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The sun had beaten down on the airship all day, and despite an open window, the air of the bridge tasted of metal and oil. describe the control room A man stood by the window holding a brass spyglass. His uniform bore the ensign of a captain, but the uniform was not that of any country or airline. Albert Schneider commanded one of the airships belonging to the Primogeniti, and he was the captain with the most experience in air raids. But the targets had always been ships far from shore or isolated country estates. Never a pleasure barge hanging above a city. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t just send someone to the auction on the barge and buy Lucifer’s Eye. But unlike some, he was not one to question orders. He pulled the cork out of a voicepipe and spoke into the opening. “Lieutenant Grass to the bridge.” He raised the spyglass and pointed it at the pleasure barge 1000 feet below the airship. The top of the balloon carrying the barge caught the last red rays of sunlight, while dusk had fallen on the barge itself. The vessel was shaped like a drum and the sides were decorated with mosaics of painted glass depicting Egyptian gods. The mosaic was lit from within and glowed in the fading light. On the upper deck, two tents stood on the perimeter opposite each other, one blue striped and the other golden. To Schneider, this was a floating temple of decadence, proving that God had gone mad when he had sent a flood to exterminate the first race he had created, the Primogeniti, and replaced these strong tough people with a weak soft race only fit to lounge in a garden and play with pet lions. But in hidden caves in the Alps, the Primogeniti had survived the flood, and through countless winters they had grown strong. And in the next hours, the fate of the world hung in the balance. If the Primogeniti got hold of the pearl called Lucifer’s Eye, they could take back the world, and make the Paradise Dwellers their servants. Until that day came when machines could fulfil the Primogeniti’s needs and a new flood would drown the Dwellers. And there would be no God to help them. It was clear from the decadence in the world that God died long ago, probably committed suicide in disgust with his newborn spineless favourites, who lacked even the discipline to not steal apples. A man entered the bridge wearing a formal evening coat. “You called Captain, but with your permission, sir, the men are wondering if we should prepare now?” That was the question Schneider had been dealing with before he had allowed his mind to wander. Seven times blimps had delivered people to the barge, but he had no way of knowing if the art dealer himself had arrived with the pearl. He couldn’t let his fliers hang for long and dehydrate in their heavy gear. Nor could he keep his ship hovering here for long. It was painted as a freighter from Danube Fracht, but it would be unusual for a freighter to hang in the air above a city, and the barge would be teeming with bodyguards on the lookout for anything unusual. What a mess. “Take a look at the target, Lieutenant.” He handed the spyglass to the Grass. “Yes?” “Can you avoid the shrouds?” “The shrouds? Are they the ropes around the balloon?” Schneider took a deep breath. “The balloon, as you call it, is the envelope. A net of cables is wrapped around the envelope. These cables are anchored on the spacer ring. That is the ring 30 yards above and the barge and with a diameter double that of the barge.” “I understand, Sir.” “The barge hangs from the spacer ring. The ropes they hang in, the ones that look like rope ladders, those are the shrouds.” “I see, Sir.” “How many shrouds do you see?” Grass lips moved as he counted. “I count about twenty, but I’m not sure I can see them all.” “Exactly. And how about the fliers? They come in at a high speed in almost darkness. Can they avoid them? And the deck is full of junk. And bodyguards. Can the fliers land without breaking their legs? Or necks?”