The Red Sky left the hangar at dead slow, edging its way out into the storm. The first gust hit the hauler like a hammer blow, with a second not far behind it. The captain gritted his teeth and ordered the engines to full ahead, wrestling with the wheel against the wildly fluctuating winds.

Inside the hangar bay, we alternately sat and held onto crates, trying not to think about their contents.

“What the Gearwings saw was a single airship, medium tonnage, lying half-buried at the bottom of the valley. Best guess is the captain suffered an impact that holed the envelope and forced him to land, and the snow just built up around it. Since it’s in one piece and the Gearwings didn’t notice any debris, it’s almost probable that there are survivors inside.

“We’ll need to force our way in through the envelope access. Fourteen will open the way for us, but go in pairs and be ready to get out if any kind of collapse looks likely.”