The family stepped out of the cabin to find their host waiting patiently at the foot of the lower stairs, a tacit signal that he'd been serious about giving them privacy.
Kolur nodded to the elf.
"Looks like we'd like to fly with you. Just need to work out the details."
"Excellent. Before we do that I would like to see how each of you handles the major helm," he said, smiling widely. "I suspect Balasi and Kolur won't be able to power it up so we'll test them first, just to confirm. Then Jia, and lastly Eleniel. After that we can begin the financial negotiations."
He led them back to the bridge and gestured to Kolur to take the helm.
"Just power it up if you can, we don't want to move her," the elf instructed him.
Gingerly, Kolur sat down. He closed his eyes and concentrated—and nothing happened.
"Sorry, didn't think I could do it," he said, getting up.
"You did warn me," the elf said mildly. "I didn't expect you to be able to, we were just checking. Balasi, your turn."
Balasi had no more success than his father.
When Jia tried, however, her eyes sprang open immediately as a glow lit the helm which began to slowly pulse. The gems began to twinkle, converting the already beautiful throne-like helm into a living nebula, painting the entire bridge in waves of red and purple.
"Oh my," Jia breathed. "This is amazing. I have never used a major helm before. Unbelievable. The sheer power is incredible!"
She reluctantly powered down the helm and stood up.
"Eleniel, be careful, my angel. It would be so terribly easy to lose yourself in the urge to fly."
"Yes, Mama," she replied. She sat down nervously and reached out mentally the same way she did with the Dove's helm. It obediently lit up just as it had with her mother. A beatific smile lit her face and she giggled, reaching up with one arm and stroking the air, much to the shock of her parents.
The helm hadn't powered down. Nor were her arms trapped against the armrests. She started stoking something in her lap the others couldn't see.
"What—" Jia stammered. "How are you doing that, Eleniel?"
"I'm just petting the kitty, Mama," the girl replied. "And talking to the ship. It's different than Dove was. It's not a puppy; I'm not sure what it is. But I think they both like me!" she started cooing baby-talk to the imaginary cat.
"Tarsa, show yourself," the Archmage said with affectionate exasperation.
There was a soft meow and a winged black cat materialized on Eleniel's lap, purring with a smug expression.
"My familiar," the elf said, gesturing at the cat.
"Eleniel, how can you lift your arms off the helm?" Jia asked, staring at her daughter stroking the cat.
Eleniel blinked.
"Um, how am I?" she asked, startled.
"Major helms aren't as restrictive as petty helms," Umbardoven explained. "Minor helms also pin your arms. One of the reasons major helms are so much more expensive."
"Would not a minor helm lift an angelship?" Jia asked curiously. "Dragonships are bigger but they still use a minor helm. Why do you have a major one?"
"Yes," the Archmage nodded. "But a major helm lets me tow a string of barges if I need to. I once towed four when we were helping set up a new branch of the Path and the Way in Beltounspace."
He clapped his hands.
"Why don't we move to the mess to take care of the paperwork?" he asked brightly.
ooOoo
Once they were gathered around the table in the mess the elf brought out four contracts, passing them to the parents.
"Note these are individually tailored to each of you. I've updated the rates commensurate with your skills. They are equivalent to the rates earned by my last crew. Also note you split 25% of the profits at voyage's end and as per standard practice room and board are included, along with a reasonable clothing and gear allotment.
"Naturally, your wages are prorated based on the fact the children have never been off Aloth. Once they earn certificates for both Wildspace and the Flow their wages will increase. Kolur, yours is prorated until you earn your Flow certificate.
"I will sign the children's certificates once they've gained two months experience in each environment. Kolur, likewise you'll need two months in the Flow for yours. Normally certificates require at least one combat encounter. However, I believe the creature that damaged your ship qualifies the four of you. Since I will do my best to avoid hostile encounters on this voyage withholding part of your pay until we get in a fight seems utterly unfair, does it not?"
"I agree," Jia replied. "How will wages be paid?"
"Ledgers will be kept while the ship is between ports of call in Wildspace," Umbardoven replied. "Upon arrival at a civilized port wages due may be drawn as desired, the remainder left on the Ledger. While in the Rainbow Ocean wages will be recorded in the Ledger until we reenter a crystal sphere. This is standard practice in the EIN and most merchant vessels."
"The Shou navy as well," Jia nodded. "I assume you will handle the ledger and ship expenses?"
"Yes," the elf nodded. "I will also handle the galley while you're on the helm and determine destinations as well as guide our research efforts. Kolur will be captain and part of the deck crew along with Balasi and Eleniel. Eleniel will also share helm duties along with her training. I assume you plan to teach her navigation?"
"I do, along with many other subjects."
"Is she a sorceress as well?"
"We are not sure," Jia said quietly. Her necklace may be using her sorcery to power her flight. Perhaps you can help us find out?"
"I would be happy to," he replied.
"We stripped the tracker when we sold Dove," Kolur mentioned. "Don't suppose you'd like to buy it?"
"Tracker?" the Archmage asked curiously. "I'm not familiar with that device."
"About the size of a large compass," Kolur motioned with his hands. "A graduated glass dome in a sturdy bezel. Comes with a set of four tracking stones that show up as glowing lights in the dome. We use it to track crew while they're off the ship exploring."
"Fascinating," the elf said, leaning forward. "What's the range?"
"About a mile," Kolur replied. "The tracking stones can be blocked by an inch of metal or a foot of stone. Wood doesn't block it, according to the wizard we bought it from."
"That sounds tailor-made for a research vessel," the elf said. "How much do you want for it?"
"We paid ten thousand gold pieces for it," Kolur said. "Worth every copper. Can't tell you how much peace of mind that thing brought us when the kids were younger."
"Done," the elf said instantly. "I have to say I thought I haunted the Arcane for every single spelljamming device in existence but I've never heard of this one."
Jia flinched.
"You deal with the Arcane?" she asked uneasily.
"Of course," he said, tilting his head. "Ah, Eleniel's secret. Don't worry, I'm fully aware the extreme lengths the Arcane would go to obtain her necklace. I have no intention of informing them about it, my lady. While they hold a monopoly on spelljamming gear I am not blind to their mercenary nature. Anyone who deals freely with the illithid cannot be trusted. I would no sooner trust an Arcane's benevolence than I would a dohwar's social graces."
Kolur barked a short laugh, prompting the elf to smile.
"I see you've had dealings with the dohwar," he chuckled.
"Short, feather-brained waddlers," Kolur snorted. "Cheap enough, but you gotta watch 'em like hawks or they'll sell you over-priced junk. I'd rather deal with the Arcane—not that that's saying much. Excellent quality but they charge an arm and a leg. They won't haggle either."
"True, alas. Who did you buy your tracker from?" Umbardoven asked curiously.
"Wizard named Thedarus, lives in up in Cruling," Kolur replied. "He specializes in them. Sells extra stones too, but at two thousand a piece they're pretty pricy. Takes him two weeks to make a stone, too. Any given tracker can only handle six stones at a time though."
"Four stones should be sufficient," the elf said thoughtfully. "Since there are only five of us and someone needs to stay with the ship."
"On the Dove," Jia spoke, "we would normally leave the children aboard to provide overwatch while we explored."
"With such a small crew that is quite sensible," he nodded. "On Pterolycus I will either be part of the exploration party or remain on the ship, depending on circumstances.
"That reminds me, as a precaution I require crew members go armed at all times, typically a dagger or cutlass," Umbardoven continued. "Saruspace is fairly safe, especially with the ship's blending ability but Wildspace in other crystal spheres is not nearly so forgiving. Nor is the Flow."
Jia's face turned serious as he addressed her.
"My lady, as far as I know the rigors of jamming force all ships to adopt similar practices no matter their allegiance. I assume the Shou navy is no exception?"
"True," Jia replied. "We ran Dove using Shou navy doctrine. Obviously adjusted for our crew size and business, of course. Kolur is teaching Balasi to use a cutlass and Eleniel to use a dagger."
"Mama sometimes forgets she's not aboard a navy ship," Eleniel giggled.
"Hush, you," Jia said with a mock huff.
"It's been a long time since I commanded an EIN ship," the elf chuckled. "Toward the end of my career I was flying a desk, not a ship."
Jia's ears perked up at this confirmation of her suspicions.
"How long were you in the EIN?" she asked casually.
"Let me think. I joined as deck crew on my hundredth birthday," he said, held tilted in recollection. "Worked my way up to bosun's mate, then lieutenant. Joined the naval academy in Evereska on Toril ten years later. Spent another decade gaining my captain's certificate and another five as XO on the Spindrift, a patrol ship in Thomspace. Got my first command after that, the Tala, an archaic man-o-war, probably the last one in the fleet, actually.
"I loved that ship," he said, eyes looking into the past. "I guess you always remember your first command fondly.
Spent the next sixty years running the Inner Flow. Kept rotating out the command staff, they used her as a training vessel among other things. Then they promoted me to a man-o-war, the Lórë.
"Got caught up in the cleanup of Moragspace. Lots of battles, commendations, promotions," he grimaced. "Did well enough that they kicked me off my ship onto an armada of all things, the Conqueror. As adjunct to the Admiral that took over Moragspace, no less. Then they promoted to Admiral when Tahlia Elarë retired. Spent the rest of my career mired in paperwork. You've no idea how much running a fleet depends on paperwork. Mountains of it."
He shuddered.
"After what felt like ten thousand years in purgatory, I took an early retirement, moved to the Dock on Toril and built Pterolycus. Been doing exploration and research ever since."
"As a ship's captain myself," Kolur commented, "I'm familiar with the hell that is paperwork. I can't imagine having to deal with a whole fleet's worth. My condolences. But with that workload how in the world did you have time enough to become an Archmage?"
"I needed something to keep myself sane," the elf replied drily. You'd be amazed how motivated I was to come up with new magic to manage the paperwork more efficiently. Created a whole spell book of new spells and cantrips. My favorite cantrip just signs my name. Nothing else." He grinned.
"You're kidding," Kolur deadpanned.
"Nope. When you're reading and signing a thousand plus documents a day for two hundred years that little cantrip more than repaid the two weeks leave it took to develop. Not to mention the second level spell comprehend paperwork. Lasts eight hours, lets you glance at a document and instantly grasp what it says regardless of how horrible the handwriting. That one spell alone sold more copies of my book than the rest of the spells combined."
"Damn, now I wish I was a wizard," Kolur grinned. "How many spells were in that book?"
"Forty-seven," the elf's smile was smug. "Plus ten cantrips. Sixteen of the spells could be cast as rituals. In volume one. Of a three volume set."
"Wow," Kolur whistled. "I am impressed. Made a pretty copper on sales, I'll bet."
"Enough to build and outfit Pterolycus," the elf confirmed. "Not to mention I was awarded the jeweled star for extraordinary contributions to the Elven race. One of only three ever awarded for the advancement of logistics."
"I do not suppose you have a copy on board? I would love to see the rituals," Jia said wistfully.
"As a matter of fact, I have, as well as a number of other ritual spells in my collection," the smiling elf replied. "Call it a signing bonus."
Jia smiled at the elf. "A most welcome one, Archmage."
ooOoo
Given that their wages were three times the going rate the contracts were signed without haggling.
"Welcome aboard," Umbardoven said, shaking each of their hands. "Would a week be sufficient to wrap up your affairs? Remember, we won't be returning to Saruspace for many years."
"Actually," Kolur said, shrugging, "the only thing we need to do is make a quick trip to Adderfield to withdraw our gold. I already flew to Yarrin to tie up the loose ends of our last job so we should be ready to fly tomorrow."
"Excellent!" the elf exclaimed happily. "We can take Pterolycus; it will give you some experience flying her petty helm."
"Then we'll rent a wagon and pack up our belongings to transfer them here," Kolur nodded. "Should be ready to fly tomorrow morning."