//------------------------------// // Let Slip the Belles of War // Story: Yaerfaerda // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// “I don't get it... wasn't that—?” Eine began. “The Duchess. Totally.” Kera nodded as the two were escorted by Soul Sentries through the winding hallways of the High Council Building. “She and Floydien have to be somewhere else.” “Like where?” “If you ask me...” Kera gestured for Eine to step onto a balcony within the main chamber. “...they're preparing to lay the hammer down.” “If you say so...” Prince Eine winced as he stepped out onto the balcony seat. Kera and several soul sentries stood behind him. Nodeer seemed to notice the little fawn and tattooed filly. Everyone was too busy shouting, arguing, and clamoring passionately. Meanwhile, Chancellor Fishberry loomed from her seat high above and across the way. As she continued to speak, the irascible crowd rambled louder and louder, voicing their combined confusion and disapproval. “My God...” Prince Eine stammered, gritting his teeth. “It's almost louder in here than it is outside!” “Uhhh...” Kera stirred, glancing all around as she chewed on her bottom lip. “Something tells me this is just how she wants it.” “How could you say that?! Look at my poor subjects!” Eine's yellow eyes burned with a flash of anger. “She's driving them mad with her speech!” “Don't you get it? That's the whole point!” Kera exclaimed. “Chrysalis doesn't want control! She wants chaos! And misery!” “And now she's using Fishberry to do it,” Eine said, shuddering. He glanced aside at the filly. “And the goblins—?” “They won't reach this place if the Jurists have anything to do with it.” Eine panted, his brow forming sweat bulbs. “I... I must do something!” He gulped hard. “If I could just get the Council to notice my presence—” “It's not our move to make, dude.” “But—” “Just wait for our backup!” Kera exclaimed. “Rainbow Dash has a plan in motion! She's awesome, and we should trust her!” Eine looked over Kera's flank. Kera turned to glance as well. The Soul Sentries had retreated. The two watched as the last of the reindeer guard marched away. “Where are they going?” Eine exclaimed. Kera took a breath. “Where they will be far away from this crowd.” She looked forward as the chamber grew louder and louder. “Something tells me, soon enough, we won't be able to trust them.” POW! Flak exploded in the desert air, sending steaming shrapnel in every direction. The Noble Jury bobbed and weaved, barely dodging the explosive bursts. POW! P-POW! Zaid gnashed his teeth, pulling hard to the right and bringing the ship into a sharp spiral. “It's no use!” he shouted over his shoulder as more thunderous bursts echoed all around. “They have too many cannons between the two of them! No amount of fast flying is going to stop the two of you from becoming pincushions!” “Nnngh!” Pilate clung to the port-side cannon as a close blast sent a heat wave rippling past his twitching ears. “And if we abandon our posts, we've got nothing to hit them with!” “Like balls, we don't!” Zaid shouted, pointing past the cockpit windows. “We've got these two rockets! Let's charge them head-on and give their battleships a C-Section courtesy of Roarke Most Rawr!” POW! Chunks of goblin metal scraped against the skystone overhead. “Ungh!” Belle jolted, clinging to her rocket. “Not an option! If we charge them straightaway, we'll be right in their line of sight! We'll be dead before we get them in our sights!” “Our only advantage seems to be maneuverability, for what it's worth!” Pilate shouted. “If only we could get the Jury to spin harder!” Belle gasped. She craned her neck to look at the bow. “...that's it!” She hollered at the cockpit. “Zaid! On my mark, fire the starboard-side rocket!” “You mean the one on the right... right?!” “Yes! For Spark's sake, yes!” “Just what the Hell are we targeting?!” “Nothing!” Zaid spun to look over his shoulder. “Excuse me?!” Belle struggled to shout above the rupturing flak in the air. “Patch yourself through to Props in the engine room! I want you to get her to stall the engine for five seconds! Time it for right when you fire the rocket!” Zaid blinked, then grinned. “Ohhhhhh Cap'n, if you're planning what I think you're planning, this is gonna make it hard for me to sit straight.” “Just follow my orders!” Bellesmith shouted. “You can make a plaque over them later! Now talk to Props!” “Boss!” a goblin said, peering through a spyglass. “I've got a fix on their trajectory!” “And?” Haman grumbled. The imp turned and pointed off the hulking bow of the Gamma ship. “If we fire seventy degrees eastward, we should be able to get a solid hit!” “Right, then.” Haman sneered. “Aim all cannons! Prep the ammunition!” He scuttled forward on his mechanical limbs. “Your luck's run out, you squirrely bastards.” “Prepare to fire!” “On your mark!” “Three... two... one... fire!” “Now, Mr. Zaid!” Belle hollered. Zaid punched his hoof over the cockpit's intercom. “Flaccid time, blondie!” “Scrkkk! Stalling!” Pilate's ears twitched as the skystone engines throughout the ship died. The vessel lurched noticeably, slowing to an icy glide. Belle's voice cracked. “Fire the starboard side rocket!” “It's away!” Zaid yanked the appropriate lever. Pfftchooooom! The mounted rocket fired off with a blast of fiery propulsion. As a direct result, the dormant ship twirled clockwise, pivoting south from where it was at a standstill. Belle and Pilate clung hard to their cannons, their lower limbs flailing. Zaid braced himself against the cockpit as the Noble Jury twirled about, facing the two battleships due south. “They're in s-sight!” he sputtered. “Full speed!” Belle spat. “You hear that Blondie?!” “Okie Dokie Lokie!” The skystone shard flared, and suddenly the entire Jury thrusted forward, accelerating like a gigantic missile. Haman blinked. The goblins around him gawked as their full volley exploded several hundred yards east of the target... the target that was now soaring their way. “They... they turned about!” An imp spun, staring at his superior with twitching eyes. “Nothing can turn about that fast!” “Well?!” Haman snarled, pointing a grimy finger. “Blast them out of the sky!” “Boss, we're...” “What?!” “We're still reloading the cannons...” “... … ...” Haman looked up, his slimy face pale. Ch-Chtung! Belle cocked and loaded her mana cannon. “Ready, beloved?” Pilate swiveled his barrel at the ready. “More than I've ever been.” “Aaaaaaaaand...” Zaid shouted through clenched teeth. “...contact!” “FIRE!” Belle hollered, firing stream after stream of flaming hot energy onto the westernmost battleship. Pilate let out a shout for good measure. His helm rattled as he fired as well as he could at the bulkheads of the Gamma ship rippling by underneath the Jury. Explosions rippled left and right beneath the Noble Jury's gliding hull, as if the ship was surfing a veritable wave of shrapnel and fire.