Ariette

"The dream's scrambled... we can't get through the fog!"
"Get down there and help the dreamguide. Now."

The skyship careened to port, losing altitude quickly. The sail crashed to the side while the crew rushed to secure it. It threatened to tear as they heaved it back into alignment. A small number of critical things were going wrong simultaneously, and the ship's captain, Ariette, cursed under her breath as her first mate turned to head for the lower decks. He turned back momentarily.

"The watch also reported sighting a skywhale... still a fair distance off the starboard bow," Harlaan called back. "We need to keep our height, but we're in danger too, if we don't descend below this storm!"
"Stay here and bring us back on course then, best you can with no nav," Ariette commanded. "I'll go down below and see what's happening."
"Sir!"

When Ariette reached the dreamguide's compartment, it was filled with a sickly sweet miasma. The dreamguide was tossing on her bunk, perspiration beading her brow. Her auburn hair was plastered to the sides of her face, and her mouth was puckered into an intense frown. Ariette was unable to determine if the miasma was responsible for the state of the dreamguide, or if the dreamguide's state was responsible for the miasma. The dreamguide had thrown all of her blankets to the floor on one side of her bunk, and her lips moved slightly, as though she were reciting a lesson. 

In any case, as she entered the compartment, Ariette also noted the two companion guards assigned to the dreamguide, unconscious on either side of the bunk. Their breathing was shallow, but they were still breathing; presumably the miasma was to blame, and Ariette pulled the sleeve of her uniform over her face, breathing through the thick white cotton weave. The windows were open on either side of the compartment, which lay at the front of the skyship. Ariette observed that since she had entered the compartment, the rose-coloured miasma had cleared somewhat, as a strong breeze blew through the portholes. 

Then Ariette noticed the small device lying on the bunk, still leaking mist.

"Through the window?" Ariette mused, throwing a heavy blanket over the smoke grenade and flipping open the speaking tube with the bridge "but where exactly did it come from? I need medical assistance!" she hollered down the tube. "Now!"

Several thoughts formed in Ariette's mind as she sized up the situation. Was the smoke grenade still emitting the red mist, or had it released its full payload? And was there only the one? Did it even matter? The dreamguide was already unconscious, and the two guards also. Should they save the device to understand it better later? And what had Harlaan said about a skywhale?

Skywhales were dangerous. Ariette didn't want to mess around with skywhales if she could help it, especially with an unconscious dreamguide, whose main role was in skyship navigation, but also in steering well clear of the local fauna.

Skywhales were not technically alive. They were gloomers, artificially intelligent machines that had fallen under the control of malevolent spirits, which tended to be unpredictable, to say the least. 

The grenade, swaddled in a heavy blanket, had apparently stopped emitting the mist. Ariette hurled the device through the open porthole anyway. Why take any chances? Ariette needed to get back up to the helm, and medical help was nowhere in sight. She would find someone on the way and send them down to provide assistance. With no dreamguide, they were effectively stranded.

Ariette quietly willed Uzbecka to come down and help. She could at least check if the guards were okay. She'd probably want to take a closer look at the miasma grenade too, but it was too late for that now. The captain flipped opened all the speaking tubes and yelled for her second and third in command.

"Harlaan... Uzbecka... we've lost the dreamguide, and we're about to be waylaid. I need one of you down here. Now!"

As she turned to leave the dreamguide's cabin, Ariette caught a movement behind her out of the corner of her eye, and as she turned back, she was thrown back hard against the bulkhead and then blacked out.