[i]Annaveya Kushrina[/i] - [u]The Western Cross[/u]

This Pirate wanted to lead her on this risk-filled venture of what could very well be a wild goose chase. Narrowing her eyes as he continued to incessantly talk about that may lay beyond the edge of the Fog itself, [i]The Western Cross[/i] didn't seem amused in the least. This little bauble of a map, and its ever changing state drew her suspicion, but then there was the allure of something else entirely. 

Such a lure was the thought of flying through the fog. Challenging her and her aircrew's abilities accordingly, and perhaps even opening up the first trade routes to the scattered villages that lay within. Not to forget the unbelievable rumors of relics and riches that also remained hidden in the dark. 

Whistling slightly so that Genie would understand the command to stand by Edoric, Annaveya's eyes fixed the entirety of her focus on the Pirate as she began to speak. It was a simple matter for the massive dire wolf to tear the man apart if Annaveya chose. For it had not been the first time she had utilized such a tactic with prisoners; for information or simply because the Pirate had attempted at her life while he was in the holding cell.  

[color=f6989d]"Alright, but if you think you'll be leading this little expedition, you're completely mad. For now, we're about to launch. On your feet, we're going to the bridge."[/color]

Folding her fingertips behind her back neatly, she calmly strode out of the steely holding cell with both Genie and the unhappy Lieutenant close behind Edoric as they passed through countless hallways and corridors. Through crew quarters and maintenance support facilities, until at long last they arrived at a massive looking room with an expansive view of the outside world. As The Western Cross walked in while the massive Airship took to the air, the entirety of the crew stood at attention.

[color=f6989d]"At ease, back to work. I'd like to clear some distance in case we need to launch."[/color] Hurriedly, the men and women got back to work, studying weather patterns, insuring that the thrust to weight ratio was the amount required and the like. Akin to a finely oiled machine, the Kushrina Mercantile Navy was at work. 

It did not take long for the massive Airship to be touching the clouds as it cleared the outskirts of the city. Nor did it take long for the high pitched whine of a warning bell to fire off.

One uniformed crewman came to her in a hurried run, moving so quickly that his feet barely touched the very deck beneath him.

[color=6ecff6]"Ma'am! We have a vessel docked in a remote town to the starboard. Silhouette spotted at two kilometers. No flag of country or company upon it!"[/color]

[color=f6989d]"Well, let's take a look shall we? Scramble Hrist Zero-Seven to fly with me, let's buzz by and scout it out."[/color] Annaveya stated nonchalantly, reaching into the seat of her pockets to pull out a pair of finely crafted leather gloves before taking a pair of flying goggles and having them hang about her neck. Then seizing her flight jacket and tossing it over her shoulder, she glanced carelessly to Edo.

[color=f6989d]"I'm not leaving you alone on my ship. Lieutenant, order quick fix a temporary second seat on my Corsair, won't you?"[/color] Nodding hastily, the man bolted off as The Western Cross motioned for Edoric to follow her. There wasn't much of a choice as two armed guards stood near him and simply ushered him to chase after the young woman. Delving into the deeper parts of the Ship, Edoric would soon find himself in a tightly closed compartment, with the canopy of a sleek, beautifully crafted Kushrina Fighter awaiting him.

Anna deftly swung herself into the front seat, and the two guards helped him into the back as her headset came on with the garbled radio communication coming over the connections to their ears. 

[color=f6989d]"Control tower? This is Hrist Zero-One, prep scramble Launch for me and Zero-Seven. Possible Piracy activity two kilometers out to Starboard, requesting clearance to launch."[/color]

With a snap and bolting down of the canopy, Edoric would be trapped in the tight fitting cockpit as a high pitched whine announced the start of an exquisitely powerful engine that sat right in front of Annaveya. The sleek, small airframe was literally wrapped around this monstrous machine, and soon they were overcome with the roar of the turbocharged monstrosity coming to life.

[color=f6989d]"Zero Seven, do you copy?"[/color] 

[color=f7976a]"Aye Ma'am."[/color]

[color=f6989d]"Circle about and level off with me at Port Side of [i]The Dawn[/i], then bank one-eighty degrees to observe. ETA on target is forty seconds at full speed."[/color]

[color=f7976a]"Copy that, Ma'am."[/color]

Finally at long last as the short chain of commands strung forth, the garbled radio voice of the control tower for The Dawn's Guard came over the headsets that both she and Edoric wore.

[color=a2d39c]"Hrist Zero-One, and Hrist Zero-Seven, you are all green across the board. Good luck and good hunting."[/color] The moment that the authorization came through from the Tower, the solid floor that lay beneath them snapped sharply open and suddenly Annaveya, Edoric, and Zero-Seven fell from The Dawn's Guard like stones towards a lake. Once the nose pointed downward towards the earth as the two planes hurtled downward, their folded wings sharply opened in midair; and their descent suddenly changed.

Pulling up sharply along the Starboard side of The Dawn, Annaveya's beautifully crafted Fighter swing a wide arc about the massive Capitol ship as she circled towards the port side, gaining altitude smoothly as she heard the call from her wingman over the radio.

[color=f7976a]"Zero-One, this is Zero Seven, levelling off on your Port-Side."[/color]

With wisps streaming off his wingtips, her wingman's similarly magnificent craft rose sharply to meet hers, ceasing the collision course just as the nose of his plane was just a few feet from the tip of her wing.

[color=f6989d]"Alright Zero-Seven, bank one eighty to Port...now."[/color]

Simultaneously with her command, the two aircraft banked hard and flew just above her own capitol ship and tore across the heavens towards the small town in the distance. It neared incredibly rapidly, and The Western Cross' plane edged further ahead of her wingman's as her plane suddenly inverted and sharply turned downward towards the ground itself. Incredibly swiftly, the ground approached as at the last moment Annaveya pulled up the nose of her Corsair at the last possible moment. Being just hairs above the tallest treetops, Anna's plane whistled suddenly whistled past just a few feet away from the suspicious docked ship. So quickly was this, that even the tower it was docked nearby shook. 

Much to her disappointment, it was no Pirate Vessel, that much was obvious. It was Lennard Kliemer's ship, someone who had flown beneath her family's escort once before. Another man who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty just like her. Pulling up sharply as she gained altitude, her radioed voice would echo through Lennard's ship as she rocketed through the clouds in a matter of moments.

[color=f6989d]"Afternoon Lennard, this is The Western Cross. Heading our way? If so, feel free to grab an escort courtesy of the Kushrina Mercantile Armada."[/color] Turning and banking then, another voice came through her headset once again. This time it was that freshly demoted Lieutenant.

[color=6ecff6]"Ma'am, there's another request coming through."[/color]

[color=f6989d]"Detail it out."[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"Archadian Valkyries, shall I decline or patch them through?"[/color]

Annaveya paused as she soared through the air and allowed her wingman to catch back up; what, if anything did the Archadian Military want with her? The last time they had met had been rather turbulent to say the least.

[color=f6989d]"Alright....patch us through. What's their location?"[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"Ten Kilometers North of you. What of it?"[/color]

[color=f6989d]"I'll stop by and say hello. Zero-Seven, with me."[/color] Turning sharply towards the north, The Western Cross hurtled through the skies with her wingman close in tow as the Archadian's announcements came through on her radio. It was a peculiar request, wanting to meet the Kushrina Mercantile Battlegroup, and it was the first of their kind. Exactly what the Archadian Queen would want was certainly a mystery, but that certainly didn't stop Anna's curiosity.

As the Archadian Ship in the distance rapidly neared, Anna's command came simply for her compatriot that flew alongside her.

[color=f6989d]"Weave pass, I'll take port, you take starboard, meet back up just past their bridge."[/color] She said simply first, only to have her communication channel change to that of the Archadian frequency. [color=f6989d]"Good morning, Valkyrie Freya. This is The Western Cross"[/color] She stated first, her plane's wings going vertical completely as she passed just a few feet away from the Portside flank of the massive airship. Completely dwarfing the Archadian's speed, the Kushrina fighter roared past so closely to the bridge of Freya's ship that the glass that protected it from the outside elements rattled nervously.

To both possibly interested parties, the Kushrina Mercantile Captain would make an offer most wouldn't refuse across the military frequency.

[color=f6989d]"Follow us if you'd like. We'll slow down so you can keep up. Would you need a transport ship to carry you to [i]The Dawn's Guard[/i]?"[/color]

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