A Message Arrives [T1.1]

The crystalline ship emerges from a bank of clouds. The setting light catches its sails and sends out a kaleidoscope of colors. The sails must be woven with a thread spun from crystal shards.

It descends upon the city at a rapid speed, then turns starboard. From the large vessel’s side a chunk of crystal breaks free, wing-like sails flare out and a smaller ship continues toward Giacinto, while the main ship pivots away and heads back to the clouds.

Nothing in the drawings said anything about the crystal ship’s ability to splinter like that.

The crew scramble, half making preparations to follow the main ship, the other half taking efforts to follow the smaller one.

What does Torc do?

Torc did not need more stress but it seemed the universe had other plans. With the spy still at large he could not afford to stop the ship and let the men depart. So he briefly described the transformation, particularly the sails of woven crystals, and sent them via carrier pigeon to the grandmaster.

"We follow the larger one." As this was his charge he would stick to the larger ship. Giacinto, to his knowledge, wasn't going anywhere.

Cold winds shift as dusk gives way to night, pushing the sails of both ships away from Giacinto.

As the night darkens and stars emerge upon the sky, the crystalline ship orients itself toward a specific constellation, one revered and studied by geometric sages.

The ship seems to lock into a flight pattern and then begins to slow and ascend.

MCC Elliptic can easily catch up with it but it cannot match the altitude. The ballast and lift gasses have an upper limit based on size. Smaller ships might be faster, but it takes a big ship to go high. It won’t be long before the Crystal ship is out of reach.

What does Torc do?

"It heads to the wheel of seasons." Torc adjusted the heading of the ship, 003 degrees, and consulted his maps of the land to try to discern where it was the ship's heading would take them.

Torc retrieves a telescope and fixes it upon the crux of the wheel of seasons. He set his watch observing the departing ship, timing it's departure attempting to clock it's speed. He was sure that in this one instance he was the only human with such a view. Treasuring the spectacle. How many mortals could claim to see a messenger from God ascend?

He clocked the speeds of the ship as the plume of it exiting the atmosphere disappeared, stopping his watch to crunch the numbers. Then, ordered the ship to turn about, and head back to Giacinto.

End Scene