Now You're Moving With Wormholes [IC]

[Dr Archeville]

"We would be honored to dine with you," Viktor replied with a slight bow

I hope Mona does not mind me speaking for her! But I do not see her objecting -- she would be having dinner with two of me!

"and, yes, questions a-plenty. My first one being," he looked up and around, hi eyes wide with wonder, "whose aircraft this is, how it came to be in such disrepair, and what the prognosis is on its repair. If I can be of assistance, I would gladly give it a short; I presume it works on the same principles as aircraft in our home dimension. Ah, was there some manner of air bladder attached to provide lift, or some other means of counteracting gravity's pull?"

[Dariusprime]

Mona hovered quietly, content to take up the rearguard position. Viktor's good mood delighted her, and she smiled back to him. He'd seemed downtrodden since his encounter with, well, he hadn't said yet. Whatever the trackers were they're were quick, apparently tireless and fast. Now that he had not only a fellow scientist but another Archeville to chat up, his earlier worries slid off him without so much as a hesitation. Mona knew while he loved her greatly, he still longed for the stimulation of science talk with someone that fully understood. She couldn't begrudge him that.

Mona looked to answer the invite, but since Viktor beat her to it (enthusiasm speed!), she bowed slightly as well. "Thank you."

No doubt Mona appreciated the airship, and frankly, the rest of this world. She examined the people, the camp, the forest, everything around her. The whole place seemed so alien, yet at the same time, so familiar. The feeling didn't particularly rest well with her however, and silently she was glad she didn't have to sleep anymore. The normal nightmares were bad enough.

While Viktor chatted up his counterpart, Fulcrum approached Deadshot and Hellfire. "You've been fighting hard a long time, haven't you?"

While tangential, the question segued into other lower priorities in her mind. Namely, that the bulk of everything she owned lay in the snow some distance away. The question was rhetorical, and she doubted her things would be collected anytime soon. Perhaps more psychological than anything, she wanted her costume. Sure, the cold didn't affect her, but she really didn't want to ruin another set of clothes.

[Quinn]

Viktoria smiled and clapped her hands together as Viktor accepted her invitation, the woman positively beaming...then Viktor inquired about the airship, and her expression changed from beaming to somewhat abashed. In fact, it was a very abashed look, and she actually blushed as she rubbed the back of her head, deliberately looking elsewhere.

"Well...err...an air bladder was an initial part of the design, but the idea was deemed too flimsy and easily punctured; I-thatistosaywe...ahem...we began experimenting with more esoteric methods of keeping it aloft, propellers and steam jets, this particular model was one of the few that..."

She shook her head, letting out a whistling sound akin to a teakettle boiling over, and rubbed her hair in a somewhat frustrated mean.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, there's so much to explain and ask on both sides...I'll start at the beginning." She lead Viktor up onto the deck, his boots hitting the top of it with a clank; most of the top deck did seem to be made of elaborately worked metal.

"When our Free City was still intact, we had a severe handicap against the Warlord's forces; our Forbidden Arts allowed us to develop weapons that frequently turned the tides in battles, but his aerial forces prevented us from seizing the advantage when we had it. They wouldn't dare go near the City itself, we had tools that could take the beasts down in mid-flight; cannons firing either a canister-type shot, deliberately designed for wide spread, or catapults with nets. Unfortunately, while fixed positions prevented them from getting close to the walls without being flattened, neither could we sally out and meet them. So...like we'd done with weapons and armor...well, we tried to do the same with flight."

A somewhat awkward smile creased her features as she rapped a hand against the deck rail, leaning back on it and sighing.

"Took us a year's worth of experimenting and designing before we gave it up as a bad job; we just didn't have the resources to make them feasible. Steam boiler'd burst before you could fly ten feet, it's a miracle we can get enough oil for one lantern, let alone a whole airship, and a manpower-driven method would probably give out before we could get very far. In the end, what you've got here..." She rapped her hand on the deck rail. "was our one and only attempt at a working prototype before we picked up on all those lovely little facts. Flew like an eagle for about an hour, then like a rock for about ten seconds. Landed deep enough in the forest that we couldn't recover it without some serious clear-cutting, so we salvaged what we could and left it here. I've taken a few stabs at getting some of the old gears working, but with the refugees and our own attempts at rebellion..." She spread her hands somewhat helplessly, eyeing Viktor as she mulled over his proposed assistance. The woman began stroking her chin at that, actually seeming to ponder the idea.

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Deadshot's sole response to Fulcrum's question was a flat, toneless "Yes.", tinted goggles that reflected the moonlight watching Viktoria and Viktor very carefully. Hellfire, for his part, simply leaned forward almost eerily close and squinted in his old eyes at Fulcrum, an audible sniff coming from his nose. Leaning back again, his head tilted, the grumpy old sod leaned back on the side of the ship, watching her carefully himself. They stood in relative silence for a minute as they heard Viktoria's long spiel about the airship to Viktor, and when she was finished, Fulcrum heard a tired, hoarse old voice come from underneath Hellfire's hood.

"Y'smell kinda...funny. Crowley don't like y'much. Don't much care who he likes or don't like, but y'got him scared. Scared Crowley makes m'teeth itch. So...who is you?"

[Dariusprime]

Given the silent treatment, Mona leaned against the side of the ship and turned her attention to Viktoria and Viktor. The experimental struggles were of some interest, particularly as to how this beast ended up in the forest. Clever really using an abandoned airship prototype as a rebel base. Almost too clever really if the Warlord's minions carefully searched the sacked city.

Putting those thoughts to the side, she turned back to the two when Hellfire approached. An eyebrow went up but otherwise she didn't react at first. Shrugging at his question, she answered, "Mona Teymourian, also called Fulcrum. I'm a hero operating out of a dimension called Earth Prime."

She offered Hellfire another handshake but doubted he'd accept. Her curiosity piqued at the mention of smelling funny, but she tried not to let on. Probably just the soap she used. The flowery smell likely bothered Deadshot. After all, not to belittle, but the group looked like a good wash would do them a world of good.

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville listened intently, but not with his full attention. His fantastic mind heard every word she said, recorded every utterance, every change in tone and inflection, but his other senses were just as hard at work, scanning over every square centimeter of what he could view of the craft. "So what had you used to get it aloft for that one hour?," Viktor at last asked. "If not coal, or wood, or oil, then what?"

I wonder how much assistance I can give? The structure seems intact enough, the crash did not appear to totally wreck it. But how did it fly in the first place? It is possible certain natural laws here are different from what we have on Earth-Prime, so what I would expect to work back home may not work -- or work opposite as intended! -- here.

"Also," he stopped looking around the craft and turned directly to his counterpart, "why is what you do called 'the Forbidden Arts'? Forbidden by whom?"

[Quinn]

Viktoria rubbed the back of her head, her embarrassed look getting somewhat greater, and finally mumbled something to her extradimensional counterpart.

"...Well...magic."

The second she said that word, she twisted her face as if she'd said something distasteful, and the mix of emotions caused her to just let loose; she explained that if practical considerations would've made it impossible, then they needed to harness a new source of energy. She and a brother had gotten the idea during a late-night brainstorming session which had been interrupted by a thunderstorm; lightning energy had been the answer they needed! The problem was collecting it in sufficient amounts, an answer that one of their rogue mages had been able to grant, at least for a temporary time. She didn't really hold much with magic, but needs must when survival's on the line.

"It took an immense amount of work, but we managed to come up with these unique containers that could hold the raw power of the summoned bolts; went through several labs doing it, too. We collected copper and various other metals (that took a lot of work too) and worked them into these large cylinders, along with this artificial substance we'd developed as insulation; that insulation saved us another five workshops, actually...anyway, we used what mages we had to fill them with lightning bolts, charged them 'till they glowed. Then tapped into them, and..." She tapped the railing, and shrugged. "Rest is history. We were a bit pressed for time, so we sent up the prototype with those experimental cylinders and, well...boom."

Viktoria spread her hands, as if the answer would be obvious, and hastily moved on to the Doktor's next question. Her abashed look changed to one of curiosity, and she tilted her head;

"Why are they called Forbidden? Since it's man-made magic, bending creation to our will through our own sweat and work instead of words of power or things like that. It's been forbidden since...well...I guess since the first Artisan did something a magi could do with magic...writings or histories on the Art are incredibly rare, truth be told. Thanks to the Warlord; anything written about it has been purged, destroyed, anywhere in his domains that it's been used his forces have descended like a hammer. It was a testament to how carefully we'd prepared and our own family's skill with the Art that our city lasted as long as it did."

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Hellfire looked at Fulcrum's hand, then cocked his head to the side as if listening to something. He stood there for a moment, then a somewhat wry smile crossed his wizened face and he nodded, confirming something to himself. Then he took the hand in a surprisingly solid grip, shaking it.

"Crowley's a-feared, a'ight. That don't happen often. I like-ee, Mona Teymourian, Fulcrum of Earth Prime."

Deadshot snorted and waited until Hellfire had turned and started to tump up the ramp, then gave Fulcrum a look himself. Two eyes behind dark goggles stared at her for a moment, then he lifted a hand with two fingers, pointing them to his eyes, and a single one back to her. Then he was off behind Hellfire, and the two disappeared into the bowels of the ship as Brute trooped back up, the big fellow shaking his head.

"Grumpy pair of sods, aren't they? Sorry, thought Hand or Blade'd stick around to chat; they're usually a bit more personable. Viktoria got herself buried into another lecture again?"

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville was quiet again, listening carefully to all his counterpart said. He could see how admitting it distressed her, and felt compassion for her situation.

An ingenious solution; it is what I would have done.

Alright, two scenarios here. One, it was what I would call a standard electrokinetic who 'called down lightning' and channeled energy into storage containers of her design. Two, it was so-called 'magic,' which brings me back to the disturbing possibility that the laws of physics in this reality are substantially different from those of Prime.

"That is excellent work," he said at last, meeting her downturned eyes with a genuine smile of approval. "I likely would have done exactly the same, were I in your position. I take it this was the first time anyone had ever tried to 'bottle lightning'? The ones who pioneered that in our home faced similar problems."

What she said next made his blood run cold, though. "And I take it that, in addition to suppressing knowledge of science and technology -- of the 'Forbidden Arts' -- the knowledge and teaching of magic is closely guarded? Available only to those few deemed worthy? Who pledge fealty to another -- like the Warlord?"

[Quinn]

Viktoria's mouth twisted slightly as the talk of magic continued, but she simply shrugged.

"Yes, it was the first time anyone had tried that. Truth be told, I've studied magic on occasion, trying to understand it's nature; it's hard to nail down, really. Sometimes it's intrinsic, magic only wielded by one person, unique to them. No-Hand, for example; she can move faster than anyone I've ever seen, and she can speak in the strangest tongues from a far-off place. But some of her arts are far beyond us, or so esoteric as to be impossible to replicate, magic solely tied to her, if you get my meaning. Brute was made the way he was through magic cast upon him, spells and enchantments welded into his very body by the Warlord's apprentices, men who have given their fealty..."

She shook her head, crossing her arms and sighing. Another tea-kettle whistle, and she looked Viktor straight in the eye, a slight wry twist in her face.

"I'm sorry, I ramble. Yes, frequently knowledge of the arcane is restricted to those who swear fealty to the Warlord, those deemed worthy to advance in the arts. They are held under rigorous testing and forced to play the most cruel power games to ensure their status; while others who attempt Arts like ours are purged unmercifully. Some rogue mages fight against the Warlord, aye, but they carry even greater risks; Hellfire, for exa..."

The female Doktor cut herself off, blinking, then covered her mouth with one hand. Abruptly, she turned on her heel and coughed, walking towards the entrance to the vessel while speaking rather rapidly.

"However, we have tarried too long, and surely you are hungry; come, we shall speak of less unpleasant matters over a meal! I have told you so much of my world, yet you have spoken so little of yours!"

[Dariusprime]

Mona blinked at Deadshot and gave him a little wave as he disappeared into the ship. Not the exact impression she was attempting, but you couldn't please everyone. The look of contemplation stayed on her face until Brute came up to her. Thankfully, as he himself mentioned, he appeared more personable.

"No need to apologize. To each their own," she said, leaning against the side of the ship and watching the two Archevilles discuss the vehicle. "Yes. Don't expect to hear much of anything from either of them. You're not dealing with one but two eccentric, scientific geniuses now. They'll probably compare notes over dinner and long into the night."

On the plus side, the dinner would be relatively quiet for her. They'd be using technobabble far above her training, and perhaps then she could meet the rest of the locals. Perhaps even plan how to reacquire her belongings and see how the refugee family was fairing. Honestly, she like to find some work to make herself feel less like a fifth wheel. Even if it meant ripping out tree stumps.

Looking to Brute, she said, "Quite a bit of optimism considering all the problems you face. Anything I do can do to help out?" Yes, the question was rather open-ended, but that's the way she intended it. Maybe he'd mention something more about himself, considering what Viktoria let slip about spell welding...

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville did his utmost to be a gracious guest at dinner. He knew these rebels would not have much, so he did not eat too much, but he did not wish to seem rude in shunning their food, so he took care not to take too little. In conversation he tried to be equally guarded. He knew talk of the comforts available to the common man in his Freedom City -- electricity, telephones, automobiles, the internet, reliable food and medicine -- would most likely be things available only to the ultra-wealthy on this world, and maybe not even to them. He suspected talk of the advanced science of his word -- of safe and regular electrical power, and all the comforts/luxuries of home -- may sadden his counterpart when she saw how much they could have but don't (all because of the mad Warlord and those who squashed science before him), yet at the same time hoped that talk of the wonders so common to his time, that made life so much easier than the drudgery his counterpart and her compatriots toiled under, would bring them hope for all the wonders the 'Forbidden Arts' could bring, if only it were allowed to flourish, and so inspire and rally them to oppose the Warlord.

Delicate, this situation is. Anger can lead to hate, and hate begets suffering. Inspired, they must be, and see all they can accomplish, if the right environment they are given.

Hrrmmm....

His enthusiasm for scientific progress, of course, got the better of him, though he put more of a "this is what you can have!" spin and less a "this is what we have and you don't!" angle. "And because I want you all to share in these advancements, I would very much like to help foster a movement to support for your 'Forbidden Arts,' and your rebellion against this Warlord, in whatever way I can. Though, before we can do that," he glanced once more at Fulcrum, "I request a favor. My beloved's possessions are strewn over a wide area some miles away, back where we were first found. Could arrangements be made to bring them here?"

[Quinn]

The meal, while not sumptuous, was actually rather filling; steins of fairly thick beer, bread, and some rather meagre sausages. It was plain fare, Viktoria explained that they brewed their own liquor, but the bulk of their food was either stolen from the Warlord's shipments or grown themselves. Brute chuckled as he drained his stein, placing it back on the table with a thud.

"Hah. You should come to my village sometime, Herr Doktor, where you drink your beer with a fork!"

Of the Frau Doktor's compatriots, only Brute, No-Hand, and the Blade of the Black Forest (though they all just called him Blade, or in No-Hand's case, Pointy) chose to break bread with their new guests. As for dinner conversation, Viktoria did not seem disenheartened at all as Viktor informed her of the various advancements his world had made. If anything, she seemed doubly enthusiastic, her eyes practically shining as she asked several rather apt questions as to the nature of their science. As the talk dwindled and Viktor made his request, she stroked her chin and nodded, leaning back in a fairly comfortable chair with the Archeville coat of arms embossed across the top of the headrest.

"Of course, of course. I'll dispatch some men if Reinhard can guide them back, should be very little trouble. And considering what you've told me about how you dealt with those Hunters, I don't think they'll have any trouble retrieving your beloved's belongings."

As she said the word 'beloved', Viktoria cast a look Fulcrum's way, looking her up and down, then back at Viktor, looking him up and down. For a moment, she looked back and forth between them, seemingly mulling over the difference in height and bulk. She opened her mouth to ask a question, then simply tilted her head and shrugged.

"...Your resilience must be remarkable, Herr Doktor."

Brute muffled a laugh, and Viktoria cast a positively black look his way; he only responded with a series of bass chuckles that shook the floor. For their parts, No-Hand and Blade simply rolled their eyes; it was a byplay they'd no doubt seen many times. The Mistress Of Science clapped her hands together then slammed them onto the table, causing the empty plates to jump briefly; her eyes seemed alight with energy as she grinned and spoke.

"Yes! My mind, it is made up! I should've said earlier, but I was unsure...and now I am! Your timing is remarkable, Herr Archeville; to have arrived on the cusp of one of our most audacious schemes yet! Tell me, does your world possess a place known as Schloss Wissenschaft?"

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville nodded in thanks at the offer to retrieve Mona's belongings. "I am very glad to hear that, and I am sure she will be as well. And, ah," he leaned in closer to his counterpart, "my Science and Technology have been quite helpful with that, too." He winked, and leaned back.

I hope my errors that lead us here do not bring an end to that!

He smiled at her next words. "I should --where we come from, it is the Archeville ancestral home! Well, sort of -- started as a small keep awarded to an ancestor, several hundred years ago, as a reward for military services rendered. It was untouched for centuries, until I inherited it, and expanded it into a proper castle, which I dedicated to the development and teaching of science and technology to all!"

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum ate lightly. Enough not to be insulting, but certainly not as much as she could normally consume. After all they looked to need the food far more than she. Which of course was the case as normal nourishment was a treat now rather than a necessity. In any case, she did share several beers with Brute, toasting and downing each one in synchronized enjoyment.

"Now that sounds like my kind of beer!"

She smiled to Viktor and was glad he managed to segway the conversation into retrieving her things. Hopefully, the team wouldn't have any problems, but if problems could pop up, she was more than happy to accompany them. That thought derailed as Viktoria began mentally comparing Viktor and herself. She smiled politely but for the most part knew what she must be thinking. After all all of her friends wondered pretty much the same thing. Although they never put it quite the way Viktoria did.

She laughed along with Brute, the combined laughter shaking the rest of the vessel let alone the floor.

When Viktor answered for her, again, like she wasn't in the room, she poked him playfully on the arm before putting her hand over his own. "I'm right here you know," she said, before addressing Viktoria, "Thank you very much. I can accompany the team if need be."

"What do you have planned?" she asked of Viktoria's scheme.

[Quinn]

Viktoria smiled grimly, and motioned to No-Hand. A blur of motion too fast for the Doktor or even Fulcrum to keep up with, and a roll of parchment slapped into the woman's hand. She unrolled it on the table, it appeared to be a layout of a city and it's outer environs, with those two very identifiable words, Schloss Wissenschaft, occupying a prominent position near the centre. A single word, Wissenschaftburg, stood in banner position across the top of the map.

"A very good question, Frau Fulcrum; a scheme I think you and my counterpart can assist a great deal with. Look. Our city. Our home. We've been planning a raid on the Governor's seat for nearly a year, and you've arrived just in time for the fireworks to start."

She pointed out different spots, arrows and squares meant to represent soldiers and crack teams, as well as crucial points in the city. She slammed her fist into the table to emphasize her point;

"The people in this city, people loyal to the Haus of Archeville, wait to throw off the yoke of the Warlord. Wissenschaftburg was Free before, and it will again! The Govenor himself seized the castle once they'd sacked the city, but rather than burn it to the ground they changed it to their headquarters. See here, Blade, No-Hand, and Deadshot will move through these three major barracks', taking out what officers they can and decapitating their chain of command. Hellfire and Brute will lead a main force and link up with elements of the in-city resistance, as well as freeing prisoners held by the occupation force; mostly local peasantry, but a great deal of old Haus Archeville soldiers they've yet to execute, and what's left of our own renegade mages. Unfortunately, we never had the manpower or the leverage to hit the Governor directly."

She gave both Viktor and Fulcrum a piercing look, as if to divine what the two of them were thinking as she detailed her scheme.

"The two of you could provide that edge, and much more besides if I can pick your brains beforehand. If we strike fast enough, we can take out the Governor and his main forces, and retake the city before they have a chance to react!"

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville looked on as his counterpart and her 'lieutenants' described the situation, stroking his chin and nodding here and there.

A city! I- we- she- they had their own city! That is awesome!

And it must be saved! It shall be saved!

"You have the good beginnings of a plan," he said at last, "but I believe I see several points where it can be refined. My first idea," he began repositioning markers on the map, "is to keep Deadshot back here, where he can oversee the courtyards as Brute and Hellfire charge through, and pick off attackers as needed. I would join Blade and No-Hand in attacking the command structure," he added two new flags he had hastily constructed, "and if Fulcrum attacks from here with a small force, to meet up with Brute and Hellfire at this point, that should overwhelm the Castle defenders." He offered many other ideas, ways to attack that would take advantage of the terrain and changing guard shifts, and weak points he knew of in his Schloss which he'd hoped were in this Schloss, including the offshoot of the Danube river which ran under a series of catacombs under the castle, and which could serve as an excellent entry point for some of them.

Check

OOC for Master Plan check!

[Quinn]

As soon as it became clear that the Doktor had a scheme in mind, things about the camp kicked into overdrive. Messengers left the camp for other hidden hold-outs, carrying letters of hope; that the time had come for a true Resistance, not just guerrilla warfare! Old crates were kicked open, armor long forgotten brought out and shined, weapons belted to hips and bows restrung. The standing force at the airship encampment's morale seemed to increase exponentially with each new irregular brought in, volunteers all who remembered the glory of the Free City, and wished a return to those days. And good news for Fulcrum, her luggage was brought to the encampment within a few hours of the messengers going out! Although some of it was a tad soggy from sitting in the snow for so long. And a couple were a bit banged up from being trod over by the Jagers.

By the next evening, a force nearly one-hundred strong had been assembled at the old airship; half of them veteran soldiers from when the City still stood, elite troops bearing battered and worn gear that had seen them through many battles, the other half volunteer irregulars, whose enthusiasm and valor would more than make up for their inexperience. Their equipment was still poor (although likely better than the average Warlord soldier; Viktoria had not been idle, and plenty of her inventions had made for excellent weapons and armor when properly adapted), although the Doktor's countepart had some ideas on improvement...however, as Viktoria, Viktor, Fulcrum, and Viktoria's lieutenants stood upon the airship deck, looking over the now-expanded encampment and the troops moving about therein, there still seemed to be an undercurrent of desperation. Hope might have been born, but doubts were still deep-seated amongst the oppressed. How could they fight back against that?

[Dr Archeville]

There are embers of hope, but they must be fanned to a flame to insure they give their all!

Fortunately, as a German, I know a thing or two about rousing speeches....

Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville looked out over the ragtag group of rebels and refugees. Out of habit he set his Electromagnetic Screwdriver to act as a microphone that would broadcast his words over any nearby speakers, but he quickly realized that A] there were no speakers nearby, and B] his wondrous Gadget was still inoperable. So he spoke the old-fashioned way, projecting from the diaphragm, and with grand, sweeping gestures. " Schloss Wissenschaft, Warlord "

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum stood at relaxed attention behind Vitkor, beside Viktoria. Her expression remained carefully neutral throughout Viktor's speech, simply standing as a silent sentinel to support his rousing oration. When he finished, Fulcrum looked to him, but before she could say anything, Viktoria nudged her forward to speak as well.

Not used to public speaking, at least in the motivational speech convention, she strode forward and tried to formulate what to say. He'd already proved a powerful call to arms. So instead she'd focus on the specifics instead of high concept. A social contract as it were.

Once she spoke, the assembled group (and Viktor!) realized that when she wanted to speak loudly, she didn't need to speak from the diaphragm. She was big and just put out more decibels! "I stand before you a stranger from a distant land. My road home is uncertain. What I am certain about is this: today I see the greatest courage I have yet witnessed. I am honored to fight alongside you in the coming battle. A battle which may change the course of history for the better. I need not tell you of the stakes. Instead I offer this pledge. As a guardian of my world, I vow that I will fight with all of my power to make your Free City a reality. No Warlord or his servants will stand before us. All I ask is that you fight beside me, my stalwart comrades."

[Quinn]

Viktoria, her lieutenants behind her, stepped up with a flourish, her coat snapping behind her. She was in full regalia now, a mixture of regal bearing and raw mad science. Electricity arced between two antennae on a backpack connected to her version of the soldiers' shock rifles, sending light flashing around her in a most impressive manner.

"You've stood and listened; heard the words of our new allies from beyond the farthest reaches! Heroes from a land where freedom reigns, and villains like the Warlord are cast down by the sweat and toil of good men and women! For too long we've huddled in our camps, fighting a losing war against odds greater than any in our history! But this day...this day we take a stand! This day, we draw a line in the sand, and say no more! The Lady Fulcrum asks that you fight beside her, as stalwart comrades! My brother Archeville asks that you strike with vengeance, with righteous fury! I say we give them what they want, what say you?!"

An echoing roar came from the amassed resistance, weapons raised high and hearts swelled by the brave words from their leaders; if Viktor or Fulcrum could've made a guess, that roar of challenge could've been heard even at Schloss Wissenschaft! Viktoria nodded to her lieutenants, each of whom rapidly descended from the deck and began moving amidst the soldiers, organizing squads and detailing orders, preparing for the attack that was to come. Viktoria slumped down slightly then, leaning on the deck rail, and turned to face her newfound allies.

"You've given them hope, something I thought they'd lost a long time ago. The odds are still stacked against us, but...we've got a chance, now. Thank you."

[Dr Archeville]

This is god! No, this is GREAT! It looks like we have really got them fired up -- I just hope it lasts!

Oh... oh, I think I know how I can help insure that...

Archeville was all smiles as he turned to his counterpart, "we are honored to be of help, Frau Doktor," he nodded towards Fulcrum, "but I think I know one other way we can help, though I am uncertain if we have the time necessary to do so before our attack. But I think we do! On our world, there is a substance known as Daka crystals, found in the nation of Dakana; they have fairly unique properties which make the ideal for manipulating a wide variety of energies."

And harming my beloved... butt hat should not be an issue here. I hope.

"Are there any such crystals here? Because I think I know," he placed an arm around her shoulder to turn her so she was looking at the airship, "how we can get this working again!"