Preludes #1
Mona’s flat head burst from the water with a glistening spray bouncing off her oily fur, shimmering in the morning sun as glistening pearls before they fell back into the water behind her creating small ripples with every point they struck before merging with the deep blue waters that surrounded her. For most, including the native citizens of Thunderhead, the water was still a little too cool to enjoy in the mornings. The stevedores liked to wait until they built a good sweat from the first and second shift before they dove in, but not Mona. She was native to Timber, just like the stevedores, but unlike most of those men who were humans from the interior, Mona was one of the Otterfolk that shared the planet. The feeling of cold was distant and she felt refreshed paddling in a lazy circle just outside of the shadow of her second home. She tread water as she looked up towards stained glass, whose color reminded her of the clear lake she had dove in that made up the hammership’s starboard window. Mona was a crewman aboard the Grey Katherine, and the ship had once again anchored at Thunderhead in order to fulfill its contract of hauling dark iron pellets for the local building magnate. Mona was not a part of the hauling team, so she had the free time for a swim. She made a few lazy circles, all the while looking out towards the Grey Katherine.
Like all Hammerships, the Grey Katherine’s wooden body was crafted out of inspiration for a hammerhead deepmaw or stripped hammer, one of the sharks that swam in the terrestrial waters across several worlds. The body was wood, with two sets of stabilization fins that jutted from the ship’s bilge and keel and a main sail that was angled in the shape of a fin. The Grey Katherine got its name from the color schema that was used instead of traditional reds and light cobalt. Instead the frame was painted in what was known as bombard gray with alabaster coloring for the ceramic frame that formed the hammerhead to the hammership. The blue wing windows that Reed spotted first served as a stand-in for the ‘eyes’ of the beast. The glass was treated so that a crewman could look out while the outer stained glass decoration made it difficult for someone looking in to make out anything descriptive. Mona Reed began swimming back towards the ship, she had enough lazy circles and diving below for the day. She scaled the ladder that hung a few inches above the waterline and pulled herself up. Meeting her at the top was a human crewman named Beckwith. He offered a hand while gripping the balustrade underneath the leading rail for support.
“Afraid I’d play a little joke and toss you in?” Mona sniggered as she stepped onto the deck. She had gone swimming with only a pair of swimmer’s shorts covering her lowering half for modesty sake. The rest of her was obscured by her fur. She did a quick shake to try and rid some excess water, causing Beckwith to curse as the droplets were flecked onto him.
“I guess nevermind about keeping dry around you, Mona,” Beckwith grumbled. He offered a towel that was hanging over the railing to Reed before brushing his own clothing off. Mona slipped back into her utilities and boots that she had left piled on the deck when she dove out for a swim.
In terms of height, Mona stood at average with a human female with a slender figure that made her an agile swimmer and a fast climber. In addition to performing general duties on board the ship, her main role was working the rigging crew, using her claws to climb up fast to trim or unfurl the dorsal sail that provided the Grey Katherine with extra speed to make time, or to better maneuver in a fight. How the sail worked, given that the Grey Katherine’s usual mode of travel was flying through the astral speed, was from the intricate symbols that were sewn into the fabric of the sail. Not every ship had sails, but without them, a greater magical strain was placed on the helm that provided power and direction of the ship.
“Find anything interesting below?” Beckwith asked as they crossed the open deck towards the aft quarters.
“Just a couple of trout, no lampreys or anything to be concerned about. How has it been topside?” Mona asked, waving at one of the other members of the rigging team.
“Captain Sorenson already has Booker onboard to try and get a new contract after we clear out these pellets from the hold. Between docking fees and supplies, I wonder if she’s worried about making pay.” Currently what was in Mona and Beckwith’s pockets was what was known as ship script that would be traded for gold after the deal was finished. The only thing the script was good for was paying for on-board commissary, or as fuel if the night’s got too cold. Crews that wanted to enjoy a night in port were expected to exchange the script with either Quartermaster Dies, that was his last name, or Thaddeus Hunley, if Edmonton Dies was away spending his own gold at the card table.
Once they passed into the after quarters and reached the stairs leading towards Captain Sorenson’s office, Mona looked at Beckwith and asked: “You planning to go up and see the Captain now?”
Beckwith shook his head, “No point lingering until she calls us all together. Meet me in the galley later?”
Mona nodded and the two broke off for the male and female quarters on the ship.
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