Bart was good at his job; he knew the balloon as well as any observer, and he understood the situation they were in. As the wind whipped them outward over the sea, he understood that he needed to climb above the storm to prevent being driven into the ocean or being struck by lightning. He wrapped a blanket around Penny and pulled his own coat close against the wind and rain. He turned up the fuel to climb as lightning began to strike around them. They slowly rose through the storm as they were driven farther out to sea. This was not good, but he vowed to make the best of this situation. Penny told him they had mounted a rescue mission to follow them. They smiled at each other in a moment of hope.
A fleet of five Iron Island ships was out training when their telepath got word about the loss of Observer Balloon #1. None of the other balloons along the coast had been aloft when the storm front hit; it alone was lost. The captain of the training fleet called for a new mission: they would follow the lost balloon to aid in the rescue. The Iron Island telepath alerted Penny that their five ships were joining the search and began trying to locate the two lost observers.
As they cleared the tops of the storm clouds, Bart estimated that the winds aloft were in the 40-mile-an-hour range. Since they had broken loose, he estimated that they had gone nearly 200 nautical miles west of the coast. While this was demoralizing, they were cheered by the sight of a slowly sinking sun in the west. The dark storm clouds had moved southwest from them, and they were moving swiftly over a pillow of white, fluffy clouds. It would have been almost fun if not for the cold wind and the dire straits they were in.
Arya was surprised to see the cook from the Sovereign come rushing into the Hall. "Is Bart Jr. going to be alright?" he asked her. "Bart was that your son who was aboard the lost balloon?" Arya queried. He nodded sadly in response. "He always loved the sky and birds and such....", he trailed off. "When they announced balloon crew trials, he was first in line. We were so proud of him when he made it as an observer." Arya comforted him, "Everything we can do is being done, Bart. We will rescue them." She told him there were now six ships in the search party; five Iron Island ships had joined the search. Thomas piped up, saying, "I spoke to Penny's mother; she said Penny had packed a heavy meal basket for their shift. They should have decent food for many days, Bart. They will be alright." A plate of food was set before Bart, but he barely acknowledged it. Captain Dirk, who was sitting nearby eating, got up, came over, and put a hand on Bart's shoulder. "Don't worry, old friend, they will find them and bring them home," Dirk consoled him. Bart jumped up and said, "I have to go tell my wife!" He ran out the door. Thomas watched him, saying, "No matter how large it seems, it is still a small world." Dirk and Arya both nodded.
Bart "Jr." told Penny, "We have to get out of this wind. It is so cold up here, and it is pushing us far out to sea." Penny offered Bart a small portion from her dinner basket, saying, "We should only eat a little; we have to make it last." Bart checked his pockets. He knew he had brought a sandwich with him, but he also discovered some candy. And to his surprise, there was a small jar of honey from his wife's bees that he had intended to give to one of his co-workers. He handed over the food to Penny, saying, "You're in charge of our food, Penny, just give us enough to stay alive. We have to give rescue time to get to us." Penny smiled when she saw the honey; that alone would keep them going for at least a day. The balloon slowly drifted downward through pink clouds, and they could see the ocean beneath them. It was going to be difficult to keep them at the proper height through the night. Low enough not to freeze but above the water. Bart experimented with height adjustment as the world got darker around them. He didn't tell Penny, but they were halfway through the fuel, and the fire gem that ignited it was looking slightly weaker. The gems had to be recharged every week to keep them working right. He figured they could stay aloft another 6 days or so, and he hoped that rescue would come in time.
He drifted off to sleep in the dark and was startled awake by the sound of waves just below them. It was pitch dark, and he couldn't tell how close to the surface of the sea they were. He fired off one of their 6 fire arrows to see where they were. The fire arrow hit the water only 30 feet below them, and he dialed up the fuel to get them higher. This was going to be trouble, and it hit him just how precarious their position was.