Battle Beneath Steelhead Bay: Aftermath

Herr Baron,

Yes, you are correct. The full force of Ash colliding with the Illuminautilus was indeed the killing blow. The calculations it must have taken for him to project himself as a missile from orbit are truly mind-boggling. This is another one of those victories he will never brag about that cause one to step back and be grateful that he is on Our Side.

The Revenge was helpless in its coils at the time of impact. My improvised sealing of the hull was a temporary measure at best. The shockwave snapped our vessel free of the beast (with tentacles still attached) but also wrecked what was left of the engines. Both craft sank to the bay floor. Three Mason ships destroyed in one battle. Both my aethership the Caravel, and Aleister's retrofitted Revenge were both sacrificed to defeat the vessel that was once my father's. My mind still reels when I reflect on this. Nova, Six, Koen and I finally did abandon ship, purposefully flooding the cabin it in order to float to the surface, where your lifeboats were waiting for us. Again, my gratitude to Frau Lowey and the Jagerpatrol.

I was still in shock from all that transpired to understand what Frau Lowey was trying to tell me about Qlippothic. When we reached shore I approached Ash, who to be honest did not look in much better shape than the Revenge. His limbs were shorn down to the skeletal structure. His jaw dangled uselessly from the side. I stopped in my tracks as I beheld the shivering figure wrapped in a blanket in his arms.

"Who is this?" I asked. "Why is she wearing Qlippothic's faceplate?"

She groggily reached out to me, and I caught her pale, trembling hand in mine. There were goosebumps all the way down her arm.

"Genetic transfer complete..." She whispered as she stared up at me with eyes as blue as my own through the metal face. "All systems...functional..."