Zano was making sure he was out of the way when Arkadios spoke to him and nodded to Arkadios. "Yes, sir, and it will be done," he said in an affirmative tone. Now he can be useful, he thought as he went to gather a team to disconnect the cables. He may not seem like it, but he knows how an airship works and can actually show it.

Zano went down the airship, gathering those he could find and after getting a team together. He led the team down to the cables and went about disconnecting them one by one. It's a good thing he knows what he is doing, and though it may be his first time actually working on an airship. Zano does feel confident in himself despite that, more so after the pilot training with Itzi. It helped him and the fact that company was on their way, it made him motivated to get the airship up in the air but as safely as possible. He knows he has the time for that.

---

Itzi – Prepping for Takeoff

Itzi’s fingers danced over the controls, her eyes flicking between dials and gauges as she ran through the final checks. Everything was primed—engines ready, ballonets inflated just enough to keep them grounded, and the ballast waiting to be dumped. All they needed was the signal that the lines were free and everyone—everyone—was aboard, including the last of the gold.

Her stomach twisted with nerves, but she shoved them down. Now was not the time for doubt.

She checked again—fuel pressure, rudder responsiveness, altitude stabilizers. Everything was where it needed to be. No mistakes. No failures.

Taking a sharp breath, she pulled her pistol from her belt, pulling the side and making sure a round was there. Would she need it? Hopefully not. Hopefully, they were about to take off and leave all of this behind.

But her hands still trembled slightly as she released the slide back in place.

Was she really up for this?

Her mind drifted, unbidden, to home... to the warm, salty air of the Main, the familiar streets, the smell of fresh-baked bread wafting from a busy market stall. A far cry from where she sat now, heart pounding, waiting for the moment they’d rise into the sky or fall into chaos. She wasn’t here just for herself. She had to make it back. Not empty-handed. Not with just a story of how she almost had it.

Gritting her teeth, she tucked the pistol back in its waist holster and refocused.

Just a little longer. Get everyone aboard. Cut the lines. Drop the ballast. And then, they’d be free.

---

Carter – Time to Fly

The last crate of gold swung up on the crane, rattling slightly before settling into the cargo hold with a satisfying thud. Carter exhaled through his nose, gripping the shotgun tight as he took one last glance at the castle. That’s it. No more trips. No second chances. The moment that gold hit the airship, it became theirs.

He turned, stepping quickly up the stairs of the cargo hold and onto the deck as the others followed behind, sweat-streaked and breathless. The engines rumbled, the air thrumming, it was obvious that the crew inside the ship had begun work already. They were seconds away from getting the hell out of here, assuming nothing went sideways in the last stretch.

That was when he spotted Zano and other crew working the lines, hands moving fast to free the last tethers holding them to the ground. Carter smirked, adjusting his shotgun on his shoulder as he called out, “Damn fine timing, Mirazdar. Any later, and we’d have been sitting ducks out here, waiting for an invitation to dinner...”

He didn’t need to explain what kind of dinner, evveryone already knew it’d be lead instead of lamb.

With the gold aboard and the last lines dropping free, Carter made his way to the ballast release, rolling his shoulders as he took position. He gripped the lever, bracing himself. Once this goes, there’s no stopping it. The ship would rise, and with any luck, they'd leave behind the horsemen, the fort, and hopefully war itself, at least for him and those with no interest in fighting for a cause that wasn't theirs.

He turned his head toward Arkadios, Itzi and anyone else in the bridge, calling out over the growing hum of the engines, “We ready to let this bird fly?”

In the distance there was movement. People crossing the ridgeline in loose order, though who exactly it was was anyone's guess - the figures were so far away they might as well have been ants...

Arkadios nodded to Carter, "Once we've confirmed everyone is aboard." He paused, clearing his throat to address everyone on the bridge, "If I might have your attention," he said, in a tone that suggested he was being polite, but there wasn't really an option not to listen, "We're about to take off, but without the benefit of a ground crew this has the potential to get a bit bumpy, especially if there's a gust of wind, so if you aren't doing anything critical to takeoff, make sure you holding onto something!"

---

Nikos

Zeppelin #27, Gondola

---

Nikos spun the handwheel to unlock the mooring cone in its cup, afraid any moment he was going to be shot before it was free. When it suddenly fell off in his hand, he stares at it for a long moment in disbelief, then tossed it aside. Grabbing the quick release lever, he yanked it down, pushing the mooring cone up out of the cup.

"Wait for me!" he yelled, climbing frantically down the ladder and sprinting towards the gondola, his legs and arms pumping with adrenalin as the cool crisp air burned in his lungs.

"This is a stupid way to die!" he thought to himself as the gondola came closer and closer....

Itzi – Taking to the Skies

Itzi gritted her teeth, both hands steady on the controls as the airship lurched beneath her. The ballonets deflated, the ballast dumped, and the ship began its ascent—not gracefully, but it was rising. The wind caught them hard, pushing against the hull, and for a moment, the airship swayed like a drunken sailor. Hold steady. Keep the nose level.

She forced herself to focus, adjusting the altitude controls in careful increments, not overcorrecting. She'd studied the techniques, knew the theory inside and out, but now? Now it’s just me, my hands, and this ship.

The engines roared, the pressure gauges fluctuated slightly, but everything held. It’s working. She exhaled through her nose, fingers tightening, eyes flicking over the instruments. No amount of theory could replace experience, but hell if she wasn’t earning it right now.

“Come on, girl,” she muttered under her breath, as if speaking to the ship itself. “We’re not dying today.”

She spared a brief glance out the window. Below, the fortress was shrinking, the ground falling away, but the ridgeline—the horsemen—were still visible. Itzi felt her pulse hammer, her gaze retuned to the skies where she hoped they'd find safety.

Carter – A Helping Hand

Carter was gripping a support beam near when movement caught his eye. Nikos, tearing across the yard like hell itself was at his heels.

“Shit,” Carter muttered.

The ship was rising fast, the mooring lines already cut. If Nikos didn’t reach the gondola now, he wasn’t reaching it at all.

Carter let go of the beam and lunged, cursing at himself all while at it. Grabbing a thick net still hanging from the hull the mainer braced himself against the deck, extending a hand out toward the sprinting Inburian.

“Move it, sailor!” Carter barked, arm outstretched. If he jumps, he might just make it.

Hamerlin watched and braced as the airship jumped, it's balance, weight and much diffrent to the first flight and the engines kicked in. It lurched, slower, heavier and felt more.... well it was loaded down with more gold than a man could spend in a single life in sanity.

"Brace" He said to himself as Gravity and life began to change over as they rose, the experimce was jarring for a man who liked heavy steel and waves over this.

Their was a whole event going on outside on railings but he had no time to worry about that right now as he looked onwards at the changing and moving view, the airship was certainly alot more agile than ots huge size let on.

"Ready turn to 220 on mark, keep us unpredictable. Don,t give em a free shot at side soon as we safely away." He said in a tone of forced calm as his hand shook on the Navigators station. The entire airship shuddered or he thought it did but probbly was his own mind playing tricks back to that dark day.

"Anyone else feel like a pirate?" He joked to hide his own weakness behind bravado, an Officer had to mantain their calm and control even when they did not feel so.

Giogoula Giorgiou

Thankfully, there was no sign of gunfire coming from the direction of the uniformed men. Giogoula still has no idea about if the arriving men were hostiles or friendlies and it appeared that the airship is not staying behind to find out. She quickly got back to the ladder and begin to climb down from the roof. If the ship was to leave now, the policewoman knows that she could lose her balance and that is not something she wants.

Luckily, her foot managed to touch the platform right before she could feel the lift off. Quickly grabbing onto the rails, she held as tight as she could so that she wouldn't fall off before the airship stabilizes.

---

Nikos

Zeppelin #27, Gondola

---

Seeing Carter, Nikos put every last bit of strength he had left into his leap, his hands desperately reaching for Carter's...

...and managed to grab his wrist.

"Have mercy!" the bosun begged, his face twisted into a rictus of terror. "Don't let go!"

Nikos reached up with his free hand, managing to grab a handful of the net, then after a moment started pulling himself up.

Why had they released the water bladders before he could do the quick-release on the mooring? The zeppelin needed to be untied!

The approaching soldiers were still some way off. Too far to see exactly who they were with the naked eye, though Arkadios trained a spy glass on them as they approached, "They look like Inburian infantry, though it's hard to tell from here."

Though it wasn't easily noticeable to anyone but trained airship crew, the ship was rising very sluggishly, mostly because of the volume of gold onboard. Their surface ceiling was going to be quite a bit lower than usual...

Volodar Naesandoral

---

Volodar frowned as Arkadios reported on the infantry, who to him resembled a group of ants in the distance as the mass slowly trickled towards the fort. He silently prayed for the best as continued to watch out the windows of the gondola.

"If those men were the garrison, they'd be marching along the road," He thought aloud. "They'd also still probably have their lorries, unless they had to abandon them due to a lack of fuel. Territorials, mayhap? Or perhaps defectors? Alas, without getting closer, we cannot know for sure. I suggest we adjust course to simply avoid them if possible."

The old officer looked over the map and at the scene expanding before them, around them and the forces present, foot units only, not signs of this distance of heavy weapons, arty or such... Long as they kept moving they should be safe. Thr fact it was converted to military unse and guns may mean they added light armour but that was at best against flak or and not concentrated fire, the dinwoes where still glass and the gas bags could be shot out with heavy fire. They where running heavy, yes, they needed to Evade.

"Copy Captain, got a rough plot on unknown force. Estimates range 5.0.0.0. To 7.5.0.0. Metres. Closing fast on force. Can divert to heading. 1.9.0 and limit our exposure and fire." His PTSD was calmed by the slow fmailailr military report, it's slow clear numbers and the highly clipped tone pronounced for maximum clarity. His hand shook holding the compass as he took a reading and confirmed he was right.

"Copy. Compass and repeat are in sync" He said again as he tried to calm his feelings, his memories. The old memories... the ones that ended in fire, darkness blood and pain.

"Damn wish I looted some cigarettes right now" He said to herself as she watched and waited the force on horizon. Hamerlin was forcing his calm as he ran the basic general orders he learned a officer cadet to force his mind off the old battle, the last battle.

@Bingelly@Dyelli Beybi

James E. Carter & Itzi Ku

---

Carter slammed the hatch shut behind Nikos, catching the last glimpse of distant figures creeping closer through the haze of smoke. He paused, hand gripping the metal frame, lungs burning, trying to shove the rising tension down his throat with a few sharp exhales.

“Welcome aboard, sunshine,” he muttered, mostly to himself, before turning back into the gondola.

He made his way toward the control cabin, boots thudding against the grates, catching the tail end of Arkadios and Volodar’s exchange. The two were locked in some kind of debate—whether the approaching troops were Inburian, defectors, or something else entirely.

“Doesn’t matter what banner they wave,” Carter said flatly, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of a gloved hand. “If they’re marching toward us and carrying rifles, we ain’t waitin’ around to shake hands and swap names.”

He stepped into the control cabin without waiting for any other word.

Itzi was already at the rudder, fingers hovering just above the trim levers, following Hamerlin’s course adjustment. She didn’t need to be told twice. Her brow was furrowed, but her face otherwise calm, composed. If anyone noticed the tremor in her fingertips, they didn’t say.

She nodded tightly when Carter joined her. The cabin felt brimming with heat, copper scent, and the distant hum of something approaching.

“I’ve already begun shifting our heading,” she said, glancing at the compass, “One-nine-zero. It should keep us clear unless they’ve got wheels… or wings.”

“Let’s hope not,” Carter said, stepping in beside her and reaching for the ballast controls. “We’re dragging like a sick elephant. The gold’s weighing us down—wasn’t made to carry a royal fortune I figure...”

He flicked a switch with a practiced snap. The ship groaned faintly as the trim adjusted.

Itzi nodded again, suppressing the knot in her chest. It had been her own decision to help recover this gold, this way to justify her ventures in the old continent and return home with a fortune to her family's name. Now they were flying lower than comfortable, slower than safe. It felt like perhaps this wasn't a good idea, it was a gamble. Everything was a gamble now.

“How long before they’re in range?” she asked.

He peered out one of the side panels, jaw tightening. “Depends on their legs. If they start shootin’, this crate’s got enough armor to laugh off a pistol, but rifles may punch through just fine.”

He didn’t bother softening it. The crew needed facts, not comfort.

“We can’t outrun a proper scout squad in this condition, but if we keep our heading and stay unpredictable, they’ll have a hard time tracking us. Hell, they might think we’re one of them.”

“And if they don’t?” she asked

Carter shrugged, “Then we better hope the folks in the gun stations don’t panic.”

She breathed in deep, fixing her eyes on the altimeter. Behind her cool tone, her mind raced. What if they’re shot at? What if someone panics? What if Carter gets stubborn again and argues with the Inburians over the gold?

But she only nodded.

“You take lateral trim,” she said. “I’ll manage the lift and heading. We’ll clear the range. Hopefully.”

“Yeah. Hopefully.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “You’re keepin’ it together well, I’ll give you that.”

“Someone has to.”

He grunted, impressed but not saying it. Then: “You’re sure the old man knows what he’s doin’, right?”

Itzi looked toward the forward windows where Hamerlin stood, still reading his compass like it was scripture. She hesitated.

“…Yes.”

Carter caught that pause. He said nothing, but the corner of his mouth twitched in a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Alright, then. Let’s hope he keeps readin’ the gospel.”

Hamerlin spent minutes as the artillery mind came back. He dragged out an old survey map and began to cross reference the heights, lows, valleys and hills together. The whole thing blurred into his mind, damn his one eye slowing him down as he pulled together and sketched out a route on grease pencil scrawled across an old survey map with angles, A protector and several warnings for potential height dangers due to the route. They were flying too low…but what if he turned low and slow into aadvantage…

An advantage.. Perhaps he had just made their escape plan. Next came working out the turns, the airship handled more like a speeding capital ship, slow on the turns, handling hard with momentum and energy meaning turns would be slower and have to be planned ahead. The gaps would be narrow but .. possible…the heights. Hazards but they still had the light. At night that would be lethal but she was light enough.

His hands began to calm and his mind sharpened as he scrawled out a scale and did rapid maths at a rate he had not done in the last 20 years! He had something to vent his frustration on as he quickly did the approximate speed, distance to turn vs scale and … to his surprise it worked even though it might stress the hell out of the top gunners and the pilots.

Why fight your way through when you can not be seen, they would potentially be miles away, with open sky and then be able to easily exhaust the pursuit force over the evening and night.

Breathe in. Breathe out…control… he closed his eyes and recited the general orders in his mind to calm the waves before he explained. Always stay calm, calm is control. “The first order is to follow all lawful orders….” Ran through his mind's voice back to a time when he was younger and whole.

Making his way over he put down a map covered in grease pencil markings and several small skulls marked as hazards because if they hit those…they might not worry because they would be done for. “Excuse me, Ladies, Gentlemen and Officers…I might have a plan. But..it would require some rather tricky flying risks and we would be skirting the limits of what she can handle loaded like a Widows wine cellar, trust me, i had a type… diplomatic status is a good way to meet people.” He was somewhat of a rogue as a diplomat but a professional rogue, events were only as fun as you made it. Functions were not fun if you went for the speeches.

He gestured. “we are here, they are about here… we have a chance, to use the terrain to mask our route, we utilise hills and thead the valley here.. into the river here and out over floodplain. This would break our line of sight heavily and they would have to make pursuit up, down and then into a muddy lowland”

He paused as he let them see the map that might kill them or be their ticket out of here. “The weight, speed and height we would have to maintain is… honestly threading a needle but if we do this, we could be in the open sky and make time and distance all evening and night. We would long exhaust even a mechanical division on main roads. Probably at least 200 to 300 miles even if there is minimal fuel burn… They would have to pause long before we would.”

“We would fly so low in one area you'd probably be able to admire the farmer's daughter, 90 to 100 feet.” He said as he finished, a rogue was always a rogue, even an older one but you choose to be a gentleman rogue.

“So, I cede the floor to you lovely ladies and gentlemen.” He said with a mock bow and wink to the woman, an old rogue had to have a little fun.

@InfamousGuy101@Bingelly@Dyelli Beybi

---

Nikos

Zeppelin #27, Gondola

---

"Of..." Nikos gasps, struggling to talk. "Course. They'd come. Towards us. Zeppelin. Next to. Gold."

Friend or foe, they'd have to investigate the zeppelin - it was a greater prize than the gold itself!

After a moment, he struggled to his feet. "If they get too close, we can always drop the gold on them. Still plenty left to fight this war with."

---

"Coglione," Christina swore, working hard to get every ounce of lift and every rotation of the propellers to inch them away from the fortress as she adjusted the controls on the master panel, with nary an extra hand in sight as they were all rushing to defend the parameter. If only they had a tail wind! "Did you load it to the brim, you scemo Nikos! After I told you not to?!"

If they survived this, she had to safeguard future generations by making sure the bosun's genes weren't passed on. Or at least, no further.

James E. Carter & Itzi Ku

---

The map crinkled under Hamerlin’s gloved hand, marked with loops and squiggles, hazard skulls, and altitude annotations that would make a younger man sweat. The old officer's voice carried with practiced ease, one part artilleryman, one part diplomat, and one part devil-may-care showman.

Carter stood just behind the forward portside console, arms folded across his chest, eyes locked on the maze of valleys and turn angles sketched across the old survey sheet. His brow furrowed, jaw working the edge of a thought like a stubborn nail.

When Hamerlin finished, Carter didn’t speak right away. He stepped forward, glancing between the map and the old captain’s weathered face.

"...Threadin’ a needle’s right," Carter muttered. “With the engines running heavy, and the gold dragging us like an anchor, we'd be banking her on momentum. She’s no racer. But...”

He tapped one gloved finger on the valley line.

“…but if this here’s real—if that cover breaks sightlines like you say—then hell, it’s worth the damn gamble. Better than slugging it out with whatever’s comin’. They spot us in the open sky, it’s just a matter of time before something faster finds us.”

He looked up, tone sharpening.

“You get me a flightpath, I can fly her through it. It'll shake like hell, and I ain't promising everyone keeps their lunch down, but I can do it.”

Then he looked over toward Itzi, giving her a head gesture.

“But I don’t fly her alone..."

Itzi had remained still during the whole exchange, eyes flicking over Hamerlin’s grease-streaked map. She understood the logic. The elevations, the masking effect, the timing. It was smartt, ingenious even, but the airship wasn’t a fighter. It was a flying brick with dreams of grace.

She didn’t move from her station.

“It’s clever,” she said, carefully, “And I trust the man's math.”

There was a “but” coming from the time in her voice, and it hung there a moment before she exhaled and gave it life.

“But this isn’t some skiff or coastal patrol ship. One miscalculation in a blind spot, and we’re scraping a gasbag on rock. You’ve all seen how sluggish she’s been climbing. We don't get a second chance if something goes wrong.”

She looked at Carter, her voice lowering just slihtly.

“And you're confident you can do this, loaded like we are?”

“No,” Carter don't hesitate. “Not confident. But I’ve flown through worse with less.” A pause. “And we don’t got a safer option, unless anyone else has a better idea?"

Itzi nodded slowly. She didn’t argue. But her grip on the trim lever tightened slightly.

The room fell into a beat of silence. The chart remained on the table like a challenge. The math was done. The terrain was waiting.

All that remained was the choice.

The floor was open.