[quote=@Dyelli Beybi]
Thankfully nobody had hit them yet, but it was only a matter of time - the dirigible was not a small target, "Someone get on the machineguns.  Give them a burst to keep their heads down... Mister Carter, if you will."
[/quote]

[b]James E. Carter & Itzi Ku [/b]
[hr]

The sharp crack of distant gunfire echoed faintly through the cabins, Carter didn’t need Arkadios’ call to know what it was. He knew that sound and knew the beat between the flashes. It sent a ripple down his spine, memories flaring up.

The War in the Main. Dust, smoke, high altitude over Iktani rooftop. No warning sirens, no clean targets, just the dull thud of munitions dropped by men who had been selected to risk it all, leveling blocks without any clear military goal other than unleashing indiscriminate destruction. Here he was again, high above the clouds taking fire from hostile, but only this time he wasn’t carrying death from above; Just gold, a fat, shiny flare calling everyone's attention.

And someone down there was aiming to tear them open for it. He didn’t flinch, just turned toward Itzi.

“You’ve got the stick,” he said curtly, already stepping away, “Keep her level. Keep her steady. Doesn’t matter what happens, do not let her dip into the valley.”

Itzi said nothing at first, her hands trembled for just a second as she took Carter’s place at the helm, but she clenched them hard on the controls, forced them still. Her voice came out taut.

“Copy that. Trim holds… for now.”

Carter nodded once, sharply, and raised his voice as he turned toward the cabin radio.

“Anyone sittin’ on their ass, now’s your time to shine! Guns! Get to ‘em!”

Boots pounding against the deck, he sprinted to the nearest machine gun mount, metal grating clanking beneath him. He slid into position like he’d never left it, racking the bolt and chambering the round in. The swivel caught, he forced it into place. A glance through the sight, nothing but flickers between treetops, specks on the hills but he didn’t hesitate.

[b]Rrrrraatatatatatatat[/b]

Short bursts screamed from the barrel, rippling across the valley toward the flashing muzzles below.

Itzi, back in the cabin, kept her eyes forward, the sweat now openly trailing down her brow.

“Come on,” she whispered to the controls, as if the ship could hear her, “Hold together.”