The party lasted way too long and by the end, my nerves were fried but Fiona thanked me for sticking it out. I knew it was more about Martin than it was about me but still, I hated politics.

The ship wasn’t launched that evening, much to the disappointment of everyone present. They could watch the launch in the morning after I got some sleep. Nobody could be within the compound walls while I was initiating the systems anyway, there was a slight possibility the automated defenses would determine they were hostile. It was unlikely but I didn’t want to risk it on a simple systems test.

***

The morning was a frantic burst of activity as the construction crew ran around making sure everything was secured. They would be aboard for the shakedown and many of them were nervous.

“Boss, it looks like everything is good to go on our end,” Timothy said as he entered the command room.

“Alright, tell your men to strap themselves in the flight chairs and we’ll get this show on the road.”

The ship could comfortably sleep twelve people or hold twenty-five. There were flight chairs bolted to bulkheads, along the ship, that would fold out for takeoff. Seating for twenty-five included the four command seats so it was cramped.

I sent an alert message to Charles to make sure the yard was clear and waited for his reply before I initialized the Retribution’s main system.

A flood of power from the mana generators entered the ship and lights flickered on as systems came online for the first time.

I needed no screen to display this info as it flashed across the wall of the command room.

Environmental – Green

Power Supply – Green

Exterior Hatches – Red

Flight Control – Green

Weapons – Green

Defensive Systems – Green

“Timothy, have someone check the hatches.”

Tim radioed his crew and got a response after a minute.

“Looks like someone forgot to close the top hatch.”

I nodded, the indicator had changed to yellow, then green.

“Alright, looks like we are good for liftoff, give me an ok when everyone is secured.”

Tim nodded as he strapped himself in one of the other command chairs. After a few seconds, he gave me the go-ahead.

I smiled and activated the command room. The walls faded away and I heard Tim inhale sharply. He hadn’t been one of the people subjected to my tests so this was his first experience. It appeared that we were floating on chairs with small platforms under them, sixty feet in the air.

“You could have warned me,” he said shakily.

I chuckled, “where’s the fun in that.”

He gave me a dirty look but kept quiet as I smirked and checked the power draw. Everything was normal so far, although the lighting systems were drawing more power than necessary. I hoped it was a minor issue.

Slowly I increased the power and Retribution picked up off its build cradle. I made sure the weapons were in their offline mode. This would prevent the defensive system from activating them if it did have a glitch.

I was almost certain everything else would function correctly but with so much being so new it was better to test slowly.

I set the ship back down after lifting it only ten feet in the air. The Mana Heart had already refilled completely before I set down. Sustainability achieved, I thought happily.

“Test one complete, powering down systems for diagnostic and structural inspection,” I stated.

I could have said this over the ship intercom but that test was later. One system at a time.

***

The initial systems tests took two hours. One repair had to be made in a bulkhead that twisted weirdly. It turned out to be under strain and that was released when we first lifted off. It wouldn’t happen again as it was removed and inspected. Turns out it was just a bit too short. A replacement was bolted back in place and the tests continued.

The only test we didn’t perform was a weapons test. I kept those systems offline until we got over the bay for the shakedown. I was also only going to do that at night, didn’t need prying eyes seeing what she was capable of.

We were met with fanfare as our first flight left the yard and people below waved us off.

Timothy was still in the command deck and had relaxed a bit at the see-through floor. He was helping me monitor the systems. I could have it all in front of me but it was easier to split it up for now. As I got more comfortable with Retribution, I would take over monitoring it all.

Our initial flight was short, only down to the large docks and into the water. It felt weird seeing the water rush up toward us and even I clenched my cheeks as we touched down. The ship didn’t flip over so that was a plus. It did bob quite a bit but that was normal for such a small ship on the open ocean.

More checks were made to make sure we weren’t taking on water. There was a sump system just in case. We did find one leak but it was in the weld on the exterior so we would have to land at the dry dock cradle to fix it. It was probably cracked from that bad brace as it was in the same ship section.

“Props to your people, Timothy, they did outstanding work. I don’t think they will have any issues with the next project.”

“Thanks, boss, I’ll let them know. The project should be interesting, have you told the Mayor yet?”

“Nope, I’m saving that for after our shakedown.”

We finished the shakedown and landed back in the cradle. Martin, Fiona, and a few others were waiting outside to greet us as I had asked. I was now confident enough in the defensive system to assure it wouldn’t go apeshit and kill everything. It had been a legitimate worry of mine, it was the most complex piece of runic technology that I had created. Being unique I had nothing to compare it to but it worked flawlessly. It was a bit surprising actually, I had expected a few faults with it but nothing cropped up so far. The big test would be tonight and the live-fire weapons test.

“It was even more impressive than I thought,” Martin said, shaking my hand and pulling me into a quick one-armed hug.

“… oh, ok, you can let go now,” I said awkwardly.

He let go and smiled, “Hey, just be glad we aren’t French and kissing you on each cheek.”

“Keep your kissing to your girlfriend,” Fiona said in amusement. “I assume you wanted us here for something other than hugging?”

“…Oh, yeah, almost forgot. Follow me,” I gestured, heading toward the warehouse inside the yard. “I think you’re going to like this.”

I watched Martin as we entered the warehouse. He had a confused look on his face as it took in what was inside. Another ship’s hull was partially assembled. Nothing as large in scope as the Retribution, not even half the length. I waited while Martin and the others walked around the unfinished gunboat.

“… Ok, it's another boat but how is it going to be finished if you leave? Have you trained others in runes?” Martin asked.

“No, there wasn’t time for that. Besides, I think a few have started picking it up on their own,” I stated, looking at Timothy.

“Oh… um, you noticed,” he said sheepishly.

I smiled, “it’s fine. Not like it would remain secret forever. Back to the boat. While I didn’t have time to go into the nuances of rune crafting, I did have time to make a stamping machine, capable of creating a ribbon for the power distribution system. I also created a second one to make the plates used in propulsion and lift. Everything else just requires putting the pieces together and testing it. You will have to provide the mithril though but there should be enough material on hand for eight or nine of these gunboats.”

“This is too much, you didn’t need to do all this,” Martin stated as he inspected everything.

“Nonsense,” I said, “The city is going to need some way to strike back or defend against a similar ship.”

Martin paused, “you don’t think they have ships like yours as well?”

“Probably not like the Retribution but I would be surprised if they couldn’t make a vessel capable of flying. I imagine the only reason we haven’t seen one yet is due to the difficulty of transporting something that large across the worlds. No, if they do appear, it will be because they built them on Earth. Since they won’t be able to get close to Saint June with the drainer active, I suspect they may start to attack the barges or anyone outside the city. This just ensures we are ahead of the game.”

Martin sighed, “It just feels like escalation after escalation. I know you are right though, if we show weakness, they will take advantage of it.”

I nodded. “The final machine stamps out a fully assembled mana cannon or mana laser depending on what stamps you insert into the run. The only people who have access to this warehouse will be SJ Contractors, Martin, Fiona, and Ska. My suggestion is to print out as many weapons as you can and mount them to the walls of the city. They won't be as effective as a hand-built weapon but numbers should make up for that deficiency.”

“Yeah, I had thought along those lines as well,” Martin said. “I still wish you would reconsider attacking Houston. It’s going to stir up a hornet's nest but I also agree we can’t leave the Guild in charge over there any longer, not after they attacked us once already. Have you gotten word from the Marshall yet?”

“I did. He won’t be joining the mission but fifteen of his best men agreed to take part in liberating the city. Along with Ska and me, it should go quickly.”

“Alright, Paul, you stay safe out there,” Martin said, pulling me into another fierce hug. I awkwardly patted him on the back, waiting for him to let go.

“I’m not letting go until you hug me back,” he said.

I relented and returned the hug.

“See, not so bad right,” he chuckled, releasing me to the laughter of the others in the room.

I grunted and slapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Just keep the city and its people safe.”

“I will do my best.”

The tour wrapped up and everyone got back to their work. I still had supplies to bring over from the fortress, mostly spare parts at this point but they didn’t take up much room, being stuffed in storage rings. I stuck the rings in the maintenance closet and shut the door. I called it a closet but it was more a cabinet. Storage devices made spaces like that take up so much less room. I also had multiple weapons lockers hidden around the ship. Most were still empty but one had my spare staves and assorted crafting gear.

My last stop was the kitchen or I guess it was a galley, where I stored the backup food supply. Similar to how I had it in the fortress, the rings were concealed for safety. I was pretty certain anyone that attempted hostile entry into the ship would regret it but old habits died hard.

I did one last inspection, making sure everything was good to go before I ended up back on the bridge. I had to smile at what we had accomplished. There is no way I could have built this ship by myself. I was a skilled rune crafter but building anything, not made from stone, was not my specialty. The only thing left was to wait for Ska to finish his assigned patrol then we would head for Houston.