15.
“Captain Nemo at your service.” The figure stood there dressed in the white uniform favoured by the navy; the buttoned up jacket with the rope braids on the left shoulder to the front chest. The jacket reached the thigh and beneath it was the fitting pants tucked into the knee high boots. The figure was carrying a scimitar instead of a sabre favoured by the sea mariners. The other unique dressing code of the figure was the head piece was a red bandanna that was tied turban shaped.
“Captain Nemo? The Captain without a last name. Just like your given name by your father, Prince Dakkar.” Sherlock commented on the mysterious hero who had then appeared before him. “I wondered …”
“Of my father, Mr Holmes? Surely your deductive skills could tell you that. My father, the son of the late Raja of Bundelkund; assumed he was the son of the Raja who had not been given him a last name but of which I was to not. Or maybe Bundelkund but that will be too long or me to write daily. I did however study overseas while my father traversed the sea and oceans. I never knew my father but his trust fund kept me with the best that money could afford, and with many others I studied under for they were impressed with my ….knowledge. I hold one interest in pursuit of excellence; the sea like my father. I am always fascinated by the sea and its depth.”
“Nemo, Junior. I should have seen the traits in you similar to your father. Sadly he is dead. He had done a good many salvage works. How many ship wrecks have you uncovered or took from your father’s share of his treasures?” Sherlock could be at times seemed more envious than inquisitive in his questions. “You….”
“What was considered as lost which I have claimed as a seeker will do like him. I did not steal but claimed them when they were …not reachable by their masters.” The captain defended himself. “However I have also shared the claims in some of my father’s.”
“Funded the revolts to aid the oppressed? Surely your charitable side should be quite appealing but still few others considered you as a pirate.” Sherlock locked his eyes with the Captain.
“A misconception of the …how may I called them? They are unfortunate patrons that ply the seas and met misfortunes.” Captain Nemo gave his smile which highlighted his other unique feature; the thick long beard and moustache on his face. It have him characters with his deep sunken eyes as if he was like his sea creatures ever vigilant to the next possible prey that crossed their path.
“Pray tell me of the ….ship of yours.” Lady Greystoke snapped in and led the Captain by the left elbow towards the famed ship named Nautilus. They took their walk along the extended jetty to the deeper end of the bay. The bay was not far from the bullet riddled hotel which at that moment was on the verge of collapsing. The formidable power of the mounted Vickers guns were deadly that only a handful of the attackers made it out. Soon after the rescue, the six guests were taken by the host to the bay where they met the adventurous Captain. Their previous night battle was aided by the Captain with the use of the armoured vehicles. Besides his interest in the sea, the Captain had taken an interest in the development of armoured vehicles.
“Behold the Nautilus.” Captain Nemo introduced the ship of his own creation.
“I am….impressed.” Lady Greystoke remarked. From a lady’s view it was cynical in tone. What stood before the lady may be termed as an inverter ship hull with its keel exposed ala the dancing ladies doing a hind end bow to the audience. The ship measured over two hundred feet with a beam at its widest of fifty feet and the height of the keel was over ten feet like the fin of the shark. There were some additional features to the hull like the twin horizontal fins or diving planes in the then mariner term, with the rudder changed extended at the rear. The keel was modified like a mushroom design to substitute as the observation tower. At the back of the conning tower was the collapsible fan like sail and there were similar designed of a smaller shape at the side. There were a series of portside openings at the front of the hull. There were a series of spikes that were seen on the hull and in the front.
It was awesome to feast the eyes on the monstrous sea faring ship but the concern part of it was the shape of the construct looked as if it was riveted metal pieces of various design
“The Nautilus may not be a beauty to the eye but she had done more trips than most surface ship.”
The Captain ever pride filled with their ship explained the propulsion system. “She will rip through the waves at fifteen knots and when submerged at seven knots. The propulsion was powered by the steam boiler and the other power source was the battery filled with mercury and sodium.”
“The Nautilus held a small crew of only ten with myself the Captain. She is laden with equipment and what’s not that a mariner may need at sea. We do hold guest quarters but our sleeping berths are the hammocks alongside the apple sacks.”
“What do you do for …bidet?” Mycroft asked but the reply he got was deafened by the loud noise from Nautilus. A portside opening was thrown open and followed up to it was the few lengths of metal pipes before the human head emerged.
“Tell the Captain he can shaft those …” The emerging figure saw in attendance was a lady standing there decided to hold back his expletive expressions. “ Morning, ma’am. I was just clearing some old worn out parts.”
“My Engineering wonder; Simon Brun the Genius and distinct relation link to one named Charles Brun.” Captain Nemo introduced the greased covered figure with the bare chested look.
“Captain Nemo, with due respects to your ship what is the maximum depth that you have done which is…. safe?” Mycroft stammered on his question.
“We don’t …. normally…” Captain Nemo started snapping at his fingers and then continued. “I would say at abut twenty feet below but we once did a hundred and Simon blew some gaskets off the engines.”
Mycroft was to ask more but Watson have stepped up.
“Captain Nemo, we meet once more. I need to find Nina and …my son.” The doctor looked at the sea captain.
“I will be direct, Doctor Watson. Nina had expressed her wish to be left alone.” Captain Nemo replied. “She is safe and so is the child but her wishes must be respected.”
“Then why are you here?” The doctor asked. “You are of no…”
“I am here because of the request from London. No, I am in the service to the SOE like you but the tale of treasures intrigued me. I am to …” Captain Nemo was cut off by the doctor.
“To secure the treasure which is what everyone was concerned on.” Watson turned to look at his own friends. “No one cared for my…”
“No, we do.” Lady Greystoke calmed the doctor. “We do…”
“No, my Lady. Not all of us. I am to take the doctor over to the island to retrieve the treasure. Those are my orders.” Captain Nemo looked at the doctor. “I am above all still a pirate. I have been to the island but the several attempts of mine have held no results. I need the gold like any of you. I want to build my own fleet of Nautilus’s that will roam all the sea Nina is there but she will not be with you. It’s for the better.”
On the top side of the Nautilus, the crew appeared with the rifles levelled at the group of six then. The two armoured vehicles had their guns trained on the group too.
“I think we are convinced of the part being outnumbered.” Sherlock remarked.
That was true for Sean Mercer too that earlier morning.
Sean Mercer and his group of hunters found themselves surrounded in the open inner courtyard of the two level structure building. The building design was a square shaped with the middle section, a huge open courtyard. Their entry was executed with the two sentries removed by the killers led by Sean. The hunters rushed in with their daggers and then they were in the front area of the house. Sean then signalled that they go into the inner courtyard before moving to their assigned area. They were then deployed when the inner courtyard was lighted by the gas lights place.
“Mister Mercer, you are in the trap of mine.” The lady stepped out in the dark three piece suit that was cut from the best in London Saville Row. She was helmed by another figure in the loose tunic and pants but the double sword tucked in her waist belt. She was not the main threat but the eight others behind the two ladies were the ones with the levelled rifles.
“I am the daughter of the Emperor Fu Manchu. You may know me as Mistress Fa Lo Suee.” The lady approached the hunter. The hunter still holding his rifle then levelled his rifle but one of his hunter killers rushed ahead and shot the approaching lady.
That was the trigger point.
The shots came from all directions. Sean levelled his powerful rifle and fired into the line of ladies. He hit some of them but then had to take cover. He rolled to the flower bed followed by two of his hunters but the others in his group were shot by the hidden shooters. He rolled on and then found himself by the wall. He crouched up and then ran towards what he perceived as the doorway to the outside. He ran for it and then was out. He did not stop then until he reached the cover a distance away. Sean heard the shooting had stopped and that mean he was alone. He needed to find more of his old friends.
Inside the courtyard the real Mistress stepped out to view the massacre dressed in the dark gown sewn with the double phoenix that rose from the ashes. She counted five of her ladies were dead with another one wounded. That last one was her double in the fine three piece suit. She stepped up the dying lady and then told her to rest in peace before she stepped her right foot into the throat. She saw the Mysore warriors have stepped out of the shadows to examine the dead bodies.
“Nine dead but not of the hunter.” The Mistress was advised.
“Find him.” That was her order.
16.
The smell that Mycroft felt when he took the ladder down the conning tower to climb inside the Nautilus hull was the stale smell of a cramped condition. His nose also picked up the scent of the grease and the oils with the sound of the cranking noise in the pipes and what should be there. He saw pressure gauges were mounted like clocks all around the passage. He knew that the gauges were their best indicator on their well being for underwater survival. Despite the wide and lengthy dimension, the interior of the ship was densely packed with the pipes and the interior hull was smaller to house the ballast tanks.
“Please make yourself c
omfortable. Our journey will be long but we will try to make it comfortable.” Captain Nemo then turned on the switch which activated the gramophone playing the local music.
“Please sit.” The six of them were taken to the front hull where a set of cushioned seats were set up for them. They noticed that their weapons were not taken away when the ship went underway into the open sea.
“Don’t try anything hasty. We are going to be in the sea and if any of the equipment gets busted we are going down like a sinking boat.” Captain Nemo then pulled a cover from what appeared to be cabinet and produced the fine wine bottles.
“Burgundy best.” Captain Nemo handed out the glasses and then the bottles. The Nautilus hull then clanged with some creaking noise but the Captain assured them that it was normal.
“It’s the hull getting pressured to meet the sea depth.” Captain Nemo smiled. “We are at now about fifty feet.”
“Fifty? I thought you said we were doing at best twenty feet.” Mycroft raised his concern.
“I was mistaken. Fifty, thirty, or forty when at the depths it can be a matter of interpretation of the gauges. We can’t see outside and hence we worked with our hunches. Meals will be served later. We are having fish charred in the open fire at the boiler.”
It was Mycroft who threw up his last meal.
On the dry land, Sean Mercer dragged himself into the local tea house and found his seat at the far end. The tea house was not much to brag on with the thatched roofing and the wooden walls with the five square tables lined to the two walls and another longer table which housed the tea making apparatus and their contents in the wooden jars along with the cups and there were the lined up smaller jars of condiments. The place was only occupied by the two tables on the right with the four patrons sipping their black tea. The long table was manned by the owner who was arranging the jars with the kettle boiling over the top into the open wooden fireplace. There were no swinging fans there although the place needed none with the heat dispersed by the flowing sea breeze. Sean took his seat with the vantage point of looking at the entrance and the tea table. He laid his rifle on the table facing the two occupied tables. He signalled the tea maker for a cup and then waited. The drink was brought over and it was not tea.
“I hoped you liked schnapps.” The so named owner stood there. “The German Intelligence thought you might want a change.”
Sean looked up and saw the owner was still a local but the smile told him he had no choice in his drink. He took it and gulped it all down. He looked up and saw one of the four men there seated had walked over.
“Doctor Ritter Gunter. I am from German Intelligence although here I am just the healer. I was told to meet you, Herr Mercer. Your exploits with the Major had not escaped our observation but the betrayal by you was amazing. However we are offering to allow you to make amends. Join us in completing the task and all will be forgiven.”
“Why should I do that?” Sean asked.
“One, Emperor Fu Manchu is unlike mine. He will not let you off that easily. Second, your attempt on the life of his daughter, Mistress Fa Lo Suee made you his dinner treat for the pet tigers.” The German doctor explained. “Third, the island you are going to is more treacherous from what I read in the files.”
“You have been there?”
“Yes, we have attempted three landings before but only one survival returned to tell us in incoherent mutterings of the danger there. We never send any more forces to it.”
“So you knew the location?” Sean asked.
“We only knew its general location. And those landings were a company of trained soldiers each.”
“I am impressed. You should come to Africa. We called that killing a gnat with a spear.” Sean smiled.
“From what I heard, it was more like a giant gnat.” The German doctor smiled before he signalled for the refill of the schnapps. “To our silly lives when we think that we are the intelligent ones.”
Intelligence counted in the case of the Holmes brothers but for once Sherlock had to reassess his level of knowledge.
“Mycroft, I am a chemist by learning, and biology by interest but physics was one subject I am still catching up on.” Sherlock replied to his brother while he shifted his glances to the design of the ship machination. The ship captain had offered them a view to the sea bed with the opening of a narrow window screen of three feet in height and four feet in beam. There was three such windows design in the front giving them an eerie vision unseen by many.
“Each of these windows is reinforced materials made of acrylic plastic discovered by two German chemists. The material was a…”
”Polymer.” Sherlock loaned his knowledge over. “I did not…”
“The pieces are conically tapered with the surface spherically dished. It does distort the view outside but it’s our vision like that of a fish.”
“Excuse me.” The voice belonged to the engineer who squeezed past the seat. The engineer was covered only in the oil skin apron and was naked beneath. He grabbed the spanner that he left there earlier.
“Pardon me but given the cramped condition and heat I am at my best attire for the task.” The engineer then slipped back the rear.
“Pardon him but we hardly have guests here in the ship and more so a lady.”
“I would have stripped down my knickers but that will be distracting you boys on the gauge indicator. So can we continue on with more subtle matter? After all we don’t want to get wet now.” Mycroft cut in.
“Yes as I was saying just now. The view here is great. Enjoy your journey for we have some time to spare before we reach there.”
So was Sean Mercer when he boarded the gunship then off the coast of Kerala. It was a German Imperial Navy design with five officers and ninety crews. The seven hundred over tons with a length of a hundred and eighty six with a beam of twenty seven feet was powered from the two steam engines with the horsepower of nearly five hundred. Its top speed was ten knots assisted by the three sails. It held four guns on the stern and bow of the ship. There was the two 10.5 cm SK L/40 which fired the 4.1 inch shell to a maximum range of thirteen thousand yards. There were four more of the 8.8 cm SK L/30 guns which hold a shorter range at below eleven thousand yards at +30 elevation.
“Welcome to the African Queen. Your quarter is ready. It’s not much but we do serve three meals.” Doctor Ritter Gunter led the hunter aboard to the assigned quarter. It was a small cabin with the bedding and the porthole to the open sea. “Feel free to piss out of that.”
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