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Shanghaied: Body and Bone
Chapter 26, Jumping into the sky, April 3rd

Chapter 26, Jumping into the sky, April 3rd

The Vicious fall was held level by the Dresden hooks and lines one ship tied tother and would not be loosed any time soon without a great deal of fire and fear. The storm continued to rage around both ships. It draped them in the chaos of weather, winds raging maw open and snapping shut with every gust pushing and pulling at the two airships in equal measure.

"Mr. Wolf, the adventure awaits," Emma gestured to the Boson's chair on the deck of a tackle room. The chair was little more than a plank hacked into shape and tied to a rope attached to a pulley. In the backyard adventures of a child, it would have been called a flying fox. And the chair's goal was to get across the gaping divide between the airships. It was not. However, the rider's goal was to not fall off.

Nestled below the balloon, the small cabin allowed two riflemen to either side of the doors, hidden from casual observation. In contrast, the others on the rail could be seen clearly.

"Let's see if this is any good then," Mr. Wolf chortled as he climbed into the chair.

"Mr. Wolf, should they kill you, my friend, I shall exercise the Maori right of utu," Reo iti replied.

"Revenge. You shall exercise revenge on my behalf," replied Mr. Wolf.

"Much the same thing, shipmate," said Reo Iti.

"Thanks, mate," Mr. Wolf yelled into the wind as he kicked off into the empty gray sky. The wind snapped at him, the boson chair swung and jerked sideways, and a bowler hat was lost to the Pacific below.

"Bloody hell...there was nowt wrong with that if you are a lunatic," was all Emma and Reo could hear. Mr. Wolf continued to complain to himself out of earshot of anyone in a moment of self-reflection.

"Cap'n requests always sound like orders in my head. So, suddenly, I am standing on this threshold with nothing but the ocean below. There are a couple of ropes above me. One end's attached to the ship of another bloody madman. And, frankly, the other end is attached to the airship of a madwoman". And not for the first time, Mr. Wolf was trusting his life to a piece of rope, Reo Iti, Emma, and oddly, two burly men. Yep, two burly men from the Dresden, who were pulling the line across," Mr Wolf continued.

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The pelting winds continued, pulling the lines taught and letting them fall slack. The chair or as others would call it a plank of wood Wolf was sitting on. Swung out on a right angle, leaving him uncomfortably parallel to the ocean far below. Then, as the wind ebbed, the rope slackened, and the Boson chair and Mr. Wolf swung forward and fell toward the sea before bouncing back upright. Each bounce was accompanied by a jerk onward as the two burly Samoan men crew of the Dresden pulled Mr. Wolf towards them.

With each jerk, Mr. Wolf pointed at the Dresden. "If you fools drop me, she will shoot you both," Mr. Wolf yelled at the Dresden, pointing back to Emma. No one heard or, at the very least, cared. As the chair and Mr. Wolf arrived, he was dumped onto the deck of the Dresden. Neither of the two men rushed to Mr. Wolf's aid or offered any assistance as he climbed to his feet. Instead, kept his gaze up, watching the two men while scanning the cabin for other threats. He also slipped his hand around the handle of his cleaver at the small of his back. No attempt was made to search him or remove his weapons or his satchel. The room was well-lit and with lanterns in each of the four corners. The tackle and blocks were well-ordered along one wall. A door in the heart of the ship was at the far end. It was larger than the Vicious Fall's own tackle room. But it still only had room for a couple of people. There was just enough room for the labors of operating the Boson's chair and, at most, five others who would presumably be transferred between the ships.

"He's not here?" Mr. Wolf asked. The crewmen grunted in unison as they heaved on the ropes and pulleys, already sending the chair back.

"Nope," was the only reply the smaller two crewmen gave. Both of the crew towered over Mr. Wolf. They were more than a foot taller and broad at the shoulder. Mr. Wolf walked to where Emma and Reo could see him. He pulled his cleaver from his sheath in a single motion. The two men pulling on the ropes did not even have time to see the blade. Before they could raise an objection or a fist, Mr. Wolf caught the light off the corner lantern and flashed a signal to the Vicious Fall off the blade.

Reo looked towards Emma and sighed deeply as he caught the returning chair and stepped into the chair's harness.

"No, Reo. Please, I am next and last to cross on this trip," Emma said.

"Captain, he has held an oath to kill us all. Regardless of whether we be on his ship or another, we are all dead," Reo pointed towards the Dresden as he spoke. "I still have the scars from the last time we met. I cannot let you go alone," Reo replied.

"I won't be alone. Mr. Wolf shall be my ever-present companion. And, if we do not return or the Dresden try's anything funny. Take our ship, break the lines, and run her as fast and hard as possible into the storm. Climb high, and you should make it," Emma said.

"And our passengers?" Reo replied without any further protest.

"Take them back to New Zealand. And if you will excuse me, a crazy man has invited us to tea," Emma said, quickly stepping into the Boson's chair. Then, grabbing the door frame, she stepped into the roaring void.