Magician's Blood

1-Seraph and Angel

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-1/Seraph and Angel

Magician's Blood-Kisho

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July 19th, 3094 GSC—05:14 Standard Time—15:22 Local Time

Moza—Laric System—Moza Sector

Chapel Landing Pad 3

The gates shifted open with a long hissing noise, and Elicia stepped through into the hangar bay, Renault close behind. She stopped when she saw the ship, a smile coming on naturally to her face.

"It beats the Dancer, doesn't it, Brother?"

Her comment earned her a small laugh. "I can't argue with that."

The Golden Seraph was, unlike the light frigate meant for low-key operations from before, a high-production battle cruiser. Its shape was almost hawklike, with a long main body slanting into an angular cockpit, and two large wings forming a V-shape behind it. It was hard to tell from the distance at the gate, but it was massive, at least enough for a crew of fifty. Two boarding ramps were down, people streaming on and off in preparing it.

"Captain!" a voice rang through the hanger. "Captain Vasavilli!"

Elicia looked up to see a disheveled-looking man making a semi-brisk pace towards her. She drew up to face him properly.

"Brother Morgan as well. Good to see you both." He came up to talking distance and bowed deeply. "I'm Everett Jay, port gunner and full-time mechanic aboard the Golden Seraph."

His greasy work clothes, as opposed to Elicia's and Renault's uniforms, clearly marked him as not a member of the Church. He had golden-blond hair sticking out at strange angles, and a baby face that made him hard to take seriously. He was a little on the short side as well. Elicia bowed back, and Renault followed suit.

"Well-met, Jay," Elicia said. "You're aware we're flying her straight into a combat zone, I take it."

He gave a quick salute. "Aye-aye, ma'am. Don't worry, I'm not a greenhorn. I was caught up in the ongoing hostilities around Salvadin before I got swapped in here. I have quite a few ships to my name, actually," he said, a bit of a cheeky grin on his face. "Launched the missile that took down the carrier Cavalier. That was my shining moment."

"Cavalier?" Renault perked up at the name. "Then—you were aboard Captain Maynor's ship. The Spellbound?"

Jay laughed. "Yes! We're famous after all, huh?"

A rare smile passed over Renault's face. "Then you're the gunnery prodigy I'd heard about. People call you the Angel of Death. According to the record I've seen, you have over fifty ships to your name."

"Oh, please," Jay said, scratching his head. "Don't talk me up too much. You'll make me nervous once we get into a real fight. I wouldn't want to screw up with such a pretty captain."

Elicia smirked at him. "I'll be watching everything you do. Make one mistake and it's over."

"No!" Jay cried out in mock despair. "See, Brother Morgan? This is your fault!"

"Hey, now. Just Renault will do. I'm still new to the Church anyway," Renault said. He seemed eager, unusual for him. Elicia realized perhaps he just felt comfortable around another spacefarer, rather than Church members. "But enough about that. How're the Golden Seraph's flight capabilities? Is she agile?"