“I...I want to see her, so we’ll hopefully work something out,” Chloe sighed as she nuzzled Sita’s shoulder with her tired head.
“You already have a great potential base of operations. Even before work starts on the rebuilding of your castle, and on strengthening it with dampfsteel and clockwork,” Kalisha said, as her clockwork arm lit up with electricity and gave her insight directly into her brain about how that might work, “we can use fallen bricks to fortify your dungeon. I’ll draft up some plans at the nearest architectural firm and print them out.”
“And I’ll head down the mountain to see when the next WRR cargo train comes to the Goraktrian Station and town just below the mountain on the Surabamba side of the border. From there I’ll order the supplies and furnishings we need,” Sajida said, the mercantile side of her brain buzzing even as she dreaded setting foot in her Imperial occupied homeland. “Maybe even ask around for things people want and see if we can find them on the mountain and sell them, in order to start filling our shared coffers again.”
“I can also send my men farther out to...
acquire materiel we can’t find here,” Ronyn started to say.
“Buy. Legally,” Sajida said sternly, crossing her arms. “We don’t want any trouble from the authorities.”
“Fine, buy legally. And wherever supplies or people need to be delivered, my crew and I can help with that,” the pirate grumbled, and Sajida nodded.
“I’ll slip into the shadows and go around the closest Kanchi village on their side of the border,” Akari said. Some of the men gulped as she demonstrated by hiding in the shadow of Sita and giving a
playful, yet slightly evil grin. “Then I can see who is already resisting Confederate rule or is thinking about doing so and might be willing to meet with us.”
“Am I needed for anything?” Chloe asked.
“Not just yet, but I will have use for your piloting skills in time,” Ronyn said. “For now, stay here and keep Sita and the rest of my crew company. If we all know what we’re doing, let’s prepare some airships. One for Akari, another for Kalisha and Sajida. Roll out!”
Soon, both airships were away, and Chloe walked towards the castle by herself and leaned against a doorway, exhaling heavily.