"Alright, lads," Rourke addressed the full assembled Rifle company. fifty men of varying ranks and duties aboard the Marigold, selected for their skills with rifle, bayonet, and individually-preferred weapons, augmented by mission-specific equipment. Commandoes, veritable aerial marines in all but name, they had each proven their worth a hundred times.
"We're stormin' the stronghold o' th' Brother'ood o' the Serpent, " he said, "you each have your duties.Those so assigned have been given strafing wings and harrying packs. Your job is to attack any and all points on the exterior of the premises; anybody what looks loik a monk, you kill 'em, an' blow up or otherwise incapacitate thee position, commandeerin' any portable weapons or ordnance they have there. You'll loikely be facin' low level cantrip magic, so take precautions."
He turned to the three squads equipped with simple descent arrestor rigs. "You lot, you're the vanguard of the main attack. Hit the target identified by Miss Starling an' th' Cap'n. hit it hard, with everything you've got. Set up spotting points for our artillery, and hold what you get."
He turned lastly to those with rapid-descent arrestors. "You fellows are the escort for th' rest o' th' Marigold Team. you 'it th' ground first, and aid an' support, you're the grunts here, so fix bayonets before you descend."
"I'll infiltrate the defenses and let the Main Body in through the front door," he said, and then snapped, "Never ye mind 'ow," he snapped. Alroight, I'm off. Bosun, start the raiders approximately three minutes from now." he walked to the end of the takeoff deck, and looked down. "Cor, that's a long way," he breathed. He had not realized they were no closer to the Target. "Mina, you 'ere?" The huge bat popped into existence beside him, and squeaked, "Right here, Sir Rourke!"
"Roight. Go an' foind th' Brother'oods front door, yeah?"
"Alright. The bat hovered close and looked him right in the eye. "You be careful, Rourke, Milady'd be devastated if something happened to you." she squeaked seriously.
"Roight. You too, li'l one."
Mina vanished, and Rourke closed his eyes and leaned backward, plummetting from the takeoff bridge, dropping to ward the roofs far below like a rock, then snapping the Russian gliding wings open, and carving an insane, high-speed arc toward the place where Mina circled and shrieked. He alighted like the bat that the huge black wings cause him to resemble, and Thought to his Sire, "Alright. I'm here and ready."
He tried. He truly tried to endure the searing pain that was the Pillar of Smoke transformation, but in the end, he whimpered as his corporeal body vanished and became a cloud of smoking vapors.
The guard not ten feet away on the opposite side of the dirty, ill-kept brick wall snapped to attention, scanning the alley before him, but saw nothing. He certainly did not see the smoke that leaked through the brickwork behind him. So intent was he on finding out what had alerted him, he also did not notice that same cloud smoke seeping through the keyhole and the cracks around the door, avoiding the thaumic warding barrier by simply bypassing the pieces of wood and metal upon which they were carved. The event that made it possible for vampires to enter a person's house, the event that Rourke had counted upon had already occurred, after all, just the way that Rourke had anticipated; when it was reported to the High Priest that the Marigold had appeared overhead, he had said the words that doomed their last line of defense and would throw open their gates to the enemy: "Let them come. I welcome you, Lieutenant Rourke and Doctor Scott, to this house and to your doom."
And then suddenly, confusion and hell desended on every defensive and surveillant position. The Rifle Company's harriers had arrived, and Rourke materialized inside the vestibule, screaming aloud as he did so, the pain being intense. The the pain, he drew his sword and cut down three attackers, then pulled teh revolver and shot fouir more, and strode to the winch that drew aside the bolt that held teh door fast. thr riflement, followed soon by several more, rushed in as he opened the door...
