Ch.7 of the story, again all the action is included in one big chapter instead of a lot of smaller ones. Comments and opinions welcome as always.

Ch.1 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2852145
Ch.2 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2852148
Ch.3 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2852159
Ch.4 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2852172
Ch.5 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2856405
CH.6 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2856420

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Castle Digram
1PM

Colonel Vulpes stood at the window of his quarters in the castle, staring out over the sea in the distance, watching a storm raging. The Mage had made sure that the storm would not head inland towards the castle but it still caused him grief, for he knew that the Kingston and her battle group were out there in the storm. Earlier in the day he had been informed of how the pirates and the Horde vessels ruled the seaways, posing such a threat that only the bravest or most foolish captains attempted to put to sea. Command of the sea needed to be regained as quickly as possible and even with the two Destroyers and the submarine in the theatre, it would still take time. For this reason, Vulpes had put in a request for the former RAN Light Carrier, the Melbourne, saved from scrapping and refitted, to be transferred to his theatre of operations.
The Melbourne was serving alongside the former USN Carrier Kittyhawk, purchased from the USN after their withdrawal from service. Although the Kittyhawk was larger and better equipped than the former Australian carrier, it’s size and usefulness had precluded it’s immediate departure as it was already on deployment alongside the USS Enterprise and it’s taskforce in the pacific, at least one month from base, so the Melbourne would have to suffice.

His thoughts were quickly brought back to the present by a knock on the door and he turned towards the door,” enter.”
The door swung opened and a young, nervous looking fox entered, glancing around the room before moving right up to Vulpes. The youngster had never seen a Fox in a position of authority before, that was reserved for the Wolves and the Big Cats, foxes were just farmers and servants in this world.
“S..sir, His Majesty has ordered me t...to serve you, whatever you need, i..it’s my duty to serve.”
Vulpes looked the youngster up and down, taking in the scar on his face, something about this child reminded him of himself. He couldn’t help but notice at how the young kit stared at him,” you haven’t seen too many Foxes as leaders have you?”
“n..no sir, the king’s guard refuse to allow Foxes to join, going so far as to kill anyone who opposes them” the kit said, regretting it a few moments later,” I should not have spoke.”
“What is said in this room stays in this room” Vulpes said with a smile,” what is your name?”
“K..Ky’rn Vultee sir.”
Vulpes placed his cap on his head and stood,” I have to inspect the airbase, you want to come along Kyron?”
A smile crossed the kit’s face as Vulpes lead him towards the door and the pair headed for the Airbase.

On the ‘tarmac’, two dozen Commandos stood ready to climb into their transports, a pair of old PB4Y-2 Privateers, still bristling with .50 cal machine guns and modified for parachute drops, which were running up their engines. The roar of eight 1,200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radials caused the young kit to hide behind Vulpes as they approached the soldiers, all busy checking their gear and priming their grenades. Captain Balsi, a timber wolf, looked up as Vulpes walked closer. He snapped to attention and saluted,” Attention!”
Vulpes returned the salute as the kit peered around his leg at the Commando Captain, fear and awe visible in his eyes.
“As you were” Vulpes responded,“ good luck on your mission Captain, I wish you clear skies.”
“Thank you Sir” the Captain replied,” my men and I will have those buggers in such disarray that they won’t be able to hold the line. Who’s the Kit Sir?”
“This is Ky’rn, he was ordered by the king to be my servant” Vulpes said, placing his paw on the youngster’s shoulder and stepping to one side. After the introductions had been made, the flight crew took Kyron up to the cockpit while Vulpes wished each commando good luck personally.

After fifteen minutes, Ky’rn was lead out and stood beside Vulpes as the commandos boarded their aircraft and stowed their gear. The sound of the two Second World War veterans swinging out onto the runway caused Ky’rn to cover his ears and look away as the back draft from the props kicked up the dust. As the two ex-naval patrol/bombers thundered down the runway, Ky’rn stared in awe as they lifted off the runway and strained for altitude, raising their landing gear and setting a course for their destination, quickly passing out of visual range.

Onboard the two Privateers, the commandos checked their equipment again while Captain Balsi read over their orders. Despite the main forces being armed with FN FALs and other fairly modern equipment, the commando unit were authorised to use whatever weapons they preferred to get the job done, so weapons like the AK-47s, AKMs, SKS Carbines and other Soviet era weaponry found favour. In this unit, there was a mixed armament of AKM Assault rifles and SKS Carbines. The different ammunition calibres compared to the main force were not large problem for the logistics as the Commandos were going to be resupplied when they needed it.

A red light came on in the modified bomb bay, signalling they were approaching their drop zone
”Hook up” Balsi yelled as he stood up and attached his static line to the wire,” two minutes to DZ.”
The troopers clicked their lines onto the wire and moved towards the opening bomb bay doors.
The light flicked to green and they jumped, one by one, leaving the aircraft to turn for home.
A rough landing and the troops were on the ground, burying their chutes and scanning the tree line for Orcs and other nasties. Once the chutes were buried they began their trek towards their camp zone, an old fortress on a hill, allowing them complete protection from three sides.

About halfway home, the two Privateers found themselves being shadowed by small dragons, each no bigger than a World War Two fighter aircraft, staying well outside the range of the aircraft’s defensive guns. Suddenly they dived in, swarming around the aircraft before the gunners could react.
Once the defensive guns opened up, the pilots quickly headed for the deck, coming in only a few metres above treetop level so that the dragons could not attack the unarmed underside of the aircraft. Suddenly a gunner chimed over the intercom,” one bandit down!”
Rounds went out and more dragons died, yet they were still coming, they wanted the two aircraft downed, no matter what the cost. The lead pilot radioed ahead to the airfield, saying that he was heading in with at least thirty dragons on their tails and their gunners running low on ammo.
A cottage lost its thatched roof as one of the tore it off as it passed overhead, it’s occupant rushing outside and staring as the two Privateers thundered away with the dragons still hot on their heels.



Temporary Airfield X-ray

The sounds of alarm Klaxons echoed across the base and throughout the nearby Castle, sending the troops scattering for their posts. The castle guards stood by, feeling helpless as the MCF soldiers brought their Russian ZSU-23-4 Shilkas into action, pointing their quad mounted 23mm cannons skyward. Aircraft scrambled and weapons were readied. Vulpes and Ky’rn stood inside the demountable building being used as the Headquarters building, Vulpes with a rifle in his paws.
Ky’rn gripped his leg,” I’m afraid!”
Vulpes placed his handpaw on the youngster’s shoulder,” They should be the ones who should be afraid.”
An evil looking smile crossed his muzzle and he aimed his rifle towards the hills as the dull roar of the Privateers wafted through to them. The mood was tense and all soldiers waited for the chance to get their own back for all the attacks on the cities of their own world. The drone of the two aircraft became extremely load as the Privateers came across the airfield and all hell broke loose. The dragon’s realised where they were and that they had just been led into an ambush. They broke formation and went after the buildings, parked aircraft, the Castle and the defensive guns, hurling fireballs at their targets. Ky’rn covered his ears as the hell storm of Auto cannon booms, machine gun crackle, rifle cracks and the drone and roar of aircraft mixed with the roars of the dragons that were at that moment attacking the airfield.

One dragon fell, it’s wings torn to pieces by the fire from below, another launched a fireball at a parked C-130, causing a massive explosion that reduced the large transport to debris. Even before the upswept tail and wings slammed into the ground, the dragon had launched another fireball at one of the ZSUs, reducing the Shilka to scrap, killing the crew and severely burning the few soldiers using it for cover. The Castle took a direct hit, sending stone tumbling to the ground as one of the towers gave way, taking several of the castle archers with it.
Another C-130 brewed up, followed by an AV-8B Harrier, a Huey, a Hind; the grounded aircraft were being decimated. Out of the corner of his eye, Vulpes saw two pilots running for a Huey gunship sitting near the hangers, a sabertooth and a Cheetah, who quickly clambered aboard and quickly ran the engines up. A dragon came in fast and low towards the chopper and was almost on top of it when a missile slammed into the base of its neck. An AV-8 roared past and the Chopper clamoured airborne.
“Feligris to the Harrier that saved our tails, we owe you a beer” Cayla said into her helmet microphone.
“Just make sure you are around for me to collect,” Trablini replied as she dispatched another dragon,” Eagle one out.”

Soon the attacking dragons had departed, leaving at least half their number lying dead in the fields surrounding the base. Inside the HQ, Vulpes lowered his rifle and looked at Ky’rn, who was staring at him with a strange look of admiration mixed with fear. What he had witnessed had been the biggest show of force he had ever seen. The airfield was a mess, burning planes and choppers, a burning hanger and debris strewn around the hanger area. Medics ran back and forth, treating the wounded and hauling them off into the castle dungeon where the M.A.S.H unit had been set up.
Vulpes surveyed the damage and wondered how they got off so lightly, nothing was destroyed that couldn’t be replaced and the soldiers that were lost, replacements were available. He would write the letters to families later, right now he had a counter-attack to organise.


Airfield X-ray
5:30PM

Vulpes stood before a large noticeboard under a camouflaged tent, upon which a blown up photo reconnaissance photograph was displayed. It showed a castle deep in a forest, surrounded on all sides by swampland. Seated before him was every pilot and flight crewmember who was included in the counter attack. At the front row were Cayla, Kalan and Trablini as well as strike pilots from every unit at the Airfield.

“Your target today is this castle, which Intel believes to be the HQ of Lord Birming, Lord Biesty’s right paw Wolf. Taking him out of play would, if nothing else, slow the assault on King Digram’s domain. Unfortunately, as you can see here, the surrounding area is ringed dragon roosting sites. We have seen what those dragons can do so their roosting sites are primary targets, as is the castle itself. Campsites and any other sizable clusters of enemy troops are secondary targets. All relevant target information is in the briefing in front of you, You launch in three hours, Dismissed.”

The pilots and aircrews exited the tent and headed to their aircraft to prepare for the upcoming raid. Bombs, missiles and napalm tanks were mounted, fuel tanks filled and drop tanks fitted. The sound of jet engines winding up was intermixed with the reverberating snarl of Radial engines as zero hour approached. Cayla and Kalan looked at their new helicopter that was replacing their Huey, which was damaged in the attack by the dragons and had been patched up enough to limp home through the portal back to home base for repairs. Before them sat an Apache Longbow attack chopper, one of the rare pieces of equipment purchased new by the MCF. Cayla frowned, for although she and Kalan were qualified on the type she had always flown a Huey, Kalan on the other hand appreciated the firepower the new attack helicopter provided them with.

Trablini had been scammed in her opinion. The leader of one of the squadrons had been killed, as had his 2IC and 3IC, in the last battle, so she was offered his position and, having never seen this squadron but knowing it was her husband’s old Squadron, she accepted. She was regretting it now, standing before her new aircraft. To her, it was like looking back into a time warp at a piece of family history, like looking at the pictures hanging on the wall of her husband’s study. Her new aircraft was an improved F4U-4B Corsair from the Korean War. Appearances were deceiving though, beneath the engine cowling beat the heart of a much more powerful beast, an engine now producing around 3,200hp. The cockpit was fitted with the most modern avionics and systems. Despite all this, it still looked like the plane her husband had his accident in.

Several of the Castle Digram Dragons were gathered on the edge of the airfield, the farmland surrounding the airfield lined with locals and the castle walls were lined with guards, servants and even the King himself, all waiting to see the largest show of destructive capability they had ever seen prepare to take to the air. The order to go came down and the air filled with the whump of rotors, the snarl of radial engines and the high pitched whine of the jets as they took to the air and headed towards their targets. The plan was simple, the attack helicopters would come in low and fast, the Skyraiders and Corsairs would commence rocket and napalm bombing runs from medium altitude as would the AV-8Bs and Hunters. Around the base, the sounds of cheers mixed with the engine sounds as the locals, Dragons and guards yelled their best wishes to the aircraft that were about to strike back against the enemy by hitting a target in the very heart of their territory.


Approaching Castle Birming
9:50pm – 10 minutes out.

Cayla and Kalan’s gunship force broke off from the main group, dining into a canyon that ran parallel to the castle and dragon roosting sites. A small village by the canyon mouth was the waypoint and all twelve gunships dove for it. The locals were sent scattering for cover as the metal monstrosities tore overhead, making enough noise to wake the dead. Those still watching saw the gunships vanish into the darkness of the canyon, leaving no doubt where they were going.

9:55pm – 5 minutes out.

Trablini glanced at her watch, checking it against the readout in front of her.
‘Here we go’ she thought as she radioed the other aircraft in the flight to follow her.
The Corsairs and Skyraiders peeled away and went to tree top level and turning their noses to the North-East, the AV-8Bs and Hunters doing the same except turning their noses to the North-West.

Castle Birming
10:00pm

As the timehacks in all cockpits hit 10:00pm, all hell broke loose. The gunships popped up out of the canyon and loosed off a salvo of unguided rockets into the centre tower while simultaneously lacing the tops of the castle walls with HE rounds from the under nose automatic cannon. They held their position while the AV-8Bs dumped a load of Napalm into the castle courtyard and the Hunters opened up on the front of the tower the gunships had already attacked. The gunships broke formation and swung low over the Dragon roosting grounds and succeeded in removing several dragons from the equation before the others began to realise what was happening. As the dragons started to take to the air and the Hunters and AV-8Bs started to run out of ordinance, the reverberating snarl could be heard. Unguided rockets were loosed as the Corsairs thundered over their targets, striking yet more Dragons that were struggling to take off, sending them crashing to the ground. More rockets and Napalm tanks were delivered right to the mouth of an overhang under which the Orcs had made an encampment. The Castle wall took a direct hit, a dragon attempting to take off was downed, Orcs were strafed and buildings burned.

Things started to go wrong from then on, more dragons had managed to get airborne and the aircraft had run out of Air-to-ground ordinance, allowing yet more to take off unchallenged and they had a score to settle.
Within a few moments, an Apache fell in flames, an AV-8B went down, two Hunters were swatted from the sky, a Skyraider and a Corsair had been reduced to scrap.
Every aircraft did whatever it needed to do to survive, the Hunters thundering through the sound barrier and the AV-8Bs turning for home at low level. They reported that they were ‘bingo’ fuel and needed to return to base to refuel and rearm.

Only the pilots of the Corsairs, Skyraiders and Apaches had the guts to take whatever they could down. Kalan had to hang on as Cayla threw the Apache into a tight turn and came up behind a dragon, into which Kalan loosed off an Air-to-air missile, sending it spiralling to the ground as the battle raged around them. They had started the assault with twelve Apaches but the number was rapidly dropping. A fireball from another Dragon slammed into the tail of an Apache to their left, the resulting explosion tearing the chopper apart and showering Cayla and Kalan’s Apache with fragments. One had its tail rotor snapped off, one had its cockpit smashed by a tree torn from the ground and thrown by a dragon and another had collided with a dragon head on, sending both to the ground in flames.
Trablini was having better luck in her old Corsair. She had already accounted for several Dragons and had assisted on several more. The old Corsair seemed to have come alive and was dancing all across the sky, sending dragons to their doom. A large Dragon with a scar on its hide swooped down before her and snatched a Skyraider from the sky.
‘YOU!’ she thought suddenly as she remembered the dragon she had been forced to let escape at Castle Malasam,’ your ass is MINE!’
A burst of fire from the Fifty Calibre machine guns in the wings tore into the back of the dragon’s head, causing it to go limp and dive, the Corsair following it down and continuing to pump rounds into the beast’s head and neck, making sure it was dead by the time it hit the ground.
She quickly pulled up and only just cleared the wall of the castle, her wingtip smashing into a guard’s face, almost taking his head off, killing him instantly as his nose met the back of his skull. The Skyraiders, being attack aircraft and not particularly suited for Air to air combat, had turned for home, leaving the Apaches and Corsairs to fight it out with the Dragons.
Cayla and Kalan’s chopped rolled and dived into the canyon, as did the last of the Apache squadron, now numbering just three. They were followed by three of the last seven dragons, leaving five to face five Corsairs, the others having been destroyed or having run out of ammunition.

Quickly the Corsairs formed up in a line and headed straight at the dragons, their fifties running hot and leaving trails of grey-blue smoke from the wings as they tore into the fray. A dragon let loose a fireball which slammed into the corsair on her right, reducing the airframe to debris. A few seconds later the same dragon was spiralling, dead, towards the ground. By the time the two groups met, there were only three Corsairs and two dragons remaining. As they passed, the second Corsair clipped the remaining two dragons and exploded, the impact killing one and the explosion tearing the other to pieces.
The radio was still alive with frantic communications from the Apaches and Trablini and the other Corsair pilot skilfully swung dropped their aircraft into the narrow canyon, closing in on the dragons.


Cayla couldn’t see the dragons but she could almost sense them as they closed in on the helicopters from behind. The Apache at the rear of the formation exploded in a shower if metal rain before spinning into the closest chopper to it and sent it into a spin, both slamming into the canyon wall and exploding. Suddenly the sound of machine gun fire could be heard and tracers whizzed by above the Apaches. As the two remaining Apaches swung around a tight turn, Kalan looked back to see what was happening behind them.
“You are not going o believe this, two Corsairs have followed us in and are pouring lead into the dragons.”
“They’ll need some help, I’ve got an idea, hang on!” Cayla replied, suddenly slamming the controls down and flipping the airframe around so it was facing the Dragons. The other Apache had followed suit and they both poured HE shells into the dragons as the Corsairs tore them apart from behind. Only one Dragon made it out of that canyon, heading straight up and away from the aircraft. The Apaches had to dive so that the Corsairs didn’t slam into them and soon both groups were in formation, the Apache’s radar acting as an early warning system for the Corsairs. Neither the Apaches nor the Corsairs had many rounds left and only one Air-to-air missile remained. Not that it worried the pilots; they had flown into hell and lived to tell about it. Finally the Airbase came into sight and they knew they were safe. Once they were on the ground it was found that the Corsairs had 14 rounds left all up and the Apaches had only 29 HE rounds left. The ground crew quickly go started painting little dragon shaped ‘kill’ symbols on the engine cowlings of the Corsairs and on the side of the cockpits of the Apaches while the crews went to be debriefed and then to the Officer’s club for a drink.