Drop Zone
by TacomaSquall
Setzer Gabbiani stood at the wheel of his airship, striving to guide it past the Imperial craft that sought to shoot him down, to the slab of earth that had been torn loose by Gestahl's mad plans. Somewhere on that floating island, Gestahl and his henchman, Kefka, strove to unlock the powers of the three Goddess Statues. He was helping the Returners make a desperate attempt to stop Gestahl, before it was too late.
He brought the airship about in a radical turn that heeled the airship over on its side. Three of the twin-rotor-equipped gyrocraft that hindered the Returners' progress swooped past the airship, their pilots unable to turn away in time from the intercept course they had set to respond to Setzer's desperate maneuver.
Setzer drew a handful of his throwing cards. Hardened and sharpened to a razor's edge, they were designed to cut through most forms of armor. He threw them at the Imperial craft, and one of them, rocked by three impacts, exploded. Its wreckage tumbled from the storm-wracked sky toward the ravaged earth below.
Setzer drew his attention back to his control of the airship and his objective. The floating island, supported by forces of magic beyond Setzer's ken, was now beneath the airship. Dozens of Spit Fires and Sky Armors were buzzing around the Returners' airship, preventing the Returners from finding a landing spot on the island beneath them. This was taking too long. If they didn't hurry, Gestahl would succeed.
The other Returners came on deck, unsteady from Setzer's maneuvers. The green-haired, half-Esper girl, Terra, was being supported by the King of Figaro, Edgar. Edgar was carrying the bag in which he habitually carried all of his tools. Seeing Setzer's gaze, he smiled. "I am sure I can find a tool worthy of this occasion."
Standing beside Edgar and Terra was an old warrior, the last survivor of Doma Castle. Cyan Garamonde had the same haunted look that had been on his face since Setzer met him. He grunted at Setzer, and waited for the next wave of the enemy, hoping they would draw close enough for him to use some of the techniques he had learned from his discoveries during the journey. He was eager to also test the power of the Esper, Ramuh, against the enemies that were in the Returners' way.
Coming up from the casino below after Cyan was Celes Chere. Celes was one of the generals of the Imperial Army, rescued by the Returners when she was arrested for questioning Gestahl's motives in pursuing the War. Setzer had kidnapped her while she was performing at the Opera House, because he wished to marry her. Since then, he discovered that she did not return that interest. She looked uneasy, but resolute. "How soon will we be on the island?"
"It depends on how quickly we can deal with all of the Imperial Air Force." Setzer looked at the oncoming gyrocraft. He grimaced as he saw another flight of four Spit Fires join the cloud of enemies buzzing their way. "Not too soon, if they have their way."
Behind Celes stood the slender "treasure hunter," Locke Cole. Setzer had disliked the man on sight, even before he realized that the man was a rival for Celes' attentions. Setzer disliked the conceit that made the man try to conceal that he was a simple sneak-thief by calling himself a treasure hunter. Setzer looked away from his rival.
Behind Celes and Locke, Edgar's twin brother, Sabin stood. Of all of the Returners, he seemed to be the most serene. Setzer couldn't understand the philosophy that had been ingrained in the young Prince by his mentor, Duncan. It seemed too passive for his likes. Fate favors those who are take charge, and boldness doesn't seem to seem to be a part of those teachings. Of course, Setzer knew that was a fallacy, but he had a hard time shaking that prejudice towards the Prince of Figaro.
"Where are the others?" Setzer referred to the other members of the Returners. The old sage from Thamasa, Strago Magus. His grand-daughter, the tempestuous Relm Arrowny. The fun-loving Mog who joined them at Narshe after they saved his life from the pickpocket, Lone Wolf. The wild boy, Gau.
Edgar replied. "They wanted to ride things out in the casino. We figured you needed some help keeping the Imperials out of our way."
At that moment, three craft buzzed the airship. Two Spit Fires and a Sky Armor, they bore in on the Returners on deck, their guns blazing. Edgar pulled Terra away from one stream of bullets, while Celes and Locke ducked back belowdecks for a few moments. Sabin flipped upwards, into the airship's rigging, where he clung to a rope. Cyan stood fast, allowing the bullets to spend their force on his new battle armor. The Gold Armor absorbed the blows, allowing Cyan to be virtually unharmed by the attack.
The Returners' counterattack was swift and lethal. Cyan cried aloud, "Ramuh! I need your power!" Responding to his cry, a bolt of lightning arced from the sky above to the deck of the airship. The crackling bolt struck, and clung, causing the lines of the airship to hum with the thrumming power contained within. From the bolt, an elderly man stepped forth, directing bolts of lightning at all three of the attackers. Immediately after the bolts struck, the man vanished.
As Ramuh vanished, Setzer hurled more of his razor-sharp cards. All three of the Imperial vehicles rocked under the impacts, but still maintained their attack approach.
That is, they maintained their attack run until Terra screamed aloud to her father. "Father, I need your assistance!" In response to her scream, a rift was torn in the fabric of space, and the Esper, Maduin, stepped forth. He unleashed the power of the Chaos Wing, bathing the enemy in hellish bolts of searing energy. When the Chaos Wing had vanished, only falling debris marked that three Imperial craft once occupied the airspace near the airship.
Looking at his companions, Setzer noted the exhaustion that marked Cyan and Terra's faces. With a limited supply of Tinctures and Ether, the Returners would never be able to blast their way through the entire Imperial Air Force, at this rate.
Edgar evidently agreed with the airship's pilot, Setzer noticed. "Setzer, how far would you have to be to make sure we landed on that rock?"
Locke looked at the King of Figaro in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"Simple, treasure hunter. Setzer gets us close enough, and then we jump."
None of the Returners saw a heavily-laden aircraft take off from the floating island. Neither did they see the orange-and-red monstrosity that followed after it.
"Locke, get the others up on deck. We need to hurry if we are going to pull this off."
Locke went below. Edgar turned to Setzer. "This plan is going to hinge on you. If you don't think we can get close enough, we need to find another way. I do not think Phantom is powerful enough to cloak the entire ship, so I plan on using his power to hide us once we have begun our descent."
Setzer nodded. "It is a gamble, Edgar, but you know me. I love a gamble."
Edgar smiled. "I was betting on that, my friend."
Locke returned to the others, with Strago, Gau, Relm, and the Mog. He looked at Edgar. "This has got to be the craziest scheme you've ever hatched, Edgar."
Edgar nodded. "I don't have much time, so I'll explain it all at once and then we have a couple of minutes for your questions. I understand this plan is risky, but we don't have many options, and time is running out."
"The basic plan is simple. We need to get close enough to that floating continent that a number of us can jump from the airship to its surface. To make sure we do this, we are going to need to fight our way in close to its surface, through the entire Imperial Air Force."
"To make this work, I'm dividing us into two groups. Sabin, you will be with Celes, Locke, Terra, Cyan, and myself. We will be the drop team. Strago, you and Setzer are in charge of the cover team. We need you to cover us as we make our descent. While we are falling, we will be extremely vulnerable to the Spit Fires and Sky Armors. Keep them off of our backs."
"Setzer, you need to let us know as soon as we have reached the drop point. When we arrive, we will jump from the midsection of the ship. Strago, station your people all along the railings of the ship, to cover our fall. To aid in this mission, we will be leaving you all of the Espers, except Phantom, KiRin, Seraphim, and Golem. Use the attackers well." Setzer nodded at the King of Figaro.
Celes spoke up. "The cover team would be more useful if they could draw the enemy away from us. If Phantom has been cast on those of us who are falling, the enemy should not see us, then the Imperial forces might be able to be deceived into following the airship away."
From behind them, a sarcastic voice replied, "That would be a fine plan, except that you are forgetting to take into account one thing. Me."
The Returners turned and saw the mutated octopus, Ultros, which served Kefka. They had fought and defeated Ultros two times before, but he always seemed to escape at the last moment. This time, they vowed, would be the last time. The Returners sprang to the attack but were halted by the giggling of the mutant monster.
"I know that the last two times we met, I came to defeat. This time, I guarantee, will be the last time we fight. And this time, I am not here alone. I'd like you to meet my friend, Mr. Chupon." The octopus-lord chuckled cruelly. "He's not very talkative, but I know that he will make a huge impression on you."
Ultros' friend was a gigantic, orange being. As the Returners watched, it sucked in a huge breath of air and swelled into immensity. It then hovered behind Ultros, while Ultros' chuckles turned into gales of laughter.
The Returners, undaunted, attacked. Terra called forth Fire magic on both enemies, along with Strago and Celes, while Relm stayed with them, digging out her sketch pad. The others charged Ultros, seeking to bury him under a wave of attackers.
Terra watched, horrified, as the magical attacks focused on Chupon seemed to do little good. Relm hastily began drawing Chupon to use his image against the two monsters, while Ultros laid about himself with his tentacles, driving the Returners back before they could land more than a couple of hits. She cried to the other Returners, "Focus your power on Chupon! We have defeated Ultros before, when we were weaker than we are now. Get rid of his friend, and we should have little difficulty."
Edgar, hearing Terra's cry, pulled a different tool from his bag. Donning a protective headpiece, he activated the Drill, and flew at Chupon. The Drill bit into the monster's side deeply, and Edgar pulled the Drill out of the wound, just before a volley of Setzer's razor-sharp cards, hurled from the wheel of the airship, impacted where the King had struck.
The orange monster threw its head back and roared in agony. It faced the Returners and exhaled. A gust of wind came forth, blasting with the power of a tornado into the Returners.
The Mog was the first overboard, struck full on by the gale as it charged at Chupon. Following right after were Locke and Celes, as Celes tried desperately to use her Runic power to absorb the attack being made upon them. When she went overboard, Locke strove to save her, but was pulled overboard as well. Strago grabbed at the airship railing, but didn't have the strength to resist the blast of air. He was blown free and overboard.
Relm's sketch book was torn from her hands. When Relm grabbed at it, wildly, she lost her hold on the airship and was thrown clear. Gau howled in rage and threw himself at Ultros, calling upon the power of Adamancht, only to find that every the ponderous bulk of that monster was not proof against Chupon's breath.
Edgar was tumbled head-over-heels by the first exhalation of the orange behemoth, but was stopped when he smacked into the central mast of the airship. As he struggled to rise, Ultros laughed, and Chupon sent a second gust that blasted the King of Figaro overboard.
Seeing Edgar blasted overboard, Terra called upon the power of her Esper heritage, and jumped off the airship, diving towards the falling King.
Only Cyan, Sabin and Setzer remained on board the airship. They knew that they were the only chance to save the lives of their companions. With a nod of unspoken agreement, Sabin Blitzed at Ultros, pummeling the octopus-lord mercilessly. Cyan drew his blade and unleashed one of his most potent attacks, the devastating Quadra Slam. Setzer hurled a rain of cards at the both octopus and windbag.
Once, twice, thrice, four times Cyan's blade bit deep into Chupon's hide. As the monstrosity was recovering from Cyan's assault, a flurry of cards cut into its face, blinding it momentarily.
Chupon screamed in pain, and flew away from the airship. As Chupon fled, one of its misshapen hands was ensnared by one of Ultros' tentacles. As the mutant octopus was dragged off of the airship, he screamed, "You may have driven us off your ship, Returners. But I think I have won this battle, since the Air Force will catch your friends now. If they somehow survive that, they still have to worry about the sudden stop that they will be coming to!"
Setzer was forced to agree that the octopus-lord was probably right, as he turned the airship to pursue his falling comrades.
* * * * * *
The Returners fell towards the floating continent. As they fell, Terra zoomed towards Edgar, trying desperately to catch him before he could hit the ground. Terra did not know why she was trying to save the King of Figaro. Of all of the Returners, he was the most exasperating to her, with his belief that he was the gift of the gods to all women, and his incessant attempts to sweep her off of her feet. However, she knew that if he died, her world would be even emptier.
She felt the wind tearing at her skin as if it were a distant tugging on a branch held in her arms. She felt that she saw the world through a veil of shadows, as her senses and emotions were walled away behind the non-human half of her. She was terrified that this was her true self, and that the green-haired woman that was courted by the King of Figaro was but a façade. But yet, the only way she cold save his life was to become the unfeeling creature again...
As Edgar fell, he was close to Locke and Celes. They were able to guide their descent enough to reach a point where, at Celes' urging, they were able to clasp arms and spread out in the air. According to Celes, this would allow them to slow their descent somewhat, and, perhaps they could bring others into their circle as well. Before they could go after another, however, their formation was blasted apart by the concussion of a missile. The Imperial Air Force had arrived.
Instead of the massed gyrocraft of the previous waves upon the airship, however, this was different. A monstrosity of metal, with weapon emplacements protruding from the hull of the craft, it flew with the assistance of powerful jets that sucked in the air and expelled it behind the aircraft. Its name, simply, was the Air Force. As the Returners watched, a port opened and a missile streaked from it towards them. They tried desperately to dodge, but failed, and were knocked across the sky by the blast.
From above the threesome, Terra screamed in negation. "No!" She called forth Maduin, and he unleashed the Chaos Wing on the massive aircraft. The Air Force absorbed the impact of the Esper's fury without flinching, and screamed into a turn toward the half-Esper girl. As one of the emplacements glowed, and a beam of light streaked out, striking Terra in the chest, Edgar desperately fired his Auto-Crossbow at the jet. One of the crossbow's bolts struck the missile port, and lodged itself in the missile launcher's tube.
Celes then called upon the power of KiRin, causing all of the Returners' vitality to increase dramatically. Their wounds began healing. Locke changed the angle of his descent, briefly coming into contact with the Air Force's hull. He screamed in agony from the heat of the metal craft's hull, but he pulled away from the jet with a glint of triumph in his eye. He had been able to pull a vial from the massive vehicle's exterior.
The Air Force fired another beam at Locke. The beam struck home, and Locke was propelled backwards, slumped in unconsciousness. The Air Force fired another missile, in an attempt to follow up and finish off the treasure finder.
The missile struck Edgar's crossbow bolt. The missile was deflected into the side of the launch tube, where it exploded upon impact. The resulting explosion touched off the remaining missiles in the Air Force's magazine, which in turn blasted a gaping hole in the jet's hull.
Terra saw the hole, and she directed a Bolt into the innards of the jet craft. The electricity struck its mark and fried the control surfaces of the aircraft. The massive jet cartwheeled downwards, tumbling, out of control, towards the floating continent. The Returners watched it fall, until it smashed into the flying island, with a massive explosion.
Terra cried to her companions. "Are you okay?"
Celes swooped over and grabbed the unconscious treasure hunter and nodded. Edgar shouted his agreement.
Celes cast a Life spell on Locke, returning him to consciousness. She then shouted to Terra, "Gather the others! Bring Strago first. I think I have an idea of how we can land safely."
Locke grinned. "I'm right with you, Celes." He dove downward towards the floating island, and called upon Bismark. He explained to the Esper what he wanted done. Terra brought Strago to the thief, and the elderly sage called upon the power of Golem. The two Espers, after a quick consultation, created a deep pool, surrounded by walls of stone brought into being by Golem. When Relm was brought next, she added the power of Shiva, who created a series of spiraling slides into the pool.
One by one, the Returners were guided into the network of slideways, killing some of their momentum before landing in the water of the Esper-made pool. As the last of them was climbing out, they noticed a dark figure walking towards them. It was the enigmatic ninja, Shadow. He was flanked by his canine companion, Interceptor.
"I figured I'd find you here, Returners. If you are done playing around, we have a mad emperor to stop."
Looking at each other, the Returners burst into laughter. After the improbable feat they just pulled off, how hard could it be to stop Gestahl from unleashing the power of the Goddess Statues?
Fin