Gateway Airfield
Only a few hundred yards from the edge of the Kampfzengruppe Lifedome being built around the Gateway Tower, this open area of packed earth has several circular platforms made of concentric rings of ceramic tiles rising about an inch about the ground.

There is a lot more activity in the refugee camp than when Tasha and the others entered the Titanians' ship. A good third of the wagons have left, likely taking the direct route to Imperial territory. The ones that are left look a bit wealthier – they tend to have two reptilian dray beasts instead of one – and are probably going to use the train. The rest of the camp doesn't seem in a rush to go anywhere, and the robed figures of mages can be seen mingling among the worst-off looking groups.

Two Life Mages – both Rhians – can be seen hurrying towards the edge of the camp looking very embarrassed, since there are angry hisses and cries following them from the Nagas they pass. Mage Latania is in the middle of it all, looking exasperated.

"Something went wrong," Layth mutters as he pauses to rub his fingertips against his eyelids. "We had best see what damage we need to undo. It is not as if that mage knows how to be … agreeable." Sensing a long and tiring day ahead, the buck heads towards the mages. "Are things going well?" he calls out.

Tasha walks along, hands in her heavy coat pockets, wings mantled like a giant feathery parasol against the blazing sun. "Oi, looks li' the mages aren't exactly 'ittin' it off," she observes as she heads towards the camp. "'Course Latania coul' upset a wooden plank; 'er personality isn' exactly magical!"

"Aha!" Latania crows as she spots Tasha, the Karnors and the Lapi. "Get over here," the Cervani yells. "I need you!"

"Which one of us?" Layth asks, "Such an answer would be very telling."

"This can't possibly be good," Aaron notes.

"What?" the Cervani asks angrily. "ALL OF YOU!"

"I wish I coul' say 'we don' need you,'" Tasha mumbles, before waving. "Oi, we're comin'. Keep your rack on."

"Hm, I suppose it would be impolite to ask which rack Tasha meant," Layth comments to Aaron.

The doe is standing near a lean-to that looks shabby even by Sinaian standards. A few cowed Nagas coil at the edge, looking lost. "Reports on what to expect here are useless," Latania rants. "Did they think to mention that Abaddonian Nagas are afraid of horses? No!"

"What's a… " Calli starts to ask, but Aisha squeezes her shoulder before she can complete the obvious question.

Layth does a remarkable job of not laughing at that as he makes a connection between the Rhian and the angry hissing. "So, they are afraid of your mages? I am not sure how we can help, as none of us can work magic," Layth remarks to Latania as he approaches her. "But we will do what we can, just direct us in what you need."

The Life Mage turns her attention on Tasha, and demands, "You… uh… Big Red. Can you remember a message and recite it back understandably?"

"They are a 'andful, 'orses," Tasha agrees, then shakes her head and shrugs. The Vartan walks up to the Cervani doe and tilts her head, peering at the woman. "Didn' you wan' to be in charge? This is 'ow bein' in charge usually is." She glances at the Life Mage who addresses her and flicks an ear. "Me Tasha, no understand big message!" She stares at her flatly.

"Then the woman in this tent is going to die," Latania replies to the Vartan. "Now, once more: can you relate a simple message for me?"

Tasha waves a hand dismissively, "Why didn' you jus' say tha' instead o' bein' the usual you? You're so difficul'," she sighs. "Tell me the message an' I'll fly it where-ever, which is wha' I'm thinkin' you need?"

The doe says, "It's very simple. Fly to camp, find Mage Sylene – you can't miss her, she's a big purple Naga with a mane of green hair and a superior attitude. Tell her we are bringing in a middle-aged female Naga with advanced Bloodroot infection, near to sporification. Got that?"

"Camp. Purple. Green. Naga. Bloodroot. Advanced, near spore'cation. Bringing," Tasha recites, counting off on her fingers. "Go'it, jus' remember my name next time an' don' save 'she's dyin'!' for las'." Unfolding her wings, Tasha takes a step back, then leaps into the sky in a cloud of red-dust!

"I probably should have mentioned we'll all be dead if she's not killed or cured in time, then," Latania mutters, then points to Layth and Aaron. "You're my new stretcher bearers! Amazonians shouldn't have any trouble lifting an adult Naga."

"I'm only half-" Aaron starts to say, until Latania gives him a look sharp enough to cleave wood. "I'll get the head if you want the heavier end," he ends up saying to Layth.

"A simple enough task. I haven't seen many Naga up close, but no matter. I hope your stretchers are bowl shaped to manage the sprawling effect Naga tend to have," Layth remarks to Latania. "And if Master Lightfoot needs help, I am sure Calligenia can lend her shoulder to the lift."

"It's a blanket with sticks," Latania notes, leading the way into the lean-to. She's got a glowing gem in her left hand that provides some light, and it lets them see a large but nearly emaciated Naga lying on her back. Her torso is almost entirely covered with a spongy, fungal mass that pulses and gurgles and is a bright, blood red. "Do not touch the infection, or it might explode," the Cervani warns.

"What is the likelihood we can also become infected?" Layth inquires as he heads towards the emaciated Naga and crouches down beside her to get a closer look. "Prepare the stretcher, Master Lightfoot, I will move her onto it."

The stretcher is already laid out next to the serpent, but Aaron tries to adjust it better, given that the Naga is considerably longer. When Layth leans close, the Naga hisses something in Imperial."If it pops its spores, then very likely," Latania notes.

"I think she said 'big bunny'," Aisha translates.

"The Imperials like bunnies," Zerachiel comments. "As pets. And snacks."

"She panicked when the Rhians tried to move her," Latania sighs.

Layth repositions himself to above her shoulders and head. "Do not move," he tells the serpent before he slips his hands just under her shoulders, trying to be careful to avoid the mass, and begins to lift her, then slowly move her over the stretcher. Once her top is in place, he will move to her tail end.

Aaron helps to get the woman's coils… coiled. It means there is a lot more weight on that end of the stretcher.

"You, Battle Bunny," Latania says to Calligenia. "Take the Karnors and clear us a path. Just don't hurt anyone. Yell 'Bloodroot' a lot and they should get out of the way."

"I will handle the heavier side," Layth comments as he finishes positioning the woman and goes to that end of the stretcher. "On your signal," he tells Aaron.

The smaller buck carefully lifts the head end of the stretcher a few inches off the ground to make sure it's balanced, then nods to Layth. "Let's go."

"Onward, go as slow as you need," Layth says and then lifts. After a grunt, he mutters, "I wonder if women find it a compliment to be told they are heavy… "

Camp Caroban seems mostly deserted, with a few mages clustered around a hole in the ground. When Tasha lands, it's close enough to the main medical tent that she can hear activity within: lots and lots of chanting.

"Time to ruin the chorus," Tasha declares as she dusts herself off from landing. Breaking into a jog, she rushes towards the tent and calls out, "Oi, Mage Sylene!"

At the center of the tent, looking over something on a clipboard, is a tall purple Naga with a mane of hair like a Rhian. Green hair. "What?" she asks, in an oddly musical voice. "Have we got an emergency?"

"If advanced Bloodroot rot tha' coul' 'kill us all' is an emergency for you, then aye!" The Vartan hurries on inside, stopping only when she reaches the mage, and not looking the least bit tired for the exertion. "Mage Latania is bringin' a Naga with tha', an' soon. You 'ad bes' get ready or, oi, I think'll explode?" The woman makes an expansive, detonating gesture with her hands. "Boom!"

That gesture gets the attention of everyone in the tent. "Ah, Bloodroot. I remember seeing the aftermath of that at the Red Cliffs," the Naga mage notes, bobbing her head. She consults her clipboard, and calls out, "Spring Meadow of Earth, Augustus of Air, Trifle of Chaos, and Hector of Water. You've got the spells ready that I'll need. The rest of you clear out as soon as you can. And… " She pauses to look around. "Hector is a Skeek with big eyeglasses and a blue robe, probably out by the well. Can you fetch him for me please?" she asks Tasha.

"O'course," Tasha says, a bit dryly. She offers the mage a quick "good luck," then hurries on out of the tent.

The well is probably the hole, since that's the only other place Tasha saw anyone. There are various mages in robes of blue and brown examining it when Tasha heads over. "What about Vermillion's Caustic Cacophony? That should break through that hardened layer," one of the Mages suggests, causing the others to hem and haw and bob their heads a lot.

"Oi, Hector! Glasses!" Tasha is as loud as she is red, and considering most of the planet only helps redden everything, she's very red indeed. "Green an' purple needs you! Where are you!" She places a hand on a nearby mage's shoulder, peering over it and looking around at the others.

The mage Tasha tries first barely comes up to her chest. But it is indeed a Skeek, with big glasses that make it seem like the man is wearing fishbowls on his face. Sylene didn't mention the rainbow-striped scarf, the big fuzzy pink slippers sticking out from under the robe, or the big blue floppy hat with glowing, translucent fish bobbing in and out as if it were a portable pond.

"Y-y-yess?" the Mage stutters, looking up at Tasha with magnified eyes. "What?"

Tasha peers down and blinks at the mage, unsure quite what to make of him – though her first thought involves the crew of The Rake and a possible wedgie. "Well," she begins, somewhat taken aback by this demonstration of questionable manliness and eccentric dress, "Mage Sylene needs you, for a Bloodroot infection. It's serious-like. You 'ad better come with me."

"S-s-s-s-s… the Naga?" Hector asks, trembling slightly. "Okay, you b-b-boys keep working w-w-without me," he tells the others, and starts to waddle towards the main tent. Slowly.

After watching the slow waddling a moment, Tasha steps forward and places a hand on the mage's back, pushing him to move faster. "Advanced Bloodroot. Explosion," she reminds him.

"Oh, my," the Skeek notes. "W-w-what's B-b-b-bloodroot?" he asks Tasha. He seems to hurry a bit, which given his bundled up state might risk a fall and subsequent rolling to the medical tent.

Tasha relents in the pushing, instead walking with the man and tucking her hands in her coat. "Beats me," she admits, "bu' it sounds li' a nasty infection, o' the 'kill us all' type. O'course, lots o' things 'ave gotten 'kill us all' status 'ere, an' we're still 'ere. It'll be fine!"

By the time Tasha gets the Water Mage to the tent quite a bit has happened. A big metal tub is sitting atop one of the medical tables now, while Sylene is pouring a barrel of water into it. The Air Mage – a spotted Gallah – is hastily marking a wide circle around the operating area, while the Khatta Chaos Mage is juggling beanbags. Spring Meadow looks horrified. "The whole thing, all at once, or we'll all die?" she asks the Naga, in a quavering voice.

"Well, we've never tried this before," Sylene explains. "It's all theory, based on the corpses we recovered on the Red Cliffs after the last outbreak. But I'm sure it will work!"

"I li' the sound o' this!" Tasha bursts into the tent with her usual subtlety, water mage in tow. "'Ere's Mage Glasses, do I need to fetch anyone else? Got a message you need? Maybe a drink I can get you?"

In the distance, and distinctly Lapine voice can be heard shouting, "Make way, make way! Bloodroot! Make way!" Who knew Calligenia had such a good pair of lungs on her?

"What blood type are you?" the Naga asks Tasha after tossing aside the empty water barrel.

Tasha stares at the mage a moment, then at her arm, then back again. "Oi, um … red?"

"You're not a Mage," Sylene finally seems to notice. "Help with this second table then," she says, pointing to another operating table. "I need it right next to the tub."

"I li' to think I 'ave me own special magic," Tasha insists. She nods to the request and, after walking over to the indicated table, shows another common Vartan virtue besides bluntness: brute force. She kneels, then hefts the item into the air, carrying it on over. "'Ere you go." The table comes to rest with a deep thud.

About then, Akkers arrives and holds the tent flap open, so Calligenia can come through (with her sword drawn for some reason), followed by the Karnor doctors, Aaron and Layth with the stretcher, and then an out of breath Latania and winded Aisha.

"I know more about Naga anatomy than I ever expected to," Layth remarks to the others as he enters. "Bouncing serpent plus a long walk is a lesson in anatomy."

"Quickly now," Sylene says, "get the patient into the water here, on her back please. Augustus, set up the quarantine dome."

"She has a pet bunny named Rufus," Aisha notes.

"I fetched an' carried things," Tasha announces to the newcomers, taking a moment to flex her arm. "Need my 'elp moving her?"

The Air Mage chants something, and there's a sudden breeze. When the dust falls it outlines a dome around the operating area.

"Probably," Aaron says. "Just don't touch the pulsing red tumor on her chest."

"Take over for Aaron, he looks wobbly," Layth tells Tasha. "And she had better not call me Rufus."

"Awww, tha's the bes' part. It'd match me fur," Tasha mock-complains as she comes over to replace Aaron. "Out o' me way, small n' nauseous."

Having the extra table helps, since they can transfer the patient to that from the stretcher, and then load her into the tub in sections. "Everyone please leave the quarantine zone now," the Khatta Chaos Mage pipes up.

"Should probably cover your eyes too," Sylene notes as she slithers outside of the air dome, and checks on Latania. Caravelli is shrugging out of his cloak, and being tended to by another Apprentice Life Mage with a bowl of soapy water.

"I assume that includes us," Layth comments as he heads out of the area outlined by the dusty 'dome'. "How deadly is Bloodroot? What does it do?" he asks. "Other than look disgusting."

"Erm, wha's tha'?" Tasha glances around for this most deadly of zones and, upon spotting the circle, her ears perk with revelation. "Oi, righ'." A quick retreat from the enclosed area follows. At the request of covering her eyes, she also raises a wing and peers over it like a feathery shield.

"Oh, from the bodies, we've gathered that it infects through the lungs," Sylene notes. "Then it… well, it attaches to various major blood vessels in the chest, and grows until it breaks the skin. Then when it's done, it explodes into a burst of new spores… "

At the request to cover his eyes, Layth nods his head forward hard … and his lop ears obligingly flop forward and cover them.

Mage Trifle holds her arms up and utters a phrase, and then… well, for a moment it's a bit like exposure to The Cheese. The air turns bacony, the light fluffy, and there is a loud sound of yellow.

"You've got an hour, I hope, before her magic resistance will return," the suddenly exhausted sounding Khatta says. "I need a nap… "

"Oi," Tasha remarks, her voice a bit hoarse from the unnerving impact of the described effects. The sudden burst of Chaos magic doesn't help, leaving the Vartan's ears wilted like a dying flower. "I've been tol' I migh' explode some day, bu' no' li' that."

The two Life Mages move in quickly. Latania casts a held spell, and Sylene seems to go into a trance. Hector steps up, barely able to see over the edge of the tub, and drops one of his phantom fish into the water.

"I think I can taste my feet again," Layth mutters impassively.

"Meadow, you're up as soon as the chilled water puts the patient into a torpor," Sylene intones.

"This is like when I first started mixing up potions," Aaron notes. Aisha is turned away, trying not to vomit. Calligenia isn't paying any attention at all – she's watching Dr. Caravelli's strange hand-washing ritual.

"They're no' so bad when you clean 'em," Tasha remarks as she edges around the circle towards Caravelli. "I 'ear coughin'," she says when she gets close enough, sounding worried and shooting the doctor a look like he just broke Tasha's favorite shiny.

"I'm prepping for surgery," the Karnor physician explains.

Inside the bubble, Spring Meadow looks nervous. She's holding a glowing stick, although it isn't clear if the stick is real or not.

"Surgery takes coughin'?" The Vartan still looks suspicious, and angles her head as if she might spot a spore on Caravelli somewhere.

"It's just the dust from the run over here," Remiel claims, giving Tasha a look. "If there were spores, we'd all be coughing now."

"Mmm," Tasha utters, making her sound entirely too motherly for her age. She eyes the man a moment, then leans back and seems to relent. "Alrigh'."

"Oh, good thing to note," Sylene says. "If Meadow's spell doesn't work and the spore pods burst, nobody is to enter the dome. We'll kill ourselves to neutralize the spores. Then have a Fire Mage incinerate everything, okay?"

"Remember, they are older than you and signed up for a dangerous mission … which is why they are here now," Layth points out to Tasha as he finally brushes his ears out of his eyes. To mage Sylene he says, "No, that is not okay."

"Don't worry, I… I can do this!" Meadow claims, trying to sound confident, just before she stabs the red mass with her glowing stick… while holding her breath.

"I coul' 'ave killed us in much better ways than this," Tasha mutters, eyeing the entry flap a moment, perhaps pondering if the team should have left earlier. She blinks at Layth's words, then actually reaches up and tugs on her ear, sheepishly. "I know," she admits, "I jus' worry. All tha' work an' worry to save 'em, an' it's 'ard to stop."

"I think she got it," Latania reports, after an odd crackling sound emanates from the Naga's chest. "Full petrification of the mass." Layth's head tilts to the side as his ear is tugged. "You gave them a chance to complete their mission. They need to do what they are trained to do, otherwise … well, how would you feel if they replaced your position on an airship and all you were allowed to do was watch?"

Spring Meadow steps back, then walks out of the air dome and goes up and gives Layth a big kiss, just before she faints.

And of course the kiss registers an odd look on the buck's face a moment later. Somehow he manages to catch the doe as she goes limp. "Alas, I wish I could claim my lips could cause a woman to faint at my feet … but I fear it was the bacon that defeated her," he deadpans. "Is there a spare bed anywhere?"

"There's probably going to be a lot of blood now," Caravelli remarks to the others as he steps into the air dome. The Apprentice follows, carrying a tray of surgical tools.

Tasha shakes her head at the unconscious doe. "You migh' be infectious too," she tells Layth. Frowning then, she shakes her head again and admits, "I wouln' keep 'em from doin' their job! I jus' worry. S'not my fault 'e woke up with 'is face matted earlier either." The Vartan suddenly seems very interested in the ritual, avoiding looking at anyone, and might be blushing if not for already being very red.

"Plenty of beds," Augustus the Air Mage notes, gesturing to the patient beds.

"I'm too boring to be infectious," Layth claims as he hauls the unconscious Spring Meadow over to an empty bed and lays her out as if she weighed no more than a pillow.

"I don't need to see a lot of snake blood," Aisha murmurs. More of the other mages are returning to the tent, now that the immediate threat of fungal death is gone. Several are already working up spells.

"I've never seen snake blood," admits the red woman, who tilts her head. "Isn' it green?"

"Blood is no more disturbing than watching the juices of a fruit flow away," Layth points out to Spring Meadow. "Or the flow of a clay-filled river as the sun sets upon the horizon, basking us in the red hues of evening. It is all in how you think of it."

"I c-c-c-could show you our w-well," Hector offers Aisha, only to be told by Latania that he needs to stay close in case they need to deepen the patient's torpor.

"I should go back and see if we've gotten a reply to our message," Gabriel tells Tasha.

"Never the less, I should escort you out of here," Layth says to Aisha. "If that is amenable to you." "Oh, most amenable," Aisha says, maybe with a hint of jealousy and a glance towards the sleeping Meadow.

Tasha nods to Gabriel, then snatches his hand. "We all should, aye? No need for us all to die an' burn for a bi' o snake blood."

"I'm not sure Remiel and Eli will be joining us then," Akkers points out, as Caravelli is already cutting into the Naga's chest and Zerachiel is watching in fascination.

"Come then, we can discuss methods of keeping you calm while you are here," Layth says as he offers Aisha his arm. "I have a few ideas I think you will approve of. A variant on bathing rituals that you demonstrated back in your home."

After taking a deep breath, Tasha exhales and nods towards the door. "I 'ave to stop bein' so mother 'en righ'?" She tugs on the man's hand as she starts walking on out. "No time li' now. Let's go, an' if they die, I'll kill 'em."

Calligenia overhears Layth's offer, and follows along.

"We can go ourselves," Gabriel tells Tasha. "It'll be a few hours before the others are ready to do anything else I think."

"They'll be fine," Tasha tells Gabriel, if with a tone of forced assurance.

---

It does indeed take several hours before the Naga is stabilized, and a grinning Dr. Caravelli emerges from the operation. By then Gabriel and Tasha are back from the Telegraph Office, with a note to meet with an Expedition officer at the Train Depot when the afternoon train arrives. Getting there is solved by one of the wealthier refugee families, who agree to bring them along on their wagon. Word has spread about the cured woman, and sick Naga are starting to line up outside the camp.

Gateway Train Station
While not all that close to the Abaddon Gateway, there isn't anything else out here in the desert for it to be named after. It's clearly new, since the concrete bunkers don't show the signs of sandblasting that most exposed structures do. It sits right on the older packed-earth road that the caravans follow, and the tracks also run parallel to it. A high tower is festooned with antennae as well as a windmill, while another heavily reinforced one holds up a huge water tank for refilling the locomotive boiler. The platform around the tracks is raised and ramped, so that caravan wagons can maneuver directly onto the large flatbed cars.

A train is waiting on the tracks, a great iron monster of an engine set at both ends of the line of flatcars. There are a few carriage style train cars close to the engines as well. The nearest locomotive looks like it is in the middle of getting a facelift, as a large area on the 'nose' has clearly had something pried off of it. Gun nests atop the depot are manned by Karnors, who scan the desert (although one of them is aiming at the road as well).

Tasha, the Karnors and the Lapis are dropped off at the bunker, along with their gear, before the wagon goes on to be parked on the train itself.

"I do hope this turns out to not be a trap. Given that we are a distance from the city, I would be inclined to believe it is legitimate … but the Karnors with weapons make me worry," Layth remarks to the others.

"It's a dangerous world," Aaron comments, eyeing the gun emplacements as well.

"It coul' be. We're no' armed an' no' a match for them if we were; we'll jus' 'ave to 'ave some faith 'ere. We knew this would be dangerous," Tasha tells Layth, patting his arm reassuringly. She makes her way towards the radio bunker, eyeing all the armed people while biting her lip. "I wun'er 'ow often this station gets attacked? At leas' the train is 'ere."

"If all else fails, we can have Tasha strip for them as a distraction and make our escape," Layth suggests to Aaron.

"Why did I bring bunnies again," Tasha asks no one in particular, before sighing.

"Because we're cute?" Aisha suggests.

"We keep you from doing the extremely crazy things," Layth offers.

"I'm no' sure abou' either o' those things," the Vartan admits with mock-seriousness, taking a moment to eye her Lapi entourage. "Bu' at leas' you distract the locals an' I'm no' the weird one anymore." She turns back just as she reaches the bunker, then looks at Gabriel and waits for him to handle the situation.

There is train of wagons drawn by familiar Dromodons and manned by Khattas that is starting to head back towards the Gateway, and a uniformed human starts to approach the group from the main bunker. He's tall, with a graying beard and a uniform that has elements Tasha has seen at the Temple on Rephidim. Most telling though is the large naval-style hat the man wears with a prominent Star and Anchor on the front (well, it has an extra vertical bar but it's close enough). The Karnors immediately snap to attention and salute the man.

"This will prove … interesting," Layth mutters as he eyes the older human. Specifically, he keeps an eye on gestures the human makes … in case he's trying to send signals to any nearby guards.

"Captain Gabriel Akkers?" the human asks, standing a few paces from the group. Akkers steps forward, and says, "Gabriel Akkers, KL257-67-8700."

Tasha blinks a little at the salutes, the suddenness seeming to startle her. For her part, she offers a somewhat uncomfortable little wave to the human while her gaze flicking between the man's face and the symbol on his hat.

The human holds out a metallic box, and opens it up to reveal an inkpad. "If you would, sir?" he asks. Akkers takes his right hand and presses the pads of his fingers to the pad, and then to the offered paper held out. The human looks at the prints and compares them to a set he pulls from his pocket.

"Well," the officer says, breaking into a smile. "This is quite an honor. Welcome home, Captain. Command is eager to hear what became of your mission. I imagine New Zion will be quite a surprise for you."

"Not half the surprise a six thousand year old Captain returning with a full report will be for the scribes," Layth remarks to Aaron, "I rather think that impossibility beats out any technological marvel in store for us… "

Tasha lets out a breath she hadn't realize she was holding, then reaches over to place a hand on Gabriel's arm and shake him a little. "Looks li' you're in for a warm homecomin' – congratulations cap'n." She then glances at the human a moment, seems to hesitate, then leans over and gives the Karnor a kiss on the side of his muzzle. "Tha's 'ow we say welcome 'ome from where I come from, too." Then, she grins.

"We don't often get such… interesting visitors from Sinai," the human says. "I hope there aren't any surprises we can't handle… "