The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[Fappy]

Pixie half-listened to what Payton had to say. The mention of Metal got her blood boiling, but the sight of Payton's offering calmed her down. Accepting the cigar graciously, she grinned as he lit it for her. After one long drag, she nodded in satisfaction. This was a good cigar.

"As for the money, well, I will not pretend that becoming yet richer than I already am, rich enough even, to accelerate some personal projects, does not intrigue me. There is, however, one very valuable thing I require from you on top of this."

Pixie cocked an eyebrow. Somehow she knew she wasn't going to like what he was suggesting, "Oh?" She frowned, holding the cigar out to the side. "Well, spit it out."

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Okay bitches, it's game time."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow and looked to Sprout, "Is it a good idea to let her deal?"

"Sure," Sprout mused. "She doesn' cheat, after all. She jus' goes down on Lady Luck ever'a night to receive 'er blessin'." He gave a hardy laugh.

Elizabeth did not look amused, "You have quite the imagination." She muttered.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"If anyone knew where that man would end up after a bar crawl, he'd be dead by now."

"Well," Tsubaki sighed, "It's not like him to let his vices get in the way of his duty." Sitting down on the edge of Bryan's bed, she whispered to herself. "Last night was a mistake."

I am never drinking ever again.

 

[The Funslinger]

"Well, spit it out."

"It's quite simple," said Payton, as a tendril of smoke clambered up from the glowing tip of his cigar. "Your engineer, Mister Miller. I'm sure you're aware of the full extent of his skills. The Shipwrights of Zephyr are jealously guarded and woefully underutilized. As is young Jake, being made a simple repairman aboard your vessel."

Taking another drag, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. "I'd rather hoped he would have been here for my offer, but alas," he produced a letter with a red wax seal. "If you would be so kind as to pass this along to him. Obviously I don't expect you to speak for him in a matter such as this, so that letter should help him make up his own mind."

Payton took a moment to gauge Pixie's reaction before continuing. "In any case, taking your prized mechanic on top of that money seems a tad greedy, so bear in mind I'll make an offer for you to earn a large quantity of it back. Nothing reprehensible, just some theft work for which I feel you are uniquely qualified. Consider it a standing offer, to be taken up at your convenience. I'm in no rush."

 

[ProtoChimp]

Jake? The mother fuckers wanted Jake? And in return he wanted Pixie to do work for him, in order to hand over their best and brightest? Fuck it.

Aesop's face looked insulted as he said, "So, you want to take our best mechanic, and our payment is doing your ***** work?" Aesop gave a fake chuckle as he continued, "and 'earn?' That's the word you're using?" Aesop stared down at Payton as he stood next to Pixie.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Amy was silent throughout the exchange. While Pixie dealt with Payton, the younger girl focussed her attention on the others who populated the room, taking careful note of what positions they occupied, and the body language they adopted. Sergio was trying very hard to maintain his professionalism and not ogle her (he was almost succeeding too). What interested Amy far more however, was what she spotted about Whiskey's reaction when Metal entered the conversation. The moment was gone in an instant, but it left no shadow of a doubt in Amy's mind. Whiskey had a close history with this Canton character, likely of a romantic nature. If need be, her split loyalties could be a potential window of exploitation. As it stood however, Pixie and Payton seemed to be very much on the same page in regards to Eddie Canton's fate. Amy had to remind herself that, as a Maiden herself now, she really should be decided on that issue too. On the other hand, The Gentleman had expressed an interest in wanting him alive if possible... and she owed The Gentleman everything.

It would seem that Whiskey Fifer was not the only one in the room with split loyalties.

Her attention was brought front and centre when the deal concerning Jake reared it's head. While undoubtedly not as close to Jake as the other two Maidens in the room were, she still couldn't stop herself from looking at Pixie expectantly. Surely she wouldn't sell out one of her own, not for any amount of money. In fact, why was it even taking so long to refuse that Amy even had time to think about it?

===========================================================================================================================

"This is Candy Ass speaking."

The Gentleman sighed and furrowed his brow.

"Anything I can pass along?"

"As a matter of fact there is." he replied "With as much haste as is possible. The North Star was dim on the issue we discussed. I don't think he believed the Puppet Show for a second. However, he has his own strings to pull, and I believe we arrived too late, and that his next play was already in motion. I advise Red Queen to be on high alert, and to guard my token closely. She will understand."

=========================================================================================================================

"you have my word."

'Careful!' Georgia thought, keeping her face blank and resisting the urge to look across at Sandra to obviously.

"What do I want?" the other girl parroted, sounding confused. "Got little use for wanting things. We get what we're given. I could tell you plenty 'bout what I want, don't mean I'll be like to see any of it."

The younger girl paused, screwing up her face in that precocious way she did when she was thinking.

"Got any books? Me mam taught me how to read, before she died, but there never was much to choose from before."

 

[Fappy]

Pixie's grin faded at the mention of Ruffles' name. She continued to smoke, her eye staring daggers into Payton as he made his bid.

"In any case, taking your prized mechanic on top of that money seems a tad greedy, so bear in mind I'll make an offer for you to earn a large quantity of it back. Nothing reprehensible, just some theft work for which I feel you are uniquely qualified. Consider it a standing offer, to be taken up at your convenience. I'm in no rush."

Wow.

"So, you want to take our best mechanic, and our payment is doing your ***** work?... and 'earn?' That's the word you're using?"

"Aesop." Bennie spoke, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.

Pixie took a long drag of her cigar and allowed the flavor to roll across her tongue for a while before exhaling. Her eye narrowed, "Absolutely fuckin' not. I've werked with ex-Wilkes-Vines before. I know what kinda death sentence that entails." She shot Whiskey a knowing look. "Look at 'er, she's been miserable this whole time. She can' even stand bein' in yer fuckin' presence, from the looks of it. Why do ya' think I'd wish that on Jake? You think I'm gonna let you take away one'a my best friends? He's not jus' my mechanic, Payton, he's like a brother ta' me.'

She laughed, "An' what's this about me takin' out yer trash? Aesop's right on the money fer once. This is a fuckin' insult!" She barked, pointing a finger at Payton. "I come 'ere offerin' more money than y'all ever seen an' this is how you repay me?"

She leaned back in her seat, "Payton," Her voice softened, "Stop yankin' my dick 'round an' get fuckin' serious. I don' have patients fer this shit. You wan' the money 'er not, 'cause there ain't no way in hell I'm lettin' you lay a finger on my boy."

Bennie nodded in agreement, his expression unchanged.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"... I advise Red Queen to be on high alert, and to guard my token closely. She will understand."

"Jeez, you're one cryptic mother fucker," She mused as she wrote down his message. "Yeah, got it."

Carlos approached her from behind, "Does he want to speak with me?"

Cameron glanced over her shoulder at him and spoke into the mic, "Want to talk to Carlos?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"She doesn' cheat, after all. She jus' goes down on Lady Luck ever'a night to receive 'er blessin'."

Lilith groaned as she lowered her face into her hands. "Sprout, just... just stop talking, for the love of god."

"You have quite the imagination."

Running her hands from her face and through hair, she leaned back, a sympathetic smile curling her lips. "Just wait, this isn't even the bad stuff." Moving her hands to the table, she picked up her tin and lighter. Placing a cigarette between her lips, she paused, furrowing her brow as she glanced at the boy. Closing her eyes, she smiled warmly, before removing the cigarette from her mouth, placing it back in the tin.


'I can wait.'

======================================

"It's not like him to let his vices get in the way of his duty."


Asad shrugged his shoulder, "Eh, he'll show up sooner or later." He chuckled as he scratched the stubble under his jaw. "Whether he'll be in a state to actually do anything, is another matter."

Sorting through his things, his expression hardened slightly as crestfallen looking Tsubaki muttered to herself.

"Hey." The man kept his eyes on his task. "Don't worry about last night, we all drink too much every so often." He smiled as he turned his head, his eyes falling on her's. "You know?"

 

[The Funslinger]

"Stop yankin' my dick 'round an' get fuckin' serious. I don' have patients fer this shit. You wan' the money 'er not, 'cause there ain't no way in hell I'm lettin' you lay a finger on my boy."

Payton put up his hands deferentially. "Fair enough, Miss Monroe, fair enough. Just pass the letter on is all I ask. Then we'll see what happens, won't we? As for the payment itself, let's discuss that. And I believe we should cover our plan of action, as well. I can happily report that my agents are tracking the Maiden's location as we speak."

=====================================

Bryan was still driving. Still coaxing every modicum of speed he could from the quad. He was making great time. But the ground was mostly flat now, and he didn't need to concentrate to keep from killing himself. That gave his mind room to wander.

They were really going to have had to kill that girl if the Maidens hadn't nabbed her. And... Tsubaki had seemed like their compliance was a given. Jesus...

He hoped there had been a change of plans. He didn't want any part of that.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Hannibal stood up after Viola had asked her question, and she noticed the sweat patch that had formed from where he sat, it seemed as though another wash might be called for when they were done. "I'd like to keep going for a bit if that is alright. I um," He said as words failed him again. "I was wondering if you could help learn how to um," Snapping his fingers when he could think correctly. "what's it called um, brace? I think that's the word, brace when you get hit? Sorry my words are bad." He was indeed an awkward young man.

Viola soon stood up herself, giving her arms a stretch and cracking her knuckles before she responded.

"I wouldn't say your words were bad, not to the level of a world class linguist, but compared to some of the other people I've spoken to in my life, your at least comprehensible, as in I can at least understand what your trying to say, even if you can't quite get the words just right. Just something that we'll have to work on."

"As for learning how to brace when you get hit, there are some bits that are easier to explain than to actually show, and others that take time to build your mind and body up with. If your taking a body shot, be sure stiffen up those muscles and to breathe out so that you create a hard shell around the stomach area. One piece of advice I can give, is to keep your eyes open, and maintain eye contact with your opponent. There's an old saying; "The punches you don't see hurt the most." that I think applies to this."

 

[Terratina.]

Just wait, this isn't the bad stuff."

"Yeah, I've heard plenty already, beforehand." Maria groaned. The prospect of poking Sprout in the chest for that remark, among others, was tempting. Just where did the kid pick up all of this stuff, anyway? The answer probably lay in his upbringing. The doctor drummed her fingers on the table, right next to the hand she had been dealt. It wasn't a good one. Hence, she had two things to grumble about but at least the first could act for a cover for the second. Why was she even trying? Maria was up against a ditzy noble, a kid and the bane of every casino on The Rock. It was clear who was going to win. However, despite that, a small smirk broke out on her face - winning wasn't really important here was it? Though, either way, there was sure to be some complains if Lilith raked in the winnings of every round. Even playing for fun could be no fun if someone just ended up with straight wins, after all.

"Now, let's see if he has quite the hand." Maria quipped.

***​

Jun yawned, stepped out of the bathroom and stared at the clock. What was taking Bryan so long? What deep, dark pit had he fallen into? Did the Commander honestly expect him to appear in time after all that happened last night? It was a sad state of affairs, it really was. But at least the Commander had been ever so kind to tell them that the noble girl didn't need to be killed now. How nice. Hadn't there been an argument about that last night? Jun tried not to think about it too hard, lest that shadow of a headache turned into the real thing.

 

[ProtoChimp]

'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's why she's Pixie mother fucking Monroe.' Aesop relaxed under Bennie's hand, trying not to openly smirk at the Captain's telling off of this egotistical bastard.

"I can happily report that my agents are tracking the Maiden's location as we speak."

'No need.' Aesop thought. 'I know exactly where he's gonna hit first.' He knew he should have told Pixie earlier, he just knew his head wasn't in the game. That and he wasn't sure she was in the mood to listen to him after what he pulled with Randy.
================================
"What do I want?" She sounded confused. Where would this lead, Oliver wondered. "Got little use for wanting things. We get what we're given. I could tell you plenty 'bout what I want, don't mean I'll be like to see any of it."

'That's what you think. That's what you think. Come on come on.' He just needed this first step, just this first step.

"Got any books? Me mam taught me how to read, before she died, but there never was much to choose from before."

He had her. "Of course," he smiled warmly, "this vessel is comprised of a surprising amount of books. I shall show you and you may take your pick." He then addressed everyone else. "The same goes for the rest of you. I am here if you need to talk to me, and if you can't find me just ask any of our brothers and sisters. Our brother Franklin is in the infirmary, having been injured rescuing you, so if you want to talk to him again ask one of us and we shall guide you to him. Feel free to clean yourselves up, Gretchen here will lead you to the showers." He offered his hand to the simple girl.
=========================================
Hannibal nodded along. listening to Viola. Despite being around violence his entire life he had never thought how best to defend himself. Running always seemed the best option, and often it was. Still, some people don't give up after chasing you, as was his fear now. "Okay, so um... could you um..." he breathed out fast, contemplating his words. "Could you punch me in the stomach and I try to make it not hurt?"

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Okay, so um... could you um..." Hannibal said breathing out fast. "Could you punch me in the stomach and I try to make it not hurt?"

"If that's what you want Hannibal, I'll do my best to provide." Viola responded with whilst she exercised with her fingers to help loosen them up so she could pull off the punch without damaging herself. "By the way, you may want to place your hands behind your head, look directly ahead, and then push your head back without letting your hands move; it'll help in strengthening your neck so your head doesn't whiplash as much if you ever get punched there. That's something you may want to practice on your own time afterwards." She then added before throwing a few practice punches.

"Also, you may want to wrap a strip of cloth around your hand and wrist to help protect them from injuries induced by punching. If I'm honest, I should of brought some before we came here." Viola breathed slowly a couple of times before she considered herself ready, whether or not Hannibal was, well they'd soon find out.

"Ready?" She asked, to which Hannibal gave a look that read a mixture of both yes and no. "Because here I go." Viola then delivered a solid punch to the stomach.

 

[Fappy]

"Now, let's see if he has quite the hand."

"Oh," Sprout chirped, "Don' worry, my hand is shit." He grinned mischievously. "Or is it!?"

Elizabeth looked over at the boy and cocked an eyebrow, "Hey, is this good?" She asked revealing her hand to Sprout.

"You ain't s'posed ta' show me yer hand, Liz! The fuck!?" Sprout diverted his eyes as soon as the first King came into view.

"Oops!" Elizabeth whispered, covering her mouth and withdrawing her hand. Her face glowing bright red, she giggled nervously. "I-I've never actually played Poker before."

Sprout rolled his eyes, "Color me surprised."

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"You know?"

"Yes, I do know," Tsubaki started, staring through the door and out into the hall. "Which is why I won't be making the same mistake twice. I wasn't worthy of my station last night. I wasn't worthy of being your commanding officer in such a state. I apologize for that."

She looked up at him, "And don't you dare try to convince me it's understandable. It's not your place to make such a claim. I appreciate the concern, but if we get too comfortable, too complacent, we risk compromising this squad." She clenched her jaw. "Remember Harel, we're a special operations unit, not a group of schoolyard friends. If I am to be your leader I need to act like it."

Tsubaki got to her feet, "Try to forget what happened last night. All of it." She sighed. "I know I will."

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Pixie put the cigar to her lips once more and pocketed the sealed letter as Payton replied.

"... As for the payment itself, let's discuss that. And I believe we should cover our plan of action, as well. I can happily report that my agents are tracking the Maiden's location as we speak."

"Oh?" Pixie tilted her head, suddenly interested. "An' were would that be?"

 

[The Funslinger]

"An' were would that be?"

"Well," said Payton. "At the time my most recent report arrived, Austin appeared to be preparing to assault a bordello. Standard fare for him, I understand. No doubt by now he has swept their defenses, snatched their young and left the rest in a butchered heap by now. But where he is now isn't important. What matters is where he will be in a few days, which is information I will pass along to the ah... Cook, as soon as it becomes apparent. As for the plan, there is one primary point on which all else hinges." With that, he took a drag on his cigarette and tapped the ashes into a small glass ashtray.

"And this is the important part, so try not to lose focus again, Miss Monroe," he admonished casually. "To stage our assault, the ship, as you well know, must be grounded. That would leave two options as I see. We could wait until Austin docks the ship of his own accord, although that gives us the problem of needing to know where in advance. The second option is that we take a leaf from the aforementioned Mister Canton's book and send an operative aboard the ship to bring it down from the inside. Should that be the case, I will of course finance the necessary repairs."

Having said his piece, Payton spread his hands, as if to say, 'the choice is yours.'

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop knew what he was going to say. He just didn't want him to say it. Star dome, Maddington, hell he can fuck off all the way to Paradiso if he wanted. That'd be the perfect target. All that decadence, probably way more child prostitutes than anywhere else in the world. The gambling, the greed, its an invitation for a fight.

But no, it wasn't where he would strike first. Aesop was right whether he wanted to admit it or not. He just prayed it wasn't as easy a target as it had been last time.

'But he didn't have a powerful bandit ship last time. Fuck!'

"No doubt by now he has swept their defences, snatched their young and left the rest in a butchered heap by now."

'Fuuuuck.' Aesop tried to hide a wince as he heard that part. They were in his trap now.

"And this is the important part, so try not to lose focus again, Miss Monroe,"

'Oh I hope someone feeds you to a wood chipper.'

We could wait until Austin docks the ship of his own accord, although that gives us the problem of needing to know where in advance. The second option is that we take a leaf from the aforementioned Mister Canton's book and send an operative aboard the ship to bring it down from the inside. Should that be the case, I will of course finance the necessary repairs."

Now wasn't the time, but he knew he would have to tell Pixie later. He was mentally kicking himself for not saying earlier. Hell maybe he was wrong, Austin certainly had higher priorities, maybe he wasn't as vain as...

What was he saying, this was Father Austin they were talking about. Peter. Dear old Peter.
==========================================================
Hannibal stretched his neck and body out as he took Viola's advice. He put his hands behind his back and tensed his stomach, looking directly ahead away from her eye line.

"Ready?" He looked nervous, wanting to give conflicting answers, instead he simply nodded. "Because here I go."

Forgetting her advice, he held his breath. He stumbled back a few steps as she punched him. He groaned out and mumbled in controlled pain. He loosened up a moment and coughed before tensing up again. "Ugh, go again?" He said nervously.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Ugh, go again?" Hannibal said nervously after being punched, and then prepared himself for the follow up. Viola took off her stetson and duster coat, thinking that they may get in the way, then positioned herself in a sort of fighting pose with her hands slightly raised and pointing at Hannibal.

"If that's what you want Hannibal, just tell me when it starts to hurt, wouldn't want to accidentally cause and serious harm." Viola said with some hint of concern before she continued punching, each strike being consistent, and with every punch, gave Hannibal a moment to recover.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"I-I've never actually played Poker before."

Lilith leaned back, draping an arm over the back of her chair as she looked at her hand.

Three jacks and two sevens.

'Full house.' Crossing a leg over her other thigh, she yawned.

"Man, what a shitty hand." she stated nonchalantly as she placed her cards face down on her lap.


====================

"Try to forget what happened last night. All of it. I know I will."

Asad shrugged wearily. "Yeah, sure, whatever, consider it done." He muttered as he pulled on his jacket.

Reaching into his pocket, he checked his sidearm, pulling back the slide slightly. "Heaven forbid we act like people from time to time." he smirked.

 

[Fappy]

"And this is the important part, so try not to lose focus again, Miss Monroe..."

Yeah, yeah, eat a dick, old man.

"... Should that be the case, I will of course finance the necessary repairs."

"We wait 'til it's grounded," Pixie said without missing a beat. "I ain't gonna risk damaging the ship any further if I can help it. Plus, we're gonna need it ta' be a functional vessel as soon as we possibly can." She removed the cigar from between her lips and looked down at it. "Payton," Her eye found his. "I don' reckon ya' got an ounce'a charity in yer heart, but know that I intend ta' stop Austin as soon as we're able. You an' I both know he'll lay waste ta' anythin' he comes across now that he has a ship. You have ta' give me yer word that we won' sit back an' watch him burn the ashlands down, one settlement at a time."

Bennie clenched his jaw. He knew.

You're giving him too much credit, Pixie.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Man, what a shitty hand."

"Fuckin' liar." Sprout laughed. "I fold."

Four Kings have to be good, right?!

"I am going to keep," Elizabeth started. "Who bets first?"

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Heaven forbid we act like people from time to time."

She gave him a sad look as he examined his weapon. Furrowing her brow, she cast her gaze downward, "I'm sorry," She whispered. "You are good men. Good people. I want you to know that. But," She looked up at him. "Making things personal only ever complicates things for me. By all means, be friendly with your colleagues, but count me out."

She sighed, "At least until I know I can trust myself with such things. Now," She got to her feet and started for the door. "If we're going to wait for O'Lafferty the least we can do is get in some actual work. I'll be in the shooting range if anyone wants to join in."

 

[Terratina.]

"If we're going to wait for O'Lafferty the least we can do is get in some actual work. I'll be in the shooting range if anyone wants to join in."

Jun's mood was one of dull annoyance, surely it had been an hour already? He had been standing there, shifting his weight from one leg to the other for what seemed like ages; in the end, he gave up and settled on leaning on the wall. This was a joke. The more time wasted, the less time there was for actually searching for the damn Noble. Not to mention the fact that meant there was more time for the girl to find a corner to hide in before the mean men with guns came a-lookin'. Nevertheless, shooting at targets was something to do, at least. Maybe it would be better than watching a clock tick tock away, though the rhythm of gunfire might be somewhat reminiscent of that clock's racket.

Still, the soldier shifted his weight forward and followed the Commander to the shooting range.

***​

""I am going to keep, who bets first?"

Maria clicked her tongue, it was interesting to see that the Tigerman was going up against Lilith "Casino" Valentine. It was probably because she was new to the game, or overconfidence, or that Elizabeth actually had a good hand. Then again, whatever she had, Lilith was likely to have better. Or, at least, a better hand than Maria's. An eight of diamonds, a four of hearts, a jack of clubs, a five of clubs and another diamond - a two. Last time she checked, those weren't the components of any pokers hands she knew of. Following Sprout's example, she gave a chuckle and then placed her cards on the table, face down of course.

"It's either Lilith or you, Tigerman. I fold." Maria said.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Want to talk to Carlos?"

The Gentleman sighed.

"I don't see why not."

It wasn't as if he had anything else to do.

===========================================================================================================================

"Austin appeared to be preparing to assault a bordello."

Amy stiffened, her blood running cold for a moment. The plan hadn't gone ahead, the tip-off was never sent, it couldn't be the same brothel. No, it had to be, there was no other within reasonable range, Amy knew that. She had thought that Meredith's refusal had kept her girl out of harm's way, but Austin had descended on the place anyway.

"The second option is that we take a leaf from the aforementioned Mister Canton's book and send an operative aboard the ship to bring it down from the inside."

This was just getting worse.

"You have ta' give me yer word that we won' sit back an' watch him burn the ashlands down, one settlement at a time."

"We won't have to." Amy spoke up. She did not want to say what she was about to. However, she owed it to her new Captain to be committed to the cause. Besides, Georgia and Sandra were already in the crossfire of this conflict, there was nothing she could do to change that now. Giving them direction was just as likely to keep them from harm as it was to put them in further danger. At least, that was what she had to tell herself.

"I have two contacts aboard the ship, plus whatever crew in engineering Austin has kept alive to repair and maintain the Iron Maiden." Amy continued, sounding convicted. "Whether they have been fully turned, which I would consider unlikely after so short a time, or are simply obeying because their lives depend on it, we cannot say from the outside. However, I have agents in every medium and major settlement across the continent. Wherever Austin is heading next, we will hear about it on that same day, though it's still not as much forewarning as I'd like.

Regardless, the next time the ship lands, we can use my outside contacts, to deliver instructions to those already inside. Together, they can make it so that, once the ship lands, it won't be taking off again while Austin holds it. We don't need to cause any serious damage, as Austin won't know how to fly and maintain the machine himself. We simply need to manufacture a mechanical problem that keeps him where he is for a while. Much better than shooting it down, or risking the ship being able to escape next time it lands."

 

[The Funslinger]

"I don' reckon ya' got an ounce'a charity in yer heart,

Not entirely true, thought Payton, glancing idly at Whiskey as the Captain got her tirade out of the way.

"You have ta' give me yer word that we won' sit back an' watch him burn the ashlands down, one settlement at a time."

"Of course, Miss Monroe. I guarantee you we will mobilize as soon as possible. And Austin will not leave your ship alive, I promise you that. However, you know as well as I do that it will take a few days at least for us to have our opportunity to strike, and be in a position to capitalize on it."

"I have two contacts aboard the ship, plus whatever crew in engineering Austin has kept alive to repair and maintain the Iron Maiden." Amy continued, sounding convicted. "Whether they have been fully turned, which I would consider unlikely after so short a time, or are simply obeying because their lives depend on it, we cannot say from the outside. However, I have agents in every medium and major settlement across the continent. Wherever Austin is heading next, we will hear about it on that same day, though it's still not as much forewarning as I'd like.

Regardless, the next time the ship lands, we can use my outside contacts, to deliver instructions to those already inside. Together, they can make it so that, once the ship lands, it won't be taking off again while Austin holds it. We don't need to cause any serious damage, as Austin won't know how to fly and maintain the machine himself. We simply need to manufacture a mechanical problem that keeps him where he is for a while. Much better than shooting it down, or risking the ship being able to escape next time it lands."

Payton clapped his hands together. "Now that is news to me," he exclaimed cheerfully. "Very well, Miss Turner, you have offered a solution to our quandary. Contact your agents, by all means. And... let us hope that neither they nor the Maiden's remaining engineering staff have been compromised in such a short time."

Steepling his fingers and resting his chin on them, he gave them all a considering look. "But if the worst has happened, we may be very hard pressed to find the opportunity Captain Monroe wants. You know as well as I do that it may be a choice between bringing down your ship, and allowing Father Austin more time to wreak his unique brand of havoc on The Rock."

"He's right about that," said Whiskey reluctantly. "Those Engies of yours don't come through, it could be weeks before we can straight up ambush that fucker. Weeks of him pulling all sorts of fucked up shit."

====================================================

Careening on through the entrance to Feroxi, Bryan's quad came to a shuddering halt as it was coming out the other side of the airlock. The fuel gauge's needle was firmly on 'E'.

Sighing, he got to his feet amid the stares of passersby, adjusted the collar of the Hawaiian shirt that still hung open, patted himself down to rid himself of the worst of the dust of travel, and started walking.

Some twenty minutes later, he was undergoing a security check to enter Basilio's compound, due to his lack of identification. Then he was through, heading to the barracks, he strode in, looking very out of place in the Hawaiian shirt, swimming trunks, deck shoes and sunglasses amid the drab military living quarters.

"That," he proclaimed to the room at large, "was fucking bullshit."