Deliver the Goods [Mission!]

[wrmods]

[The stopover at Fishermans Horizon takes maybe two minutes, total.]

[One moment, the Garden is slowing to a halt -- the next moment, the dock latches hiss into their closed position, the ramp into town is secured against the second-floor exit, and the SeeDs are being gestured out the door and into action. In the same moments, in a flurry of action, a hatch deploys on the side of the floating citadel and a transport boat steams out to position itself at the ladder just next to the Garden's dock. The Ragnarok swoops gracefully through the air to land in the center of the city, while down in the train station, traffic has come to a brief halt while an engine waits at full steam, quivering with anxiety.]

[No sooner do the teams touch ground than each receives a small package, easily tucking into a medium belt pouch or pocket. No words are wasted; the SeeDs receive only a cursory nod from the waiting townsfolk before they hurry back into work. The hatch shuts, the latches disengage, and Balamb drifts away, picking up speed as it does.]

Comments

[morphitudinous]

[Billy joins her at the next chair, crouching low and biting back a curse.]

Status report?

[wrnpcs]

[Their pilot yanks on the control stick again, pushing the Ragnarok into a climb.]

Low-yield weapons. No systems penetration, but it was accurately targeted -- if I didn't know better I'd swear they hit us with a a cannonball.

[The airship climbs above the cloud layer -- but another deep boom precedes another crash, and an oath from the pilot.]

It's a helicopter design!

[gunbladegrrl]

We have to have the advantage of speed, then!

[She's gripping the seat hard to avoid reaching for her gunblades, which she reflexively wants to draw, and which would do no good here at all.]

[morphitudinous]

Right. A helicopter with a cannon...we can still make it to Trabia, can't we?

[Billy dropped low, pressing his head to the top of the chair in thought.]

Can we go any faster?

[wrnpcs]

[Their foe breaches the cloud wall. The vessel is wooden and in the shape of a sailing ship, but in place of sails it has a set of massive helicopter blades that slice through the air at incredible speed. An old-fashioned, iconic airship in every sense of the word.]

[It rapidly ascends to gain the height advantage on the Ragnarok. The pilot opens up the throttle, pouring energy into the ship's engines, but a hideous bang! has the Ragnarok both yawing and listing to the side.]

They put grapeshot into the starboard engine!

[gunbladegrrl]

They can't shoot us down or they risk losing what they're after. Unless they're willing to destroy it...

[morphitudinous]

Let's assume the worst. Considering that we're over the ocean, it could be catastrophic.

[He shoves the package even deeper into his jacket]

If they're aiming for that, they'll just chase until we're dead. Or they run out of fuel.

[wrnpcs]

Then I'm getting us to land, sir.

[The pilot pushes the Ragnarok into greater speed, though it wobbles violently through the air as he deploys rudder and ailerons to compensate for the uneven thrust.]

[No further attacks come.]

[gunbladegrrl]

They've taken a superior position. Looks they intend to force us to ground.

[Maria frowns, then looks over at Billy.]

[morphitudinous]

Then we have to be prepared for battle. We have no idea how outnumbered we are

[Billy picks up his weapons and scowls. There has to be something he can do---build a bomb, create a distraction...]

Can we throw together anything flashy?

[wrnpcs]

[Abruptly, the airship above them descends, to the point that its keel plunges within a few feet of the cockpit windows before the pilot accepts the inevitable and aims the Ragnarok for an island.]

[gunbladegrrl]

First thing I do next quarter is audit an Explosives class. Wait -- GFs! If we summon them straight off, then charge...

[morphitudinous]

Great idea. We're already in a hostile situation, so diplomacy's unlikely to be of any use.

[Billy braces for landing and calls on Diablos, quietly whispering a wish of luck.]

[wrnpcs]

[The Ragnarok lands fairly gently -- which is to say, painfully and violently, but not with murderous force. It IS a massive airship impacting the ground at speed, after all, no matter the skill behind the yoke.]

[It skids dramatically for a bit, then finally comes to a stop.]

[gunbladegrrl]

[Maria slams into her seat hard, letting out a grunt-slash-moan of pain as she does, but once the ship comes to a stop it doesn't last. She picks herself up with a scowl, then rolls his shoulders as she heads for the door to the main cabin.]

[morphitudinous]

[Billy rolls out behind her, the trail of blood on his lip flowing from a tooth-mark being the main sign that he was banged up by the crash. He presses against the door for a second and listens, reluctantly calling on Diablos. He can fret about his memory decay later.]

Ready....right...go!

[He holds his blades defensively and twists the door open, according to plan. Time to descend into hell.]

[wrnpcs]

[The main cabin is quiet and calm. All the noise is coming from outside the rear hatch, where a certain amount of banging is coming from the seam where it seals against the airship's body.]

[gunbladegrrl]

I guess they don't expect us to come out voluntarily. We better hurry before they blow open the hatch...

[morphitudinous]

...then why don't we surprise them and blow it ourselves? Maria, can you do that?

[Billy crouches, ready to pounce.]

[gunbladegrrl]

Absolutely. Here I go!

[She draws both her gunblades in a practiced motion as she stalks towards the hatch, spinning them out over her shoulders. As soon as they're free, she charges, barreling down the cabin's length to all but run up the hatch proper. As she reaches the top of her jump and begins to fall away from the wall, she lithely spins to slam her blades into the machinery that holds it closed. Sharpnel explodes outwards as she twitches her fingers on the triggers, then kicks off the hatch... which begins to slowly fall inwards under its own weight.]

[morphitudinous]

Whoa!

[Billy jumps backward, waiting for the hatch to fall far enough before jumping over it. He's ready for a big attack---he thinks.]

[wrnpcs]

[The hatch falls to reveal an outside crew of twenty or so in a spread-out formation, in 'uniforms' of concealing black that go a long ways towards hiding their identities. Half of them are hurriedly drawing bows, while the other half raises swords, but the collapse of the hatch has caught them all off-guard.]

[gunbladegrrl]

[Maria hits the ground rolling, then pushes herself off with her shoulder muscles to a kneeling position. Immediately, she begins summoning Ifrit.]

[morphitudinous]

[Billy calls on Diablos, willing the gravity attack to hit as soon as possible. There's still morphing if the situation gets desperate, but he'd really rather not. Especially with what Galbadia might try to do with the technology.]

Nice welcoming party.

[wrnpcs]

[The summons give the archers enough time to recover, and a hail of arrows slashes out towards the two SeeDs. Luckily, their strength isn't such that it can deplete the HP of either GF, so a wounded but no less effective Diablos bursts down from the sky to Gravija the gathered foes.]

[Given that it's a percentage attack, the alarm the devlish figure inspires is greater than its efficacy, and when a moment later a massive fiery rock descends amongst them courtesy of Ifrit, a fourth of their number fall.]

[Which leaves about seven charging at the pair with drawn swords, while in the back the archers begin moving for a better shot.]