As the topic of the conversation began to move along a different tangent, Alexandros examined the engine. The heart of the airship was mostly dark iron in color, the deep black and gray tones punctuated by the bright silver or copper of various grills and latches. Off to one side, connected by thick lengths of wire and tubes, sat a control panel. All the gauges, levers, and knobs that monitored and controlled the metallic beast were controlled from this station. In addition, a speaking tube descended from the ceiling like some strange cylindrical stalactite.
“And thus, this station can be run by just two men. However, a crew of four or five is necessary to avoid secondary problems and stupid errors,” the engineer finished.
Alexandros looked up at this abrupt end to the lesson, and a boy next to him raised his hand.
His voice was slightly squeaky, betraying his recent adolescence. “Chief Mekanic, sir. What if we have ideas to improve the engine?”
The man laughed.
“You’re not to be fiddling with this here machine, Cadet Tuderius. It is a delicate piece of machinery that I am entrusting to all of you to return to me in one piece. One working piece that is.” He glanced at Tuderius. “One working, complete, unmodified, engine,” he amended quickly.
Seeing no further questions, the chief mekanic assigned the small work group to their positions. Alexandros was inwardly relieved at being handed a shovel and told to scoop and dump the coal into the engine. Manning the shovels with him, Cadets Oclai Tuderius and Ignatius Scarus ensured the engine was constantly fed. A cadet that Alexandros had never talked to before, Regorus Armini, hunched over the control panel, his large form shaking slightly. Nerves or terror? Things were not looking up.
Finally, the last boy stood next to the speaking tube, head nearly jammed into the funnel opening. Cadet Danis Caderie closed his eyes, waiting for the word from the bridge team that they were ready to launch. Behind them all stood Chief Mekanic Atalis Hendras, watching their movements with his spectacle-rimmed eyes.
Alexandros shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He leaned on his shovel while Tuderis prodded the coal chute with his instrument. Time seemed to stretch onward like a slow-moving river. Had five minutes passed? Ten? Alexandros was about to ask their instructor what time it was when a sudden squawk from the speaking tube interrupted him. Caderie tried to speak, coughed once, then passed the message.
“Bridge says quarter speed ahead.”
Alexandros felt a lurch beneath them as the vessel began to rise slightly. Glad to finally have something to do, he turned to collect a shovelful of coal, but only succeeded in knocking the coal out of Tuderis’s shovel. They both cursed, aware of the calculating eyes of Mekanic Hendras on their movements. Trying again, this time the three trainees succeeded in creating a repetitive process. Tuderis would grab a shovelful of coal, and then switch with Alexandros, who deposited his coal into the burner. Scarus would monitor the grate and switch off with one of the other two boys every few minutes. Each man would get a break from slinging coal while keeping the routine manageable.
Seemingly satisfied at their quick improvisation, Hendras instead focused his attention on Armini at the controls. From what little he saw during his breaks and the scant moments spent facing that direction, Alexandros could tell that Hendras was not impressed. Finally, Hendras brusquely called out.
“Cadet Alexandros, switch with Cadet Armini. Cadet Tuderis, switch with Cadet Caderie.” Quickly, the cadets rotated positions, with Tuderis getting to the speaking tube just in time.
“Bridge requests we go to full speed,” he stated nervously. Just getting his bearings, Alexandros eyed the full panoply of controls. He located the steam pressure valves, neatly labeled by someone with a better sense of handwriting than himself. He also identified the throttle and relief controls. He edged the throttle up to half-speed, the whine of the steam turbine audibly increasing. He listened carefully to the movements of the coal handlers behind him, wanting to ensure the engine had the proper amount of fuel before increasing the speed to full.
“What are you waiting for, cadet? The bridge demands full speed.”
The chief mekanic was obviously getting impatient with the apparent lack of effort in moving the ship to full speed. Alexandros ignored him, feeling the sweat dripping down his back. Was it the heat in the room or the nerves from ignoring a senior officer? Alexandros shot a hasty look at Tuderis. The cadet nodded at him, and Alexandros delicately pushed the well-worn copper throttle ahead until the shining arrow pointed to maximum.
The engine room was much louder now, and regular conversation was impossible. Alexandros felt the ship’s speed increasing until it practically hummed through the air. Peeking out through the single square porthole provided to them, Alexandros was able to see the clouds moving by at a fast clip. Without that indication, no one would have known how fast the airship was going, despite the steady roar and vibration of the engine.
After another few minutes with Alexandros monitoring the gauges carefully, the cadets shifted. Barring any complete disaster, I think we’ll get out of this room in one piece! he thought as he stood at the speaking tube.
“Dead stop, all hands to battle stations,” came the order just a minute later.
With the order, both the speaker tube man and one of the coal men were pulled off their tasks. As Alexandros was currently working the speaker tube position, he had to leave the room and attend to his battle station, Ignatius Scarus following in his wake.
Why do I feel like they are trying to make us break something?
The boys milled around in the passageway for a moment, trying to get their bearings. Alexandros grabbed a pair of heavy leather combat jackets. The jackets had small metal plates sewn into the inside of them on the front and back, providing some protection from enemy fire. He tossed one to Scarus.
“Our position is aft, at the rear ballista,” Scarus recalled, pointing to a sign directing them toward the stern. They ran down the metallic-grated hallway, stepping through bulkheads and pulling on their tough battle gear.
They were the last ones to their post. Already, the cadet in charge of the weapon position had cleared the area for combat. Looking like a huge crossbow, the ballista fired rocks or small exploding projectiles instead of the quarrels or bolts that the scorpions used. Both mid-sized armaments were present on the ship, although there were just ten heavy weapons overalclass="underline" four along each side of the ship, one in the forward bow compartment, and their own at the stern.
“For a training ship, she’s pretty heavily armed. Strong enough to give any pirate or bandit captain a pause before daring to attack,” Senior Trainer Profias had boasted on his initial tour of the ship with the cadets. I hope this is a drill; I’d hate to run into something that would be willing to attack, Alexandros thought and took his position in the gunner’s stool. He angled the weapon properly, ensuring that the balance felt right in his hands. The weapon had a wide field of fire, being at the rearmost part of the vessel. He calmly scanned his ballista left to right, only to pause as another cadet carefully loaded a solid metal sphere into the holder.
“Loaded!” he called out as he secured the heavy metal ball.
Alexandros carefully pulled the loading lever, allowing the launcher to be winched back. Two cadets turned the windlass holding the crank. One, two, three turns and a loud click told everyone the weapon was ready to fire.
“Sir, ballista ready to fire!” Alexandros called out to the acting artillery captain, a cadet by the name of Militanus. The dark-skinned pupil, hailing from the southern part of the empire, nodded quietly, ear pressed against the speaking tube leading to the deck.