Corwitten by @Pragia12 & Dyelli Beybi

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Where Yuri discovers Custospada isn't responding to hails and Zoe reveals she might be more than she is letting on.

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The communications room was a small affair adjoining the bridge, dominated by a pair of cabinets for the radiotelegraph and a small desk for the operator to sit at. The cabinets had a pair of dials and a series of vacuum tubes each, and a series of sockets for plugging in telegraphs. What was hidden however, was in the storage space under the cabinets. Yuri had squirreled away some of his personal effects aboard the airship, and the handle of Saoirse he kept in the cabinet would be for the best.

Drawing a flat-bottomed glass and pouring himself some of the caramel-colored Quinian whiskey, he’d raise it over the instrument of his trade. “Cheers” he says simply, throwing an oversized lever-switch on the side of the box. A brief spark of static would be all he’d receive “Damn.” Seems his drink would need to wait.

The lieutenant knew these boxes like the back of his hand. While he was far from a master electrician, these were his assigned tools, and he had torn down and built dozens of these in his limited time. Taking a screwdriver from the storage space not used for alcohol, he would open up the back of the cabinet and get to work.

Two replaced wires, one cleaned terminal, and a couple accidental discharges later, the radiotelegraph hummed to life, those vacuum tubes lighting up in a soft amber indicating they were on standby. A small smile flickered across Yuri’s lips, and he allowed himself to enjoy the sharp smokiness in his glass.

As he did, there was the sharp click of footsteps on metal floors, then Zoe appeared, no longer wrapped up in the Favian gentleman's jacket. Apparently she'd returned that as she left the cold of the gondola, "That's the telegraph isn't it?" she asked, following up immediately with, "Is it working? Someone said it wasn't."

The lieutenant turned his head to face the civilian at his duty station, putting the glass down at the desk "Yes Ma'am, wasn't working before, but should be working now. Was going to get into contact with Custospada." he said simply, turning back to the box and plugging in the telegraph switch into one of the outlets.

"Well don't let me get in the way," she said, perching herself on another desk in the corner of the room. She fell silent, letting Yuri do his job, though it seemed she wanted something when he was done.

Yuri nodded, drawing a pocketbook from his jacket, propping it open with one hand and looking down as his other went to the dials, setting the frequency of reception appropriate to the code, and the attenuation for broadcast. He flipped towards the back of the book, and scribbled on a blank sheet of paper before tapping away. Each closing of the gate lit the vacuum tubes. "By all means, get another glass if you'd like." he offers, gesturing down to the open second cabinet stowage. "This might take a few minutes"

"How risqué!" Zoe commented, though her tone suggested 'risqué' meant the same as 'fun'. She fetched a glass from the cabinet, pouring herself a whiskey, before pulling up a chair to watch Yuri work. She leaned back, taking a sip, studying him with dark eyes from across the brim.

The lieutenant gave a half-cocked grin "We don't need to follow every protocol in times like these, ma'am." he'd turn back to the machine, waiting a few moments before repeating his tapped message, longer and more drawn out this time. Silence would reign and his expression would darken only a tinge as he double checks his dial, rotating it gingerly back and forth into position again before signalling a third time. He reads the ticker tape record that follows to ensure he was sending a proper message "Strange."

"What's strange?" she queried curiously, her brows knitting together in concern.

"Not getting any response from the castle." he said with a sourness, tuning the frequency to a regional channel and tapping the same message.

"Well then," Zoe pursed her lips thoughtfully, "We will potentially need to put down unassisted... or at least be prepared for that eventuality. Think our crew can manage that?"

Yuri took up his own glass and stood up from behind the station, "Going to have to, or just skip it and route to Grendel." he says simply with a small draw "Custospada shouldn't have fallen already, had nothing indicating revolutionaries had gotten that far."

"Possibly cleared out ahead of the Calarians?" Zoe posed, "It's an exposed position with the capital fallen," she paused, then gave an apologetic shrug, "Or so I would imagine!"

"I wouldn't be surprised, but I also would be disappointed." he'd allow that to hang for a moment, a glance back to the box that hadn't reported a single return transmission "So, treasury? My old man was in banking," he offered casually.

"Oh, so have you been out here as well?" Zoe asked innocently.

He shook his head "Nah, he didn't involve me much in the business, what did your father do there?"

"Something important!" Zoe said airily, and for a moment it looked like she was about to say something like 'I don't know', but instead leaned forward over the desk, adding conspiratorially, "Very important. Important enough I don't feel I can discuss it when some of the people on this ship are unknown quantities."

A single golden brow wwas raised slightly and he'd nod over to the open porthole behind her, it was to her to close it. "Important how?" another draw from the Quinian whiskey "I can understand a desire for secrecy, but we are in a precarious position."

"The kind of important that means you can take your teenage daughter to look at the gold reserve and nobody bats an eyelid," Zoe replied with a slight smirk as she straightened up, "Oh don't worry, if there are any soldiers hanging around at the fort I'll have to tell you all then. Until then, just enjoy my charming company!"

The lieutenant rolled his head forward slightly with a pointed expression that faded to casualness easily enough "As you wish, ma'am." he caught her meaning, taking a seat and finishing his glass. "You made your choice of bunk yet?"

"Its Zoe or Miss Spyrou if that's too scandalous... and no I haven't," she sat back, lounging languidly on her chair, "Why do you ask? Are you angling to share?" she smirked.

A pleasant smile graced Yuri's lips "I'd had my own picked out, Miss Spyrou, though I appreciate the sentiment." he evened his expression again "No, just wanting to keep track of who is where, if something unexpected or unfortunate were to happen."

Zoe smiled brightly, seemingly amused by the exchange, "Well, lets find me one near some people who might be loyal to the Empire. They're less likely to smack me over the head with something heavy."

"Think that'd fall under unexpected and unfortunate." He'd say, the imagery not pleasant to him. "I'm going to test a couple messages, make sure we're broadcasting properly. I am set in officer's cabin: first one to front. I'd suggest you take a bunk across from it, or we can try to carve something out of the storage space next door. Thankfully the accomodations are a step above most of the fleet."

Zoe nodded, "I'll take that cabin... but also keep an eye on some of the ones we've picked up. I've offered them a fortune for this job though we'll be carrying an Emperor's ransom. I was expecting to find soldiers at Custospada to help take control of this vessel. But if there aren't..." she trailed off, letting Yuri fill the rest in for himself.

Hamerlins time aboard was defined by general duty, he had spent many months at sea and the routine helped especially as the shocks and impact on people would show itself once the short term rush of survival ended. This was normal for him at least, he clung to that one normal fact of life as he manned the bridge, checking the course and helping out with small tasks such as taking over the wheel when the helmsman needed to go to the head, fetching coffee or checking the maps and routine checks on their progress..

He had spent his down hours waiting teaching a few basics of chart reading and how to check that they had not drifted when he needed to sleep, he needed rest as any man, more than he used to as well. He could not teach anyone to be able to do anything too advanced so soon but making sure they least in the direction they meant to be going was progress. it made him feel for once, useful in a way he had not felt since he had to leave the service due to war injuries.

He took his meals in the dining area, its simple metal tables, polished smooth steel, where so very military and far unlike what this airship was planned for. It's history was visible where you could see where they would have hung fine art works, niches for plants and statues, or pottery. Instead they had a simple collection of generic posters, a niche housed a brewing vessel and a second used to store the basic and functional mugs.

“History. Look up not down” He remembered, people were lazy and this was refitted in hurry most likely so he saw a element of decorative trim that hung on, the drab military paint where the bright and cheerful Civilian colours shone through just in a corner where a soldier had left it to likely go to the bar instead of doing a perfect job.

He took a coffee like he had chosen to do several times and sat on an ammo crate outside, he needed the air, the open space and time to think. He felt the weight of his weapon, he saw his stained sea knife when he went to bed.

He had found an unused space, this airship had many, a few boxes of what turned out to be heavy yet surplus to use for now, engraved metal items probably for the crew in detailed font the airships number. He lifted it, he used it as a gym, his muscles burned, his fingers hurt, his artificial fingers dug into his flesh but he needed this. He worked, he least had to try to regain some of his strength, to be better able to serve. Even a small advantage as narrow as a razor was something.

On that thought as he felt his stubble as he watched, he had no shaving kit.. maybe there be one he could scavenge aboard or he would be like the crews of old Favain Navy, beards as water was luxurious, shaving was a waste unless close to shore.

Maybe he had it right, his ancestors would approve, he hoped, even if his father would have said he looked like his Grandfather's portrait over the fire. Navy might be in a ship of the air, but he would honour his name, his Oath and do his best in hard times.

And.. that scarily. Felt like he was living again.

"It looks abandoned," Arkadios commented as the ship approached the fortress just after dawn. There was an inner medieval keep that had been gutted by fire a few hundred years earlier and Custospada had been rebuilt into a layered star fort that still would have been a complicated and costly place to attack, though as they got closer to ground level it was clear the main gate was open and there were no signs of any people or vehicles in the interior. There was a mast for an airship, but without ground crew, getting the ship down would be... complicated, "Well that explains why you didn't get a message. See if you can raise HQ in Grendell, let them know what we are up to out here," he nodded to Yuri before turning his attention back to the civilian group who seemed to be necessary to landing the vessel.

"Well," Zoe gave Yuri a cheeky wink as Arkadios finished his observations, "Guess that story I was going to tell you can wait a bit longer... so, anyone want me to do anything... other than make a cup of coffee?" she offered.

"Think you can put some people down in the field to the East?" Arkadios suggested uncertainly. In truth he didn't have the faintest idea how you were meant to land an airship, "Perhaps they can get get the ship secured to the mast? I don't see any Communalists," he said, turning back to a topic he understand better, "but I'm assuming they can't be far away. Whatever we do will need to be done quickly and we'll need to be ready to leave quickly as well."

James Carter & Itzi Ku

Carter’s jaw tightened as he kept his eyes on the fortress below with unease eyes.The lack of movement, no ground crew, no vehicles, nothing, it all set every instinct on edge. His fingers adjusted the trim controls reflexively, steadying the ship as they hovered over the open ground to the east. “You really want to send people down there? A gold reserve fortress just sitting there, doors wide open like an invitation?” He shot a glance at Arkadios and Zoe before looking to Itzi “Feels more like a trap than an opportunity.”

Itzi’s brow furrowed as she kept a steady hand on the controls, her gaze flicking back to Carter, “Maybe they pulled back to a more defensible position. Or hell, maybe there’s just a skeleton crew inside, waiting for orders. Either way, we need the fuel, and whatever supplies they’ve got. That gold won’t carry itself if we’re running on fumes.” She let out a small breath, clearly trying to sound more confident than she felt, “We can’t just sit up here. Someone’s gotta go take a look.”

Carter gave her a skeptical look, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Yeah, you're right with the fuel at least... someone’s gotta look..." He adjusted the altitude controls, lowering the airship just enough for the hanging ladder to dangle within reach of the field below, “We’ll have it hover here, a ground team can descend and anchor it. I don’t like it, but it’s the best we’ve got.” His look over at Itzi, “Keep this girl warm. If something goes sideways, we’ll need to haul out of here fast.”

As the ship steadied in position, Carter unholstered his Harlan pistol, flipping it open to check the rounds before snapping it shut, he looked at Arkadios "I'll head down there with whoever else goes, mine as well have people who can fight volunteer. But if anything seems fishy we gotta bail fast..."

"It looks like someone cleared out in a hurry," Arkadios countered, "If the place were occupied by the Communalists, whom do you think this trap would be for? A ragtag band of fleeing soldiers and civilians in an airship? How would we even know this place was here?"

He paused before adding, "But if I were the commander of the garrison and I hadn't removed all the gold, the building might be rigged to explode... so good luck."

"Actually," Zoe put in, contradicting the Officer, "It might not be such a silly proposition after all. After all, how well do we really know all the people on this ship?" she gave a nonchalant shrug, then turned to address Carter directly, "Captain Carter, please do take care of yourself on the ground. It would be rather helpful if you didn't die as we really do need someone to relieve Itzi from time to time," she said with a cheeky grin.

Hamerlin had been taking a chance to eat some food as they were unable to miss their target right now, it had been seen from afar so he took the chance to eat a quick meal. The food was not the best but it was filling and was better than many rations at least for now. The Favain officer was glancing out the large windows of the dining area when he saw that the busy horizon he expected, smoke and signs of life were not present… surely this far they had not already captured or fled?

He moved quickly to the bridge once he had eaten His fill and downed what was left of his coffee, you never knew when you would get the next one.

He arrived at the bridge to see everyone looking forward, an ominous situation, no smoke, no movement and no one had even seemed to react to the arrival of the large airship. No one had even seemed to challenge the approach?

He listened to the talk going on and ground landing… he knew little of airships but that sounded a bad idea. Look how hard just casting off from the city had been. Or how close. “If you do not mind, I'll help. If we really go after Gold…it's heavy, real heavy. Anyone else got experience in working with hundreds of pound shells? Plus we need to load, maybe ammo, rations, and whatever else we can find.”

He knew ships, supplies where the life blood, fuel, food, anything they found be of value. Logistics and moving heavy things in too tight spaces was one thing he was least good at and could use to the betterment of the crew.

"We have limited supply, unsure if and when we get official support, if we see anything on our way, we can use, we take and make use." He said, they had to find ways, and that meant taking what they needed, when they saw it.

Volodar Naesandoral

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Volodar scoffed at some of the discussion in the bridge. The Elf had clearly recovered a few of his pistols in preparation of the airship's arrival to Custospada, but the seemingly perpetual frown he had since boarded remained etched on his visage.

"There is going to be nothing fast about this if we commit to touching down," he commented. "And, as Captain Hamerlin has alluded to, hauling up any substantial amount of supplies by hand is going to take time. Blaugas and Petrol or Oil, in the quantities we may need, is going to need to be pumped aboard. The temptation to grab anything that isn't bolted to the fortress walls is surely there, but we must focus and we should focus on what gold may remain."

Volodar looked towards Carter as he rested a hand on his sword's pommel. The elf's eyes betrayed a sense of distain, but remained otherwise professional.

"I shall join you on the ground reconnaissance team," Volodar coldly added, I recommend we send men of endurance in body and mind, as to be prepared should the worst occur. It would not do us well to be stuck on the ground with a winded body and a coward's spirit. Others can man the machine guns until we know more."

James Carter & Itzi Ku

//Snip//

"Oh, I’ll be just fine, Miss Spyrou,” Carter replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, “But you’re right about one thing, we need someone to cover at the helm...” He reached for his Harlan shotgun, checking the chambers and sliding fresh shells into place with the precision of a man who’d done it a thousand times before, “Ms. Ku’s shown she’s got the grit for this job. I’ll rest easy knowing she’s keeping this girl steady.”

Itzi gave an exaggerated salute, her grin confident as ever, “Don’t you worry! I’ll keep her flying—long as you don’t get yourself shot down there.” She leaned back, fingers tapping idly against the helm, projecting an air of calm that belied the subtle worry in her eyes.

//Snip//

Carter turned his attention to Hamerlin, nodding at the Favian officer’s input but frowning faintly, “I hear you. Heavy lifting like that’s going to be a chore, and I’d rather have someone who knows their way around hauling munitions than a bunch of green hands fumbling with crates.” He hesitated for a beat, his voice taking on a tone of concern, “But let’s not kid ourselves, you’re not exactly fresh off the docks, and we’re gonna need some of those soldier boys pulling their weight on the ground, too. Gold or not, there’s no sense risking a pulled back when we’ve got able bodies standing around.”

//Snip//

As Volodar spoke, Carter’s expression didn’t shift, though the faint glint in his eyes showed amusement. The Elf’s distaste was as clear as the polished steel on his sword, but Carter kept his tone light, “Anchoring the ship properly is priority one, and we can rig it to get her airborne again fast if things go sideways. A quick touch-and-go, so we don’t spend more time on the ground than we need to.” He paused, loading the last shell into his shotgun with a click before locking it shut, “And I agree with you, Lord Volodar," the title rolled off his tongue with an certain degree of mockery, "Endurance counts for plenty. We’ll need capable men out there.” Carter’s lips curled faintly, his tone edged with subtle irony, “But let’s make sure they’re capable in all the ways that matter. We can’t afford to let anything petty slow us down.”

“Alright then. Let’s get this circus rolling. Anyone who's coming with the ground team, gear up. Keep sharp, keep quick, and for the love of all things holy, don’t dawdle.”

Hanerlin nodded, he did not take thr offence at the comment, he was a few years older and had taken ernough harm to be out of active duty, he had lost limb and eye in service. "Aye, I ain't the youngest, I know ropes, winches and rails. I definitely see if we can rig up an hoist system to speed up loading, a few good blocks and tackle and a few men can lift 500 or 1000 pounds, maybe turn some of fortress logistics to our side if yoy can." He added hopefully to Charmer, he did not want to sit about and watch and let others do the fighting alone but understood the needs of mission came before the needs of the person.

"I'll do my duty, even if you set me running a hoist. If they have any blocks n rope inside, they aways come im handy. Use wem, take em, anything you can. That place shoudl have rails, carts...somthing to move heavy cargo." He nodded. He would leave the combat to the younger men If he needed to... or the much older. Well more able bodied anyway.

"I'd we get all the gold we can and have opertunity, a mountain gun would not bad, single peice ammo should be compact ernough" That would be a nasty suprise for a ground mission or another shirship expecting them only to carry machine guns he mused, who expect them to have light guns.

"Well if you want to hover you'd better hope there isn't a sudden gust of wind," Arkadios remarked dryly before adding, "And no let's not try for a 'touch and go', let us try to put down safely. That is going to be hard enough to avoid crashing the ship as it is."

Zoe meanwhile stuck her hand in the air, "Actually, logically, you'll want me on the ground. If there are some unhappy gentlemen guarding the gold I might be able to talk them around. They should know me... might recognise me, or might not!" she gave a nonchalant shrug, then smiled brightly, "But if they are there they definitely won't hand over the gold to a foreigner, even if he did ask nicely."

Giogoula Giorgiou

As most of the crew is on the ground transporting gold, Giogoula was serving as lookout for the gondola for any mass movements heading to or around the castle. As far as she's aware, there is nothing the insurrectionists or the Calarians have that should catch up with the zeppelin and the ground team should have ample time to gather the remaining gold into the zeppelin and leave long before any hostiles show up. Still, one could never be too cautious especially in the time of war. Plus, the crew should also be prepared for say the return of imperial forces to the castle to transport more gold to safe areas. She has an electric torch with her to alert the ground crew just in case of mass movements being found.

The policewoman peered through her binoculars all around the area from one side of the gondola. Once she's satisfied of her search, she went to another side of the gondola and repeated the process. Maybe a few more patrols before she climbs up to the top and do a patrol there, if there isn't someone already at the top.

---

Nikos

Zeppelin #27, Gondola

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Nikos grits his teeth, then sighs. "I can help land her."

He leans against the gondola bulkhead, shaking his head. "Iffen we ain't connecting ta the mooring tower but the ground, me and another lad can go down in the pod while someone lowers the forward line. Once we get her tied up, we can use a winch ta help pull her down."

"The only tricky part is hooking her up to the quick release, but once she's belly down, we can get supplies or whatever."

Private Aden Robertson

There were a few perks to being a member of an Alpine regiment. One was the wide array of spotting implements on his person; so Aden had been one of the first to spot the outlines of the fortress on the revealing horizon. He had watched as the towers and parapets had resolved in greater details under the magnification of his field glasses.

He made a mental note to add a sketch of the fortress alongside his coming journal entry; it would make for an excellent eye catcher.

At the present however, he turned his attention to the crew as they discussed their latest plans for the seemingly deserted fortress.

" I believe I should be one of the first into the fortress." He offered, voice slightly muffled by the scarf pulled around his face. He gestured at his uniform, worn by two weeks of travel and fighting; but still noticeably Inburrian with the markings of the 46th Alpine on his shoulder. "I at least have a noticeably friendly uniform and if the place is filled with Communalists or traps.....well I guess I'll just have to trust that my senses are up to the task."

Luckily, the scarf hid the slight expression of hesitation he had at the idea of heading into a booby trap or Communalist infested fortress.

He decided his helmet wouldn't be needed given the lack of artillery or trenches at the moment. His Kraussers', the rifle and pistol, still secured to his person. The sniper would probably be unwieldly in the confines of the castle but the pistol would suffice within the halls.

---

Nikos

...
He leans against the gondola bulkhead, shaking his head. "Iffen we ain't connecting ta the mooring tower but the ground, me and another lad can go down in the pod while someone lowers the forward line. Once we get her tied up, we can use a winch ta help pull her down."

"The only tricky part is hooking her up to the quick release, but once she's belly down, we can get supplies or whatever."

"Do an assessment when you're down there," Arkadios instructed, "I fear it's probably easier to put down in the field and shuttle the gold out. The interior of the fort... well, it wasn't designed for an airship to actually land in it." He chuckled. It was true enough. While there was a mast, it looked like there would be no way for the ship to actually put down in the old medieval courtyard. It had been built in an age before flying machines were anything but a wild fantasy and certainly with no anticipation one might try to land inside.

Private Aden Robertson

...

" I believe I should be one of the first into the fortress." He offered, voice slightly muffled by the scarf pulled around his face. He gestured at his uniform, worn by two weeks of travel and fighting; but still noticeably Inburrian with the markings of the 46th Alpine on his shoulder. "I at least have a noticeably friendly uniform and if the place is filled with Communalists or traps.....well I guess I'll just have to trust that my senses are up to the task."

...

"Good thinking," Arkadios nodded in agreement, "I will stay onboard and keep an eye on things from here."

"Making sure I can really get the money?" Zoe asked with a smirk, drawing herself up to her full, not particularly imposing height and tossing her head haughtily, though the smirk never left her face, making the gesture seem more ironic than anything else, "I'm very persuasive," she assured him.

"Making sure I can really get the money?" Zoe asked with a smirk, drawing herself up to her full, not particularly imposing height and tossing her head haughtily, though the smirk never left her face, making the gesture seem more ironic than anything else, "I'm very persuasive," she assured him.

"I'll be putting down as well."

Chamer appeared in the doorway, his sterner voice contrasting with Zoe's as his eyes watched the pair. The poet had spent much of the journey skulking in his room, or writing, or occasionally trying to 'make himself useful' by harassing Krasikos or Ferrari to show him how to do engine maintenance or operate the wireless. Usually wildly over-dressed, barely dressed at all and drunk.

Here though he looked more put together than he had the entire voyage. Like a new man. Or a sober one at least. He was also dressed in what passed for a more sensible ensemble. He wore a white button-down shirt covered with a tightly fit silk waistcoat in earthy tones, and intricate gold-threaded brocade-work. His breeches were expensive looking and finely worked doe-skin leather, matched by tall leather boots. For good measure he wore a black derby hat.

He looked like a rich person looked like trying to dress like a cowboy.

Notably, to complete the look, he wore a pistol on his belt.

Zano in the time that he spent aboard the airship, tried to keep himself busy. Which proved to be a difficult task as he was not really needed. Though knowledgeable about the workings of an airship like this one. Zano never actually worked on one and thus lacked the experience that the other engineers aboard had.

Still, after claiming his room and securely storing his belongings, Zano had some time to think about things. With his workshop gone and his workers either dead or hopefully alive somewhere. He has little left, and the thought of returning home and being forced to live in the same city as his family was a thought he did not favor. Luckily, the others, or the ones he had talked to, did not recognize his name, so there was little chance of them wanting to steal his journals of ideas.

It was a weird feeling that this was where life had led him, and now his future was unknown; the only thing he knows is that the place where the gold was being held was quiet for some reason. It is a curious and worrying thought, but he is not going along with the team being sent down there. Zano knows he would be of little use and would be better off staying on the airship.

So Zano did what he could do right now, that is, get a cup of coffee and watch things from the bridge. As he walked and passed by some of his new crewmates with a cup of coffee in hand. Zano ended up at the bridge and went to one of the windows that had a good vantage point of the area and looked out. While taking a few sips of his coffee and he sighed heavily. Where will life lead him now?

Getting down without venting lift gas and without the benefit of a ground crew to secure the vessel was a slow process as the ballonets were inflated and buoyancy was slowly reduced. During this time the airship was at the mercy of the wind and there was need, on two occasions, to do a circuit of the field and double back to land. But eventually, after a couple of hours, the vessel sat, reasonably stably, on the ground and Carter and his group were able to safely disembark to explore the castle.

Arkadios, meanwhile, summoned together whomever was still with them, "There is a hose connected to a pump to fill us up with water ballast. There's a stream to the North of us that I think it should reach, so if anyone cares to help me run that out? We've got a ballast tank to fill. Then they can deflate the ballonets and, if we need to take off in a hurry, we can empty that tank and gain buoyancy quickly."

He paused, then gave a small shrug, "Yes I'm an infantry officer. I've been reading the manuals."

---

When the call that Custospada had been sighted had reached Urses, he had been trying to rest in the wake of everything that had happened the day before. With his ad-hoc medical bay set up in one cabin, he had claimed another cabin adjacent to it for his own use but he had sparsely any personal effects to really 'claim' it with. His rifle propped up against the bedframe, bolt removed and hidden separately to prevent any enterprising betrayers from using it against him, and his coat draped over the back of the chair were all he had, but they served well enough; There was no way of telling how long they would all be aboard this makeshift lifeboat but he didn't want to risk getting too comfortable.

Rest hadn't come readily to the Favisian, his mind caught between visions of his Unit's grisly fate and his worries for the immediate future, worries of both enemies within and without. The first, Shell Shock he believed the medical journals called it, he could better ignore but the poison of suspicion was harder to push aside... A dreamless sleep had claimed him eventually, but it was hardly refreshing.

When he arrived at the Gondola, the others were already divvying out roles between those that would enter the fortress and those that would remain, and it was here that he inserted himself into the discussion. "I'll also set out with those on the ground. I don't know if anyone else has any medical expertise, of which would be a great help, but it would make more sense for me to be in a better position to render immediate aid in case this is a trap and someone is injured. I'm no help to anyone if I'm stuck on the ship."

Receiving no opposition to his statement, he began assisting the more technically-minded crew with setting down before excusing himself to assemble a field kit and retrieve his weapons in preparation for touchdown. Rifle, Sidearm and spare magazines for each, Urses returns to the larger group not long before they reach the ground and makes to disembark with the rest of them.

Post Captain Hamelin Le Marinier

Hamerlin moved with a purpose down the airship hauling a block, tackle and rope to the main ramp. He had found a sufficiently thick beam to rope to and start his plan. He had spent some time checking out the ramp area and acted once he had done his quick maths, the gold would be about 50 pounds per bar alone… they would have to move tons.

A cart…gold, ammo, supplies… who was kidding they could hand load this without spending a day waiting…. They needed a damn train or loading dock to move this and they had jack shit. They needed money but did people realise how damn heavy these bars are and how much they would have to cut them down unless they found coinage?

He checked his heavy Revolver for the 3rd time breaking the top, the heavy rounds nestled into the slots, 6 heavy .455 loads, man stoppers, he favoured heavy bullets and high power loads, it kicked like an ass but it also put things down hard. Some Favain officers called them wrist breakers but that was more If limp wristed the guns.

A rope and such slung off a solid pulley block system to keep you from having to stand behind a heavy cart loaded with gold and ammo and supplies, it would be a little slower but less tiring, safer and easier to keep up over a longer time frame. Someone was gonna end up with broken bones otherwise.

Looking out he saw the walls of the fortress, it was an old star fort and the inside would be a slaughter if they met defenders, that place was designed to be a trap even with a small group of soldiers. There was no cover or hiding from fire.

Part of him wanted to be in there but he ran his hand over the simple heavy wrench he saw secured to the wall, it would make an efficient adhoc trench club if they were boarded, it probably was meant for anchoring to towers or something. Carter was right though, he was older, more battered and had taken wounds already in his life, he still had one good eye though, the gods gave him a spare. That and the black eye patch looked a little like the old era of when men sailed ships of oak with hearts of iron and nerves of steel.

For how all he could do was wait, there was no sound of gunfire and no sign of smoke and so on the horizon. He scanned the far distance looking for risks and thankfully there was none for now.

Cowritten by @InfamousGuy101, @Dyelli Beybi, @Bingelly, @Shadow Daedalus, @Tesserach

Custospada was the kind of star fort people build a couple of hundred years before with a gravel road leading through a ravelin then across a bridge in a dry moat that led between two flanking bastions. It was, a death trap for anyone trying to storm it, but nobody was home apart from a noisy colony of house sparrows. The gates in both the ravelin and curtain wall were open, like someone had left without any anticipation of coming back in a hurry.

Overhead the sun rose into a cloudless sky, promising a hot day to come.

Carter moved cautiously through the wide-open gates, his shotgun resting in his hands. The air was still, save for the chirping of sparrows and the distant hum of the airship settling into its uneasy rest, “Looks like they either bolted in a hurry or got sucked clean into the skies,” he muttered, half to himself, half to anyone nearby. The absence of bodies—the complete lack of anything alive beyond the sparrows—was far more unsettling than finding casualties would have been.

"I'd say they probably drove out the gate," Zoe remarked dryly, stepping out into the open in the middle of the ravelin, a deliberately exposed position to anyone on the bastions or curtain. She cupped her hands to her mouth, "Hello!!" she called, "Anyone home?" her voice echoed around the walls and dry moat. There was no response and after a long pause she gave a nonchalant shrug, "Guess not," she declared, setting off at a brisk, confident trot, straight towards the main gate.

Carter watched Zoe step out into the open with a mix of surprise and begrudging admiration. Bold as brass, he thought, the corner of his mouth twitching into a faint smirk despite himself. Shaking his head, he tightened his grip on the shotgun and fell in beside her, his boots crunching against the gravel.

“Guess you’re not much for subtlety,” Carter muttered, though there was no real heat behind it. His eyes flicked across the empty bastions as they walked, always alert. “So, what’s your play, Miss Spirou? Say we find the gold... or we don’t. Where do you see yourself landing after all this?” His tone was casual, “You could do worse than heading to The Main, you know. Work like this, trade, hauling, not quite royal but here’s good money in it.”

"I imagine," Volodar butted in as he picked up his own pace to keep up with the girl, though his left hand never quite left the pommel of his sword as he marched along. "She would be keen to find her family rather than fleeing halfway across the world. Much as the rest of us are not so keen on either." Sighing quite loudly, the elf turned his attention to the young girl not far ahead of him. "And do you, Miss Spirou, have the idea of where we might be going? It's been a very long time since I've been to Custospada and it did not secure a treasury back then."

"Sadly, I am rather certain they got arrested in Inbur. Foolish not to leave the city earlier," for a moment Zoe's mask dropped and the worry she was hiding was visible... for just a moment, "Anyway, enough on that! Thankfully the gold is not too hard to find; its in the refurbished medieval keep."

“Refurbished or not,” Carter muttered as they neared the looming medieval structure, “a treasury’s just as good a place for surprises as it is for gold. Let’s keep sharp.” His grip on the shotgun tightened. Carter glanced briefly at Zoe, catching that flicker of worry before her usual mask snapped back into place, “Hopefully when the Inburian forces push back, they’ll get your family out safe, Miss Zoe,” he offered, his voice steady but not overly optimistic. Carter had seen enough war to know hope was a fragile thing, but it was often all people had to hold onto.

"Who knows what will happen. The Empire might not exist by this time next week!" Zoe remarked dryly, "If I can do something to help my family, I will. I, however, fully intend to survive this little fraccas. It's what Spyrous do."

A few paces behind with rifle in hand, Urses kept half a mind on the conversation and half on their surroundings as they moved. He couldn't help but roll his eyes when Carter brought up heading to the Main again; the man still hadn't let go of that idea, huh? Well, Urses wasn't going to challenge him on it. The Mainer probably misses home at some level, and he wasn't going to begrudge a man for that, "With the idea of 'surviving' in mind, we should make sure to clear out anything else we might find useful once we verify whether the gold is or isn't even still here; Food, munitions, medical supplies..."

"If we get the gold, we can buy the rest," Zoe declared.

There were tyre marks in the courtyard, a couple of hand carts lay discarded off to one side near what looked to be a concrete barrack hut.

Meanwhile the gates to the Old Keep lay open, a switch on the inside of the gate turned on a series of flickering tungsten bulbs sprung into life overheard and there, only twenty or so yards ahead, lying open, was a large vault door beyond which lay rank upon rank of shelving, going back into the distance. The front ranks looked to have been stripped bare but glimmering at the far end were unmistakably golden bars stacked neatly upon each other in tidy rows. Whomever had removed most of the gold, presumably the garrison, had apparently not had the transport capacity to move all of it...

Zoe turned to the group, grinning broadly, "Well there you go! Gold! There's two more levels like this one below us."

Carter moved forward, shotgun still gripped in one hand but his focus drawn to the vault’s depths. The flickering tungsten bulbs behind wavering light across the empty shelves from the distant. For a moment, the sight made him pause, like stumbling across some fabled treasure hoard from an old sailor’s tale, “Well, I’ll be a son of a…” Carter muttered, his voice trailing off as he approached the gleaming stacks. Dropping his guard just slightly, he slung his shotgun under his arm and reached out, yanking away a heavy, dust-covered drape that had partially obscured the nearest bars. The fabric slid free, billowing to the ground as the golden bricks were revealed in their full brilliance. The light above seemed to catch them just right, and the reflection hit Carter’s face like the sun cresting a horizon.

He let out a low whistle as he picked up one of the bars, turning it in his hands with the kind of careful reverence one might reserve for something holy. The weight was palpable, and for the first time in a long while, a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, “This’ll do,” Carter said, almost to himself, inspecting the smooth, glimmering surface. “This’ll more than do.” His thoughts raced to repairs for his destroyed airship, freedom from scraping out a living in the Evig Company, maybe even enough to buy his own vessel outright. It wasn’t just gold; it was opportunity, and maybe, just maybe, a way to wash away years of misfortune.

Still holding the bar, Carter glanced back over his shoulder at the others, his grin sharp but tempered by practicality, “Looks like we hit the mother-load. Now let’s get the carts out there and get this aboard before anyone else decides they want a share.”

"And the enemy of the cloudy palace, arises from unbroken silence" Chamer's voice was low as he tailed the group, watching behind them. "Let's be quick. If they abandoned this much gold, it's because the communalists were very close."

"We didn't see anyone when we came in to land," Zoe replied brightly. She reached over to pick up a bar, grunting with exertion before setting it down again, "These are heavier than they look," she complained, dusting her hands off, despite the fact there appeared to be no dust on them, "I'll go and get one of those carts, just don't expect me to push it very far."

"The Bridges to the south were also blown," Volodar commented as he moved to assist Zoe with the cart. "The reds have been delayed. Haste here can get us injured, or worse. More likely the Garrison, either by orders or by their own volition, has done the same thing as us and simply couldn't carry more away."

Carter glanced at Volodar, nodding in agreement as he shifted his grip on the gold bar still clutched in his hand—he hadn’t even realized he was holding it until now. “We still can't risk it,” he said, his voice low but steady, “If the reds were close enough to blow the bridges, they’re close enough to turn up any minute.” He turned sharply, the urgency returning to him, “Chamers, grab one of those carts and give Zoe a hand. I’ll get another.” As he moved to the nearest cart, his boots echoed faintly in the cavernous space. The weight of the gold still in his grip finally registered, and with a faint scoff, he tossed the bar onto the cart with a dull thud. “Urses,” he called over his shoulder, “keep an eye out for any interlopers. If anyone gets close, best to know before they get a shot off.”

"Overeager local commanders closer to the front, where ever it may be, are not cause for concern, and we can shoot any small party of looters that may have realized the garrison is gone." Volodar sighed once more before getting a cart rolling towards the racks of bars "The reds would need motor carriages or trains on unopposed roads to even try to keep pursuit with us, and we were not bound to roads. Cavalry couldn't keep up with us in their wildest dreams, so stay calm before someone gets shot by mistake!"

"Look, if you are worried, why don't the strong people load the cart?" Zoe stopped what she was doing hands on hips, "I'll go sit on a wall somewhere sensible and if anyone shows up I'll yell... and don't forget we have a sentry on top of the balloon as well. We'll have a pretty good idea if people are approaching. Plenty of notice. This is going to take a while to fill the ship. Probably more than a day."

"If we're going to be here a while, I want to investigate the rest of the fortress while we have the chance," Urses said, "The gold's not going anywhere, so if we can find anything else worth taking we can throw it onto the carts when we start taking them back."

Carter glanced at Urses, giving a casual shrug and a nod of agreement. “Fine by me, we'll load up as much as we can for now,” he muttered before turning his attention back to Zoe. Pulling his Harlan pistol from its holster, he gave it a quick spin before offering it to her grip-first, “You know how to use one of these?” he asked, his tone light but serious enough to convey the stakes, “Just in case yelling isn’t fast enough.”

"Point it in the air and pull the trigger... I'm sure I can figure it out," Zoe declared brightly.

Chamer walked past the group and just began hefting the gold bars, two-handed, into the cart. There was a little testing with the first bar, but afterwards he made it look easy. "Let's get Inburia's gold loaded. Someone see if there's something else to move it with."