The area around the flagship Promised Retribution was closed off and no one was allowed on that side of the island. Hugo was unable to find a way to cover the entire ship but using some of the materials around the island they created a massive dome over that area at least from the island side you could not see it. However, any ships moving on the water would be able to spot the flagship. Thankfully no patrols of any kind traveled on that side of the island. Fina's patrols saw to that.
Alexandria decided to tour the flagship alone. Even though there was much to do she didn't want anyone's opinions distractions or anything else for that matter to get in the way. She was going to command Crimson Judgment from this ship, so she needed to get a feel for it alone first. There still had been no word from any of the other people they had sent messages to. She was hoping that at least one other group would answer. Alexandria didn't necessarily need the help however bringing more subordinates or Allies under the Crimson Judgment flag would speed up their progression.
She traced her hand along the corridor of the ship. The woodwork fit her pinky perfectly as she went around the loop so smoothly, not feeling a single bite or sting from any impure wood. Alexandria would ask Hugo who did the intricate work so that she could thank them. Her boot steps echoed all around her as she continued to inspect her new vessel. It didn't take her long to reach the deck of the ship walking towards the helm to inspect the wheel. She could see Hugo's handiwork all over it and a small smirk appeared across her face.
“He did a marvelous job on this. There's no way he's responsible for all the intricate woodwork. However, whoever did the rest of it whether you're someone he learned from or someone he taught.” Alexandria gripped the wheel firmly, a smile crossing her face as she moved the helm counterclockwise. It was only a small turn, but her body shivered from excitement.
Alexandria took in a deep breath as her ears perked up faint boot steps echoed across the deck. “I thought I was clear when I said I wanted to do this alone. I know my demeanor has been off a bit as of late but don't think that I am just going to allow this disobedience to stand.”
A playful chuckle came from the direction of the boot steps which had now stopped. “My apologies captain however the reveal is supposed to be soon if not today. Why would you be frustrated with someone who already knew of Promised Retribution's existence?” Tyra stepped out of the shadows her rifle shouldered on her left side.
Alexandria looked up from the helm letting out a soft sigh. “I figured you of all people would know. You must have been listening to Hugo and my conversation. Why not wait until I finish with my inspection?” Alexandria was always pleased with Tyra's observation skills even though sometimes they did frustrate her.
“I merely wanted to have a few moments alone with you before the big celebration. I know that we still haven't received any other responses from messages that were sent out. I think I have an idea why.” Tyra moved closer leaning against the railing of the upper deck.
She raised an eyebrow to Tyra's statement. “Are you going to share this revelation with me or keep me in suspense?” Eve had excellent information gathering skills however when it came to long-range Gathering From a fixed point and the experience, she had with so many different encounters over the long years of her life Tyra had Eve beat only just.
“The messages that were sent out all seemingly arrived within days of each other. However, the only one to respond was Fina. I believe all the other organizations are planning to come as a group.” Tyra paused for a moment since she knew Alexandria was the type to give an opinion so there was no reason to divulge the information all at once.
A small smirk crossed Alexandria's face. “That would be an interesting development, and it would also explain another reason why we have seen no ships on this side of the island. Do you have any other information to convey? I will listen to everything else and respond after.”
Tyra nodded as she continued. “There is also the matter of Fina's scroll sent by the walled city government. They must have sent more, and they probably overlap with our own messages. If that is the case, they must be weighing their options deciding who is going to win out in this fight. On the one hand the walled city government has existed since the fall after the worst of the virus. Most people even under tyranny will remain so it's not to make their lives worse. On the other hand, we have quickly swept across the world and gained territory allies and treasure quicker than anyone else aside from the first pirate king. If a group is heading this way it won't be long before I hear or see them. However, I want to advise caution on your part. There is a chance that it could be a trick, and we shouldn't readily invite a large group without first testing their intentions.” Tyra takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and exhaling. She wasn't one for long drawn-out speeches but she wanted to convey herself quickly since she could feel something or someone moving close to them.
Alexandria folded her arms, closed her eyes and looked down for a moment. Everything that was just said was important. Especially since it was coming from a person that Alexandria had high respect for. She could be a captain in her own right, but she decided to follow Alexandria. She stood that way for a moment softly breathing in and out almost as if she was asleep.
Opening her eyes Alexandria met Tyra's gaze for the first time since this conversation started. “I want you to come up with a way to test them. We will discuss it after the unveiling. If you're coming to me before the unveiling, I'm guessing you're having a feeling?”
“I can't see or hear anything coherent within my range yet however something is coming. You should focus on the celebration. I will do as you command and handle the test. Do you wish me to do it alone or should I enlist a few others from the core crew?” Tyra thought for a moment trying to decide which two she would ask to participate if given the authority.
A playful giggle escaped Alexandria's lips as she stretched the sun caressed her skin with warmth as she took in a deep breath. “You may inform one other core crew member. This test needs to be precise, and we don't want to show our hand so quickly. Whoever you choose, make sure that they keep quiet about this. I want the others to enjoy themselves since we both know all of them would have way too much fun testing others.” Alexandria smiled again, confidence brimming from her eyes mostly from the sparkle of the sun reflecting off them. She was so proud of everything they had accomplished and now they were about to reveal a flagship that would rival anything the walled city government could produce at the moment.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Very well I will choose carefully. Thank you for indulging me for a moment. I will take my leave now with the sunrise. Hugo should be gathering everybody for the reveal. Do you have any plans for the materials of this dome?” Tyra walked away even though Alexandria had not answered her question. However, with her hearing abilities there was nowhere on this island aside from maybe Veronica's cave that she couldn't hear Alexandria's response.
“I haven't decided what to do with it yet. However, I might allow Hugo or someone else to make the determination. I will see you later Tyra.” Alexandria let out a hearty chuckle. It was now time to reveal the flagship to everyone and with the other ships being completed the only thing left to finish was the harbor, the water wall and Promised Retribution's main dock.
Hugo appeared not too long after the conversation. Alexandria could faintly hear the crowd on the other side of the dome. Tyra was always on the mark when she said something that happened on the island. Her abilities have probably grown exponentially and there was no telling how far she could actually hear and see. “Alexandria, all the preparations are finished, the only thing left to do is decide the fate of the dome. Do you have any thoughts on the matter, or will you leave the decision to someone else?”
She had a little time to think about it and had a few suggestions. “I have three suggestions for the fate of this concealing dome. One we dismantle it here and now in a show of spectacle revealing the ship and its name plate all of that. Two you and your men take it down and take the material to the vault and we use it again in the future for different projects since it is rather large. Finally, we turn it into a training / fighting arena and give it to Lyric to use to train and entertain the citizens and visitors of this island from now until the end of time.” Alexandria had thought about this since the dome was built. She wasn't a fan of wasting resources without a reason. However, she couldn't decide which one she preferred and maybe if Hugo was still on the fence, they could simply remove the dome and decide its fate at a later date with all the commanders in attendance.
He stood there for a moment thinking even though there wasn't much time left since everyone was gathered outside awaiting the reveal. “Those are all excellent ideas. I don't know if the first one would be very practical. If you're going for showmanship it wins. However, the last option would benefit the island the most. It would also open us up to espionage and other types of sensitive situations. Is there a way to move the dome quickly without destroying it?”
A playful giggle escaped Alexandria's lips as she started to walk away from Hugo out to the crowd. She had an idea that could be a ton of fun and hopefully the people she was thinking about would be up for the challenge.
He followed her quickly wondering what the hell was going on, but Hugo had been here enough to realize just to go with the flow. Even if it drove him crazy.
“Thank you for your patience. I would like to call Veronica, my wife and vice-captain Judy and Valentina to my side.” Alexandria had Hugo construct a platform in front of the Dome and that is where she had appeared. She had an idea that would combine different parts of her suggestions from before and allow them to have a spectacle to show off a little bit more of their talents and garner future respect or fear in the future.
Veronica, Judy, and Valentina joined her on the platform. Hugo was standing behind them trying to figure out exactly what Alexandria was up to.
“I want the three of you to remove the dome quickly without damaging it or what's underneath. Do you think y'all can pull it off?” Alexandria was beaming with confidence. The three of them together should be able to move the Dome without any damage to it. Veronica's strength and Judy's ability to change the weight and composition of just about any material combined with Valentina's Mastery of time and space. There's a possibility they could do it without anyone even noticing until the ship was revealed and the dome was elsewhere.
Judy was a bit nervous but now is the time for her to show her strength to everyone. She decided just to walk up the stairs behind them from which Alexandria and Hugo had appeared. She moved close to the dome, taking off her glove and resting her palm against it. “This is very doable. The material isn't much different from that of the Vault. I can make it lighter, what do the two of you think?”
Veronica cracked knuckles and rolled her shoulders. “I say let's do this. Even though the dome is large, if you can lighten it and Valentina you can use your ability, I believe we can move this without any trouble.”
A confident giggle escaped Valentina's lips. As she looked at Alexandria. “If you are calling us up here then you must have confidence that we can achieve it. I will lend my power since I'm ready to see this grand achievement that Hugo is so proud of.” Valentina moved up along with Veronica. She closed her eyes focusing her attention on the three of them as well as the dome. Even though this was going to be easy in a sense she was the one that had to make sure nothing was damaged.
Judy was the first to act, focusing her ability through her hand into the dome. The composition changed and the three of them could hear a slight splash. The part of the dome that was over the water had risen a bit due to its change in weight; it became more buoyant.
Valentina changed the flow of time around them focusing her ability inside the dome just to see the dimensions of what it was covering. A small smirk crossed her face, and she turned her head not opening her eyes. “Veronica, you're going to have to throw it directly above us and then jump up and catch it and place it to the left on the ground. Do you think you could pull that off?”
Veronica stretched just a bit, bending down a few times getting her legs ready. She punched her fist into her left palm. “I got this no problem.”
Judy kept her hand on the dome making sure her ability was still flowing through it. “I'm going to have to keep contact with the dome once I stop touching it; the ability flowing through it will not last long. This isn't a small object. I'm not changing it permanently; I'm just altering it while I have a hand on it. I'm going to have to move with her for it to work.”
Valentina nodded a sly smile spreading across her face. “Very well you're going to have to get on the dome and trust that the two of us will be able to keep you from falling off.”
She didn't hesitate but climbed up as quickly as she could using her ability to make grip areas for her hands and feet and she climbed to the very top. Valentina covered her in a protective area so that she wouldn't fall off and so she could breathe if she went too high.
Veronica grabbed the dome and pushed up with everything that she had sending it into the air she bent down getting ready to make a propelled jump. Valentina walked up behind her and gave her one pat on the back. Veronica propelled herself forward and into the air. Both Veronica the dome and Judy's descent was slowed as much as Valentina could make it from that distance.
She felt the weight of the dome come down on her Palms as she turned looking for the area that Valentina had spoken of. Once she found it, she let out a loud scream which gave Valentina the signal to accelerate them. It didn't take them long to return to the ground.
When it was all over, silence was all around them. Judy and Veronica made their way back to the crowd who were all struck by the view of the flagship.
“I introduce to all of you the flagship of Crimson Judgment. Promised Retribution!” Alexandria proclaimed with her arms outstretched as everyone took in the spectacle before them. The dome had disappeared, and the flagship had appeared in an instant to their eyes. It was the start of Crimson Judgments naval superiority.