{Leon Borren}

_Passanger's Cabin to Evil Pirate Ship_ The captain must die_

The loud boom, enraged Leon. Not because Skarn's right about it being too late, no that wasn't it. It was simply, because the pirate captain made the order. From Leon's point of view, the pirate captain must have attained the information he wanted and now its time to get rid of the witnesses. The murderous intent, he possessed just grew a little bit more.

" It amazes me, how your gift is wasted on you. " Leon remarked, being cold with the mud raker. Yet as he talked to the reporter, the gun barrel of his six shooter was still pressed against Skarn's forehead. Leon then looked down at Skarn, finally addressing him. The look in his eyes, and the expression, he gave to Skarn, the pirate knew, he wanted blood. " Questions? Skarn, I'm merely congratulating you as the new captain of your pirate crew." He said, with a sickening grin. He lifts away the barrel from Skarn's forehand . His next course of action was attaching his holsters around his waist again.

Leon then went over to the windows, where the pirates used their grapple hooks to forcefully enter. Luckily for Leon, the hooks were still there. " See you're captain, Skarn has breathed his last breath." He said as reached for one of the lines. " He must pay for what he has done to us." Leon mentioned as he departed from the others to climb up the line.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

-Sahana Passenger Cabin, First Class: “Tunabout Pirates”-

“Thanks.” Alimbur smiled and nodded taking the parachutes in hand. “Not at mad as staying here. I don’t plan to be on this flaming wreck when it hits the ground. If you want to captain, that’s fine by me. It is your solemn duty after all.” She replied, sneering at Skarn. “Besides, who said anything about jumping?” It had crossed the reporter’s mind but as always another option yet presented itself, dangerous though it be. With parachute in hand she felt calmer. She could think straight now.

“And you!” She shouted turning to Leon. “Catch!” Alimbur tossed him one of the parachutes. “He really means to climb up to the pirate’s ship and take it over. This guy must be crazy. He also just might succeed.” Relative safety was just one jump away but here events were once more tugging her in a different direction. The story would continue up there in the ship, with or without her. “Let me make one thing clear before you go. I get a crack at the captain before you do, whatever it is you’re going to do to him. He’s more useful to me alive than dead. Once I get what I want, then you can kill him.” Information was once again the key. She just needed a lead on who leaked the airship routes to the pirates, and if any one would have it, it would be the captain. Skarn, useless has he was knew that much. Whoever the pirate’s informant was they had information, highly sensitive information. Access to it would make her job here just that much easier. It’s a delicate line to walk when doing your job and saving your skin are the only two options. “I just hope your gifts aren’t wasted on those pirates. I’d hate to have this all be in vein.”

Done with Leon for the moment, Alimbur resumed passing out the parachutes. She tossed one each to Nitori, Lawrence, Xavier, Mork, and even cowardly little Lawrence. “Better safe than sorry people. Time to choose, up, down, or flaming death like pirate boy here did.” Leaving it at that, the reporter walked towards the window and sized up the grappling lines. “Diana give me strength. I must be crazy to.”

~~Landgrave B. Slater~~






Land landed with Kharrighan, the English Tutor/gentlemen proceeded to brandish his weapon, but as soon as he landed, found he would not be needing it.



not a single soul stood on the deck of the ship, save for a lone bird atop the railing.
"Somehow. . .I suspected we'd meet such an eerily silent situation. . ." Land remarked as he examined the empty looking surroundings.


Land did not register the fact that the pirate he was holding met eyes with the bird. Land was not gifted in the art of spotting very small things, that and connecting the dots between something so small would be very very high in the realm of human possibility (or reason) Land just assumed it was a normal bird, albeit it was a tad bit strange that a bird would be here of all places. No matter.

"Well M-Kharrighan I do believe the situation has resolved itself. But, we have a burning airship, ready to explode behind us and an (apparently) empty one ahead of us. Now it would seem like a good idea to go searching its depths right now, however, the safety of those on board the dead ship outweighs that. Wouldn't you agree Kharrighan?" Land said to her as he turned away from the ship's interior, pirate still on shoulder. Over-all Land seemed unperturbed by the ship's haunting aspect, it seemed as if Land either could not sense it, or did not care, or had a certain understanding for such things. In fact, Land really did feel the tug, he was an alchemist after-all, certain charms dulled the feeling to a small nag, one had to protect themselves against such attacks, especially when one owned such a unique weapon. . .


Land noticed something as he stood on the ship, the pirates seemed to be coming back on the very ropes they had used to get aboard. "Well, we can solve this one rather easily. . ." Land said as he set down his pirate prisoner.


Land then set about cutting every rope, save for one. . .

_________________

*WHAT I THOUGHT I'D DO WAS PRETEND I WAS ONE OF THOSE DEAF-MUTES*

----Axial Corridor----

Fritz was silent, shocked by what he had heard. The harsh truth dawned upon him, making him clench his fists in a heap of shame. Indeed, it looked as if the Sohana was lost. All those years they spent together...lost. But it isn't to say he wasn't glad to here that his crew was okay. The prospect of abandoning his ship was just too much. He wondered who this man the passenger spoke of was, and hoped to reward him somehow. Anyone who could lead a crew could run an entire operation, some form of promotion was in order. He could only hope that Dav was okay as well.

The captain thanked Jeggred for filling him in on what was going on. "Forgive me, this ship and I have been everywhere together. I am still a bit appalled that she has to die like this. Thank you, for your bravery, and your help. I would also like to thank this fellow too, but perhaps later on. For now, yes, let us continue."

@@@@@TIMESKIP@@@@@

Remarkably, the plan to overcome the pirate ship succeeded, but the pirate leader had escaped before Leon could kill him, swearing a powerful vengeance. Although, he did manage to lose a few limbs, and maybe something else. What was strange about the entire ideal is that as Land and Kharrighan would have noticed the spells used to defend the Crimson Skull Airship was far to complex for a normal pirate to perform. And as the passengers fought for control over the pirate ship, one would notice that one of the pirate crew did nothing except watch them intently. He seemed to have either been a separate individual, or the sort important enough to not aide the captain. That wasn't the only peculiar thing about the individual, for he was dressed in exotic, outlandish clothing with a shawl made out of feathers. He also wore a mask upon his head. When the pirate's escaped, he was the last to leave, as if he did not want to lose sight of the group of brave men and women. As they fought, Fritz had took control of the ship's control cabin, and was steering the airship towards Meka when the pirates escaped.

Soon, they touched down, and were automatically greeted by the police. It seemed the people have took notice of the pirate ship in their skies, a lot of them were frightened, anxious, and a bit suspicious. The police wasted no time in arranging a meeting with the ship's inhabitants, thinking that they would arrest them. Behind the police was the city guard, armed with shotguns and ready to shoot if necessary. The city's citizens have gotten used to pirate's over the years, and for this reason the emperor had increased its security. The chief policeman was the first to approach them, looking them over with a harsh eye. He would not give them an ounce of trust, the bystanders surrounding the area, held back by a band of young deputies looked as if they were afraid of them. There was a lot of buzzing filling the air, and in the midst of it all the passengers would be able to see a group of photographers trying to capture the scene for the daily news. The captain was pulled away by the reporters in the crowd who were hungry for a story, along with the stewardess who had burst into tears upon being alive. Lawrence looked a bit flustered by the sudden commotion.

"Who are you?" asked the chief sharply to Leon. "What are you here for? Answer honestly pirate, or you will die here." As if on clue the guardsman raised their guns so they were aiming at each of the passengers.

If one were to look beyond the crowd and the chaos they would see balloons attached to multi-storied buildings stacked on top of each other like a jigsaw puzzle. There were onlookers standing upon highly elevated walkways connected in a way that would make them appear to be for construction, but they were actually used to connect storage houses, hangers, and special freights used to transport certain goods throughout the city. There was a huge two story building on their right which was right next to a similar one, both buildings separated by a middle way where a station laid. It could be assumed that one of the buildings was for immigrants and newcomers, it was terrifyingly large and intimidating, but looked as if it could fit many people in it. Around it immigrants and visitors alike scuttled about, some stopping to stare at the pirate ship fearfully while others ignored it. Straight ahead there was a trolley stop, a rather large one with up to five tracks. Here and there was open street shops where merchants yelled out pitches to the hustling people. Judging from the balloons as well as the abnormal amount of people for a supposedly normal day it could be inferred that something important was happening that day. If the amount of people arriving to Meka on a single day didn't tell anyone that, the hot air balloons, biplanes and triplanes certainly will. Also amongst the busy people, were robotic beings who were also scuttling about only completely ignoring everything around them altogether. Some of them were paired with a master, and followed him or her heels with a sort of unshaken, silent loyalty. The sight of the lot of them would perhaps be a strange sight to one who isn't native to the mechanical world of Meka, but the civilians of the great city of technology treated them as if they were commonplace while newcomers would stop and stare with wonder. There was also rather a lot of inventors carrying with them blueprints or machinery of their own. Up in the sky there was a trail of black smoke, it seemed as if the Sohana had already crashed a few kilometers ahead. Black smoke was rising still.

"I will ask again, who are you?" repeated the chief, it seemed as if he was ready to arrest them regardless of whether they answered or not. But before he could try anything, the captain spoke up. "Let me vouch for them" he said. The chief eyed the captain as if he was insane, "You're the captain of the Sohana, correct? You will be defending these people?"

The captain nodded, "They are heroes."

"Is that so?"

"Yes", the captain pointed at Leon and his associates, "these people were my passengers and they took control of an entire pirate ship, I saw the entire thing."

The chief policeman didn't seem convinced of their innocence. He studied each passenger with the cold calculation of a hawk, out for food. "Alright, you're all off the hook" he stated, but not sounding sincere, "For now." He turned to the captain himself, "Captain, I'll have to request and audience with you and your stewardess. I need to know every detail of what happened." "Yes, certainly" yipped the captain as the stewardess nodded next to him, they didn't seem particularly happy.

Behind them, a group of policemen cried out, having found something. It was a portion of the crew, hidden inside one of the pirate ship's engine tank. Most of them were burnt in some areas, with singed hair. Amongst them, Jeggred would notice the stowaway that had spotted him earlier, he gave him a single nod. While the crew members were attended to by policemen, the stowaway approached Jeggred and the passengers, avoiding everyone around him. "It's good to know you managed to escape as well." he told him, studying the rest of the passenger's with an able eye. "To be honest I did not think you would. Are these the other passengers of the ship?" he asked.

At the same time a number of journalists made their way through the town to talk to the passengers, asking them various questions:

"How did you do it? How did you take control of the ship of the dreaded Crimson Skull?"
"How did you defeat the vile Captain Admon?"
"Were you nervous?"
"How does it feel now that you know that you'll be a hero amongst the populace of Meka?"
"Did the pirates attack the Sohana?"
"How did you defend yourselves against them?"
"Why do you think they attacked you?"
"Did they take any of your belongings?"
"Did they threaten to kill the captain?"
"Where do you think they are now?"

One question after another, it seemed as if every journalist wanted a piece of the new heroes of Meka.

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

-Docking Platform: “A Wolf Among Vultures”-

Alimbur was awash with relief when they were finally able to land at Mek following the battle with the pirates on their own ship. Even that was some sort of miracle. “At least I made it out with my life.” She sighed. “I don’t have much else, but at least I have that. This was not how I imagined my first steps into Mek would be. In fact, this is much better. Walking triumphantly off of a known pirate ship after wresting it from their grasp; that was how you made a first impression impression. I still wish that everything I owned hadn’t gone down with the Sohana. Ford, my supplies, my clothes, everything is gone.” Alimbur shook her head, and looked out to the crowd. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the gaggle of reporters snapping away with their cameras. The only thing holding them back at the moment was a police barricade, and an impenetrable line of police, with guns, very deadly guns. It felt odd to be on the other end of a camera. It would have been tempting to simply sit back and bask in the attention if every single one of those so called reporters weren’t here to steal her story.

Nevertheless Alimbur but on her best face and stepped out towards the crowd and the line of waiting police. She remained eerily silent during the interrogation. Leon could deal with that. The local authorities weren’t her concern at the moment. That would sort itself out soon enough. Alimbur’s were firmly fixed on the captain as he was engulfed by the swarm of reporters after being taken away from her and the other passengers. Her blood boiled. That was where she should be, taking photos and asking questions. Every word that slipped from that man’s lips was something less she had to offer. Luckily they didn’t have him for long. The captain was soon taken for questioning by the police, but not before vouching for their innocence and indispensable acts of heroism.

As the police dispersed the reporters swiftly took their place. That was Alimbur’s cue to go into action. After being terrified out of her mind, shot at, escaping a flaming wreck of an airship, and nearly being killed more times in one day than is strictly necessary it was nice to get back to a game she knew how to play. These chumps would have to move over. There was room enough for only one nosy reporter in this town. From this point on, Alimbur Sang was it. She approached the pack with a fierce look in her eyes.

“Alright, alright, one at a time! ONE. AT. A. TIME.” She shouted, trying to get them to calm down just a little. “You’ll all get your turn believe me. Before you do however you might be interested in the exclusive photos from the attack; the initial siege, the desperate resistance, the counter attack, the pirate captain’s last stand; every desperate moment.” That should get them salivating. “The full inside story in explicit detail.” Alimbur smiled hungrily. “Make me an offer you vultures.”

Kharrighan Loreley: Observation deck

"Really?" She asked, in response to Land's comment about expecting silence. "I would have thought that they at least would have greeted us. I doubt that they all went to our zeppelin..." She frowned slightly and pulled out the knife from between her breasts, the sheath still on.

She took a quick look at the pirate that was in Land's grip, and noticed him looking at something in a suspicious manner. Narrowing her pale blue eyes at him, she takes the knife and taps the pirate on the top of the head and demands, "What are you looking at?" She looked back up at Land and said, "Something doesn't feel right, hold on. I know we should try and save the rest of the people on the airship, but something's not right here..." She was on guard, and pulled the knife out of it's sheath, sliding the leather sheath between the skin of her hip and the booty short material.

TIMESKIP

"This is very odd...Do you see what I'm feeling?" She pointed in the general direction where protection spells would be used.

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

---Landgrave B. Slater---


Land, being one not to ever miss a chance for publicity, decided to step out into the spotlight. Stepping directly in front of Alimber Land went in stride, completely topping Alimber's previous comment.



The police had long since received the pirate Land had captured before. The reporters were keen on such a fact and immediately pounced upon the opportunity.



"It was quit easy really, the pirates had no idea they had run into the worst set passengers to be mugging. Strangely, they all left their ship unguarded in the assault. It was me, Landgrave B. Slater, astute high-English tutor and Miss Kharrighan Loreley, over there [Land held Kharrighan along as she was close by] that managed to board the empty ship, but not after a scuffle with one of their own which we both handled magnificently, and now have a prime suspect, all thanks to both her's, and my, efforts."


Land all said with that same gentlemanly smile. As the reporters piled in (as reporters are oft to do when presented with such a wordy witness) he commented on the event again. "Heroes? My friends, we are but humble citizens making our respective commutes to the great city! I know not where they are, but at least we have one of them in possession now. I think that is as great a deed as any man can do." Land said, his arm draped around Khariggan.


No doubt Land was feeding the reporters as much as they could be fed, and they were lapping it up right back. Land had Kharrigan with him, because it not only made her apart of the action, but also presented a sort of "Man and damsel kick respective ass and have a happy ever after" sort of headline going for it. Being a man of language, Land knew exactly how to spin the story. That was why he only mentioned his and Kharriggan's part and strategically left out the others.

As for that one pirate hostage Land, had had, he was being interrogated by the police, no doubt.

_________________

*WHAT I THOUGHT I'D DO WAS PRETEND I WAS ONE OF THOSE DEAF-MUTES*

-Jeggred Nalaar-
~BEFORE TIMESKIP~

Jeggred couldn't help but smirk at the captain's comments of bravery. That was one word that was never in Jeggred's vocabulary, but he had to dignify such a comment with a responce. "Bravery? No, I just did what I thought was in my best intrest is all." he said, sounding more humble than anything. 'This captain sure thinks highly of people. Still a shame I didn't anything out of this, but I suppose it'll play to my favor anyway.' he thought as the captain finally took him up on his request. "Good choice." Jeggred said as he quickly followed him down the ladder, the explosion just missing them.

~AFTER TIMESKIP~

Jeggred was one of the last of the passengers to leave the pirate ship. He stayed quiet most of the ride down, and wanted to draw as little attention to himself afterwards. Once he left the ship he took in the entire surroundings. The buldings, people, planes, robots, and general hussle and bussle. 'The legendary floating city in the sky, so this is Meka.' Despite all that was around him, he felt, dissappointed. 'As much as people were making this out to be I though there'd be unimaginable technology, and an advanced civilazation beyond belief. I've seen most of these items already. Maybe it was a waste of my time.' his thought however was soon interuppted by the Chief of Police, damanding their names and business.

'Should have at least expected this much, comming into Meka on a pirate ship after all.' he thought as the Captain spoke out for them. Not a big surprise, the Chief stared them down a good bit before he finally left with the captain. Jeggred didn't flinch at the man, even staring right back into his eyes, though it would have been hard to notice. After the Chief left, his attention was drawn to the other officers yelling. He turned quickly to see the remaining crew and the man who noticed him in the corridoor.

'50% shot, they're a lucky bunch.' he thought as the man approached him. Whether or not he'd actually noticed him was made clear by his motion to seek him out amongst the crowd, and make his comments. "I should say the same about you. And the answer to the scond question is, somewhat." he said as he looked back to the group, paying close attention to the three who had already engauged the press. "A recall a few more passengers that aren't here right now." he said in a very serious tone. 'Intersting one he is. Knowing exactly who I am in pitch blackness. I might have to find out how he did that later.' he thought, ignoring the reporters now behind him. No need for the press to know too much information.

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

_Prior_ In the pirate's ship, in the Pirate Captain's Cabin._


In the pirate captain's cabin, Leon takes a spin in the captain's chair. He then, rests his shoes on the man's desk as he held one of those new hand held radios. A Meka product, if he had to guess. A simple thing to learn how to use, especially with his powers. He pressed down on the radio and talked. " Running away, are you, Admon?" Leon said in his playful tone of voice. " Its a smart move, I'll give you that, but I can easily find you since I know you. "

" But HEY! I look forward to our next meeting." Leon mentioned sounding really excited. " Its not everyday, you get a second chance at ripping out the still beating heart of an enemy. " He continued over the radio with a devious smirk. " The only thing I ask is whether you prefer to have your heart sauteed or for me to devour it raw in front of you, Arrivederci." He went to on to say before he released the radio.



_Time SKIP_ Meka!_ The PLAN_


Leon at this time was his usual chipper self, even with the guns pointed at him. Out of everyone here, Leon looked the part of a pirate with the scars and blood strains on his suit so he blame the chief of police for questioning him first or his accusation. His fedora was sent flying when he climbed the rope and his bear cape shot up as he used it as a decoy to get closer to Admon.

The second time, the chief police asked for his name and his purpose on Meka, Leon gave him a geniune smile and voiced loudly his name and his reason for being here. " My name is Leon Borren of the Borren Trading Company, I own some factories here." Leon said as he introduced himself to all. " What I'm here for, is to change the world, of course. " He mentioned " That's more of a challenge than an unruly bunch of pirates, let me tell you."

" And I would replace the word vile with coward if your going to describe Admon." Leon said to the swarm of reporters. " He ran away, after I taught him a lesson." He explained. He looked up to see the wonders of the city with the huge turning gears and robots walking about. " You know, I've got to say I'm going to love this city." He mentioned to everyone.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

----Meka: The Docks----

At first, the reporters took a great interest in Alimbur's offer. A promise of exclusive photos was an offer none of them could refuse. Something that would capture their readers, and sell off by the thousands. Everyone wanted a perfect picture for the front cover, everyone wanted their paper to become a best seller so they could get a promotion and a raise. But before any of them began spouting their terms of payment, something far more juicier caught their attention, which the pounced on like a hungry wolf. A couple snapped a few photos of the heroic pair, capturing Kharrighan and Land in all their splendor. Journalists with their notebooks ready began questioning them about the juicy details of their battle with the pirate. "Who did he attack first? You or the lady?" "Did he say anything about the pirate's motives?" "Sir, did you find anything out of the ordinary inside the ship?" "Was it just you two against the pirate?" "Will you continue to protect this city?" "What would you do if they came back for their revenge?" "What now?"

As the more hungry reporters attended to Land's every whim, a more reserved bunch stayed back, their eyes sharp and aware. A couple approached Leon once he mentioned a battle with a captain, "I don't suppose you know the motives of these pirates then?" asked a male. These reporters seemed to think that if the wealthy merchant fought the captain himself, perhaps he had some insight on the true intentions of the scoundrels of the sky. He was also a much more interesting subject. Forget a love pair fighting off a puny underling, this man fought off the captain himself. A man beside him snapped a photo of the airship itself.

"That's enough of that Theo" said a blonde women in a heavy accent that suggested she was from the north. She wore a green shirtwaist buttoned neatly at the top, her narrow skirt was a deep tone of tan and her shoes a shined black. On her hands she wore laced white gloves and on perched on her knotted hair was a straw hat. She turned to Alimbur, seemingly interested in her offer. "You have scenes from the fight itself correct? If what you say is true then an ample photographer such as yourself deserves not only money, but a position as well. I'm prepared to offer you a job as a photographer within the Meka Tribune, and we will also pay you a total of 25 talors for the photos. It should be reasonable for high quality work." Theo glared at the blonde women, who merely glanced at him. "You would be working with Theo of course. And if you are in need of any equipment, odds are we can get it for you, but only if you prove yourself to us. We only take in the best." Her red lips curled up into a sinisterly stoic smile. "If you are interested, here's the address. Tell them Rodanna sent you, and bring the photographs." Alimbur was handed a business card with the name of the newspaper company and it's address neatly printed. It was located in the financial district from the looks of it. "And please, do not be late. It's horrible for your reputation."

The stowaway watched the passengers as Jeggred mentioned them. He was almost unimpressed with them so far, "For heroes they aren't that bright are they?" he asked, "Selling yourself to the media of this city, not always a good idea." He pointed towards the representatives of the Meka Tribune, "Especially them."

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Kharrighan Loerley:Oh my

Kharrighan was a little flabbergasted at all of the cameras and flashes, though she tried to smile and look attentive. She figured that by the way that Land was taking to the press that he'd be the best one to talk, and she noted how much he enjoyed it. She had placed the knife back into it's sheathe by now, and was inching closer and closer to Land semi-unconsciously, trying to get away from the Press and their flashing lights.

She had never been one for the public scene, and her travels had made her even more introvertive. She noticed Land's arm over her shoulder, but she didn't mind, it felt more protective than anything at the moment, and she kind of needed some form of shelter. By now, her hair was 'windswept' and she had a slight flush on her cheeks which was part windburn and part embarrassment from being pulled into the spotlight. As Land answered more and more of the questions, she was so glad that he was comfortable with these crowds: she wasn't quite sure about how trustworthy her voice would be under such pressure.

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

-Docking Platform: “A Generous Offer”-

Alimbur gave Landgrave a very flat smile as she decided to but into her impromptu positioning for capitol. “What do you think you are doing there Mr. Landgrave. Have something useful to say do you?” Not surprisingly he didn’t. The reporter patiently waited them out however. “Hmm… humble huh? Not a bad angle there. Easy, ha, not so much. People want a good tale of struggle and defying the odds, not some one sided beat down.” Alimbur rolled her eyes and shook her head. Those two weren’t in the cabin when the fight broke out. You’d think they might actually have an interesting tidbit to share instead of just hamming it up. The vultures were gobbling up ever bit of it.

Alimbur was about to reassert herself to the crowd when an offer finally made it self known from what would easily be one of the smarter people listening in. “Finally, a bite.” The reporter presented a genuinely interested front while sizing up the woman with a straw hat and a thick northern accent. This one was a slick customer all right. “Easily,” She commented at her first question. Her ears perked when she actually made the offer. “Twenty five talors up front for just the photos, and a position as photographer. That’s like, what?” She did a bit of conversion in her head on the fly. "A good month’s salary? Easily.”

It was a very tempting offer. Even the woman’s assistant was offended. Alimbur shot him a cheeky smile. Although it didn’t show the only thing about the offer that made her cringe were the stipulations about “working with Theo,” and “prove yourself to us.” The former would easily be a problem. At best having to drag someone else around the city would slow her down. At worst, it would be like having a spy for the powers that be looking over your shoulder every minute of every day. Being bogged down until she could shake him would be a major setback, especially given certain opinions she held about certain empires. The latter was just a matter of pride. Alimbur graciously accepted the business card and quickly glanced at it before retiring it to her blazer pocket. “Thank you, I’ll be sure to look into it, and don’t worry, I only bring my best.” She boasted confidently.

Alimbur nodded to the woman, their business complete for the moment, and faded back into the crowd. She decided to hang around for a while and mull over the offer. Hopefully it wouldn’t be the only bite she’d have for those photos. In the mean time the reporter drifted through the crowd and planted herself firmly between Leon and the Sohana’s crew just to see what sorts of answers they were giving the press. Eagerly she listened in and scanned the passengers and the mass of reporters mobbing them. Odds are somebody had heard or saw something that she had overlooked.

-Jeggred Nalaar-

Jeggred gave a smirk when the stowaway commented on the other passengers, "Honestly I didn't think that much of them when I first saw them anyway." he responded sarcasticly to the man. When he mentioned his second coment, he gave another turned and glanced at the ones the stowaway mentioned. The blonde women with the straw hat handed the photographer a card. "Just like everywhere else I suppose." he responded, looking over the crowd once more. "So what's so bad about them in particular? Reporters are all the same anyway." he commented to the stowaway, as he noticed the one reporter from the passengers approach them. "And if they're that bad, would you prefer we continue this conversation elsewhere?" he asked smugly.

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

{Leon Borren}

_Interview_


Leon looked at the reported who questioned him about the pirates motives. Oh, he knew alright, as long as their was a connection, he would know. Through blade to flesh or blade to blade, that connection, will tell everything, he desires to know. Its why the captain didn't die right away, Leon was playing with him like a child with a new toy. He wanted to enjoy the moment, something he won't do again with Admon.

With a smile, Leon chuckled and said " Ha ha ha, as much as Admon was an embarrassment, he was not foolish enough to mention anything." He rather keep the city as it's relative state of calm. That information was for the police of this city, if asked of course. He doesn't know how this city fully works. " All that can be assumed is that Admon was attempting a robbery." He went on to say to the reporters that flock to him. His right hand found its way over to Alimbur's shoulder. " Course if I said anything else, my dear friend Alimbur might have a problem with it." He said as he made his excuse.

" Now, I must go. A battle like that makes me tried." Leon said as he wanted to make his departure.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

-Docking Platform: “Overexposure”-

Alimbur was taken by surprise when Leon put his arm around her shoulder. She had been listening to him more intently than she had been watching. Her thoughts were instantly sent reeling. “What in Mort’s infinite misfortune are you doing Borren?” The reporter’s eyes went wide but she didn’t make any sudden moves, save to give Leon a glare of death. Alimbur fought off the intense desire to deck Leon. “Get your hands off me you psychopath.” She couldn’t go and make a scene, not here and not now. He was useful for taking on the pirates in battle and not much else, too blood crazed and too unpredictable. If Leon hadn’t let Admon escape he surely would have killed him outright, leaving her out of luck both ways. "Of course Admon was trying to steal everything in sight.” Her fuming continued. “It’s not his motives that need be questioned here. It’s his informant that’s important.” Luckily he hadn’t tipped them directly but simply implying that she knew more than she was letting on was dangerous. “If they find out about the leak and the secret route it’ll be all over. The story will be everywhere and I’ll never expose him!” She was at once disgusted and outraged. His one innocuous comment could jeopardize everything if they started digging deeper.

The immediate question on the reporter’s mind however was why Leon hadn’t just gone and revealed everything in the first place. It wouldn’t have been anything but good publicity for himself and his holdings if he had. Alimbur’s suspicions immediately turned to Leon and his own motives. This man was not to be trusted. Whatever her suspicions were however, Leon Borren would not be privy to them.

Retaking control of the situation Alimbur slipped out from under Leon’s arm and immediately put several feet between themselves. She then made an elaborate gesture of sweeping off the shoulder and sleeve of her jacket before addressing the press, as if the man’s mere touch had soiled her clothing. “No, Leon is right. Captain Admon was certainly staging a robbery. They laid siege and declared our belongings forfeit as soon as they boarded because the captain refused to surrender. Valuables and hostages for ransom were easily what they were after.” Alimbur’s answer was cold but thorough even if it was constructed of rather convincing half truths. “If you will excuse me, I must be going as well. I have an appointment that I mustn’t be late for.” Following Leon’s lead Alimbur bailed, wading her way through the crowd towards the paternosters to the city proper. This time however she made sure to keep as much distance between herself and Leon as possible. He wouldn’t get the drop on her again.

-Mork, Not a City Guy-

The pirate's on the ship had been a bit more trouble, but Leon had kept the pirate's leader mostly to himself. He certainly was a violent one. Mork was still wiping some of the blood off his blade as they landed and left the pirate's airship. It probably didn't help with the police, but he still was rather slow strapping it to his back as their guns were aimed at them. Guns, he still wasn't sure about those. Powerful, but a bit more detached. Not his style anyway, but a reasonable replacement for archery. The situation was diffused rather quickly by the captain, which was good as even Mork couldn't do much against that many readied firearms. Mork simply held back as reporter's flooded them. Talking with such people was neither his job nor something he wanted, and he was sure as Orr-Kin he'd probably get ignored in favor of the others. Anonymity had it's advantages. So he held back, just a bit behind Leon. Enough to be out of the photo shot, but enough to do something if anyone tried something.

While the others indulged the reporters, he got a good look at the city. He was going to be here awhile. He'd need to travel through it sometime, learn the locations, which districts have what. Vast buildings, countless sky walks and floating ships, endlessly numbers of iron men. Exactly as he was told of, but still a... strange sight, for him. It would take getting used to. His gaze shifted back to his patron as he started moving away. With a brisk step he readjusted his cloak and moved in behind his employer, slightly pushing anyone out of his way if they were. At this point he doubted anyone was going to stop him for being an Ork or for having a large weapon on his back, but if they did he was assured Leon could handle it. The man seemed like one who could handle people, quite the bussiness man, on top of his killer instincts. Trying to keep for being overheard, he learned slightly closer and spoke up. "So, are you going to share what you learned with me, or is it some kind of secret?"

_________________

{Leon Borren}

_To the Hotel-


Leon grabbed a hold of lamp post and spun around to face Mork’akathn and Nitori. He smiled at them and said " Do you think, I was kidding earlier." He placed his hands in his blue striped jacket. He was so happy, it was hard back there to hide this much enjoyment. " I would like to say it, but I need to wait until the hotel, Mork’akathn ." He explained as the reporters, here could be just as gusty as Alimbur.

" See, if the reporters here are like Alimbur and found out, it would be like diluting an excellent wine with piss. " He remarked as he stopped of a glass window. He stood there to admit his reflection as he glanced at his companions. " Which reminds me, thank Khron, there is only one Alimbur." All the while, he had his hand on her shoulder earlier, Leon had read her mind. Enough to know what she thought of him and what kind of personality she possesses.

" She's too damn clever for her own good. " He commented about her as he did take delight in he inquisitive nature , but the way she goes about it annoy him. " I wonder, if she'll be back to haunt me. I mean, honestly, Admon was up to something so big, even I was actually amazed." He mentioned as he voiced his thoughts. It was one of his annoying habits. " Through, I doubt it with her distrust, disgust, and inward hate for my unpredictability." He went on to say.

" Blah, its a treasure." Leon finally answered as he made direct eye contact with his bodyguard. It was too damn good, and it was obvious that Leon definitely wanted to cave in and talk about it to Mork’akathn and Nitori. " Enough to probably construct ten cities like this." He added.

_________________
"Fate smiles on the strange. So its a good thing, I'm the strangest of all." - William Livingstone, Cirque de la Nuit

----Meka: The Docks----

Rodanna smiled at Alimbur, "As we expect you to." Theo continued glaring at his companion, not entirely pleased with her decision. "Oh calm yourself, Theo. You need not worry about her" she told him impatiently, positioning herself next to her partner, the male questioning Leon.

"Stupid newspaper...taking people off the streets...I don't get paid enough for this job..."

Rodanna ignored him, instead focusing her attention on the one who supposedly fought with the captain himself, only to find that her partner's attempt to get the pirate's motives had no avail. The reporter looked disappointed, but then had a curious look. Alongside with him, Rodanna turned to give Alimbur a questioning look. The young reporter gave them pretty much the same answer but Rodanna was unconvinced, and neither was her partner for that manner.

"I don't trust her" said Theo, coming up behind him.

"Theo, we all know you have a dislike for competition, but do you really need to remind us every time the company hires someone new?" asked Rodanna's partner.

"Theo does have a point, Joseph. Our newest little recruit seems to be hiding something from us, and I do intend to find out exactly what it is." There was a passionate glint in Rodanna's eyes as she said this. Beside her Theo sighed, not enjoying where this was all going.

"Can't we just call her up and tell her to forget about it?"


The stowaway watched the bickering journalists from afar, half-listening to Jeggred as he did so. "Let's just say oil isn't the only thing this machine needs to be kept running..." he responded, giving Jeggred half of the answer to his question. "But yes, that would be most appreciated." He began walking away from the crowd, beckoning Jeggred to follow. "If you will please follow me, I will answer all your questions and more. And you don't need to worry about my sense of direction. I know this city like the back of my hand." The stowaway gave one last look at the crowd as he said this, some of them glanced at him as he was leaving but did not pay him the light of day. Everyone was far too busy paying attention to the passengers, particularly Land and his mistress. "What is your name ma'am?" one of them asked her.

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Kharrighan Loreley:Oh my

She was going to mention to Land that it would probably be a good idea to get out of the spotlight for a while, when one of the reporters asked her her name. She shifted her weight from the back of her foot to the front and shifted her hips uncomfortably, but answered in a confident enough tone that showed that she wouldn't be bossed around. "I am Kharrighan Loreley. Who might you be?" She hoped that they didn't ask too many questions, she'd rather hoped that her past wouldn't come up in the near future. Her past as a medium wasn't too long ago, and she might get some negative feedback.

Pulling at a stray strand of brown hair, she twisted it between fingertips of one hand, the other on Land's arm, partially for balance, and partially to make sure that the was still there. Unconsciously, she viewed him as some form of protection, ever since he helped her out on the zeppelin's deck. Her toes scrunched up and released the edge of her leather sandals, and she bit her lower lip, sucking on it in a not so gentle manner before releasing it.

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

-Jeggred Nalaar-

Jeggred had a puzzled look on his face when teh stowaway made his comment about oil. 'What an odd comment. It appears this town is stranger than I was intially told.' he thought as he made one last glance at all the reporters fussing over the two other passengers. A lot didn't seem right with this city. It normally wasn't Jeggred's style to notice things like that, but it almost stood out too much. The reporters were really bugging him. 'Why would they be so interested in those two. Even the youngest reporters know to get as much of a story as possible, so why would they just let those others and us just leave?' Jeggred thought, before turing towards the stowaway.

"Sure, lead the way." he responded as he slowly walked behind the stowaway, keeping his gaze on the press. 'Not even trying to stop us for a quick intview? Maybe this place won't be so boring after all, it's so strange.' he thought as he carefully followed the stowaway. Jeggred did keep a fair distance from the man however, it wasn't wise to at this point. For good reason, Jeggred didn't trust him. After all, who would trust a random stranger from a foreign city, who shouldn't even know who you are? Jeggred followed him though, even if he was out to rob or kill Jeggred, he'd at least get a good view of some popular spots, and some back alley spots for traveling. After a few steps though, Jeggred spoke up, "By the way, do you happen to know any good places to get some food? I missed breakfast on that ship before the pirates attacked, and I'm starving." he asked with a polite smile.

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

Land smiled and winked at the crowd. While he was enjoying their attention, he was also aware there seemed to be a growing rift between the passengers.



A separate group had branched off. All because of that plebeian merchant. It made Land's blood boil to see someone as smug as he get the real attention from the veteran reporters (this much he could certainly see) it also slightly worried Land. He, as well as Kharrigan, although Land doubted she cared as much, would be thrown out of the loop thanks to this. BUT, only if the public officials, and political elite happened to see Land and Kharrigan's account.



In any case, both Khar were separate from the others now. They would continue to be unless some form of luck happened to bless them. And all Land could do about this was hem and haw. In any case, Land would most certainly have to draw up a few friends to check on. . .what was it. . .Mr. Borren's progress. As mentioned before, Land seemed to be a simple English tutor, but he was also a magician, and all magicians. . .have certain characteristic needs. Power taints, that much was true. For a brief moment, a combination of hatred and consternation crossed Land's face as he looked in the other group's direction, but this was quickly replaced by the normal "smile for the camera"


"The coward attacked my friend here first, being the normal gentlemen I swooped in to help. However, to my surprise she also fought with me quite well! It was no surprise that we both overpowered him. In any case I can only say he seemed different then the rest of the pirates, I'd be bold enough to say he might have been the first-mate. Oh no, I'm a English-tutor by trade and can't let me duty for society be put down just like that, although I do appreciate the flattery. Well, in any case, they can try to achieve there revenge, but they'd have to want it very hard to get a man of my status, and I doubt they'd want it that bad. Not unless they had some other greater-motive. But if they do try, I'll be sure to get back to you all on that."


Land smirked inwardly. A nice plan, the media served as both a shield and a way of making money. Unlike the second group, If Land played it up like this, it would guarantee almost certain invulnerability against the pirate scum should they try to get at them both. Perhaps his situation wasn't so bad. At least compared to those other people. . .

_________________

*WHAT I THOUGHT I'D DO WAS PRETEND I WAS ONE OF THOSE DEAF-MUTES*

----Meka: Heading to Maj's----

"I suppose you could always go to Starhouse for a taste of the city's great cuisine, but if you want a place where everything you say is confidential Maj's the place for you." said the stowaway, leading Jeggred away from the band of greedy reporters, towards the mass of elevated walkways, hangers, and warehouses. They went around the back of a fairly industrial looking warehouse, down a dark, narrow alleyway. If Jeggred were to pay any attention he would notice that there were plenty of propaganda posters about, sporting messages such as "For a New Dawn!" and "Our time has come!" They showcased women in drapery with gear shaped crowns on their heads, engineers and mechanics looking happy with their work, and pilots and soldiers coupled together saluting a Mekian flag which blew in the wind transparent against a glorious rising sun. They were all hand drawn and rendered in water colors, expertly printed with the use of a printing press. One such paper blew against one of the stowaway's legs, getting caught up in it. On its face was a child with a red balloon, holding hands with a giant but gentle looking robot. On it were the words "Our children depend on the future". Despite the rather cheerful appearance of the picture, Jeggred would find that there was something sinister about the picture. He wouldn't be able to place it. The stowaway kicked it off and continued.

When they reached a side door the man took out a rather peculiar device with a small hole. Pressing it up against the door's lock, he took out a wind up key, inserting it into the hole and turning it to the right over three times. The lock opened, and he pocketed the device. "Right through here is the way." Without a sound they entered the warehouse, maneuvering their way through a maze of pallet racks filled with constructional supplies such as plates of metal or wooden boards. Every now and then the stowaway would pause, standing still before walking again, as hours seemed to pass before they finally found a pulley lift system. The warehouse was empty, or it seemed to be at least. It was either people were out at lunch or the stowaway was an expert at avoiding people. Next to the lift was a ladder which lead to an upper walkway, and after much consideration the stowaway decided to take that route. Up the ladder and down the walkway some was a door, which was surprisingly unlocked. The stowaway went through this, to an outside area that was tightly spaced. To the right there was another ladder, which lead to a wide alleyway.

After a few feet of walking, if Jeggred were to look around the corner he could see they were in an upper part of the city, still surrounded by one or two warehouses.. Down below was a clearing where there rested an assortment of machinery. For now, no one would notice them or hear them. The stowaway paused just to make sure, and when it seemed safe to continue he gestured Jeggred, "Come."

Some few minutes later they arrived at Maj's, a small restaurant sandwiched between two workshops. It was rather small and feeble looking, with scroll swinging doors instead of the usual double doors. The cafe`'s name was painted on elegantly above the doorway in vibrant web with a nice little painting of a ship. It was owned by a Terrantulan. "Terrantulan food, the only food that rivals theirs is the ones made by Gypsies. They are serving lunch now" he commented, and they entered. "I suggest the fish soup."

Inside, there was a woman dressed up in a waitress's clothing, attending to the only man that was inside the cafe` who was in his late fifties. It looked scarcely visited, many of the round tables were empty. There wasn't even a musician, playing ragtime at the piano. The chef could be seen behind the counter, the black stove visible behind him. He was busy cleaning the counter off and did not seem to notice them, neither did the man for that matter. But the waitress saw them, and walked up to them, greeting them with a smile. But there was something about her smile that seemed forced. Her hair was as white as snow, almost translucent, the same with her eyes. There was almost a fake sense of life in them, or a life long lost, and something was just taking its place. Her skin fair and petite, as was her figure. And her hair was braided evenly, reaching past her waist. There were no waves or curls at all. "Thank you for visiting us sirs, if you will please sit down I will attend to you in a moment." "Thank you miss" said the stowaway, taking of his bowlers hat. "Right to the back" he told Jeggred, leading him to his seat, away from the old man who paid them absolutely no attention. After the waitress gathered up their orders and gave them drinks, the stowaway began, "You may ask me anything."

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

-Jeggred Nalaar-

Jeggred smiled when the stowaway mentioned confidentiality and lunch at the same time. 'A man who knows what I like.' he thought as he quickly followed him through the crowd of reporters. The way the man talked however, the place seemed closer than it was. Jeggred followed him somewhat closely, after all it was a big city when a lot of people to seperate the pair. Jeggred walked behind him happily smiling with both hands in his pockets. Unkown to the stowaway (or known, he really couldn't tell with this one) his right poket held his revolver and the left his knife, ready if the man tried anything funny along the way. After a short walk they managed to go down a narrow alleyway. 'Now where have I seen this before?' he thought to himself as he observed a few of the posters as they passed by. A strange bunch of them to say the least, but none caught his eye like the one that hit the stowaway. A child holding a balloon and hand in hand with a robot, what a cheery picture. But something was off, he tried to get a better look to see why, but before he could, the man kicked it away, ruining his chances.

Shortly after the incident they finally reached a door. 'Quite out of the way this place is.' he thought as he carefully observed the stowaway use a wind up key to open the door and mentioned that it was the way. "The way, you say? No wonder you said it was confidential." he replied as he entered the building behind him. At that point it seemed getting lunch was a bit more of a hassle than it was worth. The long and winding maze that it seemed to become, it was more like a secreat base than a resturant. 'Hell, maybe it is. But I have nothing to fear, and a steeltrap mouth.' he thought to himself as he causally followed the man through the entire path. It wasn't easy, but Jeggred was slowly memorizing the way to the place as well. You never know when a place like this would come in handy.

He continued to follow the man, quietly observing all around him, noticing that they were in fact in the upper area of the giant city. 'You'd think with a city this advanced they'd find a better way to get to places like this than an hour long trek.' he thought to himself before he was stopped by the stowaway. Jeggred glanced down where he was looking to see a few people, oblivious to them in the walkway. 'Hiding in plain sight as well. I wonder if I've made a poor choice in judgement. Too late to second guess now though.' he thought then continued his path to the final door in their journy.

A cute little shop, with a beautiful exterior, for the circumstance at least. Jeggred's thought on the exterior was confirmed by the stowaway to be Terrantulan, and even sugguessted the fish soup. They quickly entered the cafe and were greeted by the waitress, and even she seemed like something was off. Her eyes were nearly identical to Jeggred's own, the first one he'd seen who had his eyes and could actually see as well. He nodded in respect to her request, and followed the man to the table. Finally he could ask him questions. "If you inist good sir. I give you the same offer as well. But first start with what your name is. I feel bad only knowing you as a stranger." he said with a grin, but then his smile quickly faded from his face and took a more serious tone. "Secondly, how did you know it was me? I must say it was even hard to pick out your face in that darkness. But you were the only one who even knew I was there." he replied. Jeggred's face showed that he would only accept the truth, as his right hand remained in his pocket, on his gun. He still had no trust for this man.

_________________
Fenix13 : Cheesemore if you get any more awesome this thread is gonna explo- WHAT THE FFFUUUUUUUUUUU- *Everybody dies*
BeeAre : i'm just going to go ahead and say it: this thread is cheesemore's thread now. like. he's officially spam's last post crusader, always seeking the last post like a knight looking for the holy grail. poor bastard. godspeed you goofy motherfucker.
JesusChrist : 16. Cheesemore should always be addressed as "fucking Cheesemore" because he's so pathetic [see: Last one to post thread]
SoulScavenger : Cheesemore, your avatar is awesome. That is all.
Akaine : Cheesemore...if this was facebook, I'd approve of your comment with clicking 'like'.
sam4books : Cheesemore earns an awesome point.

----Meka: The Docks----

The reporter who asked for Kharrighan's name paused uncertainly. He clearly did not expect her to ask his name in return and was at a lost for how to respond. "Err, umm...." he said, looking to his partners for his help, each sighing in embarrassment. "My name is Fred..." A reporter next to him whacked him across the head, muttering something to him inaudibly. Fred did not talk for the remainder of the interview. Many of the reporters seemed more aware of Kharrighan after that, some did not choose to talk to her directly. The other reporters were disappointed to learn that Land would not be defending their city, but were generally accepting of his position, although some had doubts of how much truth there were in his words.

"Do you think that pirate was the first mate?" asked Joseph as Land spok, talking to Rodanna.

"No, I do not" Rodanna said simply. "He seemed far too weak to be put in that position."

Joesph leered at the English tutor, "Thought so. Shall we then leave this carnival of fools?" he asked his partner.

"Yes, lets. Come Theo." Theo grunted and followed them away from the crowd.

Those who stayed, thanked him for giving them his time, informing him of the chance that he would be in the papers the next day. They had no further questions, for the moment. A policeman walked up to both Kharrighan and Land after the crowd dispersed. "We just received word from the Emperor. He asks that from now on you'll be placed under the protection of the empire until we are finished interrogating the criminal. He would also like to speak to the passengers to all the passengers of the Sohana in his palace, along with a nice banquet. I trust you will rely this message to your friends, and when you have all reached an agreement I ask that you inform us right away so we could send a meeting date forward." The policeman narrowed his eyes, "Be warned, this does not mean you will not be watched, especially your girlfriend over there" he pointed over to Kharrighan. The policemen and reporters left the pair, a number of investigators stayed along with mechanics and pilots to attend to the ship, testing its machinery, and searching for any clues. Soon a number of arcanics were called in. Never the less the crowd was much smaller now, almost non-existing. The pyr was no high over their heads, signifying that it was high noon. All that was left now was to find a place to stay.


----Meka: Maj's Place----

"My name is Isaak Hue, I'm an investigator" the stowaway stated, taking a sip from his coffee. "And it's simple, really. I'm an Empath, or a form of one at least. While I can not read another person's face I can however determine who they are by reading their aura. Or, individual printings as we call them in the tracking industry." He chuckled, "Your individual printing isn't exactly hard to forget, or go unnoticed. Are you a criminal by any chance?"

_________________

Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

-Financial District, Meka Tribune Headquarters: "Propaganda”-

It wasn’t until she got away from the pack of vultures who called themselves reporters and the likes of Mr. Leon Borren and company that Alimbur could really take stock of the of Mek, as the city not the cold Machine that lie just underneath. The docks were bustling with people and life. People were going about their business, buying and selling various goods, bargaining, chatting, planning plans and simply going to and fro. The sounds of heavy machinery and shouting mechanics wafted over the crowds like a leaf on the breeze. Even the metal men had a certain sort of charm to them, as they skirted their Man-kin masters doing as they were told. It wasn’t as if Alimbur trusted them, not in the slightest. There was no telling what they were capable of and at the end of the day, who was really in control. That was what she needed that damn engineer for. It would have been nice though to have an up and comer on the inside of Mek’s heavy industry feeding her information; what they were making where it was going and exactly what it did. Alimbur knew almost nothing about the machines. She could barely keep Ford working on a daily basis.

The reporter shook her head. “I‘m going to have to build up my own system of contacts from scratch. It won‘t be easy but I‘ve done it before. I can do it again.” As Alimbur navigated the streets of Mek, nothing spoke of the cold march of the Machine more than the propaganda. It could only be called propaganda by the way. It was all Mek positive and it… was… EVERYWHERE; posters and flyers, murals and banners. There was no escaping it. Where were the dissenting viewpoints or even the graffiti from school age brats who had nothing better to do with their time. True, this was the financial district, the place of the rich and elite but there had to be something. It made her stomach turn. “Do the people actually believe all this rubbish, or do they just not care? Maybe there are strict ordinances against defacing public property. Maybe the government is just that efficient about getting it out there.” Alimbur couldn’t be sure, but it lead to another important question that had been on her mind. “How much influence does the government have over public life anyway, especially over the news outlets.” The reporter was no stranger to gag orders some of them more justified than others but all were equally heavy handed and equally ignored. “Is dissent even allowed at all? Who is reachable and who has virtual immunity from reproach? The emperor obviously can’t be touched, but what of his advisors, generals and military men, local officials, zoning boards, economic development committees, police and fire, industrialists?” There had to be a break in the chain somewhere. One man does not a government make, and somehow somewhere, someone had to be fucking up and someone else was publicly calling them out on it. Anywhere else the reporter might have been fully briefed as to how things worked, but not in Mek. Here she was floundering just to grasp where the power was held and who handed orders to whom. It was just another hurdle to be vaulted. Hopefully it’s wouldn’t prove too tangled a web to decipher.

On the way Alimbur stopped at a newsstand and picked up a copy of the Tribune. She glanced through it as she walked. She didn’t really read anything in detail. She was concentrating on the article titles; what they were reporting and whose lives they were trying to ruin. Attempting to find what the limits of reporting were. “Let‘s see who the Mekians consider the monsters of society besides the regular criminal types. If you can‘t make them see the monster they don‘t know, better to dress them up as the monster they do.” The reporter deftly folded the paper and shoved it into her inner coat pocket when she had reached her destination. The very air outside smelled of ink and fresh newsprint. It almost smelled like home, almost. She entered the building with an air of self confidence and self importance and walked right up to the secretary. “Hi, my name is Alimbur Sang, I‘m here about an offer I received on a spread of photos I took. Rodanna sent me.” A the mention of the other reporter’s name Alimbur took the woman’s card out of her pocket and slid it across the desk for the secretary to take a closer look incase they doubted.