Excerpt: Infinity's Rise

“Captain,” George said, “it’s corsairs.”

Samuel felt nerves immediately strike. He couldn’t be indecisive now, not when his airship was at risk. He’d known intellectually that corsairs were a danger for merchant airships, but he hadn’t expected that they’d run into them before leaving Linnondale’s skies. “Get Tamid and his crew going. Eloise, figure out a way to get away from them and let Kit know what you need. Call up another pilot if you think it necessary.” He scrabbled desperately for a plan other that the two obvious things he had already asked for. “Have they gotten aboard the Infinity?”

“Not yet, sir.” The pause before George said anything else was heavy. “I have my network keeping an eye out for any intrusions.”

“Good thinking.”

Eloise had moved from her pilot’s controls to the navigation table. George was busy with his telegraphs, transmitting his orders out to the rest of the ship. Samuel again felt the weight of his position looming over him. He didn’t know what he needed to be doing himself at this moment. Surely his crew was experienced enough to handle this without him. And yet here he was, stuck on the bridge of an airship that he really had no right to command other than the will of his king.

Caught in the whirlpool of his own fretful thoughts, Samuel snapped out of them only when George spoke next. “Captain, I’ve got reports that corsairs are aboard.”

“They’ll head for the hold? For our cargo?”

“It’s likely.”

“Alert Tamid. See if he can get someone to bar their way somehow.” The only response George gave was the resumed sounds of his telegraphs.

Samuel knew he couldn’t let the corsairs get to the hold. The minute they really looked at the Infinity’s cargo, they’d know that the Infinity was no merchant airship. He’d been clever enough to arrange just enough cargo to pass muster to cursory inspection so they’d be faster than a real merchant airship might be, but it wouldn’t hold up to the inevitable raiding. And if they found what his pretense of cargo was hiding from the crew…that much he didn’t want to think about.

Without a word to either Eloise or George, who were both deep in attempting to rid the Infinity of the corsairs, Samuel ran toward the hold. He only paused to grab something to use in the hold’s defense. A pity, he thought, that what comes most easily to hand is just a shovel, but I’ll make do with what I have. It would be a waste of time and focus to wish for the pistol hidden beneath his bunk. He hadn’t thought he’d need it for an otherwise quiet turn on the Infinity’s bridge. There simply wasn’t time to spare for him to go back and get it now. He could only hope that Tamid’s gunners could manage, somehow, to block enough corsairs to give what Samuel was about to do a chance.

He passed a few runners on his way through the corridors to the hold. At least one stopped and stared dumbfounded at their captain as he ran. No time, Samuel thought, to scold them for forgetting their duties, even for a moment. He’d tell George about it when the corsair problem was handled. George would make sure the runners would, despite their youth, understand the importance of keeping to their duties at all times.