"Oh fuck, Faneris has it in for us now."
Wyvern Captain Mie-Xinglong slid the last fuel rod into his Wyvern's reactor and securing its hatch before climbing to the navigator's canopy. Turning to the forecast projected on the hangar wall that his navigator was staring at beside him, the hangar swayed as turbulence shook the massive aircraft.
He chuckled darkly, replying, "We've had it coming for a long time, Erich. I'd be surprised if he didn't. Just hope that the tome he's burning isn't ours. Now strap yourself in, it's almost time to go. The Heavenark is hungry for parts and I'd hate to disappoint."
He made his way to the bridge, greeting his copilot, Yu-Shanyun. The younger man grinned, handing him his flight helmet. He took his seat beside him, securing himself to the cushions and sliding forward to his console.
"Weather isn't very happy, huh?"
"I hope you prayed to Klaniau for stealing my bun at breakfast because if we die for your crimes against humanity, I will beat your rear red."
"Ha-ha, you'll have to take your pain medication for your back first old man!"
Xinglong gently slapped him on the helmet, smiling as he slipped on the flight mask and pulled down the lead-glass visor, locking it to the mask. He glanced at his console, the diagnostics reporting all systems functional and ready.
"Right, is everyone ready? Erich?"
"Ready, sir."
"Shanyun?"
The copilot snapped his visor on, nodding in Xinglong's direction.
"Ready, Captain."
"Greta?"
The scavenger specialist answered over the intercom from her seat by the cargo bay.
"Ready, Captain. Let's get the parts and go home."
"Agreed, Lieutenant. "Eckerman? Huayun?"
The two Imperial Marines were both seated at their alcoves along the fuselage of the aircraft, responding uniformly.
"Ready, Sir."
"All good, then. Diagnostics are green across the console, and while conditions are less than ideal, let us hope that our prior misfortunes give us luck. Dragons bless us all!"
He was met by cheering from at least someone as he contacted the control room.
"Heavenark Nest, this is W-Fourteen on scavenging duty. Requesting permission to drop and conduct mission?"
The cool voice of the control room replied immediately.
"Granted, Captain. Bay opened, and good hunting. May the wind flow at your back."
"Danke, Dragons bless!"
The large bay doors beneath the Wyvern IIIC slowly rolled open, exposing the dark void of the sky beyond, the wind and rain violently blasting by underneath, the runway pointing diagonally downwards. The arms holding the aircraft lowered them towards the gaping mouth of the deep void, the roar of the engine and reactor drowned out by the scream of the weather, puddles forming on the heavily-armored cockpit.
The entire ship shuddered violently as the arms released them, the hangar slipping behind as the ship was launched out, eventually disappearing back within the hulk of the Heavenark, the runway door lifting, shutting, the glow of the last dragoni refuge sealed behind them until they came back.
That is if they came back at all.
The ship continued to shudder as it zipped down through the heavens, the storm throwing them around as if the Dragons were beating their great wings themselves. Xinglong gritted his teeth and held onto the arms of the steering wheel as it threatened to slip out of his hands. He flicked the stabilizers to life, the sharp hissing of the thrusters countering the turbulence of the storm, eventually turning the rollercoaster into a near-smooth cruise.
Xinglong carefully guided the Wyvern out of the clouds into what Erich's maps had decreed to be the location of Metria Central University in what had been New Derusmia. The campus, in addition to the rest of the city, looked more or less abandoned, but the small trails of smoke and infrared scans told otherwise.
He chose to drop off the away team near its engineering buildings, Erich performing a full scan of the surroundings and directing fire from the support turret at anything that seemed suspicious. The bay doors swung open, and the rappelling cable was extended, a low thunk confirming its descent.
The two Imperial Marines and Greta took their places at the rope, sliding down one by one, their Geiger counters crackling in their headphones. Drawing her carbine, she turned on her night-vision goggles and began scanning the surroundings, the two soldiers following her closely behind. She verified that her intercom was enabled, talking to her fellow dragonaii with a low voice.
"Alright, let's get the equipment and get the hell home."
"Good winds, Greta. We'll be monitoring from above, as usual."
"Wilco. Good winds."
With that, she signaled to the soldiers to follow her as the cable was retracted, the Wyvern flying off above them. Only the rain and wind accompanied them now, the ruins of a once-great institution towering above them. She carefully made her way towards the main building, weapon raised.
Perhaps the endless void of the sky was ominous to some, but to the dragonaii, the forsaken earth was their new enemy.
Eckerman kicked the door in, and in they marched, strangers to the dead mind of a dead friend.