The skies above the Desolate Band – No Man's Land

It's a strangely lonely place to be, hanging in the air between opposing armies. The sky is darkening, and Lilac's small and slight form is difficult to pick out against the dusk. Behind her, the Equalizer looms, her destroyer escorts attending her. Ahead, a pair of frigates, one Babelite and one Rephidimian, hold court with a larger converted merchantman. The air around them seems to shimmer and swirl, distorting details.

I can't believe I'm doing this, Lilac thinks as she glances behind herself at the looming fleet. Between the guns of two large armies is not where she pictured her career taking her, let alone also being cursed and pregnant. My choices need some serious rethinking! Deciding there's no use worrying about it, and that the others are counting on her, she scans the horizon for signs of the commando force. How do you find a force of people that are experts in hiding, anyway?

There's little sign of the Imperial specialists… just empty air between here and there. Actually, it must not be entirely empty, the way it's wobbling and shimmering like that. Suddenly, the guns on the converted merchantman speak! White clouds roll away from her sides as a salvo thunders away, and the shots scream their way down to the ground below. From her vantage, Lilac can see clouds of sand fly away from spots far wide of the Imperial column… it looks like the shots went wild.

Rather than linger, the clouds of gun smoke disperse rapidly, as if torn apart by fierce and conflicted winds.

Lilac jerks to the side, attempting dodge the shot not aimed at her, out of reflex. Yikes! She steadies from the barrel roll, regaining her steady glide. I have to calm down! There is nothing scary about this! Not returning to that … place … where I was … and I … and now with guns … She swallows hard, then swiftly pushes that line of thinking out of her mind. Okay, okay, it is scary. I just have to keep going. Now, what is that? She squints to try and make out the distortion, wondering at its nature. It could be a heat haze, maybe there's a fire on the airstrip? Or, maybe it's some kind of magical barrier, it looks very windy, like an updraft …

The closer Lilac gets, the more the latter seems to be the case… windshear becomes more of a problem, pushing her off her course the closer she gets. The air seems to roar in her ears.

Gah! Lilac has to flap just to keep from being thrown head over heels. I don't think I can even get close by air, there must be something causing this, maybe even magic. Are they trying to force fliers to approach by land? Is this meant to deflect the Imperial Airships? Regardless of the reason, Lilac decides she needs to either descend or abort the approach altogether. Circling back, she tries to get some distance from the updraft and approach closer to the ground, in the hopes that the wind won't be so severe down below.

The wind is indeed less oppressive coming from below, but as she rises toward the ship, it still becomes very fierce, and it makes her tumble when she tries to gain altitude. Meanwhile, the three ships seem to be re-arranging themselves, the merchantman circling to the back while the Babelite frigate moves forward and presents her broadside… and suddenly the winds stop, the air eerily calm.

Oh this can't be good. They must be rotating their cannon fire to give them time to reload, but why do they need wind for that? And why isn't it throwing their ships off? Lilac has no answer to these mysteries, but fears her speculation. 'Calm before the storm' sums up her feeling of the sudden pause, and she wonders if the disturbance is some sort of harbinger to magic, like a giant dust storm. Well I'm getting out of the way, she decides. She hopes the others behind her see the distortion and its absence – she can't signal them this far away, anyway. Banking, Lilac decides to avoid approaching from the front and proceed from around the side.

The clouds of gunsmoke from the Babelite frigate creep away lazily… then suddenly disperse as rapidly as before, the swirling air currents around the ships returning. The Babelite frigate begins to circle away, the Rephidimian frigate pushing forward to present her side.

Lilac watches this all with interest, and suddenly gets an idea. It is a shield! It must be some sort of wind-shield to protect the airships from the Imperial broadsides! And that means, they have to bring the shield down to fire correctly! That's why they missed! Feeling quite clever now, Lilac turns to put her idea to use. She waits for the next ship to circle around to fire, preparing to stoop to gain speed and attempt to fly through the gap while the shield is down.

The Rephidimian frigate pulls itself into position within the globe of air while Lilac climbs above… and suddenly the shield of wind quiets again, letting the bardess hear the beat of her own wings.

Time to go! Tucking her wings, Lilac dives for extra speed, hurling herself through the shield's momentary lapse!

The young woman has to blink back tears as her own dive stings her eyes with its speed, and the Rephidimian frigate's deck comes at her quickly… men of many races are scurrying about it busily, and all seem too preoccupied to see the inky form of Lilac coming down amongst them. Even in all the hubbub, there seems to be plenty of cover for someone as practiced at hiding as she is.

Lilac touches down towards the aft, trying to hide herself near the captain's cabin window. The Captain will probably be on deck yelling at people, if he's like the others. Maybe I can cause them some hassle before I head for the ground and try and find those commandos. She eyes the window, hoping its easier to get into than the last one.

The porthole looks light a tight squeeze, but Lilac is a slip of a thing, and it's plenty easy for her to get through, even with her wings. She finds herself in a small cabin, complete with bed, sea chest, desk, and various airmen's knick-knacks. Nobody is present but her.

Once again, Lilac has infiltrated a warship! She has snuck into a cabin! She … is at risk at becoming repetitive? Lilac frowns at the idea she may already be in a rut for something as unlikely as sabotage, but it can't be helped. She looks around, deciding fast is best here. I'll just slide this chair over here and block the door … then take this lantern … and … break it!

Kssh! Lilac takes the lantern lighting the cabin and finds it easy enough to break against furniture or floor. Glass shatters and oil seeps away in a pool, the candle-like flame housed inside quickly spreading across the puddle.

And now its time to go – again! This should give them something to focus on other than shooting at my friends, Lilac decides. She quickly hurries for the exit, intent on getting away from the ship and heading down towards the airstrip.

Lilac … The bardess pauses for dramatic effect, despite being her only audience, … the Firefly!

Escape again is easy, Lilac leaving a yellow glow behind in the cabin as she pops out of the window. The ship vibrates as another salvo flies thunders away, but even with the windscreen back up, leaving the globe isn't as difficult as getting in, though it is rather disorienting to get thrown about.

Well, that's another airship set on fire. I hope that's not a crime. Is it a crime to set an airship on fire during a war? Having no idea, and not sure she wants to know, Lilac wings her way from the slowly shrinking airship. Which way she goes doesn't matter, just that she can get away. Once she's satisfied with her distance, she circles, attempting to orient herself and determine the location of the airstrip. I hope I'm not late.

Wing beats carry the bardess away from the battle behind her as she proceeds on to the valley… she can see swarms of raiders milling about as they move to reinforce the passes and cycle out their casualties. Continuing on, the airfield comes into view. The only ship there rests on its side, completely crippled and abandoned, a large section of its hull looking to have been blown out by a powerful explosion.

Late, Lilac decides, with a mix of worry and relief. Worry, because she doesn't see the commandos, and hasn't seen signs of fighting yet except for the damaged ship, and relived that she avoided some of the ground level fighting. Blood has made her distinctly uneasy ever since her fiasco in the Temple of Being. Now if the commandos were here, and I were them, I'd do what I just did. Damage the ship, then get away. If I don't see fighting or bodies, then they're probably around here somewhere. I should look for the enemy, and where they seem to be looking. With that in mind, she scans the ground for signs of either behind-the-lines fighting, or the enemy searching.

Flying closer over the field, it looks like all the activity has moved on… but some telling evidence remains. Lilac can recognize the bodies of raiders and airmen, but among them are some dark winged forms laying still among them as well, reptilian and clad in bloodstained leather."

Too late, Lilac adds, frowning at the bodies of what she decides are some of the commando force. She thinks they mustn't be all of them, so the others must be nearby – but where? Oh! What was their target? The mages! If I find the mages, I'll find the commandos! Easier thought than done, Lilac begins to scan further, hoping to get some clue either to where the commandos are or where the mages work their magic.

Not much catches the eye initially… the scurry to meet Umeko's forces seems to have meant leaving the dead and dying where they lay, some embers on the shipwreck still smoldering. The smell of blood and char is strong here, almost overpowering. Still, some movement catches Lilac's eye… a heap of dark scales and darker leather shifts in the dirt, rolling from its side to its back. A Rokuga, by the looks of him, a slender lizard with wings that must have been broad before they were broken and shredded. The Emperor's crest is sewn onto the sleeve of his tunic, the wrists tied down with cord, and the hems of his trousers done much the same. An empty shortsword scabbard is hooked to his belt.

I hope this isn't a trick or something, Lilac decides as she swoops down low, preparing to land several feet away from the man. Just in case, she decides that landing out of strike range is for the best. After all, people have reacted strongly to her sudden appearance without the additional stress of battles, injuries, and exploded airships. "Hssst," she whispers as she comes to a landing, dropping low and mantling her wings to obscure her outline in blackness.

The man doesn't look in any condition to do much, even if he could react poorly. Even though his tunic is dark, Lilac can see and smell where it's soaked through with blood, the reptile feebly clutching his wounds. He does seem to hear Lilac however, and weakly rolls his head to regard her.

Lilac's ears twitch at the smell of so much blood, and she has to bite her lip to keep from gagging. Hurrying forward, she manages to regain her composure by the time she drops down to kneel by the reptile. "I'm from the Emperor's forces, Lilac, Lady Umeko's aide," she whispers. "What happened? Can I help you somehow?"

The lizard's leather armor creaks a little when he shifts to try to lift his head, then drops it back again. "Ss… you're with the Governess. We struck the warlord's ships per our orders. Knew they'd… ngh… be suspicious, but was a harder fight than… bargained for. One airship destroyed, with crew… hhhk… mage got clear. Lost some operatives, and a sapper. I think… think the rest were captured."

"ALL of them were captured? And what's a sapper?" Lilac looks the man over, trying to see if she can help him somehow, but deeply doubting she can. Still, she feels she must try. "Does that mean all the mages are still loose?"

The soldier squints at Lilac. "Sapper's a… demolitionist. Were going to kaff… to cripple as many ships as we could." He shrugs a little, though it's really just a short hunch of his shoulders that he seems to immediately regret, some fresh driblets of crimson staining the dirt under him. "Don't know for sure. Ships lifted off. Think so. Hhhss… Not sure when they left. Been… drifting in and out… "

Those must be all the airships in the air, then. I thought there might be more here, but I guess not. "Are the captured men on one of the ships, or are they around here? I can try and rescue them, or, well, if you know how this sapper-stuff works, I can try and sabotage the ships in the air." Lilac casts a glance towards the direction she came from, knowing full well the airships are still firing on Umeko's advancing forces. She had hoped to avoid fighting, but it seems she have no choice again. Umeko's more important than her desire to avoid bloodshed.

"Prob'ly… brig," hisses the reptile.

"Okay. Um." Leaning back, Lilac gestures vaguely, unsure of just what to say in a situation like this. She never expected to be the last person anyone talked to; she just wanted a life entertaining people, in warm, happy places. "Can I … do anything for you, before I go?"

In answer, the reptile's hand creeps to his side, and struggles to draw a short ceramic knife. He drops it on the sand near Lilac's foot. "The… heart. Pull away the… cuirass if… too thick to punch through."

"Oh gods," Lilac says, sucking in a breath. She stares at the knife with wide eyes, inching away from it as if it might bite her. "Y-you, you want me to kill you? C-can't I do … Isn't there some way to … to … " She gestures feebly at the man's wounds.

The operative's voice tightens, emphatic, and there's a slight wet rasp when he hisses. "It's… over for me. Do it. Then… take my patch. And go."

"I don't know how to use a knife, but I … I know another way. Will that work? I can … can break your … y-your neck swiftly," Lilac offers. She feels a little flush, all the blood and death swirling in her nose and ears, making her feel light headed. I didn't want to kill again, and now someone is begging me to kill them … The irony feels like someone stuck the dagger in her heart.

The reptile squints again dizzily, trying to focus on Lilac. "Can't use… ? Not a… soldier, hm? cough Voice shaking… who are you?"

"I'm just a bard, with a piece of … n-nothing, inside," the bardess replies. She reaches over and takes the man's hand, holding it with both of hers. "I can l-let the nothing out and … it can … You … ?"

The soldier lays his head back and closes his eyes. "Nph. However… you can manage."

Lilac bobs her head, feeling like she's sliding down a mountain towards something she can't escape. If she wants it or not, it seems blood will always stain her lips. She can almost feel the nothing, that source of her strange power, tugging at her. But it's for a good reason, she insists to herself. This is what he wants. Its mercy. The thought doesn't make her feel any better. Scooting back, she whispers, "Keep your eyes closed," and then falls into her other self. Her form ripples, changes, shifts … But at least her clothes remain; he decision to cut the stealth forces outfit the way she did was a good one. Then, she inches forward, gathering the man's neck in her mouth. She closes her own eyes as she builds up the nerve to complete his request.

"Thank… " is all the Rokuga manages to complete.

Her previous mistake taught her how to do this right. Before, the death should never have happened. Now, the death is mercy. Life is so funny, the beast thinks to herself, not feeling this is very funny at all. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she shifts her head, angles her teeth, and with a jerk and a closing of teeth, crushes the man's throat and spine.

It's perhaps messier than the ideal choice, but the task is done… the soldier lies still, the hand that was clutching at his belly simply sliding off.

Lilac shakes out her muzzle, then tries to wipe the blood off using the man's tunic. It only works so well, and she knows she'll have to wash herself off before long. The whole thing leaves her dazed, as if someone else had just done what she had done, and she was simply an observer in her own body. The patch, the patch, she murmurs in her own mind, a hazy memory. Snatching it up with a rip from her teeth, she takes the identifier and backs away. Moments later she's back in her human form, looking up at the distant ships, the badge dangling from her mouth. I've got to go now. Got to go … got to go … Her wings flair out, and she's off the way she came.

The ground falls away from Lilac, leaving the airfield with its scattered corpses and wreckage and lifting up into the sky, where the cleaner air quickly drives away the cloying scents of carnage. She can still smell gunpowder, however, and sure enough, the three Cinder ships ahead are rotating in their firing positions. Further in the distance, the Imperial fleet seem to be trying to answer. Despite their superior numbers and weight, Beshret's vessels have sustained only minor damage so far, Nagai vessels having to resort to staggering their shots to get any through at all. It seems to be the Babelite styled frigate's turn to fire.

The fresh air helps sharpen Lilac's focus, as does the sting of what had just happened. She doesn't want to have to do that again, and the thought of having to have to do that with someone she knows is too much to bear. I'm going to stop this, myself, if I have to, she decides. Even though I may be lost to nothing, with blood on my lips, I can still use my nothing to protect them, even if I am lost! She waits, ready to swoop in when the Babelite frigate moves in range to drop the wind shield and allow her to approach it.

As Lilac predicts, the swirling tempest around the ships dies away when the Babelite styled ship moves to the front. A few spines break off her as some of the stone shot from Imperial fleet are lucky enough to get through, and then clouds of white roll away from the frigate's side as she answers. The winds soon roar back to life, but the by then Lilac has a clear line to land on the ship of her choice, the frigate of Rephidimian design apparently having just been rotated out. The frigate is busy, but not so crowded that the stealthy bardess can't find a place to get aboard.

In to the dragon's mouth, Lilac thinks. She then realizes she's been in much larger, scarier mouths than a dragon's, and almost has to laugh. This should be nothing then! She attempts to locate a handhold along the side of the ship, the side that won't be facing the allied airships when its this ship's turn to fire. She figures the non-firing side will have fewer people, and more defense from the allied shot that may come this way. Perhaps she can sneak into an unused gun port, or a galley window. Either way, she's headed below decks where she figures the brig must be.

The strategy is sound, though getting where she wants to go proves frustrating for the bardess. The lookouts do indeed seem to be more numerous and alert than before, possessing an annoying habit of frequently peering out of gunports. There's a few close calls that require Lilac to press back into blind spots on the frigate's hull, and even these are fewer than one might find on a private ship. The ship has gone to the back of the rotation by the time Lilac finds a way in… through the latrine.

Ugh, I guess they can't all be easy. Maybe I should have used the captain's cabin – I have good luck with captain's cabins, Lilac thinks as she crawls into the latrine. Oh, and the SMELL. UGH. She'd almost prefer the blood, but either way, here she is – inside. I'd better keep moving, the have to be here somewhere. And … I should prepare to fight, if I have to. Heaving a sigh, she checks herself, preparing to head in.

It's a little disgusting, but the bardess has seen worse. Once inside, she finds herself in an out-of-the-way section of what is likely to be one of the lower decks. Past experience tells her more sensitive things tend to be down here, like cargo, munitions… and prisoners.

Maybe I should reconsider my trade, the bardess thinks as she sneaks along. Or, maybe I should consider writing songs about what Umeko and I do? Hmm. Considering the more mundane aspects of her life help calm her; thinking about epics is a lot more soothing than worrying about having just killed another living being – or the threat of death that lurks everywhere here. Still, she has a job to do, so she nudges her mind in that direction, and gets creative. Prisoners would smell like that man I met earlier, since they came from the same ship and wore similar clothes. I bet I could scent them if I tried. She pauses, nose twitching.

Sure enough, Lilac can scent something different here than what her nose has associated with the crew, who by and large don't seem to be Naga. Her sensitive snout picks up hints of the dry scent of reptiles and leather armor, as well as an acrid whiff of black powder.

Prisoners first, black powder later, Lilac decides. She continues on her way, heading towards the scent of the prisoners. I bet they're guarded, and maybe there's a conspicuous key ring hanging on a wall, like there always seems to be in stories like this.

Fortunately, most of the crew seem occupied above with the fighting. Lilac meets no resistance while she creeps down another deck and into a dank and windowless cubby lit by a couple lanterns. Watermarks on the floor seem to indicate bilge accumulates here when the ship is going by sea, though it's relatively dry now, if very musty smelling. An unlucky airman, obviously low on the pecking order, sits here on a stool tilted back on two legs, the kavi's arms crossed over his narrow chest. He glowers at the ironwood bars of the brig, behind which stand several Jingai in dark-stained leather. Their snouts are pressed up to the bars, a few of them pacing restlessly.

Here, Lilac pauses. She takes a moment to survey the situation and account for all potential advantages and hazards. The commandos probably know enough not to stare at me, if I sneak up on the guard. The guard himself looks small, but he could be very vicious for all I know. I don't think I want to approach him in plain sight. He's probably armed, too. Maybe I can sneak behind him, then tip his chair over and, um … Hmm. The actual process of eliminating the Kavi makes Lilac's stomach turn. She isn't sure how to disable him, or even if taking him alive would do more than just get him killed later. Still, she looks for some other means to take him out – perhaps a way to snatch his weapon, or knock him senseless.

The kavi isn't especially big, but he does look a rough sort… then again, most kavi seem to be rough around the edges. This one seems to have a belaying pin sitting on a small table next to him in easy reach, possibly for poking through the bars, and more weapons are leaned up against the wall, from the design of them probably taken from the prisoners. He sits on the far side of the room from the entrance, his stool set where he can lean back against a wall, but his attention seems to wander around between the prisoners, the door, and a ceramic knife he scratches at the table with.

Lilac suddenly gets an idea. If she can get the prisoner's attention, she can try and get them to act up, which should take the Kavi's attention away from her. Then, she can sneak up and either whack him with the pin, which she hopes she can do right, or change into her other self and simply ravage him from behind. I think I'll try not murdering people this time. I'm so tired of things dying around me, she decides. Edging forward, she tries to get a prisoner's attention.

Edging over, with her back against the wall, Lilac digs out the dead commando's badge and kneels down. Using it like a reflective device, she holds it just around the corner, shifting it back and forth to catch the light and, hopefully, the prisoner's attention.

It does the trick immediately… even in the dim light, Lilac's sharp eyes can see the Naga-like jinga at the bars fix on the insignia and flick his tongue. His head weaves back and forth a couple times, trying to get a better look, then glances back at the kavi. She can hear him speak now, a low and soft hiss. "Ssst. Kavi." The airman jailer looks surprised to be addressed, and the winged snake goes on. "Kavi. Do you know what I'm going to do to you when I get out of here? I'm going to take that knife back. And I'm going to slit your belly open from crotch to ribs, then strangle you with your entrails." The kavi picks up the belaying pin and smacks at the bars disdainfully, but the Naga goes on. "It is a waste of effort, too… I could wait a week and you would just die of old age." Now the airman bares his teeth and stands up, his attention very much held now.

"Y'ain't gonna do nothing, leatherface!" spits the kavi. "Yer gonna rot in there! You'll die before I do!"

Time to go, Lilac thinks. She notes, mournfully, the kavi now has the pin – which was her one idea on how to disable him without resorting to her beast form. Knowing she has little time, she begins her transformation immediately, using her new-found understanding of how to do it on the move. Her idea now is simple: get her jaws around the kavi's neck, and if he refuses to surrender peacefully, apply pressure until he stops, one way or another.

The kavi proves trickier to sneak up on than Lilac anticipated, and she can't help but wonder if it's her own nerve – or lack thereof – that's making this so hard. She just can't get her jaws around his neck without him seeing her, and by then it'd be too late. So, she comes up with another idea: she'll just shove him. That should send him into the bars, and within the grasp of the commandos, as well as putting him in a good position to attack if she really has to. So, she hops on her back legs, and using both her forepaws, shoves him with all her weight!

The airman's head is turning, and he's already started saying, "Wha-?" by the time Lilac collides with him, but it's too late for him to do much other than grunt in surprise. With a flail of his arms, he sprawls up against the brig's bars, and it's an opportunity that the Jingai don't pass up… long muscular arms snake out from the gaps and clutch the weasel-like airman fast. The longest pair grabs hold of the airman's head and twists cruelly… not even kavi flexibility is enough to spare him. With a sickening crack, the crewman goes limp and flops to the floor, and Lilac finds herself studied now by a cold reptilian eye.

Lilac looks the reptile in the eye for a moment, then shifts her gaze to the dead kavi. With a chuff that sounds almost like a sight, she begins nosing him over to attempt to locate some keys.

The bestial bardess finds what could loosely pass for a key… the mechanism on the brig must be fairly simple, and this stick-like thing meant to lever it open so the door's crossbar can be lifted, none of which is reachable from the prisoner's side of the bars. When Lilac comes up with the key, the commando at the bars speaks up. "Are you an agent of the Governess? Imperial military? How did you come by one of my men's insignia?"

Lilac puts the key down, taking the time to shift back slowly now that she has a chance. Her muzzle shortens, her fur recedes and falls off, and her bone structure cracks and shifts until she's sitting on her butt beside the key. "'Agent of the Governness,' that sounds right," she says in an absent voice. Picking up the key, she walks over and begins trying to open the cell door. "Here, let me get you out of there."

The latch clicks, and with some wrestling Lilac gets the crossbar up, swinging the door open. The Jingai quickly stream out and fetch their weapons, lurking at the brig entrance… they all possess wings, and seem to be slight of build but wiry, and fairly quiet in their supple armor. The biggest of them is the Naga-like one, and he emerges last, nodding at Lilac. "Very good. We encountered more resistance than anticipated," he hisses, pausing when one of his men hands him a short chitin sword in a black scabbard, which he affixes to his belt. "You have our gratitude. If we can get to the powder magazine, we can finish this job."

"That'll be easy, I can smell it from here. I set fire to the captain's cabin of one of the other ships, but I see it's still flying. I don't have, um, a lot of experience with this sort of thing," Lilac tells the leader, gesturing at her lack of weapons. Of course, she still has blood smeared across her face, which she seems to have totally forgotten to wipe off in the chaos of the day. "Lady Umeko's forward push should be underway. We need to help her and get rid of these. I need to return sooner rather than later, to help her. If you like, I can lead you to the powder area and, oh, here," she presses the badge into the captain's hands, "I think you should take this. He, well, he died back there from … from injuries."

The squad leader nods, accepting the badge and glancing at it once before pocketing it. "Experienced or not, you've done fine. We lost a good half of our team after destroying the first ship… they seemed to be ready for us. I'd given up hope until you showed up, your timing is impeccable." He turns to glance at his underlings gathered around the brig entrance, then back to Lilac. "We overheard the captains when we were captured. They're not here to take losses. If we destroy this ship, I think they'll pull out. Our blast charges are probably being kept in the powder room." He gestures at one of the dark-clad men, a smaller Naga. "Tanadder can bring a satchel back here and make an exit while we do our job, you can get you back to your mistress immediately, if you wish."

"Let me show you where where the room is first, then I'll head back to Kinny," Lilac insists. "Oh," she adds after a pause, "you should know there's some sort of wind-wall being created by what I assume is magic. It goes down, right before the front ship fires, then goes back up. That's why the Imperial Fleet hasn't hit these ships yet, and why it's hard to fly up here. Be careful!"

The winged shiga wrinkles his snout ruefully. "Yes, I wouldn't doubt some magic was involved in stymieing us. Well, their wind-wall can't help them from the inside. Lead on."

"Let's go." Lilac crouches down, then sniffs. That way. She begins sneaking back down the hall, waving the Naga to follow her. "They have several mages, which I wasn't able to find. I'm not sure where they are, or where the leaders are. Do you know?"

The commandos stalk along behind Lilac quickly and quietly, the snaky leader keeping his voice low. "Probably divvied up between the ships. I think I saw the shadow one on this one. It'll cost them, either way." Activity is still light, but as Lilac gets closer to the powder magazine, she can hear busy footsteps… it appears there's need to refresh stock for the cannons regularly.

"The powder area is busy – I should have guessed," Lilac whispers back. "I'm not much use in a direct fight, unless I do … what you saw back there. I figure you're better at this sort of thing then I am, do you want to handle taking the powder room?"

The leathery skin around the snake's skull stretches oddly… this seems to be one of the Naga that's learned to smile. "Leave it to us," he hisses, drawing his sword. He points at two of the soldiers, then gestures around the corner. All three reptiles proceed ahead, and Lilac can hear a startled cry of pain, and two thumps, one of something hard and heavy hitting the floor, another of a body crumpling to the deck. The leader's commands are soft and terse. "Tanadder, get one of the charges and form our escape route with Tsuguri's agent. The rest of you, set our charges here. We'll strike our fuses when we hear Tanadder's got the hull open, then we leave. Understood? Let's get to work."

"I guess you're with me then, we can exit from the toilet area, if you can fit," Lilac tells Tanadder. "This way." As they hurry out, Lilac asks, "Can you show me how you, well, blow up ships and such? It seems like I'm doing it a lot lately, and I ought to learn how, before someone nicknames me the Cabin Killer, or something."

The smaller snake hurries along with Lilac, holding a bundle under one arm. His tone is conversational, as if he were chatting amiably with an acquaintance rather than in a life or death situation. "It's about preparation, mostly," Tanadder says. "You have to expect that they're going to have ways of dealing with fires on airships, it's usually one of the biggest concerns. You probably ruined the cabin, but those thick timbers don't catch easily." He hefts his satchel. "We mix these once we get to a safe altitude, then portion out what we're going to need to do the job. Their own powder store does most of the work… we just help it along." The two reach the latrine, and Tanadder places his charge in front of the 'seats', then hustles Lilac back and away. "That's just enough to make a nice little hole in the hull for us to get out of," he says, or that's presumably what he says. Some of it is cut off by a boom that leaves Lilac's ears ringing. When the smoke clears, she can see into a window of blue sky, bits of singed timber tumbling away into the wind. Above, there's shouts of alarm.

"And now they come running? Should we leave now, or stay here and try to guard this exit," Lilac inquires, nervously looking around and rubbing at her ears.

Tanadder's tailtip circles bemusedly. "They'll be here long before the shiphands even know what's going on," he says, and sure enough, the squad leader and his mean come barrelling pell-mell toward them. "Everybody out! Freefall!"

Lilac doesn't need any explanation for 'everyone out,' so she turns and jumps out the new window! Wind rushes past her ears as she falls, her wings arcing out to help her control her fall. Looking back, she tries to see how fast the others are falling, so she can match them.

They're plummeting like rocks, their wings tucked in. The leader hits the lower edge of the wind wall first, his body making an odd corkscrew shape when the fierce currents tumble him about, but he doesn't seem bothered, and falls through it. The glance back affords Lilac a spectacular view of the ship's underside, however, as it erupts, clouds of flame roiling out and flinging chunks of hull like matchsticks. The fireball hungrily travels up the sides of the ship to consume more of it, while the commandos below stretch out their wings to begin gliding out from beneath the debris cloud.

The bardess, while not skilled in many things, know to follow skill when she sees it. She matches the commandos, diving when they do, and gliding out after them. As she soars, she considers that that's the second airship she's seen blow up, all in a year!

The men take up a formation, the leader beating his wings up to keep him leveled out, and slowing to keep pace with Lilac now. He looks back with an expression of grim satisfaction, then turns shouts to Lilac to make himself heard over the roar of the wind. "Ha! They can't even send pursuit now! They're turning tail!" Indeed, the two other ships are no longer rotating as they were, their sails unfurling, both getting clear of the blackening fireball the third ship has become. "They don't have the stomach to face Nagai anymore!"

"All the better, I like when they run rather than fight!" It's true, too; Lilac would much rather the other side surrender or flee than stand and die. She can't hold a grudge against most of them, unless they attack her or hurt her friends directly. The leaders are an exception, but mostly, she just wants the fighting to end. "The Imperial Fleet will move forward now, right? Then Kinny should be on the ground now, and with the others. If you don't need me further, I'm going to head that way!"

The squad leader rolls in the air. "Good enough! With their air and magic support gone, they can't hold the phalanxes back anymore. We'll return to our unit. Winds carry you."

"Take care, captain!" Lilac isn't sure if the man's an actual captain, but he feels like one to her. She gives him a wave, then banks and turns her flight towards the Imperial Fleet and the ground forces below it.