Cloudchaser climbed from the Iris Hollow basin, air rushing past its riveted hull plates. The patched balloon canopy above strained slightly against the ascent, its framework groaning faint, familiar sounds. Below, Archeon''s horizon spread wide: farmland squares, patchwork green and brown, dwindled behind them, stitched by silver streams that caught the strengthening sun. Pale arcs of cultivation domes glinted against the fields; orchard belts stretched away in emerald ribbons.


    Anna''s hands rested light on the worn yoke, its leather cool beneath her palms. Her gaze scanned the wind speed indicator, then the sky ahead. She nudged the main directional lever with practiced pressure; the airship responded readily, banking slightly southwest. Overhead, the faint shimmer of supernova haze traced delicate bands across the upper atmosphere.


    The deck planks vibrated beneath her boots, a steady, known hum from the turbines mounted below the gondola. Anna watched the altitude gauge climb. Beside her, Milo hunched over the secondary console, brow tight, pencil scratching notes onto a pad beside the flickering screen.


    "Maintain ascent," Anna said, her voice even over the turbine hum. "Find that upper current—should give us smoother air."


    The airship tilted again under her guidance, then leveled, the vibration smoothing as it caught the faster wind stream. A quick flash of teeth showed as Milo looked up, his eyes bright, reflecting the wide sky visible through the cockpit viewport.


    "Altitude stable," he confirmed, voice clearer now. "Current velocity holding."


    A minimal curve lifted Anna''s lips. She glanced back briefly towards the receding valley. "Alright. Riverbend by sundown, if this wind holds."


    The airship moved onward, southwest. A sharp gust hit the port side; the hull shuddered, a sound of metal flexing, then steadied. Loose strands of Anna''s blonde hair whipped across her face, snagging on her collar. She pushed them back, eyes fixed forward. The sense of height, the vast spread below—it sparked a familiar steadiness deep in her chest. Far below, clouds drifted like slow-moving islands; sunlight glinted off unseen water surfaces between them.


    The rhythmic hum of the turbines, the faint creak of the canopy frame overhead—these sounds filled the cockpit. Anna scanned the power flow indicators—amber needles steady within green arcs—before leaning slightly sideways, closer to the viewport glass. Her gaze swept the unfolding horizon.


    Slender rivers snaked across rolling plains below, bright ribbons shimmering silver under the high sun. Farmland faded behind; the terrain ruggedized. Lower hills rose, their slopes showing patches of hardy shrubs, streaks of muted color—stubborn wildflowers against pale stone. Further east, glimpsed through a break in the haze, the landmass began to rise sharply.


    She gestured with her chin towards the east. "Milo," her voice pitched clear over the engine hum. "Look there. East face of Orun Plateau coming up."


    He leaned closer to his own viewport, eyes tracking her gesture. "The Wall?" His voice held a note of quiet awe. "Never seen it from this angle."


    A hardness showed in Anna''s gaze, softened by a flicker of something else—respect for the scale. "Three kilometers straight up," she said. "Different beast from the west cliffs near home. Afternoon sun turns the rock face molten."


    As they flew parallel, the distant haze fractured. The plateau''s outline sharpened against the pale sky—a massive escarpment, stark brown and gray verticals. Closer, details emerged: sheer rock faces scored with dark, mineral striations; jagged ledges where green moss clung; swirling updrafts visible where cloud wisps shredded against unseen spurs. The upper rim vanished into trailing mist high above. Sunlight spilled over that rim, glinting off thin waterfalls that traced silvery paths down the immense stone face, mist catching the light in brief, prismatic flashes.


    Milo breathed out, a soft sound against the engine hum. "Looks impossible," he murmured, his forehead pressed near the viewport glass.


    "Feels it sometimes," Anna replied, her tone low. "We skirt the edge here. Follow the wind channel. Updrafts can give a boost, if you read them right." Her hand moved on a trim lever, a small, precise adjustment. "Watch the drift indicators."


    She scanned higher. Thick cloud columns massed near the plateau''s summit—''sky reefs'' in pilot slang. Above them, the faintest coppery shimmer of the supernova dust lingered against the deep turquoise sky.


    Cloudchaser pressed steady along the planned route. Terrain below shifted again. Rolling plains gave way to rougher ground. Broad rivers carved twisting paths, rapids flashing white foam against dark water. Grassy fields were replaced by rocky outcrops. Clumps of twisted, pine-like trees clung to slopes, muted green against bare stone. Patches of wildflowers added intense splashes of purple and yellow. A deep canyon opened ahead, a shadowed fissure, feeding a wide waterway winding from the plateau''s unseen base. Anna nodded towards it. "Ishkar River," she stated. "Runs underground further north, surfaces back there. Feeds the delta settlements."


    Milo tore his gaze from the river, looking back towards the plateau''s receding wall. "Hard to picture farmland domes just hours back," he said, shaking his head slightly.


    "Archeon''s patched together like that," Anna said. A slight shrug moved her shoulders. "Meltdown changed everything—shifted weather, water paths. Made some parts fertile, others blasted raw." Her gaze lingered on a distant section of eroded badlands visible to the west. "Keeps the flights demanding."


    A bank of cloud drifted towards them. Anna''s hands tightened on the yoke. Cool, damp tendrils brushed the hull plating. The cockpit light dimmed as mist swirled past the viewport, softening the view to diffused white. The rigging overhead creaked under a shift in wind pressure. "Milo—altimeter," Anna said, her voice sharp, focused. "Keep calling crosswind vectors."


    He leaned towards his console, relaying numbers. Anna felt the airship dip—a momentary drop in an air pocket—then lift again as she countered with a slight thruster adjustment. The hull plating hummed steady beneath her boots. These clouds were thinner, less violent than the storm cells near Veyra. Manageable.


    Minutes passed in the swirling gray. Then, the mist thinned abrupt. Light flooded the cockpit again. They emerged into clearer air. Kilometers ahead, the main face of the Orun Plateau dominated the view—a near-vertical wall of rock stretching across the entire forward viewport. Dark striations streaked its surface. Green moss painted patterns on sheer sections. Thin waterfalls glistened like silver threads, mist exploding into faint rainbows where sunlight hit spray near the base. The plateau soared upward, immense, its upper rim lost in swirling cloud fragments high above. Diffused sunlight from behind the clouds cast a dramatic, soft-edged glow, bathing the rock face in shifting patterns of golden light and deep, cool shadow.


    Anna let out a breath, she hadn''t realized she held. Her grip on the yoke eased slightly. She met Milo''s wide-eyed stare, saw the reflection of the plateau wall in his dark pupils. "Right," she said, her voice steady again, pitched over the engine hum. "Updrafts near the shelf. We''ll use ''em. Gain altitude smooth." Her hands moved on the controls—sail trim, thruster angle.


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    The airship drifted towards the cliff face. The scale felt immense, dwarfing their 25-meter craft. Milo called out wind shifts, his voice gaining steadiness. "Updraft increasing—five knots now." Anna nudged the controls. Cloudchaser tilted slightly, caught the rising current. Lifted. The ascent felt smooth, controlled. "Steady," she murmured, eyes on the altitude gauge.


    They climbed, gliding now, parallel to the rock wall. Found a stable pocket of air. Cloudchaser hung there, engines humming low. Anna''s gaze drifted. Past the instrument readings. Towards the sheer rock face. Light shifted across the strata—ochre, slate, deep red bands. Waterfalls threaded silver. A memory surfaced sharp—wind tearing at workshop walls, a figure silhouetted inside against failing lantern light, hands moving relentless over salvaged metal. His voice, rough but clear in memory: "No matter how brutal the storms, we keep moving, kiddo. We build." Her own hands tightened fractionally on the smooth yoke. The echo settled, not with pain, but with a familiar weight. Solid.


    Milo''s voice cut quiet through the hum. "Anna?"


    She blinked. Focused back on the cockpit. Met his look. A small nod. "Alright," she said. Voice quiet. "Ridge ahead. Stable air looks good that way."


    He nodded back. Turned his attention to the navigation display.


    Anna adjusted the rudder control. Air scraped cold through the cockpit opening nearby. Cloudchaser''s hull hummed, a familiar vibration through the deck plates as it held the higher wind current. Below, the plateau stretched vast. Above, glimpsed through the canopy spars, the nebula shimmered faint copper against blue. She moved the throttle forward again. The engine pitch deepened; vibration increased slightly through the frame.


    Ahead, the plateau wall curved inward. A shadowed cleft appeared in the rock face. Water glinted deep within the depression – a lake, its surface catching the pale blue high above. Snow dusted peaks rose beyond, jagged white edges against the sky. One peak dominated – a mass draped in ice. Light showed bluish off its surface; dark lines etched crevasses into the slopes. Cloud wisps clung near its summit.


    Anna pointed. Her voice stayed low, pitched against the engine hum. *"Marneth,"* she thought, the name surfacing. *"Great Icy Mountain. Heard snows piled deeper after the meltdown. Glacier realm now... ice caves... glowing crystals... explorers went once... Flyby someday? Winds..."*


    Milo leaned closer to the viewport, his profile sharp against the light. His gaze tracked the white peak.


    "Looks peaceful," Milo''s voice sounded, clear now over the steady engine noise.


    Anna''s hand moved back to the controls. Her gaze followed the plateau rim ahead. Her hands made small adjustments to the trim levers, riding the wind shear near the rock face. Minutes slipped past. Sunlight struck lower now, casting longer shadows. Mist near waterfalls caught the light – brief flashes of color against wet stone. Distant peaks glowed dull gold.


    She angled the yoke slightly. Cloudchaser responded, pulling away from the cliff face. The airship climbed, the hum of the turbines deepening slightly. Air felt smoother here. Wind whistled steady past the canopy struts.


    The Riverbend waypoint glowed steady on the nav display. Anna''s fingers brushed the diagnostic screen – engine temp stable, power flow green. She glanced at Milo. Indicated the pilot''s seat with a nod. Stepped back from the helm.


    Milo slid into the seat. His hands settled onto the yoke, grasp deliberate, knuckles brushing the worn leather.


    Anna walked to the railing near the open side hatch. Wind hit her face, cold, tearing at loose hair strands. Strands caught against the leather strap of her goggles. She closed her eyes. Tilted her head back. Cold air pressed against her skin. Neck muscles pulled tight.


    The rushing wind sound... workshop heat pulsing... sparks showering gold... metal ringing sharp... *"Keep moving, kiddo."* *"Build."*


    "Altitude steady!" Milo''s voice cut through the wind noise.


    Anna opened her eyes. Turned. Milo sat upright, gaze aimed forward through the viewport. She nodded once. Walked back towards the helm station. Watched the terrain shift below.


    The ship held its course toward Riverbend. Ridges branched off the main plateau below – dark fingers against paler rock. Trees clustered in pockets, needles dark green against the stone. Streams cut bright lines through narrow valleys, merging downward. Air grew colder. She pulled the jacket collar higher against her neck. Behind them, the Orun wall faded, a hazy shape catching the last angled light.


    Cloudchaser held its course for another hour. Sunlight angled lower westward. Sharp shadows stretched long from stony outcrops below. The airship''s shadow drifted black across the textured land, a fleeting darkness moving over scrub and rock. Anna stood near the helm, her hand resting light on a bulkhead support. Her gaze scanned the unfolding terrain through the viewport. A faint reflection of her face – smudged cheek, lines near eyes – moved across the viewport''s thick glass panel as the ship yawed slightly. Wind whistled low past the hull, a steady, high tone.


    Ahead, the land altered. A dark, winding line appeared – a canyon. Its path snaked through hills cloaked in deep green, patches of amber. Beyond the canyon''s unseen mouth, a break showed in the trees – a clearing. Structures glinted faintly. Anna stepped closer to the viewport, leaning forward, eyes narrowing. She scanned the area near the clearing – a flat expanse? A structure? Birds wheeled high above, silver flecks catching sunlight, their cries thin sounds against the wind.


    Milo pointed through the viewport, leaning close to the glass. "There," his voice called out. "Docking perch. Short one. Wooden tower beside."


    Anna looked where he pointed. A rough structure showed—wooden beams, a raised platform. Cleared ground around it. "Our mark," she stated. Her hand moved past Milo''s shoulder, fingers finding the thruster control levers. A nudge forward with careful pressure. "Smooth descent."


    The turbine pitch lowered, the deep hum softening to a subdued growl. The airship''s forward momentum slowed. Anna angled the rudder controls; her hands moved with small, precise adjustments on the worn levers. Cloudchaser dipped its nose. Settled lower towards the clearing. Below, figures emerged from wooden structures near the treeline. Arms lifted. Waving. Faces turned upward, small pale ovals.


    Anna brought the airship to a hover, meters above the packed earth. Short bursts from the thrusters held position against the breeze. Lines snaked downward from the hull mounts, thick ropes hitting the ground with soft thuds. Figures rushed forward, grasping the lines. Voices rose, indistinct sounds carried on the wind. Cloudchaser bobbed, pulled taut against the mooring lines, then settled, anchored.


    her hand moved from the thruster controls. She glanced at Milo beside her. Met his eyes. A quick dip of her chin. He nodded back. They moved towards the ramp release near the main hatch. Metal scraped faint as Anna pulled the release lever. The ramp lowered with a familiar groan, touching the rough wooden platform planks below. Air rushed in—smell of woodsmoke, damp earth, something metallic like a forge—mingling with the cockpit''s oil and leather scent.


    the she stepped onto the ramp. Her boots found the grooved metal surface. Descended. Boots hit the wooden planks below. Solid thud. A small group approached across the platform. Murmurs rose—indistinct words, shifting tones. Faces turned towards her, towards Cloudchaser. Eyes showed wide, assessing.


    Anna stopped near the ramp''s base. Nods exchanged. Clipped questions met clipped answers: "Iris Hollow." "Sensor deployment." "Trade?" "Minerals?" "Scrap availability?" Anna''s voice remained steady, level.


    Conversations started, broke off, reformed. Voices rose, fell around the platform. The clang of a hammer sounded from deeper within the outpost. Rough platform planks felt solid beneath her boots.


    Light softened. The sun neared the western ridges. A warm glow bathed the outpost''s wooden structures. High above, visible through gaps in the thinning cloud cover, the supernova haze deepened, pulling towards violet against the darkening sky. Anna stood near Cloudchaser''s hull after the first exchanges ended. Her fingertips brushed the cool metal plating, tracing a familiar patch weld, the raised seam rough beneath her glove. Quiet settled around her immediate space.


    Milo walked over, stopping quiet at her side. His gaze lifted towards the sky, towards the shifting colors overhead. "Quite a day," his voice murmured, a breath of sound against the evening air. "Good to be here."


    Anna nodded, the movement small. Her eyes tracked the nebula''s faint shimmer against the deepening violet. "Me too, Milo," she echoed, the words quiet. "Me too."


    Evening deepened. Outpost lanterns glowed warm, yellow points against dark wood. The supernova shimmer pulsed faint, high overhead. Far distant, unseen now, Orun Plateau and Marneth''s peaks stood as dark masses against the twilight. Wind sighed through the outpost structures, carrying the scent of woodsmoke and damp earth cooling after the day''s sun. Anna remained near the airship. Its metal hull felt cool, solid beneath her hand.