The Witches of Ne'arth (The Star Wizards Trilogy Book 2) by Joseph Schembrie Page A

swept among them.  Matt, the only one who wasn't busy, waved back until he realized that Krobart was watching him. 
    Prin consulted his clipboard.  “Let's go to cruise.  Three-quarters throttle, heading due north.”
    Andra swung to the new heading and eased the power levers.  The engines purred as the ship ascended to avoid the hilltop trees. 
    “Faster than a horse in gallop!” Krobart exclaimed.
    He was grasping the bulkhead rail so hard that his knuckles were white.  Matt wondered how he would react to a trip in an aircar.  At least they were making a positive impression.  Krobart had to realize that the airship was worth funding. 
    Prin supervised the test flight maneuvers and operations:  ascend to X meters, descend to Y, right by forty-five degrees, left by ninety, replenish and release ballonet pressure, adjust trim, ahead full speed, come to dead stop.  Andra flew with a grace and fluidity that made the ship seem alive. 
    “Pitot static tubes within five percent tolerance,” Savora reported. 
    She smiled back at Matt from the gauge panel.  Matt glanced at the gauge readings and Ivan confirmed that her calculation was correct.  Yet she was not holding the compensation value graphs.  Had she memorized them?
    After that, he watched her pore over the navigation charts and plot their course with dead-on accuracy.  In theory, a person without a computer could have done the work.  She consulted the barometer to estimate altitude, then triangulated distance between landmarks to time ground speed.  Her fingers shifted the slide rule as if she had been born to it, though Matt was certain that no Britanian merchant's girl had seen a slide rule before he'd introduced them to the planet a few weeks earlier. 
    “Why are they running?” Krobart demanded.
    They followed his gaze to a village below.  The harvesters had been out in force, but they dropped their baskets upon sight of the ship and instead of waving they were fleeing into the woods.
    “We haven't been up this far north before,” Prin said.  “They've never seen the ship before and don't know if it's friend or foe.”
    Krobart's jaw dropped.  “You mean they fear us!”
    “They'll get used to us in time.  Word travels almost as fast as an airship on this island.”
    Krobart nodded.  “We'll need to paint a leaf on the side.  To let them know the ship belongs to the Leaf, and that the Leaf is protecting them with it.”
    “I've always wondered,” Andra said.  “Why is your organization called the 'Leaf?'”
    “Because the leaves of a tree sustain the tree, and cover it.”
    “The tree being, I assume, Britan.”
    “Exactly.  A leaf derives energy from the sun, and gives power to the tree.”
    “I thought your organization was democratic,” Prin said. 
    “It is.”
    “Yet if by 'tree' you mean the people of Britan, then isn't it the case that the Leaf derives power from the people, rather than the other way around?  That's how democracy is supposed to work.”
    Krobart's smile faded.  “The Leaf is the will of the Britanian people.”
    “So you hold elections?”
    “Elections are encumbrance at this time.  Also, every patriotic Britanian recognizes that the leadership of the Leaf supports their best interests.”
    Prin muttered, “I see.” 
    After three hours by the ship's chronometer they returned to the base.  The ship glided over the airfield and the mooring lines were caught by the ground crew.  Krobart, Prin, and Matt disembarked onto the landing field while Andra and Savora secured the ship and conducted it back into the hangar, locking props and reattaching ballast bags. 
    Krobart's face was aglow as he watched the great doors close.  “Simply amazing!  I must send a report immediately!”
    “So we're approved for funding?” Prin asked.
    “Most definitely!  With the aid of this ship, I dare say that we'll be able to mount an attack against Londa itself and drive the Romans from Britan for