Journeyman

**Journeyman** (full name unknown) — He is the ship's engineer aboard the AMS Predator.

## About

**Mister Journeyman** is an Etheric Engineer who works aboard the *Predator* under Captain Francis Grimm. As an Etheric engineer, Journeyman was too valuable to replace, despite his insubordination—and he knew it.

### Skills / Abilities

* Journeyman is an expert in all matters related to etheric engineering, crystals, and maintaining the condition of the *Predator* against all odds.

* He is so good that he is able to continue without a main lift crystal, which was badly cracked in the battle with the *Itasca.* The ship was able to return to Habble Morning on only its trim crystals.

### Description/ Appearance

He is very stocky and bald, with a mustache. He has rough callosed hands.

### Personality

Journeyman is extremely brusque and sometimes insubordinate, which irritates Creedy. Grimm doesn't seem to care about his manner for the most part, but occasionally makes it clear that his ruder responses will not be tolerated.

He has little tolerance for "aristo-brats" such as Gwen Lancaster, but reluctantly gains respect for her when she demonstrates her knowledge of crystals and their engineering.

### Details

* He calls the *Predator*: "*Preddy*"
* Grimm calls him "chief".

## Connections

* Francis Grimm
* AMS Predator
* Creedy
* Kettle
* Lift Crystal
* Trim crystals
* Airships Parts, Gear and Technology
* Gwen Lancaster
* Lancaster Vattery
* Spirearch

## Events

### 1. *Aeronaut's Windlass*

He sends a cautionary warning to the captain about the approaching storm—to get them before they can touch their shroud. Then he snaps disrespectfully at Creedy, the XO calling him a "jumped-up wollypog". His damage report says that there are fractures in the main lift Crystal—His theory is the second dive did it while escaping the Itasca so soon after that first dive. Creedy admits that he knows his job despite being insubordinate. Grimm makes him stay aboard for being insubordinate to his XO, while the ship's shore party goes after the enemy Auroran Marines invading Habble Morning. He curses up a storm s they leave him behind. He's in Crystal heaven opening the crates of the new Trim crystals and the new Lift Crystal. He thinks there's a mistake because the lift Crystal is so new and powerful—it's a Mark IV! He says it won't be ready for a month—when the captain pressed: a week for down and dirty get moving—there's a war on. Grimm sends for Journeyman and Stern after Calliope Ransom leaves his ship. He and Gwen Lancaster configure the new Mark IV-D Lift Crystal and the Haslett Cage its housed in. They were finishing the settings when they heard Gauntlets discharging in the Landing Shipyards. He and Gwen witnessed Auroran Marines killing Guardsmen and stevedores and setting charges at the gates. They were headed for the Mistshark, their transort out. The Mistshark was preparing their guns. They became determined to get the Mark IV-D Lift Crystal on running and to get the Shroud up—or they were "finished." He and Gwen get the Lift Crystal running just in time to make a dive just as the Mistshark's guns aimed at Predator. Grimm rides Journeyman for diving the Predator—the tells Creedy to give him and his engineering crew a bonus month's pay on the next payday.

## Quotes

* ""Full power to the shroud, aye. And tell the captain to blow the hell out of them before they can touch our shroud. That storm's too clos. He times the approach wrong and we'll be naked." ... "Maintain discipline, Mister Journeyman," Creedy said severely. ... "Maintenance is what's I do, idiot" snapped the engineer. "Don't tell me m business, you jumped-up wollypog."
* "Mister Journeyman." ... "Aye, Captain?" ... "You stay." ... An incredulous, absolutely acidic epithet split the air. "I believe the phrase ou used was 'JUmped up wollypog'? If you are too valuable to show proper deference and courtesy to my XO, you are certainly too valuable to risk in a firefight with Auroran Marines, Jourrneyman. That's how it is." — Grimm and Journeyman

* Gwen went down to the rig to regard the Crystal and whistled. "This is the one from the vat in section three, row two. It's one of the best of the batch. God in Heven, if you aren't cautious, with that power core behind it this Rastas could tear the ship apart" ... "Tell me something I don't know," **Journeyman** said. ... "Which configuration are you planning for its cage?" ... "Standard dispersal, maximum spacing," Journeyman replied. ... "What?" Gwen asked. "Why would you do that?" ... "How else should I do it?" Journeyman snapped. ... "Didn't you read the owners manual?" ... "*Manuel?* See here, missy. I've been an Etheric Engineer since before you were born. I think I know how to handle a Lift Crystal." ... "Evidently you aren't bright enough to do so if you can not read. We provide those manuals for a reason, you know." ... Journeyman scowled. "You do everything by the book, like everybody else, you get the same results as everybody else." ... "That's the idea." Gwen said in a dry tone. ... Journeyman seemed not to notice it. "That might be good enough for every other ship in the world, missy. But that ain't good enough for *Preddy*. I get ten to fifteen percent more out of her systems doing it my way." ... "What? That isn't possible." Gwen said. ... "Maybe not in your workshops," Journeyman said firmly. "But a ship in the open sky is different. You got to know how treat her the way she likes." ... "We'll take it from me, she isn't going to like that dispersal pattern." Gwen said. "The bottom hemisphere of the Mark IV-Ds is rigged with variable sensitivity. The closer to the positive end you get, the more powerful the crystal's pathways are. You need to set your bars in an asymmetric configuration to maximize sensitivity. If you go with a standard hemisphere it will be too easy to dump too much current in. Before you kno what happened, you'll be watching that crystal fly to the moon while your ship falls. Which you would know if you *read the manuel*." ... Journeyman ground his teeth. "Always improving things th tdon't need improving," he muted. "Fine. Asymmetric. Show me." — Gwen and **Journeyman**

* Journeyman stayed rock-still and eyed teh readings on several meters on the control panel. "Well, now. Well, well. Txt doesn't look completely terrible." ... Gwen padded over and studied the readings. "They're perfect. All well within tolerance." ... "Tolerance," Journeyman said with a scowl. "Good enough for shop trots and tramp merchant engine room slugs. Not good enough for my *Preddy*."

## Book References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 1
2. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 2 and 28
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 28
4. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 1 and 14
5. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 2, p. 31
6. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 11, p. 119
7. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 14, p. 143
8. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 31
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 49 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "CS1ch49" defined multiple times with different content
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 58
11. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 61
12. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 62
13. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 1, p. 12
14. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 14, p. 143