CHAPTER 9 - AN OLD ENEMY

Meanwhile, on the starship five minutes before Yin hit the ship…

“Blast those blue dragonoids. I'm losing too many resources fighting them. That was the third elite airship I've lost this month. If this keeps up, the new chosen of the loathing one will have my head. I had finally gotten enough trust to use those rift eaters as experimental weapons too.” A dog-like humanoid creature muttered to himself. 

The being was sitting in the captain's quarters thinking of what to do. He needed to find the dragonoids man group of factions. He had searched high and low for what remained of the dragonoid population after his humiliating defeat in a space battle.

Things for his forces were going well in that fight. Everything went to hell all because of one dragonoid who gave their life to save everyone else. His forces were decimated in the attack leaving him with just a few transport starships and his flag ship which was crippled but still flyable.

The man just sighed as he got up to go to the bridge to think of what to do next as went for a walk. The man found his way to the bridge as he looked at his other subordinates.

“Any luck with getting any kind of info from the airship that went down?” He asked looking at another dog humanoid.

“We were able to get some reports of the attack. Although, I would say it just bad news.” The man stopped as he looked at the captain with concern.

“It can't be worse than not finding the dragonoids base. Can it?”

“The intel we got told us that the red dragoniod was glimpsed fighting the airship. Although they seem to have had cybernetic implants done.” The man said with a gulp. While the captain looked in shock, before getting angry.

“And you tell me this just now?” He yelled.

“We can't confirm it is the individual until more is known. That is why it was never brought up.” The man replied with fear in his voice.

The captain just sighed with frustration.

“I want everyone to be on the lookout for them. I'll even put out a bounty for their capture.” The dog-man yelled.

Right as he spoke the starship shuttered from a hit from something that was followed by an explosion. As this happened alarms began to go off. Everyone on the bridge stumbled or fell.

“Warning, warning, cloaking shield has gone offline, damage critical.” The alarm blurred. The captain got back on his feet as more explosions rocked the ship.

“Enemy detected off the port bow!” Someone cries out. 

“Bring targets up on screen.” The captain ordered. What he saw made him angry.

It can't be that they are alive after all. He thpught as he looked at Qin’s group of dragons flying.

Knowing this might be his only chance at revenge he ordered the attack. He ordered all the guns to fire at the mysterious red dragonoid that ruined his life.

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Currently back at the present…

The ten dragons with their riders were doing furious maneuvers to dodge flying rift eaters, the Palasco faction, and guns from the airship. 

Yin had ordered the groups to form back up. Qin’s group would deal with the starship and help with the flying rift eaters. Yin was going to deal with the Palasco faction with Julia to assist with any winged rift eaters.

Qin had wanted to argue with his idea. He quickly told her she was more capable of dealing with the starship since she took on a fleet herself. While she also had experience with the rift eaters. 

Yin on the other hand had experience dealing with the Palasco faction. He had Julia as extra support to suppress any of the winged rift eaters that broke off in their direction. Unknown to Yin he put Qin in more danger.

The fight was going badly for the enemies. Rift eaters were falling out of the skies by the dozens thanks to the radiant weapons Johnny had given to Julia before she left. 

The Palasco faction was down by half. While the starship had many of its smaller guns knocked out by team work of Qin's group. They flew past the ship's weak spots. The bigger guns were not opening fire. The main and secondary guns were set for a long range attack, not close up.

Things changed in an instant though. The big guns simultaneously interchanged into smaller guns with much more fire power for close range. 

The bad part was everyone of them locked onto Qin as she was making an attack on one of the armored areas of the ship that kept it aloft.

Qin thankfully was alerted by her summon in an instant. She had to roll her way to the topside of the ship as it fired. She jumped off her summon as it was blasted to smithereens. 

She didn't get away without injury though. A plasma beam clipped her right cybernetic dragon skeleton wing as she landed on the bow of the ship. She took shelter behind the small deck guns they knocked out earlier.

The others didn't see her as she jumped. Her summon freefalled towards the city below in a massive fireball. They all yelled for her in worry as she responded.

The guns then targeted the others. They all ended up having to ditch up onto the airship. They landed in the same area or close too it 

One of the elite guards was critically wounded when he had tried to make the landing but was hit in the leg. It was vaporized as he fell to the deck of the ship.

He bled out furiously. Luckily for him Julia, Yin, and Qin were quick with healing. They stopped his leg from bleeding him out. Sadly, the man was now down a leg. Qin was quick to use the metal feathers Margaret had given her. The radiant light dissolved quickly as it turned into a cybernetic leg for the man.  She knew one of Margaret's special occupations before joining was in cybernetics. She had seen her do work on Johnny when he was out cold.

They had a new issue to deal with. Alarms began to go off all over the ship as the crew ran on deck with phasers, guns, and anything else they could attack with. Qin’s group was concealed by the ship's gun they were hiding in.

The flying rift eaters and the Palsco faction were another issue. They kept sweeping in on the group trying to take head shots while the rift eaters just flew waiting for an opening.

The ten of them sat there while fighting when Julia spoke up.

“What do we do now?” Julia asked.

“We are going to give these people hell, that is what.” Replied Qin with an evil smile