Sixteen years ago the Great War started and in the pits of fire and ash they found each other. Then the red plague came which brought empires to their knees and lead to the day of suns. Britain watches the irradiated fires of Western Europe plotting while in the East a Scarlet Queen looks to America and dreams of conquest.
The next three days became a blur of night watch and bitter coffee for Alek until a new morning came bringing with it a bright and harsh light that streamed over the St Clair's battered and scorched body. Men and women scurried through the networks of corridors of maintenance tubes that made up the land-ship's innards as they worked through the day-to-day jobs of keeping the immense metal hulk moving. After discovering evidence that the damage had come from an old Ottoman chaff mine the watch had been redoubled and the St Clair's speed was slowed for fear of other hidden dangers the desert hid.
Alek awoke with a soft groan of discomfort at the blades of daylight that slashed across his face. He sat up with his legs dangling over the edge of the small yet comfortable double bed and looked around his quite spacious quarters. Command did have its perks. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and moved dreamily from the small bunkroom into the small en-suite bathroom. After several minutes of going through his morning routine of showering and shaving Alek emerged onto the Bridge of the St Clair with a cracked enamel cup of coffee and sat in the command chair at the centre of the wide box-shaped room.
It was a simple design with the command chair at the centre of it all with Helm and Navigation each with their own terminal designed for each's own purpose at the very front placed on a slightly lower platform with a perfect view of the surrounding land through the bullet and shock-proof windows that wrapped around the forward half of the bridge. On either side of Alek command desk were the stations for communication and weapon coordination. Shafts of burnt orange light sliced through the front windshield partially blinding Alek as he came from the dull interior of the lumbering crafts dull interior to the harsh light of the outside.
"Lieutenant Browne, ship status if you please," Said Alek stifling a yawn.
"Ship Status, aye, Sir. Engineering reports all is well with fuel down to sixty-three percent, civilian populace in order no new developments, Sir, apart from the last incursion," said a young lieutenant sitting at the comms station.
"Thank you. Weapons what's the news with those chain-guns?" Asked Alek as he examined an inventory of the ships supplies.
"Sir, Chief Davis should have them operational by 1300 today," said the weapons officer.
"Excellent work," Alek said before reaching forward flicking through a series of steel switches and plastic capped toggles that accompanied by a series of monotone cathode ray screens which showed a number of different readouts from a frequency monitor to the eerie green glow of a radar bar that continually revolved in a circle and mercifully remained clear. He reached up for the Radio console, grabbed the corded phone and switched the radio to P.A mode.
A deep klaxon sounded and Alek spoke "Now here this," his voice boomed through the ship thanks to a system of speakers, "As of last night's events I am placing the ship under yellow alert. For those making passage on our vessel that simply means that you keep your head down and let the crew do what they need to do. This is enemy territory and we must remain vigilant," the Klaxon sounded again and the P.A fell silent and the St Clair thundered on across the hot arid land, its legs pumping like pistons cracking the dry earth beneath each foot fall. Choking dust swirled and waved in its wake and the massive sun climbed ever high into the blue cloudless heavens.
The message came first then a small black dot appeared on the horizon and gradually grew closer and larger. Its long streamlined body was covered in thick armour that was bolted to the hard skin. A flying sperm whale was the best description ever given for the airship. Hanging beneath and stitched into the flanks and dorsal line of the behemoth was a complex network of gondolas, walkways and rat lines and gun emplacements. The front of the ships prow was naturally angular due to whale shape however the designers had felt that this could be enhanced in some way. A piece of sharp plated armour ran down the length of the prow making it look like a blade gliding through the air. It was very nostalgic of pervious Darwinist warships before the Collapse. The shapes of people moving along the surface of the great hydrogen breather could be seen in the bright desert light.
There was however one addition however: engines for these aircraft were normally simple electric motivation motors to aid the ships main form of propulsion; the hair-like cilia that grew along the animals flanks were instead replaced with two massive Clanker based engines that were attached somewhere near the middle of the ship. They belched thick black smoke that poured out of two massive exhaust pipes and left a constant pall of smoke in its wake. An angry swarm of gyrocopters broke off from their berths that were slung on the underside of the ship and moved with insect precision and began circling the St Clair with a menacing intent.
General quarters was sounded and the airship demanded that the St Clair cut engines and prepare to be boarded.
"Now what?" asked Deryn lazily through the dark.
"How should I know," replied Alek.
"It's your bloody ship," said Deryn.
"Yeah, but I'm not the one with the super hearing now am I," Alek said pointedly. Deryn was about to reply when the P.A got in first.
"Commander Alek your presences is required on the Bridge we have made contact with the Freestates."
Alek flopped out of his bed and fumbled through the dark for the window shutters. Noon light fled in and Deryn recoiled and covered her face with her arms and let out involuntary growl at the blinding light.
Ah, ya bumrag," she moaned and rolled over and covered up under the covers.
"Sorry," mumbled Alek as he fumbled for his clothes which had been carelessly tossed about the cabin. He kissed Deryn quickly and ran out the door and towards the Bridge. He clambered through the bulkhead and stood next to Newkirk who was leaning against the railing staring up out the windows at the beast that hovered above the battleship menacingly.
"Commander on Deck!" roared Newkirk with a smart salute. Which the bridge officers mimicked with practiced ease.
"At ease. Eugene, what have we got," said Alek all business now. He strode over to his friend, craned his neck over the railing and stared up.
"Sir, an Leviathan-class warship bearing the Freestates crest is being a real arse at the moment and demanding we hold and await a team to arrive and perform quarantine check," said Newkirk.
"Strange it's using the inefficient Champion diesel engines not the military Areödimes," said Deryn who was leaning over the railing and staring intently at the ship above.
"Guess the Free State coffers are running dry," said Newkirk with a grin.
"Or this is not a Freestates ship either way I don't want to piss them off more than they already are. Deryn stay out of sight and keep watch while me and Newkirk go above and greet our visitors." Deryn nodded at Alek her eyes telling him to be safe and left down the corridor.
Alek turned to his bridge crew. "Ensign Lloyd, tell the gun crews to ready all AA guns and have a squad of rocketeers stand ready for the slightest twitch of trouble. Browne inform engineering to be ready to re-engage the drive shafts I want to be able to pull away at the command. Understood," Alek ordered.
A chorus of aye-ayes followed.
The Airship hovered over the St Clair like a comical angry cloud as both vehicles engine smoke began to mingle in the sweltering air. The top deck of the St Clair was a massive mountain range of metal that peaked in the middle where the bridge and conning tower rose above everything. Bulky steel encased artillery turrets sat silent while crews manned the smaller AA batteries that were loaded with incendiary rounds aimed at the flammable airship.
Unlike the flat deck of a navy ship that would use the flat surface to run any spray or rain off the surface the St Clair had a series of trenches built into the decks surface enabling marksmen, rocketeers and engineers to move freely around on top with relative safety. Rain water was collected from the trenches through grates in the floor and sent the boilers and purifiers; not a drop could be wasted when traveling across the wastes of the Sahara.
At the back of the ship past the smoke stacks and practically hanging off the stern was the landing platform and mooring tower. It was basically a large flat circle that had been marked with white lines marking its boundaries. It was meant for air drops and gyrocopters but in this case it would be used to moor the airships fly lift which would ferry the visitors from their airship. Alek raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he looked up at the stationary sky whale.
The lift was a stout metal cylinder that cruised down its cable with mechanical ease. Once it reached the landing platform the door opened and a squad of…well to Alek they looked like a suit of medieval armour had leapt to life on its own. The figures were encased in a bulky grey armour that left not an inch of exposed skin. Massive gas powered bolt-cannons rested in their owner's iron-clad grip. The knights lumbered out and formed a tightly formed semi-circle around the lift's entrance. One of the knights whose armoured body was adored with gold emblems stepped out from the formation and stood in front of Alek. A steel clad-hand reached up and switched a catch under the 'knights' visor and it came away with a hiss of air. Underneath was scared, piggish face set in the way of someone who looked like he had been born for war.
The flat faced unshaven man-bear gave a sniff looked about and then stepped aside before saying: "Sir, area is secured," in a crisp South African accent. From behind the towering giant of armour and flesh stepped a tall woman clad in a sand-coloured aviator uniform with silver shoulder-guards glinting in the sun. Pinned to the left of her chest was a small insignia Alek recognised as the symbol for a captain of the Helios Guard. A Helios guard meant that this woman was part of what was the British Empire's name for their organisation that operated as agents in the colonies; they were known as the modern inquisition.
This helped explain the hydrogen breather above as the Freestaes were not know to possess them; many fabrications outside the British colonies had fallen to either the virus of conflict. The ship's crew had either been captured or more likely joined willingly.
The woman stood barley an inch shorter than Alek and had her light brown hair cut short and regarded Alek with a cool gaze. There was a moment as both summed each other up before the woman broke eye contact and surveyed the Battleship.
"I assume that you are the commander of this vessel?" asked the woman with an African accent Alek could not place.
"I am, and who may I ask are you?" asked Alek. "Captain Cassandra Ardis of the F.S.S Steenbok and this is Commander Hopkins of the Steenbok's paratrooper regiment," said the captain gesturing to the airship above her and beast-man beside her.
"And what can I, but a humble merchant, do for a captain of the Freestates air service and a commander of the legendary Goshawks," said Alek in a voice with a measured tone of friendship.
"A 'humble merchant' is that what you describe yourself as," said the captain with a slight smile. "Please I bet you don't even fall in with those desert crawlers with such an impressive ship."
"Well everyone's got to make a living, times being what they are," said Alek still keeping up the niceties.
"Commander Hopkins was quite vocal on simply crippling your ship and scavenging what remained," said woman gesturing to the iron giant beside her who grunted. Her voice still held a pleasant aura but behind it something sharp rested.
"Well I'm glad something stopped you. It would be too bad if we had to meet under such trying circumstances," said Alek his patience for pleasantries running thinner and thinner with every syllable.
"Of course I didn't pay any attention to his advice… well not after a noticed the uniqueness of your ship. I mean it's not too often that one encounters a Man O War-class Warlord. An airship would be unwise to turn one of those against them," the captain said.
"Shame you didn't heed that advice," Newkirk said giving Alek time to regain his mental composer.
The captain looked Newkirk up and down taking in the weathered boiler suit tied off at the waist and grubby vest and oil marked face. "And you are?" the woman asked.
"Newkirk, Eugene Newkirk."
"And what exactly do you do here Mister Newkirk?" the woman asked .
"Oh, bits and pieces mostly, but sometimes I have to deal in removing complications that crop up from time to time," his tone was flat and he stared at Captain Cassandra with an unwavering gaze. Commander Hopkins seemed too move slightly as one iron-clad fig drifted over his guns trigger guard. "Now, how about we all cut the niceties and pleasantries and get down to the real meat."
"I admire your directness it is so refreshing from the normal riff-raff that we usually deal with," said Cassandra, "Since Cairo fall droves of refugees have been crossing the Sahara and into the grasslands and central forests. We have a real rat problem approaching our gate and so our leaders have ordered its military to monitor all incoming traffic. We don't want a repeat of Istanbul."
Alek's knuckles were white at the way the woman casually referred to over two million people as nothing but vermin. He had witnessed Cairo's final days and the stream of scared and desperate people leaving their homes and out into the harsh deserts and dry grasslands to the south.
"Rat problem now that's an interesting term for it," said Deryn, she sat perched on top of the sky lifts roof picking at her finger nails with her prised riggers knife. Her hood was up and cast dark shadows over her face in the bright sunlight. There had been nothing but a blur of movement to indicate her arrival.
The armoured guards started to raise weapons but Cassandra raised a hand halting the guards.
"Certainly a day for meeting new people," muttered the captain. She turned from Deryn and back to Alek with a questioning face, "You have your own Novis Sapien. Now that is something,"
"Ma'am the situation escalating. Suggest we move-" Commander Hopkins started but was cut off.
"No. I believe the good 'merchant' here doesn't want things to come to anything serous just yet. He still wants to be accepted into the safety of the Freestates with as little trouble as possible," said the captain her casual and slightly smug voice was maddening.
"Your intentions here are to assess this ship's passengers," said Alek.
"Correct. We are trying to prevent over-population, we barely have enough food for our current populace," said Cassandra.
"Yet two million people are trekking towards you in search of help."
"What would you have us do? Open our grain stores welcoming in more hungry mouths to feed on the verge of delirium and all carrying their own assorted ailments."
"Better them leaving them to die out here," Alek almost shouted gesturing to the hot arid landscape.
"You think we take pleasure in this. As you said times have changed and hard choices must be made," Commander Hopkins said this his mean eyes staring at Alek who could not find an answer.
"Can you offer my passengers a place in the Freestates?" said Alek eventually.
"Space is limited we can only take hundred thousand roughly yet you do have a ship so speed is on your side." Said Cassandra. "I can-" but a deep klaxon from above cut her off followed by another from the St Clair. Alek was confused for a second then recognised the horn for general quarters. Deryn simply smiled beneath her hood and stood up on the roof of the fly lift. Just off the port bow of the St Clair a massive wall of dust was rolling towards them.
Commander Hopkins was first to react.
"Marines, pak verdediging!" he barked in Afrikaans. Various horns sounded off from above as the main mooring cables detached and swing back up to the airship.
"Sorry 'merchant', but we'll have to finish this later!" shouted Cassandra over the din.
The knights moved as one surrounding Cassandra and levelled their weapons outwards. As one they stepped back with Cassandra already striding into the elevator. Deryn hopped down and stood next to Alek. There was the sound of cables releasing from their moorings and the elevator shot up into the belly of the airship.
"Well that was interesting," said Alek drily.
"Cheer-up I think they like us. Come on," said Deryn as she turned and headed back to the bridge with the others in pursuit.
"I thought I said to stay out of sight," said Alek as he ran to catch up.
"They would have found out from the passengers eventually. Most of them think I'm some sort of demon anyway, they'd probably be happy to see the miss inquisitor," she said over her shoulder.
"Still," said Alek.
Steenbok had already gained altitude and was accelerating with its Clanker engines billowing black smoke towards the growing dust cloud. The trio moved onto the bridge where they returned the officers salutes.
"Browne: report," Alek ordered.
"Sir, spotters report a large contingent of ground vehicles moving out of the dust storm in our direction," said the comms officer with a corded phone held to one ear, "Sir, Reports now coming in of large shapes within the dust."
Newkirk looked through a pair of binoculars and stared out at the approaching dust storm. As the wind changed several dark shapes emerged. Massive treads pounded the ground and thick engine smoke swirled in the afternoon light as seven large sand barges emerged from the swirling dust. Each barges was about half the length of the St Clair and were indeed thundering towards the battleship. The barges were designed with the twin hull design of a catamaran with a shape wedge-shape prow pushing any obstacles out the way of the caterpillar tracks that ran underneath the hulls. The top of each barge was flat made for transport while the bridge was held aloft by two massive arms that suspended the bridge above the top deck. Figures could be seen moving on the surface readying batteries of rocket and artillery guns.
Skirting in-between the titans of metal drove a contingent of attack vehicles raging from speedy buggies to armoured half-tacks. Battle wakers ran through the armoured divisions in a wide looping gait that reminded Deryn of a family of gorilla.
"It's a whole barking fleet," whispered Newkirk with astonishment in his eyes as he passed the binoculars to Alek.
"Must be where the raiders from before came from," said Alek looking through the binoculars.
"Aye, one of those raiders must have given their superiors are last location and they've been tracking us since," said Deryn who was looking through her own spyglass, a present from an old friend, "Distance," she asked the head Navigation Officer.
"About elven miles, ma'am," replied the Nav officer, "those buggies will be within range in ten minutes.
"Alright, buckle up," said Alek moving into his command chair, "Helm bring her up to forty miles and get us some distance we won't engage unless we have to. Weapons, alert to general quarters we are at battle-ready one." All around bridge officers began issuing orders down speaking tubes.
There was a series of loud thumps as dive shafts moved back into position and the sound of metal screeching and groaning as the engines engaged the legs. The ship eased forward into the slow walk but quickly found a rhythm as the legs thundered forward. The whips of steam from the exhaust were swiftly replaced with the familiar black smoke as the engines started humming with the sound of pistons shunting and heat rising. Down in the hot and humid engine room burley sweat sodden figures hauled on levers and eyed all sorts of gauges watching as the thin needles rose.
Alarm bells sounded all across the ship as men and women moved to combat positions. Gun crews loaded shells, fed belts of ammunition into the Gatling guns and took in range calculations and adjusted accordingly. Marksmen slapped fresh magazines into their rifles and began to focus their scopes. Rocketeers began strapping on heavy fire-proof armour and ramming their explosive ordnance into their bulky launchers.
"Helm, move us 15 degrees south, by south, east we'll try to lose them in those hills," said Alek pointing towards a series of rocky hills ahead of them.
"Aye, answering heading 15 south, by south, east," said the helmsman began making adjustment to a series of levers and saunters in front of him and slowly the ship started to turn.
"Sir, I have a Captain Ardis of the Steenbok for you," said Lieutenant Browne. Alek took his own corded phone from its cradle above his chair and motioned for the lieutenant to patch it through to his station.
"What can I do for you Captain?" asked Alek.
"I apologise that are pleasant meeting had to come to such an abrupt end, commander," said Captain Ardis.
"Nothing you could do about it, Captain," said Alek who had just noticed the sound of buzzing propellers. He leaned forward and looked up to see the Steenbok slowly come above the St Clair and match speeds.
"Didn't know we would be getting an escort, captain," said Alek still staring up at the airship.
"On the contrary…I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name."
"It's, Alek," said Alek who was acutely aware of a fleet of marauders bearing down on him and that an agent of the British Empire was questioning him on his identity.
"Last name?" queried Cassandra.
"That's a bit complicated and I would waste valuable minutes explaining it to you. Now if you would please explain why you are matching are direction if you do not intend on escorting us."
"Of course, Alek," the way she rolled Alek's name around her mouth made Alek take a deep breathe just to rein himself in, "We would be glad to offer you a place in the Freestates if you would do us the favour of helping eradicating these vermin."
Alek paused trying to think if he had misheard. "You're saying you'll guarantee us entry if we help you destroy that whole fleet," said Alek incredulously.
"In short yes. This is the largest marauder land fleet in the region perhaps in the whole of North Africa and they have pose a significant threat to our borders. It's time to put them down."
"With all due respect I'll be putting innocence at risk," he said slowly.
"In order to give them a ticket into the Freestates," Alek felt a hand rest on his shoulder and he turned to see Deryn looking down at him. She would have heard what the captain had said her hearing would have allowed her so. She gave him an assuring nod and that was enough for Alek he supposed for at least one them needed to keep hope.
"Captain, how do I know you'll keep your word?" Alek asked.
"I'm afraid you don't," came the honest response. Thoughts raced through his head as he realised that this was a chance to save the refugees that were down in the hold as well as his own crew. His promises needed to be kept.
"You'll get your support," said Alek wearing a grim expression.
"Excellent," said Cassandra, "Oh and Alek once this is over I'll be wanting to know why the most dangerous creatures on the planet is living on your ship."
"That depends on your intentions next we meet and whether either of us survives," Alek said before he switched the radio back into P.A mode and spoke to his crew and passengers. "Now hear this, I have been offered the chance to get you all to safety within the Freestates but in order to earn passage we must help them destroy an enemy fleet of raiders," he paused to let that sink in. down below in the holds and workings of the ship people paused and listened.
"Now I would not blatantly risk this ship or its inhabitants if I didn't think it would benefit us greatly, but in the case of this offer I feel it is a risk worth taking. Now I promised I would get you to safety and right now this our best chance. I am declaring us at red alert all hands we are now at war. Obey your orders keep your heads down and we'll get through this," he switched off the P.A and in a tired way replaced the telephone and leaned back into his chair rubbing his eyes.
A giggle was heard and he looked down two see two glowing eyes looking up at him through a ventilation grate next to his chair. He reached down and lifted the grate and something furry climbed out and scrambled up his arm to rest on his shoulder. The creature looked at Alek with big old eyes and smiled.
"Any wise words would be good now," Alek asked the creature known as Bovril.
It giggled and then said something softly into Alek's ear in the voice of someone Alek had not seen in years, "Let others wage war. You, lucky Austrian shall marry," whispered Volger with a smile playing at his lips and a hole through his chest.
Alek turned from the creature and looked at the faces of his bridge officers all awaiting orders, "wise words indeed," he said to Bovril, "But not today," his voice was soft and filled with regret.
He stood up and addressed his officers directly, "Helm bring her hard to port and go to full ahead. Navigation direct us onto a Collison course with the lead barge. Lieutenant Lloyd tell all artillery to target the walkers and armoured trucks first, will leave the smaller craft to Gatling guns. Lieutenant Browne inform the Steenbok that we'll charge the enemy fleet and break through their formation and cut them off from each other, let's trim these bastards down to size."
Alerts sounded across the ship and there was sound of metal groaning as the ship began to turn hard. Two legs skidded on the loose ground as the wake of smoke and dust enveloped the battleship, there was a moment of serenity between the two opposing forces.
Then it all went to hell. The St Clair charged forward its legs pumping like the pistons that drove it onwards while the Steenbok's engines roared to life turning the propellers that torn at the air.
Its escort of gyrocopters had broken away from the protection of their mother ship and were now speeding towards the enemy fleet. A horn could be heard and an angry swirling black mass suddenly launched off the skin of the Steenbok and began swirling and warping through the air like a million strong flock of sparrows; the flechette bats had been released.
The sun had completed its zenith and was now lowering itself into the late afternoon the dust that had been cast up turned the sky a brunt orange hue and not a cloud drifted across the wide open sky.
Deryn stood at the prow of the ship looking at the approaching fleet. The wind was strong and the sun was behind her. She could almost pretend she was flying. Her eyes pooled black and a smile played at her lips.
There is an old saying: War, war never changes