by P. S. Power
The man meant it, clearly.
She snorted and laughed at the same time, which was incredibly geeky, she didn’t doubt.
“That’s all of us then, isn’t it? I don’t know what I could have done. I just feel like I should have managed it anyway. It isn’t your fault. Mine either, as hard as it is for me to buy that one. No one is responsible for all of this except for Katherine and some insane Europans. They wanted power and got it. Most people can’t really handle that kind of thing, much less nations. Still, here we are. Ready to destroy everything to prove…” Gwen flipped her palms up. “What, I do not know.”
The other man nodded, then reached out to touch her on the shoulder. He stopped himself partway there, which was a thing that she’d noticed people doing before. When she’d first gotten there Gwen had figured it was about her. That they didn’t like her, so wanted to avoid contact. Now she had to figure it was about the man making certain no one got the wrong idea, while showing her that he did want to be supportive.
So she smiled.
“I can pretty much go anywhere. To get anyone from a distance. Honestly, if I know where it is, I can get anything that weighs less than a few hundred pounds. In general, I need to go and get it though. Otherwise it would be stealing.”
“Oh? Good to know. As I mentioned, it may well come up soon.”
Because Gwen was willing to bet, the real mission was a bit deeper than just taking some goods to Eng. Her thought, given the little she knew, would be picking up whoever they had taking Darnell’s place in Paris. If he hadn’t worked his way across the channel, after collecting data or whatever he was there for.
The trip into town, which meant moving thousands of miles back home, went well. The show had fewer questions that week. Most of them were annoying, as if they were making up for the lack of quantity. Mainly thanks to having no real answers. Such things as when she was going to get married.
“Well… That one isn’t real, is it? I mean, who would want to marry an alien?” She managed to sound humorous about the idea, then had to fight a laugh, since Brian, her old co-host, stuck his tongue out at her. Like an impish child.
“Who? I think that many would. Especially a catch like you, Miss Farris. Still, my best guess would be your current gentleman friend? Not that I can’t tell when a question is pressing you. So, we should cover your trip to the candy shop? That made the news last week! Was the maple fudge as good as you wished for?”
She nodded, meaning it.
“Better. It was a dream. I took the loading crew four huge boxes of candy. It’s all gone, needless to say! I need to get right back to the Peregrine as soon as this is over, or I’d get more. Well, that and a paper for one of the pilots. That’s Carmichaels’ if anyone wants to try it out. Over on Fourth and Elm.”
The next question was more interesting, since she got to give out the number for Westmorland Central. A man asked for it, so he could sign up for the Special Service. At least to try out.
“Good idea. Really, anyone that can handle it should be signing up. Don’t be shy about using the telesar to get with them for training options for other things as well. Even if you’re just making them up. You’ll want to ask for Peter or Manly Westmorland specifically. Great team, as far as training goes.” She grinned, then snickered. “I’m teasing on that one. Not that they aren’t good. I know that I’d get with them if I were going off to the military soon for instance, to be perfectly honest. Peter is only fifteen, but the Westmorlands don’t coddle the kids all that much.”
She didn’t really think about it all, teasing like that on the air. Even Brian just thought it was cute. At least he chuckled a bit and it didn’t sound harsh or evil.
“There you go everyone. Get with Peter and Manly for training before going off to the Special Service or military duties. I have to imagine that would be the fast track to advancement or inclusion in special combat units.”
That was likely sounding, but to get in on it people would have to be willing to deal with Westmorlands. That wasn’t going to happen very often, Gwen didn’t think. Not that there were many people listening to the program. It was just on a single local station.
When they were done she grabbed the paper, getting a few of them, to take to Larry. Gwen didn’t let herself even think about who he really was. Not even what might be going on. The trip itself was just supposed to be loading and unloading as far as she was concerned. The hour she was gone didn’t come out of her sleep time, but other than cleaning and checking the tie downs, there wasn’t a lot to do on the ship. Not until they put in to dock.
That would be the next morning, if all went well. Which meant that she was sweeping the outer decks, along with Meter and Tomas, later that afternoon.
It wasn’t hard at all. The wind kept the dust off, for the most part. Plus, it was done almost constantly, so the thing kept itself clean. That meant they didn’t have to work all that hard. It was mainly what you had people on the ship do in order to keep them busy. Which was needed, since there was nothing else to do. The officers had the telesar, but even they only listened to that when they weren’t on duty. It was a merchant ship, but they were being paid to work, not play around.
Meter grinned at Tomas as he moved past him. Gwen half figured that he was going to make a snide comment about her, but the man wasn’t even mean.
“So, new man, how do you like it so far? Exciting and entertaining enough?” Meter, who was a large, powerful seeming fellow, kept sweeping the whole time. He wasn’t a body builder or anything, but the man seemed fit.
A body created by a life of hard work.
Tom did his own sweeping.
“It’s different than I thought it would be. Hard, but not constantly so. I really figured that I’d be ground down by now, but it’s been a nice few days’ rest after that first portion.”
That got a chuckle from the ex-Air Navy man.
“No doubt. That’s everything, isn’t it? In the last war we’d stand to alert for weeks with nothing happening. After the first two battles, you come to love that part. The lulls. The young crave excitement, the wise seek the rest between the waves.”
Gwen was standing a bit away, working her own straw broom. They didn’t need dust pans since things just went over the edge of the ship in the back. That way it didn’t blow back onto the side of the ship, making it dirty.
“Darn, Meter. That sounds almost wise. Like Yoda.” She blinked, swept and didn’t explain.
Tomas bit though.
“I don’t know the name. A philosopher from your world?”
Meter winced, then shook his head.
“Curly isn’t Gwen Farris. Lots of people here aren’t who they are. Understand, new man?” It was a bit gruff seeming. Hard, and like there was a problem in the making.
Tomas didn’t take offense, just chuckling a bit while nodding.
“I misspoke, of course. So, we put in to Eng in the morning? I hear that they’ve been having a hard time of the current conflict.” The change was nearly smooth, which got Meter to stare at the new man, probably wondering who he was. Other than Tom.
Gwen nodded.
“Yeah. We should get in, unload fast and then see if we can pick up a load. I don’t know what’s available. Then, that isn’t my job. It might already be arranged. If the people on the ground are having that hard of a time, they might not have much to sell.” It was an island though, which probably meant they had sea food to move, even if nothing else was available.
That would take too long to ship, even by air.
Diets were less varied than what she was used to, from her old world.
Meter just shrugged, then moved closer to both of them.
“When we get in, don’t go into the city. Normally we get a day or two in each port. Even if we get that, stay close. We might have to leave in a hurry.”
It was so clear that he wasn’t sharing everything he knew. Gwen just nodded.
“We won’t. I think we all understand that part.
Things aren’t what they seem right now. Right Tom?”
Omegon the hero looked back at her, but Tom Moore, the cover identity, nodded.
“That’s a good idea. I don’t need to play on this trip. It will help me look better with the bosses, don’t you think, Curly?”
She did, so nodded as she worked.
“Yup. That’s Meter’s point, no doubt. Good. Pass the word with the others? If they don’t already know. We’re the new people, but… Just in case?”
Meter just looked at them both like they were being strange, but finally waved toward the back of the deck.
“Let’s clear this level and get to the next. I need to find Gloria. Curly is in charge. Hit the next level too, before it gets dark.”
She kept sweeping.
“We can get that done. Come on, new guy.” She nearly winced, but didn’t let herself. She was so obviously Gwen Farris that it wasn’t even funny. No one was going to be fooled by her acting otherwise. She’d been telling everyone in the world that she was off on the Peregrine. Which might make sense. After all, if she was there openly, working as a loader to get the goods in place, then no one would think it was a special spy mission.
Which meant that she was being used. For being Gwen Farris, which was a new thing in her world. To anyone looking in from the outside it had to seem nearly like the entire thing was about her. A special, easy, trip to let her feel useful. Even having a Westmorland on board could be taken as being a guard for her. Possibly for Katherine Vernor.
The thought itself got her to consider that one for a few seconds. It wasn’t a horrible idea, come to think of it. For a moment she wondered if that was just the case. That Kelvin was there to take her out, if Kat tried to run again. Gwen could have told them not to bother if that was the case. Then, if it really was that one, Larry wouldn’t have that fake name. The man would have just been put there with a few weapons, ready to go if it came to it. After all, it wasn’t like Gwen could miss that her friend was on the ship with her.
As they got to the back, moving quickly, Tomas whispered as she passed.
“Yoda?”
She grinned.
“It’s from a story. A wise nine-hundred-year old alien being that gives advice that sounds wise, but actually means almost nothing. I was teasing Meter a bit there, which isn’t fair. His words were probably meaningful. Not that I can prove it.”
“Ah. I’d wondered. Anyway, something strange is going on here, isn’t it?” He looked straight forward, as if they might be overheard.
“Oh, yeah. My guess is that there’s some kind of mission going on, that we just happen to be near at the moment. So, I think we should stay with the ship and make certain everything is ready to go at a moment’s notice, if we can. Stay prepared for anything. Just in case. If we get lucky it will end up being nothing, but we can’t know that.”
There was a nod then. It was a simple thing, and he brushed her shoulder as he moved past, sweeping the entire time. It was a bit fresh, if they weren’t supposed to know each other. Nice though. Gwen stopped herself from smiling, since the goal was to have Tom work, as a form of training for the coming military stuff. Whatever that ended up being.
The evening went slowly, as things did on the ship, but she got to sleep until four in the morning, which put her being awake as they approached the island of Eng. The name annoyed her a bit, since she kept wanting to add land to the end of it. Every single time the name came up. Even inside her own head. Europa was just as bad for her. It was too close for her to not try to correct. Luckily, she was just herself now.
It had been kind of brutal when she’d been pretending to be Katherine.
A thought occurred to her then.
“Crap. Katherine! We haven’t been getting you your reward time!”
The voice in her head sounded calm when it replied.
~I was promised an hour per day, as soon as this is done? That should be close to a whole day in a row.~
“Oh, good. I kind of forgot about you. That… Sorry. I shouldn’t do that. Who said that?”
~Adam Westmorland. The man is most concerned about me. That’s probably why Kelvin is here. Like you thought. To kill me, if I try to flee.~
That might be right, but Gwen thought that it could also be something else. It wouldn’t be the first time that the Westmorlands had done things that were directed toward her if it was. Without telling her what was going on. It just didn’t feel right this time. Not that she’d blame them if it were the idea.
“Well, don’t worry. We’ll make sure you get taken care of. Thanks for being a sport about it all.”
There was no answer. That was probably due to the fact that everyone had to get up, regardless of when they were supposed to be sleeping, which made the whole thing a bit more noisy. They got rolls for breakfast, which meant heavy bread things, not donuts. That and coffee. Lots of that, since they had to be awake.
Groundling, who was the loading boss for the trip smiled at them as they met in the back of the loading bay.
“We’re going to be unloading fast, as soon as the first wagon is in. Then we don’t know if another load is coming, so we need to stay near the Peregrine. The Captain can have us leaving inside ten minutes, so let’s not stray. If you do, we will leave you behind. Understood?”
Gloria seemed to be in on things, or at least wanted them to think she was.
“I need two helpers as soon as the loading is done. I want to clean the rear maneuvering engines. Port and starboard.” The blonde woman looked around, her face bland for some reason.
Gwen raised her hand.
“I can do that? Tom, you were looking for ways to seem useful, right?”
He nodded, very seriously.
“I was! I don’t know what to do for that. I can learn, however?”
That got Gloria to actually clap her hands a few times.
“Good! See me as soon as you’re free. We should be in dock in an hour. I want to be unloaded by noon. Get ready to work!”
There was a groan from the men. After all, it had taken almost a full day to load in the first place.
Going faster would be possible, but hard.
Possibly important, too.
Chapter thirteen
They all worked like something was going to explode on their ship and they really wanted it off before that happened. Gwen pulled out the stops, getting Groundling, Gloria and Tom to pass her energy, as she loaded half wagon loads at a time. It took a lot of focus, lifting things into the air with her mind. The trick of it wasn’t really one for her, naturally. It was just using the same mental controls that were used when she flew, with the field being around the objects that needed to be shifted around. That was all.
That was about a ton being moved in a few moments each time. At least with the aid she was getting from the others. The loaders didn’t stop just because of that, either. Everyone did what they could to get the job done. So there was a lot of sweat flowing, along with grunting and jogging feet as they worked.
Gloria pushed them to go faster.
“Go! New wagon, up!”
That meant they weren’t finished by noon. It took until nearly two, but it was still done as fast as the wagons could get into place. Half of those were horse drawn things, which could pull more weight than the magical ones by about fifty percent. Gwen had to move hard though, the entire time. It was exhausting, but the others providing power really helped. It shocked her a bit, since some of the other men, all loaders, took a turn as the others got tired out.
Gloria was an engineer, so of course she was decent, magically speaking. Her job required her to be high end that way, no doubt. Not at the top, probably, but she needed to charge large crystals sometimes, which required a certain amount of base ability. That the others all were as well… was a bit strange. They were loaders after all. That was a manual labor position. On any ordinary airship it was anyway. That alone would have been a sign that something strange was going on, if she wasn’t already
suspicious. More, they were probably nervous at the moment.
Otherwise they would have been more careful to hide the truth from her.
After all, Gwen had known these guys for years. Some of them. Most of the people left behind, though not all, had been on her very first trip out with the Peregrine. None of them even acted all that shocked that Tomas, the new man, was able to feed her enough power to make it worth doing.
They weren’t all top end talents that way, but at a guess they were all above the seventy-five percent mark, which was telling. Ex-Air Navy, all selected out for magical power. That was probably informative on a level that was insane. Better, or worse, they’d been collected from before the current war. So this wasn’t something new just for that. It was an old, tried and true, working team.
With Duke Morten leading them, if in secret. That was probably something that she should have noticed before. It was clear that her buddy Groundling was a hard man. The name itself, Groundling, meant executioner. No one normal went around calling themselves that. It had real meaning in the Western Kingdom.
As in the man that put you in the dirt for the final time.
Still, at two in the afternoon, they had things done and if anyone was feeling tired, they didn’t show it. In fact, everyone was kind of nervous seeming. Excited and jangly, instead of acting like they wanted to run off to sample the goods that Eng had to offer them.
Gwen waved to her boyfriend. She had to fight a grin. Having a boyfriend, even a secret one for the moment, was kind of a big deal. She was willing to bet that most of the others there didn’t have one of those, for instance.
“Tom. We’re up for the rear engines. We need to pull those and get them clean as fast as possible. Gloria?” It was her gig after all.
Interestingly, they actually were taking the things out, using the side elevators. Those were a lot more like complicated dumbwaiters more than anything else. The silver and copper colored engines, which were actually steam rockets, were walked back to the engineering section quickly, pushed on the heavy carts they had for that kind of thing.