TC Ep 284

Scra group on the Admiral’s boat, they spot the coast to kooup and Scra’s phone chimes. Takes it out and grimances. Ky pops his head over his shoulder

K: what’s that face for? What’s wrong?

S: I’ve…been writing messages to Cyras while on Avarie knowing he won’t receive them - embarrassing stuff that I’ve always wanted to ask him, just to vent a bit. We must be in range of Kooup’s transmitting towers, all the messages just sent. kill me.

[Farrah approaches, already texting on her phone]

F: this is good, message Cyras to try set up a meeting spot with him to grab Keelee. 

S: i don’t know if he’ll even reply, it looks like he hasn’t to that first one I sent ages ago either.

F: Do it anyway, it’ll save us so much time if we don’t have to look for them

[S texting already, muttering] obviously I’m gonna do it

[Ree appearing behind Farrah]: any Resistance news?

F: They’ve sent me enough info to get the idea of what they’re planning, but no specific info, as per protocol. 

R: How’s it looking?

F: Ridiculous, and I don’t even have the details. No way they’re gonna pull this off. We need to get over there already -

[lyr and co coming up from below deck]

Kerwik: Our tracking bands are summoning us, I take it we’re in receiving range?

Ree: you still have those things?? 

Ker: This ship blocks tracking transmissions, and once we were near Avarie the range didn’t extend that far anyway. We saw no reason to remove them.

R: but -

F: no, it’s good. This way they won’t be suspicious when they get back to Kooup, so long as no one was actively looking at their tracking activity. And my anklet also emits a tracker scrambling frequency remember, so they’ll be fine until they get to the Island. Where is it summoning you to?

Kieera: it’ll be to our muster stations - so The Roost for them. Mine would be the Port Academy, but I’m not leaving this lot to go alone -

Ker: no, it would be better if you did. I’m allowed between the two, if you and I go to the Port Academy we can infiltrate operations there in case they’re summoned for crowd control at the event.

Lyr: it’s likely. Before we left The Roost we were running drills for civilian uprising - they’re definitely expecting shit to go down. If we can do something that takes the other students out of action and allows the Resistance to get a leg over the Government, we have to try. 

erka mutters: Rebel Lyr is here in full force

[Albatross approaches]: We are within flight range, and our lookout has spotted something.

ky: what something?

A: It’s faint, but it looks as though the City’s defense towers are activated.

scra: meaning?

A: Approaching from the air will be impossible. It is likely the Government are expecting resistance to the Anniversary Event.

F: sounds like they’re encouraging it, to me. 

Ky: regardless, we’ll need another way in.

Kieera: There’s a tunnel that connects a bar in the City to the coast, we came through it to get here.

erka: it got blasted by Doves, remember?

Kerwik: They won’t have destroyed it if they were also trying to get through. It might still be passable.

S: that’s…where you found the Hybrids you rescued? In the hidden tunnel in the cellar of the bar?

Kieera: yeah, why?

[scra texting]: I know whose tunnel that is. 

Ree: great, that just leaves the hoard of Doves possibly waiting for us on the shoreline. 

Eurippe: they won’t be.

ree: sorry, exactly how are you a Dove expert?

[Lyr making cut-off gestures in the bg. The other girls looking uncomfortable]

[Eur looking at Farrah]: Because I am a Dove. 

[Trio shocked]

Ree: you - how dare -

F: It’s fine, Ree. I suspected. Her wing shape is off, for a Crow. 

Ree: It’s not fine -

F: Leave it. [to eurippe]: what do you know?

E: …not much. But I know we’re all ordered to attend the event. Aside from a few stationed at each of the coastal temples. 

F: why are those temples so important they need to be manned?

E [looks at admiral]: I am not sure. But I can guess. 

Admiral: You, come with me. We will investigate these temples.

erias: I will go too. If there is a threat to my country, I will work to neutralise it. [eurippe looks scared of him]

admiral: very well. [to others] Are you prepared to disembark? 

scra: Hon’s just replied. She said she’ll meet us - [phone chimes] Cyras has replied! They’re coordinates. Looks like somewhere on the City outskirts, still in the barrier.

Ky: strange place for an exchange. Not in Murder territory either.

F: We assume he teamed up with the Resistance, it could just be a base for them. 

Ky: maybe.

S: it’s the only lead we’ve got. Everyone know what they’re doing?

[everyone nods, determined]

S: let’s go.

[everyone flying out. farrah stays, turning to eurippe]

F: The Chimeras the Doves are engineering - you’ve seen them right?

E:...yes.

F: what are they spliced with?

E:...Crow.

Tiraa, Neekia, Del and co scoping out a Dove temple, the City towers glowing in the distance.

T: Those shields are really gonna fuck everything up. 

N: leadership’s already figuring out a workaround. Pain in the ass, though. Lots of tunnels to reinforce. 

D: the Sallies have already commandeered a bunch of them too. We’re redirected what we can, but keeping track of what’s current when it’s constantly changing is a nightmare. 

lulu: I hit four dead-ends yesterday. If anything the even needs to hurry up and happen so we don’t have to hide underground anymore.

Vulture: yeah, because we’ll either have won, or we’ll be dead. so actually, we might end up underground after all.

L: that’s too morbid, Rhaast. 

V: just installing some realistic expectations into this, little girl.

L: bite me.

T: enough. Stay on task. [looking at tablet] Tracking shows a few prisoners still down there. Skeleton crew again. Lucky. 

D: they must not be that important if no one’s stuck around to make sure they don’t escape.

N: Who are you to judge whose life is important.

D: you know what i meant. 

L: if the event is the culmination of everything, why don’t we just wait until it’s over to get these people out?

T: would you want to be held prisoner longer than necessary? Besides, we’d just be sitting around while leadership finalises plans, at least with this we’re accomplishing something. This is good training, regardless. 

N: And as Rhaast said, there’s no guarantee we’ll come out of this anyway. Better to get what we can done now. 

T: Is everyone ready? Stay alert. Hopefully this one doesn’t get too messy. 

One ep to go until the midseason break!