[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Y9sJ6mj.png[/img]
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[color=f7941d][i]AGH, God that stung!  And, okay, what am I[/i] meant [i]to do when an assailant I don’t know has me basically trapped falling to my –[/i][/color]
 
[color=f7941d][i]Clearly knows something about Charter’s powers –[/i][/color]
 
[color=f7941d][i]‘father’.  ‘father’.  ‘father’ ‘father’ ‘father’[/i] ‘father’ ‘father’ –[/color]
 
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JZogZAD3zE][i][b]Get.  A.  GRIP.[/b][/i][/url]
 
The air rushing past her had slowed.  Stopped.  [i]Was beginning to reverse.[/i]  That put her on a timer – in somewhere around a minute or two she’d be a smear of blood and flesh being rapidly dispersed by the waves.
 
Unless she acted.  [color=f7941d][i]Needs her allies absent.  If I heard that voice right…[/i] “Fine, I’ll take your message,”[/color] Callie near-growled, [color=f7941d]“so [i]get that blade away[/i] so I can take it.  And do it fast, ‘less you want [i]that one[/i] suspecting you.”[/color]
 
There was a slight ‘woosh’ as the sword was taken away, and the portal was closed; Sohrab had done what the daughter of his ‘Malik’ had said.  A cascade of [i]relief[/i] crashed through her, both of the trickling stamina ceasing to flow from her but, far, far more than that, of the reassertion of control over her own being.  Without ears on her, Callie gasped at the feeling of it, taking a moment to just pant for breath.
 
Gathered herself.
 
Grit her teeth.
 
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA2uzuT0Dlc]Opened up a channel back to Noel and Iker.[/url]  [color=f7941d]“Back in action, command.  Antiquarian wants to defect, for a sum in the billions.  At least seems pliable; recommending capture if possible.  Warning that she’s canny in her antique’s use, if not her negotiation.  Cannot easily engage second antiquarian; requesting antique mental control to stand ready, if we have anyone.  Can transport on command.”  [i]Intangibility denies most of my capabilities, maybe Qingshe’s too – need to plan in case no-one’s available.[/i][/color]  She focused on that thought, burning it into her memory, to…  Report later.
 
A part of her mind followed through; the other part remained on the present.  Rapidly, Callie demanifested Charter, slung her broken rifle over her shoulder, remanifested it, then tucked in her arms and legs, diving, diving – and up again, through another portal.  That would keep her airborne for the next little while.
 
And she would use that while.   She brought her sight back to the ship – to the man flying the bird of semi-solid darkness, still yelling at those aboard.  [color=f7941d][i]‘Anui-El’.  Has clout, so removing him from their command structure would be effective; his Arm provides them mobility we ought to deny; and there’s no need to compromise in striking him.[/i][/color]

Callie took a breath.  [color=f7941d][i]Confusion and fear.  Let’s sow some more of it.[/i][/color]
 
Her focus divided again.  Part of it remained on the man; she turned off her night vision, seeing him only by the light of Mei’s ship.  [color=f7941d][i]Longcoat to anchor to; still yelling – good.  Arm summons at least one shadow bird; possibility of countering if they can transmit themselves through small gaps and are strong enough to remain in one place against immense pressure and have limited intangibility.[/i][/color]  Part of her felt the tiniest bit of something approaching glee.  [color=f7941d][i]Seems minimal.[/i][/color]
 
The other part of her looked behind him.  Gazed upon the ocean.  Sought to break past the black surface, to [i]understand[/i] that the black-blue that she saw was a function of the absorption of most other light – which meant that the blue light remained.  That, of that little blue that the evening twilight allowed, some of it penetrated dozens of metres deep into the ocean before returning to the surface, to soar across the sky to, without her night vision on, eventually reach her eye.
 
That she could – against all her instincts – see it!
 
Thus, in a moment in which Anui-El was bellowing at his allies, he found himself suddenly unable to close his mouth.  For that lowest point that Callie could see beneath the waves was suddenly joined by a small portal to the space within.
 
All of the saltwater on the other side, just as suddenly, had somewhere new to go.
 
[i]And from both sides of that portal a veritable [b]geyser[/b] burst forth.[/i]

[hr]
Death was at least quick, though cruel and unusual, for Anui-El, Priest of Birds; not even supernatural toughness can stand the quick shock of ultra-cold water filling up one’s lungs.  The rest of the ‘Foreign Volunteers Division’ visibly quailed, all except Mei and Sohrab, the former of whom just closed her lips and gestured for her Ship to keep sailing/flying towards the Diversion Fleet.  For now, it seemed as though they were going to keep attacking, although if Mei’s offer was accepted, that might change.