“Now we’re gonna see some shit” muttered Captain Willie.
“Your intrusion into Carolina airspace is provocative. Leave now! Remain and you will be committing an act of deliberate aggression.” Even distorted by the megaphone, the menace in Captain Ross’ voice was undeniable.
The US airship was a heavy cruiser but the King Jesus was a full-fledged battleship. Her grapple guns were supplemented by two Belgian mitrailleuse guns, on mounted on either side of her bow. The crew of the Sandflea held their collective breath. The King Jesus held its position above the much smaller Sandflea. Captain Araminta Ross was not bluffing!
There was silence for several long minutes as the 3 airships bobbed slightly in the airstream. Soon the sun would rise high enough to dissipate the morning mist. Meanwhile, the captain of the US airship apparently reached a decision. Without any more discussion the airship slowly rotated as her thrusters on the port side released a burst of steam while the starboard thrusters remained silent. After doing a somewhat ponderous 180 degree turn she rose majestically into the air, no doubt in order to avoid the unpredictable gusts of wind that could bash her against the rock face.
Suddenly the tension was broken by a sea of voices.
“That woman is crazy. What does she think she’s doing, taking that big ole warship this far into the mountains? What’s she gonna do next?” Willie’s tone of voice betrayed his admiration for Araminta Ross even as he voiced scepticism of her judgement.
“I don’t care who she thinks she is, she’ll get us all killed with her antics.”
“She knows what she is doing. Remember, Captain Ross was enslaved by these people and knows how they think. They’d see the slightest sign of compromise as a sign of weakness.”
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