Deep Sea Chapter 4

4.

The Surface

General Clarke was uneasy about the new developments. He was a Military man where his battles are fought over on solid grounds. The idea of seafaring made him cringed up for the deep sea was like a cemetery to him.

“I am not sure if it’s a good idea to send God’s men into the deep seas.” The General voiced out when the four of them were pondering over the designs submitted by Lord Henry. “That man is daft and above all a crippled. He is a liability to society.”

“I do not like your tone, General. Even a man without limbs can do wonders if his mind is in tune with it.” Lady Jan replied.

“I meant no insult, my Lady.”  The General withdrew on his outburst. “I knew Henry. He was a fine officer but lacks the intelligence in strategy.”

“A misinterpretation there, General. I have studied Lord Henry’s profile. He is an exceptional strategist and above all, an inventive person. His designs here spoke well of him.” Lady Jan referred to the designs. “These are a more advanced one that your submerged buckets in the shallow depths. The Lord here is a genius.”

“I…” General Clarke's rebuttal was cut off by Lord Ian. He had known Henry for years and felt that the jabbering between the two will end up in bad tidings.

“I sincerely apologize for my intrusion but our concern is the project.” Lord Ian pushed them to focus on the designs. “Is the submersible a good option?”

“Well paced, Ian.” Lady Jan complimented him. “Yes and no.”

“Yes, the direction to go is the sea.” Lady Jan continued on. “We are starved off the land with the good plots scattered and few. The breeding programs eased on the supply but the demands are increasing. Your last war depleted the need to feed numbers but they are geometrically increasing. We cannot give you that much food if we are facing the same issue.”

The the country had been relying on foreign delivery of food but that of late was depleting due to famine and above all, war.  The wars that were caused by the world’s need for more food. And some of those wars were created by the ones who desired more food.

“The the deep sea is the unexplored frontier. It holds two-third of our world and yet it’s unexplored by over three quarters.” Lady Jan explained. “Lord Henry’s idea of going under intrigue my investors. He may have hit a good idea there.”

“Lady Jan, the last …” Lord Ian meekly cut in but was brushed off.

“The last submerged expedition failed because it was not designed for the deep sea. It was a boating exercise by the beach.”

“Yes, we learned from it. The sea held an assortment of threat but those threats are nominal to the benefits of the catches. You can blame the phenomenon created monsters but it also gave us opportunities. It may the accuser to our fear of it or our blessing as Man is the best predator of all...” Lady Jan interjected back. “The great white in the last fifty years ago may have evolved to a bigger fish but it also gave us opportunities among us Man. We did not grow bigger like the monsters but we were blessed with right now more intelligent minds compared to our forefathers. Our knowledge had expanded in the last ten years. We can do better.”

“Unproven theory.” General Clarke muttered out. “It was only a biased opinion of the few but ….”

“We have more inventions in the last ten years than in the last five hundred.” Lady Jan remarked back. “My country held a census that we hold a million of these minds. They are creating wonders for us. My inventions are wining our war with the monsters.”

“Unfortunately, Lord Henry’s designs are conceptual. We have studied these designs. It’s flawed.”

“Gentlemen and lady, we have diverted off.” Lord Chamberlain tried to steer the discussion to a more finite subject. “Lady Jan you justified the exploration of the sea and I am keen to hear you out.”

“Gibbons, we shall have that late-night drinks soon.” Lady Jan told the waiting aide before she turned to the other two. “Your fishing boundary at over five miles is …shameful. So were your submerged crafts then. In my country, we were doing ten and expanding to twenty now. The real fishes are out there in the deep seas. We do not fear the sea monsters.”

“My God! Lady Jan. That is suicide. The last phenomenon rippled through the deep sea first and with its long nurturing they have bred into monsters. You claimed not to fear them but we have seen no proof of it.” General Clarke could not hold himself anymore. “You may be committing my men into their cold death in those depths.”

“General Clarke, please do not compare your yellow rubber fisherman in boats and the tub to mine.” Lady Jan was getting irate with the hunchback but his influence on the army logistics was essential. “Do you know how much food those monsters could contribute to your petty breeds? It’s an odd of hundred to one. The deep seas held hundreds of such packs. We could harvest them.”

“With an enormous appetite to crush the ships which we have it may be us who will get harvested.” General Clarke was not letting up. “I do not agree with our men for such …sacrifices.”

“Then you shall not be. It will be my fleet who will fish here and bring you half the load for your people. The other half will be our trading profit.”

“And that includes all of you. Are we in agreement?” Lady Jan glared at the three men while she leaned over at the desk. She does not have much of cleavage to offer them for the show but they were already salivating at the prospect of ill gains in the deep seas.

The Depth

The the first rule of survival was to kill and not wound. The later could turn the odds in the killing.

Stacy held her grip on the wheel while they raced through the high waves then added with an enraged wounded serpent. The explosion had torn off a part of the serpent’ left side of the head to its upper fins leaving a trail of blood.

“Drop another round, Engine.” Captain Arthur himself was strapped into his seat with the hand gripped white to the flesh while he listened for reports. The third load of drum charges went out to sea and created a series of explosions. The Sea King was flying just above her draft line with the extended keels but she was losing the pace to the serpent. The creature swam parallel to the ship and was trailing a bloody scent for other predators.

“Jettison Hold Three and Four.” Captain Arthur called. It was a grim call for those two holdings that were their largest and held the best catch. It was also their heaviest.

“Aye, Captain. “The boatswain replied before he pulled the levers to release the catch. They had spent two months out at sea to get those loads and now it was time to forego them. He knew why the Captain released the loads for that will eased the burden on the engines and above all, the predators were already on their stern. The offloaded catch will delay them and if time permits they will out be out of danger zone.

“Big White on the aft.” The crew called out.

“Damned!” Captain Arthur cursed out. The Big White was a huge sea predator with few others ranked next to it. They grow up to fifty or eighty feet out there with their fins to belly at over twelve feet. They looked like the sharks but these monsters like to take big bites off the ships. Especially big ones. That one was over sixty feet and it was heading towards them.

“First Officer, I hoped you sign on your declaration form. I am not sure we will make it.” Captain Arthur called out. Stacy ignored him while she steered the ship. Just like she ignored the pain of knowing it was Arnold who went down with the crane. It did not matter to her on who died for they were expected to be on any expedition. Anyway, she had rejected Arnold’s marriage offer. In their line, being married means staying off the ships. Stacy was not ready for that.

The Big White was approaching them from the portside and wounded serpent was still trailing at starboard.

“White to below hull.” The crew carried out when he saw the monster submerged. It was the tactical move of the Big White before it rams the hull.

“Give me ten degrees starboard.” Captain Arthur called out. Stacy moved the wheel to the designated direction which will take them on a collision course with the serpent. “Hold her steady.”

“Steer five degrees portside.” Captain Arthur called out. The Sea King strained on the new direction with waves pounding its stern and portside. The crew at the stern did not call out but what he saw will remain as his nightmare. The Big White rammed into the serpent on its wounded side. Both creatures were swept beneath the waves.

“White hit Serpent.” The other deck crews saw the battle. They were jubilant at the battle and it spread to the others at the dimly lighted compartments. Captain Arthur unstrapped himself from the seat and looked out of the wheelhouse windows. He then saw the White surfaced with the serpent ensnared in its jaw at the wounded neckline. The serpent was struggling to fight off the Big White but it was a losing battle.

“Good work, First Officer.” Captain Arthur complimented his officer.

“White in danger.” The deck crews called out. The Captain looked over and saw the second serpent had joined in the battle. The smaller serpent had snapped its bite on the Big White’s belly at the gills. It was a good move and will ensure the odds of the serpents winning. It then released its bite and snapped at the pectoral fins. It was disabling the Big White from escaping and then moved back for another bite on the underbelly again. The Big White was in pain and bleeding when it released the bigger serpent. It was a bad move because the wounded serpent struck back with its elongated body to snap at the Big White on the upper fin. The Big White was trapped by the two serpents. They went in with large bites to tear at the flesh of the Big White. The sea waves displayed streaks of blood and the water surface was soon coated with torn bits of flesh. The Big White struggled to flee but with its fins bitten off, it was floating feast for all. The final bite came from the larger serpent which bit into the snout of the Big White near the eyes.

Captain Arthur threw a salute to the dead Big White which was fed than by the two serpents at over five hundred yards away. It was a sign of respect for those three predators and their display of prowess for his ship. They have survived another expedition but lost half their load. It was a fair gain for the previous expedition they lost part of their crews and loads.

“We had done well, First Officer.” Captain Arthur once more complimented on the steering done by Stacy. “Let me take the wheel.”

The First Officer stepped away from it and then grabbed her left wrist. She had bruised it during the steering with the serpents.

“Sorry about Arnold.” She heard the Captain and faced him.

“He was a liar” Stacy replied to the Captain who offered her the sympathy. She, in turn, questioned him on the loss of the catch.

“Yes, Hold Three, Four and Five is a more than half our catch but we are alive. That’s what concerns me.” Captain Arthur replied. “More to that, this is my last voyage on the Sea King. I am considering retiring.”

“Retire? Heck, Captain. That will be the day the sea dries up or you are dead.” Stacy mocked at the Captain's noble intentions. :” I have sailed with you for over three years, and every day you looked forward to another voyage.”

The Captain kept his focus on the lighthouse that signals their arrival at the port.

“Tell me on the new adventure. You mentioned submerging. That’s a scary thought. I cannot see myself encased inside a ship under the sea.” Stacy shuddered at the thought. “It’s a frigging iron coffin.”

“That was just a passing offer but I have not thought of it.” The Captain lied on that. He was intrigued by the idea of sailing under the sea. It will be wonderful to see where the serpents and sharks holed up. He then shooed the First Officer to the Infirmary while he focusses on his next adventure.