Omnibellum: The Defiant Sky [Kraven VS Havensky:Invite only]

[Havensky]

Citadel City, Gothic Havensky
Region of Gholgoth

We open our gates for the poor, the tired, the hungry!
We open the gates for those seeking freedom!
We open the gates for those seeking refuge from blood and fire.

Crystal City: The City of Inventors, Home to the Defenders of Texas , and Home of the White Humanitarian Fleet.
Citadel City: Stronghold of Liberty, Bastion of Freedom and Gholgoth's Brightest City.

The Skyan predecessor state, the tiny Kingdom of Fourhearts, had lost their lands to the rise of the oceans. Rather than be scattered to the winds, the people had taken to the skies in airship cities until the time they were granted land by the Region of Texas. Never forgetting the hospitality of their new home region, the newly named Skyans had promised that it would be open and accepting to all. Only those with malicious intent would be turned away. The dying Kingdom of Fourhearts had now given rise to twin stalwart nations dedicated to freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of knowledge to benefit all of mankind. The first was the Crystal City in Texas... and the second was the new Citadel City in Gholgoth.

Where those with differing creeds, dissenting opinions, or who loved different were driven from their home - the gates of Havensky swung open. Refugees, runaways, the oppressed and the outcast - these were the Children of the Skybound Republic. As war ravaged lands throughout the planet, the Skybound Republic offered her cities as havens.

With no strong long standing traditions, Skyan culture became a chaotic mix of different languages, tastes and fashions. So long as people were tolerable of one another, the government cared very little what people did in their own time and in their own homes.

As the children of new immigrants came in, they entered the School Halls of Havensky. The Halls had a way of finding the talent that their fatherlands have neglected to foster. Sometimes, it was because their home countries had preconceived notions of their limits based on race or gender. Other times, the choice of faith of their families blinded them to the truth of their raw talent.

The People of Havensky were not so foolish. Those with intelligence, with determination, with drive thrived in the Skybound Republic regardless of class or creed. And the Halls trained everyone. All were allowed to rise and as they rose the nation's wealth grew as the children of refugees became the new inventors.

Your Outcasts will become our Vanguard!
We will build while you destroy!

The Skybound Republic had never forgotten the dark days where they were without a home. The generosity and hospitality of the Region of Texas was met with a promise that anytime disaster struck, the Skybound Republic would be there to provide aid. The Humanitarian White Fleet traveled all across the planet providing food, water, medical care, and at the worst of time safe passage to those hit with disaster - both natural and man made.

We offer an open hand to all those who adore peace!
We offer our friendship to all those who cherish freedom!
We offer a sharp sword to those who wish to take it from us!

It was this that first led to conflict with the entity known as the Kraven Reich. A hospital airship had been knocked out of the sky while on a humanitarian mission. A young nurse, Jessica Heart, had been kidnapped by the Reich. The small nation had little chance of confronting the Reich head on. So, a young Legionary named Lucas Ironwing had led a daring rescue mission to save her. Ironwing's Heartbreak Squad had gone deep into the Fortress Continent and killed Kraven's cruel butcher. They rescued Jessica Heart - who turned out to be quite a spokesperson for freedom loving peoples everywhere. The pair had gone on to become the Queen and King of Gothic Havensky - the Head of State - and Representatives of the People of Havensky.

Kraven never forgot it's first tangle with the Skyans and had held an almost obsessive focus on Jessica Heart.

That first war was hard on the Skyans. They were not warriors - they were diplomats. They were ill prepared to fight Capitol Police head on. The losses were high. For a small nation, the soldiers they had lost were far too many.

But the Skyans had learned.

The next time they faced Kraven, on the shores of Milograd, the Skyans were ready with powered armor, advanced aircraft, stellar intelligence services, and a new class of officers trained by Ironwing himself. They had made friends across the globe who came to their aid. Not only did they prevent Kraven from taking the entire continent, they were named Gothic Lords and given a territory in Gholgoth.

Given that the land had been granted in the aftermath of repeated attacks on her sovereignty the Skybound Republic's first thought was to create a safe haven in this new dangerous region. The new territory had a large island that was enveloped in a peninsula save for a narrow channel. This geography lent itself to a solid defense against hostile foes and the decision was made to build a strong citadel there - and quickly. The Skyan Senate passed the Gothic Homestead Act to attract a workforce big enough to build an entire city with an ambitiously short timeframe. With all the chaos in the region and the world, the Skyan streets results were soon filled with those seeking a new start.

And the new city, Citadel City, would belong to them.

We are the People of Havensky!

* * * * *

The new city was a busy place. The Port of Gothic Havensky had become a tremendously busy port taking advantage of it's already existing network of ports in Texas and Provoka to build new markets in Gholgoth. The flood of goods coming in and out of the port onboard airships and seaships had been a boon to the new city. The government had placed a bet that these new markets would mean companies wanting to establish branches in Citadel City. They were right - demand for office space had grown high.

This had made Citadel City into "Construction City" with all that went with it. The city was full of construction equipment and supplies. Giant white three dimensional printers spit out entire rooms that were loaded into airship slings and attached to ever rising skyscrapers. The roads were crowded with cranes and trucks full of supplies. The skyline was full of skeletal steel buildings with glass skins still growing as the days went by. The tallest buildings by far were the twin towers on each side of the island city: The Library of Havensky and the White Citadel.

At various constructions sites, a small fleet of food trucks fed the hungry construction workers. Food trucks offered every kind of cuisine imaginable. It wasn't just construction workers grabbing lunch at the trucks. Bankers, traders, and government employees all gathered around the trucks. it was a side effect of a city that hadn't had time to build enough restaurants and cafes.

Citadel City was a connected city. Almost every citizen owned a mobile device of some sort that connected them to the entire world. The Library of the Republic had been working to digitize every book it could get it's hands on. The Library was also free. The Skyans were a well read people. The undertrains, the public transportation system that ran underneath the roads, were constantly full of people reading something on their devices.

There were also screens everywhere. The high tech economy meant that digital signs had cropped up to an almost annoying level. While they mostly showed ads or directions to different places, every once in a while the screens would show government sponsored ads.

One was an animated graphic of a rising skyscraper. The words Build Strong! Build Our Future! flashed across the screen. Another one showed an image of a Dephirian Godsend General with text underneath This man is your friend, he fights for freedom!. Yet another showed an image of a black bomber coming in over the city with the words Remember the plan!

The Skybound Republic had always assumed that the first city in Gothic Havensky would come under attack at some point. One did not try to build a new city just 500 miles from Fortress Cydonia and not make preparations. That was why the Skyans had picked a large island accessible only by a narrow channel to build the city.

The first thing that was built was the sea wall. A solid wall of rock four stories high and fifty feet deep lined the coast to discourage an amphibious assault. Thick plexiglass was placed on top of the tower for another four stories in order to let the light into the city. And every five hundred feet towers rose even higher with defensive measures in each one.

These were not the only preparations though. The Citadel Building Code required a bunker in every large building. These bunkers were to have enough fresh water for seven days, gas masks, and to be environmentally sealed in case of gas attacks. At least once a month, drills were held to ensure everyone knew what to do in case of emergency.

Of course, even with all the preparations there was still a high level of tension in the city. The events in Vetalia had made people nervous. Towards the end of the day, news of the attack of the Vetalian Palace and the assassination attempt on Queen Jessica Heart had caused enormous speculation in the Skyan media. The Skyan military had been on alert for awhile, but this had brought their alert level to it's highest level.

But the fact that they were in this position, was some cause for hope. Not many nations had stood up to the Kraven Reich and remained standing. The Skyans made it a personal point of pride to have stood up to the world's biggest bully.

Of course, to stand up to a bully - you had to be prepared for the eventual punch.

[Havensky]

Garden District
Citadel City, Havensky
Gholgoth

When they laid out the plans for the new city, the planners had laid out an area specifically for several vertical farms. These vertical greenhouses would provide fresh produce for the new city as well as create middle class jobs - which would be vital if the city was to be sustainable.

Each vertical farm was designed to be forty stories tall with each floor being a little over an acre in size. The planners had positioned five farms on the southwest side of the island. Because the farms needed as much sunlight as nature could provide, building restrictions were put in place around the five farms. This ended up working out perfectly for several rows of three-flat residences and small businesses around the five farms. This part of the city then became the "Garden District." Boasting a nearby school, fire station, and easy access to the undertrain made the area one of the most desired places to live in Citadel City.

Every morning, the food truck "Rolling Bacon" pulled into undertrain station park to greet daily commuters with offerings of breakfast tacos, bacon sandwiches, and strong coffee.

* * * * *

"What will it be today Teach?"

The Rolling Bacon was a bright red truck with two thick strips of bacon painted on the side. Frank Fernandes ran the truck along with his wife Gloria. Being parked next to the undertrain had been a pretty nice arrangement. The undertrain station was located inside center vertical farm and with the school being right across the street the area was highly trafficked.

"A mocha and a bacon and egg please Senor."

"Si profesora, uno momento"

Ammie Amberwind was a third grade math and science teacher at Garden Elementary School. She was brunette and just a little shorter than the gentleman behind her in line: Jake Pflüger.

And what about you Senor?

Jake was a tall handsome muscular man whose cowboy hat hid his short blonde hair. He worked as a field hand in Skyscraper Farm C which the farmers had dubbed "The Cathy Farm." He was dressed casually in a sleeveless shirt and jeans. A winged lion tattoo emblazoned on his right bicep - a Texas flag on the right. Behind him was his best friend and fellow farm hand Billy Jardinier.

"Chorizo and egg taco please and a black coffee please."

Ammie turned around right after she heard the voice.

"Jake! I thought that was you!"

Jake tipped his hat, and after a very slight episode of shyness, spoke in a deep drawl.

"Howdy Miss Amberwind....ummm...how are those tomatoes doing?"

Ammie smiled and leaned against the truck.

"I -think- they're doing well. Thanks so much again for coming to speak at my class. The kids really liked planting their own tomatoes.

"Well, it's no problem at all ma'am.. happy to do it.."

There was a brief pause while each sipped their coffee. Finally, Ammie looked at Jake curiously.

"Do you think you could swing by sometime this week? I just want to make sure the tomatoes are doing well and I'd like an expert opinion."

"Course, be happy too... I'll stop by after work if that's ok."

"Great!", replied Ammie with a smile and then after a moment, "So....I'll see you later! I've got to get to class. Later boys!"

Billy, who had been munching on his tacos while the whole scene unfolded, tossed his wrapper and muttered.

"Jake, why don't you ask that girl out already?!"

"Oh come on, it's not like that

"The hell it is, you better ask that girl out!

"I wouldn't even know where to take a city girl like that!

"Are you not coming to my barbeque? By yourself? Ask her to that - that's doesn't even count as a date.

"Easy for you to say, you're married!"

"And she'll be more than happy for you to show up with more than just a six pack!"

Taurus Station
Skyan Safe Passage Route
Gothic Sea

In order to protect incoming Skyan shipping, which would be vital to building the new city, the Skyans had set up twelve offshore outposts. The outposts served as waypoints for civilians shipping who were waiting to the escort convoy as well as a base for search and rescue operators. Each station also had a large suite of sensors all pointed at the Fortress Continent.

Ships that came into Gholgoth bound for Skyan ports were offered protection through the Skybound Republic's Safe Passage Routes. It was a convoy system where ships gathered together to be escorted by two cruisers, a pocket carrier, a submarine, and an airship. The only catch was that you had to wait at the waypoint until the convoy grew to a sufficient size.

Outpost Taurus was the fourth and the largest outpost in a series of twelve. Due to it's proximity to Fortress Cydonia, it carried extra protections including anti-aircraft batteries and an active sonar system. All protections that help to dissuade attacks and warded off any pirate attacks.

However, none of these protections were any good to ships that decided to make the trek solo.

Henrietta Transport, this is Taurus Station... you are advised to hold position until the escort party arrives.

Commander Sel was not pleased. The Henrietta had blown past three outposts already without so much as a nod to the convoy procedure. Captain Desmond Gull would be here in about an hour with the HRA Vigilant, but these guys just didn't want to wait. Sel deeply respected Gull's ability to lead the convoys. While the Skyans hadn't been involved in a direct naval conflict recently, his policing actions outside Port Prokova had done more to prove his abilities.

The Henrietta was a 950 foot civilian containership outfitted to carry lumber and other raw materials needed for the construction of Citadel City. Due to the narrow passage of the Rico Channel, the largest ship that could dock in Citadel City was 965 feet. It was large enough for most cargo ships, but the super-dreadnoughts of the world would just have to sit outside. The Henrietta was generally a bit quicker than most ships and sported a crane it could use to offload cargo faster. The captain had taken it's speed as a selling point to clients.

Taurus, Henrietta - We appreciate the concern, but we're opting out. They're gonna pay us 10% extra for every day we get there early.

Henrietta, we have to insist that you wait. If you head out there we can't guarantee your safety.

We'll be fine! Don't worry.

Commander Sel shook his head and put the microphone down. He couldn't force the Henrietta to behave, but that was their choice.

[Havensky]

Firehouse #51
Garden District
Citadel City, Havensky

The next stop for the "Rolling Bacon" truck was Firehouse 51. Frank pulled up beside the brightly painted firehouse and gave three quick blasts on the truck's horn. Within a few moments, about two dozen firefighters walked out and greeted Frank.

Firehouse 51 was a smaller house compared to others in the city. Whereas downtown and the Port required larger ladder trucks, 51 mostly had to worry about residential fires. It was close to shift change for the house and so the food truck was busy as people grabbed breakfast and coffee as they were going into and out of work.

Last to order was newly promoted Lieutenant Mirko Vatrakrilo. A shorter man with dark hair, he had worked his way up through the ranks to finally have command of his own rescue squad. It had been an adjustment moving to Citadel City from Ruby City. Rescue squads in the Citadel were supposed to train for doomsday. As a result, Mirko's pay was a lot higher than it was in Ruby City. However, the promotion tests had been much more difficult. Mirko wouldn't have had it any other way though. He had come from a long line of firefighters.

* * * * *

HRA Independence (CZ-7)
Border of Skyan Airspace (22km from Skyan Coast)
Gholgoth

A fair bit of distance away from the city, the arrow shaped airship carrier Independence was also having a shift change. Six Accipiter fighters were sitting in the hangar tubes of the of the Independence waiting to be dropped. The F-109 Accipiter was an single-engine two seated interceptor fighter designed to protect the Airship Armada from airborne threats. Dark blue-grey and tailless, the Accipiters were stealthy and a bit longer than most fighters due to it's uncommon secondary radar suite. The Accipiters worked in tandem with the airborne missile cruisers to spot incoming targets. The missile cruiser could then fire it's significantly large long range missile payload while the interceptor stayed hidden from view.

The Airship Armada had set up regularly combat air patrols from the very beginning of their residency in Gholgoth. At it's closest distance, Citadel City was a mere 350 miles from the factories Kraven Reich's Fortress Cydonia. Most modern fighters could breach the distance in less than fifteen minutes.

Demon Flight, this is Independence... stand by for relief by Angel Group

The airship carriers each carried twelve interceptors and two helijets. They were much smaller than their naval counterparts, but the Skyans had more carriers. The carriers held all fourteen aircraft in tubes situated under the main hangar. Aircraft would land and then move one level down into their own individual tubes to refuel. When it came time to launch the craft, the Deck Officer would literally drop the aircraft into the open sky.

Rodger Independence, Demon Flight Standing by

In the forward most tube, Lieutenant Nikki "Thorn" Kurai sat inside the cockpit of her Accipiter fighter waiting for the signal.. Thorn's small lithe frame fit comfortably in the fighter seat as she went through her pre-flight checks.

The weapons officer, Shauna "Rose" Ceara, sat behind her adjusting a few controls on her targeting computer. Her curly hair locked away beneath her flight helmet.

Bridge to Deck, Cleared for drop

Acknowledged Bridge, Angel One...prepare for drop...

The deck beneath the fighter tilted down, exposing the nose of the craft to the open sky. Thorn powered up her engines and gave a short thumbs up outside her tube to the Flight Officer.

Accipiter seven-three-two-one, Designation Angel One, clear forward, nav-con green, interval check, thrust positive and steady. Mag-Lock Disengaged...Good Hunting!

With the magnetic lock disengaged, the fighter dropped and Thorn pushed the fighter's engines to their maximum. She pulled the aircraft up to a steady level and made the short flight to the combat patrol area. As she did, the other five craft in her flight pulled alongside her in a V formation.

Thorn keyed the mic, Angel flight, report in...

Fox/Thumper reporting in..

Hippie/Goth reporting in..

Omelet/Smoke reporting in..

Scratch/Mama reporting in..

As the flight group rose higher, it broke through the clouds and leveled out again.

Independence, Angel Flight on Station.

Acknowledged Angel Flight... Demon Flight, Playtime's over...return to base.

Took you long enough Thorn!, came a call over the radio. The voice came from Ricky "Beef" Jager, the lead pilot for Demon Flight.

What? Got another date Beefy? Or did was your last date another vegan?

Hey, I just want to get back to the ship - get a few beers-

Don't drink too many, last time they let you in there the commander had to order a resupply mission just for the Rec Room!

A much more serious voice came over the radio.

Shut it you two - cut the chatter and get back to work. The sky isn't going to patrol itself!

[Havensky]

Citadel Base
Citadel City, Havensky
Gholgoth

Officer on the bridge!

At ease!, came the curt reply from Sky Marshal Inigo Gonzales walking into the control tower with his large coffee. The older officer's large frame was outfitted in the jet black high collared uniform of the Airship Armada. Clean shaven, his jet black hair now had a few grey streaks in it since his promotion to Sky Marshal.

He sat down in the command chair and pulled up the latest reports on his screen. The reports said very little as all was quiet on the home front. He flicked the screen to see the latest activity in Vetalia.

Gonzales had found his current assignment somewhat ironic. Originally, he had orders to lead a coalition fleet of Skyan, Eternal Republic and Khanistani air and sea fleets to invade the Kraven Fortress Continent of Norska. They had reached Gothic waters and come face to face with the entirety of Reich's Naval Arm North. While he had hundreds of ships under his command, the Reich had brought four thousand.

The battle had never happened though. The Kylarnatians had urged a cease-fire and it had held. Additionally, a Kraven Admiral had given Gonzales intelligence that had allowed the Skyans to achieve their objective. He had probably saved countless lives on both sides.

His name had been Hans. Upon his return to his ship, the Capitol Police Officers had shot him and thrown him off the deck of his own ship. Gonzales had begged him to defect, to come back with him, but he had gone back anyway. He had a standing request to Stars and Signals Command to pass along any information that they found on the man. However, there was very little to be found.

Gonzales' new assignment had been a complete reversal from the last one. Instead of planning and executing an invasion of Norska, his new assignment was to prepare and if need be defend the city from an invasion by the Reich.

He was picked because he had been thinking in 'invader' mode already. Instead of thinking of ways to invade Norksa, he now thought was ways to defend the Citadel and then how to prevent said invasion. In the simulations, he had carried out attack after attack after attack. He had never been pleased with the result.

Civilian Transport Henrietta
Gothic Sea

We're gonna made good time!, shouted Captain Jim Dorbrogost with glee. He had pushed his crew to their limit trying to beat the shipping record from Crystal City to Citadel City. The two cities being halfway across the globe from each other had been a logistical nightmare. However, it had been very good for the shipping industry.

They were now pushing thirty knots and they were about equidistant between Outpost Taurus and Outpost Cancer. The waterway had been wide open since most ships had opted to join the safe passage convoy. The sky had been cloudy, but the seas had been pretty calm.

They were going to make great time.

[Havensky]

Civilian Transport Henrietta
Skyan Safe Passage Route
Gothic Sea

Moments before the torpedoes fired, a young sailor maintaining the watchtower looked out into the sea and saw a dark shadowy shape approaching head on. He didn't quite know what to make of it. He picked up the telephone.

Watchtower deck...there's something right in front of us... it's getting closer..... OH SHIT! SUB!

Captain Dorbrogost was confused, What's a submarine doing out here? Shouldn't they be in the convoy?

Alarms sounded throughout the bridge with sudden and urgent cries.

SIR TORPEDOS!

HARD TO STARBOARD! HARD TO STARBOARD!

The maneuver was useless. The large transport vessel was simply too large and simply not built to turn on a dime.

TORPEDOS 200 METERS AND CLOSING! 100 METERS!

BRACE FOR IMPACT!

All four torpedoes hit center mass of the vessel almost simultaneously sending a shockwave throughout the ship. Almost immediately, water began to pour into the front of the ship causing the ship to tilt forward slightly. It's high rate of speed only causing the vessel to fill up faster.

Captain Dorbrogost picked up the telephone again, [i]ALL HANDS ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP!

He put down the telephone. Everyone was simply starting at the captain as if still in shock. Nobody really believed this was happening. Dorbrogost looked at the screen for a moment before throwing his coffee cup across the room in a fit of anger.

I SAID ABANDON SHIP....NOW!!!

The crew nodded and began to move out quickly.

All across the vessel the dozen crew members were making their way onto the deck. The ships engineer, who had been in the engine room when the torpedoes hit, was wading down the corridor. He knew he only had a few minutes before water shorted out the engines and the entire ship lost power and he'd be finding his way in the dark. He grasped the ladder and hurried up.

Back on the deck, Dorbrogost picked up the radio communicator once again and swallowed hard.

MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! This is Skyan Civilian Transport Henrietta - we have been struck by multiple torpedos by unknown submarine. Ship is lost! Crew evacuating!

Henrietta, This is Taurus Station! Dispatching helijets to your location. Are you sure it was a submarine? What did it look like? What was last heading?

Dorbrogost went to respond but as he picked the microphone back up the power shut down and the ship became eerily quiet. Dorbrogost threw the communicator down in frustration. Knowing that was nothing more he could do and feeling the ship tilt every so slightly forward he left the bridge and headed down the stairs.

The ship was making an awful creaking sound as the weight of the flooded front of the vessel created a tremendous amount of stress on the rest of the ship. Dorbrogost cursed, he should have left sooner. The ship was having too much of an incline. The other should have left by now. He looked around to see three of the lifeboats missing from their launchpads.

CAPTAIN! COME'ON!!, shouted the ships engineer as he opened the door to the last lifeboat.

The captain ran forward towards the boat fighting against the slippery steep incline of the deck. As he got close, the engineer grabbed him and pulled him inside the orange capsule. He banged his head on the hull as he jostled his way into the seat. The engineer closed the hatch and spun the lock to safety then hit the large red button.

Instantly the lifeboat capsule dropped from it's anchor and slid down the railing leading to the bottom of the hull. The capsule hit the water with a thud and was partially submerged before popping back up again.

The captain turned in his seat before noticing James Solo's pale bleeding forehead in the seat across from him. He had just been speaking to the watchman not three minutes ago.

James! What happened!?

James shook his head as he held a bandage to his forehead, When we got hit, I was knocked back against the bulkhead. I... I ran down as quick as I could... but..

Dorbrogost shook the young sailor, Stay with me! Don't go to sleep! No sleeping!

* * * * *

Taurus Station
Gothic Sea

Commander Sel cursed as the transmission from the Henrietta cut off. He switched channels and hit an alarm button. Sirens sounded throughout the ship.

This is the Commander! ACTION STATIONS! ACTION STATION! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! SHIP DOWN! POSSIBLE SUB ATTACK! LAUNCH HELOS!

On the deck of Taurus Station, flight crews rushed out of their quarters into three bright orange colored helijets. The helijets were boxy looking with two long wide blades that could be used as wings. Just above the blades were two powerful engines that were starting up. These helijets had open passenger side doors with a rescue operator hanging out of the front secured to a wire rope. The searchlights on the craft lit up as the helijets lifted off and headed in the last known location of the transport ship.

Commander Sel watched the helijets take off then picked up the communicator again.

Citadel Base, this is Taurus Station do you copy?

Roger Taurus, go ahead.

Report of civilian transport sunk by submarine attack - unconfirmed - rescue operations commencing - please advise.

Taurus, please confirm - report of submarine attack on civilian transport?

Good copy Citadel.

There was silence on the radio for a few seconds.

Taurus Station, be advised that Combat Air Patrol will be at attack location shortly. HRA Vigilant being diverted to attack location. Advise all traffic to avoid area.

* * * * *

Thorn was a quarter of the way through her flight's patrol when radio traffic exploded.

Angel Leader, Independence.. divert patrol SE 45 kilometers to new waypoint - Designation Tango Alpha. Civilians Ship Down... Friendly helos inbound. Investigate for possible submarine activity.

Thorn clicked her communicator, Rodger Wilco, Independence... Angel flight inbound low. Alright everyone, you heard'em. Dive down to five thousand feet and keep your weapons tight. Smoke launch a naval probe when we get within range to Tango One. Let's Go!

Thorn moved her stick down and to the left and moved the throttle up. The Accipiter rolled towards the ocean and dived through the clouds. A sonic boom following in her wake.

[Havensky]

Skyan Waypoint Tango One One
Gothic Sea

Angel Flight slowed down as they approached the site of the incident. Angel Four, piloted by Omlet with weapons officer Smoke riding in the back, dipped down below the formation. The belly of the Accipiter interceptor opened up and a bulky pod dropped down and broke apart. The pod case split in two and two football shaped drones went into the water with a plop.

Independence, Smoke: Drones in the water...good signal.. starting sweep.

The drones went in two directions and started actively pinging their sonars and transmitting the results back to Angel Four. From their, the Accipiter interceptor system would retransmit the results to the Independence and the nearest anti-submarine cruiser - Vigilant.

Within two minutes, the first drone picked up something that resulted in a loud 'ping' in Smoke's ears.

Independence! Possible bandit in the water! Hot ping! Hot ping! Turning mic on and transmitting sound!

The second drone flipped around in the water and headed towards the sound of the ping. It turned it's mic on and listened for the sound of the sub's blades in the water.

The Vigilant listened carefully and concluded that it wasn't a normal Kraven submarine. The operator wasn't sure - but it almost sounded Delphire submarine... but something was off.

Independence, Angel Leader... permission to order strike on submarine target...

Wait one - Angel Leader.. that sub sounds Delphian...it's not going anywhere you can't chase. Hail them.

Thorn rolled her eyes as she moved her stick slightly to the left so that the aircraft circles about. She clicked her communicator.

Unidentified submarine, this is Lieutenant Nikki Kurai of the Skybound Republic of Havensky. You are travelling in a restricted area. Identify yourself and surface immediately or you will be sunk. You have thirty seconds to comply.

About five seconds she received a response.

.-- .- .. - / .-- .- .. - / .-- . / .- .-. . / ..-. .-. --- -- / -.. . .--. .... .. .-. . / .- - - .- -.-. -.- . -.. / -... -.-- / .- -. / . -. . -- -.-- / ... ..- -... / .-- .... .. .-.. . / --- -. / .--. .- - .-. --- .-.. .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- .-. .- -.. .. --- / .- .-. .-. .- -.-- / -.. .- -- .- --. . -.. .-.-.- .-.-.- / ..- -. .- -... .-.. . / - --- / ... ..- .-. ..-. .- -.-. . .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.-

The message was translated by the Independence's computers and send back through the channel.

WAIT Wait We are from Dephire Attacked by an enemy sub while on patrol...radio array damaged.. unable to surface...

Thorn cursed, What kind of bullshit is that? Independence, permission to engage.

Negative Angel Flight - Request security codes

Thorn moved her stick to the right and looped the aircraft around again.

Alleged Dephiran Submarine... transmit security code alpha-alpha-seven-seven-seven-seven. You have 15 seconds to respond.

.---- .---- ...-- ...-- ....- ..... ..--- ..--- ----. ....- ---.. ----- ..--- ---.. ....- .- .- ..--- ....- ---.. ---.. ....- ..--- .---- -.-.

There was a moment of hesitation amongst the Skyans as the 25 digit code checked out.

Dephiran Submarine... this is Captain Desmond Gull of the ASW Cruiser Vigilant. We are sorry to hear of your dilemma friends. Please proceed to Taurus Station where we can assist with repairs. We will rendezvous with you shortly. We are contacting the Dephirian Navy as we speak.

Clearly, the Skyans were wary... but given the fact that they had the codes... they didn't feel comfortable attacking Sarko's sub just yet.

[Mokastana]

Midtown
Citadel City, Havensky
Gholgoth

If there was one thing Martin Mendez enjoyed about his work in Gholgoth, it was that the food tasted like home. Being a melting pot of cultures around from the world, Citadel City was a home for refugees from a dozen regions and countless wars. Even though it was still in it's infancy, one could see where this city was going. So naturally, after The People's Unified Federation signed the Global Aerospace Trade Agreement it's companies began to explore their new markets. Soon Montana Inc learned of a city in need of massive construction projects. Luckily for them, the construction branch of Montana was second only to the Pharmaceutical branch.

Many years ago Montana learned the ease of buying and building land in war torn countries. The benefits of raising entire economies from the ground up and riding the financial bubble to prosperity was simply to good to pass up. Sure it required a hefty initial investment, but the PR and increasing currency values paid it off soon enough. They became good at it.

Once you factored in that the Federal Republics of Mokastana were the closet part of Greater Dienstad to Gholgoth, thus reducing shipping cost, this investment seemed worth while in the long run.

"Dos tamales por favor."

Martin enjoyed the fact he could even order his lunch off a food truck in his native language. Despite being in Gholgoth, this city felt safe and even non threatening at times. Though he couldn't understand why all the local "Texans" felt the need to wear sombreros all the time. Perhaps there's was just a different culture. Perhaps it started out for farm hands and just became fashionable. Who knew.

"Gracias, y vaya con dios."

He paid for his lunch and smiled at the aroma coming from the paper bag. Perhaps when they got the restaurant finished on 14th street he could bring in that street chef, or his wife, whoever was making these tamales knew what they were doing.

Walking passed the construction sites Martin wondered how long until the trolley project became a reality, because getting a car into these areas would be a nightmare. Though he didn't want to think about the safety precautions those engineers were required to add, he had enough headaches with ensuring his ground floor restaurant would have access to a bomb shelter.

His phone buzzed, once, twice, and a third time. Phone call.

"Martin Mendez."

"Boss, I just word from the mainland, our custom walls are delayed, they will be on next Monday's Aeroshipment, not tomorrow's."

"Dammit! That's going to put us back. Alright fine. I'll call the contractors to reschedule, anything else going on?"

"I'm trying to find a place to store the tables and chairs, since it seems like they might be in before we finish the main dining room."

"Good, keep me informed."

"Will do."

The line hung up, and Martin's pleasant mood from the thought of tamales was replaced with the stress of work.

Yep, it was going to be one of those days

[Havensky]

HRS Vigilant

Captain Gull cursed under his breath, Understood... Skaro.. we will hold position..

Gull clicked over to the other communication channel.

Vigilant, Independence... send your birds back home. This may be a bit and they won't get away from me.

Roger Vigilance, Angel Flight returning to base. Be advised we are extending Demon Flight's CAP to cover your area. They should be over your location in five mikes.

Good copy, Vigilance out

Gull sat back down in the Captain's chair and picked up his coffee. The bridge of the ship continued to be a buzz of activity with crew members checking on various instruments and radar equipment.

Ensign Alexi, have we heard from the Dephirian Navy yet?

Negative sir, still checking on their end.

Ask them to run a check on Skaro... check in our databases too..

Gull took another sip of his coffee as he watched Angel Flight make one final pass over the area. The seas were getting rough and he was a bit unsettled at the thought of a sub just floating out there.

Harrison, do we have the helijet fueled up and ready to go?

Yes sir, standing by.

Good.. you never know when we'r-

DA-WHOOOOP DA-WHOOOOOP DA-WHOOOOOP!

Alarms sounded throughout the vessel as her sonar systems detected the presence of an enemy submarine.

Sir! Enemy sub detected - Tormentor Class... bearing south west at 4 knots!

Mr. Ross, Intercept course! Alexi, Alert Citadel!

Master Chief Harrison, the Vigilant's executive officer, got on the ship's public announcement system.

Attention, Attention.... set condition one throughout the ship... prepare to engage one TORMENTOR-Class Kraven Submarine..

The fast moving cruiser began it's pursuit in haste.