Deep Sea Chapter 22

Book 3

"In each submarine, there are men who, in the hour of emergency or peril at sea, can turn to each other. These men are ultimately responsible to themselves and each other for all aspects of operation of their submarine. They are the crew. They are the ship."

The Submariner's Creed (Excerpt)

22.

The Surface

General Gale tucked her hands into her waist belt while her sight was on the stretch of land that was occupied by the infernal lady and her warriors. She was upset that her island was invaded for over three months then without her knowledge. It was not since the Roman invasion centuries ago that this land had seen invaders. She had the Army mobilized and stopped the occupation to the southern tip of the island. It was a standoff for another month before both sides entrenched into their own boundary not until they have lost over twenty miles of the land.

“Our land invaded? It’s absurd.”  General Gale earlier reaction then.

The extended land there faced the great deep sea and further to that was the vast ocean. The exposed cliff was eroded by the high waves that gave its land faced of sheer cliffs. Its highest measured over seven hundred feet but there were the extensive stretches of wide beaches. There was also the town of Bale that lay on the estuary by the river mouth. It was covered by the rocky outcrops on the left side and the river on the right. It was a well-defended location for the invaders. The interior stretch after the town was infertile and exposed upland with spots of ex-mining pits where tin and copper were dug from. It was the result of centuries where the intrusion of the granite with the sedimentary rocks formed mineralization of the ores like tin. Besides tin, copper and lead were mined there. Due to the fertile land was further upland where the farmlands were located.

“Give me the reports.” General Gale told her aide. The officer gave her the rundown on the situation.

“We got two battalions here with a thousand five hundred troops and a platoon of twenty of Mark I armored.” Major Leighton read his report. “They have cordoned off the town. We have …”

“I am not keen on the numbers here. I want to know the report on the city side.” General Gale turned her attention to the five dirigibles on the clearing behind her. There were also the four Eagles there; the flying soapbox with guns in her term.

“Seven cities are in chaos with no authority in place. We have control of the east and south but the north was still infighting between our army and Lord Stuart with General Clarke’s army.” Major Leighton replied. The war inland was with their people and the Army split in the middle. “On the western side, we are aided by the main contingent from across the channel.”

The last sentence was uttered in contempt. The rivalries of the armies were recorded before but they have shared many conflicts on the same side. It was also prided that no army will sanction another country’s army on their land unless it was invaded.

And it was an invasion then.

“So we are faced with this enemy. And the sea awaits our recapture.” General Gale looked at the troops. They were not cheering her but looked away. It was understood for she took them away from the city to fight there. Her concern was also her family at the city which was defended by a regiment of the guards with the neighboring armies against their own.

“Damn you, Clarke.”  General Gale cursed out. Get me, Lord Henry. We need to capture back the sea. Once it’s done, we can bloody well starves the invaders.”

Meanwhile across the land to the city that General Gale was longing for, General Clarke stood there in the Great Hall of the Main House at Bale. He had once stood there not as its proper attendance but on the invitation. He recalled then seeing the assembled lawmakers elected by the people baying at each other on the proposed enactments. He frowned at their attitude for they lacked the discipline of the uniformed although they did look resplendent in the smooth pressed three-piece suit. He recalled that day for it was when he met the Lord Chamberlain then in his capacity was arguing on the allocation of food to the cities.

“I say old chap do you agree with me that these slobs are too well fed.” General Clarke looked to the one who whispered to him. It was Lord Ian Stuart III his old school mate and ‘bon ami’ during summers. They lived in the same county and holiday across the channel.

“Engraisser truies pour la boucherie” (In English, ‘fatten up sows for the butchery) Clarke replied with sarcasm.

“Of sows, may I introduce you to a lady that may be of advantage to you?” Lord Stuart smiled at the aspiring General. Before General Clarke was to the inquest about the lady, he was led to the private chamber of Lady Jan. They had a viable chat and soon agreed on the terms.

Bale was to taken over and administrated by himself. He will have the place built into a fortress.

“General Clarke, may I give you an update on the field reports” Lieutenant Darren Mann interrupted the General. He did not wait for the reply and proceeded with the reports.

“We have withdrawn on the city limits and the ports. The opposing army has been reinforced with armored tanks and their double engine Caldron G4 with its twin-seater was taking its toll on our defenses.” The Caldron G4 was a twin-engine bomber platform bomber. The gunner seated in the nose was equipped with the Vickers machine gun strafed the army troopers at the defensive trenches.

General Clarke regretted the influence on the Air Division and then they have all fought for the other side. Their air superiority was causing him to lose grounds at the outer cities. The flying ships have all taken safety on the east side of the island. They were attacked on both sides with the other continental flying boxes taking out the ports and within reached cities. The fuel capacity of the flying boxes prevented them from flying further without refueling stations. The northern land was still in his control but it was only on paper. He knew the northern troops were under the influence of the loyalist may swing on the slightest move of the power. More to it, they are waiting for the right move to fight for their independence from the main island ruling Lords of the Central and West counties.

“Damn! We are being held hostages by our own people.” General Clarke cursed out. He knew of some relatives who came from there.

“Pardon me, General….” Lieutenant Mann voiced out in a quizzed expression.

“Never mind, Lieutenant.” General Clarke looked at the young officer. “Where were you born?”

“Up North, Sir. My dad was from the West. We moved here when I was a babe.” Lieutenant Mann smiled.

“So are you …” General Clarke then kept his question to himself.

“If I support the North or here, Sir? I don’t know Sir. I only now that I am in the Army under your command. We do as obey.” Lieutenant Mann replied. General Clarke smiled at the young officer. He knew how to advance in the Army. 

To the northwest of General Clarke's position, Lord Ian Stuart III sat on the high back seat of his mother’s family castle overlooking the bay. He was dressed in the traditional dress of the family with the dagger known as the sgian-dubh; a small single-edged knife tucked into the right top of the kilt hose with the hilt visible. His mother was the only daughter of the Lord then and was married to the central Lord as a bonding marriage of both families. He had come back to regain his mother’s home and called for the independence of the land up north. He was looking at the elders of the House of Stuart on their long-delayed proclamation.

“The House of Stuart supports the claims of this newly elected King of the Land.” The elderly clan member called on the assembled to the cause. Three hundred years ago the Main House was elected by the people and deposed the ruling family then.

“Can he who is to be King restore the food supply to the people?” The elderly clan member who was blind in one eye stood up on his wobbly legs supported by the long cane. “I am past the age to fight for what is right and wrong, but I will stand by the hunger of my clan. Do you strike out their hunger or do we vote to die for your ego?”

“If …I am to be King of the Northern lands; I will restore the food on your plates. That will be the first task that I will undertake.” Lord Stuart looked to the assembled. “Aye, we cannot grow on those forsaken lands but we are surrounded by plenty in the seas.”

“The seas? You mocked us, King to be.” Another clan member stood up. “The seas are infested with giant predators. Tell me who are we to feed? Them to us or us to them.”

“Aye, it will reduce our numbers and less food to share.” Another clan member called out. The assembled laughed at themselves for the selfish thought.

Lord Stuart frowned on his brow. He knew he cannot tell them all. His plan to share with Lady Jan had all crumbled. She had invaded the island not for fish but for the ores. She was building a colony there to mine and then raised an army in their backyard. Nevertheless, the plan was not all a total failure. With her invasion, General Clarke rushed his hand and declared war on the House. He was too quick to call for arms when not all that was in support. He got the advantage of his swift takeover at the south but General Gale had her own plans. She defended well and above all, she called on the old alliance of the House. She called on the neighbors to assist her and they came with their infernal air support. It was with her call that he called for the restoration of the old ruling family up north. It was met with mixed feelings but the hunger pangs of the people drove them to seek the silver lining in the cloud. Some rallied to the cause but there were some who opposed.

The war had erupted on three fronts.

Lord Ian Stuart intended to win it for the House of Stuart.

The Depth

Major Keane sat firmly in Shark One, with both his hands on the wheel. His leg was on the pedal that controls the acceleration of the ship. The other accompanying sailor was Sailor McCarthy. The other was handling the levers on the harpoons. His left leg was rested on the mini charges that will be released when he depressed it. They had been down there for half an hour after they arrived at the spot. Their task was to cripple the ships there on the southern point of the islands.

“McCarthy put on the records. In the port is one cruiser and destroyer with two troopships.” Major Keane called in. “There are five twenty tonnes trawlers and ten more other smaller trawlers. No signs of the submerged.”

“Noted.” McCarthy replied. He was glad that they had taken the task. He was to battle the invaders who had taken his home and family there. He relaxed his left foot and started thinking of the sunlight. He detested the works as a submariner as they had been nicknamed. It was a joined name from the submerged and marine for the sea. Someone once said that they can’t be called a sailor for they sailed beneath the surface.

“Alert!” Major Keane called out when he sighted what may be another ship in the port. It was below the surface. He did not know but he had faced the Sea Dragon Three.

The third submerged ship in the fleet could submerge to below a two hundred feet. It has a double thin metallic hull interlined with the whale skin planks. Its armament was similar to the Sea Dragon One with its eight cannons on each side with two each at the stern and bow. Its harpoons were attached with explosives tip. The ship’ figurehead was in the shape of a sea dragon like the Sea Dragon One. The ship held two decks with its upper deck covered with wood with the whale skin over it. The ship has two steam turbines with the large propellers but the steering of the ship was by its keels beneath the decks. It measured over a hundred fifty feet in length and with it oblong body was forty feet across. It was manned by twenty crews despite the extra length. 

On the Sea Dragon Three, Captain Huang was looking at the sea bed through the glass viewer. It was the design they took from some others and adapted it there. It measured ten feet by three feet but it had the two voltage lights mounted there to give a clear sight of over fifty feet to over a dimmer hundred feet. He saw the other ship there. It was his task to detect the enemies below. He heard of the ‘Sea Dragon One’ was sunk by the enemy’s ship that was similar in design but older. He had not met any ships submerged in the sea till then.  He then saw the smaller submerged ship.

Captain Huang called on the crews to their positions. The gunners ran to their posts and seated there. He then commanded the ship to bring about broadside to bear on the other ship

Sailor Wan Teng spat on the palm of his hands before he rubbed it. He then held the handle of the harpoon gun. It was loaded and checked daily by him. He does not trust anyone to it for his life may just depend on it. His harpoon gun was located at the port side and it was labeled Gun Five.

“Hey Wan.” The sailor on Gun Three called out. “Ten coins on who gets first shot.”

Wan ignored the bully there. Sailor Lum was always a braggart. He kept his sight on the narrow glass viewer there. Unlike his counterparts on the Sea Dragon One, his viewer was a better one. The others have only a small peephole.

“Fire if you see the ship.” Captain Huang gave the command. Wan saw the ship first. He held his trigger finger until he had steadied his gun. Sometimes the sea currents may jolt the ship and the aim would be off. He saw the other ship. It was diagonal to his. He relaxed his right index finger and then depressed it. The harpoon went off with swoosh of the water bubbles trailing it. It sailed on and missed the hull of the smaller ship. He cursed at his luck.

“I got it.” Sailor Lum shouted out when his harpoon released hit the other ship at the stern. “Ten coins are mine.”

On the Shark One, Major Keane had held the wheel to turn the ship but it was too late. He felt the harpoon hit the stern and the next thing he knew was the explosion from the stern. The explosion tore through the hull and ripped the engine apart. The two crews did not stand a chance to get out.

The war had taken on a new turn.