Deep Sea Wars 12.1 and 12.2

12.

The Surface

Admiral Yi Sun Sin improved on the design of the Turtle Ship during the Joseon Dynasty. It was an enclosed ship with eleven cannons on each side with two each at the stern and bow. The ship’ figurehead was in the shape of a dragon and held four more cannons. The ship has three decks with its upper deck covered with wood and inlaid with spikes. The ship has two masts with the large sails but the steering of the ship was by its rowers beneath the decks. 

“Have you read on the Turtle Ship?” General Gale was by herself on the table at the Library when she was asked. It was her private hour where she put aside the crisis and current events to indulge in her private reading. She was not particular of her seating but it was to be the only herself on the table. She disliked any one joining in and most of all inquisitive questions. Normally, any person coming near her table will have been stopped by her guards but that one slipped the guards.

General Gale looked up from her book. She saw the person was dressed in a tight green dress that reached below her knees with the braided design of the eastern dragon.  The lady had her hair braided too at the back and she was holding another book.

“Lady Jan I presume.” General Gale makes the assumption. “I am having my …”

“Afternoon reading.” Lady Jan replied. “I know of your habit, General Gale. You also disliked company but I could not resist stepping over. It’s not every day you see someone reading the works of Admiral Yi Sun Sin.”

General Gale marked the page she was reading before placing it down on the table. The other lady had taken the liberty to sit down. She then placed the book she was reading on.

“I was catching up on my interest in your sea hero, Admiral Nelson Horatio.” Lady Jan avail herself to the conversation with the General. “I am not a strategist like him.”

“I could …not see that very clearly, Lady Jan. You have just move in on my private hour and acted as if I did not care.” General Gale displayed her emotions there. “I would have concurred that a lady of your standing knew of that. We…”

“We are ladies first and in the current times we are still placed side line for many things. I have very need to be polite and pretty behind the man when I could take the lead.” Lady Jan displayed her fangs. “You are the new commanding officer of the Army. I respect that.”

“I see your point, Dragon Lady.” General Gale replied. “Since we are of the same gender, I doubt we will fuck like rabbits. Lady Jan, I have studied your personal files. You are a strategist in your own land climbing up the rank in the military circle and later also in the trading lines. Your reputation as the Dragon Lady precedes your name.”

“My nickname was given to me by the petty old men who uses their wealth to move the people but not me. I used my people to excel in using the available wealth and building it.” Lady Jan hit back. “Just like yours, the name Iron Lady came from your military peers.”

“Enough of the grand name bashing. If you are asking me to allow your vessels to the port, my reply stands the same. I will not tolerate any other fleet inside my waters unless they are here for war. In which the later I am ….”

“Unable to be matched, General Gale. Your last war have depleted the resources to fight on land and left your once esteemed fleet of ships virtually useless.” Lady Jan snapped on the nerve point of the General. “I am not here for war. I am here to assist you…”

“In taking control of our seas. No, thank you, Lady Jan. We were master of the Seas and will reclaim our honour there. It may take time but we will make it.” General Gale replied. She knew that the once famous fleet was reduced to a few old ships and those were already on escort duties of the fishing convoy. “Perhaps you want to read more on Admiral Nelson and his victories at sea.”

“You may have read of the battle of Myeongnyang in 1597.” Lady Jan mocked at the General. “The Admiral had used the elements and terrain to fight his battle. It was stealth and deceit which won him the battle.”

“Stealth and deceit are some of the strategies of war. Only a fool will rush into battle without a strategy.” General Gale replied. “Your strategy had failed. Your assumptions that two lady may listen to each other rather than argue. I am still the General when in uniform. My ladylike only surfaced when I am at home with my family or fucking with my husband.”

“I was not rushing to the bonding of ladies with you. I was merely studying my opponent’s features. You are tough and decisive but those are only the hardness in the character. For one to be complete, you need to have softness of the likes in stealth and deceit.” Lady Jan smiled. “Read on General. You might learn more of us to improve yourself.”

General Gale watched the lady leave before she picked up her book. It was all about crochet. Gale’s mother once told her that the most important thing in life is to remain calm in a storm. If you can’t do that, then learn crocheting. It was calming and above all, you are matching the strings to form the bigger picture you want.

Her personal aide soon arrived with the report she was eager to read. It was written on it the details of the fleet that was off the boundary of the island. There were sighted four large cruiser class and three destroyer class, and ten supporting ships. The ships were moored in a circular manner which prevented them from seeing what was in the middle.

‘Did they send the dirigibles?” General Gale asked.

The aide shook her head. She then passed on the list of names.

“They are your allies General. The others are either on the fence or in favour of General Clarke.” It was only one third of the officers who supported her. None of them were from the Air Division. She has an uphill battle ahead.

“Then we shall fight with the ones we have.” General Gale replied. “Send a personal message to Lord Henry. Tell him I will be delighted for the tea party he had planned.”

The Depth

Incoming light gets reflected when it reaches the ocean surface. How it will be reflected depends on the state of the water. If it’s calm and smooth, less light will be reflected. If it’s turbulent, more light will be reflected. The light that penetrates the surface is refracted for light travels faster in water than in air. Once it is within the water, the light get scattered or absorbed by solid particles. The light will be absorbed with the depth.

Stacy saw the lights came on the hull. It was a deep yellow light from the foot long tungsten filament bulbs which was powered by the water current dynamo generator the provide electricity. The bulbs were encased in water tight glass covered compartment that was filled with an inert gas. Its light was reflected off the shiny material coating on the inside of the casing. It could shine up to a hundred feet in the shallow depths and only twenty at the deeper darker areas. For the darker depths, there was the space out larger half-moon casing that measured two feet in radius. That light could reach over from a hundred to four hundred feet depending on the depths.

Stacy was awed by the fishes that she had normally seen on the decks but beneath the waves, it was a different view. There you are watching the school of fishes passed the glass windows like a swarm of bees. They were so swift in the water, and within a blink of an eye they were gone. It was at the depth of a hundred feet depths that the Sea King was maintained. Even at that level she was greeted by the sharks; not a single predator but a school of them ranging for the twenty footers to the young ones of five feet. They were swimming among the other fishes with posing no danger to the smaller fishes. There were also the small squids and jelly fishes that rise up from below like soaring birds to the surface. It was made more spectacular when she saw the colourful shades of the fishes were also met by the multitude of shades among the sea plants and weeds. Even the rocks themselves were in differing shades.

“Steer two degrees south.” Captain Arthur called out. Stacy held the wheel and moved the Sea King to the direction. They have been sailing for two hours then with the breathable air pumped out by the equipment that converts the exhale air into oxygen again. Well, it was not all that pleasant at times. There were the scent of oil and what’s was in the air.

“Wow!” Stacy gripped the wheel when she saw the sea serpent at over a hundred feet in length crossing the ship’s path. It was not attacking the Sea King but moving on its own course. She wanted to halt the ship but the Captain told her to hold her action.

“Take it easy, First Officer. She is not our predator.” Captain Arthur told her. “Keep her steady. We should reach port in a short time. Prepare to surface.”

Stacy felt the lurch in the ship when her ballast was slowly emptied of the load. The ship was breaking for surface. She looked at the depth gauge and noted the rising needle from two hundred to one hundred and ten feet.

“Keep her steady, First Officer. We will balance off at eighty and then maintain course with an elevation of five degrees.” Captain Arthur called out. Unknown to Stacy, the ship was climbing up to avoid the corrals on the sea bed. It was rare to see the corrals here in the cold barren sea unlike the warm tropical climate sea, but at the turn of the century, when sea serpents were seen at the shallow sea beds, the corrals appeared. They were the hybrid of the deep water species found mostly at below nine hundred feet. The corrals have adapted to the near surface conditions and thrive on the rocky outcrops in abundance. They formed a food banks for the smaller fishes and themselves for the larger predators.

When they reached eighty feet they are able to sail across the top of the rocky mounds with the sharp edges. The corrals growth was hardly seen at this level. At the last stretch, the crew were all given the general alerts to man their posts.

“Crews, we will soon be a feast for the dirigibles if they are still above us.” At eighty feet depth, the sea shadowed the ship but once it reaches above that, it can be seen from the decks of the low flying dirigible.

“Prepare the main periscope.” Captain Arthur called out. The ship has seven periscopes lay out on the ship length. Two was on the aft at the sides, while two were on the lower rear compartment with at the bottom. The other two was on the side to view the bottom. Only the main and the two at the aft were for looking from the top.

The periscope contraption was lowered from the top of the deck that resembled a semi-circular metal ring with two handles on the side. The Captain placed his sight inside the metal ring and then flashed the signal to go up. The periscope was only twenty feet in height from the outer hull surface. The Sea King had to level up another thirty feet for it the periscope top to be above the waves. 

“First Officer, take her up by twenty feet at an angle of five degrees.” Captain Arthur called out. Soon he was given the view of the sea surface through the periscope viewer. His view was the breaking waves and then the coastline of the island.

“My Lord, we made it.” Captain Arthur spoke up from the periscope.  “Jaws’ ahead.”

The crews cheered on the news that they were coming back to port. It was then Captain Arthur told Stacy to hand over the wheel to Boatswain I.

“You have not sailed here. Let her have it.” Stacy handed the wheel to the other.

“Prepare to dive on my command.” Boatswain I Conlay gave out her command.  The Sea King ballast began to fill in with the sea water. They sailed on for a short distance before the Boatswain I called for the ship to halt. She then checked the view before she gave the order to dive.

The Sea King slowly lumbered on its engine and then the ship tilt downwards. She was not crashing onto the mounds but actually diving in between it. There was no mound there but the continental shelf which extended beyond the island to the main land. In that shelf were a series of deep sea canyons that reached the shallow levels of the sea. The ship went forward with its aft tilting into the tight break in the shelf. It was entering the narrow canyon and making its way in the bay of the island named Small Jaws.

Stacy looked with awe at the steep walls of the canyon. It walls were smoothen not by wind as seen in the acrid desert lands but by the sea currents. Here and there were the living corrals that lived there as a feeding ground for the fishes. Boatswain I Conlay held the wheel with her focus on the canyon walls. A slight wrong angle will caused them to crash into the walls.

Stacy then questioned the Captain.

“You never told me that you sailed on this ship….”

“Presumption my dear Stacy. I have not sailed on her to sea. This is not my first sail inside the ship and under the waters. I did however sail in similar ships in the war. It was soon after I rescued the General. We have sailed in those cramped ships of his for over a year before they ended the war.”  Captain Arthur.

“During the war, we all take risky tasks if it means victory to us. The ship I was on then had leaks and our visibility was our keen eyesight. Lord Henry then had the pleasure of my services but it was he who found this canyon.”

“Pray fix your focus on the window. Soon we will come into the bay and then into the underground bunker of the Sea King. There we will berthed and re-supply.” Captain Arthur told his First Officer.  

Deep Sea Wars 11.2

The Depth

Stacy had never been inside a submerged ship. When she stepped down the stairwell, she was marvelled the similarity of it to the interior of the ship engines compartment except the submerged was an extended version. There was the jet black-valves, gadgets and machinery all required to help the crews keep alive. Once you are in the ship, your heart thumps and the lungs expand, greedy for oxygen. It’s a general feeling of anyone first feel in the ship. You cannot help but to look for the exits. Those are the closing hatches that were latched by the crew members.

“Steady on, First Officer. You are in a metal coffin that will soon be covered by the sea water.” Captain Arthur made his way to the so named bridge. “Come along. We ain’t got all day. The ship needs it Captain.”

They squeezed their way from one compartment to the other with their heads bent down. It was tight with pipes and valves with the walkway cramped fully. Stacy felt the ship tilting forward. Her first reaction was to grab hold of the pipes. It felt warm on her touch; probably fed by the hot water from the turbine and recycled through there to give them the warm feeling. When she looked at the crews there who were working in the cramped condition they looked like they don’t need it for most of them were naked from waist up. Some wore a thin vest on their chest but it may be cut on the sides to vent the heat. It was unlike the surface ship where everyone is dressed to the fullest. It was not only the heat but the musky air. She was feeling nausea then although it was not her usual reaction on the ship.

“Come along, Stacy. You are still the First Officer.” They reached the bridge and Captain Arthur took his honorary seat while the First Officer on seeing the familiar wheel took over. She called on for the chart. Stacy looked out at the glass window view.

They were not above the water surface. She was surrounded by water beneath the sea. They were swimming with the fishes in the depth. She once told Arnold when they were fucking in the shower.

“On the ship we are always near the water, inside the water but we never held a fuck about it. Water is essentially the nutrient of life besides the sunlight. Yet we never appreciates it value like the mined minerals.”

On the bridge, Captain Arthur took his seat with his Lordship on the right reserved seat and the Sergeant Major taking the other. The navigator was on the assigned seat charting out their next course.

“Jolly chap, do I get a seat here too?” Jones asked the navigator.

“Corporal Jones, I presume. I am Boatswain I Conlay. On this ship besides the Captain and First Officer, I ranked the third most senior one.” The tough lady smiled at the Welsh. “Inside here, we are rather limited in space. In some areas you cannot even walk straight as you may collide with the equipment.”

“However we are accommodative to some guests.” A wooden stool was brought for the Corporal. “Let me …”

“Do you serve drinks?” Corporal Jones asked.

“As you can experience now, we are breathing on recycled air. This is done by the electrical generator that operates the air filter and reversed the bad air we exhaled into breathable air. We do appreciate that you do not contaminate it with you’re …”

“I fart pretty well.” Jones replied. “It’s my garlic diet.”

“As I was explaining just now before I was scented off, cooking is done at the minimal. If you don’t like the food, feel free to starve.” Boatswain I Conlay signed off her lengthy lecture on conduct. She drew a smile from the Sergeant Major.

Deep Sea Wars 11.1

11.

The Surface

Lady Jan took her drink to the window balcony. The drink was a vintage drink of over a hundred years. It was made from the fresh grapes and then pressed for the juice before it was fermented over in a barrel for over a period of time. It was then preserved in the cold and dry place for over a longer period before it was shelved for over a hundred years. It was dry and yet tangy to the taste. She sipped the drink into her mouth and left it there to open the pores at the tongue. The pores there permeates to the taste nerve points and that effect will assail the mind to a higher level of satisfaction that even the drugs may not achieved in its peak.

She had the use of the suite over looking at the pier when she was there. The suite was kept to the minimum in furnishing but by that standard, it was grand in design with the light feather large bedding to the larger than usual bathroom with the threesome sized tub, and the living area held the expansive bar counter.

She stood there naked before stretching her body to the full length and then arched her back fully to the back. It was better to do it at her own home in the country side on the vast land of her home but out there on the island, she cringed at the soot and coal inlaid air. She finished her drink and disappeared back to the suite. She walked to the bathroom and immersed herself in the large tub.

“You ought to climb back into the bed.” Lord Ian Stuart called from the bed. “It’s getting chilly here.”

Lady Jan looked up from her comfortable position in the warm water. She stretched her body in the water before she raised her right hand at the Lordship. On her right hand, her middle finger stretched out.

“You are a bore, Lady Jan.” Lord Stuart bored his way into the lady on her knees before him. It was his humping which woke her up. She was not his bed partner but she valued the act between man and woman although she favoured the later more.

“My fleet was refused entry into the port.” Lady Jan voiced out.

“It’s the Army. They won’t listen to me anymore.” Lord Stuart heaved up his hips to gain more leverage. “General Clarke is no more the top honcho there.”

“Then he is no more of use to us.” Lady Jan stepped out of the bath water. She walked over to the bed and looked at the girl who was subjected to the lust of his Lordship. She stepped up over the girl’ back and sat on the spine of the girl. She grasped her legs tight on the girl’s waist before she grabbed his Lordship by the face with the h3r left hand. She buried his face into her flat chest while her right hand grabbed his left thigh. She grabbed it hard and forced his pushes.

“Arghh!” His Lordship screamed out on his final push. So did the girl who was being humped. Lady Jan stepped off the body and off the bed. Both the girl and his Lordship collapsed on the bed.

“I hoped you enjoy that. It’s a form of sexual release when your breathing is hampered.” Lady Jan smiled. “Some call it sexual asphyxia.”

“Now that you have your fuck. Tell me who the new head honcho is?” Lady Jan asked.

Across the city in the Army Military Office, General Clarke stormed into the office that was once held by him for four years.  He ignored the salute from the sentries and marched his way to the office. He did not bother to knock and opened the door in.

“Good morning, General Clarke. I was not expecting you this early.” The voice carried over across the office space to the doorway. “You may do kind to close the door first. I am still a lady first and my hairs are in a mess.”

“General Ellen Gale.” General Clarke did the gentlemanly approach to close the door before he approached the other ranking officer. General Gale held the same rank as himself but by war ribbons, she had less than his. The lady General was dressed like most lady officers in her fine uniform and matching skirt with the dark flat shoes. Her peaked cap differs from Clarke’s as her’ have the two sides bent upwards. On the peak were the two rows of braided gold leaves. However at that time General Gale had not on her cap for her hairs was in curlers. The Army had changed on its ruling then when the female recruits are allowed certain feminine styles.

“I trust you are not here for tea so I won’t offer you any.” General Gale sipped her cup of morning tea. “Don’t you hassle over that for my cookies ain’t are limited. A general works is never ending and my baking has to be left in the oven most times. ”

“General Gale, I was told that you have refused entry to the special fleet of the …”

“The reputed pirate ships of the Far Eastern Empire. Yes, I did that. I can’t have them docked on my ports unless they have sprung a leak in their hull.”

“But General Gale, they are here on the request of the Lord Chamberlain and their ….”

“Fishing contributions are not my concern. If the Lord Chamberlain wants to have them fished here then he can bloody well appeal to me. Why the overly concern on it? Do you understand the implication of having a fleet of …..pirates berthed in your own backyard?”   

 “General Gale we have needs of their ships to counter the sea predators and more to that we are on diplomatic …”

“General Clarke, I am the commanding officer now. What I command take precedence over diplomatic issues. So fuck off and let me have my tea in peace.” General Gale showed her true colours to the stunned peer of her’. “I can assure you Gale is not only my family name but our freakish behaviour. Stand off my ground or be prepared to be swept away.”

With that General Gale reached for her cup of tea.

“Darned tea is cold.” Nevertheless she gulped it down. 

tweet ...tweet....Its 2200hrs and I done....

Hello to all of you.

Just to drop a line to say I was penning for over three hours. Ne tale though and it has been fun with half the screen shared by the TV Series 'Castle' Season 5 I think. Pardon me, I was not focus on that. I seen the whole of Season 5 before. Just rerun to ease my mind, I guess.

I completed three thousand words. Not a hurray move but it was fun. It may be my return to writing.... and writing.

As I have said above, its just a hello....

Cheers

Deep Sea Water 10.2

The Depth

“The way we map on the sea is to look at the stars and the …” The Captain held the wheel while steering the ship across the waves. “And the sun. We have been sailing for four hours now and given the sea current speed and the wind speed, I would say we are…”

“Far from the land I presume, Captain.” The Sergeant Major cut in. “I will reckon you are lost.” 

“A sea Captain is never lost. He will navigate you to anywhere.” The Captain then looked at the First Officer. “Stacy, tell me where do I steer next?”

“I give up.” The Sergeant Major sighed. “You are the few Captains I knew who could not navigates.”

“Twenty five to port and maintain speed at ten knots. We should be there soon.” Stacy replied.  Then she looked at the Sergeant Major. “He ain’t afraid to navigate but he can’t read those small charts anymore.”

“A sign of the advanced age, my dear Captain. Never fear, my good man. I can be your reading aide.” The Sergeant Major sniggered before he steps away and bumped his head on the doorway of the wheelhouse.

“I think they made the door too low for you or are your eyes downwards at your feet.” Jones laughed at the Sergeant Major. It was then when Lord Henry pounced into the wheelhouse.

“Are we there yet Captain?” Lord Henry was all excited to know.

“Aye, my Lord. I believe we are …”

“Five minutes away, my Lord.” Stacy assisted him. Lord Henry looked to his watch and smile.

“Good.” Lord Henry then looked at the Sergeant Major. “Can you ask the crews to fire at the dirigibles? I can’t have them around in five minutes.”

The Sergeant Major saluted and pulled Jones along to carry out the command. The machines guns started firing at the dirigibles shadowing the ship and causing them to steer away. The clock ticked away and soon the dirigibles were at a safe distance from the guns. It was then Lord Henry asked Stacy to stop the sail and idle the ship engines.

“Al engines to halt.” Stacy called out to the Engine room. The ship slowed on the termination of the push on the engine and soon it was floating on the sea waves. It was never a good sign to idle on the high seas for the danger lurks below in the water. The crews were on alert for any predators that may loom over their position. Lord Henry was all excited while he checked his duo watches for time precision. A seagull came swooping down and then perched on the rail at the port side. It quacked for a while and then began to preen its feathers. Tensions were high but the crews remained quiet. Everyone was watching the sea and surprisingly the dirigibles kept their distance.

“Sharks!” A crewman called out. He pointed to the moving predator seen by the moving water flow when it cuts across the sea waves. “It’s on portside. It’s moving to …the aft.”

The shark soon emerged from the waves but it was not a shark as seen by the crewmen. It was enormous for a sea predator when its upper body cut away from the sea waves. The three hundred feet in length soon broke surface a short distance from the ship. It was no shark but the submersible Sea King. It rose with the two upper compartments appearing at the rear. Six top deck hatches were seen later popping open and the crew members stepped out. They fixed the metal struts to support the Lewis gun before they took position behind it.

“Captain Arthur, it’s time we jump ship. Lord Henry ran out of the wheelhouse to the port side. There he instructed the ship crews to lower the lifeboat. He soon boarded it with the Sergeant Major, Corporal Jones with Captain Arthur and First Officer Stacy.

They rowed to the new Sea King on her maiden voyage. They were met by the Boatswain I Abigail Conlay.

“Boatswain Conlay, please meet your new Captain and First Officer.” Lord Henry told the Boatswain I.

“Good day to you, Captain. Please come in. We may hurry. We got some predators on the prowl.” Boatswain I Conlay replied. She then looked at Corporal Jones.

“Hello…” Corporal Jones short greeting was met by the solid right punch into his midriff and then the left hook to throw him off the deck into the sea water. 

Deep Sea Wars 10.1

10.

The Surface

Lady Jan looked at the man who was recovering from his artificially implanted exo-skeleton spine. The healers were from the best of lands and armed with the new knowledge they have shared their skills to perform the feat. Kosovan stood next to the lady. They were in a secret establishment outside of the city in the country side. It was a huge structure in the shape of a four leaf clover. The structure was a green shaded standing structure with flat tops spanning over an acre each and vertical walls of over fifty feet in height. Each wall had their spaced out openings of clover leafs design in rows. Each structure was code named by the compass bearings of North, South, East and West. They were in the East Structure which was named the Centre for Automation where the sun was seen rising then.

The other structures were all research centres too but for different sciences. The northern one was on medicinal purposes the western one was on creatures breeding and the southern was the General Quarters and Barracks. The area was surrounded by the deep moat and outside of it was the one mile radius of open land before the outer thick walls which housed the sentries and the exo-skeleton machines. Then there was the extra one mile of open land which any trespassers will be exterminated by the patrolling military dirigibles.

“Was it a good idea to include him?” Kosovan asked. He was the second successful implant after the lady. He knew the pain of defeat but there was nothing compared to the pain of the implants. The person must not be sedated for that will hide the nerves senses to the new implant. Every nodes of the metal implant was mapped to the correct nerves points to infect the correct responses. The master who was subjected to the treatment had his vocal chords paralysed with acupuncture needles.

“You could have asked me when we defeated him. Why wait now after a week on his way to recovering?” Lady Jan replied. “The hydro treatment with the chemicals will speed up his recovery and allowed the nerves to assimilate. What took us months could now be done in days.”

“How fares my new exo-skeletons?” Lady Jan changed her focus to the six figures placed vertically in the new exo-skeleton frame. It looked like the ones that Lord Henry encountered but these were improved with the same works like the spine assimilation. The assimilation in the new exo-skeleton was more elaborate for the human operator was embedded into it. The new inventions allowed the machines moved like the human as it was powered by the former using the body nerves to move the limbs. It replaced the slower cumbersome stop and move found in the earlier models, but with the new models, they moved seamlessly.

“They are still in the final stages where they are fitted with weapons. The so called volunteers were …” Kosovan was interrupted.

“They are not volunteers. They are personal aides which were to assist the exo-skeleton in its ability. It was never the other way. We are living the world of technology. Five years ago, we were still in the steamer and coal works but we have advanced very far. New knowledge and skill sets have advanced our inventions. Today, we have electric but in the research side we hold the knowledge beyond it into electronics. Electrical transform the current it produces to generate energy but electronics converts the energy into something more useful like data signals and motions.

“It’s the era of automation. No more human to intervene. The machine does it. That will be how we will conquer the world. On the land and sea.” Lady Jan glorified her ambition. “But we are still outplayed by someone named Lord Henry. I wonder where he is now.”

“Perhaps I can give you the reply.” Lord Ian Stuart walked towards them. “They are at this moment on the high seas being pursued by the Army. We did not attack it as per your instruction.”

“My Lord I asked for his location and not your army reactions.” Lady Jan replied. “Tell me his coordinates.” 

Deep Sea Wars 9.2

The Depth

Lord Henry was upset when he was refused aboard the ship which will take him to his island. He was stopped by the Port Authorities that he was not to leave the area.

“Those are the orders of the Lord Chamberlain Office. We cannot defy it.” The officer told his Lordship. Lord Henry stood there alone on the pier and looked at the assembled guards holding his ship. There were three of the newly designed exo-skeleton machine frames with the operator inside the unit. The unit looked like a human but it was seven feet in height with the extended limbs. The human operator stands itself the unit and moved the unit as an extension of its body. Once the operator was in the unit, it will activate the unit and a chest armour plate will move to cover the human operator from harm. On the limbs secured greaves will cover the exposed flesh. The exo-skeleton units were armed with rotary mini cannons on both their hands with the ammo belt linked to the backpack. Below the backpack was electrical charge bank. A fully charged unit can last up to four hours before it send for recharging.  

Lord Henry knew his ship crews were kept under guard at the Officer’s Office.

“Lord Henry, I am also under order to take you into protective custody. There are some threats to your well- being.” The Officer told him. “These officers will take you there.”

“Hold your suspenders on, Officer. I need to pee again.” Lord Henry stepped away to the side of the pier. There he unzipped his pants.

An hour ago, his Lordship had arrived at the Pier after a harrowing train ride with Jones at the steamer engine. The Sergeant Major stepped up to the Corporal to question him on his ‘tutored’ lessons.

“Aye I did learn from my Uncle. It was great when you seated on his lap and with his jostling you side by side.” Jones replied. “Sadly we never rode the real train. He died when the train he was on derailed. It did however set the record for the City Line for fastest time.”

“Won’t the jostling on the legs be considered as sexual intrusion?” Stay cut in. “I once knifed the man who tried that.”

Jones looked towards her and smiled.

“You ain’t been ridden a real horse yet? I doubt so.” Jones turned onto his steamer gauge. “Sergeant Major, would you be kind to shut the boiler hatch. I don’t want to have boils on my ride but let me ride to my boils. Pardon the pun, ma’am.”

Stacy was to reach for her dagger when the Captain stopped her. He then looked at the boiler gauges and held out his right hand to the Sergeant Major.

“You better stop feeding her coals. Her gauge tells us she is boiling over.”

“Those are gauges? I thought they were for the time of the day.” Jones remarked back. “Guess I better slow down. We are nearing the city.”

Thankfully the rail men build sturdy tracks and the train ran on iron wheels. It left more than a spark too much on the lowering of the speed. They made it to the station with the train puffing like the dragon.

“For Pete’s sake, next time let me drive.” The Sergeant Major was annoyed at the recklessness of the Corporal. The Station master nearby looked at the watch and then at them.

“Four in the morning? Who are you driving Pete at this hour?  Where his driver?” The Station Master motioned to the train. The word ‘Pete the Dragon’ was on the steamer front.

“Pete? Oh, that’s his name. I think the driver in the coach. He’s taking a peed there.” Lord Henry added in. “Against regulations, I say.”

Soon they were at the Pier and they realized the new hazard to the ship. The Captain came up with a brilliant idea to use a sail boat to row over and board it on the blind side. Lord Henry was for it but he wanted to rescue his crew. The plan was put into motion. He was to distract the Officer and the guards. They stopped him when he was to board.

“My Lord, you must step too…”  The Officer call for caution was interrupted by the swinging twenty feet length iron beam that was swung by the hoisting crane. It was Jones as expected who manned it. He had hooked up the iron beam and awaited the cue. He swung the beam at the three exo-skeletons before the human operators could react. Meanwhile the Sergeant Major stepped into the Pier Authority Office where the ten crew members of Lord Henry’s ship were seated there in the holding cell. The single guard there was groggy from the late hours of duty looked up at the imposing figure standing there. The Sergeant Major have not his uniform but his confidence and stance spoke well of his authority.

“By George, what is your name? Do you know the punishment for sleeping on sentry duty?” The Sergeant Major hollered out in his infamous vocal for the regiment. The guard hastily stood up and raised his right hand to salute.

“I  …” The guard realized he was attending to a civilian and not the frigging NCO but his late awareness was shuttered by the left hook punch that took out his argument. The Sergeant Major then grabbed the set of keys on the table and tossed it to the ship crews.

“Get your asses onto the ship by the double. His Lordship needs the ship sailing now.” The crews rushed out but the Captain of the ship stopped to ask the Sergeant Major.

“Won’t it be a crime to break out of the holding cell?” The Captain asked. The sodden officer was still in his PJ’s and was rewarded with a shove back into the cell.

“It’s for you. Your cowardice to surrender your ship does not warrant your rescue.” The Sergeant Major locked the cell door and walked off.

On the pier, the guards were caught by the swinging beam and then were hit by the machine gun fire from the aft of the ship. It was Stacy who was firing at them. She and the Captain had boarded the ship from the blind side. They climbed by the side ladder there and then made their way to the respective posts. The Captain had fired up the boilers and then opened up the valves while Stacy did the fire cover. Soon she saw the incoming ship crews. She sheep herded the guards to the side while the crews made their way to the ship. Soon they were on and they were adding in firepower. The Sergeant Major escorted his Lordship as if he was moving to join a banquet with the other Lords in waiting.

“Jones!” The Sergeant Major called out. “Move your butt or being grounded.”

It was then seen Jones jumping from the crane tower into the sea.   

“Bloody show nutcase.” The Sergeant Major sighed. “Thankfully I am from the Highlands. We ain’t crazy.”

Deep Sea Wars 9.1

9.

The Surface

Lady Jan glared at her opponent across the straw mat. She was dressed in the dark blue loose clothing suitable for the dojo training in her mansion at the estate. It was a loose tunic held by the dark sash at the waist and the balloon over the knee length pants above her bare feet. Her hands were held out with the knuckles bent inside at the fingers to resemble the leopard paws. It was a deadly form of the Far Eastern arts for the Leopard Claws art was only taught to Masters and men but hardly a lady had ever been known to practise it. Her opponent was the short bowmen with the blond and Slavic look. He was dressed in the similar dark garb with his pants tucked into the knee high laced boots. His blond hair was covered with the red bandanna. His name is Kosovan. He does not have a heavy chain on his neck with the dragon emblem. It was tattooed into his chest.

On the side of the dojo mat there stood Bian Feng who had returned. He was to report to her.

“Master, please feel free to join us.” Lady Jan spoke out without averting her stare. “Master Kosovan here is an expert in System; an ancient art of the northern Eastern countries.”

The Systema Art does not have any distinctive techniques but it covers the overall body and mind with the spirit. The master of the fighting art had to develop all of these before they could master the fighting techniques of punches and kicks.  That includes some form of acrobatic moves.”

Master Bian Feng stepped forth and then bowed to the lady. He then held both his hand in front of him to flex the muscles on them. The knuckle cracked was loud before the master took the fighting stance with both legs bent and the right leg moved back to give him the kicking power. The Leopard Style was one of the five styles perfected by the Shaolin monks centuries ago. Its difference was the way fist was created. It was the bending of the fingers at the first joint instead of the knuckle. You then clasp your thumb to the fingers. The fist could be used in jabs, chops or rake on the opponent flesh. Yu can also do a backhand slap with it.

Lady Jian smiled and then moved her lefts apart slightly before swinging the left right back. She was an opponent of the ancient art of Karate. The lady was part Japanese from her mother side and had spent most of her childhood there learning the katas’. She learned her basic there from the Grand Masters before moving to the main continent where she soon perfected her skills with many other opponents.

“Hai!” Lady Jan kicked her way into the threesome fight. Her front kick was at waist level with the toes as the impact point. She had placed her second toe to support the main toe to give it more power instead of using the bottom sole of the foot. She was kicking at Kosovan who had stepped back to avoid the kick and raised his left arm to block it. He was to strike at her with this right jab into the lower waist when he saw the leopard rake from the left of his face.

“Kia!” Bian Feng had lent his attack to the ladies’ but she was not impressed by it. Lady Jan turned her body to do a reverse kick on him. He saw it coming and blocked it. Bian Feng went into a half crouch to swing his left arm at the lady’s right thigh but she had stepped away. It was Kosovan rushed in with his overhead punch to the Bian Feng’s outlaid arm. He made contact but before he could follow through, the other had lowered his arm to channel the striking force with it. It was a Chinese Tai Chi move to counter the force with a softer rebound so that it will reduce its impact force. Kosovan saw his move countered and then turned to do a round side kick. His kick was blocked by Lady Jan who then used her right fist to attack back.

Kosovan changed his target to focus only on the lady. He moved in with a series of front kicks while approaching Lady Jan and Bian Feng had moved in from the rear which was the blind spot to Lady Jan. He swung both his fist palm upwards in the leopard grasp at the lady’s waist. Lady Jan saw the move and moved her arms to block it. She arched her body back while she raised her right toe to kick at Kosovan. It was like a dancer move but her kick was deadly. Kosovan reeled back to avoid the kick and had to do a back somersault to regain his balance.

Bian Feng saw his move countered had then stepped back to do a leopard fist at the Lady but she had countered it with a body block with her arm. She then countered with the deadly thumb ‘boshi ken’ or thumb fist. It was fist with the thumb bend at hand. She delivered it with her arm outstretched and at the last moment she twists the wrist to deliver the thumb blow onto the underside of Bian Feng’s forearm.

The trio split away from each other’s reach and accessed their next moves.

“Master Bian Feng, there is no shame in defeat. We have all been defeated before.” Lady Jan replied. She then pulled apart her tunic to reveal the metal exo-skeleton on her chest to her shoulders and trailed to her forearms.

“This is my mark of defeat. I had my spine broken once but it’s now reinforced with this. It gives me the extra strength to my kicks and punches. The metal trailed beneath my flesh there.” Lady Jan smiled “Kosovan held his own badge of defeat. His spine was like mine.”   

Kosovan rushed in with a sliding kick at Bian Feng legs while Lady Jan did a round house right kick at the surprised master’ face. Her toe kick broke his left cheek when Kosovan kicked at his left thigh. He bent over in pain when Kosovan deliver the next blow with another kick at the left waist of the crouching master. It was then Lady Jab moved in with her right hand chop at the back of the neck. She broke his neck bone and then in a series of chops she went down trailing on the log spine.

“Master Bian Feng, you are one of us now.” Lady Jan told him when the other fell to the ground writhing in pain. “You will be given a new body frame by my healers. We learned from the sea. To swim together we need to be one with each other. We will be the new masters of the Sea.”