Jackie was the only one who could keep her stance when the ship shuddered. It was one of the benefits of having spent her entire life on a skyship. She knew exactly when one was about to die.

“Every day we sink lower and lower in the atmos and loose more control over our direction. That Englander’s ship was the last chance Morrows had to buy us more time in the air, and now it is gone. We will be lucky if we make it to the next port.”

“How does keeping an Englander help?” Chaleh asked, pulling themselves upright.

“To save the ship we need a new engine,” Jackie answered. “We all know they are expensive. We can not save the ship without ransoming Captain Steele.”

“Is it wise to try this?” Qadir asked. “True, England is a backward country; poor, dishonorable, and stupid. But they are changing, and the RAF is at the heart of it. They have increased the bounty on pirate and Chíro body parts, and Englander greed knows no bounds.”

Jackie threw back her head and laughed, but cut herself off when her ribs stung her. “Their greed knows no bounds, but their swords know no skill and their ships are shit. I say let them try.”

The crew cheered with Jackie’s bravado, but Qadir shook his turbaned head. “No one will enter Paradise in whose heart is a mustard-seed of pride. You had said if we try to fight another ship, we will be sunk. You think this is a worthy risk?”

“It takes weeks for a letter to get anywhere,” Jackie said after quick consideration. “To be safe, we can wait until we are at a port to deliver the letter. But even without this, I think the benefits outweigh the risks.”

Qadir and Jackie shared a hard stare, and for all of her bravado, Jackie knew he could see right through her. But she also knew he cared for the ship nearly as much as she did.

Qadir straightened his back and turned to the crew. “In favor of the ransom?”

A resounding cheer rose from the crew, signaling the majority agreement Jackie needed. She released some of the breath she had been holding, but her chest was still tight. She worried what Qadir had seen that made him give up so suddenly.

“It is agreed,” Qadir said. “Jackie and I shall write the ransom note and send it when we reach port. The ransom will be exclusive to ship repairs.”

The crew cheered again, and with little other discussion, everyone returned to their posts. Except Qadir and Jackie.

“Captain,” Qadir ventured, stepping closer to Jackie. “May I speak to you freely?”

Jackie nodded and tried to adopt a casual pose, but failed utterly thanks to her pained ribs. “What is it, Qadir?”

“Is this ransom truly for the ship?”

Jackie paused. She didn’t have to answer Qadir, she could pretend she hadn’t understood him, that his voice had gotten caught in the wind, or she could blatantly ignore him. But the question plagued her too.

“The ship will fall if we can not at least get parts for the engine,” Jackie said, looking out to the sky rather than at Qadir.

“If this Englander, this Captain Steele, were not so . . . Attractive to you, would you still push for a ransom?”

And there was the truth. Jackie brushed it away with an irritated flick.

“No one else would be worth as much as her,” Jackie said.

“Is this your personal opinion, or the knowledge of a captain?”

“I am the captain,” Jackie snapped, stomping towards the med bay. “And I know she is worth it.”

Qadir was silent, but his final words were cast towards Jackie on the gentle swell of the jet stream: “For the crew’s sake, for Morrows’ sake, I hope you are right.”