"Where will your aesthetics take you, Ernesti Echevalier?" Oratio Gojass murmured, eyeing the transport ship through a telescope. "I can't wait to find out." he shut the telescope and gripped the steering vanes of his micro-Levitate Ship. I must come up with a better name, he mused. Aloud, he continued: "Of course, you'll be learning more about my theories soon enough. Now, where should I sell my technology next?" he chuckled, opening a battered map. Fremevilla was obviously out— they would remain sore about the recent unpleasantness for most of Gojass's lifetime.

His fingers wandered over the map for a time. He'd need a country with a strong enough military to face down Fremevilla, but they couldn't be so convinced of their own superiority as to reject him out of hand. That narrowed things down quite a bit. Gojass's eyes, almost of their own accord, drifted towards a ragged diamond shape labeled "Brittania."

Minutes later, Ernesti's flying battleship was little more than a speck on the horizon as Gojass's craft winged its way to the north. Thanks to its miniature Ether Reactor, the little craft had plenty of range for the long journey, though Gojass would have to stop a few times to replenish his food and water. The last such stop he took in a small fishing town at the edge of the sea. He set the micro-Levitate Ship in a small grove outside the town, removing a small but vital bolt on the throttle lever that left the machine immobile.

The town was unremarkable; Gojass had seen dozens of its like in his travels. After buying some food, he visited the town's blacksmith, deeming it wise to stock up on a few spare parts before flying across the ocean. The blacksmith was an older man for his profession, with the first streaks of gray entering his hair as he worked and sweated over the anvil. Gojass tapped his finger crossly as he waited for the man to finish. At last, the blacksmith turned around and noticed the waiting Gojass.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his tone indicating he rather hoped he couldn't.

"I need a few parts. Have you any three-inch lead piping, fifteen-tooth bevel gears, or Odham couplers?"

"I might. What will you give me for it?"

"Two gold pieces is plenty."

"Not out here, it's not. Five."

"Five?" Gojass demanded. "That's absurd!"

"Look, asshole, you ever hear of supply and fucking demand? I'm the only blacksmith for a hundred miles. You have any idea how hard it is to get iron shipped up here? It's five gold because it costs me four and a half just to get the damn materials I need to make your stupid gears."

"How far do you have to ship your iron?" Gojass asked, bewildered.

"Two hundred miles to the nearest mine." The blacksmith replied. There just isn't any ore around here. We've got plenty of copper, but there just isn't any iron in the rocks 'round here."

That was something of a problem. "Is this the case further north?"

"It's worse, if anything. They've got no iron at all, and even their copper is mixed in with this worthless crap they call Bauxite. Practically everything's made of wood up there— they haven't got anything else."

"I suppose that means they have no silhouette knights?" Gojass half-asked.

"They do, actually." The blacksmith replied. "Crummy ones they bought years back from Zaloudek, but better than nothing."

Then there was a chance after all. Gojass paid the blacksmith his ludicrous five gold for the spares, then made his way back to his micro-Levitate Ship. After re-inserting the bolt, he powered up the ship and sent it humming over the ocean.

Hours later, Gojass awoke to the depressing, gray island of Brittania. The sky was deeply overcast, and a thin, miserable drizzle was falling. A dirty white seagull perched on one corner of his micro-Levitate ship (I MUST think of a better name, Gojass insisted to himself again). He shooed it away and set about finding the royal palace with his spyglass. It was not a difficult job, and a few minutes later he was gently easing the micro-Levitate Ship down towards the palace's gates. The pair of guards stationed inside the barbican ran out, keeping the heads of their copper spears pointed a suspicious but respectful distance from the bottom of his ship.

Gojass brought the ship to a near-silent landing and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I mean you no harm, gentlemen." He chuckled. "In fact, I do believe I will be quite the opposite. Take me to the king, please."

After a brief discussion, one guard remained, keeping his spear aimed steadily at Gojass's chest. The other ran off to go fetch his superior. A few minutes later, a man of about thirty, wearing plain peasant's dress arrived. "You are the driver of a flying machine?" he asked.

"I am." Gojass said. "And I am here to sell my skills to your king. Go fetch him, for I will not negotiate with subordinates."

"I am the king." The man said.

Gojass laughed. "Ridiculous! No king would ever look as you do, dressed in clothes dragged out of the gutter. Go fetch your master, and perhaps I will not have you whipped."

"Sam, kill him." The man said.

The guard hefted his spear, preparing to plunge it into Gojass's chest.

"Wait!" Gojass protested. "Fine. I'll talk with you. My name is Oratio Gojass, most recently of the Zaloudek Empire, which I regret to inform you has been destroyed by its enemies. In exchange for asylum and…a small stipend, I will give you all the secrets of my incredible Levitate Ships!"

The "king" appeared to think for a moment. "That is a tempting offer. I suppose you are aware of how scarce many of the materials needed for Silhouette Knights are on this island?"

"Of course." Gojass replied. "But an engineer such as I sees not a disadvantage, but a challenge."

"Well said." The "king" cracked a smile. "Call me King Arthur. We can discuss the terms of your contract inside."

"Very well." Gojass climbed out of the micro-levitate ship and added just enough power to render it weightless before leaving it to the two guards to pull it behind him.

Inside, the palace was well-decorated, but it was a far cry from the splendiferous royal palace of Zaloudek. The furnishing here were lovingly crafted, expertly assembled, but there was little gold, silver, or jewels. Wood and stone were the most common surfaces, with scattered tapestries and rugs to soften them. This was, undoubtedly a poor kingdom, and Gojass wondered to himself whether they could afford his admittedly exorbitant fees.

"Now, then." Arthur said, sitting down behind a plain wooden desk, heaped high with papers and scrolls. "How much do you believe your services are worth?"

"They are nearly invaluable." Gojass breezed. "My ability to make Levitate ships is but a single one of my skills. I have refined the design of Silhouette knights to a height only a single individual has ever managed to match. My Ether reactors are more powerful than any other design yet conceived, and yet I have only begun scratching the surface of my talents."

Arthur looked singularly unimpressed. "How much do you cost?" he said flatly.

"A-about a thousand gold pieces. A month." Gojass said.

"Done." Said the king.

"How…" Gojass began, before cutting himself off.

"How could I afford that?" Arthur grinned. "Come with me for a moment."

He led Gojass deep into the palace, down a long, narrow staircase guarded by four more guards, this time with steel spears. Opening the door, Gojass gaped. Below him was more gold, silver, and gems than he had ever seen in his life, and for a man who had lived in Zaloudek, that was an impressive statement.

"An odd thing," Arthur commented. "A king who doesn't fritter away his money on dishes and fine clothes suddenly has a lot more to spend on his subjects."

"How…unorthodox." Gojass murmured.

"Thank you." The king replied. "Now, I have a challenge for a man of your talents."

"Oh?"

The kind waded into the sea of treasure, searching for something. He pulled out a chunk of silvery metal, formed into a lumpy shape by what must have been natural forces. "I put a bounty of a gold piece on these for the children." He explained. "It's an odd sort of metal, incredibly light and strong. We just don't know where it comes from. I want you to find out."

"My expertise is in Silhouette Knights, not metallurgy." Gojass deigned to weigh the metal in one hand. It was indeed as oddly light as Arthur suggested, though there was no way to test its strength. It could be an ideal metal to make Silhouette Knights out of… if Gojass could figure out how. "But perhaps it would be an interesting side project…"

"I'm glad you think so." Arthur said, his tone dry. "Now, my steward should be able to set you up with quarters to your liking. A workshop might take some time, but until we can build it there's an excellent barn near the castle's south wing you can store your— what did you call it?"

"Micro-Levitate Ship." Gojass confessed.

Arthur frowned. "That's a terrible name. We'll have to come up with a better one."

"I know," sighed Gojass.

Before long, the micro-Levitate Ship (name subject to change) was secure in the barn. "Take the rest of the day to get accustomed to the city," Arthur suggested. "You can begin in the morning."

"No, thank you." Gojass replied. "I would like to start now. Where do your boys find these lumps of metal?"

"I don't know." Arthur answered. "But perhaps Isak can tell you. You'll find him feeding the chickens this time of day."

The chicken coop was a small building to the side of the barn, with a low wooden fence forming a yard about twenty feet on a side. A boy of about nine or ten was squatting among the animals, placing a few seeds before each one, ensuring that they all got a share.

"Isak?" Gojass called. The boy ignored him. "Isak?" Gojass repeated. He stepped over the low fence, an the movement caused the boy to look up. Still Isak said nothing, just put a finger to his lips. He finished feeding the chickens, then walked with great care to the edge of the fence. He stared at Gojass.

"I'm looking for where you found the metal." Gojass said. "Can you show me?"

He nodded, and started walking. Gojass followed as they exited the palace from the small rear gate and set off along the beach. It would have been lovely country, if it were about thirty degrees warmer and with more sun. As it was, the sand was a dirty grey color, before giving way to spray-dampened rocks. Great veins of reddish ore filled them, but even Gojass could tell it wasn't iron. It was red, true, but closer to pink than rust colored. The waves were close, and Gojass came close to plunging into the sharp cracks several times as Isak led him on. Still, a brilliant scientist such as Gojass would not be outdone by a mere boy.

They stopped at last before a pitted, desolate landscape. The pinkish-red rocks formed a low shelf here, washed over by the constant motion of the waves. Small craters dotted the expanse, filled with seawater and loose bits of organic material. Isak picked his way across the shelf, ignoring the waves as they swept across his feet, the undertow sucking at his ankles. He bent over one of the small craters and picked through the rocks within. A moment later, he drew out a small lump of the same metal and held it out.

"Interesting." Gojass mused, accepting the silvery lump. As before, it was lighter than expected. "How does it come to be here? Is it washed in by the sea?"

Isak shrugged. He pointed to the outcroppings of rock that surrounded the shelf, which were crumbling in places. Small lumps of the reddish stone were falling into the water.

So. Somehow the rock was turned into metal by the sea. Gojass looked about. But how? It couldn't be the seawater alone, or the cliffs themselves would be metal by now. As if answering his question, thunder boomed, and Isak looked up startled. He tugged on Gojass's sleeve, indicating he should hurry. They scrambled up the slope as the rain began pouring down in earnest, lightning cracking over the water.

"Will the weather always be this miserable?" Gojass sighed. Isak shot him a pitying look, and nodded.