Deck Officer Charlotte Brown

Things are looking up! We are on course for the Continent, the prisoners are subdued, and Sydney has some plan to get rid of Adelaide once and for all. Can you say ‘good riddance’?

We have been having lots of fun too. Last night, Sydney found a bottle of expensive whiskey hidden in a cabinet in the captain’s office - which is yet another evidence of Adelaide’s gross misuse of her privileges. So Sydney had Kiona make a cake, and we had a party. Someone got out a dartboard, and we sang old flying songs. I had a good time, though it was difficult to get out of bed this morning.

Today, Jemmett and I will be processing the last few meters of old rope. Though my fingers have gotten tough from the constant picking at that stuff, I’m glad to be nearly done.

What a wild ride this trip has been, and what a splendid ending for us. I’ve finally obtained some real experience that I can put to good use on my own airship - mostly on how to be a cool captain, one that is okay with bending the rules for the sake of a little fun. I can’t wait to have my own airship! That will be a great adventure.

Engineer Hallie Kingston

The minute I saw the plank, I knew exactly what the mutineers had in mind. A narrow piece of wood extending from the deck, a bridge to nothing. They’re going to make Adelaide walk the plank. Classic.

Also very wrong and very illegal.

Jemmett and Charlotte sat on the far side of the deck amid piles of rope, seemingly oblivious to the future of their former captain.

After taking in the situation, I retreated belowdecks and paced the engine room, the excessive noise drowning out most of the thoughts in my head. Twenty circuits of the room later, I had a plan.

I hadn’t needed to use the harness for a while. It was buried in a rarely-used crate. When I found it, I regarded it like an old enemy, like Little Miss Perfect back in primary school. But I banished those hateful thoughts, and set to work strapping myself in. I put on my coat to conceal the webbing, and picked up a coil of our best rope on my shoulder.

Hopefully someone would act to prevent this tragedy before Adelaide took the last step to her death. But if not, I hoped I would be able to save her.

As I walked down the passageway, I saw Cale and Sydney enter the brig, presumably to retrieve Adelaide. I pretended that nothing was amiss, but quickened my pace.

“Hi Hallie, what’s up?” Jemmett asked from the mess, where he sat at a table, a snack in front of him. He must have started his break while I was cooking up my plan in the engine room.

I considered my options. I could pretend that I was on my way to perform routine maintenance on the hull. I could say nothing and pass by. I could engage in meaningless small talk. Or I could tell him the truth.

I’d noticed his lack of enthusiasm for Sydney, so similar to my own attitude. I’d seen a few times where he lingered slightly too long at Kiona’s counter. I decided to take the chance. Really, it was now or never, and I had no qualms about undermining the traitor.

I approached the table, no time for pleasantries. “They’re about to execute Adelaide, and if you don’t want that to happen, you should help me.”

“They are?”

“Obviously! What did you think that plank was for?”

“I don’t know… navigation?”

“Skies and stars, you’re such a greenhorn! They’re going to make her walk off that plank. I’m going to do what I can to not let that happen. Are you with me or not?”

He looked me right in the eyes. “I’ve never liked Sydney. I didn’t join this crew for him to be my captain. What can I do to help? Do you have a plan?”

My gut said I could trust him. “Sort of. I need you to go to the engine room antechamber. There’s a crate on the left side, third from the top. It has like a bunch of webbing and stuff in it. Under that is a gun with stun darts in it. Get the gun and hide on deck. Fire on Sydney at the last possible moment. Do you understand?”

He nodded and tapped the table twice.

“Go quickly, and may Garland be with you!” I said, and rushed back to the passageway, my destination being the midship airlock.

After unlocking, the interior airlock door slid quietly into the wall. Beyond it was a small room with a thick metal hatch that sealed tightly to keep the wind out.

I clipped my rope to its wall attachment and double checked my harness. Its webbing snugly encircled my body, and I felt secure in its embrace though my heart pounded. If I could climb along the hull without thinking of my location, I’d be fine.

The outer hatch, once opened, let a gust of cool air into the room, which tugged me outside. I took a deep breath, looked out to the horizon, and stepped onto the half-meter wide maintenance walkway that ringed Quaerere.

My gloved right hand gripped the guiderope while my left hand loosened the rope coil on my shoulder, avoiding tangles and snares. As I crept along the catwalk, I kept my eyes up, not allowing myself to see the waves beneath us. As long as I don’t look, I’ll be okay.

I listen to my heart pound in my ears, until another sound catches my attention. Sydney is shouting something on the main deck, and I see a figure step onto the plank. Just a few steps more and they will be dawdling above the abyss. I quicken my pace and get into position, my rope slack behind me.

Louis Packer

I was right in the middle of mentally practicing binding a bouquet when Cale and Paul entered the brig. A sharklike smirk disfigured the former’s face, while the latter handled a coil of rope as he would a snake about to strike.

“Time to go,” Cale said. “Come on out, Adelaide.”

Adelaide stood from her place next to Barry and brushed off her uniform, now stained nearly past recognition. “Where are we going?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“The real question is, ‘Where are you going?’. Which will be answered soon enough,” Paul said, proud of his discretion.

Cale pulled Adelaide’s hands behind her back and tied them tightly enough that she yelped. Daisy watched with huge eyes.

“Let’s go,” Cale said, tugging the rope connecting him to Adelaide. She briefly looked back at us, but then straightened her back and followed him without complaint, ever the dignified captain.

After the door shut, Barry lowered his head and I watched silent tears track down his face and catch in his beard, a constellation of sorrow.

Bly scoots closer to Barry and rubs his shoulder. “Hey, it’s going to be alright. We’ll figure this out. Can I hug you?”

Barry nods slowly, and leans on the younger man’s shoulder.

Daisy turns to me. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she’s thinking of something. “We have to get out of here,” she tells me quietly.

“I think so too,” I reply.

“Do you have any ideas?”

I start to think, but quickly my thoughts of escape turn to thoughts of Melanie, presumably because she and Daisy share a similar hair color. I realize I should try to focus, and I quickly snap back to reality when Daisy waves her hand in front of my face.

“Is it really that difficult to stop daydreaming about your precious Molly for just a few minutes?!”

“Melanie,” I corrected. I can’t believe she’s forgotten the name of the center of the universe.

“Fine. Melanie. Whatever. She’s thousands of kilometers away from here. You need to concentrate for three minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”

While Daisy scolds me, I see Bly and Barry draw apart. Barry looks a little better, fewer tears dropping from his eyes.

“Oh! I have an idea-” Daisy starts to say, as we hear a key in the door of the brig. It’s Kiona! She scurries to the second door and lets us out.

“How did you get out of the kitchen?” Daisy asks.

“There’s no time! You have to get to the deck and save Adelaide!”

“What?” Bly says, but Kiona shoos him away. “Run!”

I stand, my legs weak from sitting so long, and watch Daisy dart out of the room. After helping Barry to his feet, we make our way above decks.

Boatswain Jemmett Mainwaring

I tried not to listen as Sydney shouted lies about the captain. He’d given me a dart gun, loaded with tranquilizer, and told me to guard the deck. If anyone showed signs of rebellion during the proceedings, he instructed me to shoot them without hesitation.

As Sydney reached the climax of his speech, a figure appeared at the hatch.

“Everyone! Stop!” Daisy shouted as she ran onto the deck. “You can’t kill the captain!”

“Why not?” Sydney sneered, his hand on the rope that bound Adelaide’s wrists. I stayed behind the barrel, my gun in my lap.

“She… she was nice to me.”

“Well she wasn’t nice to the rest of us,” Paul said loudly. “I say we let her fall!”

“No! You don’t understand,” Daisy continued. “I’m not who you think I am. I’m not a prodigy mapmaker, or a genius, or anything like that. The only reason I’m here is because I got lost at the airport.” She stomped twice on the wooden decking. “I don’t know how I’m good at mapmaking. I don’t know how I didn’t get on the correct airship. But I do know that you cannot murder an innocent woman to further your own ambitions.”

While Daisy spoke, everyone listened, still as statues. Slowly, quietly, like a snake in the grass, I pointed my gun at Sydney. While Daisy paused, I pulled the trigger.

The tranquilizer dart pierced Sydney’s abdomen and he slumped after a few seconds. But a lot can happen in 10 seconds:

1. Daisy ran towards Captain Springett.

2. Charlotte lunged toward Sydney.

3. Paul, seeing that Sydney had been shot, pushed the captain overboard.

I stood and shouted, “No!”

“Jemmett? That was you?” Blythe asked, appearing at my side. I could hardly hear him over the melee.

“What?”

“You shot Sydney… I thought you were on his side.”

“No, I never was.”

“Stop this nonsense at once!” Captain Springett shouted, her face appearing over the rail.

“How…” Blythe gaped.

Hallie poked her face above the rail too, a harness strapped around her torso. She helped Adelaide onto the deck and that’s when I saw the captain’s damaged arm. Her sleeve and flesh underneath were torn, and blood flowed down her arm to drip from her fingers. She couldn’t seem to move the arm, and it hung stiffly at her side.

Everyone stood on deck, staring in shock. Though Sydney’s crew had been planning on killing Adelaide, I suppose they hadn’t expected to see any of the consequences. So this wound must have brought them back to reality.

“Help me capture Paul,” Bly whispered to me. “While he’s distracted.”

We crept behind the mutineer. I snatched his arms and Bly quickly tied his wrists with a length of rope. Paul cried out, but no one came to help him.

Louis, a dark look on his face, grabbed Cale’s shoulder. His knuckles turned white from the strength of his grip. Cale looked like he might cry. Next to them, Daisy tried to catch Charlotte, who dodged her hand. Daisy tripped and then pulled Charlotte down with her. They tumbled on the deck, curse words flying, until Barry separated them.

“Let’s go to the brig,” Bly calls.

The mutineers walked all by themselves through the hatch and down into the ship. Well, except for Charlotte. She tries to step on Daisy’s toes at every opportunity, and even kicks her in the shin. Sydney, still unconscious, is swung over Bly’s shoulders and carried belowdecks.

Meanwhile, Kiona puts Adelaide’s shoulder back into place. Adelaide tightly squeezed Barry’s hand during the procedure. He didn’t mind.

Louis offered his handkerchief, the largest I’ve ever seen, to be used as a sling for Adelaide’s shoulder.

“Thank you, everyone,” she said. She looked exhausted, her weariness etched in the drooping lines of her body. Her normally perfect posture had been discarded in favor of slouching.

“Louis, let’s go up to the bridge. We need to see what our course is and make contact with the Guild. They must be told what happened.”

“Shouldn’t you get some rest first?” Barry asked.

“I’m a captain; I’ll rest once my crew and my ship are safe.”

“At least let me help you on the ladders.”

Adelaide put her non-injured arm around Barry’s elbow, and they started to walk off the deck.

I sighed as my adrenaline faded. Adelaide heard it, and turned to me. “Jemmett? Was that you that knocked Sydney out?”

“Yes.”

“You were very brave.”

“Thank you.”

“Were you in contact with Kiona?”

“Not really. I asked if I could help her rescue you guys, but she didn’t commit.”

“Yes, Kiona is well-known for her discretion,” Adelaide answers after a moment. “Kiona, did you get our note from this morning?”

“There was a note?”

“It was in the bottom of the soup pot! You didn’t notice it?” Barry asked, surprised.

Kiona raised her hands in defense. “Hey, when I’m doing dishes, I’m not looking for notes in the soup leftovers!”

“Oh, Kiona,” Adelaide sighed. “Well, it all worked out in the end, thanks to everyone’s help. It’s been a long day, let’s get some rest. I’ll be in the navigation room if anybody needs anything.”

We went inside as the clouds dissipated, like the sky knew about what just happened on the main deck of Quaerere.