Free Roma Aeronautica by Daniel Ottalini Page A

distinct rocks, plants, and a few small structures on the island. He spotted the wreckage of the skimmer to the north and east of their position.
    The airship was descending toward the largest flat area that was available on the island. Crewmen on either side of the bridge craned their heads over the side of the ship, signaling the pilot with flags. Deftly, the pilot positioned the airship perfectly onto the rocky ground. Wincing with anticipation, Alexandros imagined the airship crushing into the ground and buckling from the inside out. With a crunch, the wooden hull of the Arcus touched down, leaving Alexandros pleasantly surprised . I must be so used to things going wrong that it’s a shock when they go right .
    A gangplank was lowered over the side. Alexandros led his men down it, rapidly fanning out. As per his orders, half his twenty-man detachment carried repeating crossbows, while the rest were equipped similar to their captain with swords and shields. Alexandros led his men northward along the rocky peninsula. The second group of airmen manned the light field pieces and formed a protective cordon around the airship. The sounds of waves crashing against the cliff competed with the ragged footfalls of his men as they scrabbled over the rough terrain.
    “Move, move, move!” Alexandros cried out as his men approached the small group of buildings at the center of the island. For a moment, he wondered if the town had been deserted, or if there really were no raiders and they were approaching innocent townsfolk. That thought evaporated when arrows arced down from the two-story tower that overlooked the cliff.
    “Shields up!” he called out, and his men moved together, frantically trying to create a shield wall. The rough terrain hampered their movements, and the wall was incomplete as the arrows fell amongst them. Fortunately, the arrows were few and most missed the airmen. Only one cadet went down with an arrow through his arm, hissing and cursing at the top of his lungs.
    “Get in formation! Now!” Alexandros bawled at them, and they finally moved into correct position, shields covering each other and their downed comrade. A louder twang from the tower saw a large bolt launched off the top and falling just to their right.
    “If he can move, he can keep up,” Alexandros called out to the medico, a man seconded from the ship’s infirmary. The medico nodded, then hauled the bleeding man to his feet.
    “Advance!” The cadets moved faster over the broken ground. “We’ll take the tower, then explore the rest of the island!” Alexandros yelled to his men. He urged them onwards, desperate to get out of the range of that artillery piece.
    They approached the tower, the stone structure dwarfing the small, sunken huts that made up the rest of the village. Alexandros detailed men to explore each hut, but they found nothing.
    “They must all be in the tower, sir,” an aide said.
    Alexandros was forced to agree. The structure dominated the area, but its only entrance was blocked by a door and was most likely reinforced from the inside.
    “Send a messenger back to Cadet Porux. Tell him I want a scorpion here on the double.”
    A man ran back across the rough terrain, and in no time at all, Alexandros had his portable artillery. Using his men to shield it as they positioned the weapon, Alexandros was able to observe the tower more closely.
    “They appear to have a scorpion or ballista on top of that tower. It’s probably what they used to shoot down the skimmer. It doesn’t appear that they can use it against us, as we are too close. We’ll need to knock out that door quickly, before they can move the artillery piece.”
    It must not have the range to hit the ship. But I should have thought about that in advance. Otherwise, the Arcus would have been a juicy, fat target.
    The scorpion crew set to work, loading a heavy arrow with a thick length of rope behind it.
    “Fire at will!” Alexandros ordered.
    The shot