ount of money you knew you had only because you'd taken out a loan against your inheritance, you gave him the check. Sniffing it, the accountant put in an envelope and in turn in a leather mail pouch.
"I do wonder how a young captain such as you would have an account with them." The accountant muttered, looking you over with a staunch eye. "The House of Morgan is rarely involved with a man's personal finances."
"My father had friends." You said, stiff. "Good day."
---
{Ship Handling roll: 1d100= 64+39(Air Sense) +5(Skyborn) +15(Ship Bonus)=123/80 High Success!}
"Steady as she goes, Jack." You muttered, watching the ship progress from your seat in the main gondola.
"Gundeck fore spotter to Bridge, got a skiff with some drunkered gamboling around off top fore port quarter."
"Bridge acknowledges" you replied into the speaking tube. "Jack, starboard ten steady elevators."
"Starboard ten, steady elevators, aye Captain. I think I can see the Aether point."
Breathing in and out, you unclenched your stomach for a moment. Aether transfers were always a nervous experience, especially when you didn't know the paths yourself. Forcing another breath through your lungs, you let your grip clench on the Captain's Chair and locked eyes forward. Elizabeth told you earlier she was confident with all the major American Continental currents, and the Mississippi current was the largest overland one on the North American continent.
"Navigator, please report to the bridge. Say again, Navigator, please report to the bridge."
It was time to do the Jump. Going into Aether was always a risky pursuit, that transfer between 'here' and 'there' being the hardest part. Ships had cracked themselves going through the pathways in the sky, and often nobody knew why.
As Elizabeth decensended to the bridge, though, you saw her eyes light up. Moving swiftly, she moved to the Navigtor's Place, directly behind and to the right of the Captain so he could hear everything they said. Settling herself there, Elizabeth sighed and moved her hands out, splaying them on the small map-board that graced the station.
"Steady as she goes." The quiet brunet said, voice clear. "This one's feeling frisky today- we'll need to be moving fairly quick to get optimal transference. Also…"
Watching her divine the mysterious pathways that soared over and through the world, you saw her smile as she grabbed something, holding it carefully.
"Approach at at least fifty knots." Elizabeth said, her eyes wide. "A sharp upward transference angle- twelve degrees or better. We'll enter in a fairly calm pocket where we can trim and raise sail."
You nodded, and looked over to the engine telegraph man. "Signal full power to the engines, and sound the tilt alarm."
As the engine telegraph man signaled the engines to full speed, you dimly heard the ooh-ahh alarm that warned the airship was about to go into a maneuver outside the standard footing. Commercial ships, by law, had to issue an alarm whenever going into a planned steep maneuver- more than ten degrees pitch or roll. More importantly, past twenty degrees of bank and roll only an Air Mate was allowed to keep their feet- everyone else was supposed to tie themselves to a chair and hold on.
"Steady…" you muttered, watching the rift in the sky get closer. "Steady…"
As you watched the approaching rift close, you looked to the gauge chief. "Airspeed?"
"Sixty knots and rising."
"Pilot, fourteen degrees to the elevators!" you shouted. "Dorsal spotters, are we on axis to the Rift?"
"Ship is on axis!" came back the tinned reply. Looking around, you frantically yelled. "Speed?"
"Fifty nine and dropping!"
"Ballast teams, shift two four zero gallons aft! Pilot, elevators to neutral! All hands, brace!"
---
For a brief second, you could feel the world shift around you as some of the precepts of reality changed. Moments later, things slowly returned to normal- or at least, to within spitting distance of it. Letting go of the arms of your chair, you sighed quietly.
"All hands, good work. Engine to Aether Cruise, disengage Zeppelin Device. Ballast teams, right the ship to neutral axis. Halt the tilt alarm. Aether Sail teams, raise masts and set sail."
Pausing to look out the window, you smiled. The golden cloudscape, so reminiscent of a field of fluffy wheat, was a good sign of calm weather.
"Hey, Alek." You heard Donald say from behind your left shoulder. Odd- you hadn't heard him enter the bridge. "Listen, you said you wanted to see the guys raise the Aether sails, right?"
You nodded. "Yeah. I take it you want the wheel for a bit then?"
"If you don't mind."
"Alright. First Mate Zamwekis has the con."
"Aye-aye. I have the con." Donald said, grinning as you pealed yourself out of the chair. Moving to the ladder off the bridge, you sighed faintly. Another trip to the Aether done without hassel.
---
Once you got suited up and moved topside, you had to smile. Wide open expanses of Aether were always a marvel, the soft clouds sometimes breaking to show the blues and violets of faster-moving streams; the green rays of sun, the red warmth of the Rift you had come from. Feeling the ship give slightly, you smiled as you buckled your main line into the ship's central ridge. Starting off your walk, it was a good timing that let you see the center mast be raised. From it, a single wire mesh sail was raised, the fine copper and electrum strands in the sheet lighting and sparkling in the gold. It would catch a mundane wind familiar to Terra Firma, but here?
Here, you saw it luft for a moment, before winches shaped it, pulled it into a powerful curve. And as it caught the shreds of invisible breeze, you felt the Caroline Anaheim begin to move. Now, now you could say you were an airship captain in truth!
Votes
What do you focus on first?
[] Learn the ship and the crew
[] Talk to your officers
[] Study the Aether, and learn about it's mysteries
What do you do in your free time?
[] Practice fighting with the Espatiers. Your sword-arm is a little rusty, and you sold your pistol for food money at one point. Besides, it would be a bad Captain not ready to fight.
[] Discuss your route and time spent Aether-sailing with the Navigator, comparing notes. You're both Skyborn- you might be able to learn her tricks one day.
[] Share meals with the Doctor, and learn all the things about the crew they'll never tell you to your face. These aren't good sailors you picked up- you need to know which ones are worth working with and which ones need to get dumped with the cargo.
