Brass Skies Vol. 1: The Battle of Chesapeake

To Steal a Ship (part 2)

When the night finally came to act, Robert's men reported to the warehouse just after dark. They came in ones and twos, many leading teams of horses. The teams were secured to wagons which then moved out to locations around the city within earshot of the shipyards.

Robert met Jezebel, Clarabelle, and Gregory near the shipyards. The sisters were both dressed in low cut corseted gowns that showed off their figures but that contained harnesses skillfully hidden to all but the most observant eye. Both also wore pants underneath the long flowing skirts. Each held a tray of cookies so full that it looked it danger of spilling over.

Robert brought with him three of his own men Jenkins, Giddons, and Talon. He introduced his men to the women and Gregory, explaining that Jenkins was his first mate and a seasoned sailor aboard ships of both the ocean and air variety. After introducing men he asked for a report from Gregory.

"I have my entire gang spread out across the shipyards," Gregory told him. "Only the normal number of guards scattered about. Only ship that seems to have anyone aboard is the Perseverance," he stated indicating a ship a couple berths over. "An' as far as I can tell, it's only six guards and a couple of workers that were banging away in one of the rooms on the ship; the one off the deck toward the bow."

Robert nodded and looked in the direction that Gregory pointed. It was hard to miss the Perseverance. She was the only ship in the yards that truly resembled a ship out of the two dozen or so ships in the yards. The rest ranged from bits of wood and metal that hardly resembled anything at all to great hulking skeletons that towered above the land. Only one other ship even had the giant burners and balloons that allowed the airships to live up to their names, but unlike the semi inflated balloons of the Perseverance, the balloons of that ship simply hung limply from the iron frames above the burners.

Besides being the only intact ship in the yard, one other thing that made the Perseverance stand out was her figurehead. On her bow a giant drake made of wood and brass spread its wings as if catching the wind after making a kill.

"Good job," Robert praised him. "Let me know if your people see anything I should know about."

He turned to the women. "What about your father?" he asked.

"Sleeping," Jezebel assured him. "With any luck he won't wake up at all but if he does I doubt the bastard will be up before sometime in the afternoon. He ate at least half a dozen of the cookies."

"And your mother?" Robert asked gently.

This time it was Clarabelle that replied. "We've said our goodbyes. She knows we are leaving but not the where or the how. We warned her that soldiers may come for her tomorrow. She told us not to worry about her," she said softly.

Robert nodded softly. "You ready?" When both nodded, he gave them each a small bottle and a rag. "If any of them don't accept a cookie use this instead. Give the signal when it's clear and I'll meet you at the base of the gangway."

The sisters excused themselves and began making their way around the ship yards. Robert, his men, and Gregory all found places to hide while they waited.

Over the course of the next two hours or so, they heard Jezebel's or Clarabelle's voice in the dark offering the guards a cookie. The girls always gave some variation of "Our father sent us. He wanted to show his appreciation for the job you do protecting the shipyard. Take a couple of cookies if you would like. We made them for you."

As the sisters made their way up and down the shipyards, they left behind a trail of guards and soldiers. Some ate their cookies right away, others waited a while. Periodically, there would come the sounds of a body falling, sliding to the ground as the sleeping powder did its work. Sometimes a soft three note whistle in the distance as one of Gregory's gang alerted Robert's men to the presence of a body falling at the far end of the shipyards.