“That will keep the French king’s ambitious eye facing east rather than west on the new continents. In doing so he will also preoccupy at least half a dozen other monarchs with his war,” Hastelloy observed. “Very nicely done.”
“I still have a lot of work to do to make it happen, but I’m getting there,” Valnor corrected. “Another year and I’ll call it a success. Now, let’s hear what you’ve been up to. Looks like you survived the voyage west and back, that’s an improvement from the last journey.”
“It’s funny you should bring that up,” Hastelloy responded with a demeanor that said this was no laughing matter whatsoever. “The same boy who stabbed me in the back on the earlier crossing, Juan Ponce de León, is causing trouble this time as well.”
“Trouble?” Valnor repeated with some skepticism. “What kind of trouble can a teenage human cause you?”
Hastelloy pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow before delivering his bombshell news. “He saw me use Tonwen’s stem cell serum to heal myself a few days ago in London.”
Valnor’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment before softening in time to point out to his commanding officer, “Humans have seen our advanced technology in action before. We put on quite a show back in Egypt as I recall.”
“Yes, and I had to march the witnesses to that show around in the desert for forty years until every last one of them died. Even Mosa,” Hastelloy countered with a quiver in his voice at the mention of his long ago lost but never forgotten wife.
“Remember in Greece. Herodotus saw me use the serum in Ethiopia. He even led Alexander the Great back to the source to help his armies. My mistake helped him conquer the known world. If we could turn that situation around, we can certainly handle this one teenager,” Valnor declared.
“If it was just a matter of the boy witnessing our advanced technology, I wouldn’t be so concerned,” Hastelloy went on. “It’s who Juan knows that has brought me to you. The boy may be young, but he has strong political connections. In the last two months alone, I’ve seen him curry favor with the English, Spanish, and Portuguese monarchs. Compounding that, he’s got a network of agents from all across Europe working with him as well as financial backing. In London, he had at least twenty men on his payroll working against me.”
“Where does a teenager get that kind of coin, and why isn’t he spending it in a whorehouse instead like every other youth his age?” Valnor wondered.
“His funding most likely comes from the king of Portugal.”
“Makes sense,” Valnor agreed. “Juan sailed to the New World and murdered the crew under the Portuguese banner. King John has been sitting on that discovery for years now in the hope that other nations would come across the new lands on their own and fight over them. Having agents working in the background to speed that outcome along seems in character.”
Hastelloy nodded his head in agreement but then began shaking it in defiance. “We can’t let that happen. I placed our last mobile replicator in the new territories to produce Tonwen’s serum and prevent European diseases from ravaging the native populations. We will not be able to cover multiple points of contact with the natives if Juan and his compatriots succeed in getting the rest of Europe involved over there.”
Valnor absorbed the information with a contemplative groan before pointing out to his captain, “You’ve made a powerful enemy, one who already knows your face. Let me deal with him in the New World and you can take over for me here in Paris.”
“That was my hope, but your work to point the French king’s ambitions toward Northern Italy and occupy the rest of Europe is too important. You have to remain here.”
“Nonsense,” Valnor declared. “You could do that a hundred times better than me.”
The ensign was about to protest further, but Hastelloy’s hand placed on his shoulder cut him off. “It took you ten years to get inside King Charles’ inner circle. At this point only you can make it happen.”
Valnor nodded his head in agreement before offering an alternative. “In that case, we need to bring in one of the others.”
“No,” Hastelloy answered with a definitive shake of his head. “Based on Tomal’s latest writings as Martin Luther, I don’t trust his mental state. He’d do more harm than good. That means we also need Tonwen in Germany keeping an eye on him, and we still need Gallono to babysit the Nexus and coordinate communications between everyone from Egypt.”
“You could swap assignments with Tonwen or Gallono,” the ensign suggested.
Hastelloy had already considered and dismissed those notions as well. “They are too far away to help at this point. Columbus leaves for the New World again in just a few weeks. We could never get word to them, nor would they be able to cover the distance in time. It has to be me.”
“Are you sure about that?” Valnor asked and evoked surprise from his captain. “Sounds like this might be getting personal between you and the human boy.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Hastelloy countered.
“Am I being ridiculous?” Valnor challenged further. “You are brushing aside perfectly viable alternatives so that it must be you who goes after Juan. This is too hurried an action, too obvious and desperate. He knows you will try to get aboard that voyage. Wait for another.”
“It’s not like there are ships leaving for the new continents every other week,” Hastelloy countered with more frustration in his voice than he intended. “There won’t be another voyage for two or three years.”
“By that time European diseases will have ravaged the thriving native civilizations over there,” Hastelloy explained further with Valnor’s eyes still filled with doubt. “A quarter of the world’s population could already be dead by the time one of us got there to prevent the pandemic. That would leave us incapable of matching the Alpha colony’s pace of advancement. We would lose the technology race, and we both know there is no prize for second place when dealing with the Alpha.”
“It’s a big risk,” Valnor cautioned again but said nothing further. He knew when Hastelloy was open for debate and when he had made up his mind.
“A calculated one,” Hastelloy offered as assurance before looking behind him at the piles of hair on the table. “Besides, I didn’t do that just for comfort. Juan expects me to come back and join Columbus as his trusted navigator. Instead, I will join the fleet as an anonymous gentleman volunteer. Once I’m in the New World, I can reach the mainland and the replicator. I don’t plan on going anywhere near Juan.”
Considering the matter closed, Hastelloy moved on to give his final instructions. “When you’re done here in France, I want you to go to England. Make sure King Henry stays away from plans to explore the west with his own sponsored voyage. I managed to stall his ambitions with a negotiated trade agreement on Columbus’ second voyage, but I have no doubt that Juan’s agents will continue putting the suggestion in the king’s ear until he finally complies and sends an expedition of his own.”
“I can’t wait,” Valnor exclaimed with mock excitement. “Giving up these phenomenal dessert pastries here in Paris in exchange for shepherd’s pie over there in London sounds like an even trade to me.”
“Performing one’s duty can bring blessings or hardships,” Hastelloy responded on the way to his feet. He collected his things and limped his way to the door before turning around to offer one last thought on the matter. “Without the bad, though, we can’t truly appreciate the good now can we?”
Chapter 23: Getting Physical
AS HASTELLOY APPROACHED the port city of Cadiz on foot, he was taken aback by how different the start of this voyage was to Admiral Columbus’ first journey west. A year earlier, his command consisted of three small boats. For his second voyage, Columbus managed to talk the Catholic monarchs of Spain into giving him seventeen flotillas to make the crossing. The fleet took up the entire bay.
Even more noticeable than the number of ships was the mood of those sailing aboard the many vessels. A year ago, there was a quiet apprehensi
on about whether any of them would survive the excursion. This time there was an air of genuine excitement. Explorers were eager to find treasures and make a name for themselves, traders had promises of endless profits filling their purses, and peasant families were aglow with the thought of working their own land as farmers.
The upbeat mood of the 1,200 men, women, and children all over the docks was tamped down somewhat by the sounds of livestock, chickens, hogs, and horses being loaded aboard the boats. This was not a voyage of exploration any longer; it was a settlement fleet. It was everything Hastelloy could have hoped for and more from Columbus and his second crossing.
He located Columbus along the docks near his tallest ship shouting last minute instructions to anyone within earshot. The admiral had many shortcomings, but being an absentee leader was not one of them. The man was hands on with his crews in final preparations and was detail oriented almost to a fault.
Hastelloy had already shaved his long beard and cut his scraggly hair short. He was all but unrecognizable to anyone who knew him before his altercation with Juan in London. Just to be safe though, Hastelloy settled on boarding a ship three docks down from the commotion surrounding Admiral Columbus.
He joined a line with three people ahead of him and waited to board his chosen vessel. Yet another difference from the first voyage was the level of scrutiny to which the passengers were being subjected. Hastelloy looked at the front of the line where a medical examiner was inspecting people’s heads for lice. Next, he evaluated the condition of their teeth, and then their neck and armpits for boils or sores indicating that they carried small pox or the plague.
Hastelloy had little to fear from these typical health inspections. Aside from his tender abdomen and mended leg, he was the picture of health. As the inspections dragged on, Hastelloy glanced back at Columbus again.
If he had an ego at all, Hastelloy would have taken great offense to how little regard Columbus paid his absence. From the admiral’s perspective, the man who proposed the voyage west, the man who navigated him there and back safely was now missing. Yet here Columbus carried on as if nothing was amiss.
It had Hastelloy puzzled for a moment until he spotted Juan standing a few steps behind Columbus. There was little wonder why the admiral was proceeding without his trusted navigator. Juan studied under Hastelloy and knew all about the use of trade winds. He had also been to the new continents before and was quite familiar with Portugal’s detailed maps of the new territories. It was a flawless transposition of trust and standing of authority with Columbus between Juan and Hastelloy that demanded admiration.
Seeing his nemesis again caused Hastelloy to dial in his senses to evaluate the tactical situation with greater detail. He looked past the surface sights and sounds to notice an unusually heavy military presence with this fleet. Given the unfriendly reception from some of the native tribes in the new lands, one could expect that soldiers would accompany the settlers. However, there was no real reason for armed soldiers to be milling about the docks, even in limited numbers, while anchored in friendly waters.
Up ahead in line, Hastelloy watched the ship’s doctor lift up the shirt of the man in front of him to reveal his stomach. Next, the doctor hiked up the individual’s pant legs for a look before waving him aboard. A sensation of ice water rushed through Hastelloy’s veins as he stepped forward for his own medical review. They were most likely looking for his specific injuries.
“Remove your hat,” the doctor instructed.
Hastelloy complied without a fuss and leaned in for his scalp examination. All the while, his eyes looked around and took inventory of possible opponents, of which there were many. Two soldiers ahead near the boarding plank, and two more near the start of the dock leading to this specific ship.
He was penned in on the docks. If he tried to leave now, he would be stopped for questioning. His only option was to move forward and see how this played out. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve if things turned ugly.
“Open your mouth,” the doctor ordered. “Good. Now lift up your shirt.”
This was the moment of truth. The new flesh on Hastelloy’s stomach was still pink and raw. Would it draw any unwanted attention?
“What happened to your stomach? That looks like it bloody well hurts,” the doctor asked.
“Fell from my horse a few weeks back. Scraped me up a bit, but it’s on the mend now as you can see,” Hastelloy answered as he watched the doctor look over at the nearest set of guards and beckoned them closer with a silent toss of his head.
“A bit?” the doctor challenged. “The animal must have been going at a full run when you fell. A fall like that might have done some damage to your legs or hips.
“Take a walk down to the end of the dock and back for me,” the doctor ordered.
Hastelloy did his level best to mask his limp. He walked tall and strong for five exceedingly painful steps before having to favor his left leg to alleviate the weight placed on his reconstructed bone. When he reached a pair of barrels at the end of the dock, he debated diving over them to make his escape. That idea was a nonstarter though. If he tried swimming away from this entrapment, one of the many rowboats moving around the bay would catch him with little difficulty.
Instead, Hastelloy turned around and made his way back to the doctor who now had three soldiers by his side and another pair closing in from the front of the dock. His options were becoming limited.
“You have a bit of a limp still,” the doctor observed.
“Twisted my ankle in the fall I’m afraid. You should have seen me last week, I couldn’t even walk,” Hastelloy offered with good cheer.
“Let’s have a look at that leg.”
When the doctor hiked up Hastelloy’s left pant leg, he drew his head back in surprise. “The ankle looks fine, but your shin is no good. An open wound like that will not make the crossing without gangrene setting in. I can’t allow you on the boat.”
“What do you mean?” Hastelloy asked, careful to keep his level of animation elevated, but not too high just yet. “This is my big chance. The nobles already own everything over here, all the land. This is my one chance to work for myself instead of them.”
“I’m sorry,” the doctor responded and gestured to the soldiers around him. “These men will escort you off the docks. There will be another voyage in a few years, I’m sure.”
More like escort me right in to the hands of Juan and his men. Not gonna happen, Hastelloy amended inside his mind.
“Years?” Hastelloy shouted in disbelief. “You expect me to wait years because of a scrape that’ll be completely healed in just a few days?”
“Right, that’ll do. Now come along with us,” one of the soldiers said while reaching for Hastelloy’s arm.
“No, NO! I am getting on this boat,” Hastelloy shouted at the top of his lungs with an eye toward Columbus. His outburst drew a curious glance from the admiral before turning his attention back to a conversation. Still not enough, aye?
Hastelloy concluded that to hold the admiral’s attention he would need to make a bigger splash—literally. When the grasping soldier got ahold of his arm, Hastelloy grabbed the man’s elbow with his free hand and used it to lever him off the dock. A surprised holler preceded a tremendous splash in the water that sent a small tidal wave in all directions from the point of entry.
The surprising turn of events gave Hastelloy enough time to spin back around, block the closest guard’s arm from drawing his sword, and deliver a punch to his jaw that sent him on his way to share in his companion’s aquatic adventure.
Hastelloy stepped into the sword swing of a soldier to his left in time to control the hilt of the blade with his two hands while planting his shoulder under the soldier’s armpit. The man’s forward momentum sent him right over Hastelloy’s back and into the water without his sword.
Hastelloy retained the blade and brought it to bear against the two remaining soldiers before bellowing, “I demand to speak with the lord admir
al. He knows me. He will decide if I remain here or go with him.”
The soldiers in front of him took two cautious steps back and waited for backup. This gave Hastelloy time to see if he had Columbus’ attention yet. His original intention was to join the settlement fleet anonymously, but there was no longer any chance of that happening. The time had come to reacquaint the admiral with his long-lost navigator, but he needed to get closer. Hastelloy looked nothing like he did before.
He was relieved to see that Columbus was still a man of habit. Most fleet admirals would not trouble themselves with a petty squabble between a peasant and some soldiers, but Columbus would. He obsessed over even the tiniest of details. To that end, the admiral strode his way around the docks toward the conflict.
Halfway to his destination, Juan managed to catch up to Columbus and stop him to have a word that carried across the water to Hastelloy’s ear. “Admiral, a fire has started aboard the Marigalante. We must see to that and leave this ranting lunatic to your soldiers.”
Hastelloy looked at the tall boat and saw a few puffs of smoke coming from the ship’s upper deck. That sly kid and his friends, Hastelloy thought. Columbus saw the same sight and raced back to his flagship. “No, Admiral, it’s me. It’s . . .”
His words were cut short by the snap of an arrow hitting the dock an inch away from Hastelloy’s foot. He looked up to find an archer perched on the ship above with another arrow already notched. Before he could process that danger, one of the soldiers in front of him stepped forward and bashed the side of Hastelloy’s head with the hilt of his sword. He was unconscious before his body hit the deck boards.
Chapter 24: Fate Worse Than Death
“I’LL DO THE honors,” Juan said as he took the bucket of water from one of his men. He held the rope handle with two hands as he descended the twelve steps. Each footfall extracted an ancient squeak from the rickety wooden stairs until silence greeted him upon reaching the dirt floor of the root cellar.
Origins: Discovery Page 16