Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe

by James M. Ward

  Andool continued speaking. "Those same blast-tubes throw over fifteen hundred pounds of iron shot at our enemy. Most blast-tube shots miss their targets. Our ship throws them faster and aims better than any other ship of the line in the Arcania fleet, because I command it so. We're going to miss, but not often and not when it counts."

  There was a steel edge to the tone of her voice. She walked to the stairs by the forecastle. "The Maleen enemy fleets fire their shot at the top of the sea's roll. They do this to demast Arcanian ships and slow us down. The Arcanian admiralty disagrees with any battle tactic that slows Arcanian ships down, and for once I agree with our admiralty."

  This got a chuckle from the crew lined up on both sides of the deck. Agreeing or disagreeing with the high-and-mighty admiralty wasn't something any of them could even think about doing.

  "The Arcanian navy, our navy, fires its shots at the bottom of the sea's roll. We want to kill our foes at the water level, not toy with their rags and sticks." There was a wicked, bloodthirsty grin on Andool's face when she said this last. "Our shots are meant to kill the enemy firing at us. If I catch anyone firing their tube on the top of the sea's roll, I will personally flog them myself, if they live through that battle. That same instruction is being given, even now, to every tube crew on the decks below."

  Just as she was turning to walk up the other side, Dart elbowed Blithe in his ribs. He looked over and heard Dart whisper to him, "Cold as ice, that one is."

  Halcyon was so tense he couldn't even respond with a smile. The blast-tube process ran repeatedly in his mind. Step one, roll the blast-tube back, and open the blast-tube port of the ship. Step two, sponge in the rammer to cool the tube and load in the jar of blast-tube gel. Blue jars are for long range, white jars are for medium range, and red jars are for short range. Step three, roll the tube to the port, and take aim on the enemy. The windage wheel raises and lowers the tube in its caisson. Step four, order the hot spike driven in to fire the tube. Watch out for the back blast.

  Halcyon was to be the aimer to begin this exercise, and he wanted to do everything right. Besides the firing steps, he also had hundreds of battle stories on firing blast-tubes that his father, uncles, and brothers had told him over the years to bolster up his confidence.

  Andool's voice carried well on the wind, even when she was on the other side of the ship. "Lieutenant Commander Giantson will now use his magic to make targets for you all. Look out for his illusionary ships and prepare to fire sometime during the ringing of the sixth-hour bell. Anyone may fire with the ringing of the first clang of the bell. May the dark god help those who haven't fired when that sixth clang rings out. After the first salvo, stand ready at your tubes and I will come among you and evaluate your effort. Carry on."

  A magical haze appeared off the port and starboard sides a good distance away. In each of the two hazes, a huge Maleen first-rater appeared with its blast-tube ports open and the wind filling its sails. Halcyon had no idea how far away the image was, but hoped it was at long range for the tube. He knew the tube could throw a shell a mile when the weapon was hot from former blasts. He also knew the weather conditions well enough now to note that the enemy ship wouldn't have had its sails filled with the force-four winds, considering the course that illusionary warship held as the magical image bore down on the Sanguine.

  The big sea dragon roared out its defiance at the two illusionary ships, not knowing that the enemies in the distance were magical spells. Sea-dragon training caused it to rush into battle and it responded to the turn of the wheel to show its sides to the enemy.

  A voice shouted in Blithe's ear. "Mr. Blithe, do you plan on firing this tube anytime soon?"

  Halcyon jumped and turned to face Senior Chief Petty Officer Fallow. "Chief, I do indeed intend to fire this tube."

  "Mr. Surehand is the senior commander of this duty station, but the aimer, that's you; the aimer shouts out the orders. Let's show them what a Lankshire man can do, shall we?" His grin was friendly, but his tone of voice was not. He was challenging Halcyon to do a good job.

  All the midshipwizards stood looking at Blithe for instructions. They had large cloths tied around their heads to cushion the effects of the blast on their ears. Halcyon reached into his pocket and took out a mass of beeswax. He warmed the wax in his hands and watched the other crews shouting and working their tubes. Blast-tube crews moved all about the decks rolling back their blast-tubes.

  Dart asked, "What are you going to do with that?"

  "Never mind me. I'd say that target was seven hundred yards away, what would you say, Dart?" Halcyon put one-half of the wax in his right ear. He noticed that Ashe Fallow hadn't wrapped a cloth around his head. The chief smiled as Blithe put in the beeswax. Blithe hadn't brought a cloth. The wax was another bit of advice from his family and he noticed that the chief had some wax in his ears as well. Halcyon placed the other half of the wax in his left ear.

  Fallow didn't wait for Dart to give instructions; he shouted to the gel monkey, a young junior seaman. "Fetch up blue and white jars of gel until I tell you to stop."

  The seaman ran for the hold as a dozen other seamen did the exact same thing from different parts of the deck.

  Fallow smiled at Dart. "I took the time to bring up gel for your blast-tube before Master Griffon started the exercise, by your leave, Midshipwizard Surehand."

  "Sink me, Chief, anything you do for us is fine by me. That puts us seconds ahead of everyone else," Surehand replied.

  Through clenched teeth, Ashe Fallow said, "Only if you get a move on, Midshipwizards!"

  "Roll back the blast-tube! Open the firing port!" Halcyon shouted. They started rolling back the long tube of metal on its wheeled caisson.

  The chief wasn't happy with their effort and his tone said so. "When you hear an order in this man's navy, shout it back to your officer. You need to make sure everyone knows what to do. Shout!" Fallow ordered.

  "Roll back the blast-tube!" they all shouted as the ten-foot-long tube of brass easily rolled back. It gleamed in the dawn's sun. The caisson supported small wheels with a locking mechanism on all four wheels, last breath appeared in large burnt-on letters along the side of the caisson. Blast-tubes were named by the crews assigned to them at the beginning of their tour of duty. Four of the tube crew had large iron crowbars to move the tube right or left at the direction of the aimer. Blast-gel jars from the orlop deck went into racks at the center of the deck during battle. Seamen called monkeys started bringing up the jars and racking them. Thirty-pound round tube shells hung in racks with net coverings along the railings. The nets kept the heavy shot from rolling around during high seas. Their position on the rail also gave some protection when shots from the enemy pierced the hull of the dragonship.

  "Open the blast port!" Halcyon ordered.

  "Open the blast port!" they all shouted as Dart Surehand and Philip Getchel opened the blast port and pushed wooden slats through the port so that the violent action of the tube wouldn't slam the port shut during the firing routine. This blast-tube crew had experienced firing practice rounds before this and Dart positioned them on each side of the gun. Their assignments around the blast-tube determined their duties as the action started.

  "Sponge in the rammer!" Halcyon yelled.

  "Sponge in the rammer!" they all shouted as Surehand took the rammer and doused its spongy head in a large bucket of seawater. Ryan Murdock filled another bucket so that two buckets were ready at all times. It didn't matter that the blast-tube was stone cold. The rules of blast-tube engagement detailed sponging the tube before every loading and sponge it they would.

  Knowing that this practice session would happen, Halcyon had read the details of blast-tube firing until he was letter-perfect in them. He'd also asked the others in the wardroom, in previous days, to talk about their experiences.

  "Load in the blue jar!" Blithe shouted.

  "Load in the blue jar!" the rest of them shouted back as Midshipwizard Getchel loaded in a blue jar of blast g
el and Surehand rammed it to the bottom of the tube. Dart and Philip gave him questioning glances at the choice of a blue jar instead of a white jar. They followed the order, but both thought a white jar was a better choice.

  Made of hardened ceramic, the jars would not break if casually dropped onto the deck. The blue jars were the longest and held the most blasting gel. There was at least a gallon and a half of the enchanted mixture in the jar. The white jars, for medium-range shots, held a little less than a gallon of the magical brew, and the red jars held half a gallon. Each of these jars would explode to throw the thirty-pound ball at the enemy. The red jars were for throwing chain and case shot at close range. In a pinch, two of the red jars could serve for a midrange shot.

  Halcyon had been told by his bunkmates that the tube could throw a ball at least a mile, and normally he would have loaded a white jar for the guessed-at range of the target. However, there was something his father had said about cold blast-tubes that made him pick the blue jar.

  "Good choice," Fallow said as he stood at Halcyon's shoulder watching everything they did. "Everyone else loaded in white jars. Faster!" The urgency in Fallow's voice drove Halcyon on to a quicker effort.

  "Load the ball, get a move on!" Blithe shouted to the rest.

  "Load the ball!" they all shouted, and Ryan Murdock, the stockiest one of the thirteen-year-olds, loaded in the heavy ball taken from the netting of round shot by the blast-tube. The weight and bulk of the shot taxed his muscles as he picked up the shot and rolled it into the blast-tube. Dart rammed the ball to the back end of the tube.

  "Ram in the batting!" Halcyon shouted.

  "Ram in the batting!" his crew shouted back at him.

  The watch bell started clanging, announcing the six bells of the morning watch. No one on deck wanted to think about what would happen if they didn't fire their tube by the time that sixth clang sounded. The menacing Master Andool Griffon stalked among them, glaring them all to faster action.

  "Roll up the tube!" Halcyon shouted as many others shouted the exact same order along the decking.

  "Roll up the tube!" they all shouted.

  As Halcyon bent to help push, Fallow pulled him back. "Bend down, start aiming. Let your tube crew do the work they're supposed to do and you do your job of aiming. Every second counts."

  The second clang sounded from the watch bell.

  Halcyon bent over the barrel of the tube. In the distance, through the blast-tube port, he could see the enemy ship advancing. It was broadside to the Sanguine as if it was going to fire its own wall of steel shot. Halcyon's hands glowed green. He was going to lift the entire blast-tube, using air magic, to aim the shot.

  Blast-tubes started firing all around him.

  Fallow put his hand over Halcyon's eyes, breaking his concentration and the spell. "Don't use your magic for aiming. That's what the aiming wheel does. Raise your left hand and the tube crew pushes the tube to the left. Your raised right hand orders them to push it right. The aiming wheel raises the barrel up or down for your shot. You don't have enough magic in you to last an entire battle. Think, boy! Order the shot!"

  The fourth clang sounded from the bell.

  Halcyon looked down again, with Fallow's words ringing in his ears. He cranked the aiming wheel down, raising the barrel as high as it would go. He didn't have to crank much, as the barrel was elevated almost all the way. All the while, he sorted through the blast-tube stories of his relatives.

  The Sanguine was at the bottom of the sea's roll. No one heard the fifth clang of the ship's bell. The din of blast-tubes firing was too loud.

  Haywhen held the lanyard cord that would cause the firing device to drive a hot spike through the touchhole and into the jar of gel. The spike would break the jar, and the heat of the spike always set the explosive mixture off, firing the blast-tube.

  Most of the blast-tube crews had to use a small hot pot to keep the spikes red-hot. The crews with midshipwizards could magically heat their spikes. That's what Haywhen had done. He wouldn't pull the lanyard until the order came from the aimer, no matter what the rest of them wanted to do.

  Halcyon waited until the dragonship just started to roll up the next wave to give the order. The Maleen ship filled his vision and he thought of nothing else. "Fire!"

  Tupper pulled the lanyard and the spring of the firing mechanism drove the red-hot spike into the touchhole and down into the blast-tube. The spike broke the jar and the red-hot metal connected with the blast gel.

  KABOOM!

  Halcyon would have stood there looking down the barrel as it fired. The chief grabbed him and swung him away from the tons of weight of the blast-tube as it rocketed backward.

  "Probably not the wisest thing in the world to be standing behind a firing blast-tube," Fallow said.

  Dart came up to Ashe and Halcyon. "Next time don't wait so long to fire the bloody thing. I don't want to have to face Master Griffon for being the last one to fire a tube."

  "Well, Mr. Surehand, you are facing her now and your crew was the last one to fire their shot. Stand at attention." Master Griffon was at the blast-tube's side with her hands behind her back. She glared at all of them, but there was a half smile on her face. "I've asked Lieutenant Commander Giantson to work some special magic for this exercise. Please turn to the forecastle."

  Halcyon looked up at the forecastle. Commander Giantson clearly had giant's blood in his ancestry, Halcyon thought. The wizard stood over seven feet tall with a massive head on his equally large body. The uniform of the day for him consisted of blue wizard's robes. As the lead spellcaster on the warship, he was the only one allowed to wear such robes, even though there were numerous wizards among the crew. He was casting a new spell as they all looked up to the forecastle.

  An image of the enemy Maleen ship appeared on deck. It was a miniature version of the real thing and the crew gasped in surprise at the effect. As they watched, green round shot reached out toward the image. Some of the shot fell far short. A few of the blast-tube shots skipped across the water and struck the vessel at the waterline. Some of those bounced off and others hulled the ship. Only one shot, outlined in red, flew straight and true, striking a blast-tube port and causing another explosion to the blast-tube on the deck. This image replayed itself repeatedly.

  Dart stepped up by Halcyon. "This is new. We've never seen the effects of our shots before. I can't wait to learn that spell." There was a touch of awe in his voice.

  The illusionary image blinked out.

  Master Griffon's voice carried to everyone on deck. "Well done, Mr. Blithe." She turned to address all of the crews. "He used a blue jar in his blast-tube, because he knew that a white one would fire short, unlike the rest of you. People, cold blast-tubes throw their shot to shorter ranges. Think, because your enemy knows those tricks as well as we do."

  That got Halcyon some harsh looks from other tube crews.

  She continued to bellow at all the tube crews. "He elevated his tube for the maximum range, again because he knew his tube was cold."

  Dart and Philip slapped each other on the back, filled with glee beside Halcyon; his success was their success. They liked being the only crew to succeed on deck. Their amusement ended with her next words.

  "Mr. Blithe also stood like a grinning idiot behind the blast-tube to watch his shot. Only the action of Chief Petty Officer Fallow prevented the young fool from being crushed by the action of his tube." She turned from the rest of the crew and glared at the other five tube midshipwizards. "Do you think maybe one of his crewmates, each having fired these tubes in practices before, could have stepped in, instead of Mr. Fallow?"

  Her words shouted up into Dart's face, as she stood toe-to-toe with Surehand. He looked down at her and she glared up at him.

  He quietly said, "My fault, ma'am. It won't happen again."

  She turned to continue addressing the blast-tube crews. "I won't ask Commander Giantson to replay results of the other shots. No one else hit their target. Cold blast-tubes, peop
le, don't throw their shot as far. When I give the signal, we will commence the exercise again. This time you will fire two volleys as fast as you can at your targets. The blast-tube crew on this deck firing their tube last will all get their names entered in the captain's book for extra duty. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Aye, aye," the entire deck crew shouted.

  Griffon walked back over to Blithe and his crew. She reached up and twisted Blithe's face sideways with her hand. "Blithe, is that beeswax I see in your ear?"

  "Yes, ma'am, it is." He'd noticed that she hadn't worn the rag around her head that most of the crew used to muffle the sounds of the shots.

  She actually smiled up at Halcyon. "You take any other tricks you've learned from your proud family and teach them to these scallywags you have in your crew. You hear me, Mr. Blithe?"

  "Aye, aye, ma'am." Halcyon kept himself from grinning as Master Andool Griffon walked off to ready the exercise.

  Dart pushed Halcyon to the front of the gun. "Your aiming days are over for now, Hal. You take Ryan's place and throw the shots into the blast-tube as fast as you can. There's no sense having a great lout of a midshipwizard on the crew without using his broad back." He tossed his swabbing stick to Ryan. "No magic from any of you now. Sink me when I say we're not going to be the last ones to fire that second shot."

  Illusionary ships appeared in the distance on the port and starboard sides of the dragonship.

  Chief Fallow turned away from the midshipwizard blast-tube crew. He didn't want them to see the look of pride on his face. "Get a move on, you gel monkeys, these crews need your wares today," he barked.

  Master Griffon shouted, "Begin!"

  his majesty's articles of war: article vii

  Every flag officer, captain, and commander in the fleet who, upon signal or order of fight, or sight of any ship or ships which it may be his duty to engage, or who, upon likelihood of engagement, shall not make the necessary preparations for fight, and shall not in his own person, and according to his place, encourage the inferior officers and men to fight courageously, shall suffer death, or such other punishment, as from the nature and degree of the offense a court-martial shall deem him to deserve; and if any person in the fleet shall treacherously or cowardly yield or cry for quarter, every person so offending, and being convicted thereof by the sentence of a court-martial, shall suffer death.