Mapmaker, p.19
Mapmaker, page 19
“Yeah, maybe. Look, Tessa, Berian and I were talking before the ceremony, and seventy-five, eighty-five years from now, the three of us, you, me, and Abilynn are all best friends. Let’s just flip time around and pretend that the early part of my life didn’t happen in the future, and we can still be best friends.”
“I would like that,” she nodded. “And if my little blonde sister-friend gets out of line in that regard, let me know, and I will take care of it. Does that sound good?” She held out her hand to shake his. He looked down at it, smiled, took her hand, pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead.
“That sounds very good, Sub-Commander.”
Tessa smiled warmly. “Thank you, Commander.”
“Permission to come aboard, Commander?” Lianeth stood by the gate in the gunwales.
“Permission granted. Welcome home, Healer.” Nathaniel gave Lianeth a light hug. “How is our captain doing?”
“Better than expected,” she replied with her thick Irish accent. “But it’s still going to be a long year for her. She did send these for you.” Lianeth held up two bottles of Irish whiskey. “She got them from Seamus, Fillian’s brother.”
“Ah, yes, Seamus Mac Oilsdealbaigh. And they said Ian was a rascal,” Nathaniel grinned.
“Seamus could’ve given Ian McDonagh rascal lessons. Ciliren?”
“I think she’s down below still. She’ll be up for the grand departing. We are waiting on our Princess and her father. While you were away, Lona performed exceptionally well in yet another battle with the Bolandrians, so we promoted her to the rank of Acting Ensign. She’s having my mother make some last-minute alterations to her uniform. Growing girl, you know.”
“Lona is a beautiful young woman in many more ways than just her appearance,” Lianeth observed. “I’m sure Lady Iolena will do an excellent job in reflecting that in Lona’s uniform.”
“Lianeth!” Ciliren came up from below and embraced her former assistant, now equal. “Welcome back. I’ve missed you.”
“And I’ve missed you, my Lady.”
“We are equals now, Major. Ciliren or Cil, or even Cilly is fine.”
Lianeth blushed. “I feel silly calling you Cilly, Ciliren.”
“No matter,” the doctor said as the two of them moved away. As they did so, the Golden Falcon flew into the ship and shifted back into Lona Yaleria-Brice, with Zedra right behind her. “Permission to come on board, Commander?”
“Permission granted, Ensign. Where’s your father?”
“Probably ruing the fact that he’s not a shapeshifter right now. I left him down by the house. He’ll be along.”
“Your uniform looks very spiffy,” the redheaded Sub-Commander told Lona. The princess grinned and spun in a circle.
“Doesn’t it? Nana made it fit perfectly but allowed for growth in all the important places. Is my sister, Sinead, here?”
“Already down in the galley. The only one we’re waiting on is Sage,” Tessa told her.
“Good. I have something from Amil Gwyn to give her, then I’ll be right back up.”
“I’m here, I’m here,” Sage said as he climbed into the airship. “Permission to come on board and all that, Captain.”
“It’s Commander, and permission granted.” He turned to Kip, at the steering wheel. “Sound All Hands, Aviator.”
“Aye, Commander.”
“How are you doing, Thea?” Nathaniel asked the senior member of the protection team, Thea Shire, who was taking her turn at the controls. As one of his first commands, Nathaniel had required everyone in the crew, including the healers and the ship’s cook, to learn how to steer the vessel and run its controls.
“Do you mean in terms of this job, Commander?”
“Yes, but not just. We’ve undergone a lot of changes in the last few weeks. How are you and the rest of your team doing?”
Thea nodded. “Personally, I’m doing fine. I thought this would be a little less daunting than it turns out that it is,” she said indicating the controls. “Orlal and Wwyn had a few tense moments, but Mr. Senter seems to have worked that out. Diedre Dur sent two more hand-picked Krakara, Skerit and Sarek, and they are getting situated. Mr. Salvo will be working with Senter in engineering now. The women, Kara, Pipia, Mira and I seem to have adjusted a little more easily. Kipling, Enesneth, well, permission to speak freely, Sir?”
“Of course,” Nathaniel nodded.
“Are they considered Protectors or not, because they certainly set themselves apart from that role. I mean, she’s the armorer and she’s classified as an Aviator, where you made me an officer and Kara a Sergeant.”
“Understood. On the airship, the armorer, Enesneth, is indeed under your command. Off the ship, depending on where we are and what we’re doing, they revert to the Librarian role, seeking and gathering artifacts for the Library of Ellandaril. At that point they are under Tessa’s control. Kipling answers to Mr. Senter and myself. And just so you know, I have placed the cook, Sinead Brice, under the command of the doctor. The galley and sick bay are close to each other, so it’s easier for Major Ciliren to keep tabs on that.”
“Understood, Sir. If I may ask, where are we headed today?”
“We got a late start this morning because of waiting for Lona and Sage, but hopefully we can make StarFire Island before dark. The Commodore has directed us to stay away from the Bolandrian coast for the time being, until Emissary Gat is able to determine what is going on between us and the Dolan Polici.”
“Again, speaking freely, Commander, it is fortunate that Princess Lona spotted that airship dreadnought that night last week. We might not be here if she hadn’t done so.”
“That’s why the Commodore and Doctor Wicker approved her promotion to Ensign. Acting Ensign, which is more of a training rank.”
“So far, she doesn’t seem to be letting it go to her head. She is young, but everyone on my crew seems to like her. Of course, with Mira, it’s personal. She is as protective of Princess Lona as Zedra is.”
“That’s to be expected, I suppose.” He held out his hand. “Telescope?” Thea handed him the device, which he extended and looked off of the port bow. “Is that what I think it is?”
“If it is, it’s grown probably three or four times the size it was last week,” Thea answered.
“Alter course 35° left rudder,” he directed. “Sub-Commander, Ensign, to the map table. You need to see this, Tessa.”
Tessa came up on deck with Lona, followed by Sage. Natty handed her the telescope and pointed to the left side. “Is that what I think it is?” Tessa parroted.
“There are the five fingers, so yes, I’m guessing that is exactly what you think it is.”
Sage took the scope from Tessa and looked, eliciting a low whistle. “From what direction is the prevailing wind?”
“Out of the south, why?”
“Thea, steer to the south side of the island, and keep some distance,” Sage directed. “Natty, do you have a pair of binoculars?”
“Yes, but what will you see with binoculars that you can’t see with the telescope?”
“Two eyes and steadier,” Sage answered. “There appears to be steam coming from certain features, but more importantly, it looks like there are people down there.”
Chapter twenty-three
Survivors and Stragglers
“How in the worlds did they get down there?” Kara questioned.
“Over there,” Lona pointed. “It’s the Bolandrian dreadnought, or what’s left of it.” The rest of the crew on deck looked and could see the crashed dirigible halfway up one of the sidewalls of the caldera.
“I only see three souls down there, Commander,” Thea reported. “What do you want to do?”
Nathaniel looked through the binoculars again. “This is one of the times I really wish Anders had stayed with us.” He looked at Sage. “Do you have any idea how long before that volcano is no longer dormant?”
Sage shook his head. “It could be days, weeks, minutes. There’s no way that I know of to tell. I’m a diplomat, not a volcanologist.”
Natty looked at him curiously. “You just made that up, didn’t you?”
“Seemed appropriate,” Sage grinned. “Seriously, I have no idea. Tessa, what do you think?”
“Regardless,” the cartographer replied, “we can’t just leave them down there, can we?”
“Excuse me, but we are talking about the same people who have been chasing us around the South Sea for the past few months,” Kip pointed out. “Besides, it could be a trap. We can only see three, but we know the crew on those things is a lot larger.”
“They’re Bolandrian, so they probably don’t mind-speak,” Mira suggested and turned to Sage, “and before you even say it, you’re not sending the Princess down there in falcon form or any other way.”
“Whoa, okay,” Sage put up both hands and backed away from Mira. “You and I have had it out before. I’m not going to argue with you, nor did I have any plans to send her,” he added emphatically.
“All right, everybody breathe normal.” Natty turned to Mira. “You too.”
“Adda Connor always says that,” Lona whispered to Tessa. The redhead put her finger on her lips to quiet Lona.
“Mira is probably right,” Nathaniel agreed. “They probably don’t mind-speak, but they may still have their radio device. I believe that we can hook the one that we captured up to our own power supply and communicate with them, see what they need. Kipling, go and get that radiograph out of the storeroom behind the galley.” Kip saluted and headed down the steps. Several minutes later he was back with Senter and the black box. The two engineers quickly connected it to the ship’s electrical system.
Nathaniel pressed the button on the front of the box, which produced a tone until he released the button. He then pressed the button on the side of the microphone and spoke, “This is the commander of the GSS Starduster attached to the Gewellyn Navy. Do you hear me, Bolandrian vessel?”
There was some static noise, and then a voice came over the radio device. “This is the Bolandrian Battle Cruiser Vigilance. Who are you, and what are you doing on this frequency?”
“This is Commander Nathaniel Clark on board the Starduster. Do you require assistance? We have two healers on board. You should know, our cartographer and geographer believe that the island you are on is volcanic and is going to erupt in the near future.”
“Starduster, you are the reason we are here in the first place. No, we do not require your assistance, and we have our own medical personnel. The only way that we will come on board your vessel is if you surrender to us immediately.”
Natty was incredulous. “You’re kidding, right?”
“The Dolan Polici never kid, Commander. I will advise you to surrender or we will open fire,” the voice over the radio threatened.
“Vigilance commander, I have kicked your Dolan Polici butt before, and I will do it again if I have to. Your craft is obviously disabled, and from what we were able to determine in flying over it, your gyrocopters are gone or destroyed. If we leave you here, there is no guarantee that a vessel from our regular Navy can arrive before the island blows up. Indeed, we will not use our lightning cannon for fear of triggering the eruption. The decision is yours, but make it quickly.”
Through the binoculars they could see the three visible crew members appeared to be arguing. One of them pointing at the island and then at the Starduster. Suddenly, as Nathaniel and Sage watched, two of the survivors ganged up on the third, throwing him to the ground.
“Starduster, my name is Gregory, and I am a member of the crew of the Vigilance, not an officer. There are four of us still alive, although one is seriously injured. We will restrain our political officer from the secret police. Please get us off of this island!”
“Gregory, our Naval Rangers will descend by rope and show you where we can pick you up. We are watching you. Any hostility toward our Rangers will be met with equal and greater force from the airship. We have rotary cannons, coil guns and the lightning cannon, plus we have magic wielders. We will treat you with respect, feed you, and turn you over to the regular Navy for repatriation. However, if you fire upon us, or this is any sort of a trap, we will annihilate you. Do you understand?”
“We understand, Commander. I assure you, we will give no resistance, and there is no one left on board the Vigilance. We will await your commandos.”
“It was almost funny, Commander,” Thea Shire reported after they had rescued the members of the Bolandrian airship. “They didn’t have any rope, so the largest member of their party was sitting on the political officer. We’ve stowed their weapons safely away, and Gregory says he would like to speak to you. Also, we saved this.” She held out the Bolandrian radiograph. "We thought it might be useful."
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Lock the survivors in the storage compartments in the bow of the airship, as far away from the helicopter and the airplane as possible. Place a double guard on their accommodations and also a guard on the flight deck. Nobody, and I mean nobody at all, is to be allowed near the aircraft except myself and Enesneth Bluehavens until we get to StarFire Island.”
“Understood, Sir,” Thea replied. “And, commander, when you talk with this Gregory, if I may, Sir, I would like to be in the room.”
“Absolutely, Thea. Also, let Sinead know that we’ll need three more meals, and place a guard on their injured crewmember in the infirmary.”
“Yes sir.”
Nathaniel turned to Tessa. “What would you like to do, Sub-Commander?”
Tessa smiled. “First of all, Nathaniel Yalerius-Clark, I’d like for you to stop calling me by my rank and use my name again.”
“With our guests,” Natty spoke softly, “I would rather that we use rank rather than names until we get to StarFire.”
Tessa nodded. “I guess that makes sense, Commander. What do you think I should do?”
“If you’re done working on the changes to the map, Ciliren, excuse me, Major Aguilera, thinks that the Bolandrian in the infirmary may be an officer. I thought we go down and see if he’s able to talk yet.”
“What about the other one, the Dolan Polici political officer?”
“He’s in a separate chamber from the other two. I’m just going to let him stew for a while and let Desara deal with him.”
Behind Tessa, Lianeth came up on deck from the infirmary. “Commander, Sub-Commander, the doctor would like you to come down to the infirmary.”
“We were just talking about that,” Natty confirmed. “Lead the way.”
They followed Lianeth down the flight of stairs and into the infirmary area. Ciliren stopped them at the door. “There is not a lot I can do for him,” she confessed. “His internal injuries are pretty severe and lacking a modern Terran trauma surgical suite I’m not going to be able to repair them rapidly enough. I’ve applied some therapeutic magic so that he’s comfortable, but he hasn’t got long. He did ask to speak with you, and he says that he is the pilot of the Vigilance.” Nathaniel nodded.
Ciliren stepped aside and Nathaniel and Tessa entered the small room. The injured man’s eyes glanced at Nathaniel and locked on the redheaded Sub-Commander. “You’re her, the cartographer, aren’t you?”
Tessa glanced at Nathaniel, who nodded that she could respond. “I am. I’m Sub-Commander Tessa Chart, and this is our commanding officer, Nathaniel Clark. Doctor Aguilera said you wish to speak with us.”
“My name is Kelvo Moen, Kapitan of the Bolandrian Air Forces ship Vigilance.” He started coughing, and Lianeth bent and wiped blood from his lips. The captain smiled weakly at her. “Thank you, nurse.”
“Major O’Donaughal is a healer, of the same rank as Doctor Aguilera,” Nathaniel corrected without rancor. Moen nodded.
“Apologies, Major, and thank you.” He looked at the other two. “What did you do with Oberst Tallis, our Dolan Polici,” he paused as if looking for the word, “advisor.”
“He’s in a safe place, separated from your other two men.” Tessa answered. “He’s not very happy, because first of all the larger of your two men sat on him until our Naval Rangers were able to take him into custody, and, secondly, because we stripped him down to his small clothes, and even those were inspected.”
“Small clothes?” the dying man asked.
“Underwear,” Nathaniel explained. “The Sub-Commander is from Eldaria. I’m guessing the terminology is somewhat different between your two worlds. What did you want to speak to us about?”
Moen smiled weakly. “Small clothes. I understand. Commander, Sub-Commander, I wanted you to know that what we have been doing was commanded by the Director of the Dolan Polici and was never sanctioned by the Admiralty. The Director holds the ear of the Chancellor, and the Grande Admiral was not able to sway Chancellor Holden’s decision.” He inhaled and exhaled a ragged breath. “After the embarrassment of the loss of the two gyrocopters to Alden Wicker, the Director conceived a plot to destroy the airship you now call Starduster and its Captain, Wicker’s daughter. Then, Declan Dhark entered the picture. He wanted the Air Forces and the Dolan Polici to capture Miss Chart and Princess Yaleria before destroying the airship. He needs your mapmaking abilities for some future plan, and to use the princess as a bargaining tool. We weren’t informed what those plans were.” He started coughing again, each wheeze taking more effort. “I wanted you to know, because the DP essentially kept my crew captive on our own airship. Don’t give Tallis access to my men. Several of them were able to escape with our other two gyrocopters. The four of us are all that are left of seventy-six crewmen and women.”
“The others?” Natty asked.
“Most of them, killed, when the airship crashed, or when you strafed it, Commander. That was you in the aeroplane, was it not?” Nathaniel nodded. “Excellent flying, sir. Another one of Doctor Wicker’s inventions?”
“Something that he and my father put together based on a design from Terra,” Natty answered.
“Your father? Is he an inventor, a pilot?”
