The engine of the first aircraft had barely settled when Nicéphore turned back toward them.
"There is another," he said.
Napoleon II looked at him.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Nicéphore gestured toward the far end of the hangar line.
"This one is different."
Napoleon I followed his movent with his eyes.
"Different how?"
"You’ll see it from inside," Nicéphore replied.
Napoleon II gave a small nod.
"Then show us."
The second aircraft stood larger.
Not just in length, but in presence.
Where the first had been compact and aggressive in shape, this one was broader, built for a different purpose. A twin engine configuration sat along the wings, each housed in its own casing. The fuselage was wider, with a reinforced body that suggested space within, not just for a pilot, but for more.
Napoleon I slowed as they approached.
"This is not for speed," he said.
"No," Napoleon II replied. "This is for transport."
Murat walked around it once, looking up at the wing.
"How many people can it carry?"
Nicéphore answered.
"Fully configured, between twenty and thirty personnel. Or cargo, depending on the load."
Napoleon I looked at the side of the aircraft.
"And we are boarding it."
"Yes."
There was a brief pause.
Napoleon I let out a quiet breath.
"Then let’s not stand here."
The door was opened from the side.
A short set of steps led upward into the interior.
Napoleon II entered first.
The inside was unlike anything Napoleon I had experienced.
No saddle.
No open air.
No exposed structure.
It was enclosed.
The walls were reinforced, lined with structural ribs and tal panels. Along the sides were simple seating arrangents, not comfortable, but functional. The floor was flat, designed to carry weight without shifting.
Murat stepped in behind him.
"This feels like being inside a machine," he said.
"That’s exactly what it is," Napoleon II replied.
Napoleon I entered last.
He paused just inside the doorway, taking in the space.
Then stepped further in.
"This is for movent," he said.
"Yes."
"Not comfort."
"No."
Napoleon I nodded once and took a seat along the side.
Murat did the sa across from him.
Napoleon II remained standing for a mont, speaking briefly with Nicéphore near the entrance.
"The engines?"
"Stable," Nicéphore said. "Tested repeatedly. This will be a controlled flight. No aggressive maneuvers."
Napoleon II nodded.
"Good."
He stepped inside fully.
The door was shut.
The outside sound faded slightly.
Inside, the space felt contained, but not suffocating.
Then the engines started.
The first rotation ca as a vibration through the floor.
Then the sound followed.
Two engines, not one.
A deeper, layered rhythm that filled the interior with a steady force. It was not violent like the smaller aircraft. It was heavier. More grounded.
Napoleon I felt it imdiately.
Through the seat.
Through the floor.
Through the structure itself.
"This is different," he said.
"Yes," Napoleon II replied. "It carries more weight. It needs stability."
The engines settled into a steady output.
The aircraft began to move.
Slowly at first.
The wheels rolled across the field with a controlled motion. There was no sudden acceleration. No imdiate rush.
Napoleon I watched the interior carefully.
Listening.
Feeling.
"This is closer to a ship," he said.
"In a way," Napoleon II replied. "But faster."
Murat leaned slightly forward.
"How fast?"
"Slower than the fighter," Napoleon II said. "But still far beyond anything on land."
The aircraft turned slightly, aligning with the field.
The engines deepened.
The speed increased.
Napoleon I felt the difference.
The pressure against his body shifted slightly as the acceleration built.
Not abrupt.
But undeniable.
"This is the point," Napoleon II said quietly.
Napoleon I looked at him.
"What point?"
"The mont where it leaves the ground."
The aircraft continued forward faster.
The vibration changed.
Then, the lift.
It was subtle, almost too smooth. But it was there, The ground dropped away.
Napoleon I did not move.
His eyes remained fixed forward, even though there was nothing to see through the tal fra.
He felt it.
Not floating.
Not falling.
Just... no longer touching the ground.
"We’re in the air," Napoleon II said.
Napoleon I exhaled slowly.
"I can feel that."
Murat looked around, then laughed once under his breath.
"This is insane."
"No," Napoleon II said again. "This is what cos next."
The aircraft climbed steadily.
Inside, the motion remained controlled.
No sudden drops.
No violent shifts.
Just a gradual rise.
Napoleon I rested one hand lightly against the side of the fuselage.
"How high are we?" he asked.
"Still low," Napoleon II replied. "This is just to show the experience."
Napoleon I nodded once.
"And this can cross entire regions."
"Yes."
"How far?"
Napoleon II looked at him.
"Hundreds of kiloters in a single run. With proper staging, much further."
Napoleon I leaned back slightly.
"And you can carry n."
"Yes."
"Supplies."
"Yes."
"Command."
Napoleon II t his gaze.
"Yes."
Napoleon I gave a faint breath.
"So you can move an army faster than any road or rail."
"Not the entire army," Napoleon II said. "But the parts that matter most."
Murat nodded imdiately.
"Command. Officers. urgent units."
"Yes."
Napoleon I’s expression shifted again.
That sa look.
Calculation.
But this ti, it was deeper.
Because now he wasn’t watching it from the ground.
He was inside it.
Experiencing it.
"This removes distance," he said.
"Yes."
"This removes delay."
"Yes."
Napoleon I gave a slow nod.
"And no one expects it."
"Not yet."
The aircraft leveled out.
The engines held steady.
The interior remained stable.
For a mont, no one spoke.
Then Napoleon I looked at Napoleon II.
"You’ve already used this in planning," he said.
Napoleon II did not deny it.
"Yes."
Napoleon I let out a quiet breath.
"Of course you have."
After several minutes, the aircraft began its descent.
Napoleon I felt it before it was said.
A slight change in pressure.
A shift in motion.
"We’re going down," he said.
The descent was gradual.
The ground approached again, though unseen from inside.
Then the wheels touched.
It slowed as it moved across the runway. And finally, it stopped.
The door opened.
Fresh air rushed in.
Napoleon II stepped out first.
Murat followed quickly.
Napoleon I ca out last.
He paused at the top of the steps, looking out across the field.
Then he stepped down.
For a mont, he said nothing.
Then he turned to Napoleon II.
"This is amazing!"
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