Deep Seas Chapter 32 ( The final chapter )

32.

Surface

“Man the guns!” Captain Arthur called out to the men. “We have a surface battle now.”

Captain Arthur saw the Mother Dragon had surfaced and there was also the smaller Dragon ship. Senior Captain Cheng Ha had also climbed out on the deck of the Mother Dragon. He was accompanied by Lady Jan.

“Fire the harpoons.” The three footer harpoons from the sponson on the center section fired off at the Sea King. The six harpoons shot off in an arc and hit the Sea King on its hull.

“Return fire!” Captain Arthur called out to the men have set up the Lewis guns. “Fire at will.”

The two hastily set up Lewis guns roared its trajectories towards the huge enemy ship. It was not making much of an impact there.

“Dive!” Captain Arthur called out but the reply from the First Officer was distressing.

“We can’t. Our hull cannot take another dive.”

“Damn!” It was then Captain Arthur saw the explosion around the two Dragons. It was the fleet commanded by Lieutenant Galen. The fleet with only nine ships roared their cannon shots at the Dragons.

“Abandon ship!” The Captain of Sea Dragon Three called out. Two direct hits have impacted on the deck and the ship was sinking.

“Sink the Sea King.” Senior Captain Cheng Ha called out. Another salvo of the harpoons went out but then it was blocked by the soaring serpent which had surfaced. Five harpoons impacted the serpent which dived back to the sea.

“I want another shot at it.” Senior Captain Cheng Ha called out before he was shot by the Lewis machine gun. He staggered on his feet and then fell into the sea. Lady Jan had then jumped for cover behind the open hatch. She saw then the serpent soaring high from the sea depth with the Senior Captain in its jaw. The serpent was bleeding on its fins and body from the pierced harpoons. It landed on the Mother Dragon port side of the hull and swam parallel to it. The serpent movement tore at the harpoon guns there before it swam away.

“Steer the bow towards the Mother.” Captain Arthur called out to the First Officer. “If she can’t dive, then we will use her to ram the other.”

“You are a fool, Captain.” First Officer Kenneth called out. He then hollered to the others. “Abandon ship!”

“Full speed ahead!” Captain Arthur called out when the Sea King was headed for the Mother Dragon. Lady Jan saw the oncoming Sea King and she smiled.

“It’s an honor to battle you, Sea King.” Lady Jan stood up and held out her arms towards the other. She did not see the huge shark that soared up from the sea and caught her in the jaws. The huge shark at over twenty feet in length snapped the exoskeleton frame of Lady Jan like a piece of driftwood.

Captain Arthur saw the sailors jumped overboard from the Sea King. They will be fine if they get picked up by the fleet commanded by Lieutenant Galen. He stood there on the upper deck and watched the ever nearer Mother Dragon. He had seen the lady taken by the shark. It was a sad scene for he was keen to meet her.

“Guess we meet below.” Captain Arthur muttered out. The Sea King impacted on the Mother Dargon at the center. The later hull cracked and then burst apart with the Sea King over its deck. The weight of the Sea King dragged the halved hull of the Mother Dragon into the sea.

The Depth

The serpent knew its life was seeping away with the multiple wounds on its body. It had dived down deep into the sea and then felt the vibrations of the sinking ships. It turned up its body towards the sinking husks that were slowly reaching the lower depth. The two ships were broken into three major parts and the serpent saw the escaping sailors trying to swim up but the other predators were there.

It sighted the predators were the smaller breeds. It knew why the huge ones were circling above the serpent. Their kill was the serpent that had tormented the sharks and the other predators. They won’t confront the serpent earlier for it was thrice their sizes but with the wounds on the serpent, they knew their predator had become the prey.

The serpent dived further down and then reached the pit. The younger serpents saw their protector was wounded and near the end of its life. It swam upwards to meet the protector. The signs of death were on it and the call of the survival prevails. The huge serpent laid itself at the pit while the younger serpents circled over it. It was a game of waiting then.

The great serpent gave the younger ones it last loom and then the great eyes shut close for the last time. It was the signal for the younger serpents to feed on the protector. The sharks saw the feeding and swam in. It feasted on the dead serpent and also the younger ones. The seawater soon turned red with the pieces of flesh floating there. The later was taken up by the smaller predators.

What was uneventful was the collapse of the two huge hulls on the pits burying some of the predators that were caught up in the feasting. A solitary body was seen floating towards the surface then. It was untouched by the predators and soon reached the surface.

It was not long before the body was fished out from the sea surface.

“Tell the Lieutenant we found Captain Arthur. He is dead.”

Epilogue

The Surface

Lieutenant Pastor Galen stood on the podium facing the quorum who had attended his services that morning. He smiled at the two dozen parishioners there. It was a good turnout compared to the years before. The war had ended but the food supply was bearable. For the last three years, the Pastor had arranged a feast on the anniversary to celebrate the end of the Deep Sea war.

“Today we stand here to remember the day a seafaring Captain had arrived at Big Jaws. He was to assist us in the battle for our land. He served us well and buried the enemy at sea.”

“Pastor, can we skip the talks and get to the feast? My kid needs to be fed.’ Lieutenant Pastor Galen looked at Corporal Jones with his newborn. He nodded and called for the feast to be set. The two dozen parishioners rushed out and one figure stood there.

“Lord Henry, thank you for hosting the feast. Or I won’t have anyone to come for my sermon.” Lieutenant Galen greeted the other. “Jones is the exemplary sample of my sheep.”

“Excuse him, Lieutenant. He meant well. He is not one with God but his humanity.” Lord Henry then turned to leave.

“So soon, my Lordship.”

“Yes, I am here for Captain Arthur. I brought him here to fish but instead, he fought a war. And died.”

“We all die in the end, my Lordship. It’s how we are remembered by the others. We are one of the many in the sea. We feed and get fed by the others. In the end, we all go back to the sea to nourish the new ones.”

“I believe that.” Lord Henry made his way out before the Pastor asked him of the rumors that the invaders were at the sea lanes.

“No, don’t believe in it. Since the last conflict, the Far Eastern clans have not come near here.”

“I was told that the Lord Chamberlain was approached by the Senior Adviser of the Clan. They want to return to our sea go to salvage the old wreck.”

“The Mother Dragon? They can do that but we exact compensation from them for Bale and Devan.”

“It won’t happen, my Lordship.”

“And we won’t give them back the Dragon.” His Lordship took to the four-wheeled vehicle powered by the steam engine. The vehicle was driven by the Sergeant Major.

Lieutenant Galen waved to the departing Lord. He then looked to the sea.

“Good day to you, Captain Arthur. Swim in peace.”

“He will, Lieutenant. I meant Pastor.” The voice belonged to Jones who had handed in his resignation to the Army. He was the owner of the tavern at Big Jaws with his new family.

“Jones, do you missed the Army?”

“Me, Pastor?” Jones smiled. “I do at times but I won’t go back in with the saluting and the marching. I am happier here now. I got a family too.”

“And you won’t step into the sea again, as I was told.”

“Yes, Lieutenant. I am keeping my feet dry. It’s safer this way.”

“Good. Would you keep an eye on the wreck in the cavern? I heard the Clan wants to retrieve it.”

“Dinna worry. We will keep it secured there.” Jones replied. They have retrieved both the wreckages a year ago and have used it to study the design. It was from there, they have designed new submersibles.

The Depth

The new Sea King rebuilt to the same design as the original one sailed past the wreckage that its predecessor. The husk of the fallen submersibles had become a breeding place for the fishes.

And some of it were predators.

“Serpent ahead.” The call came from the bow. “It’s huge. I will guess at forty feet.”

At fifty feet length maximum growth, the sailor had curtailed the predator population. It was part of the food breeding plans.

“Signal Prince One to take it.” Captain Kenneth called out. “Haul it up and then the surface ship can take over.”

Such was the routine of the new Sea King in its original role. It sailed with three other submersibles named the Princes.

Lord Henry has invested in the new fleet with fishing ships and submersibles. He has four other submersibles but smaller in design to hunt for food in the sea. Big Jaws and Little Jaws remained the headquarter of his operations.

Unknown to the inhabitants of the island, a new fleet approaches them. It was the newly designed fleet of the Clan with the new leader on the deck of its cruiser.

“This time we will not fail.” The Senior Adviser spoke. “The fleet will destroy them all.”

The new fleet consists of ten cruisers and twelve destroyers with over a dozen troopships.

“It’s early for you to be here.” The Senior Adviser heard the remark and then he greeted his alliance leader.

“No time is too early. As no day is ever late. We will sail together, Admiral Andrei Yuri.”

“And hunt together. My fleet is double of your previous ones but we need your expertise to know the sea there. I hear the serpents are huge.”

“Huge predators they are. Happy hunting, Admiral.”

“Nazdarovya, Senior Adviser. May you prosper forever.”