Over on the left, three Battle Galleons from Ashdale hovered surrounded by a formation of La Vive Strike Frigates in escort. Across untold miles of open s.p.a.ce, angular Germat guns.h.i.+ps completely covered in plates of iron armor roved by in patrol squads of four. Over on the other side was a ma.s.sive mothers.h.i.+p owned by the Ira Caliphate, a veritable island held up by clouds of golden silk balloons. Much closer by and a little behind them was a cl.u.s.ter of flying mountains, or at least what looked like such.

"Flying Mountains Formation." Phoebe recognized it. "That's the trademark airs.h.i.+p fleet of the Nine Mountains."

Only they would be nuts enough to fas.h.i.+on airs.h.i.+ps that looked like mountains on purpose.

Mendev Zeppelins hovered in the distance. High above, a Libertaria Observation Balloon made a little speck against the backdrop of the endless blue sky. In the horizon were a pair of Sky Dragon airs.h.i.+ps from the Dragon Empire, long, rakish airs.h.i.+ps plated with scales and adorned with heads shaped like dragons. More and more airs.h.i.+ps from more and more powers dotted the scene, most of them generally staying a safe distance from each other, but all quite capable of keeping an eye on everybody else at a glance.

The skies above the clouds were filled with tension. There was no fighting here for the moment, but all it took was a single rash move and whole fleets would burn before the day was over.

Talia stared in a daze for a long minute, and then another. Most of the airs.h.i.+ps around here were easily identifiable with one nation or the other. Given the looks of the Red Fang, the rough armor plating, the thick leather covering of the envelope, veils covering the openings to keep sand out, all colored red, orange and sand-like… just about everyone would peg it as an airs.h.i.+p from Fal'herim.

"Incoming transmission. It's an invitation from the Ira Caliphate." The comms officer on duty mentioned.

Right. Fal'Herim was one of the Coalition of Six. The Ira Caliphate, the Saudara Nation, Paleres, Kuasa Besar, and the Rainforest Commonwealth made up the other five. It made perfect sense that they would be counted as friendlies by Ira.

Phoebe hesitated. Flying with Ira would likely afford them some measure of protection; out here, their island-like mothers.h.i.+p was clearly the largest airs.h.i.+p in the skies. But Phoebe herself had a low impression of the Coalition of Six, particularly in light of their practice of slavery. Their airs.h.i.+p might be from Fal'Herim originally, but the people on board were generally freed slaves who had fought against Fal'Herim.

"Turn them down, saying we won't be here long." Phoebe decided. "Helm, descend into the cloud layer."

"Wait. What?" the helmsman paused.

"You heard me. The cloud layer."

"The cloud layer?! You want to fly blind in the clouds?"

"There are other senses we can rely on other than sight."

"But… even so… there's no telling what we might b.u.mp into or… or…!"

"It would be safer than flying up here alone or worse, meeting the slavers."

Still, the helmsman hesitated. But after a few long seconds, the airs.h.i.+p began to descend back into the clouds.

There. Soft, white mists thickly surrounded them. For a minute, they were at peace, completely isolated from the world in this little safe pocket of blind invisibility.

Then…

POW! The explosion took place overhead. Phoebe looked up only to see the envelope of their airs.h.i.+p thoroughly pierced by two huge horns.

Horns on an airs.h.i.+p? The horned stealth s.h.i.+ps of Bulrak?!

Of all the things they could have crashed into within the cloud layer, that was the worst possible! What kind of bad luck would it take for this sort of thing to happen?!

Actually, other than Bulrak's horned airs.h.i.+ps, who else would be happily speeding around blindly in the clouds hoping to crash into somebody?

The Red Fang's gas envelope was protected by reinforced leather and magical wards, even a layer of mana s.h.i.+elding, but the Bulraki horns were heavily magicked, thoroughly reinforced and deliberately built for piercing armored airs.h.i.+ps… for those horns to crash into the balloon part was just…

"We're going down!" The helmsman yelped, as the Red Fang lost alt.i.tude at an increasing rate.

***

Remian woke up to a splitting headache, the sensation of falling and the sounds of screaming on every side.

In a daze, what came to mind was a deep need for something soft to put his head into.

A somewhat less groogy part of his mind also felt that everybody in this falling airs.h.i.+p could use something soft to land into.

"Pillow." Remian said.

Soul-boost flared.

WHUMP. The airs.h.i.+p landed in something soft. Everybody inside barely stirred; the very air inside seemed to have turned into a cotton-like thickness. Even their screams sounded like they were traveling through thick pillows. Several things that should have fallen to gravity were even hovering in place, slowly sinking in the suddenly thickened air.

And then everything went back to normal. All the fluffy thickness vanished, everything that should have landed on the floor immediately very quickly dropped at their usual pace.

But that was about all Remian managed to register before he blacked out again.

***

Mindy woke up to a pounding headache. Every heartbeat was accompanied by a deep throbbing pain in her skull as if her brains were hammering at a cage trying to get out.

"Brains, please stop. I need you right where you are." Mindy pleaded.

But unfortunately, her brains would not cooperate. This place was boring or something, they decided, and thus expended their utmost effort to burst out of her skull.

"Mindy! You're awake?" Phoebe was there looking somewhat battered and dirty, but clear-minded and clearly without a headache.

"Can you knock me out? Please?" Mindy groaned. "My head is just…"

Phoebe laid a hand on her head. Soft light glowed. The throbbing eased a bit. "Better?"

"A bit. But I really don't want to be awake right now."

"Okay." Phoebe switched her palm for a fist, and then a sharp pain was felt on Mindy's forehead.

Then, blissful blackness.

***

They landed on a spa.r.s.e plateau. The airs.h.i.+p was not in bad shape, and had fallen straight down. It arrived on the ground still upright, so rather than set up camp, everybody decided simply to stay on board the airs.h.i.+p.

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They took in the burst envelope hoping to fix it, then covered the top deck with camouflage; rock-colored canvas, branches, bushes… by the time they were done, a casual glance from high above wouldn't spot anything out of place on the plateau.

"Everyone, get some rest, and fix up whatever you can." Phoebe instructed. "Set up a watch with hourly s.h.i.+fts. We're in a war zone here, people, and we do not want to be caught unawares."

"What about Talia?" one of the crew asked.

"We'll get her." Phoebe said. "But first, we need to make sure we don't get caught ourselves."