This may be their mission, but it was her ship. Nothing reinforced that statement further than the actions that she decided to take towards Sixteen’s company. There was very little to be argued with that fact. It was as set in stone as the promise of the sun rising the next morning. Sixteen’s eyes, colored a light brown, did not leave the Captain’s gaze as she explained this matter to everyone involved.
His stare could be described as tired. There were in fact shades of dark blue huddling underneath his eyes. A sort of wear; a fatigue that would only plague men older than him or so it seemed. But while his expression was neutrally tired, the spark in his eyes was a burning flame of steel resolve that could endure many times the normal man’s hardship without much long term consequences. He was a stone pillar in the middle of a tempest’s wake.
Then the moment came. She had inquired that they be searched. This was not a statement that the unit wanted to hear, but Sixteen saw it coming. However, he was the only one that did.
Fortythree was the single individual that had virtually no emotion on his face once the procedure began. He did not need a petty staff, many alchemical tinytubes, or a rune prism to perform all of his techniques. Of course, all of them were confiscated now. They would have to cut his arms off for that to happen. He was the only one that did not have a revolver sidearm.
Eighty-five’s ears twitched and stiffened up for a moment or two after hearing Sounsyy. An audible sigh came from the back of her throat as she rested the palms of her hands behind her head and tilted her hip in a single direction, becoming tired of where she stood. She lightly tapped the balls of her feet against the wooden floor, turning impulsive when things were being invasive. She gave those that reached a little too far a skeleton-frying death glare of a thousand Thanalan suns.
But the one most affected by the invasiveness was Ryanti. Not so much with the actual process, but with the thoroughness of what he likened to a nudering of his unit. He did not bother to move when the order was given. The tips of his fingers tightened themselves upon the lockbox, as a hot rush spread amongst his body from his core diaphragm. He was ready to handle any attempt to take the box away from him. He glanced downward towards the shimmering polished surface of the lockbox, witnessing his own dim, melancholy reflection of a young man he half hated. He rubbed his thumb gently upon the box as he felt himself being searched. As easy as it would be for a man like him to enjoy being patted down by a toned woman, he felt no joy in this. He did not like this tension between the two groups. This was exactly why they told him over and over again, that the world is not ready.
Ryanti had the most equipment out of all them. There was a lot of what could be called spelunking tools in his tool belt. There was a grappling hook, a small pick, rope, several high tech pieces of climbing joints and pins and equipment designed to dust things off. He was obviously the one that took care of their findings.
Ryanti also had the most mementos; a total of two. One was a necklace with a Lion’s head and mane, plated in gold, with ruby red eyes. It was his Father’s, previously, though he did not feel worthy enough yet to wear it. The other was a single pedal of a white rose, plucked on the eve of his journey and slowly withering away on his person. A reminder of what the world could do to you if you take nothing in for a long time.
Their revolvers felt heavy and had a high caliber, roughly the same rounds a Garlean Legatus would use in their forearm-mounted guns if they chose to roll out with such a setup. This piece of equipment were like the rest in that they were made with premium quality in mind, and had no manufacturer’s label nor company name embellished upon it or otherwise. It was safe to say none of this equipment existed in any sort of inventory registry.
Adding to the equipment they all carried were countless small tools for exploring, some survival rations, a compass, an aether counter, and of course the extraordinarily well-crafted Sharlayan goggles that they all possessed. This was their most valuable possession next to their guns. They were made of high quality steel with periodic gold trimmings to further augment the aetherial channels that the piece built up during its usage for more power efficiency. One searching them would notice that the goggles come with three modes on the switch that turns them on. Night vision, thermal vision, and a third mode that remained unmarked.
“I’m fine sleeping with the boys.†Eightyfive mentioned to Sounsyy’s polite or rather necessary request to separate herself from her male kin. “I fell asleep with these men on a rowboat no larger than that Roe in the back. A solitary room is good enough of an upgrade.â€
Their eyes followed Fruhsunn lift the incredibly heavy crate with a bit of exertion on his own, showing that he in fact was a living being and not Titan himself shrunken down to a civilian size. There was a bit of anxiety for that unit, though they didn’t show it. They had always had moments of anxiety and high stress in situations that they have faced in the past. All four of them had worked separately in previous assignments, but these assignments all came with the same amount of stress.
“It’s more like we’re hostages rather than a co-op.†Fortythree whispered bitterly, in a voice only audible to the other three of Sixteen’s company.
Ryanti lightly bit his lower lip at the thought. There he was, witnessing with his own eyes his very means of being able to do what he could do disappearing into the hallway. It did not feel good to be pulled away from what was your job. There was a duty that their unit had too. Part of that duty involved never being separated from your equipment, for it can be regarded as greater than or equal to the value of your life.
It was bitter. Bitter as even the light around them illuminated Ryanti’s face in a calm golden glow. The twitching light of the wicker’s fire bounced off of his strong aquamarine eyes as he laid witness to Sounsyy’s injury for the first time. He did not remember that before, but he did not trust himself to rule out the possibility that he just didn’t notice. It made him feel a brief feeling of sadness, and guilt. So she couldn’t trust him? He could see that.
But it felt heavy to know that she might think he would try to do the same thing to her. To take another something away. He could not help but feel that he might accidently do so, and that bothered him. He had never been on a mission with someone he knew outside of this occupation before. He found himself watching her a little more. Trying to understand.
The arrival of Marjanie reminded Ryanti that he had seen two kinds of individuals on this ship so far. Grizzled, scruffy, salty seaborn-bred sailors like P’welro, and… graceful, elegant, toned individuals that had shape in the right places and presence that demanded a double take and perhaps a lingering eye. What was Marjanie? The latter. What was Sounsyy then? Both? That cheered Ryanti up a little bit. Though when he looked at Sounsyy again, her eyes seemed to leer him into his light smile fading away. He felt small in this room. Like he didn’t belong. It was a relief to him when P’welro continued the tour.
Eightyfive reached her hands behind her head to fix the knot of hair that she herself had. It took a captain to remind her that hers was getting loose. The three followed P’welro diligently, Fortythree was not really curious about his surroundings while Ryanti was. The Lalafell kept his stare straight while the Hyqo’te young man glanced up and around, admiring how the lanterns and the ropes and accessories that hung from the wooden walls of the place added an element of Limsan charm to the insides of the ship.
“How old would you say this ship is, P'welro?†Ryanti mentioned, gripping his hand softly upon one of the netted ropes that was hanging from the wall. “Did it always look like this from the inside?â€
“Really?†Eightyfive coined with a smirk, loving to death to prey on one of Ryanti’s mannerisms. “Are you going to embark on one of your quests for knowledge again at the price of wasting valuable hours that could be spent sleeping?â€
“You have plenty of time to sleep when you’re dead.†Fortythree coined with a Lalafellian accent straight out of the desert.
“You’re usually on my side!†Eightyfive shot back, feigning an exaggerated form of surprise with the Lalafell, although part of her actually was.
“I flip back and forth.†The Lalafell responded. Ryanti chimed in next, “Plus we have P’welro here to tuck us in.†It seemed like this unit did not forget how to have fun during their off time. The truth was they needed such. It helped keeped them sane in a job that worked very well at ripping it away.
“At any rate, perhaps one thing we need to look at is your wardrobes.†Fortythree mentioned after the joking died down. “He has a point.†Ryanti added, tapping his finger upon a shoulder of his, emphasizing and highlighting what they were wearing. “This ship needs to look like it is on the most normal and boring voyage – if you have any pieces of clothing to spare, we would rather look like part of your crew than who we really are. We would not want to tip off anyone that we are even here.†Ryanti’s accent was a bit posh, and his grammar was proper. A sharp contrast.
“I suppose that also means we can supplement your crew if anything. It does look like you could use some more hands.†Eightyfive said, crossing her arms. “We could assimilate, if temporarily. It’s obvious that there is a trust problem here, and –“ Ryanti spoke then. “We would like to try to fix that, right?†He placed a hand on his hip, smiling warmly at his female companion, although part of him realized he perhaps was not going to be the most comfortable crewmate, though maybe exploring something new such as that would be exciting?
___________________________
Sixteen quietly followed the captain to her quarters. All that could be heard from him were his calm footsteps, which barely even made an impression upon the wood. The man was naturally light on his feet, even after acquiring the lockbox from Ryanti.
His lips were illuminated by the soft candlelight, though any features that lied above the bridge of his nose were still obscured by the darkness. He kept a neutral, but very serious demeanor about himself. His facial features had not moved an inch since he was below deck. He did nod in acknowledgement when Sounsyy pulled up the stool for him to sit, but he did not take the offer.
He approached the desk in front of them, and then turned around in a military manner by swiftly kicking his heels to face the other way. This was done as a precaution, to make sure no one, not even the Captain, laid eyes on exactly how the box was unlocked. â€I’m sure I do not have to reiterate the level of classification regarding the discussion we are about to have. This conversation is regarded in the highest level of secrecy, and if disclosed, it will compromise the integrity of both Sharlayan, and the Eorzean Alliance. This conversation will never be allowed to be recorded on public record, nor will I acknowledge its existence after the fact.â€
One of his hands manuveared to unbutton the first button of his uniform, located near his collar. It was unknown whether or not that movement was a movement required to unlock the box, or if it was meant as a distraction or a diversion. A small click was heard not sure after, and Sixteen shifted his feet back to face her. The lock was undone, but the box was still closed. If Sounsyy were to look where he had unbuttoned his collar, more of his skin was exposed. It was then disclosed that Sixteen’s body had an obscene amount of scarring on his body. From what could be seen, it was as if someone had taken a razor blade and had deliberately cut him in thousands of places on his body to torture him. This carnage of scars began at his collarbone level.
With another sound, a side compartment of the box opened, revealing a pair of specific black gloves that Sixteen proceeded to place on his hand. They looked like a jeweler’s gloves, although their purpose was not to keep the object from dust or fingerprints but rather keeping the excess aether from leaking into his body through his fingers. “I will now fully entail what we know.†Sixteen mentioned, glancing down at the now unlocked box. “And disclose enough information for you to be able to fulfill all of your potential duty as Captain of this vessel. You were selected by my higher-ups because of your track record and your history of handling sensitive material that may be classified military standard. This may be your most sensitive piece of material yet.â€
Sixteen gathered his breathe, and released it via a sigh. A moment of silence followed, before he spoke again. “Our unit is part of a select group of individuals that are fighting an invisible war. It is no secret that Garlemald utilized a weapon of war capable of squashing the primal threat in the matter of moments. This report, this entire sequence of events was not because Garlemald dived headfirst into research and were able to develop such a maniacal device capable of complete obliteration of godly beings, no. That is not the truth.â€
His eyes flickered up to meet Sounsyy’s, with a strong, piercing gaze, keeping his voice down anyway, despite the levels of privacy he was promised. “Hydealyn is a very old planet, with a very long and winding history. It would be arrogant for civilizations to believe that they know every chapter, every tale, of Hydealyn’s history. It is believed that this continent was settled by our ancestors who created such civilizations as Amdapor and Nym. While there is an element of truth to that, it is reality that the tale of Eorzea’s beginning is… told with a narrow mind, and partially falsified.â€
His hands maneuvered near the lock of the box, ready to lift it up. “Even after millennia since Hydealyn’s last cycle of civilizations, we are nowhere close to understanding, to comprehending, those who came before. In the most present day, we are making discoveries that baffle even our top researchers and give us but merely a glimpse into a peephole of an entire reality that existed far, far before our ‘beginning’ as a people. Countless years in the past, our understanding of our world reached an unimaginable apex. Our war concerns a cycle extinct to the world’s witness for so long that for eons it remained a complete unknown to present peoples. Until now. Until the Empire. Ultima was a not a weapon of Garlemald’s. It was a weapon of…
theirs.â€
And with that, he slowly opened the box. Was first emerged from Sixteen’s side was that his face was illuminated by a soft cyan light that seemingly pulsated in phases where it shined brightly, then faded, then brightly again. Every time the phase shined brightly, it emitted a humming sound foreign to anyone that had not been around artifacts of this civilization before. To a learned man like Sixteen, it was a hum of machinery and technology woven in magical aether on a limitless scale that he had trouble comprehending until a decent amount of time under service.
“Garlemald reasoned that if they could uncover the deepest, darkest secrets of the most distant past, that they could reverse engineer their discoveries. If they succeed, they will absolutely dominate the rest of the known world and beyond without question. Ultima was only the beginning to them. In retaliation for Garlemald’s actions, the Eorzean Alliance and the city state of Sharlayan cooperated in a joint effort to form a top secret counterintelligence unit to prevent Garlemald from further discovery by intercepting their findings and beating them to the punch, so that whatever benefits may be had from mining the knowledge of eons past can be utilized in the right hands or destroyed alright if the world is not ready. Us four are part of that unit, and the reason why we are classified in the highest levels of secrecy is
because the world is not ready.â€
He paused for a moment, letting that sink in for a moment before he reached into the box, placing his fingertips upon the humming, pulsating object inside. “This is where you come in. A fisherman on Cinderfoot River came across this inactive object and tried to pawn it like a piece of jewelry in the Ul’Dahn markets. A merchant, suspicious of forgery, turned it into the authorities, specifically the Immortal Flames. Upon discover of its origin, it was immediately whisked away into the black label of the Eorzean Alliance, and transported to Sharlayan for study. That was when the object activated.â€
With that, the moment finally came. Sixteen lifted the object from the box’s clutches, and presented it for Sounsyy to see. There was an element of strangeness when looking at it directly. It was as if one would feel lighter in weight, and it would cause a warm, tingling feeling the closer someone was to it, and the longer they would stare at it. It was mostly a square shape, though it was slotted at the top, as if I was a key of some sort. It was made out of an unknown composite metal forged in a completely unknown manner with a level of skill beyond anything the present day could even try to match. The red ‘veins’ within the device pulsated from a bright red to a cyan blue every few seconds, continuing to hum with that very same pulse.
Show Content
Spoiler
“This anomaly has to pull to it, detectable if you place your bare hands upon it. After this anomaly activated, it provided the researchers with a location. A location that the anomaly seemed to pull them towards. One researcher in particular was compelled to write down nautical coordinates, which are those very same coordinates we have provided your crew, and which ultimately lead to the bottom of the Indigo Deep, far out to sea. This device is calling us there, and we need to investigate. We need to figure exactly
what it is pulling us to find, and why. And we need to do this before Garlemald finds out. Twelve knows what they would do with what they find…â€
He slowly maneuvered the anomaly back into the box, and closed it with a click. “So our intentions are to dive into the ocean and find out where it is leading us. The repercussions of this have the potential to affect the course of history for the entire planet – as do all of our missions. My men would die a million times over to enrich the world with this lost knowledge, and protect it from falling into the wrong hands. If you and your crew love their nation and this world, then I would expect the same of them. I know it is asking much, but...â€
He slowly took his gloves off, and rested them upon the desk. They felt tingly, as if infected with static electricity. “I need them, Captain, and I need you. We need all the help we can get, and you may explain to your crew the importance behind this minus the details if you wish. I have the intention for everyone to understand the significance of this.â€