War of the foolish

Allen thanked the Camari for their help, for a warm bed and most of all for the gift their elders gave him. Tanith mostly apologized for her behaviour, something that was forgiven for a dragon sometimes could not control emotions.

Freya did not apologize for her behaviour and followed the suit of Admiral Evans who thanked them for their efforts to stopping the war.  The Camari bowed deeply for the Admiral a gesture she returned. When it was their turn to leave, they mounted and the two dragons took to the sky.

“you might not have left the best impression” Freya commented to Tanith.

“How so?”

“They forgave you because of your emotions. That is something the Camari do, not to insult me and Jane.”

Allen could feel the pit in Tanith’s stomach that was growing.

“I am sorry Freya” She apologized again to Freya who waved it off with little thought.

The damage has been done Tanith, Trough I should have been the bigger dragon” she paused to hear something that was said to her. “And according to Jane, admiral Evans for you, we shall receive our punishments when it is due.”

Tanith just dropped the connection, fearing whatever punishment would be bestowed on her. She turned to Allen for some hope.

“do you blame me?” she asked softly to him.

“Tanith we have been over this, yes I blame you, yes I forgive you, yes you can make it up to me.” He gave a small rub on the base of her neck. “Remember that I can feel your guilt right now. I know you are sincere  in the apologies but I don’t believe it should be that easy for you to avoid punishment.”

Tanith dropped her head slightly, her emotions started to slightly cook form under her. It was like a slow boil stewing in self-blame for what she did to Allen.

“Tanith” Allen sternly said to her. “don’t beat yourself up, don’t you think I did stupid things? Hell at bootcamp I thought it was funny to stay in bed just a bit longer then the drill sergeant wanted. I gotten hell for it.” He paused to realise that what he thought of trouble was nothing compared to what she did. He never fought another, then again he was no dragon. He did not know what ticked them off like this, trough he dared not to ask.

He tried to pull away from Tanith’s emotions that weighted on her like a heavy anchor in the flight back home. It was only far to luckily that Freya was not flying fast anymore and the day was still young. Trough they had to climb yet again over the mountain pass. This time Allen was prepared for it, he wrapped himself in as much clothing and blanket as he could. Covering his ears and fingers to keep the frostbite away.  At first he was sweating when Tanith was still ascending to make it over the mountain pass, then the cold set in and then dragons.

Twelve dragons appeared from behind a mountain pass. The dragons wore the war symbols of the Holia kingdom that was allied to who they bombed. Cold fear suddenly ran down Allen’s spine. In his comfortable clothing he was less able to move and scrambled to unhook the cold metal guns. He hoped they would still fire with the ice forming on the barrel of the gun.

Tanith and Freya strained to get higher in the sky, they shot up at a base that popped Allen’s ears. The painful hissing noise threatened to disorient him. While he prepared the gun. The other dragons had not fired yet, they were in a blind spot for the gunners that could not turn all the way around like they did.  Allen took this time to cock his guns and fire short and concentrated burst.

He kept at it until the ice on his guns turned straight to steam. Evans on her turn also unleashed hell with her turrets. She being a trained airman was better at her aim. Trough with the altitude, upwards speed and the distance most bullets passed the enemy unarmed. The bullets that seemed to hit did not do anything.

Allen could hear Evans shout something and the two dragons passed along the ridges of the mountain. Allen could see what Evans tried to do, let the dragons fly through the glaciers. He did not know what was more dangerous this path they took or the dragons on their tail. He could sometimes hear bullets fly among their sides from the dragons that took chase. The winding mountains did not leave much line of sight for an dogfight. They were still too far apart. Yet both long distance flyers where less suitable for the winding path they now took.

They tried to get higher and higher to pass one mountain after another. Sometimes Allen could feel Tanith’s claws drag through the snow, sending his aim off while firing another round. The pursuing dragons had a clear line of sight trough only a few did manage to fire and the fire they gave had no pace.

“their guns can’t fire! Higher!” Allen screamed trough the mental link. The two dragons did follow his word, they flew higher and higher. Allen could see they passed the altitude of their previous trip. His head started to hurt slightly and his vision tunnelled to focus on the dragons. He did not pause his firing even though he was not in the state to reload if he ran empty.

The empty cases of the bullets rang down Tanith’s flanks with the guns firing. The dragons kept their distance, just following them while Allen kept on pressing salvo after salvo to the dragons. He could hear growls and roars of the dragons as bullets struck their softer tissues and irritated the flesh below them, Sadly Allen could see no blood.

His gun ran dry of bullets, it clicked its last. “god dammit” he swore as he under his breath. Through his hands where to cold and his gloves too big to reload the gun, it had to wait for them to get down. Admiral Evans took up Allen’s gape in the defence only she only fired occasionally, waiting for the dragons to dare closer before firing a salvo and waiting again.

“Smoke screen coming” Freya warned. A small flame emanated from her mouth that spread thick black smoke behind them. Allen could feel Tanith suddenly drop from under him in a dive. He was dragged with her by the tether that he had attached to the harness. He came down back on her back with an heavy impact. Tanith and Freya had folded their wings down and where diving head first among the sides of the mountains.

Allen gasped as his ears hurt from the drop in pressure. He could see the counter on the display dropping dramatically. Would they be able to break on time with this speed. The wind that flushed over his cheeks gone from bone cracking cold to warm. Allen wasted no time to get his gloves off and reloading the gun on Tanith’s back. He did not care that the gloves where flying away in the head wind that the diving dragon caused.

The chasing dragons did not pull such a dead man’s dive, trough they kept above the dragons lowering slowly but steadily.

“Now”

Tanith and Freya pulled from the dive in an great arc that bottomed out just above the waves of the ocean. Allen’s stomach lurched when he was pressed back into the saddle with all the force such a manoeuvre could bring down up on him. He could feel a darkness close in on him and suddenly he was out.

“Allen get your arse ready” He could hear Tanith scream to him as he came by. Dazed and confused he looked around. They have flown a great distance from the mountains but the dragons where still on their tail. Tanith had gained altitude again, flying perhaps a few hundred meters above the ocean. The dragons where above them but diving in steadily.

Allen scrambled to his turret and aimed up, he could not hit them yet but he waited, he waited as the dragons dropped lower. To his side he could see Admiral Evans looking over her gun to count the distance. She was prepared to fire at a moments notice. Allen took her pose and braced himself against the saddle to keep the guns steady. Counting down the distance to the other dragons.

Suddenly the dragons dived at them for an attack. The growling mass of dragons came at them bullets blasting from them and hitting the water just behind Tanith and Freya. Allen returned their attack with a reign of bullets that where sure to hit some of the crew on the back of the dragons. Tanith swayed and swerved to keep the aim of their attackers of. Being at full wing she was move manoeuvrable then the diving dragons.

“Try to hit their wings,  then they can’t pull out of the dive” Tanith advised Allen.

He shifted his aim just a bit to fire along the flanks of the dragon. One dragon roared as a burst of bullets traced along it’s flame. Singled out by Allen he traced another path among the same bullet. Each bullet did not penetrate the skin of the dragon from such a distance but the wing membrane started to look shredded. Admiral Evans seeing the success Allen had with his shoddy marksmanship copied his technique and improved on it by create smaller shorter burst that hit their mark dead on.

A second dragon had their wing shredded just before the dragons had to pull out of the dive. When the two dragons opened their wings they rolled among their axis and rumbled hard into the water. The spray of water they left behind looked more like a long shot from a great gun ship then a dragon in the water.

From the dragons that hit the water had their wings torn off by the force,. Lifeless they floated and bobbed among the surface. Allen Moved back to the other dragons whom where now closing in fast with all the speed the dive had gathered. Allen kept short burst of fire on the lead dragon, trying to hit the dragon in the chest. He in return received fire that barely missed Tanith and Freya. Tanith suddenly pushed herself higher in the sky to throw their aim of. Her trashing about in the air also made it difficult for Allen to aim but at least she managed to avoid most of the hot lead that was shot their way.

She sometimes growled in pain as a stray bullet hit her skin. “Get these damned dragons of my tail” She growled in anger to Allen.

“I am trying” he shot another burst of fire towards the learning dragon. The bullets struck along the dragon’s chest who roared out in pain. A send burst of fire from Admiral Evans hid the dragon in the head. The dragon grew limp less and tumbled into the water with its crew unable to evacuate from the dragon’s back.

Nine more dragons now, and they where closing fast. Their fire gotten used to Tanith’s and Freya’s trashing about in the air and more often then not flew right past them. Each bullet that hit Tanith send a small wave of pain runtish trough Allen’s mind.  He could feel each bullet on his own chest like he was hit himself. Trough when he looked down he could see no blood, only that of Tanith. Allen unleashed another burst of fire from Tanith’s back, hitting two of the dragons in the wings. The dragons slowed down slightly but where not out.

Admiral Evan kept her gun firing in one solid salvo and sprayed the dragons with fire. Allen took the moment to look at another case of ammunition that was laying stored away safely.

“Freya cover me I am switching to high explosive”

“confirmed”

Allen worked as far as he could to change the ammunition in his gun. He cared little that this would be his last crate with 9 dragons to their two he needed every advantage he could get. He changed the gun in record time and just in time for Evan’s gun to run dry.

“We also take high explosive. Let them come closer and fire on my mark”

Allen waited with sweat in his hands watching the dragons come closer. Without the counter fire they also ceased the fire, no doubt saving ammo or reloading. Closer and closer they came

“Wait”

Even closer, Allen could count the scales on the dragon’s body. His finger itched on the trigger. He could see the turrets tracing Tanith’s lines. They would not take prisoners and he was not prepared to become one.

“NOW” Freya shouted into his mind, the dragons had come close enough to hit. And hit they did. The high explosive rounds tore into the dragons. Their hide burst open at the impact of the bullets and the return fire was swaying and out of control. The panic in the dragons that chased send them flying into each other and the formation was broken.  Allen did not stop shooting, he kept on going tearing into the dragons until he got them all. The high explosive rounds made short work of the soft wing membranes and three more dragons tumbled out of the sky unable to fly.

One dragon was hit in the eye and grew limp less, it skull brushed open from the explosion in the dragon’s brain. Another dragon had its chest blasted open by rounds of high explosives. Roaring in agony it started to drop  trough the ocean.

Allen in his haze could see the pilot of the dragon climbing to the dragon’s head and shooting it in the head before taking his own life. Four other dragons managed to escape heavily wounded, perhaps unable to return at all.

“Tanith, check round” Freya called again, slowly dropping her speed to rest slightly. Tanith made a dropped to fly under Freya. She did not have large wounds but was hit a few times, some of her old patched up wounds also dripped a small trickle of blood.

“Tanith, you need help” Freya said when she did her pass under Tanith. “You have a few large ones that need patching up”

Allen tried to feel where the wounds where but he could just feel an all-around pain in her chest and along her hind legs. He swore to himself for not keeping his mind open in the heats of battle to feel Tanith’s pain more accurately.

“any island here to help?”  Allen asked. He was ready to strap himself in and drop down Tanith’s flank. He only heard about in flight patches but never trained for it. He looked down Tanith’s sides to see the trail of blood she left.

“Ahead! Dragons ahead!” Freya shouted

Allen turned his head to see three dragons flying their way. They did not seem dangerous at least they flew at an easy pace towards them. Allen rotated his turrets just in case the dragons where not friendly.

Slowly they came closer to the dragons to see the colours of their own. Relieved they flew towards the dragons and Allen dropped his guys. Leaning slightly back to see to relax for so long he could.

“Identify yourselves” A heavy voice called, without a doubt a male dragon.

“Freya, Flying with Admiral Evans, With wingmate Tanith, flying with Airman secondclass Walker”

“It is a honour to fly with Admiral Evans. We are the second wing squadron from the carrier Hercules. Do you need assistance”

“We are injured and need a place to rest.”

“alright follow us”

The Hercules, one of the last remaining carriers was not far away. She was surrounded with about every type of anti-dragon ship Allen could remember. The two squadron kept circling the carrier while Freya landed.

“I hate carriers” Tanith growled, reluctance to land. Her first attempt she overshot the deck in such a marksmanship of bad flying that Allen had to call out that Tanith was embracing him. Tanith did grumble back about not being easy landing in such a cross wind but both her mind and the spotless second attempt in landing deemed her remark an utter lie.

He could feel for Tanith trough, when he could hear the hollow deck of the carrier and the sway of the waves, he felt anxious. He could see everyone running around and knew that they were funder able.

“NO.”  Tanith shouted suddenly. Allen turned around to see her being hold and dragon handlers trying to push her into the elevator down the elevator. She buckled against the pull and hold her ground, throwing the crew on the ground before her.

“Walker, what the hell is going on” Admiral Evans dismounted Freya and walked straight at him.

“Tanith does not want to go below deck.”

“Get a grip of your dragon Walker” Admiral Evans called out, hoping that she would not be spoken against.

“Admiral Evans ma’am, Tanith’s last encounter on a carrier was that she barely escaped with her life.”

“God dammit walker” Admiral Evans said and walked to Tanith. “Listen dragon, get below the deck!”

Trough Allen could hear Evans whisper to her. “Don’t disappoint me. We have an reputation to hold high, I expect you to listen to Walker or we will have a big problem. We will not stay long.”

Tanith relaxed with a puff of smoke and allowed herself to be carried below the deck. A few pilots looked at Walker with a shake in their heads. “Admiral Evans it’s a pleasure to have you on board”

A muscular women walked to them with amber hair and slightly brown skin. She wore official clothing with the patch of the Hercules on her right shoulder. “Ah Captain Cromwell I assume” The women nodded with a smile

“Yes ma’am, with what I can thank this pleasure?”

“Me and airman walker had a run in with the enemy from a mission and need a place to rest.”

The captain turned to Allen who saluted for the captain. “Airman Walker a pleasure, trough I expect you to get a hold of your dragon on my ship”

Allen nodded “Ma’am yes ma’am” he said.

“Captain Cromwell” Evans started “I want you to keep an extra eye on Tanith. Walker is greener then most of your recruits in the crops. So control might be a bit lacking, Trough he already earned his ace this battle.”

“Uhm, they get younger each day. This damned war is taking experienced pilots left and right. Alright Walker, welcome into the fire. Make yourself comfortable”

“Ma’am, thank you ma’am” Allen responded before letting himself being led away below deck.

Allen counted himself lucky that on this ship he managed to get the only still empty room, through the reason he did not had a roommate was purely because the pilots have been killed in another mission. Most of the pilots belongings still lingered in the room. A photo of their loved ones under the pillow, A guitar in the corner of the room to pass the time.

“Allen are you wake” He could hear Tanith’s voice, trough he found it strange it was the only voice he had heart so far.

“Yes I guess I am, are you alright Tanith?”

He waited an uncomfortable long time for her answer.

“I could have been better” he could fear the pain trough the link, her body was stiff and sore from the flight and the countless wounds along her flank.

“You want me to come?”

Again Tanith waited some time before answered, either because others where speaking to her or because she did not really want to speak to him. He tried to get a bearing on her what she wanted but with little luck.

“Perhaps, The dragon deck is empty right now of pilots and handlers so yes.”

Allen gotten from his bed, only too happy to be  gone from the tombed room. He did not want to be reminded of death anymore. He already seen too much. He made his way through the ship, walking through the crowded hallways. Around the dragon deck the amount of pilots and sailors running around decreased to a dripple and on the dragon deck just like Tanith said, there was no one.

He counted ten dragons in total on the deck and twenty more dragon pens that where freshly used judging on the straw on the metal ground. Well at least the dragons had straw here. He could spot Tanith laying chained down to the ground next to Freya. She was in heavier chains then the other dragons. They really did not trust her.

“Gagh a pilot again. Who’s pilot is this and can we try to get rid of him” The voice who spoke was that of a dragoness who was joined by a dragon that sounded more like he had smoked at least five life time’s worth of Cuban cigars.

“I don’t know him, he must be one of the new guys” The dragon snorted. The snort followed with smoke draw Allen’s attention to a azure dragon who’s neck was covered in pucker shaped scars. He traced his eyes up the neck to see the dragon having only one good eye, the other had turned white with a nasty scar running across the dragon’s face.

For a moment he started to the dragon before the disfigured dragon spoke again.

“What? Never seen the scars of war before? I wish sometimes other humans could just hear me so I could teach them not to stare.”

Allen just stood looking at the dragon. “The last dragon who I seen with those scare….” He paused being reminded of poor Maximius. He could hear an collective gasp when he spoke his words and saw that Tanith was shifting in her place, straightening her neck a bit like she was showing off a new toy.

“Oh, he, yeah I think I know him. He is my pilot.”

“Tanith” Allen turned to Tanith in part amazement and part frustration that he have been called just to be showed off. “Have you really called me here to show me off?”

“No! I would not dare” Tanith defended herself but Freya blew her cover.

“Yes she has, wanting to show that she has a rider who cared”

“No!” Tanith tried to snap at Freya. “Allen I wanted to show the others here that there is another option then just being trapped here.

Allen slowly walked to Tanith while other dragons still processed what was going on. “Okay Tanith, I feel like I missed something, so what is so important that I have to come out here.”

Finally one of the dragons managed to get their head around the situation. “Can your Pilot really hear us Tanith?”

Tanith nodded, shaking Allen slightly who was trying to reach out and scratch her neck a bit. “Yes! He can”

“Bullshit” the azure dragon called again. “That is impossible”

Allen turned to face the dragon yet again. “A few months ago I found it impossible the dragons could talk, so why would it be impossible for a human to hear more than one”

“Because…We never met anyone who could” The azure dragon explained. “trough if our pilots would know this, they properly will find it rude or something bull like that.”

“Yes I guess they would but, why I called my pilot down was to show you that there might be hope for what we want. If dragons and humans could talk without barriers, wouldn’t it be possible for an world where we coexist normally?”

“After years of slavery?” The azure dragon fired back again. “Honestly sometimes I wonder why I don’t just fly free. But that’s a foolish dream.”

“And besides Tanith, while I respect and love Jane, even she would never get enough support to change the laws about dragon rights. Unless you could make everyone hear us like Allen, we would hardly convince anyone.”

Allen felt himself growing rather small, he had walked right into something he felt rather under qualified to discuss.

“I am not suggesting anyone to tether trough. I doubt I could a lot of dragons on board the tether idea in the first place. A premature death would not be welcome”

Now both Freya and Allen turned at the same time with the same look in their eyes. “What?!”

Tanith looked rather surprised at Allen’s reaction. “you don’t remember what the Elders said? A tethered couple often dies together.”

Allen could vaguely remember the information about the tether but mostly when he thought about the moment he could feel the splitting headache that followed him around.

“I guess, but have not given it much thought.” Freya followed Allen by a question he was unwanting to ask.

“Why you would do that Tanith? you could easily life for another hundreds or so years.”

Tanith looked down at the ground before her, her gaze slowly moving up to finally look in Allen’s eyes who felt a wave of confusing emotions wash over him. “Because I rather die with someone who cares then life another lifetime in captivity as a slave.”

He had not been prepared for the words and especially not the sledge hammer of emotions that laid her words. Or the emotions that pushed through the mental connection between them. He was struck but the feeling of dread when she thought about being paired off to another pilot and the feeling of affection thinking of him.

“Tanith?” he asked softly, reaching her snout to pet it. “Why did you not tell me before?” He received a small snort of Tanith.

What time was the right time to talk about this Allen?” She paused to look at the other dragons. She turned her head towards him again, humming softly. “And I did not know how to tell you that. While I don’t know much of humans, I doubt that you casually have a discussion about dying earlier for the one you love.”

“You love me?” Allen was confused by the emotions that Tanith was pouring from her mind. Almost like a crock that had been unbottled and not caring about the other dragons in the room.

“Well, if you can call it love” While Tanith lied and Allen just felt she lied, he couldn’t place about what she lied. “You have been the first one who actually cared about me. I can call that some love, some affection. More affection then anyone would show you otherwise Allen, even in the breeding pens.”

“Tanith, you talk about the breeding pens as if that’s a punishment but honestly, it’s better than any of this hell hole I have being fighting in the last few months” The azure dragon commented again, letting his presence in the room not falter.

Allen took a deep breath, regaining a strain wreck of thoughts that where now flowing through his head. First order of the day was to find out what Tanith really meant, maybe along a flight or some other way he could speak to her more privately. He also had to unravel himself from this made that Tanith made. He felt like he was at the start of a dragon revolution without his consent of being there.

“But if I get you correct Tanith, by some miracle you want humans to hear us all in the vain hope that they accept us, hundred odd kilos of fire breathing dragon, as their equals and stop a practice that has been around for as long as I can remember?” The azure dragon bellowed in amusement. Apparently finding the idea laughable.

Trough Tanith did not need to explain herself, another dragon with a frail little voice called out into the room. “Well” he started, his words spoken slowly and with care. “I can remember my dad talking about something along these lines.”

“Rub it in that you are among the last generation who actually was raised by their parents.” Another dragon chimed in with pure jealousy.

“Well it’s a shame that we are no longer raised by those who laid our eggs.” The frail dragon commented. “But my dad spoke of his rider just like Tanith speaks about him. Through his rider had died of old age when I hatched. Perhaps if it happened in the past it can happen again.”

“I don’t know who said that, but if it happened in the past, why did it stop?”

“Who knows, greed maybe? Perhaps another reason, I do not know. When it was my time to choice a pilot, the relation between our species had already sored quite a bit. Trough I did had the pleasure to know two or three pilots who did care somewhat about my wellbeing, even if they only cared about me as if someone would care about a priced horse.”

The room fell silent again, Allen thinking and trying to process Tanith’s emotions she was clearly existed about something. It worried him somewhat to think about what Tanith would be excited about. Or what the dragons where planning to do about their situation. He dared not to speak about all the dragons he seen slain by the war, afraid he would set of a rage in any of the dragons.