From: alexbell@iastate.edu (Alex Bell.) Subject: Operation Phoenix: Dragon-flight Date: 1996/02/01 Message-ID: organization: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa keywords: Operation Phoenix newsgroups: alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die Operation Phoenix: Dragon-flight *--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--* Location: The DE TC in Northern MN. *--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--* The TC officers slowly filed into the Comm room. Trooper Aphrodite glanced around, noticing few familiar faces, wishing there was someone else to lead this crew. A deep voice belonging to Zaphyre, Aph's dragon-familiar/mentor gently filled her mind, soothing her frazzled nerves. [Relax, my dear. It is time to start... No, don't panic - just begin at the beginning - where this tale began... with tragic death.] Aphrodite took a deep breath, and began to speak. Starting with the horrifying death of F.C. Samhain and the subsequent destruction of WEDJEE HQ, she quickly briefed the officers on the recent developments, ending with the disappearance of Commander Inagei and the distress call received from TRES, HQ. "Shortly before your arrival, I sent a reply to TRES offering my help and the help of any who would join me. TRES is facing overwhelming odds and desparately needs our help. This is an extremely dangerous mission - NOT a decision to be made lightly. However, if we don't go, sooner or later the X'hirjq will be on our doorstep - threatening the lives of our friends and families. As Dobermensch it is our responsibility to continue the fight for the Cause(tm) and help whenever, wherever, and however we can. If you're reluctant to join us, that will be understood. However, those that join this fight, will be here until the end. I need an answer now, so think it over carefully before deciding." Aphrodite finished and let silence fill the room. The officers looked at one another, sneaking glances at the Trooper's golden, glowing eyes - pondering her words. Concerned with the wisdom of following one so obviously NOT 100% human, they debated, each in his/her own mind and eventually came to a decision. Ares was the first to speak, pledging his unit's aid. That vow was quickly seconded, and soon their voices rang throughout the small room; the field officers unanimously giving her their full support. Aphrodite grinned, her eyes changing to a fiery copper. "Let's get rollin' then. Personnel report, Brackard?" The young officer glanced down at his notes. Then looking her straight in the eye, reported, "Of the 643 total personnel on the base, 67 are operations staff. An estimated 94 were killed in the explosion, including all TO's. I suggest leaving approximately 85 behind for operations - giving us approx. 450 for TRES." Aph nodded her agreement. "Find transport for them. Small shuttles - nothing large. Get someone to help you." Turning to the other side of the room, she pointed to another officer. "ValKyre, what's the status of of Duluth? Do they have any manpower to contribute?" Kyre sighed, thinking the situation over. "If you're lucky, they'll give you another 500 - no more than that... it depends on how many they've lost recently... and how many new recruits have come in. You won't get any of their elite specialists though - only green-eared youngsters." "See what you can do. We'll need all the man and woman power that we can get. Ryvon," Aph turned and addressed the woman sitting next to Kyre, "you stay here - see to operations, and keep an eye on Valenka... he could cause problems. The rest of you take care of the necessary supplies - work in pairs. Ares, I want you and Karvin to come with me. We'll be scouting the area around the HQ tonight - leaving in one hour. Oh, and I plan on taking Zaph, so pack light." She grinned at Karvin's obvious discomfort and nodded when Ares asked to be dismissed. The two men left the room, and Aph continued. Unrolling a topographical map of the TRES, HQ area - she pointed to a small valley. "Brackard, I want the troops to meet us here -- on this field at 1100 hours tomorrow. Guys, this is a black-op. Camaflouge everything - no radio contact. The JihadLink(tm) has been compromised, so don't rely on it for information. Weather looks bad - blizzard conditions expected, nothing we're not used to, but prepare accordingly. You have about 12 hours to get everybody together and outfitted. Any questions? .... Then LET'S ROCK!" The soldiers rushed out of the room hurrying to their stations and duties. After they left, Aph collapsed into one of the chairs, exhausted. [Where *do* they get the energy, Zaph? Cross your claws, we may pull this one off after all...] Sighing, she hauled herself up and left to prep herself for the mission. *--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--* (An hour later - a small clearing in the woods near the TC) Aphrodite stretched, revelling in the feel of the crisp winter air. Reaching toward the moon, she readied herself for the change. [Go for it, Zaph!] Releasing control of her body, she forced herself to relax - Zaphyre took over, embracing the night, soaking in the light of the moon. Gathering the natural energy present in the clearing, the human form slowly began to shift and, minutes later, was replaced by a very large dragon. Zaphyre spread her wings and joyfully leapt into the night sky - heading back toward the base. MEANWHILE... Standing outside the barracks, Ares shivered and scanned the night sky. Seeing nothing, he turned to the man cowering next to him. "You know, Karvin, it's only Aph... there's nothing-" While Ares was speaking, Karvin had slowly turned toward the younger man, shooting daggers with his eyes. Ares gulped and returned his gaze to the sky -- just in time to notice a shadow flitting in front of the moon. He bent to gather his bag, as the large, multifaceted dragon gracefully landed in front of them. Karvin jumped, having missed the shadow, and tightened his grip on the bag cluthced in his hands. Zaphyre grinned, proudly displaying her razor-sharp teeth, and lowered a claw, offering the men a lift. Gulping down their terror, they clambered up onto Zaph's back - positioning themselves carefully between her wings. Zaph leapt up into the sky, quickly leaving behind the frozen lands of Northern Minnesota, heading westward towards the mountainous region she once called home. *--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--* About 90 minutes later, Zaph and her two companions were soaring over the Rocky mountains, staring at the ground in shocked disbelief. The valleys below were covered with large ships, obviously technologically superior to anything seen before on this planet. As they swooped across the sky, carefully avoiding radar screens, all three became rather ill and extremely frightened. Everywhere they looked, Earth was riddled with thousands of grotesque monsters, outfitted in the colors of the HellWyrm itself. Suddenly, a black vessel appeared in front of them. Zaphyre dove towards the Earth, avoiding the collision but not detection. Gasping in pain, a plasma bolt hit her tail, and she fell towards the Earth in an uncontrolled spin. The two man screamed, struggling to remain seated as they drew closer and closer to the Earth; her wings pinned to her body by the aerodynamic forces, Zaph fought against herself - struggling to bring them out of the spin and away from the ground. Wrenching her wings out from her sides, she painfully spread them - gliding back up into the sky as her sensitive underbelly skimmed the ground below. Sighing with relief, the men relaxed as she climbed higher, heading towards safer ground. *FLASH!!* Zaphyre stopped in midair, confused, as the sudden, bright light tore away her vision. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggghh!!!!" she screamed, as a hot pain slashed into her belly. Diving back toward the Earth, she struggled to free herself from her tormentor. Fighting to stay aloft in the night air, she screamed her fury. The unseen, black vessel loosed one more shot, and Zaph fell from the sky, crashing towards the Earth... ***TO BE CONTINUED!!!***