CHAPTER NINE: DIVERGENT VECTOR
Reality slammed into place around Countdown, and he reached up to rub his temples as electricity crackled around him. After a moment, he looked up to see the small valley and collection of beastformers he'd expected to see. "No change, I assume?"
"No sir," Tigertron replied. Nodding in mild satisfaction, Countdown looked up at the night sky. It was barely half an hour after sunset, the clear sky giving him an excellent view of the moons and stars. Stepping up next to him, Tigertron transformed to robot mode and gave him a curious look. "If I may sir, what exactly is going on? Our orders were rather sparse on details."
Spinning all four of his wheels in frustration, Countdown sighed. "There was an incident to the far east of here. Dinobots team ended up engaging a squad of Garlean soldiers. They're all fine," he quickly added, well aware that the young bot had been courting Airrazor for some time. "Every one of them is back aboard ship. But they ended up bringing someone else along with them."
Considering that for a moment, Tigertrons optics narrowed. "A local."
"Hyur woman, yeah. Possibly a person of interest in the long term, but right now…" he frowned again, optics searching the night sky.
"Organic lifeforms often have… adverse reactions to orbital jumps," Tigertron said carefully.
Countdown winced at that. "Yeah. That's certainly the case this time. And we still don't have enough information on local medical needs for Fixit and his people to care for her long-term. About the only good news is that she was unconscious when she arrived on the Axalon, so she doesn't know anything serious about our capabilities. Unfortunately, it also means we can't risk sending her back down with an orbital jump," he muttered.
"Hence, this approach," Tigertron nodded in understanding, looking up at the stars. "There she is," he said after a moment, spotting a tiny flicker of blue, barely visible against the night sky, descending towards them. As they watched, it came closer, until the bots on the ground could identify it as a small flying saucer style spaceship, maybe big enough for three micromaster sized passengers, if they didn't move around too much.
Watching as the saucer closed in, Tigertron considered the choice of vehicles. One of the handful of Gobots to join the expedition, Pathfinder was also one of the very few mechs aboard the Axalon capable of independent long-range space travel and atmospheric entry. Combined with her small size and natural stealth abilities, she was the perfect choice to safely transport an organic life-form planet-side without risking a reaction from the Allagan war moon. And on top of that, she was a skilled enough pilot to make a night landing with minimal lights, reducing the chance anyone in the city to the south of their location saw her.
Soon enough, the saucer settled down in the valley, safely out of sight from anyone that might have been watching the sky in the city to the south. Countdown and the beastformers quickly ran towards it, even as the side hatch unsealed and moved aside, revealing Fixit huddled over a blood-stained Hyur woman, wrapped in bandages seemingly made from pieces of her own clothes. "Gimme a hand here!" the doctor snapped.
"Solus have mercy," whispered the giant fire ant among the group, catching sight of the deep burns across the woman's thighs, and the odd scar patterns running along her arms. Even for a mechanical being, the sight was still horrifying, and he forced himself to look away.
Tigertron helped Countdown maneuver the woman through the hatch. The Captain then hoisted her over his shoulders in a firemechs carry, even as his shoulder wheels opened up and his tangible glamour activated, cloaking him in the form of 'Copper Dawn', the Roegadyns armor now updated to more modern styles. "Alright. Skywarp, you're on overwatch," he said, glancing at the eagle perched in a nearby tree. "We'll maintain radio contact as long as I'm in town. If something goes wrong… well, we'll figure that out based off the situation. For now, I want this site nice and burned. Make them think this is where she got her injuries."
Behind Fixit, Pathfinder transformed to her bot form, noticeably towering over the rest of the mechs present. "I think I can handle that," she informed him.
"Thanks Path. Best I get moving," Adjusting his load slightly, Countdown started to jog down the path towards town. Behind him, the rest of the bots backed away from Pathfinder as she began to crackle with electricity, quickly vanishing into another orbital jump back to the Axalon, leaving the grass around where she'd been burning softly.
Studying the flames as they spread, the ant chuckled bitterly. "Well, that's my nightmare for the next few solar cycles," he noted.
"I think that we're all have that to look forward to," Tigertron muttered, glancing over at where Countdown was vanishing around a bend in the road, before looking over at where Fixit was standing, studying his hands with a blank expression on his face. "Doctor?"
"I'm alright," he responded, trying to wipe some of the dried blood off his hands. "Just thinking… We need medical data on the natives. This won't be the last time my people have to treat them."
"That's not the sort of information we can gain with just watching people," the ant commented. "Times like this, I appreciate just being a grunt. Let more talented bots figure that sort of thing out..."
***
Covering her mouth, the Miqo'te guard tried his best to suppress a yawn, and failed, much to the amusement of his colleague. "Shut up."
"Told ya ta get some sleep during the day before ya start this duty rotation," the Roegadyn replied. "Shoulda listened."
"I did get some sleep. Night watch is just naturally miserable and you know it." Sighing, he adjusted the sleeve of his tunic and looked up at the stars for a minute. "Sooner I get back on the day roster the better."
Grinning, the Roegadyn opened her mouth, then paused, taking a closer look at the road to the north, and the patches of light provided by the torches that ran along it. "Someone's out there."
That comment cheered the Miqo'te up, just for the value of a distraction. That cheer lasted until he caught sight of what his partner had seen. A Roegadyn man in plate armor, running for the city gates like the Hound of Menphina was at his heels. And there was something slung over his shoulders…
"Matron's Tits," he swore. "Get the healers!" he yelled at his colleague, before sprinting out into the night. The Roegadyn man saw him coming and started to slow, only for his legs to nearly give way under him, sending him stumbling. Reaching him just in time, the Miqo'te caught him, taking the woman he'd been carrying. "What in the Navigator happened to you two?!" he asked, looking over the numerous wounds across her body.
"No… idea…" the man gasped as he fell to his knees, sounding like he was about to vomit his lungs up. "Found her… back that way," he managed, gesturing back into the hills, before unhooking a waterskin from his belt. The guard glanced at him long enough to check he wasn't actually hurt, then turned his attention back to the rough bandages around the woman's waist.
Behind them, several more guards were coming out of the town gates, one carrying a stretcher, while another hold an arcanists tome. Soon enough, the woman was laid out on the stretcher, intricate magical patterns glowing in the air above her. "She's safe to move," the arcanist said after a moment, before looking at an underling. "You, run ahead to the healing house. They're to prepare for a critical patient, battle wounds, severe burns, and high levin exposure."
As the underling sprinted away, the Miqo'te guard turned his attention to the Roegadyn man sprawled in the dirt. "And you?" he asked, noting the red blood stains across the mans upper body.
"Oh, this is all hers," he admitted. "Other than that, just out of breath. Sprinting a malm or so isn't exactly easy, even when you're not carrying someone." Groaning, he climbed to his feet, waving off a helpful hand, then watched as his companion was ferried into town. Stumbling slightly on unsteady legs, he took a deep breath. "Name's Copper Dawn."
"And the lass?"
"Not a clue," he admitted. "Like I said, I found her about a malm uproad. Maybe a malm and a half," he mused. "I kind of lost track of distance there. Anyway, I did what I could to stop the bleeding, then carried her here." Wiping at his neck and shoulder, he scowled as all he did was smear the blood across his clothes and skin more. "Not sure she was really safe to move, but I couldn't just leave her there."
Snorting, the guard looked towards the gate. "Yeah, no right choice there… look, let's find you somewhere to sit down before your legs give way again," he suggested. "And maybe somewhere you can clean yourself up a little."
Rubbing a hand against is neck, Copper scowled when it came back sticky with blood. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."
***
Pain. That was the first thing Yda was aware of as consciousness returned. Sharp pains across her waist and chest stood out in contrast to a cold, unnatural numbness in her limbs. Even lying down with her eyes closed, there was an odd sense of vertigo that left her yearning to return to sleep. Instead, she forced her eyes open, trying to ignore how that made her head feel like a knife was being stabbed through it, and found herself looking up at an unfamiliar timber ceiling. "Where…?"
"Aleport," came an oddly muffled reply to her left. Turning her head in that direction, she saw an unfamiliar Roegadyn sitting in a chair by her bedside, a book in his hands. "Specifically, the healing house run by the Knights of the Barracuda." Closing the book and placing it on the bedside table, he rose to his feet. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to wake quite this soon."
"...Who are you?" Yda asked, surprised at just how much effort it took to get the words out. At the same time, her mind was racing as she tried to gather her thoughts. Hadn't she been in Ala Mhigo? Aleport was on the island of Vylbrand, literally on the other side of the continent! Had she teleported somehow? That or the man was lying for some reason, possibly as a Garlean trick, but she quickly dismissed that for the most part. The air certainly smelt like a Limsan port town, if nothing else.
He smiled, bowing slightly. "My name is Copper Dawn. I was the one that found you, about a malm and a half north of town last night. It's fortunate I did too, you were in a bad way. The Knights will likely want to ask you about it now you're awake." Taking a pitcher of water from the table, he poured a small amount into a cup and offered it to her.
Reaching for the cup, Yda frowned in surprise at the bandages covering her hand. Her failure to recognize their presence, combined with the general numbness, did not imply pleasant possibilities for her injuries. For the moment, she merely sighed, letting the man hold the cup for her as she took a sip. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Was… was there anyone else with me?"
"None that I saw," he replied. "Should there have been?"
"… I'm not sure," she admitted after a moments thought. "Before, I'd been…" her voice trailed off as she tried to remember, but just what she'd been doing was vague at best. She remembered escorting Conrad to the resistance team waiting to pick him up, then returning to Loch Seld to wait for Fordola, and then… she wasn't sure.
Thankfully, Copper didn't press for details, merely placing the cup on the bedside table and moving towards the door. "I'll let the nurses know you're awake." Yda didn't reply, instead staring at the ceiling and gathering her thoughts.
Unsurprisingly, the doctor that came to check up on her was accompanied by a Barracuda officer, one of the 'Yellowjackets' that served as peacekeepers and security across the nation of Limsa Lominsa. Given where Yda had been found, they naturally had many questions for the woman.
"The Circle of Knowing eh? We've had dealings with one of your group before," the officer noted after she'd shared her name and affiliation.
"Yeah, for you Limsans, that'd be Y'shtola. Miqo woman, little older than me but looks about the same age, white hair, capable of making you feel five years old with the raise of an eyebrow?"
That description drew an honest laugh from the man. "Aye, that certainly matches the good lady," he agreed. "One of my men made the mistake of giving her lip one time. Swear the lad flinches every time he sees white hair now!" His voice turned more serious. "I'll have someone inform her you're here."
"Thank you," Yda replied, as if she hadn't noticed the officer had implied he was going to be verifying her identity, and the consequences if she'd been lying. "I'd do it myself, but I, uh, seem to have lost my linkpearl. You wouldn't happen to have it by any chance?"
"There wasn't one in your possessions, and so far, the people we sent up to check where you were found haven't reported finding one. Now then Miss Hext, what brought you to Vylbrand?"
The woman frowned. "That I'm not sure of," she admitted. "Like, the last thing I remember, I wasn't even close to here. I was in the Twelveswood." The location she remembered was a lie, but she kept any trace of it from her face or voice. While it was unlikely that any Limsan would be sympathetic to the Empire, there was still the chance of some animosity towards Ala Mhigo, given both nations history. "Then I wake up here, a stranger next to my bed."
"You're saying you never met the man before?" the officer inquired.
She shook her head, then winced, regretting the action immediately. "Not that I remember."
"Then what do you remember?" the officer asked.
Yda considered that for a moment, then twitched a hand. "I'm sorry sir. Everything after breakfast is a blur."
That admission drew a suspicious look from the man, but then he relaxed slightly. "That matches with what our healers expected," he admitted.
Raising an eyebrow, Yda glanced at the Lalafell healer standing on a stool next to her bed. "You were struck by a frankly obscene amount of levin aether," the man explained. "Short-term memory loss is a common side effect of such things."
"Lightning magic…Do not like that…" she muttered, considering the possibilities, but was distracted by how heavy her eyes felt.
Catching that, the healer looked over at the officer. "That will have to do for now," he said. "She needs her rest."
Flipping his notebook closed, the man sighed. "Very well. We'll speak later Miss Hext."
Trying to focus on him, Yda realized the world was growing increasingly blurry for some reason...
***
"It's nothing to be concerned about," the healer said as they stepped into the hallway. "Extreme fatigue, periods of weakness, these are all aftereffects of levin damage. She'll be like this for some time, even with dedicated healing."
Looking up from where he was leaning against a wall (And covertly listening in on the whole meeting, thanks to some careful adjustments to his audio receptors), Countdown frowned. "She's asleep?"
"Afraid so," the officer replied. "Were you hoping otherwise?"
He shrugged slightly. "I was hoping to speak with her properly at some point. But after last night, I'd really prefer to reach Quarterstone before sunset, which means I should leave soon."
"True enough," the officer conceded. "Well, I don't see us having any further questions for you sir." He held out a hand. "My thanks for what you did here."
Returning the handshake, Countdown smiled. "I couldn't have done anything else," he said. "Once I reach Limsa, I'll be joining the Adventurer's Guild. If you need to contact me again after all…"
"We'll be sure to reach out, don't worry."
Bowing slightly to the healer, Countdown turned and made his way downstairs, and from there, stepped out into the afternoon bustle. Aleport was the first Eorzean town that he'd been able to see in person since returning to this world, and while he regretted the circumstances that led to his presence, he still welcomed the chance to get a closer look. Smooth, clean masonry, supported by timber and metal where needed. Relatively clean streets made of carefully crafted brickwork that held together, despite the grass relentlessly growing though the cracks.
And in the harbor rested massive sailing ships built for the open seas. Not just cargo ships or passenger liners either. Many of the boats he saw were armed, some of them with entire broadsides of cannons visible on the decks and through portholes below decks.
By the standards of the Transformers, it was all undeniably primitive, but there was a beauty to it regardless, and Countdown took the time to appreciate it as he made his way uphill towards the town gates. For a long time, he'd been afraid that the Calamity Hydaelyn had foretold would wipe away everything, leaving a world without civilization, the people desperate to survive in the ruins. But they'd endured that disaster, and rebuilt a society that seemed to be at least the equal of that which had come before. He couldn't help but take hope from that.
Reaching the gates, he nodded to the guards on duty, then set off on the road to the east. Several days travel along this route would take an individual around the isle of Vylbrand and down to the city-states capital of Limsa Lominsa. For the would-be adventurer Countdown had presented himself as, it made perfect sense to take that route as opposed to the direct ferry, and none had questioned him about it.
Which meant that, half an hour later, well out of sight from the city walls, there was no one to witness his disappearance via orbital jump.
***
Dinobot did not fidget. His pride would not allow it. Instead, he locked his frame in place as best he could and remained at attention, waiting as patiently as he could. At the desk in front of him, Countdown studied a datapad, never looking up at him. All Dinobot could do was wait, staring at the clock on the wall behind his captain moved ever forward, cycle after cycle. It was an age old tactic for officers who were… irritated with a subordinate. Dinobot knew this all too well. And yet, he still felt increasingly nervous as the cycles ticked over, the need to say something, or at least move, growing ever stronger.
Finally, Countdown placed the datapad on his desk and looked up at Dinobot, his expression blank. "So. We have a local woman who may or may not have knowledge of talking animals wandering around Ala Mhigo at the very least. Said woman is also seriously injured, possibly permanently, from actions Optimus was forced to take as a result of your intervention. The Garlean Empire now has several dead soldiers, and while it is unlikely they even suspect the true nature of what happened, should we ever decided to go public with our presence on Etheirys, they may recall this incident, at which point the odds of them considering us a hostile power would be… significant." Despite his need to speak up only a moment before, Dinobot wisely remained silent. Countdown's optics narrowed, and the micromaster tapped the datapad. "I've read the reports, both yours and your squads. I've reviewed the memories you all uploaded, as well as the sky spy footage. But there's one thing I still need to know. What were you thinking?"
"I have no excuse for my actions," Dinobot said, before Countdown slammed a hand down on the desk, cutting him off with a loud bang.
"I am not asking for your excuses Lieutenant! I am asking, specifically, what in the pit you were thinking when you decided to engage Garlean soldiers in a situation you knew you had no business getting involved in! Your statement to Airrazor is on the record," he pointed out, tapping the datapad again. "'Our mission is a covert one, and our orders to maintain stealth were clear. If she is willing to die to protect the child, all we can do is honor it.' Your exact words Lieutenant, less than a minute before you ran into the battle anyway. So, again, what were you thinking?"
For a moment, Dinobot didn't answer, searching for the right words. Then, he sighed softly, bowing his head. "They were going to kill a child. I recognize that taking action was a violation of our orders, but..." his head rose again, and he met Countdowns optics without flinching. "At the time, I was not thinking. I merely reacted."
Countdowns optics narrowed, studying the Maximal for long enough that Dinobot was once again fighting the urge to fidget. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "I'd be a hypocrite if I said I'd never done the same thing… You know, I assigned Cheetor and Airrazor to your team because I believed you could keep them from doing anything reckless," he said with a bitter smile. "And yet, here we are."
"As you say sir. Regardless, I still violated your orders. And as such, I accept any and all consequences for my behavior."
Nodding, the captain tapped his fingers against his desk, thinking for a moment. "You're off planet side duties for the next lunar cycle," he said. "You'll be reassigned to Rhinox, to assist him in various shipboard duties." Dinobot tried to suppress a wince at that, but didn't quite succeed, drawing a faint smirk from Countdown. "I'm sure he can find something to fill your time."
"Yes sir."
"Dismissed." Dinobot saluted, turned and marched towards the door only to stop as Countdown spoke up again. "Oh, and off the record? Sky Spies are keeping an optic on the girl, given we don't dare send a beastformer in right now. She's alive, and the Garleans don't even appear interested in her, now that Miss Hext is missing. Hold on to that little detail over the next few weeks."
"… Thank you sir."
***
Half an hour later, the door of Countdowns office opened again, and the mech looked up from his datawork to see Optimus Primal enter. Saving the current file he was working on, he considered his executive officer for a minute. "I gave Dinobot to Rhinox for the next month," he said at last.
Primal nodded in understanding. "That sort of work is the sort of thing that Dinobot loathes."
"That was the idea. How are you holding up?"
The other mech sighed, running a hand across his face. "Better now you confirmed she's awake and healing," he admitted. "I'm still not going to get the image of her in the Jump Bay out of my memory engrams anytime soon."
"You made the right choice for the situation you were left with."
"I made the least worst choice," Optimus disagreed. "There's a difference." Countdown sighed, conceding the point, and the grey-furred mech held up a datapad. "Anyway, I have some potentially positive news for you."
Taking the pad, Countdown scrolled through the images on it. Buildings in an unfamiliar style, some showing signs of neglect and collapse, city streets that showed the same, with roads starting to vanish under grass and other flora. "… An abandoned city?"
"A recently abandoned one," Optimus replied. "We estimate it was only abandoned in the last decade or so, and whatever the cause, it was an orderly evacuation." He smirked slightly. "More than that, it seems that a good deal of material was left behind. Records, libraries… We've even identified at least one school."
"Interesting… I don't suppose we have a name yet?"
He nodded "From several pieces the scouts have recovered, they believe it was called Sharlayan."
***
After a week in bed, Yda was more than willing to admit she was bored. The staff of the healing house were insistent she remain in bed as much as possible, with the exception of physical therapy sessions. She'd already finished the small number of books they had on offer, and she'd fleeced enough people at triad that word was getting around. Even the more reckless Barracudas were reluctant to test themselves against her.
Shame really. It had been an interesting challenge to handle the cards with her fingers in bandages without giving away her tricks.
Sighing, she leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Bored. Bored bored boredy bored bored. So borrrrred."
"Personally, I'm amazed the staff here have managed to keep you safely in bed for this long," a woman's voice said, sounding an incredible mixture of relieved, sarcastic, and utterly furious. Wincing slightly, Yda lifted her head from the pillow to see a familiar Miqo'te woman standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.
Glancing down, Yda saw the womans tail lashing back and forth in agitation, and couldn't help but flinch. Y'shtola Rhul was a woman who tended to keep her emotions on a tight leash at the best of times. For her to slip enough that her body language was on full display… "I don't remember the day before waking up here," she said. "Is Papalymo alright?"
The question stopped Y'shtola's anger, just for a moment, as she considered the woman in front of her. "He is safe, in Gridania," she said after a moment. "Thancred is with him. As was I, until I returned to Limsa Lominsa briefly to attend to some time sensitive matters. You can imagine my surprise," she continued, anger returning, "when I found a message from the Knights of the Barracuda awaiting me, concerning a fellow Archon appearing in Aleport of all places." Her gaze passed over Yda's body, studying the bandages, the scar patterns on her arms, all of it, and her anger faded slightly. "We thought you were dead… And it seems you nearly were."
"A would-be adventurer found me north of here," Yda said, "in a valley full of burns they tell me looked like levin-aspected aether. How in the hells I got there, I have no idea. I could only make it that far in less than a day with some sort of teleportation, obviously. Not even Cid's best airship could manage that kind of speed, let alone without anyone seeing it." Grumbling, she moved to sit up slightly, an action that had Y'shtola briskly walking across the room and helping her adjust the pillows. "But I've never heard of any kind of teleportation magic that burns everything with levin. Everything," she repeated, raising her bandaged hands for emphasis.
Y'Shtolas eyebrows rose as she looked at her friends arms, before she took a well-maintained maple wand off her belt, carefully waving it over Yda's limbs, a faint glow radiating out from it. After a minute, she lowered the wand, her teal eyes filled with horror. "It is almost as if the levin dug its way into your body, before exploding outward… No one would design teleportation magics that worked like this, let alone-" Cutting herself off mid sentence, she glanced towards the still open door, then waved her wand, closing it with a well aimed gust of wind. "Let alone the Garlean Empire."
She nodded in agreement. With the Garlean race unable to directly use magic, the Empire had little interest in developing magic that only conquered races would be able to use, instead focusing on technological development. "What did Papalymo tell you?" Yda asked quietly.
"On the day you vanished, the Garleans sealed off all the major exits to the region, then sent soldiers into the wilds. When he spoke to you by linkpearl, your response suggested that they were already closing in on your position." Yda frowned, considering that, before Y'shstola continued. "The last thing you said was asking him to look after Lyse."
"…Shite," she whispered, eyes watering. "I expected to die there." Entrusting her partner with that responsibility would be her instinctive reaction in such a situation.
"So, certain death, only for you to appear on the other side of the continent, injured and without any memory of the event." Returning her wand to its holster, the Miqo'te considered the matter. "Perhaps the levin was not from the teleportation. If it was from something else, perhaps a Garlean weapon of some sort…"
Yda had known her colleague long enough to be able to follow her train of thought. "That would require a third party of some sort to extract me safely. But to leave me in the middle of nowhere… No, wait, the adventurer that found me. Copper Dawn, he said his name was. Maybe that discovery wasn't an accident."
"So he, or his allies, burned a location near here with levin, in an attempt to make us think teleportation magics were involved."
"Maybe they were, just without the levin. Like I said, I can't imagine how they got me here so fast otherwise. That said…" She chewed her lip for a moment as a thought occurred to her. "Are you familiar with auspices?"
Raising an eyebrow at the topic change, Y'shtola nodded. "A far eastern myth, although there is evidence to support it. Animals that have lived so long their aether has transformed, granting them sapience and enhanced magical abilities. Although I don't see the relevance…?"
"Neither do I," the woman admitted. "But my mind has been lingering on the topic all week, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's just my brain sparking out something weird after too much levin, but it could be something more."
"Perhaps," Y'shtola allowed, but one could hear the scepticism in her voice. Which Yda had to admit was understandable.
Closing her eyes for a minute, she leaned back into her pillow, before another thought occurred to her. "Shtola, did you send any messages about my situation to Sharlayan before the Barracudas contacted you about my survival?"
The silence that followed her question was telling, until the woman sighed heavily. "The boat carrying my update to Master Louisoix departed five days ago. I'm afraid that Lyse will be notified of your apparent death."
"… Shite."
Reality slammed into place around Countdown, and he reached up to rub his temples as electricity crackled around him. After a moment, he looked up to see the small valley and collection of beastformers he'd expected to see. "No change, I assume?"
"No sir," Tigertron replied. Nodding in mild satisfaction, Countdown looked up at the night sky. It was barely half an hour after sunset, the clear sky giving him an excellent view of the moons and stars. Stepping up next to him, Tigertron transformed to robot mode and gave him a curious look. "If I may sir, what exactly is going on? Our orders were rather sparse on details."
Spinning all four of his wheels in frustration, Countdown sighed. "There was an incident to the far east of here. Dinobots team ended up engaging a squad of Garlean soldiers. They're all fine," he quickly added, well aware that the young bot had been courting Airrazor for some time. "Every one of them is back aboard ship. But they ended up bringing someone else along with them."
Considering that for a moment, Tigertrons optics narrowed. "A local."
"Hyur woman, yeah. Possibly a person of interest in the long term, but right now…" he frowned again, optics searching the night sky.
"Organic lifeforms often have… adverse reactions to orbital jumps," Tigertron said carefully.
Countdown winced at that. "Yeah. That's certainly the case this time. And we still don't have enough information on local medical needs for Fixit and his people to care for her long-term. About the only good news is that she was unconscious when she arrived on the Axalon, so she doesn't know anything serious about our capabilities. Unfortunately, it also means we can't risk sending her back down with an orbital jump," he muttered.
"Hence, this approach," Tigertron nodded in understanding, looking up at the stars. "There she is," he said after a moment, spotting a tiny flicker of blue, barely visible against the night sky, descending towards them. As they watched, it came closer, until the bots on the ground could identify it as a small flying saucer style spaceship, maybe big enough for three micromaster sized passengers, if they didn't move around too much.
Watching as the saucer closed in, Tigertron considered the choice of vehicles. One of the handful of Gobots to join the expedition, Pathfinder was also one of the very few mechs aboard the Axalon capable of independent long-range space travel and atmospheric entry. Combined with her small size and natural stealth abilities, she was the perfect choice to safely transport an organic life-form planet-side without risking a reaction from the Allagan war moon. And on top of that, she was a skilled enough pilot to make a night landing with minimal lights, reducing the chance anyone in the city to the south of their location saw her.
Soon enough, the saucer settled down in the valley, safely out of sight from anyone that might have been watching the sky in the city to the south. Countdown and the beastformers quickly ran towards it, even as the side hatch unsealed and moved aside, revealing Fixit huddled over a blood-stained Hyur woman, wrapped in bandages seemingly made from pieces of her own clothes. "Gimme a hand here!" the doctor snapped.
"Solus have mercy," whispered the giant fire ant among the group, catching sight of the deep burns across the woman's thighs, and the odd scar patterns running along her arms. Even for a mechanical being, the sight was still horrifying, and he forced himself to look away.
Tigertron helped Countdown maneuver the woman through the hatch. The Captain then hoisted her over his shoulders in a firemechs carry, even as his shoulder wheels opened up and his tangible glamour activated, cloaking him in the form of 'Copper Dawn', the Roegadyns armor now updated to more modern styles. "Alright. Skywarp, you're on overwatch," he said, glancing at the eagle perched in a nearby tree. "We'll maintain radio contact as long as I'm in town. If something goes wrong… well, we'll figure that out based off the situation. For now, I want this site nice and burned. Make them think this is where she got her injuries."
Behind Fixit, Pathfinder transformed to her bot form, noticeably towering over the rest of the mechs present. "I think I can handle that," she informed him.
"Thanks Path. Best I get moving," Adjusting his load slightly, Countdown started to jog down the path towards town. Behind him, the rest of the bots backed away from Pathfinder as she began to crackle with electricity, quickly vanishing into another orbital jump back to the Axalon, leaving the grass around where she'd been burning softly.
Studying the flames as they spread, the ant chuckled bitterly. "Well, that's my nightmare for the next few solar cycles," he noted.
"I think that we're all have that to look forward to," Tigertron muttered, glancing over at where Countdown was vanishing around a bend in the road, before looking over at where Fixit was standing, studying his hands with a blank expression on his face. "Doctor?"
"I'm alright," he responded, trying to wipe some of the dried blood off his hands. "Just thinking… We need medical data on the natives. This won't be the last time my people have to treat them."
"That's not the sort of information we can gain with just watching people," the ant commented. "Times like this, I appreciate just being a grunt. Let more talented bots figure that sort of thing out..."
***
Covering her mouth, the Miqo'te guard tried his best to suppress a yawn, and failed, much to the amusement of his colleague. "Shut up."
"Told ya ta get some sleep during the day before ya start this duty rotation," the Roegadyn replied. "Shoulda listened."
"I did get some sleep. Night watch is just naturally miserable and you know it." Sighing, he adjusted the sleeve of his tunic and looked up at the stars for a minute. "Sooner I get back on the day roster the better."
Grinning, the Roegadyn opened her mouth, then paused, taking a closer look at the road to the north, and the patches of light provided by the torches that ran along it. "Someone's out there."
That comment cheered the Miqo'te up, just for the value of a distraction. That cheer lasted until he caught sight of what his partner had seen. A Roegadyn man in plate armor, running for the city gates like the Hound of Menphina was at his heels. And there was something slung over his shoulders…
"Matron's Tits," he swore. "Get the healers!" he yelled at his colleague, before sprinting out into the night. The Roegadyn man saw him coming and started to slow, only for his legs to nearly give way under him, sending him stumbling. Reaching him just in time, the Miqo'te caught him, taking the woman he'd been carrying. "What in the Navigator happened to you two?!" he asked, looking over the numerous wounds across her body.
"No… idea…" the man gasped as he fell to his knees, sounding like he was about to vomit his lungs up. "Found her… back that way," he managed, gesturing back into the hills, before unhooking a waterskin from his belt. The guard glanced at him long enough to check he wasn't actually hurt, then turned his attention back to the rough bandages around the woman's waist.
Behind them, several more guards were coming out of the town gates, one carrying a stretcher, while another hold an arcanists tome. Soon enough, the woman was laid out on the stretcher, intricate magical patterns glowing in the air above her. "She's safe to move," the arcanist said after a moment, before looking at an underling. "You, run ahead to the healing house. They're to prepare for a critical patient, battle wounds, severe burns, and high levin exposure."
As the underling sprinted away, the Miqo'te guard turned his attention to the Roegadyn man sprawled in the dirt. "And you?" he asked, noting the red blood stains across the mans upper body.
"Oh, this is all hers," he admitted. "Other than that, just out of breath. Sprinting a malm or so isn't exactly easy, even when you're not carrying someone." Groaning, he climbed to his feet, waving off a helpful hand, then watched as his companion was ferried into town. Stumbling slightly on unsteady legs, he took a deep breath. "Name's Copper Dawn."
"And the lass?"
"Not a clue," he admitted. "Like I said, I found her about a malm uproad. Maybe a malm and a half," he mused. "I kind of lost track of distance there. Anyway, I did what I could to stop the bleeding, then carried her here." Wiping at his neck and shoulder, he scowled as all he did was smear the blood across his clothes and skin more. "Not sure she was really safe to move, but I couldn't just leave her there."
Snorting, the guard looked towards the gate. "Yeah, no right choice there… look, let's find you somewhere to sit down before your legs give way again," he suggested. "And maybe somewhere you can clean yourself up a little."
Rubbing a hand against is neck, Copper scowled when it came back sticky with blood. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."
***
Pain. That was the first thing Yda was aware of as consciousness returned. Sharp pains across her waist and chest stood out in contrast to a cold, unnatural numbness in her limbs. Even lying down with her eyes closed, there was an odd sense of vertigo that left her yearning to return to sleep. Instead, she forced her eyes open, trying to ignore how that made her head feel like a knife was being stabbed through it, and found herself looking up at an unfamiliar timber ceiling. "Where…?"
"Aleport," came an oddly muffled reply to her left. Turning her head in that direction, she saw an unfamiliar Roegadyn sitting in a chair by her bedside, a book in his hands. "Specifically, the healing house run by the Knights of the Barracuda." Closing the book and placing it on the bedside table, he rose to his feet. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to wake quite this soon."
"...Who are you?" Yda asked, surprised at just how much effort it took to get the words out. At the same time, her mind was racing as she tried to gather her thoughts. Hadn't she been in Ala Mhigo? Aleport was on the island of Vylbrand, literally on the other side of the continent! Had she teleported somehow? That or the man was lying for some reason, possibly as a Garlean trick, but she quickly dismissed that for the most part. The air certainly smelt like a Limsan port town, if nothing else.
He smiled, bowing slightly. "My name is Copper Dawn. I was the one that found you, about a malm and a half north of town last night. It's fortunate I did too, you were in a bad way. The Knights will likely want to ask you about it now you're awake." Taking a pitcher of water from the table, he poured a small amount into a cup and offered it to her.
Reaching for the cup, Yda frowned in surprise at the bandages covering her hand. Her failure to recognize their presence, combined with the general numbness, did not imply pleasant possibilities for her injuries. For the moment, she merely sighed, letting the man hold the cup for her as she took a sip. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Was… was there anyone else with me?"
"None that I saw," he replied. "Should there have been?"
"… I'm not sure," she admitted after a moments thought. "Before, I'd been…" her voice trailed off as she tried to remember, but just what she'd been doing was vague at best. She remembered escorting Conrad to the resistance team waiting to pick him up, then returning to Loch Seld to wait for Fordola, and then… she wasn't sure.
Thankfully, Copper didn't press for details, merely placing the cup on the bedside table and moving towards the door. "I'll let the nurses know you're awake." Yda didn't reply, instead staring at the ceiling and gathering her thoughts.
Unsurprisingly, the doctor that came to check up on her was accompanied by a Barracuda officer, one of the 'Yellowjackets' that served as peacekeepers and security across the nation of Limsa Lominsa. Given where Yda had been found, they naturally had many questions for the woman.
"The Circle of Knowing eh? We've had dealings with one of your group before," the officer noted after she'd shared her name and affiliation.
"Yeah, for you Limsans, that'd be Y'shtola. Miqo woman, little older than me but looks about the same age, white hair, capable of making you feel five years old with the raise of an eyebrow?"
That description drew an honest laugh from the man. "Aye, that certainly matches the good lady," he agreed. "One of my men made the mistake of giving her lip one time. Swear the lad flinches every time he sees white hair now!" His voice turned more serious. "I'll have someone inform her you're here."
"Thank you," Yda replied, as if she hadn't noticed the officer had implied he was going to be verifying her identity, and the consequences if she'd been lying. "I'd do it myself, but I, uh, seem to have lost my linkpearl. You wouldn't happen to have it by any chance?"
"There wasn't one in your possessions, and so far, the people we sent up to check where you were found haven't reported finding one. Now then Miss Hext, what brought you to Vylbrand?"
The woman frowned. "That I'm not sure of," she admitted. "Like, the last thing I remember, I wasn't even close to here. I was in the Twelveswood." The location she remembered was a lie, but she kept any trace of it from her face or voice. While it was unlikely that any Limsan would be sympathetic to the Empire, there was still the chance of some animosity towards Ala Mhigo, given both nations history. "Then I wake up here, a stranger next to my bed."
"You're saying you never met the man before?" the officer inquired.
She shook her head, then winced, regretting the action immediately. "Not that I remember."
"Then what do you remember?" the officer asked.
Yda considered that for a moment, then twitched a hand. "I'm sorry sir. Everything after breakfast is a blur."
That admission drew a suspicious look from the man, but then he relaxed slightly. "That matches with what our healers expected," he admitted.
Raising an eyebrow, Yda glanced at the Lalafell healer standing on a stool next to her bed. "You were struck by a frankly obscene amount of levin aether," the man explained. "Short-term memory loss is a common side effect of such things."
"Lightning magic…Do not like that…" she muttered, considering the possibilities, but was distracted by how heavy her eyes felt.
Catching that, the healer looked over at the officer. "That will have to do for now," he said. "She needs her rest."
Flipping his notebook closed, the man sighed. "Very well. We'll speak later Miss Hext."
Trying to focus on him, Yda realized the world was growing increasingly blurry for some reason...
***
"It's nothing to be concerned about," the healer said as they stepped into the hallway. "Extreme fatigue, periods of weakness, these are all aftereffects of levin damage. She'll be like this for some time, even with dedicated healing."
Looking up from where he was leaning against a wall (And covertly listening in on the whole meeting, thanks to some careful adjustments to his audio receptors), Countdown frowned. "She's asleep?"
"Afraid so," the officer replied. "Were you hoping otherwise?"
He shrugged slightly. "I was hoping to speak with her properly at some point. But after last night, I'd really prefer to reach Quarterstone before sunset, which means I should leave soon."
"True enough," the officer conceded. "Well, I don't see us having any further questions for you sir." He held out a hand. "My thanks for what you did here."
Returning the handshake, Countdown smiled. "I couldn't have done anything else," he said. "Once I reach Limsa, I'll be joining the Adventurer's Guild. If you need to contact me again after all…"
"We'll be sure to reach out, don't worry."
Bowing slightly to the healer, Countdown turned and made his way downstairs, and from there, stepped out into the afternoon bustle. Aleport was the first Eorzean town that he'd been able to see in person since returning to this world, and while he regretted the circumstances that led to his presence, he still welcomed the chance to get a closer look. Smooth, clean masonry, supported by timber and metal where needed. Relatively clean streets made of carefully crafted brickwork that held together, despite the grass relentlessly growing though the cracks.
And in the harbor rested massive sailing ships built for the open seas. Not just cargo ships or passenger liners either. Many of the boats he saw were armed, some of them with entire broadsides of cannons visible on the decks and through portholes below decks.
By the standards of the Transformers, it was all undeniably primitive, but there was a beauty to it regardless, and Countdown took the time to appreciate it as he made his way uphill towards the town gates. For a long time, he'd been afraid that the Calamity Hydaelyn had foretold would wipe away everything, leaving a world without civilization, the people desperate to survive in the ruins. But they'd endured that disaster, and rebuilt a society that seemed to be at least the equal of that which had come before. He couldn't help but take hope from that.
Reaching the gates, he nodded to the guards on duty, then set off on the road to the east. Several days travel along this route would take an individual around the isle of Vylbrand and down to the city-states capital of Limsa Lominsa. For the would-be adventurer Countdown had presented himself as, it made perfect sense to take that route as opposed to the direct ferry, and none had questioned him about it.
Which meant that, half an hour later, well out of sight from the city walls, there was no one to witness his disappearance via orbital jump.
***
Dinobot did not fidget. His pride would not allow it. Instead, he locked his frame in place as best he could and remained at attention, waiting as patiently as he could. At the desk in front of him, Countdown studied a datapad, never looking up at him. All Dinobot could do was wait, staring at the clock on the wall behind his captain moved ever forward, cycle after cycle. It was an age old tactic for officers who were… irritated with a subordinate. Dinobot knew this all too well. And yet, he still felt increasingly nervous as the cycles ticked over, the need to say something, or at least move, growing ever stronger.
Finally, Countdown placed the datapad on his desk and looked up at Dinobot, his expression blank. "So. We have a local woman who may or may not have knowledge of talking animals wandering around Ala Mhigo at the very least. Said woman is also seriously injured, possibly permanently, from actions Optimus was forced to take as a result of your intervention. The Garlean Empire now has several dead soldiers, and while it is unlikely they even suspect the true nature of what happened, should we ever decided to go public with our presence on Etheirys, they may recall this incident, at which point the odds of them considering us a hostile power would be… significant." Despite his need to speak up only a moment before, Dinobot wisely remained silent. Countdown's optics narrowed, and the micromaster tapped the datapad. "I've read the reports, both yours and your squads. I've reviewed the memories you all uploaded, as well as the sky spy footage. But there's one thing I still need to know. What were you thinking?"
"I have no excuse for my actions," Dinobot said, before Countdown slammed a hand down on the desk, cutting him off with a loud bang.
"I am not asking for your excuses Lieutenant! I am asking, specifically, what in the pit you were thinking when you decided to engage Garlean soldiers in a situation you knew you had no business getting involved in! Your statement to Airrazor is on the record," he pointed out, tapping the datapad again. "'Our mission is a covert one, and our orders to maintain stealth were clear. If she is willing to die to protect the child, all we can do is honor it.' Your exact words Lieutenant, less than a minute before you ran into the battle anyway. So, again, what were you thinking?"
For a moment, Dinobot didn't answer, searching for the right words. Then, he sighed softly, bowing his head. "They were going to kill a child. I recognize that taking action was a violation of our orders, but..." his head rose again, and he met Countdowns optics without flinching. "At the time, I was not thinking. I merely reacted."
Countdowns optics narrowed, studying the Maximal for long enough that Dinobot was once again fighting the urge to fidget. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "I'd be a hypocrite if I said I'd never done the same thing… You know, I assigned Cheetor and Airrazor to your team because I believed you could keep them from doing anything reckless," he said with a bitter smile. "And yet, here we are."
"As you say sir. Regardless, I still violated your orders. And as such, I accept any and all consequences for my behavior."
Nodding, the captain tapped his fingers against his desk, thinking for a moment. "You're off planet side duties for the next lunar cycle," he said. "You'll be reassigned to Rhinox, to assist him in various shipboard duties." Dinobot tried to suppress a wince at that, but didn't quite succeed, drawing a faint smirk from Countdown. "I'm sure he can find something to fill your time."
"Yes sir."
"Dismissed." Dinobot saluted, turned and marched towards the door only to stop as Countdown spoke up again. "Oh, and off the record? Sky Spies are keeping an optic on the girl, given we don't dare send a beastformer in right now. She's alive, and the Garleans don't even appear interested in her, now that Miss Hext is missing. Hold on to that little detail over the next few weeks."
"… Thank you sir."
***
Half an hour later, the door of Countdowns office opened again, and the mech looked up from his datawork to see Optimus Primal enter. Saving the current file he was working on, he considered his executive officer for a minute. "I gave Dinobot to Rhinox for the next month," he said at last.
Primal nodded in understanding. "That sort of work is the sort of thing that Dinobot loathes."
"That was the idea. How are you holding up?"
The other mech sighed, running a hand across his face. "Better now you confirmed she's awake and healing," he admitted. "I'm still not going to get the image of her in the Jump Bay out of my memory engrams anytime soon."
"You made the right choice for the situation you were left with."
"I made the least worst choice," Optimus disagreed. "There's a difference." Countdown sighed, conceding the point, and the grey-furred mech held up a datapad. "Anyway, I have some potentially positive news for you."
Taking the pad, Countdown scrolled through the images on it. Buildings in an unfamiliar style, some showing signs of neglect and collapse, city streets that showed the same, with roads starting to vanish under grass and other flora. "… An abandoned city?"
"A recently abandoned one," Optimus replied. "We estimate it was only abandoned in the last decade or so, and whatever the cause, it was an orderly evacuation." He smirked slightly. "More than that, it seems that a good deal of material was left behind. Records, libraries… We've even identified at least one school."
"Interesting… I don't suppose we have a name yet?"
He nodded "From several pieces the scouts have recovered, they believe it was called Sharlayan."
***
After a week in bed, Yda was more than willing to admit she was bored. The staff of the healing house were insistent she remain in bed as much as possible, with the exception of physical therapy sessions. She'd already finished the small number of books they had on offer, and she'd fleeced enough people at triad that word was getting around. Even the more reckless Barracudas were reluctant to test themselves against her.
Shame really. It had been an interesting challenge to handle the cards with her fingers in bandages without giving away her tricks.
Sighing, she leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Bored. Bored bored boredy bored bored. So borrrrred."
"Personally, I'm amazed the staff here have managed to keep you safely in bed for this long," a woman's voice said, sounding an incredible mixture of relieved, sarcastic, and utterly furious. Wincing slightly, Yda lifted her head from the pillow to see a familiar Miqo'te woman standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.
Glancing down, Yda saw the womans tail lashing back and forth in agitation, and couldn't help but flinch. Y'shtola Rhul was a woman who tended to keep her emotions on a tight leash at the best of times. For her to slip enough that her body language was on full display… "I don't remember the day before waking up here," she said. "Is Papalymo alright?"
The question stopped Y'shtola's anger, just for a moment, as she considered the woman in front of her. "He is safe, in Gridania," she said after a moment. "Thancred is with him. As was I, until I returned to Limsa Lominsa briefly to attend to some time sensitive matters. You can imagine my surprise," she continued, anger returning, "when I found a message from the Knights of the Barracuda awaiting me, concerning a fellow Archon appearing in Aleport of all places." Her gaze passed over Yda's body, studying the bandages, the scar patterns on her arms, all of it, and her anger faded slightly. "We thought you were dead… And it seems you nearly were."
"A would-be adventurer found me north of here," Yda said, "in a valley full of burns they tell me looked like levin-aspected aether. How in the hells I got there, I have no idea. I could only make it that far in less than a day with some sort of teleportation, obviously. Not even Cid's best airship could manage that kind of speed, let alone without anyone seeing it." Grumbling, she moved to sit up slightly, an action that had Y'shtola briskly walking across the room and helping her adjust the pillows. "But I've never heard of any kind of teleportation magic that burns everything with levin. Everything," she repeated, raising her bandaged hands for emphasis.
Y'Shtolas eyebrows rose as she looked at her friends arms, before she took a well-maintained maple wand off her belt, carefully waving it over Yda's limbs, a faint glow radiating out from it. After a minute, she lowered the wand, her teal eyes filled with horror. "It is almost as if the levin dug its way into your body, before exploding outward… No one would design teleportation magics that worked like this, let alone-" Cutting herself off mid sentence, she glanced towards the still open door, then waved her wand, closing it with a well aimed gust of wind. "Let alone the Garlean Empire."
She nodded in agreement. With the Garlean race unable to directly use magic, the Empire had little interest in developing magic that only conquered races would be able to use, instead focusing on technological development. "What did Papalymo tell you?" Yda asked quietly.
"On the day you vanished, the Garleans sealed off all the major exits to the region, then sent soldiers into the wilds. When he spoke to you by linkpearl, your response suggested that they were already closing in on your position." Yda frowned, considering that, before Y'shstola continued. "The last thing you said was asking him to look after Lyse."
"…Shite," she whispered, eyes watering. "I expected to die there." Entrusting her partner with that responsibility would be her instinctive reaction in such a situation.
"So, certain death, only for you to appear on the other side of the continent, injured and without any memory of the event." Returning her wand to its holster, the Miqo'te considered the matter. "Perhaps the levin was not from the teleportation. If it was from something else, perhaps a Garlean weapon of some sort…"
Yda had known her colleague long enough to be able to follow her train of thought. "That would require a third party of some sort to extract me safely. But to leave me in the middle of nowhere… No, wait, the adventurer that found me. Copper Dawn, he said his name was. Maybe that discovery wasn't an accident."
"So he, or his allies, burned a location near here with levin, in an attempt to make us think teleportation magics were involved."
"Maybe they were, just without the levin. Like I said, I can't imagine how they got me here so fast otherwise. That said…" She chewed her lip for a moment as a thought occurred to her. "Are you familiar with auspices?"
Raising an eyebrow at the topic change, Y'shtola nodded. "A far eastern myth, although there is evidence to support it. Animals that have lived so long their aether has transformed, granting them sapience and enhanced magical abilities. Although I don't see the relevance…?"
"Neither do I," the woman admitted. "But my mind has been lingering on the topic all week, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's just my brain sparking out something weird after too much levin, but it could be something more."
"Perhaps," Y'shtola allowed, but one could hear the scepticism in her voice. Which Yda had to admit was understandable.
Closing her eyes for a minute, she leaned back into her pillow, before another thought occurred to her. "Shtola, did you send any messages about my situation to Sharlayan before the Barracudas contacted you about my survival?"
The silence that followed her question was telling, until the woman sighed heavily. "The boat carrying my update to Master Louisoix departed five days ago. I'm afraid that Lyse will be notified of your apparent death."
"… Shite."