OUIE! OUIE! OUIE! OUIE! OUIE! OUIE! OUIE! OUIE!
Aanyx sat bolt upright, shoving her glasses on as she raced out the door and through the hall. She braced herself against the opposite wall as the entire Gummi tilted sideways, muttering a few choice swears as she finally made her way to the cockpit, "The hell did you do?" She demanded as she braced herself again for impact. "We're under attack." Sora explained as Aanyx literally picked up Donald by his shirt and flung him out of the driver's seat, immediately flipping multiple switches as she flew instructions left and right, "We need someone on guns—port and starboard—and close off all hatches."
Aanyx slipped the headset on then, "Highwind to Base, we have critical damage on sections 3, 6, and 8. Hyperdrive disabled, all systems manual, over." Noticing none of them had moved, she irritably barked out, "GUNS, people! Sora, on left! Donald, right! Goofy, I want those hatches secured and storage bolted down!"
"Base to Highwind, we have your position. Disengage and retreat, repeat, disengage and retreat." Came a voice through the headset. Aanyx growled, still attempting to fly levelly and give Sora and Donald a clear shot, "Negative; too many to retreat." Without waiting for the reprimand she knew was coming, Aanyx flicked a switch, "Sora, Donald, infuse your magic with the plasma blasts. We don't have much on the ammo so we've gotta make it last!"
Receiving two calls of 'Rodger!' she switched channels again, "Goofy; we're getting some heavy damage on your side. Go ahead and finish what you're doing and head to safety. We don't need you shot at either."
"A-hyuck, Rodger Aanyx!"
Not replying, she switched the headset off and instead turned on her communicator, "XVI here, taking curtail damage. I need a port—something close; Inner Circle, between Agrabah and Halloweentown."
"Geez, can't you be a bit more specific?" Instantly recognizing the voice, Aanyx growled again, "Damnit Kat, I'm in the middle of an all-out attack! How specific am I supposed to—shit that was my room! Oh, damn it all to Darkness!"
"Can't you morph em?" Narexk demanded, a slightly irked tone to her words. "Ya, except I had to siphon to Moze—look, can we explain this when I'm not flying for my life?"
"Coliseum, Coliseum! Right, right, right!" Kat screeched, and Aanyx complied, literally rolling the Gummi to enter the Phantom Storm. "Unless they're brainless, they shouldn't follow you through." She explained. Aanyx spared a praising glance to the screen around her wrist, "Way ta go, Kat…I just hope they've got some sense…"
Her grip tightened as worry creased her brow, "The only problem is navigating the Storm with half a wing, a gaping hole, and three idiots…"
"You'll manage. I'll be waiting at Halloweentown, kay Mommy?"
"Rodger. XVI out." Aanyx avoided a bolt of the oddly colored lightning and switched the headset back on.
"—ARE DISOBEYING ORDERS, HIGHWIND! I HAVE HALF A MIND TO—"
Aanyx winced and quickly switched it again, "Cockpit to Gunmen, what's the damage?"
"Not too much, Aanyx." Sora replied, "We're outta Ethers, and ammo for that matter."
"We're stopping at Olympus Coliseum for repairs. Go ahead and head up; Auto Pilot is disabled but I'll keep her steady." She then switched to Goofy, "No missing limbs?"
"Nope! All intact!"
"Good. We've gotta stop for damage, so I'm putting her down at the Coliseum. C'mon up if you want."
And with a final flick of the switch and a toss of the headphones, Aanyx turned her full attention to the last dregs of the Storm. She was just docking at the Coliseum gates when Sora entered, wiping the sweat from his brow. "See? I can take charge when I need." Aanyx joked, none-too-gently slugging him on the arm and heading out to assess the damage. She scowled at the foul smell of singed Gummi before turning towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy, "Alright, I'm gonna go see a man about a Gummi."
"What about us?"
"There's a tournament in the Underdome; go knock yourselves out." And with that Aanyx disappeared into the mists of the Underworld, through a fake wall, and into the Underground Tunnels. These were a system of tunnels that linked to various parts of different Underground Kingdoms, and with any luck she'd be able to find one to The World That Never Was.
Once there, she could find their Moogle, order a new Gummi Ship, and have it waiting for her return. She'd first come across the Tunnels when trying to escape from Ikxe, ironically enough. Just behind the crashed semi the road sloped downward into the Tunnels—Aanyx guessed Ikxe blocked it off so no one would try and enter.
She had just made it to the first fork when Oberon appeared before her with a frown, "Now what would a little Nobody such as yourself be doing crossing through the Underground?" Aanyx gave a polite bow, "With all due respect, Majesty, I am in need of entering The World That Never Was undetected. I fear I'm not exactly welcome in the castle, you see."
"Then why are you going there?"
"My ship was attacked by one of Maleficent's squadrons. It is in bad need of repair, and we are without mana and Ethers to travel to a shop otherwise."
"Well, why didn't you say so?" Jareth suddenly said from behind, making Aanyx turn, "Jareth, no—"
"Respect the Goblin King!" Oberon hissed, but Jareth waved a hand and instantly teleported the girl to his thrown room, slouching in his throne and swinging his legs over the arm as usual. Aanyx frowned, folding her arms over her chest, "Someone's happy today."
"Why would I have any reason not to be?" At her raised eyebrow he chuckled and tossed a crystal at her. Within she discovered a girl—she assumed to be Sarah—at some sort of dance, wearing an outfit shockingly akin to the one Aanyx had last seen the man in—an elegant cloak made of owl-like feathers, poufy white poet shirt, criminally tight white pants, and leather boots extending to the knee. Aanyx chuckled and tossed it back at him, "I'm assuming it's for some sort of All Hallows Eve party?" She shrugged before grinning wider, "Not that it matters to you, huh?"
The Fae winked before standing and striding to the large window on the other end of the room, and Aanyx vaguely noticed that once more there were no goblins in sight. "Since I am in such a pleasant mood, I have decided to help you. Design your ship how you see fit, and I will make it so."
"Don't I need to wi—to say the right words?" Aanyx quickly caught herself. Jareth grinned his pointed teeth at her, "Naturally. I'm merely stating that you need not travel through the Underground to get what you need. Just picture it in your mind and say your right words." As he spoke he walked around the girl, so that his chin rested on Aanyx's shoulder. Aanyx rolled her eyes but complied, staring intently at a chicken feather on the floor before glancing at him curiously, "…as far as phrasing goes, do I use 'goblins' or 'Goblin King'?"
"Unless you expect me to do it myself…"
Understanding, she nodded and re-focused the image before declaring in a confident tone, "I wish the goblins would make the Gummi Ship I thought up and have it waiting at Olympus Coliseum—right now!"
As per every wish, Aanyx felt a slight tingle of power radiate around her, making her close her eyes at the sensation. And as per every reaction, Jareth chuckled at her sadly—knowing that was all she'd ever feel because of the incident with the Olde Magic.
The two stood in silence for a moment before Jareth sighed, "It is done and waiting where the old ship was. As you requested, all belongings were transferred over, and your room is completely soundproof. Now just let me cure you, and—"
"That's okay…really…" She mumbled. At his questioning raise of an eyebrow she let out her own sigh, "You need to save your strength. From the looks of things, there haven't been any Runners lately, and don't even think about denying it, because I know your power comes from their time here. So no, I'm not letting you cure me. I will, however, wish you a very enjoyable All Hallows Eve, and suggest that you pay her a visit. It did look like a Masque, and maybe…well, I'm sure you can pick up from there." Aanyx teased, giving the Goblin King a playful shove. He chuckled at her, "Very well, if I must. I'll send you straight outside the Underdome—your companions should be just finishing up their final round of the tournament."
"I can't even begin to say how much you rock, Jareth."
Another smirk met these words, "Oh, you have no idea, little one."
The moment she had been transported back, she dusted herself free of glitter and entered the arena, leaning against its doors as she watched Sora singlehandedly take down a swarm of Rapid Thrusters. Her heart sank into her stomach as she recalled a similar situation, with a certain blonde fighting for his life atop a mountain in Land of Dragons…
Scowling at the bile in her mouth, Aanyx turned away, roughly cleaning her glasses with the cloth of her belt before pinching the bridge of her nose. "…Aanyx? You okay?" Sora asked, slightly out of breath, as he walked across the arena. Aanyx waved him off, shoving her glasses on with a growl of, "Just peachy…" She turned away then, leading the way through the doors, "The gummi should be ready. If I did it right it should have a full stock of supplies too." Sora, Donald, and Goofy stopped dead in their tracks at the ship, giving a chorus of awe.
Sleek, black, and oozing power, this new Gummi sat twice as high as the old, colorful counterpart. The body of the ship gave the distinct impression of an obsidian arrow head, while the wings vaguely reminded Sora of lobster claws. Guns ran the length of each wing, and three powerful engines blared white-hot flames in the back.
Upon entering up the stairs, they were met with a fairly open area, a washer-and-dryer setup directly across from them. To the immediate left was Donald's room at the bow of the ship, while Aanyx's, Goofy's, and Sora's rooms were along to the right. Each room held a control panel of its own, enabling all furniture to slide into the walls to create personalized training facilities for practice during longer trips.
A staircase led up to the cockpit on the next floor up in the middle of the open area, cargo hold taking up the stern of the ship and included the second staircase for easy cockpit-to-storage access. From there, if one were to follow the starboard side, they would find a lovely open kitchen—with its own entrance to the cargo hold for non-perishable foods—as well as two moderate-sized bathrooms.
The cockpit was the only room of the 2nd level, containing a c-shaped control panel, two seats up front, three behind, as well as three-wall view screens for maximum maneuverability. All six wing guns, as well as the two larger plasma cannons attached at the ship's hull, were accessible from the cockpit, ensuring easier battles and less use of the wireless, which could easily be picked up by enemy ships.
"So? Did I deliver?" Aanyx boasted, rolling the plum she'd snagged from the kitchen between her hands and taking a bite. Sora, who'd spent the majority of the tour with his jaw hanging, finally spoke up, "Whoa—this is—whoa…"
"I take your silence with pride. Now either head down or buckle up; I'm flyin this baby outta here."
"What's it called?" Goofy asked as he sat in the middle seat, Donald and Sora flanking him. Aanyx bit her lip for a moment, trying to remember what she'd named it before declaring, "The Astral Arrowhead."
"That's pretty fitting."
"Beats Highwind, at least." Aanyx shrugged, grinning wide at Sora's noise of protest. With practiced ease, the Nobody eased out of the docking bay, speeding through the Phantom Storm and towards Halloweentown…