Gonje's ship hovered over the plains of Ulyrn Nezys at a moderate speed. The noise from the engine ran through the ship, unsettling Akeron's stomach. Two hours now that they had left House Oran, with Gonje in the pilot seat, and Zuri in the passenger's seat. The boy had spent the past hour reading a magazine he found aboard, and he had tried to sleep but found it impossible.
Gonje broke the silence, holding the yoke with one hand. "We're about forty minutes from Ortin station, how's it going back there?"
"Can't complain," Akeron answered.
"You can. An Orod and the son of Lord So'lan, best passengers I've had in years. The journey is a long one, and a good time to make friends."
Zuri cast a look at Akeron, one which he ignored. Learning about one another could be a great way to pass the time and get his mind off the rhythmic disturbance of an old and poorly maintained ship.
Akeron said. "Your scars, how did you get them?"
Gonje sighed. "I expected that. The story is a long one, but to keep it short, let's say that I angered the wrong people when I was younger."
"Enough for them to hang you?"
"People in other parts of the world take different to certain acts."
Zuri said. "You were a criminal."
"That was a lifetime ago, I'm a changed man now, your father gave me that. The scars are just a reminder, and they help when dealing with bandits, giving them a kind of ease."
"You stopped, why is that?"
"I needed a change, left my homeworld and drifted to Ulyrn Nezys. Met my beautiful Thuula a little later. Adapting wasn't easy, things here aren't what I'm accustomed to." The ship rumbled, as though it had hit something. Gonje checked the displays, everything was working as expected. He settled back into his seat. "I've told you about myself, what about you?"
Akeron pondered. He could lie to this stranger, or tell him the truth. What would it matter? He still found him untrustworthy.
"I am no one important," said Akeron.
"I don't quite agree. I heard, about what happened in the arena. A great beast, felled at the hand of Akeron of the Orod."
"What else did you hear?"
"That you've killed greater beasts."
It was true, he had, but there was no way that the people of Nezys would've known that. All that persisted would be misinformation and exaggeration, an embellishment of what kind of being he was.
Zuri asked. "Is that true?"
The ship rumbled once more, this time, the noise was louder and the vibration increased. The rhythm was gone, and Akeron found himself gripping tight to his seat.
Akeron said. "Your ship, what's happening?"
"It's just a slight inconvenience," said Gonje, fondling the controls on the dashboard. "Nothing to worry about."
Suddenly, a sandstorm appeared in the distance. That was an odd phenomenon for Gonje, whose sensors had not alerted him to a disturbance in the atmosphere. He rebooted the system, but nothing appeared on the display. Damage, perhaps.
Zuri said, taking his eyes off the magazine. "What is that?"
"A storm," said Gonje. "I'll adjust the course around it."
That was not a storm, Akeron sensed it. There is a technological aura written over it, one he had expected to appear on Ulyrn Nezys but not so soon. Something hit the ship, one after another. The engine would fail soon, he thought. It did not help that the ship was an old one that had received terrible treatment. There was no telling how much distance they had left before it dropped from the sky. It was just a matter of time. I have to do something.
"You can't escape the storm," said Akeron, unhooking his seat belt. "Stay on route, steady."
The maneuver to avoid the storm head-on was a failure. The storm swallowed them, and debris hit the ship. It was too late, the engine was breaking down. Ten seconds, that's all he had before total failure and a plummet to their death. Akeron had recovered well since the fight with the haga. Eight seconds.
Tincture formed around his hand as he placed them on the walls of the ship. With enough time, he could extend his tincture to provide a field around them and critical parts of the ship, to ensure a better landing. He strained, as the energy from his hands spread around the ship, then the engine sputtered and died.
The ship, now gliding fast through the storm. Gonje struggled with the yoke, holding it with all his strength. Zuri was helpless, stuck in his seat in prayer as everything happened. The field extended as fast as Akeron could use more of his tincture.
The storm cleared for a split second as the ship went down. The engine came back to life, but not enough time for Gonje to pick them off their trajectory. They narrowly avoided a hill, the field providing them a bit of protection as they crashed into the ground right next to a body of water.
As soon as the ship settled, damaged and all, Akeron released his field. Fatigued, he was able to reach for the door and leave the ship. He sensed the technological aura receding, and he chased with all his might but he was too tired and the aura had disappeared, alongside whoever had unleashed it upon them. None other than the Ojaa Faction of the Orod, sabotaging him in their quest to acquire the element themselves.