Chapter 7 – "A Perfect Landing"
This chapter has been updated due to a huge error on my part…I still don't know how I forgot, but Moogles say "Kupo"!! Thanks to Selbiene Raveren for reminding me! So this chapter has been edited for that extra Kupo!
Red eyes opened suddenly in the darkness. They searched the room to see an incandescent glow coming from the edges of the curtains, than as they adjusted, more shapes became visible in the shadows. She brushed away the long tendrils of snowy white hair that clung to her face and propped herself up on the pillow. Looking down, she noticed an arm wrapped around her waist; and turning around, she saw the sleeping face of the copper haired man. She smiled at his peaceful expression, then pulled herself gently out from under the sheets, trying to disturb as little as possible as she got to her feet.
The feeling she had was still there. It lingered on her mind, keeping her from peaceful sleep. She decided to check the ship, it would ease her mind to see herself that everything was fine. She pulled on a light coat that tumbled to her knees; it could get cold in the airship at night, especially since they were heading south. Once dressed, Fran opened the door and slipped out.
A blast of cold air hit her she stepped into the dark corridor, but she was more surprised by the light near the other end of the hall, near the engine room. She approached it stealthily and peered inside, and saw the bob of a fluffy pom-pom tail. It was Nono.
"Who's there kupo?!"
The moogle exclaimed fearfully as he whirled around with a wrench in hand. Fran stepped into the light of the room and the moogle immediately lowered his weapon.
"What are you doing here ma'am?"
"I could ask you the same."
The viera replied with a sharp look at the mechanic. Nono turned back to the engine and said,
"There is something wrong kupo. Since Mr Bunasa did not allow me to take a look at her, I decided to come do it now."
Fran walked over to the engine and crouched down to take a look,
"Are there any problems?"
She asked, looking over her shoulder at the moogle,
"Not that I've seen. But I have only been working on her for a little while before you came along, kupo."
Fran frowned, the feeling had become stronger, something was definitely off. She stood up and said to the moogle,
"I sense a disturbance on the ship. I will check the control room, you stay here and search."
"Yes, kupo! I will not let you down!"
The moogle replied and hurried back to the engine with his tools. Fran left the room and stepped back into the dark hall. No. She thought to herself, it was coming from there. Something was about to go wrong with the engine room!
She turned and shouted the name of the moogle loudly, and at the same time, a blast of flame and smoke burst through the doorway into her. Her ears rang from the explosion as she was thrown backwards.
"Nono!!" She called again as the airship suddenly tilted and she slipped over again in her attempt to stand.
"I-I'm okay….kupo…"
An injured voice called from within the smoke and debris. A small shadow emerged from it and Fran quickly reached out to help the moogle. As she pulled him to safety, a dark figure raced over from the other end of the corridor.
"Fran! Nono!"
Balthier called he reached them and pulled the viera onto her feet, "What's going on?!"
"The airship…something was wrong with the airship…"
The moogle groaned as a sheet of smoke encompassed them,
"Kupo!!!"
The ship gave an ominous lurch and Balthier slid to his knees, the viera tightened her stance and looked around, her senses screaming at her,
"The ship! It's losing altitude!!" She yelled as Balthier clambered back onto his feet. The moogle followed more slowly, and peered into the engine room,
"Sir!!" He shouted, "The reinforcements on the engine are coming loose kupo!!"
"Damn!!" The sky pirate exclaimed back. He gritted his teeth and thought for a second, then ordered, "Nono! Stay here and try to keep the engine running for as long as possible. Fran! Come with me to the controls! We have to land this girl somewhere!!"
"Yes sir!"
"Right!"
The moogle grabbed a wrench from the many tools strewn over the floor and darted into the room, his form was soon lost to the issuing smoke.
"Be careful!" Balthier added as he grabbed the viera's arm and they raced across the unsteady floor of the hall.
They both tumbled into the cockpit as the ship gave another ominous lurch. Balthier managed to grip the edge of the pilot's seat and pull himself up. He quickly grabbed for the steering controls, but a look out the windscreen was enough to make both his head and stomach spin.
"Fran!" He shouted, "Where's the nearest landing?!"
The viera had managed to compose herself at the controls and was now busily switching through the many screens, "South! Thirty degrees east! There is an open plain!"
Balthier glanced at the map that his partner was deducing and threw all his weight on the steering level to the right. Fran stared at him in surprise as the room shock violently around them,
Balthier what are you doing?" She questioned as the earth began to enlarge furiously in their view. She was afraid his ability to navigate might have been impaired by panic, after all, she had told him to go east! Not west! She was about to correct him when he replied, "Trust me."
The airship glanced over a huge rock jutting out from the earth and dropped into a canyon. Fran could feel herself backing away in fear of a subsequent crash. They closed in dangerously to the ground and could now make out the crevices and cracks lining the dry earth that they were about to collide with.
The front of the airship hit the hard ground and skidded for a moment before becoming caught in one of the many uneven cracks, then the pair of sky pirates were suddenly thrown into darkness as the tail of the Strahl toppled over its head. Both Fran and Balthier had abandoned any ability to steer and were now holding on for dear life as they felt everything around them, including themselves become upside down. Then they were met with a flash of the lightening morning sky as the airship toppled over itself again into its correct position and everything became still.
Fran opened her eyes; she wasn't even aware of when she had actually strained them shut. She turned her head slowly to the side to see the pilot sprawled out on his seat with a dazed expression.
"You-! Are you mad Balthier!?"
She shrieked at him, anger flaring up within her as she realised their near death experience. Balthier grinned vacantly and said, "Look at the map…"
"The viera turned to the flickering screen in front of her, as arrow was pointing at their current location: Bervenia.
"It was…a perfect landing." He finished.