Eastern Sea Of Empress Geisha - 12/03 11:09 am 51EE

PNK!

The small white baseball burst through the air at increasing speeds. It smacked a target across the pitch, a loud buzzer going off as the scoreboard updated. Navie shook her head and groaned, pressing a button and readying herself once more. A small machine sitting opposite her revved to life before launching a baseball toward her. She pulled her torso forward, dragging her arms along before throwing her arms forward in an intense swing.

Her bat collided with the ball.

PNK!

The buzzer went off once more. Navie didn't look at the scoreboard, she sighed and threw the bat aside. She tore off her baseball hat, scrunching it tightly, and turned away.

"That was a great hit."

Navie looked up to see Nayjhren sitting against the back wall, a book in his lap.

"Huh? Wh- You... What are you doing here!?"

Navie put the cap back on and lowered her head to hide her blush.

Nayjhren stared at her, raising his eyebrow.

"This was the quietest part of the ship. With Century and Werren fighting on the top deck it's difficult to find anywhere that their explosions don't reach."

Nayjhren then looked to the scoreboard.

"Plus it was entertaining to watch you hit balls over and over again."

"Baseball. That's what it's called."

"How do you play?"

Navie shot her head up.

"You... don't know how to play baseball?"

Nayjhren shook his head.

"Father never taught me many games at the nest."

"Father..."

Navie clenched her fist.

"Well, don't bother asking me how to play. I'm not that good."

"Really? Is there someone better than you?"

Navie squinted her eyes and looked at the ground.

"Yeah, not sure if you met him. His name's Crux. He's what got me into baseball. He's who I'm trying to beat."

"Are you close?"

"Not by a long shot. Don't know how he does it but I could never best him."

"How do you know that?"

Navie looks up.

"Because... he's been playing since he was a kid, I only picked it up a few years ago."

"I didn't ask that. You said you could never best him but you bring up the past. I'm asking how do you know he would beat you now?"

Navie shrugged.

"I'm not that good. That's all there is."

Navie left the room.

Nayjhren sighed and turned his attention to his book. In the distance, he heard a loud booming that shook the ship.

"Ugh, I can still hear them here!"

Century walked forward, tightening her glove and running her hand through her hair. She swiped off the diamond residue left on her glove.

"You're becoming predictable grease-head."

Werren adjusted his tie.

"So are you. Using the same few attacks over and over gets boring."

Century snarled and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I know. I would learn more attacks but staring at a piece of paper with random letters and numbers is dumb. I'd rather fight and learn on the fly!"

Werren shook his head.

"And how's that working out for you?"

Werren thrust forward a series of tendrils. Century primed her glove and rushed forward. As the tendrils neared, she ignited her glove, exploding herself upward. The tendrils came to a complete stop and snapped 90 degrees upward, swiftly tailing Century. With little time to react, Century created a silver short sword and cut through the tendrils before aiming her glove to the sky and igniting it.

She rapidly descended toward Werren, turning her fist to diamond the closer she got. Werren created a wall of tendrils that Century punched through with ease. Once she was close, she re-made her silver sword, slashing back and forth which caused Werren to dodge backwards. A tendril wrapped around Century's wrists and threw her across the deck. She turned her fist to diamond and slammed it down on the ground. The weight of her fist brought her to a halt instantly.

"You're right, Werren. This is getting boring... let's change it up a little."

Century held her hand out, a collection of melted silver materializing in her palm before it spread out and weaved in and out of itself. Once her newest creation was done she threw it into the air. Werren looked with great interest but he had taken his attention away from Century who grinned. A flush of water erupted from her glove as the entire deck flooded. The silver contraption then landed in the water as Century hopped on.

Werren looked up to see Century riding toward him on a surfboard, controlling the waves by shooting more water from her glove. In a second she had managed to reach him. Werren's eyes widened as she reached her hand out, her glove primed.

"Impressive."

Werren then summoned a tendril and wrapped it around her neck, choking her as the water stopped pouring from her glove.

"Though I feel bad for you now."

Century clawed at the tendril.

"CENTURY!"

A voice boomed from afar.

Werren let Century go.

"And this is why."

Century caressed her throat, peering up to look at Navie—who had changed into her uniform—marching toward her.

"Great."

"Clean up this mess NOW!"

Navie stomped her foot.

"For crying out loud, we treat you as a guest and this is what we get in return?"

Century stood up and brushed off her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm a guest so there's no way I'm listening to you! Not my fault this airship is dingy."

Navie looked up at Century, her eyes becoming sharp.

"What was that? Werren told me a little about you, an SHS reject. Pfft, how do you flunk out of the most spineless corporation there is? To think I actually let one of you on this ship."

Century grabbed Navie by the collar.

"Haven't seen you do a lot around here! That pretty lady cooks, the weird robotic one fights and that annoying white-haired one... well at least he's a little funny! But you? The hell do you actually do around here?!"

Navie's pupils dilated as she glared holes through Century's head.

"Oh, I'm gonna beat the sh-"

"Enough!"

Werren tore both of them apart.

"Century, I'll help you clean up. Grab some mops."

Century rolled her eyes and walked off.

"And Navie, get the others ready for the mission. We'll be hitting ground soon."

Navie lowered her head, hiding her fury behind the cap of her hat.

"You're not the captain... you can't tell me what to do. I'm the captain."

"I know."

Werren sighed.

Navie groaned and walked off.

"Why did you even bother coming along with her? You make the worst decisions ever... even when you aren't captain."

Werren's eyes softened as he watched Navie walk toward the bridge of the airship.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Pyxis held a magnifying glass up to his eye, his hand shaking as he slowly inched a screw closer to his disassembled compass.

"Almost... almost..."

Draco stood beside him, looking over his shoulder with an instruction manual.

"Please move the screw 0.02 millimetres to the left."

The screw got closer and closer, beads of sweat fell from Pyxis's chin.

"Right there... come on..."

Draco looked down at the manual, tilting her head and squinting her eyes.

"Hm. This doesn't look right."

Draco flipped the manual right way up.

"Oh, I had the manual upside down. Apologizes, putting the screw in that hole will cause it to explode."

Pyxis slotted the screw into the compass.

"YES!"

BOOM!

Pyxis's hair puffed out as he was covered in ash.

"Oh."

The manual crumbled into dust. Draco turned to the exhausted Pyxis.

"The manual has passed on."

Draco then turned back to the compass.

"But it seems the explosion has clicked everything back into place."

Pyxis looked at his compass, it was a little charred but it was back in working order once more.

"Aw yeah! Who needs Crux, am I right?"

Draco tilted her head.

"Correct, would you like to repair the uplift jars and internal crane system next then? Since Crux isn't here to make repairs to the ship."

Pyxis flopped down onto a chair.

"No way. That was enough construction for one day. Not saying that I couldn't do it... I'm just... tired."

Navie walked onto the bridge with her hands in her pockets.

"Please tell me there's not any MORE damage to the ship..."

Draco stood up straight.

"No, the only damages present are on Pyxis's face."

Pyxis spun around in his chair, wiping the ash off his face.

"I'll clean up later!"

Navie sits in the captain's chair.

"This ship is falling apart..."

Draco walked up and stood beside Navie.

"It is. Without Crux, many repairs cannot be completed. I estimate that this ship will stop functioning in one week if the repairs are to be ignored."

Navie waved her hand.

"Not literally. This Century girl... she's... ugh. Irritating."

Pyxis fiddles with his compass.

"You talking about her fighting with Werren? Apparently, it's a common occurrence for them, I was speaking to Nayjhren and he said they always do it. I think she wants to kill Werren, not sure though."

Navie shakes her head.

"I just don't understand why he thought it would be good to bring her along! I mean she's SHS, only bring trouble that group."

Draco looks to the window, the sea of clouds gliding them forward.

"If it brings consolation, the mission will be over by tomorrow if everything is to go according to plan, then we can return to HQ and head back to the Argo Navis."

Pyxis pouts.

"Man... I wanna stay longer! Having gravity is so nice..."

Draco turns to him.

"What's wrong with the various habitats in the Argo Navis? They possess adequate gravity and suitable environments for everyone."

"Yeah but why do they have to be full of ACTUAL dangerous animals?! I can never go into them because what if a gorilla smashes my head in or a tiger rips me apart!"

"It simulates the surface better, dangerous animals are common in natural environments so it makes them feel real, the higher-ups put a surplus of animals in the habitats."

Navie sighs and slouches in her chair.

"I'll have to agree with Draco, I like space better than this hellhole. Speaking of which, how long until we reach the island?"

"Approximately 30 minutes until we reach our objective."

Navie stretches.

"Great, get ready to land. Gather everyone up. Although... where is Meda? I haven't seen her at all today."

"Tell me why I have to wear this?"

Nayjhren looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes scanning over his new look.

Meda clapped her hands together.

"It's a face mask! Trust me, you're face will feel amazing after."

Nayjhren nodded.

"But why do I have to wear it?"

"Because you're skin looked... well... horrible."

"I was stuck in a prison cell for many years and grew up in a forest... I never really considered how my skin felt about all of this."

"Well listen, while you stay on this ship I'll show you everything you need! You'll be glowing once we return to Jia."

Nayjhren smiled.

Navie opened the door to Meda's room, Her eyes widening.

"Oh, uh... we'll be hitting land soon. You two almost ready?"

Meda held up a thumbs up.

"Yep! We'll be ready."

Nayjhren copied Meda's thumbs up.

"Yep!"

Navie nodded slowly.

"Cool. Just come to the bridge soon."

Century brushed the last of the water off the bridge.

"There. All clean. You happy now old man?"

Werren stared at her with a blank expression.

"You just had me sweep all of the water and then swept the last few drops."

Century tossed her mop aside.

"So? Still did it. Plus, I got the mops."

Werren sighed.

"At least it's clean. Come on, Navie will probably be waiting on the bridge."

Century looked out to the horizon.

"Why am I even here? Why'd you bring me?"

Werren turned to her.

"I don't want to be here. Especially with her."

Werren walked beside her, looking out to the horizon with her.

"It'll be fun. A little adventure to get you out of that town for a bit."

Century scoffed.

"You care too much. It's disgusting."

Century began to walk away.

Werren looked down, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. He looked back up to the horizon. The white fluffy clouds slowly dimmed.

"Huh...?"

Soon a grey cloud appeared above the clouds. Werren held onto his tie as he realized it was smoke.

"You gotta be kiddin' me."

Century turned around, her eyes widening as she saw the smoke as well.

"What... what is that?"

Navie and the rest of Lockdown waited on the bridge.

"Where are those two? We're about to reach the island..."

Pyxis fiddled with his compass more when a sudden dark shadow was cast over the ship.

"Hm?"

He looked out the window.

"Uh... we got a situation!"

Everyone turned to the window, the smoke appearing before them all. A bellowing roar erupted from the smoke and piercing through it was a rusted and scrappy airship, flames erupting from pipes and cannons aimed straight toward them. Soon another airship appeared, a horrifying grey color that blended in with the smoke. The only colour on the ships being the flames shooting out. Once again, a third airship appeared, bearing the insignia of Ignition. The three airships were tugging along a Necrobeast of unimaginable size, its scales a deep green, hundreds of eyes across its chest, and wings that blew the clouds away with each flap.

The airships and dragon-like Necrobeast burst from the clouds, a booming fog horn echoing across the sky. Once the airships were visible they wasted no time and launched a barrage of cannon fire toward the CE Advance.

Navie shot up.

"LOCKDOWN! DEFENSIVE DUTIES NOW!"

Each member of lockdown rushed to their stations. Pyxis threw his compass up, and rows and rows of data appeared as he scanned the airships closing in.

"IGNITION! TWO GENERATION EIGHT WARSHIPS! They're mounted with 235 cannons that cover all sides, 20 mortars are placed on the top and it's equipped with a heat infused ram. Hooks are on the front and sides of it, it can house up to 300 people. There's one Generation Six warship that is used for boarding other aircrafts. It has 150 cannons but can hold almost 600 people. The Gen Six is leading the fleet, prepare for boarding!"

Draco rushed outside, her bow appearing in her hands as she took a handful of arrows and slotted all of them in her bow. The cannons fired toward the Advance, hitting the hull but not piercing it. Draco took to the defensive and sent out a flurry of arrows that intercepted the cannon balls, lessening the damage done to the hull. Navie took control of the Advance and steered it straight toward the fleet, aiming to duck beneath it and attack from the flank. Meda got to the front deck and used her abilities to charm the cannon balls, forcing them to veer off course.

Werren looked to Century.

"Century. Stay back. Don't do anything rash!"

Century looked toward the warships.

"Ignition... they... they are what got me here... Ignition..."

Century clenched her fist.

"Bastards... they're the reason any of this... no... ALL of this has happened."

Navie pushed the ship to full throttle but the leading warship shot out its hooks, latching onto the Advance and pulling it toward the fleet.

"THEY GOT US! LOCKDOWN, We don't have time. We're hovering over the island. Take offensive countermeasures. We need to disconnect ourselves from their flagship."

Navie got up and got to the roof of the Advance. She took out a strand of her hair which slowly morphed into a spyglass. She twirled it in her hand.

"I'll handle the defence. Draco, focus fire toward the warships, Pyxis, I'm granting you control over the Advance's steering, find the warship's blindspot and Meda, get Nayjhren, Century and Werren onto the surface of the island, we'll handle Ignition up here. Secure a landing spot for us, this won't take long."

Pyxs nodded, he sat in the captain's seat.

"On it. I'll wriggle us free."

Meda dashed down toward the hanger bay.

"Werren! Grab Century and let's go! Nayjhren follow me."

Draco clutched onto her bow tightly, it slowly grew in size as she slotted arrows almost twice her size into it.

"Aiming for the linings in the warship's hull. Analyzing wind resistance, arrow dropoff and imperfections in calculations... my targets are found, the hunt begins."

Navie walked to the front of the deck, a hail of cannon fire descending toward her.

"LOCKDOWN! I DEDICATE THIS VOYAGE TO OUR ANCESTORS!"

Pyxis, Meda and Draco grinned as they all yelled in unison.

"I WILL SAIL TO THE ENDS OF THE SUNDAIL!"

"I DEDICATE MY LIFE TO THE INITIATES!"

"I WILL FOLLOW THE STARS TO THE END!"

"I DEDICATE MY ACTIONS TO THE GOOD OF HUMANITY!"

"WE WILL SECURE ALL LIFE! LOCKDOWN!"

Navie readied her spyglass, holding it like a bat.

"Descend."