08-25-2015, 10:10 PM
Zack lowered the skiff to the ground, fiddling with the controls a little bit while Miranda spoke with the newest guards. He didn't want to admit it, but he had no idea how to turn this thing off, and the Koopa that had taken the exciting ride with them didn't exactly walk over to offer any help. So he turned a few knobs and shifted a few levers, with a look that he thought would convince anyone of his confidence. He looked up to see Colonel staring at him, not buying the ruse.
He didn't let it get to him, though. Instead he looked back to the control board, wondering how something so simple looking could end up so complicated. Colonel was watching Zack intently, meanwhile. He knew they would need this skiff, as it was by far the easiest means of traveling through this lava filled portion of the Steppes. The last thing that they needed was for Zack to wreck it after arrival, especially in front of the people that had "loaned" it to them.
Zack gently pulled one lever, and turned a small knob counter clockwise. That was his best guess for deactivating the thing, but he kept his hands tight on the controls. After a few seconds of waiting, the skiff's thrusters were burning like normal. Zack grunted in annoyance, noting that Drake was hopping off the skiff as well. To say the guy had missed the exciting part of that trip was underselling the man's battle and arrival by a quite a bit, but having missed Zack's learning curve with the craft it was safe to say he couldn't fully understand the situation.
Zack looked away from Drake, only to see that Colonel was now standing significantly closer. Zack braced himself the best he could without making it look obvious, and slowly let go of the levers.
As soon as he did the skiff lurched forward, moving directly towards the side of the fortress. The second it did that, Colonel reached forward and tried to grab the controls, but Zack was also trying just the same. Partially in an attempt to maintain control of the craft, but mostly out of pride, Zack swatted Colonel's hands away from the levers as he grabbed them again, and the craft came to a stop.
Zack didn't understand much about this thing, but what he did know was that he had somehow altered the controls since the craft wanted to move forward on it's own now. He looked up to see the guards looking at them in pure amusement, and the original Koopa that Miranda had brought tightly gripping the railing. He was happy that he'd figured at least one thing out, and that was that Miranda had gotten one of the greenest recruits to escort them out there, given the poor creature's reaction and the lack of help from it's entertained cohorts. Who could blame them? It probably got pretty boring out here.
Zack went about undoing every lever pull, button press, and knob turn he'd preformed on the controls to the skiff, hoping that would deactivate whatever settings he'd managed to turn on. The thrusters stayed on, keeping the craft hovering slightly above the ground. Then, with real confidence, he took his hands off the controls again.
Pausing and tilting his head, Zack grinned in satisfaction. It was short lived, however, as the craft suddenly began to move forward again, this time with dangerous speed. Zack and Colonel were instantly both fumbling with the levers. It would be bad to anger their hopeful hosts, but it would be worse to be splattered on the side of the wall. Zack grabbed the levers and pulled them back again, once again stopping the craft.
The Koopa guards were outright laughing, at this point, but Colonel was completely tired of this thing. He picked up the ride along Koopa by the shell, lifting him off the ground and walking over to Zack with him. Zack looked at Colonel curiously, but Colonel simply held the Koopa in front of the controls. With nothing else he could do, the soldier deactivated the skiff with three simple button presses.
The craft lowered to the ground and the engines turned off, while Colonel set the Koopa down. Zack nodded in approval, but the soldier navi simply gave him the same disapproving look he had the last time Zack's piloting shenanigans almost got them hurt. Meanwhile, their passenger Koopa was getting as far away from the skiff as he could.
Miranda shouting at them attracted their attention. She was in such a hurry to get indoors that she might have missed all the chaos on the skiff, but Zack was admittedly fine with that.
They hopped off and the three of them made their way towards Miranda and the guards. Zack was just as ready to get inside, and was just hoping there was a bar or something similar in this fortress.
He didn't let it get to him, though. Instead he looked back to the control board, wondering how something so simple looking could end up so complicated. Colonel was watching Zack intently, meanwhile. He knew they would need this skiff, as it was by far the easiest means of traveling through this lava filled portion of the Steppes. The last thing that they needed was for Zack to wreck it after arrival, especially in front of the people that had "loaned" it to them.
Zack gently pulled one lever, and turned a small knob counter clockwise. That was his best guess for deactivating the thing, but he kept his hands tight on the controls. After a few seconds of waiting, the skiff's thrusters were burning like normal. Zack grunted in annoyance, noting that Drake was hopping off the skiff as well. To say the guy had missed the exciting part of that trip was underselling the man's battle and arrival by a quite a bit, but having missed Zack's learning curve with the craft it was safe to say he couldn't fully understand the situation.
Zack looked away from Drake, only to see that Colonel was now standing significantly closer. Zack braced himself the best he could without making it look obvious, and slowly let go of the levers.
As soon as he did the skiff lurched forward, moving directly towards the side of the fortress. The second it did that, Colonel reached forward and tried to grab the controls, but Zack was also trying just the same. Partially in an attempt to maintain control of the craft, but mostly out of pride, Zack swatted Colonel's hands away from the levers as he grabbed them again, and the craft came to a stop.
Zack didn't understand much about this thing, but what he did know was that he had somehow altered the controls since the craft wanted to move forward on it's own now. He looked up to see the guards looking at them in pure amusement, and the original Koopa that Miranda had brought tightly gripping the railing. He was happy that he'd figured at least one thing out, and that was that Miranda had gotten one of the greenest recruits to escort them out there, given the poor creature's reaction and the lack of help from it's entertained cohorts. Who could blame them? It probably got pretty boring out here.
Zack went about undoing every lever pull, button press, and knob turn he'd preformed on the controls to the skiff, hoping that would deactivate whatever settings he'd managed to turn on. The thrusters stayed on, keeping the craft hovering slightly above the ground. Then, with real confidence, he took his hands off the controls again.
Pausing and tilting his head, Zack grinned in satisfaction. It was short lived, however, as the craft suddenly began to move forward again, this time with dangerous speed. Zack and Colonel were instantly both fumbling with the levers. It would be bad to anger their hopeful hosts, but it would be worse to be splattered on the side of the wall. Zack grabbed the levers and pulled them back again, once again stopping the craft.
The Koopa guards were outright laughing, at this point, but Colonel was completely tired of this thing. He picked up the ride along Koopa by the shell, lifting him off the ground and walking over to Zack with him. Zack looked at Colonel curiously, but Colonel simply held the Koopa in front of the controls. With nothing else he could do, the soldier deactivated the skiff with three simple button presses.
The craft lowered to the ground and the engines turned off, while Colonel set the Koopa down. Zack nodded in approval, but the soldier navi simply gave him the same disapproving look he had the last time Zack's piloting shenanigans almost got them hurt. Meanwhile, their passenger Koopa was getting as far away from the skiff as he could.
Miranda shouting at them attracted their attention. She was in such a hurry to get indoors that she might have missed all the chaos on the skiff, but Zack was admittedly fine with that.
They hopped off and the three of them made their way towards Miranda and the guards. Zack was just as ready to get inside, and was just hoping there was a bar or something similar in this fortress.