[Open ocean — International waters — Day 17]
A ship appeared at dawn.
Kira saw it first — Predator's Sense reading the silhouette on the eastern horizon before there was enough light to see it with the naked eye.
"Ship seventy kilometers away. Interception course. Speed greater than ours."
Max came up on deck and looked at the horizon with his spyglass.
One second.
"The Sea Fangs."
"Who are they?" asked Maya.
"The most business‑oriented of the five pirate factions." Max lowered the spyglass.
"They don't kill without reason. But they don't let anyone pass without charging either."
"How much do they charge?"
"It depends on what you're carrying." Max looked at the team. "And on what they think you can pay."
---
They arrived in forty minutes.
A ship larger than the team's — three times the size, with a black flag bearing the symbol of a broken white fang. They surrounded the team's boat with the efficiency of people who had performed this maneuver hundreds of times.
