All the factory worker children stood a circle around the center of the yard at the Workers Dormitory. The grass in the center was stained dark red with blood. No one spoke, the children were left alone by the 'adults' as long as everything was peaceful. The Fat Kid was dead, his body had been removed. Most would figure the adults were upset about the death of a child, but...

"We lost a trained craneman today." The Headmaster snarled, his voice deep and dry, causing most people to shiver when he spoke. "Do you know how hard it is, to train a craneman?" His words were filled with anger.

"Yes Headmaster." The children said in unison. Everyone was looking down, avoiding eye contact with the Headmaster.

The Headmaster walked back and forth around the blood stained grass. "Everyone is going to pull double shifts if no one confesses to this." He said.

Only silence was returned. Obviously no one enjoyed working a double shift, but it was the unwritten code of the Workers Dormitory that no one snitched. Snitches received a much worse fate than the victim in the crime he or she snitched about. Repercussion in a silent manor was sometime held, but in this case due to the violent nature of the crime, none would be taken.

"Fine then." The Headmaster snapped. "Two of you will have to also pick up the slack of the craneman's job." He scanned the line of children. "You." He growled, pointing to Guido. "And....you." He pointed at Card.

Arvis was standing off to the side of the yard. He dropped the cigarette he had been smoking onto the grass and snuffed it out with his boot. "Come on Warhammer, wrap it up. I got shit to do in the lab, and babysitting his majesty." He said making a face.

Warhammer glared over the children. "You are all dismissed, one hour, be on the factory floor." He turned and walked over to Arvis. The children dispersed back into the Workers Dormitory.

"Fucking children, we should have killed them after their parents died. I mean look at this, children stabbing children." Arvis pointed to the grass.

"Violence will fester anywhere there is despair." Warhammer snarled back.

Arvis stood up from his leaning position. "Anyways, I need to get back to the lab." He started to walk away.

"What are you working on." Warhammer muttered.

"A new weapon for Kefka, I don't know why he wastes his time with the peons, if he wants a weapon, I'll give him one." Arvis said walking backwards, he turned and continued his way back to the Vectorian Fortress.

Warhammer gave the yard one last scan, and departed.

--

Card laid on his bunk, on top of the brown blanket. His arms folded behind his head, and stared upwards at the bottom of the top bunk. A photographic postcard was stuck between the springs. 'City Of Technology' was printed at the bottom.

"H-hey Card, you ready for this tonight?" A familiar voice asked.

Card shrugged. "Yeah, sure Guido. I'm sure we'll do better than that Fat fucker." He said.

Guido bit down on his index finger for a moment. "H-hey Card, why'd you do it?" He asked.

Card rolled his head over to look at Guido, his long black straight hair covering half of his pale face. His ice blue eyes peered from behind at the sluggish ofph before him. "He had it coming."

"Oh....okay." Guido said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, almost time for work." He said and walked away.

Card kicked his legs and sat up on his bed. His mind was spinning. He rested his head into his hands. He could feel the coldness of the ring on his finger, his fathers. "I gotta get out of here." He muttered to himself.

--

The sun was setting as the Genious James made its way west of Saint Plattsburgh, the dubbed capital of Vector. To the northwest was Vector City, the thick black smoke of its factories causing it to be an eyesore in the sky. Deep inside the Vectorian Borders.

The Starwind and Hawkins Company had delt with the Vectorian Empire before, as they were Tripower Citizens they felt it was right to screw up the jobs and take their money. Of course the Vectorian Empire was not pleased with this. Rumors from the outlaws in Makou City claimed Vector had placed a bounty on their heads, but nothing was ever confirmed.

Since the heavy Heifong Trawler which was built to transport cargo could not fly high enough to bypass the mountains to the west, making it to the Heifong Valley and the smaller western mountains. It had no choice but to fly north from the Southern Tier and pass Vector, flying around the mountains. Despite the trawler being able to carry tons upon tons of cargo, only the book wrapped in brown paper was the cargo. As the Black Cloak Figure told them, the book was being saught by others. A bounty they were not aware of.

Ackmon stared out the front windows of the Helm Room at the black smoke rising from Vector City. Trabane was sitting behind the helm wheel in the captain's chair, his arms behind his head, the chair itself in a reclined position. A piece of rope held the helm wheel in its current position. He reached over and picked up the book wrapped in brown paper that had been sitting on the helm controls. He shook it.

"What are you doing?" Ackmon said turning around, hearing Trabane moving.

"Let's open it, I want to see why this book is so sought after." Trabane threw it back down onto the helm controls.

Ackmon rolled his eyes. "We can't do that, it'd be against the delivery service code. Besides, remember...last time we did that." He walked over and picked up the book. "Leather bound hardback." He said rubbing his hand over the paper. It felt like the cover was somewhat rough and bumpy, rough leather. His fingers passed by raised letters in the flesh. His hand stopped and he ran his finger around them.

Trabane leaned forward. "Did you find something?"

"A name." Ackmon said, still tracing the letters. "J...E....N....O..." The air was split by an explosion, the airship lerched forward throwing Ackmon off his feet. Trabane fell over onto the helm wheel.

A Highwind Class airship flew up next to the Genious James and slowly moved in, until you could see into their helm. Ackmon and Trabane looked out their windows at the Pinstripped Suit wearing figures who waved at them.

The Crystal Broadcaster on the helm began to glow. "Evening Gentlemen." The crystal said.

Trabane reached out for the crystal but Ackmon grabbed it before he could. "Well Good Evening...Fat Tony." He spoke into it.

"And how are you on this wounderful Vectorian evening Mister Hawkins, I'm sure your foul mouthed partner is also there." Fat Tony said.

"Give me that!" Trabane snatched the crystal from Ackmon's hand. "What do you want Fat Tony, we're kind of busy fucking working." He said into it.

"Well Hello Mister Starwind. Well my boys and I are sorry about disturbing your evening, but apparently the Vectorian Government would like to have a word or two with you two fine gentlemen." Fat Tony said.

"Fuck off Fat Tony, when did you start suckling the cock of Vector?" Trabane snarled into the crystal.

"I go where the money is, now if you would, please put the kid back on, he has more sense." Fat Tony replied.

Ackmon snatched the crystal from Trabane. "I'd have to agree with Trabane, we don't have time for this." He said.

"Well I am sorry to hear that." Fat Tony said. His airship dropped back behind the Genious James.

Before Ackmon or Trabane could react, two repercussions sounded out and once again their airship jolted. Without a word the two of them looked at each other, and went into action.

Trabane stood up from the captain's chair and removed the rope from the helm, he pushed the throttle control forward as far as they would go. Ackmon ran to the front of the helm control and turned a round handle in the floor and opened a hatchway. He jumped down in.

The Genious James pulled away from Fat Tony's airship, but being a cargo trawler it could not out pace the streamline Highwind. Inside the gunner's chair Ackmon pulled a handle back to load the cannon. He was in a structure at the bottom of the trawler, a glass dome which had a single 500mm cannon mounted into it. With a pair of foot pedals he could spin the dome around. The cannon loaded, allowing a cannon ball to fall from its holster into the chamber. Ackmon took aim at Fat Tony's airship, and pulled the center lever. The cannon belched, the cannon ball exploded from the end.

The highway class airship jerked to the right avoiding the cannon ball shot, and took its aim. A puff of smoke and the boom of their cannon, an iron ball hurtled towards the Genious James.

Ackmon jerked the reload lever while watching this cannon ball. Too late, the ball slammed into one of four rear engines pushing the ship. He felt the airship jerk and slow down as the engine exploded and burst into flames. Ackmon fired his cannon again, taking aim towards the front of the Highway's helm.

Once again their airship jerked to one side and avoided the cannon ball. Two puff of smoke appeared from their ship and two anchor devices flew out.

Ackmon fell to one side as he felt Trabane attempt to dodge these devices, grappling hooks that attached themselves to parts of your airship. The anchors hit one of the right motors, their teeth digging in. The highwind airship jerked upwards as flaps opened up on its side, it slowed down. The cable attached to their airship and the anchors of the Genious James snapped tight, Ackmon watched as the engine was torn off their airship. Ackmon took aim yet again and fired.

"We're fucked, this trawler can't fight against their airship, its too fucking slow." He said watching his cannon ball miss. He pulled the reload lever again.

The hatched open from above and Trabane stuck his head into the gunner's dome. "I hate to say this little buddy, but we have a problem." He said and reached in. Ackmon reached up and grabbed his hand, Trabane pulled him out back into the helm.

An alarm bell was ringing. "No fucking shit we have a problem, two of the engines are gone." Ackmon snarled.

"They've torn the flight piping..." Trabane said.

Ackmon slapped his hand over his face. The Flight Piping was a series of pipes in the hull of the ship, filled with makou gas. It allowed the ship to hover without the use of engines and make the overall structure light. Fat Tony's Highwind had the same system. With a hole in the pipe, the makou gas will leak out, taking away the hovering capabilities of the airship.

"I suggest you land gentlemen, without any gas to float on, you'll become a hurdling chunk of metal in the air." Fat Tony said from the crystal.

Trabane moved behind the helm and began to steer the ship. He said nothing as he took aim towards the Airship Port of Vector City. Ackmon glared at him, he knew he didn't need to say a word, he knew this would end badly.

The two airships made their way into the port, The Genious James landing first. Trabane remained behind the helm. He wasn't sure what was about to happen. Vector had hired the Starwind and Hawkin Group to transport a shipment of Cargo from the west. Trabane and Ackmon took the job. The cargo was loaded and as usual Trabane cracked open a piece of cargo. All the cargo crates looked the same, six feet in length and four feet wide. Trabane fell backwards when he saw what was in the boxes. The preserved corpses of Espers. Instead of delivering the cargo to Vector City as hired, they dumped their cargo into the ocean.

The Port suddenly became active as a large number of Guards appeared on the tarmack field. Three figures moved out of the highway airship, and two figures appeared from the east, walking over to them.

Ackmon was silent, he knew this was serious shit. He thought about spouting out that he said this was a bad idea to Trabane, but he actually found himself speechless and somewhat scared as any 13 year old would be. Stories of the Vectorian Empire were told all over the realms, Ackmon had lived on the streets of Heifong City until he meet Trabane. Vector was known to be cruel to anyone and anything that got in its path. A hand appeared on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I got you into this." Trabane said.

Ackmon glared up at him. "You're just going to fucking give up?" He yelled. "Lets escape, lets get the fuck out of here."

Trabane looked out the window. "There is at least a hundred guards out there, we're in the middle of Vector, our airship is busted. You were right, we shouldn't have come here." Trabane was very serious.

Ackmon shrugged Trabane's hand off. "What the fuck man, everytime we got into anything like this, you're usually all fucking gun-ho about it, jumping into the fight, swords drawn." Ackmon walked away. "We get into fights over girls you've flirted with."

"We've never been up against a large government like this." Trabane said, walking over behind the helm controls and picking up his Buster Sword. "We can't do anything until we find out how..umm mad the Vectorians are. Lets see what is up." He walked towards the exit.

"I don't get this...Trabane. You're up to something." Ackmon replied.