He reached behind his desk and pulled out a gray plastic box, setting it on his desk. It was apparently seamless.
“I can’t open it,” he added in a less than amused tone. “I have no idea what it contains.”
Talbot placed his hand on the top of the box and it opened down an invisible seam on the top. Inside were four transparent bags, some mixed items on the bottom and a sealed envelope. Talbot pulled out the envelope and broke the seal, then shrugged at the contents.
“More instructions from Sheida,” he said, folding it and putting it back in the envelope. Chang was visibly annoyed that he was not made privy to the communication but Talbot ignored him. “Breath-masks for working underwater and suggested trade materials,” he added, closing the box. “Could you have this sent out to the ship, Skipper?”
“Of course, General,” the officer replied. “Will there be anything else?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Talbot said. “It would probably make sense for us to go out to the ship as soon as possible.”
“I’ll make arrangements,” Chang replied, gesturing at the box. “That way your luggage can come with you.”
“Thank you,” Edmund said with a broad grin. “Now?”
“Horace!”
CHAPTER TEN
Herzer shook his head at the sight of the massive ship.
“They’ve only got a couple of hundred people to man it?” he asked.
The ship was nearly eighty meters long with three masts, the rearmost and highest of which stretched forty meters in the air. Sails were furled in every direction and Herzer had a hard time sorting them out. There were some that looked like they dropped down from crosspieces on the masts, but others were twisted around sloping ropes or something on the front.
The ship also looked awfully odd because where more masts should have been at the rear, there was a large platform. In fact, the wheel and deck that he’d expect to be at the rear was entirely missing. It might be under the platform, but if so it was well hidden. And a large, cantilevered platform angled out forward on the near side of the ship. And the whole ship was painted a dull gray, which Herzer found strange.
The group was being rowed out to the ship in one of the many small boats in the harbor. This one was rowed by two people, a man and a brawny female who seemed to be in charge. The boat was one of many headed to or from the ship and as they approached they could see a group of seamen lifting pallets onto the ship from one of the lighters alongside. Next to it was another lighter that had snaked four hoses over the side. It had a small steam engine going and was apparently pumping something aboard ship.
As they approached the ship a set of stairs with a floating platform was lowered over the side and the two oarsmen pulled the boat up to it.
Herzer had been surprised when Duke Edmund had had them board in reverse order of seniority but he understood now as the duke was the first to hop from the craft onto the platform and rapidly ascend the stairs. Herzer followed Daneh out of the boat and up the stairs. He was trailed, in order, by Vickie, Rachel and one of the other dragon-riders, the latter of which was carrying the featureless gray box. From the top of the stairs came an odd sound, like very high-pitched whistling. He got to the top of the stairs just in time to see the duke drop his salute and hear a leather-lunged petty officer bellow: “Overjay Command, Arriving!”
At the top of the stairs there was a double line of sailors and the blue-uniformed soldiers that he had seen at the Navy base. The sailors were in their day uniforms but the soldiers were turned out in armor, which was well polished, and boarding pikes, which were held vertically at attention.
Edmund had briefed them on the way out so Herzer first saluted the rear of the ship, where the UFS Navy flag, a diamondback rattler on an orange field, was flying, then the officer greeting them.
“Permission to come aboard, sir?”
“Permission granted,” the Navy commander replied, returning the salute. He was wearing the same undress uniform as the sailors, blue trousers and off-white shirt, but wore a broad brimmed hat, turned up at one side, on which were fixed the two vertical silver bars of a commander. He was nearly as tall as Herzer but much thinner and he held out his hand with a friendly grin. “You’re going to have as much trouble moving around this ship as I do.”
He turned to the duke and waved towards the rear of the ship as the petty officer in charge of the greeting party ordered it to stand down and fall out.
“I’m Commander Owen Mbeki, executive officer,” the commander said.
“I’m Edmund Talbot, obviously,” the duke said with a smile. “My wife Doctor Daneh Ghorbani who is acting as my cultural attaché, Lieutenant Herzer Herrick my military attaché and aide, my daughter Rachel Ghorbani, Daneh’s aide, Staff Sergeant Vickie Toweeoo, senior NCO of the dragon contingent.”
“Charmed, I’m sure,” the commander replied, shaking their hands. “I’ll show you to your staterooms, General. Sergeant Toweeoo and the other dragon-riders are quartered by their beasts.” He waved to the leather-lunged petty officer and gestured at the two riders. “Have someone relieve this poor man of the baggage, Chief Brooks, and show them the dragon facilities. Then round up Evan and that dragon warrant.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” the CPO said.
Once on the deck it was clear that the overhang, what was apparently a dragon landing platform, covered a good third of the ship. The commander led them towards a gangway that was actually under the shade of the platform and gestured above.
“That thing’s going to be a bloody nuisance, General,” the commander noted. “Not only does it mean losing a mast, perhaps two, with the concomitant loss of speed, but it’s got a huge sail area. Maneuvering this tub is a stone bitch.”
“What do you think about it?” Talbot asked. “Are the dragons worth it?”
“We’ll have to see, won’t we, sir?” the commander said with a tone of amusement. “From what I understand they don’t have much of a means of attacking anything below them. At the moment I’d have to say no. On the other hand, preparing for them has given us this lovely huge ship to play with and if they don’t work out we can simply add a couple of masts and have a real fighting ship at our fingers.”
He led them down the short flight of stairs to the next deck. The top of the opening to the passageway was covered in padding and painted bright yellow and black.
“Watch your head,” he said, ducking in example. “Especially you, Lieutenant. Turn to face the ladder, please; it’s safer that way.”
The corridor beyond was low and narrow. There were two crewmen, a male and a female, coming from the opposite direction and both of them flattened themselves against the wall as the party passed.
“Sorry about this,” Daneh muttered.
“Not a problem, ma’am,” the female crewman murmured while the male gave Rachel a raised eyebrow.
“Moving protocols,” the commander said as he pushed aside a curtain and entered a room to the right of the corridor. “When you’re moving in a corridor, the junior gives way to the senior. Since that means I only have to stand aside for the captain I think it’s a lovely deal.” He pointed to two bunks along the side of the tiny cabin. “I’m not sure about arrangements. We’re a mixed crew but we have separate bunking for males and females. There’s this cabin and the master cabin, which is designated for the use of Duke Talbot since it’s large enough for meetings. Either the two ladies can bunk in here, or the lieutenant and Mistress Daneh’s aide share, or, I suppose, the duke could give up his cabin to the ladies and bunk in here. There’s also a large cabin in the dragon-rider’s area but I’d prefer to set that aside for the riders if you don’t mind. Or one of them could bunk with the riders.”