Audrey stepped back and looked up, an appreciative expression on her round face. The section of beams that would become the ship's frame floated steadily above her. She had dug the core out of a scrapyard herself, and it had taken her months to get it working. She grinned broadly as she hauled on the rope, towing the core and its accompanying framework back towards the ground. Once it was locked in, members of her crew put ladders in place and climbed all over, checking joints, inspecting the bolts, and examining the core.
“How are we doing, Blaine?”
“It’s stable.” He called back, tapping gently on the gem that was the cores power source with a metal instrument that hummed a single, smooth note when it struck.
“Good,” Audrey yelled over the clamor of people at work. “I’ll let the captain know.” There was a giddy sort of excitement bubbling through her. An operational ship core had been their first major hurdle, and Audrey had pulled it off. Not just any core either, but a Grade 3. The most powerful core a citizen could own. The kind used by the large merchant vessels.
“Sir,” she said, beaming as she tapped on the door frame to the captain's office. He glanced up from where he sat looking over the core's schematic.
“Walker.” He said by way of greeting.
“It’s stable, sir!” she burst out, unable to contain her excitement. He gave her a kind smile.
“That’s excellent. You’ve done good work.” He turned his attention back to the schematic in front of him. “It’s fortune you joined up when you did. I’ve always wanted a core ship, but First Tiers can’t operate them properly.” Audrey grinned big. Ever since she’d come to Jetriser and seen her first airship. Her destiny had been set. She’d devoted her entire education in Academy City, and all her magic towards this end. She was a Core Ship Engineer. It was unusual for Mages to work with First Tier crew, more so under a First Tier captain, but Audrey preferred it. Her fellow Mages were too inflexible.
“We could build a bigger frame.” Audrey said as she leaned over the desk, studying the schematic upside down.
“No, no. I want her to be nimble.” Audrey raised an eyebrow. The Core she’d dug out of the wreckage was a Grade 3. It had an enormous capacity. Several times greater than the largest non-core ship. The non-magical variety, built and manned by First Tiers.
Grade 3s at max weight were truly massive. Like small towns in the sky. Only Grade 4s were more impressive, and there were only 7 of those in the world. Now her captain wanted to take such a powerful core and put it at the heart of a small vessel.
He’s a madman. She thought with a grin.
“What about the engines?” He asked, tapping on the paper before him.
“I’ve got a few men cleaning up the ones we salvaged. That was my very next stop after talking to you.” He nodded thoughtfully, scribbling something down on a piece of paper nearby.
“Is two going to be enough?”
“It will keep us moving, sir, but I’d prefer four, even six if we could find them.”
“We can add more after we’ve got her skyworthy. Maybe even make some money and pay for them.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Audrey said, her tone teasing. He smiled, but didn’t look up from his desk, still writing away.
“How long until we’re ready?”
“A month, I’d say, maybe a bit more.”
“What would you need to get us ready in two weeks?”
“A bigger team, and another engineer maybe.” He stared at the paper, tapping the tip of the pencil in his hand on the desk thoughtfully. “Sir,” Audrey asked. “Why do we need to be ready in two weeks?”
“I’ve had word from the Flotilla.” he said slowly, “it seems as if something has gone wrong in Academy City. We’re not sure what yet, but their fleets are deployed all over the world.” Audrey’s eyebrows went up as her stomach dropped.
“You don’t think they’re going to war?” she asked, nervously.
“That doesn’t seem to be the case. They’re looking for something.”
“Not that this isn’t worrisome, sir, but why do we need to move up our schedule?”
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“The Flotilla is recalling everyone and going into hiding until things calm down. We have a rendezvous in 19 days. If we’re not there, we’ll have to wait for them to make contact, which could take months.”
“I’ll do what I can sir,” she said, trying to sound determined, but doubt nagged at her. Two weeks wasn’t enough. She’d need almost twice that to get them in the sky, and they were already working fast. “I have some friends in The City,” she added. “I could look into what’s going on. Maybe they’ve heard something.”
“Might as well. It’s too late to pass intel on to the Flotilla unless we make it to the meeting point, but at least we’ll know what’s going on if we get left behind.”
“Yes sir. I’ll check on the engines and impress upon the crew the urgency of our situation.” She gave a nod that was close as anyone in this outfit came to a salute and headed out the door.
----------------------------------------
“They’re missing?” She asked, holding the mirror up to get a better look at the man on the other end. Audrey had moved to a side room in the abandoned complex that now served as their workshop. Thick with dust and rotten furniture. It would give anyone who saw her over the mirror very little to work with to find out where she was or what she was doing.
“The Rebirth points are scattered. We’re not sure why it happened.” Audrey looked him over, concerned. Carl had always been long and thin, but she could tell he’d lost weight. His eyes were dark underneath, like he hadn’t been sleeping and he had a manic look in his eyes.
“So the fleets aren’t flying all over just to scare everyone?” She asked, eyebrows raised.
“No, they’ve been sent to hunt for Mages being reborn elsewhere, but…”
“What is it?”
“We think some of the First Tier nations are looking for them, too.” Audrey scoffed, shaking her head.
“Tell me Carl, how far will The City go to maintain a monopoly on magic?”
He refused to meet her eye and what she could see of his body language practically screamed his uncertainty.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “There’s been talk of mobilizing the Meteor Corp. The order hasn’t come down yet, but…” He trailed off as she glared at him through the mirror.
“So they’re going to make an example of someone.” She said, tone full of scorn. “Whoever gets caught hiding Mages first.”
“Nothing has been decided yet, we don’t even know if they-”
“We both know what they’ll do.” Her eyes drifted over the red on his uniform and where she wanted to feel anger, there was only a deep sadness.
“Justiciars.” A statement rather than a question. His shoulders hunched for a second, but then he forced his back straight, though he still failed to meet her eye directly.
“I’m trying to help Aud. We can’t all run away from what’s happening, some of us have to-”
“Take part in slaughtering thousands of defenseless people for the sake of power?”
“I’m doing what I can to make sure that doesn’t happen. What are you doing Audrey? Hiding out with a bunch of terrorists.” She barked a laugh and had to restrain herself from shattering the mirror against the far wall.
“Terrorists? Is that what you call people who don’t want to live under the Council's thumb?”
“It’s what I call people who blow up buildings and try to assassinate council members.” Audrey shook her head.
“You’ve got it wrong, that’s not the kinda thing The Flotilla does. They just want to be left alone.”
“I’ve seen the reports Aud. Your friends aren’t as neutral as you think.” Audrey didn’t believe him. It was too convenient for them, that the one population they could threaten with the Meteor Corp were engaged in some sort of clandestine conflict with the Mageocracy.
She looked at her friend's face again. He still looked tired despite the emotion that lent his face some color.
The fight left her then, and she wilted. Audrey had never liked conflict. It left her body drained, and her thoughts tangled. It was clear now that Carl and she had picked divergent paths.
“I wish you’d left with me.” She whispered, and his expression shifted, the anger fading from his eyes.
“I know it’s broken Aud, this city. I know it is, and I’m trying to fix it.”
“You can’t fix it. It was like this long before we showed up, and it’ll be like this after we’re gone. Worse probably”
“Audrey-”
“I’m sorry Carl, I wish you the best. Really, I hope you’re right and I’m wrong. Goodbye” He raised his hand as if to protest, but she released the magic that made the mirror function, at the same time she activated her own. Runes swarmed across her skin as her irises glowed with a dim amber light. The artifact in her hand cracked as she squeezed it, the tiny pops filling the room until all at once it shattered, bits of reflective glass flying out from between her fingers, where they turned to dust midair, fading away as the magic evaporated.
[Artifact Lost: Two-Way Mirror]
She stood there in the semi-darkness of the abandoned room, staring at her now empty hand. A pit had formed in her stomach, but there was no taking back the decision now. She hadn’t been able to convince him to change course, and she couldn’t watch her friend become the monster they would make him. Audrey let the runes vanish back under her skin, the glow fading from her eyes. She turned back to the door, heading towards the hustle and bustle of the crew. She had work to do.