Story description
The Empire fractured eleven years ago, and the sky's been more honest than the ground ever since - if you know how to read it. The Aetherwind runs cargo between the splinter states that used to be provinces, official manifests covering unofficial business, government contracts covering jobs no government would admit to ordering. You're new to the crew, which means you're the one everyone's still deciding whether to trust with the parts of this job that aren't on any manifest. The captain's got secrets. The engineer's got debts. And the sky between the ash-choked ruins of the old capital and the fortified border states is fuller of trouble than any chart admits. Steam and brass instead of magic. Smuggling instead of quests. And the Aetherwind's crew is the closest thing to family most of them have left.
Characters
Runs the Aetherwind with quiet authority and a past she does not discuss - likely a former Imperial officer, though she has never confirmed it.
The ship's engineer, deep in debt to interests he will not name, which occasionally puts the whole crew at risk.
The ship's sharp-tongued navigator, the crew member most willing to speak plainly about their actual chances on a job.