An Old Aquaintance

**An Old Aquaintance** is the ninth episode of the original Airship Pirates series

## Plot

On patrol in the airspace surrounding South Haven, the Skull Squadron intercepts a Silver Empire assault craft that intruded upon South Haven's protected airspace, who the Skull Squadron's leader, Roy Falconer, orders to either turn back or be destroyed. When the assault craft pilot asks who Roy is, Roy tells him that he is the guy that tells him to turn around, to which the assault craft pilot responds that they go where they wish. When Skull 2 asks roy why he bothers to talk to the intruder, to which Roy responds that it is half the fun. The assault craft then opens fire, forcing the squadron to spread out. Skull 2 and 3 distracts the assault craft while Roy goes into position to attack, firing two torpedoes that makes hole in the assault craft's tail and firing the fireguns on the exposed lifting cells, causing it to sink.

The squadron then returns to South Haven. En route, Roy is asked if he plans to attend the town meeting later that day, to which Roy repies that he is expected to do so now that he is respectable, before Skull 2 talks about rumors that the Crownless Swords are planning a joint control of the fleet. As they arrive in South Haven, they park their interceptors in the hangar bay of the Shadow, which has been refitted to hold 5 fighters instead of 2.

Several hours later, after the town meeting concludes, Roy leaves the town hall separate from the other attendees, looks back and shakes his head before heading home. Back home, Morton, who survived the Tiger Shark's impact, emerges from the attic asking Roy how it went. Roy asks Morton if it isn't overboard to wear that hood indoors, to which Morton responds that it isn't unless Roy cover's his windows. Morton asks again how it went and Roy asks if Morton talked about the interception sortie or the meeting. Morton responds that he assumed they successfully intercepted the assault craft with their usual efficiency and that he asked about the meeting. On the meeting, Roy tells that the Swords are not happy about the recent treaty with the Kingdom and that a guy named Fentan is using it to gain support. When Morton comments that it was impossible for Fentan to be bold enough to challenge Bellamy when he is seen as a hero, Roy tells Morton that Fentan was very polite about it, insisting that South Haven could never be safe unless the town council shares control of the fleet, telling that a lot of people agreed with him, but not the pirates, and that Fentan had the support among most of the Crownless Swords, meaning the dockworkers and shipbuilders and that if he want to, he can make great troubles for Captain Bellamy.

Using the political situation in South Haven as a pretext, Roy urges Morton to come out of hiding to support Bellamy as everyone, especially Bellamy, would be overjoyed to see that he is still alive. Morton refuses, telling Roy that with all the Royals in South Haven, he could be recognised, which would cause problems. When Roy asks what problems, Morton instead tells Roy to tell what he knows about Fentan before deciding that he and Roy should quietly deal with Fentan.

## Ships introduced

* Shadow of the Deep, first refit

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