Izquierda, Aanshent, Viridia

[Rophe]

-Izquierda, Aanshent, Viridia-

The Izquierda Gulf is known worldwide but the large town of the same name is less so. Once a thriving industrial city, Izquierda has since lost business and become run down. The richer population have abandoned it to move to the richer cities of central Viridia and left the poor to handle the remaining mess.

What little income it gathers is mainly from tourists coming to see Per-Perel across the narrow stretch of water that separates the two continents but due to increased defensive and protective action taken by the Gureino Government to hide the goings on on the mysterious continent the view has become clouded by military aircraft and boats, killing off the last of Izquierda's attractions...

---x---

It had taken awhile to persuade the flight control of Viridia to let him pass the border in his airship because the flight plan clearly showed it was flying from Red territory but after the man on the speaker and consulted his supervisor, a man named Selias who had got the job after some help from Sethys a year previously, he managed to land at his destination.
Sethys had always found it helped to have friends everywhere, especially in places like flight control, it meant he could get almost anywhere. He then made it to the centre of town to find his living quarters.

[Rophe]

Sethys sat in his small room above the Smuggler's Gate. The owners knew him and he always paid them too much because he knew they needed the money. He had often come here to gaze across the gulf at the forbidden continent but these days there was nothing to see. Sethys was beginning to believe he knew why.

He sat on the hard mattress and threw his bag on the floor. He knew it was going to be awhile before anyone would respond so he got up and went downstairs, left his key with the owner's wife and went outside.

It was sunny in Viridia and he so he took full advantage of the clear weather to go down to the beach. Despite the town's economic collapse, the spot had never changed. He sat alone on a wooden bench as he had done so many times before and stared across the blue. Only this time helicopters filled the distant sky and boats opposite shore.

He sighed and closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep.

[Rophe]

Sethys had returned to the inn at dusk, it was not long before the scheduled meeting. He had had two responses, a pilot and a gunner, they would be useful. It took his usual seat in the Smuggler's tiny restaurant area and waited. It was a short while before the first man turned up, a nervous man with a stoop.

This was Terence Travis, the pilot. Sethys signalled for him to sit and ordered him a pint. As the drink arrived, the second man came in, a large, well built man with a buzz cut. He was just Carlo and he was the gunner.

'So, what is this secret then?' Carlo asked, taking his drink from the barmaid.
'Hey, you're just hired hands, you can find out when we get there, don't want you running off to someone else with the info do I?' Sethys put a picture down on the table, the others leaned in to look at it.
'Th-that's very close to Per-per-perel,' Terence stuttered, 'That's b-bloody dangerous!'
Sethys signalled for him to speak quieter, 'Of course it is, why else do you think I hire you? You got air transport yeah? S'fast right?'
'Yeah it's faster than those ch-choppers the Gureino are so fond of,'
'Good, well, I see no reason to wait!' Sethys downed the remainder of his pint and slammed it on the table. He pushed his chair out and stood up, the hired hands, Terence and Carlo, did the same.

As the barmaid came to clear up, she found three empty glasses, a heavy tip and a small photograph of a seemingly pretty coastline. In the far background it was almost possible to see the cloud of gureino aircraft swarming the border to Per-perel.

[Rophe]

The rattly voice of Terence Travis over the speakerphone echoed around the plane.
'A-alrighty then, please fasten your seatbelts, we are about to take off.'
Sethys finished packing various items into large bags for the expedition and sat in a seat. Carlo sat opposite him with a large gun in his hand. Sethys placed a wide brimmed hat on his head, it slanted over his face and had a long swan's feather poking out the top.
'Ready for this Carlo?'
'Yes Sir!'
The flight was reasonably smooth for the first few hours but as they approached the border of Per-perel they encountered a problem. There was no warning, no announcement. Just a loud explosion to the right.
'Fuck!' Sethys shouted, he stood up and ran to the cockpit, 'What the fuck do you think you're playing at you fucking lunatics!' Another explosion, to the left.
'There!' Sethys spotted the black mass out the window in the darkness, it was fortunate that the men in the opposing chopper were equally blind in the darkness but lights searched for them and it wouldn't be long before...
BOOM!
'They're getting closer! Terry, I have an idea, keeping flying as best you can!' Sethys quickly unhooked what looked like to backbacks off the wall and ran back into the other room.
'Carlo, put this on!' He threw one of the packs to Carlo and put his own on. He slammed the release for the door and shoved Carlo through.
'Good luck Terry!'
'What? What are you doing?' The rattled voice was rewarded with no response. The dumbstruck pilot turned to look into the other room, which was empty.
'Wanker!' He turned to face the window and his eyes widened. The sight of the head of the missile was a vision that Terry would remember for the rest of his life.

Not that long.