Marissa stood in what would be the passenger area on any other airship. The area here was devoted to passengers as well, she supposed, but everything had a much more utilitarian nature than a typical passenger liner.

There were few wicker chairs anyway. She decided they would stand.

Behind her, prim, proper and most important of all, silent, all five of her best fourth year students hovered nearby.

They would not say a word until absolutely necessary.

And neither would she, Marissa thought, sourly.

They were the only women onboard the ship. And, they would be doing the lion’s share of the work, if her premonitions about what they would be facing were accurate.

Below, the city glowed faintly with gaslight. It rose up from streetlamps, flames shielded from the wind by rectangular glass enclosures. It streaked out from windows, mainly flats where residents were not yet sleeping. And here and there, an office building or shop might have a lamp left on for whatever reason.

It all served to create a speckled, flickering menagerie sliding below them, outside the windows.

Marissa kept her auditory senses focused on the bridge. One of her skills was [Keen Ear], and standing here had been a strategic decision.

For one thing, this location would allow her to move the team quickly once the enemy was sighted. But she could also listen in on discussions taking place nearby on the bridge.

And she unabashedly eavesdropped on Air Warden Logan and the present conversation with his second-in-command.

“So, Mr. Powell said he witnessed them rising from the encirclement around the main steam vault, heading east. He shot off their propellers not far from there. Hopefully that’s where we’ll find them.”

“You don’t think the Darhaven will try and pull those ships back, do you, sir? Surely they will try and mount a rescue operation for them.”

“I suspect that it depends. We don’t know if they have any extra ships. We don’t know if they’ll have to call in ships from another vault. We don’t even know if the other vaults have any ships. All we know is the last location these two stranded vessels were sighted.”

“What do you plan on doing once we find them, sir?”

Logan sighed, and Marissa heard the squeak of leather as he leaned back in his chair.

“I should like to tow at least one, maybe both, back to the Carlyle Aerodrome. We have the resources there to handle any violence the sewer troopers onboard may give us.”

“Begging your pardon, sir. But how do you propose to tow both ships?”

“That’s the fly in the ointment, isn’t it? I’ve no idea. To make matters worse, these black airships are said to be heavily armed. The one that attacked Doctors’ Commons the other day put a right spot of damage on things with its big 9-50s. I reckon they’ll try something similar on us if we get too close. And to make matters worse, we are on an Umbrian-built ship, not a Prussian one. We’re not enhanced like they are. Anything they shoot at us, from a twenty-two on up, will likely go right through the cabin. Or the gas envelope.”

“That’s not a pleasant thought, sir.”

“Oh, I agree. I had hoped the Venture Society would have some ideas as to how to handle that part of the operation.”

He sighed again.

“But alas, they sent along school girls. Unbelievable. We’ll just have to make do, as best we can.”

Inwardly, Marissa groaned. She was used to this sort of attitude, though, and it did not surprise her.

She looked at her girls who stood lined up in front of the passenger window, gazing down at the nighttime view of the city.

“Let’s do an equipment check, girls. Molly, how many drums of ammunition do you have on you?”

“Six, Lady Fisher.”

“Very good. Evelyn, do you have the harpoon guns Dame Anderson gave us?”

“Yes, Lady Fisher.”

“Excellent. And Matilda, do you have all our dynamite along with plenty of dry matches?”

“Yes, Lady Fisher.”

“Everyone has their goggles? Alpine gear?”

“Yes, Lady Fisher.”

“Right. Maintain your position. Speak with no one. I will attempt to reason with our leaders, then return immediately.”

All six nodded at her, then quietly resumed watching the lights slide by out the window.

Marissa moved to the top of the steps leading down into the bridge. She knocked on the wall, attracting everyone’s attention.

“Permission to come on the bridge, Warden?”

“What? Oh, yes. I suppose so. What can I do for you, Lady Fisher? We have not yet found our targets.”

“About that. I have a suggestion for how to approach, when we do chance across them.”

“Is that so?”

Logan cleared his throat, staring at her. An uncomfortable silence ensued.

“Well, do tell us. I’m curious as to how you might see things, and how they stand.”

“You need to approach them from above.”

“Above?”

“Yes. From a higher elevation.”

The warden shared a long look with his second. Finally, he glanced back at Marissa.

“And why is that, pray tell? What possible advantage do we gain by approaching them from above?”

“I can see one advantage, sir,” the pilot said, his hands on the dirigible’s wheel. “We could shoot down upon them from above. Quite easily. It’s a common enough tactic.”

“Yes, that’s all very fine and good, Mr. Johnson. But recall, these ships we are about to face are almost certainly enhanced. All the previous black airships we’ve encountered have been enhanced, and I’ve no hint these will not be. If so, our guns will do nothing to them.”

“Powell’s guns seem to have left them stranded, sir,” his second pointed out.

“That’s true, but he spent every bullet he had to do it. And that damage is already done. We can’t take out their gasbags, nor damage their cabins with our guns, even our big ones, I assure you.”

“Warden Logan, the purpose of approaching from above is not to shoot at them.”

All the men turned their attention back to Marissa.

“Is that so, Lady Fisher? Then what, pray tell, is the purpose? Please tell us.”

She ignored his condescending tone.

“The purpose of approaching them from above is so that they cannot shoot us.”

Silence.

She smiled at the men.

“Do you not understand, Warden? Their guns only aim ahead and down. They do not aim up. They cannot shoot at anything above their own airframes.”