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1. [DL-D] Fire Lancers and First Flights
From: "John Pepper" trissana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
1
From: "John Pepper" trissana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sun May 7, 2006 9:55am(PDT)
Subject: [DL-D] Fire Lancers and First Flights
Morning, Day 30
T'rell squinted into the morning sun as he held his hand over his
head in a signal for readiness. Then he brought it down, and a dozen
pillars of fire and smoke rose high into the air from concealed spots
nearby. He nodded silently to himself as he watched the rockets arc
over into horizontal flight, and then angle back earthward. One after
another, they hit the earth several hundred yards distant, each
detonating with a sharp cracking sound that reverberated off the
distant hills.
*Now!* he called out telepathically. *Attack!*
Forty dragons, who along with their riders had been orbiting at very
low altitudes behind the hills that were just visible in the distance,
now appeared overhead. They knew how to visualize this place very
accurately, having overflown this ground many times before, and so were
able to appear in perfect echeloned formation. As the leading dragons
passed over the line where the projectiles from the fire lances had
hit, each let out a great blast of flame that spread out when it hit
the ground, turning the whole area into a sea of fire that was added to
as each successive dragon passed over the target zone.
*Second group...attack!* he signaled as the last of the dragons
completed their pass. Now another group of dragons and riders, as
large as the first, appeared right where the first group had teleported
in moments before, and repeated the maneuver.
"They look good!" said one of the dismounted riders who had fired the
opening salvo from the fire lances as he walked over to T'rell, still
lugging the heavy iron tube of the fire lance, its ends still smoking.
"Yeah, but the second wave would have been set on by the wyverns as
soon as they appeared," T'rell replied impatiently. "I only sent them
in so they could get practice in doing those ground attack runs." When
the rider stared at him uncomprehendingly, the Wingleader sighed.
"Look, the rockets are supposed to explode ABOVE the ground, not when
they hit the ground! The whole point is that we launch them when we
catch some of the wyverns on the ground - the blast keeps them down and
disoriented...and hopefully takes out a few...so that our dragons can
hit them from overhead."
T'rell signaled the wing to re-form, and thought about what could be
done to rectify the situation. No one had ever tried to design a
rocket that blew up before it actually hit something, except when
making fireworks. That was a simple thing, the rocket went up and then
exploded when the burning powder reached the top where the main
explosive charge was. It didn't really matter if it went off in three
seconds or four seconds, it just needed to go off where the crowd could
see it. But, they'd found that it was hard to make rockets that would
all explode at just the same time after launch. Invariably, when they
fired a salvo, one or two rockets would detonate while still high in
the air, and then every second or two a rocket would explode as they
made their downward arc, with only one or two exploding at the proper
altitude. And, of course, there were always some that hit the ground
and didn't go off because the impact knocked the explosive charge away
from the
propellant charge.
They'd solved part of the problem by fitting contact detonators to
the tips of the rockets - at least that made sure that if a rocket
hadn't gone off by the time it hit the ground, it would go off on
impact and at least do some damage. But no matter what they did, they
didn't seem to be able to get just the right distance and firing angle
to have the rockets arrive twenty feet over their impact point at the
precise second that the fire reached the explosive charge.
Looking through the telescope, though, he saw that at least one new
innovation HAD worked. He handed it to the fire lancer standing beside
him. "Looks like a moonscape out there," he commented. "That idea of
putting jagged pieces of metal around the explosive charge at the tip
really makes for some major damage. Would have still been better if
they'd gone off in the air." And, of course, it went without saying
that using those metal bits would have serious consequences if any
detonated while they were still too close to their own dragons and
riders.
Well, obviously they needed more work. If this had actually been
Triylar instead of a practice area far from either that place or the
warren, things might have been more than a little difficult. He hoped
they'd be able to resolve their technical problems before the time came
to actually use these new innovations in a real battle.
<Galendriel is calling,> Flerrion informed him. <It's time!>
T'rell turned and blinked at the crimson dragon standing a ways
behind them. *Oh, I forgot you were there. Okay, lets get going
then.*
In moments, T'rell and the fire lancers had remounted and the whole
of Gamma Wing teleported back in over Daere - although, unlike the old
days, they didn't teleport right over the green, as this would invite
immediate attack by the reinforced watchdragon guard. Instead, they
came in more than a mile from the outer perimeter, and promptly
broadcast to identify who they were. That done, they swept in
formation over the cliffs of Daere to make a landing at the far end of
the green from where everyone was gathered.
*Have your riders hurry up!* he told all of the dragons. *We don't
want to miss any of this!*
He quickly dismounted and headed off toward the gathering crowd.
Flerrion, meanwhile, spotted Almantha and casually walked over to where
she lay - not remembering, for the moment, how or where he'd acquired
those bite marks on his rear. <Hel-lo!> he announced brightly. <Well,
I am back!>
The queen narrowed one eye and went back to looking at the distant
hubbub. Flerrion cocked his head, and cleared his throat. <Um...I am
back!> he said just as brightly, as though she hadn't heard him the
first time, sitting down and swishing his tail back and forth as he
waited for her to notice him.
T'rell, meanwhile, had found Pandora in the crowd and slipped in
beside her. "Looks like I made it back just in time!" he whispered,
putting an arm around her waist and following up with a kiss as she
turned to look at him. "Have I missed anything?"
Submitted by:
John
T'rell & Flerrion
Daere Warren
Summary:
Morning, Day 30
T'rell takes Gamma Wing out to practice the tactics they hope to use
when they go to retake Triylar. The wing returns to Daere at
Galendriel's summons, and while Flerrion goes to see Almantha, T'rell
finds Pandora in the crowd.
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