Session: 8 The Train Job

   Kira's time in the Advanced Power Research Facility was almost crushingly educational. In her first two weeks there was an onslaught of textbooks to study and access to research that she could barely comprehend. She began to study feverishly, fearful that she'd lose her apprenticeship should it be discovered how poorly qualified she was. She kept her head down and her voice quiet watching how others got along. Thankfully as Letch's assistant nobody was all that interested in who she was or what she did.
   Kira found time to go over power plant specs with the Crafter, hinting that she had noticed that that a lot of cyborg women visited him. Letch smiled leeringly as he worked, his pale face lit by the paler light of his screen "Yes, one of my hobbies is the design and calibration of cybernetics" Kira smiled and tried to arrange her body in an attention getting pose, not easy for a girl who had worked hard at not being seen all her life "You know I have cybernetics?". Letch didn't even make eye contact as he explained "Yes, you have a ketonic sheathed nervous system, is it out of calibration?" Kira felt the hook sink in her catch "It's not a problem Crafter but it could use calibration, perhaps one of the Engineers here could tend to it.." Letch finally looked up from his work "Nonsense, he rose and grabbed his volt tools and walked over to her with a kind smile before pulling her clothing away from her maintenance port. What followed was an uncomfortably unromantic exchange where the Crafter treated her non-cybernetic parts like so much meat as he adjusted her body and ran her through a competent calibration without ever speaking to her.
   Back in Tikal two weeks flew by. The ship was no almost completely scrubbed clean. With the ship less toxic crews began working on the interior but there was only so much that could be done without power. Towards the end of that time Genin Fox came to Lady Sakura and suggested that the contract be suspended for a vacation until the ship had power so that her money wasn't being wasted. Ian didn't have enough firebirds to pay out the two weeks of work yet. He had been counting on hearing from Boss Harmon already. He flew to the Guild Hall in Carllion and send a reminder to Boss Harmon via the Avalonia guild hall that he was waiting for that work.
   When Ian and Lady Sakura returned they could see soldiers in red armor as they flew over the village. It was the Red Dragon Guard, finally hitting Tikal. As they set down they both walked to the stairs down to the town, already finding soldiers well-armed and ready demanding to know their business in Tikal. Sakura addressed them with the polished confidence of a woman who no matter what wasn't going to prison for any of this nonsense. She explained that she was pursuing a reclamation license in town and she had employees working in the building behind her. The soldiers radioed this in and their commander ran forward. After a brief interaction at the bottom of the stairs the commander climbed up to Sakura and Ian with a charming smile and introduced himself as Commander Eron Chun. He apologized for any misunderstanding and explained that his men were in Tikal looking for insurgents and would need to search their camp and the surrounding ruins. Lady Sakura tried to flaff him off with moans of her long travels and a longing to just get a cold night's rest on the mountain but the commander insisted. Sakura sighed and directed Ian to run ahead and alert the camp they'd be having guests and make sure everything was in suitable shape for inspection.
   As Ian ran for the camp Commander Chun summoned his half-dozen men from the village below and they came running, giving Ian a lead of only seconds. Ian found the Diakang Longdong with weapons trained on the door as he arrived, heckles up. He told them they needed to look inconspicuous but the Daikang, already aware of the Count's soldiers were in a contentious mood and argued with him until the Red Dragon Soldiers were running down the stairs towards the landing bay. Ian just hissed at the angrily to get their dumb asses in the ship. However soldiers burst into the doorway before they could all get in. With guns raised and cries of "Halt!" they caught the last of the Diakang soldiers outside of the ship and forced him to surrender.
   As Commander Chun entered the bay and found a Daikang rebel in the camp and reports of more in the ship his demeanor changed. He wanted everyone on the line with papers ready or he said he'd shoot. He summoned more soldiers. Lady Sakura looked frightened. Ian tried to fast-talk the Commander but was shouted out to stand in the corner like a child. The Camp was tossed and his contract workers were interrogated. Once the rest of the solders arrived they made Apprentice Hume force the airlock and they negotiated the other four Diakang to surrender and come out to be arrested. Ian watched the Diakang being arrested and as a last bid of desperation he begged the Commander if there was some sort of fee that could be paid to just get back to business. Chun looked at Ian thoughtfully and shrugged asking for 16 Firebirds with an outstretched white glove. Ian was beside himself, and quickly dug the coins out of his pockets. Commander Chun doled out a single Firebird to each man and then told them to take the prisoners away. Ian looked at the commander in disbelief "I paid!" and chun's eyes narrowed "And my men appreciate your quick payment of the fine for attempting to bribe a House official.. if there are additional fines to be levied once I have interviewed these prisoners I will come to you directly..". The Red Dragon Brigade began leading their prisoners down the mountain in the afternoon and Ian felt genuinely horrible for letting the Diakang down.
  Ian and Lady Sakura flew down to Lawton hoping to get ahead of the soldiers. Sakura went to go talk to her father and find out where the prisoners would be held and find out what she could about how they would be tried. Ian, lacking anyone more powerful to talk to in the guild, went to meet with Lula Blue. He found her tending to her orchids in the terrace room of Blue Tours. He explained what had happened and asked her if there was a way to bribe the judge or break the Diakang out. Boss Blue listened distractedly while spraying each petal, her expression difficult to read. When Ian finished she stood tall and looked to him "Do you love these men?". Ian had never considered his motivation other than he had a deal "Uh.. no". Blue set her spray bottle down and looked up at the big glass windows thoughtfully "Freeing them would run maybe 10,000 FB? And it would be chancey.. Bribing their freedom would cost around the same and be less reliable. No matter how you cut it they won't generate a fraction of that for you, rebels just don't have money like that.. If you don't love them you write them off as an expense..". Ian hated the realization that she was right and after months of moral ambiguity it felt good to hate her for being right, like the principal was enough for him, but she was right. He couldn't possibly raise that much money and his principals weren't worth trading the one asset he had for. He thanked Boss Blue for her perspective and left.
   Sakura didn't have better news. The judge slated to rule over prisoners of the Red Dragon Guard was an ornery justice and the political shift against rebel fighters in the Ceremanique Mountains meant they were unlikely to get more than a show trial before their execution. Sakura didn't have any connections that could help. She was out of options and didn't even know if she could keep this from blowing back on her family. Ian comforted her and explained they'd find a way.
   Back in the Advanced Power Research Facility, Kira had achieved the sort of Fake-it level of understanding technology the Imperial Eye had showed her how to project and she began to take on supervision of workers in the factory. Letch would demonstrate how to construct a module and Kira would simply ensure that those standards were being met. Not fully understanding the function of these plants didn't stop her from measuring a part of approving it or rejecting it. Kira was also able to keep better tabs on Letch with her nose out of the books. She noticed he had a lot of female visitors who had a lot of conspicuous cybernetics, not that that surprised her anymore. She made a note of it as a way to control him.
   Before the end of 30 days word was sent from the APRF that the Power Plant was completed and would be delivered. In just three days a freight hopper landed above the bay and workers started loading crates down into the ship. The Scravers had managed to jimmy the cargo bay doors open and aired out the engineering area with fans. Letch and Kira performed the installation over several hours, restoring power to the vessel after a number of system's tests. The reclamation crew cheered and hollered and drinks were poured. Crafter Letch presented formal papers establishing his rights to 10% of the ship and her profits and reluctantly the other owners signed him in. Kira wasn't so satisfied with the deal so she suggested Letch might have to refund some of his share because she did most of the work constructing the power plant. He just smiled and suggested she choose the percentage of the power plant she'd like to return to him. She persisted and he just smiled and finally told her that she has been hinting at how much she'd like further enhancement, if she'd like to upgrade her eyes she may pay the price of one eye and he'd gracefully buy the other. She was taken aback and unsettled by his fetishism. At the end of the day she flew back to her training with Letch, thinking about the eyes she might have installed.
   Days later in Tikal a skimmer arrived with a guest, it was Harmon's man Maeve. Maeve had completely changed his look, now dressed in tight clothes with a golden afro. The sight of it was almost enough to make Ian laugh. Maeve made some small talk about how things were going and gave a few Scravers on the contract a nod and smile of recognition before going into Sakura's tent with Ian to talk shop. He had a job form Boss Harmon; there were 4 coffins-sized containers being transported on a train from Avalonia to Susa in one week's time. Maeve warned that the cases were being transported in a Tithe car for the Cathedral and would probably have half-a-dozen guards. Harmon wanted them pitched off of the train along the massive train bridge stretching across the southern straights between the continents where a boat waiting at the first bridge support would collect them and go. The job paid 5000 FB for all four cases, less firebirds for any less cases. Ian asked how close to the boat he had to get the cases and Maeve reiterated what Ian was being paid for all four cases getting into the boat.
   Ian flew down to Carlion and called out to the Engineers APRF to talk to Kira. He told her about the job and that he'd pick her up the day before and drop her off the next morning. He took a train ride down to Susa to get a look at the train. It was a Duraplast and aluminum bullet train but rarely traveled faster than about 100 mph. It was comfortable and most everyone slept on the long trip. He found the town of Susa strange and off-putting. It was dirtier and rougher than he was expecting and as a visitor he only had access to a tiny row of restaurants and inns, not permitted into the city proper. He camped a few miles down the tracks and in the morning he woke early and began crossing the passenger span on the bridge. He studied where he hoped to attack the train and found the drop very severe. There was nowhere on the tracks to land the skimmer so he'd have to try to come in on the train or land on top of it. He caught the train again in Susa as he returned from Avalonia and rode it back. On the return trip he realized each car had an emergency break so if he or Kira were on board they could stop the train where they wanted. He arrived just in time to get 4 hours of sleep, fuel up the skimmer and fly out to the Engineers APRF to grab Kira.
   Kira had found some time while Crafter Letch wasn't occupied and interrupted his drafting in his private quarters to talk to him. She explained that she had a family emergency and needed time away. Letch didn't like the sound of it but asked her how long ago her last break was. She said she had been working uninterruptedly since she arrived, a small lie. Letch seemed sympathetic and told her to take half a day and give his respects to her family. Kira was almost angry at how little he afforded her but she wasn't going to fight him for it.
   When Ian landed to pick up Kira she was packed and ready for the fight. He tried to explain all of the details of the job to her while flying and rushing to get her on the train. He explained he just needed her to pull the emergency stop when they reached the bridge and to be near the rear of the train to back him up. Kira had some other stuff going on in her mind and didn't really listen as well as she could. He shoved her onto the train and ran to get in the skimmer car and go get into position ready to ambush the train and ditch it's cargo.
   Kira sat on the train patiently at first. She made a note of the emergency pull for the brake and thought of how she'd inconspicuously pull it when the time came. She looked over the 5-talon rail map she had purchased at the little stand that sold candy and other snacks. She didn't see any good point of reference for where the bridge began so she'd just have to watch vigilantly. She noticed people getting up and moving around the train so she thought she'd go investigate what's going on in the other cars. At the rear of the passenger cars she spotted a conductor distractedly doing some book entry of some kind. She decided she'd like a closer took at the tithe care at the rear of the train so she rushed to him and whispered fearfully "I think I saw a man in the car before this one with a gun, I don't know what he's doing is there a constable on the train?" the conductor leaned around his little alcove to a woman curled up sleeping across two seats and mentioned there was a suspicious character in car six. The woman got up and spoke quietly with the conductor. Meanwhile Kira crept out the back of the train car undetected.
  Deep in the Southern pines about 12 miles from the bridge head Ian was sitting on the hood of the skimmer car down a logging road from the train tracks, keeping a close eye out for a train that should be passing soon. He was keeping warm with a thermos of tea that had long gone cold. Suddenly overhead he heard the drum of contragav engines as two massive hoppers slowly drifted by. He didn't know the territory down in this part of Rampart well but he didn't think there were any cities in the direction they were travelling or where they were going. They vanished over the tops of the trees across the road. He didn't think they spotted him. With all the noise he hadn't realized the train was coming until it was zipping past the road. He jumped into the skimmer and started to pursue it.
  In the the blustery space between passenger and cargo cars, Kira pulled out a tube of molecular adhesive and squished a few applications into the door jamb leading back into the passenger car to keep passengers out of her business. She proceeded into the freight car, cutting cargo nets open and letting goods fall to the floor to hinder those that might pursue her back through the car. She found the door to the rear of the car locked so she put three rounds through it and used a metal box she found to beat it until the door latch fell off and she opened the door into the space between the last two cars. She slipped up to the door to the tithe car and peered into it's barred window. A quick glance showed a group of men in the center of the car sitting among crates and boxes. She dared a second longer look into the car, seeing soldiers playing cards on a makeshift table next to the big coffin-containers and a man in Church livery and heavy armor lazing on a stack of rice sacks, probably a knight. Sadly this time one of the soldiers made eye contact and started to get up.
   Kira, not sure what she was doing at this point and lacking a plan just started banging on the door and trying to demonstrate that she couldn't explain what was going on with the door closed. The soldier, alarmed but not terribly freaked out watched her pantomime for a bit before checking with the others and opening the door "Hey, I don't know how you got back here but this is a private car and you have to go back.." Kira somehow managed an appealingly warm smile and pleaded "Oh come on. I heard you guys have a game going back here and I'm dying of boredom, please can I play just one hand?". Everyone in the Tithe car seemed to understand this was a bad idea but they were won over by the excitingly strange woman and after the knight offered no objection they helped her into the tithe car and found her a seat around the table. One hand was over very quickly without a chance to gather any more information and surely someone would eventually realize the door was glued shut. One of the soldiers was getting up and escorting Kira back out of the car despite her tame protests and questions about what they were doing back here.
   Finally at the door of the train car Kira sighed, drew her rapier and ran the guard through the gut. Everyone was caught flat-footed and the lazy knight actually fell off his pile of rice sacks in shock. Men scrambled for rifles or cover. Kira pulled her Rip-roarer and put two rounds into one of the solders, hitting him solidly in the thigh and taking him down. There were two rifles shots returned, then the sounds of reloading. Kira couldn't believe it, she charged the men firing into one of them and wounding him. As she neared the bags of rice the night burst forward and trapped her gun against the stack with his pistol and quickdrew his vibrosaber which Kira tied up with her rapier. The night looked at her through the visor of his duraplast helm "Hey, calm down.. what do you want?". Kira huffed and puffed at him, shifting her grasp on her weapons looking for a way to strike without being attacked "I just wanted to see those containers but you wouldn't let me.." The knight swallowed and nodded "How about this.. you can look at the containers, then you're going to put your weapons down and we'll be more relaxed ok?" The Soldiers looked rattled but didn't want to shoot the crazy woman while she was tangled with their knight. Kira shifted anxiously and slowly lowered her weapons, edging around the knight to look at the big coffins. They were refrigerator units, with a window that showed tiny bags of fluid on racks, well that didn't make her less curious. She examined the case and started looking for a way to open it before the knight spoke up "Ok, you've had your look, now you keep up your end and put your weapons down..". Suddenly Kira saw the bridgehead shoot by the rear window of the train and she noticed an emergency stop pull on the wall behind the knight. She was going to have to get by him quickly.
   Soaring above the train Ian was lining up his landing when he spotted those Fright Hoppers coming in from behind. They were definitely going to pull some bullshit. He patiently watched the train approach the bridge, roll past the bridge head and nothing, fucking Kira he was going to have to land on a moving.. oh wait.. there's the breaks, sparking kicking up from the wheels as the engineer tried to right the breaking. He kicked on the landing software and tried to lock on the top of the tithe car. All he had to do was dump that cargo before these dicks in the hoppers get in his way.
   Below in the Tithe car everything lurched forward, people grabbing onto what they could for support as the train braked sharply, screeching down the tracks. Kira saw her opening and just shoved past the knight out the back of the train, shoving the door closed between them. She could see Ian settling down above, that was a mission accomplished in her book. Although, if she didn't pull the brake who did? She leaned around the side of the decelerating train she climbed up the ladder to the roof.
   Ian was shutting the engines down and trying to get Kira on his whisper pin when all of a sudden he saw someone clawing their way up on the front of the tithe car, it was an angry-looking church knight armed with vibrosaber and pistol. He quickly popped open the canopy on the skimmer and pulled up his rifle. The knight charged him to get cover on the front of the skimmer as Ian began blowing big-bore rounds through the roof of the train car, parts of the knight and the hood of the skimmer car. He stood there freaked out aiming at the hood of the car waiting for her to pop up as Kira walked up "What are you shooting at?". Ian swallowed "Crazy church knight.. I think I got her but I don't know if she's dead.. check it out?". Kira snerked at Ian "Why me? You've got a rifle?". Ian, maybe a little afraid of how quickly she closed ground adjusted the rifle against his shoulder and held aim "Just go look and see if she's dead.." Kira leaned around the edge of the skimmer car and round a river of blood running down the side of the train car from a crumpled armored form. She prodded it with her rapier, then stuck it with no reaction "Yeah.. dead.." She spotted the hilt of a vibro saber still rattling in the grill of the air car and turned it off before drawing it out of the mechanics of the skimmer "She may have gotten you though..". And just then the two big black hoppers glided to a stop over the tithe car and masked faces peered down over the side at Ian and Kira. Ian couldn't see any livery on the vessels before but at this range he could see that their emblem facing had deliberately be covered with tarps. Yeah, they were here to fuck some shit up.
   Ian told Kira to cut a hole in the roof of the Tithe car with the vibro sword while he kept an eye on the hoppers above. He could see armored crewmen with submachineguns edging out along the hopper frame and dropping cargo cables down along the train car. Their movements looked somehow wrong. They had digitigrade legs, they were changed like the Hounds. While Kira was cutting away one of the hopper crew slid abruptly down a load cable and landed on the train car behind the skimmer, hands held out in a don't shoot me gesture but Kira drew her pistol once more and Ian raised his gun just in case it spoke muffledly from behind a mask "Hey.. put it down.. there's a lot of guns up there and they're going to shoot you a lot if you threaten us.. He says we don't have to fight..". Ian lowered the Hazat Battle Rifle "What do you mean 'He'?". The tall skinny changed gestured at the roof of the train with his empty hands "Down-down.. I don't want to get shot when they tear you apart..". Ian looked up, the faces peering back all hand gun barrels not pointed directly at him, more like 'hey, look, it's a ton of guns up here..' he tossed his rifle into the back of the skimmer and immediately the changed descended in droves from both hoppers, climbing down the sides of the car and bracing the doors shut below. The one who had been doing the talking cocked his head to the side while pressing his helmet to his ear, then stood a little taller and pulled down his mask to show off his feline features proudly "Dr, Corruthers says you can come with us, are you staying or going?". Ian was perplexed by the choices and he looked to Kira who seemed to have no better understanding until the cables went taught and the Tithe car shifted under their feet and the skimmer skidded atop it "Oh shit!". The speaker for the changed gestured up at the hoppers and cargo netting was thrown down, he barked in a foreign language and more of the 'sky pirates' climbed up the car and began webbing the skimmer to their stolen train car as the hopper's contravrav engines grinded to life and begin to carry the it away over the water into the sunset.
   The trip was short but at harrowing speed the rush of water below gave way to tree-tops just a few meters away. Ian and Kira gripped the cargo netting holding their leased skimmer and the changed all seemed to just grapple onto something and fearlessly fly along, many with hooks seemingly designed for their sky-pirate lifestyle. Down below there was a lot of commotion and shouting in the car, nobody could hear it over the engines but the shit was definitely hitting the fan. In just under an hour the hoppers descended and set down in a clearing on either side of the train car. Ian and Kira climbed down with the friendly assistance of their new pirate buddies and the other team moved into position ready to breach the train. Ian could see someone was giving orders on the other end of the train but with pirates stacked up there wasn't a way to get over there without getting in the firing line so he just scurried under the train car like a rat. As he emerged a tall masked man wearing tech gear and synth clothes rushed forward to offer him a hand up.
   Changed raiders threw choke-gas grenades into the car and there was a limited amount of gunfire before people came stumbling out of the enclosed space with their hands up, pulled to the ground and restrained. The leader of the raiders pushed aside a light machinegun strapped over his shoulder and pulled down his mask. He looked Ian over with a smile as he led him away from the train car "Watch your head son.. I figured we'd probably run into one another sooner or later.. I'm Dr. Corruthers.". Ian stared searchingly up at the face of a man he had no way of recognizing but recognized like a reflection of himself "You're my father." his tone matter of fact. Dr Corruthers smirked Ian's smirk and nodded "I am what passes for that.. I'm sorry I wasn't around for you son. Our people do a lot of things well but family isn't one of them.. I'm glad you've made your way in the worlds well.". "Ian looked at the guards being detained and his fathers little army of changed cat-people "This was a job for me Dad.. a lot of Firebirds, what's your gain?". His father looked at Ian a bit judgmentally for a moment "It's altruism... this car is carrying a cure for a plague. I'm making sure it gets to those the church would deny it to." Ian raised dubious a brow at the folk-hero nonsense coming out of Dr. Corruther's mouth "You're saying the Church let loose a plague to kill the changed?". Dr. Corruthers chuckled at how absurd his claim sounded "Maybe not let loose... But certainly the Church isn't breaking a sweat to save these people..". That was a lot easier for Ian to accept. They bickered over the loot a brief bit before it was decided that the Dr. was taking the serum, save five doses he'd gladly give his son and his friends and Ian and Kira would take what they want from the train car.
   Kira was eyeing the knight she had faced off against. It was problematic leaving a witness that had seen her face and she didn't much like that she had fought him and both of them were living, it left a sort of lack of closure. When she had heard Ian and the Dr. come to terms with the loot she drew her rapier and gesture at the prisoners "So I can kill them?". The Church knight spoke up quickly "Whoah.. wait.. we're not a threat to you. You've beat us fairly, you have our weapons, show us some mercy, let us go free. We won't complicate things for you." Kira smirked "You're not going to tell the Church who robbed them? I'm doubtful..". The knight frowned and looked at his men bleeding and beaten "You're a gambling woman right? Three coin flips, if I win you let me and my men walk into the forest. If I lose you can do whatever you like to me but you let my men go free? Ok?". Kira was distractedly thinking about the most economical way to terminate the prisoners and the end of the knight's question broke her out of it. She pulled out a Firebird and showed him heads and tails. "Tails" the knight called and Kira flipped Tails, Heads, Tails. The knight sighed and breathed a a breath of relief. He stood on shaky legs and held out a hand to Kira "You're an honorable woman.. thank you for this decency.." and he helped his men onto their feet, leading them away. Ian looked at Kira in astonishment but Kira was just confused "Wait, I was supposed to kill them all if they lost and?". Ian just shook his head and shouldered his Hazat Battle Rifle, taking aim at the knight's back. Dr. Corruthers objected in soft tones "Son, they're not a threat to you..". Ian fired, dropping the unarmored knight, then picking off the two soldiers that had survived as they scrambled to escape with crippling injuries. He turned and looked angrily at Dr. Corruthers "You've given up on your guild, they aren't a threat to -you- for Kira and I those men could destroy us and everything we're fighting for. Dr. Corruthers just nodded bitterly, not seeing a good end to that fight.
   The Raiders loaded the serum onto their hoppers, disconnected the cables from the train car, and prepared to take flight. Ian approached his father before he climbed aboard "If I need to reach you how do I get in contact..". Dr. Corruthers smiled as he pulled himself aboard, shouting over the engines "There's an inn in Sazu called the Stumbling Pig, if you leave a note there I'll get it.." and he took off into the air, fading away across the treetops.
   Ian and Kira looted what was left in the train car, a strongbox with 2400 FB, some finery and a collection of easily fleeced goods they found in luggage that was stored over from the freight car and a crate of hand-crafted clocks that Kira believed was worth a good deal. Ian flew Kira back to the Advanced Power Research Facility to continue her watch and he flew back to Tikal to spend his loot resurrecting the Starship he'd already sacrificed so much for.

And so things progressed...

[This is the end of the First Book of the game.]

Session 7: A spoonful of poison

   The days that followed the confrontation with Daikang Longdong were tense but grew better. They disposed of the body of the scraver they executed, they attended to the safety of the work crew and they legitimately had some expertise at mountain survival that made the stay up in the mountains much more comfortable. The Daikang took up their own camp in a separate storage room in the hangar bay, there was always one on watch and always one on patrol. Ian was absorbed in the potential cost of this gamble, finding himself doubting his earlier zeal now that blood and been spilled and frozen to the floor. Sakura was struggling keeping her polite composure dealing with the disrespectful Diakang. Kira was coldly calculating how best poison the Daikang, they weren't offering much for the cost of keeping them and they were sure to turn on her and Ian when they'd rather they not. Worse still was the crawling progress of any repairs on ship's systems without power.
   Word came back that the Senior Engineer Hume had referred them to was excited to examine the power plant and was arriving the following day. Ian decided it would be best to take Sakura and get her out to Carllion to take care of some business. Kira politely asked to come along. Ian knocked on a few Guild Counters to see about help with the financing but even his own guild was unwilling to advance him funds without taking a share in the ship. They purchase the rice and heating oil they bargained for with the Diakang as well as a few other necessities, Kira invested in some new glassware and condensing agents for making poisons and some Blue Camiya beans, a local flora that when overcooked made people who at it dangerously sick. Both Ian and Kira discovered that guild-fees from their recent clandestine work had caused a recalculation and both of them had promoted to full vested work within the guild. It didn't mean a great deal in Firebirds but there were a lot of nice benefits, like not having to pay to have the laundry they brought with them washed in the guild barracks.
   They met Crafter Uther Letch on the landing pad when his flitter came into Carllion. He was a pleasant but unattractive old man. He naturally began ordering Kira around to carry his things and answer his questions about the ship and it's locaiton. And stranger still Kira went along with it, recognizing  and respecting the man's power within the Guild.
  They stopped back in Lawton to check on a few things and Kira made a distillation of a Ricin-like poison out of the Camiya. They hurried back to the mountain and as they set down and were unloading the skimmer Kira poured the Ricin impregnated in an oil into the rice being given to the Daikang. She instantly realized how sloppy of an idea this was as she watched Scravers loading the heavy rice bags dripping with poison down into the hangar bay with bare hands.
   Letch was very excited to see the Starship but troubled by it's condition. He donned a filter mask and went in to analyze the power plant of the ship. Everyone else set about preparing for the long night. Letch slept briefly and continued his work. Time away didn't make things more comfortable for Sakura and she found herself in constant stand-offs with the Daikang. Everyone was on edge with a feeling that someone was watching them and Ian had to admit he had a crawling sensation in his skin since he returned.
   Ian set out to look around Tikal Village just to settle his anxiety and Kira not wanting to be bossed around by Crafter Letch. Kira noticed a pair of the Diakang guards were following them some ways back. She wasn't sure what to think about that. While out and about they spotted a girl in white watching them, very obviously trying to stay hidden in the snowy streets. They both gave chase, determined to find out who was spying on them. However, their zeal led them directly into a trap as the girl ran into a box courtyard and a massive armored Vorox bearing Muster livery stepped quietly out from under the eaves of the building behind them. The girl in white drew a pistol and said in a soft voice "Ian Corruthers, We have a warrant for your arrest for trafficking in illicit technologies, Don't resist..". Kira smiles blushingly at the big alien and held out her hand to shake his. The Vorrox's massive eyes smiled from under the visor of his duraplast knight's helm causing Kira's stomach to knot.
  Ian, of course, resisted. He quickdrawed his pistol and took aim on the girl. He simultaniously was hit in the back by an energy weapon fired from inside one of the ruined mountain shacks in the village and there was an explosion of birds rising up into the sky as he felt a sensation not unlike someone crushing his brain with their thumb, suddenly his mind was filled with the idea that now would be a good time to lay down arms and not get anyone hurt... fuck that. The big 4-armed alien tightened his grip on Kira's hand as she started to pull away and he warned her "Don't..". Ian fired on the girl in white and charged at her. He felt another blast from that energy weapon hit his skull and he felt surging pain in his skull, staggering in his charge but not falling unconscious. The girl in white pulled a gun but Ian grabbed hold of her and wrung her around to use as a shield. Kira wrestled with the Vorox, loosing leverage and being put down into the snow while he casually drew a splinter rifle and put a pair of drugged spikes through Ian's synthsylk. Ian shoved his pistol into the psychic's throat and struggled to keep his footing as he felt the drugs sapping his strength and the aching pain from the stunner swooning him. From inside the building they could hear a voice shout "Witch, don't do it.. we need him alive.. Don't you fucking do it! Fuck Jimmy grab him before he pops!". The big Vorox just hurled Kira away into a snow bank, dropped to all fours and charged Ian and the psychic girl shouting "I'm on it.." Ian saw the huge alien coming at him and just winced and threw the girl at him, but they were both slammed under the big beast. After a quick struggle the girl was ejected from between them by hands Ian couldn't' even see and he was utterly pinned by the Jimmy the Vorox's 6 arms. Kira got to her feet and got out her gun, putting three rounds into the Vorox's back but it wasn't enough to punch through his armor. Another shot came out of the darkened shack, this time striking Kira's synthsilk mittens, it stung but not badly. She took aim on the Vorox, walking towards him as a figure in black burst out of the shack and grabbed hold of her and twisted the riproarer from her hand before she could fire. He turned and shouted at the Vorox "Jimmy, we're shutting it down, pack up and run..". Ian pulled his arms loose from the Vorox's hold and grabbed the beasts neck, wrenching it hard but not as hard as the huge alien's corded neck muscles. Still Jimmy the Vorox was not pleased, staring at Ian wide-eyed. He dropped the fusing grenades he had clutched in his big hands and began pummeling Ian's pinned body.
   The grenades under Ian's arms exploded in huge plumes of gas and just like that the mighty Vorrox released him and vanished into the white cloud. Ian clutched his breath mask and tried to fight his way onto his feet and find his pistol in the snow. Kira and the man in black were also overtaken by the cloud. She quickly snatched the weapon he had sheathed on his belt but wasn't expecting the wobbly shaft of a frap stick and her attempt to strike him went-wild. The man in black  yanked her breathmask down and ran followed by something huge lumbering through the cloud of gas. Kira had to slow down to fix her mask but instead of giving chase she went deeper into the cloud shouting for Ian.
   They found each other by yelling out and lead each other out of the cloud and found the two Daikang soldiers waiting just outside of the gas to lead them out. Ian could see the Vorrox in the neighborhood below hurrying towards the mountain gate out of the village. He drew is vibrosword and handed his revolver off to Kira "If they make it to the gate we won't know what they'll come at us with next. One of the Daikang soldiers tried to point out the stupidity of charging after trained Ashtati while wounded but Ian and Kira were already pushing past him. Ian charged after the Vorrox carrying the psychic girl and Kira bounded over an disused animal pen trying to find a shortcut.
  Kira came around the corner quickly on the man in black, she recovered quickly and drew and fired her gun, hitting him twice in the face at point blank range before he could get a weapon out and then the smoke grenade he had just dropped went off, losing her in a cloud of dark blue smoke. Ian rounded two village homes in the twisting streets and lost sight of the Vorox, even knowing where he was going he knew he was losing ground on the galloping alien. He turned back to go help Kira.
  As the smoke cleared Kira was safe and the man in black was very dead. The two of them walked back to the town gates and looked down the winding trail to see the Vorox just a hundred or so meters down. Ian contemplated giving chase, the icy path was treacherous and there was a good chance they could kill the Vorox with a fall. But then he caught sight of the psychic staring back up at him, he said "This isn't over, you're going to pay for murdering Bagger you slag." to no one in particular and then before he could catch himself he lobbed his still-running vibrosaber over the mountain, watching it tumble until it caught in a crag. The psychic on the Vorrox's back flipped him off with both hands as she was carried down the path. Ian was pretty sure aiming a gun at the duo would be much more dangerous. He retreated with Kira and the Daikang Soldiers.
   Back in the hanger bay Mistress Aiko plucked the drugged needles out of Ian's back and let him sleep off the beating he took. Kira checked in on Hume and Crafter Letch who were oblivious to the chaos that had the rest of the camp going mad. Hume said that they were making progress diagnosing the drive but that the Crafter wasn't happy to be working in such a toxic environment so Kira had the Scravers concentrate on clearing the fungus that was growing in engineering out. While Crafter Letch slept, Kira slipped away with his think machine and cracked his password, a skill taught to her by her handlers in The Eye. She looked over his personal files for any signs of malice and found none, but she did find a truely massive archive of porn. Most of the shots looked like they were taken by the same person all of the women in various states of debauchery were cybernetically modified, an idea that unsettled her.
   Later that night Ian and Kira found out that two of the Scravers and one of the Daikang soldiers were too sick to eat. Crafter Letch emerged from the ship and stripped off his protective gear and held a meeting in Sakura's quarters for the ship owners. He described the state of the plant as "Encouraging" that one of the catalizers for their fusion plant was shot but since the generator was duel-core it could run at half-power with very little work. The other would have to have it's catalizer completely rebuilt and the entire cost of the work would be just under 12,000 Fb. If they have the means to repair the plant he would begin work immediately or if they don't he would agree to be a 10% share holder in the ship in exchange for the repairs of the power planet, but due-paying work would have to take precedent. He told them he understood it was a large decision and he would be another day evaluating the drives and forming a parts list before he departs, they have until then to talk it over. Oddly Ian and Lady Sakura agreed that it was too much to sacrifice for drive, but Kira and Aiko believed that there was no sacrifice until the ship is working.
   The following day half of the camp was showing signs of some kind of toxin and Kira was very nervous about the poisoned rice. Genin Fox finally came to Lady Sakura and explained that her people were going to have to go back to town for medical care. Kira wasn't feeling well but after sleeping on it she noticed that those that got ill the quickest were those with the longest exposure to the ship. She suspected the fungus growing in the ship was toxic. She suited up and got samples of the blue glowing fungus and went back to town with the others who were getting sicker. Ian who had spent very little time in the ship, met with Crafter Letch and Sakura. After looking over a complete estimation of parts Sakura began to waiver under the costs and they decided to take Crafter Letch's offer to carry the expense of repairing the power plant of the ship for a 10% share in the vessel.
   Back in Lawton, Kira worked on samples of the fungus with her limited tools and deteriorating health. She found that the spores from the fungus were fatally toxic in larger doses but even a brief exposure can cause a fungal infection that spreads. The fungus was delicate enough and could be eradicated from the system with a mild dose of a modification of the Ricin poison she had distilled to kill the Daikang Longdong, but more-so the ship could be easily cleaned of the fungus with an airborne version of the anti-fungal poison. She tried the poison cure on herself first and when she didn't croak she replicated the cure and brought it to the Scravers.
   The next day the Scravers were vomiting up black crud but their health was improving. Ian and Sakura came to collect Kira and fly Crafter Letch back to Carllion to catch his flight back to the Engineer's research enclave. They stopped at the Reeves and modified their claim to give Letch 10% of the ship and he had the Engineer's guild pack parts of the fusion Generator to come back to the enclave with him. While boxing up the parts he brought along with him he talked with Kira and offered her a an opportunity to apprentice at the enclave to learn how to make advanced fusion generators. As much as she felt the gravity of the offer she asked for a day to think about it. She respected Letch, but not in a way that made her want to be alone with the man. Ian took advantage of the time waiting in Carllion to stop at the Scraver's guild and send word to Boss Harmon that he wanted to meet.
   With Letch on his flight home, the three of them flew back to check on the ship and found the Scravers back at camp and looking much better. They were unloading supplies and getting the campsite operational again. As Kira came in they called her into the Scravers tent and gave her a cake, at first she was nervous and not sure if this was some sort of clumsy poisoning attempt but the guildsmen were genuinely appreciative that she saved them from fungal poisoning and wanted to show their gratitude so they all pitched in. Later as Kira ate cake in Lady Sakura's tent with Ian she brought up Letch's offer and everyone agreed it was likely too good of a deal to not take advantage of, and Ian mentioned it would give her eyes on Letch until the power plant was repaired.
   The Next afternoon Genin Fox came to Ian to tell him that word had been passed back to her through the guild that Boss Harmon wanted to meet him that night for the last showing at the Grand Royale. He and Kira quickly made excuses, hopped in the skimmer and took flight across the ocean. They set down in Avalonia and raced to the theater, paying for tickets and taking their seats. About halfway through the show Boss Harmon walked in and took a seat next to Ian while the show ran. The two of them talked about the possibility of negotiating funding while Kira kept a nervous watch out for a double-cross. Harmon said he has a lot of work for a non-Scraver without reservations and he has connections at some of the biggest scrapyards on the planet. He was in a unique position to deliver exactly what Ian wanted. He complimented Ian for taking a shit deal like a pro, it showed character and Harmon admired that. He told them that his man Maeve would be in touch about jobs and then he Scraver Boss faded out of sight, just another hologram projected by the theater.
   The two flew back to Tikal's Mountain hangar talking about the risk and reward of working for Harmon but ultimately it came down to there being nobody else right now paying them. They set down and Kira packed her bags. Ian flew her to Carllion. She contacted Crafter Letch to tell him she was accepting his offer. Five hours of sleeping in the skimmer later Ian got her on her early morning flight and she left for the Advanced Power Research Facility in Acadia.

Session 6: Rising Above

   Ian was woken by a firm knocking at his door. It was well into the morning. He had become too accustomed to lazy mornings on the shuttle and had overslept on a day of important plans. He rolled out of his hammock in his empty rental house and pulled on his flight suit to answer the door. However it wasn't Lady Sakura waiting on him but rather the tall imposing blue-haired figure of Scraver Boss Lula Blue. She was flanked by a pair of big rough-looking Scravers holding heavy wooden boxes. She flashed a salesman smile at Ian and held out her arms in a cordial gesture "Welcome to your new home Charioteer.." she had her men set down boxes full of kitchen wares and towels and blankets "I brought you a few things to start out. I'm sure you would be short on the basics living on the shuttle for so long.." Ian was genuinely flattered by the thoughtfulness of the gesture but resented the sudden thoughtfulness in lieu of the contentious arrangement. He muttered a grouchy "Thanks". Boss Blue continued as she walked into his home uninvited and looked around thoughtfully "If we're going to be partners in your little endeavor it's wise for us to start out on a good footing. We have a lot of coordination to discuss before we go up to the ship.." Ian had sort of hoped that they would go up to Tikal and the Scravers would be left out of the loop until they wanted to deal with them, "Boss Blue, this is really a thoughtful gesture but I need to speak with my partners before we move on to discussions with your guild, give us a little time.." Lula forced a smile, it looks like she could have forced it better but wanted Ian to know it was a forced gesture "Of course, look at me.. I've shaken you out of your bunk, please forgive my eagerness. I'll be in my offices today and if you need to come by tomorrow to talk business you can have your Lady make an appointment. Looking forward to working with you Charioteer.." She raised her hand and waved her goons out of Ian's house, leaving him cursing and hurrying to dress. They had to get up to Tikal now!
   Kira woke early and picked over some of the Luxe leftovers she had stored in the Engineer's hall refrigeration cabinet. They did not keep well. The bulk of her fellows raced to get ready and soon she was alone with Apprentice Hume who was packing up his things. She sat down with him to explain that she and Ian were meeting with The Lady today to make plans and they should be going up to the ship within the next few days. Hume was confused and explained that the Scravers were taking him up to the ship today. Kira was blindsided and didn't want to tip her hand about plans to cut out the Scravers. She asked Hume if the Scravers even knew where the ship was. Hume only seemed more confused "I thought that was why you and Ian were coming along.." Kira was caught off-gaurd and not a fantastic liar so she smiled awkwardly and explained "Oh there's a plan don't worry.." Their conversation was cut short when an autowagon outside started honking it's horn. Hume ran to check the lot outside and Kira could see it was one of the Scraver buses. Hume asked her if she was ready to go and she shook her head, explaining she had to meet with Lady Sakura first. Hume told her he'd see her in Tikal, grabbed is toolbags and dragged them out to the bus. Kira needed to find Ian.
   Kira ran to Ian's home and caught up to him just as he had taken care of food and water for Pork Rind and was headed out to find her. She explained that Hume was "on his way" to the ship with the Scravers so they decided they needed to get Sakura and get up to the ship right away. Later at the Palace Sakrura calmed their panic and explained that the Scravers would still need time to get up an icy mountain to reach Tikal, then find the ship. Ian suggested that they go up in Baron Naganaka's flitter. Sakura diplomatically explained that her father was an agricultural baron, he doesn't have a flitter. Ian suggested using the Shuttle instead and Sakura explained that her father was never going to let Ian use his Shuttle and even asking him is a bad idea unless the want to involve House Li-Halan in the reclamation of a lost starship. For the same reason she didn't want her father's house guard involved unless there was no other choice. She suggested Ian use his guilt contacts to get something he could fly and they agreed they'd go out to Carllion the following day to talk to the Charioteer's guild. Ian and Kira spent the rest of the day in town shopping for expedition gear to stay up on the mountain.
   Early the next morning Sakura's coach arrived at Kira and Ian's homes to collect them. A fully recovered Mistress Aiko knocking at their door chipper and smiling conspiratorially "It's time to go Partner..". The usually long drive into town seemed like it wasn't long enough for all of the planning they did as one suggestion launched a dozen questions of how goals would be achieved or paid for. As they drove into town Sakura explained she had some diplomatic responsibilities in town and would find Kira and Ian later. The guilders went to the Charioteer's Guild, a decidedly classier guild office than they were used to It was more like a salon than a guild counter, Boatswain Phillip looking more like a Reeve than a Charioteer except his wheel livery on his Synthsilk Kimono. They put in a request to find a local charioteer with a flitter or skimmer that would be willing to rent it out for a few months and were told to check back in at the end of the day. As the were walking out a man in black synth jacket stoped them in the doorway and showed Ian his Kilroy Badge "A moment of your time Apprentice Corruthers." making the question sound very much like a statement of fact.
  Ian followed the Kilroy into the back where another man in black stood wearing shaded spectacles. They introduced themselves as Mr. Bridge and Mr. Hold and they emphasized the importance of the alleged starship he was trying to reclaim be registered with the Charioteer's Wheel on it's tail, that recent liberal permissions of the guild had weakened it's patent and that every opportunity to maintain guild control of new registrations was essential.
   Ian left his unexpected meeting with the Kilroys a bit shaken. They wandered the town shopping and Ian picked up his fitted armor. They checked in with the guild hall later to find a response from a local Charioteer willing to rent.
   Ian and Kira climbed the road out of town to a cliff-side manor for a Charioteer Captain EJ Smith. Lady Sakura and Aiko squawked them on the way and joined them up at the manor. Smith was the kind of Charioteer every Charioteer wanted to be, heavy in rank with enough connections that you can just buy a house somewhere beautiful and live off of your share in different enterprises. He was a little leery of the scrappy Charioteer and Engineer that wanted to rent his skimmer but comforted by a House Li-Halan noble in the mix. His Skimmer was and older model air-car, roomy and comfortable but a bit worn. They agreed on a rental price of 65 FB per month and Sakura transferred their belongings into the Air Car, sending her driver home with her Autocoach and they flew back to Lawton.
   Ian set down in the street outside his house and they started loading supplies for the mountain. Pork Rind was in a mood. She had torn down his hammock and scattered his bedding. They packed up rations and some firewood and put out more food for the dog before taking flight again. The 8 hour climb up to Tikal was a 30 minute flight. As they crested into the town at night the clouds were low enough to ruin visibility but the Air Car's sensor system made the landing easy. As the set down they could see the Blue Tours hopper up on the factory parade field. When they investigated it it was empty but they could hear shouting from below in the bay. They crept down the stairs to that lower landing where they saw the ship and round a Scraver armed with a shotgun waiting just inside. The standoff was brief before another Scraver ran up to calm the situation, explaining to the camp guard that these were the owners of the ship they were waiting for. The scraver introduced himself as Associate Lammy, they recognized him as one of the bus drivers that took them into the city. He led them into a small encampment inside the frigid workbay where Scravers were busily preparing for night on the Mountain.
   Lammy introduced them to Genin Fox. Fox was a young woman built like a Muster with tight synth clothes that showed off her muscles and her multi-color hair pulled back in a bun. She greeted Lady Sakura with fair etiquette and invited the owners over to a table where she outlined the status of the encampment. They found out that Hume had been working all day on cracking the airlock of the ship without success, that dinner was cooking and they were putting together a private pavilion for the lady. Fox introduced them to the rest of her 4-man crew, most of them hard at work scrubbing algae from the badly encrusted ship. The bay still had big puddles and most of it was as slippery as a soup bowl and it reeked badly from the stagnant water that had flooded the place for decades or longer. Fox explained cleaning was a lower priority but it would get taken care of eventually. While away from the Scravers, Fox confided that she has 4 men working off contract and morale is burning like a short fuse and that some kind of contract needed to be drafted soon or Boss Blue would step in. Ian wasn't going to be intimidated he told her until the door is open there's nothing to contract. Once they know if the ship is salvage or reclamation there's a contract for the Scravers, until then they're just early. Fox obviously didn't care for the answer she got but doesn't disagree either.
   The first night was cold even with coal-burning braziers, having massive bay doors in the roof opened into the mountain weather was more than their simple tents could fight off. They huddled in their blankets and fought off the cold. The morning came with the fresh stench of algae and watery coffee. Ian and Kira set about checking out the service bay. There were racks everywhere toppled and in disarray from the flooding and doors that when forced open led into big storage rooms with more gear and tools. They found three salvagable sets of mech tools and a few volt tools that were salvagable. They got a stack of old Life Support tubes that could be fixed with just a little scrubbing. As they began to gather salvage the Scravers also started grabbing gear and shifting it into a corner of the bay to claim as their own.
   Late in the afternoon after the Scravers had served lunch Hume finally cracked the airlock and cranked open the door. He and Ian put on breath masks and stepped into the ship. The air was thick with spores and fungus climbed the walls in many places having been left to run wild over the centuries. Water pooled in lower reaches of the ship with massive water damage from lifetimes of evaporation and condensation. Surprisingly a good amount of the electronics seemed to power up but the power plant was dead. Even stone cold Hume was excited about it. The power plant was peak 2nd republic technology, a legendary moun catalyzed fusion plant. The think machines on the bridge had sat cold for ages and Hume didn't expect they'd be able to do much. He imagined ships drive and parallel systems would match the splendor of the power plant. It was the most highly advanced piece of shit they had ever seen.
   While Ian explored the ship Kira explored the old Rollick offices and factory space. So much had been gutted from the building over the years it was hard to identify what the rooms were used for. She made notes and sketches in her anthopologst's notebook and daydreamed about what the factory was like during the Second Republic.
   Ian emerged and tasked Genin Fox with creating a list of what reclamation would need to be done to restore the vessel to ship-shape. When Fox brought him the list later it was long and vaguely priced. Hume noted that there was maybe one or two engineers on the planet that could work on a power plant that advanced. Later that night Ian called everyone together in the pavilion to make a decision on salvage or reclamation. They cooked food in the brazier and drank wine as they brought up pros and cons the more they discussed the more it became clear that everyone wanted a ship but nobody wanted to put any of the others in debt for it. Before they debate could become comical, Kira heard a strange beastial noise coming from outside the tent and reached for her gun. The pavilion wall behind Lady Sakura was torn open and standing behind her was a massive white canine creature, another tore open the tent behind Ian and two more stalked in through the pavilion's entrance.
   Sakura reacted quickly, rolling to her side and grabbing her vibrosaber. Ian did the same but was slow to get his sword free. The beast behind him slashed into his synthsilk but the blow didn't penetrate it's fibers. Mistress Aiko screamed and backed into the soft wall of the tent. Kira leveled her rip-roarer and begins plugging rounds into the beasts coming in through the front of the tent, red blood exploding into their white fur. The beast facing Sakura tried to slash her but found a deep gash cut into his arm from her sword instead. Ian sliced the chest of the Vulpine he faced, causing it to pour blood and roar in anger. Aiko dove for her shotgun and pushed the barrel into the chest of the monster fighting her lady, unloading both barrels to impressive effect. Ian was grabbed and dragged out of the tent. One of the Vulpine tried to swing at Kira but was tangled up in the collapsing Pavillion, the other surged past her to sideline Lady Sakura but the deadly noblelady spun away from the charge and sliced open the passing monster. Ian struggled with the beast holding him and he was thrown across the bay by it's great strength, landing on his knees. Kira kepts shooting the vulpin struggling against the collapsing tent, in the background she could see Scraver's running to her aid and soon someone with an axe began chopping the tangled beast through the tent. Sakura put down the second vulpin with a decisive stab through it's chest and Mistress Aiko dragged her out of the collapsing pavilion. The final beast seeing the battle turn began to run away but Ian raced after him recklessly and ran him through with his Vibrosaber and kept stabbing until the monster died.
   Following the attack the minor scrapes from the fight were tended to, mostly wounds from being hit by the collapse of the Lady's pavilion. Ian was furious and demanded to know what the guard was doing. Laramie the scruffy Scraver with the shotgun protested "I was taking a piss, it's not as if the latrine is very close to the camp!". Fox stepped in and called for order before weapons were drawn "Look, nobody told us to prepare for changed attacking the camp and we should have had a better plan for guarding the entry. Nobody is happy about this. We're all alive, lets make a plan, clean up the bodies and get some sleep before the workday starts?" grudgingly everyone accepted, they assigned a double-guard shift to watch the door and moved everyone into the Scraver tent to keep warm.
   The following day Lad Sakura suggested they give the Scravers some room while they flew into town to get supplies. Kira and Aiko volunteered to remain behind to oversee operations. There wasn't much to do other than watch Hume try to resurrect systems and watch the Scravers clean the hull so Ian agreed and they flew back to Lawton. Sakura stopped off to see the her family reeve and had a formal contract drawn to distribute shares of the reclamation. She had overheard her father speaking with one of the Count's Officers and the news put her on edge. While she was home she packed up a bunch of quilts and other comforts to take back up the mountain. Ian stopped at home to feed Pork Rind, but decided to bring her up the Mountain instead, she'd have to be a better guard than the Scravers. He shopped in the market for some fresh food, packed up the skimmer and flew Lady Sakura back up to Tikal.
   Kira took the day off to explore the ruins further, curious about sections of the old building that were boarded shut. She wished she had brought better tools to record what she was digging into but curiosity got the better of her. When she was halfway down a darkened staircase she heard gunshots carrying over the wind. She froze in place and waited, listening carefully for more sounds. She could hear yelling and someone sneaking into the ruins. She drew her gun and aimed at the doorway into the back reaches of the building. She could see a shadow and started aiming at it's forehead before Aiko called out in a hushed town "Miss Kira? I think we're in trouble.."
   As Ian set down in the air car and as they disembarked the work site was curiously silent. Moving to the stairs, Kira flagged him and Sakura down and motioned them into the building to let them know there had been a gunfight below and Aiko had seen some strange men in the bay. Ian and Kira decided that it would be wiser to keep Lady Sakura above, if they were Diakan Longdong they wouldn't react favorably to a Li-Halan. Reluctantly the Lady agreed. They both moved down the stairs to the entry to the bay. Kira swung around the corner with her gun drawn and saw five men near the entrance in armor with rifles and shotguns. The Scravers were lined up on the floor. She ducked back around the corner. One of the men spoke out "You low-landers sure do like to make a man wait.. how about your set down your gun and walk back in nice and slow..". Kira shouted back "How about you fuck off, we've got you outnumbered and cornered in there..". the voice called back "Drop your gun in the door way and come out with your hands up or I'll kill one of your friends in three seconds..3" Kira tried to explain they weren't her friends but the man kept counting. She called his bluff and there was a loud echoing gun report followed by the sound of Scravers squirming in fear. Before Kira could collect her wits the voice casually said "Lets do another.. 3.." Kira paniced and shouted back "FUCK YOU YOU BASTARD" drowning out the 2 and 1 while the Scravers protested with escalating urgency and there was another Gunshot.
   Ian yanked Kira back from the door "You're not talking anymore" and shouted out at the men around the corner "No more shooting.. I'm coming in.." he set his revolver on the floor and walked in  slowly with his hands up. There were four men behind cover with guns trained on the door and the biggest of them standing over the next living Scraver. As he saw Ian enter unarmed he nodded to him approvingly and lowered his gun "Thank you". Ian said "We're not our enemies, we have friends in Tikal.. what do you want from us. The man responded calmly "We want your shit and we want you off our mountain. Lowlanders in Tikal brings attention we don't want.". Ian nodded "We're working salvage, if we go others will just come back with more guns.. How about we give you what you want.. food? medicine? Ammunition?". Sakura overheard Ian offering insurgents bullets and just about vomited. The Daikang leader seemed to purse his lips as he looked at the work-rigging around the ship "Are you going to get her flying?". Ian nodded "I hope so..". The man looked at his team and then gave Ian a critical once-over "I've got an offer. We guard you while you fix her, keep you safe, you feed us, give us bullets and when she flies you take our men off planet..". "Ian glanced fearfully at the Scravers with bullet wounds not moving then back at the man "Where do you want to go?". The man just shrugged and said "Any planet other than this one..". Ian nodded "That's a deal.." trying to muster all of the conviction and trustworthiness he could. The big Diakang warrior dropped his assault rifle to his side and reached out, shaking hands with Ian before telling his men "It's done.. we're one side.." and slowly the Daikang fighters got out from behind cover and lowered their guns. Ian thought for a flickering moment of cutting them down while their guard was down but it seemed like there would be a better time for it.
   Kira lowered her gun and came in staring hatefully at the Daikang leader but she also understood there would be a better time. She quickly started checking the vitals on the Scravers. One of them, Laramie the guard was already dead, the Other Lammy the bus driver was fading. She quickly went to work with her first aid kit and Ian gave the Scraver kid a shot of Elixir to pull him out. And slowly, warily things just went onward.
   The Diakang Leader introduce himself as Yao Whitescar. Scravers gave the Daikang a wide berth and went back to work. The Daikang warriors disposed of Laramie's body and re-arranged the guard post with better protection on the door. The camp was shifted into one of the work rooms in the back of the bay with the Diakang warriors doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It was much more cramped but the smaller space was easier to heat. Once dinner was cooked everyone was feeling very anxious about the terrorists who had taken control of the camp but it was mostly business-as-usual.
  Sakura called Kira, Ian and Aiko aside to confide in them over dinner that she had overhead her father speaking to one of the Red Dragon Brigade Officers and the Dragons were coming to Tikal and they would need a plan to deal with them.

Session 5 - Gifts

   Ian woke in the morning to the sound of Dog's barking and he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. Soon his face was being beaten by a long-haired tail. He stirred and retreated from the tail to see a big brown dog with his face burred in the pastry tray the left out the night before. Kira felt something lick her face and she scrambled to sit up, fumbling in the warm padded quilt for her gun. She wasn't at home and for a moment she panicked until she realized she was sitting in the alcove off the palace hall where she had dozed off and there was a big friendly black dog halfway onto her couch, wagging his tail excitedly. In the distance they could both hear the resonant voice of someone calling for "Laertes" and "Horace". The pair exchanged significant looks and searched around the alcove in hopes that Sakura hadn't abandoned them but they were alone with the Baron's dogs and the baron closing in.
   The Baron looked around the corner, surprised to find strange guests in his home "Pardon me, I wasn't expecting company." his tone a rich baritone of suspicion, his pretense so much more impressive than viewing him from afar. Ian cleared his throat and waved "Our apologies your lordship, we arrived late in the night with your daughter. She insisted we rest here. We'll be out of your way." Baron Ikeda Naganata smiled gracefully, over his veiled annoyance in a moment, "Nonsense, it's Lux Splendor, you are guests in my home, come to my table, tend to your business after a hot meal.". Ian and Kira saw no easy way out.
   They both dressed as best as they could and walked out into a set-table in the hall. Both Baron Ikeda and his son Hansu were seated and making plates. Laid out was a decadently sweet breakfast with spiced wine. Before Long Sakura arrived at the table in an informal Kimono, surprised to see everyone seated at the breakfast table. Ikeda gave his daughter a fair ration of shit for going out with her guilder friends rather than attending services at the temple with her family the night before. Sakura explained that she had some unpleasant business Ian and Kira were assisting with. Hansu seemed visible uncomfortable, seeming to understand Sakura's business was about his attempted kidnapping. The Baron quickly changed topics to keep the mood light asking if Ian and Kira had family in town they were visiting for the holiday, or if they were going to join the festivities that night in the square. Ian thoughtlessly said that they had work to take care of as their contracts were ending but the Baron gracefully glazed over the offense.
   As breakfast was awkwardly coming to an end Kira asked if they could check in on Aiko. Desperate for some relief from her Father talking to her murder squad, Sakura jumped at the chance to take them away from the table. She made a plate for her chambermaid and whisked Kira and Ian away. They were struck that once they left the main hall the palace decoration seemed rather plain, and inside of Aiko's tiny little chamber was a rich inner life they hadn't guessed at. The maid had hundreds of books on shelves and a fairly serious looking desk. Aiko herself was buried in lace-fringed blankets and more pillows than either guilder had seen in a single bed before. She smiled cheerfully as her visitors arrived and she assured them that her injuries were little more than a servant's laziness. She thanked everyone profusely for looking after her and wished them a "Lux filled with Light". Kira and Ian walked away a bit stunned, knowing that Aiko and been frozen bleeding and concussed when they went to bed and now was once more a cheerleader. Sakura offered Ian and Kira a ride home in her coach and they gladly accepted.
   Back at the Shuttle, Ian checked his flight clipboard and discovered that his flight to Avalonia had been cancelled twice while he was in the Mountains and now was scheduled for two days out. Hand-written on his flight order was "Come see me" signed Reeve's manager Haagen. Finding out anyone had an opinion about your flight plan was never good news to a Charioteer. Ian pulled on his flight jacket and hiked across town to meet with Haagen.
   Ian stopped at the Palace gates for another awkward encounter with the house guards that were planning to torture a confession out of him only to find out that Manager Haagen was out for the holiday. He got instructions to Haagen's Home. The anxious and easily flustered Reeve Manager was unusually calm and maybe a spiced-rum or two into the holiday. He let Ian into his home, dodging around his children and his fussy wife to take Ian to his study. He wasn't upset that Ian missed his launch windows but more concerned that he wouldn't see Ian before his final flight. He paid Ian out for the holiday and paid him the penalty on his contract and gave Ian a chocolate bar imported from Severus as a gift.
   Kira meanwhile had walked into a Lux party in the Engineer's hall. The usually serious engineers were mostly drunk and playing party games and singing songs. More than half of her compatriots were gone for the holiday but the few that remained were blowing through gift bottles of sake and whiskey that they'd not have a chance to enjoy while constantly on duty should something break-down. She noticed Apprentice Hume quietly sitting in around the table. She had just been talking with Ian about how they'll need a redemption engineer if they're going to try to recover that Rollick ship he saw up in Tikal. She grabbed one of the whiskey bottles and sat on Hume's bunk, squeezing as much charm as she can out of her dark and terrifying heart to try to convince him to come and work with her and Ian. Kira could sort of tell that she wasn't connecting with the impressionable engineer and she suspected she had somehow implied a more unprofessional interest in the young man. Kira made her polite excuse to slip out of the Engineer's hall and go find Ian.
   Kira wanted to put some distance between her and her awkward exchange with Hume so she dragged Ian out of the shuttle into the cold and made him walk with her into the square. There was a band singing on a stage and people gathered around doing folk dances. Food vendors surrounded the square serving warm fresh baked treats and hot drinks. Kira recognized some of the Knights of Yara she had seen at the Amalthean Temple walking among the celebrants and keeping order in the cold, brightly lit night. As the Temple mass let out a line of people filed in and Ian convinced Kira to come to Mass. They sat in the service, feeling a bit out of place as neither of them were especially religious but everyone was happy and it was the sort of sermon that didn't make you dislike the Church.
   They came home through empty streets in the late evening, realizing that nobody was watching the packing house and they were flying out to Avalonia the following day so they snuck into the packing house and worked together late into the night to produce another few liters of ichor an a kilo of powdered extract. Somewhere around midnight there was a knock at the door that made Kira and Ian jump. They opened the door to find Sakura standing there alone in the dark. She walking in and asked some questions about what was being done, her stoney features and inquisitive manner making them terrified that they had been caught. She instead just asked a series of questions about the machinery that made it clear she was sizing up the prospect of taking the processing machinery for some other purpose, somewhere they'd need to be powered by a very large bank of power cells. Eventually Sakura wished them a good night and headed out. Feeling rattled, both of them knocked off for the night and headed back to their bunks.
   The following day Kira woke with very little sleep along with all the other hungover Engineers and went to work packing up the packing house for the season. The last of the batches were run or sent off to be burnt. For Kira it was a short day. At the end of it she was paid out her last month of her contract and signed out of the job. Ian went into town to pick up the bandoleer he had made for Aiko, then he checked the Shuttle for it's flight the next day.
   Early in the morning Kira and Ian warmed up the shuttle and waited on delivery of their shipment to Avalonia. When the Muster Autowagon rolled up it was already raining and cold. They let the peasants in the truck haul freight to the overhang of the shuttle's bay and they arranged it in the little cargo space. As the Muster rolled away they hurried down under the platform and grabbed their ill-gotten manifest of stolen late-harvest botanicals and a bag of gear they brought back from their fight with the Church Knights in Tikal. Kira was packed into the little crew chair so tightly she could barely get the door closed. Ian had radioed ahead for weather reports so the flight was simple and by early afternoon they had landed. Within a few hours the buyer showed up, signed for the cargo and packed it onto a ox wagon.
  Kira walked down to the Spaceport Gates and looked for a taxi to haul their loot to the market. She was rushed by a pack of drivers who tried to convince her their ride was the best. She had agreed to one when a smart-dressed Scraver named Edo told her she wanted to use his truck because none of the other losers had a port pass and they were going to make you shlep your cargo down to the curb like a peasant. Kira agreed to pay a little more and Edo drove up to the shuttle pad and helped them load up his truck, then drove them to the Botanicals market in his heated cab. Edo even introduced them to the more legitimate Scravers in the market and they got a fair price for their smuggled bounty. It was going to take a few hours for the merchant to get funds for the buy so Kira and Ian wandered into the Agora. They both had a pile of firebirds and a bill of credit for a pawn shop down the street so they went crazy spending money all afternoon. Kira bought a big brown hunting dog for Ian for a late Lux gift. Her name was "Porkchop" but Kira didn't think it was very feminine so she named her "Pork Rind". The swooped back into the market to collect the last of their pay without an issue and grabbed a petty cab back to the starport.
   When they returned to the shuttle the cargo ramp was down and the shuttle had been ransacked. Nothing had been taken except the shuttle's think machine, in it's hollow case was a note the read "You should have told us you were coming to town. Boss Harmon would love to see you.  You should drop by the furniture shop and say hello." signed Maez. Kira was pissed she went outside and just started swearing at the sky. Ian conversely became very quiet, he took stock of what he had with him, tucking his Hazat rifle and newly purchased ammunition away, without license it would only get him thrown in a dungeon. They agreed that there was no way out of this but to deal with Boss Harmon. They put their excess gear and Pork Rind in the back of the shuttle and flagged down a peticab to drive them into the carpenter's district.
Harmon Furniture was the same as the last time they were there. Same sketchy open warehouse, same three Scraver punks standing outside. As Ian and Kira climbed out of the cramped carriage the punks came forward. When they asked for Boss Harmon the punks feigned ignorance of who that could be but when they told them who they were and that they were expected the punks jumped to get out of their way and escorted them inside. Up in the office Harmon was behind his desk and Maev was laughing himself hoarse over something they were talking about. the mood changed as Ian and Kira came in.
"Where the fuck is my Aeronautics Box" Ian demanded. "Taken in payment for services not rendered" said Boss Harmon cooly. Kira handled the hilt of her rapier "That's Bullshit! We did what you wanted!". Harmon glared at her "I wanted.. you to murder the jeweler's wife. I asked you if it was done, you said yes..". Kira scoffed unconvincingly "Well we killed her". "If you think you killed her you're piss poor assassins, thankfully I need someone who can't kill someone..". Ian felt his hand flexing near his gun, he wanted to kill the fat greasy Scraver boss but he didn't know if his shuttle's think machine was in the office or even in the city, "Look, we didn't do the job, take the gun but taking my boss's shuttle is too much.". Kira was already thinking about how she would hide the bodies. Harmon leaned his girth back in his chair and gestured at Ian "This isn't about hurt feelings, this is about consequences, you ripped me off. I can't let that slide or it starts to become business as usual.. You're going to suck it up and do something for me." He pulled a folder from his desk and flipped it open showing a publicity portrait of a clean-cut young man "His name is Lord Ken Okemo, he's attending a Magic Lantern premier at the Grande Royal tomorrow at 2 o'clock. I want him shot and if possible not killed. Once the deed is done there will be an autowagon waiting two blocks up the boulevard, if you get there without drawing down the constables they will drive you to your shuttle where the Think Machine will be installed and you can get out of my city.. Maev is going to get you a place to sleep tonight. That's it..". Kira was furious, after everything she sacrificed to get away from this kind of work. "No." she barked, "We're not doing shit for you!". Boss Harmon shrugged and sighed as he gestured across to the factory doors "You know the way out, do be careful, it's a rough neighborhood at night..". Ian fumed, the Scraver Boss knew this wasn't a negotiation but he wasn't going to let that stop him "What's in it for us?". The fat Scraver trained his composure to keep from laughing at the angry Charioteer. Harmon gestured with merchant's flare "How about a working Shuttle..?". Ian looked to Kira as if checking for her approval before he counter-offered "How about you get us title and letters of marquee for a reclaimed starship.". Boss Harmon was stunned for several seconds, rolling back in his big creaking chair, he gestured to Maev "Haha! fucking Chariteers, that's why they own half the League, balls and brains.. Ok flyboy, you settle your account with this job and I can make that happen for a price.". Ian nodded resolutely "Fine, we'll do it, but then we're square..". Harmon rolled himself onto his feet by grabbing at his desk and extended a chubby hand at Ian, who shook it with a disgusted expression. Kira crossed her arms and stared at the offered hand, but for the Scraver Boss the handshake was more of a gesture than a formality.
   Maev pulled on his jacket and lead the pair out of Harmon's office and down the industrial streets of the workman's district. Along the walk he commented that he likes working with Harmon because he's a reasonable man, he gives people chances, it makes things easier for a Genin to keep his hands clean, but there are things even a Boss can't let go of. The Scraver tough lead them up into a testament block to an apartment that turned out to be a flop house for lotus-heads. Maev introduced Ian and Kira to a ditzy middle-aged woman with the Eye of Ben Hadir tattooed on her belly, named Apollonia. He explained they duo was staying the night and should be left alone.
   As soon as Maev was out of sight Ian dragged Kira out into the night. He was convinced Harmon was going to betrey them and leave them hanging for the attempted murder of a Noble. They caught a cab down to the Grande Royal in the middle of the night and sat in a little bar across the street. Dressed in finery the didn't stand out at all in the quiet drinking establishment. They mapped the street and checked their route. The wandered through the dark streets of the Agora until they found a shop that would sell them cheap clothes they could throw over their Sythsilks and they got a big bag of fireworks. While they were in the market they found a trustworthy non-Scraver cabbie and paid him to pick them up at 2p exactly in the alley behind the theater. The plan was Kira would throw some fireworks to distract the crowd and Ian would shoot the target from the other direction with Kira's suppressed pistol, Ian would get in the cab while people were still confused and go pick up Kira down the block. Kira didn't like the idea of someone else shooting "baby" but it did take her finger off the trigger for this shitshow. The returned to Apollonia's flophouse and got some rest until the following afternoon.
  The following day they woke with plenty of time to make the premier showing. They went and waited in the bar across the way from the theater for a bit, watching the constables. They're were so many more around during the day and the streets were more crowded than expected. Kira was sure she saw a pattern but she wasn't sure if there would be constables around when the movie let out. They got into position with whisper pins on and hoped for the best.
   At 2p the doors to the Grand Royal hadn't opened and Ian didn't see the cab they had hired to help them escape. He figured they could still trust the scravers if they had to. Kira was waiting near a trash can with her bag of firecrackers but she felt exposed and conspicuous. Three minutes later ushers opened the doors and slowly the crowd emerged towards waiting autocoaches across the parkway. Kira spotted a pair of constables coming her way. Ian through he saw the target in the crowd talking with a young boy but he wasn't sure. Kira felt if she waited any longer the constables would catch her so she lit the fireworks and began to hurry across the street. As just as the fireworks began to go off Ian spotted Ken Okemo in the crowd looking around. He lifted Kira's "baby" and fired three shots at him. The noble didn't have a shield and he collapsed in little sprays of blood. Ian slipped the gun under his coat and walked towards the alleyway. Kira was being hailed by the constables who were ignoring the fireworks and clearly through she was doing something. Ian reached the alley just as the cabbie turned in, apologizing about the traffic on the bridge. He quickly got inside and told the driver to head to the next block. As the constables began to shout for Kira to stop she broke into a run, chased down the street. Ian threw the door open as the cab slowed down and pulled Kira into the passing autowagon and they raced to the spaceport.
   Arriving at the shuttle they found the cargo door down once more and two Scravers working on connecting the think machine. They tipped their cap driver a pile of firebirds to keep his mouth shut. The shuttle booted up without a problem and they got the Hell out of Avalonia. The flight back wasn't planned so they ran into some bad weather. The late start combined with changing routes got them home late at night, both of them exhausted. They fell asleep quickly, Pork Rind curled up under Ian's hammock.
   The following day they woke early and originally planned to get breakfast in town to talk about plans going forward but with firebirds sloshing in their pockets they decided to go to Carllion instead. They got bus tickets and napped on the ride in. Ian dropped off the duraplast armor they got from the church knight to have it sized to his frame. They looked at the other shops but didn't find anything they really liked. They decided over drinks that they would need Sakura's wealth and influences if they were going to get control of the ship they spotted up in Tikal. As the sun set they prepared for their ride home with a bit of amusement speculating what would go wrong next.
   As the bus arrived excited students piled in but as Ian and Kira boarded they saw the scowling face of Lula Blue in the back of the bus with her arms draped over the seats. She motioned them to the  back by rapping on the seats with her fingers. As they moved towards the rear the driver explained that there was a mix-up and passengers going to Lawton would be picked up by another bus. Boss Blue waited for Ian and Kira to sit before she motioned for the driver to take them out of town. Kira contemplated how easy it would be to put her rapier through the old woman, which in her mind meant it was much more hazardous than she believed.
    Boss blue opened the conversation "You're going to cut me in on your starship recovery..". Both Kira and Ian were stunned that the blue-haired scraver boss had found out their little secret. Ian glanced at his partner and spoke out first "We have no idea what you're talking about.". Lula just laughed at him and shook her head "You are rubbish at lying, you made a trip up to Tikal and suddenly you're asking around about licensing a starship. You don't have to admit you've found one but the conversation is going to just go forward regardless..". Kira spoke up "We don't know what's up there, it may not be a starship. We just want to know what would be involved it it is..". Boss Blue smiled wide "Scravers would be involved my dear... Scravers.." she glanced between the two "If you're going to dig an ancient starship out of a mountain you're going to need The Guild, and unless your dance card has changed recently you know a Scraver that made you pull some sort of seedy job in Avalonia and a Scraver who's nephew you killed..". Ian began to object but Lula blue cut him off with a wave of her hand and a "Tetch!" then she continued "I don't socialize with nephew-killers but business is business. This is me putting aside petty misunderstandings. My men know the area and have the tools. They're an asset you need working for you and not people you can afford to have working against you. It profits me either way. There's a smart road and a foolish road ahead of you now. I'm not going to insult you by telling you I'm not here to tell you which one to choose.". Boss Blue looked between Ian and Kira's tense faces before she muttered "I'll leave you to chit-chat it around.." and she pulled herself up and walked to the front of the tiny bus to sit next to the driver. Neither Kira no Ian wanted to talk on the bus but both of them were beginning to hate the Scravers more and more. An hour later they were deposited in front of Blue Tours and talked on the walk back to their homes, most about the fact that Ian was going to lose his home in two days.
   The next morning they caught up on sleep and took advantage of a day off from work to visit the palace to check in with Mistress Aiko and try to speak with Sakura about funding their starship scheme. Aiko was grateful for the visit and she was doing much better, sitting in bed, hemming her lady's clothes. When Ian and Kira gave her a bandoleer full of shotgun shells for her Lux Spendor gift her reaction was a mix of effortless enthusiastic politeness and hunting personal horror and yet she thanked them graciously for the thoughtful gesture. On the way out of the Palace Kira quietly asked Sakura if she'd meet with them to talk about business. Sakura seemed wary but suggested that they drive to Leng Po for lunch. Later in a private tea room Ian admitted to spotting the lost ship and suggested that with financing they could make Sakura a part owner in a Starship, but they would have to act quickly or others would move on the ship. Sakura's expression was difficult to read as she contemplated the offer for a pregnant moment, finally she agreed on the condition that her maid Aiko would also be 1% owner. Ian was a bit nervous letting House Li-Halan have the largest share in the ship but he figured Aiko had taken her knocks on the mission that found the vessel and certainly earned a share. They each shook hands on their enterprise. Afterwards Ian returned to the shuttle pad to check over preparations for his early morning launch and Kira returned to the guild hall with a napkin full of leftover tea treats to try to sweeten things with Apprentice Hume.
   Early the next morning Ian woke to his alarm, suited up and packed his bunk. A truck full of botanical arrived from the warehouse and Ian quickly loaded it. He radio'd the ship he was intercepting in orbit to conform their position and he took off. Ian hadn't been in space in a while and it reaffirmed that wanderlust that made him a pilot. He docked up with a freighter named "Reversal" and quickly unloaded his cargo, received the signed paperwork and returned back to Rampart. When he stepped out of the shuttle Manager Haagen was there to collect his Key. He pulled all of his belongings from the shuttle, plucking his St. Paulus medal from the control panel and saying goodbye to her. He spent the rest of the day meeting with renters and looking at houses to rent. With the botanical's business leaving Bloom Barony there were a ton of good places to rent that were just coming on to the market.
   Kira woke early as well. She couldn't sleep and found herself wandering the streets of Lawton. Soon she found herself walking back to The Temple of Soft Lessons. She smiled as she saw a familiar huge man in priests robes standing outside "Um, hey.. I've seen you training people to fight inside.". The Church knight nodded sagely "It is our sacred vow to give people the tools to defend themselves, are you ready to learn?". Kira smiled "Yeah.. I'm ready.."

Session 4 - And then came the snow.

   Ian and Kira staggered home, still a bit sore from their long day in the city. Ian climbed into his hammock, planning to sleep in. Kira staggered in to a busy hall of Engineers talking and decorating for the impending holiday. There was a bit of grousing about the end of contracts and talk of where fellows were going to go, and a bit of rumor about a daring daylight robbery in the local market square, most assumed it was Muster. Kira spent some precious sleeping time speculating how anyone got automatic weapons in Lawton? She could barely get ammunition.
   In the morning Kira dressed in uncomfortable work clothes and left her beautiful kimono behind and made he way off to the packing house for the end days of her contract. Chief Bak was struggling not to loose his shit as piles of agriculture was stacking up in the testing tables. He came into Kira's cubicle to gently chew her out for falling behind then rolled up the sleeves of his lab coat and went to work on the line pulping and pressing roots.
   Ian woke lazily and pulled on his flight suit over his Synthsilk bodysuit. He had three days until the big holiday and no shopping done. He wandered into the market with his remaining firebirds. The market was a madhouse with anyone who still had two Talons to run together looking for last minute deals. Everyone seemed especially nervous and a lot of people were armed. Even the shop clerks seemed to be hovering around that one spot of counter with their hand on something out of sight. Ian dodged into a charm store and got a silk lanyard with a Bloom heraldry charm for Lady Sakura and then the leather shop for a tooled leather gun belt for Mistress Aiko and her ridiculous shotgun. He wanted to get a decent bottle of Sake for the Engineer that maintains the shuttle but the brewery in the market was closed after some sort of shoot out the day before. On his way between shops he bumped into Kira struggling through the thick crowds impatiently, trying to get some shopping done on her lunch. Ian waved her down to take shelter in a cheap noodle shop Ian liked.
   Before they could reach the safety of lunch there was some noise up the street, metallic clanks followed by big muffled pops and big white clouds of gas filled the street and people on edge began to panic and run. Kira's sharp eye caught sight of someone in a second floor window firing a grenade launcher into the street. Ian, being an idiot, plunged into the gas, dodging between people. Kira tried to follow him but within five paces she was blinded by tears and choking on her tongue, going down fast. Ian stopped and pulled off his own breathing mask to put on Kira, letting her cough herself back to life. Through the smoke he could see a melee in the smoke and and armored figure dragging someone through the smoke.
   Once he was sure Kira could breathe he drew his vibrosaber and charged in. He closed in on the man dragging the kid. The kidnapper had some sort of club in his hand and as he closed in the assailant lit it up and swung on Ian with a frap stick. The rubbery head sparked and sputtered against his vibrosword as he parried and Ian sliced into the thick armoplast covering the man's chest. Kira came out of the smoke firing rounds at the kidnapper's accomplice, a tall man with a curved sword. The rounds dug into his heavy armor and seemed to have little impact as well. The Kidnapper continued to struggle to drag his prey into a passageway between buildings and the man with the swords, face hiding behind a gas mask, leaned into Ian with a flurry of blows. Ian parried and dodged in alarm wooden splinters flying where is excited blade skipped off the man's wood boken. Kira was shot in the back by the heavy canister of a grenade, her Synthsilk hardening against the impact but still getting her a nasty bruise. The kidnapper lashed the back of Ian's skull with the frapstick but the charge dissipated through his Synthsilk hood. Ian advanced on the swordsman with a slice that crippled his hand, knocking his sword down and for good measure Kira took aim on the swordsman's face and put him down with a single shoot. From up above three shots rang out and Kira was hit, the shot pushed through her Synth and it's hollowpoint head nearly put her down before her auto-injector kicked in and flooded her system with Autocoag. The kidnapper hugged his captive close and backed into the alley, keeping his frap-stick in motion for a strike. Kira staggered out of the streets towards the overhang where she was shot from, diving for cover. Ian pushed a bit close to the kidnapper and caught another glancing blow from the frap-stick before swinging wild at the kidnapper and having his blow parried. Ian took three shots to the back, none of which managed to penetrate his synthsilk and Changed hide. However the shot from his side from the swordsman he assumed was dead punctured his armor deep and sit of his own autoinjecter, giving him a dose of Elyxir. Kira had dived into the building across the street and began to try to hunt down the 2nd story gunner while the Kidnapper carefully retreated with a child that Ian recognized as The Baron's heir, Lord Hansu, and behind him the swordsman was getting to his feet once more.
   Ian Lunged at the Kidnapper slicing at his foot. The man struggling with the boy didn't dodge and Ian split his boot open like a roast, making him scream in his gas mask. Almost instantly Ian was grappled from behind blood pouring on him from the hole in the swordsman's mask and finally the choke-gas began to overcome his Changed lungs making hims gasp and struggle to breathe. Kira burst through a china shop without wobbling a teacup and burst into a tiny dirty courtyard between the shops. She raced up a set of rickety stars and turned to find two doors. Ian fought for breath and freedom, hearing the shouts of constables and rifle shots ringing through the streets. The man holding him was not just strong but a skilled technical fighter. He watched the kidnapper gain his footing once more and retreat. Ian huffed big breaths of the toxic gas and found enough oxygen to breathe, breaking his hold on the man crushing him as more shots rang out. Kira shouldered in the door on the right to find an empty apartment full of boxes of folded clothing. Ian whirled around to find the swordsman unconscious in the street from blood loss and the Kidnapper gone with the young lord left laying in the street. He hoisted young Hansu into his arms and walked out into the streets shouting "Don't shoot!". Kira shouldered at the other door but it wouldn't give, she fired rounds through the lock wildly and kicked until it buckled but she round only an empty window in a crowded apartment and a grenade launcher discarded on the floor. She snatched up the artillery piece and made her move to get out, stashing it clumsily in a garbage can before she drifted out the other side of the block through a pudding shop.
   Ian staggered out towards the constables through the heavy smoke, stepping over bodies. The constables began shooting at him again and he ducked screaming "Damnit don't shoot!". "Show us your hands" they demanded and Ian waved his hands daintily from under the unconscious noble in his fireman's carry. As he moved far enough out of the thick of the gas constables grabbed him and dragged him to the ground where they put irons him hims and loaded him bleeding into the back of an autowagon. Someone came and saw to his wounds as he coughed and tried to explain the situation but everyone was listening to their squawkers, not him. Two assailants, driving rapidly from the scene in an autowagon, headed East. The constables threatened him with a baton to give up where his accomplices were headed and he profusely denied any connection to them. In the end the drove him off to the dungeon, riding past Kira in the crowd.
   Kira wasn't bleeding out but she was very torn up from the shot through her chest and somewhere in there was a bullet. She had just scene the town's physik driving towards the palace with a dozen constables. She knew there were Amaltheans in the town but had previously not had a reason to spend time with churchers. So she walked to the poor side of town holding her bullet wound until she reached the House of Soft Lessons. She strode armed up to the tall muscular armored man at the door "Look I'm not one of your people but I'm wounded and nobody else will help me..". The large man leaned closer with an amused smile on his scarred lips "Will you fight for your redemption?". Kira's answer was the wordlessly quickdraw her automatic pistol without any change in her expression. The big man advanced on her in a flash and held her weapon from taking aim "It's a yes/no question.. you don't have to prove you can fight..". Kira shrugged as she slipped her Riproarer back in it's holster "Yes, I have a little more fight in me..". The door guard gave her a worried look and gestured for her follow him into the old stone temple.
   Instead of isles of prayer she found fighting circles with people from all walks of life were battling against one another, in the courtyard there were women learning fighting stances. She recognized someone fighting in the Cadivus school and saw many other fighting styles she had never seen. She was led down a narrow hall to a crowded cell where an old man was napping. The guard interrupted his sleep "Brother Barton, this woman was injured and needs our aid.." The old man blinked awake and looked at Kira "Mmmm gun shot.. you've had a big day.. come an sit down" as he began to draw out trays of tools. The guard left Kira with the old Amalthean as he coaxed her to show him the wound. He wasn't a theurgist but his hands worked with the skill of a physik, anesthetizing her injury and talking to her conversationally as he removed the bullet. At the end he commented that her cyberneurotics weren't adjusting to the pain very well if she could feel him remove the bullet. She tried to deny his accusation but he just seemed so uninterested in being proven wrong, chuckling at her until she let him calibrate her nervous system while he lectured her on wound care and rest. She had to admit she did feel a lot less rattled after the adjustment. And just like that someone with a broken arm was brought to his infirmary and he asked her for some privacy, letting her wander out.
   Ian's afternoon was not so fun. His belongings were taken and he was marched, bloody and tired, down into the dark halls under the Baronial Palace. He was given his own cell by a house guard and assured him his stay would be short if the young lord didn't survive. Ian just stared wide-eyed and shrugged at the guard, at the householders who came in to gawk, at the other dungeon residents. "Why hadn't they rounded up Kira?" he though. After a long wait of feeling gross and tired armed house guard showed a physik to his cell and watched over him as his wounds were treated. The physik exited Ian's cell and said he'd fetch some cream for the prisoner, letting the guards return to their boredom. When the physic returned with a tube of medicinal cream he leaned in close to Ian "I've seen marks like those before, so have these men, confess to me now and they'll only find out about one of your crimes.." Ian threw up his hands "I'm not guilty of anything more than saving the Baron's son.. I'm not with those jerks..". The physik walked out of the cells, hovering near the guards and talking softly to them.
  About ten minutes later some more house guard came into the dungeon and a mob of five armed and armored men came to Ian's cell with irons and the Sargent explained to Ian "I'm going to open this door and I'm going to come in and put you in restraints and we're going to go have a quiet talk. If you fight me, if you struggle, if you so much as give me a look I don't like, you're going to have an accident in custody and we'll study your corpse for clues. Am I understood." Ian was honestly a little impressed by the threat, he was used to much less. He nodded and turned around with hands folded behind his back for them. The guards came in, held him and chained him up tight then roughly led him out of the cells towards a reinforced door, which Ian rationed, was soundproofed for good reason. Before they crossed the guard room the door to the dungeons was shoved open by Lady Sakura "Guard's release that man promptly" she barked, clearly not in a good mood. The gang of guards held Ian tight and froze, the Sgt stammering "My Lady.. this man is wanted for assault on your brother.. we can't release him...". Sakura's eyes tightened like the glint off of a blade and she growled at the guard "Sargent, you lost this argument the moment your mind allowed to to hold an opinion contrary to mine, if you want to disagree with me further take off my Father's livery so the man that replaces you won't have to wear your blood on it.." The guard room went icily quiet followed by the sound of Ian's irons being undone. Sakura took the charioteer by the arm, snatching his belongings from the guard room table and dragging him up out of the dungeon. In seconds he was led out into the courtyard of the Baronial Palace. Sakura apologizing to him red-faced with rage as she hustled him away, depositing him into her Autocoach and having her driver take him home.
   Kira didn't feel like running back to work with a freshly plucked bullet wound so she returned to the Engineer's hall to sleep. Later that evening Ian came around to check on her. She was genuinely happy to see her friend not rotting in a dungeon and gave him a fair ration of shit for dragging her into a fight that nobody appreciated. They shared a beer and stories of their adventures before each one lumbered back to their bunks.
  In the morning Kira found a liveried messenger boy awaiting outside the Engineer's hall with a summons to the palace, she didn't really want to look at bins full of stock anyway. Minutes later the same boy was knocking at the shuttle where Ian slept, Kira waited while Ian made himself presentable and they walked across town to the Palace gates. Ian felt a sense of dread as they were searched by some of the same guards that had planned to torture a confession out of him last night. they were escorted to the small vestibule at the side of the walled manor. They waited on lavishly decorative couches waiting to be recieved until the outer doors opened once more to a cheerful Mistress Aiko greeting them both "Have you both had a chance to eat breakfast?". "No" responded Kira with a spiteful tone. "Good!" cheered Aiko as she lead them outside and across the courtyard to the horse stables where they found a rough-looking injured man hanging from the rafters from irons and Sakura laying out torture tools methodically on a nearby table. Kira couldn't help but smile disturbingly. She had never gotten the chance to torture someone. She busily set about convincing Lady Sakura that as a skilled workman with professional training she should be allowed to operate the hand drill.
   Ian noticed the wound to the man's face was the same bullet hole that Kira put in the masked swordsman who was kidnapping Hansu. He saw the look of tightly wound rage in Sakura's face as she questioned the nearly unconscious man and he knew he didn't want to be in the stables. He stepped outside for some fresh air. Kira delighted in the torture, not with any true sadism but understanding a man's breaking point was something new for her to try and she got to be clever finding ways to shield the noble lady from sprays of blood coming off her drill as she attentively worked on and broke the soldier. Through repetition and literally drilling of the suspect Sakura uncovered that the man was a Knight of Lexitus sent to kidnap her younger brother by none other than the Archbishop of , and she uncovered shortly before the knight died that the knight's fellow soldiers were hiding out in the nearby mountain town of Tikal, waiting for him to escape. Sakura instructed her guard to have the man buried in an unmarked grave and she'd arrange for his last rights.
  Sakura emerged from the stables where the dead knight hung, cleaning blood from her delicate pink hands "I once again have need of resolute assistants not tied to my family. I'm going after the men that threatened my family. Close to the holidays as we are and close to the end of your contracts I understand..". "I'm in." Ian said plainly. Sakura seemed to swallow the interruption awkwardly, not caring for people speaking over her but also not expecting this to end without a discussion of compensation for the guilders. Kira came out, miscellaneously splattered with the church knight's blood "I'll need a change of clothes and my weapons, and we should really get some armor for this if your family can afford it, could we get a ride my Lady?" Sakura looked between them and at her chambermaid who was desperate not to be left with the take of putting away the tortured knight's body "Aiko-san.. please take our friends home to gather what they need and return here to collect me at the gates. Aiko sprang into action gesturing Ian and Kira to the Autocoach "Yes my Lady.".
   The ride back to the guildhalls was quick. Both Ian and Kira geared up then drove back to collect Lady Sakura, changed into pants and a light jacket, armed and standing with servants holding the chain hauberks she promised to Ian and Kira. In a minute they here crossing down then back out the Easterly road, Sakura's Autocoach getting stuck in the wheel ruts in the soft earth very near the old ruined house the stopped at before. But this time their path was to take them high up the inhospitable snow-capped mountain to Tikal. As the found the trail up the mountain the first flakes of snow began to drift to the ground, looking up it would be a harrowing climb if they didn't get high quickly.
   The climb took hours, slower and longer at the end as the foursome struggled with packed snow and ice along narrow switchback paths. Along the way Sakura explained that Tikal wasn't any Lord's property. It was on a border between fiefdoms and it served no resourceful benefit. It was widely known that the tiny mountain town was a haven for Dikang Yungdong insurgents but sending troops into the town only led to costly fights with dug-in rebels that would scatter only to return when troops left. The only thing more dangerous than the rebels were the Changed that lived in the mountains. It was effectively a freeman town, but not a town most freemen would live in. The arduous path ended where a walkway had been bored into the mountain face and as the climbers walked through the gates they found themselves in a large town dug into the shoulders between two mountains, mostly in frozen ruins but clearly once beautiful. High above them dug into the mountainside was a large maxcrete industrial building, it's heraldry fallen upside down, however Ian recognized the inverted R logo as the heraldry of the Rollick corporation, a 2nd republic freighter manufacturer. Freezing cold with temperatures dropping fast and nobody property prepared for high mountain weather the foursome forced their way into a half-collapsed home and began building a fire from destroyed furniture.
  Once the shivering subsided, Mistress Aiko created an impressive contraption and began brewing a bottle of warm tea. There was talk about going out into the freezing weather to scout out where the other knights were held up. Nobody liked this idea much but they agreed it's better to know where the enemy was than to be caught by surprise. They gave Ian a ratty blanket they found and a bottle of warm tea to help him fight the below-freezing temperatures and agreed to make radio contact every 30 minutes. He snuck out into the town in the dark in the blizzard. Unbeknownst to the others Ian was quite comfortable and barely even needed a coat. His Traveler genes were comfortable in freezing weather and the village he grew up in was much like Tikal. The streets were icy but crenelated from ice freezing on ice. The town was beautiful with sturdy old buildings and snow-covered roofs. Moving from neighborhood to neighborhood stealthily he happened upon a cluster of buildings with a smoking chimney. As he crept closer he was suddenly aware of the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow. He held his position and listened to the wind, he turned slowly and saw nothing but swirling white snow swallowing the dark shadows of the neighborhood.
   From overhead Ian heard a voice "Don't move.. they see you better when you move..". Ian frozen, glancing at the roof with his eyes but he could see nothing. He could hear something breathing hard, sniffing at the air. This time when the voice spoke Ian could recognize the sound of a voice speaking through an old tin stove pipe "I can't tell how many there are but he knows you're there, when I count to three run for the door..". Ian felt icy panic grip him as something in the corner of his eye was moving out of the dark, something big and bestial.. them. From above he hear the count "One, two three" a door about 10 feet away was thrown open and he heard the crack of a crossbow bolt behind him as something shot the beast in the dark. His feel slipped on the crusty ice as he scrambled in a panic, barely holding his footing. The beast charged him and rushed past as he dove into the doorway. The door slammed shut behind him and two figures in padded coats crushed agianst the door and barred it. The monster outside roared and pounded the door and walls but the house was sturdy. Ian gulped breaths and fished his pistol from the holster, looking around a cozy small home wild-eyed and scared. One of the figured turned around and smiled, a young man with curly hair and dusky features "Hey...you're safe now.. probably.. I'm Weary, this my mother Nona..", the older woman turning to eyes Ian disapprovingly as she checked shutters and stepped softly.
   Ian sat on the couch next to a little stove in the house, listening to the kid explain that the changed that live up in the mountains are big aggressive fox-beasts, they're very aggressive but not very good hunters. The more he described them the more Ian recognized stories of the Vulpin, a changed breed created by House Hawkwood during the war. It seemed so strange they'd be found here so far from Hawkwood space. Ian made small talk asking about how the boy and his mother got on so far up. Ian explained they were brass workers and he showed Ian their workshop, full of decorative boxes, hinges and cheap jewelry, the sort of peasantcraft freeman go broke trying to do. Weary told him the shuttles come in to trade with them up at the parade ground for the factory. Ian asked more about the old Rollick factory and the boy explained that it was mostly gutted except the parts that were flooded but that he knew his way around. Ian asked weary about any strangers around and Weary told him that there were some soldiers who had shown up weeks ago that were pretty sketchy, they had camped out in the factory and everyone has been avoiding them. Nona brought Ian some porridge and he explained to Weary's mom that his friends were still out in the storm hiding and he needed to keep them safe, he could pay her but he had to get them inside. Nona didn't like the idea of even more people in her home but she agreed. Weary said that this close to morning it should be safe but they should hurry.
   Ian radio'd back to Sakura and the others about what he'd found and he told them to be ready to go, they were moving to a more secure location. He moved quietly across town with is gun in hand, really afraid of the possibility that the Vulpin were still around. He made it back to the decapitated hovel where Kira and the others were hiding, huddled together for warmth and he quickly hurried them back to Weary's home. As the feeling of warmth and safety set in they each found a corner of the little house and fell asleep.
   In the morning the house had yet another occupant, a muscular man with eyes tattooed into his cheeks, his hair shorn short for a helmet but not even cut like a muster, more like a militiaman Ian surmised. Sakura seemed to recognize him, drawing her vibrosaber, which quickly woke up Ian and Kira, drawing their blades as well. The Tatoo'd man raised his hands to ward them back but didn't look especially worried about being outnumbered "These are good people, they don't deserve misfortune in their lives.. please.." Gradually Sakura lowered her blade and sheathed it, followed by the others. Kira, feeling like she missed something whispered to Sakura "Who is he? Some kind of criminal?". Sakura eyed the big man as she laced up her boots "His eye tattoos, he's Dikang Yungdong - Watchmen of the people, anti Li-Halan insurgency." The Dikang soldier spoke in hushed tones with Nona and Ian walked over to Weary "Hey, maybe we can help each other, if I paid you, could you draw me a map of the factory and the parade ground up there?". Weary smiled crookedly "I can do better, pay me and I'll show you a way in those soldiers don't know about.". Nona was handing out bowls with little portions of oatmeal when she overheard her son "No Weary, it's too dangerous..". Weary stood up and got between his mother and Ian as if to protect him from her anger "Mama, these men will pay us well, they'll get what they want without shooting up the town and they'll be gone faster.. it's a good plan.". Ian rested his hand on the boy's shoulder "Your son isn't going to be in danger and it would mean a lot to House Li-halan, would 20 Firebirds help you?". Sakura stood, adjusting her belt "100 Firebirds.". Kira suddenly realized that this child was getting paid what she was to risk her life. The Dikang soldier sneered "These people aren't fruits in a market, you cannot just buy them". Sakura squared off against him with Mistress Aiko backing her up behind her shoulder "You want us gone and this is the safest and wisest solution. If you'd prefer we can fill this town with house troops to hunt these fugitives..". The man with the eye tattoos moved to the door and looked across each of the foursome "We're not looking for a war, you have the day to deal with your business. If you're still in Tikal when the first Star of Lux lights in the sky, Pancreator only knows what might happen to you." and with that he departed the home. Aiko looked around at the hard cold expressions of everyone in the house and smiles brightly, exclaiming "Well then there's no time like the present.. let's begin!"
   Weary drew a map of the factory. It was three stories but didn't penetrate the mountain very deeply. Most of the facility was underground and flooded. The Parade ground was large, and icy about a kilometer long and the stairs that led up the mountain to it were about 60 feet of climb with very little obstruction. Weary explains there's a back stairs that leads up into the building that he can show them. they all armed up and the boy carefully led them all closer to the factory. As they drew nearer the buildings looked less maintained, more like factory barns than homes. All the while they kept their eyes sharp for Changed and tried to stay in the shadow of anything that blocked sight from the factory above. Weary led them further down, through an archway to what must have once been a shuttle landing right against the foundation of the factory. He led them into an old lean-to on the wall and they found the frozen ruined residence was set deep into the maxcrete foundation. Weary explained that the hermitage was built into a stairwell and behind the back wall is a stairwell that goes all the way up to the factory. Ian lit up his vibrosaber and carefully sliced into the back wall, revealing dark stairs leading up. They cut a doorway into the back of the hovel and cautiously climbed up the narrow maxcrete stairs in the dark.
   The stairwell was short and icy in places with gear-tooth railing that ran down both sides. About 4 feet up they reached a landing with a sliding door, it's door box unlit and unresponsive. On either side of the door were big iron rail cars that ran on the track. They searched around and found that the metal floor of the platform could be opened to access the hydraulics of the door and there was a manual crank. Both Ian and Kira worked at the ice-cold crank, pounding at it and dousing it with hot tea to try to break it's freeze. Eventually they forced the crank and levered the door open, letting a spray of ice-cold water to shower the stairwell from the door frame. They levered it open more and water began to rush from the whole length of the door. Everyone scrambled into the mining cart as a river of frozen water splashed down the stairs. The way in was flooded. Kira suggested they should just drain the flooded area and sneak up, but after an hour of draining the door it showed no sign of slowing and the stairwell behind them was flooding, trapping them in with frozen water. Ian volunteered to push into the freezing stream of water and shut the door. Kira and Sakura held him steady as he leaned into the rushing water and began to crank it shut. When the door was fully shut the water froze on the stairs and Ian was blue from being submerged. They wrapped him in a blanket and hoped for the best. Kira and Lady Sakura waded into the ruins of the hermitage below as the water receded and threw out the debris that was clogging the water and causing the flooding.
   Once more they got everyone out of the path of the water and opened the doors wide enough that the water flowed like a geyser, spraying everyone damp and freezing and nearly knocking Kira down the stairs before she was caught and dragged up on the cart, but draining the underground are in minutes. Soon the water was just lazy stream and they stepped through the door into an underground area. they could see through an open doorway a massive workbay that must be beneath the parade ground. Through the dim light of ice that had covered the opening above Ian could make out the profile of what must be a starship. There was no time to investigate now but he'd have to come back.
  Above they could hear a man speaking. Everyone pressed themselves into the shadows of the stairwell that continued up to daylight and listened. "I don't know.. it's just gone" said the man's voice "I'm not an engineer, it looks like there was a leak? An infiltrating leak? No, just a leak leak.. I don't see anyone anywhere. No I'm not going down... Because I don't know where the water went and I don't want to be soaked in freezing water like an idiot.. Well you can go down if you want.." and soon the voice was fading as it walked away. Lady Sakura and the others crept up the steps towards daylight once more, peering up over the edge of the stairs. They could see a massive flat maxicrete field covered in ice and snow. At the head of the stairs was a pitched tent about halfway between was a little table with a squawker and some supplies. Looming above them was the edifice of the factory, smoke drifting out of a broken second story window. Ian stealthed out to the table and shut off the squawker before creeping back towards the building. They decided that the distance to the tent outpost was too far and they quietly stalked to the doors of the factory one at a time across the open parade. As Kira stepped through the broken glass doors she nearly tripped over a wire stretched across the hallway. She alerted the others to it as she traced the tripwire to grenade behind a doorway that was wired up to serve as a mine. They carefully stepped over the tripwire, whispering to one another. Ian, being a fool, took the lead. That's when they could hear the clanking of a bouncing object clattering towards them and a loud explosion as a fragmentation grenade went off just a few yards away.
   Ian and Kira were mostly protected by the chainmail and heavy cladding they borrowed from Lady Sakura, but Sakura's energy shield was crushed and Mistress Aiko went down against the wall. Both Ian and Kira found their footing again quickly and a calm voice called out over the ringing in their ears "If you're still alive, this is a good time to surrender. I have all of.." and Kira whirled around the corner firing wild up the staircase at the gloating church knight. The knight opened up on Kira with a burst of automatic fire, two bullets connected and penetrated her armor but the wounds were mostly superficial. Ian swept around the corner of the stairs and rushed the knight with his vibrosword unexpectedly and sliced into him through his armoplast breastplate, then beheaded the church knight after he collapsed. Sakura stayed with her battered chambermaid, looking after her while she watched the door in. Above Ian and Kira searched the upper floor, finding spartan camping and cooking supplies. As they hunted around the gutted building there was a boom as a flitter passed overhead and spun over the parade field to land. Kira stared at the tent far across the open field and could see movement, the last church knight was out there. She bolted down the stairs and pushed past her compatriots in the hall below running free into the open just as the flitter swung back to land. She could see someone behind the tent getting ready to evacuate and she sprinted faster. She heard gunshots through the tent as the last remaining Church knight fired wild at her but she continued to struggle over the frozen ground. In the end the flitter with Orthodoxy livery landed, someone boarded and it blasted off in a flurry of snow, leaving them alone in the factory.
   Ian performed first aid on Mistress Aiko and they picked over what was left behind, finding weapons and camp supplies and a pair of good blankets to ward off the freezing weather. The sun was setting on Lux Eve, down below in Lawton the lit decorations made the distant town glow and the stars shone softly in the twilight as they made their way to the trail down the mountain, stopping often for a mildly concussed Aiko. All four of them were exhausted from strain, wounded and so cold they could barely feel the ground under their feet. They arrived at the bottom of the hill late in the knight, the rolling fields blanketed in snow. The found Lady Sakura's coach waiting on the road, it's lights coming on as they approached. Inside the driver had more warm blankets and drove them back to town quickly. Ian and Kira were mostly out cold as they drove through Lawton lit up with thousands of lights. As they arrived at the palace Sakura led everyone inside and got big tumblers of brandy to warm their cold bones. She took Mistress Aiko to her room to rest and left Ian and Kira to wander around the grand hall and look at all of the lavishly wrapped gifts and decorations for the holiday.
   Sakura returned in a dressing gown with her hair down, with tired servants carrying quilts and trays of fresh baked pastries. She pulled two small presents from the table of gifts and handed one to Kira and one to Ian expressing a tired "Thank you for all you've done for me my friends.. Please share my light on this long night.." The guilders took their gifts into an alcove off the hall where a little fireplace was being stoked and tea heated by servants, there were trays of jellied treats and frosted cookies and candied bits of chicken in a hot pot. Kira's gift was an ordinary brown scarf but as she stroked it she could feel the tickle of smartweave fibers licking her hands clean. Ian got a data crystal. As Lady Sakura sat on the floor at the low table they both explained they had gotten her gifts but hadn't had time to pick them up. Sakura graciously claimed that their friendship was the gift, anything else is only a token. They sat and laughed in the drafty hall until the guilders eventually fell asleep just after sunrise on Lux Morning.