Twilight Mirage 40: Like What We Used To Do

Background

Episode description

Having agreed to help a group of young runaways that go by the name the Sailors of the Ark, the Notion begin to gather information for their mission.

Fourteen Fifteen, Grand Magnificent, and Tender Sky head toward Big Garage’s terrestrial transport center to secure passage onto the floating city ship, only to find things more complicated (and tightly scheduled) than they’d hope. Gig Kep-Hart and the sentient Torch Unit named Yam, meanwhile, visit with members of the Ark to piece together clues about Big Garage’s layout.

But preparation is always only preparation, and when the team finally takes to the skies, they run into a few unexpected surprises...

This week on Twilight Mirage: Like What We Used To Do

Piece in my hands worth twice than a friend
And two limbs over shoulder, carried away

The children argued over what it was the entire trip back, dragging it over the dry cracked clay towards Big Garage, whirring hovermotor struggling under its weight, their own muscles sore from digging it out and clearing a path through the scrap. Valena thought it was a massive drinking bowl, its shape and ruddy metal similar to some of her mother’s tableware. But Bijul disagreed. This was definitely a shield, she said, like the saints from the old Crown of Glass used. Nevermind that it didn’t have any mount or grip to hold it with, or any sort of glass at all. As for Justero, well. He said it was some sort of sled or vehicle, but that was mostly an excuse to ride in it as the other kids pushed it along.

But when Besterinian saw what the flock of preteens was pushing, he knew what it was at once. He was a gleamer, after all, one of those dealmakers who paced the border of the Crash Yards eager to offer too little in exchange of salvage too heavy to keep carrying. And he wasn’t only a gleamer— he was the best on Gift-3. And that’s how he knew that it wasn’t a shield, or a sled or a bowl. It was a fingernail. It was the fingernail of something great, something gone. Something he thought he could maybe help bring back.

Days can be long, but these ones were short. Just hours after he’d gotten in touch with the Mandati Special Projects Division, an entire dig site was set up under shadow and cloak. Silent pulleys and noiseless windblasters. Featherlights and route rumblers. An entire division of secret researchers devoted to collecting and analyzing dust particles. Soon Besterinian and Bijul were posing with the local Resonant Orbit Note, the sort of photo op that can turn a civil servant into a career politician. The sort of photo op you don’t publish until you’re sure you’re right.

“I still think it’s a kind of shield,” said Bijul.

But as yet another transport from Big Garage landed, filled with those desperate to find the colossal body of a protector, Besterinian simply nodded. “Yeah. A kind of a shield.””

Plot

Tender, Fourteen, Grand, Gig, and Yam arrive in the city of Big Garage with a mission from Vanya De La Vega to find a perpetual motion machine that will activate the energy shields to protect Ark-en-Ciel Amovement Park. Fourteen, Tender, and Grand meet Donnell, a tourist attendant. Grand pretends to be Gig and uses his faux celebrity status to convince Donnell to grant Fourteen passage into the Big Garage.

In a flashback, Gig meets with Keegan, a teenager who worked at Big Garage and gives him advice on how to get inside. Keegan also tells Gig that part of the reason that the Sailors of the Ark are upset with him is because he spent his year after the miracle on Brighton rather than on Gift-3.

Fourteen boards the Big Garage under the name of Lucy Helps. Tender, Grand, Gig, and Yam are all smuggled on board in crates. When Fourteen goes to ensure that the crates arrived safely, they find Waltz Tango (Cache), who is working as security for Big Garage. Several spider-like security robots also begin inspecting the crates.

Fourteen tells Waltz that they can't back out of their mission. They let slip that the rest of their crew are in the crate, and Waltz sounds the alarm. Fourteen also discovers that the ship has extra security because they are transporting part of Gumption's arm today.

A series of flashbacks occurs. First, Fourteen sets up a codeword to warn the rest of the Notion if things go wrong and they need to pop out of their crates. Second, Gig sets up a minor explosive as a distraction.

Fourteen signals that things are going wrong and tries to hit Waltz. Gig detonates his explosive, and he and Yam hide. Tender activates her mech, the Clearcut, and takes out all but one of the security robots. The last robot attacks Grand, and he shoots it.

Cast

Austin Walker (GM)
Ali Acampora (Tender Sky)
Keith J Carberry (Gig Kephart)
Art Martinez-Tebbel (Grand Magnificent)
Jack de Quidt (Fourteen Fifteen)

Other Characters