Through the Aether

[Faye_Skylark]

Charlotte's eyes lit up as Captain Ormon strode over to her, his expression dark and sour. The man was striking. Handsome and brooding. Just her type, Charlotte couldn't help but think.

But, she was on business, Charlotte reminded herself. Pleasure could come later.

"Ma'am, may I ask why exactly your laundry is doing aboard my vessel?" shot Ormon bluntly.

"Well you don't expect me to dally about the ship without clothes, do you?" Charlotte replied, with genuine surprise.

"Don't worry yourself about taking my bags up, Gerald here will see to it, won't you Gerald?" continued Charlotte with an airy wave in Gerald's direction as the older man struggled with the luggage.

"Captain Ormon, I presume?" said Charlotte, throwing a dazzling smile as she offered her gloved hand to the Captain. "Charlotte Rochester. I've heard a great many things about you. It will be fascinating to see how the man compares with the legend! So, when do we depart on our great adventure?"

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon swore colorfully, rubbing his leg in a very convincing manner. "Pardon, ma'am, the old wound..." he mumbled through gritted teeth. His financier had just done the worst thing she could have done to introduce herself in the flesh - assumed she had a place on his vessel. The Hydra was his, and more importantly the crew's, pride and joy, and no one sailed on her save through his express permission.

The pay was outstanding though.

He straightened and took the proffered hand. Her grip was satin and smooth. Get's caught in a winch inside of two days, he told himself.

"It was not made known to me that you would be travelling with us, madam. I'm not sure so august a personage would be comfortable aboard the Hydra," he said with a token attempt at resistance, masking it uncomfortably behind courtly mannerisms.

 

[Faye_Skylark]

Charlotte smiled again at the Captain and then brushed past him, looking about the ship with wide-eyed curiosity.

"Oh, that's very kind of you to say, but I'm sure your guest quarters will be most accomodating," replied Charlotte airily. "This is an important voyage after all, and I have a great deal of money invested in you and this airship. I'll be seeing this through myself."

Captain Ormon turned slowly and scowled behind Charlotte's back, quietly fuming.

Charlotte merely continued, oblivious to the Captain's displeasure.

"I apologise we couldn't get word of my arrival any sooner, but it really was a very hurried undertaking," said Charlotte. "Gerald could barely get my things packed in time! I wouldn't worry yourself too much, I'll be sure to keep out of your way and let you do your... airshipy things."

Ormon swore under his breath at that. Did she really just call his professional work "airshipy things", he thought sourly.

Charlotte wheeled around to face him suddenly. Her eyes were fierce, alight with the familiar greed of unrestrained ambition.

"Once we depart, when you have a spare moment, Captain Ormon," began Charlotte, "we should discuss the relic. In private. There are some things you need to know about the artefact we are chasing."

With that, Charlotte turned on her heel again and continued her exploration of the airship, a wheezing Gerald in tow behind her.

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon laid a hand across the hilt of Bedlam and gripped it tight. "Of course," he growled. Fething bitch.

"I'm afraid the crew quarters that are open are too," he glared darkly at the weight carried by - Jarod? Gerome? Whatever - "limiting in their space so you may use the guest suite." The guest suite was less a place of honor and more a place for Ormon to keep an eye on troublesome passengers, as it was merely the other half of his own quarters with a sliding partition.

"Come, I'll show you the way and give your man some relief from your cargo."

 

[Faye_Skylark]

"Most kind of you, Captain," said Charlotte, dipping her head to Ormon. "Please, lead on."

Charlotte stepped into tow behind Ormon and began to follow him as they wound their way through the airship.

"So how go the preparations for departure? Has the course been laid out yet? What route will you be taking?" Asked Charlotte as she started peppering Ormon with questions.

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon weathered her hail of annoyance as best as he was able, replying in burst-fire non-committal grunts and noises. He entered his quarters and showed the two in, crossing the suite and turning a wheel mounted on the ceiling. Clockwork kicked in after a few revolutions, and a mattress bolted to a bed frame rose from the floor at the same time as a desk projected from the bulkhead.

He turned around and slid the partition out, a sliding series of wooden panels, thin to conserve space aboard a sailing vessel. "These are yours, ma'am. As for the item in question, I'd prefer to discuss it at dinner this evening. I'll not have secrets aboard my ship, especially not from the crew."

[[Katie, ultimate, what happened? ]]

 

[Faye_Skylark]

Charlotte walked into her room and did a little spin, soaking in the clockwork surroundings.

"This should do nicely!" Charlotte beamed. "Thankyou Captain. At dinner then, as you wish. Though I should warn you, the crew may not like everything they hear."

Charlotte paused, pursing her lips thoughtfully.

"Still, I hear yours is the toughest crew around," said Charlotte. "I'm sure they'd be more than game for what's in store! See you at dinner, Captain Ormon."

She touched Ormon's arm, giving him a small smile as her touch lingered. Then she let go and moved behind the panels to survey her new room.

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon nodded, taken aback by the touch leaning into a caress. He smiled and briefly clasped it back before departing. He paged Roan over the comm briefly.

His adjutant came in holding a silver flask. Ormon raised a brow. "Thought you might need the drought for you leg," the other man grinned, taking a pull.

[[Ormon and Roan will be relaxing in downtime until dinner. If y'all need anything from Ormon, post and we'll play through it. Otherwise, when y'all are done and ready for dinner, we'll move on. I've subscribed, so anytime y'all post, I'll check what's going on. Tim for you guys to shine though, I feel like I've been hogging. ]]

 

[HottieKatie]

Rosamund was back in the ship by dinner time. She had gone to the post office in the city but then decided to wander around the place for the last time, as she though she might not come back. She figured she would probably find a nice new place to live, after she travelled for a long time in the Hydra's Breath. She had learned to live like that, and she liked it. Changing places every now and then when she got bored. She had never felt the need to settle down, as she was always flowing. That was why she had never been attached to anyone, she had never been in a relationship, nor had many close friends.

She rushed in her quarter, left her things in there and ran to the dinner room, wondering who she would meet in there.

 

[DirkPitt06]

[[Alrighty, Katie's back, though ultimate's either gone rogue or just gone. Faye, would you care to pick it up with the quest hook?]]

Ormon sat down, his head buzzing. He and Roan had shared a few flasks of "draught" and he was still feeling the effects.

He sat at the head of the table. A few deckboys acted as stewards, carrying the few luxury victuals the Hydra carried. Lamb, soup and the softest hardtack they had graced the meager table. Mugs of Ormon's one patent weak point - fine honey mead - were kept constantly refilled.

Roan, the chief navigator, and the gunnery officer sat alongside the new crew members. Ormon leaned forward and rapped the lip of his mug. "Gentlemen," he nodded to the new crew, "ladies. We've been enlisted by Madam Charlotte in the retrieval of a certain item. I was told we would receive more information and a heading the day we left port. Madam, if you would please?"

 

[Faye_Skylark]

Charlotte nodded to the Captain and stood up to address the crew. She had changed clothes since the morning and was now wearing a sleek black dress. She wore no hat but had her hair done up in an intricate ponytail.

“Captain Ormon,” Charlotte began, “crew of the Hydra’s Breath. My name is Charlotte Rochester and I am the financier of this expedition. Many of you are no doubt wondering as to this expedition’s purpose and our destination. I’m here to address those questions.”

“We have a long journey ahead of us,” Charlotte continued, “and it will require several stops. We make for the Himalayas. Ordinarily this would mean a long trip through Africa and across the Indian Ocean in order to stay within the friendly territory of the British Empire. However, time is against us. Instead, we will be cutting directly through the hostile borders of the Ottomans, by way of Aden. Not only must we avoid any entanglements with the Ottomans, but so too we must be vigilant against pirates and outlaws who are well known to ply the air routes in this region.”

The crew had erupted into low level murmurs and hushed dissent at the news. Charlotte knew the course was less than desirable, but she had hired this ship and its crew for a reason. They were professionals. If anyone knew how to accomplish such a daring route, it would be Captain Ormon.

“We’ll first stop over in Cairo,” said Charlotte, ignoring the murmuring, “to take on our last supplies in a friendly port before moving into Arabia and the Gulf. Aden, of course, is a somewhat lawless place, but I have contacts there that shall help us.”

Now for the moment of truth, Charlotte mused to herself. Hopefully Ormon would not overreact.

“As for our purpose itself,” said Charlotte, “we are in the hunt for a very valuable and unique artefact. We are to find and retrieve the legendary Book of Naacal. Now, it is called a book but in reality it is a collection of stone tablets –”

Charlotte was cut off as the crew erupted into argument. The Book of Naacal was little more than a legend. But for those who had voyaged to distant lands and seen strange things as the crew of the Hydra’s Breath had, it was a cursed name, something to be feared and dreaded.

Charlotte threw a look to Captain Ormon, and sat back down. The ball was now in his court.

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon winced at the sound of Cairo. The Hydra still had warrants for her seizure after the events surrounding her taking all across Egypt, let alone save the city that bastard dwelled in.

The Book provoked an even greater wince. Legend, hearsay, some even said heresy. No story that centered around that strange text ever ended well for anyone.

He stood and rapped the table with Bedlam. "Quiet!" He looked to Madam Charlotte. "My lady, you had best procure evidence of either the tome's location or your contact who has it. I'll not take my ship, let alone my men, into harm's way through miles of tyrannical territory to satisfy a bar-room rumor."

[[Also, is the Boom a 'real' thing? I've never heard of it.]]

 

[Faye_Skylark]

Charlotte drew a deep breath as she waited for the crew to settle at Ormon's command. This was going to be tricky.

"As I was saying," said Charlotte, "the Book of Naacal is not a book as we would know it, but a collection of stone tablets. Copies of these have been scattered about the world, but few have survived intact. Only the original source remains in its entirety."

Charlotte paused to pull a sheaf of papers and photographs from the handbag she had brought with her to dinner.

"These," Charlotte began as she laid out the documents before Captain Ormon, "were extremely expensive to obtain. They detail the discovery and possession of the Book by an American explorer in India. The explorer and the Book were later detained by the British Raj and held in Calcutta, where these documents were made. Before the Book could be studied in detail however, the Raj Office was attacked, and the Book stolen by members of an ancient Cult."

"As you can see, this is no rumor," said Charlotte. "The last known whereabouts of the Book are the Himalayas. Understandably this is nothing to go on. However, my source in Aden has a solid lead. He will not part with this information unless it is in person. But he is reliable, and has a stirling reputation, as Captain Ormon will no doubt attest..."

Ormon stirred. Charlotte knew this part was going to rile him. That was why she had sought the meeting in private. But it was too late now, all the cards were on the table.

"My source knows, as I do, that there is little time to waste. We are not the only party seeking the Book of Naacal. I chose you, Captain Ormon, very specifically. I chose you because my source requested you, and only you, to come and get him. Apparently you both share the same inability to trust..."

Charlotte looked Ormon in the eyes.

"My source is James Lockwood," said Charlotte, speaking directly to Ormon. "Your old Captain and mentor."

[[The Book is made up by me, however it's loosely based off the myth/forgeries of the Naacal Tablets, supposedly an ancient set of tablets discovered in India from a long lost civilization. I thought I'd tie it in with the Aghartha/Shangri La myth of the lost city beneath the Himalayas]]

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon sat back and listened to the renewed uproar. He let it carry on for a few minutes before standing again and calling for order. "Enough. Navigator, set a course for the heading Madam Charlotte has provided. The rest of you, enjoy the meal. It's hardtack and salt beef after this," he said with an exaggerated wink.

The dinner continud and eventually the crew was appeased. Ormon let himself out during desert and made his way along the railing, leaning out over the rear of the landing where the helm was secured.

"Lockwood," he murmured. "Hm."

 

[HottieKatie]

Rosamund thought the captain must have gone crazy. Why would he risk the lives of the crew and the integrity of the ship on such a difficult mission? It sure had to do with tha Lockwood man. But anyway, she didn't think it was enough. Not even the pictures Madam Charlotte had showed them. They could be a fake. They surely would turn out to be. It was just crazy.

But now she was bound to the captain and the ship, she had to do as he wished, so she finally accepted her new task. She would have to prepare for it, as she wasn't really used to desert lands, and they would for sure be fighting and having trouble around sand.

 

[DirkPitt06]

The Hydra made good time from London to Germany, stopping over for a larger source of ammunition and extra supplies now that their heading was known. They left Berlin and headed southeast, beginning their cut across the sea separating Constantinople from the rest of Europe.

Ormon called Rosamund to his quarters one day. The partition was still up between his and Charlotte's half of the quarters. "Rosamund, I've noticed a distance the last few days since we left London. Do you have issue with the route, the prize, or the job itself? I realize you may have found yourself in an unenviable situation unknowingly."

 

[HottieKatie]

"Sorry captain"; she apologized. "I just don't think the price is worth the risk we are taking. But I'm sure you trust the source Mrs Charlotte presented, so I guess I'm OK with it".

She wasn't good at explaining herself, but she was happy to share her thoughts.

"I'm I'm not comfortable around dry settings, so I guess I'm a bit nervous about going through the desert. I've been doing some research so as to know what kind of people and fauna we will be finding around there. I wouldn't want to be surprised by anything. However, my books are a bit old-fashioned, so it would be great if you could lend me any book about that subject".

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon waved a hand. "There's no need to excuse yourself. I was merely concerned." He smiled a little, paternally. "I wouldn't want one of my newest crew already wanting to plant a knife in my back."

He reached across the desk and pulled forth the supplies for his hookah. "As for the source," he started as his hands assembled the device with practiced ease, "I've some suspicions about the nature of Madam Charlotte's contact."

He produced a hotplate and wound it to life, settling a chunk of self-starting coal atop the heating coils. "I did indeed fly with Lockwood. The old man and I served aboard his vessel the Effervescent for the better part of a decade. You get to know a man pretty well over ten years." Ormon ratcheted out the pipe and drew deep, coughing a little as the shisha began to burn. "Trust me when I say that there's no way Lockwood can have any kind of information on the tome we seek."

He held another extended pipe towards Rosamund, a brow cocked questioningly.

 

[HottieKatie]

"Oh, no, but thanks you", she refused the pipe.

"But, if you are not sure about the source, why are you accepting the task?"; she was confused. "I guess you want to know if he is really involved, but... is there not any better way to find out? Without risking your crew and ship?".

The smell from his pipe started flowing around and she found it quite appetizing. Maybe she could try it on another occasion.

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon sighed out a wobbly smoke ring. Better this time but still lacking a definable circular shape.

"It's not that I don't think he can be the source. It's the fact that I know he can't be." He leaned back. "He fell overboard across the Atlantic straits and was never recovered. No one survives a thousand foot drop from the site of an air battle. The impact, let alone the sharks, would finish a man. Or woman," he concluded with a nod.

"And to speak the truth, lass," he said wearily, "we need the money. The Hydra's seen better days by far. She my be tip-top right now, but anything can happen and her coffers are bare." He winked though. "There's enough left for the crew and for bribes through ports-of-call and that's it."

 

[HottieKatie]

She thought they were plausible explanations: he wanted to know about his friend and needed the money. That was easier to understand than blind faith on the woman.

"Ok, captain. Now I understand. Thanks for the information", she said

"How long do you think it is till our next stop? I would like to have a nap, I haven't been sleeping well lately, you know, the movement of the ship and so. And I could gladly use a couple of the next hours in getting some sleep"

 

[DirkPitt06]

Ormon laughed. "It's nothing but ocean until we hit Constantinople, lass. Get all the rest you can, you'll be earning your pay as soon as we're passing over the straits."

 

[HottieKatie]

"Thank you, captain", she said as she started leaving. "Please, call me if you need me anytime"

She headed to her room and run into some of the other crew members. She chit-chatted with them for some miutes so as to improve their relationship and then left. She hadn't yet meet the other women in the ship and guessed she should visit them some time. After I get my sleep, she thought.

As soon as she hit the bed, she fell asleep. She had some nightmares about sand and dust, but hopefully she didn't remember them that well when she woke up later.

 

[Faye_Skylark]

Charlotte took a quick peak through the divider between her half of the room and the Captain's.

Rosamund had finally left, and Ormon was still smoking his shisha, lost in thought. The delicious smoke wafted over to Charlotte, making her feel light and heady.

Confident that Ormon was not paying attention, Charlotte turned back to her room and ruffled through her things. Clothing and dresses had already been thrown about on the bed, but scattered among them were stacks of scribbled notes, old files and a few books.

Charlotte fetched one particular thin book, bound in soft leather, its pages browned with age.

She took another glance at the divider, to make sure Ormon was not spying, and then opened the book to the page she had marked.

It was the journal of James Lockwood. Charlotte ran her fingers down the scrawls of his writing. It was a long journey, but she had a lot of reading to catch up on. This journal was the key to finding the Book of Naacal. And to her true mission...

 

[DirkPitt06]

The Hydra made her way over the Ottoman controlled straits. A subtle yet generous greasing of certain palms made her voyage gentle. A hefty tariff paid to the Sultan ensured their berth in Constantinople.

Ormon made his way to the deck where the crew was assembled. "Alright, alright, settle down. Before you all go crazy with back-pay, let me remind you that every one of you was there for the encounter in Egypt and how close we actually are to that desert pit. Keep your wits about you. Prison time means practice time with me, and you all know what that means."

The crew broke into laughter, remembering the last upstart they'd brought aboard, one of the men who had been lost prior to the start of this voyage. The fool had assumed Ormon's limp meant Bedlam was slower than she should be. He was wrong.

"Get yourselves a decent meal and return before noon two days hence." Ormon slipped off the crate he'd been standing on and made his way to Charlotte and Rosamund. "Ladies, I was thinking to make my way to a cafe I know from previous visits and was wondering if you might like to accompany me?" he asked with a shallow mockery of a courtly bow.

Constantinople, or Istanbul as she was slowly becoming known, held a dear place in his heart. Many a night spent on shore leave, many a rough morning after those nights and more filled his head and he smiled contentedly.