Chapter 13: Delivery
Thirty minutes ago – 07:54 – 14 A.E.
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Naval Base "New Jacinto" – Barracks
Hoffman woke with a contemplative yawn, thoughts of yesterday still in mind as he for the first moment glared at the ceiling as though it would drop and give him fifty if he ordered it to before he directed his attention to the side and found Mataki's bed quite empty – likewise that dastardly mutt Mac was nowhere to be seen.
"... Figures."
Slightly slower than usual, he got dressed, washed his face in the basin, and stared thoughtfully into his own mirror image – complete with stubs from lack of shaving. It would have to do for now, he had quite a lot on his plate as it is.
The subject of his contemplation was obvious even if he did not spell it all out:
Musashi.
That such a nation exists in this war-torn world is almost too good to be true, yet there it is against all forms of logic. An utterly unknown city-state that no one knew about to the point of non-existence on even world maps and history books from the time before E-day when they were at their most complete that suddenly and abruptly decided to appear on the world scene.
Part of him could not help but feel bitter about the revelation. Of all the countless times they could have chosen to sally forth in their world's darkest hours, they chose to come out when everything had already gone to shit. It was so conspicuously suspicious that when he fell into sleep, there came an utterly ridiculous dream where a child Masazumi like some dark ruler ordered the creation of a horrific army, and for it to go out and destroy the world so that when she finally takes her country into the open, the survivors would kowtow to her as the savior of a ruined world.
For this he was glad no one could read his mind.
Yet... ultimately he could offer them not a sliver of trust. They were still a giant unknown. They needed to know more, much much more. No matter how seemingly benevolent, the merest misstep could be disastrous for both the COG and humanity at large.
So when he with Anya and Bernie got back from Pelruan, he had radioed Port Farrall for more fuel to be flown in, and for all that they had left at this location to be saved for two Ravens so that they had something to reliably deploy, along with three squads of Gears sent to strategic location for advance warning as Parry hasn't gotten around to the Radar yet. At least there won't be any surprises.
Relatively self-assured, Hoffman went to retrieve his hat and earpiece when the latter chimed with Anya's voice. He grimaced immediately, fearing the worst, and shot it up to his ear, "Hoffman here. Do you have something to report?"
"Roger that." Anya confirmed, "We just got word from Sgt. Rossi. Two flying ships are going to arrive at Pelruan around thirty minutes from now."
"Two of them?"
"Yes sir. He heard it from Mr. Berenz. Something about a search and rescue mission." she deftly replied, "Echo has requested for further orders."
"Tell them to stand by and observe." Hoffman stomped out the door as he spoke, "How long till we can get our birds in the air?"
"Four minutes tops." Anya's voice switched tone, "Will you be coming along?"
"That is my intention. Meet me at KR Eight-Zero, we dust off as soon as ready!"
Present time – 08:05 – 14 A.E.
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Pelruan – Harbor
"You heard the lady," Drew Rossi relayed to his men gathered round the loaned truck they traveled about this area in with fingers planted firmly onto their earpieces, "Make yourselves presentable."
Unsurprisingly they did so with much grimness that was only partly masked by nervous laughs. The Sergeant found no reason to blame them as after more than a decade of war, there were plenty of people around who treated the unknown beyond what ordered little worlds they've found themselves in with contempt, and this day promised plenty of it.
Apparently there is some new country out there with crazy tech, something he did not take long to be convinced of just looking at those robots working the fields and that weird tower. The only thing he had more a problem believing was that according to Anya, Delta boarded a flying ship that belong to this new nation for an infiltration mission.
During the earlier briefing for this patrol and spotting mission, he had asked if she meant 'Zeppelin', but the lieutenant was adamant that it is indeed a flying ship in a very literal way that utterly defied how they thought physics were supposed to work.
Like several others, he scoffed at the very idea of it and believed that stress might have taken too good a hold of her.
But now, as a pair of airborne dots appeared over the horizon in the extreme distance, he suspiciously took a look through the old and degrading binoculars he brought along, subsequently let his jaw limply fall with the force to punch a hole through the ground, and took back every word and thought that doubted her.
So captivated he was by the impossible sight, too speechless to even utter his usual jokes, he offered no attention at all as the townspeople started to turn out to watch along with the recognizable Mayor Lewis who had come escorting one of the town's elders.
08:22 – 14 A.E.
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Pelruan – Harbor
"Honestly, it's a show every time they come over." Lewis laughed in amusement, he had just met with Maggie outside her simple two-storied house and told her the news when a sailor at the harbor spotted the incoming ships and called inward. Hundreds of people subsequently started to swarm toward the harbor as though summoned. It made him wonder if this town had spawn points he never knew about.
"I-is it true, have they found something?" the old crone crooned, clawing at his arm in disbelief. "It has barely been a day!"
"Calm down, Maggie. They didn't specify..." Lewis said as he tried to calm her down with soft hushes. Admittedly though, when the message came through there was a good change he missed a few details. He was far too busy staring at the messenger's cap with oversized visor somehow more expressive than his face to truly listen to most of what he had to say – it even blinked and flashed him looks that he somehow suspected represented the man's expressions, "B-but I believe so. Come, they'll be here soon."
"Oh dear, this is all so sudden!" she looked about in anxiety as she fell into position alongside Lewis as they headed toward the gathering crowd, "But I must say, don't these people have better things to do? The whole place is packed."
Lewis leaned a little close, "Yeah, but they fortunately won't be disembarking at the harbor."
"Then where?"
"Asked me where to unload what they found, and told them to do it near the dry dock."
Maggie blinked, "I see."
"So we best hurry, before people start to pick up on it."
Pelruan had only one dry dock, where ships are made and maintained. One of the more sophisticated facilities in town. They could not build trawlers like they used to prior to the war that ravaged the rest of the world, but it was good for short-range fishing boats at least. It meant that the loss of any one trawler was sorely felt throughout the community as surely as that of a lost crew.
For all their subtlety though, it did not take long for someone to see and join them as a haggard voice called out; "Hey, Mayor Lewis."
Lewis momentarily struggled to remember the new guy, leader of the Gears that Hoffman assigned hereto. "Sgt. Rossi." he cast a sidelong glance at the man, "It's your first time seeing them isn't it?"
"Yeah," he drawled, "I'm not exactly sure what to feel about that. So I heard about some details of what they're coming for, something about a search and rescue mission. Any detail you might wanna share?"
"Ah yes. One of our boats' missing along with its crew. Its Captain's wife, Maggie here," he gave a nod to the old crone at his side who nodded in return. "decided yesterday to ask Musashi for help to find them."
"Awfully big ocean out there." Rossi furrowed his brows dubiously, "They couldn't possibly have completed their search already. You know how deep these waters can be..."
"I provided a map of where my hubby prefers to fish, maybe they had luck." Maggie contributed, deep in thought.
The Sergeant sighed, "Luck huh? By the way, I'm getting a little bad vibes from this."
Lewis quirked a brow, "How so?"
"I don't know which the villagers are talking about, but one of those ships seem to be a new one."
"A new one. Give me a moment." He wondered quietly as they neared the dry dock and cleared most of the crowd so they could go to the edge of the beach, from where he peered at the now much closer airships. The one furthest away was of the familiar flat and boxy design they all had come to associate with Musashi, which has started to prepare for landing as it slowed and lowered itself closer to the waters. But the other was indeed different with its much greater height, like a stylistic image of a galley, with a more curved and streamlined build. It glided through the air every bit as effortlessly as the other, though it showed no sign of slowing down.
Thus when it arrived in short order, it sped past above them with such force that it cast a strong wind across the area below it despite its altitude. It raised gasps from the crowd, especially from those at sufficient an angle to look along its sides, which were lined up with rectangular barrels that could only be heavy cannons.
"Holy shit," Sgt. Rossi gaped in astonishment, "that's a warship if I ever saw one!"
"Oh dear." Maggie raised hands to cover her mouth.
Lewis said nothing, he could only stare as the gargantuan vessel headed for the town center.
"If this was about a search and rescue mission," Rossi continued, "why is there a warship?!"
"I don't know." he had no explanation.
The man simply stared until he abruptly in apparent realization checked the time and instantly flew a finger to his earpiece, "KR Eight-Zero, this is Echo! Be warned, you might have something really huge coming your way!"
Hopefully this isn't what it seems like.
08:30 – 14 A.E.
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Countryside – KR Eight-Zero
"Copy that, Echo! We are aware." Anya replied grimly as she stared ahead of her with wide open eyes. "Stand by."
It was like an eternity ago that they crested the last hill and came within view of the township... and those colossal objects that quickly from there came to dominate the air scape. It was almost world-shattering when she saw her first flying ship, and that was during the night when the ominousness of it was overwhelming. Now the question was whether it was even worse to see them in broad daylight. So pure, sharp and spotless that they were a gross contrast to the world around them. It was like they're of a different world altogether, an observation that she and the others across both Ravens had in mind... which they had not even the foggiest idea of how true it is.
"Hell, those things are unreal." Gettner called in, her voice as shaky as it was sour. "Better not ask us to go any closer. I'd rather face court martial than antagonize that."
"I got no plan to." Hoffman growled where he sat and stared through a binocular, before handing it over to the lieutenant, "Give me your best assessment, Anya."
She accepted it and took a close look at the ships in deep scrutiny. "The one at the beach appear to be unarmed. It's just like the one Delta boarded - I think so at least." she winced just a little, "As for the other... it is sufficiently armed to be a battleship with those broadsides. But I wonder, why did they go out of their way to give it the design of a stylized sailing ship rather than a modern warship?"
Unlike the more boxy other, this one was far more triangular in its structure.
The Colonel shook his head as the closer craft turned and flew along a path parallel to their own, if not for its heavy armament consistently pointed at them it could had seemed peaceful, "With that kind of agility and acceleration, that is a moot point. It is perfectly built to dish out damage and avoid it... More importantly, why is it here?"
"Escort maybe?" Anya suggested, "It hasn't strayed beyond a certain distance from the other. They're simply reacting to us far as I can see."
"Hey," Gettner communicated, "looks like the other just landed. What should we do?"
"Withdraw fifty feet and slow down." Huffman grunted, "Anya. Still recording?"
"Never stopped." Anya confirmed with a look on that which hovered and beeped between them. Jack units are extremely far between nowadays. Once upon a time they were available by the truckload, something that is no longer the case. Now preserved as much as possible as they no longer have the means to produce more. The helpful thing bobbed in the air as it stared with its twin sets of whirring optics. "It's recording everything we're seeing."
"Once we're done and those folks pulls out, I want Echo's full report. We need to know all we can for when the Chairman comes. Then we'll see whether there will be talks."
"We'll get it done." she looked at him, apparently in a train of thought, "Is there anything else?"
"Speaking of Prescott," Hoffman spoke evenly, though the intercom elevated every sentence to a bark, "contact Port Farrall once we're back. See if a long range mission for the site of that recent battle can be arranged."
"Can try, but what will they be looking for?"
"Anything of interest. Especially ammunition."
"You want them to recover Longspears?"
"If they can find any, but what I want more is whatever Musashi uses for ammunition even if there are only fragments left."
Anya looked back to the nearest ship, so serene as it calmly kept pace with them, yet so foreboding with all those guns aimed squarely at them. "Understood sir." she finally replied when Sgt. Rossi called in again and laid out the news. "They're coming out."
"Like a show down there. Jack, zoom in and record every detail."
With a loud beep of confirmation its little head leaned slightly forward as if to squint. Programmed with a sense of inquisitiveness it embarked on this task with great perceived enthusiasm.
08:30; 21st June; 1648; Testament Era
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Pelruan – Kraken-Class Cargo Ship "Seimei"
"Honestly, I can expect a hostile stance in response to a threat." Thomas Shakespeare drawled with a noticeable disappointment at the Captain's image hovering in front of her, "But so aggressively when they haven't even fired a shot or declared a challenge? Don't shame England by being the first to shoot a bunch of upstart barbarians, TRUMPS number six Grace O'Malley."
"That's... going a little far." Neshinbara declared resignedly, eyes on the flatly attentive nymph, as they approached the hatch that would soon be opened, "I can't deny that they're fairly primitive, but they far from barbaric. The squalid state in which most of them now suffer was forced on them."
She cocked her head and leaned a little close, "Apparently they blew each other up."
"Act of desperation after they were attacked by," he briefly looked for the right words to describe it, "subterranean aliens."
"I see." the girl replied nonchalantly and leaned away, though he noticed that she had motioned herself at least three inches closer to him, consequently making the last motion rather moot. "And you know how much about these... aliens?"
"Not too much." Neshinbara blushed as he thought of the slightly compromising situation they were in just a few minutes ago, or which she had put them in. Mary was still far behind, red and smiling. "We just got a native group that seem very knowledgeable about these aliens they call the Locust, and are willing to teach us."
Shakespeare looked him obliquely in the eye, "Sounds intriguing. Maybe I should come and attend a couple of classes."
"Hm. You need to negotiate for that, but I think it can be done."
"Testament. I expect to be provided with a place to sleep safely for the duration."
"Of course, I am sure we can arrange a proper embassadorial suite."
She continued with her seemingly disinterested look, "Any chance I may have one close to yours? Would like if you act as my guide and guardian over the course of my stay."
"If it comes to that, fine." he sighed and smiled with an upward quirk where the fellow author could not see it.
"Good." Shakespeare lowered her voice enough that he barely even caught the shadow of her voice, "At the very least I must make sure your erotic novels are kept with a certain standard."
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but let us put that aside for now," Mary finally interjected with her usual calm and gentle tone.
"Pity that it had to end so soon," Grace intoned, with an all too mischievous grin coloring her expression like she had picked up something he could not, "But business comes first."
"Of course." Shakespeare frowned and cut her line with the colleague off with a wave. "No need to tell us that."
Neshinbara turned to Mary, his tune turning more solemn, "Is everything ready for the delivery?"
"Jud." Tenzou's assistant and fiance replied somberly, "All is ready."
"Thank you, put us to shore." he ordered, but with a softening voice as his attention found its way back to Shakespeare, "Only one step remain, to bring the innocent back to their loved ones."
She locked her eyes with him in a slow motion and nodded, ".. Testament."
"In case you do not mind, feel free to stay awhile." Tenzou offered at last, and before the Secretary could ask stated his intent; "With the COG asserting themselves here I intend to investigate the scope of their presence."
"Okay." Neshinbara simply said and stifled any question. It had surprised him when Mary told him of the COG aircraft presence, but he did not come here for them, that will have to be Masazumi's beast to wrestle with. "Be cautious Tenzou."
"I shall." his cap did the smiling eyes before it turned slightly more business as his sign frame dissipated and reappeared before his beloved, "Mary, you have the ship till I make my return."
Mary smiled, "Pray be safe and swift."
"I will." the male replied, his frame turning around as he made an announcement, "We are in position! Opening hatch now. Good luck out there."
Neshinbara and Shakespeare watched as the hatch opened and illuminated the corridor like a portal of light to their recently awoken eyes. Only one more moment spent waiting before they stepped out with an air of both grace and solemn formality.
Immediately, what awaited them was a large crowd that now rapidly relocated itself from the harbor and across the road adjacent to the beach. Only a cursory look was required to find the most prominent figures that is Mayor Lewis and the old crone Maggie standing out at the beach's edge as he strode from the threshold and onto the anchoring cable that had just extended itself from just underneath the hatch and to the sandy beach – as far inland as possible to provide a gentle slope more fitting for their cause here.
Barely past the threshold he halfway turned and chivalrously extended an arm to Shakespeare, which she graciously accepted and held till they cleared the rope and sank their shoes into the sandy beach, so cool this early in the morning, and strangely refreshing.
08:33; 21st June; 1648; Testament Era
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Pelruan – Kraken-Class Cargo Ship "Seimei" – Upper Deck
Swift as he could be, by the time the secretary and TRUMPS member had cleared the rope, Tenzou had emerged onto the upper deck, counting on the sun's current angle to discourage any onlooker from below that did not have their attention fixed on the meeting about to happen as he dashed along the ship's length to the very frontal tip from where the ninja launched himself toward the nearby harbor.
Or in this case, the boat tethered the closest to the 'Seimei'.
Expertly, he aimed for the middle of it to create the most minimal of disturbance, landed with only the slightest sound, and after a moment of absorbing the aftermath of this impact ran to the bow and leaped onto the harbor itself.
"Whoa, didn't that hurt?" a flabbergasted fisherman nearby gaped at him.
Tenzou's cap animatedly grimaced as he pondered this little slip, "We have our ways to avoid injury from falls. My apologies if I startled you." he nodded, "Now if you excuse me."
Not another word spent to the slowly nodding man, the ninja sprinted at full speed to the closest building, and up its wall without breaking his steps. Having trained as a Shinobi for many years, mobility and precision most extreme is second nature to him, so in the application of both combined no one in his class could properly match him.
Unfortunately even as distracted as most people were, this did not pass unseen, as he from the periphery of his eyes saw that the glowing eyes of a whole group of Gears followed him – their perception perhaps honed to a great degree by more than a decade of warfare. A combination of sheer experience and built-up reflexes to anything out of the usual within their immediate surroundings.
The only guy without a helmet called for one to stay while he and the rest came about and raced back through the crowd. So much for the element of surprise, Tenzou thought sullenly as he turned away to make best speed along the ceilings up ahead.
Surprisingly, the Gears were no slouches in terms of speed and even in that bulky armor of theirs managed to keep up an even speed as they charged along the street below – though certainly this speed would only hold up in one direction, any changes would be slow.
"Hey you, wait!" the dark-haired man without a helmet cried out between breaths, "Halt!"
"No can do." Tenzou sighed as he leaped from the last ceiling in this line, across a rather slim road, onto the ceiling on the far side of it, and kept on going from there. He repeated this several times to shake his armored pursuers off before finally dropping into an alley, from where he finally made it to the outskirts and slipped away into the fields and woodland.
08:33 – 14 A.E.
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Pelruan – Beach
Largely unaware of what went on elsewhere, Lewis met the youths at the middle of the beach with a clearly anxious Maggie at his side. He hasn't had the pleasure of meeting Musashi's governmental secretary yet, but was so far not disappointed. The female at his side however was an unknown who regarded him and the village behind him flatly.
"Welcome to our village." Lewis greeted once close enough to exchange formal greetings, "I trust your trip has been a pleasant one."
"Humble greetings, Mayor Lewis." Neshinbara replied in kind, a sad smile on his lips that told volumes of how wrong a word 'pleasant' is considering their business, "We've come to delivery what little we have found of your lost men at sea." a meaningful look and nod given to Maggie.
"But in a day, how much could you possibly have found?" the old crone asked, her mannerism less formal, one fraught with desperation.
"We got," he paused sullenly, "lucky. Tried a few of the places you told your husband likes to fish in and after a few scans found a shipwreck at more than a thousand feet deep – not too far from the abyssal trench."
Maggie stared, her lips quivering. "And how do we know it is the right one?"
"I was hoping you could identify it." Neshinbara said softly, "We'll have it brought onto the beach in a moment."
Brought? Lewis felt his head spin for a moment at the incredulity of it. The boy just implied to have salvaged it, but there was no way anyone could bring back up a ship lost at such great a depth. It is simply impossible. Maggie looked like she did not believe the bespectacled boy either, until he turned and made a wave – eyes toward the flying ship's upper deck.
What he saw once he craned his neck and squinted against where the sun met the ship almost took his breath away as what was clearly a wreck elevated to view, the sign frames surrounding it almost ghostly, visible only by their coloring with the sun at the wreck's back. If he was not already vaguely familiar with sign frames Musashi liked to use, he would have thought some higher being reached down to pick it up.
Slowly it came down, a cloud made of the front half of a boat and myriad pieces of its mostly wooden hull. Graciously, its bow touched the banks of sand and sank softly into it in comfort like a person in her bed. Soon as the partial boat fell still, the frames dissipated and allowed all the mess of pieces to drop unceremoniously until nothing was left in the air – lying on the beach like they were always there.
All was silent bar the sound of distant engines that gave no care for tact, only watching as Maggie stared at the wreck until she finally dragged her feet in pained motions close enough that she could touch what used to be a trawler with her bare hands, and rubbed along its bow searchingly.
"T-this is..." the old woman croaked in sadness as a hand found the name. Damaged though it was from age, exposure and sheer water pressure, it was still readable, her voice breaking as she read it, "It really is my hubby's old boat, the 'Sunshine'. T-to find this... and e-even raise it from the bottom of the ocean." she stuttered with a barely connected sentences, "Y-you have done the impossible."
08:37; 21st June; 1648; Testament Era
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Pelruan – Beach
"We did what anyone would do if possibility allowed," Neshinbara looked on sadly, his smile somber, "it is too bad we could not recover the crew."
Maggie nodded, her attention slow to drift as people came down from the crowd, members of afflicted families coming to join the mourning of lost kin, "Such is the sea, it can be a harsh mistress. You did more than what anyone could hope for, and for that you have our thanks."
To his left, Shakespeare drew close - eyes on the parts of the crowd that is now relocating itself once again - and whispered in her carefully concealed curiosity, "You aren't going to ask them to pay for our efforts?"
"I'm thinking more on the long term," he patiently explained, voice kept low. "and considering our arrival is what cost these losses, I am not about to ask for payment."
With a little hum out her lips after a moment of considerate pause, she nodded, "It wasn't our fault, but I believe I understand."
"And honestly, would you ask for payment in front of such a scene?" he indicated the mourners.
"..." the female said nothing, instead she gasped as a low growl came from the area within her sparse chest, seconded soon after by the one in him - to which they both nervously exchanged amused looks.
"I heard that." Lewis laughed at the sound, "Haven't you had breakfast?"
"No." Shakespeare answered plainly without looking, "We only just woke."
The mayor nodded in understanding, "Just as well, we can't let you go with just a 'thank you' after what you've done for us. How about coming over to our nearest tavern? A few words from me and you'll have breakfast for free."
Neshinbara thought about it. Hm, Tenzou did ask us to take our time... But right before he could act on this, another argument presented itself in favor of staying longer as Shakespeare took his hand quite fondly – complete with an encouraging nod. Smiling shyly back at her, he answered; "We thank you for your generous offer, and graciously accept!"
Lewis beamed as he turned to head downtown, "Then follow me, I'll bring you to it."
Appreciative of the opportunity to finally get food on the table, they left Maggie behind to her fellow mourners and followed the Mayor through the crowd ahead – even passing a Gear along the way who watched them intently from behind his inscrutable helmet. Musashi's author tried hard not to look, focusing instead hard on what his fair colleague whispered under her breath, something about spicing up the occasion of their first meal together in years.
"By the way," the man asked as they entered the main street, "about the ship over there. Is there any particular reason why you brought a battleship along?"
"Ah?" Neshinbara viewed the 'Granuaile' that continued to orbit the village in nearly a menacing manner – intent on keeping the helicopters away despite the lack of necessity as said craft had begun to veer away, "If it worries you, I truly apologize. It was deemed important to have an escort along this time to keep my colleague here safe."
"I see." Lewis looked over the girl, "You must be one of great importance to deserve such an escort."
"Jud, she is." the boy grinned fondly, "TRUMPS number six, Thomas Shakespeare. It is much thanks to her that we were able to recover the 'Sunshine'."
"Ah."
Shakespeare tilted her head at his rather lacking reaction, "Problem?"
"No no no, I'm just surprised that the name of our lost crew's boat's savior shares forename with their Captain. Maggie's husband's name was Thomas."
"Quite a coincidence."
"Very." Neshinbara concurred as Lewis responded in kind, beaming at her as he leaned in close to her and lowered into a whisper as they continued to follow the man through town with many onlookers around, more than a few staring up at the battleship above nervously, "By the way, could you perhaps ask Grace O'Malley to move her ship out to sea?"
Shakespeare spared a look up as the 'Granuaile' cast its great shadow over them, "Why, so long as she does not initiate hostility..."
He tersely interrupted with an offer, "I'll buy you flowers."
"..." the girl raised a solitary eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed till she raised a hand to comply, which he viewed with great approval, "Tes."
A minute ago. 08:45 – A.E.
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Countryside – KR Eight-Zero
"It seems to be winding down, sir."
"So it does." Hoffman viewed the village below that battleship. When he first ordered them to set out, he had hoped to take a much closer look than this. But as things stood they were forced to keep their distance and spectate through squinted eye and old binoculars, only the humming Jack was able to get all of it – all the rest to be filled in by Echo. "What have we learned so far here?"
The lieutenant mulled the question over, "Without Echo's report we don't have the full picture..."
"Humor me, Anya. What are your thoughts?"
"Well," she looked toward the battleship dominating the airspace between their two Ravens and the other flying ship. "they somehow have a way to counteracting gravity on a massive scale, which goes a long way to explain how they can keep those ships in the air. Even able to project it onto other objects by how they transferred that shipwreck. It was probably how they recovered the boat as well." Anya paused to gather her thoughts, "Beside that more worrisome is the political side. Having demonstrated a willingness to aid a member of their Protectorate to this extent has very likely secured Pelruan's steadfast loyalty and friendship all the more."
Politics... Hoffman snorted at the scope of that uncomfortable territory. One that he was more than happy to leave for Prescott to scale, despite their misgivings as of late. "Prescott the bastard sure is gonna get his hands full."
"I'm sure, sir." the lieutenant said, "Anyway it doesn't look like they're going to leave right away. Maybe they're waiting for the possible spy Sgt. Rossi called in about, but was unable to apprehend."
"Bah, a spy." Gettner hissed over the intercom, "Fucking fantastic."
"According to Echo, target displayed significant free running skills. If the urban environment couldn't slow him down it is likely the forest won't either." Anya examined, "Given the distance that needs to be covered though I don't expect him to arrive within several hours – giving us plenty time to prepare."
"Make it happen." Hoffman told her, "Call back to base and make them double security, especially around critical locations. And I want the harbor cannon ready and operational in case the worst happen."
"Worst, sir?"
He fixed her with a grim look, "Worst case scenario, if the spy is only there to scout for vital targets then call in that battleship for a precision bombardment. Aside from using the hammer and trying to board those things, our base cannon might be the only thing able to handle a threat like that."
At the very least it could not possibly fare worse than the Longspears those Stranded of LIFTA used. A formidable defensive battery with a caliber of sixteen inches, able to fire four three thousand pound armor-piercing shells per minute with a sufficiently skilled crew, and an effective range of up to twenty kilometers it is one hell of a deterrent.
"Major." Hoffman let that hang in the air as he called to their pilot, "There is nothing more we can do here. Return to base."
"Roger that sir, with pleasure sir." Gettner replied as their Raven started to bank away from town with their escorting helicopter close on their tail. "Moving out now."
"Anya." the Colonel clasped a hand for emphasis, "Get it done, and make it clear I want a prisoner made of that spy if at all possible."
The lieutenant nodded as a hand flew to her earpiece, "I will, sir."
As they left, Hoffman continued to see toward the village and watched as the brilliantly battleship disengaged as well and headed out to sea, leaving a wide trail of fluid-like energy that glowed strongly in its wake like pixie dust, forcing him once again to remind himself that it is a heavily armed warship of unquantified power with more unknowns behind it than he could poke a stick at.
If only there were some real reassurance that it would not whip around and come for them in a few hours from now, he could had been sitting a whole lot more at ease. As it stood, this day is going to be a restless one.
10:09; 21st June; 1648; Testament Era
Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - "Okutama" – Blue Thunder
It had long since become routine, a routine born from a bad habit that was itself born from neglect. To almost die from hunger, and feel blissful rejuvenation from finally getting food in her body again.
Masazumi almost felt like reclining against her chair in near indecent delight as she chowed down on the Blue Thunder's renowned bread. "Ah~ I feel alive again..."
"Mm, this is most exemplary," her savior of today complimented. The Vice President after having missed so many meals over the course of her duties had once again fainted not far from this shop's entrance. Fortunately her cousin Futayo happened to be passing by, and least affected by the crazies of crazies that is Class 3-Plum (though the Vice Chancellor is not without quirks herself) she came to her aid without ado. Consequently, they ended up having breakfast together. "most delicious."
"It is." Masazumi agreed in a whisper as she finished off the last piece of her bread and swallowed it, a little sadness seeping in once it was realized how little was left for her to eat on the platter. With rationing currently ongoing no one could buy as much as they wanted anymore. In an attempt to make her belly take its own selfish mind off the issue of food shortages, the Vice President took her glass of water and carefully guzzled down its contents in the full knowledge that it was only a temporary reprieve. "Can't believe you'd be out jogging considering how we got to conserve our energy."
Futayo raised her shoulders by a fraction, "I can handle it. There is no need for concern. However..." only to be instantly betrayed by her own bodily functions as her stomach loudly protested in apparent agony. "Never mind that." the Vice Chancellor tried to hide her embarrassment, "I will properly discipline it when the time comes."
Masazumi smiled in amusement, careful not to laugh, "... I do not think anyone has yet learned of a way to train their inner organs."
"I fear that is indeed the truth of it." the much more militant Honda sighed, "On the other hand, if there is I swear to find it."
"Rather than that, hope Ginji's new plan put more meat on the menu."
"Oh." Futayo blinked and sat a little straighter, "Jud."
It was during their latest meeting that the fetishist had come about with a suggestion to help fill up their food stores. He confirmed that at this rate those will run out long before the Stranded clans under their protection can firmly establish and bulk up their food production enough to produce a surplus that can be traded. The answer to this issue was to start fishing and hunting operations. For example by sending a couple of ships to the mainland and capture large amounts of cattle.
Considering the depopulation caused by war with the Locust it was not unthinkable that the population of food animals may have exploded. So they just needed to find some of these and grab 'em. Sufficed to say, the approval rating of the plan among their class was infinitely close to a hundred percent.
Masazumi continued, "Considering how busy the Engineering club is right now, it will take time before they can devote themselves to build fishing boats, and that is besides the difficulty of finding volunteers with the right skill set. A hunting trip on the other hand will be carried out tomorrow with the 'Bontenmaru'."
"I find myself looking forward to whatever they manage to bring back." Futayo nodded resolutely with contained anticipation. "Most especially, I..."
Both looked up as a call came in, with Masazumi first to raise a hand and opened an incoming divine communication between them, the image of Tenzou coming into view, complete with a background of moist foliage she did not quite expect. "Tenzou-"
Anger tinted her mind as she remembered that short and concise report Mary had sent almost two hours ago that painted the picture of an ugly situation dancing on the razor edge of a knife about to explode.
Of course the success of their search and recovery mission was good and appreciated. The prolonged presence of TRUMPS number six, Thomas Shakespeare, came as a surprise. Alarming her much more however was the presence of TRUMPS number four, Grace O'Malley, at the helm of her 'Granuaile', that combined with the discovery of an increased COG presence on Vectes caused a staring match over Pelruan that could have easily turned into a shooting war...
Even though that did not happen, just bringing a battleship over Pelruan like that when there was no need could bite them in the ass later. If Grace fired a shot, she'd be forced to disclose England's existence and publicly blame them for the resulting disaster – something she'd much rather avoid. It was important to maintain good relations with a population that still view themselves as loyal COG citizen.
So when her gaze landed on Tenzou's image, she steepled her fingers and flashed him a morose look that almost made the guy fall off the branch he had decided to perch on, "- your fiance sent me a report of what's going on down there, and I am troubled over how this relatively simple mission of yours turned into such a mess. When you guys return, we're going to have a nice long chat." Masazumi narrowed her eyes severely, "Do you understand?"
"J-jud!" the ninja lowered his head and replied nervously, "Understood my lady."
"Good." Masazumi said and flicked the frame ninety degrees to the right and moved it a couple of feet across the table so Futayo could also partake. In the same motion she brought the very same report to her cousin's attention who positively breezed through it before she adopted a classic Honda-type contemplative frown that she herself maintained. "So where are you now?
"Near Vectes Naval Base. Merely two hundred feet short of its northern fence." Tenzou responded quietly but clearly, "If there is any place on this island to accurately gauge the extent of COG forces at this location, it is here."
"And what have you found out so far?" Futayo asked.
"This. Providing data now."
Masazumi looked on as a map frame opened up just a couple of inches off the table. A simple map with few details, and several dots. Her cousin pressed one and it revealed from extreme distance a bunch of thin engineers working on a massive harbor-mounted cannon, while another displayed an open field with at least six helicopters visible. Several more revealed additional engineers, along with checkpoints and patrols made of heavily armored COG soldiers.
Tenzou continued, "As you can see, they are hard at work activating the base. Most likely this is just the start. It is unclear why they have decided to do this."
"Hm." Futayo scanned the defenses and folded her arms, "Considering their low technology, the defenses seem quite adequate."
"More than adequate to other native forces."
"Let us not think of them as enemies, people." Masazumi looked at them sternly, "It's too soon to tell yet. Did you see any leader types among them?"
"Not yet." the ninja considered, "I do have a guess though." and indicated one of the images, designating a tall muscular and old balding man with a hat different from the rest. Everything about him screamed experience and strength of authority, and in the image he was shown barking at group of Gears, of which only one was without a helmet; a blonde woman who stood unwaveringly at his side.
"A formidable man. There is no doubt in my mind," Futayo observed, "he must be their leader."
Masazumi nodded in agreement, "But as of yet we do not know how how high in the chain of command he is."
"So the question is, what do we do about this?"
"... Unless Pelruan vocalize a strong objection to their presence, we do nothing at all." she decided shortly, "Has there been any word from the village that hint to discontent?"
"Far as I could see," Tenzou tilted his head, "they seemed to hold no ill will to the soldiers in town – who were able to mingle in the crowd freely without difficulty."
Masazumi quickly came to a conclusion, "Then we do nothing. Pull back to the 'Seimei' and depart. We will do no more than observe from a distance until the COG either decide to contact us or they become a threat to Protectorate members."
"Jud. Moving now." he said and cut the connection, both his frame and that of the map dissipated into nothing.
"The way things are going, it is only a matter of time before Massy's going to start yelling and screaming about them." she sighed softly, not at all looking forward to the argument. "Can't catch a break."
Futayo said nothing, only shaking her head in dry amusement as they finished up what remained of their meal and collected the tableware for Yoshiki to pick up before they headed out and back to class.
10:14; 21st June; 1648; Testament Era
Lesser Islands – Vectes – Pelruan – Kraken-Class Warship "Granuaile" - Bridge
A low yawn rang and echoed through the bridge, able to do so as it was empty of all personnel due to its lone occupant, the ship's Captain Grace O'Malley. Skillful in the use of her earth-based magic the nymph did not need bridge officers to aid her in the ship's operation. To say the 'Granuaile' is an extension of herself would not be too far from the truth. Consequently it required no more than a skeleton crew as a whole.
The reason for her boredom was clear as she sat in her chair with a large cloth wrapped around herself, doughnut on the panel to her left, and oar to her right. Once the shipwreck had been delivered, Shakespeare's official reason for journeying forth brought to its conclusion, England no longer needed to maintain presence in the area and could thus pull out.
Shakespeare had decided not to pull out and went to have breakfast alongside Musashi's author at a native tavern. And asked her to withdraw beyond the 'Seimei'. So here she was, with the 'Granuaile' so lowered beyond Pelruan's coastline that it hovered no more than a mere five meter off the water's surface – so low that native trawlers had to go around, even the smaller ones that could have gone underneath but did not dare to.
It was however not a coincidence, but deliberate for just the right angle so her divine monitor could get a good view of the tavern, and with some altered settings to account for reflection of light off the place's windows, could see straight inside to the cute couple eating together inside.
Teen drama. It was all for the sake of teen drama. It could brighten an otherwise insufferably sedentary bunch of late morning to midday hours. Unfortunately it did not leave much of a good taste in her mouth.
Grace had smiled when she watched them enter the tavern, during which Shakespeare held a bouquet of tulips (they did not have roses) to her chest that Neshinbara had been gentlemanly enough to buy for her.
But it went downhill from there.
England's renowned author tried to form a romantic atmosphere around their table, heedless of the unsuitability of it in her inexperience. Lavish decorations can be good when privacy is ensured, along with proper food – neither of which applied to the very plain public setting in which they currently are. Just the intervention of Musashi's author kept her from establishing a concentric circle of sign frames with the imagery of burning candles that would only had been embarrassing.
So only the bouquet came to decorate the table between them.
It was unfortunately not enough to undo the damage, and the prolonged breakfast along with the lunch that followed passed over time in an almost embarrassed silence with few words exchanged between the students. Sheer formality was the only saving grace, so most of the conversational points were on how good the food tasted, including a few criticisms, and what to order next.
It made for a tension hard to break. And Grace suspected the only one who could break through it would be Musashi's Chancellor Aoi Toori. Back during the Far East debacle, it had not escaped her notice how cornered Vice President Masazumi was rendered by Pope Innocentius, until the Chancellor came and tore the nasty situation apart with one of his crazy antics. It saved the day for Musashi, and could probably had saved this situation.
Toori was too far away to affect this, so it had no choice but continue until the couple finally finished filling their bellies and walked out with expressions that cleanly told of wondering what to say next.
Neshinbara ended up being the one to break the silence as they walked down the street, toward the beach, Shakespeare clutching her tulips tightly in barely hidden regret over how sorry a state their time together these last couple of hours were.
One thing had happened throughout lunch once breakfast had been fully consumed, where the girl had often raised a fork with food and made him eat more than just his share like was the case yesterday.
In so doing, her male counterpart rubbed a sore belly almost humorously pronounced with a solid fill. His words as such, from this distance read on his lips; "So tell me again, Shakespeare, is there a particular reason why you've grown the want to feed me till I'm overly full?" the boy exhaled curiously, "Not that I don't appreciate it of course, but I'd still like to know."
Appreciative of his choice to ask her, a chance to break out of their awkwardly forced silence, Shakespeare mildly smiled with her reply; "I would think that obvious." she quirked a delicate eyebrow, "As the proverb goes: The path to the man's heart goes through his stomach. I simply wished to discover the... veracity of that claim."
"I believe," the male author muttered, "it was meant for quality rather than quantity." astonished over the apparent misinterpretation.
"N-nonsense." Shakespeare curtly shook her head, "Besides, you're my Hansel."
The bespectacled boy's eyes widened in recognition of the ancient tale that among others had originally been conceived to frighten children before they were softened for the sake of sensitive audiences that thought their children could be traumatized by anything not light of heart. "And which is your role in this?"
"Hm, the witch."
"Far as I recall, the witch intended to eat Hansel once done fattening him." Neshinbara described, his cheek a little red from interpreting the contents of what they now conversed about using the current context, "That is, until he along with Gretel pushes her into the oven."
And like that, using the specific story backfired on her. Shakespeare drooped slightly but tried to hide it with not that much success behind a more cheerful expression, "In my personalized version of it, with a fair bit of editing, it ends with quite a different but pleasant conclusion. Would you like to read it perhaps?"
"Of course." Neshinbara appreciated, curious about whatever changes she made to the ancient tale.
Her nod that followed seem pretty glad for it, but her eyes on the other hand grew a little sad, which were hidden by a slight tilt of her head so that the light of day reflected off her spectacles. "I'll forward it when I get home. Jotted it down during a frivolous moment on some paper after all. I just... I would like to ask you something."
"Hm?"
"Are you... seeing anyone?"
The nervousness apparent on her lips could not escape Grace's keen eyes as the Captain leaned a little forward, her own drowsiness forgotten and the cloth on top of her uniform slid off. Once Neshinbara had mentioned the existence of Gretel who help Hansel destroy the witch, the female author was struck by worry. She did not want to lose the boy, and thus feared the possibility that he might ditch her for another girl. Worried that the romantics used for their play yesterday once the 'Sunshine' had been raised was just that, a play.
"I see a lot of people," the male replied cryptically.
With that they entered the beach, and let the fresh breeze wash over their hair, adding energy to the scene. It was time to go however, so Grace tore her gaze off the monitor and once she grabbed her oar departed from the ship in a pure burst of green light, her body briefly visible as no more than a greenly lit ball of energy that shot out of the 'Granuaile' and toward the beach upon which she landed and emerged.
The nymph enjoyed briefly the astonished looks given by the natives who had never seen the likes of this as she walked along the sandy surface, leaves spilling from her hair as she walked, oar resting on her shoulder, to see the couple who had stopped at the beach's edge. Fortunately they had not advanced too far for her to have missed much. Grace smiled broadly in anticipative delight, hopeful that something sweet would happen as their conversation moved closer to its culmination.
"Anyone in particular?" Shakespeare nervously asked.
"Hm..." the boy adjusted his glass in contemplation, "Maybe."
Her eyes widened. Though slight a movement, it spoke volumes of her unease, "T-then, please be honest, what do you think of me?"
"You've already read all my criticisms so far." Neshinbara paused and looked at her, considering, "Well, you're annoying sometimes. Troublesome. Capricious. Awkward. Tactless."
The girl took what was supplied by him in with wide set eyes and trembled at the face of what seemed to be rejection, "Eh? T-then... does that mean you...?" she could not even finish her sentence.
"But none of that matters," he raised his voice slightly, at which the girl closed her eyes shut in emerging despair, and was thus caught completely by surprise as Neshinbara suddenly reached out to the shoulders and pulled her in close till her front was buried in his. With her form held close, his tone softened like it had become a pillow, "because I really like you too."
Astounded and wide-eyed she turned her head to look up into his. Grace did not see the depth of it, but in the younger girl's mind thoughts went back on during the end of their battle back on England. "B-but," Shakespeare stuttered softly, "A-a-aren't you seeing someone?"
He hushedly spoke to her; "I'm seeing you, aren't I?" and without a pause, the boy gracefully leaned in and met her face to face – their glasses clinking together as he nuzzled her with a humble offering of love, to which the stunned but recovering girl responded with an air of stupendous relief, bathing in this little piece of adoration with an expression of peace.
Grace fought hard not to applaud at this precious sight that rendered the hours of boredom irrelevant, and focused instead all pleasure induced into a smirk, but unlike her however, a few of the townsfolk who happened to see what is going on began to clap and offer applause that grew progressively louder as more turned up to see what the commotion was about until it became all too awkward for the newly declared couple to continue and parted to elbows' length from one another.
"...I'm not dreaming, am I?" she asked, a cautiously adoring smile on her lips.
"Want to check?" he teased and brushed a hand through her long bangs.
Shakespeare rubbed against the hand, "Mm, I believe you. But I wonder, when is the next we may meet?"
That was that then, and Grace decided to break in as much as she would love to continue watching them. "How about that class you spoke of earlier?"
Neshinbara thought of it, "That could work."
"T-testament." the female author agreed and fully pulled away with a dignity gained from her relief with which to approach the nymph, "Let us meet again upon that time."
"Judge." he acknowledged, "The new classes may start in a week at least, so you do have a few days."
Shakespeare watched him as she came within arms' reach of the nymph, "Good to know. Until then."
"Until then," Neshinbara gave a curt wave as he started to pace for the waiting 'Seimei', "farewell."
With that, Grace took the girl and flew them back to the 'Granuaile' in a burst of light much in the same way she used to leave it. And once back on board prompted the ship to hum with power so it rose from the water and turned to leave with all speed it could readily muster from a cold start – which was far higher than the 'Seimei' could ever attain.
"We'll be back home in a few hours," the woman stated, grinning from the recent entertainment. "so go ahead and..."
It took a moment to realize that the author wouldn't respond and barely even stood. Grace looked to the girl, and was surprised to find that Shakespeare had from the racing emotions fainted as soon as she had brought her out of there. Grace giggled delightedly as she more securely picked the younger female up and put her down on the floor by the wall and wrapped the cloth in which she had earlier tried to sleep in around her.
"Dream well, TRUMPS number six."
Grace returned to her regular spot in the middle of the bridge, looking over the seemingly endless sea as they continued to build up speed, and before long would start to sing half to herself and half to the sleeping half-elf in the floor, with hauntingly beautiful lyrics passing her lips. A hymn to the spirits of home, wind, and ocean.
And she curiously wondered, of what the world may offer next in these strange strange times.
Author notes: By far the worst chapter till now in my opinion. It was an extremely frustrating and irritating chapter to write where I could only immerse myself in short bursts or not at all, with many hurdles that each took days to resolve and write across. The parts involving the COG and Masazumi were ultimately the ones I felt most comfortable with. Let's just say I was unhappy with the rest of it.
As for answer to review made by wunwong: Would like to write a long answer, but I guess it could be summarized as 'Eh, politics'.
Next chapter, I'll leave the lesser islands for a moment to explore events elsewhere as Pad and Gin go about their mission to Jacinto and find the start of more than a few surprises.