The four eminent wizards present began to discuss their plan, and as they did, Mary passively stood guard near the entrance to the Captain's chambers. She tried not to make it obvious that she was listening in. She'd watch the aerial ichor of her home begin to give way to fair skies and the occasional parcel of Steelshire-annexed land, floating here and there. It was one of her favorite things to fill her lungs with that clean air. That was one of those elements of airship travel that made years of service aboard them bearable. The sun rose well above what was now the clearly burning horizon, that ever-lasting reminder that an endless sea of churning magma awaited below them at all times.<br/><br/>The Wing Sergeant overheard the introductions as she enjoyed the scenery, and the first name produced brought a chill to the woman's spine. Caster Judas Haas, he had said. There was no mistaking it; that's where she recognized him from. She'd never been this close to the man, but she'd seen him on the battlefield more than once. Wherever he went, even this long after the incident that had brought him into Steelshire's arms, rumors were abuzz about him. As far as Mary knew, Judas was the only foreign-born person who openly lived within their nation's borders, due to a famous act of betrayal against his former comrades. Because of his actions that day, most Steelshire folk who knew about Haas generally regarded him as a war hero. Stalwart, however, couldn't get past his foreign identity. People from different factions simply didn't intermingle since the Greater Mistake. After a hundred years of perpetual war with almost every political entity they'd come across, nearly nobody was alive to set the record straight about them. It was simply assumed that they weren't people like Steelshire people were. There was a feeling of the unknown, a strangeness, an inherent untrustworthiness that made Mary on edge and instantly suspicious. The facts that the man had not only turned on his people for Steelshire, but then led a colorful and decorated career against her enemies did little to assuage this unease. If he betrayed his own people, why wouldn't he betray these ones, too, with the right motivation? Who knew what those Redlochs were really like? Still, the man was a superior officer, and most everyone around trusted him and his reputation. Mary would simply have to stow her insecurities with the Caster and perform her duties until such time that she found evidence of any subversion on his behalf, if there was any to be found.<br/><br/>Before long, all four of the prominent individuals were identified. Mary was somewhat surprised, and perhaps a bit amused, that the one who had been talking down to the other before and the one she'd been speaking to were essentially peers. Both answered to Haas, and the other one was an independent Caster. It also sounded as though there were going to be multiple parties after all, but the other ships were carrying them. Four casters in a single exploratory party, then. This was certainly going to be a memorable venture, if nothing else. Soon, Caster Magispark was voicing her concerns. It seemed that this one hadn't yet been properly informed about the mission. Odd. Still, there was something about her Mary appreciated, and it wasn't just that she wasn't a traitor and a foreigner like Haas. There was a down-to-earth feel about her, like she hadn't let castership get to her head. She felt like a person with whom a commoner like Mary could relate to.<br/><br/>Carrie mentioned a lack of armament, and this seemed like Mary's cue to speak. Once Haas had responded to her other questions, the long-gunner would clear her throat, brushing a stray, unbundled lock of hair behind her shoulder. "This way, ma'am," she responded. If she agreed, Mary would lead her to one of the doors on the quarterdeck, unlocking it with a key she'd been given and allowing the Caster inside. Inside, there were several heavy, oaken cabinets chained shut, and the Wing Sergeant dutifully proceeded to the first one, producing another key from the same ring and unlocking the heavy lock on the chain. The chain was removed and hung over one of the doors, after it was opened, revealing a dozen standard issue long-guns, along with ammunition and gunpowder. Then, she moved across the room to another cabinet of a shorter design, and made to unlock this one as well. Somehow, the locking latch caught in the shackle, though, and it seemed to resist efforts to pull it free. "Blasted lock," she quietly grumbled. After a moment's hesitation, Carrie might hear a faint hiss from Mary's direction before the shackle was forcefully torn free of its trap. The inertia from the release nearly put the woman on her rear end, but she stabilized quickly, and tried to play as though the lock had just been a bit stubborn. The chain was removed, the doors opened, and here inside were a series of similarly common pistols, and more firearm paraphernalia. Additionally, there were bayonets for the long-arms and small knives on the shelf above. After taking an audible breath, she noted, "Nothin' fancy. No ... magic. Guns, all the same."<br/><br/>She then gestured at several unlocked cabinets, positioned at the back of the room. "Swords, spears, and the like, there. S'not locked," she reported. Airship boarding parties still occasionally happened, and it was easier to go after your foe with a melee weapon than trying to load and cock a pistol while someone was bearing down on you. While the Caster was finding weaponry that suited her, Mary opened another unlocked cabinet, grabbing a rag out of it and giving her own rather exotic-looking weapon a good rub-down. Ashburn needed some proper polishing, but she didn't expect that Carolina was going to need much time, here. It was all fairly mundane and mediocre-quality equipment, mass-manufactured for the military's purposes. Most of the cabinets in the room still remained locked, because the majority of them held the exact same equipment as the ones she'd opened. After the quick wiping, the rag was stowed, and Mary would briefly test the mechanism of her sighting lenses. She'd hook her thumb in a loop above the trigger and slowly pull back on it. As she did, different-sized lenses flipped off the side of the barrel to snap into place on top, at different intervals and sequences, until all of them had clicked in. Then she pushed the pin back in, and the lenses quickly reversed their movement until they were all back on the sides of the weapon again. That done, she swung the weapon onto her back and patiently waited.