A chapter from my Steampunk novel.
Ambush
Token reached for the end of another tangle of rope and began sorting it out. She found the tedium of the task oddly comforting, as though it was a form of meditation. After their orientation, during which the ship left the dock, they’d had a quick meal and been assigned the glorious task of getting the mooring ropes untangled, coiled, and ready for use at the next port.
“This is bullshit.” Blaine, who had been sitting next to her on a wooden bench near the main mast, threw down the mess of ropes he was working on, stood up and touched his toes, stretching his muscles. They’d been at this for an hour now, ever since the Tempest had gotten underway. Token knew it was busy work, but it was far better than anything she’d done in the Army so far. There had been an amazing sunset, the sky pink and orange. The stars were now out, and the mostly full moon was rising, washing the deck in beautiful pale light. The air here was fresh and clean, and the food, though cold, was delicious!
Blaine walked over to the front of the ship. Bow,Token corrected herself. She noticed he stayed in the center of the deck, and hadn’t looked over the edge once. Blaine looked back at her, then turned away and pulled out a cigarette. Token wanted to talk to him about his fear of heights, but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. She found the man oddly attractive, but at the same time was repulsed by his actions towards every other woman on the Tempest so far. Of course, all he’d received in return was a lot of stern stares, short words, an outright laugh, and a slap. The slap had been from Token herself, though she realized now it was because she’d been the last person he’d tried to woo.
She finished the coil she was working on, wrapped it with the remaining rope, and tucked the end in like she’d been shown. No knots to untie to get it ready to use, just pull the end out. She realized that would be useful if it were cold and raining and night-time. A puff of smoke drifted from the bow. Blaine. Token shook her head and picked up the rope he’d been working on.
“He’s an ass.” Tony said. Token looked up, startled. The man had been quiet the whole time they’d been here and she’d forgotten about him.
“He’s not an ass! He’s just…” an ass “…scared.”
“You’ve got that right. I know he’s going to freeze up when we need him the most. Mark my words: first battle and that man is going to be useless.” Tony looked at her, then back to his own tangled mess he was sorting. Token said nothing. She’d worried about the same thing after watching him cross the gang-plank.
“You there! Airman! Put out that light!” A man’s gravely voice rang out in the night air. Token looked up and recognized it’s owner as Rex, the first mate. He was bearing down on Blaine, who looked up, then dropped the cigarette and ground it out with his foot.
“There. Happy?” He said as Rex grabbed Blaine’s coat sleeve.
“Not really. You just put out your dirty habit on my nice, clean, deck.” Rex pointed to the dark spot, obvious even in the star-light night. “Get a scrub brush and clean that so I can’t find it in the daylight.”
Blaine looked at the man, a lopsided smile on his face, and shrugged. Rex folded his arms and glared.
“Disobedience is a hanging offense.” Rex said in a quiet voice. Blaine’s smile vanished and became noticeably more pale in the moonlight.
“Uh… yes sir. Sorry sir. Where are the… um…” Blaine stopped slouching and stood ridged.
“Find the duty officer. She’ll show you where they are.” Rex started to walk away, then turned. “Not. A. Spot. Got me?”
Blaine nodded weakly and gave a vague salute. He wandered off on shaking legs to find the officer of the watch.
Token looked over to Tony, who shrugged and continued to unknot his rope. Token stood up and lay her rope in the neat pile they’d made. She also stretched her muscles. She went over to the rail and looked over. Far below she could see the moonlight reflecting off the water. They must be over one of the great lakes, or the Atlantic Ocean. She breathed in deep. Smelled like salty air. Must be the ocean. A thrill ran through her. This was her first time out of the country, and what a way to go! By airship! She looked up to the clouds around the moon, and there she saw a dark shape. A boat, hanging under a triple balloon.
“Deck officer!” She said. She’d heard no-one raise the alarm, so wondered if anyone else had seen it. She’d always had keen eyesight, so possibly not. Tony looked up from his ropes. “There.” Token said, pointing, then ran off, looking for the officer of the watch. “Deck officer!”
“Here Airman. What is it?” A mule-ish woman answered her, coming up from down below. Token reached for her name… Velma? Veronica? Something with a V.
“There’s a ship off… um..” Port has the same number of letters as left… this was on the right. “The starboard bow.”
“Show me.” Token pointed to where she’d seen the ship. Tony was there, shaking his head.
“I don’t see any-“
“There.” Token pointed at the boat which was closer than before. The watch officer scanned the sky, following Token’s finger, then nodded.
“Good find, Basic Airman.” Then blew on a brass pipe she carried around her neck. Seconds later Rex was there, chest heaving.
“What is it Vella?” He said. Vella! That was it. Token made a note. Mulish woman is Vella.
“Basic Airman Token spotted a ship, sir.” Vella pointed. Rex squeezed his eyes.
“Really?” He pulled out a spyglass and extended its brass tube. He peered for a moment. “Looks like a merchant ship. And it’s smoking.” Rex folded the spyglass and ran towards the back of the ship. Stern, Token reminded herself. She felt a rush of excitement and satisfaction at being the first person to spot it. Alissa, the ship’s boatswain ran up to see what was going on. Token smiled at her, remembering the tour she’d given. Alissa smiled back.
“What happens now?” Token asked her.
“Rex is getting the captain. We’ll probably close in to see who’s ship it is. If it’s one of ours or an ally, we’ll lend assistance as needed. If not… well, it could get interesting.”
“Interesting? Like a battle?” Token’s eyes went wide. Her heart beat at the thought. She’d trained for almost six months to be a soldier, but that was for the infantry, and, other than practices, had never actually been in a fight. She always wondered how she would do, if she’d be able to function while in danger, while scared and being shot at.
“Interesting, like… you’ll see. If you hear “Storm Stations”, grab on to something. Fast!” Alissa turned back to the ship which was now more visible. Other sailors had come over to see it as well.
“Looks like she’s burning. See that tail?”
“It’s got a triple balloon. Who uses that?”
“Brits do.”
“Naw, that’s probably an Indian ship. They run every dang kind of ship over there.”
“How the hell would you know, Josh. You’ve never been to India.”
“Besides, what would an Indian ship be doing over here? It’s a Brit.”
“Pipe down people.” And the deck was quiet in a heartbeat – Captain Ambrose had arrived. Token felt a change in the attitude of the crew around her, like someone in charge was here, and it was going to be alright now. Everything would be made clear. Token felt that too, a calmness in her that hadn’t been there before.
The Captain pulled out his own glass, a beautiful brass collapsable one, longer and wider than Rex’s, and took a look.
“They’re flying British flags alright. But that smoke… it’s too thick, like they’re burning blubber.”
“Blubber sir?” Token asked.
“Means it’s a Canuk trap.” Rex said. “They got all the blubber they could want up there. A structure fire would burn a thinner smoke. See how it falls instead of rising like regular smoke?”
Token nodded as Captain Ambrose scanned the sky above them. There were several places where the stars were blotted out by clouds. He nodded to Rex.
“I think you’re right. I’ve seen this tactic before.” The captain seemed lost in thought for a moment. Token wondered what tactic he was constructing, what thoughts were there.
“Rockets sir?” Rex asked. The Captian shook his head.
“Negative. Alissa, flash them some meaningless signals.” Captain Ambrose said. “Brendan, the cloak device ready to go?”
Brendan shook his head. “Sorry sir, it’s still hooked up to the testing rig.”
Nathan nodded while Token wondered what they were talking about. Nathan saw the question in her face, then looked around at the others awaiting orders. “Very well. The rest of you get to your action stations. Alissa, see our new birds understand what to do and keep them out from underfoot.”
The crew dispersed, running off to their stations. Token started to walk off with them when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Not you, Token, right? You have good eyes. I’ll need them to see what I can’t.” Alissa said. Token smiled and returned to the railing, scanning the clouds above her. “Here, use this.” Captain Ambrose said, and handed her his spyglass. “And please, don’t drop it overboard. It’s very old.”
Token nodded, and took a step back from the railing. She hefted the heavy brass instrument, marveling at its construction before placing it to her eye. It was still warm from where the Captain’s eye had been against it. She looked up into the stars above. So close they seemed. She was tempted to gaze, but knew her captain was counting on her, and began scanning the clouds instead.
“Sir, meaningless signals?” Alissa was readying the signal lamp.
“Correct.” The Captain was watching where Token was pointing the spyglass… straight up. She thought she’d seen something up there. A flicker of light, but couldn’t be sure.
“What kind of meaningless signals, sir?” Alissa had the lamp ready.
“Anything. It doesn’t matter, just keep it away from our codes. But make it seem like a code.”
Alissa nodded, shrugged, and began flicking the shutters in front of the lamp. “I’m sending them my mom’s recipe for stewed apples.”
Token smiled at the thought of warm apples. The other ship began responding.
“They’re saying they’ve been attacked by Canadian forces. They destroyed two ships. They’ve got wounded and their fuel oil is burning out of control. They’re requesting immediate assistance.”
“No mention of apples?” The Captain said, a slight smile on his lips. “Very well, it’s a trap. A British captain would have asked what all that gibberish was about, finding out if we’re a Canadian or not. They’re expecting us to be an FSA ship. Token, what are you looking at?”
Token was leaning over the edge, the telescope safely in her other hand away from the railing.
“Well, if they did down two other ships, there’d be wreckage on the water. Right? I mean, not everything would sink.”
“Good point. Very good point. But moot. We know it’s a trap. Find it for me, please.” And he began scanning the skies. Token raised the spyglass and followed suit.
“I’d place a large ship there.” He said, pointing above the stricken vessel, to the cloud where Token had thought she’d seen a light flicker. “And smaller ships there. Maybe put something behind the balloon that could spring out at us, something swift.” The Captain’s brow furrowed.
“What is it, sir?” Rex asked. He was back from sorting out the other basic airmen. Token felt a rush as she realized she’d been selected to find the trap, that she was somehow more important than the other new recruits.
“I don’t get it. They’ve used this exact same trap on me before. If the intel I received was true, then they’re after me specifically. So… why this? Why use a trap that they know I’ve seen?” The Captain’s voice was distant, as though lost in some memory.
Rex shrugged. “Well, they know you ain’t dumb, sir, so they’re figuring you’ll figure it’s a trap. Right? And take off, since the Tempest is a runner, not a fighter.”
Captain Ambrose mulled that over for a moment, then his eyes got wide.
“Rex! You have it. They figure we’ll do what we usually do.”
“Fire the rockets.” Rex said.
“Fire the rockets.” The Captain echoed, looking off into the night sky, eyes distant as the moon. For just a second, Token noticed them grow soft, almost wistful. Then the steel returned to them.
“Rex. Send a man down… no… you go. Go to engineering, replace all the rockets in the bay. Go. Now!”
Rex saluted and ran off grabbing another sailor on the way.
“Sir?” Alissa was looking at him askance, her expression mirroring Token’s own confusion. Rockets?
“Alissa, have Kelen turn us away from the trap.”
“Which will spring it…” Alissa began.
“Which will also buy us time. Go.”
“Yes sir!” and Alissa ran off.
“And now we hope.” He said to the night air. Token took the words as an entry to speak.
“Sir, what are we hoping for?”
“We’re hoping for a few minutes time, Basic Airman. You find my enemy ships yet?” The Captain seemed tense, but his tone was still polite.
“No Sir!” and Token began scanning the skies again, embarrassed that she’d gotten caught up in the conversation and forgot what she was supposed to be doing. She thought of mentioning the flicker of light she thought she’d seen, but didn’t feel comfortable mentioning it without something more. She let it go and continued scanning. A few seconds later the Tempest rolled slightly and turned. Within moments she’d found what he was looking for dropping from the cloud she’d been suspecting.
“There sir! Two ships dropping towards us fast!” she said. She knew her voice was edgy, high pitched bordering on screechy, but she couldn’t help it. Adrenalin began to pump through her, and she felt a tingle of fear in her toes and hands. She gripped Captain Ambrose’s ancient telescope tighter so as not to lose it.
“Right on time.” Captain Ambrose hit the railing with his palm, then turned towards her. “Token, you know where engineering is? Good, run there, fast as you can, tell Rex he’s got about a minute left.”
Token turned to go, stopped. “Sir, here.” She handed him the telescope, part of her sorry to part with it, but most of her glad she hadn’t dropped the thing.
“Go!” He said, taking the glass from her. She ran to the hatch in the middle of the deck, down the stairs, and along the hall where the crews slept, and to the door at the end of the hall Allissa had shown her during the tour. It was locked. She knocked.
“What!” came a harried, gravely voice. Rex.
“Captain sent me. Said you have a minute.”
“Tell him we’ll need three.” Said the door.
“Tell the Canuks, sir, they’ve just left the clouds and are heading towards us!” Token was failing at keeping the excitement out of her voice.
The door opened. “Get in here and help then.” Rex grabbed her, pulled her in, and slammed the door shut. Token took a moment to look around this part of the ship she’d never been in before. It had just been a locked door that Alissa had said was out of bounds. Engineering. There was a large boiler that provided power to the propellers, large shafts running through the hull to them, and a bin of coal next to it. Next to that was some weird device, obviously of tinkerer construction, with a series of tubes laying nearby. Along the back of the room was an opening, half full of what looked like giant roman candles, like they’d shoot off during parades. Only huge.
“Stop standing there with yer gob open and help! Get them rockets there stacked up. Use that rope to lash them to the wall.” Rex turned back to pull more rockets out. “Joshua, you feed new ones in and secure them. I’ll get the rest of these out.”
The other sailor nodded and began taking rockets out of a rack in the ceiling. Token picked up one that was in the pile Rex had pointed her to. It was heavy, long, and smelled of sulfur. She moved it over against the wall and grabbed another.
“Faster, dammit!” Rex had his knife out and was cutting lashings. “Captain’s gonna give me hell for this…” With the lashings cut, the rockets were coming out faster, but Joshua wouldn’t be able to tie new one’s in.
“Ok Rex, fire em up!” It was the Captain’s voice coming from a tube next to the boiler. Rex looked at the tube, then at the nearly empty rack where the rockets used to be.
“Airman, forget those.” Rex shouted to Token. “Get new ones from up there.” He said, pointing to a rack on the ceiling. At less than five foot nothing, Token fell far short of being able to grab anything from the rack.
“Got a ladder for me, sir?” She said, her voice more edgy than she intended. She hated when her height came in to play, and gave a look that dared either of them to say something.
“Fine.” Rex sighed. “Josh, you get the rockets, Token, help me lash’em in.”
Token ran over and watched Rex tie one in. She copied him and began making her way down the row of rockets Joshua was laying in.
The ship shook as an explosion sounded outside the hull. Token dropped the rope she was working on, then grabbed it and began tying again. Her fingers felt like they were turning into stumps, and she was fumbling. She gave anxious glances at Rex, trying to judge just how much danger they were in. He wasn’t looking anywhere but at what his fingers were doing, his face drawn and white. He was scared. And now, so was Token.
“Rex! I need my rockets!” came the Captain’s voice. Rex looked at the rack. It was half full of new rockets, a few of the old one’s left. Rex took out his knife and slashed the fuses on the old rockets.
“Joshua, help me hook them up. Token, lash up what you can there against the bulkhead.”
Token went over to the pile of old rockets, nudged them close to the wall, and began running a line through the tie-down straps. The ship shook again, scattering the rockets, and almost knocking her down. Token looked at the communications tube, but there was no voice yelling to go now. A brief though flashed through her, of the bridge hit, Captain Ambrose dead… she shook her head to clear the vision.
She gathered the rockets back up, aligning them against the wall so they’d not fly around loose during the battle she knew was about to happen. She didn’t understand why the rockets were rear facing, though. Perhaps the Tempest was fast enough that he could get in front and let loose a barrage…
The door burst open and Captain Ambrose stormed in. Token took a deep breath at the sight of him, glad he wasn’t dead. He looked at the rockets in place, at the old one’s with their fuses cut. He ran to the same tube his voice had come out of moments before and blew into it.
“Alissa, signal storm stations now!” He shouted into it. “Rex, back away.”
He moved to the fuses that had been hastily strung to the new rockets, broke off most of it, leaving just a few inches, pulled out a lighter, and lit it. He looked at Token as the shortened fuse began to burn.
“Grab onto something!” he yelled, then looped an arm through the ceiling rack.
Token grabbed the rope she had strung around the rockets, wondering what she was bracing for. For a moment nothing happened. The ship shook again with another near miss, the fuse hissed, then sputtered as it entered the rockets, then –
The rockets erupted, flame streaking into the sky behind them. Token felt the ship trying to leave without her. She clung to the rope. A ship flashed by through the open slot left by the missing rockets. It dwindled into the distance before Token could catch her breath. The rope she was holding to slid through her hands, tearing the skin. She cried out and tried to hang on, but the blood made it harder to hold on to. The open gap in the rack that the missing rockets had left loomed at her, just big enough for her small frame to slip through… She gripped harder but kept slipping. She tried to adjust her grip on the rope, but as she shifted she lost it completely. She screamed as she fell towards the opening, trying to grab the rope again, but missed. She watched in terror as her feet moved towards the gap in the hull, the flaming rockets, and the smoke filled sky beyond.
Something snagged at her jacket and stopped her fall. She looked up to see the hand of Captain Ambrose.
“Going somewhere, Airman Token?” He yelled above the noise of the rockets, and grinned. She hugged the jacket closer to her so she wouldn’t slip out of it. She closed her eyes and thought of puppies, something she always did when she couldn’t handle what was happening around her. Token prayed the blast would end soon, and that the Captain’s strength wouldn’t fail, dropping her into the empty sky.
One of the rockets sputtered, then another. The force that was trying to throw her out the back of the ship lessened and the Captain dropped her to the floor.
“Thank you, sir.” She said, relief washing over her. The Captain smiled at her.
“Can’t lose one of my new recruits on the first day. Waaay too much paperwork involved.” He said, then his voice softened. “Your hand Ok?”
Token looked at it. There was rope burn, and some torn skin, but it was all on the surface. It stung like hell, but wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Especially if the Captain hadn’t saved her. She nodded that she was fine, though her heart was only now returning to a normal beat. The Captain looked at her for a moment, then walked over to the tube on the wall. “Alissa, how we looking up there?”
“All good, Captain. We’re rigged for full speed. The Canadians are pursuing. I’m heading us up into the clouds to lose them with altitude, but we’ve got such a lead, we’re out of danger sir.”
“Very well. Get us into a cloud so we can prep the Cloak Device. Keep me informed if anything changes. I’ll be in engineering.” The Captain turned from the tube to the rest of the crew in the engineering section. “Well done Rex. Get those lashings replaced and we’ll reload the rockets.” He watched them move to comply, then started fiddling with a complex looking device with dozens of tubes running from it. It was hooked up to a barrel marked “Distilled Only!”.
“Sir, what is that?” She asked. She was hoping to press the familiarity that she felt had grown with him saving her life. He looked at her, weighing her question, then smiled his warm smile and gestured to the brass mess of tubes before him.
“This… is my Cloak Device!” he said, introducing it the way a proud parent would introduce a favored child. Token nodded, hoping he would elaborate. Seeing her confusion, the Captain continued. “It’s a series of tubes that end in very small nozzles spread around the exterior of the ship. They spray out a fine mist of water, so fine it should coalesce into a cloud, hiding our ship from observers.”
She watched him turn a brass tap, then push a button. The thing started to hum and a burbling sound came from the barrel next to it. He looked at it, a slight smile on his face
“There. Now, on to the rockets. We need to get this place cleared, it’s a hazard.” He said. Token moved to start picking up the rockets they’d pulled out of the rack.
“Not those, Airman Token. In fact, spread those out so we can get a closer look at them.” And the Captain got down and began organizing them. There were twenty rockets in all, which they laid out in rows of five. He knelt down among them, looking closely at the length of the tube.
“Uh, sir, what are you looking for? I mean, I’d like to help, but-“
“I appreciate your interest, Token. See if you can assist Rex in re-arming the next set of rockets.” The Captain said and gave her a long look.
Feeling uncomfortable with that gaze on her, Token nodded, then went over to Rex who put her to work replacing the cut lashings so new rockets could be tied down. She had to favor her injured hand as she went, but fortunately it was the palm that had taken the worst of it. Thinking about that, she started to shake. She knew from her basic training that it was the after affects of adrenaline. She stood for a few moments, just letting herself shake. She looked out the opening into the deep night sky. No sign of Canadian ships. No sign of anything, for that matter, except moonlit clouds. She took a secretive glance at Captain Ambrose and sent a silent prayer of thanks to the goddess he had been there.
The shaking over, she returned to lashing the rockets. She was in the middle of this task when the Captain gave an “Aha!” She looked over just as he pulled a long tube out of one of the rockets. The tube was about two hands spans long and bright red in color. Rex frowned at it.Rex went over and took it from him.
“It’s a flare, sir.” Rex said.
“Yes. If we’d fired that rocket, it would have lit the flare, blowing up the rocket, probably several others.” Captain Ambrose looked around engineering. “That would have set this place on fire, probably blowing up the other rockets as well.”
“Which would have torn apart engineering, destroyed the boiler.” Rex added.
“Blown up the boiler. Damaged the Tempest and left us adrift, exactly what the Canadians wanted. You were right Rex. Someone split the rocket here to insert the flare.” The Captain rubbed his forehead.
“Damn.” Rex added.
“Damn indeed. Check every rocket you lash on there for more of these.” And the Captain bent to search the rest of the rockets. They turned up five more flares. Each find caused him to exclaim again under his breath.
“Rex, check our stores, see if we’re missing six flares. Joshua, Token, help me check the rest of the rockets, then we’ll get them re-mounted and ready.” Captain Ambrose handed the flares he’d found to Rex.
Rex left and the rest of them combed through the rockets. No other flares were in evidence, so they tied the rockets in and ran new fuses. Joshua put his head next to the Captain’s while they were working.
“Who? Who did this?” Token heard him whisper.
The Captain looked at the man, but didn’t say anything.
“I mean, it’s gotta be a Canuk sympathizer, right?” Joshua seemed to think Token couldn’t hear him.
“Why is that, Airman?” Captain Ambrose asked, his voice neutral. Joshua glanced over at Token, who wondered what was going on. Did he think Joshua was the sympathizer? Was Joshua trying to implicate her? Great. First day on board and I end up in the politics of things. She busied herself getting the lashings ready. She was getting quite good at them, despite the charged atmosphere, and the throbbing in her hand making it difficult to concentrate
“Well, sir, it was a trap, and this seemed to be part of it. Force you to use the rockets, disable your ship, board and capture you. Right?”
Captain Ambrose stood up.
“You seem to have given this a lot of thought, Airman.” There was a menace in his voice that surprised Token. From what she’d seen, he was a very fair captain, and this seemed odd to her. She felt like she should step in, say something, but she didn’t know Joshua. Perhaps the Captain was right to be angry.
“Well, I was thinking about it when I came down, trying to figure out why you were having us remove the rockets, and it hit me, you were thinking a trap, and this was part of it. Also, I don’t want you being captured.” Joshua looked nervous, even though what he said made sense to Token.
“I know why you’re nervous, Josh. And don’t worry, your secret is safe. As long as you do your job, are respectful to me, your fellow crew, and the Tempest, you’re not under suspicion. But, so help me, if you cross me, I’ll hang you out without a harness.” The Captain’s voice was a bare whisper. Token remained intent on her job, pretending she couldn’t hear. Secret? Her mind flipped through the possibilities, but came up short: she just hadn’t been her long enough to know what it might be.
“I know sir. I never would. I love her too much.” Joshua said, eyes down cast. Intrigued, Token almost looked over despite her feigned disinterest. Loved who?
“I know you do. That’s why I keep you on board. Love supersedes all other loyalties.” Again that wistful look crept into the Captain’s eye. Token knew there must be a someone out there he was thinking of, and wondered who. “Except to me. And the ship. Got it?”
Joshua nodded. The Captain stared at him until he said “Yes sir. I understand.”
“Continue here sailors.” Captain Ambrose said standing straight and speaking clear. “Get these rockets mounted. Get the lose ones stowed. Report to Rex when you’re done.”
“Aye sir!” Token said, then saluted. He took one final look around, the walked out of the engineering section. She heard the door lock behind him.
There was a tense silence while the two went about their tasks for a bit. Then Joshua broke it.
“How much of that did you hear?”
“Bits and pieces.” Token said semi-honestly. It wasn’t her fault her hearing and eyesight were exceptional. Joshua looked at her, hard, as though trying to read her.
“Great.” He said at last. “Wonderful. Look, the last thing I want is people spreading rumors about me, making things difficult. I just… it’s complicated, Ok?”
He looked over at Token. She tended to her ripped hand and tried to look as innocent and non-threatening as possible, unsure what was going on, unsure of her place on this ship.
Joshua’s face relaxed a little. “Look, I’m sorry. I know. First day and all. And a hell of a day at that.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, then said. “I want to clear up anything you heard, forestall that brain of yours from running away, telling people all kinds of stories. You got a question or a problem? Then spill it now.”
“Well, Ok, I do have one…” Token said, unable to resist the open invitation. Joshua sighed.
“What is it?” He said, his tone between resignation and anger.
“Who is she?” Token said, thinking of the far away look she’d seen in the Captain’s eyes.
“Cindy.” He said, then turned back to his work. Token was startled. Cindy was the rigger that had helped Token and the other new recruits get started on the ropes. By the wistful look in the Captain’s eyes, she’d been sure it was someone off-ship.
“The rigger?” Token said, to be clear.
“YES the rigger!” Joshua seemed exasperated.
“Wow. Ok. That’s just… unexpected… I thought-“
“What. That she wouldn’t want someone like me? That I’m not good enough for her? Well fuck you!” Joshua said, and started heaving extra rockets into their storage cradle.
The light dinged in Token’s mind. Cindy and Joshua! That made sense.
“No, Joshua… look, I was -“
“Being rude.” Joshua finished.
“No! I was talking about the captain!” Token rushed the words out before he could interrupt her again.
Joshua was silent for a moment, then palmed his forehead. “Ah. Ok. Oh. Oh boy. I thought you meant… Ok. Nevermind. Sorry I snapped at you.”
Token thought for a moment. Cindy had a sweet heart-shaped face and roundish body, a good child bearer. Joshua was long and slender. They’d make cute babies.
“I think Cindy’s very lucky.” She said at last.
Joshua said nothing, but Token could see him smiling as he worked. They went that way for a bit before Token’s curiosity got the best of her again.
“So, back to my original question…”
“The captain? You’d have to ask him. No one on the ship, as far as I know. He’s been slightly loopy for someone ever since I signed on. That was about a month after the Tempest was first commissioned, almost a year ago. In all that time, the captain has never mentioned anyone, and he’s never brought a woman on board. At least, that wasn’t part of the crew or something. Not an eligible woman.”
Token nodded her thanks and was silent, mind spinning over the possibilities, and how to find out who it was.
***
They finished up in silence, but it was a comfortable one, their tension evaporated and replaced by a bit of familiarity. At the end of it, Token was left with the impression that Joshua was a hard worker who knew his way around knots and the engine room. Before they were done, Captain Ambrose came in with Rex and another man, the ship’s engineer, Token couldn’t remember his name. The three of them inspected the knots and lines, rockets, and fuses that Token and Joshua had installed. Everything was gone over with a careful eye. So careful that Token began to feel nervous, even though she’d done everything as she was supposed to. It was her first day, after all.
After looking things over long enough for Token to begin nodding off while standing near the boiler, The Captain cleared his throat.
“Alright you two. Good work here. Everything looks ready to go. Consider yourselves off-duty, and get some shuteye.” He smiled again, and Token warmed inside just a little at the thought of sleeping.
Token followed Joshua down the corridor, but instead of turning in to the bunks, he headed to the stairs that lead to the deck above.
“Not going to bed?” She said, incredulous that he wasn’t as tired as her after everything that had happened.
“No. I’ve got to… attend to something on deck.” He said, eyes darting side to side and not meeting hers.”
“Ok. Good night. Tell Cindy goodnight too.” Token said. She was rewarded with Joshua’s wide eyes, which turned in to a shy smile. He gave a quick touch to his cap in way of a salute, then headed up the stairs.
Token smiled until it turned into a yawn. Whatever excitement she’d had during the battle had gone, leaving her drained. She went into the crew section to get ready for bed. The hammocks which had been stored against the wall were now spread out on hooks, looking ready and inviting. There were twelve of them in four rows, three deep. She wondered which one was hers. She found her duffle-bag and pulled out a toothbrush. It was little more than a polished stick with a rough part on the back, but she’d decided it was worth the weight on the long walk from the garrison to the Mast. She began to scrub her teeth clean while she looked around. There were a few others in here going through their pre-bed-time rituals. Alissa was there and nodded to her.
“Hey, quite something for your first day huh?” She said. Token nodded and continued rubbing the wooden brush against her teeth. She looked for a place to spit, but there was nothing. Alissa saw her confusion and pointed to the portal. “Out there if you need to spit. Since water’s rare, most of us just swallow it. Takes a bit to get used to the taste, I know.”
Token eyed the portal, then decided she’d better adjust to where she was now, and swallowed. It tasted disgusting.
“So, uh… which bed is mine?” Token said gathering the blanket and pillow she’d been issued.
“Well, we don’t have enough hammocks for everyone on board, so there’s no assigned bunks. Just grab one and get some shuteye. It’s called hot-bunking, cause you get a bunk warmed by someone else. Course… not often, I mean, they’re usually not still warm. Oh, make sure you smell them before you lay in it. Some of the other sailors are… uh, not as concerned with hygiene.” Alissa smiled and gestured with open arms to all the bunks. “Nathan tries to get us all to brush our teeth and top and tail, but he’s not our mom, so can’t ride us all the time. Course, it’s a hanging offense if any of the officers catch you skipping.”
Token’s eyes went wide. Hanging! Then she remembered: being hung over the edge of the ship in a harness. She still thought it sounded lovely. But she wasn’t worried about the hygiene aspect of things: she needed to be clean. Then she her mind caught up with Alissa’s words
“Who’s Nathan?”
Alissa smiled, then giggled. “That’s the captain’s name, silly. You didn’t think he was just ‘Captain’ all the time, did you? Though, you better wait until he says to call him that. Once he knows you, and knows he can trust you, he tends to drop a lot of the military rank bullshit.”
Token nodded and wondered if her actions tonight would warrant such familiarity. I guess not, so he’s still ‘captain’.
Allison gathered her things and put them away. Token did likewise and followed her to a bunk.
“Hope you’re tired. It’s always difficult to sleep on the first night. New place, new sounds.” Alissa climbed into a top bunk. “I recommend a top bunk. That way no-one climbs over you to get to bed. Also, the bad smells fall, but the warm air rises.” She winked and lay back in the hammock.
Token nodded, and climbed up the stack next to Alissa. There was a warm body in there, so she moved to the next one. It was empty. So she threw up her blanket and pillow, climbed up, and settled down for her first sleep as a Basic Airman. She closed her eyes and felt the ship’s propellers whirring, sounds of feet on the deck above, and creaking as things shifted. Token was amazed how stable the airship felt. She’d expected it to sway or toss, but either the air was clear, or the ship was smoothing out the bumps. Far from being awake, she found the sounds and gentle swaying soothed her, and soon, Basic Airman Token was sound asleep.
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