*I stood on a pier, A mist hung about limiting my view.

Men rushed about carrying crates, shells and features and shouts of the men were hidden by the mist. I walked onwards along the pier, the men acting as if they couldn't see me.

Rising out of the mist, a small ship stood near the pier.

She was a lithe thing, fast looking. Mist poured from her funnel, obstructing her colours and pennant. From what I could see of her, the ship before me looked remarkably like the ones engraved on the barrells of my gun.

The men hauled gear aboard her with gantries and cranes.

I walked aong the peir, but as I neared to seeing her name or number the mist decended heavily.*

I woke up well rested.

The night before, Ruby, Yang and I arranged what was now our room. A strange feeling it was, I don't remember my past or my family yet this unusual family welcomed me with open arms.

Yang and Ruby had pushed their beds to either side of the room. and insisted that my inflateable mattress was placed between them.

"Grom, toss me that mattress!" said Yang, eagar to show off. I did and then she then attempted to inflate it with her own bluster and hot air. After a few minutes of struggling, a red-faced Yang gave in, her breathing heavy.

I tried not to laugh at the face Yang made, but Ruby's laughter triggered my own.

Ruby took hold of the inflator and mattres. It was a matter of momets for Ruby to attach the inflator and turn it on. The inflator made a horrific noise, but it quickly filled the mattress.

The three of us then made the bed, the slightly faded rose pattern sheets were soft and smelled slightly musty. An oddly comforting smell.

I giggled at the thought of how Yang and Ruby got involved in a little pillow fight as they stuffed the pillows in the matching rose-patterned cases.

I stretched for a moment, Ruby and Yang were still asleep. I quietly dragged myself out of bed and put on the same dress I wore the previous evening. I felt compelled to make up my bed to a quite high standard and did so, still remaing quiet as to no wake the slumbering sisters.

That task completed, I snuck from the room and crept downstairs.

(_)

Near the straits between the Dragon Continent and Vacuo rode a small fishing scooner. The Straits were treturaus at the best of time, so a lighthouse marked the southernmost tip of the Dragon. The schooner tacked its way home, to the town at the foot of the lighthouse. The town was known as Point Hope. The schooner was painted a rich black, the topmost rails were silver. Well laden with the ocean's bounty, this catch would feed the town for quite some time as well as be traded to both passerby and a few settlements on Vacuo. At the wheel stood a woman whom had seen more, fought more, in her forty or so years than many had seen in all their life.

An oilcoth hat sat atop her close cropped locks. She wore an eyepatch over her left eye, the right an unnatural blue and her face criscrossed with scars. The rest of her attire was the typical oilcloth coat, trousers and sea-boots common to the fishermen and whalers of the area. She adjusted the pipe clenched in her teeth and then realised that it had gone out. She was the Skipper of the Scattered Rose. No one in Point Hope knew her name, save maybe old Doc Aubrun. To them, she was just The Skipper.

"Tackin' back!" she shouted and spun the wheel to port. The deckhands ducked to dodge the lines as the spars swung over and ran to adjust the set to make best use of the wind.

The Scattered Rose, like many other ships that plyed The Strait, carried an ancient, Great War era wireless set. These sets, and those made to copy them, had remarkable range in the hands of a skilled operator. And Scatteed Rose, being the pride of Point Hope, had the second best operator and most promising trainee Point Hope had to offer. This skill led Abagil Azure, Trainee Wireless Operator and Gisholm Vert, Senior Wireless Operator, to pick up a rather unusual transmission from an amature operator in Vacuo. The two Operators aboard Scattered Rose transcribed the Morse code and read it back to the other operator, who claimed to be Shifting Sands Wireless, Vacuo City.

"Confirmed, SV Scattered Rose. SSWVC out."

"Skipper will want to see this." Vert muttered, handing the transcription to Abigail.

She nodded to him and left the wireless room.

Abigail popped up out of the hatch just to the fore of where The Skipper stood at the wheel.

" Message for you, Skipper"

The skipper took and read the message.

Once, and again.

She adjusted her pipe, then repacked it and lit it.

"Abigail, Is my eye acting up again, or does this say what I think it does?"

(-)

*Earlier today, a blast rocked downtown Atlas. Killing three and wounding many others. Amongst the dead are Jaques Schnee, who was just leaving Welbrook's Theatre with his daughter, Weiss.*

My ears were ringing.

Painfully echoing ringing.

One moment, I had just left Father's side to walk down the red carpet. Klien was waiting with Father's new limo, pale blue, of course, at the far end. I waved to my adoring public with a saccrine smile.

The next moment a massive blast rang out.

I was flung forward by the force of it.

Dazed, I sat up and tried to look around.

The air was full of dust and smoke.

My ears rang and I couldn't open my left eye for the pain.

I felt something wet flow down my left cheek. I gently touched it and pulled my hand away to look. It was covered in blood. My blood. Father would kill me if I got blood on this dress.

I looked back to the entrance of the theatare.

I saw Father. Pinned beneath a large metal beam.

His eyes were glossed over and blood was leaking from his mouth.

I froze.

For an impossibly long moment I just looked at him. Willing him to move, to still be alive.

Around me, people jostled and shouted, trying to get away from the falling debris, dense dust and growing confligration. I couldn't hear their shouts, nor their cries, nor the wimpers of pain from the wounded.

Had I been able to hear, I would have heard Klien shouting for me to get in the car.

The crowd had rapidly fled the area, leaving the worst of the wounded, many being pinned by debris. I still only heard the ringing, not the shouting of Klien nor the cries of those still trapped.

Suddenly, I was grabbed and dragged into the limo.

Klien wasted no time, with a shake and a roar I just barely heard, the car rocketed down the road.

I passed out from the shock soon after.

(-)

Something cool was being pressed against my face.

My head still hurt, thankfully though the ringing was gone.

I opened my eyes, but my field of vision seemed off.

"Tank goodness!" A feminine voice with a heavy old Kuromurian accent said. "Mein Herr, der frauline is awake!"

"Thank the Brothers! I was quite worried about you, Miss Weiss." Klien's recognisable voice filtered in from thr front of the limo. I grunted groggily and tried to adjust the position I was in, to find that my head was in the lap of the Kuromurian. She was of a lithe build, much like a distance runner or a swimmer. Her dark blue wool longcoat did little to hide her 'endowment'.

"May I be allowed to sit up?" I asked.

"Nien, Frauline." She bent forwards slightly to look at me. Her long, straight, aubrun hair framed her face and emerald eyes. Odd, not what one would expect for a Kuromurian. "You took a blow to the head, it would be best to rest."

I mumbled out a disgruntled "Fine." having given up on being allowed to sit properly. I settled in to wait out the rest of the ride. Not knowing where I was, on top of the earlier events, helped build an unberable tension. The Kuromurian continued to dab the moistened rag at my face. The gentle hum and rocking of the car continued. But we three stayed silent. Trying to process what had happened. Trying to make sense of it, and wondering what was next.

I could take it no longer...

I felt I knew the answer, but I asked anyway.

"Miss, Did Father make it out?"

She looked at me and sighed sadly. Her eyes darkened.

A/N:
Sorry for the wait.
My new job has kept me busy, and I have been unwell these last two weeks.

This story is beginning to take on a life of it's own, so the summary is going to change soon.
Thank you for your cooperation.

BrazedGear