Act 1 Scene 3:
(We are now next to a battered Æther craft in its secure dock. The scars of a recent attack run deep. Torn panels and fractured suspension lines hang like wounded limbs, while arcane energy conduits flicker erratically)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzhTResofh
(Upon sighting the craft, the Adepetus Æther exclaims in shock)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7TMhKF1sC
Adepetus Æther: By the heavens! The extent of this devastation....it doth boggle the mind!
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJJD8rIsd0
Lord Preen: Adepetus, this battered craft in front of us reminds me of an expedition into the Misty Woods to collect Suspendium.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFz2RF2xbDI
Adapetus Æther: Ah, a tale I have heard whispers of but never had the fortune to witness. Pray, do share the details.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5iozz2POX
(The protagonist shifts uneasily at the subject)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1u5BbXRpb
Lord Preen: (Dryly) Were mine am that day successful, I would bear a trophy but lack a narrative of redemption.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGk5lgehJ9
Adepetus Æther: Pardon?
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuM2PNgTZ3H
Lord Preen: (Dryly, with an enigmatic grin) In that cursed thicket, where shadows whispered secrets, the quiver of my purpose held a lingering arrow of profound precision, yet some tales remain better left in the dark.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgS1jz9J5kF
(The Adapetus Æther walks toward the damaged Æther craft, carefully inspecting its intricate mechanisms with a sense of fascination)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nmGnALe69
(The lights focus on him)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNgnniR07E
(There is a moment of silence)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSzaSV5qKY
Protagonist: (Deadpan) He almost shot me.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEKwsU7ZTu
Captain Star-Caster: (In disbelief) Thou nearly did what!?
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfPq9b0FvW
Lord Preen: Thine intentions in the Misty Woods were deplorable, and I am profoundly sorry for that.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yOzl2Jlae
Protagonist: Your humility is a rare trait, my lord, and it speaks of your character’s strength.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgQTtmc3aU
(The Adapetus has finished inspecting the craf. Hee walks over to Captain Star-Caster and stands beside her)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9d86lJATBv
Adepetus Æther: I fear, dear Captain, that the vessel’s plight is dire; it is damaged beyond redemption. We must regrettably part ways with it.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDve95Jjdvy
Adepetus Æther: (With enthusiasm) Ah, this vessel! It is reminiscent of the early experiments with Suspensium propulsion, much like the advancements we have seen in the last five years....(He pauses) Well, I suppose thou art unaware of the recent changes in our world?
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLym97Zt2DD
Protagonist: (Nods in agreement) Indeed, we have been out of touch for quite a while. What has happened in the last five years?
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5twBWjIGQK
Lord Preen: (Dryly) It seems, my dear, that we have been inhabiting a most splendid and oversized boulder, blissfully oblivious to the cultural and political shifts of the past five years.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdJwrJnd0D
Adapetus Æther: (Excited) In essence, our current era of Etheric progress is a thrilling continuation of the ground-breaking Suspendium research my master embarked upon.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZUsFLMiWL
Adepetus Æther: (Enthusiastic) The essence of the skies, my dear friends, empowers Æther in a most exhilarating manner! The possibilities are boundless – we hath mastered flight, harnessed the cosmos for energy, and discovered technologies that, in days of yore, were deemed utterly unimaginable!
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFwNiBpuYZ
Lord Preen: (Sarcastically) Suspensium Cannons- where they finally figured out how to shoot something other than themselves.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQa6UUqnc1
(The protagonist and the sky pirate desperately fight to appear unamused)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8S3KU2mxK
Captain Star-Caster: (With a serious tone) Forgive my abruptness, but in the past five years, the world hath transformed dramatically. Warfare hath undergone a significant shift, with advances in weaponry, particularly Æther powered armaments, airship fleet combat hath become commonplace.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5l9Fq1diF
(Lord Preen and the protagonist do not respond, waiting for her to continue)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtZ61v3C7i
Captain Star-Caster: The advances in weaponry have given rise to more accurate Suspendium cannons, while new Suspendium lasers cut through the skies with precision. In our sky-faring world, we have seen the emergence of agile strikers, designed for rapid attacks, and the innovative Corsairs – specialised vessels for stealth and reconnaissance. And there is talk of Dreadnoughts, akin to mobile fortresses, under construction to rule the upper atmosphere. These developments have transformed our approach to warfare in the skies.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutkruqu20X
Lord Preen: (Smirking) Dreadnoughts sound like the physical embodiment of the Narciss ego – what they might build when they are composting for something.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxSIScJv6x
Adapetus Æther: (Nervously) In the past, the Order of the Dragoon was known as noble guardians of the skies, but recently, they have taken a darker path.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJfHzTwRLK
(There is a pause. The Adapetus recalls something he heard)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwfn15VVLU
Adepetus Æther: I have heard a rumour that there’s an airship launch happening soon. We should make our way there.
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMun5Pq71G
(The protagonist and Lord Preen exit the stage)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEj2WzWozUx
(The Adapetus Æther and Captain Star-Caster remove the craft from the stage and exit themselves)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNE31lhq4hA
(The lights dim to nothing)
121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvozPeUfJQ2
End of Scene Three
ns18.116.42.143da2
