Landing in Cairo

Sand blew in great quantities, creating blinding clouds of gold and tan as the Airship Urania gently set down on the docks of Cairo. From his post at the wheel, Captain James Trevallion allowed himself the slightest smile of relief that his ship had once more completed a flight completely unharmed, then smoothed his face back into its usual professional calm. It would not do for either passengers or crew to see his relief, as that would imply to them that he had been nervous as to the outcome of the landing. He could not allow that to happen.




















Carefully, he guided his ship to a complete halt, glancing about to ensure that his crew did as they were supposed to. All preformed admirably, as always. At this, he did allow a proper smile to cross his face. His crew certainly knew their duties, and never once had he known them to shirk them for even an instant. It was a rare captain who could say as much, and he could only thank the Heavenly Father that they had all come his way.

As Captain Trevallion focused on bringing his ship to dock, his chief stewardess, young Rilla Major, did her best to keep the passengers in line and out of the way. Too often, they wandered away from her, going to gawk over the rails or bother her fellow crew members, all of whom were trying to work. It was her task to prevent these occurrences, and Rilla did her best to do her job well.

"Madam, please return to your cabin," she called, moving towards a stout woman currently leaning precariously over the railing. "The Captain will tell you when you can safely look at the city. For the moment, I must ask that you refrain from looking over and politely request that you return below."

The woman turned imperiously towards Rilla, and Rilla recalled that she was Mrs. Theodore Bishop, wife of the noted explorer. "I assure you," Mrs. Bishop informed Rilla haughtily, "I am quite familiar with the movements of this ship and others. I shall be perfectly safe here."

Rilla smiled politely. "I am certain that you are," she assured Mrs. Bishop. "However, landings are precarious times, and the Captain must not be distracted, nor must he allow his crew to be so. While all aboard this ship know of your familiarity with Urania and other airships, we must still ask that you go below with the other passengers for the safety of the crew and the ship."

Mrs. Bishop frowned dangerously, and Rilla smothered a sigh. "Please Madam," she implored. "I understand your eagerness to catch sight of the city, but a single misstep could ensure that this is the last you ever see of Cairo, and I certainly do not believe that you wish for such a thing to occur." A touch melodramatic, Rilla admitted, but it was the only method she knew to keep Mrs. Bishop below.

Sure enough, the woman sniffed loudly for effect, then turned and swept grandly away from the railing and down the stairs, going to join her fellow travelers below. Rilla watched her go with relief, then turned to glance herself at the approaching city. She too should go below and keep an eye on the passengers, especially the children, but she could permit herself this one glance.

Miles, the aging quartermaster, shot her a stern look, and she blushed, hurrying below in her turn.

Having arrived, she was greeted by what amounted to pandemonium. All the passengers were talking over each other, seeming to have forgotten the calm which had characterized much of the voyage. In truth, the voyage had been uncommonly peaceful, a fact the crew as a whole attributed more to the lack of Lady Mara Braxton than any favor of God or man. The Lady had left the ship in Paris, and she was not expected to return aboard for quite some time, much to the relief of many. The Lady’s patronage was appreciated, true, but she had a knack for making things more interesting than perhaps many would have wished.

Rilla wondered if she should attempt to control the passengers, but decided against it. Any attempt by her would most likely be ignored, and she did not particularly enjoy useless exercises. So, she drifted, passing almost unnoticed through the crowd as she made her way aimlessly towards the back of the crowded room. A surprising number of passengers had chosen to crowd into the main room rather than return to their private cabins, and Rilla wondered how they could stand it. Evidently, a number of them could not, judging by the complaints she heard around her, but it did not seem to occur to them that they could leave at any time and return to the relative privacy of their cabins. She dismissed this as yet more evidence of general human folly and continued to wander.

She had not expected to hear anything of note and, indeed, she did not. Very little of note had been discussed during this trip, which was both relief and disappointment to Rilla. She enjoyed the respite from scandal and danger, to be sure, but she had also grown accustomed to living an interesting life, and a routine crossing was something she had not experienced in quite some time.

At last, she felt the unmistakable sensation of airship touching ground. The passengers, or at least the more experienced among them, recognized it as well, and the chatter grew in both volume and excitement. Soon, they were pressing against the door leading to the deck, waiting impatiently for the time when they could emerge and see the foreign city they had heard so much about. Rilla forced herself through the mass of humanity with difficulty, arriving at last to the front of the room, where she vainly tried to make herself heard above the clamor of the passengers.

“Allow me,” a voice murmured in her ear, and moments later Miles the Quartermaster’s military boom sounded above everything else. “Ladies and Gentlemen. As you can see, we have touched down. However, the Captain has a few last minute adjustments to make before he can allow you to leave this ship, and we ask your patience while he does so. You will be notified the moment it is safe to leave the ship. Until that point, we ask that you please refrain from blocking the entryway, as it might cause a safety hazard should anything unexpected occur.”

Slowly, the crowd subsided, and Rilla nodded gratefully to Miles. He only shrugged, turning to head back to the deck. “Ask Devlyn for a magnifying device,” he advised. “I won’t always be around to rescue you.”

“I will,” Rilla promised, then turned back towards the crowded room, bracing herself for the barrage of questions she knew would follow Miles’ departure. Still, she found it difficult to be irritated by this inevitability. She was as excited as the passengers about debarking in Cairo, and it would be worth the questions and pestering to get there as soon as possible.