Chapter 366 - 359 — The Other Half

Bomber One stood beside the hangar with its engines stopped. Mechanics had brought their ladders beneath its wings, while Renner remained near the nose, answering questions from the ground crew.

At the observation pavilion, Lucien watched the escort approach the trial area through the magical projection.

"Escort One is on course," Captain Verran reported. "All gun positions are ready."

Gandalf checked the range officer’s signal and lifted the crystal.

"Begin the trial."

A dark shape rose into view ahead of the aircraft. The mages guided the wooden target upward, its canvas wings rocking as it turned toward the escort.

"The aerial array detects movement as well as heat, my lord," Maerath explained. "These targets have no heat source. Their movement is enough for the array to follow them though manual operation is needed for it."

Inside the forward upper turret, a mark appeared on Sergeant Kellan’s projection plate.

"Acquiring target."

He pressed the tracking control. A crosshair closed around the mark, and his turret turned toward it.

"Target acquired."

Kellan settled against his harness and squeezed the firing control.

BRRRRRT!

The three barrels of the Vulcan Aerie spun, sending a stream of bullets just behind the target. He corrected his aim and fired again.

The wooden body burst apart. One wing tore free, and strips of canvas fluttered among the falling splinters.

Kellan released the control with a grin.

"That one will need more than a new coat of paint."

Lucien glanced at Maerath.

"How are the targets divided between the guns?"

"By the angles each turret covers, my lord. Its plate shows the targets entering that area. The gunner selects one, the enchantment helps him track it, and he controls the firing."

"And when it leaves that angle?"

"The next turret picks it up as it enters its coverage and each gun last angle of fire overlaps with the next so there are no blind spots."

Malen looked toward the escort’s upper and lower mountings.

"Then let us see them handle several approaches together."

Gandalf passed the order to the range crew.

Eight targets rose from the ground and spread around the escort.

Two climbed above its course. Others approached from the sides and below, while the last pair swept toward its rear.

At the gun stations, marks appeared within the outlines showing each turret’s field of fire. The gunners brought their weapons around as the targets entered those areas.

"Targets acquired above."

"Lower position has two approaching."

"Right side is engaging."

BRRRRRT! BRRRRRT!

Verran felt the firing through his seat. Beyond the cockpit glass, a wooden shape target dived toward the aircraft before jerking sideways under spell.

The upper gun followed it.

Shells tore through the canvas and snapped the frame beneath. Its weighted body dropped away, trailing pieces of both wings.

The second target swept farther back along the aircraft. Kellan followed until it reached the limit of his turret’s angle, then released the trigger.

Farther, another gun was already turning.

The target entered that turret’s coverage, and its gunner caught it in his sight.

BRRRT!

Splinters scattered behind the escort.

At the pavilion, Lucien leaned closer to the projection. The forward gun had stopped without trying to follow the target around the entire aircraft. The rear mounting had continued the engagement as soon as it had a clear shot.

Below the fuselage, two more targets climbed toward the belly.

The first broke apart under the lower gun’s opening burst. The other swung outward, escaping beneath the wing before rising beside the aircraft.

A side turret caught it as it emerged.

The gunner fired, tearing away most of its canvas. The frame continued climbing, and he tightened his grip.

"Oh, come on. You are made of wood."

His next burst struck through its center, breaking the frame apart.

On the opposite side, two targets approached close together. Both side mountings opened fire, their bursts crossing the space ahead of the wooden bodies.

One target lost a wing and spun downward. The other broke across the middle before its controlling mage could turn it away.

Spent cases rattled into collection bins. The escort shuddered beneath the overlapping bursts, but Verran kept it steady.

His copilot glanced at him.

"The ground crew will want to know about the vibration."

"They can ask after we land."

Near the tail, another target came around from the right. Its damaged canvas flapped as it entered the rear gun’s field of fire.

The gunner followed the mark across his plate, then looked through his sight.

BRRRRRT!

The target vanished in a spray into splinters.

Only one remained above the left wing. Its mage pulled it through a sharp turn, bringing it down toward the side of the aircraft.

The upper gun fired and tore through the edge of its frame. As it dropped beyond that turret’s angle, the left-side mounting swung toward it.

Brakka rested both hands on the pavilion table.

The side gun flashed.

BRRRT!

The last target broke apart.

For a moment, nobody spoke through the crew link. Then Verran heard a gunner laugh.

"All targets are down," Kellan reported.

"Secure the guns," Verran said. "We are going home."

The range officer confirmed nine targets destroyed.

Ironbreaker rubbed his beard, unable to hide his satisfaction.

"Well?"

Brakka looked at him.

"Well, what?"

"You had concerns about the rear mounting."

"I had concerns because you kept asking whether I had checked it."

"And now we have both stopped worrying."

Lucien smiled and turned toward Maerath.

"Did the tracking hold when they changed direction?"

"The crews report that it did, my lord. We will examine their records after landing."

"Good. Bring the escort back."

Verran received the order and turned toward Skyforge. By the time the aircraft appeared over the approach, its turrets were secured.

"Skyforge Control, Escort One requests permission to land."

"Escort One, you are cleared to land."

His copilot confirmed the landing gear, and Verran eased the aircraft down toward the runway.

The wheels struck with a sharp chirp. He held the escort straight as it slowed, then turned toward the hangars.

Brakka finally took his hands off the table.

"Now I would like a beer."

Gandalf hovered beside him, his long white beard stirring in the breeze.

"You wanted one before they took off."

"Yes, and I have been remarkably patient."

Lucien reached the escort as its crew began climbing down. Kellan removed his helmet and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"How did the tracking feel?" Lucien asked.

"Much easier than trying to follow everything by eye, my lord. I still had to correct the first burst, but the mounting stayed with the target when it turned."

"Put that in your report."

"Yes, my lord."

Malen stayed to question the other gunners while Lucien joined Maerath at a worktable beneath the hangar roof.

"What about the aircraft for the special forces? How far have you progressed since studying the UH-1?"

Maerath unfolded a drawing.

"We are testing the rotor assemblies, my lord. The new aircraft itself has not flown yet."

The sketch showed a broad, angular body beneath a high wing. At either end stood a tilting pod carrying two rotors, one above the other.

Lucien drew the sheet closer. The layout reminded him of the Osprey from his old world.

"Counter-rotating pairs?"

"Yes, my lord. The two rotors on each pod turn in opposite directions. The pods remain upright for vertical takeoff and hovering, then tilt forward for forward flight."

Maerath pointed along the body.

"The crew and troop compartments will have armor, my lord, with wards providing additional protection."

Lucien studied the unfinished markings around the weapon positions.

"What problems are you facing?"

"The armament, my lord," Gandalf replied as he joined them. "The weapons that can deliver the damage we need are too large and heavy for this aircraft. Those small enough to fit do not hit hard enough."

He pointed to the weapon positions.

"We can use the Vulcan Aerie for defensive fire, my lord, but we still need a main weapon capable of dealing with heavily protected targets and especially it will need to engage with enemies on ground too or maybe provide cover fire or fire support all these are hard for an aeries."

"Prepare the requirements. I will look into it."

Beside him, Lucas opened his ledger.

Brakka leaned over the drawing.

"The lifting trials are continuing, my lord. We will need to know the weapon’s weight before we settle the full load."

Malen approached in time to hear him.

"And those men will have equipment. Some may be carrying wounded."

Maerath nodded.

"We have included space for them. I will bring you the cabin drawings."

"Good," Lucien said. "Keep working together. I want their requirements settled before we have a finished aircraft that needs rebuilding."

Lucas, standing at his shoulder, nodded firmly.

"An excellent instruction, my lord."

Maerath began folding the drawing, but Gandalf placed the bombing report beside it.

"While we have you here, my lord, there is another matter."

Lucas’s has a sense of foreboding.

"The aircraft delivered its load successfully," Gandalf said. "But we need bombs with more destructive power. What worked against those wagons and ordinary shelters may do very little against powerful wards or the creatures especially the numbers we expect to face."

Lucien pulled the report toward him.

"And we have too few types to choose from."

"Yes, my lord."

Malen glanced toward Bomber One.

"Could additional bombs in space rings help, my lord?"

"They would give us a larger reserve," Lucien replied. "But they would not make each bomb more lethal. Repeating an attack with an unsuitable weapon only takes us so far."

Ironbreaker rested a hand on the table.

"Do you have any suggestion, my lord?"

"Cluster munitions, for example. They scatter smaller charges across an area. A weapon for scattered troops serves a different purpose from one intended to break a fortified shelter."

Malen nodded.

"Then the crews need a choice of loads, my lord."

"Exactly."

Gandalf looked down at the report.

"We can continue experimenting, my lord, but knowledge of better designs would save us time. Could you find something our people can learn from?"

Lucien glanced through the open hangar doors. Mechanics were already inspecting the bomber’s empty bays.

"Gather your findings. I will see what that shop has to offer."

Lucas slapped one hand over face and said.

"I knew it,i knew it my lord"

Lucien glanced at him.

"We have not bought anything yet."

"You said that before we bought twelve thousand six hundred points’ worth of trenches."

Brakka coughed into his fist. It did nothing to hide his laughter.

"What would you have preferred me to say?" Lucien asked.

"’Well done,’ my lord. Followed immediately by, ’Where is the train?’"

At this Brakka burst out laughing, and Ironbreaker slapped the edge of the table while Gandalf’s white beard shook with his chuckles as Maerath and Malen joined in.

Lucien laughed with them. Lucas tried to keep a straight face, but when Lucien caught his eye, he gave up and laughed too.

He still closed the ledger and tucked it firmly beneath his arm.