made him restless. Veralla followed him tirelessly, much to his surprise and annoyance.

During the first incursion, they visited two settlements nearby one another, at the edge of some lowlands west of the Shard. They needed little effort to convince the worried populace to come with them; people had heard vague news and rumors about the planet-wide conflict, and jumped at the opportunity when offered shelter.

The second incursion didn't go so well a couple of days later. They found only snow-buried ruins where the map pointed to another settlement. It was a wretched, forlorn sight, with the ruins eerily bereft of corpses. Nevertheless, morale remained high, as the Radiant Knights finally felt they had a purpose after so many weeks of dormancy and despair.

On the third incursion, things happened differently still. The target settlement at the southern ring of the Revenant front was deserted. Examination showed no signs of battle, but dwellings and facilities lay in disarray, which meant the inhabitants had left in a hurry. Vorzii scouted the area, and found a large refugee caravan further westward, escorted by Consortium troops.

The caravan was in trouble. Revenant were pursuing it, refugees fleeing in panic, while the soldiers fired in vain at the rushing enemy. Vorzii appeared on the scene just in time, as the Revenant were about to close in on their targets.

"Hostiles detected!" Stamat reported.

"I see them," Airo replied, reading the telemetry on the bridge's CIC.

"Your orders, sir?"

"Engage with onboard weaponry only. The dragons might scare the soldiers. Paradrop a combat squad if there is a risk of melee."

"Yes, sir!"

The skyship flew low, sweeping in a wide arc, and fired its broadside batteries. The powerful, veronite-enhanced energy beams engulfed the rushing Revenant, vaporizing the main bulk of their forces. Zozzy, who was again the skyship's first pilot on this patrol, brought Vorzii right above the refugee caravan, and Radiant Knights stormed out of one of the huge hangars, equipped with resonance fields and jetpacks.

The strike force engaged the remaining Revenant, coming between them and the caravan. The refugees continued to flee, and the Consortium troops, seeing an opportunity, seized the chance to disengage. The Radiant Knights caught the Revenant completely by surprise with the ability to harm them. Within a minute, the apparitions were completely wiped out.

"Status report," Airo said once the situation was resolved.

"The Consortium soldiers aren't firing at us yet, sir," Stamat said. "They seem pretty riled up though, and they demand to speak with... well, you, Commander."

"Prepare the transport shuttles," Airo said. "I am going down in one of them. Stamat, Kiana, Zuckeroff, you are with me."

"Can I come too?" Veralla pleaded.

"Yes," he sighed. "Come on everyone, move."

It took them several minutes minutes to go from the bridge to the hangars, and then a couple more while the transport shuttle brought them groundside. It would've been faster if the whole skyship landed, yet Airo wanted it always battle-ready, loath to take foolish risks. By the time the shuttle touched down, the Radiant Knights and the Consortium soldiers had squared off, both groups regarding each other warily.