Disclaimer: Nope, don't own FFTA. If I did I wouldn't be writing fanfics…or maybe I would, since FFTA is good. But then again, it's always good. Well, f I did own FFTA, I would be filthy rich and laughing maniacally.

The past

"Look, the mog parks his airship in this hangar, near Baguba," said Miserie softly, circling a place on the map with her finger. "It's a new airship. He just built it. He's planning to fly it on a maiden flight on the third of Sagemoon."

"How do you know all this?" asked Sotel, his voice almost surprised.

"I know things," said the viera enigmatically.

"Well," grinned Ivolt, "Assssss long asssss they're beneficial to the clan,"

"Goody," said Loraine, rubbing her hands together. "I like fights."

"Who said we were going to fight anyone?" asked Sotel. "Maybe we'll just steal the ship."

"No, see," she said, waving a finger at him, "You can't just waltz in and nick someone's airship without having a fight. There'll be guards. There'll be some kind of resistance."

"Maybe," Matias said thoughtfully, "Maybe we can steal it when there're no guards around."

"How?" asked Miserie.

"Well, there can't be guards while he's flying it, right?" smiled the blue mage. "So all we have to do is stow away on the airship and hijack it when he's flying it."
"You all realise this is highly illegal?" said a male voice gloomily. They turned to the forgotten Nils, eyes wide in shock.

"Nils?" asked Loraine, shocked. "You're coherent!"

"We're going to get caught and thrown in jail for this," continued the hunter, ignoring the viera's outburst. "We're going to be in the deep cack if he finds out who we were. And do you know who his big brother is?"

"Who?" asked the blue mage, drawn by the normally insane hunter's words.

"Montblanc of Clan Nutsy, that's who!" screamed Nils, starting to froth at the mouth. Loraine took a step back. "You know that Clan Nutsy's been rising through the ranks? You know that given the chance we'll be crunched up and thrown aside by them if the mog's big brother finds out!?"

"Calm down, Nils," said Sotel. "We'll make sure we won't get caught or found out."

"Easy for you to say," scowled the hunter. "Now, I'm going to sulk. Goodbye." He turned away and stormed to his tent, slamming into a tree on the way. The blue mage winced.
"Well, we have been warned by the forecaster of doom," said Loraine sarcastically.

"If any of you want to back out of this, it's fine," said Sotel. In all the time she had been in the clan, he had never looked uncomfortable. Until now. "I don't blame you. It is illegal, yes. We'll probably be caught and put in jail, yes. But we need to do this."

"Why?" asked Matias. "What do we need the airship for?"

The ninja looked even more uncomfortable. "We're helping some people from overseas transport beasts."

"That will definitely get us thrown in jail," emphasised Loraine. "Very definitely."

"I'm willing to take that risk. The pay is very good."

"How good?" demanded Matias. Sotel leaned across the table slightly and beckoned the other human closer. Then he bent down and whispered in Matias's ear. The blue mage went completely rigid and his eyes glazed, his mouth opening and shutting a few times.

"Whoa," was all he could finally say. "Whoa."

"Worth it?' asked Loraine, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes," muttered Sotel. "Very worth it."
"Then as I pledged, I shall follow you through thick and thin," shrugged Loraine.

"You didn't pledge anything," snorted Ivolt, returning from wherever he had disappeared to.

"Okay, so I didn't. But this is my clan. And I'll stick with you lot."

"For the money?" asked the bangaa.

"Maybe," grinned Loraine. The ninja accepted this and turned to Miserie.

"To our newest clan member," he said quietly. "Are you going to follow us through with this? You don't have to."
"I will," she said. "You've accepted me when no other clan would."

"Matias?" asked Sotel.

"I'll come for the ride," said Matias, a sudden grin flashing onto his face.

"That leaves Nils," said Loraine. "Who's going to talk him into it?"

"All right," Ivolt muttered, "I will."

"Ready?" whispered Matias, huddled next to Loraine in the cargo compartment of the airship.
"Ready as hell," whispered back the viera. The bangaa and the ninja had stolen another airship somewhere and were going to crash it into this ship. It was risky, and they might damage the airship, but it would distract the mog from their own sneak attack. Nils would be riding in on one of his tamed monsters in to distract the authorities and get the little gadgeteer to safety.

She had to give that to Nils. He was good with his monsters, so good that they hadn't needed a beastmaster to control a single one of them, because they loved Nils so much that they were completely tame and obedient to him.

Miserie was hidden in the cockpit with the moogle, ready to give them the signal to come in.

All too soon, there was a juddering crash, sending the whole airship lurching.

"That would be Sotel!" yelled Matias, rising and running to the cargo door, which he knocked down with a kick. Loraine followed fast behind, just as a yellow flare erupted out the side of the ship. The signal. They raced down the wooden corridor, the red door to the cockpit with its "Do Not Enter, Kupo" sign on it. It was flung open by a certain fencer as a firewyrm wheeled by the porthole, screeching as it flew closer to the bow and deck.

"Miserie!" yelled Loraine over the clamour. "Where's the mog?"

"I've got him!" she yelled back. "He was knocked out by the crash!"

"Get him to Nils!" The fencer nodded and moved to the pilot's chair, emerging a few seconds later with the small gadgeteer's form in her arms as she staggered out to the deck where the hunter was waiting.

"How do you pilot this thing?" shouted Matias from the steering wheel as the clan leader and the gladiator burst in.
"Give it to me!" yelled Sotel, grabbing the wheel from the frantic blue mage. There was a screech as the wyrm took flight again, this time with two passengers. There was a lot of lever-pulling, button-pressing and examination before the ninja yelled in frustration, "This is too hard!'

"No it's not!" screamed Loraine. "You just have to-" She tugged a lever – "Improvise!"

The sound of gears on gears rattled up and they all lost their balance as the ship righted itself.

"Holy chocobos," gasped Matias, sitting up. "Whoa!"

"I rule!" grinned Loraine in elation. "I rule!"

"Well done," said Miserie appreciatively. "How?"

"I don't know," said the sniper, still grinning stupidly. "I don't know, but I did it!"

"Nice," said Sotel. "Now how do we steer?"

"Use the wheel?' asked Matias, shrugging. Sure enough, there was a mog-sized steering wheel in front of the pilot's seat…

…Definitely too small for any of them…

Nono woke up in an empty field, slightly dazed and very confused. All he could remember was the crash…

A fencer. He had seen a fencer, and she had apologised for something…

They had stolen his airship!

The thought hit him like a punch in the gut. His beautiful airship! Five months of tremendously hard work, stolen!

Anger welled in his little heart, blossoming into full-blown rage. How dare they. They had no right.

Sitting up, he looked around to realise he was just south of Baguba, resting near an airfield. He got up and began to walk the way back to the pub determinedly. He wasn't much good at fighting, but he knew someone who was.