Aether Shanties RP (PM if interested/Started)

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Remmington

She heard the gunshot, but there was a natural reaction of panic among her guests, so it took her a while to find her guard captain. Wilhelmena had said her farewells, when the imperials began to move, and Jaqui had wished him a pleasant journey. She would deliver the message, but first she needed to get the situation under control. Eventually she found the bearded man in armor, as he made his way through the crowd towards her. She assumed he'd been doing his best to calm people down, and it seemed to be working, but had they found the source of the gunshot?

"We're looking for the perpetrator right now. What are your orders, ma'am?" He asked, when they stopped in front of each other.

"Kill them, and arrest anyone armed on my estate. I will not have anyone interrupt my party without paying the price."

He bowed, and left her. There was soon plenty of guards inside the estate, though they tried to be as discrete as possible. Those who were visibly armed on the first floor, soon found themselves with a few rifles pointed at them, as the guards told in clear terms to drop the weapon or get gunned down. Sheska was one of those who found rifles pointed at them. Those guards who were not needed on the first floor, made their way up to the second floor, heading for the windows where they would be able to get a clear view of the outside, and hopefully spot the enemy too.

Remmington went out into her garden, where she found the friend of her friend, sitting on a bench and admiring her garden.

Beth

The president came up to her, with a grim expression.

"Did I do something wrong?" Beth asked.

Jaqui shook her head. "No, not you, but there was a bit of a commotion. We'll soon have it under control, so there's no need to worry."

Beth nodded, and was about to ask why she had come looking for her then, when the president handed her an envelope. "It might be a good idea to leave soon. You don't want to be late."

She didn't know what to make of the letter, but she pocketed it. "I better be on my way, in that case, I suppose." Beth could take a hint, even when she was drunk. The president curtsied, and Beth did the same.

"Farewell then."

"Take care." Beth responded, and headed inside to look for her crew, so they could depart. It would be nice to leave the city, and get back in the air again. They hadn't been in the city for long, but she prefered the skies. Especially over coming to a party with imperials.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Sheska-​

Sheska was taken aback for a few moments when a few of the armed guards promptly aimed their rifles, some complete with bayonets, towards her and ordered her to drop her weapon, or be shot down and possibly run through. She blinked, then glanced down at the revolver that Jason had loaned her, then cursed softly under her breath. It was with a soft sigh that she slowly and carefully crouched before setting the revolver down, then standing up and keeping her hand raised.

"I'd rather you stop pointing those at me. I had no intention of shooting any of your guests, unless they planned on shooting my crew.", she told them calmly, before glancing over to the side at a familiar sight.

"Cap'n! There you are. I was planning on getting you. I've sent Jason to gather up the others so we can leave straightaway. Well... As soon as you tell these uniformed gentlemen to let me go. I'd rather not stay in Helium City much longer than I absolutely have to, and certainly not in a cage.", she added with a quirked brow and a flat stare at one of the guards.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Beth

She heard Sheska's voice, and turned in the direction it had come from. The first mate was surrounded by guards, and asking her for assistance. They didn't look like they were messing about, so Beth continued on her way, but added a comment of her own; "Maybe you shouldn't wave guns around then."

It wasn't like Beth had any power here. She could ask Remmington to let her first mate go, but right now, she figured it more likely that she would get arrested as well. Order needed to be restored, and any good leader wouldn't let someone else stand in the way.

Beth didn't know if Sheska was innocent either. She had been alone in the garden, when whatever had upset the guards and Remmington, took place. She headed for the bar, as the guards forced Sheska and some others out of the room, through a backdoor. Hopefully Remmington would wait until morning before doing something rash. She'd hate to lose a good friend, no matter what crime they may have committed in her absence.

She stopped in front of the bar, and reached for a glass on the counter. "I suggest we get moving, mates. We don't want to end up like Sheska, and the president didn't seem to happy about whatever it was." She downed the brownish liquor, not really caring who's drink it was, or what the drink itself was.

"All mermaids that can should make their way back to the ship." She raised her voice, and stumbled in the direction of the door.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Sheska-​

Sheska promptly blinked as Beth continued with but a single sentence.

"Maybe you shouldn't wave guns around then.".

"Wait, Cap'n... You're joking, right? Just having a laugh before we get out of here? Because I wasn't the one that shot earlier.", she said, her composure cracking somewhat as she started to be led off.

But it was a few seconds after that her face changed into an expression of shock and hurt. "Wait, you're leaving me here?! CAPTAIN!!", she cried out, a hint of betrayal leaking into her voice.

She was pushed roughly through a back door, and she managed to work up a snarl for form as she was pulled along by the armed troupe of guards. But her mind was mainly occupied with the fact that Beth, her Captain, the Mermaids illustrious leader, had left her there. That goddamned *****.

She had better have a good explanation for this bullshit, she thought, even as she desperately hoped that they wouldn't take the Mermaid and go without her. It was the closest thing she had to a home, and the crew was the next best thing to family.

 

[blaze96]

As Sheska was lead away and Beth merely walked over to the bar Samuel was immediately outraged. Perhaps it was something he expected from having been in the navy but he expected a certain level of loyalty between members of a crew of a ship. As she walked over Samuel quickly scribbled down a message on a nearby napkin and walked to the set of bathrooms which would be right through the route which they were taking Sheska. He "accidentally" bumped into her and placed the note into her hand before hastily apologizing and moving on into the bathroom. The note was simple.

'Will do what I can to help. Do not give up.'

It probably wouldn't help her mood much and he didn't assume she would be giving up, it was more a way of him expressing sympathy for her situation and that, even if Beth were to turn her back on Sheska, there would at least be those who would stand by her. He washed his hands long enough to have gone into the bathroom for a plausible reason before returning. As he left he looked to Beth.

"You aren't honestly going to abandon her are you? You know she had nothing to do with this incident." He at this point made no move to hide his displeasure with the situation, even if it meant he would face reprisal. Sheska doing something to endanger the crew of the mermaid in any way was and insane thought in and of itself.

 

[hiei82]

[HEADING=2]Adrianna[/HEADING]

"Admiral, get into the carriage first, I'll cover you in case they decide to fire again." Garrett said. Adrianna didn't like the plan - she'd have preferred they moved together to hasten the escape - but there wasn't time to argue.

She noted Drustan running toward the source of the disturbance - much to her ire - but let it go. If he didn't make it back, that was his own fault. If he did, she would be sure to have a conversation with him regarding how to follow orders aboard an Imperial vessel.

She arrived at their transportation without much delay. Fortuitously, the rest of her crew seemed to understand the order of things and were ready to move. She grabbed onto the handle of one of the steam-carts. "Get going!" she yelled at the drivers. With a mighty roar, they took off toward the ship. All the carts save hers. Adrianna guided the cart in the opposite direction, toward where Garrett was making his stand. Reaching out her hand, she yelled her orders. "Garrett! Grab hold!"

[HEADING=2]Ring[/HEADING]

The would be assassin watched the exchange on the roof in a mixture of disbelief and barely contained rage. That he - an Imperial Elite, the best of the best - had been stopped by a scurvy ridden, pirate son of a whore was disgusting, dishonorable, and unacceptable. Worse, there was a Helium city trash trying to save him! He'd never be able to live it down!

In fact, he had little reason to try. Ring - still with some wits about him - watched the conversation between the greater and lesser trash; waiting for a chance to make his move. Slowly, he worked his arm free of the knife that pinned him, tearing his arm apart in the process. Then, when the moment was right, he pushed himself forward, slamming into the pirate scum with all his might...

and toward the edge of the roof. "For the Emperor!" he screamed out in his mind. He might fail his mission, but he'd be damned if he didn't take his enemy with him.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Garrett watched as he saw Adrianna and the others reach the carriages and hastily depart in them. He turned back and saw what was going on in front of him back inside the President's house; guards were busy rounding up those who were brandishing weapons. Fortunately, due to his position as an Admiral's bodyguard, he was somewhat exempt from it, even though it took some explaining at first to make sure he wasn't arrested.

His revolver was still aimed towards the roof, Garrett could faintly make the outline of Drustan as he clambered about the rooftops of the surrounding buildings to reach where he was standing now.

"Whatever is that man thinking he is doing. The Admiral is going to have some cross words with him when he gets back, if he gets back." Garrett thought to himself, expressing some small measure of doubt. He didn't have time to think on that for long though, as he could see a carriage coming towards him, with a familiar leaning out.

"Garrett! Grab hold!" Adrianna shouted out as she held out an arm.

"Well, time to go it seems. Hope Drustan can get back safely." Garrett thought to himself as he holstered his revolver, and turned around and raced towards Adrianna, and with a powerful leap, grabbed a hold of her arm just as the steam carriage performed a 180[sup]o[/sup] turn to avoid colliding with anything or anyone. Adrianna helped Garrett pull himself into the empty carriage as it pulled away from the house once more.If he bothered to turn his head, he may have noticed Ring flinging himself off the roof with another person in tow.

Garrett collapsed onto the seat opposite Adrianna as she pulled the door close. He breathed a sigh of relief as he removed his hat.

"Whew, that was a close one, almost knocked a poor unfortunate soul out for six back there. Anyway, thanks for the timely assist." He said with smile.

 

[Redryhno]

Pre-Gunshot

The party raged on, food was eaten, the bar was full and constantly handing out drinks, and the dance floor was overwhelmed with couples straining to get a place where the music raged. And there was Eddie right in the middle of it, his coat pockets bulging with fruit stolen from the - STILL - overladen feasting tables. It was a rare occasion for him to see that much food at any one place just sitting out for anyone and anything to just go up to and eat, so he felt it was a good idea for him to take full advantage of the Empire's foolish generosity. This was still HIS city, despite what their Groundling Emperor and the "nobles" thought. Maybe he'd be able to pay them a visit someday, or send them a letter. By visit someday, he meant raid, and by sending a letter, he meant a thirty pound cannon or twenty. All was well in Eddie's mind, even though his shoving through the multitude of people dancing made it more than a bit difficult for them to keep time.

Once out on the other side of the dance-floor, his antics landing him some kind of woman of standing if her dress and look of horror were anything to go by after running into him and proceeding to dance with him, mistaking him for...well, someone else in any case. So far for him, this party had been alright, albeit uneventful except for the little exchange he'd had with the Imperial fancying himself a Skyfolk. Speaking of which, as Eddie took another bite of the orange in his hand, skin and all. And then the shot rang out across the mansion.

Post-Gunshot

The once orderly Neo-Victorians and Skyfolk elite quite quickly became a place of absolute chaos. Chairs were overturned, plates were dropped, only to smash onto the wooden floors, and more than a few shoes were suddenly without owners. And Eddie simply stood in the midst of it, the fruit in his hand dripping as he squeezed it, and spat out the bit he still had in his mouth, grinning ear to ear. The orange he flung at the nearest back he saw and patted a guard on the shoulders.

"Ya know what that is right, buddy? It's a gun! And guns're good things! Amazing things! Terrible things...But no matter! I've got a ship to catch and a crew to burn somewhere out there!"

Running outside, still licking the juice from his fingers, he looked around for the rest of the crew, ecstatic that they'd be leaving soon, he was sure. The food in his pockets was nice and the looks on the Victorian faces was fun, but it still didn't compare to the glorious sunrises or the gaping holes in the port-side of a ship he'd seen. Finally outside after jostling through the veritable mob that quickly wanted to exit the estate - though it made no sense to Eddie, why would they want to go outside where the gunshot was? Why leave now? - and saw a curious sight in the form of the Neo-Victorian-Skyfolk-thing-a-ma-jig-Garrety-Tetty-Takki from earlier, jumping into a carriage. A steam carriage of all things, very interesting. Putting on a burst of speed that was impressive for someone in his attire and career, he quickly left the few guards that noticed him behind in his wake.

Pulling his cannon from the holster, he stopped and fired at the metal walls of the transportation. The shot echoed much louder and longer than the pitiful rifle from earlier, the bullet ripping through the carriage and out the other side, a hole the size of his own head ripped from both walls.

"Dammit!"He said, after noticing that the walls of the inside were not coated with blood as it passed a street lamp, but what he thought was bewilderment,"I missed!!"

Looking behind him, he saw a few guards that had decided to give chase to him. Hurriedly putting the gun away, he raced off into a nearby alley, then randomly took countless turns until he had lost them. Fortunately, he came upon the docks soon after, and, after thanking his luck, began his way back onto the Mermaid, where he saw a few of the crew and officers already on-deck, though there was no Sheska, quite weird, but that's what she got for drinking, that's what anyone got for drinking, going to bed early and missing the best parts of the night and morning.

 

[Arcanist]

Jason couldn't believe his eyes. He'd seen some selfish behavior from his superiors in his time as a pirate, but this was one of the coldest and most self-serving dick moves he'd ever had the displeasure of witnessing. Beth had, in one fell swoop, baselessly accused Sheska of causing trouble and effectively abandoned her to the mercy of the Helium City guard. In another time he likely would have drawn a weapon on her in rage, but even drunk he managed to keep his composure, if only barely. He was visibly seething with anger, leveling a furious glare at his so-called 'Captain.'

"Beth. I'm going to be completely frank with you, because it seems to be the only language you're capable of understanding." He shifted forward, letting his voice drop to a hiss. "I'm not going anywhere until Sheska's free and clear. If you have a problem with that, consider this my resignation." He strode off from the bar, shooting a glare back towards Beth as he did so. "Have a nice day, 'Captain.'" He gave another look back, this one lacking its previous venom, as it was directed at Sam. "Come on, Sam. We'll need to gather some manpower if we're gonna bust Sheska out of prison."

 

[hiei82]

"Whew, that was a close one, almost knocked a poor unfortunate soul out for six back there. Anyway, thanks for the timely assist." Garrett said taking a seat in the steam cart across from her, smiling.

Adrianna smirked in return, saying "Well, I can hardly risk losing the best bodyguard I've ever had now could I". Taking off her own admiral's hat, she settled into the ride back to the Invincible. Despite the smile at Garrett, she was hardly in a good mood. While she was certainly happy Garrett had made it back, the danger of the situation in combination with the recent discovery of the pirate's goal left them all in a difficult situation.

"Do you think Drustan will-" she started to say, before a loud bang wracked her ears. Reacting on instinct at the sound of the cannon, she tried to drop into the bottom of the transport, drawing her pistol as she fell. A moment latter, in a cacophony of sound and a vortex of metallic and glass shards, the side of the cart vaporized. Pulling her pistol up, she took aim at the apparent shooter - Eddie; made evident by the miniaturized cannon in his arms. She lined up her shot and pulled lightly on the trigger.

Then the cart pulled around a corner and her chance was gone. "Damn it" she said lowly, annoyed.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

While the stand-off with Drustan carried on, the adrenaline and laser focus that had allowed Zach to best the Ggun agent even with a hole in his gut was starting to wane badly. His hands and feet had begun to feel not quite his own, and his vision was blurring at the edges. Zach needed to get out of this situation fast, one way or another.

The Imperial agent seemed to answer his prayed, in the warped, unhelpful sort of way with which the universe was fond of toying with Zach's hopes. Zach stumbled as the assassin charged into him, and only regained his footing as he was one step away from plummeting over the edge. He wasn't going to let it end like that though. The agent had had the strength enough for one last push, and he'd spent it. Zach countered back, pushing them both back into the railing where Zach had pinned the man before. The weight of both of them falling against it collapsed the rail, and Zach had the wits enough to grasp the hilt of Talon, still embedded in the wood, which gave him some purchase.

The Ggun wasn't so lucky. He slipped over the edge a dead weight, with no fight left in him. There was a seconds pause, before a dull crunch as the body came to a sudden rest in the dark alleyway below.

Zach pulled himself up. Not all the way, just enough to rest him arms on the edge of the rooftop. From here he shot one last look of venom at Drustan.

"Next time..." he panted "you stay on the fucking ground; or so help me I will cut your balls off and make you choke on them!"

A minute later, Zach had, more gingerly than usual, made his way down to street level. Heavily armed, bleeding, and next to no difference naked, Zach knew he would make a conspicuous sight. Such would not be a problem if he had only needed to stick to the shadows, but Zach needed to find the rest of the crew, and last he'd known they were still at the party. Besides, in the time it would have taken to sneak his way all the way back to The Mermaid, his blood loss could well take a far more serious turn. He removed his knives from the agent's body, cleaned them, sheathed them, and then stripped the agent of his clothes and dressed himself in them. They were torn and covered in blood, but at least in these he could pass himself off as a victim or an innocent bystander. In the coat pocket he found a photograph of Sheska, younger than the Sheska that Zach knew, with roughly cropped hair and dressed in something which was supposed to resemble a uniform. That answered one of Zach's questions at least. When it was done, Zach made his way, staggering slightly, back over the short distance to the estate, bypassing the front entrance and making his way round towards the back. Better to be discreet.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Beth

She shook her head as Sheska screamed after her. Had the woman really never gotten arrested before? They used to have a plan ready in case of situations where someone on the crew got arrested. Roberts had been the one to make it, and he had taught her to value of never letting anyone on the crew end up behind bars for too long.

The doc was the next one to ask her if she was actually going to leave Sheska behind. "I weren't there to see what happened, and Sheska has acted stupidbly before. Though of course I wasn't planning on leaving her behind." She whispered through her teeth to him.

She lead the crew out towards the street, when a loud gunshot could be heard at the entrance, and soon a bunch of guards pushed past them, and went after... Eddie. Just great. Beth hoped he could get rid off them on his own. They couldn't all get imprisoned if they wanted to leave the city sometime soon.

Jason was the next one to step up, and assume she was going to leave Sheska behind. She facepalmed after having to listen to him hiss, and then leaving her to speak with the doc. Had no one gotten arrested since she became captain? Despite some of her crew throwing hissy fits at the moment, she wanted to pat herself on the back. It was common for mermaids to get caught when Roberts had been captain, but now it seemed that it was such a rare occurance that they reacted as if the ship had crashed.

Beth kept walking, leading the majority of the crew away from the chaos at the party, and towards the ship. If Sheska had never been arrested before in her life, then she could see it as a learning experience, while Beth made sure that the rest of her crew didn't end up dead or worse.

 

[deathbydeath]

Drustan still remained fairly reserved throughout the discourse with the Neobeduin guy, because it's best to be cautious and prepared in these kinds of situations, yet was still genuinely surprised when the dead guy on the roof he might've known got up and tackled the other guy. Of course, the man who still had a hand made a impressive last minute save as he snatched a conviently-located knife. The handless guy tumbled off the roof and (presumably) fell to his death, based on that 'crunch' noise that soon followed.

After this debacle, the victorious combatant hopped back down to street level, but not before leaving Drustan with an invaluable piece of advice:

"Next time you stay on the fucking ground; or so help me I will cut your balls off and make you choke on them!"

"Jackhole!" was the only appropriate response Drustan could come up with. It seemed to work. Unfortunately though, this was about the time when a bunch of intimidating guards started filing out of the party building, and one or two of them gave him dirty looks and pointed in his direction. Sure, Drustan wanted a fight, but he didn't want to be mobbed by a squadron of grouchy guards who would probably kick his ass.

Being the rational human being he is, Drustan sprinted far away from the security enforcers, D'teth swinging from some loops on his belt as he ran. He heard the whistling and clanking of the mechanical carriages he arrived in, and while he doubted he could catch up to them on the rooftops, he was probably sure he could get back to the Invincible before it was too late.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Well, I can hardly risk losing the best bodyguard I've ever had now could I." Adrianna said with a smirk as the carriage pulled itself along the cobbled streets and heading back towards the Invincible. Garrett couldn't help but crack a smile and laugh briefly.

"Do you think Drustan will-" Adrianna started to say before a loud bang could be heard. Time seem to slow down for a moment, as a miniature cannonball came crashing through the carriage. Acting on both his instinct and duty to protect Adrianna, Garrett crouched down above her to shield her from an array of broken glass and metal. A few shards stuck into his coat, but fortunately for him he couldn't feel any pierce his flesh.

As time caught up with them, Garrett shuffled over to one side to allow Adrianna to rise up and aim her pistol at the attacker - Eddie, that man, if one could call him that who dare insult the pair of them, this was made even more clearer by the miniature cannon he clutched in his arms. Garrett stood up with his revolver drawn, his eyes filled with anger as he aimed at Eddie, and was about to pull the trigger when the carriage at just the wrong moment turned a corner, and with it the pirate disappeared from view.

"Damn it!" Adrianna said in a low tone, clearly annoyed at what just happened.

"How DARE he do that!" Garrett said in anger fueled voice, as he punched at a decorative wooden piece of the carriage, causing it to break off in his hand. He chucked it down to the floor of the carriage as he removed his coat, tossing it to where his hat lay. Garrett took a few moments to breathe and calm down.

"You alright Adrianna? Did the blast hurt you?" Garrett asked, his voice more calm now, he'd forget this incident for now; right at this moment, Adrianna's safety came first.

 

[blaze96]

"Very well then Beth, but I hope you have a plan to get her out as well. If you do you've never shared it with me, and if not then I'll have to try something rather stupid." He muttered the last sentence to himself as he followed behind Beth as they left. He turned to Jason.

"At the very least I need to get my weapon and formulate a plan. I'm not going to run in there half-cocked and unarmed to try some daring rescue that probably won't work. Two men versus an army of guards is liable to get us both killed and Sheska further implicated in whatever madness is going on. We both know she did nothing wrong except try to gather and protect us, trying to break her out right now would be hurting not helping. Much as I wish it weren't the case." He sounded truly regretful that he couldn't just run off and get her out, but if he got arrested or shot then the situation would only get worse, something he would rather avoid. Not to mention the assurance from Beth that they weren't just leaving Sheska behind allayed his worry and calmed him somewhat.

 

[Terratina.]

Vasco cowered in the steam-cart as shots when off. There was no doubt that they were not fireworks, like earlier in the party. This so-called party had turned ugly. One spark, and the pretense of peace shattered. Vasco frowned. Here Garrett and the Rear-Admiral were fighting the enemy with gusto and he was just hiding in a hunk of wood, metal and smoke. He felt so useless. It was all so petty. And he was stuck doing nothing. Vasco gave a sigh. His face became a facade of stone. His eyes stared ahead into space, blankly. He could not let the anger take over. Last time he did that, Vasco found himself demoted and assigned to the ship of castoffs. Yes, they had a special place for them. For all of the Neo-Victorians who didn't hold hate for everything foreign in their, for those who did not bind themselves to tradition... The doctor's work had distracted him from that fact.

Even when he knew it deep down. Maybe Annis was right. Maybe it was better to throw oneself blindly into hate and fury then look on with an open mind. Vasco mediated on this for a bit, 'Perhaps... But that is not who I am. That is not what I stand for. Samuel, you have given me faith. Faith in the idea that there are good people on both sides. For that, I thank you. The timing of this is impeccable. Maybe Fate wishes for me to see that the typical pirate shoots and pillages. No matter, I will continue to fix up the broken bodies they leave behind.' A smirk escaped his lips. Maybe this exile of sorts wasn't so bad if he could continue to help people. With a flick of the wrist, he let loose the bowtie into the wind. He closed his eyes, then opened them. Without pause, he stood up and shouted over to the rear, where he assumed Rear-Adrimal and her bodyguard was, "Ms. Adrinna; Mr. Corvus. Do not hesitate to ask if you need any medical attention."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

-Sheska-​

As she, along with several other guests that had gotten themselves arrested, were led out of a discreet back exit, Sheska carefully looked at the note that Sam had managed to pass her before she was shoved out.

"Will do what I can to help. Do not give up.".

She suppressed a smile. Sam would be the one to make sure to reassure her. But the fact that Beth had done anything but worried her. It wasn't like her to outright abandon a member of her crew, but she had been acting... Differently since the night they had slept together. Yet another reason to regret that, she thought with a grimace. As she glanced back, she managed to spot someone who looked vaguely like Zach.

The problem was that he was wearing a uniform. A very familiar Imperial uniform. Chances were, he managed to snag one for a disguise, but where he got it was a guess at best.

Once she knew that he was looking in her direction, she shook her head once, then crumpled up the note and dropped it. Seconds later, she was shoved forward and ordered to keep her eyes ahead by a particularly gruff guard, who she promptly growled at.

But in the back of her mind, she hoped that Zach knew what she was trying to tell him: Trail behind, then help Sam help her. Getting her out of this mess was going to take more than just one man.

It was about a half-hour until she and the other prisoners were escorted up and into the Helium City Prison Facility. As she looked around, she had to nod approvingly. "Well, it's certainly cleaner than the jails in Everglade.", she murmured, remembering when she had been arrested the first time.

She had been thirteen then. That arrest marked the end of what little childhood she had, and the beginning of her unwilling service to the Empire.

After she was processed and searched for any other weapons, she was tossed into a large cell along with the others. All of them promptly kept their distance from her, and one another, as she took a place in the corner, below one of the barred windows. If Sam, along with some other members of the crew he would no doubt press-gang into helping, were going to rescue her, it was best she sit tight and keep a keen eye on things.

 

[hiei82]

"You alright Adrianna? Did the blast hurt you?" Garrett said after calming himself down. Apparently the pirate bastard's attack hit a particular nerve. For her part, Adrianna was inclined to agree with him; the Imperial's had been nothing but civil the entire night so far as she could see. They'd done nothing to warrant such an audacious attempt on their lives.

Then again, what could she expect from pirate scum.

Clearing her own mind of the clouding, unnecessary thoughts, she turned to her lover and responded. "I'm quite fine, thank you." she said as she returned to what was left of her seat. Seeing the state of his coat - now sitting upon the ruins of the opposite seat - she cast a worried glance at him, adding "but are you?" before moving to check his back for any damage he might have taken.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"I'm quite fine, thank you." Adrianna said as she looked back on the remains of her seat, then towards the state of his coat, a few remaining shards sticking out; it could be repaired given enough time, to the point where it would look seamless. The strong willed Admiral then cast a worried glance towards Garrett. "But are you?" She asked with concern, as she began to look over his back, checking for signs of damage. Garrett gave a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine, can't feel any blood loss anywhere, looks like its mostly just a couple of aches, nothing that a good nights sleep won't fix. Besides, you and me, we've been through tougher scrapes than this. Remember the Reaper's Fury? We blew that thing to kingdom come, compare to that, this was small potatoes." Garrett said as he let out a short chuckle.

"Mind you, this was a much more confined space compared to the corridors of that Pirate Frigate, lot less room to maneuver. "

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

'Well thanks a fucking bunch Issac! Knew I could count on you...'

Zach watched Sheska being led away by some of Madam Remmington's guards, after the rest of the crew had set off back to the Mermaid. There weren't that many escorting Sheska personally, and Zach briefly considered taking them, before thinking better of it. Too much had already gone awry tonight. He needed to start acting like a hunter again. Take a step back, study the terrain and consider his options, before making his next move, and risking a massive diplomatic incident while The Mermaid was still in port was not going to help anyone concerned. As much as he may hate to admit it, Zach wasn't sure he even had it in him to take those guards even if he wanted too. Zach had taken enough wounds before to know that if the bullet had hit anything serious when it passed though him, he'd be in much worse shape than he was in right now. Still, the adrenaline from the fight with the Ggun operative had well and truly work off now. Zach was in pain, the entire left side of his torso was stiffening up, and he knew he had lost quite a bit of blood. He was in no fit shape for a fight right now, and if he didn't seek help soon he'd be fit for far less than that.

When the coast was clear, Zach retrieved the note Sheska had dropped. He didn't recognise the handwriting, but from the style he'd hazard a guess at Samuel. Funny, the doctor hadn't struck him as a man of action. Nevertheless, it was foolhardy. Zach once again cursed Drustan for his interruption. If Zach could know by now if there were other operatives in the city waiting to make a move of Sheska, plotting his next move would have been a lot easier. For now, Zach had to assume the dead agent hadn't been working alone, and that meant any member of the Mermaid's crew attempting a half-cocked rescue could be walking into a whole lot of trouble. Zach had a role on The Mermaid just like everyone else, and his role was to spot trouble before everyone else walked right into it. As much as he might prefer the thought of going in quickly, and not giving the Ggun any time to regroup, he'd be failing in his duty to not inform the Captain of what he knew. That failure could put the entire crew at risk, not just Sheska and the handful she had been arrested with. In any case, there was much about the Captain Zach was still unsure of, and her reaction to news of this sort could tell him a lot. Sheska, in part because of her abrasiveness, was one of the few crew members Zach had so far decided he liked, and the only one to gain even an iota of his trust, and he would rather not leave her in the lurch, just when it was starting to feel like he'd gained a friend in this crew. Be that as it may, all things considered going to Captain Beth first was the most sensible option. It was always possible that, if there were other agents looking for Sheska, that they would know what ship she arrived here on, but not her current location. If that was the case, then it may well be that in custody was the safest place for Sheska to be right now.

Too many unknowns. Too many variables. Zach needed to make sure all angles were covered. A careless hunter can be worse than a blind one.

A few minutes later, utilizing a few shortcuts he'd become familiar with during his time among the criminal classes of Helium, Zach had caught up with the rest of the crew heading back to The Mermaid.

"Captain." Zach's voice was strained in his greeting, but even so he still managed his token half-smile and sardonic bow. "I have news, and you're going to want to hear it... before I pass out that is."