Free Perilous Journey of the Much-Too-Spontaneous Girl by Leigh Statham Page A

Jacques’s voice. “Welcome, crew! I hope you brought your air legs and your iron spirits. This will be a harrowing voyage, but hopefully one with historical outcomes. We will be joined by our sister ships, the Henrietta , the Steam Lily , and the Grapple .”
    Marguerite looked around for the source of the voice, but couldn’t see Jacques anywhere, so she relaxed and leaned back against the flour sacks to enjoy the ride. “The Grapple sounds like a proper name for a warship.” Outil observed. “I’m not certain about the Henrietta and the Steam Lily , however.”
    “They ought to hire someone with a bit more imagination to christen these lovelies,” Marguerite agreed while Jacques continued with his rallying speech.
    “There is no finer fleet of aermen, women, and bots in the world! There is no chance for failure as long as we stand together. The lawless will fall, and we will return triumphant at the end of this campaign. Too long have the buccaneers and corsairs, even British privateers, assaulted our kinsmen and stolen our technology and goods. Today we fight back! Today we exact revenge! Today they fall!”
    A cry went up from the crew, so loud that Marguerite had to cover her ears. She looked to Outil, who stood at the ready, and wondered for a moment if this was, in fact, a wise journey to have undertaken.

Chapter Ten

     
     
    The Renegade rose high above the earth as Marguerite and Outil descended deep into its belly to continue their assignments. Marguerite felt particularly proud of herself for having not only secured this position, but also for doing so without Jacques finding out.
    They gathered their lists and autopens and began cataloging and testing all the weaponry and ammunition. Marguerite found she thoroughly enjoyed this kind of work. She thought it would be tedious at first but quickly fell into a routine of polishing, oiling, testing and inventorying each item. She longed to fire some of them but knew better than to ask Vuitton for that privilege.
    Meals were fast and small, but she was delighted to find that they were made up of more than just the dreaded salt meats and beer. Fresh fruits and vegetables accompanied fresh eggs and warm bread, and of course, salt meats and beer.
    Her cabin was small, but it was her own. She dutifully locked the door and changed for bed while Outil powered down in the corner. She curled up on the small pallet and only wished for her silk covered feather mattress for a moment before she drifted to sleep.
    The next day started in much the same way. Marguerite felt happier than she had in months. She was finally getting close to accomplishing her goal of being an aership captain, and she found that life on the aership suited her.
    She and Outil were finishing up with a carton of ignitable grease pellets when the ship suddenly lurched forward. Since leaving port the trip had been very smooth, and Marguerite could hardly tell they were moving at all from the lower decks. Everyone stumbled and a few called out, but Marguerite flew right off her feet and landed in a heap of ammunition crates.
    “Ow!” she cried. Outil was instantly at her side to offer her an arm, as were four other crewmates, smiling and shy. “Why, thank you all.” Marguerite reached up and took the arm of the most attractive man within reach.
    “It’s a bit rough at times. Not usually that rough, but you’ll get used to it, Officer Vadnay.” He smiled wide, revealing dark yellow teeth and a few black holes where teeth of any color should have been.
    “Oh, my!” Marguerite tried to hide her surprise at the contrast between his horrid mouth and handsome face. “I’ll be ready next time. Thank you.” Outil rolled her robot eyes and went back to her job.
    “All stop,” Vuitton came through to their compartment. “Ship is at an all stop, prepare for orders.” He continued into the next set of rooms and repeated himself. Marguerite let go of the man’s arm and turned to another. “What