Work Text:
"Hold it there…" The mechanic worked quickly to ratchet the pipe's bolts in, as S'milo held himself steady, keeping the strap and pulley system they had rigged up as still as he could, twitching his Miqo'te tail as needed to keep himself balanced and steady. The ratchet was clicking quickly as he got all the bolts started. Once he had fully tightened the third bolt, he glanced down at S'milo, "Alright, should be safe to ease off the weight…"
S'milo carefully gave the straps some slack, watching as the bolts fully took the weight of it. The pipe let out a faint groan, but the bolts held.
The mechanic sighed, "That's a relief. Would have been a nightmare trying to keep it in position while I did this," a few more moments of furious ratcheting, and he was finally able to relax, coming down the ladder, and wiping his brow to get the sweat out of his third eye. He reached out, and offered his hand to S'milo, "Thanks for that."
S'milo shook the proffered hand, and shrugged, "It looked like one of those jobs where 'not having an extra set of hands' makes it a nightmare." The mechanic blew air out of his lips, and nodded, a little glint of dread in his eyes at what could have been. S'milo beamed, "Glad I could help."
He nodded, clapped S'milo on the shoulder, and started cleaning up as S'milo headed off to elsewhere in Tertium. He had spotted Alphinaud and Alisaie, their bags close at hand, talking with Jullus. As he approached, they sounded like they were saying their final goodbyes.
"…be sure Spurius takes that medicine as needed," Alphinaud was saying.
Jullus waved a hand, "We've been in contact with the High Crucible, and are following their instructions. We will be fine, Alphinaud. Thank you."
Alphinaud opened his mouth, closed it, and nodded, "I know you will."
S'milo came up, and lightly patted the twins on their shoulders, "You two ready to go?"
Alisaie looked up, her expression softer than her crossed arms would have suggested, "I believe we have everything ready, if Alphinaud is done wringing his hands?"
S'milo was a little proud of Alphinaud as he saw him stifle the initial indignant response. "Yes, I believe I am." He turned back to Jullus. "Farewell, my friend. I wish you all the best."
Jullus nodded, "Likewise," he looked at S'milo, and raised his brow, "Did away with the eyepatch?"
S'milo nodded, and had to stop himself from shifting his hair to cover his right eye, and the scar that ran up his cheek. "Yeah, my eye's healed up, just need to let it get used to the light." He ignored the side-eye and smirk Alisaie gave him, stepped to the side, and offered Jullus a hand. They clasped. "It's been an honor, and a pleasure, Jullus."
The genuine smile on Jullus's face warmed S'milo's heart, "Thank you, S'milo. For everything."
"I'm just glad we could help you get back on your feet."
Jullus nodded, "We're getting there."
The two gave one last shake and nod, and let go, leaving an awkward silence in the air.
Just as S'milo was about to suggest they make their way to the airship back to Sharlayan, a familiar, stern voice rang out: "You're still here. Good."
S'milo turned to see Lucia and Maxima approaching, a large case being carried at her side. "At ease, Jullus," she nodded in his direction before turning to the three former Scions, "We are here to see you off, and deliver a package for you, S'milo."
"For me?" S'milo furrowed his brow, and looked at the almost five-fulm-long case. "From who?"
"It was hand-delivered to me by Nero tol Scaeva, if you would believe it," Lucia led them all over to a box, and placed the case on top of it. "He said it was 'a gift from an old friend,' and walked away without another word." she added, and stepped back.
Maxima chimed in, "I overheard him as he was exiting, grumbling about how 'playing errand boy is taking time away from work on the Mark LXV.'"
"Yeah, that sounds like Nero…" Unsure what to expect, S'milo opened the case, and his jaw dropped.
Ever since his final clash with Zenos had bent his gunblade, blown out the aetheric cartridge chamber, and figuratively sawed-off his carbine, he had been looking into getting a new set of weapons. Between the expedition to the treasure vault, the trips to Garlemald and the Moon, and diving into the void, he had had to make do with spares.
Being delayed in commissioning new weapons turned out to be a boon, as the first thing S'milo noticed was the beautifully crafted Garlean Gun-Blade, nestled gently inside some shaped padding. He reached in, and gently took it out. It was very light, and very well balanced. The blade, gleaming with a faint blue tint, was expertly sharpened. The embedded barrel was almost seamlessly integrated into the top of the blade. The wooden and leather grip felt wonderful in his hand, with the trigger and trigger guard a perfect distance for his finger. His thumb was able to easily find the switch to release the cylinder, and flip it to the side for reloading. He made sure he could see the floor of Tertium through all six chambers, before clicking it back into place with a quick flick of his wrist. He aimed the gun towards an empty crate in a one-handed stance, then drew it close for a two-handed stance, settling for laying the blade flat on the back of his arm, much like the stance Garlean officers used.
Satisfied with his inspection, he held the gun before him in his hands, and gave a quiet whistle, "Wow…"
"That is an impressive weapon," he heard Maxima say.
"Are those spare cylinders?" asked Alisaie, looking at the remaining contents of the case.
S'milo set the gun down on the padding, and took stock of the other contents of the crate. There were nine metal cylinders, similar in design to the one currently in the gun, arranged in the padding. The leather back sheath was very good quality, but didn't look to be made by Fen-Yll Fineries. There were also four folded paper boxes; three using black card stock, and one using white. When moved, they all had the rattle of ammunition. There was also a large envelope of papers.
S'milo picked up one of the cylinders, and examined it. It was clearly machined, with six precisely milled holes for the ammunition, and a central hole for it to pivot on. He picked up the gun again, and after a few moments, figured out how to release the cylinder (managing to catch it before it hit the ground), and how to replace it. "A quick way to reload all six shots at once. Clever."
"Looks like this one wasn't machined properly," Alisaie said, having picked up another one of the cylinders. She flipped it over, and showed S'milo a nearly flat face.
S'milo took it, and noticed the texture on the outside of the cylinder was slightly different. Enough that he could differentiate this cylinder from the one currently on there by touch. He ran a bare thumb over the flat side, and could feel the different materials where the cylinders were drilled on the opposite side, almost as if they had been capped with a material with a different aetherial conductivity.
On a hunch, he set the new cylinder down, and checked a black-boxed case. There was plenty of ammunition within that would fit the cylinders. Setting them aside, he picked up the white-boxed case, and opened it up to reveal aetheric cartridges. The kind used in gunblades.
S'milo grinned, and let out an "Ohhh…" that degraded into a chuckle, "No, I think it was deliberate."
He carefully slotted six uncharged cartridges into the capped cylinder, and slotted the new cylinder in. He took a few steps back to get clear of everyone, and took a stance, bouncing for a moment on the balls of his feet. He started swinging the weapon like he would a Gunblade, whirling it around, strikes spinning through the air, occasionally with it letting out a clack as he pulled the trigger. He hefted it up onto his shoulder, and then rolled his shoulders back and forth, shifting himself and his blade as he would to parry strikes. Satisfied, he held it point-up, and popped the cylinder out, coming back over with a huge grin on his face. "It's an actual gunblade."
"Remarkable," Maxima noted, taking a closer look, "It certainly looks like the bayonets our Legions used, but the mechanism appears more Bozjan in design."
"Who sent this?" Alisaie wondered aloud. She turned to look for the envelope, and saw Alphinaud raising it towards them.
"I would assume the answer lies within here," he said.
S'milo accepted the envelope from him, opened it up, and slid out about twenty sheets of paper. The topmost sheet was a note, written by a very formal hand.
He read it aloud:
S'milo Tia,
It came to my attention that in the course of eliminating an existential threat to the Garlean people, and the star as a whole, your armaments were damaged beyond repair.
This weapon was specifically made to be used as both gunblade and firearm. It was—
His voice caught in his throat as his eyes read ahead, but he pushed onward.
…It was designed with the assistance of Garlond Ironworks and the Bozjan Resistance. The handle was provided by Tataru Taru's Boutique, and the remaining materials provided by the people of Werlyt, and the High Crucible of Al-Kimiya through the recent trade agreement between Radz-At-Han and the interim Garlean Senate.
May it serve you well.
Gaius Baelsar
He looked at the paper, then back at the Gunblade, the surprise plain on his face. He let out a weak chuckle, and shook his head. "Actions make for better penance than words…" he mumbled out.
"The Black Wolf sent you this?!" Jullus had finally found his voice through his own shock.
Alphinaud placed a hand on S'milo's arm, "It is well deserved, my friend."
S'milo couldn't help but laugh. He quickly flicked through the remaining pages; they were blueprints and designs for the blade, as well as for the cylinders and ammunition. He laughed again, almost in disbelief, and leaned both hands on the box, staring at the blade he had been given.
Alisaie reached out, and after a nod from S'milo, gently touched the blade, and closed her eyes for a moment. "The way the aether flows through the blade… I bet it will feel amazing when you actually start charging it."
Another chuckle escaped S'milo's lips, and he shook his head. "If you told me back in the Rising Stones, that I would be this touched by a gift from Gaius Baelsar… I'd think you had gone mad."
A hand clapped him on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Lucia. "Things tend to change around you. Oftentimes for the better," she said, giving a warm smile.
S'milo nodded, and started to return the papers to the envelope. "If you see Gaius, tell him…" he thought a moment, searching for the right words for him, "tell him I said 'It will serve me very well.'"
Lucia nodded, and turned to the twins, "I am glad I could see you two off in person…"
As they all bid each other goodbye, S'milo noticed that the last sheet in the stack was a different type of paper from the schematics. He pulled them back out, and looked at the last page.
It was a facsimile of the portrait he had helped arrange with Avilina: Gaius, surrounded by his adopted family. Another, smaller slip of parchment was attached to it, with a simple note written in a careful hand:
Thank you for everything you have done for Father and me.
You will forever be in our hearts.
~ Allie
S'milo's tail tucked down as he ran his fingers over the images of Millisandia, Ricon, Rex, and Alphonse. He looked down, pressing his fingers to his eyes. He took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, before letting it out, slow, and deliberate. He placed his hand on the portrait, looking at them all. His eyes turned to Allie, and with a sad smile he whispered, only loud enough for himself to hear, "Thank you… I know they're happy you're safe."
He took another moment, before returning the papers to the envelope. He strapped the sheath to his back, and slid the gunblade into it, before packing the rest of the case up. They had an airship to catch.