Ferrier Port

At 0400 hours the next morning, Piper was picked up in front of the bunkhouse by a military standard steamcar. It was only a four hour drive to the port, so she assumed that being required to wake at such an unholy early hour was just a universal military standard, although she complied without complaint. 

Though she had been on ships a handful of times, they were smaller vessels typically used for the movement of units up and down the great Magmine River, so the sight of open sea had been quite a shock to her. The gruff demeanor of Captain Tartan had been a bigger shock still. 

Piper had groggily made her way over to the docks, where a few recruits were grouped with mixed expressions. They nodded to her as she joined them but continued their conversation. 

"I heard some of his earlier recruits called him 'The Titan'" said one anxious looking boy with freckles and dirty blonde hair. It was obvious to Piper he was from a lesser populated region by his country accent. 

"I wouldn't be surprised," shrugged another well-built boy closer to Piper's own age. "There were stories that when his ship was engaged with some Padasirian pirates, he'd run out of ammo - so he just picked up a harpoon gun that'd been dislodged by cannonfire and used it like a crossbow." 

"Don't look so impressed, Micah, that's not even possible." Said a girl to the first boy, rolling her eyes after seeing his wonderstruck expression. "It takes at least three people to load and fire a Naval harpoon gun. Don't believe everything you hear in the barracks."

The second boy blustered. "You don't know that it isn't true, Em. You haven't even been to the open sea yet - for a soldier you spent a lot of time in the office, anyhow." 

"I know a lot more than you, Horse. I work in intelligence, so before joining the 2nd fleet I had to know quite a bit about the functions of our Navy while you were paddling river boats; and I am quite aware that those guns are twice the size at minimum of a whaling harpoon." Said the girl called Em, flicking her deep red hair over her shoulder.

My hair used to look like that, Thought Piper. Before I had to get it chopped for the Militia.

"Horse!" Snickered Micah, "Good one Emeline!" 

"It's Horace!" Horse growled. "And you're one to laugh since you spent the most time with the livestock, Micah!" 

"Enough time to know one when I see one." Chuckled Micah boldly, earning a stifled laugh from Emeline. Even Piper smiled at the remark.

Horace was exasperated. "Look what an impression you've left, even the new arrivals think me a laughingstock!" 

They shared a glance at Piper now, who became overcome with embarrassment but managed to hide it. "Are we not all new?" She queried, confused by the comment. 

"Well yes, in a technical sense." Answered Emeline. "But some of us have been waiting here for nearly a nock at the Naval barracks. We were sent here for prep as soon as our transfer from wherever we were stationed, but I only arrived four days ago."

"I've been here a weeks' time." Shrugged Micah. "I was transferred from farthest away, it was nice being able to get used to things 'round here before the Captain's arrival." 

"Micah and I were both moved from different Quarters, so we were sent here early." explained Horace, grateful for the change of topic. "I'm from the Third, he's from the Second."

Piper remembered the Four Quarters from training. They didn't have official names, but everyone in the military knew of them because, similar to Regganor, the Animaerisian military had four Commanders in charge of different provinces that all served directly under the President. Piper had come from Quarter 1, Northwest of the great Magmine River that divided their country in two, and home to the capital of New Albion. Their Quarter bordered the Magmine to their east, Quarter 2 to their south, the treacherous Clarimo Sea to their west, and the Kingdom of Regganor to their north - with the Impheleni mountains serving as a natural border. Quarter 2 also had the river and sea bordering their east and west respectively, but their southern side was guarded at all times, as it was home to the Dryadalum Forest, which served as a known magical barrier between their land and the Kingdom of Elves, Incanterra. Quarters 3 and 4 were on the eastern coastline of the Magmine, far removed from the urban sprawl of New Albion and other cities of industry, the east was known as the wildlands and much more dangerous - a frontier speckled with farmlands and attempted settlements used to gather raw materials such as stone, ore, lumber, and food for the west. Quarter 3 was in the northeast bordering Regganor, and Quarter 4 was to the south, also bordering Incanterra. However, these dangers were nothing compared to their very eastern border. The further east you went, the wild forests turned to plateau, from plateau to prairie, and from prairie to a vast desert of dust and soot - known only as the Barren Ash, where strange creatures were known to appear, and stranger still the events rumored to take place. 

Piper calculated all of this information in her head as their Quarters were announced. "So you're from the first then?" She asked Emeline. 

"Same as yourself." She smiled.

 Piper was amused. "How did you figure I was from the first?" 

"That's easy enough, since you only arrived today." 

"But you came four days past?"

"I arrived early to get a feel for the navy. As much as I'm loathe to admit it, Horace is correct in saying he's got more naval experience than Micah or myself." 

Great, Piper thought. They've come to prepare, and I've only the dregs of an hourglass to learn what I'll be in for. 

Anxious to once again redirect the subject, she asked each of them what divisions they had each been a part of after telling them her own, though she left out the part about requesting the Skyfleet. 

"I was a footman in the militia down south under Commander Letchford in Daydows Bridge, a little farm town near Farnsworth - built around a Dryadalum lumber mill." Said Micah. "I figured the Navy could help sharpen my skills a bit, Letchford agreed after a time." He scratched the back of his head and blushed. Piper noticed for the first time that Micah was definitely the youngest of the lot, he was shorter and thinner than most any experienced soldier she had known, and she realized that he had probably come to the same conclusion about himself. 

"I went to training about seven years ago now and joined intelligence in New Albion straightaway." Emeline smiled. "Though I realized I needed more hands-on experience if I ever wanted to increase my standing. So after pulling a few strings, Commander Prescott finally approved my transfer." 

Wish I could pull strings like that Thought Piper.

"And those of us whose siblings don't work under the Vice President at the State Building earned our positions through hard work." Horace jibed, continuing before Emeline could lose her temper.

"I worked the ferry at Ruttham Landing with my aunt and uncle." Explained Horace proudly. "After passing training, Commander Corbyn assigned me directly to the navy. He said I was his first choice to move on, even Em doesn't have such a thing to boast about." 

"It's true." Said Emeline seriously. "I heard Corbyn had never laid eyes on a more nobler steed." 

They all laughed at that, even Horace couldn't keep his professional demeanor up at that point, cracking a smile through his scowl. 

"MOVE IT, GREENHORN!" 

Their mirth died and smiles faded as they watched a group of sailors led by a brusque looking girl not too much Piper's senior shoving past a much smaller girl, nearly forcing her to the ground. 

"Ugh, Max is back." Emeline voiced with contempt. 

"A tad aggressive, isn't she?" Piper suggested. 

"You could say that." Emeline smiled. "She was part of the Iron Serpent's crew for over two years now until it was decommissioned and she was sent here, from what I heard she isn't too fond of newbies - especially those that can't hold their own." 

"She'll be steering well enough away from us then, lucky enough." Stated Horace, before side-eyeing Emeline and Micah. "Well, myself at the least." 

Emeline rolled her eyes. "You just never let up, do you?"

She was about to continue her verbal flaying of Horace, though for the meantime he would have to have the last word, as at that moment the tips of white sails approaching the harbor had been spotted at last. 

Recruits scurried to and fro out of the barracks along the docks to prepare for the Captain's arrival and appraisal, as the more trained sailors helped ferry the ship to port. Hardly as soon as the ship had settled, a gangplank was set and the Captain strode off the vessel while the soon-to-be crew hastily arranged themselves into acceptable formation.