Our Eyes In the Skies

Captain Jessica Ravenscroft, with her dragon Aurelius
A crimson reaper, one of the few dragon breeds known to prey on other dragons in the wild, Aurelius nonetheless remained an integral and trusted part of Agamemnon's flight squadron for the duration of the war. An excellent all-purpose fighter, and a fierce and wily warrior, Aurelius was an excellent example of the benefits of having reapers in a bomber group, regardless of the wariness they might have inspired in some of their squadron mates.

The species' keen eyesight and ability to glide for long distances made them excellent at reconnaissance missions, with Captain Ravenscroft and Aurelius flying off ahead of the group to scout on targets, then circling back to report on ground and air defenses. Once debriefed, Captain Ravenscroft would then steer Aurelius to higher altitudes, where they would prove to be the key reason Agamemnon's group never lost a dragon to enemy fliers.

Acting thus as a high-altitude shadow to the bombing wing, Captain Ravenscroft then deployed Aurelius' hunting skills to devastating effect. His devastating speed and momentum in a dive-bomb, together with powerful talons, proved an instant kill against smaller enemy dragons harassing the group, while an envenomed bite finished off any larger dragons. Over the course of the war, Agamemnon's fear of having the dragons' apex predator in his flight gave way to a deep and lasting friendship, as he began to rely on the older dragon's sage counsel. 

The friendship was first tested, then strengthened, by his losing Jessica Ravenscroft, Captain Aubrey's second-in-command and one of the jewels of his flight crew, to Aurelius when she was promoted to Captain her own dragon. But the deep security he felt by having both of his dear friends looking over his group, overcame that initial jealousy. Soon, Aurelius and Agamemnon could be heard conspiring nightly about which male member of Agamemnon's crew could be bred with Jessica, and which dragon would take possession of the resulting offspring; a topic which was a source of embarrassment, entertainment, and excitement to the human crews, as dragons are terrible at whispering quietly.