Firefly part 10 underway... · 5:40pm Aug 16th, 2018
First couple thousand words are down. I don't usually do teasers until it's lot closer to done, but this time I'll make an exception simply because it's been a while since there's been a new chapter. As mentioned before, it'll be a dual-track chapter with focus switching between two battle sites--Epsilon and Gamma/Raptor. We'll open with the former:
“Are you mad, First Sergeant? You want us to attack their assembly area by flying low through the inner canyon river ravine?” Fell Flight was never one to mince words. “’Twould be suicide! Such a plan would only work if we can get there undetected and burst upon them from close range, but ’tis all but impossible they would not have such an avenue of approach watched over and their assembly areas guarded by magus anti-intrusion enchantments! We would have no room to maneuver in that narrow gorge, and channeled into a small area as we would be, they could hardly miss with their crossbows! This assembly area lies downwind and we have plenty of storm clouds. We should instead use them to lay a thick fog over the canyon so they cannot see us approach and then do what Gamma did by attacking the assembly area with lightning from above!” My second insisted, always preferring the direct approach.
“And methinks the sudden presence of fog in a desert canyon would be a dead giveaway that something was up, Master Sergeant,” Still Way said dryly, never losing his sly smile. “And yes, Gamma attacked from above, but only after launching their attack by bursting out of tunnels right on top of them. As their assembly area is located on the lower canyon plateau, methinks we can use the inner canyon gorge to the same effect,” he insisted, motioning to the marked area.
[TODO: canyon map with Epsilon base and gryphon assembly area marked]
“Whilst in the canyon, our attacking force would be difficult to see except from directly above. If we move quickly enough and keep to the afternoon shadows, we could surprise them. And fear not their intrusion detection enchantments. When the assault force gets close, I can teleport in and use my own magic to disperse them,” he promised, nodded upwards towards his horn.
Fell Flight stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “So you will teleport ten miles, which will send up an immediate flare to any Magus in equal range, cast a counter-spell that they will also instantly detect, and then be trapped away from base with the bulk of your magic spent, whilst the gryphon force we seek to strike is alerted and our assault force is flying a circuitous route through the narrow river ravine to reach them, making them easy prey to crossbow and Magus fire?” Fell Flight summarized, then turned to me. “’Tis sheer and utter folly, commander!”
Put that way, I was hard-pressed to disagree. “Unfortunately, methinks neither plan is likely to succeed, Master Sergeant. Both present their own severe and likely fatal flaws,” I answered evenly, systematically analyzing the tactical situation as my former Epsilon commander, First Lieutenant Sundiver, had taught me, studying the maps of the canyon and marked assembly area carefully. The biggest impediment I could see to either plan succeeding was reaching the assembly area undetected, given we were being monitored by gryphon patrols at all times and they’d quickly see any move we made.
If we attacked the assembly area from above at full speed as Fell Flight desired, ‘twould take about two minutes to reach it, which was still enough time for the six hundred or so Talons and Knights in the assembly area to ready themselves for battle given ‘twas likely they’d be instantly alerted to our approach. I could not see that fog would help us either, as it would take nearly an hour to create in large enough quantity to fill the canyon to that distance and, as the First Sergeant said, ‘twould be in itself be a dead giveaway that something was up.
On the other hoof, a sneak attack via the lower river gorge as First Sergeant Still Way advocated presented even graver risk as loss of surprise meant certain death. ‘Twould take upwards of five minutes for us to navigate the winding inner gorge and if we were detected, they could trap us in the narrow ravine and a slaughter would result. There was also the question of bringing sufficient storm clouds along for the strike as Storm Team movement was severely slowed with them; they would not be able to join us until the after went in, but we needed them at the start to get a first strike in against their mages.
After voicing these thoughts out loud, I turned to my assembled senior soldiers and NCOs. “So regrettably, I do not see that either plan will work. I don’t suppose the Lances have any tricks we could use for concealment or getting past their magical detection methods, Sky Sergeant?” I asked, turning to Swift Strike, addressing him by his actual rank for perchance the first time. His true name or rank had not been known to my soldiers until the day before, when he had been recognized and revealed by the two Ravens we captured during their pursuit of the Changeling spy delivering us the Gryphon invasion plans.
As there was no further point in him carrying on the charade of being merely Corporal Zephyr, 5th Division Logistics specialist, he was now wearing the stripes of a Sky Sergeant. “We do, but unfortunately… I do not have them available to me as the EIS only issues them on the mission-by-mission basis,” he told me apologetically, Gavian listening quietly at his side, now dressed in some Talon armor, a leather chestplate that was slightly too large for him supplemented with pauldrons and vambraces which he had painted sky blue at my instructions as opposed to their usual silver. He was there simply because I wanted him in Swift Strike’s presence at all times, but as I glanced at him, I saw he was studying the map intently himself, his sword and a purloined crossbow and quiver strapped to his back.
Whatever his thoughts were, he remained silent as Swift Strike spoke again. “In my opinion, your analysis is correct, commander. With due respect to your magical abilities, First Sergeant, I fear Fell Flight is right that for you to teleport in and attempt to magically disable their enchantments would simply send up a signal flare that we were approaching via the inner valley. But attempting to cover the valley with fog as a prelude to coming in high as the Master Sergeant suggests would give them ample opportunity to ready themselves and perchance they would simply leave their assembly area to get above the canyon rim and level of the fog before we could strike. ‘Tis what I would do were I the enemy commander and I saw fog rolling in, ma’am.”
“If neither plan will work, then what will we do?” Fell Flight’s enthusiasm was starting to wane. “I see no other potential approaches other than through the canyon itself.”
“What indeed…” I closed my eyes as I thought, and then it hit me—that perchance the flaw in our thinking was that we believed that it had to be one plan or the other. “Perchance our thinking is too rigid. Perchance the answer to our dilemma lies not in either option… but both,” I said with what was admittedly deliberate coyness. But methinks I was feeling quite pleased with the idea that had just occurred to me.
“Both plans have their flaws, but methinks both also possess merits. The key will be to combine them—to hold their attention in one direction whilst we blindside them from another. ‘Twill take perfect timing, but methinks we can still surprise them if we do this…”
Targeted release date in September 1st, on the 1-year anniversary of the story, and it should be a long chapter--or two if it’s too long. More info will follow as we get closer.
I'm always excited to see news about this story pop up in the feed.
The preview looks interesting. I look forward to reading the full chapter(s).
Sorry for not responding to these sooner, folks.
4920821
Indeed!
4920866
Appreciated! And it’s still my favorite story to work on.
4921051
Just three more days, and you will!