Chapter Thirty-Two: Running and Flying pt 1: The Art of Hanging On
Hadn't you best be off? That is what sky pirates do, don't you? You fly.
'Balthier! Fran she – '
The Strahl lurched in to life under his hands as he initiated emergency take off procedures as flaming debris rained down from the Pharos, like a hail of comets to pound the cataract.
Behold the ManufactedNethicite! Fruit of man's power and knowledge!
Balthier leaned over to swiftly tap in the co-ordinates and power up the sensors that really needed a co-pilot to watch.
History back in the hands of man!
'Balthier!'
Pirate scum.
The Strahl launched off the edge of the cataract with one smooth motion and they left the rippling veldt of fire and liquid explosions behind.
Come, Ffamran revel, in the hour of my triumph!
A hand slapped down on his shoulder, Vaan dug his fingers into Balthier's shoulder with unconscious strength.
'Balthier, Fran's barely breathing, do something!'
Was there no other way?
Balthier glanced at one of the sensor displays that had started bleeping at him, flashing an intermittent red light across the control panel where Fran should have been.
' I am doing something Vaan. I am flying the Strahl.'
The Strahl's sensors informed Balthier that they were picking up high concentrations of unrefined Mist which was inhibiting the navigational arrays.
Tell me something I don't know, Balthier thought irritably, turning off the sensor.
Venat, I have enjoyed these last six years.
The pleasure was all mine
Balthier did not need the navigation array to get back to Balfonheim, he could find it on his own.
That is what sky pirates do. They fly.
' But..?' Vaan sounded shocked his hand jerked back from Balthier's shoulder. 'What about Fran?'
Spend your pity elsewhere.
At the back of the cabin Balthier was aware of the frantic, shallow panting breaths and the horrible scrabbling sound as Fran's claws scratched spasmodically across the metallic floor of the Strahl.
No pity from me.
'Vaan I can either fly this ship or I can tend Fran. But I cannot do both.'
Balthier drawled; pushing the Strahl to her engines limits as the wave of Mist vapour, released when the Sun-Cryst exploded, chased their departing craft.
That's what you do, don't you? You fly.
The wave caught up to them and the turbulence as the raw, burning wave of power, buffeted the ship and wrenched it off course; momentarily ended all further discussion.
Fool of a pirate.
Balthier had barely enough time to curse himself for switching off the navigational array, which would have helped counter the effects of the turbulence as he wrested control of the Strahl back into his hands.
Pirate scum.
Behind him, perhaps still aware of the tsunami of Mist, thick and angry, that sought to knock the Strahl from the skies, Fran arched off the floor, flinging both Basch and Penelo aside, and screamed.
Hadn't you best be off?
Spend your pity elsewhere. No pity from me.
Behind him as Balthier forced an increasingly unresponsive Strahl to stay aloft he heard Penelo's panicked sobs as the sickening retching noise, the thick viscous wetness of blood and bile, emanated from the spot behind his back where Fran should be.
Come Ffamran- revel in the hour of my triumph!
The acrid scent of blood and vomit twisted Balthier's stomach as he struggled with a failing steering control to turn the Strahl away from the cresting wave of Mist towards Balfonheim.
Fool of a pirate.
Across the control panel more monitors told him that the left wing had failed to retract and the right Glossair ring had misfired.
No pity from me.
The Strahl, limping like a lame bird through the air, juddered and shook.
' Now, now, Strahl my girl, none of that nonsense.'
Balthier murmured as he reached across to Fran's side of the controls and tapped in some commands.
You fly, don't you?
'Doesn't he care? How can he be so cold?'
Balthier heard the icy whisper behind his back as the rest of the party fussed over Fran.
Spend your pity elsewhere.
Balthier took some heart in the fact that Fran must be stable at least if Penelo had the luxury of time to cast aspersions against him.
I had such high hopes for you, but you ran and you ran and they with you.
' Someone must fly the craft Penelo.' Basch murmured, 'Only Balthier can do that. He knows that we shall take care of Fran.'
Alas the hour of your return is late Ffamran
Balthier loosened his death grip on the steering levers of the Strahl as her flight evened off and they left the ebbing wave behind.
Hadn't you best be off? You are so set on running.
Docking in the aerodrome would be a delight. Especially if the left wing continued to be obstinate.
Fool of a pirate.
' Look! The lights, we are nearly to Balfonheim.'
The Princess sounded remarkably pleased with this development, her voice coming from just behind Balthier's chair. Her hands curled around the edge of the headrest.
History back in the hands of man!
Balthier allowed himself a sour snort, 'You can thank the Sun-Cryst for our speedy arrival Princess, quite the slip stream we were surfing back there.'
He drawled as he checked on the Strahl's diagnostic array. Damn. He looked back quickly to the rest of the cabin.
'All of you back there.'
He called out to the rest of the party, eyes now rooted to the blinking, flashing warning lights dazzling him from the sensor arrays.
Pirate scum.
' Get into the seats and make yourself secure, the Strahl's main engine has failed and our landing could be a tad difficult.'
' But – Fran..?'
Balthier repressed a snarl of annoyance and continued to talk in an exaggeratedly nonchalant voice.
No pity from me.
' If you can get her secured in a chair do so, if not, leave her.'
Behind Balthier Penelo gasped outraged, no doubt he was not going to be her favourite person from now on.
Was there no other way?
Balthier did not have the luxury of time to care however, there was a very real chance that unless he could do something about their current dangerous velocity they would all die when the Strahl's glossair rings exploded.
The fruits of mans power and knowledge!
To Balthier's muted surprise Vaan dropped into Fran's vacant seat, Balthier swallowed the impulse to tell him to get out, his very soul objecting to having anyone but Fran beside him, his mind however was of a more practical persuasion.
You ran and you ran.
' Tell me what to do.' Vaan said firmly as he strapped himself in to the co-pilot chair.
Fool of a pirate.
Behind them both Basch and Penelo did their best to strap a twitching, convulsing Fran into one of the passenger seats, and took seats one beside and one behind her. The Princess strapped herself in behind Balthier's chair.
' The Strahl's going too fast to attempt a landing.' Balthier explained briskly.
Behold the ManufactedNethicite! Fruit of man's power!
Vaan was studying the sensor arrays with considerably more understanding than Balthier might have expected, but then the boy was obsessed with airships wasn't he?
That is what you do. You run and you fly.
Balthier thought he might have wiled away the odd dull hour talking over the finer points of the Strahl's systems with Vaan, perhaps the boy had picked up more than he thought?
I had such high hopes for you.
' Wow. Balthier the wing – ' Vaan turned wide and only too comprehending eyes to Balthier.
' Yes. That would be problem number two.'
Balthier cut him off sharply, the others did not need to know how dangerous this docking could be.
Pirate scum.
You run and you fly. That is what sky pirates do. Don't you?
Balthier took the Strahl in an arc above the port of Balfonheim, with the one wing refusing to retract the Strahl had a tendency to veer and dip to the right.
No pity from me.
' Cut the engines, Vaan.'
' Right.'
The boy hesitated only for a moment before Balthier felt the engines power down after Vaan had managed to hit the right switch.
Ffamran the hour of your return is late.
' Vaan I want you to read off to me our current velocity, and keep an eye on the wing.'
' No problem.'
' What's happening?' Balthier heard Penelo whisper.
' I do not know. I believe there is something wrong with the ships landing gear.'
Basch responded also in a low aside, Balthier could not imagine the man whispering.
Come, Ffamran, revel in the hour of my triumph! History once more in the hands of man!
Balthier reached across the console and tapped in a series of commands to the Strahl's controls.
Beside him Vaan diligently read off their decreasing velocity as Balthier kept the Strahl circling the Port to kill off their speed.
If you are so set on running, hadn't you best be off?
Balthier shifted in his seat as behind him Fran started to cough and choke; he heard the shifting of cloth on cloth as either Basch or Penelo, or both, tended to her.
Fool of a pirate.
'Vaan do you know how to initiate docking procedures?'
' Ummm, no.' He admitted, abashed.
Balthier snorted mock derisively, 'Haven't you been paying attention? I thought you wanted to be a sky pirate?'
Pirate scum. No pity from me.
The tempo and urgency of Fran's shallow breathing picked up, each hitching, halting, pained breath tore through Balthier's awareness.
Who better to stand on the shoulders of the would-be gods!
Balthier shifted in his seat as the Strahl curled around in ever decreasing concentric circles towards the port of Balfonheim.
You ran and you ran.
Balthier pulled a flap underneath the control panel and dug around inside the panel for the lever he knew was there.
Was there no other way?
'Vaan reach across and grab this lever, will you?'
Vaan did not question, just did as told, he might make a half way decent sky pirate after all.
Fool of a pirate.
Balthier set about starting docking procedures as he straightened the Strahl out for final descent into the aerodrome. Behind his back Fran's coughing turned to retching once more.
I had such high hopes. But you ran.
'When I give the word pull the lever down as hard as you can and keep it held until I say, got that?'
'Got it.' Vaan leaned across his seat to keep hold of the manual wing control.
That's what sky pirates do.
The Strahl, running on nothing more than built up momentum, was slowly giving way to the forces of gravity, Balthier steered the stricken craft into the aerodrome's docking bay.
History once more in the hands of man!
The docking bay doors opened slowly, splitting apart in an X of filtered artificial light.
'Now Vaan!'
Vaan grunted as he yanked on the lever as hard as he could. The Strahl jerked like an injured animal and the noise of the damaged left wing snapping shut grated through all their awareness like the sharpening of rusting knives.
Pirate scum.
The Strahl started to fall to the ground; Balthier swiftly jerked the steering controls to nudge the ship into the extending docking clamps before they hit the solid ground of the docking bays maintenance pit with a lethal crunch.
Ffamran revel in the hour of my triumph!
' Right, that was bracing.' Balthier released his seat belt and leapt out of the chair.
'You can let go of the lever now, Vaan.'
He added as an afterthought moving towards Fran and crouching in front of her to unfasten her straps.
Hadn't you best be off? You fly, don't you?
Fran's eyes were closed and her face ashen, gleaming with sweat, blood thick and tacky covered her mouth, the ends of her hair and her chest.
I suppose you had better hang on then.
' Up we get Fran.'
Balthier lifted her into his arms and opened the Strahl's hatch, distantly aware of Vaan figuring out for himself how to shut down the Strahl, good for him.
Was there no other way?
Balthier led the way out of the aerodrome and up towards Saccio Lane and Reddas' manse. Fran remained a dead weight in his arms, her breathing increasingly laboured.
You run and you fly, don't you?
Balthier rocked to a halt when he felt the first seismic tremor rush through Fran's limp form.
You had better hang on.
He had managed to lower her to the ground just before the first convulsion forced Fran up off the ground, spine bowing as her claws lashed out blindly in her agony.
Fool of a pirate.
He held onto her even as her claws shredded his shirt sleeves and the flesh underneath. When the convulsions had calmed to mere bone rocking spasms he scooped her up and started off again.
'Dear Gods, his arms, she's torn his arms to shreds!'
Pirate scum.
If there was any man posted to guard the Manse Balthier failed to notice him as he forced his way into the lavish seaside mansion and up the wide staircase towards the room he and Fran habitually shared when they stayed in Balfonheim.
Hadn't you best be off?
Fran stopped breathing as he was lowering her onto the bed. He felt it in his own chest as her heart gave out.
' Fran, please, this is not helpful.'
Magick would simply kill her faster so Balthier pressed his lips to hers, ignoring the bloody foam that flecked her lips and breathed life into her, pumping his hands against her heart.
Hang on.You had better hang on.
Fran jerked underneath him, life rushing back into her body, Balthier pulled back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, only really succeeding in spreading blood around as his own arms still trailed rivulets of scarlet.
Fool of a pirate.
You ran and you ran.
' I need Phoenix Downs, potions, and somebody fetch a bath tub and some luke warm water.'
There were other people in the room; Balthier was sure, though he paid them no mind, his focus absolutely rooted to Fran. He thought he heard the thunderous clatter of departing feet.
You had better hang on.
Somebody was helping him remove Fran's armour; he thought it might be Penelo, as others, Basch and maybe Rikken, bought in a portable porcelain bath tub, Ashe and Elza following with slopping buckets of water.
Hold on.
Balthier was aware, distantly, as the others left the room and Vaan deposited a simply staggering number of potions and Phoenix Downs, acquired from Gods knew where, onto the floor by the bath tub.
He carried Fran to the filled bath tub and carefully lowered her in. She was calmer now, breathing better. She had held on, after all.
Alas the hour of your return is late.
I go to Giruvegan care to accompany me son?
It was while Balthier concentrated on washing her poor tortured body with a soft soapy wash cloth that Fran finally opened her eyes.
You fly, don't you? That is what sky pirates do.
' You did not run?'
Fran's usually beautiful voice was a harsh croak, she tried to move out of the tub and he pushed her back.
Hadn't you best be off? If you are so set on running.
' Not without you.' Balthier did not smile.
Fran, however, did and it was beautiful.
' Fool of a pirate.'
She whispered letting her eyes slip shut and surrendering to sleep, settling back into the water.
Balthier closed his eyes and took a deep breath, 'Yes, so I've been told.'
Pirate scum.
Hadn't you best be off?
That is what sky pirates do, don't you?
I had such high hopes.
History in the hands of man!
But you ran and ran and they with you.
Fool of a pirate.
No pity from me.