Uzbecka

Uzbecka felt a surge of adrenaline as she unleashed a blast of wind at the two Cloak pirates who had entered the hold through a large blasthole. She had been guarding the flux cores with Thulia, the engineer, and two passengers, Darius Mann and his scribe, when the green-clad intruders had burst through the hull, armed with railguns and shoulderblades. Uzbecka had barely managed to erect a shield of air to deflect their shots, while Thulia had grabbed a wrench and tried to fight them off. But the engineer had been quickly overpowered and knocked unconscious, leaving Uzbecka alone to face the enemies.

She knew she had to protect the flux cores at all costs. They were the source of the Runagate's powerand they contained three gloomer spirits, born out of the magnetic fields of the Swirl. The Runagate used the flux energy to fly and navigate through the Swirl, avoiding the dangers that lurked within, such as the skywhales, the giant creatures that fed on flux and anything else they could catch.

The Cloak pirates might intend to bleed the gloomer weirds, or to sell them on the black market. Uzbecka could not let that happen. She had sworn an oath to protect the Runagate and its crew, and she felt a kinship with the gloomer spirits, who had helped her hone her weather magic, helping her learn how to channel the flux energy through her body and mind.

But now, the flux cores were damaged, and the gloomers were in danger. Uzbecka could feel their distress, as they struggled to maintain their connection to the Runagate. She could also hear the sounds of battle outside the hold, as the Remoras, in their red Mantas, attacked the Runagate from above.

Uzbecka knew they had little time left. She had to fend off the Cloak pirates and secure the flux cores, before the Runagate crashed or ran afoul of the Remoras or the skywhale looming above them. If the skywhale got a taste of the flux leaking out the cores, it would come at them, and she feared what it would do when it did.

She centered herself in the present, and the two Cloak pirates advancing on her. She had managed to wound one of them with a blow with a loose timber, but she was unprepared for this. Uzbecka wondered who they were behind their green Manta masks, and why they had chosen to become sky pirates. She wondered if they had families, friends, dreams, or regrets. She wondered if they felt any remorse for the lives they had taken, or the lives they were about to take.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She could not afford to be distracted. She had to fight, and as the Mantas moved towards the flux cores, they were also driving her towards the hole basted in the Runagate's hull. She raised her hands, ready to unleash a blast of wind, when she heard a loud noise behind her. She turned, and saw a familiar figure emerge from the blasthole. Harlaan was brandishing a peevee pole, and he looked tired, but determined.

"Uzbecka, I'm here to help!" he shouted, as swung the pole at the nearest Cloak pirates. "Are you alright?"

Uzbecka felt a surge of relief, and gratitude. She nodded, and smiled. "Harlaan, you're a sight for sore eyes!" she said. "I'm fine, but the flux cores are not. We have to get them out of here, before the skywhale comes back!"

Harlaan nodded, and moved closer to her. He glanced at the flux cores, and frowned. He saw the cracks and sparks on the metal casings, and the faint glow of the gloomer spirits inside. He knew how important they were, and how dangerous they could be. He had seen what happened when a flux core exploded, or when a gloomer spirit possessed a person. He had seen madness, and death.

"We'll get them out, don't worry," he said. "But first, we have to deal with them."

He jabbed his sword at the Cloak pirates, who had taken cover behind some crates. They were still firing their railguns, but their shots were erratic and ineffective. They looked scared, and desperate.

"Give up, you scum!" Harlaan shouted. "You're outnumbered and outmatched! Surrender, and we might spare your lives!"

None of this was actually true, but it sounded good.

The Cloak pirates did not respond. They kept firing, hoping to hit their targets. Uzbecka and Harlaan worked together, spreading out and closing the distance. They reached the crates, and leaped over them. They engaged the Cloak pirates in close combat, using spells and blows. Uzbecka found her center and unleashed a liquid blow against one of the Cloak pirates, while Harlaan parried and then tripped the other. They fought with skill and fury, and soon had the upper hand. pinning the pirates to the ground.

They turned their attention to the flux cores, and saw that they were worse than before. They saw the cracks widen, and the sparks intensify. They saw the glow of the gloomer spirits fade, and flicker. They heard their voices, weak and faint, in their minds.

"Help us... please..." the gloomers said. "We can't hold on... much longer..."

Uzbecka and Harlaan felt a surge of panic, and urgency. They knew they had to act fast, or it would be too late. They grabbed the flux cores, and lifted them up. They carried them to the blasthole in the hull, and prepared to escape. They hoped to find a safe place to land, and to fix the flux cores. They hoped to save the gloomers, and the Runagate.

They looked at each other, and nodded. They were ready to go. They jumped through the blasthole, and flew out of the hold. They saw the Swirl below them, and the tepui ahead of them. They saw the Remoras and the Cloak fighting in the air, and the Runagate falling to the ground. They saw the skywhale above them, and

They saw the skywhale above them, and felt a surge of terror, and awe. It was a colossal creature, bigger than the Runagate, and more powerful than anything they had ever seen. It had a whale-like body, but with wings, scales, and teeth. It had eyes that glowed with a blue light, and a mouth that opened wide, ready to devour them. It had sensed the flux energy, and had followed them. It had waited for the right moment, and had attacked.

It swooped down on them, faster than they could react. It opened its mouth, and unleashed a blast of sound, a sonic boom that shattered the air, and their ears. It hit them with a force that knocked them off balance, and made them drop the flux cores. They saw the flux cores fall, and felt a surge of despair, and guilt. They had failed to protect them, and the gloomers. They had doomed them, and the Runagate.

They watched as the flux cores hit the ground, and cracked. They saw a flash of light, and a pulse of energy that rippled through the Swirl. They saw the gloomer spirits emerge from the flux cores, and fly into the air. They saw them as three orbs of different colors, red, blue, and green. They heard them as three voices, loud and clear, in their minds.

"Help us... please..." the gloomers said. "We can't survive... without hosts..."

Uzbecka and Harlaan felt a surge of sadness, and pity. They had lost the gloomers, but they had not freed them. They had left them vulnerable, and exposed. They had broken their oath, and their bond.

They wanted to help the gloomers, and find them new hosts. But they did not know how, or where. They looked around, and saw the Swirl below them, and the tepui ahead of them. They saw the Remoras and the Cloak fighting in the air, and the Runagate falling to the ground. They saw the skywhale above them, and felt a surge of fear, and dread. It was not satisfied with its attack, and wanted more. It wanted the flux energy, and the gloomers.

It swooped down on them again, faster and fiercer than before. It opened its mouth, and unleashed another blast of sound, louder and stronger than before. It hit them with a force that knocked them out of the air, and made them plummet to the ground. They felt the impact, and the pain. They lost consciousness, and everything went black.

They did not see what happened next. They did not see the gloomer spirits fly towards the Runagate, and enter the blasthole in the hull. They did not see them find new hosts, among the unconscious crew and passengers. They did not see them possess the bodies of the dreamguide, Rielle; the captain, Ariette; and the engineer, Thulia. They did not see the changes that occurred, in their appearance, and their abilities.

They did not see the skywhale follow them, and attack the Runagate. They did not see it enraged by the flux energy, and the gloomers. They did not see it drive the Runagate down into the tepui, and crash it into the rocks. They did not see the destruction, and the death.

They did not see the end of their story, or the beginning of a new one.