Cipher Hill by Joseph R. Lallo

Author:Joseph R. Lallo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, steampunk, female protagonist, airship
Publisher: Joseph R. Lallo

Chapter 9

Digger, his hair wild and his face scruffy with stubble, tore a page from a pad and crumpled it. The pile of such pages scattered against the walls of his quarters suggested the last few days of scheming had not been very fruitful.

“No, no,” he grumbled. “It is no good. The math doesn’t work out. Even if we can get to the storage yard near Lock with enough fuel and phlogiston to get them in the air, and even if we tow three empty ships with every crewed one, we still only have enough staff to spare to get a dozen ships moving. And even then we’d be moving so slowly we might not make it for the rendezvous. And even then we’d be such massive and slow-moving targets patrols would stop us before we made it halfway there.”

Nikita hopped from beside Coop to investigate the mound of abandoned plans, rummaging around in the pile playfully.

“I reckon you’re right. Came close with that one, though,” Coop said, idly whittling at a piece of wood.

“It is telling that the best idea we’ve come up with so far was the one that had only three disqualifying issues.”

“Back to scratch then,” Coop said.

“It has been some time since you have volunteered an idea.”

“I ain’t the best thinker.”

Digger gestured at the discarded ideas. “I am plainly not at the top of my game in that regard either.”

“All right then,” Coop said, digging his heels into the table and tipping his chair onto its back legs to rock himself. “What’re some things I done that got loads of ships in the air? … You reckon we could pull another heist on Fugtown?”

Digger glared at him. “What possible use would adding another inadvisable task to our already insurmountable heap be?”

“When we did that, half the city got on our tail. Maybe we could lead ’em all the way to the fort. That’d give us loads of folks in the sky.”

Digger curled his fingers in the air as if he were choking an invisible man in front of him. “Coop, it has been established that you don’t like filling in the gaps in Captain Mack’s orders, but I think even you can agree that it is understood the individuals he’s asked us to gather should at the very least not be shooting at us.”

Coop scratched his head. “Yeah. I’ll give you that. But it is a way to get a gaggle of ships where we want it. All we gotta do is work out how to keep ’em from shootin’ at us. Bribe, maybe?”

“So you propose we commit a serious crime, very visibly, and then, while being chased, somehow negotiate a price with literally all of those following us?”

“We could split up the work. I’ll do the heist if you do the bribin’. Them bein’ fuggers, they’ll probably listen to you better’n me.”

“I respectfully decline the offer,” Digger said in exasperation.

Nikita burst from the pile of crumpled papers and scampered to the table. With her odd, overlong middle finger, she began to tap out a message.

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