Deep Seas War 4.1

4.

The Surface

General Clarke was uneasy with the new developments. He was a Military man where his battles are fought over on solid grounds. The idea of sea faring made him cringed up for the deep sea was like 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 was 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 to 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 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 apologise 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 ourselves are facing the same issue.”

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 was caused by the world’s need for more food. And some of those wars were created by the ones who desired more food.

“The deep sea is the unexplored frontier. Its 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 brush 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 light fifty years ago may have caused the creatures to evolve 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.”

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

“We have more inventions in the last fifty years than in the last five hundreds.” 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 us 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 then 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 are committing my men into their cold death in those depths.”

“General Clarke, please do not compared your yellow boat in 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 monster 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 to 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 a cleavage to offer them for show but they were already salivating at the prospect of ill gains in the deep seas.