Road to Anywhere

Freesky

Story written for "Gloves Up | A Multi-Genre Smackdown Contest", Round 1 Bonus (June 2022). Genre: Steampunk.

Story word count = 743

The Freesky was small by airship standards, but she was quick and agile when it counted. Twin helical rotors mounted aft propelled her along while cables suspended from a huge capsule-shaped balloon above held her aloft. Standing on the forward deck, alone among the clouds, I found peace.

I also found a young woman hiding under a tarp. Little did I know how that would change my fortune.

"What the hell are you doing on my ship?" I growled, folding my arms.

Sitting between rope coils, she crab-walked backwards to a wall as the color drained from her face. "Forgive me, sir," she pleaded. "Men with foul intent pursue me. I had to get away."

She wore tall boots over breeches and a leather jacket over a linen blouse, practical wear for a woman on the run. With long flowing dark hair, lithe figure, and pleasant face; she was a looker, although far too young for a grizzled old man like me.

"I have no interest in your plight, m'lady. Why should I not dump you over the side and be done with it?"

Her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped her lips. "I have money to pay for safe passage. Name your price, sir."

Now I'm interested. I stroked my red beard. "Hmm, shall we say, a thousand marks?"

"Robbery!" she yelled, jumping up with hands on her hips. "I shall not be extorted!"

"Take it, or leave it," I replied, pointing over the railing edge, implying the leaving alternative.

"But I have only four-hundred," she said, dropping her amber eyes.

Even four-hundred marks would help pay the bills. "Very well, but you must also work. What is your name, m'lady?"

"Amelia," she replied, shaking my hand to seal the deal. "I know your name, Captain Eldon, and your reputation. Also that you journey far to the Hinterlands. Such I chose."

Work she did. At first, I put her to task cleaning away years of grime, but then, to my surprise, discovered she had mechanical aptitude and knew her way around steam engines. "My uncle taught me," was her only explanation. Soon, she had them pulsing like prime athletes. The improved efficiency would carve at least two days off our journey. Amelia had a spunk and quick wit that I came to enjoy, but always evasive about her past.

The journey had been pleasantly smooth. But the fearsome Dragonback mountains, which marked the border to the Hinterlands, loomed ahead, a turbulent challenge for any airship. As I stood at the bridge wheel, Amelia came up to me, her hair tied into a ponytail and a smudge of grease on one cheek.

"I compared your cargo with the official manifest," she said with a smirk. "There are, shall we say, discrepancies? I believe the proper term is smuggling."

"That word has such negative connotations," I replied, lifting my chin in mock offence. "I prefer to call it unregistered trading."

A roil of clouds behind caught my eye, and another airship emerged from hiding with rows of cannon turrets pointed menacingly our way. "That is an unfavorable development," I muttered.

"What?"

"A warship," I replied. "Flying Baron von Kuhn's colors. I wonder what they want?"

As if to answer, a voice came over the radio. "Freesky, this is the Battleship Bismarck. Come to for boarding or you will be fired upon."

I spoke into the microphone. "Bismarck, by what jurisdiction?"

Amelia shuddered as another voice responded. "Come now, Captain. You have the Lady Amelia Harrington with you. Hand her over to me, and you shall be richly rewarded."

Gasping, I spun around. "You are the daughter of Grand Duke Harrington?"

"We choose not our parentage. My father would hand me over in marriage to the loathsome Baron like a political bargaining chip." Her eyes flashed fire, and she poked a finger into my chest. "I shall have nothing of that!"

A cannon shell whizzed past, a warning shot. I put a hand to my beard and glared at her. "Risk or reward, m'lady. Those be my choices."

Amelia's eyes widened. "You are not considering--"

A sly grin rose on my face. "Risk, it is. If you would coax more power from the engines, we might make it over the narrow mountain pass where a large airship like the Bismarck would be hard pressed to follow. What say you, Crewman Amelia?"

Snapping a mock salute, Amelia responded with her own grin. "Aye, aye, Captain!"