April 2nd, 1820, Alexandria Castle.
04:15
The Royal hangar's gate rumbled open, allowing Mikoto's airship, the Gaia One, to enter the runway. A thick blanket of fog engulfed the region, severely restricting visibility; perfect for sneaking out of the city... or for an ambush.
An armored container, pulled by one of Cid's steam machines, was discretely loaded onto the ship under Garnet's disheartened supervision.
"It's for his own good," Cid said, patting his adoptive niece's shoulder with a wrinkled hand.
"I know... it's just... horrible," she muttered, touching the cage one last time before it disappeared into the cargo bay. "See you soon, my love..."
"Cheer up, babe, the cavalry's here," a familiar, snarky voice declared.
"Could you show a minimum of respect, bro?" a deeper, raspier voice said.
"Blank! Marcus!" Garnet exclaimed, surprised to meet what remained of the old Tantalus crew. "It's good to see you!"
"Hey, what about me?!" Cinna squawked, his knees trembling under the weight of a small mountain of luggage.
"Tee-hee... I'm glad to see you too, Cinna," the summoner added. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working undercover in Treno!"
"What can I say?" Marcus replied, folding his muscular arms. "Mess with one of us, and you mess with the whole gang."
"Don't fret, Dag, we'll bring Casanova back in one piece," Blank promised.
"... Or two, tops," Cinna joked.
"See?" Cid said, smirking under his silver mustache. "They are in the best of hands!"
With Major Dionne by her side, Eiko approached the group, a pilot helmet under her arm.
"What are you guys doing here?" she squawked. "Go help Miko secure that container in place! It's past time we left!"
"Aye aye, captain!" the trio cheekily replied, saluting her à la Tantalus before scuttling away.
"I swear they get lazier by the minute..." Eiko commented once they were out of earshot. "... 'sup, Dag? Dad."
"Are your preparations complete, Birdie?" Cid asked, much to Garnet's amusement; he had given her that nickname because of her passion for aviation, but she had never been too keen on being called that. At least not in front of others.
"Daaad, you're embarrassing me!" the princess jokingly whined. "... And yeah, we're ready to kick some ass if push comes to shove."
"Remember, the Madeen is not a battleship. Try to remain..."
"... beneath notice, got it."
The old regent smiled a tired, wrinkly smile at his rambunctious daughter.
"Hey... I'm proud of you," he said.
"Thanks, dad..." Eiko purred, briefly dropping the act to give him a heartfelt hug. "Sorry for running away..."
"What..?" Garnet reacted, blinking stupidly at the duo. Cid uttered an exasperated, yet subtly proud chuckle.
"When we lost contact with Alexandria the other day, I told her to stay at home until I found out what had happened," Cid explained.
"... Aaaand I may have freaked out a little, stolen the Madeen and crossed the Alexandrian border illegally," Eiko completed the story. "But hey... all's well that ends well, right?"
The queen snorted.
"In any case, I'm glad you decided to be yourself," she answered.
"Yeah, me too," the princess added. "Oh, look who's finally fallen off her bed!"
Sporting a gleaming suit of armor, Freya walked up to them, a brand-new javelin resting on her shoulder and carrying an old travel backpack that had certainly seen better days.
"Daaamn, looking sharp, babe!" Eiko greeted her.
"Heh... thanks," the dragoon awkwardly answered.
"Pure mythril, orichalcum-plated for maximum magic deflection," Garnet proudly stated. "... An armor fit only for a queen."
"Wait... isn't it..?" Cid muttered, utterly baffled.
"... A priceless national treasure and a political scandal begging to happen?" the summoner enumerated. "You bet."
"Garnet... are you sure about this..?" Freya asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "I mean, I can make do with my old armor if that saves you a headache..."
"A few days ago you gave me something precious to you that wound up saving my life," the queen replied, drawing Frigg's pendant out of her bosom and returning it to its rightful owner. "Believe me; I'd give you my crown if that could guarantee your safety."
Freya's lower lip quivered a little as she put on her mother's necklace.
"... I'll bring him back to you safe and sound," she swore, offering her friend a knightly nod.
"I know you will," Garnet stated, resting a hand on the dragoon's shoulder. "Now go, Freya of Burmecia... let the gods know who you are!"
The Gaia One's flight deck roared to life with a glorious symphony of whirrs and buzzes as Mikoto frantically flipped switches and pushed buttons all over the place.
"Where were you? We need to reach the sea before the sun rises!" the genome exclaimed without even turning her head as she prepared for takeoff.
"Sorry, I was experimenting with a new look," Freya joked, taking the copilot's seat. The genome stole an intrigued glance at her armor and cocked an eyebrow.
"... Isn't that supposed to be in a museum?"
"Yes."
"... Guess that being besties with a queen has its benefits."
"Indeed."
"Tantalus! Status report!" Mikoto ordered over the PA system.
"Container secured! He's going nowhere, captain!" Blank replied.
"Locked and loaded!" Marcus answered, taking control of the ship's magitek turrets.
"Engines fired up and ready to fly!" Cinna yelled over the rumble of the vessel's machinery.
"Great," Mikoto commented, grabbing the radio microphone. "Madeen, Madeen, this is Gaia One, radio check, over!"
"Yo, Miko! Madeen here," Eiko's voice came through the speakers. "Read you Lima Charlie, babe! Over."
As Mikoto finished her preparations, Freya fastened her seat belt and pulled Berlioz's reliquary out of her backpack. Soon after, the Gaia One took to the skies, followed by the Madeen.
"Do you think they will be alright?" Garnet asked, painfully aware of the futility of her question.
The regent's bushy mustache curved upwards as he smirked.
"Even if she's young and impulsive, my girl is a talented leader and has a formidable crew under her command," Cid answered. "She'll make sure the Gaia One reaches its destination."
"Actually, I'm more worried about what awaits them at the end of their journey..." the queen said.
"Fear not, Your Majesty. Freya was chosen for a reason," Sigfred chimed in out of the blue, giving Garnet a mini heart attack. "If Lord Gizamaluke is still half the man he used to be, then no harm will come to them."
"Sometimes I forget how silently Burmecians move..." the queen stammered, still startled by his sudden appearance. "You've been of great help, Sir Sigfred... sorry for delaying your return home."
"Time matters not to a ghost, ma'am," the Partisan replied, clearly reveling in his own choice of words. "However, I shall take my leave now."
"Will you deliver my message to Sir Fratley?" Garnet asked.
"At once, ma'am."
"Excellent. I'm looking forward to hearing from him soon," the queen stated. "Good luck, young knight, and thanks for everything."
After offering both sovereigns a polite bow, the Partisan disappeared into the fog with a powerful leap.
"Do you think he can be trusted?" Cid asked once the Burmecian was well out of earshot.
"We'll see about that..." Garnet answered, folding her arms.
April 2nd, 1820, Aerbs Mountains, Alexandria.
4:45 AM
Like a spider lying in ambush, a small Trenoite airship awaited patiently, perched upon a large rock ledge overlooking the capital of the kingdom. While its crew nervously scanned the mist for signs of their intended prey, a violent argument raged on between the captain and the first mate, fueled by days of being stuck behind enemy lines.
"... For the last time, Red, forget about that damn bounty!" Horik the White exclaimed. "We're running low on supplies and we're sitting ducks up here! We can't stay in Alexandria any longer!"
"And what the hell do you suggest we do, genius? Go back to Bishop empty-handed after what happened?" Lani barked back, planting an armored fist on the wall. "She'll have our asses mounted on her wall like fucking trophies!"
"Not if we exchange the kid for a way outta this mess!" the Burmecian replied. "His family is powerful and well connected. I'm sure they can give us a fresh start!"
"Oh yeah! Let's go extort the most dangerous smuggling ring in the continent!" the cyborg shouted. "What could possibly go wrong?!"
"Aw, chillax, woman! We've done far ballsier stuff than that!" Horik squawked, realizing a split second too late that he had pushed the wrong button.
"... The fuck you just called me, you buck-toothed piece of shit?" Lani hissed, wrist-mounted blades springing out of her gauntlets with a terrifying snap.
"Boss, we have visual on the target!" one of the mercenaries opportunely intervened, watching the Gaia One leave Alexandria's walls through his binoculars. "Should we call for reinforcements, sir?"
"And get backstabbed by some random merc, Frank? Naw, we'll deal with that girl on our own," Lani shot her subordinate down, sheathing her claws as she walked up to him. "Are you positive that's her, though?"
"Absolutely. No Alexandrian vessel is that fast," he answered, only to be instantly proven wrong. "W-Wait, she's being escorted by a second craft..!"
"You've got to be kidding me... that's the godsdamn Madeen!" Lani excitedly exclaimed. "Hey Mikey! Get those engines fired up! It's princess hunting season!"
"What..?! So your big plan is to take on two of the most advanced airships in the world on our fucking own?!" Horik spat in utter disbelief.
"Aw, chillax, Mousy!" Lani sneered as their own vessel took to the skies. "We've done far ballsier stuff than this!"
5:50 AM
"Whew, we've finally made it to the sea..." Mikoto sighed, reclining herself in her seat for the first time in hours. "So, where now, Freya?"
The Burmecian scanned the horizon with her obsidian artifact until she found what they were looking for.
"There it is!" she declared, pointing at an empty spot in the sky. The genome craned a look at Gizamaluke's star through the mystical glass and shuddered.
"Brr... I'll never get used to that thing..." she muttered, wondering if Gaia would one day meet its end at the hands of some roaming, nigh-undetectable celestial calamity. "Madeen, this is Gaia one, we're changing course, eighty degrees to port, over..."
"Wilco, over," Eiko answered over the radio.
The Gaia One gracefully turned west and started making its way towards the Forgotten Continent, followed closely by the Madeen
"... We've reached cruise speed. You may unfasten your seat belt now," the scientist informed, letting out a big yawn.
"I can't thank you enough for helping us out, Mikoto..." the dragoon said, angling a grateful smile at her.
"I haven't come all the way from the Outer Continent to lose another brother," she answered, impatiently drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.
Freya forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat.
"We'll save him... we'll save everyone," she declared, painfully aware of how empty her promise was.
"Thank you..." the genome replied without taking her eyes away from her screens. A small, round device captured Freya's attention due to its intermittent bleeping.
blip...
"What's this, if I may ask?" she said, pointing at the little gizmo.
blip...
"Oh, that? It's a radar," Mikoto explained, relieved by the change of subject. "It tells me if there's stuff in the vicinity of our ship."
blip...
"Oh! It's like a self-writing map, then?"
"Couldn't have explained it better myself."
"Fascinating..."
blip...
"What's that glowing dot over there?" Freya asked, overtaken by curiosity.
"That's the Madeen... and it's kind of lagging behind us, now that I think about it," the genome said. "I'll slow down a bit so they can catch up."
"Hey Mikoto, Marcus here! Do you copy? Over!" The gunner called out over the intercom.
"Loud and clear, Marcus! What's wrong? Over."
"I think I saw movement on our six... as if something was hiding in our blind spot..." he answered, a little nervous. "Do you think we're being followed? Over."
"Nonsense..!" the scientist reacted, admitedly surprised. "Nothing on Gaia should be able to keep up with us at this speed! Over."
"... I mean no disrespect, captain, but last week it was impossible to raise a black mage army, and here we are..." the brigand retorted.
blip, blip...
"Ah... Mikoto?" Freya ventured, tapping the radar display with a clawed finger. "... Is it normal to have two glowing dots instead of one on this thing?"
blip, blip...
"What?!" the genome squeaked, shooting a panicked look at the device. "Hey, Kal!"
"WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU, LADY MIKOTO?"
"I want the video feed of cameras five to ten on screen right now!"
"AS YOU WISH," the AI obliged.
A cluster of moving holograms suddenly appeared all over the ship's windshield, spooking Freya a little; it was at times like those when she remembered how alien Mikoto actually was.
"What's that..?" the Burmecian asked, noticing a strange, shifting silhouette on one of the images.
"I'm not sure..." the scientist replied. "Looks like a Zuu... but there's no way a normal bird could possibly tail a magitek-powered ship..!"
"Should I go take a look?" the dragoon offered.
"No, we may need to do some bumping, so buckle-up," Mikoto answered before contacting Eiko's ship. "Madeen, this is Gaia One, do you copy? Over."
"Gaia One, this is Madeen. Copy loud and clear!" the princess answered over the radio. "Am I going nuts or there's a bogey on our six? Over."
"So it's not just us..." the genome muttered to herself. "Madeen, stand by and get ready to firewall on my signal! Over!"
"Wilco! Over."
"Alright, Kal, Cinna, get those afterburners ready! We're going buster!" the genome ordered through the PA system. "Marcus! Prepare to engage!"
"Roger!"
"Firewall..? Buster..?" Freya repeated, pretty confused by all the lingo. "Ohhh! We're summoning Phoenix! Great idea, Mikoto!"
The genome snorted with laughter as she pushed the throttle to the max. "Alright guys! Let's make 'em eat our metaphorical dust!"
With a deafening bang, both the Gaia One and the Madeen broke the barrier of sound, leaving the unknown ship way behind.
"Captain, we're losing them!" Franklin yelled.
"Alright, time to deploy the V.O.B.! Those bitches ain't going anywhere!" Lani ordered.
"You gonna use the freaking Vanguard, Red?!" Horik yelled, utterly surprised. "Are you trying to get us stranded in the middle of the ocean?!"
"Someone's getting shanked today if he doesn't shut his fucking trap!" the cyborg barked back without even looking at him. "C'mon Frank, I don't see us going any faster!"
"A-Alright..." the merc stammered, hesitatingly lifting a yellow lid on the instrument panel to reveal a big red button.
"Aw, get on with it ya chicken-wuss!" Lani boomed, smashing the switch with her fist.
A large, rocket-like afterburner emerged from the mercenary ship's fuselage and sent it flying at breakneck speed toward the fleeing vessels.
"Ya-hoooooo!"
"Miko! They're closing in!" Marcus yelled over the intercom. "What do we do now?!"
The genome shot a panicked glance at the camera feed and gasped.
"A Terran overbooster?!" she squeaked, recognizing the blowtorch-like flame that propelled the unknown ship. "Alright Marcus, shoot it down as soon as it gets into range! Kal, give him a firing solution!"
"TARGET LOCKED" the AI stated.
"Fire!"
"Shit, shit, shit!" Franklin spat as both the Gaia One and the Madeen unleashed a hail of magitek gunfire on them.
"Rolling scissors, now!" Lani ordered.
"This is madness, Red! We still have the kid on board!" Horik shouted as the vessel did a wide barrel roll to avoid the fusillade.
"He'll be fine, don't worry!" the cyborg yelled, clearly having a little too much fun. "Fly us between those two ships, Frank! We need to get up close and personal!"
"What are you planning to do, boss?!"
Lani cackled excitedly.
"To expand our company's fleet, of course!"
WHOOOM!
"What the fuck was that?!" Franklin screamed; a dimensional rift had been torn open in the middle of the sky, and the Eidolon Madeen was emerging from it, fangs bared and ready to pounce.
"Damn, that's one ugly Mike Foxtrot!" the cyborg exclaimed. "Must be one of the princess' Eidolons!"
"An Eidolon?!" the pilot panicked. "What the hell are we supposed to do against that thing?!"
"It won't be able to fight properly if we get near its master!" Lani answered, switching on the intercom. "Trevor, suppressive fire! Riddle that thing with holes! C'mon Frank, let's show those posers what true speed looks like!"
"Aye, aye, captain!"
Madeen uttered a savage roar and dove like a hawk, gathering an obscene amount of energy in her hands as she chased after the nimble Trenoite speedster.
"Shoot it down, now!"
The Trenoite ship spewed a barrage of magitek gunfire at the Eidolon, hitting her several times, but the winged lioness powered through the onslaught with righteous fury, determined to protect her cub no matter what.
"Listen up, Frankie! Reroute as much power as possible to the shields and keep the ship steady, even if we have to tank a few blasts!" Lani ordered as she rushed to a wall-mounted container and pulled out something that could only be described as a portable cannon. "Horik... I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're in charge 'til I come back."
"You're fucking nuts, Red..." the albino Burmecian commented, realizing what his partner-in-crime was about to do.
"Tell me something I don't know," the cyborg answered and then started climbing a metal staircase.
Clack!
WOOOOOOOOOSH!
Impossibly violent winds hit her the very second she climbed out of the ship's roof hatch, and the aircraft shook from side to side as a volley of enemy fire crashed against its shields.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Lani hissed as she balanced precariously on the ship's fuselage, her boots clinging to the smooth surface via claw-like hooks. Madeen began concentrating all the raw energy she had amassed into a gigantic, blazing sphere, and the bounty hunter realized that even the tiniest slip-up would spell doom for her entire team.
"Alright, Amarant, you've got this!" she muttered to herself as she loaded a thin missile into her weapon with a large soul crystal for a warhead. She rested the rocket launcher on her shoulder, aimed for the Eidolon's head and exhaled. "Steady... steady..."
The lioness finished shaping the energy bomb and took aim, her muscular body contorting in a bizarre way as she prepared to hurl the orb at Lani's ship.
"Now!"
With magitek-enhanced precision, the bounty hunter opened fire, managing to hit Madeen right in the eye.
BOOOM!
The Eidolon flinched, blinded by the tremendous blast, and lost control of her own magic for an instant, resulting in the catastrophic destabilization of her spell.
"I'm sorry, Eiko..." she muttered, painfully aware of what came next. The sphere collapsed in on itself like a miniature sun and went supernova, totaling everything in an impossibly huge radius.
KRA-KOOOOOM!
"Hrrgggh..!" Lani uttered as the shockwave sent her tumbling backward like a rag doll. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" she sputtered, desperately clawing at the slippery fuselage until she found a small nook and clung to it for dear life. Both the Gaia One and the Madeen immediately concentrated their fire on her position in an attempt to avenge the fallen Eidolon, but her ship's shields bought her enough time to crawl back into the roof hatch.
"Alright, that's fucking it!" Eiko barked. "Those bitches are going down, hard!"
"Your Highness, please calm down!" Major Dionne exclaimed.
"Calm down my ass, Dionne! If they shoot Miko down, we're done for!" the princess countered, picking up the radio microphone. "Gaia One, Gaia One, this is Madeen! I'm breaking out! Over!"
"Madeen, this is Gaia One! Negative! Proceed according to plan!" Mikoto answered over the speaker. "I say again, proceed according to plan! Over!"
The summoner drew a deep breath.
"... Negative," she answered. "... Complete the mission, darling. I'm stopping those fuckers right here and now. Out."
"Eiko, wait-!" bzzt.
"Alright team, for the second time in a week, the future of the continent depends on us!" the princess exclaimed. "If the Gaia One gets taken out, Burmecia remains a tyranny and Alexandria loses its king, and that sure as hell ain't happening on my watch!"
"What are your orders, ma'am?" the second mate asked.
"Break out the big guns and set an interception course, Flynn! " Eiko ordered, readying her summoning catalyst for another invocation. "... We'll show 'em some Lindblumese hospitality!"
"Woo-hoo! And that's why you're the boss, boss!" Franklin greeted Lani as she re-entered the flight deck.
"This isn't over yet, Frank," the cyborg dryly stated. "How's the Vanguard holding up?"
"We're nearing bingo fuel, but we have more than enough to catch up with our target," the pilot replied with a smirk, but his confidence was promptly crushed once he realized what Eiko's vessel was doing. "Sir... the Lindblumese ship is breaking formation!"
"An interception vector..." the bounty hunter muttered. "Why would that royal brat endanger herself like this..?"
"... Maybe you were right after all, Red," Horik commented, stroking his chin. "If the princess of Lindblum herself is covering the other ship's escape, then they must be transporting something extremely valuable."
"Something... or someone..." Lani theorized. "Frank, I don't care what you need to do, just get me near their lead airship. We must hijack it before we run outta gas!"
"Aye aye, sir!"
Author's note:
Sorry for the huuuge delay, folks, between the shooting of our new short film (which got cancelled due to that damn coronavirus outbreak), and the enormous amount of extra work the epidemic brought us, sitting down and writing has been nigh impossible lately. I hope you all are fine... these are certainly difficult times and the only way we're gonna get this disease under control is acting responsibly and taking measures to prevent contagion.
Wash your hands often! Soap destroys the virus' lipid envelope and makes it hard for it to cling to your skin. If you are in a contagion zone, respect social distancing! Protecting yourselves is also a way to protect others!
Good luck to y'all and stay safe!