Between Two Worlds, Ch 4: Mark of Duty

2100.  Omega squadron stood outside the armory, waiting in a long winding line.  The place was absolutely pack, with barely enough standing room.

"I'm telling you, it wouldn't be this crowded if something was going on, but I can't get anything out of any of the squad leaders." Venus said quietly into their huddle, "I know why.  Compartmentalization.  Something big is happening, but everyone’s orders are classified, so everyone only gets a tiny piece of the picture.  I was able to wrangle some information, mainly from fellow thunder draken.  Something BIG is going down."

"I agree." Guinevere dropped in, "You can't have this many squads here without a general mobilization.  But where are they being deployed?"

"How big is this Guin?" Agera asked eyeing anything suspicious.

"Very.  Normally I can make an educated guess.  But it's more than that."

"Guin and I, much like you, headed back to the mainland today.  You must have seen it." Venus said even more quietly, "A general call to arms.  People telling people, who tell even more people.  Civvies everywhere are carrying weapons."

"And it's not just Cayman.  It's all over both colony worlds.  This is bigger than any normal operation.  But it's the big things that really bother me.  Troops from Berlin reporting mass migrations of Voidwing movement.  Reports from navy personnel of reactor heat plumes in the hulls of starships.  The mobilizing of NINE mechanized armored divisions."

"Nine?!"

"Sssh." Jiza hissed at her.

"Nine?" Agera said, more quietly this time, "That's three full legions of tanks.  Something like a quarter of the force."

"That's just the MBTs.  Those are just heavy mechanized divisions."

Agera's eyes widened, "That's all seven of the main and -"

"I know, and two reserves.  It's something like two hundred and ten of just the main battle tanks.  I'm estimating something like another twelve hundred armored fighting vehicles in grand total."

"What kind of party are they planning?  And where do we figure into this?" Agera asked, looking around at the assembled mass, "It's been getting busier here as well."

"I don't think this is an invasion group.  I honestly think the void are gearing up for one final assault."

"How?  We own the only two portal generators in existence now.  Unless Avila can figure out a way to get her troops here." Janus said, "She can't do that, can she?"

"She can." Agera and Venus said the phrase at the same time.  Agera finished for them both, "The problem is she has to know the exact location of both the entrance and the exit points.  For a Golden dragon, it's easy to move yourself, it's difficult to move others.  She could try, but she would risk losing her force in space.  That's why we use hyper-precise coordinates for our generators. Each time we jump, your using decades of research into the most delicate movements of the universe.  All that spinning, orbiting, wobbling, it's impossible to guess without precise measurement."

"Right, that's why we can't just land right on top of their heads.  The generators only lead to the most major cities, and of those, most have been destroyed."

"So, they used one of our connections when we opened it last time to get here?" Vienzo said.

"That wasn't a battle for them.  It barely warranted a skirmish title for them.  That was nothing more than a pursuit by an elite few." Guin said quietly.

"So if Avila was holding the generator open, how did it close?" Jiza said quietly.

"It was Pyrrus." a voice behind them said.  Agera knew who it was immediately.

"Why are you here mother?" Venus called to Kiesah as she approached.

"I'm not your mother, Venus.  I'm here for repairs on my own set of armor.  You lot are getting yours soon, aren't you?"

"Whenever they deem us worthy enough to enter their shri -”

"OMEGA!" the quartermaster called over the group’s heads, "Omega squad, front and center!"

"Time to really become a soldier." Agera said to the rest of her group.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The armory was small cramped and dark.  Small, yet bright fires burned in the center of the room, and didn't quite reach the corners.  The walls were lined with assault rifles, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, squad support machine guns, side arms, and hundreds of bayonets.  Stacks of human body armor and combat fatigues were piled against the wall.  A minigun rested in the corner, and a row of automatic bullet milling machines were against the wall.

"Someone's gone all medieval." Janus said quietly.

"Shut up, Janus."

The quartermaster was incredibly short.  He had a strong stocky build and his skin was covered with red blisters from burns.  His blocky heavy browed face was constantly etched in a frown.

"Do you lot know how much trouble you've caused me?!" he shouted up at them after closing the door, "This is all such a damned inconvenience.  These are my last five suits of dragon armor, and they are incredibly expensive and rare.  Now then, follow me.  The generators are out for this section, so you had better stick close unless you want to lose yourself in here in the dark."

He grabbed a flashlight, and beckoned for them to follow him down a flight of skinny stairs.  The place was just barely large enough for them as they descended.  Agera had to draw her wings right up against her body to allow her to pass, her scales occasionally scraping paint off the walls.

Several floors down, and Agera wondered if they were traveling to the pits of hell.  Finally, the stairway ended, and they all emerged into a long wide hallway.  The stone tile here was newer, as were the light fixtures, so when the quartermaster opened the doors at the far end, and revealed a cave beyond, they were shocked.

Massive furnaces roared as they were tended to by a group of fire drakes, all larger than normal draken.  Agera was led to a heavy muscled male and introduced.

"This is forgemaster Fiam.  Fiam takes orders from me, and does not answer to you, UNDERSTOOD?!" he shouted at them.  They all saluted, "We do not give handouts, so don't you ever beg for extra armor, because it won't be given.  Run them down, Fiam."

"Yes, sir!" there was the slightest hiss in his voice, "I'll get them sorted out.  You lot with me."

The quartermaster turned and jogged back to the doors, never giving them a second glance.  Agera was about to protest, but the Forgemaster cut her off.

"Old coot thinks he knows everything about dragon armor.  I've been making armor now for near as makes no difference one hundred years.  I know my job."

He led them down a shallow path and into an antechamber, passing between two furnaces.  Molten slag illuminated the long low chamber and each pedestal, each housing a particular set of armor.  Guin smiled at Agera.

"Now who here is the leader?" Fiam asked the group. Agera raised a wing, "Step forwards."

Agera moved into the gap between him and the squad.  She was sweating profusely now from the heat.

"The humans, quartermaster included, think our armor is just another tool.  This cannot be further from the truth.  Each set is custom made to cater to the needs of each individual warrior it goes to.  How do you prefer to fight?  Land or air?"

"Air."

"Powers or claws?"

"Claws.  What does this have to do with armor?"

Fiam ignored her, "Stealth or armor?"

"Armor."

It went on like this for a while, question or answer until Fiam had a solid idea of how Agera liked to fight.  As he talked, he would tread up to a set of armor, and according to her answers would move down or up the rows.  Finally when the questions ended, they stood in front of the selected armor set.  Fiam lifted the helmet.

"Let's see you in it.  Each armor set has been made generally the same way for thousands of years.  By hand.  Each piece can take anywhere from ten to thirty-five hours to craft, and depending on the size of the armor can take anywhere from seventy to eight hundred hours to craft.  Based on the size and thickness of the armor, a set will weigh up to four hundred pounds, and the thickest, largest plates will be up to five inches thick.  Some armor comes with defensive spikes installed, or active camouflage, which adapts to the surrounding terrain.  All come with built in radio communications.  Standard troops are only patched into their squad and the surrounding radios.  Squad leaders get enhanced radios, enabling them to coordinate with other squads or wings on the fly.  All suits come with hydration packs, a laser rangefinder, night vision, optical enhancement, and a video recorder.  Information is stored in a black box.  Built right, these suits offer much improved protection and capabilities, WITHOUT degrading the combat performance in any way."

Agera took the helmet from him.  It had a bunch of angles, designed to deflect enemy weapons, rather than stop them completely.  She was surprised at how light it was.

"Can I try it on?" she asked looking up at him.  He nodded and she lowered the solid plate carefully over her skull.  If it wasn't for the foam strips that cushioned the metal against her skin, she wouldn't have known it was there.  Its angles and facets designed to deflect any projectiles that happened to hit it.

“Each set is custom made, and has a custom color scheme, according to its owner.  These are just rough prototypes, packed with features, but low on design.” Agera looked at him from behind the eye plate of the helmet.

“We only have forty-eight hours.” He looked at her startled.

“We can’t make sets that fast, not for six dragons.  If it were half that number, and we all worked together, we might be able to.” he said nervously, “If I had a week…”

“Agera, if worse comes to worse, we can use just base models.”

“That IS base models.  If we don’t form the plates right, it won’t adhere to your skin properly, and pieces will fall off in flight.  The time estimate I gave for you was for only shaping.” He said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Tooth and tail.  Fiam, what do you have in reserve?” Fiam looked at her, “What if we used already made armor sets.  Only five of us require armor.  And one of our number requires only a partial set, since he naturally grows armor from his skin.”

“The double there.” He said, nodding at Janus and using the slang for a dragon of two elements.  He looked up at the ceiling and muttered under his breath, and then finally looked down at the lot of them, “We can do it, but we’ll be working through the night, and you will have to help me.”

“Fair enough.  Let’s see what you have.” Fiam motioned for her and the others to follow, and he led them over a footbridge above sweltering magma to a small antechamber.  The room had a number of gemstones shaped into the form of dragon skulls, all molded to resemble the previous owners of the helmets that rested upon them, and the armor pieces neatly arranged beneath their chins.

“These armor sets belonged to old dragons who fought in the Terran wars.  Their memories live on in song.  Normally we would not raid these monuments, but these are not normal times.  You may have your pick of whatever suits you.”

“How many are there?” Venus asked, staring into the pearl eyes of a quartz skull.

“One hundred and thirty one.  This is only a small portion of the number of dragons who died.  By tradition, the armor sets are returned to the one who crafted them.  I take part in the crafting of all my armor sets.” Vienzo tapped on another set across the room from his mate.

“Once you have possession of them, they are yours, no matter what anyone says, until you die.” Fiam said quietly, “I make no allusions to the fact that they are mine or the previous owners.  It’s the least I can do to help.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t thank me until the armor saves your life.” He said quietly, “Please, just choose a set before I change my mind.  We need to get working on them as soon as possible.”

The armor DIDN’T fit well at all.  Pieces hung loosely, several damaged.  Agera approached a far wall, where the highest dragon skull in the room rested, and a blood red helm upon his brow.  The skull was made out of a glistening onyx jewel, with diamonds for eyes.

“Who did this set belong to?” Agera asked over her shoulder.

“A great warrior, and good friend of mine.  Nyxia was her name, a cunning deadly blade in the dark.  She worked as an assassin.” Fiam said, smiling and striding forwards, “She was my Lifemate.”

“I’m sorry.” Fiam nodded at her.

“I have long since gotten over the sorrow young warrior.” He picked up the helmet, “It won’t be forever before I see her again.  I’d rather not part with this one, if you can help it.  Why would you pick it?”

“It’s my type.  Perfect mix of mobility, armor, and weight.  And it’s my color.” Agera said switching to a deep shimmering black, “Was she any good at her job?”

“The best.  She has 256 kills to her name.”

“That’s it?” Venus asked from across the room, helping her Lifemate into a breastplate.

“Ninety percent of those kills were to high ranking enemy leaders.  Thanks to her, we weren’t hunted to extinction by humans.” Fiam said, “An assassin’s job isn’t to get the most kills, but to get the most valuable kills.”

“What made you mate with her?”

Fiam closed his eyes and sighed, “Despite her job, she had a soft heart.  She could adapt to so many situations.  And she loved with a passion few could match.”

He paused, staring into a distance only he could see.  Suddenly he jumped, as if shocked, and looked around at them all.

“Forgive me.  Tending the forges for so many years addles the brains.”

“Well then it’s best we get Janus out of here quickish then.” She said, watching the baffled male, who was trying to strap a hip plate to his head.  He finally noticed they were all watching him.

“What?  None of these things fit.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Krigsman, step forwards!” Fiam had helped them drag their armor out of the alcoves, into the main forge.  There was a spot set aside, with much smaller, weaker fires.  In these, Fiam had placed all five armor sets, and they glowed softly with heat.  The air shimmered above, and Agera sweated profusely, but refused her discomfort the satisfaction of acknowledging it.  Their skim glowed in the dim surroundings, but the armor shone like stars.

“The craft of perfect fitting armor is an art.  Normally we use plaster casts of the body the armor will be matched to, but we do not have time for that.  We do this the old fashioned way.  In olden days, the armor was simply bent over the dragon as it still glowed.  There will be pain and suffering, but the results will be well worth it.”

“Won’t the metal brand us?” Venus asked, eyeing the coals the armor rested upon warily.

“You’re scales will protect you from the majority of the heat, but it will still feel as if you are being burned.  You must stand completely still while I mold the plate over you.” Fiam said, picking up Agera’s helmet with his bare claws.  He didn’t even seem to notice the heat as glowing coals rubbed against his scales.

Agera braced herself as the plate was lower onto her skull.  She could smell burning, and her sweating increased drastically.  Her scales sparked and burned as the plate was set in position, and they started glowing red hot.  It felt as if she was burning, but she ground her teeth together.  She found if she bit her tongue, and focused on that pain, she could take her mind off the burning sensation.

Fiam used no tools, only sheer strength and his tail spade like a hammer.  The blows sent Agera’s horns ringing.  When he had finished with the helm, he used the old abrasive skin on his wing to polish the metal, and to smooth it out.  After the helmet was done, he placed the breast plate using metal bands.  It was three inch thick armor that could deflect standard rifle rounds, grenades, RPG’s, and even some anti-armor weapons.  The plate was heavy as all get out, and it burned her chest as if it was a branding iron, but again, she ground her teeth together and took the damage done.

The two main plates were followed by bracers for all four legs, a hip plate, and finally a weighted blade for the tail spade.

Her armor wasn’t the lightest, but it still wasn’t a heavy weight set.  Even still, she had been standing in the same spot for four hours.  But when Fiam was finished, he produced a mirror, for Agera to admire herself in.  From the front, her armor covered almost everything.  The only thing that wasn’t covered was her lower jaw, which was left free to move.  The leading edges of her wings were protected by her scales.  If she kept low, and angled her front towards the enemies, most basic rounds would do nothing more than bounce right off of her.  Its blood red coloring matched her black scales well.  The color wouldn’t make her stand out in battle, but it also fit her very well.  It seemed to shine in the gloom with glee at being back in service.  It was much like herself, made for one purpose, giving them a terrible beauty and power.

Venus’s armor was much lighter.  Her breast plate had only one inch of armor, and included only a helmet, breastplate, and two bracers for just the front legs.  The armor was a gold in color, and just like her, was gorgeous in its smooth beautiful lines.  It looked as if she had just grown the armor from her body.

Vienzo had a true heavyweight set, which included a full helmet, a five inch thick breastplate, bracers and greaves for all four legs, a hip plate, neck plates, tail plates, wing platelets, and an enhanced tail spade.  It was a deep rich black, which went surprisingly well with his green and brown scales.  The armor, according to Fiam, weighed something in the region of four hundred pounds, but could even stop anti-tank rounds.  Agera was amazed how he could use the armors color to still sink into the shadows if he wanted, and was impressed how quiet he still was despite all the weight.

Janus had to have a partial set because of the armor plates he grew naturally from his body.  He took only a belly plate and a neck plate, in steel grey, to match the rest of his armor.

Jiza’s armor was exotic and strange.  It was made of a shimmering white pearl of a metal that seemed to reflect all the light around it.  Hers was similar to Agera’s, as it was a perfect mix of speed and protection.  When the plates were finally hammered in place, it looked as if a thousand knives poked out of her various icy crevices.  She looked lethal to even be around, much less to touch.  Streamlined and sleek, and looking as if there was no armor at all, her armor easily took the longest of the five.

When they had all finished, the looked at each other, eyeing the vulnerability and weaknesses the others possessed.

“Krigsman.” Agera turned to look at Fiam, “There is one more thing we need to address, and this will leave a permanent mark.”

He grabbed an iron rod, with a twisted shape on the end of it, glowing red hot, from the hottest fire he had, “As part of your leadership, it is tradition for you to be marked.  Humans use an insubstantial mark upon the clothing they wear.  It means nothing to them.  To us, it is a point of honor.  To us, you have to show you are willing to take pain and suffering before everything else.  The fact that you have been through so much to get here means you deserve this; that you’ve earned it.  But just because you’ve earned it doesn’t mean that you’re ready to lead.  Are you ready for this?  Do not accept lightly, for it will pain you for as long as you live.  But it will prove that not only have you earned this branding, but that you will earn it again.  That you are willing to suffer a great pain to ensure the safety of your brothers and sisters, the safety of your unit, and the safety of your race.  The humans might have their own ways of doing things, but this is ours.”

Agera eyed it warily, but held her head up with pride, “I am willing to receive the Mark of Duty.”

The emblem was two upturned feathered wings, with a draconic skull in the center.  There were two rods, so Venus grabbed one, and Fiam the other, standing at either side, while Janus and Vienzo held her paws, and Jiza and Guin held her wings.  Venus nodded at Fiam, and the both drove their brands in at the same time.

Agera was never afraid of admitting that she cried and screamed at that point.  The metal was titanium, and glowed at something around two thousand degrees.  The brands cut straight through her scales as if they were butter, and instantly cauterized the wound they made in the thick under layer of skin.  Smoke and fire rose from the wounds, but never once did Agera cry for mercy or for them to stop.  She was proud of that.

Blood ran freely afterwards, but Fiam assured her that scales would grow over the wound, but they would never return to normal colors, always remaining a charcoal black.  She quickly switched her tattoo back to white to show off the armor and the new scar adorning her shoulder.  Standing proudly in front of her squad, show saluted with her wing.

“Fall in, Omega!” The change was instant, and they dropped into line, wings saluting, heads held high.  The armor had changed them, since none of them, apart from Guin, had worn it.  Some of them had been to training, and some had just fallen into this spot.  But now they stood shoulder to shoulder, wing to wing, as soldiers, brothers and sisters.  Few can claim to have a stronger bond than they.

In a sudden burst of inspiration, she recited the famous line from their Universal Training, the Draken’s Creed.

“We are the vanguard, the frontline, the first to step onto the battlefield, and the last to step off!”

Janus spoke up next, puffing his chest out, “We are the elite, our claws the sword of Justice, our wings the sails of Courage.”

Venus intoned after him, glancing over to her mate while she said it, “Surrender is never an option, only Peace.  We are the enforcers, the will of Freedom.”

Vienzo chorused after his mate, his voice resonating through the room, “We do not back down, falter, or fail.  We are the stalwart wall, an unstoppable force of Liberty.”

Guin glanced at Agera, “We know no fear, nor failure.  We are the instrument of liberty!”

Jiza was grinning from horn to horn, “And as this is true, we know no evil, no pain, no death.  We are the right arm of God.”

“Let our enemies tremble, for we are Dragons, and so we roar!”

And roar they did.