The Londum Omnibus Volume Two (The Londum Series Book 12)

by Tony Rattigan

  ‘My father told you that we would provide any assistance necessary to finish this mission, so I’m staying until we’re finished, one way or the other. Besides, I have to keep you alive, otherwise how can you repay the debt to our family? You owe us a favour, remember?’

  Jim had told Domingo all about the unusual price for assistance he had promised Kovach, as they chatted on the long, boring ride to Shepetivka.

  ‘Very well then, glad to have you along.’ Jim held out his hand which Domingo shook.

  Marla looked at both of them and then climbed down off Jim’s horse and began unbuckling the saddle as well. ‘Well, I can’t make my way back on my own; I don’t even know where I am. I’m coming with you.’

  Once she had removed the saddle and the bridle she said, ‘We’re mad, all three of us but let’s go see if we can stop a war, shall we? And if we get the chance to kill Seretsky, let me be the one to do it, will you?’

  Jim looked at his watch; they still had several hours of darkness so they had plenty of time to make it back to the bowl before sun up. ‘In the unlikely event we survive this, we will still need to eat, so let’s sort out what we need to keep and what we don’t’

  They emptied out all the extra supplies and equipment they had with them, got rid of the stuff like the coffee-pot and sleeping bags which they hid with the saddles. Then they split the remainder of the food and drink between the three of them, Jim and Domingo kept their backpacks and Marla took a saddle bag.

  They let the horses loose and then set off on foot, back to the bowl. As the three of them headed back on what was probably a suicide mission, Jim couldn’t help but regret that he might never see Nurse Phipps and Sarah again. He wouldn’t be able to become Sarah’s guardian. However, he consoled himself with the thought that she was now his heir and if he didn’t make it out of the bowl, she was going to become a very rich, young lady.

  ***

  The three of them stood in the tree line at the edge of the bowl, studying the situation through binoculars while Jim worked out his strategy. The moon was still up and bright but the shadows were lengthening and if anything, getting darker. Which would actually work in their favour as it would make it easier to reach the sheds.

  ‘Feel free to jump in with any suggestions,’ Jim told them.

  ‘Hey, you’re the one with the army training,’ replied Domingo. ‘I’m waiting for you to come up with a plan.’

  ‘Well, our first priority is to destroy those airships. A few little fires should take care of that. But then we have to try and escape if possible.’

  ‘It’s a shame we can’t escape on that thing,’ said Marla, indicating the airship tethered in the centre of the bowl.

  Jim looked at her, looked at Domingo and then back at the airship.

  ‘Well, how are we going to get out of here, then?’ she asked.

  A big grin crept across Jim’s face. ‘You know,’ he said, by way of reply, ‘they say that when a person is under pressure, with his back up against the wall, they revert to type. Marla, you’re a spy, Domingo, you’re a criminal. Now me, I’m a thief, so when I’m up against it, I steal something.’

  ‘And what are you going to steal?’ Domingo asked him.

  ‘That,’ said Jim calmly, pointing at the prototype airship. ‘That’ll be our ride out of here.’

  ‘I was only joking,’ said Marla.

  ‘But you’re right, it’s our only way out.’

  ‘You reckon you can fly one of them, do you?’ asked Domingo.

  ‘I know the first rule of flying.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Don’t crash.’

  ‘You’re not exactly filling me with confidence here, you know.’

  ‘Look, when I was just a snip of a lad I ran away to sea and spent years on a steamship. It was just a cargo ship but while I was there I worked my way up from cabin boy to learn every job on that ship. I spent a lot of time in the engine room so I know how to handle a steam engine and then later they taught me how to steer the ship and navigate using charts.

  ‘If we get on that airship, I can tell you how to steer it, it’ll be easy once we’re up in the air, and I’ll take care of the engine room. Or we can do it the other way around if you like, you can shovel coal can’t you?’

  Domingo thought for a moment and then said, ‘Yeah, I’m game, let’s steal it. Besides what other choice do we have?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘So what’s the plan then?’ Marla asked him.

  ‘Domingo and I looked in those sheds earlier and they are full of half built airships except the last one, which was empty. Obviously it houses this one,’ Jim said, indicating the tethered airship. ‘So that’s only five we have to deal with .We’ll leave our bags here and pick them up on the way back. I will go down all the sheds, unlocking the doors. Domingo will take the first two, Marla the next one and I will take the last two. Inside there are plenty of combustibles such as oil for lamps, paint, thinners, that sort of thing. Start a fire and get out quickly. There’s no telling how tightly those sheds are sealed when they’re closed up, so remember to leave the door open when you leave the shed. We don’t want the fire dying out due to lack of oxygen. Then we meet up at the rear of that first shed.

  ‘Now hopefully due to the size of those sheds, no one will notice the fires in them until it is too late to do anything about it. In the meantime though, that gives us a bit of breathing space before the alarm is raised, for us to make our move on the airship.

  ‘There are only two men guarding the gangplank into the air ship. They’re obviously a bit lax due to this being their home-base, they think they’re safe here. We will approach the airship from over on the left. It will look like we are coming from the accommodation block, so that should make it a bit less suspicious. Marla, you stay behind Domingo and me so they can’t see you’re a woman. Domingo, be prepared to speak with them in Rooskian. It may gain us a few extra seconds before they react.

  ‘We take down the guards and board the airship. Our first port of call will be the engine room to stoke up the fire. Those things take a long time to start up, so everyone I’ve ever come across keeps them burning on a low heat until they’re needed.

  ‘While you’re doing that Domingo, I’ll figure out how to fly the damned thing. Marla, I’ll need you to guard the gangplank and when I tell you, go round and release the tethers. Don’t worry, they’ll only be tied with a slip knot. You’ll just have to pull on one bit of rope to release it. Once we have the pressure up in the engine, we’ll cast off and I’ll steer us out of here.

  ‘Any questions?’ They both shook their heads. ‘No? Good. Don’t worry that was just an overview of the plan. I’ll tell you both what to do before we do attempt each part. Right, now then, Marla you take my pistol, I’ll make do with my hunting knife and my fists. Everyone ready?’ They both agreed they were. ‘Right let’s go.’

  Finished with the briefing he led them along the edge of the bowl, keeping within the tree line once more, until they arrived at the first shed. He quickly unlocked it and after wishing Domingo good luck, led Marla to the next one, which he also unlocked. Then he led her to her chosen location for a spot of arson and after unlocking the door, left her to it.

  Jim ran to the next shed and let himself in. By the light from his cigarette lighter, he found an oil lamp, which he lit. Searching along the internal wall of the shed, he found several drums of lamp oil and some paint tins. He levered the lids off the paint tins and kicked them over so that the paint spread in a sticky pool across the floor.

  Next he lowered the lamp oil drums to the floor so they lay on their side. He punctured holes in the side of one of them and then gave it a push so that it rolled away down the length of the incomplete airship, trailing oil as it went. He did the same with the other drum and then retreated to the door. He slid up the glass cover on the lit oil lamp he was holding and then threw it down the shed after the rolling drum. The oil trail caught fire immediately and rac
ed back towards where he was standing. He quickly exited the shed and latching back the door so it wouldn’t swing shut, made his way to the next shed, where he once again broke in and repeated the exercise with the oil and the paint.

  Walking quickly he returned to the first shed where Domingo and Marla were waiting for him. He put his thumbs up to them in inquiry and they both responded with thumbs up, signifying success.

  They made their way back round the edge of the bowl until they reached their original viewing point. Retrieving their personal luggage, they carried on for some distance before halting where they crouched down as Jim reminded each of them of the next steps of the plan and the roles they had to play.

  ‘Now remember, walk purposefully but not too fast. Look as if you belong there. With a bit of luck they might be glad to see us, we could be their relief. When we get about ten metres away, call out to them, some sort of friendly greeting. But no matter how they react, keep moving forward. If they get aggressive, act confused, as if you don’t know why they’re behaving like that. We want to get close enough to them to take them down quietly but if it all goes wrong and they are about to fire on us, Marla, you step out from behind us and shoot them, but that’s a last resort. Okay?’

  ‘Okay,’ they both agreed.

  ‘Right, let’s go.’

  Jim stood up and with Domingo beside him and Marla behind them, they headed across the landing strip towards the airship. As planned, when they got near, Domingo hailed them in Rooskian. Jim could tell from the sound of their answers that they were somewhat puzzled to be receiving visitors at that time of the morning, but they didn’t seem alarmed and were easily overpowered and knocked out by Jim and Domingo.

  Jim stood over their unconscious forms and listened carefully for any signs of having been overheard. The bowl was deathly quiet. There were lights in the accommodation block but no sign of activity, and all was silence from the burning sheds. This is going too well, he thought, uneasily. He led the other two up the gangplank.

  At the top of the gangplank Jim turned to Marla and said, ‘You’ve got my gun. Guard the stairs and make sure nobody comes aboard. Stand ready to go out and release the tethers.’

  ‘Supposing I can’t untie the rope?’

  ‘Here, take my knife. Cut the ropes if you have to. Domingo and I will find the engine room.’

  She dumped her saddle bag and the two men took off their backpacks. Jim led the way towards the back of airship, where he had seen the funnels for the smoke from the steam engines originate.

  Once inside the ship, Jim found an oil lamp, one of that type known as a ‘hurricane lamp’ where the naked flame is completely surrounded by glass and metal to prevent fire. He reckoned that this type had been deemed safe to use, so he lit it. Once he could see where they were going he soon found the engine room.

  They entered it and climbed down the steep stairs to the floor of the engine room. They lit all the lamps in the room that were suspended from the ceiling and Jim gave the engine the once over. Thankfully, as he had suspected, the fire was still alight, with all the vents closed to make it burn slowly.

  ‘Right Domingo, listen carefully, I’m going to make you into an engineer in five minutes. I want you to fill the fire with coal and open the air vents to get it burning hot. When that valve there goes into the green, the steam is up enough to turn the pistons that drive the propellers. When that happens call me on the bridge through the speaking tube. When I give the word, engage this lever here. That should give me control on the bridge and I can make the propellers start to turn. Keep an eye on the water level here in this pipe. If it falls below this mark, turn that wheel there to top it up until it is over the mark, then turn it off again. Apart from that, just keep shovelling in the coal. Any questions?’

  ‘What’s the speaking tube?’

  ‘That’s this thing here.’ Jim unclipped what appeared to be a length of rubber hose, with a brass nozzle on the end. In the end of the nozzle was a plug. ‘If you hear a whistle, it’s this plug. Take it out and talk into the nozzle, then hold it to your ear to hear me, I will be talking to you from the bridge. When we’re finished talking remember to put the plug back in or I won’t be able to call you again. To call me, take the plug out and blow into the tube. It will make the whistle blow at the other end. Got that?’

  ‘Got that,’ Domingo assured him.

  ‘Right, I’ll give you hand to shovel in the first load.’ They grabbed shovels and got to work. Once it was fully loaded, Jim showed Domingo how to control the vents.

  ‘Can I borrow your gun, by the way?’ Jim asked Domingo. ‘I gave mine to Marla and I may need to back her up at the gangplank.

  ‘Sure, here it is.’ Domingo handed over his pistol to Jim and then picked up the shovel again.

  Jim left him to it and headed up for the bridge, taking the hurricane lamp with him.

  He patted Marla on the arm to reassure her as he went past her. She told him all was quiet on the field.

  Of course it was dark on the bridge but with the shielded lamp, there was enough light to make out the wheel that steered the airship and some other levers. Jim figured these were the attitude controls controlling the up and down motion. Should be simple enough, pull it one way you went up, pull it the other and you went down.

  There was good visibility all round from the glass windows of the gondola and Jim checked all around to make sure that everything was still quiet, they seemed to have got away with it so far. He stood there waiting for the call from Domingo to say that steam was up, trying hard not to tap his foot with impatience. ‘Come on, come on,’ he muttered to himself. Five minutes later he was still waiting so he grabbed the speaking tube and blew into it.

  ‘Yes, hello,’ came the reply after a moment.

  ‘How are we doing? Everything’s quiet up here.’

  ‘Should only be a few more minutes, it’s nearly in the green.’

  ‘Fine, call me as soon as-’

  BOOM!! To the sound of a deafening explosion, the roof of one of the sheds lifted off with an almighty flash of light and a blast that rocked the airship.

  Bloody hell! That shed must have had some hydrogen tanks in it. Gulp! Maybe they all did. ‘We’re taking off now!’ shouted Jim into the tube. ‘We’ll use the propellers when we’re up in the air.’ He jammed the plug back in, hung the tube up and raced for the stairs.

  Marla was waiting anxiously at the top of the gangplank. ‘Are we ready to go?’

  ‘We’re going whether we’re ready or not. Let’s hope there is enough lift in those gas bags to take us up without the propellers.’ He found the lifting mechanism for the gangplank. He tested it and found it was easy to use. ‘Now here, after you’ve release the ropes, use this handle to wind up the stairs. Don’t worry, it’s all counterbalanced so it will be easy. I’d better go back to the bridge, but I’ll hold her down until you join me on the bridge. I don’t want to leave you behind by mistake.’

  ‘Just make sure you don’t,’ she said and ran down the stairs to untie the tethers.

  Jim ran back up to the bridge. He didn’t light the lamps as he wanted anyone coming across the landing field to be focussed on the burning sheds, not the airship. With a bit of luck they would be ignored until they lifted off. He could see more lights coming on in the accommodation block and people coming out onto the bowl, mechanics and soldiers, who started coming towards them. He even glanced back towards the private train and saw that they were awake too.

  Another shed became engulfed in flame but this time there was no explosion. He could see the flames licking through the glass windows in the roof of the other sheds. That’s unfortunate, he thought, he’d expected them to burn slower, he was hoping to be airborne by the time they were discovered but at least it meant that by this time they were probably beyond saving.

  The bridge door banged behind him as Marla entered the bridge. ‘Everything ready for liftoff?’ he asked her.

  ‘Aye, aye Captain. All tethers rele
ased and the gangplank has been wound up.’ She saluted him.

  ‘Good girl,’ he smiled. One of the massive doors on a shed fell to the ground, releasing a blast of hot air which pushed the airship across the landing field, in the direction of the office block.

  ‘We’d better get out of here,’ he shouted. He was pulling on the levers, trying to get the ship to rise when the speaking tube whistle went. He yanked the plug out and shouted into the tube, ‘You’d better have good news or we’re sunk.’

  ‘We’re in the green!’ shouted Domingo.’

  ‘Engage the lever.’

  ‘Will do,’ replied Domingo and the tube went dead.

  Jim went back to the wheel and pulled on the levers until he found the one that controlled the speed of the propellers. At last the air ship began to move forward, slowly at first and then picking up speed. The further he pulled it back the faster they speeded up. They were heading directly for the hills surrounding the bowl so he swung the wheel to the right and the airship curved around to the right, taking them towards the office block and the oncoming men. He grabbed at the other levers; none of them seemed to work at first but then he pushed one forward and the airship nosed down until it was almost touching the floor. He pulled it back urgently and it brought the nose of the airship up towards the sky and they sailed over the heads of the men rushing towards them.

  The airship rose majestically over the hills surrounding the bowl and they were at last truly airborne. When they had reached what Jim judged was about two hundred feet in the air, he moved the lever to the central position and they levelled off. Right, got that, he thought. That one is for speed, that one ... forward goes down, back goes up. Simple. I’ll find out what the others do later.

  He began to experiment with the controls, he gently moved the wheel to the left and the airship moved to port. And then he moved it to the right and the ship went to starboard. All pretty straightforward he decided. He was curious to take a look at the landing field from the air so he swung the ship around and began a circuit of the bowl.