Gunfire: The Distance

No, I wasn't concerned about faceless, independent threats. I was waiting for a far more dangerous foe to show his face.

"Nothing at all in the last few days," the crewman said to me over a tumbler of whiskey. "Nothing 'cept for a whisper of some Martese border action. Mostly sabre-rattling, but it's good to steer clear."

I sat my own tumbler down on the table to hide a sudden twitch of the hand. The amber liquid within rolled gently with the motion of the airship.

"Oh? Is that a normal this far out?"

"Oh, them Martese Navy can go days abroad, especially since they started importing from them other countries. That said, they don't normally send cruisers, so maybe they're looking for someone specific today."

I nodded slowly. It would be a pair of cruisers - long-ranged airships with enough firepower to take on any engagement bar heavy fleet actions. There would be at least two more cruiser pairs, to cover as much ground as possible.

Neptune wanted us, and he wanted us very much.