4. Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But an Airship Sinking Will Kill Me
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It was rather painful, with cracked ribs and all, to walk tall and proud like a leader ought. Jackie managed it anyway.

“Put that stupid stick down,” Jackie ordered her voice the only betrayer of her weakness.

Valencia’s tight-scrunched muscles relaxed with Jackie’s voice, but her face still held its familiar sneer. “Why don’t you make me?”

Jackie spun on her heel and kicked Valencia’s hand, knocking the stick from her grip. She paid for this in an electric wash, but it was worth it to see Valencia’s bright purple eyes sparkle.

“Touché,” Valencia said, rubbing her hands. “Must be hard work, attacking the injured like that. How very pirate of you.”

Jackie deliberately ignored Valencia.“Will, you let my crew help you to the med bay?”

“I will allow you to help me,” Valencia cast a dirty look at the rest of the women, others, and men surrounding her, waving her splinter for emphasis. “The rest of these buggy blighters can suck on a dragon’s shitting anus for all I care.”

Jackie shrugged and turned to face her crew. “I’d like to vote to keep her.”

Everyone, every single person on Jackie’s crew, laughed.

“Well fuck,” Valencia swore.

“Would you like to move to the med bay now?” Jackie asked Valencia.

“Double touché,” Valencia sighed, lifting her hands up in surrender. She raised her voice louder to address the people assembled around her. “I may have been a bit hasty in my judgment. If there are any amongst you that may yet prove me wrong, I will gladly accept your help.”

Morrows was the only person who stepped forward. “I have always followed your career with interest,” He said as he offered his hand to Valencia. “Although when I left London you had only just begun in the college, you understand. Forgive my tardiness, but congratulations on your captaincy!”

Valencia leaned back from Morrows' hand as though the pox were showing on his palm. “A Londoner?” She sighed, then took his hand. “Well, at least you’re from England at any rate.”

“That is a preference best kept to yourself, Captain,” Morrows whispered, bending down closer to Valencia. “England is rather looked down upon, you understand.”

“I would imagine most countries are from up here,” Valencia observed.

Morrows was unable to pick Valencia's wry tone from the shout of the wind, and so merely bobbed his head in agreement as he helped Valencia up from the deck.

“Now we start the meeting,” Jackie said once Valencia and Morrows had gone into the med bay below the poop deck.

“Were you serious?” Chaleh, one of the burly cannon masters asked. “You want to keep a captive?”

“We haven’t done that in years!” “It’s against the articles!” “For an Englander?” “I say cast her over!”

“We must hear both sides before we can take a vote,” Qadir’s cool voice rang out over the shouts of the crew, silencing them. “Jackie, we will have the opposition speak first. Those not in favor, step forward, and give your arguments to your crewmates.”

More than half of the crew stepped forward, but only a few wanted to speak against Jackie. Chaleh was among the first.

Chaleh stepped forward, their face flushed over hair they had dyed blue with crushed dragon scales. “My crewmates are right. Englanders have little value. They are poor people of a backward country. They have no knowledge to share with us, and no gold, powder, or medicine. What could we have from this Englander that would be worth the food and water she will cost?”

Jackie waited until Chaleh had indicated they were finished, then took a moment to formulate her own argument. “We can have at least one thousand wen for her, more probably.”

The crew jeered its disagreement until Qadir silenced them with the beat of his feet against the planking of the deck. After the crew had settled some Jackie continued.

“Morrows has told me she is valuable to the RAF, you saw the ship she flew and the decorations she wore. She is no ordinary captain. Morrows has also told me she comes from a rich family, and there is no doubt they will pay for her safe return.”

“No Englander is valuable, or rich,” spat one of the crew.

“I think many of the captives we have already killed were rich and valuable,” One crewmate disagreed, “But why does it matter if this particular one is?”

“More importantly,” Chaleh said, regaining their lead as the chief speaker in the debate, “We should listen to our ships’ agreements, the articles that make the laws we live by.”

Jackie and Chaleh both turned towards Qadir.

As the second-in-command, it was Qadir’s duty to memorize and write down the agreements between the crew. Since most of the crew were illiterate, save Qadir and Morrows, it was their duty to recite the articles when asked.

Qadir’s deep brown eyes closed and his hand brushed through his cloud-white beard for a few moments. “Law Six: In prizes, we take it is severely prohibited to everyone to take any human prize.” Qadir opened his eyes, his gentle look riling Jackie’s guilt. “Why should we make an exception for this captive?”

The crew swung their look from Qadir back to Jackie. Instead of faltering under the attention, Jackie found her inspiration.

“Law One: Save our ship,” Jackie quoted.

“Speak plainly, Jackie,” Qadir warned.

The Familia is sinking,” Jackie announced.

As though to underline the truth of her words, a thunderous shudder worked through the ship and knocked the crew from the feet.

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