Deep Sea Chapter 12

Book 2

"He who lets the sea lull him into a sense of security is in very grave danger."

— Hammond Ines, Novelist

12.

The Surface

Lady Jan took her drink to the window balcony. The drink was a vintage drink blended by the older generations. It was made from the fresh grapes and then pressed for the juice before it was allowed to be fermented in the barrel. It was then preserved in the cold and dry place for over a longer period before it was shelved for over a hundred years.

Lady Jan sipped the drink into her mouth and left it there to open the pores at the tongue. The pores there permeate to the taste nerve points and that effect will assail the mind to a higher level of satisfaction that even the other drugs may not achieve in its peak. The taste was dry and yet tangy to the taste buds.

She had the use of the suite overlooking at the pier when she was there at the dockside. 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 her usual leisure moments when she relaxed at her own home in the countryside on the vast land of her home but out there on the island, she cringed at the soot and coal inlaid air. She looked at her reflection on the lengthy mirror frame. She was staring at her supple frontage with the long legs.

“I am still young but not …. “Lady Jan frowned on the design on her back. It was a price to pay for her exoskeleton frame. The back of her body was the metal spine and ribs that reached to the back of her thighs.

“The price I had paid.” Lady Jan 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 spreading and raising her legs over the top. With her right hand, her middle finger stretched out towards the other in the tub.

“You are a bore, Lady Jan.” Lord Stuart approached her in the tub and then bored his way into the lady who was in an offer to him It was his humping which woke up her other senses. She was not his bed partner but she valued the act between man and woman although she favored the later more. He was satiated and retreated to his own end in the tub.

“The fleet was refused entry into the port.” Lady Jan voiced out with the boredom tone.

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

“Then he is no more of use to us.” Lady Jan stepped out of the bathwater. She walked over to the bed and looked at the girl standing there in the nude

“Get him up again.” The girl obeyed her and climbed into the tub. She approached the other and then straddle him. He was all worked up by then and began humping the girl. Lady Jan then stepped back into the tub and sat on the spine of the girl from the rear. She grasped her legs tight on the girl’s waist before she grabbed his Lordship by the face with her left hand. She buried his face into the girl’s 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 into the water in the tub.

“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 second release. 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.

“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 for I won’t offer you any.” General Gale sipped her cup of morning tea. “Don’t you hassle over that for my cookies too. They are limited in supply. An Army General works is never-ending and my baking has to be left in the oven most times. No pun intended.”

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

“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 to fish here, then he can bloody well appeal to me for permission. Why the over concern about 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 takes precedence over diplomatic issues. So fuck off and let me have my tea in peace.” General Gale showed her true colors to the stunned peer of her’. “I can assure you, Gale, is not only my family name but our freakish behavior. Standoff 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.

The Depth

Stacy had never been inside a submerged ship. When she stepped down the stairwell, she marveled at the similarity of it to the interior of the ship engines compartment except the submerged was an extended version. There were the jet black-valves, gadgets, and machinery all required to help the crews keep alive. Unlike a surface ship, your heart thumps and the lungs expand, greedy for oxygen when you are inside. It was a general feeling of anyone first feel in the ship. On the surface ship, it was called seasickness. Your first reaction was to look for the exits. Those were the closing hatches that were latched by the crew members but when submerged, it was sealed shut.

“Steady on, First Officer. You are in a metal coffin that will soon be covered by the seawater.”  Captain Arthur made his way to the so-named bridge. “Come along. We don’t have 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. It was a wide narrow glass view to the sea outside.

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

“It’s a triple layer of glass there build to withstand the sea pressure. We are fine up to the four hundred feet in depth.” Stacy was briefed by the crew next to her. “Any deeper, we will crash.”

“On the ship, we are always near the water, inside the water but we never held a fuck about it.” Captain Arthur begin his philosophy at the start of every voyage.  Water is essentially the nutrient of life besides the sunlight. Yet we never appreciate its value like the mined surface minerals.”

On the bridge, Captain Arthur took his seat with his Lordship on the right reserved seat and the Sergeant Major taking the other on the left. The navigator was on the assigned seat behind the Captain 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. You are like the others; guest of the ship.” 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 your …”

“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. We eat dry food when submerged. 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.