HOME listed to the port side briefly with the impact, sending anything that wasn’t nailed down sliding across the floor. Papers and parts flew everywhere. Soldiers lost their footing and numerous planes on the top deck slid off into the ocean. Eventually it righted itself as the smoke from the impact wafted into the sky, but by that time, the damage was done.
Izuku looked at the chaos and seethed in silence before he flew into a tirade of orders and commands. His mechanical hand pointed and enunciated his shouting as his human hand tightly gripped the handle of his precious weapon, ready for the first sign of weakness from his living crew or attack from his enemies. As long as his massive vessel remained afloat, their destination was clear and he would be waiting. No conversations. No reveling. No wasting of time. The wrath of the blade forged from the Est Vacuus would be swift. He doubted even the mighty sword of Nixon Ash could stand against the power he had now. No time like the present to find out.
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Rapidly approaching from the east was the dark specter of the being known as Eleotherios Duo model 0901, or E2-0901. Eleotherios had finished his duties with the weak human known as Boroha Sharp in the expected period of time. Now, with the aid of his leg-mounted RAMjets, he would be returning to HOME in a matter of minutes.
Eleotherios spotted the smoke in the distance. It was a very smart machine. It surmised what had happened and rerouted its destination to a nearby unmanned attack ship, where it could await further instructions or begin to deduce its own next move. It had that ability, and if an unfeeling machine could be said to do so, it enjoyed the opportunities it got to exercise it.
It landed. It waited. It was the Liberator by Madness, most advanced of its kind. Much blood and sweat was shed in its creation. It would not rush so quickly into a dangerous situation.
There it would stay until called, even if that call was its own.
Chapter 20
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In the Shadow of Death
The first week down the mighty Paieleh River Valley had been as trying and draining as any week in the memory of the two from Tan Torna Qu-ay. Esgona had mastered the Turtle and was now its full-time driver. Johan was much better since his death-defying dive into the Thunder Head, and as he recovered his hearing slowly and his strength slower still, he had more and more time to ponder the image of the dagger in the rock and how it was possible that it was so.
Well, that said, he spared it a thought whenever his time wasn’t taken up by one Seraphina Langley, who had been a shadow to him ever since he had the strength to walk unaided and resume his normal duties.
She was with him constantly now, helping him with meals and tending even the smallest of wounds. It made Johan uncomfortable at first, but eventually he saw it wasn’t some kind of subservience she was showing since she had proven herself more than independent and strong enough, but an honest need to show him how appreciative she was. She had shown herself to be a very capable and smart young woman. Johan was a proud man, but even he wasn’t immune to her and her need to be with him. Something terrifying had happened to them both, and now it was a bond they shared.
Well, that and the heart-stopping attraction.
As they had spoken to one another, they realized that they had much in common, and just as Seraphina was attracted to Johan’s bravery and good looks, Johan was attracted to her independence and family-first attitude. If she wasn’t helping him, she was with her father. He never saw her alone or looking for something to do. An ethic worth its weight in gold to him.
The road the band followed was not as forgiving as they’d hoped. Although warned by the Riders that it was not for the faint of heart, Johan had secretly hoped it was simply a long, flat, slowly descending piece of road whose main obstacle was time. Alas, this was not the case. Although hard and long, centuries at the base of a cavernous ravine had led to rock falls and erosion to the poorly traveled path to the point that there were numerous times the party feared they would have to leave something valuable behind.
It was for the best that they were so well-stocked. The road offered no animals or vegetation. They had hunted what they could early on, knowing the pickings would be slim in time, but not even a mouse had been seen in two days. The only saving grace was the Paieleh River. Its waters were dangerous, but clean and refreshing after a hard day of travel. Whenever it allowed, they filled canteens and barrels and let the livestock have their fill. They carried grasses and hay enough for both horse and folme and had yet to meet an unbeatable obstacle.
That was exactly what worried August Stroan.
He was in tight with the Tan Torna Qu-ay boys now. He spent his off hours with one or both of them, finding their company preferable to that of the older officers and their cliquey ways. He was still green, and a small part of him enjoyed the respect from Johan and Esgona.
One evening he sat with the three others (Esgona had decided to join them on and off at times, and naturally any free moment Johan had demanded the inclusion of Seraphina) around a small fire. He had shed his armor, and if not for the short hair and clean
