*****AUDIO FILE***** "Chapter 49 - Albatross - Audio File" [The White Raven, Chapter 49, Albatross] [Eagle Province, Planet Darai] [White University…] “Cala, hurry up.” “I’m coming, where’s White?” “She said to meet her there, she’s walking with the High Priestess.” Cala shoved his books into the book bag and zipped it up. Kata, getting impatient, grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door. “I still need to fasten my wing harness,” complained Cala. “Fasten it on the way, we’ll miss it.” “We won’t miss it,” replies Cala trying to buckle the harness while the two acolytus run across the campus. “The thing is the size of the whole province.” “It’s not that big,” says Kata. “White said it was smaller than the Sparrow’s Cordata Battle Carrier.” Other students were already leaving the campus and heading towards town. Cala and Kata joined the crowd and ran through the streets. [The High Priestess’ Garden…] “Your gardens are beautiful,” remarks the White Raven. “These berries grew in the Clapper mountains at the old Eagle Camp.” “They are the same berries,” replies the High Priestess. “You brought seeds with you?” asks the White Raven. “When I was being held captive in the cage at the old camp Cala handed his last two berries through the bars to me. I saved those berries and with Ring’s help extracted the seeds.” “I see why this garden is so special to you,” says the White Raven. The High Priestess closes the gate to her gardens and takes the White Raven’s arm. “Come, dear, we’ll be late.” “Everyone is certainly excited,” says the White Raven. “Are you not?” asks the High Priestess. “I am,” replies the White Raven. “I’m told it only has two engines, instead of five, those extra decks can fit the entire population of the Province aboard the ship.” “Nobody will ever be left behind again,” says the High Priestess nodding. “We will still have to find a way to bring everyone quickly from the outer farms,” replies the White Raven. “I’m certain Raen is working on it,” says the High Priestess. “I heard a rumor about the Raven Temple.” “It is true,” replies the White Raven. “Mother told me the Rebel Raven’s were permitted to move to Raunu, and Prince Raven has been slowly moving the general population to Kitsune and Pyra, and the Temple will be moving to the Crow Mountains on Corvus.” “Then the evacuation has begun,” says the High Priestess. “It is wise that House Raven has chosen four planets. Our species survival will have a better chance, but we still have twenty years before the completion of the prophecy.” “I hope that I have read the prophecy wrong,” replies the White Raven. “I have grown to like it here.” “So have I, dear,” says the High Priestess. [Long Horn Cattle Ranch…] “Let’s move it people,” shouts Sander. “If your going into town load up in the trucks, we’re leaving.” Avocet rode up on her horse and dismounted. “I’m coming, I was just checking to make sure the fences were closed.” “Who’s staying to watch the cattle?” asks Sander. “Rip is staying, but Tear wants to see the new ship,” replies Avocet. “Looks like all our ranch-hands are going,” says Sander. “They’re young, and it’s something exciting to do,” says Avocet. “They don’t get into town often enough, and I heard it’s the very first Battle Carrier capable of entering a planet's atmosphere.” Avocet crawled up into the lead truck and Sander jumped up on the running board and slaps the side of the truck. “Let’s move out,” shouts Sander, and then crawls in next to Avocet. “Yea, it’s going to be quite a sight to see a Battle Carrier landing.” The convoy of trucks with the excited young Eagles roll out onto the dirt road and head to town. [Airport…] “Storm Wing Strike Leader to Storm Wings, prepare for take-off,” says Lieutenant Cole, the former and now graduated Cadet Captain of the Iron Wings. “This is tower, you are clear to depart.” “On me, gentleman,” says Lieutenant Cole. “I want two wings on each flank.” The Storm Wings raced down the runway and lifted into the air, the engines of their Black and Gold trimmed Darts rattling the windows of the terminal as they departed. “Hey Cole, is this thing really going to land in the ocean?” asks Mekus, the Storm Wings second in command. “That’s the plan,” replies Cole. “It’s not really an ocean ship though, I’m told it can sail, but it’s clunky as an ocean ship.” “I got a peek at the specs,” says Torel, the Black Feathers Wing Leader. “It’s really just a big floating platform for amphibious operations.” “Yep, and I got a surprise for all of you,” says Lieutenant Cole. “Sorry I wasn’t allowed to mention it earlier, Prince Raen’s orders, but we’ll be landing on that floating monstrosity.” “You’re kidding?” says Torel. “How do you land on something that’s moving up and down?” “I’ll go first and let you know,” says Lieutenant Cole. “Alright gentleman, lets get some altitude and say hello to our new flying airport.” The Storm Wings pulled up and raced for orbit where the new Battle Carrier was waiting for escort to the surface. [Hatchery…] “Walking with egg,” calls out the young Tarlock apprentice. “Wrap your tail,” scolds Master Audax. “If I have to remind you one more time I’ll bind it for a week.” “Yes, Master Audax,” replies the apprentice pulling his tail tight around his body. Master Audax turns back to Gini and holds his hands out for the egg she is rocking. “We have everything under control, I know you want to go see the new ship.” Gini transfers the egg to the Tarlock Priest. “I do want to see the hatchery on board,” says Gini. “Standing with egg,” Master Audax calls out. Gini smiled at the procedures they were following now. With the arrival of five new apprentices that had been living off world, all the rules of a hatchery were being followed exactly. Gini stands and strokes the egg one more time. “I heard the new ship is very fast, and that Raen is going to Demonia to find Ring and Vel,” says Gini. “That would be foolish,” says Audax. “I hope someone talks some sense into him, his place is here.” “Don’t count on it,” says Gini. “Raen leads from the front. I’ll see you in a little while.” [Constable’s Office…] “Ah come on, Constable, let me out.” “You still have three days on your sentence for public drunkenness.” “Everyone’s gonna be there, just let me out for an hour.” The Constable was putting up the new wanted posters on the bulletin board and tossed them down on the table. “Heck, I want to go see the new ship too, I heard it’s more maneuverable than the Sparrow Carrier.” “I heard that too, something about having less armor is what did it.” “Alright, I’ll let you out for an hour, but don’t make me come looking for you after,” warns Constable Grant. The Constable picked up a ball and chain from the corner and carried it over to the jail cell. “Seriously?” asks the prisoner. “You gonna make me wear that?” “Yep, it’ll keep you honest,” replies Grant. “Your a twisted man,” says the prisoner. The prisoner carried the weighted ball and hobbled out the door. Gruntha wasn’t a bad sort, he just liked the bottle a bit too much; that and Grant was starting to think Gruntha was using the jail cell for free rent. Grant grabbed his hat, adjusted his gunbelt, and was just getting ready to leave when the door cracked open and a familiar face peeked around the door. “Still mad at me?” asked the Lone Gunslinger, Lenya. “What are you doing in the province?” asks Grant. “You know Raen doesn’t like you roaming around.” “I want to see the new ship,” replies Lenya. “So, you gonna ask a lady to the party?” “Have you bathed?” asks Grant. “I fell in the river last week, does that count?” purrs Lenya. “Maybe we can take a bath together.” [Eagle-Grackle News Center…] “I want those camera drones in the air now,” shouts Braeka, the senior station producer. “Two are following the Storm Wings, and the other two are headed out to positions over the Palace,” replies the camera technician. Braeka pounds on the monitor. “I don’t see anything, my monitors are blank.” “We should have a live feed,” says the technician. “What is going on?” shouts Braeka. “Every monitor is blank.” “Sir, I think we’re in a news blackout,” replies the technician. “How? Since when did the Eagles acquire that technology?” asks Braeka. “Never mind, we’ll figure that out later, everyone grab a still-camera.” The two field-news crews leap up from their stations and retrieve the emergency still-photographic gear; this would be real reporting, no relying on drones to collect the Vid-feed. Still-camera’s were seldom used other than during a natural disaster that might knock out the power or satellite equipment. The first crew ran for the door and stopped abruptly and retreated back into the news station. Braeka spun in his chair and glared at the intruders. “Good afternoon, everyone have a seat.” An Eagle-Raven in the black and gold trimmed uniform of the Eagle Intelligence Corps entered the room and was followed by five more Eagle-Ravens. “So, House Eagle has joined the rest of Darai in the suppression of the press?” demands Braeka. “No, just a few new rules,” says the Eagle-Raven. “We will stop jamming your drones in a few minutes, and you will be permitted to cover the event. But, there will be a two-minute delay added to your live-feed.” “This is censorship,” screams Braeka. “The Senate will hear of this.” “You are free to lodge any complaints you like, but you abused Prince Raen’s good nature by broadcasting a live-feed of the Storm Wings during the rescue operation of the hostages at the Kartaen Ranch, resulting in the injury of two of our soldiers.” The Eagle-Raven tosses a large envelope on Braeka’s desk. “Those are the rules you will now abide by, or you will be deported from the Province.” The Eagle-Raven turns and leaves with her five Ravens, leaving Braeka foaming at the mouth. [The Tunnels…] Moeth stood at the mouth of the ancient cave watching the ocean beyond, the Eagle Palace was above her but nobody in the Palace knew that the ancient cave was now connected to her tunnels under the Palace. “Mother.” “Is it done?” “Yes, Mother.” “A call will be coming in from Lord Grackle to Raen, insure you intercept that call.” “It already has, Mistress Peli is dealing with it.” “Very good, and have you intercepted any other signals leaving the Province.” “Three Raven signals, Mother. Three Alliances are being deployed.” “If one of the signals belong to Raen’s pet Raven spies, take away their Com-devices, but do not harm them. The others you may dispose of.” “Yes, Mother.” Moeth listens for the young Master Eagle-Raven’s light footsteps to recede back into the tunnels. “Is there something else?” “Yes, Mother. Everyone not on mission would like permission to attend the ship’s arrival.” “Granted, bring the lights up.” The Master Eagle-Raven turned and went back into the tunnels. Moeth watched the ocean for awhile longer before heading back inside. She was nearly at a cross-tunnel leading to the stairs when the lights flicked on and illuminated the Chirps kneeling in circles where the shadows had been - each circle had the engraving of an Eagle. The Chirps jumped up, knowing that when the lights came on, training was over for the moment. The Chirps followed the Mother Eagle up the stairs to watch the arrival of the ship. [Eagle Palace…] “It’s time,” says Vas sticking his head through the door of Raen’s office. Raen looked up from the never ending paperwork crowding the surface of the ornately carved desk. The desk had been one of the few extravagances that was Raen’s idea, he had grown tired of using upturned boxes as desks. The desk was eight foot by four and a half foot with four elaborate carvings in the sides. The carvings were of an eagle, a hawk, a falcon, and a cassowary. But, of course the artist couldn’t resist and had hidden carvings. Along the corners were trees and vines carved to give the impression that the desk was being held up by the trees. And in the branches of the trees were carved ravens, sparrows, crows, clappers, rooks, and at least a dozen other species of bird to represent the many races that made up House Eagle. Raen stood and followed Vas out into the hall. The Eagle Palace was far from complete, but it was functional. The outer wings were still only a framework of stone and brick. Raen walked past workers installing flooring, plumbing, lighting - and the fresh smell of cut wood and paint mixed with the ocean breeze coming through the vaulted windows. The entire palace was filled with light; Raen had been adamant that there not be a single shadow cast anywhere in the palace. The Province school band started playing as Raen walked out the main doors and onto the stairs that curved down the lawn. Raen waited for the youngsters to finish playing the Eagle Province Anthem and then stepped up to the banister and faced the crowds gathered in front of the Palace - nearly every citizen of the Province was here today. “Four and a half years ago we arrived on these ancient cliffs,” Raen spoke into a microphone that was set up for the occasion. “We were the unwanted, the forgotten, the neglected. We had only what we could carry with us, but we faced this untamed land together, as one people, united together in a fight for freedom.” A cheer rose from the crowds but Raen didn’t pause, he continued over the roar of the Eagles. “And together we built a home with sweat and blood. We worked together selflessly, with no regard for personal gain, and the results are now clear to all of Darai what a united people can do.” Raen wasn’t even sure if the crowd could hear him anymore. “A year and a half ago I commissioned the Eagle Flag Ship to be built,” shouts Raen. “This morning, with the launch of our Flag Ship from the Sparrow Ship Yards, the Commonwealth Senate was forced to recognize House Eagle as a Major House of Darai - I present the Eagle Battle Carrier, Albatross.” The crowd hushed and looked up at the clear blue, and empty, sky. Raen glanced at Vas speaking to someone on a Com-link. Vas finished speaking on the Com-link and looked at Raen. “It’s coming, Clap was having problems with the heat-shield,” says Vas. “There’s bound to be a whole list of hiccups to shake out.” Raen nodded at looked back up at the sky, waiting; a nervous laughter rippled through the crowd. The Albatross was the first of her kind, and likely to be the only of her kind. Raen would have liked to take credit for her design, but the Sparrows had the ship on the drawing board for years, there just wasn’t anyone willing to pay the enormous cost of a Battle Carrier of this nature. And even then, Raen hadn’t paid for the entire ship on his own. Emperor Sionnach had secretly funded half the cost of the ship. The other half had drained the Eagle Treasury, the Province was living hand to mouth at the moment. “There she is,” shouts Vas. A fireball appeared in the upper atmosphere and the crowds of Eagles cheered again. Raen looked up at the descending Battle Carrier, it was a beautiful sight. The Albatross was the first Carrier to be able to enter the atmosphere of a planet. She was smaller than the Mulae Farael Battle Carrier, but not by much, and only had two engines instead of five. The Albatross wouldn’t need five engines after Teal and Willet installed the new engines, and her crew capacity without the extra decks dedicated to engines was impressive. The Albatross could carry the entire population of Eagle Province, and that was very important to Raen. He never wanted to be in a position again to leave people behind like what had happened during the last Red Feather. The Battle Carrier was a compromise between maneuverability, armor, and speed, making her versatile enough to operate in many environments - she was unique. The crowd watched as the Albatross descended at an alarming rate, growing bigger by the moment. Raen started to become alarmed the ship was going to land on top of them. “Vas?” says Raen. Vas was already back on the Com-link speaking with Clap on the Battle Carrier. Admiral Clap and his selected crew had spent the last year taking a crash course in Battle Carrier operations at the Sparrow Academy. That had been when Moeth’s Ravens got their first real mission. Failure at the Sparrow Academy was as brutal as failure in the Raven Temple. One young crew member had failed an exam twice and Moeth’s Ravens had to be sent in to extract the hapless Eagle before the Sparrows could exact punishment. Raen had then spent an hour in a shouting match with Lord Sparrow, but in the end Raen had won out and the construction of the Battle Carrier continued, as did the training of the Eagle crew. “Clap says he has it under control,” reports Vas. “There’s just a little problem with the maneuvering thrusters.” “We’re going to have a stampede in a moment,” says Raen. The crowd began backing up and even Raen was considering moving out of the way of the falling ship, then the maneuvering thrusters fired and the massive ship moved out over the ocean. Raen held his hands up to calm the crowd. “I believe we need to move to the other side of the building to be able to see the ship land,” says Raen and motions for the guards at the bottom of the stairs to allow the crowd up. Raen turned around and walked into the palace, and the crowds followed. At 847 feet in length, and 410 width, the Eagle Palace would be one of the largest structures on Darai, it would take many more years to finish. But, the central building was complete enough to occupy, though the top four floors weren’t ready yet. When Lord Robin had presented his plans for the palace, Raen nearly had a seizure. The White Raven had then spoke with Raen and he reluctantly agreed to allow the construction to begin. The White Raven explained that there was two conflicting prophecies that made no sense. The first prophecy predicted the destruction of Darai, and the second prophecy said that Lord Eagle would unite all of Darai, forever ending the never-ending wars that plagued the planet. The White Raven thought that this meant Lord Eagle would rise to become the Daraian Emperor, and this palace would become the capitol of Darai. Either way, Raen was sick of prophecies, but he wouldn’t stand in the way of the construction of the Palace. If the Robin’s wanted to spend a life-time building this ridiculous building, let them. The crowds followed Raen through the central rotunda and out onto the massive walkway at the back of the palace. The walkway ran along the edge of the cliff for the entire length of the palace. Much of the walkway wasn’t complete yet and the crowds had to navigate around piles of stone. The Albatross continued it’s descent, a bit too fast, and Raen watched as the ship hit the ocean with dramatic effect. A tidal wave created by the Battle Carrier hit the beach and capsized half the fishing vessels, destroyed the docks, and washed away several buildings. Raen covered his eyes and shook his head. That was a very big ‘oops’ and would cost a small fortune to repair. “I guess we should have landed further out at sea,” says Vas dryly. “You think?” replies Raen. “Who exactly gave Clap a license to drive a Battle Carrier?” “Yea, I think that was you,” replies Vas grinning. The first Storm Wings Dart came in and landed on the deck of the Battle Carrier, and slid off the end into the ocean. Fortunately, Darts float; they would be able to recover the Dart. The second Storm Wings Dart hit the deck, slid sideways and teetered for a moment on the edge before going over the side and following the first Dart into the ocean. “Oh for the love of the Goddess,” says Raen pinching the bridge of his nose. “Tell them to stop.” “Can’t,” replies Vas. “I have a Com-link to Clap on the Bridge, but the Storm Wings don’t have a Com-link to the Carrier yet.” The third Storm Wings came in hard and the landing gear was crushed under the Dart Ship. Raen could hear the screeching metal as it slid to a stop at the edge of the Carrier deck. The fourth Storm Wing made a good landing but couldn’t stop in time and rammed the third Dart, pushing it over the side into the ocean. Raen jumped up on the balcony, spread his wings, and dived over the side for the Carrier. The fifth Storm Wing landed before Raen could get to the Battle Carrier and ran into the fourth Dart, but fortunately both Darts remained on the Carrier. Raen made it to the Carrier before the next Storm Wings Dart could attempt a landing and waved it off. The remainder of the Storm Wings turned and headed back to the airport. Raen couldn’t fault the Storm Wings for the idiocy, he had ordered them to land on the Carrier. The Storm Wings had been trained at the Hawk Temple, and they were trained to follow their last order regardless of consequence. Raen would have to work on teaching them to think independently. Admiral Clap ran out to Raen on the deck and shrugged. “Bit of a mess, huh?” says Clap. “Forget it,” says Raen. “Tell Teal and Willet to get the new engines installed.” “It’s going to take six months to do that,” says Clap. “Just get started, I want to leave for Demonia as soon as possible,” says Raen. “And somebody get my Darts out of the water.” Clap watched Raen spread his wings and lift off the deck and head back to the Palace. Clap noted this was the first time Raen had ever referred to Province property as his own. Clap nodded to himself, Raen was finally turning into a proper Prince, as it should be. Moeth stood on the balcony and watched the disaster, she felt a sense of vindication that she had been right. This embarrassing display of the fledgling Eagle Navy was not something she wanted broadcast to Darai. Moeth had used the two-minute delay in the live-feed to shutdown the broadcast the moment she saw the ship was going to land too close to shore. Moeth turned to her Ravens. “Follow me, we need to destroy all the recordings at the Grackle Station.” Moeth pointed at two of her Ravens. “And you two find and destroy any camera that has photographs of this mess, get the Chirps to help, nobody leaves the Palace until they’ve been searched.”