Aether Shanties RP (PM if interested/Started)

[Terratina.]

Vasco nodded as he took the results and plotted them on a chart. Nothing could be seen as of yet, there would have to be at least three readings before a trend could be seen, and after all, this was only to prevent fluid build-up. Nothing more, nothing less. She went on and on about reports and such and what was that? Head the resupply team with Mr. Corvus? A charming opportunity. Dr. Roque had some questions regarding Skyfolk medicine and the neutralisation of poisons. He handed her the many-amended report of the battle and any other incident requiring medical attention.

"Long story short: cuts, gashes and burns." He curtly replied as he put the graph paper away, noting the lack of ink in his pen and then gloomily continued, "More deaths than usual with these skirmishes..." Vasco then concluded his rather brief report, after all, most of the details were in the written one that he handed over and moved on to the matters of the resupply team, "Unless my doctoral duties excuse me, I will be glad to lead the team. After all, I have some concerns I need to talk about with Garrett." After that mouthful, he took a deep breath and awaited her reply.

 

[blaze96]

Samuel walked up on deck to see that the fighting had ceased just as quickly as it had began. He boarded the other ship knowing the if there were wounded from either ship, chances were it wasn't on the Mermaid.

"I'll tend to any wounded from this ship, no need to waste time trying to move everyone across." Samuel shouted to Beth as he set to work on finding the wounded on the captured ship and move em to somewhere at least out of the way of the rest of the crew. By the time they made port he should have fixed up everyone as best he could or have lost them.

 

[Arcanist]

Jason watched as the Skyfolk ship's officers made their surrender formal. Laying down their guns and filing over to the Mermaid in chains, they gave their remaining former crew a bow and continued to move off, their head held high.

"Wait." Jason headed over to the boat manned by the ship's former captain - an older man. By the tattoos he wore, Jason guessed he was from one of the northern cities; likely Thunder Sky or Sentinel Bay. Even if they where greedy, thieving pirates, it didn't sit well with Jason that they'd just dump this man in a strange city so far from home without anything at all.

The man looked at Jason with a mixture of apprehension and anger. "What else, boy? Come to rob me of my fillings, too?" Jason couldn't help but chuckle at his moxie. You didn't captain a Skyfolk vessel without some, he supposed. "Fortunately for you, nothing so brutal." He fished around his pockets and produced some coins, at first glance, it looked to be enough to charter a few people on a cheap ship up north. "Take this. You look like you'll be needing this far more than I."

The man balked, pushing Jason's hand back. "I don't need charity, least of all from somebody robbing me blind." Again, Jason couldn't help but laugh - he couldn't help but respect somebody capable of sticking to their principles in such an unpleasant situation. Looking the old man over, Jason saw he had... a pack of cigarettes. 'Perfect.'

Jason, with a deft flourish, snatched the cigarettes from the man's coat pocket and replaced it with the coins. "Then consider it a trade." The old man moved to protest, but Jason raised his pistol and shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist. Besides..." Jason removed a cigarette from the pack, lighting it and taking in a deep draught. "I'm doing you a favor. These things'll kill you." With a self-satisfied chuckle at the old man's mixed expression of indignation and gratitude, he turned back to the Mermaid. If they where going to dock in Helium City by nightfall, the ship would need some preparations done.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Sheska-

Before Sheska could hear Isaac's reply, she saw the fighting on the Skyfolk ship stop. Leaning against the railing, she watched as Jason called out to them, ordering them to surrender. Then Beth stepped up, completely unscathed, and gave the old captain her terms.

When they accepted, Sheska simply grinned and stepped back. "Well, that was easy.", she said with a soft chuckle.

"Alright, Mermaids, we'll be commandeering this ship until we get to Helium City where we can sell it.".

She stretched, then glanced over at Isaac and smirked. "Well, looks like the Mermaid is in our hands for the time being. Hope that ship has some valuable cargo, maybe something we can sell off on its own for extra profit. We can use all the money we can get for this venture.", she said, before striding confidently to the helm.

She felt better for talking to Izzy, and for seeing Beth take over a ship with naught but a scratch. That, along with the plan she had in mind for talking to her, made things clearer and eased her mind.

So when she got to the wheel, she was feeling more like her old self. "Alright Izzy, make sure we're still on our heading. Farthing! I want to be separate from the other ship in an hour at the longest. So, make sure the crew on the capture that are staying there get it ready to separate, and everyone staying on the Mermaid is on deck. Lets get to Helium City and make us some gold, gentleman!", she shouted, grinning widely as she grasped the wheel.

Things were starting to look up, and she hoped they stayed that way. Even if they didn't though, things were working out now at the very least.

 

[MortifiedPenguin]

Spoiler: Slender Hector

Name: Slender Hector

Age: 20

Gender: Male

Culture: Misbegotten

Background: Criminal (Would be Gentlemen Thief)

Ship: HMS Invincible or the The Mermaid

Appearance:

Spoiler: His Appearance

Standing tall and thin at 7?5? and 150 lbs and with six scrawny limbs, Slender Hector lives up to his name. He wears a ragged, albeit bright suit with a matching hat complete with hatpins, as the hat was salvaged and is incomplete, slowly coming apart at the seams, only held together by the pins he has managed to get his hands on. Poking out from underneath the hat, is a shock of fiery, unkempt, uncut hair that always annoys him. He normally carries with him a cane and a cigarette holder he salvaged from the rubbish dumps of the blocks to complete the gentlemanly, but dilapidated look. Some of his hands and his feet are misshaped and would look out of proportion on a normal person, marking him as a misshapen mutant.

Personality: Being a wannabe gentlemen thief, he always acts suave, charming and polite. imitating the debonaire adventurers of the dime novels he read. But he is still just a twenty-something that has just broken out of the blocks and knows little of the world outside of them, only trusting those that show that their allegiance doesn?t belong to the Empire, but still keeping his true intention close to his heart. Nevertheless, Hector isn?t all smiles. He enjoys his new-found freedom from the Empire?s cruel commands and will stop at nothing to retain it. He feels no guilt and has no mercy.

Biography: Born with six arms and abandoned by his parents in the Change Cage city of Desolation and left to his own devices, he was always getting his hands on something, whether it be a dull cast away pocket watch or a broken umbrella. Soon he got his hands on some dime novel called The Adventures of Trilby and dreamed of having daring escapades at the helm of an airships with a dashing woman in one hand and bags of loot in the others, flying off into the sunset.

Unfortunately, life in the blocks didn?t offer such excitement, Hector had to start small, picking pickpockets one day and casing joints the next. However, in such small areas his antics didn't go unnoticed. Pig-Snout Pete woke up one morning to find his favourite trinket missing and many other more fellow Misbegotten soon awoke to find their valuables missing. An angry mob soon assembled and demanded that he would return their belongings back to them, unable to do so because he had a ready sold them, they drove him out to one of the nastiest blocks, hoping that the skinny spider-like scruff would starve to death there.

Hector didn?t plan on letting a few angry neighbours stand in the way of his hopes and dreams. He saw the punishment as an opportunity to escape the blocks for good. Left to his own devices, as always, he gradually dug a tunnel out only using six spoons and his own determination to be the one of the few people who had ever escaped the block unnoticed. It was something that would only be found in dime novels he had read, only something most people would think would happen in fantasy-land. Hector had always thought that if Trilby were there, Hector would have earned his respect.

Ending up in the air-docks, Hector stopped himself from becoming overwhelmed by the wondrous spectacle that lay before him and spied a fine vessel to make his getaway on, throwing caution to the wind, he got on it without even checking whom it belonged to. It turned out to be a Skyfolk ship. He spent most of the time trying to avoid the sailors? notice in the cargo hold, using his slender frame to slip into the mess of supplies.

Even from the depths of the hold he could hear the clamour of the tumultuous battle above him; the ring of steel flashing against steel, the deafening cracks of pistols and the boisterous cries of battle. He wanted to see it, wanted to experience it, he wanted to be there on the deck. Seeing for himself what the Adventure's of Trilby were like in real life. Did it match the romantic splendour of the penny novels he had read, or were they more brutal than fantastic? He needed to know.

Fumbling in the dark he gathered his meagre belongings, the penny novels, any pins that may have fallen off his raggedy suit and made sure not to forget what made the ensemble complete: his hat, and made his way up from the hold in a clumsy ascent.

He found his way into one off the upper decks. Dim but still dark there was just enough light for him to make out where he was going, the light that did make it through the tightly packed wood guided him further up, until all he could was go along. His lofty height did not help, his head kept bumping into the eaves. Unable to put up with the constant knocks and the damage it might be doing to his hat, he elected to crawl, his slender stature and green suit made him look reminiscent of a snake slithering across the floor.

The light guided him to an opening where he could the battle. Real pirates were boarding the ship! They weren't dressed in the splendiferous rainbow coloured outfits with peg legs and parrots on their shoulders like they did in the tales he had read, but that was beside the point. Real life pirates! He was bursting from the excitement. Not only had he managed to escape Desolation when everyone else were busy mocking him undetected, he had snuck onto this ship so far undetected and now he was seeing real life pirates. Could it get any better? Would there be romance and intrigue as well? He was bubbling at the thought.

In his excitement arm and leg and two other arms spilled out from the opening, which he now discovered to be a door, and he tumbled out landing on his back in the middle of the deck. Most people looked surprised, others looked bemusedly at the strange creature that had rolled onto the deck. Unsure what to do he did the only thing he could think of. He introduced himself.

"I'm Hector" He announced, beaming unsurely.

 

[hiei82]

Lanester glanced at the reports; not giving it much attention at the moment. There would be time for a more details analysis later. For the moment, she was awaiting Mr. Roque's response on whether or not he would lead the resupply team. When he answered however, the response was not what she had been expecting.



"What does he need to speak with Garrett about?" she wondered; her more paranoid nature taking root. "Did I say something under the effects of the Morphine?" she wondered, more then a little concerned. Despite this, she managed to keep her face (mostly) unrevealing. Getting passed the sudden case of paranoia, Adrianna responded how she had originally intended. "Very good Mr. Roque. I will see to it you are in charge then; failing any sudden medical emergencies."



"On which note,-" she said, before turning toward the door, keeping the important documents in hand "-let me know of any specific requisitions you have and I will see that they are funded. Unless there is anything else, I'm afraid I have several difficult letters to write." she finished, looking down at the list of casualties. Thereafter, she made her way to the door.

 

[blaze96]

Samuel watched Hector fall out of the room and instinctively drew his pistol on the man, before he explicitly enough made it known he wasn't a threat. He then put the pistol back in his holster calmly and set back to getting a bullet out of a sedated man's chest.

"Samuel, a pleasure to meet you." He said as he was finally able to pull the round ball out of the man and began to sew him up after cleaning the wound.

"So what has you falling out of a door Mr. Hector?" he asked.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Beth saw Eddie and some of his heading back to the mermaid, Jason helped the old captain and the doc showed up to treat the wounded. She heard a door opening and drew her weapon again, when a misbegotten fell onto the deck next to her.

"I'm Hector"

Beth stepped away from him, since he was laying on his back, looking up and she was wearing a dress as usual.

"I'm Winged Beth, the second captain of the Mermaid." She said, before turning away from him, having lost most of her interest in him for the time being. He appeared to be a stowaway. "I want the ship searched, and check the cargo. I don't want any unexpected surprises before we get to Helium City."

Six pirates went off in pairs, to search the ship and check the cargo. Beth herself climbed up to the wheel and put her hands on it.

"Alright, good work men. Let's celebrate in Helium tonight!"

Some cheered, and the Captain realized why she had thought she would wake up with another hangover tomorrow. Third time's the charm, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

 

[hiei82]

A few days later:

It was early morning; the sun bright in the low sky, barely cresting over the horizon, on a clear, cold day when the distance glimmer of Helium City came into view.

Helium City, it has been said, is the still point of the turning world, the center around which the three cultural "spokes" of North America, the Neobedouin, the Skyloft and the Neovictorians, rotate. Helium City is neutral territory, the only place where all three cultures can meet, in (relative) peace.

History
Long ago, Helium City was known as Amarillo, and sat upon the biggest deposits of helium in the world, on the windy plains of the Texas Panhandle. At the time of the Great Rectification it was not considered important by the Emperor, since he did not have many airships, and its population were rounded up and fed to the beasts early on. Once the Skyloft movement began, the Skyfolk quickly realized the importance of the place. As the Imperial ground forces pulled out of Texas with the introduction of uber-beasts into the area, the Skyfolk seized their chance. The sky city of High Amarillo, largely inhabited by refugees from the original city of the same name, fortified itself with high wooden walls on the outskirts of its platform and landed near the site of the helium mines. From
this position of strength they were able to slowly push the uber-beasts back, expanding the defensive walls outward to include the drilling rigs. It wasn't long before the local Neobedouin tribes began to trade with the city, and airships came from the other sky cities to buy the precious liftgas.

Soon, the city began producing its own currency, the Helios, backed by the wealth of helium upon which the city sat. It was some time before the Emperor realized quite how important Helium City (as it was now calling
itself) had become. As more and more sky cities were built, he began to wish he had an airship fleet, and the key to that was the vast helium resources below the upstart city.
Early in 2101, a massive army set out from Desolation, with the intention of taking Helium City. Guarded by a scant few airships, they marched for weeks across the desolate, beast-filled wilderness. Many soldiers were picked of by sabre-tooths, giant lions, bears and racids, others by Neobedouin who harassed them by night and day. It was a sad and sorry remnant who arrived in Helium City - a remnant far too small to make an attack or mount a siege.
The Neobedouin and Skyfolk expected the President of Helium City to demand the surrender of the remaining soldiers - instead he declared a truce and invited them inside the walls, tended their wounds and offered to open talks with the Neovictorians. Noone is quite sure whether President Miguel Higgins
was greedy or far-sighted. Maybe it was a bit of both. He argued that opening Helium City to trade with the Neovictorians would be a way of bettering relations with them and defusing the tensions, though some thought he was really a&er the raw materials that the
Neovictorians would use to pay for the helium they wanted and which his city could then sell on to the Skyfolk at a profit. Higgins called in the representatives of the Skyfolk
and the Neobedouins and put the proposal to them. Many were unimpressed, but they took the proposals back to their cities and tribes and three months later came back with their answers - they would support the notion of the city as neutral ground they too could see the advantage of access to the products of the Neovictorian mines), but would not respect
any truce outside Helium City ? particularly if the Emperor used his new airships to attack the Skyfolk. Colonel Jamieson Cheetham-Harris, the leader of the Neovictorian army, who had been living as a guest of the city while waiting for the results of the Free Peoples' deliberations, welcomed the news.
He went further, and had it written into the treaty that the IAN would not attack anyone within 50 miles of Helium City. All three groups signed the Tripartite Agreement. Cheetham-Harris returned to Desolation, where he was immediately flung into the Change Cage on orders of the Emperor; but the
Neovictorians kept their part of the bargain, and have never since tried to attack Helium City.

Melting Pot
You can meet anyone in Helium City. Inside its high stone walls, which enclose an area of five square miles, grizzled Neobedouin outriders rub shoulders with haughty IAN captains and drunken pirates. Undercover Chuno Ggun agents infiltrate seedy bars in search of the fugitive sons of Neovictorian
noblemen. Dolls conduct their business along the canalside docks. Bargefolk do eager trade with all and sundry. Thick-skinned misbegotten mercenaries and down-at-heel sailors come here seeking work, filling the doss-houses and inns that cater for any
tastes. Escaped slaves from Skyloft cities seek a haven, knowing that if they can live here free for a year and a day, they cannot be reclaimed by their owners. At the heart of the city, where one would normally expect the business district, the tall towers of the gas
refineries stand, their steel pipework gleaming in the sunlight and throwing ofg flares of burning methane into the night sky. Over them looms the rectangular slab of the Chase Tower, the shell of a 31-story building left over from before the apocalypse ? its
windows are gone, its furniture looted, but its stairs are intact, and in the summer months, when trade is at its maximum, dozens of airships can be seen anchored to the ancient structure. The owner of the building, a wily old ex-Neobedouin called Jack Bear, makes a fortune renting moorings to the many traders who visit, with prices inversely proportional to the number of stairs you have to climb to reach your airship. The rest of the city is lower ? single-story, sandy-brick
buildings with curved surfaces, designed to weather the tornadoes which sweep across the area in spring and autumn. At that time of year, bringing an airship to Helium City is considered foolhardy at best, and probably suicidal. The citizens are a mixture of many creeds and colors. The permanent inhabitants consider themselves honorary Skyfolk, even though most of them have never set foot in an airship. Many are helium miners, many more merchants, traders and brokers, but the majority work in service industries serving (and often fleecing) the visitors who %ood into the city every summer. As well as the people who have grown up in Helium City, there are many from other cultures who came to
visit and decided to stay. Whether it be those who have run away from the Change Cage cities, Neobedouin who have traded freedom for safety, or Skyfolk who have given up the high air for the chance to make a fortune, anyone and everyone can find a place here.

Trade City Helium City thrives on trade. In the tornado seasons of spring and autumn, and in the snows of midwinter, it is relatively quiet, but from June to September the size of the population almost doubles as Skyfolk,
Bargefolk, Neobedouin and Neovictorian sailors
flood into the city. The peak of the season is mid-July, when representatives of all the Neobedouin tribes on the continent trek to the city for a two week festival of trade, music, dance, marriage and just plain hedonism. The walls become surrounded by Neobedouin encampments and it sometimes seems as if no one sleeps for fourteen days.
Airships bob above, anchored to anything available, shining colored lights down onto the revelers below, and the scent of
mammoth-steak drifts up into the night air from a thousand cooking pits.

Helium City Today
Almost fifty years have passed since the signing of the Tripartite Agreement, and while there have been minor incidents over the years, it has never been broken. The Emperor used his supplies of helium to build the Imperial Air Navy, but has never managed to use it to conquer the Skylofts, due to their own Declaration of Allegiance Pact. The Neobedouin have probably come off worst from the Agreement, as they bear the brunt of Chuno Ggun and IAN attacks. Even they, however, have not broken away, because trade at Helium City has become too much a part of
their culture. The present President of
Helium City (chosen by democratic vote of all the citizens) is Jaqui Remmington, a no-nonsense woman in her mid-forties who came up through the ranks of the Union of Helium Drillers and Bottlers. Her plan to tax the obscenely rich helium merchants of the city to pay for the building of hospitals and schools for the less well-off is meeting with some opposition (particularly among the obscenely rich) and there are rumors that an assassin has been paid to get rid of her. Her links with the UHDB mean that she can shut down helium production with a nod and a wink, and she holds this threat over the heads of
those who would oppose her idealistic plans.

At the time of this, Adrianna was on deck, her spyglass to her eye, watching the city. The route between Desolation and Helium was well traveled and timed; so she knew to expect the city around this time given wind speeds and delays. While she had visited Helium many a time before, she was keeping a close eye on it this time for a single reason; the Mermaid. If her suspicions were correct, it was likely the Mermaid was in port. If that were the case, hey would need to be wary in the city, but it also gave them an edge. If they knew where it was, they could keep an eye on it; maybe even gather some useful intelligence. She was half-way tempted to seek out the now infamous (to her) Beth and meet her properly like a real captain.

Not that Beth was anything like a real captain.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Several days has passed since the attack by The Mermaid, and the crew had managed to weather that particular storm; though their pride had taken a hit. Garrett had mostly been spending his time helping out wherever he could above or below deck, wanting to appear as useful, though he did make sure to spend some time with Adrianna. It was roughly the third or forth day into the journey, when news was heard of Helium City being spotted on the horizon, with any luck, they should reach land soon.

After helping out down in the cargo hold to make sure everything was in order, Garrett made his way up on deck, and yawned as the crisp, cold morning air hit him. He then noticed the Admiral was out on deck as well, looking through her spyglass and no doubt having a better view of Helium City than some of the others could. Garrett had been to that place a couple of times in the past, as a few of his mercenary contracts had him end up there. He respected that it was really the only place where people of all nations and creeds could meet in some relative form of peace; a part of him wished all the land was like that, but he realised that people couldn't get along everywhere. Making sure he looked respectable, he approached Adrianna.

"Morning m'lady." Garrett said in a courteous manner. "How fare you this morning?"

 

[3quency]

-Isaac-
"Well, looks like the Mermaid is in our hands for the time being. Hope that ship has some valuable cargo, maybe something we can sell off on its own for extra profit. We can use all the money we can get for this venture."
Isaac smiled and nodded briefly. Sheska looked like she was snapping out of her gloom a little.
"No kidding. If this job is as big as I think it is... fingers crossed and all that bollocks." The crew started to return and Sheska headed off, busying herself with prepping the ship for disengagement. Isaac walked off his own way, to get his bearings. He had to admit, the atmosphere after a successful raid was infectious. He couldn't help but grin.
Maybe, just maybe things will turn out alright.

As usual, he awoke crying.
The dream faded quickly this time, but the sight of blood on his hands never went away. Isaac stumbled to his basin and washed the sleep from his eyes, studying the haggard face in the mirror.
How could he already look so old? His scant few years had not been kind. He left the room and headed back about his usual tasks, tracking down coffee in the process.
They should be approaching Helium, and sure enough as Isaac reached the top deck he recognised the familiar outline of the free city. He smiled. He'd spent time there before, in all three walks of life. Spy, escapee, navigator... no matter what Isaac always seemed to find his way back. He loved the city. The promise of it. There was something about Helium that not only showed up the oppression of the Empire but the instability of the sky cities. A few other crew members were up and about and soon enough somebody would have to alert the captain. He'd do it himself but he needed to be up here keeping the city in sight. And they had a while yet, as always Isaac was up abominably early.

Plenty of time to relax and watch the sun rise.


-Annis-

Helium city. Annis had never loathed a place more. It was chaos out there. Factions from all across America met in some farcical truce and pretended to be civilised to one another, it was no wonder the city was impossible to control. She snorted with contempt at the supposed "law and order" of it. No, Helium would be far better under Imperial control, or even better, wiped off the map completely.
But they needed to resupply and refit. Something Annis was keenly aware of. She was sat in her office, making last adjustments to the quote the dockside crew would need to go out and fiil - fresh water, food, ammunition... everything they'd been expending since the voyage began. She'd also made a note of reading up on all the materials needed for Lanester's "adjustments" to the ship so she could add those to the shopping list. She'd really rather not venture into the city herself to pick them up, but if no other option presented itself she would volunteer. Those materials were absolutely necessary, especially considering the likelihood of coming back into contact with The Mermaid.

She scratched the back of her neck irritably. Doctor Roque had done his best to make the mask as comfortable as possible, but she somehow always managed to find something wrong with it. Maybe it was him.
She'd have to go and talk to him about that upgrade soon.

Maybe after finishing the work here.

 

[blaze96]

Samuel woke up and checked on a few patients he had before walking up on the deck. He stretched his arms as he climbed the stairs leading up onto top deck and then leaned on the railing to watch everything while it was still a tad quiet. This time was useful for him in order to think and relax before another hectic day was coming. It also gave him some slight chance to make sure he kept up his own physical fitness to keep up with the rest of the crew. He saw Isaac ad simply waved to the man, he wasn't in the mood for spoiling anything for another at the moment.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Sheska-

It took longer than they thought before Helium City came into view, but Sheska had to smile when it did. For all its flaws, like allowing Imps to roam free and having laws against openly killing them on the streets, it was a good city. She knew she was there once before, but had a feeling that she had actually been there several times. Then again, the other times she may have simply drank too much and was in a booze-induced stupor for the entire durations of those stays. She could never tell half of the time's she made port because of that.

Farthing had done an excellent job of making sure the Mermaid and the capture separated, and while Beth maneuvered it right where she wanted it, Sheska got busy making a course for the Chase Tower.

The old monument stood tall above most of the city, and she carefully brought the ship alongside one of the upper rungs, barking out orders to the men to moor them to the 'airship dock'. After taking care of the necessity of setting a watch for the ship and threatening to skin them if anything happened on their watch, she leaned against the nearest railing and stared out into the city.

As she did, she let the troubles at the back of her mind come to the forefront. Like the fact that the ship was going to have new blood before they cast off again, and how she hated breaking in new crewmates. Most took awhile to really get how things ran on that ship.

Or the fact that she was certain, and hoping even, to see the Imp crew that they faced off against just before their arrival. She wanted the chance to pay them back, for her arm, as well as every other crime she felt the Empire committed against her, and her dear Captain.

And of course, speaking to the Captain herself about how things were going to work, between them. But, she thought as she pushed back from the railing, I suppose I'll burn those bridges when I get to them.

 

[Arcanist]

As the sun rose, Jason could see the outline of Helium City's skyline appear from the horizon. He couldn't help but sigh - it was a nice city, to be sure, and its technical academies where some of the best in North America. But Jason knew that given what happened in High Tortuga, the time the Mermaid spent here would likely be the last reprieve they'd have for a long, long time. And he'd be spending it working.

'Typical.' He spat out his last cigarette with a grimace, letting the butt fall overboard. 'At least I'll be able to get some more smokes.'

Getting bored with the view, Jason returned to the engine room. He gathered up his tools and other supplies he'd need for his journey into the city and started packing them into his satchel. "Jake, Fry, the two of you are in charge while I'm gone. You know the drill - I expect one standard-issue ship when I return." With a half-cocked wave, he headed to his cabin and gathered up the prosthetic arm. Satisfied he had everything he need, Jason returned to the deck to await the ship's arrival.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Beth

She had been overly optimistic about how long it would take to reach Helium City. Nonetheless they did arrive a couple of days later, most of which she had spent behind the wheel of the skyfolk airship. She had gotten little sleep, and combined with the lack of drinking it had made her grumpy. The city should allow her to get both.

Beth smiled as she saw the mermaid flying above them, and dock at the tower. It was a sight she'd never get tired of. One that held dear memories for her, even if she prefered spending her time on the ship. She steered the capture towards the tower as well, but not as high up, since she didn't enjoy walking these stairs. She had gotten sick of it the first time, the other times it had been a slow torture.

She shouted out her orders to the crew on the ship, which were few in comparison with those on the mermaid, but a smaller ship didn't need as many anyway. Eventually they anchored the ship to the tower, and she breathed in relief. Not because she had been worried, but because she was finally free of this damned ship. She didn't care about it, she couldn't if she wanted to sell it as soon as possible. The cargo hadn't contained anything exquisite, just the average goods which you could sell for a decent enough price to consider the journey worth it.

Stepping off the ship, she sighed as she remembered the stairs. Well, better get trudging and pay Jack for two ships. His prices for one were already trying to rip her off.

Beth told the crew to guard the ship, then turned to Hector. She didn't trust him yet, and would rather have him where she could see him.

"You're with me." He hadn't been locked up, because he didn't seem to be part of the old crew. Beth headed for the stairs with Hector, and began the descent. "How did you end up on a skyfolk airship?"

Even if she didn't trust him now, he was still a misbegotten, which she had considered her own.

Wilhelmena
<spoiler=sheet><spoiler=Image>

Name: Wilhelmena Heatherington-Portnoy

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Culture: Neovictorian, Upper class
Background: Air Sailor
Ship: HMS invincible.

Appearance: Wilhelmena is a woman of medium height, with brown eyes. She wears a black top hat, with three black roses, also black gloves and a black dress, with white frills. She's dyed her short hair grey, claiming that she likes it better that way. She's got a silver star strapped to her chest, which she recieved after showing valor in battle. It's something she's quite proud of. A black eyepatch covers her right eye, and she doesn't like to talk about it, but wouldn't want a new eye either, as she got the scar in service of the empire. That's the reason she gives whenever someone asks her about it at least.

Personality: Wilhelmena is an intelligent woman, who has seen enough of the world to realize that what she was taught about the empire and the world is wrong. She knows to be silent about it though, as she does not want to bring unwanted attention to herself. She does not believe that the empire is right, but she can't see anyone else who is either. The world is grey to her, not black and white. The side you chose should be a personal choice, and she choose the empire, because of her family. A family who was both loving and supporting when she grew up at their mansion in Desolation. She fears that expressing opinions against the empire or deserting would mean she'd never see them again.

She does not enjoy fighting and prefers to do her job, but will kill if she's ordered to, as she knows that the price of disobeying would be too great. In battle she's surprisingly brutal and remorseless, but that was the way she was taught to fight. Show no mercy, as they will show none to you.

She wears makeup and spends quite some time getting ready every day, before leaving her cabin. It's never been much of a problem though, and she does her job diligently.

Biography: Wilhelmena was born to an upper class family in Desolation and had a happy childhood. The family had a few children and servants, but their family life was never really threatened. Her father worked as a doctor in the city and her mother stayed at home with the children.

Her parents objected to Wilhelmena's wish to join the IAN and fight the pirate scum, but eventually allowed her to do it, as her stubborness made them think that she would run away from home if they didn't.

She joined the IAN at the age of twenty, and climbed the ranks fairly fast, until she had a position she was satisfied with. It might have been possible for her to become an admiral or first mate, had she wanted too, but she would rather leave the positions with real power to those who trusts blindly in the empire. Wilhelmena has been working as a quartermaster on several different frigates, and requested a transfer whenever someone suggested that she should be promoted. Which only happened twice, and one of those times it was said jokingly.

She made her way through the crowded city, towards the docks, or tower in this case. In one hand she was carrying a black suitcase, and in the other she clenched a letter. She had been told by Jaqui to find some imperials to give the invitation too. Her own people would handle the rest of the guests. At first she had been surprised, but Jaqui was one of the few people she thought of as a friend, so obviously she would help her.

Her business in the city of Helium had been private, but she had been waiting for a frigate to arrive. In the meantime, she had been living as a guest in the mayor's house. It had been a few weeks now.

She stopped at the foot of the tower, and watched the airships come and go. She kind of missed being onboard one, but at the same time she had a better life while she was on ground, and not in the air.

Wilhelmena checked her pocketwatch, a gift from a friend. She thought the frigate would arrive any moment, and when she looked up at the sky again, she saw it break through the clouds.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Sheska-

When she turned, she spotted not only Isaac, but Jason and Samuel as well, and she smiled. She was hoping to set foot on dock with at least Izzy, but Jason and Sam would be welcome to come with. She needed to regroup with the Captain and see how things were going to go with the capture, and then the new recruits when it came to that.

Putting her hand on her hip, she called out to them. "Oi, you three. You care to come with me and find Cap'n Beth? Need to find what the take was for that Skyfolk ship, what supplies we need and the like. May as well come along with me. It's Helium City after all.", she pointed out with a smirk, striding over to them.

When she looked at Izzy, her expression changed to one of resignation. "Damn, Izzy, you didn't get much sleep last night? Again?", she asked with exasperation, but she patted his shoulder out of sympathy.

She had been having the same problem with nightmares. All of them involved Capricorn, and some of the worst started out nicely enough as a dream about Beth. But even they twisted so she had to watch Beth get torn apart, limb by limb, before suffering the same fate herself. She would be glad once she was rid of that monster, preferably by killing it herself.

But she shook her head and sighed, looking at the others and pushing her dreadlocks out of her face. "Well, lets get to movin'. Cap'n's sure to be at the bottom of the docks, so we can meet her there, so long as we're quick about it.", she told them, before striding off of the ship and starting down the long flight of stairs.

 

[hiei82]

"Morning m'lady." Garrett said in a courteous manner, appearing behind her "How fare you this morning?" Adrianna was a bit shocked to hear the voice behind her; the ship was mostly running on skeleton crew at this hour, which meant most of the main crew were either still asleep or just awakening - except Annis who never seemed to sleep despite Dr. Roque's protests. "Quite well Garrett." she said with a smile. She put down the spyglass and looked at him in the morning light; happy for the company and happier still it was him. "And yourself?" she asked, staring into the rising sun; a simple pleasure she had taken to enjoying. When she had joined the IAN, she'd spent all her time focusing on advancement and goals and the "good of the empire." Since then, since she'd meet Garrett, she'd taken to enjoying the reason why any of that was worth it. The sun, the sky, the people. It was good; why change it.

At the sight of the rising sun on the horizon, she was reminded of her dream some nights ago and lightly blushed. She felt thankful the rising sun covered the change in color well, else she'd have something to explain. she took a moment to stare around; no one within sight. She pushed herself up on her toes to make up the difference in height and kissed Garrett on the cheek; now it was a sunrise she could really enjoy.

Meanwhile; Helium City and all its problems was approaching at a slow, steady pace. Who knew what it would bring; and that was what made it exciting.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside the bounds of the city, from a window in a castle in the sky, a lone figure stared out away from the sun, roughly in the direction of a barely visible imperial frigate. The figure smiled and stretched; today would be the day. Packing up a large bag of supplies - mostly mechanical and clockwork components and tools to fix and repair them - the figure stepped out of the room, the smile in full bloom.

"Today's the day."

Spoiler: OOC

and you will meet the mysterious figure soon... as soon as I finish the character sheet ^_^

 

[Arcanist]

"Oi, you three. You care to come with me and find Cap'n Beth? Need to find what the take was for that Skyfolk ship, what supplies we need and the like. May as well come along with me. It's Helium City after all." Jason turned to see Sheska approach him, gesturing alike to Isaac and Sam. He instinctively reached into his coat pocket for a cigarette, and silently cursed when he realized he was out.

"Well, as much as I'd love to, I don't have much time to run inventory." He unzipped his satchel and showed Sheska the prosthetic arm to illustrate his point. "If you really need somebody from the engineering department, just head to the engine room and drag Fry with you." He closed his satchel, securing its contents and hefting it fully over his shoulders. "However, I do need a brief word with Beth. So, lead on."

 

[MortifiedPenguin]

After the rather precarious introduction to the Captain, landing wear he had, looking up , he had expected less amicable treatment. Instead once he had got up, straightened his hat, patted himself down and stifled a blush, he had been escorted to a rather nice room. Well anything would have been nicer then the blocks or the snug little hidey hole he had been nestled in and was allowed to come and go as he pleased. His only complaint was the bed was too short; is legs uncomfortably dangled over end, leaving them stiff when he woke up that morning.

He stretched himself awake and sauntered onto deck ins search of some food, instead he found something much more glorious and found himself, jaw agape, leaning against the bow of the ship and admiring the wonderful vista of Helium City - only to be interrupted by the captain.

"You're with me. How did you end up on a skyfolk airship?"

He followed her down the stairs and wondered how to answer, well hopefully this time he could make a better second impression.

He dug his hands into his pockets and brandished six spoons, "By digging"

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Quite well Garrett." Adrianna said with a smile. She soon put down the spyglass and looked at Garrett in the morning light; looking happy for the company and even happier still it was him. "And yourself?" she asked, then staring into the rising sun.

"Last nights sleep was enjoyable, so I feel rather refreshed. Thank you for asking." Garrett said with a smile. Adrianna then took a moment to look around the immediate area, after noticing that no one was in sight, she pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him. Garrett responded to this by standing behind Adrianna, and putting his arms around her, then kissing her passionately on the lips. There were some other things he wanted to do, but thought it best to play it safe... for now at the very least. He then whispered something into her ear.

"You know, whilst this sunrise may be beautiful, its nothing in comparison to you. I'll always defend you, no matter what." Garrett then kissed Adrianna on the lips once more before letting go, and standing to one side.

"So, how came your up early then? Come to get a gorgeous view of Helium City before we dock?" Garrett asked casually.