Chapter 118: The Plan
…
~~Shit.
…
When the Island Symphony returned, Skyrider Port was still bustling with refugees. Many vessels still occupied the docks, so Link had Line pilot the ship over the island to the spot they had been using while they had been in hiding from the Skyriders; it was the only available area of coastline. This only added to Link's stress. The three hours it had taken them to return to Skyrider Port had yielded no sort of plan from either him or anyone on his crew. Worse, the nap Link had intended to take had been put on hold due to all of his pacing.
About the only relief he felt was when he saw Captain Alfonzo standing on the other side of the cargo door as Flower lowered it. "Saw you boys sail in," he said, his hands in the pockets of the red jacket usually worn by the company's captains. His neutral expression became a concerned scowl as Link stepped off the ship with Line, Flower, and Leynne in tow. "You look like you haven't gotten any sleep. What's going on?"
"We have another problem," Link answered as he made to pass Alfonzo.
Alfonzo held out a hand and had to lean over to catch Link by the chest. "Hang on, hang on," he said, dragging Link to stand in front of him. "I just heard that a Sky Line suddenly disappeared and re-appeared coming up from the south."
Link nodded. "Yes, sir, the idea worked."
"So… what's wrong?"
Link sighed and scratched the back of his head. "The storm's weakening."
Alfonzo shrugged. "Sounds like good news to me."
"Captain," Leynne spoke up. "This unfohtunately means that the vessel contained within the stohm will eventually be set free. They ah currently on couhse foh Might Island."
Alfonzo, for the first time since Link had known him, looked worried. His eyes shifted between Leynne and Flower before settling on Link. "Great Goddesses, you guys are serious," he told them.
"Do you know if North or Blair got back yet?" Link asked.
"Both ships pulled in this morning, not long after you left."
"We need both of them. We have at least two days to come up with a plan."
"Wait a minute," Alfonzo said, grabbing the front of Link's tunic to hold him from stepping past again. "I'm captain of the Grand Sails. You don't need Blair."
"You well enough to sail, Captain?" Flower asked.
Alfonzo stood to his full height. "I happen to think I'm a sight better than your own damn captain, Mister Flower," he answered.
Leynne placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "We haven't a lot of time, Captain," he said. "If you know wheh Captain Nohth is, we need a couhse of action as soon as possible."
"I'll get him for you," Alfonzo said, releasing Link. He turned and started walking. Link quickly fell into stride beside him with his crewmen following along. "Where are we meeting at?"
"A conference room at the office would be easiest," Link replied.
Both of them were silent for a few strides. Then Alfonzo glanced down at Link. "Nice hat," he said.
"Thanks," Link and Irleen said at the same time. Link gave his brow a tired glare.
…
The conference room had space enough for ten men, assuming that they were thin enough to squeeze between the chairs arranged around the oblong table in the center. Leynne, Flower, Irleen, Line, and Link had been waiting for ten minutes before one of the few office workers who had bothered to show up for work arrived to leave some water and sandwiches in the middle of the table. Link told his crew to leave them in case North and Alfonzo were as starved as them. Subsequently, Line took advantage of everyone else talking to sneak the platter holding the sandwiches onto one of the chairs and ate them in seclusion underneath the table.
North and Alfonzo entered half an hour later. The rest of the room stood; Line was sitting in a corner holding his stomach. "Captain Link," North said with a sharp nod. "Captain Alfonzo gave me a short brief on the way here. What's the situation?"
"He told you we changed the Dawn Line to take the storm south?" Flower asked.
"Yeah," North replied.
"He told you that the Undying Stohm is likely to be gone in two days?" Leynne asked.
"Yes, he did," North answered.
"He told you that we may have just aimed the ship that attacked Autumn Island at Might Island, and this time there won't be a storm to stop it?" Flower asked.
"Not so many words, but it was the conclusion I arrived at," North said.
"That's pretty much the situation, sir," Flower said as he and Link took their seats. Alfonzo moved behind North to take a seat nearby.
North leaned on the table in front of Link. "You mean to say that, instead of having to evacuate Bell Island, we could be looking at the slaughter of over half a million people?" he asked Link, his voice giving Link the impression that Link would be the first to die.
Link's drowsiness meant that he was marginally intimidated. The feeling quickly faded as he glared back into North's eyes. "Yes," he replied.
"We need ideas," Leynne said as he leaned against the wall in one nearby corner.
"We have at least two other Skyrider ships in port," Alfonzo said. "It's beginning to look like shooting them down is our only option."
"Won't do any good," North said, pushing away from the table. As he spoke, he strode down the side of the room toward where Line was sitting on the floor. "King Lauris has disarmed most of the fleet, those two ships included. We're back to the lawful six vessels, and we only have two at the moment."
"Three if we can get wohd to Captain Luke," Leynne pointed out.
"I don't think it'll be enough," Irleen said. "Cunimincus has shown us that he can shoot at a pretty good distance."
"That's right; he began bombahdment of Centeh Island befoh the stohm was even close to the island," Leynne said. "Assuming he sets aside his psychosis long enough to aim his guns at us, we'd be wrecks befoh we could get close."
"Not to mention a lucky hit could send us down without much challenge," Link said. "Whereas… Irleen, what kinda ballast system does Cunimincus' ship use?"
"Uh… I'm not sure," Irleen replied. "I do know that Sorian airships use blocks from the technoworks, kinda like the way the Conductor uses them. Since Cunimincus has been able to keep his ship in the air this whole time, I think it's safe to assume it's not Loft Steam."
"What about capturing the ship?" Alfonzo asked.
North nodded at him as he walked back up the side of the room. "The king sent fifty men of the Royal Air Corps with my ship," he said.
"Royal Aih Cohps?" Leynne asked.
"Seasoned airmen trained in ship-to-ship and close quarters combat," North said. "I've trained many of them myself."
"That's great, but how do we get them on the ship?" Link asked. "The Smiling Gunner is armed fore and aft; that's how the Island Sonata was shot down."
"Overhead boarding," North said. He held up his hands with one over the other. "The Moon's Shadow falls in above the target ship and drops a boarding party by ropes from the bow. I've only ever used the technique twice before, but it's a sound strategy."
"How do you propose approaching this ship?" Alfonzo asked.
"I don't," North said, shoving one hand into a pocket while the other fell to his side. "It's a stupid plan. We'd have to get the ship out of the Sky Line first."
"Cloud coveh would have to wane as well," Leynne added. "It would be hahd to approach from above if one cannot see."
"By the time we reach the storm, it'd probably be thin enough," Flower spoke up. "But you'd have to head off the other ship, and no one, not even yourself, Captain North, is safe in front of that damned ship. One look at you, and you're screaming for the surface."
"If I may, Captains," Leynne said. "Even if we managed to land a boahding pahty, whoeveh they ah have to be equipped to deal with the metal contingent of Cunimincus' crew." A few groans sounded around the room, although one was Line as he slowly stood back up.
One who did not groan was Captain North. "You couldn't teach the Royal Air Corps to fight these things, Captain Link?" he asked.
"They're a little tricky to fight, Captain North," Irleen said. "With the Stalarmors, you have to find the crystal that serves as their life force and break it."
"While remembering that you're fighting a skeleton who isn't worried about taking hits to any part of the body," Link added. "And bullets are just as useless."
"And I'm sure you remember the Darknut," Irleen told North. "You have to be able to take off its helmet. And if you're in the shadow of a cloud, you're in trouble."
"Captain Link," Flower said, giving his steepled fingers a hesitant look. "I know you probably don't wanna hear this, but if anyone has to board that ship, the only person qualified to take care of the crew is you."
Link stared at him in horror for a moment. Then he fell against the back of his chair with a hand over his face. "Oh, man…" he groaned. "I think you're right."
"You've told us we can't attack until the prisoners on-board are free," Alfonzo pointed out.
"It only seems fitting that you go," North concluded. "Otherwise, this would be a matter of blowing the ship out of the sky."
"Which, shoht of developing weaponry to fih from the bottom of a ship, would still be a problematic task," Leynne said.
Alfonzo released a frustrated sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "You'd never think sinking a ship could be such a problem. But if they're armed to the teeth, we'd be better off trying a surprise attack."
"Yes, but from what angle?" North asked. "A broadside attack would take out both of our ships if we don't know what kind of ballast system it uses; we couldn't aim at it. Like Mister Leynne just said, we'd need a cannon to shoot downward if we want a clean shot they couldn't answer. Approach from the front is useless if they can bombard an island from far away. Approach from behind would be just as bad; the Moon's Shadow doesn't have any forward guns."
"Neither does the Grand Sails," Alfonzo said.
"Would it be possible to temporarily mount a gun to the bow of eitheh ship?" Leynne asked.
Both Alfonzo and North shook their heads, but it was Flower who offered the explanation. "You'd have to strengthen the deck underneath; most ships aren't made to haul anything heavy like that on the forecastle. And you'd have to aim it so you don't blow apart your own beakhead or bowsprit or screw up any of the forward rigging. Otherwise, it'd be a great idea."
"We don't have time for those kinds of modifications," North continued. "That would require at least a day in drydock."
"Then there's the problem of shooting in a Sky Line," Alfonzo said. "There's no telling how a cannonball would behave; we might never land a shot before they'd return fire."
Leynne nodded. "Well, let it not be said that every idea I had was good."
"It might be good for any other situation," Flower said, "but not here, Boss."
"I got an idea," Line said as he slowly worked his way toward Alfonzo. He was using the backs of the nearby chairs to keep himself standing. "What if we fired a cannon up?"
"That's a mortar, Line," Alfonzo said.
"And it's a bad idea," North told him. "One bad charge, and that's a cannonball marked 'return to sender'."
"You feeling better, Line?" Irleen asked.
"Yeah," Line grunted as he fell into the chair next to Alfonzo. "I'm just nauseas and sore; earlier, I was only sore."
"Why don't you move one chair down, Airman," Alfonzo told him, indicating the next chair with a finger.
"So how about our current problem, gentlemen?" North asked.
"Look," Leynne said with a forceful tone to get attention. He stepped forward with one hand in front of him, emphasizing his words as he spoke. "We know that any soht of action we take is complicated by the Sky Line. But we know that, as long as the stohm still exists, he can still realistically leave the Sky Line and still be confined to the stohm. So pehhaps we should consideh methods to remove him from the Sky Line."
"It's an intelligent suggestion, Mister Leynne," Alfonzo said. "But I doubt you have anything in mind."
"Actually, I find that it may be possible to have even less than that," Leynne admitted, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I knew you were a fake under that weird accent," Line said, pointing at Leynne.
"Well, let's think about this," Flower spoke up. "We know that he doesn't stay inside the Sky Line the whole time."
"That's right," Link said, pointing at him. "He couldn't. Only one Sky Line gets close enough to an island that you could pull up to it still inside, and that is Forelight Island. He would have to send boarding parties in a launch or two or bring the Smiling Gunner itself out."
"Even he couldn't get a launch out in a Sky Line," Alfonzo said. "No small boat could navigate through a Sky Line without capsizing."
"What if the situation is simpleh than that?" Leynne said. "What if he leaves the Sky Line just to attack something?"
"Not a really fun idea," Flower commented.
"But an idea nonetheless," North said. "The question is what to use to lure him out."
"What about Tabletop Island?" Link asked. "The whole island's been wrecked and abandoned."
"It has?" Alfonzo asked.
"Eh… I hesitate on the idea," Leynne said. "The stohm will have dissipated by the time they reach the island. And it might not be enticing enough foh them to stop."
"I agree," North said.
"Are there any other islands near the Sky Line you boys changed?" Alfonzo asked.
Both Link and Leynne shook their heads. "No, we weh cehtain of that," Leynne said. "The closest it comes is Jah Island. It's not close enough to affect them."
"Wait," North said. "All that talk about the Dawn Line changing, that was real? And it was you boys?"
"Cool trick, huh?" Irleen said, flying a circle in the air.
"Could you boys go back and change the Sky Line so we could use Jar Island as bait?" Alfonzo asked.
Link was about to voice an objection to using Jar Island like bait, but Leynne spoke up before he could, "I'm afraid we would not have the time. It takes too long to alteh the Sky Lines. Besides, we would not have time to effect an evacuation on the island in the event of a failuh." Link closed his mouth and settled back in his chair.
"So we probably shouldn't use islands," Flower said. "What else? A ship?"
"Sure," Line said, his creaky voice barely able to produce a sarcastic tone. "Let's put up a ship in front of him and watch him sho—" He paused as a bout of nausea crawled up his throat. He swallowed it back. "Watch him shoot it down from his nice, safe storm." He released a croaking sound and slowly stood up. "Where'd that water go?"
"Don't you dare puke on me, Line," Alfonzo growled.
"I remember Forge Island two years ago," Line told him as he wandered toward the back of the room.
"Tactless delivery aside," Leynne said, "ouh patron saint of gluttony is right." Line turned around to make a face at him. "We couldn't just leave a vessel and expect Cunimincus to do anything moh than blow it out of the sky from the Sky Line."
"Two ships?" Flower suggested. "They couldn't be that lazy."
"I'd be that lazy," Line called across the room.
"Anyone could be that lazy," North said. "It's something we can't rely on. We need a tempting target."
"Captain North," Alfonzo said, turning in his seat toward him. "You've been taking out pirates for damn near thirty years. What do pirates like to target?"
"Anything unprotected," North replied.
"I'm afraid that disqualifies youh vessels, Captain Alfonzo," Leynne said.
"No, I'm serious," Alfonzo told North. "What is it that a pirate would attack over something that wouldn't be worth the effort?"
"Well…" North paused to consider the problem. "Cargo schooners are the easiest targets; it's possible to tell when they're loaded down. A fully-rigged cargo galleon usually brings out two to split the goods."
"It assumes that Cunimincus would be interested in cahgo," Leynne said.
"Unless they think the cargo is food," Link added, "they might not go for a loaded-down galleon."
"There was one incident about ten years ago that was pretty brash," North said. "The Moon's Shadow and the Spirit of Iron against half a dozen brigs and a jackass."
"Sounds like they weren't even trying," Flower commented.
"And what exactly brought about this suicide run?" Alfonzo asked.
"Five flutes and two galleons filled with goods," North said. "Leather goods, canned food, about two thousand in raw rupees destined for Might Island's treasury, coal, oils… probably the biggest targets: guns and powder. The ships were so full that we had to navigate outside the Sky Lines; the ships were too heavy for their ballasts. The only way we realized we were about to be attacked was when one of the brigs pulled alongside the Moon's Shadow and rolled out a single cannon just to intimidate us."
"I bet they were surprised when you opened all gunports on them," Flower commented.
"A convoy," Alfonzo concluded.
Looks passed around the room. "Why not?" Leynne said. "If it's lahge enough, Cunimincus would have to slow in ohdeh to attack it."
"It may also provide some cover," North said. "Enough distance, and he wouldn't be able to tell which ships are armed and which ships are the bait."
"I hate to point this out," Flower said, "but how do we get Captain Link on the ship? They'll be blowing away any ship that moves."
"It would have to be a fast ship," North said. "And small."
"Anyone know where we can find a cutter no one wants anymore?" Alfonzo asked.
"Actually, we might have that aspect covehed," Leynne said.
Link gave a sigh. "You mean the Conductor, don't you?"
"Naturally."
"The what?" North asked.
"The Conductor," Link said. "It's a cutter from the surface that we converted into a launch."
"It's got a fast enough engine," Flower said.
"It's noisy as hell, too," Line said as he took back his seat next to Alfonzo. "They'll hear you coming the moment you fire it up."
"Yeah, but it's got such a unique sound, Cunimincus'll probably be wondering what the hell it is even after you drop the captain off."
Line realized that Link, Flower, Irleen, and Leynne were all staring at him. "Wha—why me!?" he shouted.
"Ostensibly, I will have to take command of the Island Symphony while Link is away," Leynne said.
"I can't pilot a boat and get off it at the same time," Link said. "It might get blown away. It's a nice launch."
"Fairy," Irleen simply told him.
Flower shrugged. "I just don't wanna do it."
"I hate you guys," Line told them. "I hate you real bad right now."
"Line, you're the only other person besides me to pilot the Conductor," Link said.
"It should be fast enough, Line," Leynne said. "Once Link is on Cunimincus' vessel, his crew will be too busy fighting him off to cah about you. You'll be able to hide out of the line of fih."
"Oooooh, this is a bad idea…" Line groaned to himself.
"And once Link is aboahd," Leynne continued to the rest of the room, "it will give us oppohtunity to approach the ship. The fihst will have to be the Island Symphony so that the prisonehs can be unloaded. From theh, whateveh combat-capable vessels we have should move in."
There was a moment while everyone contemplated the plan (except for Line, whose stomach was now queasy for an entirely different reason). Then Captain North said, "It's a plan. Maybe not a good one, but we hardly have time for that."
"Okay, then," Alfonzo said as he stood. This prompted everyone else to stand up. "We have a plan. What else do we need?"
"Ships, mostly," Leynne said. "I doubt that any vessel commandeh will be willing to donate vessels to ouh cause, though."
"Drydock must have a couple vessels we could use," Alfonzo said. "They may not be ready for use, but we just need them to float; we can tow them into the area."
"We'll still need someone to pilot the ships while they're in tow," North said.
"Plenty of airmen around the island," Flower pointed out. "And Bold Island has its own drydocks; we should go there and see if we can scrounge up more ships."
"But how long will it take us to get set up?" Alfonzo asked. "How far do we need to go?"
"Leynne?" Link asked. "We need a course to intercept Cunimincus."
"I'll staht plotting a couhse once we'h on the Island Symphony," Leynne replied. "Needless to say, we should staht moving towahd Bold Island as soon as possible."
"We should move out in two hours," North said. "Captain Link, we'll send you ahead so you can find some more ships on Bold Island. Captain Alfonzo, I suggest we see what the drydock has to offer."
"You boys go on ahead," Alfonzo said as North left the room. "I'd like to get a word in with Captain Link."
"Go on," Link told the rest of the room, indicating the door. "I'll catch up in a moment."
Alfonzo waited until Flower, Line, Leynne, and Irleen had filed out of the room. Then he stepped closer to Link. "I'm only gonna say this once, son, so you'd better listen good," he said in a stern voice, one hand gripping Link's shoulder. "If you go before my time, I will be pissed. So I want you to know that, if you die out there in this stupid plan, I will find you in the Final Rest, and I will beat the shit out of you."
Link could only respond with a shocked look, unsure if Alfonzo intended the threat to be a show of affection or an actual threat. He was sure it would have been an actual threat if Link did not know that the captain was his father, but knowing their relationship seemed to make things a little uncertain.
…
~~We're on our way back to Bold Island. Again. Now that we have to confront Cunimincus, we're trying to make it up to the northern part of the kingdom as fast as we can. Our first stop is Bold Island because we need more ships for bait. After that—Leynne has the course laid out. We have to wait for the Grand Sails and the Moon's Shadow.
~~The plan hinges on me getting onto the Smiling Gunner and freeing Zelda and the Sorian crew and then making it back to the Island Symphony before the crew kills us. I've just avoided writing down five different sarcastic remarks to follow up with that last sentence. I'm having a hard time thinking straight. I think it's just the fact that I haven't slept since the night before last. Between the fight on Autumn Island, evacuating Center Island, and finding out that we may have doomed Might Island after saving it from the Lizalfos, I just have way too much on my mind.
~~Wow. I wonder if that whole last paragraph could be any less sarcastic. Or maybe this one. Or—Forget it.
…
Link looked out over the bow at a series of furrows dug into the surface of Bold Island's north-central region. Their rough faces told Link that they were similar to the drydocks used by the Skyriders; they were repurposed from mining sites long since devoid of any useful materials other than the Loft Steam still contained under the ground. Cranes of steel bearing electric lights hung over the empty hulls of two galleons, three cargo schooners, and a barque. The dark of the waning evening made it hard to tell what kind of shape they were in, but most of the weather deck and the upper hull (within which would have to be the ballast tanks) looked to be intact. They were perfect for the job, provided they could fly. The question was whether their owners could be talked into allowing Link and his fellow Skyriders to take them.
He turned and stepped back over to the helm, where Line, Flower, Leynne, and Dholit waited. "How does it look, Captain?" Flower asked.
Link took in a deep breath. "Promising," he answered. "They don't look like they're too far gone."
"That's just one drydock," Flower told him. "There's supposed to be another on the opposite side. Smaller, but I bet we can find a couple ships there, too."
"How should we go about procuring them?" Leynne asked.
"Well…" Flower said, crossing his arms. "We know a few people around the island; we might be able to talk them into letting us take them. But then, it's a bit of a long shot."
"It would be easiah to steal them," Dholit pointed out.
"Foh all the ships we need, we don't have enough pilots," Leynne countered. "We would need one pehson peh vessel."
"Just a thought," Dholit replied in a light, innocent tone.
"Could we pehhaps rent the vessels?" Leynne asked.
"Sounds like an idea," Line spoke up.
"If you've got the money," Flower said. "Even renting a ship could be expensive. Renting more than one? That's some serious funds."
"It might be wise to save this problem foh when the otheh captains ahrive," Leynne suggested, glancing around at the others. "Maybe find some time to rest. We've all been awake foh most of the day."
Link nodded. "It's about time to change shifts anyway," he said. "Leynne, Dholit, would one of you let Dubbl know that I want to be told when the other captains arrive?"
The request attracted looks from the crew present on the forecastle. They stared at him, expecting him to realize what he had just said. But Link was lost in the moment of silence, so Leynne said, "Link, you of all people need to sleep. Have you looked in a mihroh lately?"
"I know, I know," Link said. "I was gonna go to sleep, too. But I'd like to be up in case things need to be coordinated with the other captains."
"Link, I don't think that's pahticulahly necessary," Leynne argued in a calm voice. "I've plotted the couhse to intehcept Cunimincus. And all we need foh the moment ah these vessels. I can coohdinate ouh actions with the otheh captains. You should get some rest. In two days, you'll need all you can get."
"No, Leynne," Link said, holding up a hand, "I would like to be awake just in case. You never know when I might be needed."
"In an emergency, yeah," Flower said. "But not when we know the plan. Just get some rest, Captain; we'll take care of it."
"Guys, I can do this," Link told them.
"Link, you really do need some sleep," Line said.
"Layna," Dholit called over her shoulder. Then she asked Link, "Shall I have hah take you to youh quahtahs, My Captain?"
"No, I'll be fine," Link told her.
"Very well," Dholit replied with an indifferent shrug as Layna stepped onto the forecastle behind her. She looked over her shoulder at Layna. "Layna, My Captain laxomak ciynolot. Dhijuban zhal zacniyl." Layna put on a curious look, which she then directed to Link.
Link was not even aware that Layna had moved before he felt something poke his neck. His mind clouded, and he began to stumble as his eyelids were weighed down. His last memories were of someone embracing him before he fell limp.