“Is the water getting warm yet?” he asked with a cruel smile.
“Actually, yes,” Hawke said, “Would you mind cutting the bracelet off before it boils?”
“Gotcha,” he agreed, lowering the tool into the water.
“Where are we and why does my head hurt?” Hawke asked.
The man focused on getting the teeth of the tool around the edge of the bracelet. Hawke looked around the room, trying to figure out where he was. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all formed of dark wood beams. One of the three walls was braced every meter or so with thick six-by-six beams of wood. The ceiling had a center support beam of six-by-six giving off the image that Hawke was currently inside a sturdy log cabin or an ancient wooden frigate from the early American wars.
Another explosion shook the room, causing the man to drop his tool in the water. Hawke couldn’t tell if the bracelet was heating up or if it was just his imagination.
“Hurry up,” Hawke insisted, “What are all those explosions?”
“Six-inch shells,” the man replied, recovering his tool and quickly attempting to regain purchase on the bracelet, “Our shells, of course. The Shomani are not going to accept that we recovered both you and your ship, but not to worry. We came prepared for that.”
“Is this a ship? An ocean vessel?” Hawke asked.
“Indeed,” he replied, growling as he squeezed the handle of the tool, “One of the best in the Cheronook fleet.”
Suddenly the bracelet snapped. Hawke felt a little sting as a sharp edge of the broken bracelet nicked his wrist. Hawke lifted his hand from the water and twisted the warm mangled bracelet off.
“Thanks for the help, bud,” Hawke said, tossing the piece of metal into the tub of water and rising up from the floor.
He suddenly felt uneasy as he looked around. He stumbled forward, but the man caught him to keep him from falling.
“You’d better find a way to get your sea legs quick, spaceboy,” he said, “We’ve got quite a trip ahead of us.”
“Sea legs,” Hawke repeated, “Yeah, I guess I should have seen that one coming.”
The man retrieved his tools and departed the room as quickly as he had arrived. He offered no advice or instruction for Hawke and the open door suggested that he was no prisoner of those who had kidnapped him and Kashuba.
He turned quickly; inspecting the room for any sign that Kashuba had been in there with him. There was nothing beyond what he’d seen earlier. He rushed out into the corridor and hollered Kashuba’s name. A sweaty man rushed past him, nearly knocking Hawke to the floor.
“Why don’t you make yourself useful and see if the gunners need any help?” the man snapped at him, rushing up the stairwell at the end of the hall.
“Gunners?” he muttered.
Another explosion rumbled from above.
“Kashuba!” he shouted, heading toward the stairwell.
He looked up the stairs and immediately verified that they led to the sunlit world outside. He quickly rose from the bowels of the ship to discover a busy world that he most certainly did not fit into. He found himself standing near the stern of a massive 19th century schooner decked out in full sails. That alone would have been enough to give him a moment of pause, but then he saw the three giant cannons.
The cannons were definitely not like those found on 19th century ships but rather they resembled the howitzers of the mid 20th century. The cannon to his right was being loaded from the rear with something that resembled a giant bullet still attached to its shell. It took two burly men to load the cannon and only one to fire it. The explosion was deafening.
He looked off to the right side of the ship to see what they were firing at just in time to see the bow of a more modern ship exploding. The other ship, now sinking in the distance looked very similar to a modern day destroyer or frigate. He was impressed to see an older wooden ship holding her own against a modern navy vessel.
The sound of rapid gunfire erupted from the other side of the ship. He turned to see a man on the deck above him operating what appeared to be an ordinary Gatling gun mounted on a standing tripod. Curiosity got the best of Hawke and brought him over to that side of the ship. There, he witnessed the bullets ripping into the side of a low flying aircraft. The aircraft pulled up quickly and veered away from the ship. The machine gunner kept firing, though it appeared the aircraft was already out of range.
A cannon blast erupted from the front of the ship, but Hawke couldn’t see anything from his position behind the superstructure. He turned his attention back to the three cannons. One was faced directly aft, and the other two were pointed port and starboard. He imagined there was probably the same formation at the bow. The cannon operators now seemed to be waiting patiently at their posts with loaded weapons.
He saw no other ships on the horizon and the aircraft that had made a pass earlier didn’t appear to be circling around for another pass. That was the moment he saw two enormous zeppelins flying almost directly overhead. Their size made the Goodyear blimp look like a child’s toy. If he had to make an estimate, he’d guess these were at least three times the size of Goodyear’s airships. He feared that their enormity would permit the existence of heavy weapons aimed down at them, but it didn’t appear that they were shooting anything at all.
He wondered for a moment if they were filled with hydrogen and if so, why wasn’t the machine gunner shooting at them. Hydrogen was extremely flammable.
“Escorts,” a voice interrupted his thoughts.
He lowered his gaze to see the chariot driver from earlier. Hawke’s hand subconsciously rose up to the aching lump on the side of his head.
“Sorry about the hit on the head, my friend,” he said, “I thought you’d be much more excited about the rescue attempt than you were. Since you apparently weren’t thinking clearly, we had to take it to the next level. You do realize we saved your life, right?”
“I don’t realize anything. I have no idea who the good guys or the bad guys are. As a matter of fact, the Shomani haven’t harmed me in any way, yet the Cheronook have,” he said, rubbing the knot on his head.
“Really? Would you like to take another look at those burns on your wrist?” he asked.
Hawke stopped rubbing his head and glanced quickly at the red marks where the bracelet once rested. He nodded in quiet resignation, then pointed up at the zeppelins overhead.
“You said the zeppelins are escorts? Cheronook escorts?” Hawke asked.
“Yes, the airships have a better view of what is up ahead and behind us and can alert us so we will be prepared. Once we are far enough from Shomani lands, the airships will return home,” he said, extending a hand to Hawke, “I am Night Rain, the Associate Governor of the Frozen North.”
He took the proffered hand and shook it, “I am Meriwether Hawke; inventor, engineer, and reluctant astronaut. I prefer to be called Hawke.”
“Hawke,” he repeated, “I like it. Now that it seems we have escaped the Shomani, how about we go inside and I welcome you more properly with an explanation of recent events?”
“Before I go anywhere, I have to ask. Did you harm Kashuba and is she here on the ship?” he asked, “I’m talking about the woman who was with me when you knocked me out.”
“She’s aboard and she’s rather alert and,” he paused, searching his words carefully, “Well, let’s just say that she’s quite a ferocious prisoner at the moment. She would have been killed as an accessory had we left her behind and we didn’t really know your relationship with her, so we brought her along.”
“Prisoner?” he gasped.
“It was necessary. She’s been fighting us the whole time,” he replied, “Perhaps you can calm her down and let her know that the Cheronook are not the enemy.”
“Can I see her right away?” he asked, “I’m not in a relationship with her, but I do feel more or less responsible for her care.”
“Come,” he said, motioning to the door.
Six
“The bu
rly man hit you over the head with a club!” she said, pacing in front of him.
Hawke was seated on the cot in her small cell where Night Rain had left them. He left the cell door open and asked that Hawke just holler for the Master at Arms after he makes a determination regarding her emotional state.
“You don’t understand, Kashuba. I’ve been continually at the mercy of others since I awoke on this planet. I don’t know anything about you, the Shomani, the Cheronook, Night Rain, Orlo, or even that Master at Arms outside this cell! You are all my enemies for all I know! I could be in the hands of terrorists right now or I could have been rescued from the terrorists by being clubbed on the head,” he said, rising from the cot, “But I’m withholding judgment until I get a better picture of you, my hosts, and this alien world.”
“These people are the enemy, Hawke! How can you not see it?” she insisted, “They have kept the war going for more years than I have been alive. The Shomani are a peaceful race that serves the gods while the Cheronook serve only themselves.”
“I don’t care about the politics of your world and I support neither side. What matters now is that we are both at sea aboard a Cheronook ship and we are going wherever this ark takes us. We can be guests or we can be prisoners. At the moment, it seems you want to be a prisoner and since I have nothing vested in you, I may have to allow them to keep you in a cell. Do you get what I’m saying?”
She stopped her angry pacing and looked over at him. She stared at him for a moment, then looked down at his wringing hands. She approached him and touched the red marks on his wrist.
“I’m the one who put the bracelet on you, so this is why you don’t care for me anymore,” she said, “I never believed it would ever cause you harm.”
“I don’t blame you for the burns and I do still care about your well-being. Night Rain promised to keep you from harm if I don’t feel you can safely be released from this cell. He will merely release you when we reach port,” Hawke said, “But personally, I’d like to tell him that you have calmed down and that you’re willing to continue as... as my charge. I’ve grown accustomed to your company and I really like you. I’d feel better if I could personally see to your care rather than just taking Night Rain at his word.”
She smiled, then offered a quick nod, “So you do find me satisfactory in spite of your reluctance yesterday.”
“You are indeed a sweet and innocent flower, Kashuba. You make me smile more than I deserve. And as beautiful as you are, I fear a lesser man would take full advantage of you,” he smiled, “So I’d really appreciate it if you would control your anger and hatred for these people and accompany me for the remainder of this trip. I could also use your input as you seem concerned with my well-being also.”
She took a hold of both his hands and looked up at him with curiosity in her expression. He wondered for a moment if she was going to reject his offer and forfeit her care to the Master at Arms. Then she stood on her toes and leaned forward, kissing him tenderly on the lips. It was soft and sweet and only lasted a short moment, but it was enough to drop his defenses.
“Your words describe love, Hawke. You might not want to admit such a thing and I understand that, but it doesn’t change what I heard,” she said, releasing his hands, “My last direction from the church and from the Demigods was to accompany you as your servant and to continue on in the role of peacekeeper. As such, it is my duty to honor them and to honor you. I will refrain from expressing my opinions on these savages and would be honored to accompany you as your servant, your lover, and your peacekeeper.”
“But you’re not my…” he sighed, wondering if he should say anything that would change her mind, “Yes. Yes, I would like that. But please don’t do this out of obligation. As I said before, I wish for you to be free to choose and free to say no.”
“If I were given the freedom to choose one thing right now, I would choose to spend my time with you, Hawke,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said.
. . . .
Night Rain was waiting for them in his sleeping chamber. Although he wasn’t the Captain of the ship or even an officer for that matter, he must have been given something of a “penthouse suite”. The room was large and bright, having multiple windows on both sides of the room facing both port and starboard. A chandelier of six oil lamps offered plenty of light to the center of the room where the midday sun didn’t reach. Night Rain was seated at a desk near the starboard window writing something in a log or journal. An unidentified man was seated on a sofa near the middle of the room reading a book.
The Master at Arms departed promptly, leaving Kashuba and Hawke standing near the door. The older man on the sofa acknowledged their arrival by placing his book facedown on the coffee table. Night Rain continued writing for another minute, then closed the book on the desk.
“Come on in!” Night Rain said, rising from his seat near the window and motioning them toward the sofa and chairs by the coffee table, “Please, come sit down.”
Hawke offered Kashuba to sit on one of the two large chairs and then seated himself on the padded arm of the same chair. Night Rain gave Hawke a curious glance, then seated himself next to the elderly gentleman on the couch.
“Welcome to the Savior – the pride and joy of the Frozen North,” Night Rain said, extending his arms out as though introducing the coffee table, “And this man right here is the ship’s owner and renowned astronomer, Sky Listener. Without his ship and his funding, I don’t know that you would have ever been rescued.”
“Rescued?” Kashuba blurted, drawing her hand quickly to her lips to cut off the remainder of her words.
Hawke smiled apologetically, “It’s very nice to meet you, Sky Listener. We are very grateful for what you’ve done, but at the same time, we are a bit confused as to the purpose.”
“Understandably so,” Sky Listener stated, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees, “We had heard of the discovery of your ship passing through the system. Once we learned of the Shomani’s mission to net your ship and bring it here, we were naturally quite curious being that many astronomers believed your ship had been calling out to the Cheronook in our own language. Then once we learned of the success of the Shomani’s mission, we were naturally anxious to get a hold of it. That in itself was quite a substantial prize as well as a confirmation to all the beliefs we held so dear. But to speak to the one who once piloted the ship… well, I can’t even begin to explain what your presence here means to us.”
“Sky Listener speaks of things you probably don’t quite understand yet, my friend,” Night Rain said, patting the older gentleman on the leg, “I’m going with the assumption that you have only been awake for a few days and that you know nothing of the Shomani, the Cheronook, or even the planet Rain beyond that which the Shomani or your friend seated there have told you. Would that be a correct assumption?”
Hawke nodded, “Actually, I believe this is only my second day on your world. I sort of lost track of time once you had me beaten over the head.”
“Again, I apologize to both of you. But this confirms what I had thought. Prior to waking up in the hands of the Shomani, can I ask what you remember last?” Night Rain asked.
Hawke looked down at Kashuba and met her gaze. She appeared just as curious as the others.
“You mentioned that I piloted the ship. That is an incorrect assumption. I am merely an amateur engineer and more than anything, an inventor. I was the one who created the engine on that ship and I was aboard merely as an operator and evaluator to determine the outcome of its trial run. I couldn’t fly the ship if you held a gun to my head,” he replied, “And in the end, the engine worked beyond its designed specifications, which wasn’t a good thing. It took us far beyond our intended destination and left us wandering with little life support. The pilot and I were forced to preserve ourselves in the cryo-pods with only a prayer of a rescue and revival.”
“Amazing!” Sky Listener smiled.
“This is absol
utely unbelievable!” Night Rain stated at the same time.
Hawke watched his hosts as they stared at him in awe. He shrugged, then scooted closer to Kashuba.
“You don’t get it and we really don’t expect you to,” Night Rain stated with the smile of a child on Christmas morning, “But the discovery of you and your ship changes the whole course of history. Everything in all of history must be rewritten.”
“You not only prove that the ringed Hidden Earth is real, you probably invented the very engine that brought it here,” Sky Listener added, “It looks similar to your ship, but perhaps a few thousand times larger.”
Seven
The silence in the room was palpable after Sky Listener’s last statement. Even Kashuba appeared a little confused by his statement.
“Did you say ‘Hidden Earth’?” Hawke asked, “Earth is the name of the planet I came from. Earth!”
“Seriously?” Sky Listener asked, “Our people are drilling down to the giant craft even as we speak. It’s been the traditional name of an underground world beneath the Frozen North for eons.”
“A mythical world actually up until the point that the Cheronook started pursuing oil and bane beneath the ice. Sonograms revealed a chunk of metal as big as a city buried nearly a mile beneath the ice,” Night Rain stated, “A massive thing surrounded by a metal ring much like your ship.”
Hawke pondered all the stuff he was being presented with. He could easily imagine his ship being built on a larger scale and being sent off to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, but to have ended up on a planet where their Earthly origins had become a forgotten portion buried in mythology would require a significant portion of time. It would have required much more time than the reactors in his ship could have lasted.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Hawke said, “And if this ship was even a thousand times larger than mine and if it was buried in a parallel position where you could eventually walk the decks, shouldn’t the gravitational-reflex ring be large enough to be visible above ground. Even if the ship was buried a mile down, the ring should have-”
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