Embrace The Ether 21 A New Variable

From the top, the entire s.h.i.+p formed off into the shape of a crown as several crow's nests sat at the ready throughout. The entire s.h.i.+p angled into a point as the front bow created an almost blade to carve through both the air and desert as it sailed.

From the bottom of the Nijaden, the metal formed into a wing as it flowed through the pa.s.sing desert, leaving behind a wave in the black sand as if they were gliding through an invisible water.

The s.h.i.+p sailed through the sand with a purpose, it's speed was quite impressive to behold as a roaring engine sounded off, flames blowing behind them from several exhaust pipes to create momentum.

Time had quickly pa.s.sed as the violet hue that soaked through the air had begun to fall, replacing itself with a more tranquil amethyst shade. The world had changed as a new color bled through everything.

Atop the s.h.i.+p, several men moved about roughly as they carried one crate after another. These were the clansmen who Elias had brought along for the more trivial physical labor. Below the deck within the cabins, Elias rested. Rufus, however, stood at the control mechanism as one of the clansmen stood along with him, helping him with whatever he needed to ensure a safe and peaceful journey.

Everything had been going smoothly so far as they all mentally and physically prepared themselves for the battle ahead.

Deus and Droh stood together on the bow of the s.h.i.+p, away from earshot of everyone else present. The sound of pa.s.sing sand rumbled beneath them as they quietly discussed.

With a faint cough, Deus spoke, "Droh, what should we do about that electronic jammer? If Elias uses it… it'll ruin our broadcast."

"Hm," Droh mumbled under his breath for a moment as he pondered aloud, "That jammer definitely is going to be an issue… but it's not designed to kill electronics forever. At most, it should take your radio-archive thingy offline for a few minutes, usually just enough time to finish off the major parts of this job."

"So you're saying we should just continue as normal?"

"Probably, yeah. The broadcast was the last resort to use after the heist, right? It can still be used like that, you just won't be able to use it during the heist… as an emergency. You could use it beforehand, but that could be disastrous if Elias was actually planning on cutting us loose."

"It's unlikely that was the case, but I get what you're saying. Alright, we'll keep things as is for now… and wait. Now, about our placements in this job."

Deus went on about the predetermined roles they'd each play during the heist.

"You'll be positioned atop the s.h.i.+p with Mercer, Rufus, and those clansmen. That Rufus fellow and the clansmen shouldn't be too much of an issue, after all, they shouldn't have too much invested in watching you… but Mercer… he knows that you were coerced into cooperating, which means he is the most likely to be a threat to you."

"Right." Droh nodded his head in approval.

"So… how do we handle Mercer without giving ourselves away? The best option we have at the moment would probably to have the centipede attack the s.h.i.+p and distract Mercer, which would allow you to get some distance away from him… but that itself would only draw attention."

Droh simply stood there and listened while Deus seemed to be considering all sorts of different plans.

"This entire heist is nothing but trouble…" Deus sighed as he spoke, "Perhaps the best thing to do would be nothing at all. After all, the best defense is a good offense. Maybe instead of sitting back and waiting to see if we end up stuck in some sort of trap, what we should be doing is taking the fight to them. You know, fight back and stick to the plan and all that. Show off a bit, make an example out of everything."

Droh tilted his head to the side as he questioned, "I'll take your word for it, but do you really think we shouldn't have any plan for Mercer? None at all? In fact, don't you think simply being showy about everything could be even more disastrous if the wrong person sees us?"

Deus grumbled to himself as he attempted to answer, "It's a good question... and I don't know if it's the best choice for the moment, but it's all I've got without going crazy. After all, you don't want to make an enemy out of Elias unless we seriously have to, so that sort of limits our maneuvers down to just a few options."

Deus paused for a moment to think, continuing with his thought after some time.

"Truth be told, even if we made a plan for Mercer… it would probably end up being trampled during the attack anyway. The fewer steps we have for success, the higher our chances of victory. We're already battling the odds on this heist even ending with our lives intact... to add even more variables to it now would only be disastrous."

"I suppose," The little Faun boy sighed to himself, "Then I should get back to work before Elias notices me slacking off."

"Work?" Deus asked in shock, "I was told to get myself prepared beforehand… and to not worry about any sort of work…"

Droh nodded his head. With another heavy sigh, he replied, "I don't doubt that… in fact, besides Rufus over there no one else has any work to do… I think it's just Elias mocking me."

"I see," Deus finally understood. Elias had given Droh a job so he wouldn't end up feeling too comfortable. There was clearly still an unspoken conflict between them.

"Well, I'll let you get back to whatever Elias has you doing… don't overdo it, but you know that already."

With that, Deus walked off, leaving Droh behind as he went back to his work. Deus continued on up the perch, shortly arriving within the control room. It was a solid room built atop the s.h.i.+p, a st.u.r.dy roof and walls surrounded it as bars covered the open ports, allowing sight outward.

As Deus walked further inside the room he could hear the sound of discussion. He continued to walk toward the source of the noise, only to discover the older pilot, Rufus, chatting loudly with one of the clansmen. The two seemed utterly bored as they laughed about nothing in particular.

It seemed that Rufus was doing everything within his power to get involved with the members of the clan, even going as far as to befriend a few grunt workers. Anything would work for him, most likely. The end goal, obviously, was that he receive an invitation to join the clan. That's also the reason why Rufus had agreed to take the smallest portion of wealth from the end-job, it was all in an attempt to secure a place within this organization.

"Ah, Deus right? Come, come!" Rufus called out. He was dressed in an old dirtied workman suit, the tan colors permanently dyed with a charcoal powder, as if he were once a well-off sophisticated fellow, but now he had to dirty his hands in order to make a living. He gave off an impression of friendliness and warmth, something quite rare for a place such as this.

"Mister Rufus, I would love to join you but I've things to prepare," Deus explained, "I hope you're not too bothered, but I'll be on my way."

"Hmm, true~ Where are my manners, please, don't let me disturb you any further."

Rufus apologized, revealing an almost comically innocent sight as he lowered himself to speak. "We should be arriving soon, so you best be ready."

Deus nodded in acknowledgment. "Then I'll be off."

Once more, Deus hurried further onward down the doorway, heading down into the s.h.i.+p interior. A dark, musty smell took over as the air seemed almost too pa.s.sive. The tunnels were lit only by a faint flickering light, one which would often strobe on and off as the s.h.i.+p rocked and shook as it sailed through the desert.

Deus hurried down the pa.s.sageway, crossing past several ajar doors as he headed further inside. The sound of sharpening metal echoed out of one room that he pa.s.sed, while another gave out a faint clicking noise as one of the clansmen sat inside loading the ammunition into the weapons.

As Deus lurked, he began to slow his pace as he overheard a mumbling from behind one of the closed doors. The room in question was one which Elias had left unattended, going as far as to instruct the crew to stay out, and so for anyone to be hidden within should be a major red flag.

Deus slowly approached the door as he glanced around. It wasn't long until he had arrived before it and had his ear carefully against the metal. All he could make out were a few mumbles, but it was enough to stir his curiosity. If it was only Elias making a report then he wouldn't need to do so in secret.

Several seconds pa.s.sed as Deus attempted to eavesdrop on this mysterious scenario. From the other side of the door, someone may be plotting. Was it against Deus and Droh? In benefit? Or simply a mysterious third-party? Or was this all simply in his head, and this situation is the norm for a place like this? These were all questions which Deus had thought of, but had no way to know for certain.

Just as quickly as he had arrived, the sound of shuffling could be heard from the other side of the door. It grew louder as the sounds of footsteps slowly approached the door, causing Deus to quietly duck into another room that sat adjacent.

As Deus held his breath, the door slowly creaked open as a cloaked man lurked out of the room, glancing around slightly as he moved on.

'Wait...' Deus thought to himself in shock, 'Wasn't that... what was his name?'

Several seconds quickly pa.s.sed as Deus struggled to remember. With a mental flash, he nearly shouted the name aloud.

'Thaddeus!'