Ship's Eyes
- The adventure begins with our un-named protagonist heading back to Lionsgate City on a large ship, admiring the clear skies while acting as the ship's eyes up in the crow's nest.
- Instead of feeling lonely when staring up at the night sky, each constellation reminds him of the stories his father told him with heroes and villains all jostling for his attention.
- His watch is almost over, and even though it's only September he is looking forward to getting out of the cold winds and snuggling down in his nice warm bunk.
- For someone acting as the ship's eyes at night, he seems mighty concerned with watching the skies rather than scouring the water for other boats.
- Oh, ok—boats are no concern for this ship… because this ship is sailing eight hundred feet above the ocean. Phew.
- Mr. No Name smells the delicious odor of fresh-baked bread wafting up from the ship's kitchens, and starts daydreaming about yoinking a bun or two before he hits the hay.
- Then, he sees it: a hot air balloon, just hanging in the night sky.
- It's strange that there is a hot air balloon, let alone the fact that it doesn't have its running lights on—and although the burner goes off periodically, he can't see anyone at the controls or in the gondola at all.
- He uses the speaking tube (which can only be two tin cans attached by string, right?) to contact the Aurora's control car, which is one hundred and fifty feet away from him, suspended from the ship's belly.
- Captain Walken (no, not this guy) tells him to "Go ahead, Mr. Cruse." (Aha—we have a name for our heretofore-anonymous protagonist.)
- The Captain always calls him Mr. Cruse, which is much more respectful than just Cruse or boy like the other officers address him. However, it also makes it weird when he's on shore leave in Lionsgate City with his mother and sisters and they just call him Matt. But anyway.
- Matt reports the balloon to the captain, who thanks him and tries to see where the balloon is. Because of how the ship is constructed, the control car has a limited view of things overhead, which is why they always have a guy in the crow's nest.
- They aim a spotlight onto the balloon, and Matt can see that it is not in good shape—withered and puckered, and most likely leaking. He can also see that it is called The Endurance, and he remarks that it looks like it may have endured a bit too much (good joke, Mattie boy…).
- There is no record of a balloon on their flight plan, which means that it is either rogue or has drifted off course, and with no sign of a pilot, they assume the latter. No one responds when they try to raise it on the radio or when they bellow at it through a bullhorn, so they decide it is in distress and try to bring it on board their ship. It is, after all, Skyways Law to help another vessel in distress.
- Pieter Riddihoff, a third officer still junior enough to do crow's nest duty, relieves Matt from his watch.
- Matt goes through the innards of the ship past alumiron beams and bracing wires, and the enormous gas cells that hold the airship aloft. They are made out of a fabric called goldbeater's skin and filled with a mango-scented gas called hydrium. If only all gas was mango-scented, right?
- Because he's too excited to sleep, Matt decides not to go back to his cabin but to follow a certain Mr. Kahlo and two machinists to the cargo bay, where they are probably going to try and hoist the balloon into the ship.
- When he gets there he finds a bunch of sailmakers and the first officer Paul Rideau talking on the ship's phone with the Captain.
- Mr. Rideau is apparently an adept pilot but not a crew favorite due to his demeanor, which makes him seem permanently annoyed at those who work for him.
- Everyone else in the cargo bay has already harnessed up and hooked themselves to long lines that hold them to the ship, so Matt follows suit. Try not to picture them all like this. Okay, picture them like that if you want to, but try to suppress your giggles if you're in a library.
- The doors open and wind rushes in as Mr. Rideau coordinates with the Captain to get closer to the balloon without letting it get tangled in the Aurora's propellers.
- Mr. Rideau tries again to hail the balloon using a bullhorn but no one responds, which according to him is a "damn nuisance."
- They try to pull the Endurance in using grappling hooks, but when it is about thirty feet away they realize they can't do it without risking collision—and when your entire ship's buoyancy is dependent on delicate bags of gas, you don't risk a collision for anything.
- The balloon continues to slowly sink, and Matt is suddenly able to see the pilot sprawled on the gondola's floor.
- The Captain arrives in the cargo bay and everyone is inexplicably relieved by his presence. He is one of those patriarchal guys who are always so calmly capable that their mere physical appearance can be reassuring. Must be nice.
- The Captain sends Mr. Rideau back to the control car to take his place and assumes command over the developing situation.
- Captain Walken asks the men to ready the davit—a small crane with an extendable arm that is usually used to raise and lower cargo while the ship is docked.
- Unfortunately, the reach of the davit's arm falls six feet short of the target.
- Because the Aurora has been slowly sinking to match the rate of the balloon's descent, they are now flying about as low as they are safely able to travel. Time is running out for their rescue mission.
- The Captain declares that they only have one option: Someone will need to hook themselves to the davit's arm and swing across to secure the gondola. He knowingly singles out Matt to volunteer, who is already holding his breath in hopeful anticipation.
- Matt is the obvious choice because in the two years he's worked for Captain Walken on the Aurora he has never shown fear of heights, and as one of the smallest men on board he is better suited to the task.
- They agree not to tell his mother (always a good sign that something's safe… not) and the Captain tells Matt to be careful as he checks his harness like a concerned father.
- The Captain gives Matt a knife with which to cut the balloon's flight lines, and then they swing him out toward the balloon.
- Matt thinks he sees the pilot of the balloon shift and groan, but can't be sure of it.
- Even though he's hovering four hundred feet in the air by a slim cable, he's not afraid at all. Deep down he thinks that even if he were to fall the air would support him and hold him aloft, as if he was really a bird. After all, he was born in the air, and the crew likes to joke that he has seagull bones: hollow in the center to allow for easy flight. (Actual diagram of seagull bones for your consideration.)
- He starts to swing his legs just like you do on the swings at the playground, and when he has enough momentum and arc he tells them to let run the line so he can shoot out toward the gondola.
- Matt falls short, and slams into the side of the gondola, just barely able to hook his arms over the lip and hold on. But he scrambles up and over the side, and the crew of the Aurora are appropriately impressed.
- Matt quickly attaches the davit's grappling hook to the metal frame that supports the burners of the balloon. It seems a bit rickety, but he doesn't have much choice.
- As they begin to reel in the Endurance, the frame shudders and squeals in protest, because it was never meant to support the gondola's weight. Furthermore, the balloon is starting to collapse onto the burner. If they don't move fast the whole thing might go up in flames.
- Matt has to quickly cut the balloon's eight flight lines, or else the balloon will collide with the airship; and if they catch fire then everyone will be in big trouble.
- He's too slow—with two lines left to cut, the burner goes off and sets fire to the fabric of the balloon.
- Desperately hacking at the lines, Matt cuts the last one just in time to see the entire flaming balloon collapse and sink past the gondola. Bits of the wicker have caught fire, but with quick thinking and a blanket he finds on board, he is able to smother the flames.
- Now that the immediate danger is over, Matt can finally pay attention to the wounded pilot: he is older, probably in his sixties, and is not in good shape. Although a handsome man, he has been cruelly exposed to the weather and seems severely dehydrated.
- Scattered on the floor of the gondola were empty water bottles, unopened cans of food, and numerous tools common to flight and exploration.
- Matt yells at the ship to hurry because the burner frame can't support the weight of the gondola and has started to rip away from the wicker basket. That's… not good.
- They make it inside just before the whole basket falls away to its doom.
- They close the bay doors and rise back up to seven hundred feet. Mission: Accomplished.
- Doc Halliday climbs into the gondola to inspect the wounded man.
- Captain Walken claps Matt on the shoulder and tells him he's done good work.
- As he climbs out of the basket Matt starts to come down from the adrenaline rush and realizes how utterly exhausted he is, but he's also thrilled by all of the proud attention.
- Matt asks Doc Halliday if the man will be all right, but the doc doesn't seem hopeful.
- Although he wants to examine the gondola to solve a bit of the mystery, the Captain makes Matt go to get some sleep—but not before he tells him that his father would have been very proud.
- Matt goes and collapses into his bunk, and when he falls asleep he dreams his recurring dream that he and his father are flying alongside their beloved airship.
- When he wakes up in the afternoon he is off duty, so he goes to the infirmary to check on the pilot.
- The Doc informs Matt that the pilot is very ill: he has pneumonia, is super dehydrated, and has also suffered from a seizure of the heart. He is not expected to live.
- They know that his name is Benjamin Malloy, and according to the papers they found he was attempting a solo trip around the world.
- Matt asks if he can see him, and the Doc agrees as long as he doesn't wake him up.
- Matt goes to sit beside Mr. Malloy, who is propped up with pillows in an infirmary bed. Matt feels connected to the older gentlemen—because of what he went through to rescue him, but also because in his imagination the man looks like an older version of his father.
- When he lays his hand on top of Malloy's, it is feverish and delicate. The old man's eyes open, but Matt can tell that he's not really focused on reality. (Well, duh Matt—that's why you weren't supposed to wake him up.)
- Matt tries to give him a sip of water, and the old man asks him if he saw them.
- Matt is dumbfounded. "Who?" he asks.
- The old man mumbles about beautiful creatures sailing all around, that they've probably always been there but no one's ever seen them.
- Trying to be nice to a dying old man, Matt says that yes, he did see them. Very beautiful.
- Mr. Malloy says that Kate would've loved the creatures. When he looks at Matt again though, he can tell he was lying, and gets upset that he hadn't really seen the creatures too. Doc Halliday shows up to tell Matt he should probably leave.
- An hour or so later the Doc finds Matt to tell him that Benjamin Malloy has died. Matt feels terrible about how he upset him, but the Doc reassures him that dying people often say strange things.
- That night on his watch, Matt can't stop thinking about what Benjamin Malloy had said. He wonders whether Malloy had actually seen something, or if the beautiful creatures were merely figments of a sick man's imagination.