Mamelukes

by Jerry Pournelle

  “These boxes—” the tribune continued.

  “We would call them ‘containers,’” Rick said. He used the English word for lack of anything better.

  “Containers.” The tribune repeated the word and nodded. “These containers were taken into the port city of Pavino, and from there each was carried, separately, across the straits to Nikeis, each time by the same ship, which is one of their navibus onerārius, with decks strengthened and altered to hold the weight of the—container. The first voyage was accompanied by the black man and the star woman. When the black man returned to join his companion, who appears to be the leader of the group, the woman did not accompany him. The black man accompanied the second container to the islands and again returned. Four days ago the last container departed from Pavino accompanied by the two star men and all their gear. They have left nothing on the mainland. We are certain that the destination in each case was Nikeis.”

  “So Pavino is four days to the north.”

  “One day at the gallop plus two days by messenger galley,” the tribune said. “Our maps show the total distance to be one hundred and seventy Roman miles. Heir of Caesar, our galley was followed by a ship we presume to be of Nikeis, but there was no confrontation. There was an attempt by pirates from the marshes to our north. Four of their vessels attempted to close with us, but we were faster than they.”

  Publius nodded.

  “Recommend a suitable reward for the captain and crew,” he said. “So. In summary there are three large containers and three new star lords, all lodged in the island city of Nikeis.”

  “We presume so, Heir of Caesar.”

  “But you know nothing of the content of those containers.”

  “Heir of Caesar, we do not.”

  “You were pursued by a Nikeisian ship?” Rick asked.

  “Perhaps escorted would be a better word than pursued. By a galley that had all the appearance of a Nikeisian patrol warship,” the tribune said. “I saw no flag and we did not investigate. We presumed the information we had was of more importance.”

  “Much more importance, Tribune Caius Julius,” Rick agreed with a laugh.

  “What did the Nikeisian ship do when the pirates attempted to intercept you?” Publius asked.

  “It stood off at a distance and observed. When we pulled away from the pirates the Nikeisian ship followed until dark. We saw nothing of it or the pirates the next morning.”

  “Might they have rendered aid?” Publius asked. “We are nominally allies of Nikeis.”

  “I do not know, Heir of Caesar,” the tribune said. “They did not run away.”

  “Who would have won?” Rick asked.

  “With the aid of the Nikeisian ship we should have won, but battles are never certain.”

  Rick nodded.

  “Sounds like the Nikeisian captain made a wise decision. Now, what have the Nikeisian representatives told us?”

  “Nothing. Neither the local factor nor any of their officials admit any knowledge of these events. I suspect they have not been told. The Serene Republic is often secretive, even to its own officers.”

  “And there are no messages from my men in Nikeis?”

  “None. I have asked,” Publius said.

  “I’ll need to see the local Nikeisian factors,” Rick said.

  “Certainly, but nothing will come of it,” Publius said. “We have watched them closely, and they have received no messages of any kind for weeks.”

  “No ship has come here from Nikeis?”

  Publius looked to the tribune.

  “Fishing vessels, Heir of Caesar. Merchantmen. But we saw no written messages, and none of the fisherfolk spoke at any length with the local Nikeisian factor. Truly, all act as if nothing whatever has happened.”

  “Then I suppose we have to get their attention,” Rick said. “Nikeis has much to explain to her allies.”

  “I think as you do,” Publius agreed with a thin smile. “Unfortunately, there is more.”

  Rick frowned.

  “Continue, Tribune, if you please.”

  “All I have told you is known to the Ganvin pirate nation,” the tribune said. He shrugged. “That is what they call themselves now. A nation they are not, but there are many pirates in that alliance. The Ganvin band is the largest, and the others have joined with them in hopes of great gain. They have also joined with the Five Kingdoms, no great naval power, but they do have ships, and trained soldiers. Then there is the matter of the so-called Grand Duchy of Riccigiona.”

  “I’ve heard that name, but I know little of it,” Rick said.

  “Until recently there was little worth knowing,” Caius Julius replied. “They are a city-state of traders, tributary to the Five Kingdoms. They have long been trade rivals of Nikeis, but mostly they have been neutrals, keeping peace in the northern reaches of the Inner Sea.”

  “Keeping peace,” Rick said. “Tribune, do you mean literally?”

  Caius Julius nodded.

  “Their forces are never large, perhaps two score of galleys at most and never more than fifteen hundred soldiers, mostly naval warriors. But they have a good reputation in battle. Pirates prefer to attack Nikeisian or even Roman ships before trying to take a ship with a Riccigionan escort. And now they have joined in alliance with the pirates and the Five Kingdoms.

  “The Ganvin band is even now assembling a fleet of more than a hundred galleys, and they have raided towns in the north for slaves, doubtless to be rowers on their ships. This alliance sprang to existence not long after the containers appeared in Pavino. It is not difficult to deduce the goals and destination.”

  I don’t like the timing, Rick thought to himself. This alliance of rivals came together pretty quickly with no warning.

  “You believe they intend to attack Nikeis?” he asked.

  “It seems likely.” The intelligence officer shrugged. “They know of the containers. That knowledge spread like wildfire among the pirates. No one knows what is in them, however. There are rumors of star weapons, but no one actually knows. Yet it is obvious that the containers have great value, and the pirates have cleverly tempted Nikeis in the hopes of provoking them to use those weapons. So far they have not done so. There has been no Skyfire and no Great Guns, no firearms of any kind, have been fired. This has emboldened the pirates and their allies.

  “Nikeis has few defenders at this time. We have concluded that the pirates intend to attack Nikeis and take what they can before Nikeis can recall their fleets and hire soldiers.”

  “The pirates aren’t afraid of star weapons?”

  “Evidently not,” the tribune said. “They know that the containers are defended by only three star lords, one a lady—an armed lady, but a woman none the less.” Tribune Caius Julius shrugged. “Three with star weapons are still only three, and can be overwhelmed by numbers. We cannot know the pirates’ thoughts, but that is my deduction. They seek to strike quickly and take what they can.”

  “Clavell and Harrison have battle rifles. The pirates don’t know about them?” Rick asked.

  “If so I have not learned of it,” the tribune said. “Understand, Friend of Caesar, we only know that your agents were alive and well when Nikeis closed the city and expelled the Roman officials under the pretext of a disease outbreak. We do not know if the star lords Clavell and Harrison are free or if they have control of their star weapons. If they do, perhaps the pirates face five star weapons, not three. That is still a very small force with which to face a hundred galleys. Even pirate galleys, and with the addition of the Five Kingdoms and Riccigiona the pirate alliance gains both many more ships and skilled captains.”

  “How much time do we have?” Rick asked.

  The tribune spread his hands. “I would say not long at all.”

  “So.” Publius stood. “I have sent word to Rome, and sent messengers to all Roman ship commanders, summoning them to the defense of Nikeis, but I do not think any will arrive in time to be of use. We cannot fight a hundred galleys with t
he forces in this city. Can you?”

  “A hundred galleys? Possibly. Warner?”

  “It could be close, but we’ve got the Gurkhas.”

  “Precisely,” Rick said. “What will Nikeis do?”

  Publius shrugged.

  “We only recently learned of the Ganvin coalition,” he said. “I doubt the Signory learned much earlier than my frumentarii. Nikeis has never maintained large fleets and armies in home waters, and the major part of their fleet is in the far south or on the eastern coast of Rome. They have always depended on divisions among their enemies, and on hiring mercenaries to defend them at need, and that has served them well enough. Until recently the pirates were divided into bands with nothing in common save greed and enmity against the Five Kingdoms. Now that the Five Kingdoms have joined with the pirates and the Grand Duchy the situation is very different. Given time Nikeis could assemble enough force to withstand a hundred warships and more, but if the pirate bands bring a full hundred galleys quickly I would not think Nikeis able to resist.” He shrugged again. “Such a force could not hold Nikeis indefinitely, but I think the city might well be sacked. Of course, I am no expert in war at sea.”

  Neither am I, Rick thought. He started to say that, and thought better of it.

  “How did this team of rivals become an alliance so quickly?”

  “Wild stories about what is in those iron boxes abound. It would appear greed has provided a sufficient common interest.”

  The timing still seems wrong, Rick thought to himself. This seems to have come together too quickly.

  “Do we know how large a fleet Nikeis can assemble?” Rick asked.

  “No more than a score of warships of any size whatever,” Tribune Caius Julius said. “They boast the ability to build ships in a day. Whether that is true or not I do not know, but I have never seen it done, and I doubt the ability of new crew aboard a new ship.” The tribune shrugged. “I have no new information, but my conclusion is that we have more ships than Nikeis at this moment.”

  * * *

  The dining room table in Rick’s villa was too low, and despite two woolen cushions the chair was too hard, but it was more comfortable than the benches his officers had to make do with.

  Rick explained the situation to those officers after dinner.

  “The upshot is that we have to get their attention in Nikeis, but the main priority is to keep these damned pirates from sacking the place. Please, somebody tell me he knows about galley warfare!”

  No one spoke.

  “I was afraid of that. Well, I don’t either. And we have to learn fast.”

  “The Romans will know something,” Warner said. “They’ve got warships down there in the harbor. Ask them.”

  “And let them know how little we know,” Major Baker said. “Perhaps not our best plan.”

  “They’ll know we’re lubbers anyway, Sir,” Lieutenant Martins said. “Sailors always do.”

  “Leftenant Martins has some yachting experience,” Major Baker said. “He’s the closest thing to a sailor we have, I’m afraid.”

  “They’ll find out soon enough,” Rick agreed. “But let’s start with what we do know before we let on to our Roman friends just what lubbers we are. How are we going to defeat a hundred galleys?”

  “Logistics,” Warner said. “The trick to galley warfare is feeding the rowers. They eat a lot, and you have to carry it with you. Water, too, you can’t carry more than a few days’ water. A hundred men, maybe a hundred fifty with marines, a gallon a day bare minimum, leave out the weight of the jars and it’s still a lot of water to carry. They can’t keep that fleet together very long.”

  “A hundred men at a gallon a day. Eight hundred pounds a day,” Major Baker said. “Do we know the cargo capacity of a galley? I wouldn’t suppose eight hundred pounds is all that much.”

  Warner looked at him with an irritated frown.

  “But Mr. Warner isn’t that far off,” Lieutenant Martins said. “I don’t claim to be an expert on galley warfare, but I know galleys have a shallow draft with a low freeboard. They’re essentially oversized rowboats which—”

  “Excuse me, Lieutenant,” Art Mason said, “but that doesn’t sound like the galleys down there in the harbor. That quinquireme of the Romans, it looks a lot bigger than that.”

  Martins paused, looking chagrined, and Rick saw Warner smile. The warrant officer started to speak, but Rick intervened quickly.

  “The lieutenant was describing classical galleys,” he said. “Like the ones Athens used. But you’re right, Art. Tran galleys are bigger and heavier than that.” He looked at Martins. “I know it was already getting dark by the time you got here, Lieutenant. I recommend that tomorrow morning you take a look at the ships in the harbor. What the Romans call a quinquireme is what Nikeis calls a great galley, I think, and I’m not sure how they classify these things. ‘Quinquireme’ suggests something with five oardecks to me, but far as I could tell through my binoculars, the one in the harbor here only has three. So left to my own devices, I’d call it a trireme . . . which the Romans don’t. So there’s something else going on here, and I don’t have a clue what. I do remember that Polybius and Pliny wrote a lot about different sizes of galley and used numbers to differentiate. There were fives and sixes—all the way up to nines in at least one account I read—but there’s no damned way someone stuck nine banks of oars onto a galley! So I think we’d better figure it out. I’d like to do that a bit discreetly though—as in without admitting to the world that we don’t have a clue about how it works.”

  “Of course, Colonel,” Martins said just a little stiffly. “I’m afraid I know very little of the history from that period.”

  “Don’t feel too bad, because there hasn’t been a day here on Tran when I didn’t wish I knew more about some period of history! If I recall correctly, the classic Venetian galley was basically the ultimate refinement of what you’re describing, and it eventually evolved into something called a ‘galleas’ that was supposed to be more seaworthy and big enough to carry guns. Tran doesn’t have guns—well, didn’t until we arrived—but I expect some of the same considerations might have played into evolving a heavier design. Not as heavy as the galleases the Venetians took to Lepanto, though. If I remember, they were heavy enough they had to be towed by a couple of regular galleys if the wind dropped, and these don’t.”

  “I think you’re probably right about that, Skipper,” Warner said. “On the other hand, I expect a lot of the pirate galleys we’re talking about would be almost exactly like the ones Lieutenant Martins is describing.” He shrugged. “They’re going to be interested in raiding and plundering, not supporting a mercantile empire. For that, you need speed and maneuverability more than you need brute fighting power.”

  “Good point, Mr. Warner. A very good point,” Rick agreed with a smile, and nodded to Martins. “Continue, please, Lieutenant.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Martins paused a moment longer, as if collecting his thoughts, then resumed. “What the Colonel has just called a classic galley can carry a couple days’ supplies, but that’s about all. They are designed to stay near the coast, they don’t usually go far from land, so they can normally afford to sacrifice carrying capacity in favor of that speed and maneuverability Mr. Warner mentioned. This pirate fleet’s larger ships might carry additional stores, but they’d still have to transfer those stores on shore to feed the rest of their force. So we should have a very good idea where they are coming from.”

  “A hundred ships,” Rick said. “With a hundred and fifty men each. Probably more like a hundred and seventy to two hundred on the great galleys, but most of them will be the pirates you and Lieutenant Martins are talking about. So a hundred and fifty’s probably a pretty good average number. Call it fifteen thousand men, between them. That’s a hell of a fighting force.”

  “Half that would be a large force,” Lieutenant Cargill said. “If they’ll fight, but perhaps they’ll nae be keen to face our rifles? Still, I’d nae
like a standing battle with those odds.”

  “Colonel, you said the pirates are raiding for slaves. Slaves aren't going to fight for the people who just enslaved them!” Mason said.

  “Or not all of them,” Lieutenant Martins said. “Some might, you know. Vikings sometimes added slaves to their crews.”

  “Didn’t know that,” Warner said. “Call it ten thousand fighting men, then. That’s still a lot.”

  “Half that is still a lot,” Martins said, and Warner nodded in agreement.

  “But no guns,” he said. “Bows, we don’t know how good, but there’ll be some. No guns, but crossbows which are pretty near as good as muskets. I noticed there’s catapults on the forecastles of the Roman ships in the harbor. And weapon racks around the masts. Figure the pirates for the same thing. I’d guess the typical battle is you shoot catapults and arrows, then try to ram so you can get aboard the other guy’s ship.”

  “No corvus,” Lieutenant Cargill said. “At least none I’ve seen.”

  Several of the others looked at the young Scot in surprise, and he shrugged.

  “Saw it once on a BBC historical presentation,” he said, and someone laughed.

  “Well, it’s a good point,” Warner said, “but I’m not surprised we haven’t seen any. The Romans used to beat Carthage in naval battles with the corvus—”

  “Larry, I didn’t see any BBC specials,” Art Mason said. “I don’t know what the hell a corvus is.”

  “Oh. Sorry, Major. The early Roman Republic was a land power, splendid armies but no navy at all. The story is that when the Romans realized they’d have to fight Carthage on the seas, they built dry land mockups of ships and used those to train soldiers to row while they were building a fleet. When they got ships, they didn’t know how to fight at sea—it takes a lot of training to use the kind of ramming tactics the Greeks used, and they didn’t have it—so they put a big gangplank up forward with an enormous spike. Get close to the other guy, drop the corvus. Means ‘crow,’ that spiked gangplank looked like a crow’s beak, maybe. Anyway, drop the corvus. The spike goes in the other guy’s deck. Now your marines swarm across and it’s like a land battle. The Carthaginians might have been better sailors, but the Romans were better soldiers, so they cleaned the Carthaginians’ clocks. Rome won all the big naval battles. Only thing was, the corvus was so heavy and destabilizing that any time there was a storm they’d lose just about all the ships that had one. So they gave it up.”