The new ship Leviathan set sail from a hidden port-cover sitting nearly on the border between China and the Mongol territories. After nearly a year in port, our escapee engineer Lockey had installed and tested the basic system of the toys she had escaped with from Lemuria. It was half a year when I had meet this insane Lemurian engineer but she had been true to her words at giving me a chance to make a difference in a war the world ignored. I do remember that day well as I exited the long boat in a humming harbour to find myself being tackled to the dock by her.
“Damn idiots!” she screamed. She had me under her even if my girth was double her weight. “Rift open!” she continued in that angered voice. I was finally able to look pass her to the sky over the Lemurian harbour.
“Weapons out!” I hollered from under her. “We have incoming!” I added. I rolled with her getting her under me as the first creature landed by us. I slashed to parry it's claw swipe before thunder rolled by me. Yard long spines of metal drove themselves into the beast as it attempted a second attack.
“Get your men clear and yourself off of me!” Lockey growled from under me. I obeyed her last request as I moved to peer over the edge of the dock to our long boat. My four sailors had dispatched two already while protecting the cabin boy huddled between their feet. They stood back to back ready to defend themselves.
“My men seem fine where they are.” I yelled back at her. “Now what in the Nine Hells below the waves is happening?” I continued. I moved to stand defensively at her side as she stood. I was not a small man but felt short next to this nine foot beauty holding a metallic handled tube in her hands.
“They decided to test something the really should not have.” she stated. Her anger was palpable as I stood with her on the dock watching the show. Yard long shards of metal flew skyward to pierce the creatures tumbling from a multicoloured rip in the celestial vault. I gazed around slowly spotting the machine that ejected these projectiles lining the harbour edges. “They never listen to a junior engineer even if she is waving proof in their faces.” she grumbled. She rose the tube in her had to flash the closest creature with a reddish light that made it topple over smoking.
“Nice toys you have here.” I muttered. I slashed another creature down with a clean swipe.
“You seem to hold your own without them.” she returned.
“Us human might not have toys but are resourceful in our own way.” I remarked. I heard her giggling as she fired at a few other creatures moving on us. I slashed toward the other side keeping them at bay as we fought as a team back to back. “The name is Balthis.”
“Lockey.” she returned between pulsing flashes from her tube. “The idiots did not even bother looking at my notes on this drive they decided to test in the open harbour of all places.” she grumbled again.
“Would not get that treatment on the Leviathan if I can ever get it back in the water.” I said easily. I know it was a foolish idea but as my words escaped me, I knew she would be a perfect member of my pieced together crew. “Ever considered being a sailor?” I added laughing. I parried a claw while flipping my blade to decapitate the attacker in one slice.
“Would be silly!” she replied laughing. “Engineers need things to build and play with.” she remarked as her laugh died in her throat. “I would need a way of get a few crates out with me.” she stated in half whisper.
“Got two long boats on the Hessian Pride that can run supplies for that tub.” I returned with a chuckle. I heard a laugh from her before the sizzle of that toy in her hand blasted another time. “Come here to find something called a 'lodestone' to repair a gift from a friend.” I added quickly.
“You came all this way for a worthless piece of rock?” she answered. “Have the boats at the southern side of the Island as close to the wall as you can get them.” she continued. “I bring you a lodestone and a few other tricks including myself Balthis.” she explained. “But do not think this gives you or your sailors the right to touch me.” she added laughing.
“Like all the rest of the handful of lasses that travel on my Leviathan.” I replied. Once the invaders were beaten back the rift closed as the humming stopped in the harbour. “Still agreeing to our terms?” I asked quietly to her.
“See you on the southern side in three hours time.” Lockey returned with a wink to me. I nodded as I head back to the ladder down to the long boat. The sailors looked at me as I order them back to the Hessian Pride without grabbing any supplies.
“You had me drag this tub hundred of leagues to come back empty handed?” captain Hummock screamed at me. We stood on the deck of his supply tub after returning from the battle in the Lemurian harbour. “What are you pulling Balthis?” he growled at me.
“We have the supplies set to dropped off to us but will be need all the long boats to collect them.” I explained calmer than I felt. “Two at the least but thinking that all four would be better for us to move faster to return to you.” I continued. I could not hide the smirk that formed on my face as I spoke. “Including a new recruit for my crew direct from Lemurian stock.” I added.
“You would trust one of those warmongers on your ship?” Hummock howled in laughter at me.
“I trust she will get my ship back to the waters sailing faster than your floating piece of debris.” I retorted angrily. “I take the ships with two sailor per boat to collect my supplies.” I stated bluntly. “Or would you rather fight me for them?” I added. It was a jest but I must have looked menacing as he nodded to me backing away with his hands up in defeat.
I sat in a long boat just shy of three hours mark with the other three boats behind mine. We had placed ourselves in line with our hull nearly touching the stone fortifications of Lemuria's protective wall that reached a good league skyward. We waited in silent fear of the Lemurian considering us enemies and attacking from above. The only sound was the waves lapping against the stone wall that reached our ears. The burbling sound and jet of water nearly had us bolting from the spot before the first odd container surfaced in the surging water a few yards south of us. Nearly two dozen crates as Lockey called them had surfaced before us bobbing gently as the water began calming again.
“I must be mad.” Lockey screamed at us. “I am seeing double.” she added. She swam with the grace of a fish toward my long boat. “Start collecting those boxes you fools!” she screamed. She climbed into the long boat easily still breathing hard and coughing a bit.
“You heard the lady!” I interjected. “Start collecting!” I ordered. I turned to face Lockey as she lay in the boat. “Another little trick of yours?” I asked her.
“A water disposal tube.” she explained between breaths. “I would have surfaced faster if I wanted to lose one of those crates.” she explained.
“Do I get to know what you have just collected for us?” Balthis asked suspiciously.
“Toys for an engineer to play with and help get your Leviathan ready to face any threat.” she replied with a sad smile. “I have one last request for you but it will wait until we reach your real ship captain Balthis.” she concluded. She offered me a Lemurian naval salute that I laughed at before saluting her as one of my crew by grasping her forearm and forcing her hand unto mine.
Lockey remained with her crates allowing myself only to sit with her next to them. She rarely spoke more than a few words of thanks for the food I brought her and for giving her a way to leave Lemuria. It was a two weeks of hard sailing for the Hessian Pride to return to the cove where I had the Leviathan in dry-dock. Lockey watched the men moving her crates of toys, screaming at them to be careful gaining some dark and some confused glances from the mix of people in this small hidden port.
It was nearly two days before she allowed me to enter the room she had dubbed her engine room. My first impression was utter shock seeing this metallic monstrosity the filled most the centre of this space. She was still working on one of the pieces of it when I answered her summon. She did not turn to face but seemed to reach out to touch an odd glassy window. Crystals glowed softly as the beast hummed to life under her hand.
“What are you doing to my ship?” I growled at her back. She chuckled as she stood to her full nine foot height nearly touching the rafters.
“Making your ship the fastest thing on the water.” she replied. She turned smiling at me. “This is part of what I spirited out of Lemuria which does make me a criminal handing it over to you.” she explained. “But I have a reason that forces me to do this.” she continued. I looked at her as I spotted what I had to believe was resignation in her eyes. “What you saw in Lemuria is not an isolated thing.” she said slowly.
“Now you have me confused.” I replied softly.
“Rifts like what opened above the harbour there happen all over the globe from what we have discovered.” she reported. “Each time one opens, more rift creatures gain access to our world destroying much before finally being hunted down and killed.” she explained slowly. She motioned to the contraption. “That drive will help us reach those spots to stop them before they can cause any damage.” she added.
“You want this ship to be a hunter ship?” I marvelled at her. “Put my men's lives in danger fighting those things?” I continued. She stared at me in silence. “Without weapons and defences, we do not stand much of a chance.” I concluded frustrated.
“Two weeks to have the velocity cannon up and running on the prow of the ship.” she began as a smile formed on her dusky face. “Another week to get shields working.” she continued ticking it of on her fingers. “A month or two to test them out before thinking of what else I can install on this barge.” she added with a chuckle. I nodded slowly while thinking about her words.
“And why should an old sea dog like me try to be a hero?” I retorted feigning anger.
“Because you want to.” she answered quietly. “I saw how you rolled me over protecting me as I had done tackling you to the ground.” she stated louder. “You and your men fought instead of running away like most outlanders would have done.” she continued. The crescendo rise of her tone was startling to me but not a surprise. “If enough of them enter, this world will become theirs.” she added with finality.
“So I believe you should get to work instead of talking my ear off.” I returned before laughing. “I am giving you five months to get this ship fully ready to hunt.” I told her. “But no testing in the harbour, understand?” I added with a wink to her. She stared at me dumbfounded at first. The smile slowly grew brightening her dark skinned face. She salute me before turning to pounce at the engine and flip through odd glass tablets that sat near it. I laughed and left her to her work knowing that a new life started for this old ship and it's captain.
It would be years before I was able to run across my old friend “the dread bird Kestrel” that now bore the name of Melchia a roman citizen with a minor reputation of causing changes around him. Lockey was surprised as he looked over her work and could make suggestions she had not yet thought of. But all of that can wait for another day for me to speak of. I must hurry to reach Melchia now stationed in Atlantis keeping Lockey locked in her engine room until he and his two guests are unloaded.
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