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The Skies have no Limit

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BdrLineAzn:
Starting Line

With confused looks, Tommy and Charles look at their friend.

Tommy
"Who's back?

Not responding, BdrLine still look at the cloud bank that he spotted the Galleon. Charles try shaking him for a response.

Charles
"BdrLine, come on. Snap out of it. Who is back?"

Getting agitated, Charles brings back his hand and slaps BdrLine right across the face. Rubbing his cheek from the hit, BdrLine turns to them.

BdrLine
"..... Ow!!!"

Tommy
"Now we got your attention, who came back."

BdrLine
*sigh* "The Birdmen."

Tommy & Charles
"Who?"

BdrLine
"The Birdmen. An old group out set for world domination. Been over a year since I saw them."

Tommy
"How come you haven't told us about them?"

BdrLine
"Well, the last time me and the others fought them, we thought we finally destroyed that whole organisation. Guess not."

Charles
"What are they doing out here? This is only a race."

BdrLine
"There is nothing to gain from this, most of the engines... Oh no, the engines."

Eyes widening, BdrLine looks back at the track where most of the standing racers are fleeing.

"Our experimental engines we found, they might be after those."

Tommy
"And the craft Courage is flying have two of them."

Charles
"Oh Flak, who else also have experimental engines?"

BdrLine
"I don't know, but we need to help. Come on."

Leading the other two, BdrLine and the others race back into the city towards the docks to their Goldfish. As they arrived to the ship, they quickly pull out the ties holding down the ship and rises out into the air. Putting the engines in full throttle and activating the moonshine, they roar to life as the Goldfish increases it's speed.

BdrLine at the helm.
"Alright, Charles take the tarp off the Heavy Flak and get it ready. ....Ahh the hell is that?!?"

Cathedral Airspace

Sitting at the helm of his Galleon, the Birdman listen to the radio as cries for help can be heard from the Pyramidion and Junker. Standing besides him, the Man still has his spyglass looking at the small skirmish.

Man
"Sir should we help them?"

Getting up from his seat an unamused face under his mask, the Birdman turns off the radio and turns to him.

Birdman
"I presume we should. Go tell the men to make ready two 'Flash' barrels and toss them over the side. Everyone have your special goggles on, and arm the Mercurery, Lumberjack, and Flak Cannon. Tell them to aim at the two, don't want any lose ends if they are captured and place them out of their misery."

Man
"Sir?"

Birdman
"Oh and tell them to hit that third ship as well, a little pest to our sides."

Man
"Yes sir."

The Man leaves and shouts are heard as people get to their positions. Placeing goggles over his mask, the Birdman turn the helm to face the ships port side. Down on the gun deck, two men light a pair off barrels and roll them over the side. Minutes pass and the barrels explode emiting a very bright light, that without the proper eyeware would temporary blind anyone in the area. The two men who dropped the barrels go to the heavy guns and fire away at their Pyramidion and Junker. Soon the two ships drop out of the sky in a burning fury. They then turn to the third ship and damages it, but soon it went out of range as it turns away.

Birdman
"Good, good. All hands on a lookout for anyone foolish enough to follow us. I highly doubt with the flash still in the air that they will find us though. We may come back soon when they have a clean up crew for this mess."

The Birdman then turns the ship to the Northwest, and uses the flash and cloud cover to mask his escape.

Rocket Race

As the flash burst in the air, Courage tries to shield his eyes with one of his arms as the blinding light is messing with his flying. Thinking he's sees a canyon entrance, he gives up trying to fight the light and turns to where he thought he saw the entrance. Knowing full well that if he is wrong, Courage would splatter right on the wall of the canyon. With luck, he manages to fly inside, slows his craft and lands, all while still blinded.

Sitting in the cockpit, he rubs his eyes trying to refocus them. With some vision gained back, he opens the glass housing and jumps the side and sees a few other racers using the canyon a protection as well. Out of the dozen or so people there, he recognise two of them from the warehouse and goes towards them.

Courage
"Glad you guys made it out of that mess, you two know what the flak is happening?"

Piemanlives:
--Cathedral Outskirts, Engagement Area--

Richard
"Damn it! Sir we've taken a direct, uh sir!?"

He looked over his shoulder to see Alex clutching a wounded arm, other the slowing blood flow from the wound he seemed fine. Of course then again he was wounded, which meant he wasn't so good.

Richard
"Shit, we've got to pull away and get you looked at-"

Alex grabbed the controls as Richard tried to pull out.

Alex
"Not yet, we still have something to do."

He looked towards the clouds where the mysterious shots came from. He quickly reloaded his flare gun, firing the shot into the clouds the silhouette of a Galleon was clearly imprinted upon the cloud.

Alex
"Now you have my permission to run."

Giving him a short lived laugh, he fainted against him, still clutching a locket around his neck as he drifted off into a deep slumber.

--Ainesburg Canyon, NW of Cathedral--

Courage
"Glad you guys made it out of that mess, you two know what the flak is happening?"

Lorena pulled the craft in closer to his, everyone had stopped in the canyon, worried that leaving it would reward them with vicious gun fire.

Lorena
"From the looks of it, seems like someone sabotaged the race."

Dalhia
"Sure looks that way, you alright?"

Courage
"Other then a sore mood I'm fine, by the way your old man is one hell puncher."

Lorena
"He sure is isn't he?"

The sound of gunfire still echoed throughout, Lorena was lost as she stared at the direction it came from. Worrisome murmurs bounced about the canyon, a few "I love you's" or the occasional "This is all your fault's" could be heard here and there. The talking rose to a quiet rumble as more and more people joined in, a few more racers finding their way into the safety of the sheltered canyon. Still the only thing she could think about was her father was out there, fighting against all odds so they could escape. Her hand once again found its way to the locket around her neck as she stared off into the distance.

--Sky Runner, Cathedral Outskirts--

The crew frantically brought the vessel to bear, just a few moments ago the captains craft sped past them, heading towards the city, a flare in the distance revealed a Galleon in the clouds, whoever owned it was getting Howitzer for lunch.

Reynold
"Bro, ready on the howitzer!"

Travis
"Howitzer ready, ready when you are!"

Phillip
"I'm on a gun as well, utilize as much firepower as we can eh?"

Reynold
"How are the engines Preston?!"

The younger man pulled himself over the railing just enough to respond.

Preston
"Engines are operating at full capacity! We're prepared to engage!"

Reynold
"Very well! Engagement at range open fire!"

Plasmarobo:
--High point, Rocket Race Hippodrome--

Plasma watches with morbid curiosity as the retreating galleon drops barrels in the sky. Unfortunately, he is still squinting at them when they ignite. He rubs his eyes for a full minute before sigh returns. By which point the Galleon has nearly escaped. Then a howitzer echoes out a report. Followed by another, and another.

The shells spiral gracefully though the air in a brilliant arc before slamming themselves into the engines of the galleon. Fire and diesel fuel trail out behind the beast as it drifts still forward. More Mercury shells scream through the night, tearing the plating off the ship. And finally the auxiliary militia ships arrive. The two flakfish launch the heavy shells, which languidly swim through the clouds. Each pounds home on the Galleon, reducing the ship to splintering timbers.

Plasma watches as several figures drift from the flaming wreck on chutes. The damage is impressive, but luckly the rocket race area was constructed with devastation in mind. He lets out a breath, surprising himself.

Plasma
"And so ends the festival of spring." he says to nobody in particular.

BdrLineAzn:
--Cathedral Outskirts--

Floating down to the ground, most of the members from the downed Galleon survives. Those in the group includes the Birdman and his second. Finally on the ground, the small group sees the two Militia Flak fish bearing upon them.

Man
"Sir, what do we do now?"

Birdman
"Silence my young apprentice. Once those ships lands, we will be going straight to their jail."

Man
"How do you know they won't shoot at us?"

Birdman
"They are still a police force, and must abide to rules and customs. But don't worry-"

He grabs a small device from his pocket and presses a button. An indicator starts to blink a green light, as the Birdman places back into his pocket.

"-there is always a plan. Now, everyone place your hands at your sides."

The small group watches as the Militia ships lands and a few guards jump off with guns raised.

Guard
"Alright, you caused too much today and i have a half of mind to just gun you lot down. But orders are orders. Lets go."

Birdman
"Why of course officer."

As the guards lead the group onto one of the FlakFish, the Birdman spots one of the barrels of 'Flash" still intact in the sands below. With a smirk he just follow along with the guards as they direct them to the hold. Before he goes in, the Birdman turns to the guards.

Birdman
"Why officer, may I ask for parley."

Guard
"Par- what?"

Birdman
"Parley as in..."

The Birdman slides out a small revolver of sorts and aims at the guards head. Startled, the others tries to subdue him until he aims at the Flash Barrel and shoots it. Blinded, the guards cover their eyes from the intense light. Still wearing his goggles, the Birdman releases his crew where the quickly dispatch the remaining guards. With new weapons and ship, the crew uses the rifles to pick off the guards on the second Flakfish. Satisfied, the Birdman goes to the helm and starts the ship.

Birdman
"Now, where were we... oh yes our prizes."

The other Man, after tossing the bodies over, goes up to the helm where he hears him.

Man
"Sir, how do we retrieve the engines now? I'll bet they will guard the clean up crew."

Birdman
"Hmm I guess you are right for once. No matter, we still have a meeting with the Zhao's in Chang-ning and I don't want to miss that appointment."

Taking out the device again, the Birdman smirks under his mask and turn the ship for a course west. Seeing the device, the Man wonders what it was.

Man
"Sir, what is in your hand by the way?"

Birdman
"Oh, a little contingency plan. Since we lost two ships, I'm sending out a signal for the rest of our men to rendezvous with us. Now do a better job and make sure we are not spotted again. I should shoot you and the others for the lost of my Galleon."

Man
"Yes sir."

--Cathedral Airspace--

After recovering from their blindness, the crew of the Starlight looks out into the distance and sees the Galleon going down. Two Militia ships are now heading towards the crash site.

Charles
"At least this ordeal is over."

Tommy
"Yeah, wonder if Courage is alright."

BdrLine
"He'll be fine, I bet he got out of it. but why do I feel that something is not right."

Charles
"I don't know about you, but lets just go back and dock."

Sighing, BdrLine turns the ship around and head straight back into the city. What they don't realize over the horizon, where the crash site is, a plum of light emerge and a lonely Goldfish flies off into the distance unseen.

--Ainsburg Canyon--

Still hiding out in the safety of the canyon walls, the racers sit idle as they converse with one another as they wait for a rescue. Together in a group, Courage sits with both Lorena and Dalhia. During their talk, Courage leans back and places a hand in his pocket and feels the paper. Taking it out, he remembers that they gave it to him.

Courage
"Um excuse me, can I ask what is this? Still didn't open it yet."

Piemanlives:
--Ainesburg Canyon--

Lorena was confused for a moment, she looked over to her compatriot and looked back at him.

Lorena
"Dalhia, what's this about?"

Dalhia
"Um... well.......I....oh dear."

Lorena
"Dalhia?"

She sounded like she was questioning a small child, then again the head gunner often acted like a small child on occasion. She just fidgeted about in her seat.

Dalhia
"I just...Kind of......Wanted to say he's a nice guy and-

This was really beginning to make her feel awkward, she'd had enough of this.

Lorena
"Right I'm going to leave you two here and let you have a private conversation."

She seemed to make extremely exaggerated hand gestures as she backed away from them. she walked towards a group that was lowering a wounded man from the canyon walls.

Lorena
"Everything alright here?"

The two of them just watched her leave, now there was an even more awkward silence.

Courage
"As you were saying?"

Dalhia
"It's that you're kind of a nice guy and all........"

Her thought paused there for a moment before she continued.

Dalhia
"But I don't think it could work out between us at the moment."

With that she activated the engine and flew off, leaving a trail of dust behind her. Coming back from her conversation with the four men from the cliff face, she watched as her partner flew off with the craft they built, straight to Cathedral.

Lorena
"Can't believe she just left me stranded here!"

She looked at Courage with a face filled with seething anger.

Lorena
"What in the name of all that's holy did you do!?"

Courage
"Uh nothing, nothing at all, she just seemed really distressed about something."

Her face pouted, apparently she didn't like this situation one bit.

Lorena
"Fine, let it be that way."

She walked up to his craft and sat against it, waiting for rescue.

--Cathedral Outskirts, Sky Runner--

The crew of the Sky Runner watched as the Galleon shattered into many pieces, it was far from over though, below them the shattered hulks of guard vessels and rocket craft lay strewn upon the dunes. The able bodied pulled the wounded from the wreckage, the dead lay ceremoniously to the side, waiting for someone to retrieve the bodies. There would be no celebration tonight, it would be solemn, a quiet moment of reverence as the dead would be laid to rest. Something caught their attention, from the canyon spurted a rocket craft, heading straight for Cathedral, they would investigate later. Several more guard vessels arrived over time, helping to pick up the pieces, and to help those who were wounded.

Travis
"Not really how we expected this to go is it?"

Reynold
"No, no it isn't. We've done enough here, it's time we headed back."

They set a course for Cathedral, at a slow and steady pace they watched the proceedings below as they flew away.

--Wild Winds--

They didn't really have the facilities to house him back at the warehouse, so for now they would lay him here at the Inn, not like he'll be going anywhere, he'll be out for the next few hours. Richard sat by his bedside, using his rudimentary medical knowledge he managed to bind the captains wounds well enough, a doctor who was already here looked at him earlier and said he would be fine with enough rest.

Richard
"You really worried us there."

The door knocked and in came Reagan, she was holding a tray of food which she handed to Richard.

Reagan
"You should eat, you've been through quite the trial today."

Richard
"Haven't we all? How are you holding up?"

Reagan
"Better then expected I should say. I'm not feeling so good, I'm going to head home, make sure he eats when he wakes up."

Richard
"I'll do that. Also Reagan-

She stopped at the door.

Richard
"Thanks for everything today."

She walked out without saying a word.

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