Masters of the Sky

Chapter 30 The Stranger

The following two weeks were filled with scouting runs along the Thundering Massive and tweaking Percy's upgrades to repel the dragons and protect the ship and her crew from deadly lightning strikes. Even though the process had already become routine, Celia relished the thrill of ascending into the air every time. But today, her moment of blissful solitude at the helm was disturbed by an inquisitive voice.

"What's the plan for today, boss?" Abner asked, rolling his moustache.

"Same as yesterday. We fly along the mountains, scare away any dragons that dare to stand in our way and note any significant patterns of their behaviour."

"So, no action. Again." The note of disappointment in his voice made Celia turn to face him.

"We are on a flying ship facing the dragons. Is that not enough excitement for you?"

Abner raised his hands. "Don't get all worked up, boss. I'm just saying that lately, all we do is run meaningless reconnaissance missions."

Celia cocked her head. "Abner, we are facing opponents we know nothing about. The last time we rushed headlong into danger, we almost died and lost Percy. What we do now may seem trivial and boring for you, but in the long term, it will help us cross the mountains." She shook her head, looking back towards the thick clouds getting closer. "Gabriel and his team are working very hard analysing all the information we bring them."

"Right, your boyfriend and the eggheads." Abner put his hands into his pockets, trying to look nonchalant. "But we are not one of them."

Celia turned back to him, frowning. His tone made her mildly irritated, as he was trying to tell her something, but at the same time, he did a terrible job of clarifying his point. The first dragons could appear any minute now, and she didn't have time for this sort of nonsense right now.

"We made a deal," she noticed. "In exchange for a governmental pardon and fixing Percy, we will assist Gabriel in his work."

"Well, yes. But we are pirates, are we not? It wouldn't be the first time we broke a contract."

"Why would we do that? We still get loads out of this arrangement. All the new weapons and upgrades for Percy, medical assistance... Why would we throw it all away?"

"I don't know. Maybe to cross those damn mountains finally?" Abner's voice raised a pitch, but then he cursed and started pulling on his moustache nervously. "Look, Celia, I'm talking to you as a friend. All we're up to lately is doing government lackeys' bidding. The crew is getting restless. You promised us freedom and great riches in the new world."

Celia had to hold herself back to not snap at him. It was so typical of Abner to be so shortsighted. He was always keen on quick gratification and instant rewards, choosing the fastest and riskiest ways to do the job. But if not for her and her long-term planning, he'd died long ago. They both knew that, so his lack of trust in her leadership abilities stung.

She shook her head. "We are not ready."

"And when will we be? Percy is as strong as ever, and we have the newest high-technology weapons prototypes. What's stopping you from taking that last step? The new world is right there!" Abner waved his hand towards the rocky peaks of mountains.

"There are still too many things we don't know. We need more time," Celia said dismissively, turning her attention to watch the shadows moving in the clouds in front of them.

"And is it you or the lordling talking?"

That stung even more. Celia knew she needed to have a serious talk with her crew but now was not the time.