Chapter 3
The ship was named Conqueror, more as a tribute to it's commander's ambitions than to the vessel's abilities. That wasn't to say it couldn't live up to it's name, however, as it was a massive vessel by warship standards.
Of the five major ships in Kellgan's fleet, only Kellgan's own flagship could be considered anything more than an economical way of transport. The others were converted cargo vessels, difficult to destroy due to their large size, but nonetheless mainly used as a way to easily and quickly transport a large assault force. Their large size prevented them from having the handling characteristics required by a purebred warship.
The Conqueror was different. It was a vessel designed to destroy one or even two enemy ships in a running fight and come out with only minor damage. It was designed to land more than one hundred troops on an enemy's doorstep. On top of that, the vessel contained everything Kellgan could foresee needing for a prolonged campaign of domination. On the Conqueror, the engineer fox's lab facilities and tactics library were just a short walk from his quarters.
Because of the danger of being spotted from Salamandastron, Kellgan had decided to wait until night to take the Conqueror into the River Moss. Luckily, the wind was blowing in the correct direction for the ship to move upriver with surprising speed. Despite operating without lights on in order to avoid detection, the vessel managed to make it through it's ordeal with only a couple scrapes on rocks. The fact Kellgan had spotters watching the river from the lower decks had helped immensely in this regard. Inspections later revealed that none of the scrapes had punched through the ship's hall. Although this was good news, it hardly meant much to Kellgan - as long as the water didn't get into the supplies, they were fine. The ship had reached it's destination.
Rackson, Kellgan's chief tracker rat, approached the Conqueror with uncertainty. Kellgan had paid a fortune to get a bird to airlift Rackson to Mossflower, just so the tracker could jump Garsider before the fox made it to a safe location. To this end, Rackson had also hired almost a score of woodsbeasts. None of this had made a difference, and Kellgan was going to be annoyed about it.
After a quick check in with the guards on board the Conqueror, Rackson found himself approaching the end of a hallway on board the vessel. He had been in Kellgan's office before, but that didn't reduce the size of the lump in his throat. He knocked on Kellgan's door.
"Come in."
Drat, thought Rackson as he opened the door and stepped in.
It took Rackson only a split second to realize that everything in the room looked strange. He yelled out and turned to run.
"At ease, Lieutenant."
Rackson turned around, still shaken by what he had seen, and still saw.
Kellgan gestured towards the cylinder that seemed to be producing the eerie blue light that filled the room.
"Just a little project I've been working on in my spare time. It's designed to frighten my enemies into surrendering. It's pretty effective, don't you think?"
Rackson swallowed.
"I agree, sir."
Kellgan smiled.
"If you think you freaked out, you should have seen Commander Bosch. I designed these lights so that in addition to demoralizing the enemy by making the bearer appear to be some sort of supernatural being, they are also much more practical than torches. They last longer and you don't run the risk of burning down a forest like you do with a torch. Too bad they're difficult to make."
Kellgan sighed and looked directly at Rackson.
"Of course, these alone aren't going to set the world on fire. I need other things for that. Speaking of which, did you get my plans back?"
Rackson swallowed again. This was the part he dreaded saying.
"Sir, I tracked the fox to within a hour's travel of Redwall. I'm a tracker, not an infiltrator, and I thought it would be a good idea to inform you of the situation rather than attempt to retrieve the plans from within Redwall myself."
Kellgan appeared to be deep in thought.
"This calls for some more specialized work - work that you aren't haven't been trained for. Dismissed, Lieutenant."
It took Rackson several seconds to fully comprehend what Kellgan had said. Even after that amount of time he still had trouble believing what he had heard.
"You aren't annoyed about my failure, sir?"
Kellgan's voice turned dangerous.
"Actually, I'm very annoyed about your failure, Lieutenant. However, I have found it is not in my best interests to punish officers who fail missions that are extremely difficult. I can't afford to lose good trackers. Bad trackers, however, are another matter entirely. Those who continually fail me are volunteering to be the subjects of my future experiments."
While he had been talking, Kellgan had slowly been reaching into a draw under his desk. As he finished speaking he drew a vial of liquid and a dart out of his desk.
"See what I mean, Lieutenant? Now GO!" Kellgan's voice suddenly got much louder as he said go. It had the desired effect. Rackson bolted from the room as if he had demons after him. The rat lieutenant reached the deck, then went to look for a private place in the forest. After that conversation, he felt a need to relieve his seriously loosened bladder.
Kellgan put away the vial and the dart. He would deal with that experiment later. He walked to the door of his office while thinking about whether or not there was any other way to accomplish his goals, since a good commander always considers his alternatives. Finding none, he decided to go find a creature who could do the necessary job. As he had said earlier, this was not a job for a dimwitted rat, no matter how good that rat might be at tracking.
Partway down the hall, Kellgan stopped and knocked on a door. Within a few seconds the creature who dwelled inside opened it. That didn't surprise Kellgan, since this creature was a very light sleeper. Yellow eyes hidden in a black cloak appeared to materialize out of nowhere behind the door. Kellgan gestured for the creature to follow him.
Once they were back in Kellgan's lab, Kellgan gestured for the creature to sit down. As the creature did so, she also swept back her hood, revealing a yellow eyed vixen with fur of what was best described as a smoke colour. She was beautiful, with a sinuous body and rather attractive features, but she wasn't really much of a sociable creature. Kellgan had made it a rule to keep his relationship with her strictly professional.
He still remember finding her, fifteen seasons before, when she was only a child, but with a burning desire to avenge her parents. Since she was a skilled woodsbeast with a lot of experience in camouflage, Kellgan had quickly realized her potential for infiltration, and had helped her with her little quest. Over the years he had trained her to be his strong right hand, reaching in to kill, steal from, and manipulate his enemies without emotion, while he remained at a safe distance. He had crafted a killer, a thief, and a spy.
She wasn't just an expert at not being seen, however. She also specialized in the opposite. In fact, her abilities to disguise herself in a way that made her appear to belong somewhere had been invaluable, allowing her to get past security Kellgan's enemies considered perfect. She had also proven to have an adept mind for physics. Specifically, the physics of slinging a blade.
Kellgan couldn't even remember what she had said her name was, it had been so long since she had used it. Instead, he used her code name.
"I have a mission for you, Silencer."
Silencer kept eye contact with him as they spoke. Unlike most of his officers, she considered herself his ally, but she did not consider herself to be someone who he could just order around at will. If Silencer was involved with something, it was usually something Kellgan needed her for more than she needed him. She wanted to be damn sure he realized that fact.
"And what would that mission be, friend?"
"Are you familiar with a fox called Garsider?"
"I believe one of the spies I caught used that name in reference to his employer. Before you subjected him to one of your experiments, of course."
"In that case, you already know that he stole some of my most important documentation on some of my weapons designs. I need it back."
"Sounds like you do."
"Rackson's most recent report suggests the fox has hidden himself within Redwall Abbey. I want you to retrieve the documents from him at any cost. You are looking for a small book with a waterproofed cover, and since I am sure he knows it's value, doubtless he will keep it near him at all times. Most likely it will be on his person."
"I'll set out first thing tomorrow. I've seen your maps of Redwall, so I know what the layout of the building is like. He shouldn't be hard to find, Redwall rarely allows foxes through it's gates. With any luck, I'll be back here by early on the day after tomorrow, with your documents."
"Good. See to it that it is done."
Silencer got up and walked towards the door.
"Oh, and Silencer-"
She turned her head and looked back at him.
"Although I would prefer the Redwallers alive, don't hesitate to use lethal force on anyone who gets in your way. They may be worth more to me alive to serve me than dead, but the difference is not large enough for you to risk this mission for. Most importantly, make sure the fox does not live. He has seen things that none except me and a select few should see, and that makes him dangerous."
Silencer smiled. In her books, those who opposed Kellgan were evildoers, and there was nothing Silencer loved more than killing those she considered evil.
"I will see to it personally."
With that, she left.
Kellgan remained behind, studying what he would do after conquering Redwall until late into the night. Kellgan did have one major flaw: his experiments had been too successful for his own good. They had made him arrogant. They had made him think that he could control anything and everything. Over the years, he had convinced himself that one as powerful as himself should rule the fate of all, and he did not shy away from submitting others to his will, through his experiments or by other means. He even believed that some day he could conquer nature, becoming the ultimate force in the world. All this made him overconfident.
However, the same things that made him overconfident also made him dangerous.
Author's note: I just love writing about Kellgan. He's so evil, in his own way.
The ship was named Conqueror, more as a tribute to it's commander's ambitions than to the vessel's abilities. That wasn't to say it couldn't live up to it's name, however, as it was a massive vessel by warship standards.
Of the five major ships in Kellgan's fleet, only Kellgan's own flagship could be considered anything more than an economical way of transport. The others were converted cargo vessels, difficult to destroy due to their large size, but nonetheless mainly used as a way to easily and quickly transport a large assault force. Their large size prevented them from having the handling characteristics required by a purebred warship.
The Conqueror was different. It was a vessel designed to destroy one or even two enemy ships in a running fight and come out with only minor damage. It was designed to land more than one hundred troops on an enemy's doorstep. On top of that, the vessel contained everything Kellgan could foresee needing for a prolonged campaign of domination. On the Conqueror, the engineer fox's lab facilities and tactics library were just a short walk from his quarters.
Because of the danger of being spotted from Salamandastron, Kellgan had decided to wait until night to take the Conqueror into the River Moss. Luckily, the wind was blowing in the correct direction for the ship to move upriver with surprising speed. Despite operating without lights on in order to avoid detection, the vessel managed to make it through it's ordeal with only a couple scrapes on rocks. The fact Kellgan had spotters watching the river from the lower decks had helped immensely in this regard. Inspections later revealed that none of the scrapes had punched through the ship's hall. Although this was good news, it hardly meant much to Kellgan - as long as the water didn't get into the supplies, they were fine. The ship had reached it's destination.
Rackson, Kellgan's chief tracker rat, approached the Conqueror with uncertainty. Kellgan had paid a fortune to get a bird to airlift Rackson to Mossflower, just so the tracker could jump Garsider before the fox made it to a safe location. To this end, Rackson had also hired almost a score of woodsbeasts. None of this had made a difference, and Kellgan was going to be annoyed about it.
After a quick check in with the guards on board the Conqueror, Rackson found himself approaching the end of a hallway on board the vessel. He had been in Kellgan's office before, but that didn't reduce the size of the lump in his throat. He knocked on Kellgan's door.
"Come in."
Drat, thought Rackson as he opened the door and stepped in.
It took Rackson only a split second to realize that everything in the room looked strange. He yelled out and turned to run.
"At ease, Lieutenant."
Rackson turned around, still shaken by what he had seen, and still saw.
Kellgan gestured towards the cylinder that seemed to be producing the eerie blue light that filled the room.
"Just a little project I've been working on in my spare time. It's designed to frighten my enemies into surrendering. It's pretty effective, don't you think?"
Rackson swallowed.
"I agree, sir."
Kellgan smiled.
"If you think you freaked out, you should have seen Commander Bosch. I designed these lights so that in addition to demoralizing the enemy by making the bearer appear to be some sort of supernatural being, they are also much more practical than torches. They last longer and you don't run the risk of burning down a forest like you do with a torch. Too bad they're difficult to make."
Kellgan sighed and looked directly at Rackson.
"Of course, these alone aren't going to set the world on fire. I need other things for that. Speaking of which, did you get my plans back?"
Rackson swallowed again. This was the part he dreaded saying.
"Sir, I tracked the fox to within a hour's travel of Redwall. I'm a tracker, not an infiltrator, and I thought it would be a good idea to inform you of the situation rather than attempt to retrieve the plans from within Redwall myself."
Kellgan appeared to be deep in thought.
"This calls for some more specialized work - work that you aren't haven't been trained for. Dismissed, Lieutenant."
It took Rackson several seconds to fully comprehend what Kellgan had said. Even after that amount of time he still had trouble believing what he had heard.
"You aren't annoyed about my failure, sir?"
Kellgan's voice turned dangerous.
"Actually, I'm very annoyed about your failure, Lieutenant. However, I have found it is not in my best interests to punish officers who fail missions that are extremely difficult. I can't afford to lose good trackers. Bad trackers, however, are another matter entirely. Those who continually fail me are volunteering to be the subjects of my future experiments."
While he had been talking, Kellgan had slowly been reaching into a draw under his desk. As he finished speaking he drew a vial of liquid and a dart out of his desk.
"See what I mean, Lieutenant? Now GO!" Kellgan's voice suddenly got much louder as he said go. It had the desired effect. Rackson bolted from the room as if he had demons after him. The rat lieutenant reached the deck, then went to look for a private place in the forest. After that conversation, he felt a need to relieve his seriously loosened bladder.
Kellgan put away the vial and the dart. He would deal with that experiment later. He walked to the door of his office while thinking about whether or not there was any other way to accomplish his goals, since a good commander always considers his alternatives. Finding none, he decided to go find a creature who could do the necessary job. As he had said earlier, this was not a job for a dimwitted rat, no matter how good that rat might be at tracking.
Partway down the hall, Kellgan stopped and knocked on a door. Within a few seconds the creature who dwelled inside opened it. That didn't surprise Kellgan, since this creature was a very light sleeper. Yellow eyes hidden in a black cloak appeared to materialize out of nowhere behind the door. Kellgan gestured for the creature to follow him.
Once they were back in Kellgan's lab, Kellgan gestured for the creature to sit down. As the creature did so, she also swept back her hood, revealing a yellow eyed vixen with fur of what was best described as a smoke colour. She was beautiful, with a sinuous body and rather attractive features, but she wasn't really much of a sociable creature. Kellgan had made it a rule to keep his relationship with her strictly professional.
He still remember finding her, fifteen seasons before, when she was only a child, but with a burning desire to avenge her parents. Since she was a skilled woodsbeast with a lot of experience in camouflage, Kellgan had quickly realized her potential for infiltration, and had helped her with her little quest. Over the years he had trained her to be his strong right hand, reaching in to kill, steal from, and manipulate his enemies without emotion, while he remained at a safe distance. He had crafted a killer, a thief, and a spy.
She wasn't just an expert at not being seen, however. She also specialized in the opposite. In fact, her abilities to disguise herself in a way that made her appear to belong somewhere had been invaluable, allowing her to get past security Kellgan's enemies considered perfect. She had also proven to have an adept mind for physics. Specifically, the physics of slinging a blade.
Kellgan couldn't even remember what she had said her name was, it had been so long since she had used it. Instead, he used her code name.
"I have a mission for you, Silencer."
Silencer kept eye contact with him as they spoke. Unlike most of his officers, she considered herself his ally, but she did not consider herself to be someone who he could just order around at will. If Silencer was involved with something, it was usually something Kellgan needed her for more than she needed him. She wanted to be damn sure he realized that fact.
"And what would that mission be, friend?"
"Are you familiar with a fox called Garsider?"
"I believe one of the spies I caught used that name in reference to his employer. Before you subjected him to one of your experiments, of course."
"In that case, you already know that he stole some of my most important documentation on some of my weapons designs. I need it back."
"Sounds like you do."
"Rackson's most recent report suggests the fox has hidden himself within Redwall Abbey. I want you to retrieve the documents from him at any cost. You are looking for a small book with a waterproofed cover, and since I am sure he knows it's value, doubtless he will keep it near him at all times. Most likely it will be on his person."
"I'll set out first thing tomorrow. I've seen your maps of Redwall, so I know what the layout of the building is like. He shouldn't be hard to find, Redwall rarely allows foxes through it's gates. With any luck, I'll be back here by early on the day after tomorrow, with your documents."
"Good. See to it that it is done."
Silencer got up and walked towards the door.
"Oh, and Silencer-"
She turned her head and looked back at him.
"Although I would prefer the Redwallers alive, don't hesitate to use lethal force on anyone who gets in your way. They may be worth more to me alive to serve me than dead, but the difference is not large enough for you to risk this mission for. Most importantly, make sure the fox does not live. He has seen things that none except me and a select few should see, and that makes him dangerous."
Silencer smiled. In her books, those who opposed Kellgan were evildoers, and there was nothing Silencer loved more than killing those she considered evil.
"I will see to it personally."
With that, she left.
Kellgan remained behind, studying what he would do after conquering Redwall until late into the night. Kellgan did have one major flaw: his experiments had been too successful for his own good. They had made him arrogant. They had made him think that he could control anything and everything. Over the years, he had convinced himself that one as powerful as himself should rule the fate of all, and he did not shy away from submitting others to his will, through his experiments or by other means. He even believed that some day he could conquer nature, becoming the ultimate force in the world. All this made him overconfident.
However, the same things that made him overconfident also made him dangerous.
Author's note: I just love writing about Kellgan. He's so evil, in his own way.
