Gatekeepers

[Dreyfus]

Company: Brenner| Thoughts: This cant get any worse| Mood: Frantic, Determined

---

♅ Hearing the sound of gallops coming from behind, Dreyfus turned his head to see Brenner riding up on horseback, a smirk curling upon his lips. That was clever of the Air Commander. He turned to face the loading dock as Brenner asked for the current status. "Nothing much has changed, the reinforcements from the Order have already melded within my own unit and have taken up position." he explained looking to the ZADC officer before taking steps forward.

He began to build an anchor with parameters of block mages, just in the case that if any of the members of the crew had been compromised and impersonating crewman. He began to place them around the dockyard, more specifically in the loading zone, he wanted to contain them as close to tight quarters as possible. He was careful with the amount of aether he used to build them, given them just enough to become stable, watching as they shimmered in and out of existence.

As he finished laying his anchors Dreyfus returned to Brenner, taking out Mage Piercer and spinning the dragonshard revolver chamber to inspect the bullets. With a flick of the weapon and an audible click, he looked on in the direction of where the airship was supposed to be landing. "This is my first act of command, I don't think I will ever get used to it. I'm not the charismatic type. In that regard, I envy you Sir Dornkirk. You make it look easy, but the reality is far from that." he mused, a small smile threatening to hang on his lips before fading.

"That being said, I dont plan to squander this opportunity from the top brass. This could be my ticket to better things, more ways to help the state in its endeavors against uncontrollable magic." he clarified, his eyes giving Brenner a look over before turning his attention back to the sky.

Taking a step forward he thought his eyes had betrayed him, but the more he stepped the more it became clear."Tell me, air commander, isn't it protocol for the airships to decrease their speed before attempting to land?" he questioned, his eyes widening as he could see flames. That wasnt a good sign. No that meant the worse had come, Dreyfus only believing that the stowaways took the bridge out and the Airship was on a collision course for the airfield.

Running to the convoys, Dreyfus searched the vehicle till he found a warning flare. Darting back to where he left the air commander, he fired the flare into the air. "EVERYONE SCATTER, THE AIRSHIP IS GOING TO CRASH!!!" he screamed as loud as he could. All present personnel turned toward him, confused, at least till they saw the blazing airship rocketing toward the airfield. A warning alarm began to sing within the air as bodies moved to evacuate those who needed to flee, while others took up battle positions.

Dreyfus took up position on the right side of where the Airship was coming, charging up as much kinetic force as he could. His plan was to use the kinetic blast to know the transport of course and try and advert as much damage to the airfield as possible. "If any of you have kinetics rally along with me so we can force this airship away from the base." he called, two reconciliators rushing to his side and preparing a kinetic blast of their own.

Waiting for the right moment Dreyfus and the other Kinetic mages watched as the airship smashed through his wards like they were nothing, before they sent out their blast of kinetic force, the magical blasts colliding with the airship and budging it slightly off its intended mark. Instead, it smashed into one of the empty hangers next to the Airbase's command center, carving through it like wet paper. The ground shook as the airship collided with a hill, bringing the airship to a stop.

Dreyfus found himself collapsing, the exhaustion from pooling that much of the aether flux at once overwhelming him. Natasha quickly came to his aid, trying her best to wake him up. "I'm not dead, you can stop shaking me, you are giving me a headache." he groaned, Natasha helping him to his feet. Looking around he could see the amount of damage that had been caused.

It wasnt as bad as he initially thought, the hanger and landscape taking most of the carnage, but everything and everyone else seemed fine. "Go and check for any injured, then rally everyone and meet me at the airship." the order came as quick as he was beginning to move, scanning the area for Brenner. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"And I have a complement of reserves from Onneifer en route prepared to reinforce your team as needed." Brenner noted, as he scanned the scene pensively. Grauschweig was a significantly smaller airbase than Onneifer. Its purposes were strategic and it was lightly trafficked in comparison to the main base back in the city proper. Should the cold war with Kalzasi ever heat up, Brenner was certain this base with its location North of Zaichaer's most valuable targets, but for now it was sparsely occupied- which was why he'd suggested the course diversion in the first place.

Brenner cracked a smile at Dreyfus' ostensibly vulnerable sentiment about his abilities as a leader.

"Well. One must know one's weaknesses to combat them. What is natural for one man might be a struggle for another and, well..." He looked the man over appraisingly. "You have abilities that I do not and I'm certain not all of them are as unsavoury as witchcraft." He posited, arching an eyebrow at Dreyfus' phrasing as he spoke on. He sought to "help" the State, rather than serve it. His help was against "uncontrollable" magic, not against magic itself. There was the rub. Brenner was a political animal and prone to read into the nuances of language. Whether Dreyfus thought he was being coy or whether these notions were subconsciously colouring his statements, they stuck out to the Air Commander and supported his growing suspicions about the Reconciliator. When they'd first met, Brenner had given Dreyfus and the Order the benefit of the doubt and let himself believe there was a possibility that Agent Montilyet had been testing him. That his penchant for heterodoxy was just a means of assessing Brenner's own commitment to the State. He had long since abandoned that notion.

His musings on the matter were interrupted by the sight of the approaching ZADC Spearhead as Dreyfus made mention of its velocity.

"Indeed." Brenner confirmed, "They also don't make a habit of exuding plumes of black smoke... or at least not as much as that." This was troubling indeed, Brenner thought as he took note of the speed and trajectory of the airship. Fortunately, at its current distance and altitude, there was time to act. He stepped away to bark orders at the nearest ZADC officer, "Evacuate the command centre and call in the fire suppression teams!"

He overheard Dreyfus delivering instructions to his people in the background- something about 'kinetics', which he knew to be a discipline of sorcery. The agents of the Order proceeded with their work, as the ZADC set about theirs. Within moments, air raid klaxons pierced the air with their plaintive wails as Brenner jogged toward the landing strip. A strange sensation crossed through him- was it a sound or a feeling coursing through him? Glancing over his shoulder he realised it was a result of the Kineticists' intervention and shuddered. It proved nominally effective, though it still sent the ship careering into a building- at least it was a less important one.

"Oh the humanity!" Brenner heard one lieutenant cry out as the explosion rocked Grauschweig.

The convoy of ZADC reserves arrived in time to see the impact, and the soldiers leapt from the transports and made their hasty way toward the crash site. Brenner drew his sidearm and jogged along the walls of the Command Center, remaining cautious as he approached the hangar with the billowing plumes of smoke rising from its crumbling foundations. He could hear shouting from the survivors. He could only hope these stowaways being sought by the Order had been killed or otherwise incapacitated by the crash, as he rounded the corner and stalked quietly through the obscuring smoke, lifting a handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth as he breached the cloud thereof.

[Dreyfus]

Company: Brenner, Natasha, and other reconciliators| Thoughts: Its over for you| Mood: Determined, Unfaltering

---

♅ With the sound of sirens, the scent of charred metal and smoke in the air, this mission was turning out to be more than what Dreyfus was expecting, but he had to keep his wits about him and hold his team together. He saw Brenner as he made his way toward the crash site, and rushed to join him. He could feel his body still shaking from the initial shock of using so much aether to tilt the airship off course. He was grateful for the assist as the other two kinetic mages were at the highest tier of proficiency state mages were allowed.

Moving to the opposite end of where Brenner was positioned he made eye contact with the ZADC commander, signaling non-verbally he would take point. He felt as a leader one should always be at the front in case things when astray. Before moving he build an anchor around his face, and focused the task for it to block the smoke as a triangular shield shimmering in front of him. With Mage Piercer aimed and at the ready, Dreyfus proceeded.

The airship cut straight through the hanger, Dreyfus noticing at least two casualties already. Poor bastards were cleaved in half. He would have to remember to have them retrieve the bodies and returned them to their families. Breaking through the fire and smoke of the destroyed hanger, he saw the marooned Spearhead, a host of ZADC reinforcements surrounding it. Taking up a position behind some debris, he waited few moments, Natasha and the other reconciliators joining them.

"We manage to get all injured to the convoys." she quickly reported. Dreyfus nodded and looked back at his team, a plan formulating in his head as a question came from him. "Any casualties?" he inquired, a hopeful look in his eyes as he looked to his second in command. She simply adverting her gaze which told him all he needed to know, seeing that at least four of his were not present. "I see. We will have to collect our dead and give them a proper send-off."

With that said he rallied them, seeing the look on all their faces, and didn't want them to lose hope in this endeavor, and more importantly in him. "We cannot falter, and most certainly not in the face of these terrorists. We cannot allow those who have fallen to have died in vain. I want these two alive at all cost so they can face the justice of Zaichaer." he incited, pointing his gun at the airship. "Our prey lies within the ZADC Spearhead!" with those words he broke his group up, split them into four groups of five and took the lead into the aircraft.

Looking to Brenner he nodded to the man before crossing the threshold of the Spearhead. Pistols and swords were drawn as Dreyfus and his group stepped along the craft, eyes and heads on a swivel as they didn't know exactly where their targets would have been. With Dreyfus on point, Natasha and four other reconciliators at his back, they ventured further in, Dreyfus ordering the other groups to other areas. There were only three places these stowaways could have been; the crew deck, cargo bay, or the bridge as the Spearhead wasn't that big of an airship, to begin with.

Dreyfus decided to head to the Bridge, as he was sure that's where they would be. As they approach the heat of the flames could be felt, sweat beading off his face. A sharp pain began to radiate within Dreyfus' chest, blood beginning to tear and fall from his eyes as they approached the bridge, the door knocked clean off, a crewman unfortunate to have been in its flight path, that's if the initial crash and explosion didn't kill her first. Over the roar of the fire, and the pain in his abdomen, Dreyfus could hear weeping, a woman's wailing.

Reaching into the flux, he pushed the flames away from the entryway, and his group rushed the bridge. His eyes widened as he came to see a woman, red of hair and of medium build, was holding onto a body, a young man, dirty blonde and lithe build in her arms. Even with all the flames dancing around them, she was unscathed, sitting in the center of the bring as flames encircled her. The blood from his eyes began to pour more, and the pain in his chest increased causing him to growl, but never break his steely composure.

Looking around the bridge he could see the commander of the Spearhead, a pistol in his hand, his body slumped over, and his head severed. Looking at the man cupped in the woman's arms, he could see he was the recipient of the bullet. A sword with blood on the blade was next to her, and Dreyfus prepared to take it from her if she didn't surrender. He could see the crash and explosion had damaged her, her arm being bent in a way that didn't seem possible.

Dreyfus took a step closer, the click of Mage Piercer catching her attention, and she glared at them all. Natasha and the other reconciliator positioned themselves in a half-circle formation, guns aimed at the woman, each one ready to take the shot to put her down. "Its over. There's nowhere for you to go. If you surrender now, this can all end. No one else has to die." he informed, his pistol trained on the woman in case she forced his hand. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner barked commands to the ZADC reserves who poured out of their convoy to assess the situation, and were promptly directed to the crash site made obvious by the black smoke billowing forth. It led skyward and followed the path the damaged ship had taken from the Northwest. As per Brenner's orders, the reserves surrounded the hangar at a distance- Some snipers took elevated positions to keep their sights trained on the threats below.

When Dreyfus caught up to Brenner, the Air Commander regarded him as he spoke to his people. He blinked as the mage seemed to imply he wanted to enter the fiery hulk that had been the ZADC Spearhead. Perhaps the Reconciliators were afforded the ability to use some of their magics to endure intense heat or breathe in spite of thick smoke, but Brenner was not.

"I'll catch up with you once the fire suppression teams have contained things, but..." He spoke gravely and made sure Dreyfus was looking him in the eye when he explained, "If you insist upon entering straight away, be very cautious. An airship aflame is a very volatile thing. Depending on the extent of the damage and the effected areas, you should be prepared for an explosion. If you have any..." His lip curled slightly in distaste, "...abilities that might protect you, I would suggest you employ them before embarking." He inclined his head,

"Good luck, and I'll be to you as soon as I'm able." And with that, Brenner ran off to convene with the fire marshal for a status report and to help strategise how best to fight the flames whilst Dreyfus focused on fighting the fugitives.

"Well, shit." Brenner grimaced at the rather dire news the fire marshal delivered. He beckoned for a bullhorn, and held it to his mouth to amplify for the benefit of Dreyfus and his team.

"All hands evacuate the hangar! The Spearhead has fifteen minutes before the flames reach the engine room and the whole thing goes up like a grease fire! Maybe ten minutes! Repeat: All hands evacuate!"

[Dreyfus]

Company: Cative| Thoughts: Gotta find a way out| Mood: Frantic

---

♅ "Its already too late you mindless lapdog." she hissed, her head finally falling back down as she brought the dead man's face close to her own. Her tears wet his cold skin as she began to weep into him. Dreyfus almost felt some form of pity for her, but he would never allow her to see that.

He was about to ask her to surrender once more but that's when he heard the warning. Using the base's broadcast system, Brenner got the word out loud enough to alert everyone to evacuate the area, the airship was about to blow. "Everyone out now!" he ordered, Natasha looking at him with concern, fixing her lips to protest but he wasn't about to allow her. "I'm right behind you, now go!"

With a reluctant nod, she turned, rallying the others to move. Turning to face the mourning woman, he floated the sword she was holding from her grasp, pulling it towards him by manipulating the flux around it. Stepping within her circle of fire, he picked her up, to her own protest of course, and turned to exit behind his fellow reconciliators. By that time the exit way collapsed from debris caused by an explosion.

Time was running out and Dreyfus wasn't sure how to find another way out. He didn't have much magical strength left after putting all his aether into trying to move the Airship off course in the first place. Looking around a feeling of panic began to slither its way into him like a snake. As the heat rose, the smoke billowed and the woman cursed his name, Dreyfus found that there was only one solution to his problem.

Getting a running start he focused the little bit of aether he could around his feet and pushed himself out of the window of the bridge, the airship going up in flames moments later, the force of the blast at his back and sending him and his captive flying into the ground below. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner promptly handed off the bullhorn to the soldier who'd supplied it, and rushed forward to help a few injured soldiers toward the gaping hangar doors. He could feel gushed of hot wind at his back which, coupled with his exertion, dampened his shirt with sweat. The two wounded airmen he was aiding didn't seem to mind, given the more pressing concern of ambling for their lives out of a building that was like to be enveloped in the conflagration in a matter of minutes.

The trio was able to quit the building in haste, albeit handicapped by a few wounded limbs between the soldiers flanking Brenner and the sting of their singed flesh bereft of its usual elasticity. The fire marshal had been overly optimistic with his estimate, it seemed. Air Commander Dornkirk was certain he had more time to get them clear of the hangar- he'd even intended to go back in to help out another round of the wounded, but such was not to be. He heard the explosion before he felt its violent gust falling like a fiery tidal wave to his rear. He toppled forward with the two men on either arm, barely able to shield his face from breaking the fall (and his nose in the process).

He covered his head for fear of shrapnel and waited a moment before lifting his face to assess the situation around him. The smoke was billowing toward them, and as he pushed himself up he realized he'd torn right through his trousers at the knee where a bloody scrape protruded through the ripped fabric. He tested the leg to make sure the damage wasn't more than superficial, and then helped the two wounded soldiers back to their feet in spite of weeping protestation.

"Come. We don't want to linger in a cloud of smoke..." He urged, as he continued drawing them away from the wreckage, though now he too was limping.

[Dreyfus]

Company: Brenner & Captive| Thoughts: This wont go well| Mood: Exhausted

---

♅ He found himself rolling onto his side as the smell of smoke and burning landscape woke him from being forced from the airship. His vision coming back to him, he looked for the woman, the only link between him and Venetia. She was still there, laughing, a wicked cackle as all she could do is lay there. Standing to his feet he made his way over to her, finding her in a hysterical fit.

"Light the fire, lead the way! Light the fire, lead the way! Light the fire, lead the way!" she repeated over and over again. he remembered that phrase from when Venetia first appeared before him, which only solidified his suspicion. Sadly she was the only one as the other one had died in the collision, or before then given the scene they had walked in on. Shaking his head he hoisted the woman over his shoulder, finding her to be somewhat heavy, but he could manage.

Slow and even steps is what it took to make his way around the burning carcass of an airship that was the Spearhead as he could hear the blaring sirens of the fire team. The explosion had rocked his senses, but he was glad the worst of it was over. Grateful eyes locked onto him as Natasha was assisting in damage control of the situation, and when she saw him she immediately rushed over to him.

"Restrain her and make sure she is ready for transport for interrogation." he ordered as a medical team finally made their way onto the scene, beginning to tend to the wounded as more were pouring in. Once came to look at him but he refused, ordering them to take care of the other first. He looked around trying to find the good Air Commander.

"Someone find me Sir Dornkirk, as well as get me a full casualty report." ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

As the dust began to settle- and literally, at that- Brenner heard his name, and headed toward the source that was calling out for him.

"Right here, soldier." He said with a wave. After a moment, he was being whisked off to deal with the reconciliators.

"Agent Montilyet." He inclined his head as he approached, "I am relieved to see you made it out in time." He offered perfunctorily, "And with a living specimen, no less." He added with a bit more overt interest as he regarded the bound, gagged witch they'd apprehended.

He sighed, regarding the state of affairs at the auxiliary airfield.

"What a fucking shitshow." He grumbled, "At least we spared Onneifer." If they hadn't diverted the Spearhead to this location, there would have been absolute carnage and all involved would almost certainly be censured, at best. The last thing the Air Commander needed, just now, was a mark against him in the eyes of the State. Such as things were, the collateral damage was within the bounds of acceptability. They still might be censured- He'd long since given up on trying to predict how the powers that be might regard a given situation, but at least he didn't imagine they'd be court marshalled... Well, as long as the Reconciliators didn't go beyond what their strictures allowed for.

"Good luck with your prisoner, Montilyet." He glanced in her direction once more, spitting on the ground in disgust, "May she offer you useful intelligence." It was a bit confounding that, for all this effort on the part of the ZADC as well as the casualties they'd suffered, it would be the Order who dealt with the prisoner. They'd just blustered through and caused wanton damage to his department, and got to freely flit off to mete out punishment to the prisoner. It was just the sort of mage privilege he hoped to snuff out in his lifetime.

"Well, while you're getting into the fun stuff, it looks like I've got my paperwork cut out for me dealing with all the damage. Good day, Montilyet."

[Hikami]

Gatekeepers

---

Points awarded:

• Brenner - 8 {No Magic}
  Dreyfus - 8 {Can be used for Magic}

Lores:

Brenner

Tactics:
Coordinated strategy
Interdepartmental collaboration
Deferring to the chain of command
Diverting threats
Minimizing casualties
Airship maintenance
Supervising a resupply
Assessing intelligence
Field medicine training
Establishing a perimeter
Assuming command from lower-ranking officers
First aid

Dreyfus

Leadership: Rallying your troops
Leadership: Leading the advance into a burning airship
Leadership: Taking point on an operation
Leadership: The burden of command
Negation: Setting multiple anchors
Negation: Setting parameters against firearms
Kinetics: Pooling the flux for something big
Kinetics: Using Push to divert an airships trajectory
Tactics: Splitting your forces up based on the situation
Tactics: Coordinating with other branches of Military
Tactics: Diversionary Tactics
Tactics: Expecting casualties

Loot:

• N/A

Injuries:

• N/A

Notes:

• Great thread!
  If you feel I missed anything contact me and we will make adjustments!
  enjoy your rewards!