Passport, proof of identity, papers, wallet, check. Sarah closed the file folder that contained the papers before putting her passport and wallet in an inside pocket of her overcoat that her mom had insisted on getting for her before she left. While she understood how such a pocket would prevent pickpocketing, she didn’t like how it stuck out whenever she buttoned the coat. It was basically advertising where her wallet and passport were. Maybe she just needed to shift things around and then it would be smoother.

“That’s a smart idea, having an inner pocket like that.” The man at the desk commented. He was the dock master and she was currently waiting in his office for her escort to pick her up. “Isn’t that a bit much for this time of year?”

Sarah blinked and looked down at it. It did seem to be thicker than what everyone else was wearing. “Maybe, but we had a hard time finding this one. We don’t really need several kinds of coats in southern Liba.”

The dockmaster nodded. He was an elder man sporting glasses, but he didn’t seem to be slowing down in his age. She had hoped he would be too busy for conversation. Unfortunately, that did not appear to be the case.

“It doesn’t get that cold there, not even during the winter. At least, that’s what I heard. You don’t even get snow, do you?”

“Not very often.” She opened the file folder and flipped through the papers again to reassure herself that they were still there, even though she had just checked them. Hopefully, her escort to the airship that would take her to the Paradisian capital of Lum would be here soon.

“Then maybe the overcoat is good for you. It can get quite cold here and you wouldn’t be used to it. At least Paradis is a little warmer than us up here in Aboloan.” Sarah closed the folder as he continued to speak. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m telling you, miss, any pictures or paintings you’ve seen of Lum don’t do it justice. And that was before they started putting up lights everywhere. It’s perfect for a youngster such as yourself. There’s plenty to do and plenty to see, so you won’t ever be bored!”

“I’m sure.” Sarah could’ve told him that she wasn’t looking for things to do or see, that she was going for a learning experience, but that might be construed as rude. After all, he was just conversing to pass the time. “Is the airship running late?”

“The Echelon? Well, they did dock a bit behind schedule, but that’s hardly unusual in this business. If anything, the crew member they sent to escort you is having to survey the unloading process and is running a little late because of that. The Echelon is a cargo ship, after all. They don’t usually take passengers.”

“Then why would Professor Dupont hire them to take me to Paradis?” Sarah thought the oddly named ship didn’t sound like a passenger liner. “Surely he could have just reserved me a ticket aboard a liner.”

“That might be a question for your Professor. I’ve only spoken to the man over the phone, so I can’t say I’m an expert when it comes to his motives.” He looked back at her and smiled. “But don’t worry. The crew he hired is reliable, especially since he’s probably paying them extra. Like most small-time cargo haulers, money’s a bit tight for them. They’ll get you where you need to go.”

Part of Sarah couldn’t help but wonder if Professor Dupont was doing this to save money. She didn’t expect first class accommodations (she wouldn’t feel comfortable in first class anyways), but a cargo ship? Would they even have a place for her to sleep or would she be stuck with a hammock? Well, the trip to Lum would only be a few hours long, so sleeping arrangements weren’t a priority.

The dockmaster chuckled. “I see you have your doubts, miss.”

Sarah realized that she was furrowing her brow, a habit she often did when she was deep in thought, even if she was thinking about something positive. She didn’t mind it so much, but people easily picked up on it and would ask her what she was thinking so hard about. It wasn’t bad with people she knew, but with strangers it usually caused her to flee from the conversation, since there was no way they would believe a “nothing” coming from that expression. This time, she simply nodded.

“He didn’t give me any information on the Echelon except for the name of the ship and the name of the captain, David Sherman.”

He nodded. “Yes, Dave is quite well known around here. He’s a really good pilot and captain, and friendly to boot. You’ll be in good hands with him and his crew.”

The dockmaster’s words made Sarah feel better about getting to Lum, though there was the question of what would happen once she got there. From the instructions she received, it didn’t sound like he was sending anybody for her, which meant she had to get to the university herself. Paradisian was one of the languages she didn’t speak that well. Yes, give her Syrealian, Alemanian, or Espenesse, and she could read them, speak them, and write them. But Paradisan, that was a whole new animal. Even if Aboloanian hadn’t been her native language, she suspected it would be easier for her to grasp than Paradisian. Hopefully, she knew enough to instruct a cab driver properly.

The bell to the dockmaster’s office dinged as someone opened the door. A man stepped in and closed it behind him. He was pretty tall and had quite a bit of bulk to him. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the slight chill outside.

“Sorry I’m late.” He apologized. “We had a bit of trouble unloading the cargo and the client picking it up was late.”

“No need to apologize to me.” The dockmaster inclined his head toward Sarah. “We’ve been having a delightful conversation. But it’s time I turn her over to you, I believe.”

The man nodded and looked down at Sarah. She didn’t consider herself that short, but compared to the man, most everyone would be. She stared at him for a moment before she realized she was staring and then quickly corrected that by digging out her passport and opening it.

“I’m Sarah Hidalgo. It’s very nice to meet you.”

The man stretched out his hand and took her passport. His eyes scanned over it before he handed it back to her.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Sarah.” He pointed to her suitcase. “Is that your luggage?”

She nodded, and much to her surprise, he picked it up with very little effort and hefted it onto his shoulder. It wasn’t the largest suitcase, but it was still pretty heavy because Sarah had packed it fully. He started to leave.

“Sir, you don’t have to do that!” She insisted as she rushed to put her passport back in her inner pocket while holding onto the folder. “I can carry it just fine!”

The man simply shook his head. “Nah, this is nothing compared to what I usually have to lift. Besides, the missus would kill me if she sees that I make a guest carry their own luggage. She says that just because we’re a cargo ship that doesn’t mean we can’t have class when we have passengers.”

“Your wife works on the ship?” Sarah had to hurry her steps to catch up with him. His strides matched his bulk. She supposed that it made sense, seeing that the Echelon had a rather small crew. “What does she do?”

“She’s the navigator, and the business negotiator, and the accountant, and the co-owner, and the co-pilot, and the radio person, and whatever else we need at the time.”

“She sounds like quite the busy woman. I just hope she isn’t overdoing it.”

“Sometimes she does.” He sighed a bit. “I told her that we need to hire at least one more crew member to pick up some of the slack, but we haven’t really had time for interviews and advertisements in the newspapers are pricey. Maybe things will slow down enough to where she could relax some. I would help her, but I don’t really have a head for business.”

Despite the man not introducing himself, Sarah could only conclude that he was David Sherman, the pilot of the ship. After all, he was the one escorting her and he was married to the co-pilot. It sounded like she handled the business end while he did the flying. It was sweet to hear him worry about her and how the job was affecting her health. Too many people who were in business with their spouses took their spouse’s health and abilities for granted. The man was obviously a real gentleman, more proof that he was the pilot. The dockmaster did say he was friendly after all.

They arrived at an airship sitting on the water. It was a small ship, just large enough to haul cargo and a few people. She could see areas where the paint was either chipping or weathering off, but it looked air worthy enough. She didn’t know much about airships, but something about it told her it was old. The pilot started to go up the ramp. Sarah followed him into the ship. Thankfully, it didn’t rock when she boarded.

“Let’s check in with my wife. I think she has a room ready for you. I know you’ll only be with us for a few hours, but she thought you might want to rest.”

Sarah nodded and let him lead the way to the bridge. It was a bit more spacious than she thought it would be, but she was more familiar with what the inside of a plane looked like as opposed to an airship. The steering mechanism set in the middle of the room, in front of various gauges and such. She could see the radio off to the side. A woman sat by the gauges, nibbling on her pencil before scribbling something down on paper. Sarah could see part of a map from where she was standing.

“Heather, I’ve got the passenger.” He stated as he shifted the suitcase from his shoulder. Even if he had no trouble carrying it, Sarah doubted it was all that comfortable to carry. “This is Sarah Hidalgo. Sarah, this is my wife, Heather Letterman.”

“Just give me a second. I’m figuring out the best route to take.” She moved the paper and glanced at the map. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Sarah. Professor Dupont had nothing but good things to say about you. It’s about time we have a normal passenger.”

Sarah looked from the man to Heather. She didn’t know what to make of that last statement, so she changed the subject. “You two don’t share a last name?” It was at that point that Heather put down her pencil.

“We do, like most married couples. I mean, I sometimes go by my maiden name in the business agreements, but that’s mostly because changing the paperwork to my married name would cost quite a bit of money.” She dug in the bag on the floor. “Wait, who do you think he is?” Heather indicated the man carrying Sarah’s suitcase.

“David Sherman, the pilot.”

Heather and the man met each other’s eyes before Heather started chuckling, which turned into a giggling that she had to keep back. A slight blush fell on the man’s face, as if he too had to keep back a laugh. Sarah could only guess what that meant.

“He’s not the pilot, is he?”

Heather calmed down long enough to shake her head. “No, this is Ashton Letterman, the ship’s cook, quartermaster, and cargo manager.”

“Oh. I guess I just assumed he was the pilot because he came to get me and he was married to the co-pilot.” Now, she felt a bit silly for jumping to such a conclusion. “I’m sorry…”

“No, I should’ve introduced myself when we met.” Ashton sighed a bit. “But please, call me Ash. No one calls me Ashton. I didn’t even think of doing that…”

Heather drew a key out of the bag and tossed it to him. He caught it with a free hand.

“Well, you know to start with an introduction next time, then. Dave and I were thinking about transporting passengers regularly to bring in some extra money and guess who will probably be picking them up.” Then she addressed her. “Don’t worry, it was an honest mistake. Dave is certainly going to get a kick out of it, that’s for sure.”

“I’m going to get a kick out of what?” A new voice asked. They turned their heads to see a man standing at the entrance of the bridge.

He was nowhere near as tall and bulky as Ash. In fact, he seemed to be on the slightly short side. But that wasn’t what really caught Sarah’s attention. No, she noticed that he was using a cane with a nice shiny silver handle, but he didn’t seem any older than Heather or Ash.

“Sarah here mistook Ash for you because he didn’t even bother to introduce himself.” Heather picked up her pencil once again. “Apparently, she was expecting the pilot to pick her up. You know, like most pilots would.”

Dave began to laugh as he came further into the cockpit. His left leg seemed pretty stiff, which was probably why he needed a cane. It must’ve been an injury of some kind or disability he was born with.

“I suppose we should put forward our most handsome and charismatic crew member in order to impress guests.” He put his hands on the lapels of his rather ragged overcoat. “Though I’ll admit, you have more of a physical presence than I do, Ash. Perhaps you should be the one to pick them up from now on…”

Ash shook his head. “No thank you. You know I don’t do diplomacy well. Only did it this time because you were running late, as usual.”

Dave sat in the pilot’s seat. “What? I hadn’t had a bath or shower yet. I figure I couldn’t very well meet a passenger smelling like that, could I?”

Sarah just let the conversation happen. It was clear that the crew had been together for a while with how casual and easily their personalities bounced off one another. There would’ve never been that kind of conversation going on aboard a cruise liner. Heather caught her unsure glance and cleared her throat.

“Speaking of guest, you should show her to her room, Ash.” The navigator offered. “I doubt she just wants to stand around in the cockpit all day.”

“Right…” Ash turned on his heel and started walking to where the quarters would be located. “Sorry about that. Nearly forgot you were there.”

“That’s all right. It happens a lot.” Sarah bid a quick goodbye to Dave and Heather before following Ash down the hall.

The hallway was rather narrow and she counted a total of six rooms. Maybe there were more rooms somewhere else, but this was a rather small cargo ship after all. It probably couldn’t fit more than that many rooms. He stopped at the one at the end of the hall and unlocked it. He opened the door and set her suitcase in the room before handing Sarah the key.

“Just return that before you leave. And really the only rules around here are don’t go into other people’s rooms and stay out of the way when they’re doing their jobs.” Ash stepped out of the room. “So don’t think that you just have to sit here all by yourself the whole time. I’ll be in the kitchen, so if you get hungry, come find me. If you need anything, just find one of us and ask.”

Sarah nodded and put the key in her pocket. Once he was sure she was settled in, Ash left. She looked over the room.

It wasn’t that large of a room, mostly just had a cot, a nightstand, and a small writing desk. She put the folder inside the writing desk and scooted the suitcase closer to the cot. She shut the door and hopped on the cot. She was a bit tired from the trip here, even though she had spent the night in a hotel room. Sarah found she didn’t rest well while traveling.

There was a sound that played through the speakers. “All right, everyone, we’re getting ready for takeoff. I’ve gotten word from our engineer that we’re all good. So, everyone hang on.”

The room began to shake as the ship lifted off. Sarah was glad this room didn’t have a window. She was fine once the ship got in the air, but there was something about watching the ship take off that always made her stomach do flips. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the ship to stop going up and finally start going forward. Once that happened, she settled on the cot. She’d try to get some rest, and then take Ash’s advice and walk around some.

This adventure of hers was off to a pretty good start. Maybe this was a good sign for the rest of it.

The ship jerked to a sudden stop, nearly sending her out of her bed. Sarah didn’t remember falling asleep, but she must have. She sat up in confusion. The tune played over the radio again.

“This is Dave speaking. We’re stopping briefly…to be boarded by pirates. So, if all the crew could report to the bridge, our unexpected visitors would very much like that.”

Or perhaps this was just the beginning of a big disaster.