Airship Captain

The Airship Captain is a relatively recent title which came with the invention of the airship in the Mirror Lakes. At first the Captain was in charge of a whole crew, but since airships became possible to man with only one person, the Captain is accompanied only by an Airship Assistant. The Captain is also responsible for any passengers, which are usually the Captain's wealthy employers and any serving staff.   A Captain, whether of an airship or traditional ship, is a highly regarded title, but Airship Captain is seen as the creme of the creme. It comes with many privileges besides the high salary; it commands respect from nobility and peasantry alike, and it allows access to the Halls of Governance, which few civilian titles do.   On the airship, the Captain calls the shots. While not common, it's possible for the Captain's employer to disagree with decisions the Captain makes in flight; however in law, the Captain is in charge of the vessel and cannot be penalised by their employer for any decision they make, unless they can be proved to be breaching the Airship Flight Safety Code. In such rare instances, the issue is brought to the attention of the Transport Bureau, who look at the circumstances and adjudicate accordingly.   All Airship Captains start off as Airship Assistants, a profession which is highly sought after and only the best get into. It takes many, many years of work as an Assistant before promotion to Captain. By law, an Assistant must complete a minimum of twenty years' work before promotion; in practise, it may take far longer, for at the end of the day it is the employer's decision, and usually promotion does not occur until the Assistant in question's Captain has retired.