The First Sin

by Jessica Brawner

  I pressed down the lever and a dim, clear light came out of the glass face of the cube. "On the up-side, you won't have to worry about this rolling away under one of the shelves," Marie said.

  "I can see a number of fantastic applications for this." I pressed the lever again, and the light shut off.

  Marie continued, "It has a limited number of uses - it should give off light for about an hour before it will need to be refreshed."

  Listening while she told me about the chemistry involved, I turned the cube over in my hand examining it. "How susceptible is it to damage? If it's dropped for instance, or the glass breaks?"

  "Ah, yes. That would be important. The metal is fairly durable, but if the glass is broken and the lever is engaged at the same time, it will emit quite a nasty smoke. It smells awful." She grimaced.

  "Now this." David held up a flat object that looked very much like the tracking device we had sewn into the Miter. "This is a duplicate of the tracking device I showed you earlier. Luckily Marie had the materials I needed on hand to finish a second. My thought was to install these in the air hoppers. They're two-way Jac, much like the one in your arm. It can be used to track the airhopper, or call it back to the ship, once we upgrade Nina's navigation console." He flipped it over in his fingers. "The primary difference is range. This is up to ten kilometers, whereas the one in your arm is only one."

  "So, once you get the console upgraded we'll be able to track both the hat and the airhoppers within ten kilometers?" I looked at the small device with new respect. The implant in my arm had saved me many times.

  "I have one last item I'd like to show you, Captain." Marie went to a table against the wall and picked up a small wooden device with two metal prongs on the end. The entire thing was slightly larger than my two hands put together. She brought it over to demonstrate. I looked at it curiously. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.

  "This uses a friction generator to produce an electrical discharge. Quite nasty if you press it against human flesh, though generally not deadly.” She popped off the end of the box and pulled the cord several times, until the metal tip glowed and arced, giving off small sparks.

  "It's a nonlethal weapon, Captain. It will totally incapacitate a target without leaving more than a small burn." Marie showed a burned patch on her forearm, and David pulled down the shoulder of his shirt showing a similar mark on his shoulder.

  "We've both been the victim at least twice testing out this little baby. The effects have been the same each time. It is dreadfully unpleasant, but unless you charge it too high, I don't think it will kill you." David said, pulling up the shoulder of his shirt.

  "That is quite impressive. Perhaps next time let Henri know before you test weapons on each other so he can be standing by? I’d hate to lose either of you to accidental experiment failure!”

  Marie chuckled. "No fear there, captain. I value my life, and Henri would kill me if I died due to stupidity! I intend to build several of them and place them at key locations around the ship."

  "How many can you build with the supplies on hand?" I asked.

  "I think probably three more with what we have here on the ship. With David’s help it shouldn’t take very long to get them built, perhaps a day.”

  Shaking my head, I handed the small device back to her. "You really are quite brilliant. I'm glad you're on our side."

  Marie beamed with pleasure.

  Jacqueline

  Iasked Henri to check out both David and Marie to make sure neither would suffer long term effects of testing the weapon on each other. Henri pronounced them both fine but recommended a few hours rest. I tucked David into my bunk and gave him a book to read. Within a few minutes I heard him snoring gently, and I smiled to myself.

  Back on deck Nina was at the helm, staring serenely into the distance. "Afternoon, Captain."

  "How does it look?" I stared out over the sky full of puffy white cotton clouds.

  "Storm’s brewing. I can feel it, but we've got at least an hour." Nina pointed off toward the south. "See where the clouds change?"

  On the horizon ahead of us, barely visible, was a solid grey line. I pulled the spyglass off my belt and studied the storm line. "It will be quite a blow when it hits."

  Following the horizon around I saw a tiny dot that didn’t belong. I adjusted my spyglass for a better look. "Nina, we've got a ship flying Vatican colors off the stern."

  Nina cursed in Bantu, her native language, and then switched back to French. "What do you want to do, Captain?"

  "Are we near any of our usual safe havens?" I looked from the Vatican airship to the storm ahead.

  "Non. We've nothing but sea beneath us for miles."

  The blue hull of the Blue Raven’s gondola and white grand poche were designed to make it difficult to see in clear weather. I had almost missed it in the distance.

  "Merde." I pressed the large lever next to Nina's console. "All hands, on-deck. All hands!" I yelled into the copper tubing. The sounds of running feet filtered up through the communication system moments before the crew appeared on deck.

  "We have a situation. The Blue Raven is behind us, a massive storm front ahead of us, and no safe haven between here and there. They are closing fast—they'll be within range in an hour, no more."

  ***

  They had seen us. The shift in their airspeed and trajectory was subtle but produced results. Within twenty minutes I could see them clearly behind us.

  The boom of a cannon and the whistle as the ball fell just short of our starboard side made all of us duck. I looked over my shoulder in awe. "Mother of God that was close. What are they using to get that kind of range?" Marie and Tyler both grabbed the railing and hoisted themselves up for a better look.

  "Nina, run for the storm," I directed. "To your stations!"

  "Captain, what do you want me to do?" Niccolò asked, his eyes wide with fear.

  "Help Marie in the engine room," I said, clapping my hand on his shoulder. "She'll put you to work."

  Marie looked at me and nodded, eyes grave as she grabbed Niccolò by the arm and raced below decks.

  Our propellers and auxiliary fan started whirring at high speed just as a gust of wind from the storm front hit the ship. The ship's carriage swayed against the cables attaching the grand poche. I grabbed for the steering deck railing as I felt the pit of my stomach drop.

  Nina shouted over the wind. "Captain. It's coming on quicker than expected!"

  Another boom filled the air as a cannonball sailed much too close to the prow of the ship. "They're getting their distance on us Nina.”

  "Aye! I expect you're right, Captain!" she shouted above the noise of the propellers.

  "Storm's coming in fast, tie down anything loose and double check the airhoppers!" I shouted down, hearing my voice echo throughout the ship.

  Nina braced herself against the gusting wind and pulled down on a stiff, seldom used lever next to the steering column. Two panels opened in the deck and sturdy seats rose from within. Each chair had shoulder and waist straps designed to keep a person in their seat. Nina's was close enough to the steering wheel that she could sit strapped in and guide the ship without worrying about being thrown overboard. She took a moment to grab her goggles off the back of the chair, position them over her eyes, and strap herself in.

  "Better see to yourself, Captain!" She shouted, her words stolen by the rising wind.

  I strapped myself into the second chair. Mine, unlike Nina's, could swivel three-hundred-sixty degrees allowing me to keep an eye out for threats. The tracking station was behind my chair, allowing us to sit back to back. It would allow the crew to track either me, or The Inara with the original tracking devices David had created.

  Nina, ever fearless, flew us directly into the heart of the storm. The Blue Raven followed, and their cannon boomed again. I heard the splintering of wood as a shudder went through the ship.

  "Nina, hide us in the heart of the lightning. Four degrees to port. Marie, giv
e us everything you can!" I pointed, shouting into the comm tube. The Indiana wasn't equipped with cannons or other firepower. We too often posed as a passenger or plain cargo ship, and cannons would make us too much of a target. Today however, I wished we had them.

  The rain started, soaking us as I called out course adjustments, trying to avoid cannonade fire. The wind drove the pellets of water into sleeting, blinding sheets. We rose higher and higher, buffeted by gusts that threatened to tear the ship apart. The rain, gentle on the ground, pierced and clawed its way through clothing at this altitude and ran icy fingers down backs and faces, making everyone on deck miserable. Tyler and Seamus were checking the rigging on the lower deck, barely visible from my seat. We were approaching the center of the storm, and the Vatican ship was still right behind us.

  Lightning arced from cloud to cloud, dispersed by the rods attached to the hull and fine wires around the envelop. With every crackle, sparks danced across the grid, surrounding the grand poche in a shower of Chinese fireworks. The ship bucked and rocked against its cables, rising and then pitching down as hard as any ship fighting the ocean.

  Though we had weathered many such storms, it was never any less thrilling to make it to the top. We burst from the clouds above the storm, once again out of sight of the Vatican ship and were sailing with blue skies above and pouring rain below. Dark clouds roiled and sparked beneath us. Every so often a finger of lightning would reach up before being neutralized by the lightning rods and coils. The wind continued to gust strongly, but at least we could see. The storm stretched for miles in all directions. Patches of cloud were, in some areas, lit frequently from within, while other sections saw no lights at all.

  Moments passed as I peered through the driving sleet trying to locate the Blue Raven. A faint crackle of unnatural lightning below us was my only warning. “Nina! Hard to Starboard,” I yelled.

  The Vatican ship burst through the clouds, rising rapidly, its grand poche scraping the side of The Indiana as it rose. I heard the wood groan as we made contact with their hull, and a harsh shudder ran through the gondola. I could hear the shouts of men from the other ship, as they tried to disengage. The Blue Raven veered off, still crackling with dispersed lightning, their gondola swinging wildly. Several of their cables had snapped, fore and aft.

  Quicker than I thought possible they sighted their cannons on us. "Nina, emergency dive! Now!" I shouted. I heard the rush of escaping air as Nina blew open the heated balloons and we lurched into free fall. For a moment everything, including my stomach, seemed to float, and then the ship slammed down below the cloud level. My head slammed into the back of my chair, and I saw stars.

  "Captain we must head to the true heart of the storm!" Nina shouted above the gale. She pointed to a black maelstrom in the distance. Lightning crackled around its center creating a fearsome sight.

  "We'll never survive!" I shouted back.

  “We will with me piloting!” she shouted, a mad light in her eyes. “This is going to be a wild ride." Nina laughed as she steered us directly towards the pulsating heart of hell.

  They followed. I will give them this, their pilot had nerves of steel. The Indiana threatened to tear herself apart. Cables snapped, whipping about like tormented snakes. Where they hit the ship, huge gouges appeared. I had no fear of cannon fire from the Blue Raven at this point, The Indiana was ripping herself apart.

  Right before we entered the heart, amidst the deafening gale Nina shouted out, "For Merida!" and deployed the updraft sails. I didn’t have time to puzzle that out.

  The ship shuddered. I heard wood crack, and metal screech as the ship strained upwards. We rose with such haste that the cables went slack, and body of the ship met with the grand poche. The fabric enveloped us, pressing suffocatingly close. For a brief moment, we were held up only by the wind. Time seemed to slow as the storm raged. Nina persevered, holding the course and we popped like a jack in the box above the clouds.

  We sailed up and over the eye of the storm, the awesome power swirling below us. Rain pelted us, and rims of frost formed around the edges of my goggles.

  We cleared the storm. The Indiana was in bad shape, cables swinging free. I felt bruised from the belts holding me in my seat. Only half of the cables attaching the grand poche remained, and the ship listed to one side badly. There was no sign of the Blue Raven. A twinge of worry flashed through me. Despite our current situation, I hoped Charles had made it to safety.

  The island was extremely small, composed of nothing but sand and a few, very sparse trees. Nina brought us down as close to the water as possible. We couldn't float because of several large holes in the hull, but the cables had to be fixed before we could go any further. In the wake of the storm the sea was cloudy, the waters disturbed and roiling. Strange fish rose to the surface in search of food.

  Tyler, Marie and Seamus came on deck with Niccolò trailing behind them, eyes wide with shock. I clapped him on the shoulder. “Congratulations my young friend – you’re real airship crew now. You’ve survived one of the big ones.”

  He nodded, shivering. “Does it often do that?"

  I considered him for a moment. “Storms are a part of life, to be met with bravery, intelligence and courage.” Smiling at him I said, “But no, it doesn’t often blow that hard.”

  Marie exclaimed in horror when she saw the damage to the cables and the hull. She had been protected from the worst of it in the engine room. Tyler shook his head. "Jac, we can fix these cables temporarily, but they're going to have to be replaced. Any patchwork we do here isn't going to hold for very long."

  I nodded in agreement, surveying the damage. "It's not ideal, but let's see what we can do so we make it to port. We must make it back to The Flaming Mug in time for the rendezvous with Franco."

  “We have a more pressing problem Captain,” Seamus said grimly. “We’re out of splice cable.”

  Nina swore. “The extra was in the supplies I was picking up when we had to scurry out of Marseille.”

  I swore under my breath. No splice cable meant we’d have to pick and choose which cables to sacrifice, leaving us in a precarious position if we had to run, fight, or weather another storm.

  “Captain. I think the land anchor cable would be long enough to handle the worst of the splicing – if we fix the hull first then we can raise the anchor and strip it.” Seamus suggested.

  I nodded. “Oui. That’s a good suggestion. Let’s get started!”

  Niccolò, Henri, Marie, and David worked to patch the holes in the hull while the rest of us inspected cables and provided support. David was sporting a bruise across half his face from where he had slammed into the edge of the bunk. He had tried to get up to find out what was going on just as we crested the storm. Marie and Henri were both moaning about broken items in their workshops.

  As we worked, I pondered why Charles had opted to attack us at this point. It didn’t make sense. He had opportunities before this and didn’t take them. Why now? What had changed? I had more questions than answers, and I didn’t want to voice what we were all thinking as we worked on repairs. Would our beloved Indiana fly again? And was it all worth it for a hat?

  Jacqueline

  The airfield at Palermo was empty. No intelligent airship captain stayed in port during a storm. The Airfield Master was a short, portly man who had worry lines permanently etched around the corners of his eyes. He looked over our ship as we limped into a berth at mid-morning. "Why is it every time I see you, your ship looks like it's about to fall apart?" He swung nimbly over the railing of the ship and onto the deck, a surprising feat given his appearance. “That was a rough blow Captain, was it not?”

  "Oui. It was a hard ride. She’s not fallen apart on us yet though. As you can see, we'll be needing some repairs. Hopefully we won't run into one like that again. This is only a brief stop for us, is there any chance you can have them done in two days? Any other ships come back yet?"

  "Oh one or two. Yours appears to be the worst hit. That must hav
e been exciting from up in the air." He grinned, looking about expectantly.

  "I'm not sure exciting is the word I would use. Do you have a repair crew available?"

  "Oh aye. It shouldn't be too much of a problem. You arrived before the rush. We'll get the clanks over and get started. Given the level of damage, we should probably move you into the construction hangar for repairs. It’s more than twice as high and will give the men plenty of room to work" He gestured one of his men over and began giving instructions. I could see the hangar in the distance. The open doors were wide enough to allow two airships entry side by side, and tall enough that there were two traffic lanes, top and bottom as well. The young man went running off to summon the repair crew.

  I nodded with resignation. The Airfield Master knew we wouldn't make it to the next port, and he knew I knew it, too. We had barely made it off the island, and that was only due to Seamus’s solution to the broken cables. The haggling over price was merely for form sake. In the end, the price was more than I liked, but not as much as it could have been. He signaled, and the giant repair clanks started towards us. The repair crew began swarming over the exterior of the ship.

  "Tyler, you supervise here. Nina and I are going to The Flaming Mug to see what surprises might be waiting for us."

  The Flaming Mug wasn’t there. It should have been easy to find. It wasn't far from the airfield from what I remembered. Nina and I looked for at least an hour. The building was there, but instead of a pub, there was a leather goods shop, showing shoes and flying gear and other odds and sundry.