(Author's note: buckle up, this one's a bit of a doozy.)
Noira is finishing a maintenance shift near the leading edge of Ark Royal’s enormous wing, where she tends to hydraulic systems that keep the vast control surfaces running smoothly. As she completes her work, she is relieved by a telegraph-like pattern of sounds that emits from a device on the wall – the tone means SHIFT CHANGE, and accordingly she packs up her things and heads up towards the door. On her way out of the maintenance room, she passes Kori, her new friend from the previous round, and they exchange brief pleasantries. Kori goes on to take up her shift, and Noira starts down the long corridors of the ship.
Meanwhile, Marion is out on a balcony near the tail of the great ship, taking in a bit of fresh air after his own management shift has ended. He gazes idly out over the horizon, almost dozing – until a glint of light over the dark sea catches his eye. At the same time he notices it, he hears crews behind him – from the defensive platform near the bow – scrambling and calling urgently to each other. Ark Royal’s two deck-mounted turrets begin to mobilize, and as he looks back out to see, Marion has a sudden realization – something is very wrong. He turns and runs inside.
Noira is only a third of the way through the ship when she is stopped in her tracks by a new tone from the telegraph – AIR RAID. Briefly immobilized by panic, when the tone sounds again she sets off bolting down the hall.
A trio of light, nimble aircraft are bearing down on Ark Royal, holding a tight formation. While the deck cannons are still seeking their targets, the raider aircraft are already firing, bullets skittering across the top deck. The turrets finally find their mark, downing one of the raiders with ease – but they regroup immediately, firing with greater precision and destroying the offending turret. As they close on Ark Royal, the remaining turret can’t track them both quickly enough, firing futile shots into the sky. A concerted effort from the raiders brings an end to the second turret, leaving no impediment to their arrival. Matching Ark Royal’s airspeed, they alight upon the deck and sweep their wings forward; large panel doors slide back on both aircraft, and their occupants – the raiders – drop down onto the surface, bundled in thick cold-weather clothing and armed with malicious-looking weaponry.
Noira continues through the ship’s passages, struggling to open its heavy nautical bulkhead doors fast enough – she’s nearly to the crew quarters when she opens a door and runs straight into one of the raiders. She stumbles back, cornered in fear; the raider follows but doesn’t seem interested in killing her. When he speaks, it’s almost taunting – that she doesn’t understand what’s really happening here, that she doesn’t see what she’s really a part of. She’s still struggling to understand these confusing words when Marion arrives, taking the raider by surprise and dispatching him in short order. Noira is happy to see him, and he’s obviously concerned for her safety. He urges her to follow him to the lifeboats in case the ship falls, but she’s adamant about retrieving more of her belongings, just a few doors and decks away. He acquiesces, telling her to hurry, and she’s off again down the halls.
Noira finally reaches the ladder up to the crew quarters, and is already partway up when an enormous explosion rocks the vessel, knocking her down from the ladder, incidentally saving her from a jet of flame that bursts from the deck overhead. She stares in disbelief for a moment before irrationality sets in; fire and smoke actively pours from the deck above but she desperately tries to climb again, burning her arms and hands on the metal, her face and clothing singed. Abruptly she’s pulled away – Marion followed the explosion and is now forcefully pulling her off the ladder, away from the inhospitable upper deck. She kicks and screams and cries, inconsolable; he sternly reprimands her enough for her to come to her senses, and she reluctantly follows him towards the lifeboat bay, the ship shuddering and straining around them.
Only a handful of other crew members have made it to the lifeboat bay when Marion and Noira arrive; Kori is not among them. The remaining crew board one of the vehicles, strapping into their seats. Marion sets off the deployment sequence – the lifeboat slides backwards out of Ark Royal on rails, firing a parachute behind it to arrest its airspeed. The lifeboat half-glides, half-plummets into the sea, plowing to a stop in the icy water as Ark Royal sails on ahead. Jumping up from her seat, Noira reaches the window in time to watch the raiders depart. Her home rolls leisurely to one side, catching on the jagged sea ice before tumbling into the waves. The waves finally quenching her fires, Ark Royal slips silently into the sea.
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