Chapter Eight: Festered Wounds — Part 2
The Major paces nervously on the deck of his tug, his scouts having sighted the Edgewind and sent a radio notice that it was moving toward them. Given the terrible state they had left him in prior, Major Dominic can only think of overpowering their ship and seeking his revenge. Not, however, at any cost. The Major is first and always a cautious man. The crew is wanted for the kidnapping of the Quick Fox Glenn’s children, and though they have come with the agreed upon supplies, if the opportunity to take the enemy and storm their ship arises, Dominic will take it: But not at the cost of life on his side. Not now, at any rate. Never mind that the children left willingly, or that their last encounter with the Pirates came with a serious warning: Stringing up the team that had humiliated him in the face of his people would be worth some risk, but not an unnecessary one.
Dominic’s right hand is on a small sleek rower, and radios his findings with the fresh perspective of a man of experience, having been one of the members who enjoyed the long walk home during the initial manhunt. “The ship is under wind power and has a metal shell. She is well traveled, well tended, and ably crewed. She’s faster than we can bring to bear with our larger ships, and she’s navigating into the wind, which makes her something to avoid.”
Dominic curses under his breath, knowing that a metal ship will be lighter and faster than any of his wood tugs. Within his mind, he longs for the day when gunpowder made men gods of war, when he would have been able to plot at a distance and take the upper hand. Even if the oars crew can catch the ship, they’d have no easy way to board, and without the percussion of power behind a bullet, Dominic can’t imagine a way to give his people an edge over the crew of the Edgewind. His thoughts of murder are shortly interrupted. There is a signal from the Edgewind and Dominic’s radio master is relaying coordinates to meet up. The ship has dropped anchor, apparently, inside the bowl of a particularly nasty arch, one with a wide, low gravity bell that will give them plenty of room to maneuver and defend, and who’s path flies out north and east, to a lake some distance off.
“Let’s go meet them.” Major Dominic says. “Bring out the sunshine, boys. Today is not ours.”
Joe is pacing while Blake drops the sails just enough to keep the Edgewind from dragging its anchors, a difficult task at half gravity. Blake is set nose into the gravity bowl of an arch that has created a choppy crest of water where it intersects the river. He has locked the Edgewind into position just outside the bowl’s edge, on the drop of the crest facing into the river. George and Jude signal multiple ships and Joe looks along the lines of site, sees a small racing rowing coming up hard and fast from downstream, and a flat boat from upstream. Kiyoshi scrambles to help ChoCho, Daria, and Jynx set the Quick Fox Glenn Cargo batch to the side of the ship, facing the flatboat. The boat, while Kevin and Joe stand ready with small axes, just in case the anchors need cut loose and the sails tightened. Joe falls back to the nest, waiting as a small log float is dropped off of the tug and two men push out from there with four boxes, loaded mostly with books on aeronautical engineering.
The men lift the boxes gently on one side, while the supplies for the Glenn are lowered down on the other. Within minutes the exchange is made, and the flat boat is poled back to the tug. There is little discourse after, just a nod from Joe to Dominic, addressing mutual respect among leaders. The anchors are pulled, the sails tightened, and the Edgewind lurches into the arch, side sails snapping out and incurring lift as the ship slips inside the bowl. Soon the Major is out of sight, and except for one armed gate crasher trying too late to pull himself onto the deck, there is little immediate concern. The young soldier, who must not have gotten Dominic’s message, and who was caught hanging by a catch rope to the aft rigging, is close enough to lock eyes with Kevin as swipes his rope and cuts him loose. The man continues to drift after the Edgewind, and Kevin can’t have such a man finding a way onto his ship. With a judicious use of force, Kevin slams him in the chest with a wood staff so he will not be drawn along into the arch with them. The man grunts and falls back, slowly, and then with greater velocity, soon to return to the base of the arch.
Once they are safely under way and hands are free of the lift sails, Kevin picks up the grappling hook and takes it to Joe. “I don’t know what they thought one man would do aboard our ship, you know, besides die.”
“There could be more. I want you and Jynx check the ship from belly to top sail.” Joe says, mostly because he knows Jynx may well choose the quick kill without a partner to temper her tactics. “Let’s make sure it was only one.” Joe says.
“Will do.” Kevin moves quickly to get Jynx, and the two start in the cargo bay, far back, working their way forward.
Jynx has a short sword ready, “I do so hope we find somebody.” She whispers, sounding momentarily lustful as the glint of her blade flashes in her eyes.
Kevin is hoping just the opposite, but doesn’t say this. Instead, he flashes light into every shadow between every box, and into every room, including Heath’s. The only reward he gets for his efforts is an angry look from Heath, who is still upset at being kept down below during what proved to be a peaceful exchange. Kevin stops off at the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee still warm in its vacuum shielded container. On a whim, Jynx opens Kiyoshi’s room again, and steps to the back, checking his closet. She is rewarded by a pasty, thin, lanky young man who sees her sword, pointed at his chest, and freezes in motion.
“What have we here?” Jynx says, eyes gleaming in the dim light reflecting to and fro from Kevin’s flashlight. “Did Major Dominic send me a new toy?”
