by Zack Finley
“They do get in the way. What do the troops think of the stun guns?” I asked.
“I think they will need to see them actually work in combat. They were fascinated by the guns’ effect on the fish, but it will take seeing how they work on people that will make the difference. They fit well enough and don’t interfere with using their hands,” said Cleon.
“We’ll take a full complement of oars with us, but most can stay aboard the Malan if you think they take up too much room in the boats. I was wondering where you’d find room for the boarding nets,” I said. “We need a strategy session so we can all leave tomorrow morning. I’d like to get everything but the troops loaded tonight, so we can leave promptly after breakfast.”
“I’ll check with Capt. Malek and set it up. From the shoreside I’m assuming Argon, you, me, and Erik will be enough?”
“Invite Gera along, too. It will be good training for him,” I said. “How are the team coms working?”
“We need to keep running exercises,” said Cleon. “Half the time they forget they have them. The rest of the time they are jabbering on top of one another. We are better with them, but they are still pretty new.”
I spotted Loma getting off the Malan and hailed her down.
“What have you decided about arming the Malan?” I asked.
“We are mounting several batteries so the whole ship is covered. Capt. Malek wanted three weapons on each side and a weapon on both ends. The person manning the wand can dial earth, fire, stun, or water blasts. Capt. Malek felt the water and stun would give him an offensive punch without risking his ship or the potential prize. He also asked for his crew to be fitted with the stun guns. None of the armaments activate without a sigil, so I asked Forst to get right on it after he is done with the longboats. Clive took him a basket full of small quartz crystals. We did some fish testing, and the guns only work well within 20 feet. Farther than that and the coverage is spotty. Perga wants us to test all we want because he wants the fish.”
“What about the force shields?” Argon asked.
“We have the batteries ready, we just don’t have a design yet. Capt. Malek wants protection for the hull of his ship. We also want to protect the people on deck but still be able to shoot earth and fireballs at the enemy. I’d been planning on activating personal shields for those near the wand controls,” Loma said.
“Why not keep your people protections but add a stronger ward on the hull the captain can activate when under fire?” I asked. “He already has several wards on his hull, adding to them should be easier than starting with a new design.”
“Good idea, I’ll have my crew finish deploying the personal shields and the captain, and I’ll look at the wards on his hull,” Loma said, looking relieved. “Capt. Malek can be a bit forceful. He kept repeating if the hull is breached, it wouldn’t matter about the individual shields.”
“If he isn’t okay with this plan, have him contact me. While I do not want to lose the Malan, I have even less desire to lose the crew,” I said. “Saving the people is my first priority. We can always build another ship.”
While I was talking with Loma, Argon had been watching the longboat races.
“You can tell they have better boat captains,” Argon said. “But I’m not sure racing is a good idea, they are making me uncomfortable in the turns. I’ll let Cleon know, we don’t want to spend all morning rescuing the guard from the fish.”
Once Argon pointed it out, I saw the reason for concern. Combining unheard of speed, competition, and bad-ass fish with an inexperienced crew was a bad idea.
Cleon must have gotten through to the helmsmen because we saw the speed ease off. I suspected the heart rate for the Duchy Guard also eased off. For most of our troops, this was their first experience on the water. I suspected if Earth had this many vicious fish, I might not be eager to go in the water either.
Cleon went back to placing one of the Malan’s boats into the water. It was a force magic feat. Two of the Malan’s crew checked it for leaks. Once no leaks were detected the helmsman eased the speed up and smoothly pulled the boat away from the docks. The gunner then crawled into position and stunned a bunch of fish. Once the gunner sat down, the helmsman sped up and drove around briefly before returning to the dock to pick up the rest of his boat crew.
Once all four boats were loaded they formed up to “attack” the ship moored in the harbor. The plan was to assault both sides at once. The men tossing the grapples kept missing. I knew Erik had drilled and drilled them the day before but cramped unsteady footing was a new factor.
Erik called the assault off, had them regroup, and try again. And again. And again. It took a lot of tosses before the troops got the hang of it. The deployment of the boarding net was anticlimactic. The practice climbs had the guard climbing on board with the agility of monkeys. Rinse, wash, and repeat.
The toughest part was hooking the grapple on the ship. Capt. Malek wasn’t too worried. He didn’t think we would need the net or the grapples for most of the ships we were likely to meet. Many of the ships were low enough to the water the guard could probably reach the shrouds to board directly from the longboats.
By the time we met for the battle planning session, the grapplers were successful on the first throw nearly every time.
Argon and I were among the first in Capt. Malek’s cabin. Capt. Malek and his two officers were already present. They had charts of the coastal region north of Klee open on the table. Cleon, Erik, and Gera arrived together.
“It is very difficult for a single ship to capture another on the open sea. Ships are normally only vulnerable when moored or tied up to a dock. Merchant ships plying the small villages are the most at risk. They rely heavily on secrecy. They then try for quick turnarounds, to avoid giving pirates an opportunity to board them,” Capt. Malek said.
I should have realized this, but I was still mired in Earth tactics when everyone had a gun or small cannon.
“I have heard of pirates faking damage to their ship to lure a target close. Other than by trickery a single pirate ship can’t stop another ship on the open sea without magical help. I believe the pirate ships are working in packs. A pack can pin a ship against the coast. I’ve heard several pirate ships have ramming hulls. Using the pack and the element of surprise, I suspect even a good seaman might fall prey to ramming tactics,” Malek said, the disgust dripping off his words.
“With these tactics, a battlemage would be overkill. The pirates don’t have many mages. My understanding is their mages are very selective about the raids they participate in. They have little interest in capturing ships hauling grain or jarma meat. While I doubt we will encounter them, caution is advised,” said Malek.
“How will we spot the pirates?” Cleon asked.
“I think the Duchy mind-reading app is a good start. We can also put a man aloft with one of your new farseers. But it might just be easier to have them find us,” said Malek.
“How do we do that?” Cleon asked.
“Most ships aim for the shortest possible route, so they are seldom far from shore. You only want to get far enough from shore to minimize the air turbulence. This time of year that is along here,” Malek pointed at the chart. “If we stay in the normal sea lanes, they should find us. It will be better if we spot them first, of course. I’m relying on the mind-reading app for that. Between our five mages and new armament, we should handle anything they hit us with. I’m hoping to capture a few ships intact to add to the Duchy fleet. Most pirates keep slaves to do the grunt work on board ship, or I’d be pushing to sink them all from a distance. I suspect a lot of the slaves were sailors on captured merchant ships. They deserve to be freed if possible.”
“I assume once we disable the ships we send the longboats to capture them?” Argon asked.
“Yes, that is the current plan,” Malek answered.
“Then, one of the mages needs to be with each group of boats. That will minimize loss of life for the slaves as well as our own charges,”
Argon said.
Everyone agreed that Capt. Malek would remain aboard the Malan but that Argon, Cleon, Gera, and I would be on the boats. After all, we could always teleport back to the Malan if needed.
There wasn’t much else we could do to prepare. We didn’t know where the pirates were nor in what strength.
I left the meeting and ‘ported to Jorvik’s forge. Argon, Cleon, Gera, and Erik ran back to the Keep HQ to wash up before dinner. Capt. Malek said he would join us for dinner.
Jorvik’s apprentices seemed to be everywhere directing deliveries. I spotted Jorvik instructing one of Clive’s builders setting two huge anvils in place. Once Jorvik was satisfied with their placement, he came over to chat.
“We are very happy you are finally here. Join us at dinner tonight, so we can catch you up on the current plans. We have an expedition leaving tomorrow to capture some pirates. I particularly want to meet with you and Loma to make sure you are up to speed on several developments,” I said.
“I will be there, even if some of my apprentices won’t. Clive has done a masterful job with this facility. My apprentices are in awe,” said Jorvik.
“You will want to check in on the tinker group next door while we are gone. You might be able to give them some ideas. Right now, they are making things up as they go along,” I said. “We can always chat via the com hub, too.”
“Right, Loma briefed me on the com hub when she gave me the sigil, but I’m not sure I know what it meant,” said Jorvik.
“Marfo is the best person to consult on what it is capable of. She can help set you up with a group chat or whatever you need,” I said.
“I can tell there are a lot of things I’ll need to get up to speed on,” Jorvik said.
“We do things a bit differently in the Duchy,” I said. “But I’m sure you’ll figure it out quickly. If in doubt talk with Tobron. That is what I do.”
Jorvik went to talk with his apprentices. I decided on a quick visit to my tinkers was in order.
Forst was cranking out stun guns. Klid was tinkering with a set of gears. Flmo was studying the steam generator.
“You guys have done a great job,” I said entering through the large open door. “We leave on the expedition tomorrow. I know the propulsion units and stun guns will make a big difference.” I barely had their attention. “So, what is next?” I asked Flmo.
“We need to get back to the grist mill design,” said Flmo. “We visited several and were ready to start building the inner workings. Now we aren’t sure. After seeing the water unit for the boats, we are wondering whether we really need the barnta. Klid isn’t happy with the gearing. Poor Forst is getting exhausted making the stun guns and hasn’t been able to contribute much.”
“I’ve heard of mills powered by wind, water, and steam,” I said. “Either of those requires a substantial amount of trial and error. Concentrate on building us a conventional barnta-powered mill. When we need to expand it, then we can upgrade the power source.”
“Thank you, sir, that makes it easier,” Flmo said. “Not as exciting but easier. Klid really wants to improve the gearing?”
“Make the improvements you think best. Coordinate with Clive to build the structure for the mill. The chamberlain is the arbiter of any disputes, but it will be better if you can work them out between yourselves,” I said. “You worked most of last night, take a little time off.” I don’t think they heard me.
I knew Argon was in the dining room and I ran to join her. The meal lines were long, but they moved quickly. I was hungry. I piled my plate high, suspecting we’d be eating energy bars while chasing pirates. Argon was chatting with Cleon. I nearly sat down before noticing he was sporting a set of oso hide armor. “What do you think of the armor?” I asked, sliding into my seat.
“It is light and a little intimidating,” Cleon answered.
“How is it intimidating?” I asked.
“Argon told me about the men who wore them originally, I just don’t feel worthy. I stopped by Loma’s workshop and charged the armor up. It is definitely a masterpiece,” said Cleon.
“Did you get Gera a set?” I asked Argon.
“No, he doesn’t have the magical skill yet to handle them. That is one of the disadvantages of such powerful gear. They aren’t meant for novices,” said Argon.
I wasn’t the only hungry person at the table. By ones and twos, the Duchy leadership joined the table. Jorvik was saved from being the last to arrive by Marfo. There was always something to chat about, so no time was really wasted.
Tobron called the group to order when most had finished eating, leaving the latecomers scrambling to eat their meals. “We want to welcome Jorvik to our Duchy,” Tobron said pointing at Jorvik who was caught chewing something. Jorvik raised his hand in a silent greeting. Everyone chuckled, knowing Tobron did it on purpose to make a point.
“Our expedition to remove the pirates leaves tomorrow after an early breakfast,” Tobron continued. “They will be gone as long as it takes but plan on the Malan to be gone at least eight days. Depending upon what they encounter we may have Argon, Cleon, Steve, and the Duchy Guard ‘porting home sooner. No one should hold up progress on a priority task, remember the com hub can contact them. That said, everyone should assume the whole expedition will be gone for the entire eight days.”
Noting the agreement, Tobron continued, “Recruiting will be our main priority while the expedition is gone. We have a lot of applications, we just need to go through them and bring the right ones into the Duchy. If we locate sufficient caregivers and teachers, we will begin bringing our orphans on board. We are starting to exceed the capacity of this building, so are expanding into the next building. Clive will provide ramps at most levels to connect the buildings. Dors is already on it. She has been consulting our citizens about what they want for quarters.”
A look of irritation crossed Tobron’s face before he continued, “Now that we have our herders living near their herds, we have a petition from the farmers asking for similar consideration. They all want to live near Maude.”
“I am not surprised,” I answered. “We will need to accommodate them. What we will not accommodate is wasting resources. It is more efficient to have meals prepared for the entire population. That allows Ellte to better match production, acquisition, and distribution. It also takes fewer cooks. Some groups will want meals delivered to them at their work site. I can’t argue with that. What I do want is for most of the Duchy to eat the evening meal together. Marfo, have someone coordinate rides to and from outlying residences to make this easier. They can also deliver meals to those whose duties prevent them from coming to the food court.”
Marfo nodded.
I continued, “I also think childcare and teaching should be done as a community, once younglings are above a certain age. This can free up both parents to take part in other tasks if they want. Soon we will soon have a disproportionate number of younglings without parents. We need any parents wishing to be full-time caregivers to agree to care for other younglings as well.”
“Younglings must learn the value of hard work as soon as they are able to contribute. Saving some jobs for younglings to do will be important. They build character and confidence in the younglings, and patience in the rest of us.” This elicited a few chuckles, likely from parents.
“Each of us may be assigned a youngling-in-training. I want them trained in general knowledge, productive skills, and in self-defense. Every discipline, whether blacksmith, sailor, barnta driver, guard, farmer, cook, or carpenter must be ready to train a group of unskilled youngsters in their craft. While some will have no aptitude for a particular discipline, I think such cross training will provide dividends. Those discovering an aptitude for a particular discipline will become apprentices. Jord will establish a training plan for each child. He will be building a training group to make sure no one falls through a crack.”
“We need more members of the militia,” Tobron said. “I’d like to have everyone assigned a duty
to help defend us during an invasion. Some will need to gather the younglings and non-combatants in a safe haven. The rest need to have assignments and be trained in some aspect of defense.”
Tobron surprised several group members.
“I have no intel that an invasion is likely,” Tobron said. “It may be years or never that we face such a threat. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to be prepared. We will be activating the current militia while the guard is chasing pirates. Cleon needs someone to lead the militia. Let him know if you have a candidate.”
“I will head up the militia while Cleon is gone. The militia isn’t as well trained as the guard, but we should be fine. I’m more concerned about the absence of our three main battlemages. Jorvik, I’m counting on your team to help make up for that?”
“We’d be honored. Just let me know where you need us,” Jorvik answered.
“Get with Cleon after dinner, and he’ll brief you on the main points,” Tobron said. “Now the rest of you have been lured into a false sense of security by the mage guild ward.” He paused to make sure he had all of our attention.
“The ward will collapse within minutes of an actual assault on the Keep,” he said. He definitely had our attention. “It is mainly to keep out nuisance trespassers. It just doesn’t have the power to keep out any sustained attack. The mage guild anchored the spell to an assortment of gems embedded in rock. Similar to our batteries. If the ward was ever breached, the guild planned to send someone to the Keep to see what happened. They’d have called on the Klee King’s Guard if someone had invaded. No one tried to break in, believing the ward was impregnable. Handy for us but not something we can count on.”
“The wards on the wall Toffad built are a different story,” Inoa added. “We still don’t have them fully charged, but they are awesome. Breaching the walls will be very difficult. An invader will not go through the walls, they must go over them. Loma, Clive, and I will be installing wands similar to those we put up on the Malan along the walls and guardhouses. Each on-duty member of the militia will have a new stun gun by the end of today. We might be hard pressed if the dark sect attacked with 20 mages, but if that happened Cleon, Argon, and Steve could be back in a heartbeat.”