The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

A New Journey

Lash grimaced before he could stop himself.

"Aye, I know," he conceded. "At least she was smart enough to send you and your Vanguard legionnaires instead of garrison troops. How many did you bring?"

"The two squads I used to stop the White Flame infiltrators," she indicated, looking back at the black uniforms on the perimeter. "We basically got back on the choppers and got told to orbit until we had a destination. Which ended up being this place." She looked back at him. "Transit hub for the breeder network?"

She then looked at the breeders making their way off the transport even as Dru and Fiadh appeared, bracketing a gingerly moving Meredith as the three liliths moved down the ramp as well.

"And three planes full of breeders along with three liliths, one a senior sister of the Conclave." Naryan looked back at him. "I wasn't going to ask about the breeders 'cause frankly it's none of my damn business. But seriously, where the hell did you find so many breeders??"

"The White Flames hit the Night Market," Lash grimly reported. "Thousands of vampires dead. When the Legion ramparted, they pulled out all the liliths from the hidden city, but deemed the breeders too low of a priority to spend the resources to evacuate."

"Shadrak's Ghost," Naryan growled with a shake of her head. "Damn Atrix and her priority algorithm. So you went in and got them out? How the hell did you even know they were in there?"

"We went to retrieve the gear we left in the courtyard outside of the puzzle door when the Legion evacuated us out of there and saw the door had been breached with shaped explosives. I felt compelled to investigate and heard gunfire coming from the Blood Exchange. We infiltrated and moved in, discovering the breeders that were in the Exchange when the White Flames breached, hiding in a store room. Of the m'tada the Legion left behind to protect them, they were almost wiped out. Only one was left and he was bleeding out from a wound he took, cutting a sundog from his body before he ashed out."

Lash frowned as the last of the breeders left the plane and ran out of sight.

"I couldn't just leave them there, Narya."

Naryan shook her head.

"Of course you couldn't," she said. "You're Dark Father-blessed Ingamon Lash, Vampire God of the Ventru, protector of the weak and destroyer of our enemies."

Naryan paused to shake her head again, this time in disbelief.

"I leave you alone for less than a day and this is the trouble you get into!"

Then again she paused, this time as she looked up the ramp as the last of those inside came down.

"Ellisondra?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Is that really you??"

As the two old friends embraced and excitedly began talking, Lash picked up his duffel and strode forward.

"Nighthawk One, Lash."

"Lash, Nighthawk One. Go, Lord Commander."

"Drop your ramp. Time we saddled up and left this place!"

The hovering gunship directly in front of the hangar immediately spun around and began to drop towards the ground. At the same time the loading ramp under its tail began to descend.

"Ventru!" he barked. "I want Fordricht and his First Squad on that bird now!"

His duffel already over his shoulder, the North African quickly pointed to eight nestari then began to jog towards the waiting Nighthawk, transitioning into the light without a pause, thanks to his EM generator. The soldiers that he picked out, quickly scooped up their gear and followed him through the light, running up the ramp to disappear inside.

"Kingsguard, one of your squads now!" Lash then directed.

Letting Ellie go from the hug they were sharing, Naryan snapped her visor back down.

"Galloway! Your squad on the bird, double time!" she tightly directed and half the legionnaires on the perimeter picked up and sprinted into the hangar to grab duffels of their own before they were joining the Ventru nestari already on board.

"Nighthawk One, clear the zone and run out the welcome wagon for those troops on board as this is the first time on a Qos Viran craft."

"Copy that, Lord Commander. Rolling out the welcome wagon protocol." And with that, the gunship smoothly banked out of the way to swing around and take up the overwatch position Two was sitting in. Which, for its part, was already moving forward. As soon as it was in place, Two eased lower to the ground and began dropping its ramp.

"Kingsguard, your second squad."

"Copy that, commander. Tanner! Your squad on the bird, double time!"

As the legionnaires let their perimeter down to sprint into the hangar to retrieve their gear, Lash looked back at the three liliths.

"Ready, ladies?" he asked. At their nods, he went on. "Okay, as soon as the Ventru squad makes the run through the sunlight to the ramp, stick tight to me. I'll extend my EM field to cover Druzha." Then Naryan was running out into the light on the heels of her last legionnaire, heading up the ramp and into the Nighthawk without hesitation.

"Truk, take the remaining Ventru into the second Nighthawk now!" And the Ventru sprinted forward.

As soon as the last of his nestari were on their way, the big vampire gathered himself even as he reached down to the EM generator on his hip to thumb it to full power.

"Here we go!" he said and felt the liliths press close to him. Then they were running through the sunlight.