Prophecy

Summer Training

Second year

Manticore arrived at the summer training site by Portkey, just as they had a year ago. Alexander Evans took the first year Manticores off to talk to them, and the rest of the Manticores lined up to get their uniforms and supplies. The issue went much smoother than it had last year, and in short order all the teams were heading for their tents to put away their gear.

The second year Manticores were eager to begin the training. Instead of endless classes and drills, they would be using a training technique called 'war games'. The Wolfpack trainer assigned to a team would give that team a mission, and the team leader would plan, review and execute the mission.

That night, they got their first assignments. Mercy and Jerrick were going to use Phoenix to defend a site, like a field hospital that couldn't be moved. Griffon had drawn the OPFOR mission, and would be attacking them. The scenario was very simple for the first mission.

Phoenix had a supply base/hospital with wounded that could not be moved, while Griffon was the enemy force tasked with the destruction of the base. Mercy and the Mediwizards not in the tent with the 'wounded' were the base's defenders; while Jerrick used the other Phoenixes as a mobile strike force.

The next morning, after getting their mission, and the go ahead, Arthur Weasley sent a scout out to recon the site. Mounted on a broomstick, and covered with invisibility and silencing spells, Michael Weasley spent several very uncomfortable hours observing the camp with binoculars, noting tent locations, where the sentries were, how often they were relieved, how many total people the camp had and the landscape, or terrain around the camp. After he finished making a rough map of the area and the camp, he reported to Arthur.

Arthur had made a large table, called a sandtable while Michael was on the recon mission. The sandtable was a large table with a rim on it, and sand or dirt inside. After Michael gave Arthur the map and notes he'd collected, Arthur used those notes to make a three-dimensional model of the camp and the area around it. This allowed every member of the team to see the ground from above, and to see the approach route Arthur chose.

Given Mercy's known defensive abilities, Griffon was not surprised to find that there was not an easy way to attack the camp, and Arthur decided on a simple ruse. After the rest of the team was briefed on their role and what they'd be doing, the start time was chosen, and Arthur took Brian Crockford back into the tent and gave him a slightly different mission.

Griffon lifted off after Arthur and Michael checked all the weapons again. The weapons they were using were real. The ammunition however was not dangerous. It would not break the skin, even if you were hit directly on an eyeball. It would sting quite badly however, a feature that had most of the Manticores wincing in anticipation.

Alexander just grinned at them when asked why it had to be painful. "You're all big boys and girls. Figure it out."

When James was approached about it, he was typically blunt. "Because I don't want any of you thinking these things are harmless or painless. People expecting pain are more cautious than 'Fearless Fools', and I want every one of you to know that you need to learn to duck on a regular basis when the bullets are flying around." He rubbed his chest, smirking at the people listening to him. "Besides, Tiffany and I have tested them privately, and I can say that while they are quite painful, they will not interfere with ..." James glanced at a blushing Tiffany, then continued. "Any later plans you might have."

Griffon flew low, using the terrain to avoid detection from the camp until they reached the FRP or Final Rally Point. This was the point from which they would make their attack. Brian had broken off and taken a different route about twenty minutes earlier, and now they waited for his part of the mission to open the attack.

Brian had circled the camp, and was at a point that looked like a good place to attack the camp. He set up one of the three-dimensional image projectors that James and Tiffany had used so effectively when they were avoiding Manticore and triggered it. Brian was grinning as he set it up, remembering how annoyed James had been that Tiffany's name for it caught on. The thing was supposed to be called an "Evans Image Creator" but almost all of Manticore called it the do-hickey. After he had it set up and triggered, he settled into a position and opened the first attack.

Brian used a grenade launcher to liberally fill the camp with tear gas and smoke. At the same time, the do-hickey was projecting images of the rest of the team darting from one bit of cover to another, assaulting the camp. The attack drew Jerrick and the strike force to that side of the camp, which was Arthur's signal to begin their approach.

Inside the camp, the smoke was obscuring vision, but the tear gas was useless. At the first smell of the gas, the word was passed and everyone cast, or had the bubblehead charm cast on them. With everyone's attention on the attack though, Griffon managed to disable the first sentry with the "Interclusio" spell.

At the camp's edge, Griffon ran into the first of Mercy's magically enhanced traps, and Franklin Finnigan triggered a mass of magic robes that bound him and his Broomstick in place.

Griffon pressed on, but they had lost the element of surprise, and Jerrick sent half of his force back to help with this new attack.

Griffon 'destroyed' several tents and took out three more people before Mercy's second line of defense kicked in. Twenty magic balls rose into the air, and began attacking anyone not wearing a Phoenix signet ring. The balls were the size of Bludgers, but since this was training, they were soft. Anyone hit by one of them turned a vivid yellow, making them easy targets for the defenders.

Five minutes after Brian launched the first smoke grenade, the battle was over, and Griffon was defeated. The final tally was five Griffons captured or 'dead', four 'dead' Phoenix members, and nearly half of Phoenix's tents and supplies lost.

During the after action review, the Wolfpack trainers that had watched the entire scenario pointed out both good and bad points on both sides. Griffon had made good use of terrain in their approach, and the ruse that drew almost all the strike force out of place to meet the real attack was praised. After that however, they had stayed too close together, making a single target for the defenders, and allowing them to mass fires on the target. The trainers suggested breaking into two man elements, and separating, so that the defenders had fire at several points. That would decrease their fire ability, as the unlinked Phoenixes would have to be careful not to hit their own people. Griffon, being a linked team, would not have that problem.

The last mistake Griffon made was not assigning people to look after each other. If one Griffon had stopped and freed Franklin, they would have had one more person for the assault and might have been able to work more effectively.

Arthur was not happy with his first trial as Team leader, but the trainers thought differently. "Your mistakes were the result of inexperience, not incompetence. That's why we have training," one of them told him, and then it was Phoenix's turn to be analyzed.

The use of wards keyed to the Phoenix signet rings was praised, although the trainers said that they could have placed the outer ring of defenses further out, as it was not a killing trap, and wouldn't hurt any Muggle or innocent Wizard that happened to stumble over it.

Jerrick's reaction to the attack had been extreme. As the defenders, with pre set cover and active defenses in place, an attack by just six should not have required more than a third of the strike force, leaving the rest to deal with anything else that happened, such as the attack on the rear of the camp today.

After discussing each team's overall performance, the trainers began reviewing the actions of individual Manticores, and opened a general discussion of what each team needed to improve.

Across the valley, the teams not involved in today's war games were learning to co-ordinate the actions and responses of two or more linked teams using the rings. This meant everyone had to response to a general command at the same time, in the same way. Muggle militaries taught this with marching or Drill. The Wolfpack trainers were using the same idea, but they were incorporating the flight capabilities of the Broomsticks.

Those Manticores that didn't have their own broomsticks for whatever reason were lent a broomstick that had been traded in to the Starblade Co. on a new Starblade. The broomsticks were causing one of the biggest problems in the entire day.

Chimera's Starblades were outperforming everything of course, but after that, Broomstick performance varied widely depending on the age and quality of the broomsticks in question.

Chimera was taking a break while Sphinx and Hydra practiced some maneuvers, and from the ground, the ragged formations were clearly visible.

As Chimera watched the formations trying to straighten out, a burst of shock from Tiffany made them look at the Soulbonded couple. James and Tiffany were arguing about something, and as Chimera watched, James pressed his point, gesturing at the formations in the sky. Tiffany's initial shock was fading into an unwilling acceptance, and finally, she threw her hands up.

James caressed her cheek, and turned to Rose. He sent something down the twinlink, and it was Rose's turn to be appalled. She got over it faster, and pulled a parchment from her robes. She began writing something and making quick figures, as Emma couldn't contain herself anymore. "Would you three like to fill the rest of us in on the surprise?"

James was still watching the group in the sky as he answered absently. "Our formations look like hell because of the different Broomsticks, and that could be bad later on during the War. I simply want to get all the Manticores Starblades."

It took a second for that to sink in, but after it did, the rest of Chimera was every bit as shocked as Tiffany had been. Starblades were custom made for one user, and wouldn't even work for anyone else. They had more than a hundred wards, spells and charms on them, and it took five wizards a month of work to make just one Starblade.

They were also the most expensive Broomsticks made, costing an average of two thousand, two hundred Galleons each. Lisa was the first to get over the shock and speak. "Are you talking about every Manticore, even the new ones?"

James nodded, still watching the sky. "Of course. It wouldn't do any good to get all our people Starblades, if their replacements didn't have them as well."

Lisa was adding numbers in her head. "Are you going to get them for the Wolfpack people that can use them as well?"

James turned and looked at Lisa. "I had not thought of that, but yes. Manticore wouldn't be half of what it is without Wolfpack."

Lisa closed her eyes, running numbers and figures through her head, and when she was done, she looked at James again. "You do realize you're talking about spending nearly one hundred and sixty thousand Galleons on this?"

Except for Rose and James, the rest of Chimera froze, shocked into complete silence by the amount. James looked at Rose. "Would you ask Uncle Alexander if we could use his cell phone please?"

Rose walked over to where Alexander and Martin were watching the sky, where Dragon and Unicorn had taken Sphinx and Hydra's place. A short conversation later, Rose returned with a small phone and handed it to James, who dialed a number from memory.

Chimera avidly listened to James's side of the conversation. "Hello Mrs. Johnston. How are you today?" James listened for a minute, then: "It's good to hear that. Give your daughter our best, and then I need a favor. Can you patch me through to dad?"

There was a short pause, as James was being transferred to wherever his father was that morning. "Hello Father. Am I interrupting anything?" James grinned. "No, nothing is wrong, but a situation has arisen, and I need to borrow some money from Cumulus."

James's emotions spiked with humour suddenly. "Well, that depends on what Starblade is going to charge us for." James paused and consulted with Rose suddenly, then turned back to the phone. "Seventy-one Starblades, and a continuing order of five to ten more a year for a few years. Immediate delivery, or as soon as possible would be good."

James listened for a minute, and rolled his eyes. "I know you said something about this, and I have to admit, I didn't realize just how great the performance difference in Broomsticks is." James listened again, and broke out in a smile. "Great. That will help a lot. Now, how much does the Green Flower owe Cumulus?" It was James's turn to be shocked, but it faded quickly as he listened. "Payment to start on delivery?" Another pause as he listened again, and then, "Fair enough. We'll have the authorization for monthly withdrawals in Gringotts within three days."

He listened some more and started to roll his eyes again. He stopped in mid-roll, and grinned. In his best mock innocent tone, he said, "Me? Roll my eyes at you, Father? Would I do a thing like that?" He laughed, they discussed Manticore and the family for a few minutes, and then James hung up to find Chimera and Alexander staring at him.

He smiled as he addressed Rose. "Sister mine, would you drop a note to Gringotts tonight, authorizing the Cumulus Co. to withdraw nine hundred and sixteen Galleons and eight Sickles each month for the next twenty years?"

Rose raised an eyebrow at the amount, but was scribbling it down for later as the rest of Chimera stared at James in shock. Lisa was the first to work out the total. "We're paying two hundred and twenty thousand Galleons for the Starblades?" (A/N: Actually, it's 219,952.94 Galleons, but Lisa rounded off. Raven)

James shrugged. "After the extra charges for rush delivery, and jumping the line, and the interest dad is charging, yes."

Adam blinked. "Your father is charging you interest on the loan?"

James and Rose both looked blank. "Why wouldn't he? Business is business after all."

Tiffany giggled at the rest of Chimera. "Haven't you figured out yet that capital 'B' Business is the driving force of the Evans Clan?"

Most of Chimera was shaking their heads as they thought about the whole thing. Adam was running through the conversation in his head again, and he looked at James. "What did you mean, when you said that will help?"

James thought back, and then smiled. "Father started ordering Starblades as soon as he got the first Manticore measurements, and with a bit of rush, we'll have all the Broomsticks in time to give them out at the family week, when we tell all the families about Manticore."

Hangeld spoke mildly. "I hope you're not so cynical that you think the families can be bought with a fancy Broomstick."

James stared into space while he thought about it. "Some will be, but I was thinking more of them as proof of our commitment to the Prophecy."

Lisa was thinking about all the uniforms, equipment, personnel, and training that the Evans clan had provided so far. "Just how much have you spent on this thing so far?"

James looked at Rose, who kept the books for the Green Flower Co. She thought about it for a minute and shrugged. "I'm not sure. A lot of the stuff was paid for by Cumulus, and sent to us free. At least four hundred thousand Galleons or so, counting the Starblades."

Adam converted that into the Pounds he was familiar with and froze, with his eyes open wide. "You've spent five point two million Pounds on this so far?"

James looked at him as he figured the Dollar rate out. "It's only money. Four hundred thousand Galleons, five point two million pounds, or six point four million dollars, it's still all just money."

He mounted his broomstick, and hovered a few feet off the ground as Chimera made ready to take to the air again. He looked at them, and he was completely serious. "If a Starblade saves a single Manticore during the War, it will be worth every penny, Knut or pence, however you look at it."

Chimera mounted, and joined James, Unicorn and Dragon for more practice.

That first day set the pattern for the rest of the summer. Some teams would practice formations, and making the teams act as one group, while the others would be attacking or defending a camp. As Mercy and Jerrick perfected their defenses, two, three and even four teams were tasked to attack the camp.

The most eagerly awaited matches pitted Adam against Mercy on the strategy, and James and Jerrick on tactics. Mercy and Adam were strategic geniuses, and James and Jerrick were so closely matched that the outcome was always in doubt until the last minute.

Alexander decided to suspend formation flying on those days, saying the other Manticores would learn more watching those four than they could possibly learn flying in circles.

The Manticores that had joined in the second year of the Eight were going through the basic training that the First called Manticores had gone through the year before. Since there were only six of them, Martin was leading that training with just one other Wolfpack member. Two more of them oversaw the flying practice, and the rest observed the war games from every angle, making notes for the AAR after it was over.

About half way into the summer, Alexander changed the scenario, and Phoenix had to defend a moving convoy, while the other teams had to attack it. Raids, ambushes and counterattacks became routine to all of them, and after they had done that for a couple of weeks, Alexander changed it again.

Now, whichever team had the BLUFOR slot that day wouldn't learn about the mission until the day of the mission. Mercy and Jerrick wouldn't learn the OPFOR's mission until then either, making them all rush to get the mission accomplished. This led to a few mistakes, but they soon figured out how to plan a mission in a hurry, and the tempo of the operations was increased again. (A/N: BLUFOR is an acronym for Blue forces, or the good guys, and OPFOR is Opposing force, or the bad guys. It's American Military slang, simply because my own personal 'Uncle Alexander' spent 30 years in the service, and I'm using his knowledge to do the military scenes. Raven)

As all the teams got better, the scenarios got harder, with a team or two joining Phoenix in defending, or there being no intelligence about the target, except what you could get a scout close enough to see.

James and Adam spent many nights working out basic plans for the eight most common scenarios they ran into, so that they had a base plan set as soon as they knew what the mission was. A few attempts to use those plans showed them the flaws, and they spent even more time refining the plans, until they had a working manual.

Emily was the first person to figure out they had a plan book, and she asked to borrow it one day. James was smiling at her, as she walked away, already on page two. "How much do you want to bet that she's already read everything else in camp, and just needed a book fix?"

Chimera smiled at the good-natured teasing of the girl that had once walked off a moving staircase at Hogwarts because she had her nose in a book. The consensus around Hogwarts was that if Emily died while reading a book, her ghost would refuse to move on until she finished the book.

The last mission of the year was the result of James bragging about Chimera's performance. Alexander heard him, and said, "Since Chimera is so good, in three days, you'll face off against everyone else, attacking a moving convoy."

The other seven members of Chimera promptly dragged James to a nearby stream and threw him in.

After he dried off, James went looking for Adam, and they spent an hour talking to him. When they came out, James was filled with the same sense of anticipatory glee that he had when he was waiting for a good prank to be triggered. The next day, Alexander gave Mercy and Jerrick their briefing. Where they would start, where they were going, the supplies they were carrying and the timeline they had to work with.

Unknown to any of the four there, James had used Tiffany's Invisibility Cloak to plant Lisa's Magicrystal the night before, and Adam was listening to every word. Tiffany had protested that this was cheating, and James had asked her if she'd plant the Magicrystal in the Patient Child's headquarters if she could. When Tiffany had to admit she would, James said it was the same thing. Tiffany looked dubious, but was soon plotting the destruction of the rest of Manticore with Chimera. Adam was aware that everyone in camp knew about and had read the battle plan book James and he had worked out.

He decided to ignore the book this time, and he and James spent hours working out new plans that were different from anything they'd done before. That night James sent a raccoon into the tent to retrieve the Magicrystal and place it in the sandtable tent where Mercy and Jerrick would make their final plans and brief Phoenix.

The next day, James and Adam took turns listening to Phoenix. As Mercy and Jerrick made plans, James and Adam made counter plans. That night after everyone was in bed, Chimera lifted off, heading for the area and routes Phoenix had chosen. The entire group went because nearly two thirds of the route Mercy and Jerrick had chosen were outside the limits Chimera could stretch their link without pain. James and Adam filled them in on the entire plan while they flew.

Emma thought it was going to be fun, but Hangeld wasn't as optimistic. "This is almost completely opposite anything we've ever done."

Adam sent a mental smirk down the link. "I know. We're been training in the tactics everyone is going to use so that we'll be able to work with them if we have to, but these tactics take full advantage of the Chimera link and the various talents we all have."

"We haven't used these tactics yet, because Adam and I had decided to wait until we had a firm grasp of the tactics everyone is going to use." James's smirk matched Adam's, and he was filled with anticipation.

Hangeld was still dubious. "We're facing all of Manticore tomorrow, isn't this a bad time to be trying out new tactics?"

The next thing James said had them all rolling their eyes. "Calculated Risk. Even if we lose, this is only training, and losing here is better than losing in real combat." He started to slow and descend as they reached the first point on their agenda tonight. "Besides, even if we lose, the chaos we cause will be worth it."

Chimera broke into three groups, and was done laying their traps with Adam's guidance by midnight. They returned to the camp to get some sleep before the mission.