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Post by Lady Mari on Nov 8, 2015 5:30:22 GMT
"Lower! No, lower! More to the right... More... Alright, good. Set 'er down!"
Another crate settled on the deck of the airship with a thud that vibrated the flooring beneath boots all around. Sailors rushed forward and got to work. Some untied the crate from the basic winch and crane that had held it aloft while more prepared to shift it away from the opening and further into the hold. The task was simple and routine, a basic chore done in every port of call where trading and provisioning was done.
That wasn't to say it was without complications and complexity. The vessel carrying the cargo needed to be balanced, which meant the cargo needed to be balanced. Too much weight port or starboard meant that the ship would heel one way or the other, making it flounder in some situations or even destabilize it entirely. With seagoing ships, it meant the difference between a fast trip and a potentially disastrous one. For an airship like the Sparrowhawk it meant the difference between flying and crashing. Too much on one side or the other and the ship would heel in the sky, putting stress on the balloon's mountings and potentially ripping them free only to send the stalwart vessel crashing to the earth below.
To prevent this, the individual organizing the cargo had to have an innate understanding of the ship, her balance, and her capacity. Normally this would fall to one of non-commissioned officers of the crew, but as the Captain had personally built the ship, that was who organized the cargo.
"No, no, that goes over here," Mari stated simply, pointing to a section of the cargo hold slowly accumulating boxes and crates. Despite her Exaltation she was short, almost tiny, in comparison to other Dragon Blooded. A shock of red hair bound only by a pair of expensive, brass goggles picked her from the crowd. She could feel the ship groan silently in the way she sat at dock and understood each shift in the planks beneath her feet as the cargo was settled and secured. For many, it was a simple job or task. For Lady Mari, it was a calling.
"Copper ore is to be secured opposite of the oil casks, otherwise we risk an unbalance," she continued as crewmen and longshoremen alike shifted the necessary crates to the appropriate area. She risked a glance up at the top deck through the loading port set above her and caught the eye of one of the crewmen standing there. "Killek! Let the quartermaster on the docks know we've got enough room for maybe another tonne of cargo and a few odds and ends. Make sure he gets those silk rugs on board, too! There's a seller along the route that is paying a mint for them and I don't want to forget them here!"
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Post by Hafren Coriah on Nov 10, 2015 5:50:56 GMT
"Don't worry, Mari - I've already found a use for that space." A woman's voice called out. Coriah, busybody-general and Logistics Officer of the Haslanti Air Fleet, came striding up the catwalk with her adjutant/personal assistant Jun hustling after her. Was there any sound more professional and powerful than heeled boots clicking on a metal bulwark? Coriah didn't think so.
As it was her job to monitor, organize, and direct just about every non-executive movement in the Fleet, Coriah tended to have a close working relationship with many of the more intrepid Captains - especially the independents who elected not to join active military service but were nevertheless under the immediate oversight of the military. Mari was no exception in that regard. Heck, Mari was one of her favorites. A Captain who made frequent merchant and trade stops was a Captain importing all that fine, expensive stuff she liked to pay top jade for, and Mari was by all accounts a merchant Capitan.
Having the latest fashions from Nexus and fine, eastern coffee beans made living in the frozen wastes just a bit more tolerable.
Coriah held out her hand, and Jun - harried, mousy thing that she was - planted a sheaf of paper bearing the stamp of her office in it. Coriah offered it up to Mari with a smirk. "Orders from General Manderlay - he wants you to take a couple crates of steel cross-frames to Icehome, to trade with a Chiaroscuran expat for firesand." She explained briskly, scarf blowing in the heavy wind. "You'll receive compensation for hazardous material, per your contract. I took the liberty of updating your fight plan accordingly - just need a signature."
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Post by Ledaal Xao on Nov 10, 2015 9:13:02 GMT
The young intelligence officer walked calmly up behind his wife not losing the opportunity to eye his wife's behind as he did so. He was flanked on his left by a young Halsanti woman in civilian clothes carrying a small leather wrapped package.
"General." he said as he nodded to Coriah and offered a lopsided grin before turning to the woman, Lady Mari. His grin disappeared quickly as he motioned to the warmly dressed Halsanti beside him.
"Lady Mari, I presume? This is Hilda Guttentite she will be travelling with you. Use her as you like she will be disembarking at your Final stop and not returning with you." he looked around and nodded his approval "there is nothing to sign." he turned to Hilda "Follow Lady Mari's orders until you leave. Is that clear?"
"Aye, Sir." she replied and moved to the side.
"Any questions for me Mari?" he added.
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Post by Lady Mari on Nov 18, 2015 16:36:09 GMT
Of course, no proper provisioning stop in any Haslanti city was complete without a visit from the Haslanti fleet, particularly in the case of meddling in the affairs of private ships and captains. She understood that the airships were rare technology and treasured by the Haslanti Air Fleet. Why they had to keep trying to rope her into their military agenda was beyond her and, frankly, quite annoying. Unfortunately, she liked doing business in the region and most of her profit was made shipping in valuable luxury goods to the relatively backwater area, so it was just one more thing to put up with. She took the sheaf in one hand and cocked an eyebrow at what the paper said. "This more or less reverses my route," she said after a moment, tapping the paper with a sooty finger. She was oblivious to the black smudges it left on the material and kept speaking. "That means I'll have a longer transit time and can't carry that extra tonne of cargo slated for my hold. I'll have to give that over to supplies instead, which means I lose that much profit."Mari was a merchant and a sailor, which showed more and more with each passing day. That wasn't to say she didn't work well with others, but rather that sometimes she didn't quite understand the nuances of polite society. "Less profit means less time out and less goods to come back. The more I make, the more funds I have to work with and the more goods I can bring back. More expensive ones, too. Heading directly for Icehome means that return value is dropped by a third, almost half. What I can do is reroute through here..."She moved to a nearby crate and left her crew to finish loading. They knew their tasks well enough that she wasn't really needed, she just liked being hands on most days. Mari spread the papers on the crate and pulled the map case from her belt before spreading the old, worn map on the makeshift table. "See, you've got me bouncing from Icehome down to Wallport and then over the Blessed Isle. If I reroute from Wallport and ride the western winds straight down to Port Calin then I can pick up a few days travel. Means less supplies needed and I can carry that extra cargo and not have to leave behind the quarter tonne of coffee beans on the return trip," she stated simply, not as an attempt to exploit a weakness that was or was not there with Coriah, but simply to point out the luxury cargo she'd have to forgo with the listed route. "I do that and move through the rest of the route as it was, then I can hit Wallport as the last destination."At that, she realized Xao had spoken about someone travelling with her that was to be dropped off at the final port of call before returning home. It was odd and suspicious, but ultimately it didn't matter to her. She had nothing to hide and was doing nothing illegal, so what did it matter that someone was potentially there to spy? "I guess she'll be getting off at Wallport. There's a small cabin to the stern on the port side she can grab for the journey. If she has any gear, I can have one of my sailors bring it aboard."
Hafren Coriah Ledaal Xao
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Post by Hafren Coriah on Nov 24, 2015 16:42:13 GMT
Coriah, for now, disregarded her husband and focused on her work. It was her way, after all. She bent over the orders beside the mechanic, stabbing a finger at Icehome on the map. Xao could enjoy the view and wait his damned turn - Coriah was here first.
"I understand this, which is why I've made arrangements for you to receive fuel in Icehome." She explained patiently, glancing at the ginger over the rims of her treasured glasses. "Even if they've finally managed to put up a decent airship dock in Wallport or Cailin - and intel suggests that it'll be a decade before they approach that task - I doubt they'll be able or willing to provide you with fuel without gouging you in price." The Hslanti league was, after all, the only place in the world capable of manufacturing or fielding Airships, which the nation took no small measure of pride over. To say that they were decades ahead of the more southron nations was to state things mildly, and to say that they were unwilling to give another country a good inspection of their technology was similarly an understatement.
Coriah measured the distance between Wallport and Icehome with her fingers. "Normally, I'd suggest that you leave Icehome as your last stop, but General Manderaly's having you move heavy materials - and that'd raise the cost of your trip to a prohibitive level." She agreed evenly, standing upright. "Firesand weighs about as much as cotton, and there isn't much of it. If you stop at Icehome first, offload the steel frames in exchange for a few crates of Firesand, you can go through the rest of your trip - as you said - riding the east wind from Wallport to Cailin, with a full boiler and a hefty bonus for the trouble."
To be fair, this was less a negotiation as much as it was an order, but Coriah wasn't about to drive away one of the few Terrestrial Captains in the fleet by pulling rank. Besides, it was nice to have a discussion with somebody who wasn't cowed by her reputation or status, once in awhile - just like it was fun to argue with somebody like that.. What she didn't appreciate as much was Mari using knowledge of her personal desires as leverage in negotiation - why else would she bring up the coffee beans.
"To be honest, however you wish to go about this, General Manderlay just asks that I see you depart with a load of steel frames, and return with a shipment of firesand." Coriah explained, folding her arms under her breasts and leaning against the hull of the ship casually. "I've arranged for you to be refueled in Icehome, and it's your decision whether it's at the end of your route or the beginning."
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Post by Ledaal Xao on Dec 6, 2015 11:44:08 GMT
Xao tilted his head to the side and made no attempt to hide his blatant staring at the round south side of the northward facing Coriah. That is to say, he may as well enjoy the view, since he was there and all. He had no interest in the details of where they fueled and what they fit where. He turned to his agent, dismissed her to the designated quarters with a nod and returned to eaves dropping on the conversation.
Did it matter who said what and how? Yes, yes it did. Mari's ship had not been chosen by mistake. Though he wouldn't admit that, but his agent was to report on her just as much as she was to carry out her mission. Everything was important for intelligence even if he played dumb as well as anyone he knew.
He straightened his head and pretended he hadn't been eyeing his wife's backside then adjusted his buff jacket and the things concealed beneath it. Well, maybe he would look just once more before he turned to memorizing the cargo and where it was placed. All for the reports later.
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