Uzbecka

 "I don't have time for this," Uzbecka muttered to herself as she laid the prone second attendant beside the other attendant. The small magic that she wielded was nascent, and primarily allowed her minor manipulation of the wind and rain, which was useful enough on a skyship, but she had also learned a few techniques that could come in useful when a drunken fight broke out around the card table. In a pinch, she could cause temporary loss of bladder control, or give someone a bad case of brainfreeze, and after exercising this second option on the smaller attendant, Jaella, and then holding her face up to the air coming through one of the portals, Uzbecka was fairly sure the fugue state had passed. "And what was all that about?" Uzbecka continued to mutter to herself, as she checked on the captain and the dreamguide.

Everyone in the cabin appeared to have been affected by the rosy miasma that had filled the room, but that had now cleared. The two attendants may have got the worst of it. Their eyes had glowed pinked, and they had been unusually aggressive. Presumably they had attacked the captain, and possibly the dreamguide, but why? Probably a distraction, diverting the crew's attention.

Uzbecka felt a strong sense of duty, to the captain and the dreamguide especially, and she ministered to their needs as best she could, but there was little she could do. She was about to head above, back on deck, when she paused for a moment to better consider the situation. Harlaan would have a handle on anything that was happening above deck, but perhaps what had happened in the dreamguide's cabin was not the only distraction.

An explosion shook the Runagate. They were being shelled, or someone was setting off blasting charges.

"I really don't have time for this," Uzbecka cursed as she ran down the hallway to the much larger ship's hold, which held two passenger cabins, the ship's cargo of trade goods, and the massive flux engine core that provided the ship with additional lift when the balloon sail emptied during a long flight.

She reached the end of the narrow corridor and opened the door to the passenger cabins. There were only two rooms, one on each side. She knocked on the first one, hoping to find someone alive. She heard a deep muffled voice from inside.

"Who is it?" the voice asked.

"It's Uzbecka, the first mate. Are you okay in there?" she replied.

The door opened slightly, and a pair of eyes peered out. They belonged to Darius Mann, a wealthy merchant who had booked a passage on the runagate. He was accompanied by his scribe, a young woman with a hooded cloak and a quill in her hand. Uzbecka had seen them before, but she knew nothing about them. She had heard rumors that they were members of the Proclive, a shadowy organization that manufactured technology that was immune to the effects of the glooming. She didn't know if it was true, but she didn't care. She was just glad they were alive.

"We're fine, thank you," Darius said. "What's going on out there?"

"We're under attack, pirates I think," Uzbecka said. "They're trying to board us. We're doing our best to fight them off, but we need your help."

"Our help?" Darius asked, incredulous. "What can we do?"

"You can grab a weapon and join the fight, or you can stay here and lock the door. It's your choice," Uzbecka said.

Darius looked at his scribe, who nodded. They both stepped out of the cabin, and Uzbecka handed them each a pistol. She hoped they knew how to use them.

"Follow me," she said. "And stay close."

She led them to the other cabin, where she knocked again. This time, there was no answer. She tried the door, but it was locked. She kicked it hard, and it burst open. She entered the room, followed by Darius and his scribe.

The room was a mess. The furniture was overturned, the windows were shattered, and the floor was covered with debris from the explosion. The family had boarded the Runagate at the last minute. Uzbecka didn't know their names, or their story. She only knew that the man lying broken against the hull was dead, and the rest of his family were unaccounted for.

She felt a wave of anger and sadness wash over her. She had failed to protect him. But she would not fail to protect his family, or the Runagate. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"Who did this?" Darius asked, horrified.

"Pirates," Uzbecka said. "They set charges, probably trying to blast into the hold to steal the core."

Through a door at the end of the narrow corridor was a modest lounge and galley. There was no sign of the mother and child. Moments later, Uzbecka, the Proclive artificer and his scribe opened the door that lead to the Runagate's hold and engine room.

She searched the room for any clues or signs of life. She found nothing. She turned to leave, when she heard a faint noise from the closet. She opened it, and found a woman hiding inside. She was the artificer engineer, who maintained the engines and other mechanics of the Runagate. She was a short and stout woman, with goggles and a wrench. She looked terrified.

"Thank the flux, you're alive," Uzbecka said. "Are you hurt?"

The engineer shook her head. She crawled out of the closet, and hugged Uzbecka.

"Thank you for saving me," she said. "I was working on the engine, when I heard the pirates. I ran to the nearest cabin, and locked myself in. I was so scared. I thought they would find me. I thought you were them."

"They won't hurt you anymore," Uzbecka said. "You're safe now."

She introduced the engineer to Darius and his scribe, and explained the situation.

"We need to get to the engine room," the engineer said. "The flux core is unstable. If it explodes, we're all doomed."

"Then let's go," Uzbecka said. "We don't have much time."

She led the group to the cargo hold, where the engine room was located. She hoped they would make it in time. She hoped they would survive. She hoped the Runagate would stay aloft.