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Once the inspector had dismissed them, Sand had simply nodded and turned to the rest of the team, telling them to settle down for the flight. Seats had been reserved for them near the back-end of the bridge, out of the way of the flight crew, and she was quick to claim hers.

Time went by slowly, the only things to occupy her being idle daydreams, the rhythmic sound of Thoúlē’s feet against the floor of the airship during her occasional strolls throughout the bridge, and the occasional bout of conversation between her teammates. After a time listening to the droning murmur of the turbines, she had diverted most of her focus towards staying conscious.

Just as she resolved to match the inspector’s example and stretch her legs, an announcement from one of the crew members scattered the cobwebs from her mind.

"We have a flock of Nevermores inbound. Visuals confirm around sixty individuals. Your orders, captain?"

Sand listened to the Captain’s response, now wide awake, and was not surprised when the crew’s focus turned to them. It was time for them to play their part. 

[i]And time for me to put on my act[/i], she added, feeling the flutter of nerves in her stomach.

“We’re on it.” She answered crisply, satisfied by the steadiness of her voice, before glancing at the others. “Go ahead to the elevator. I need to check on something, but I’ll be right with you.”

[hr]
True to her word, no sooner had the door to the bridge slid close behind the three members of SVRT that it opened again to let Sand through. This time, however, she held an Atlesian service rifle in each hand. 

“Leave it to Atlas to keep spare weaponry even in their research vessels,” she commented, pre-empting any odd looks, “now catch.” At that, she tossed one of the weapons at Violet.

Cradling the remaining rifle into a comfortable grip in her arms, Sand explained, “Robert and Trad may be able to resupply before we head out to inspect the facility, but arrows and blades are harder to come by than bullets. There’s really no reason to burn through our equipment before we even touch ground, so I thought we could borrow these.” She began walking, motioning them forward with a tilt of her head as she moved past them. “Elevator should be right ahead, come on.”

Expecting them to follow, she continued. “As long as they’re not too large, between us four and the ship’s cannons a murder of Nevermores this size should be your regular target practice. Just don’t let them get too close. That said, it’s going to be windy up there, so try to stay low and close to a handhold.” She glanced back, hoping to drive this home. “Falling off would be a problem, so stick close to me or Trad if there aren’t any. We can anchor ourselves down if we need to, isn’t that right?”

Finally reaching the elevator, she stepped inside. “Might be hard to hear each other up there, so last chance for questions. Anything on your minds? You know where the safety is on that thing, Violet?”

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