514 Extreme Reactions (1/2)
”So what did the survivors say?” Captain Blake asked without looking up from his computer, his fingers dancing on the keyboard.
”The survivors picked up by the Navy and the surrendered crew all thinks that somehow we have killed one of the heirs of the Dragon Lords...” Lieutenant Tavor reported. ”They are claiming some sort of blood debt with us or some kind of vendetta as translated.”
Blake paused in his work to glance up with a raised eyebrow at Tavor before returning to his work. ”Blood debt? So did we took out the heir? Is that why their reaction is so extreme?”
”Not to our knowledge, Sir. The incident they claimed occurred was during the night attack by them, which is hard to tell in the dark.” Tavor replied. ”Investigation is still ongoing to find out if it was true. From their statements, the heir is supposed to be some dragon princess called Saphia the Thirteen Princess. She is supposed to be easily identified as she is a black dragon which made investigations... somewhat challenging.”
”How many surrendered and survivors did we picked up?” Blake asked as he leaned back in the chair to hand a stack of documents over to the small beast girl behind her own work desk, nearly buried behind a small mountain of paperwork. ”And what is our butcher's bill?”
”We only lost a single fighter in the entire engagement, the pilot has ejected safety and picked up by search and rescue,” Tavor checked his tablet. ”As for Group Bravo, eleven airships has surrendered and taken into custody while an estimated forty six ships destroyed in that single engagement.”
”We estimated they suffered over sixteen thousand KIAs and MIAs,” Tavor read off the numbers without a change of expression. ”And that is not counting the early two engagements.”
”In total, we estimated we destroyed a total of sixty five ships and over twenty three thousand casualties,” added Tavor. ”And we took around three thousand five hundred captives. Which are now currently being held at Fortress Hensink.”
”That many ships?” Blake was surprised as he remembered that the Protectorate Fleet have the most like twenty ships or so.”
”Most of the airships of the Loose Confederation are unlike the Protectorate or the Dragon Lords...” Tavor explained as he gestured to Blake's display. Blake opened the file forwarded over by Tavor and aerial images of the colourful airships of the Loose Confederation appeared. ”The Loose Confederation's airships designs seemed to favour speed over armour and size.”
Images of colourful needle nosed trireme like ships appeared on the screen. Colourful sails, some kind of air propulsion oars and air screws covered the hulls. No two ships were the same other than the needle nose of their prows. Some of the hulls were slim and slender, others were fat and some were even in the circular UFO like shape.
”You are correct, Sir,” nodded Tavor. ”But out of the eleven surrendered ships, only two belonged to the Dragon Lords... And there isn't a single dragon that had surrendered...”
”The crew of the dragon ships said their lords, which is, surprise, a dragon...” Tavor read from his tablet with a wry smile forming on his lips. ”Told them to surrender upon their deaths...”
”Wait,” Blake frowned as he raised a hand up to stop Tavor. ”You are saying this... group of people called the Dragon Lords are governed by dragons?”
”Yes, Sir,” Tavor replied. ”It was briefed to you before, sir.”
”I know... But I assumed it to be like the dragons was some kind of worshipped being or something... And not directly in the role of leading... people or elves in this case...” Blake answered. ”I did not expect to have a dragon directly commanding them!”
”From what I know from the captives is that each dragon ship is captained by a dragon,” Tavor said. ”Dragons are the ruling class within the Dragon Lords' lands.”
”I... really can't imagine a dragon doing that...” Blake shook his head as an image of Blue Thunder lording over the people came into mind. ”That... is interesting...”
”Have you forgotten that Rastraz once demanded us to serve it?” Tavor smiled as if he read Blake's thoughts about Blue Thunder. ”I think that she might have some connection to the Dragon Lords...”
”Hmmm...” Blake nodded in agreement. ”Send her over to see if she can do anything about the Dragon Lords' people... See if she can find out anything more of their culture and their princess.”
”Yes, Sir,” Tavor made a note in his tablet.
”Oh, and send Blue Thunder along too... Just in case...” added Blake. ”And how goes the resupplying of the Vengeance?”
”They should be finished by evening today,” Tavor said. ”Then they will proceed up north.”
Blake nodded, ”Good, the Vengeance will show the flag to the Empire... and at the same time, deal with whatever is making trouble up north. Hopefully, we can resolve everything smoothly.”
”The Vengeance presence up north will definitely cower those that still have any doubts or intentions against us,” said Tavor. ”I do not know why, but some people are just too... trapped in their own delusions. They need to see power... Real power with their own eyes and feel it before they realize that whatever delusions or bad intentions they have, are just useless.”
Blake nodded, ”Yes... People can be blind even with the truth before them. I expect the Vengeance's trip up north will open up many eyes and quench any protest about the annexation of Mecca.”