Deep Seas Chapter 30

30.

The Surface

“We got the airfield now.” Sergeant Major called out to the men after they stormed the airfield. The airstrip was destroyed and debris was dragged there. They saw the returning enemy dirigible flew overheads back to Bale.

“IT won’t re-fuel here no more.” Corporal Jones roared out. They assembled there with the remaining Armoured vehicles and more infantry division joined in.

“The war may be over soon. We have other divisions joining us.” Lord Henry called out when General Gales told him that the other divisions which stayed out of the war had then joined them. The House of Stuart had collapsed and the war was now at Bale.

“We will recapture Bale soon.” Lord Henry was elated to have come so far.

It was not at the command center of Lady Jan. She was seated there with the Senior Adviser on the other end of the long table. They were discussing the progress of the war.

“Senior Adviser Liang Zhao, I cannot accept the withdrawal decision.” Lady Jan glared at the Senior Adviser. He outranks her when it comes to the fleet battling the ports then. “This war cannot end just like that.”

“It will end for now. We have lost half the fleet with your strategy. One flying Dragons is destroyed alongside with your aide, Kosovan. The second Dragon has been set down and dismantled. It will be stored back to the supplies ships. Our troopships are recovering the men we brought. The other cruisers with the destroyers will sail back today.”

“Give me the two Sea Dragons. And the Mother Dragon. I will battle the Sea King before I return.” Lady Jan pleaded to the Senior Adviser. “I will give up my medallion for the chance to destroy the Sea King. Or die in the battle.”

Lady Jan held up the medallion around her neck.

“Accepted. You will no longer be part of the Leaders of the Clan. You will have the Mother Dragon and the two smaller Sea Dragons. I will present your medallion to the Elders.” Senior Adviser told her. “Meanwhile I will draft the letter of truce. I have to save the remaining fleet.”

“We will battle once more.” Lady Jan looked to the Senior Adviser.

“Only if you win.” Senior Adviser reminded the lady. It was then General Clarke stormed in.

“I heard we are withdrawing. Who gave the command?” General Clarke roared out in anger. He was silenced by Lady Jan with the rush at him to lay her right fist into the throat. She killed the elderly General there with one blow.

“It’s no more your war, General. It’s mine alone.” Lady Jan looked to the Senior Adviser and then told him her intentions.

“Signal the Dragons. We will meet the Sea King in the deep sea at noon tomorrow. We need an area where the depth is there for us to move. I can think of one which Captain Cheng Ha had told me. It’s at the sea canyons near Little Jaws.”

“You are moving into their front line. It may be foolhardy to battle there.” The Senior Adviser voiced his objection.

“No, it will be there. I want the enemy to see us defeat their Sea King at their doorstep. The coordinates will be given to you.” Lady Jan than stepped away. “I am in need to get ready for the battle.”

At Bale, both the Colonel complimented each other on their divisions.

“I say old chap, these machines of yours are an asset to us in the battle.” Colonel Kingsley looked at the armored vehicle. “I guess the outcome of the war will soon be by the armored divisions.”

“Modesty prevail, old chap. We can do the thrust but the infantry is still the ones we need to watch the flanks and do the finishing touches.” Colonel Braddock then looked to the captured exoskeletons. “I like those mechanical frames. I say if we were to place them in the Infantries, we will have a balanced force here.”

“Aye, but who in his right frame of mind would operate that.” Colonel Kingsley looked to the exoskeleton. “Who is that chap in it?”

“Corporal Jones, I want you out of that now.” It was the voice of the Sergeant Major but Corporal Jones has climbed in and soon got the exoskeleton moving. It was clumsy but he soon had it walking.

“Enough of that!” The Sergeant Major roared out but his voice was soon overcome by the roar of the guns fired by the exoskeleton.

“Wow!” Corporal Jones remarked out. He had fired the guns aimed at the fuel drum at a distance. The shot caused an explosion that sent the two Colonels to land on their face. He then saw the raging Sergeant Major rushing towards him.

“Time to leave.” Corporal Jones directed the exo-skeleton away to the hills.

Meanwhile, Lord Henry congratulated the re-installed Lord Chamberlain.

“We have won another war, Henry.” The later told Lord Henry.

“Not just yet. I was told that Mother Dragon and its smaller one wants to battle with the Sea King. They are to it at the sea canyons near Little Jaws.”

“Can we assist?’

“I doubt so. Captain Arthur had sailed and he is below the surface now. We can only await the outcome but get Lieutenant Galen to prepare the fleet to meet them. He may be of help there. He is back at Big Jaws.”

 

The Depth

Captain Arthur took out the drawings on the Sea King. He was without Boatswain I Conlay who was the expert there and so was his First Officer Stacy. Both had perished on the smaller submersibles.

“Care to brief me once more, First Officer?”

“Aye, Captain.” The newly appointed First Officer to replace Stacy looked at the drawings. He was familiar with it for he was the main engineer to build the Sea King.

“We are at three hundred feet with the squid design. We held the oblong-shaped contraption with a dimension of over twenty feet in radius for it allowed us to sail better at the sea currents. The top right was at the length of fifty feet with circular surface held the main three harpoons with each measuring over twelve feet in length lined outside the hull like nasty darts. Our holding area held another fifteen harpoons. At the aft were the three harpoons. All of these are handled by Boatswain II Ian Mackay.”

“On the left-top, we have the explorer mini-submarine named Nemo. It measured twenty-four feet in length with a radius of eight feet with a seating capacity for four. Its only weapon against any predators was the dark ink that is released from the nozzle at the bottom of the craft. The dark ink contains toxins that could incapacitate a large predator.”

“At the bottom half, there were the two engine compartments which will move the Sea King at a maximum speed of twenty-five knots. The engines were under the supervision of Engineer II Andre Kosovan.”

“When we surfaced, we can have the Lewis guns set up to offer defensive action.” First Officer Kenneth concluded his report.

“We are under armed.” Captain Arthur voiced out. “Do you know the Dragons are better equipped? For one, I learned from captured drawings and sailors who told us that the smaller Dragons held eight cannons on each side with two each at the stern and bow. It does not fire canister or balls but harpoons. The Mother Dragon top right and left sections held only main harpoons with the explosive heads. In the center section of the Mother Dragon were the six ‘sponson’ units each that could swivel at fifty degrees with the twin three-footer length harpoon guns that were facing the stern and portside. There was one ‘sponson’ at the bottom hull with the same design. On the aft sides were the three harpoons guns each side.”

“Captain, the Sea King was designed to hunt predators like the serpents and sharks. We were not designed for war.” First Officer Kenneth defended his design.

“I know.” Captain Arthur sighed. “Unfortunately, we have a battle coming.”

“I need the following was done.” Captain Arthur outlined his plan. “Can you do it?”

“I can try. It may work.” First Officer Kenneth jumped to the task then. “We may need to dock back at Little Jaws.”

“So be it. The coordinates given are near to the island. We can make it there in time.”

“All ahead for Little Jaws.”

At Big Jaws, Lieutenant Galen got the message by pigeon. He then directed the remaining ships to sail with extra loads of depth charges.

“We are going to assist Sea King. And God helps us all.”