by R. J. Batla
“Captain,” Mate said, glancing down. “I’m assuming you found a suitable knife?”
“Now how the hell did you –”
“Whose belt do you think that is? The only reason to wear it is if you have a knife, and if you have a knife, I’m assuming it’s a nice one.” Mate said with a grin. “You ready for your tour of your ship, Captain?”
“Aye,” she said, as he turned and started walking.
Mate led her up the stairs to the wheel deck, where a dark blue Tempus with a handlebar mustache inspected the wheel, making sure the few levers and buttons on the console were operational. Tempus ships utilized the power of their sailors to operate specific tools and implements that weren’t standard issue on normal sailing vessels and were designed to work with their power over the water. “Captain, I wanted to introduce you to Poteet – he’s third in command of the Ajax, and as fine a sailor as I’ve ever met.”
Poteet saluted, then shook Celeste’s hand. “It’s a great pleasure to be sailing with you, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Poteet.” With a nod, he turned back to the wheel and the ship’s controls.
Mate took her below, down to the two gun decks that housed the twenty water cannons on board the vessel. Back before the disaster that transformed Terraunum, sailors had used a powdery substance to fire the large metal balls at oncoming enemies.
Instead of the powder, the Tempus Senturians now used their powers to fire the great guns. Several small holes at the base of each cannon indicated where Senturians would place their hands, drawing on their internal energy to fire the weapon. These particular weapons were well-made and rare for a ship of her size – vessels other than the biggest ships didn’t have but one gun deck. All the more reason she was convinced the Ajax was a special ship.
Celeste thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her vessel, soaking in the knowledge of what the Ajax was capable of, where all her parts were located, and how they functioned. But her encounter in her room had set her on edge. How had he managed to make it past all her crew undetected? He had to be an assassin of some sort, as stealthy as he was. Or something similar, since he didn’t even finish the job. She’d tell Mate to make sure the crew was on alert, though she couldn’t really tell them why. With that heavy on her mind, as she was getting her tour, she looked around for any sign of trouble, anything suspicious that might lead her to the identity of the man who’d snuck in her room. But, as they emerged topside once again, she’d still found nothing.
The female sailor with the nose ring approached the pair and saluted. “The Ajax is ready to sail, Captain. Do we have a course yet?”
Mate said, “Captain, officially meet Bishop Wylie, navigator.”
“Captain,” she said nodding her head.
“Navigator Wylie.”
“Just Wylie is fine, Captain.”
“Wylie it is. Wylie, chart a course to round Ferris Point, then further on south to Newark where we’ll start our investigation. Should take –”
“Three weeks, Captain,” Wylie said. The captain cocked her head to the side, and Wylie shrugged. “I’m good at my job, ma’am.”
“Not too humble about it either, eh?” Celeste said, clapping her on the back. “Glad to have your assistance; numbers have never been my strong suit. We leave in five minutes. Mate, pilot us out and head east.”
Mate laughed, then shouted, “Aye, Captain! You heard her, mates: make ready to shove off! Half sail until we’re clear of the docks then full sail on to Newark to see what we can find!”
A chorus of “Aye”s followed as the sailors jumped into action, readying the vessel for the sea, deck hands scrambling to get off the ship before she shoved off.
Celeste eyed the sky, testing the wind with her hand and eyeing the flags flapping atop each of the masts and at the bow and stern of the ship. She took a deep breath and searched around her, feeling the currents of water moving and flowing. Like the Helion and Reka, the other water element Senturians, Tempus could predict the weather. “It’ll be smooth sailing for now, mates. Weather should be clear for the next few days at least, and the wind is in our favor, blowing west to east down the coastline. Let’s ride it while we can.”
“Aye, Captain,” Mate said, giving Celeste an appraising look – apparently he’d come to the same conclusion. At least he seemed impressed.
Celeste made her way down the ship and up the stairs, arriving at the wheel just as the mooring lines were cast off. She ran her hand along the wheel as she crossed behind it, caressing the smoothness of the wood, the strength of each handle, then stepped away to let Mate step up to the wheel.
Ten Tempus sailors formed lines along the port and starboard rails. With one smooth motion, each pressed their arms gently to port. The ship slowly eased away from the pier until she was in the middle of the narrow canals between the docks. The sailors then shifted their stance to the front of the ship, each making motions like they were swimming, pumping their arms over their head, then forward, and occasionally kicking backwards. The ship moved as the sailors expertly Pushed the Ajax forward, maintaining speed until they hit the end of the canal. Mate spun the wheel, turning north into the main channel. Poteet stood at the bow of the ship, using hand signals to direct Mate through the narrow openings. With no other ship traffic, it was mere moments before they would be in open ocean.
They approached the seawall breakers – thousands of huge rocks piled up until they rose above even the highest tides, protecting them from the open ocean waves, black with algae and moss, forming a man-made harbor to protect the ships that were always docked at the Tempus capital city. As they crossed the mouth of the breakers, Celeste’s breath caught in her chest. This was it. Her ship. Officially on the sea. An immense sense of pride overtook her as Mate spun the wheel once again, sending the ship east, edging out slightly from the coast and gaining speed as the sailors stopped Pushing and fed her more sail.
Thousands of square feet of canvas spread out in front of her, the sailors holding none back. Each time they loosed a sail, the Ajax picked up a little more speed.
Like all Tempus, Celeste reveled in being on the ocean. It was where they belonged – they were the protectors of the oceans, after all. The sea air, the sound of the waves, the creaks of the boat – they were all music to her ears, and she easily settled into a state of contentment as she watched her crew expertly maneuver the craft, checking and rechecking lines and ties.
“Captain, would you like to take over?” Mate asked.
“What makes you say that, Mate?” she said, trying not to look too eager.
“You’ve been bouncing around since we left the main channel. I imagine you’re eager to get a feel for the ol’ girl.”
Celeste grinned. “Aye, Mate. Aye.” She trembled slightly as she took the wheel from Mate, the handles fitting perfectly, like they were molded for her hands.
“Oy!” Mate shouted. “Captain at the wheel! Prepare for maneuvers!”
“Maneuvers, aye!” It was a big deal the first time a new captain piloted their ship, and the sailors prepared to make it as flawless as possible.
She couldn’t help it: she grinned again. Celeste spun the wheel left, and the Ajax cut sharply to port. Straightening her out, Celeste took a step to steady herself with the quick motion of the ship – holy cow the wheel was sensitive. She spun it right, sending the ship to starboard, then left again, zigzagging the mighty vessel through the water, getting a feel for how she handled with the wind. She’d have to do it again when they sailed against the wind, but that would be another time. So she satisfied herself with taking her through all the standard maneuvers.
After about an hour, she felt like she had a pretty good idea of what her vessel was capable of. “Thank you, Mate, please take back over,” Celeste said.
“Aye, Captain.”
She moved slightly to the side, calmly reveling in being at sea and watching the crew work.
Despite the hypnotic effect of a ship being sailed expertly, steadily
her calmness moved toward anxiousness. Any time they thought she wasn’t looking at them, the crew gave Celeste a weary glance. Others whispered among themselves. It was plain as day – the crew didn’t put their full trust in their captain. Despite graduating at the top of her class, she’d never been on a real mission, let alone captained her own ship. And out on the ocean, when help was at earliest hours away and, at worst, several weeks, a crew who didn’t trust its captain was doomed. They were sizing her up, and it was up to her to ease their doubts.
There must be a way to prove my capabilities to them. Celeste was fully confident she could do the job, but hers wasn’t the opinion that mattered. She had to figure something out to gain their trust and their respect or this was going to be a very unpleasant and probably unsuccessful mission.
After an hour of uneventful sailing, she spotted something that gave her an idea, and her heart kicked up an extra couple of beats.
“Poteet – please check our depth.” She needed to make sure they were in the right place for what she had planned – if not, there were some undersea mounts that would wreck the ship.
Poteet grabbed the depth finder, a metal spear-like rod with a rope on the end. Charging it with energy, he moved to the rail and hurled it into the ocean. The glowing metal rocketed down, then stopped suddenly.
“Two hundred feet, ma’am!” Poteet called. With a “come here” hand motion, the Tempus manipulated the water around the depth finder and it shot back up into his hand. He quickly stored it back in its location and went back to what he was doing.
Perfect. “Mate?”
“Aye, Captain,” he said, wind in his beard and long hair as he held the ship’s course steady. She sensed him sending out tendrils of power to test the wind and the water, looking for any signs of trouble or malfunction.
“What are the exact dimensions of the ship?”
“Fifty-feet three inches side to side, two hundred fifty-five feet long, with a twenty-two foot draft when fully loaded, Captain.”
“Excellent, Mate, thank you. Wylie?”
“Ma’am?” the navigator said, bounding up the stairs to stand next to Celeste.
“How much time could we save if we follow the shoreline versus taking the normal route around Ferris Point?”
“It would cut the journey by a week, ma’am, but I must advise against it. The coastline is extremely perilous, especially with the entrance to the channel being the Twins,” Wylie said, her eyes wide with concern.
“Noted, Wylie, thank you. Mate, hard to starboard, if you please.”
“Hard to starboard, aye,” he said, spinning the wheel and turning them ninety degrees.
Celeste looked straight ahead, watching out of her periphery for what she wanted, and after a couple of minutes she said, “Mate, hard to port.”
“Hard to port, aye,” he said, and the ship turned ninety degrees left, back the direction it was originally heading but significantly closer to shore. The sailors went about their business, but she could tell they were confused at their change in course.
“Poteet, another depth measurement, sir.”
Again he threw the rod and it shot to the bottom. “Still two hundred feet, ma’am.”
We’re right in the channel, exactly where we need to be.
“I’ll take the wheel now, Mate.” Celeste grabbed the pegs as Mate vacated the pilot seat but remained close at parade rest, standing ready. The old sailor sensed that his captain was up to something.
Two huge stone slabs rose straight out of the ocean directly in front them, so smooth and square they looked man-made, though no one knew their origin. The Twins, as they were called, were perfectly rectangular and jutted vertically out of the water. Four hundred feet tall and six hundred wide, they were separated by a swift current of water that flowed between them.
Celeste pointed the bow of the Ajax right at them.
“Captain?”
“Yes, Mate?”
“Begging your pardon, but wouldn’t you be wanting to turn her at this point, to go around the Twins? They’re coming up fast, ma’am, and we’ll be fully in the channel momentarily.”
“How far apart are the Twins?”
“Fifty-four feet, ma’am.”
“Then that leaves us two feet on either side.”
Mate gulped. “Captain, I, uh...feel I must…”
“Noted, Mate,” she said. Then to everyone, “Secure full sail, then gather at the mainmast.”
“Full sail, aye!” came a chorus of responses.
They really didn’t have much to do, as the ship was already at full sail, so all hundred and fifty sailors were soon gathered under the mainmast, alternating between looking at the swiftly upcoming mountains off the bow, and Celeste at the stern.
“Captain?”
“Steady as she goes, Mate.” Celeste narrowed her eyes.
“You’re a little far starboard, ma’am.”
“Understood.”
The sailors grew nervous, the mountains looming ever closer to the fast-moving ship.
“Captain?” Mate said beside her, his voice tense.
“Steady, Mate.” Celeste took a calming breath, concentrating hard on what she was about to do.
Wylie joined them at the wheel. “As navigator, I have to advise you of the extreme danger of our current situation, Captain. Two hundred feet and closing, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Wylie.”
Wylie nodded and continued calling out the distance. “One hundred feet…fifty feet…CAPTAIN!”
Everyone braced for impact. At the last second, Celeste let go of the wheel and made a grabbing motion with both hands from right to left. The Ajax lurched exactly two feet to the left, instantly lining them up with the narrow opening.
Complete silence enveloped the crew as they were cut off from the rest of the world by sheer gray cliff faces. Fifteen seconds later, the Ajax erupted from the other side of the Twins in a spray of foam and water, a rush of sound returning to the crew as they released a collectively held breath. There was not a scratch on her.
Celeste addressed her crew: “Any questions?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Good. Back to your stations, sailors. Smooth sailing to you.”
“Aye, Captain! Smooth sailing!” This time they said it with a good deal more respect, and quickly went back to their duties, many glancing back at their captain.
Celeste turned and grinned at her first mate and navigator, wavering slightly as she turned, sweat evident on her brow from the release of power. “Thoughts?”
“That was the craziest move I’ve ever seen, Captain!” Wylie said, practically bouncing, her sword and daggers clanking around. “I mean, the power it took to move the whole ship, by yourself! Amazing!”
“Thank you. If you would please, Wylie, head down to the navigation room and I’ll be there shortly. I want to go over our route.”
She saluted. “Ma’am!” She ran and leapt over the wheel deck rail, landing hard on the main deck, then entered the door almost directly under them into the nav room.
Celeste grinned as she turned back. “Your thoughts, Mate?”
He looked flustered but covered it well. “High pucker factor, Captain.” Then he smiled big. “Well done. I think you’ll find the crew a bit more, ah, respectful. Would you mind piloting for a wee bit longer?”
“Sure, Mate, but why?”
“I have to go change my shorts, ma’am.”
Chapter 6
The Ajax was a big ship, but she easily fit within the channel that held the current. It ran close to shore, but drastically increased their speed. If the Ajax was an Explorer – the lone class of ship that was designed to handle very deep water and offshore missions – it would have been nigh impossible. Explorers were monstrous vessels, packed to the gills with cargo and weapons, that could stay at sea for years, if needed. And sometimes it was needed – ships that ventured too far from shore were often never heard from again. The seas of Terraunum were nothing to
mess around with.
“Captain, a quick word?”
Turning, Poteet stood at parade rest a few yards away. “Of course, Poteet.”
He walked up to her. “You’ve just displayed a tremendous amount of power. That was impressive. But don’t think you’ve won the loyalty of the crew just because you’re strong. Strength alone doesn’t make a great leader. Keep them alive, bring them back to their families. Make wise decisions. Lead from the front. Then they’ll follow you to hell and back.”
Celeste was taken aback by the brutal honesty of his statement. She nodded again. “Thank you, Poteet, for the wise counsel. I will do my best.”
He smiled and saluted. “I expected nothing else, Captain. Anything else?”
“No, sir, dismissed.”
“Aye.”
Turning on his heel, she watched him bound down the stairs to help a sailor with some rigging. That’s something she would have to do too – win them over one moment at a time. She gave the wheel over to another sailor after an hour, her display of power tiring her more than she thought it would. “What’s your name, sailor?”
“Name’s John, ma’am.”
“Excellent, John, keep us in the channel, steady as she goes.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Walking down the stairs from the wheel deck, she slid her hand along the railing and breathed in the sea air, mixed with the wood and metal smells of the Ajax herself. The power of the ocean and winds powering the ship coursed through Celeste as well, invigorating her senses and pulsing through her body like blood.
Taking a cue from Poteet, she helped a sailor pull a line tight to secure a sail, then headed across the deck to the other side of the ship. Wylie walked by on the way to the navigation room outside her own quarters, and Celeste said, “Wylie.”
“Captain?” She stopped, turning back. Smart and closest to her own age among the crew, Celeste couldn’t help but be drawn to Wylie, like a kindred spirit.