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After about four hours on the road, Payam, Katheryan, Kiimi, Jarred and Auberi finally reached Lakavia. Entering the city proper, the car headed toward the Aerodrome. After some time in traffic, they reached a parking lot adjacent to the Aerodrome.
"Kath?" Payam turned to look at Katheryne. "Take my car and go back to the capital."
She looked at him and then briefly glance back toward Jarred, Kiimi and Auberi. "What about you guys?"
"We'll be fine. I'll contact you once we make it there."
Kath sighed, begrudgingly agreeing. "Fine."
Jarred sar on top of the back trunk, watching for anything behind them the entire trip. His legs were crossed with one elbow resting on his knee and the other arm holding into the large antimaterial rifle that rested on his shoulder. When they parked, Jarred hopped off and 'streatched his gears' as he put it. He watched Payam's exchange with the girl. He decided to wait on questioning him about it, for whem they had time to sit and plan, till then, they needed an airship. "When your ready Payam, we need to secure a ship. The faster the better."
He walked to the car and leaned to the windownto Auberi and Kiimi. Kiimi was asleep with her head resting on Auberi's shoulder, her breathing had returned to normal and seemed fine now.
“I’m not saying those six inch guns don’t come in handy,” Jac said as he and Beatrix walked across the aerodrome, pointing at another ship at a mooring tower, “but who really needs that much firepower? The bigger guns just weigh you down, I’d rather outrun anything our seven pounders can’t handle.
“Besides, have you seen how much those guns cost? Frankly I’m happy we got to keep four of those .55-inch AA gun mounts… though the cost of ammo when we use them is painful,” Jac finished with a grumble, the crinkling of the letter in his pocket reminding him of exactly how much he owed still. He was certain it was magic how the bank continued to locate him every time they made port and sent him a ‘payment due’ reminder. With any luck they’d have a contract and be on the move before the bank got impatient, he was mostly caught up on payments, which is why he’d been able to afford many of the repairs. But he always tried to be vague about how much exactly they owed, last thing he needed was his crew deserting because they thought their next payment would be sucked up by the bank.
“Anyways,” Jac said as they approached the edge of the Aerodrome field, “where do you want to start? Local bar? Harbormasters? Or just side of the street in that dress?”
"We could try searching the bar too if you acted like you were with me in order to avoid any harassment and me breaking someone's nose... But you are still covered in oil and grease! I'm definitely not letting you touch me like this. Hmpf!" Beatrix said, looking to Jac and making sure he wouldn't get her hair or dress dirty.
"That said, It shouldn't be that hard... I suppose anyone looking for a ship, assuming they don't have a specific one in mind or any contacts, will probably try going to the harbormaster's office for some information. On our way there if we see anyone who definitely doesn't look like they belong here, much like myself, the chances they might be searching for a ship are quite good." Beatrix completed, with a smug smile as if her logic was simply perfect.
Almost as if Beatrix was foreseeing the future with her words, as soon as she finished saying that and quickly scanned the surroundings, a very... interesting figure called her attention.
"See? I am always right." Beatrix said to Jac, smugly as she pointed towards a tall, strange man carrying an impossibly big anti-material rifle and covered in metal. Definitely not something you would see everyday. The man in question had just gotten out of a car and was leaning on the window, talking to someone inside.
"We should wait a little bit before talking to him... Or else we're just going to look like weirdos, interrupting him out of nowhere and asking if he is looking for a ship." Beatrix finished, looking to Jac and awaiting his decision.
“I’m not that bad,” Jac grumbled looking down at his hands, he’d gotten most of it off earlier. If she’d mentioned it earlier, he could have cleaned up more. Though he really didn’t have any clothing as fancy as her dress.
Looking up as Beatrix pointed out the metal man with a big gun, “they look like trouble… trouble means big risk… and big rewards. But I don’t see how someone with that big a weapon just hanging around wouldn’t already have a ship lined up.”
Kiimi started to wake up, hearing Jarred's voice talk to Payam. She leaned up to see where they were and was instantly fascinated by the industrial town. She had never seen airships before, and now there were so many! She got out a bit excitedly to see them fly in and out of port, trying to keep herself calm all the while, but she couldn't hold back the smile. "Papa, they are all so amazing! Are we really going to fly on one?"
Content with Kiimi's apparent health, he nodded, placing his free hand on his hip. "Yep, we sure are, but it won't be a pleasure cruise. Once we get in the air and out of here, I will have to explain to everyone what is going on. I see all that gas has worked its way out of your system, are you feeling better?"
Kiimi nodded, "I am feeling great, the air here is already better than back at home, I wonder how it is in the countryside here." She said with a smile before looking around. Her smile seemed to quickly fade however as she saw the people. Many moving past where they were stared at them. Jarred was quite noticeable, but her... when they went from Jareed to her, their faces turned from surprise to mixes of panic and disgust, some going so far as to hasten their pace and cover their mouths with a handkerchief. Some even had hateful glares, wondering how any outcast would dare come into town and spread their filth. Kiimi quickly felt uncomfortable in and looked down. "M-may I...have my mask please..."
Jarred sighed, if he could give these people an evil eye he would. He got out her mask and overwear that she would normally wear out in public to cover herself. "No problem, little one, here you go...," he said as he reached to her bag of stuff that he prepared for her and handed her the gear. She solemnly put it on, mask and all, and stood close to Jarred. Jarred placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oi, you see that ship right there?"
"Mhmm," she quietly replied, slowly looking up to it.
"Its an AC-244," he said pointing up to it in the docks, "a light scouting vessel. It should be perfect for what we need. How would you like to ride on one of the fastest models of ships around, eh?"
Kiimi seemed to shift around a bit exitedly as she looked up to it. "I-I think it will be fun, to stand at the front and just feel the wind...I would like that a lot."
"Then it's decided! Now we just have to run up there and see if we can catch the captain," Jarred said.
Auberi had kept still as a statue to prevent waking Kiimi. For some reason, she always seemed to spend her sleeping time on his shoulder or with her head on his lap. He didn't mind. The company was quite nice. He simply stayed patiently still, legs crossed and one arm wrapped securely around her torso.
Arriving in town, Jarred started to chat with Payam, causing Kiimi to wake up. Auberi took the opportunity to slip out of the car adn stretch his legs. He smoothed out his skirt and blouse before checking his braid, making sure it still looked nice. He then looked back at the two. "Yes, well, we should be prepared to stick out. We all look odd for an aerodome. I imagine the captain may already know about our presence."
His eyes scanned every person nearby, eventually locking onto Beatrix. She was almost even odder looking than they were. She was by a grease monkey of a man, so it was likely she knew the man somehow, but her attention to detail and fashion was similar to Auberi's so she was well heeled and probably pedigreed.
"Not that bad for someone who just crawled out of a frigate's engines, yes... But for everyone else? Yes, it is pretty bad." Beatrix replied to Jac, with a discreet, cute laugh.
It took a short while until the metal man finished speaking with whoever was inside the car. A moment later, a woman came out of the car accompanied by an adorable little girl, who seemed to be just ecstatic by seeing so many ships together. It was quite apparent though that the girl was an outcast, not only to Jac and Beatrix, but to most other folk as well, who immediately started to show obvious discomfort and even disgust, making the smile that was on that poor girl's face quickly go away as she asked for a mask. It was a shame really, but there was nothing Beatrix could do. Even though it was already proved that the illness was simply contamination by the chemicals and not a contagious disease, most of the outcasts were still treated extremely poorly.
"Hm~ You were right... He already has a ship in mind. Apparently, it's ours!" Beatrix said, raising an eyebrow to Jac, in a clear 'I told you I was right, didn't you' expression.
Despite having looked to the ship that was pretty much behind them, the metal man didn't seem to notice them, much to Beatrix's surprise, since it was really easy to spot her in the aerodrome. Surprisingly enough, the one who noticed her was the woman instead, making eye contact with her and Jac.
With a cute wave of her hand and an adorable smile towards the strange group, Beatrix turned to Jac before she started walking towards them.
"Come on, don't get left behind. They're definitely searching for someone... And I do have a small suspicion that this someone might be you." Beatrix said as she started walking towards the group.
“Just be careful,” Jac said stepping quickly to catch up to Beatrix, “more than a little nervous meeting with someone that well armed.”
He said the last while nodding towards the man carrying a frighteningly large rifle. While Jac had been Navy and not Army he knew an anti-material gun when he saw it. While the Libertas was lightly armored for an airship the main hull was likely able to repel shots from that weapon, however the balloon, windows and like couldn’t.
“Please tell me you at least have some weapon on you,” Jac added glancing her up and down out of the side of one eye. While he didn’t have his sword with him, being a bit too obvious for walking through town, his revolver was in a hip holster that blended in well with his leather jacket. Discreet enough to avoid sticking out, but still visible to make anyone looking for a fight think twice.
“Hail!” Jac called out as they got closer to the odd group, fixing a friendly smile on his face and waving one hand to the group, “if I might ask, what is your interest in yon frigate?”
Auberi was the first to react to the two approaching. He stepped forward and gave a nice smile. "Well, we are looking to hire a fast ship for a bit of a surprise party on some friends of ours. It involves a lot of lively dancing and a few people going home afterwards." His joking and veiled description of an assault rescue mission was effective, but it was far from his true intention.
Rather than spout out a plan loudly, he instead stepped up close to Jac, though visibly making sure not to be close enough to get any grease on him. "True talk is a rescue mission with high risks and a life or death situation that will determine the course of history. So, you and the beautiful noblelady in, or are you a bit too skittish for a bit of a fight?"
Payam stepped up, adjusting the duffle bag over his shoulder.
"We are willing to pay four times your usual fee." He said, giving a nod to Auberi.
"Weapons? Of course no! It would be rather rude to approach a possible client wielding a weapon, wouldn't it?" Beatrix said with a wink and a mischievous smile to Jac as she approached the group together with him.
Jac was the first one to speak, as in the Libertas' captain and the one who basically would either accept or reject a possible contract. Despite his dirty clothes and all the oil stains, he was still the captain, after all.
Replying to his greeting the woman was straight to the point. They were looking for a fast ship for what appeared to be some type of assault rescue mission, judging by the veiled description she gave.
The woman's description of said mission though did spark Beatrix's interest... A high risk, rescue mission that could determine the course of history... Just as Jac had said previously, such an... unusual group meant high risk and equally high rewards. She didn't know whether the woman was exaggerating or the mission really had such high stakes. Nonetheless, it would be interesting.
Beatrix couldn't help noticing though that despite the woman having stepped closer to Jac to tell him the plan, she was careful enough to not get any grease or oil on her.
"Not that bad, right?" Beatrix whispered to Jac, repeating his previous words with a mischievous smirk and a giggle.
"Beatrix Corvus. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Beatrix said, with an elegant, ladylike curtsy and a mischievous smile. She wondered if they knew who she was due to her surname. Even if they didn't, it would only make the surprise even better later.
"And you are?" She continued, looking to the group and expecting an introduction.
Two Ampertans. If that is what it took to get the Prince back, then so be it. Personally, Payam never trusted Ampertans. They were renowned mercenaries, and were quick to betray their Cordorian masters at the first sign of trouble. They could talk all they wanted about democracy, but it wouldn't do anything for their reputation.
"I'm Hassan. Nice to meet you both." Said Payam with a friendly smile, giving out an alias he has used previously. While the others could risk using their real names, he couldn't. For the two Ampertans, Payam looked like typical Delni. Tan skin, jet black hair, and brown eyes. He was unusually tall however.
Jarred set the stock of the weapon on the ground as he watched Auberi negotiate a contract. Odds were, Auberi would be better at this than he was when it came to striking a deal. He would have raised an eyebrow at Payam if he could, as he used a made up name. He nodded to the two Ampertans, "My name is Jarred," he said as he introduced himself, "and this is my daughter, Kiimi." He said holding his arm you her as she took a step forward.
She gave a small bow wit her hands clasped in front of her, her features now hidden behind a hood and mask. "I-its a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the muffled voice said.
"If we can manage it, time is of the essence. The sooner we can take of the better. If you accept, I will give you the explicit details of the contract in the air, and a better introduction than just first names and aliases," he said looking to to Payam. "Anyone involved in this mission deserves full disclosure once they are in." He then turned back to Jac, "But I would be vary wary about betraying my trust," he said directly to the captain. "That being said, the pay previously offered will be a down payment, however the completion pay will be enough to spoil even your crew's grandchildren....What say you?"
“Ground Rescue and air escape? That’s a tall order for any crew,” Jac said, leaning back and trying to keep up the act of not being the captain until he knew what these people want. Beatrix almost ruined it, but no one seemed to recognize her name. What did break his act was the amount being offered by this Jarred, enough to handle the crew’s grandchildren? Either this man had no idea how much a ship costs or he was really desperate. Judging by his equipment, the massive rifle clearly visible over his shoulder, he at least seemed to know what he was talking about. Either that or he was a well equipped and funded idiot. While Jaco wasn’t one to turn down money, the offer seemed almost… too good, his skepticism kicking in hard.
“I’m hesitant to agree to a contract without knowing the details,” replied Jac slowly, any pretense of him being just a crew gone, “and I’d need proof of your ability to pay. Trust goes both ways, and anyone offering that much money is either desperate or trying to scam me. I’m sure you understand, I’ve got to look out for my crew.
“As for your… requirements, the Libertas is the fastest civilian ship in the sky, ignoring small racing yachts,” Jac admitted, nodding to an example of such. Compared to his own ship the yacht was tiny, being effectively an engine with a balloon and as small of a crew section as possible, with no weapons or armament, “Beatrix handles the ground side operations, you’d have to talk with her about that.
“Assuming you are on the level, I’m Jaco Bashford,” the Ampertan man said with a slight bow of his head, “Captain of the Libertas.”
"Then let me clear the waters a bit by saying this.," he opened is jacket, revealing his robotic torso, as he opened a compartment at his side, close to where a liver would have been. from it he pulled a sack out, full of the precious gems and tossed it to the captain. Jarred was sure he could chase him down if needed. "Open it, see for yourself. Take two gems for your down payment to prep you and your crew among whatever else you need, the rest is what you earn should you complete this mission. I trust you will distribute it fairly. Jarred stepped close and lowered his voice, holding out his mechanical hand to the man. "Allow me to formally introduce at least myself before the others... I am Jarred Greaves, Previous Captain of His Majesty Havkar's Royal Guard and bodyguard to one of the remaining heirs to the throne. I am requesting your service in fulfilling my duties given to me by the late king." He stepped back a bit, his 'gaze' unwavering even for a moment as he spoke up. "Are you with me?"
Beatrix politely nodded as the rest, or at least some of them introduced themselves. She noticed though that unlike the metal man, Jarred and his daughter, Kiimi, who was quite obviously an Outcast, the two who seemed to be more 'normal' amongst the group were the woman and the pretty boy called Hassan.
Jarred didn't seem to be that polite on the greeting though. Clearly stating that they would only give them a better introduction only when or if they accepted the job, he went to great distance in order to try to verify how trustworthy Jac and Beatrix were, even resorting to a veiled threat in case they betrayed him. While outside Beatrix was merely listening with the same adorable expression she had when she presented herself, inside she couldn't help but only become even more suspicious about the man. He seemed to be too... desperate maybe? The payment was also rather suspicious. It was almost too good of an offer to believe. Before she could say anything about that though, Jac seemed to have the same thoughts as Beatrix had, revealed by his next words.
"I believe I have already introduced myself." Beatrix said, waving towards Jarred, after Jac finished talking, introduced himself as the captain and mentioned her name, as the one who would handle the ground side operations.
What Jarred showed them next made Beatrix raise an eyebrow, looking at the man. Opening his jacket and revealing a full robotic torso, he pulled a sack out of it, filled to the brim with precious gems of the highest quality. The type of gems that would be really difficult to both find and sell. As he introduced himself better, the possible origins of said gems became a bit more clearer. The man was the previous captain of Havkar's Royal Guard, and bodyguard to one of the remaining heirs to the throne. The entire situation was really strange to Beatrix. If he had such a position, why were he resorting to mercenaries instead of using what the royal army had to offer? Not only that but he was both talking and acting like a fugitive, given the urgency on his voice and being extremely careful with information about his group.
Once again voicing her own thoughts, Jac proceeded to note almost the same exact things she was thinking, but despite that, he still seemed to accept the contract, asking her to take them back to the ship and get it ready to depart.
"As long as I don't need to touch any grease or oil, I can certainly do it." Beatrix said, nodding towards Jac before he walked away to the port facilities.
"Feel free to call me just Beatrix." she said, in a polite tone and posture, looking to the group until her eyes stopped on Kiimi, for whom she gave a smile, waving her hands and tilting her head in a rather cute way before she resumed talking with Jarred and the others.
"There are still a few things to be done before we leave, but it shouldn't take long. Until then you can take a look inside the ship and get yourselves comfortable. Should we go then?" Beatrix said as she started leading the way to the ship.
The second she turned away though, she couldn't help but let out a very discreet and almost imperceptible, smirk. That entire situation... Only two possible alternatives came up to her mind. They were either preparing themselves to try and stop a coup d'etat or... perform one...
"I wonder if our dear Captain thought about all this before accepting the contract or if he was blinded by the amount of money offered..." she thought to herself. Either way, what the woman had said to them before wasn't wrong. If they were doing what Beatrix thought they were doing, they would undeniably affect the course of history…
As they approached the entrance to the Aerodrome building Beatrix, who was leading the group spotted a small squad of what she figured were Tal-Karans. The headscarfs, dyed in a blood red along with the marked armor gave them away almost immediately. Unlucky for her new employers, one of them decided to glance at them. For a moment, the man stared at the group and then narrowed his eyes. Tapping one of his squadmates on the shoulder they all turned around.
"Habak tük! Leinsteiner bęl!" One of them yelled, drawing a pistol from his belt and opening fire as the rest of the squad scattered running for cover. The people standing around the building ran for their lives while some drew their own guns on the Tal-Karans.
Payam only had a split second to react, grabbing Beatrix who was nearly struck by one of the shots toward cover. Both of them fell to the ground behind a concrete pillar.
"Didn't think they'd follow us all the way here." Payam murmured, loading his repeater rifle.
Auberi had disappeared into a nearby crowd as introductions were made. To anyone outside of Jarred and Kiimi, it would seem odd. To the other two, that was a normal Auberi thing to do when something important caught his attention. The thing that got him into guerilla mode was a highly suspicious man attempting to watch them in plain clothes. The trap slipped behind him and silently pickpocketed him, finding a Tal-Karan medallion. The next thing in the man's pocket was a stiletto between the ribs to silence him.
Then, shooting started. Auberi used the panicked crowd to his advantage and ducked through them, coming out behind cover on the left flank of the firing Tal-Karan. He drew his revolver and took aim, firing at the throat of what seemed to be the most decorated of the group.
Beatrix had just enough time to notice that there was something wrong as she saw the squad of Tal-Karans when they opened fire after yelling something about Leinsteiners. Having avoided a shot thanks to that Hassan boy, who grabbed Beatrix and pushed her down and using a concrete wall as a cover.
Even before Beatrix said anything, the terrifying death stare she gave to both Hassan and the rest of the group was enough to send a shiver run down their spines.
"My DRESS! Look what you just DID! It will take me a good while to clean it now. Also..." Beatrix said, almost shouting at Hassan with a terrifying stare.
"You were being CHASED by Tal-Karans and said NOTHING?!" she said, looking to the rest of the group. Her anger was clear to everyone there.
Despite how she was feeling, her scolding could wait until they were safe. Scanning her surroundings, she noticed that they weren't really that far from the Libertas. If they could find anything to cause a distraction, they could run back to the ship…
"Since I wasn't expecting being SHOT at, I left my weapon and all my equipment back on the ship. I even came all dressed up!" Beatrix said, complaining.
"I swear... If I see a single hole or tear on this dress when we're finished with this..." she continued, in a clear threat not only to Hassan, but to Jarred as well.
"I need a gun. Quickly. The Libertas isn't that far away. We can use the pillars as covers to make our way to the ship. Some type of distraction would be good too." Beatrix finished as she scanned her surroundings. With experienced eyes, she quickly tried to formulate the safest path, by using any type of cover possible for them to reach the ship while searching for anything that could be used as a distraction.
At that moment, the party noticed that Beatrix had completely changed, going from a slightly bratty, noble princess to someone who knew very well what she was doing in a battlefield or in any conflict situation.
"Jarred, you are the one carrying the biggest gun around, I suppose you wouldn't happen to be carrying some smoke grenades somewhere with you, would you?" Beatrix asked.
Payam reached into his coat, giving her a pistol. Unlike the revolvers she had seen before, this one had a particular design that included some kind of slider along with magazines. It was ornately decorated with swirling Delni designs made in gold.
"Here." He gestured at the slider part with his hand. "Just pull that back when you change magazines." A bullet whized past as Payam spoke, making him flinch slightly as concrete dust flew by.
"I thought we had killed these bastards back in Mohburg!" Jarred shouted as he used his body to shield Kiimi, round deflecting off of his body. He picked up the girl in a bear hug and jumped into cover setting her down next to Payam and Beatrix. "No smokes, but we won't need them...I'll be back," he said in a fairly irritated tone. This time, when he jumped, the concreate ground cracked and broke underneath him as he launched forward, putting his one-hundred and nine pound rifle on his left shoulder. He jumped right into the middle of the Tal Karans, grabbing on by the head much like he did Payam if he was watching. He used the man as a bullet sponge for a split second before a blade went through his skull, ending his suffering quickly. He dropped the heavy rifle and threw the body to the ground as the blade retracted. His right hamd dropped to his holstered shotgun, but while he was reaching, he heldnout his left hand, which the finger strightened perfectly before a five round salvo of 9mm slammed into another mercenary. It was smooth and percise, a merc ran up behind Jarred, and aimed perfectly without turning around Jarred fired two shells of buckshot taking out another two men. As for the remaining men, he drew a .45 from his right armpit and gunned down any stragglers trying to run, hostering his shotgun and cutting down any man foolish enough to still charge him.
Meanwhile Kimmi was curled up in a ball next to Beatrix and Payam too scared to move, her hands over her head. Soom, the gunfire from the Tal Karans where Jarred would become eerily silent.
Payam nodded, taking position by the front door as Beatrix led the group away toward the Libertas. Outside, he heard two vehicles pull up. Storming through the door, another squad of Tal-Karan mercenaries pushed into into the building. One by one, Payam shot each of them with his repeater, hitting the first inside in the stomach and the second one near the neck. Another two charged inside, wielding shields and machine guns forcing Payam to retreat behind a nearby counter. As bullets flew by his head, he reached into his duffle bag for a magazine to reload his rifle. As he did, he heard the distinct clink of a grenade hit the desk he was hiding behind. By the time he heard it the grenade exploded sending shrapnel and debris everywhere.
The explosion made Payam fly against a nearby wall, crashing against it and falling to the floor. At that moment, Payam laid on the floor, confused as to what had happened. Everything around him was spinning and he couldn't hear anything but a high pitched ringing in his ears. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond.
The bridge of the Libertas was normally quiet while the ship was at port, only a few people passing through as they went about their business. By the time Jac came storming in a handful of crew had gathered around the radio to try and figure out what was going on outside.
After hearing the gun fire Jac had doubled back to the Aerodrome, not wanting to be far from his ship if a fight was breaking out. Upon spotting a group of foreign mercenaries firing upon several figures, one of which was clearly wearing a gothic style dress, several connections were made in his mind quite quickly. He instantly recognized Beatrix, he didn’t know anyone else who dressed like that. While he wasn’t as confident about the others, catching only fleeting glimpses he figured it was the group they’d spoken with. As more vehicles pulled up to the terminal with additional heavily armed figures disembarking the story told by Jarred became quite a bit more believable.
In either case he couldn’t well leave one of his crew to die, so he quickly made up his mind. Forgetting about getting the gems appraised he raced towards a side entrance for the Aerodrome. His barreling through ‘employee only’ sections was ignored since whatever employees that may have been present had either fled or hid when the shooting started. And, in short order, he made it to his ship.
“Hal, is the engine together?” Jac barked at the engineer who had joined the crew to listen to the radio.
“Mostly just have to-,” the burly engineer started.
“Start it, finish whatever you need to and light the boiler” interrupted Jac, continuing with an explanation, “Beatrix is caught in that fire fight.”
“I told her she should get that cute thigh holster,” Nef, the ship’s radio operator replied in mild shock, the engineer’s heavy footsteps already racing down the metal hallway to the engine room.
“Who all is still in town?” Jac asked, taking his place behind the control wheel, racing through pre-flight procedures.
“Alfred, Marco and Stefan were still at that sailor’s bar,” Nef replied smartly, looking up as she thought, “and I think Anna was out shopping.”
“Get messages to them,” said Jac, reaching up with one hand to start cranking an alarm, the crooning drone of the repurposed air raid alarm filled the airship drawing more crew to the bridge.
“I need the port fourteens manned,” the captain continued as confused heads poked into the bridge, Nef already pulling her headset on and reaching for the telegraph on the desk in front of her, “limber and load the front seven as well after you release the moorings.”
While they clearly hadn’t heard the gunfire from the lower decks Jac’s commanding voice spurred them to motion. It didn’t take long for them to unclamp from the mooring tower and cast off any other lines holding the airship in place. Jac heard the distant rumble of the ship’s boiler coming to life. It would still be several minutes before they had enough pressure for any real power, but a feral grin crossed Jac’s face as he realized there was still some steam in the tanks, enough for a single burst to the props. He pulled the throttle into reverse, feeling the gears engage despite their reluctance.
A flip of a small lever engaged the pipes leading to the propellers, what little steam pressure remained surged through the small engines, forcing them to spin for just a moment. But that moment was just long enough to cause the Libertas to begin drifting backwards.
“Set ballast for ground level,” he barked as the ship cleared the dock, he could see several other ships slowly spurring into motion, likely hoping to escape from the firefight. But he was the only one headed downwards, and a quick glance confirmed that the boarding ladder on the bow was still down. As soon as the ship began dropping, he flipped open a pipe that led to the anti-air guns and yelled into it, “the group entering the terminal is firing on Beatrix, let them know the aerodrome is closed due to the emergency.”
As he finished the airship shuddered as the keel ground into the grass that made up the middle of the aerodrome.
Auberi had taken a flank, so he could provide some cover with his revolver as they moved towards the ship. Once they got close enough, he slipped out of the fight again, searching for a new avenue of approach. He switched to a more silent approach, grabbing his stiletto and a set of brass knuckles.
As he scanned for a new opening, he heard an explosion. "Grenades...in an aerodrome, damn idiots." He muttered under his breath as he swiftly went into the front door behind the fresh group of mercs. Before a new wave could approach, he darted up behind one of the shielded foes, stunning him with a brass knuckled punch to the kidney. He then did one of the cruelest things one could do. He grabbed the pins of every grenade he could and pulled them, sprinting away and diving behind some nearby cover and covering his ears.
"Well, looks like our escort came to pick us up, how nice," Jarred said as he holstered his .45. It was just after that when he heard another vehicle pull up, more men pouring out of it. "How many people do they have?" He quickly went and grabbed his 20mm from the ground, checking to see if it was still loaded by habit, even though he put a fresh mag in before arriving here. Did these guys really want to die that badly? They hadn't even injured anyone yet, but they had already lost a whole squad here and more on the road. He turned to Beatrix who called to him. "Go ahead and get Kiimi to the ship, I'll be there soon, don't worry about me."
Though, it was on that note that a grenade had gone off. Jarred spun around to see Payam on the ground next to a broken toppled desk. "PAYAM!" he shouted as he made his way to him. Jarred took a position in front of the boy, taking fire from the machine guns that would have shred Payam had he not made it in time. He leveled his rifle just as he saw a flash of a skirt dive into cover close to his targets. "What the hell," and then there were more grenades going off as the left shield bearer exploded. Jarred chuckled as he realized who it was he saw and trained his sights on the other shield bearer, now distraught from his comrade being erased from existence. In that moment however, three 20mm rounds ripped through his shield, dropping the man, dead before he hit the ground. Jarred picked up Payam and rushed for the ship. instead of using the ladder he jumped to the deck in a single bound, setting Payam and his rifle down in the process. He had hoped to see Beatrix and Kiimi already topside, but either way he would soon be jumping down to make sure everyone in his group were on the ship. If Kiimi and Beatrix were on the ship, he would go find Auberi, if they weren't he would pick kiimi and Beatrix up like he did Payam so they wouldn't have to climb a ladder in open combat, and then go to find Auberi, picking off any stragglers should there be any.
With Hassan covering her back, Beatrix ran as fast as she could together with Kiimi towards the ship, turning back from time to time and taking a few shots in order to help Hassan even if a little bit. Her priority at that moment was taking the unarmed civilian to safety. With the arrival of reinforcements, this time with shields and shields and machine guns, the situation was getting more and more dangerous. There was no use to turn back and shoot at their shields, the best thing Beatrix could do right now was simply try to get to the ship as fast as she could.
As she ran towards the ship, a worrying sound made her hesitate for a moment. The unmistakable sound of an explosion echoed through the now empty Aerodrome hall. Looking back just in moment to see Hassan flying behind a pillar, she knew that he was struck by the explosion. Before she could even react though, a chain of explosions rang through the hall, this time coming from where the Tal-Karans with a shield were. Despite that, she knew that there would be more reinforcements in mere seconds, she had to use that small interval between the next wave of Tal-Karans arrived to take Kiimi to safety. Stopping for Hassan at that moment would only threaten not only her life, but Kiimi, who was an unarmed civilian as well.
Fortunately for Hassan... or better, Payam as it became evident by Jarred's scream, the metal man was already running to rescue him. Despite all the chaos though, Beatrix did notice how they lied or omitted information to her not only regarding Payam's name, but a lot of other things as well.
Looking towards the middle of the Aerodrome, she saw a familiar boarding ladder waiting for them. It was the Libertas.
"Do not stop, keep running!" Beatrix shouted towards Kiimi, pointing towards the boarding ladder. The girl was scared and nervous, so much that she couldn't help but to trip as she ran. Thankfully, since Beatrix was with her she was able to regain her footing without slowing down her pace.
"Up the ladder! Do not look back and climb as fast as you can. Once on the ship go inside and do not get out!" Beatrix said towards Kiimi as they stopped nearby the boarding ladder.
While the girl climbed, Beatrix stood behind, shooting at the reinforcements which rushed towards them, forcing them to take cover behind the ones with shields. When Kiimi finally got to the ship, Beatrix had to crouch behind a pillar when a shot almost hit her, passing only a few centimeters away from her waist.
"Shit..." she cursed as she pulled the slide, checking the magazine and how many shots were left. Much to her dismay, there were only 3 shots left... In the distance, Beatrix could see the Tal-Karans rushing towards them, using their shields to protect those who carried machine guns and other heavier weapons. Getting out of the cover, Beatrix took aim and shot one of the shield bearers in the knee, making them fall on the ground and expose the machine gunner just behind them, who was quickly downed by two quick shots to the chest.
Putting the now empty pistol under the folds of her dress, she rushed towards the ladder, climbing it as fast as she could.
"Kiimi, go inside the ship! Do not come out, no matter what happens!" Beatrix shouted as she ran towards her quarters in order to wear her armor and get her equipment.
"Damnit," Jac grumbled, "damnit damnit DAMNIT!"
"Fine, Go!" he said, releasing her as the 14mm twin mount aa gun on the side of the ship began firing, it's staccato bangs overwhelming the smaller gunfire below, "we'll have to pick up the remaining crew on leave outside the city somewhere."
Kiimi tried best as she could to get up the ladder, finally making it over, she listened to Beatrix and made her way inside through a door. Her cough had returned from being too active, paired with her heightened heartrate, adrenaline, and heavy breathing, she was coughing up some blood again, but it wasn't as serious as with the gas, she would be fine. She did however, have to take off her mask, coughing into a headkerchief instead, which was colored a dark brown to hide the blood spots in between cleanings. She sat next to a crate, the sounds of explosions and gunfire keeping her on edge as she sat there afraid that one of them might not come back...
Jarred was back on the ground cutting through enemies until he saw Auberi climb back up, injured but still pushing. "Dammit," he cursed as he pulled his sword out of a machine gunner, taking his gun and keeping reinforcements heads down as he moved to the ship. What he didn't notice in the chaos was a .50 bmg sighting in on him before it cracked one off. It tore through the plating on his left leg, shutting down the pneumatics and causing him to hit the ground hard. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! I only have one replacement part for that!" Jarred angrily shouted as he pulled a 45/70 lever action from his back holster, single handedly spinning the gun to cock the lever before aiming it directly where the shot came from and firing, using his other hand to get up. The shot went through the man's scope and landed a headshot. Jarred could still use both legs fine, but when he ran up to the side of the ship and went to jump, even all the power of the right leg only barely made him able to grab the edge of the rail, pulling himself up and over onto the deck, landing next to Payam on his back before getting back up and checking on the boy.
Jarred saw that Payam was bleeding from a deep gash on the back of his head. Part of his coat was splattered with his own blood. That same white coat was also stained with several black spots from shrapnel had become stuck in it. As for Payam himself, he seemed confused. Even as Jarred looked at him, Payam stared back as if he didn't recognize him.
"Hey, KID! Hold your self together!" Jarred yelled. "Shit," he cursed again as his blade came out, sheering part of the long cloth on Payam's clothes and using part of it for gauze and then another to bandage his head. "C'mon, stay with me, don't go to sleep, its just a few scrapes here and there kid, you are gonna be alright. Auberi! What's your status? Kid took a grenade over here..." He loked back to auberi, one of the lamps Jarred used as fake eyes was shot out. "Hey kid, talk to me here, it can be anything, just talk to me."
All Jarred got was incoherent murmuring in Payam's native language. Every now and then he heard something he could understand, but not much. After a few tries, Jarred was able to make out something even if it was faint.
"I think the King knew..." He said.
"The King knew? Knew what, Payam? You are doing great just keep it up. Stay with me, boy" Jarred tried desperately to keep his attention until a medic could arrive. Shouldn't they have one on this ship? Auberi was injured as well and he couldn't very well let him bleed out trying to save another, then they would both be dead. Jarred had some medical know how, but he no longer had the precision to operate after he converted himself, not the tools.
"That he did... He was wiser than I will ever be, he knew he would need someone outside the palace all those years ago, that's one of the reasons I left...," Jarred paused as he remembered leaving the castle, still wrapped in bandages from wounds he had taken in a recent fight, but strong enough to carry out his final orders to him as Captain of the Royal Guard. He shook his head. "Look, we are going to make everything right again, but you got to hold on so you can see it for yourself, do you hear me? You aren't meant to fall here, you have much farther to go."
Jac watched desperately as more people he didn’t know climbed up onto the deck of his ship. Beatrix was gone, presumably changing, and until someone told him otherwise he didn’t know if they had everything, not having had the forethought to count the people in Jarrad’s group before leaving. Nef was tapping away on her telegraph, presumably lodging messages in the town for his remaining crew. Jac was about to grab someone else, the sound of bullets striking the side of the ship getting worryingly loud, when he heard the unmistakable sound of a .50 cal going off. Small arms couldn’t do much, but a fifty could do some serious damage to the lightly armed frigate.
“Screw this,” he grumbled, seeing Jarred climbing onto the deck and crawling over to another one of his group.
“Set ballast for five hundred feet,” Jac shouted orders, not willing to risk his ship and crew for a group that likely lied to them, “rig ship for flight.”
It wasn’t long before the ship lurched upwards, climbing rapidly directly upwards, cutting off a couple smaller ships that were leaving the aerodrome at a more normal pace. The sounds of gunfire were immediately replaced with the roaring of the wind and the groaning of the ship as it was forced into action. Seeing the pressure gauge slowly climbing Jac pushed the throttle forwards, the propellers spinning to life, slowly pushing the airship away from the chaos that remained in the aerodrome.
“You people had better have a damn good explanation for this!” Jac roared at the nearest person he didn’t recognize.
He didn't seem to catch everything, but it at least kept him awake and talking. "I miss him. I just want to see him again." Payam's speech went back to jumbled and incoherent Delni, in between sentences Jarred could only make out the Prince's name.
"You will, you just gotta hang on... Auberi, when you can, get him stabilized." He said as he stood up, shaking his head. He looked at the captain, "I will get an explanation to you as soon as everyone is taken care of," he said sternly, "do you not have any doctors of your own on this ship?"
After a moment of glaring at the other man, Jac turned to the array of closed communication tubes next to him, flipping one open, seemingly at random he shouted into it, "Medic to the bridge... damnit Robert, get up here!"
Underneath his coat, Payam was wearing a sleeveless shirt. From the looks of it, the shrapnel had become lodged in the coat alone. However, the strikes had produced bruises all over. With closer inspection of his right arm, Auberi noticed a strange symbol tattooed on the underside of his forearm. Under the large symbol featuring sharp shapes and swirling accents were several inscriptions in Delni.
A few seconds after Kiimi ran to Jarred, the group heard the lout noise of one of the metal doors leading to the personal quarters of the ship being slammed quite violently, followed by the metallic sounds of steps echoing through the ships corridors.
Coming from the same way Kiimi, Beatrix arrived, looking to the ongoing scene with a cold and harsh stare. It was almost unbelievable that she was the same girl who had such a cute, princess like aura from a while ago. Completely clad in a full set of dark steel armor, decorated with red cloth and wielding both a shield and a quite exotic, unorthodox weapon. Those looking at her could only feel the intimidating aura the girl had and wonder how much weight all that equipment had combined. Even with all that equipment though, the girl was moving around almost as if she was wearing the same dress she was earlier.
To those who knew even a little bit about Amperta and the mercenary companies from there, would immediately realize who exactly Beatrix was, if they didn't already know due to her last name. The unmistakable dark steel armor, the signature symbol of the Legio Ater Ferris, one of the deadliest and ruthlessly effective mercenary group in Amperta.
While Payam seemed to be in quite a grave state, the others were relatively unscathed, other than Jarred, whom had obvious bullet holes on a few parts of his metal body. The woman from before had appeared again and now was treating, or at least trying to treat Payam.
"You owe us many explanations." Beatrix said with a cold tone.
"This could have resulted, or better... can result in the death of some of us, since there are still some of the crew on the city. Not only that but you pretty much forced us to work with you. Now that the Tal-Karans saw us aiding your group, there is no turning back. For whoever is the one who sent them after you all, they now believe we're working with you. You dragged us to whatever mess you got yourselves into!" Beatrix continued, clear by the tone of her voice that she didn't like that situation.
"You both lied and omitted critical information from us. Anything to say?" She asked, with an authoritative voice as she slammed the end of her axe-shotgun on the ground, making a loud noise.
"Oh, should I start then?" Beatrix asked, looking to the group after a moment of silence when nobody answered her.
"To stop a coup d'état or perform one? Which one of those?" she asked, with an ice cold, death stare towards Jarred.
"Not only this, but who exactly is Hassan, or I should say Payam?" she asked, looking towards the unconscious man.
The second she gave a better look at him though, her eyes went wide as they met with the symbol on Payam's arm, making her immediately point the shotgun-axe at Jarred.
"Explain yourselves, NOW! Who really are you? What are you doing here?" she demanded to know, her voice going from cold and authoritative to straight out threatening, a clear change of attitude after she looked at Payam, her eyes carefully scanning every single movement made by Jarred and the women, who were the only members left of that group that were still capable of combat.
To those who were still in shock after seeing that cute, spoiled little princess in full combat gear, the scene and her tone of voice was more than enough to make them realize that Beatrix wasn't just a pretty face. She knew very well what she was doing and she wouldn't hesitate not even for a moment in killing someone.
"Kath?" Payam turned to look at Katheryne. "Take my car and go back to the capital."
She looked at him and then briefly glance back toward Jarred, Kiimi and Auberi. "What about you guys?"
"We'll be fine. I'll contact you once we make it there."
Kath sighed, begrudgingly agreeing. "Fine."
Jarred sar on top of the back trunk, watching for anything behind them the entire trip. His legs were crossed with one elbow resting on his knee and the other arm holding into the large antimaterial rifle that rested on his shoulder. When they parked, Jarred hopped off and 'streatched his gears' as he put it. He watched Payam's exchange with the girl. He decided to wait on questioning him about it, for whem they had time to sit and plan, till then, they needed an airship. "When your ready Payam, we need to secure a ship. The faster the better."
He walked to the car and leaned to the windownto Auberi and Kiimi. Kiimi was asleep with her head resting on Auberi's shoulder, her breathing had returned to normal and seemed fine now.
“I’m not saying those six inch guns don’t come in handy,” Jac said as he and Beatrix walked across the aerodrome, pointing at another ship at a mooring tower, “but who really needs that much firepower? The bigger guns just weigh you down, I’d rather outrun anything our seven pounders can’t handle.
“Besides, have you seen how much those guns cost? Frankly I’m happy we got to keep four of those .55-inch AA gun mounts… though the cost of ammo when we use them is painful,” Jac finished with a grumble, the crinkling of the letter in his pocket reminding him of exactly how much he owed still. He was certain it was magic how the bank continued to locate him every time they made port and sent him a ‘payment due’ reminder. With any luck they’d have a contract and be on the move before the bank got impatient, he was mostly caught up on payments, which is why he’d been able to afford many of the repairs. But he always tried to be vague about how much exactly they owed, last thing he needed was his crew deserting because they thought their next payment would be sucked up by the bank.
“Anyways,” Jac said as they approached the edge of the Aerodrome field, “where do you want to start? Local bar? Harbormasters? Or just side of the street in that dress?”
"We could try searching the bar too if you acted like you were with me in order to avoid any harassment and me breaking someone's nose... But you are still covered in oil and grease! I'm definitely not letting you touch me like this. Hmpf!" Beatrix said, looking to Jac and making sure he wouldn't get her hair or dress dirty.
"That said, It shouldn't be that hard... I suppose anyone looking for a ship, assuming they don't have a specific one in mind or any contacts, will probably try going to the harbormaster's office for some information. On our way there if we see anyone who definitely doesn't look like they belong here, much like myself, the chances they might be searching for a ship are quite good." Beatrix completed, with a smug smile as if her logic was simply perfect.
Almost as if Beatrix was foreseeing the future with her words, as soon as she finished saying that and quickly scanned the surroundings, a very... interesting figure called her attention.
"See? I am always right." Beatrix said to Jac, smugly as she pointed towards a tall, strange man carrying an impossibly big anti-material rifle and covered in metal. Definitely not something you would see everyday. The man in question had just gotten out of a car and was leaning on the window, talking to someone inside.
"We should wait a little bit before talking to him... Or else we're just going to look like weirdos, interrupting him out of nowhere and asking if he is looking for a ship." Beatrix finished, looking to Jac and awaiting his decision.
“I’m not that bad,” Jac grumbled looking down at his hands, he’d gotten most of it off earlier. If she’d mentioned it earlier, he could have cleaned up more. Though he really didn’t have any clothing as fancy as her dress.
Looking up as Beatrix pointed out the metal man with a big gun, “they look like trouble… trouble means big risk… and big rewards. But I don’t see how someone with that big a weapon just hanging around wouldn’t already have a ship lined up.”
Kiimi started to wake up, hearing Jarred's voice talk to Payam. She leaned up to see where they were and was instantly fascinated by the industrial town. She had never seen airships before, and now there were so many! She got out a bit excitedly to see them fly in and out of port, trying to keep herself calm all the while, but she couldn't hold back the smile. "Papa, they are all so amazing! Are we really going to fly on one?"
Content with Kiimi's apparent health, he nodded, placing his free hand on his hip. "Yep, we sure are, but it won't be a pleasure cruise. Once we get in the air and out of here, I will have to explain to everyone what is going on. I see all that gas has worked its way out of your system, are you feeling better?"
Kiimi nodded, "I am feeling great, the air here is already better than back at home, I wonder how it is in the countryside here." She said with a smile before looking around. Her smile seemed to quickly fade however as she saw the people. Many moving past where they were stared at them. Jarred was quite noticeable, but her... when they went from Jareed to her, their faces turned from surprise to mixes of panic and disgust, some going so far as to hasten their pace and cover their mouths with a handkerchief. Some even had hateful glares, wondering how any outcast would dare come into town and spread their filth. Kiimi quickly felt uncomfortable in and looked down. "M-may I...have my mask please..."
Jarred sighed, if he could give these people an evil eye he would. He got out her mask and overwear that she would normally wear out in public to cover herself. "No problem, little one, here you go...," he said as he reached to her bag of stuff that he prepared for her and handed her the gear. She solemnly put it on, mask and all, and stood close to Jarred. Jarred placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oi, you see that ship right there?"
"Mhmm," she quietly replied, slowly looking up to it.
"Its an AC-244," he said pointing up to it in the docks, "a light scouting vessel. It should be perfect for what we need. How would you like to ride on one of the fastest models of ships around, eh?"
Kiimi seemed to shift around a bit exitedly as she looked up to it. "I-I think it will be fun, to stand at the front and just feel the wind...I would like that a lot."
"Then it's decided! Now we just have to run up there and see if we can catch the captain," Jarred said.
Auberi had kept still as a statue to prevent waking Kiimi. For some reason, she always seemed to spend her sleeping time on his shoulder or with her head on his lap. He didn't mind. The company was quite nice. He simply stayed patiently still, legs crossed and one arm wrapped securely around her torso.
Arriving in town, Jarred started to chat with Payam, causing Kiimi to wake up. Auberi took the opportunity to slip out of the car adn stretch his legs. He smoothed out his skirt and blouse before checking his braid, making sure it still looked nice. He then looked back at the two. "Yes, well, we should be prepared to stick out. We all look odd for an aerodome. I imagine the captain may already know about our presence."
His eyes scanned every person nearby, eventually locking onto Beatrix. She was almost even odder looking than they were. She was by a grease monkey of a man, so it was likely she knew the man somehow, but her attention to detail and fashion was similar to Auberi's so she was well heeled and probably pedigreed.
"Not that bad for someone who just crawled out of a frigate's engines, yes... But for everyone else? Yes, it is pretty bad." Beatrix replied to Jac, with a discreet, cute laugh.
It took a short while until the metal man finished speaking with whoever was inside the car. A moment later, a woman came out of the car accompanied by an adorable little girl, who seemed to be just ecstatic by seeing so many ships together. It was quite apparent though that the girl was an outcast, not only to Jac and Beatrix, but to most other folk as well, who immediately started to show obvious discomfort and even disgust, making the smile that was on that poor girl's face quickly go away as she asked for a mask. It was a shame really, but there was nothing Beatrix could do. Even though it was already proved that the illness was simply contamination by the chemicals and not a contagious disease, most of the outcasts were still treated extremely poorly.
"Hm~ You were right... He already has a ship in mind. Apparently, it's ours!" Beatrix said, raising an eyebrow to Jac, in a clear 'I told you I was right, didn't you' expression.
Despite having looked to the ship that was pretty much behind them, the metal man didn't seem to notice them, much to Beatrix's surprise, since it was really easy to spot her in the aerodrome. Surprisingly enough, the one who noticed her was the woman instead, making eye contact with her and Jac.
With a cute wave of her hand and an adorable smile towards the strange group, Beatrix turned to Jac before she started walking towards them.
"Come on, don't get left behind. They're definitely searching for someone... And I do have a small suspicion that this someone might be you." Beatrix said as she started walking towards the group.
“Just be careful,” Jac said stepping quickly to catch up to Beatrix, “more than a little nervous meeting with someone that well armed.”
He said the last while nodding towards the man carrying a frighteningly large rifle. While Jac had been Navy and not Army he knew an anti-material gun when he saw it. While the Libertas was lightly armored for an airship the main hull was likely able to repel shots from that weapon, however the balloon, windows and like couldn’t.
“Please tell me you at least have some weapon on you,” Jac added glancing her up and down out of the side of one eye. While he didn’t have his sword with him, being a bit too obvious for walking through town, his revolver was in a hip holster that blended in well with his leather jacket. Discreet enough to avoid sticking out, but still visible to make anyone looking for a fight think twice.
“Hail!” Jac called out as they got closer to the odd group, fixing a friendly smile on his face and waving one hand to the group, “if I might ask, what is your interest in yon frigate?”
Auberi was the first to react to the two approaching. He stepped forward and gave a nice smile. "Well, we are looking to hire a fast ship for a bit of a surprise party on some friends of ours. It involves a lot of lively dancing and a few people going home afterwards." His joking and veiled description of an assault rescue mission was effective, but it was far from his true intention.
Rather than spout out a plan loudly, he instead stepped up close to Jac, though visibly making sure not to be close enough to get any grease on him. "True talk is a rescue mission with high risks and a life or death situation that will determine the course of history. So, you and the beautiful noblelady in, or are you a bit too skittish for a bit of a fight?"
Payam stepped up, adjusting the duffle bag over his shoulder.
"We are willing to pay four times your usual fee." He said, giving a nod to Auberi.
"Weapons? Of course no! It would be rather rude to approach a possible client wielding a weapon, wouldn't it?" Beatrix said with a wink and a mischievous smile to Jac as she approached the group together with him.
Jac was the first one to speak, as in the Libertas' captain and the one who basically would either accept or reject a possible contract. Despite his dirty clothes and all the oil stains, he was still the captain, after all.
Replying to his greeting the woman was straight to the point. They were looking for a fast ship for what appeared to be some type of assault rescue mission, judging by the veiled description she gave.
The woman's description of said mission though did spark Beatrix's interest... A high risk, rescue mission that could determine the course of history... Just as Jac had said previously, such an... unusual group meant high risk and equally high rewards. She didn't know whether the woman was exaggerating or the mission really had such high stakes. Nonetheless, it would be interesting.
Beatrix couldn't help noticing though that despite the woman having stepped closer to Jac to tell him the plan, she was careful enough to not get any grease or oil on her.
"Not that bad, right?" Beatrix whispered to Jac, repeating his previous words with a mischievous smirk and a giggle.
"Beatrix Corvus. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Beatrix said, with an elegant, ladylike curtsy and a mischievous smile. She wondered if they knew who she was due to her surname. Even if they didn't, it would only make the surprise even better later.
"And you are?" She continued, looking to the group and expecting an introduction.
Two Ampertans. If that is what it took to get the Prince back, then so be it. Personally, Payam never trusted Ampertans. They were renowned mercenaries, and were quick to betray their Cordorian masters at the first sign of trouble. They could talk all they wanted about democracy, but it wouldn't do anything for their reputation.
"I'm Hassan. Nice to meet you both." Said Payam with a friendly smile, giving out an alias he has used previously. While the others could risk using their real names, he couldn't. For the two Ampertans, Payam looked like typical Delni. Tan skin, jet black hair, and brown eyes. He was unusually tall however.
Jarred set the stock of the weapon on the ground as he watched Auberi negotiate a contract. Odds were, Auberi would be better at this than he was when it came to striking a deal. He would have raised an eyebrow at Payam if he could, as he used a made up name. He nodded to the two Ampertans, "My name is Jarred," he said as he introduced himself, "and this is my daughter, Kiimi." He said holding his arm you her as she took a step forward.
She gave a small bow wit her hands clasped in front of her, her features now hidden behind a hood and mask. "I-its a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the muffled voice said.
"If we can manage it, time is of the essence. The sooner we can take of the better. If you accept, I will give you the explicit details of the contract in the air, and a better introduction than just first names and aliases," he said looking to to Payam. "Anyone involved in this mission deserves full disclosure once they are in." He then turned back to Jac, "But I would be vary wary about betraying my trust," he said directly to the captain. "That being said, the pay previously offered will be a down payment, however the completion pay will be enough to spoil even your crew's grandchildren....What say you?"
“Ground Rescue and air escape? That’s a tall order for any crew,” Jac said, leaning back and trying to keep up the act of not being the captain until he knew what these people want. Beatrix almost ruined it, but no one seemed to recognize her name. What did break his act was the amount being offered by this Jarred, enough to handle the crew’s grandchildren? Either this man had no idea how much a ship costs or he was really desperate. Judging by his equipment, the massive rifle clearly visible over his shoulder, he at least seemed to know what he was talking about. Either that or he was a well equipped and funded idiot. While Jaco wasn’t one to turn down money, the offer seemed almost… too good, his skepticism kicking in hard.
“I’m hesitant to agree to a contract without knowing the details,” replied Jac slowly, any pretense of him being just a crew gone, “and I’d need proof of your ability to pay. Trust goes both ways, and anyone offering that much money is either desperate or trying to scam me. I’m sure you understand, I’ve got to look out for my crew.
“As for your… requirements, the Libertas is the fastest civilian ship in the sky, ignoring small racing yachts,” Jac admitted, nodding to an example of such. Compared to his own ship the yacht was tiny, being effectively an engine with a balloon and as small of a crew section as possible, with no weapons or armament, “Beatrix handles the ground side operations, you’d have to talk with her about that.
“Assuming you are on the level, I’m Jaco Bashford,” the Ampertan man said with a slight bow of his head, “Captain of the Libertas.”
"Then let me clear the waters a bit by saying this.," he opened is jacket, revealing his robotic torso, as he opened a compartment at his side, close to where a liver would have been. from it he pulled a sack out, full of the precious gems and tossed it to the captain. Jarred was sure he could chase him down if needed. "Open it, see for yourself. Take two gems for your down payment to prep you and your crew among whatever else you need, the rest is what you earn should you complete this mission. I trust you will distribute it fairly. Jarred stepped close and lowered his voice, holding out his mechanical hand to the man. "Allow me to formally introduce at least myself before the others... I am Jarred Greaves, Previous Captain of His Majesty Havkar's Royal Guard and bodyguard to one of the remaining heirs to the throne. I am requesting your service in fulfilling my duties given to me by the late king." He stepped back a bit, his 'gaze' unwavering even for a moment as he spoke up. "Are you with me?"
Beatrix politely nodded as the rest, or at least some of them introduced themselves. She noticed though that unlike the metal man, Jarred and his daughter, Kiimi, who was quite obviously an Outcast, the two who seemed to be more 'normal' amongst the group were the woman and the pretty boy called Hassan.
Jarred didn't seem to be that polite on the greeting though. Clearly stating that they would only give them a better introduction only when or if they accepted the job, he went to great distance in order to try to verify how trustworthy Jac and Beatrix were, even resorting to a veiled threat in case they betrayed him. While outside Beatrix was merely listening with the same adorable expression she had when she presented herself, inside she couldn't help but only become even more suspicious about the man. He seemed to be too... desperate maybe? The payment was also rather suspicious. It was almost too good of an offer to believe. Before she could say anything about that though, Jac seemed to have the same thoughts as Beatrix had, revealed by his next words.
"I believe I have already introduced myself." Beatrix said, waving towards Jarred, after Jac finished talking, introduced himself as the captain and mentioned her name, as the one who would handle the ground side operations.
What Jarred showed them next made Beatrix raise an eyebrow, looking at the man. Opening his jacket and revealing a full robotic torso, he pulled a sack out of it, filled to the brim with precious gems of the highest quality. The type of gems that would be really difficult to both find and sell. As he introduced himself better, the possible origins of said gems became a bit more clearer. The man was the previous captain of Havkar's Royal Guard, and bodyguard to one of the remaining heirs to the throne. The entire situation was really strange to Beatrix. If he had such a position, why were he resorting to mercenaries instead of using what the royal army had to offer? Not only that but he was both talking and acting like a fugitive, given the urgency on his voice and being extremely careful with information about his group.
Once again voicing her own thoughts, Jac proceeded to note almost the same exact things she was thinking, but despite that, he still seemed to accept the contract, asking her to take them back to the ship and get it ready to depart.
"As long as I don't need to touch any grease or oil, I can certainly do it." Beatrix said, nodding towards Jac before he walked away to the port facilities.
"Feel free to call me just Beatrix." she said, in a polite tone and posture, looking to the group until her eyes stopped on Kiimi, for whom she gave a smile, waving her hands and tilting her head in a rather cute way before she resumed talking with Jarred and the others.
"There are still a few things to be done before we leave, but it shouldn't take long. Until then you can take a look inside the ship and get yourselves comfortable. Should we go then?" Beatrix said as she started leading the way to the ship.
The second she turned away though, she couldn't help but let out a very discreet and almost imperceptible, smirk. That entire situation... Only two possible alternatives came up to her mind. They were either preparing themselves to try and stop a coup d'etat or... perform one...
"I wonder if our dear Captain thought about all this before accepting the contract or if he was blinded by the amount of money offered..." she thought to herself. Either way, what the woman had said to them before wasn't wrong. If they were doing what Beatrix thought they were doing, they would undeniably affect the course of history…
As they approached the entrance to the Aerodrome building Beatrix, who was leading the group spotted a small squad of what she figured were Tal-Karans. The headscarfs, dyed in a blood red along with the marked armor gave them away almost immediately. Unlucky for her new employers, one of them decided to glance at them. For a moment, the man stared at the group and then narrowed his eyes. Tapping one of his squadmates on the shoulder they all turned around.
"Habak tük! Leinsteiner bęl!" One of them yelled, drawing a pistol from his belt and opening fire as the rest of the squad scattered running for cover. The people standing around the building ran for their lives while some drew their own guns on the Tal-Karans.
Payam only had a split second to react, grabbing Beatrix who was nearly struck by one of the shots toward cover. Both of them fell to the ground behind a concrete pillar.
"Didn't think they'd follow us all the way here." Payam murmured, loading his repeater rifle.
Auberi had disappeared into a nearby crowd as introductions were made. To anyone outside of Jarred and Kiimi, it would seem odd. To the other two, that was a normal Auberi thing to do when something important caught his attention. The thing that got him into guerilla mode was a highly suspicious man attempting to watch them in plain clothes. The trap slipped behind him and silently pickpocketed him, finding a Tal-Karan medallion. The next thing in the man's pocket was a stiletto between the ribs to silence him.
Then, shooting started. Auberi used the panicked crowd to his advantage and ducked through them, coming out behind cover on the left flank of the firing Tal-Karan. He drew his revolver and took aim, firing at the throat of what seemed to be the most decorated of the group.
Beatrix had just enough time to notice that there was something wrong as she saw the squad of Tal-Karans when they opened fire after yelling something about Leinsteiners. Having avoided a shot thanks to that Hassan boy, who grabbed Beatrix and pushed her down and using a concrete wall as a cover.
Even before Beatrix said anything, the terrifying death stare she gave to both Hassan and the rest of the group was enough to send a shiver run down their spines.
"My DRESS! Look what you just DID! It will take me a good while to clean it now. Also..." Beatrix said, almost shouting at Hassan with a terrifying stare.
"You were being CHASED by Tal-Karans and said NOTHING?!" she said, looking to the rest of the group. Her anger was clear to everyone there.
Despite how she was feeling, her scolding could wait until they were safe. Scanning her surroundings, she noticed that they weren't really that far from the Libertas. If they could find anything to cause a distraction, they could run back to the ship…
"Since I wasn't expecting being SHOT at, I left my weapon and all my equipment back on the ship. I even came all dressed up!" Beatrix said, complaining.
"I swear... If I see a single hole or tear on this dress when we're finished with this..." she continued, in a clear threat not only to Hassan, but to Jarred as well.
"I need a gun. Quickly. The Libertas isn't that far away. We can use the pillars as covers to make our way to the ship. Some type of distraction would be good too." Beatrix finished as she scanned her surroundings. With experienced eyes, she quickly tried to formulate the safest path, by using any type of cover possible for them to reach the ship while searching for anything that could be used as a distraction.
At that moment, the party noticed that Beatrix had completely changed, going from a slightly bratty, noble princess to someone who knew very well what she was doing in a battlefield or in any conflict situation.
"Jarred, you are the one carrying the biggest gun around, I suppose you wouldn't happen to be carrying some smoke grenades somewhere with you, would you?" Beatrix asked.
Payam reached into his coat, giving her a pistol. Unlike the revolvers she had seen before, this one had a particular design that included some kind of slider along with magazines. It was ornately decorated with swirling Delni designs made in gold.
"Here." He gestured at the slider part with his hand. "Just pull that back when you change magazines." A bullet whized past as Payam spoke, making him flinch slightly as concrete dust flew by.
"I thought we had killed these bastards back in Mohburg!" Jarred shouted as he used his body to shield Kiimi, round deflecting off of his body. He picked up the girl in a bear hug and jumped into cover setting her down next to Payam and Beatrix. "No smokes, but we won't need them...I'll be back," he said in a fairly irritated tone. This time, when he jumped, the concreate ground cracked and broke underneath him as he launched forward, putting his one-hundred and nine pound rifle on his left shoulder. He jumped right into the middle of the Tal Karans, grabbing on by the head much like he did Payam if he was watching. He used the man as a bullet sponge for a split second before a blade went through his skull, ending his suffering quickly. He dropped the heavy rifle and threw the body to the ground as the blade retracted. His right hamd dropped to his holstered shotgun, but while he was reaching, he heldnout his left hand, which the finger strightened perfectly before a five round salvo of 9mm slammed into another mercenary. It was smooth and percise, a merc ran up behind Jarred, and aimed perfectly without turning around Jarred fired two shells of buckshot taking out another two men. As for the remaining men, he drew a .45 from his right armpit and gunned down any stragglers trying to run, hostering his shotgun and cutting down any man foolish enough to still charge him.
Meanwhile Kimmi was curled up in a ball next to Beatrix and Payam too scared to move, her hands over her head. Soom, the gunfire from the Tal Karans where Jarred would become eerily silent.
Payam nodded, taking position by the front door as Beatrix led the group away toward the Libertas. Outside, he heard two vehicles pull up. Storming through the door, another squad of Tal-Karan mercenaries pushed into into the building. One by one, Payam shot each of them with his repeater, hitting the first inside in the stomach and the second one near the neck. Another two charged inside, wielding shields and machine guns forcing Payam to retreat behind a nearby counter. As bullets flew by his head, he reached into his duffle bag for a magazine to reload his rifle. As he did, he heard the distinct clink of a grenade hit the desk he was hiding behind. By the time he heard it the grenade exploded sending shrapnel and debris everywhere.
The explosion made Payam fly against a nearby wall, crashing against it and falling to the floor. At that moment, Payam laid on the floor, confused as to what had happened. Everything around him was spinning and he couldn't hear anything but a high pitched ringing in his ears. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond.
The bridge of the Libertas was normally quiet while the ship was at port, only a few people passing through as they went about their business. By the time Jac came storming in a handful of crew had gathered around the radio to try and figure out what was going on outside.
After hearing the gun fire Jac had doubled back to the Aerodrome, not wanting to be far from his ship if a fight was breaking out. Upon spotting a group of foreign mercenaries firing upon several figures, one of which was clearly wearing a gothic style dress, several connections were made in his mind quite quickly. He instantly recognized Beatrix, he didn’t know anyone else who dressed like that. While he wasn’t as confident about the others, catching only fleeting glimpses he figured it was the group they’d spoken with. As more vehicles pulled up to the terminal with additional heavily armed figures disembarking the story told by Jarred became quite a bit more believable.
In either case he couldn’t well leave one of his crew to die, so he quickly made up his mind. Forgetting about getting the gems appraised he raced towards a side entrance for the Aerodrome. His barreling through ‘employee only’ sections was ignored since whatever employees that may have been present had either fled or hid when the shooting started. And, in short order, he made it to his ship.
“Hal, is the engine together?” Jac barked at the engineer who had joined the crew to listen to the radio.
“Mostly just have to-,” the burly engineer started.
“Start it, finish whatever you need to and light the boiler” interrupted Jac, continuing with an explanation, “Beatrix is caught in that fire fight.”
“I told her she should get that cute thigh holster,” Nef, the ship’s radio operator replied in mild shock, the engineer’s heavy footsteps already racing down the metal hallway to the engine room.
“Who all is still in town?” Jac asked, taking his place behind the control wheel, racing through pre-flight procedures.
“Alfred, Marco and Stefan were still at that sailor’s bar,” Nef replied smartly, looking up as she thought, “and I think Anna was out shopping.”
“Get messages to them,” said Jac, reaching up with one hand to start cranking an alarm, the crooning drone of the repurposed air raid alarm filled the airship drawing more crew to the bridge.
“I need the port fourteens manned,” the captain continued as confused heads poked into the bridge, Nef already pulling her headset on and reaching for the telegraph on the desk in front of her, “limber and load the front seven as well after you release the moorings.”
While they clearly hadn’t heard the gunfire from the lower decks Jac’s commanding voice spurred them to motion. It didn’t take long for them to unclamp from the mooring tower and cast off any other lines holding the airship in place. Jac heard the distant rumble of the ship’s boiler coming to life. It would still be several minutes before they had enough pressure for any real power, but a feral grin crossed Jac’s face as he realized there was still some steam in the tanks, enough for a single burst to the props. He pulled the throttle into reverse, feeling the gears engage despite their reluctance.
A flip of a small lever engaged the pipes leading to the propellers, what little steam pressure remained surged through the small engines, forcing them to spin for just a moment. But that moment was just long enough to cause the Libertas to begin drifting backwards.
“Set ballast for ground level,” he barked as the ship cleared the dock, he could see several other ships slowly spurring into motion, likely hoping to escape from the firefight. But he was the only one headed downwards, and a quick glance confirmed that the boarding ladder on the bow was still down. As soon as the ship began dropping, he flipped open a pipe that led to the anti-air guns and yelled into it, “the group entering the terminal is firing on Beatrix, let them know the aerodrome is closed due to the emergency.”
As he finished the airship shuddered as the keel ground into the grass that made up the middle of the aerodrome.
Auberi had taken a flank, so he could provide some cover with his revolver as they moved towards the ship. Once they got close enough, he slipped out of the fight again, searching for a new avenue of approach. He switched to a more silent approach, grabbing his stiletto and a set of brass knuckles.
As he scanned for a new opening, he heard an explosion. "Grenades...in an aerodrome, damn idiots." He muttered under his breath as he swiftly went into the front door behind the fresh group of mercs. Before a new wave could approach, he darted up behind one of the shielded foes, stunning him with a brass knuckled punch to the kidney. He then did one of the cruelest things one could do. He grabbed the pins of every grenade he could and pulled them, sprinting away and diving behind some nearby cover and covering his ears.
"Well, looks like our escort came to pick us up, how nice," Jarred said as he holstered his .45. It was just after that when he heard another vehicle pull up, more men pouring out of it. "How many people do they have?" He quickly went and grabbed his 20mm from the ground, checking to see if it was still loaded by habit, even though he put a fresh mag in before arriving here. Did these guys really want to die that badly? They hadn't even injured anyone yet, but they had already lost a whole squad here and more on the road. He turned to Beatrix who called to him. "Go ahead and get Kiimi to the ship, I'll be there soon, don't worry about me."
Though, it was on that note that a grenade had gone off. Jarred spun around to see Payam on the ground next to a broken toppled desk. "PAYAM!" he shouted as he made his way to him. Jarred took a position in front of the boy, taking fire from the machine guns that would have shred Payam had he not made it in time. He leveled his rifle just as he saw a flash of a skirt dive into cover close to his targets. "What the hell," and then there were more grenades going off as the left shield bearer exploded. Jarred chuckled as he realized who it was he saw and trained his sights on the other shield bearer, now distraught from his comrade being erased from existence. In that moment however, three 20mm rounds ripped through his shield, dropping the man, dead before he hit the ground. Jarred picked up Payam and rushed for the ship. instead of using the ladder he jumped to the deck in a single bound, setting Payam and his rifle down in the process. He had hoped to see Beatrix and Kiimi already topside, but either way he would soon be jumping down to make sure everyone in his group were on the ship. If Kiimi and Beatrix were on the ship, he would go find Auberi, if they weren't he would pick kiimi and Beatrix up like he did Payam so they wouldn't have to climb a ladder in open combat, and then go to find Auberi, picking off any stragglers should there be any.
With Hassan covering her back, Beatrix ran as fast as she could together with Kiimi towards the ship, turning back from time to time and taking a few shots in order to help Hassan even if a little bit. Her priority at that moment was taking the unarmed civilian to safety. With the arrival of reinforcements, this time with shields and shields and machine guns, the situation was getting more and more dangerous. There was no use to turn back and shoot at their shields, the best thing Beatrix could do right now was simply try to get to the ship as fast as she could.
As she ran towards the ship, a worrying sound made her hesitate for a moment. The unmistakable sound of an explosion echoed through the now empty Aerodrome hall. Looking back just in moment to see Hassan flying behind a pillar, she knew that he was struck by the explosion. Before she could even react though, a chain of explosions rang through the hall, this time coming from where the Tal-Karans with a shield were. Despite that, she knew that there would be more reinforcements in mere seconds, she had to use that small interval between the next wave of Tal-Karans arrived to take Kiimi to safety. Stopping for Hassan at that moment would only threaten not only her life, but Kiimi, who was an unarmed civilian as well.
Fortunately for Hassan... or better, Payam as it became evident by Jarred's scream, the metal man was already running to rescue him. Despite all the chaos though, Beatrix did notice how they lied or omitted information to her not only regarding Payam's name, but a lot of other things as well.
Looking towards the middle of the Aerodrome, she saw a familiar boarding ladder waiting for them. It was the Libertas.
"Do not stop, keep running!" Beatrix shouted towards Kiimi, pointing towards the boarding ladder. The girl was scared and nervous, so much that she couldn't help but to trip as she ran. Thankfully, since Beatrix was with her she was able to regain her footing without slowing down her pace.
"Up the ladder! Do not look back and climb as fast as you can. Once on the ship go inside and do not get out!" Beatrix said towards Kiimi as they stopped nearby the boarding ladder.
While the girl climbed, Beatrix stood behind, shooting at the reinforcements which rushed towards them, forcing them to take cover behind the ones with shields. When Kiimi finally got to the ship, Beatrix had to crouch behind a pillar when a shot almost hit her, passing only a few centimeters away from her waist.
"Shit..." she cursed as she pulled the slide, checking the magazine and how many shots were left. Much to her dismay, there were only 3 shots left... In the distance, Beatrix could see the Tal-Karans rushing towards them, using their shields to protect those who carried machine guns and other heavier weapons. Getting out of the cover, Beatrix took aim and shot one of the shield bearers in the knee, making them fall on the ground and expose the machine gunner just behind them, who was quickly downed by two quick shots to the chest.
Putting the now empty pistol under the folds of her dress, she rushed towards the ladder, climbing it as fast as she could.
"Kiimi, go inside the ship! Do not come out, no matter what happens!" Beatrix shouted as she ran towards her quarters in order to wear her armor and get her equipment.
"Damnit," Jac grumbled, "damnit damnit DAMNIT!"
"Fine, Go!" he said, releasing her as the 14mm twin mount aa gun on the side of the ship began firing, it's staccato bangs overwhelming the smaller gunfire below, "we'll have to pick up the remaining crew on leave outside the city somewhere."
Kiimi tried best as she could to get up the ladder, finally making it over, she listened to Beatrix and made her way inside through a door. Her cough had returned from being too active, paired with her heightened heartrate, adrenaline, and heavy breathing, she was coughing up some blood again, but it wasn't as serious as with the gas, she would be fine. She did however, have to take off her mask, coughing into a headkerchief instead, which was colored a dark brown to hide the blood spots in between cleanings. She sat next to a crate, the sounds of explosions and gunfire keeping her on edge as she sat there afraid that one of them might not come back...
Jarred was back on the ground cutting through enemies until he saw Auberi climb back up, injured but still pushing. "Dammit," he cursed as he pulled his sword out of a machine gunner, taking his gun and keeping reinforcements heads down as he moved to the ship. What he didn't notice in the chaos was a .50 bmg sighting in on him before it cracked one off. It tore through the plating on his left leg, shutting down the pneumatics and causing him to hit the ground hard. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! I only have one replacement part for that!" Jarred angrily shouted as he pulled a 45/70 lever action from his back holster, single handedly spinning the gun to cock the lever before aiming it directly where the shot came from and firing, using his other hand to get up. The shot went through the man's scope and landed a headshot. Jarred could still use both legs fine, but when he ran up to the side of the ship and went to jump, even all the power of the right leg only barely made him able to grab the edge of the rail, pulling himself up and over onto the deck, landing next to Payam on his back before getting back up and checking on the boy.
Jarred saw that Payam was bleeding from a deep gash on the back of his head. Part of his coat was splattered with his own blood. That same white coat was also stained with several black spots from shrapnel had become stuck in it. As for Payam himself, he seemed confused. Even as Jarred looked at him, Payam stared back as if he didn't recognize him.
"Hey, KID! Hold your self together!" Jarred yelled. "Shit," he cursed again as his blade came out, sheering part of the long cloth on Payam's clothes and using part of it for gauze and then another to bandage his head. "C'mon, stay with me, don't go to sleep, its just a few scrapes here and there kid, you are gonna be alright. Auberi! What's your status? Kid took a grenade over here..." He loked back to auberi, one of the lamps Jarred used as fake eyes was shot out. "Hey kid, talk to me here, it can be anything, just talk to me."
All Jarred got was incoherent murmuring in Payam's native language. Every now and then he heard something he could understand, but not much. After a few tries, Jarred was able to make out something even if it was faint.
"I think the King knew..." He said.
"The King knew? Knew what, Payam? You are doing great just keep it up. Stay with me, boy" Jarred tried desperately to keep his attention until a medic could arrive. Shouldn't they have one on this ship? Auberi was injured as well and he couldn't very well let him bleed out trying to save another, then they would both be dead. Jarred had some medical know how, but he no longer had the precision to operate after he converted himself, not the tools.
"That he did... He was wiser than I will ever be, he knew he would need someone outside the palace all those years ago, that's one of the reasons I left...," Jarred paused as he remembered leaving the castle, still wrapped in bandages from wounds he had taken in a recent fight, but strong enough to carry out his final orders to him as Captain of the Royal Guard. He shook his head. "Look, we are going to make everything right again, but you got to hold on so you can see it for yourself, do you hear me? You aren't meant to fall here, you have much farther to go."
Jac watched desperately as more people he didn’t know climbed up onto the deck of his ship. Beatrix was gone, presumably changing, and until someone told him otherwise he didn’t know if they had everything, not having had the forethought to count the people in Jarrad’s group before leaving. Nef was tapping away on her telegraph, presumably lodging messages in the town for his remaining crew. Jac was about to grab someone else, the sound of bullets striking the side of the ship getting worryingly loud, when he heard the unmistakable sound of a .50 cal going off. Small arms couldn’t do much, but a fifty could do some serious damage to the lightly armed frigate.
“Screw this,” he grumbled, seeing Jarred climbing onto the deck and crawling over to another one of his group.
“Set ballast for five hundred feet,” Jac shouted orders, not willing to risk his ship and crew for a group that likely lied to them, “rig ship for flight.”
It wasn’t long before the ship lurched upwards, climbing rapidly directly upwards, cutting off a couple smaller ships that were leaving the aerodrome at a more normal pace. The sounds of gunfire were immediately replaced with the roaring of the wind and the groaning of the ship as it was forced into action. Seeing the pressure gauge slowly climbing Jac pushed the throttle forwards, the propellers spinning to life, slowly pushing the airship away from the chaos that remained in the aerodrome.
“You people had better have a damn good explanation for this!” Jac roared at the nearest person he didn’t recognize.
He didn't seem to catch everything, but it at least kept him awake and talking. "I miss him. I just want to see him again." Payam's speech went back to jumbled and incoherent Delni, in between sentences Jarred could only make out the Prince's name.
"You will, you just gotta hang on... Auberi, when you can, get him stabilized." He said as he stood up, shaking his head. He looked at the captain, "I will get an explanation to you as soon as everyone is taken care of," he said sternly, "do you not have any doctors of your own on this ship?"
After a moment of glaring at the other man, Jac turned to the array of closed communication tubes next to him, flipping one open, seemingly at random he shouted into it, "Medic to the bridge... damnit Robert, get up here!"
Underneath his coat, Payam was wearing a sleeveless shirt. From the looks of it, the shrapnel had become lodged in the coat alone. However, the strikes had produced bruises all over. With closer inspection of his right arm, Auberi noticed a strange symbol tattooed on the underside of his forearm. Under the large symbol featuring sharp shapes and swirling accents were several inscriptions in Delni.
A few seconds after Kiimi ran to Jarred, the group heard the lout noise of one of the metal doors leading to the personal quarters of the ship being slammed quite violently, followed by the metallic sounds of steps echoing through the ships corridors.
Coming from the same way Kiimi, Beatrix arrived, looking to the ongoing scene with a cold and harsh stare. It was almost unbelievable that she was the same girl who had such a cute, princess like aura from a while ago. Completely clad in a full set of dark steel armor, decorated with red cloth and wielding both a shield and a quite exotic, unorthodox weapon. Those looking at her could only feel the intimidating aura the girl had and wonder how much weight all that equipment had combined. Even with all that equipment though, the girl was moving around almost as if she was wearing the same dress she was earlier.
To those who knew even a little bit about Amperta and the mercenary companies from there, would immediately realize who exactly Beatrix was, if they didn't already know due to her last name. The unmistakable dark steel armor, the signature symbol of the Legio Ater Ferris, one of the deadliest and ruthlessly effective mercenary group in Amperta.
While Payam seemed to be in quite a grave state, the others were relatively unscathed, other than Jarred, whom had obvious bullet holes on a few parts of his metal body. The woman from before had appeared again and now was treating, or at least trying to treat Payam.
"You owe us many explanations." Beatrix said with a cold tone.
"This could have resulted, or better... can result in the death of some of us, since there are still some of the crew on the city. Not only that but you pretty much forced us to work with you. Now that the Tal-Karans saw us aiding your group, there is no turning back. For whoever is the one who sent them after you all, they now believe we're working with you. You dragged us to whatever mess you got yourselves into!" Beatrix continued, clear by the tone of her voice that she didn't like that situation.
"You both lied and omitted critical information from us. Anything to say?" She asked, with an authoritative voice as she slammed the end of her axe-shotgun on the ground, making a loud noise.
"Oh, should I start then?" Beatrix asked, looking to the group after a moment of silence when nobody answered her.
"To stop a coup d'état or perform one? Which one of those?" she asked, with an ice cold, death stare towards Jarred.
"Not only this, but who exactly is Hassan, or I should say Payam?" she asked, looking towards the unconscious man.
The second she gave a better look at him though, her eyes went wide as they met with the symbol on Payam's arm, making her immediately point the shotgun-axe at Jarred.
"Explain yourselves, NOW! Who really are you? What are you doing here?" she demanded to know, her voice going from cold and authoritative to straight out threatening, a clear change of attitude after she looked at Payam, her eyes carefully scanning every single movement made by Jarred and the women, who were the only members left of that group that were still capable of combat.
To those who were still in shock after seeing that cute, spoiled little princess in full combat gear, the scene and her tone of voice was more than enough to make them realize that Beatrix wasn't just a pretty face. She knew very well what she was doing and she wouldn't hesitate not even for a moment in killing someone.
