Corin and Kapi were about to step onto the gangplank when a voice boomed across the harbor. It was a voice they both recognized—a voice that made their hackles rise, their instincts scream, and their hands move instinctively toward their weapons.
"This is the vessel that delivers the doom prophesied by the oracle!"
Amos Baboto stood at the edge of the dock, his massive olive baboon frame draped in flowing robes of charcoal and crimson. His dark, almost black eyes blazed with righteous fury, and his gnarled staff was raised like a weapon of judgment. Behind him, a small crowd began to gather, their faces a mixture of fear and fascination.
On the deck, Eliane's brow furrowed with confusion. "What is he talking about?"
Barren waved his massive paw in a slow, friendly arc. "That is Amos."
Eliane nodded slowly, her blue eyes fixed on the prophet. "Amons?"
Amos continued, his voice rising with theatrical passion. "What action does the crown intend to take here? The prophecy has been spoken! The end is at hand!"
Corin and Kapi exchanged a look of pure bewilderment. Kapi's voice cut through the tension, his tone flat and utterly unimpressed. "We were about to have some tea."
Eliane called down from the deck, her voice bright with genuine confusion. "Do you want some too? I have cake."
Amos's jaw flexed, his dark eyes narrowing with barely contained fury. He gestured sharply to his disciples, who had been standing silently behind him.
Disciple Boku Gems stepped forward, his long gemsbok horns gleaming in the sun, his pale grey-brown fur immaculate. His voice was smooth, a stark contrast to his master's thunder. "As you command."
Disciple Yalan Neeahl moved to his left, his reddish-brown nyala coat rippling with each step. His cold, pale grey eyes fixed on the gangplank with predatory focus. "The order is clear."
Amos's voice boomed across the harbor. "Since the crown will not take action, then it will fall on me to do so!"
Eliane looked up at Barren, her confusion deepening. "What does he mean, 'take action'?"
Barren shrugged, his massive shoulders rising and falling with the motion. "Maybe he doesn't like cake with his tea."
Boku Gems and Yalan Neeahl closed in on Corin and Kapi, their movements deliberate and threatening. Corin and Kapi turned in unison, their hands dropping to the hilts of their blades. The message was clear: they would not allow anyone to board the vessel without permission.
Amos's voice carried the weight of divine authority. "Step aside. Someone must do something."
Corin's voice was flat, his dark eyes unblinking. "I am doing something. I will not let you pass."
Kapi's grin was sharp, his enormous amber eyes gleaming with mischief. "Nor will I."
Eliane watched from the deck, her blue eyes widening with understanding. "Uh oh." She rushed to the communicator, her fingers pressing the button with urgency. "Bianca?"
Bianca's voice crackled back, "Like, go."
Eliane's words tumbled out in a rush. "Um, you may want to get up here. I think we have a problem."
Bianca's voice was flat, unimpressed. "Like, really?"
Eliane's voice rose with urgency. "Yeah. And you might want to bring Ember."
Bianca's voice carried a note of skeptical concern. "It's like that serious?"
Eliane nodded, even though Bianca couldn't see her. "Yeah. I think it might be."
Bianca was resigned. "Like, okay. We will like be right up."
---
On the dock, the standoff had intensified. Corin and Kapi stood shoulder to shoulder, their blades drawn, their bodies tense and ready. Boku Gems and Yalan Neeahl faced them, their expressions cold and calculating. The crowd had grown, their whispers a rising tide of fear and excitement.
Then Bianca and Ember stepped onto the deck.
Bianca's grease-stained overalls were open over a floral blouse, her magnifying goggles pushed up on her forehead. Her waist-length black hair was escaping its messy bun in chaotic tendrils. She squinted down at the standoff, her voice cutting through the tension with the casual disregard of someone who had seen worse.
"Like, yo. What is like going on?"
Everyone turned to look at her. Amos's voice boomed, his dark eyes fixed on the young engineer. "You! Girl, are you the captain of this vessel from hell? Harbinger of doom?"
Bianca's brow lifted, her expression one of genuine confusion. "Like, what did you just like say?"
Amos's voice was sharp, impatient. "You heard me, girl!"
Bianca's voice was flat, unimpressed. "Like, chill. It's not like that serious. We are like here in peace and stuff."
Ember stepped forward, her neon-pink space buns catching the light, her mismatched eyes darting across the crowd. Her hand tightened on Helltide, her fingers twitching with barely contained anticipation. The smile that spread across her face was not a friendly one.
Amos's voice rose to a fever pitch, his words designed to inflame the crowd. "Not serious? But it is that serious! You bring with you the end of an age! The destruction of everything we know!"
The crowd gasped. Mothers pulled their children closer. Merchants edged away. The fear in their eyes was unmistakable.
Bianca took a slow breath, her patience clearly wearing thin. "Like, whatever. We are like here to pick something up and like leave. So like chill with all the like doom and gloom stuff."
Amos gasped, his dark eyes bulging with indignation. "Chill? CHILL?"
Corin and Kapi glanced over their shoulders at Bianca, their expressions shifting from tension to reluctant amusement. Kapi's voice was barely a whisper. "I think I like her."
Amos's voice boomed across the harbor, his arm sweeping in a grand gesture. "I will not let this island fall to the whims of our weak king!" He gestured sharply. "Boku! Yalan!"
Boku Gems and Yalan Neeahl moved as one, their bodies surging forward with the coordinated precision of trained disciples. They charged toward the gangplank, their intent clear.
Before Corin and Kapi could react, explosions erupted along the dock.
The noise was deafening, a cascade of blasts that sent Boku and Yalan stumbling backward, their robes singed and their composure shattered. The crowd screamed and scattered, their earlier curiosity replaced by blind panic. Mothers grabbed their children and fled. Merchants abandoned their stalls. The dock emptied in seconds.
When the smoke began to clear, Amos Baboto stood frozen, his dark eyes fixed on the deck of the Dreadnought Thalassa.
Ember had her weapon shouldered, its barrel still smoking, her mismatched eyes fixed on the prophet with the cold, patient focus of a predator. Her voice was soft, almost playful. "Boom boom time."
Bianca called out, her voice flat and dismissive. "So, like, go and like take a chill pill or whatever. Like, when our friends come back, we will like leave. But like, no one is like going to take this ship."
Amos's jaw flexed, his dark eyes blazing with fury. He turned to see Corin and Kapi standing beside Bianca, their blades drawn, their expressions unyielding.
His voice was cold, carrying the weight of a promise. "This is not over!"
He gestured sharply to Boku and Yalan, who retreated to his side with their robes still smoking. They disappeared into the crowd, their figures swallowed by the chaos they had created.
Bianca muttered, her voice carrying the casual dismissal of someone who had better things to do. "Yeah, like whatever."
---
Bianca turned to Corin and Kapi, her brow lifted with genuine curiosity. "So, like, can you explain what like just happened?"
Corin and Kapi exchanged a look, their expressions shifting from tension to reluctant humor.
Eliane clapped her hands together, her silver hair bouncing with the motion. "Oh yes! Over tea!"
Bianca nodded, her earlier tension forgotten. "Like, cool. I like needed a break anyway."
Corin and Kapi shrugged, their professional wariness giving way to curiosity. They fell into step behind Bianca, introducing themselves as they walked.
Kapi's voice was bright, his earlier seriousness replaced by his characteristic energy. "I'm Captain Kapi Bash of the Senshimin Sentry. This grumpy fellow is Lieutenant Corin Rain of the Ginmin Shield."
Corin's voice was flat, but there was a hint of warmth beneath the surface. "Pleasure to meet you."
Bianca grabbed Ember by the arm, pulling the reluctant pyromaniac toward the hatch. "Like, come on. I am like pretty sure they will like be back or whatever. And like, if you go like wandering, it will like be a pain."
Ember's grin was sharp, her mismatched eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Boom boom later then."
Bianca nodded, with the casual certainty of knowing it was inevitable. "Like, I am pretty sure there will be a lot more boom boom."
---
The galley of the Dreadnought Thalassa was warm and inviting, the scent of fresh tea and something sweet filling the air. Eliane moved with practiced ease, setting out cups and plates while Barren lumbered after her, offering help that she politely declined.
Corin and Kapi sat at the table, their blades sheathed and their wariness slowly fading. They watched the young chef work, their eyes tracking her movements with the curiosity of soldiers who had never seen a galley quite like this one.
Kapi's voice cut through the comfortable silence. "So, that ship of yours. Where did you get it?"
Bianca settled into her chair, her magnifying goggles glinting in the light. "Like, that is a long story."
Kapi leaned forward, his enormous amber eyes gleaming with interest. "We've got time."
Corin nodded, his dark eyes fixed on the young engineer. "And cake."
Eliane placed a tray on the table, its surface laden with cups of steaming tea and a plate of something that smelled like heaven. "Here you go!"
Kapi's grin was wide, his earlier suspicion forgotten. "I think I'm going to like it here."
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