A.N. - Here you guys go, a double!
I've gotten stuck on several parts of the previous chapter last week, so sorry for that. My weakness for non-action scenes rose up with a vengeance.
c6THOMASPENZHORN11 - Here you go then! Didn't know a week was too long for you and your friends.
Much of the day has passed and it's sunset now. Mercifully, the storm has subsided enough with only moderate winds and light rain all that's left coming down on us.
The same two tugboats from earlier is once again pulling Highwind along from the wharf towards a group of five openings into the cliff face, atop each were marked DD-Bay-1 to -5 respectively. Bays -1, -3 and -4 now had green lights glowing along their steel frames, the last two glowing red indicating their availability.
Standing with Highwind on her prow, I watched with her and a few other people as the ship was steadily brought forward towards DD-Bay-1. We can see the interior industrial lights blinking to life and dispelling the earlier darkness of the bay, showing a lot of cranes, mechanical arms and materials ready for use on the platforms to either side. There were also plenty of hardhat wearing manjuus I can see, many holding flags and banners with various welcome messages and waving them around a lot. I didn't think there'd be so many of the little guys here, and must have had nothing to do for so long to explain their eagerness.
"Wooah, that's a lot of yellow..." Highwind spoke, looking around the drydock as she went under the entrance and shielding us all from rain. "Cpt. Sunny wasn't kidding about his people."
She's talking about the manjuu captain from earlier who offered to get her fixed up. There wasn't much opposition to his (Highwind decided he's a guy, Sunny didn't object to it and his new name and everyone else went along with it) proposal, just some questions regarding the manjuus' capabilities, machinery and material available then accepted gladly. Cpt. Bernie even shook hands with Sunny's flipper/wing.
He had gone back to his tugboat with his crew and with the other tugboat was currently pulling us along. All around the bay the manjuus have gone into an frantic yet organized frenzy getting everything ready, cranes moving to stack more materials nearby, birds grouped up in work crews holding tools gathering in organized blocks, there's even some food stands of all things towed in with the aroma of cooking food wafting in towards us. I let out a whistle of appreciation at all this.
"Man, all this for us? Making me feel important it does."
"There's a whole civilization of bird people right here and nobody finding them all this time is crazy."
"Amber look, they're bringing in a naval gun here too! Really pulling out all the stops."
"That's a 5-incher gun me thinks. Looks nothing like any gun I've ever seen though. They gotta have developed and made it themselves."
"Can't wait to train with it!"
"Brothers, is that teriyaki I'm smelling?"
Certainly the sight brought out more people from Highwind's passenger holds to crowd around her railings. There was even a familiar pair of redheads I spotted on the second deck with their parents taking turns with that camera of theirs.
But then, almost everyone else had their phon-scrolls out and taking their own pictures. I guess tourism would be the same, even in a deathworld like Remnant.
(Why can't we mount anti-air guns on her?")
"Foreman, Highwind is a civilian vessel. Strict regulations prevent us from arming her more than she already is."
(But what about flying grimm? Do you expect a broadside to stop them?)
"Well, no. That's why we have security teams on hand with firearms."
(Flak guns will be way better though.)
"What's flak?"
Another meeting, this time held by Highwind's engineers and the manjuus' dockworkers, was rolling along on the berth to her hull's portside. Schematics, reports and records lie in an organized mess atop a large table with chief Takeyo and the manjuu foreman were both leaning over the schematic of a certain anti-air mount.
Specifically, a 40-mm Bofors anti-air gun in a dual mount.
"Hey Iowa, what's flak?" Besides the engineers, Highwind and I were also there sitting on a bench a bit away from the table. Me and my fellow ship spirit were snacking on some hotdogs from a stand I stopped by listening to the others. Cpt. Bernie was there too seated on a chair listening to the discussion, contributing when asked and asking his own questions.
"It's a shell that explodes shrapnel after a timer runs out mid-flight." I explained after I swallowed a bite. "Rips to aircraft like hot knives through butter, and would do serious damage to any grimm fliers before they get close."
"Heeeh, sounds nice to have." She replied, looking upwards. "Never heard of one before though. I wonder why we've never thought of that?"
"I don't know Highwind." I shrugged, looking on amused as a team of manjuus demonstrated how flak works through the use of a blackboard and model planes and crumpled papers on sticks to the bemused engineers. "Different technology, different mindset, different approach and all that stuff."
"It's weird how your people never discovered dust." She spoke again in a much lower tone.
"And I find it weird how you all depend on Dust so much for pretty much everything." I responded after eating and swallowing the last of my hotdog. "Ever heard of coal? Or oil?"
"Before you showed me your logbooks, nope." Highwind answered after also finishing her hotdog. "It's always been Dust since waaaay back."
Huh. I've somewhat already knew that the people of this world prize Dust a lot, but to the extent of not even looking for any other alternatives? I mean, it's strange.
"...again, we cannot accept any heavy gun with a shell caliber bigger than 5-in or even one of your Bofors unfortunately. Restrictions on civilian vessels, no matter how dangerous the oceans can't just be ignored by lowly captains like me." Our attention was taken back by Cpt. Bernie putting his foot down on the heavy cannon replacement with a shake of his head. "Though I won't be saying no to three more machine guns placed on the higher decks."
The manjuus there chirped at each other for a bit before the foreman, with his red marked safety hat at the lead nodded at the captain. And that was that for Highwind's armaments it seems, as though a few engineers grumbled they've moved on to discussing the repairing of several minor breaches on her hull below the waterline.
"Hmph!" The shipgirl pouted beside me and crossed her arms. "Looks like Houren gets to keep the spot for biggest gun for a bit longer."
"Hey, you'll have more machine guns than your big sis after your slight refit." I patted the pouting shipgirl. "And they're the good types too so that means more close-in punch for you against the grimm."
She took some time to mull over what I spoke about before she slowly regained her smile. "Well... I guess it's not so bad then."
Highwind and I would spend the rest of the evening there on that bench, listening to her crew and the manjuus discuss various aspects of her repairs. The only exciting events was when her hull was secured by long steel poles on either side before the water of the drydock was drained away slowly over the hours ending around midnight. I hope the passengers and the rest of Highwind's crew find their temporary accomodations good for a couple of weeks.
"Dad, what's that?" Russel asked his dad as he pointed at the cool looking picture of a biiig ship.
"Oh, that warship son?" His dad, who was busy putting their stuff from their bags onto the closet turned to look. "That's a battleship. Used by the kingdoms to fight battles at sea during the Great War."
"The people on it look so tiny dad." His sister Rufina joined him at staring at it. It was a big painting too, hanging above the biggest and only bed in their room. "It has to be huge!"
"That's because battleships are big." Russel and Rufina oooh - ed at their dad, both kids wide eyed and imagining riding such a big ship. Seeing them that way their dad chuckled. "When we get to Vale the first things you'll like to see then are the Valiant sisters. They're the biggest battleships still around!"
Their mom then came out from the bathroom towards them, kneeling behind them and bringing them back towards her in a hug.
"My grandpa served in Valorous in fact." She spoke next to their ears. "I'm not as good as my mom in retelling his adventures, but remind me and I'll try alright?"
"Yeah!" Both kids answered back.
A gloved hand carefully picked up an unnaturally pale severed hand lying in a pool of black and red liquids long since dried.
"Nandor, take a look at this." Indigo called out, studying the severed hand under his flashlight. Right away he noticed a lot of features normal flesh doesn't have.
First: The dust-covered appendage hasn't decayed much naturally. Instead, the fingertips and other areas show signs of rusting, a bizarre occurrence.
Second: The exposed flesh looks normal, but for the mixture of dried blood and a blackish substance leaking out of veins. The bones as well, made of a metal alloy instead of regular bones.
"What is it sir?" The veteran explorer's apprentice finally reached him on his spot by a wall of rubble blocking off a hallway. Indigo didn't see his expression but the sound of air sucked between teeth told him enough of Nandor's reaction. "Oh... think the rest of the body is somewhere under all that rock?"
"Even if it is, I'm not inclined to dig through all that." He replied as he waved at the rubble. "Pass me a poly bag won't you?"
The pair moved on from there, marking the dead-end on the map as they walked the empty halls. Every once in a while they'll pass by empty bullet casings and even spent shells scattered on the floor. Earlier close inspections revealed completely foreign styles of manufacturing, and enough samples have been gathered that the explorer pair only bothered to take in new undiscovered types.
The pair had to be careful all the way back to the forward safezone where they left the little guys. Its not uncommon for parts of the hallways to be ridden with craters and partially collapsed ceilings. Some sections of the floor were even outright missing, perfect square holes leading down into a black abyss. Shining a light down didn't reveal anything, and would have been impassable if not for the small edges against both walls still being intact.
Minutes later they've made it back, the darkness giving way to the welcoming industrial light in what used to be a lobby. Walking through steel doors shoved aside with great force, Indigo's apprentice let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew! What a haul!" He said aloud as he shifted the duffel bag off his back onto a hand as he quickly strode towards a trio of folding tables. "Good work guys, place's starting to look livable again!"
What used to be totally wrecked spacious lobby had been greatly cleaned up when they were gone. Rubble and broken furniture had been shifted to the corners with steel folding tables covered in papers and other stuff, cots, chests and shelves to put stuff on, two freezers for food and artefacts, a radio set with an amplifier and finally a portable heater powered by... something. This room is also at the edge of the building's still functional electric system making it an almost perfect place to build a forward base in.
And all of it has been done by a group of sentient little birds, who call themselves mannjuus. Said workers replied with happy chirps and some signs displaying varying messages related to 'you're welcome.'
"Only happened cause' we've got helpers, so don't get used to it Nandor." Indigo spoke as he followed with his own bag. "Now get our tools out, I'll finally start you on how to properly inspect artefacts."
"Yessir! Can't wait to inspect a rusty hand."
Indigo sighed at that. His sass may be lesser than when they first started out, but he still grumbles about it in his mind.
Now if they can find a way leading to the lower levels soon...
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