Continuing to dedicate this story to my wife and her support of my continued writing.

Transition Plan Chapter 54 – In His Majesty's Service Part 3

…April 1914. Off the coast of Senegal…

A small French warship that was homeported in Senegal, a Destroyer, was looking for any sign of D'Arnot's Cruiser Victoire, having been alerted by the French authorities' radiotelegraph in Dahomey that the ship was overdue in port. It was one of at least a dozen French and British warships that were spread from Morocco to Nigeria in the search.

A lookout saw a ship's hulk aground on the beach fifty miles north of Dakar. He alerted the ship's officers. They trained their binoculars on the wreck.

A junior officer asked his Captain, "What's that?"

Seeing the tattered French flag on one of the broken masts, and recognizing the ship's design instantly, the Captain answered grimly, "It's trouble. Head to shore. Let's see if anyone survived."

…April 1914 in the Land of the Mangani…

On the planned day of departure to the Nigerian Council of Chiefs' village, Tarzan, Jane and their family thought all was well with their rendezvous plans with Jacot's French Special Forces. From the latest Mangani nesting place, the family swung to the treehouse mansion to make sure the latest radiotelegraph communications confirmed the next step in the plan. They would need some clothing and supplies to formally meet the Frenchmen more modestly, who would not understand the family's and Nigerians' natural ways of living in the jungle.

Just as Tarzan and Jack turned the Wireless on, they were interrupted by an urgent message from the British Army commander located in the Gold Coast. It was terse, not in code, and contained only a minimum of detail, knowing the Germans would get the message also, "A message for the jungle lord: The party was surprised. Never arrived. Took off on foot a month ago from beach in French West Africa."

Tarzan calculated how long their journey would be for a trained fighting force on foot to get to Nigeria from Senegal, "That would take two, maybe three months before to get here."

"So we wait…" said Jane with great concern. She prayed the war would not start before the operation could begin or it would be fought right on their doorstep.

…May 1914 - Somewhere between the Land of the Mangani and Nigeria…

Tarzan and Jane knew the Frenchmen would arrive soon in Nigeria, and even if it was going to be longer, they and the children wanted to see their Nigerian tribal friends, whom they had not seen since early fall 1913. All four rode on Tantor and Habika's first-born son Enyi. Habika traveled with no one riding her at Jane's insistence – she was carrying enough of a load being pregnant with her second elephant baby.

They had to rest several times, and Habika complained mildly, "Gosh I'd give anything to make a baby in eight or nine months like you apes and humans. I am not sure I will ever forgive Tantor this second time!"

Habika was half way through her 24 month gestational period. Tantor just grinned and snickered at his bride. He knew better. She really wanted this second elephant child a lot and practically threw herself at him any time she could. Not that he minded a bit...

Jane smiled and soothed her elephant friend's trunk, and fed her some hard-to-reach succulent tropical grasses, "I don't know how you carry your baby for two years, but it will all be worth it, dear friend. He or she will be beautiful. My children will have a wonderful new friend. Enyi will be such a good big brother."

Jane's third baby, about four months along, was really showing too.

Habika got a twinkle in her eyes, "Ride with me, Jane, it will be all right. I need your company and comfort. One expectant mother to another."

"Only if you say so," said Jane with caution.

"I insist," confirmed Habika.

Tarzan nodded and Jane jumped gracefully from Tantor to Habika's back and neck with a steadying assist with her friend's trunk. Jane was careful, being pregnant herself. Her third baby bump was already more prominent than the first two, as was her bosom. Her skin was more easily stretched this third time around, and it seemed this child was going to be bigger baby. But she was still radiant.

As they continued on their journey to the Nigerian village, Habika asked, "Three children now, Jane? How many more do you and Tarzan plan to have?"

Jane smiled with contentment, "However many God blesses us with before my time to have children is done, my friend. We want four for certain, but we can actually have as many as we want in our human world. Our resources are pretty much limitless."

Habika grinned, "Well I hope your God does bless you well, Jane. It's hard enough having a second offspring when you're an elephant."

Jane embraced her friend. The two females continued to chatter about the joys and challenges of raising children, no matter what the species. Jane took great joy in her friendships with all her female animal companions, and knew that it was only possible because of her husband. She smiled with the inner warmth of her admiration of Tarzan riding ahead of them on Tantor and with their children riding closely beside him on Enyi and chatting with their young elephant friend. Enyi's trunk reached up to tickle Lily, and she was giggling excitedly, which amused all of them. Jane allowed herself the prideful thought that she and Tarzan made beautiful babies together.

…

The family and elephants arrived in the Nigerian village to considerable fan fare. Chief Abassi and his wife Femi settled Tarzan, Jane, Jack, and Lily into their communal long house, and everyone quickly got reacquainted. Jack and the Chief's daughter Ndidi hugged. They were very good friends, and Jack was about eight months older than Ndidi. Her skin was as dark as night and her native beauty was the fairest of all the children in their village. She had very short, wiry black hair, and was very tall and athletically trim. Femi's first son Okpara, the Nigerian kingdom's Council of Tribes heir, was by her side, only one year older than Lily. They were playmates, and so he grabbed her hand, kissed her cheek in greeting, she giggled, and they ran off to join the other children in the village. Femi's belly extended out far with another child on the way. From her enormous size, she had to be in her eighth month.

Tarzan and Abassi congratulated themselves heartily at being expectant fathers again, and the beauty of their wives in their pregnant states. Their wives just rolled their eyes at the two men back slapping each other. Tarzan and Abassi weren't walking around daily the results of their prowess.

Nonetheless, Jane was very happy for her Nigerian friend, "You look beautiful!"

The last time they'd seen each other was more than nine months ago, and neither woman was carrying a child then.

Femi said affectionately, "Thank you Jane. I am so glad to see you. And you, pregnant lady. Look at you, three time mother!"

Jane blushed and the women laughed happily sharing their news. Femi joked, "You two ape people are going to double the size of Mangani tribe all by yourselves."

Jane smirked at her friend Femi, "Is that so? You and Terk must have been talking. She said the same thing."

"You know me and Terk all too well, Jane," noted Femi. The Chieftain's wife and Terk saw each other on a regular basis in the jungle.

The women laughed again. The three females had become lifelong friends, in a relationship of trust and respect that transcended race, culture, and species. And punctuated by a lot of shared playful humor that was always directed at the expense of their spouses.

While the womenfolk chatted, Tarzan and Jack chatted with Chief Abassi about the arrival of the French and the coming operations, augmented by the Royal Army Nigerian garrison stationed nearby, to defend the village from any German onslaught if the British and French failed in Togoland. Any German troops would march right through Nigeria on their way from Togoland to Kamerun. Abassi and the Council of Chiefs clearly understood the gravity of the situation.

During a pause in the discussions between the adults, Jack took a break from playing with Ndidi and her friends, ran up and asked the chieftain, after a courteous bow, "Which way will the French soldiers come from, Chief Abassi?"

"Over the ridge, Korak. That way," the Chief pointed.

Jack was anxious. The opportunity to see French military men was something new and exciting. He'd seen the British Royal Army and Royal Navy both here and in England. Their bright ceremonial uniforms were fascinating as well as all the troops bristling with guns and swords. He had read that the French wore even more colorful uniforms.

A couple of mornings later, while all the adults were making plans for their secret operations before Colonel Jacot arrived, Jack went to see tall and slender Ndidi, his best Nigerian female friend. He had a feeling something important was going to happen today. It was a natural intuition that he had inherited from his father.

"C'mon, Ndidi," Jack urged her in near-perfect command of the tongue of the Igbo, "Let's go find the Frenchmen. You and I haven't been on an adventure in months."

Though Ndidi never challenged his hunches, she turned him down, "Silly boy, you haven't been here in months, but, no, Jack, I have to stay here. Besides dummy, they have guns. They may mistake us for predators and start shooting. They are onye ocha, remember. They are not of the jungle."

Jack scoffed, "You and I both know how to stalk prey silently. They will never know we are there."

Ndidi gave a frustrated sigh, "I know, but I still can't go. I have chores. I will be missed. My dad will punish me. Mom will be even angrier and you know how she gets. I'm the daughter of the Chieftain. I always have to give the right example. And I have to watch my little brother more now that Mom is so close to being due."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Just like me, Ndidi. I have watch Lily more now, too, and my mom is only about four months along. Yeah… your mom is the real Chief here."

With fake confidence, Ndidi pretended to lecture her friend, "That is very true. Females rule in every tribe and you better never forget that, son of Tarzan!"

Jack snickered at his friend, "Tell me about it. It's the same in our family too. Mom just pretends to let Dad be the Lord of the Apes. She totally controls him. And so does Terk!"

They had a very satisfying laugh over that, but she put her hand on his shoulder more seriously, and cautioned, "Just be careful out there, my friend, and tell me all about it when you get back."

Tan skin pressed against darkest brown skin in a joyful friendly hug, they smiled, and parted. The pair would be friends for life. Ndidi was hoping for something more lasting with Jack when they grew up, but it was just a seven-year old girl's dream.

Jack took off into the unusually cool morning air, swinging vigorously on the vines toward the mountain pass. He perched and waited on a huge tree branch, chewing on some honey ants absent-mindedly for a late morning snack. The ants were annoyed they were only an afterthought as a snack to this feral human, but they had no choice in the matter.

A resplendent male cape parrot landed on the branch next to him, and asked, "What are you doing, Korak?"

Jack ruffled the parrot's neck feathers affectionately, fed the bird one of his leftover honey ants, and explained, "I'm waiting for humans from beyond the ocean, Icheoku."

"Why? Contact with civilized humans can never be good. No offense, Korak," the little bird lamented.

The cape parrot Icheoku was one of Noni's earliest hatchlings, a male who'd befriended Jack when the boy saved the bird from a hungry croc.

Jack shrugged, "None taken. These civilized humans, called Frenchmen, are my father's friends, and are here to fight other humans called Germans who would take over our jungle, and kill us English, Mangani, and the Igbo and Oyo. And then kill all the animals of the jungle. And then put more Germans here to replace all of us."

The little parrot shivered, "It sounds horrible. This is worse than the oilmen, Korak. Humans fight other humans so much. I am glad I am a bird."

"Eagles, hawks, and owls fight you. Don't all the animal egg eaters prey on your nests?" asked Jack.

The little bird cocked its head, "I suppose you are right, Korak. But they kill for food and survival. Bad humans kill others just because they believe differently. Or they want something the other humans have, and are not willing to share or to ask. They just take."

Jack sighed, "Yes, Icheoku, you are right."

During his tutoring when he was in England and the home schooling from his mother and father in Africa, Jack had learned that this was the summation of human history. Empire upon empire conquered and destroyed another. Now it was the German-Austrian-Hungarian, French, English, and Russian Empires pitted against one another with nastier weapons of destruction. He didn't understand anything that was going on with the rampant geopolitics and nationalism, the secret German War Council plans, and that nation was lining up against nation in the event of conflict. That was another reason he liked the freedom he had in the jungle, despite the dangers.

Icheoku flew off to rejoin his flock, leaving Jack in his silence. After a few hours of total inaction, Jack heard noises. They were human noises, but not the stealthiness of the Nigerians. These people were slashing and cutting their way through the jungle, fighting it, not being one with it, and not really happy about being there. He got excited, as they were chatting in French, one of many human languages he knew besides the animal languages his dad and mom taught him.

Instead of the very colorful uniforms he expected, they were clothed in drab olive and tan uniforms that were very soiled, due to the relentless jungle heat, and they were dripping wet and dirty from their long trek through the jungle on foot after the shipwreck. He also noticed what appeared to be a number of sailors with them from their very dingy white uniforms. All were large and strong men, except for two soldiers near the back. They were much smaller and their uniforms did not fit well.

Korak moved about noiselessly in the canopy to get a better look, acting like a jungle bird, leaping from perch to perch. He scrutinized the two smallest Frenchmen carefully.

"Wait a minute," he whispered to himself in Mangani, "They are only dressed like men. One is a woman. And the other…. That's… that's a girl!"

For a boy who rarely cared much about how girls and women looked, he strained far forward, almost falling out of the branch, straining hard to get a better look at the exotic-looking girl, and barely audibly to himself, he observed, "And she's really pretty!"