The first thing Josh noticed when he woke up the following morning was that Elizabeth had gone. Arthur's knock on the door had woken him, as the royal major-domo entered with a couple of mouse-servants, carrying a heavily loaded breakfast tray and a jug of hot, sweet-smelling rosewater for the wash-plate.
All of the servants here, Josh realised, were mice, the Rats apparently belonging to a more privileged class. One of them was a young, brown-furred mouse-girl with long hair tied in a ponytail, looking no older than fourteen, much to Josh's amazement at seeing a child working as a servant. Guess there aren't many child labour laws in this world, he thought. Under Arthur's supervision, the servants went about tending to the royal guest.
The mouse-girl seemed rather curious of Josh, constantly staring at him out of the corner of her eye as she put the tray down on the study table. Josh, who had just finished washing his face and hands, gave her a warm smile. The girl flinched under his gaze, accidentally dropping a fork on the floor, staring back at him with wide eyes. She seemed to want to say something but Arthur sternly clearing his throat made her hurryingly turn on her heels and leave the room, to return to her other duties. The other mouse-servant, who had just finished making the bed, followed her out.
"Good morning to you, sir," said Arthur with an air of utmost importance, once the servants had gone, "I hope you found the accommodation satisfactory. The royal tailors should have your new wardrobe His Majesty ordered made for you ready shortly. My apologies for Ms Mousekewitz gawping at you like that. Some of these young servants have absolutely no sense of discipline."
"Don't worry about it," said Josh, who wanted to point out to Arthur that it wasn't right for a child to be doing this kind of job in the first place, "You know where Mrs Brisby is?"
"I believe she's having an early breakfast," said Arthur, "I'm going to see how the tailors are getting on. Once you've finished breakfasting, sir, would it please you to meet His Majesty in his study at the earliest convenience? He's expecting you." Bowing respectfully, he turned and left, shutting the door behind him.
Josh realised it would take some time to get used to these medieval living conditions. His breakfast consisted of a large, rare rabbit steak, with some cornbread and a goblet of plain tea. There was no coffee, no sugar, no marmalade, or anything usually found on a 21st century breakfast menu. Likewise, there was no soap, no toothpaste and no razor. After all, what kind of a Rat would need to shave for? After a failed attempt to trim his growing fringe with a large pair of barber's scissors he had found in the dresser, normally used by the Rats to trim their fur, he figured it would be best to simply let nature take its course.
Arthur returned shortly with several tailors from the royal tailoring shop, bringing a new set of new clothes Nicodemus had ordered made for him. Although delighted at the prospect of changing out of his frayed overalls, now nearly worn out, Josh found it was quite an experience wearing such awkward, medieval-style clothing: a sweeping red cloak fastened with a golden brooch, a black sleeveless tunic with a leather pouch attached to the girdle for a pocket, a lace shirt, a pair of baggy breeches, complete with stockings, and knee-high snake-skin boots.
If this were London, I'd either be on a film set or in a lunatic asylum, he thought with a smirk, staring at his new wardrobe in the mirror as the servants dressed him.
Fifteen minutes later, Josh, now looking like a Tudor-era nobleman, except for his out-of-place space watch and NIMH cap, which he had insisted on wearing, joined Elizabeth, Justin, and Brutus in the hallway. Elizabeth, likewise, had substituted her frayed red cape for a beautiful royal dress, made of expensive sapphire-blue satin, courtesy of Nicodemus, making her look real stunning indeed.
"The colour matches your eyes," he said, smiling at her. Elizabeth giggled shyly, muttering her thanks. Growing up a poor farm girl, she'd never dreamt of actually wearing something so beautiful in her entire life! Even her marriage to Jonathan didn't exactly bring her into any great wealth, as scholars drew little financial support from the aristocracy.
"You too look real handsome, Josh," she said, returning the compliment.
"If only you could do something about your ugly human face and grow a tail, you could actually pass for a Rat!" said Brutus half-jokingly, making Justin chuckle. Josh merely raised his eyebrows at that remark; he may be out of place here, but he was still proud of being a human. Taking Elizabeth's hand, they followed the guards upstairs to Nicodemus' study.
Nicodemus was sitting at his throne, smoking a Turkish-style hookah, expecting them. Mr Ages was there too, fuming at their lateness as usual, impatient to get down to business. Sitting with them, reading a book, was an elegant-looking teenage Rat of around seventeen, dressed in a jewel-lined royal dress, whose close resemblance to Nicodemus indicated she was a member of the royal family. The King rose from his throne and greeted them warmly as they entered.
"Good morning to you all," he said, "May I introduce my granddaughter, the beautiful Lady Isabella. Izzy, dearest, meet Captain Anderson and Mrs Elizabeth Brisby, the wife of my good old friend Jonathan." The Rat princess, looking a little shy in the presence of a real flesh-and-blood human and the widow of the legendary adventurer she had been hearing all about since she was a child, enthusiastically approached to greet them. Like her grandfather, she had a good disposition, if not a tad bit shy.
"Your Highness," greeted Josh politely, taking off his cap in accordance with royal etiquette. But when he tried to kiss her hand however, she pulled away, probably thinking this talking human could bite. She surveyed Josh curiously for a moment.
"So…so you're really not mean and evil as the court says you are?" she asked timidly, weary of being rude. Although somewhat disappointed to hear that there were still many voices out there whispering he was not to be trusted, Josh couldn't blame her for being a tad bit suspicious of him. Luckily, Justin came to his defence.
"No, Isabella, he's a good friend and a very brave one too," he said, telling her of their little run-in with the Exiles at Thorn Valley and how they'd escaped thanks to Josh. Isabella was speechless, clearly impressed, like any girl her age would be – or maybe, Josh suspected, she secretly had a crush on the handsome Justin, judging by the way she kept looking at him? Whichever it was, Nicodemus didn't give them a chance to find out.
"I'm sorry, dear, but we have important business to attend to," he said, "If you'd like to return to your lessons in the library, I'll catch up with you later. Hurry now, it's not polite to keep your tutor waiting." Kissing her grandfather goodbye, Isabella left the room. Nicodemus then turned back to his guests.
"Now then, seeing as we're already behind our time, we better get started." They followed him to a large, ancient-looking tapestry hanging on the wall behind his throne, bearing the kingdom's coat of arms, and the royal family tree - all of Nicodemus' ancestors, their reigns dating back countless generations, had their names and likenesses woven onto the canvas.
Grabbing hold of a rope hanging beside the tapestry, Nicodemus pulled with amazing strength for his old age and the tapestry slid aside like a curtain, revealing a narrow opening in the wall. Josh could make out a flight of stairs beyond, leading down into a pitch-black tunnel of sorts. Taking a lit torch from its bracket, he gestured at them to follow him in.
The group descended down the spiral staircase, following the secret passage. Behind them, Nicodemus paused for a moment to pull the tapestry back into place before following, lighting the way with his torch. At the bottom of the stairs, they came to a secret chamber built under the flooring beneath Nicodemus' study. In contrast to the pleasant atmosphere of the study upstairs, this room was cramped, damp and unlit, much like a dungeon or a burial crypt. The walls were rough and uneven, revealing part of the cave system that housed the subterranean palace.
Through the light of Nicodemus' torch, Josh saw the old Rat had set up some sort of secret research room down in this hole. Just like the study upstairs, the room was lined with wooden shelves and racks housing a library of books, scrolls and rolls of parchment, which Nicodemus seemed to have written himself. Some of them, Josh saw, sat open on drawing boards, still incomplete. A long table housed a collection of trinkets, which Josh recognised as artefacts from the NIMH-One, presumably taken from the ship by the original Rats of NIMH during their exodus from Thorn Valley, which Nicodemus had tracked down and bought from their descendants. A massive marble desk, with a sealed lock-box of some description sitting atop it, stood in the centre. This had to be the place where Nicodemus conducted all of his research on the Rat's past in secret.
The Rat king went about with his torch, lighting several oil lamps which stood on stands around the room. Once the room was properly illuminated, he gestured at them to gather around the desk.
"This is where it all started," he said, "Forty years ago, when my father, the late King Roterdemus III, was on his deathbed, he named me, his eldest son and heir to the throne of the Empire, the keeper of a great secret passed down through our family over many generations: the secret of the Stone of All Knowledge."
Staring at this place, Josh could tell Nicodemus had been doing some serious research on the origins of the Rats, which explained how he knew about him and where he came from, far surpassing the superstitious nonsense most of his people took for granted. His collection of NIMH-One memorabilia included some mouldy, tattered spacecraft manuals, a laptop computer, parts of tools and equipment, a still-unopened survival kit from one of the pods, and, joy of all joys, a fully preserved spacesuit which had once belonged to Gordon Boniface, among other familiar bits of junk. Although badly corroded from age, totally useless for their original purpose, each artefact had a story to tell.
The rolls of parchment on the drawing boards were more interesting. Looking carefully at the one nearest to him, Josh was stunned as he recognised a hand-made copy of the Vitruvian Man. All of these scrolls, he realised, contained samples of some of mankind's written works, including extracts from Shakespeare, Biblical verses, the periodic table, a DNA model, Isaac Newton's formulas, a world map, and even a drawing of the NIMH-One spececraft. And the only place Nicodemus could have gotten hold of all this was from one likely source…
"Just as my father breathed his last breath, he put this into my hands and those of my late younger brother, Prince Jerald," said Nicodemus, taking a large key from inside his robe and unlocking the lock-box on the desk. Inside, resting on a pillow, was the NIMH-One's most prized piece of cargo – or, rather, a third of the pie-shaped gold-and-nickel Rosetta Disk, engraved with thousands of microscopic texts, which formed the total sum of man's knowledge. Legible only when magnified 1,000 times their normal size, this nanolibrary was intended as a gift to the first civilization mankind would start on this new world. Who might have guessed it would ultimately end up in the hands of intelligent rats created by man himself?
"According to my research, the Stone of All Knowledge was divided between the founders of our empire, whose names have been forgotten over time," explained Nicodemus, "Over the centuries, the three pieces of the Stone have passed through many hands and their trail lost. This piece, dating back to the original founder of Rosebush City, has been in my family for hundreds of years. However, until it came into my possession, no one had been able to figure out the key to its alleged magical powers." Josh couldn't suppress a smirk; the simple fact that the Rosetta Disk could only be read under a microscope had eluded the Rats for nearly two thousand years!
"My brother and I laboured for years, trying to unlock its hidden secrets, but without success. Then, one day, Jerald happened to glance at the Stone through a curved crystal goblet he was drinking from and saw the tiny engravings. With some experimenting, we were able to construct a magnification apparatus, allowing us to read the Stone for the first time." He showed them a peculiar apparatus made of curved glass lenses on the desk, which formed a crude microscope, allowing Nicodemus to read some of the larger portions of the texts.
"Although not perfect, we've since been able to extract some amazing fragments of knowledge, from which we learned the secret to our true beginnings, among other discoveries beyond imagining. After Jerald died, I continued studying the Stone, eventually enlisting the help of Horatio and Jonathan to help me track down the other pieces and make the Stone whole again."
"This brother of yours Jerald, he was Jenner's father, was he not?" asked Josh, finally realising Jenner's hatred of him. Nicodemus nodded solemnly.
"Unfortunately, just as the legend wisely foretold, unlocking the secret of the Stone had a price," he explained, "While I started out with the intention of using all this knowledge for the benefit of my people, there are others who only wanted to exploit the Stone to satisfy their own ambitions, including my nephew. Ever since the death of his father, who was killed attempting to recreate one of the inventions on the Stone – I think it was called gunpowder -, he has become obsessed with power and control, which he wishes to gain with the Stone." Josh frowned; indeed, the Stone did contain a number of secrets, which could wreak havoc if they fell into the wrong hands. Dangerous secrets, such as the physics of the atom bomb, formulas for chemical weapons, and even the darker properties of unobtainium…
"He who manages to recover all three pieces of the Stone will have the power to control the entire planet without competition," concluded Mr Ages, "That's the ultimate dream of power-hungry scoundrels like Jenner, who wants to put an end to the Plan…"
There goes that Plan thing again, thought Josh."But what exactly is this Plan you speak of?" he asked Nicodemus, "And what does it have to do with finding the missing pieces of the Rosetta Disk?"
"Our civilization is dying," explained Nicodemus, "For years we've known that the few green valleys we occupy will not be able to sustain us forever. As you've probably realised, Captain Anderson, our planet has limited habitable land – specifically, any region that has access to a water source, which are scarce in number. With our rapidly growing population, soon there will not be enough farm land to produce the food needed to sustain us – not just Rosebush City, but every Rat settlement around the planet. The only hope for our civilisation is to find the rest of the Stone – to use the same knowledge your fellow humans used long ago, to give life to the rest of our inhospitable world."
Finally, it all made perfect sense: Nicodemus sought the NIMH-One's Rosetta Disk as a way to turn the rest of the barren NIMH-Beta habitable, literally picking up where Josh's crew had left off long ago. Indeed, the Stone did contain all of the science needed for such an endeavour, from greenhouse farming to terraforming. In an ironic twist of fate, the Rats, who had risen from mankind's science in the first place, now sought mankind's help in order to survive. No wonder this Plan was such a touchy subject; Nicodemus literally meant to break an ancient taboo that his people had feared for over 2,000 years, by using mankind's forbidden knowledge to transform their world for the greater benefit of all the Rats. A noble cause, in every respect, but still extremely risky.
"We spent years searching through libraries and archives, trying to determine where the other pieces of the Stone might be," Nicodemus continued, "Our first lead, taken from a journal discovered by Jonathan in an ancient tomb, mentioned there was one piece hidden in the lost Temple of the Great Owl. Thorn Valley, the cradle of life, where it all began, has been our main objective ever since; that's the place where we hope to make a new beginning."
"And so you wish to enlist my help, because of who I am?" asked Josh, finally getting to the bottom of this. It was obvious; as the last surviving member of the NIMH-One's crew, he was a priceless source of information on the Temple, the Stone, NIMH's terraforming work on the planet, and everything else Nicodemus needed to know to set his Plan in motion. An unsettling thought suddenly came over him. What if the Rats would have no further need for him once his usefulness expired? As if reading his mind, Nicodemus approached him.
"Young Joshua, we need your help greatly on this," he said, "My people's future depends on locating the missing fragments of the Stone. Nobody knows of secrets better than you. Help us find it and you'll be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams."
Josh was sceptical; would it really be wise to let the Rats in onto mankind's deepest secrets? Would this planet survive if they were entrusted with the same knowledge that the human race had used to destroy its own world? Jenner had already made it quite clear what he would do if the Stone fell into his hands… Wouldn't he be opening Pandora's Box on the planet by helping his friends locate the rest of the Stone?
"By aiding us in our quest to find the Stone, you will be doing a much greater service that you realise," Nicodemus continued, as if reading his thoughts, "I'm well aware of how Man destroyed his world by waging war against his own brothers, all in the name of power and glory, or simply to satisfy some scientific curiosity – the same reason that prompted you and your crew into coming here in the first place. And now, you fear the Stone, which holds the legacy of your kind's greatest achievements, will ultimately bring the same calamity upon us too?" Josh nodded, impressed by Nicodemus' wise deduction.
"Indeed, the Plan indeed involves a great risk, one that will affect not just our lives, but the lives of every Rat on this planet – and which might ultimately go terribly wrong," admitted the aged king, "However, I believe it would most unwise to give in to our fears now. It just so happens, we aren't the only ones who want the prize of this escapade so badly. Others also have ambitions for the Stone – dark ones at that - and won't rest until they've acquired it. The race is on and we better win it."
"And what if the Stone should end up in the wrong hands?" asked Elizabeth, dreading the answer. Nicodemus fixed her with a grim gaze.
"Then our world would be overrun by death and destruction brought upon by the greedy and the power-hungry, who will rise as the new rulers, exploiting all that knowledge for power. Captain Anderson is our best bet in giving us a cutting edge over any other competitors, which is why I believe in putting aside our ancestors' biased, prejudiced beliefs towards humans and having him on our side. Assuming, of course, he agrees to the task," he added. They all turned to look at the man in question, waiting for his answer.
Josh thought hard on this. This was one great responsibility Nicodemus was asking of him, with no telling what the final outcome might be. He thought of his crew and how they had died trying to make this planet their new home; he thought of all the people back on Earth who had placed their faith in them, probably long extinct by now after depleting the last of the Earth's resources. He couldn't finish the job they'd entrusted to him, but perhaps he could do it for these humanoid rodents instead, to ensure that his crew – and mankind as a whole – didn't die in vain. His chances of continuing the human race were slim to none; but all least, he could make sure mankind's otherwise wasted legacy – the good part if it anyway – didn't fade into oblivion. And, in the process, perhaps he could ensure humans were not remembered as just something foul and evil.
"Very well, I'll help you find the rest of the Stone," he finally said to Nicodemus, "I'll also help you in any way I can to develop the science you'll need to carry out the Plan. However," he added, "I'll only do this on the following two conditions." Brutus gave him a stern glare; obviously, he didn't approve of this human bargaining with their sovereign King in such a bold manner. Nicodemus however listened patiently as Josh stated his terms.
"Firstly, if and when we do find the other pieces, I want your word that all this knowledge will be used fairly and responsibly for the greater benefit of all, and that mankind's credit in creating it will be acknowledged. And second," he went on, "before we take another step in setting the Plan in motion, we'll make the rescue of Elizabeth's children our top priority." Elizabeth hugged him lovingly, grateful that he wasn't letting Nicodemus' Plan sidetrack them from going after her missing children.
Nicodemus seemed to find his terms reasonable and nodded without argument, "Consider your terms granted. Indeed, you're entitled to a share of the Stone, as it belonged to your people. I have absolutely no intention of stealing away what is rightfully still yours. If we triumph, I promise, you'll also reap your fair share of the rewards the Stone will bring to our world – you'll have your chance to rebuild the life you've lost. As for rescuing Mrs Brisby's children, I believe I have a sound plan worked out."
Although still somewhat sceptical, Josh couldn't hope for a better agreement. The deal was as fair as it could get. If he wanted to be part of this world, then he would have to earn his place here – he had to prove that man was something more than what the Rats' biblical scriptures stated. Nicodemus was offering him the perfect opportunity to make that happen. And the sooner they got started the better.
"So," he said, "What is your plan to rescue the children, Nicodemus? How do we find the Exiles' lair?"
"If you'd like to accompany me on a little trip down to the lake province, I shall show you," said the Rat King, grabbing his torch and leading them back upstairs. They followed him out of the study and down to a stable in the depths of the palace, where Arthur had a rabbit-drawn royal carriage waiting.
Soon, they were galloping along the main street of the City, making their way towards the drawbridge where Josh and his party had entered the night before. With their driver manning the reins of the four elegant white rabbits pulling them along and with Justin and Brutus riding on the roof, on guard duty, Nicodemus, Josh, Mr Ages and Elizabeth sat comfortably in the cabin of the royal coach.
As they rode along, Josh could see civilians in the street giving the carriage weary glances. No doubt they knew he was inside, riding with the King, causing them great unrest. As they passed a group of young Rats playing in a square, they heard the banging sound of stones being thrown at the carriage, the boys screaming about heretics and dirty humans. Justin and Brutus wasted no time and sprang into action, shooing the boys away on threat of arrest for defacing royal property.
Josh felt sorry for Nicodemus; from the looks of things, not only was he was under immense pressure from the Council for letting him stay, but from his own people as well. He hoped they could get this show on the road as soon as possible, before things got worse.
They crossed the drawbridge, riding out into the lava-strewn countryside, making their way towards the nearby green valley. The shadow of the dead volcano overlooking the City loomed in the distance, its crater partially obscured by clouds. Josh thought he could see some smoke and steam coming from the summit, implying it might not be completely extinct, but shrugged it off. Right now, he had bigger problems to worry about. Where was Nicodemus taking him? And how did this excursion tie in with his promised plan to rescue Elizabeth's children?
Following a rough dirt road, they made their way down into the valley, heading towards a lake. Josh suddenly realised this was the same lake where he'd first landed on the new world a fortnight ago. Like the Lee of the Stone, this valley was dotted with scattered farming and fishing communities who lived off the land and lake. However, in contrast to Elizabeth's secluded farm, this district was under the Rats' jurisdiction, represented by a local prefect, with a garrison stationed at a nearby fortress, providing the local peasants with protection against Exile raids, as well as collecting their taxes, according to Nicodemus.
The carriage stopped and the group, flanked by bodyguards, made their way down to the lakeshore. Sure enough, Josh soon found himself standing on the very same shoreline where he'd washed up after crash-landing. However, the formerly deserted shore had since undergone a great transformation.
Dozens of Rat labourers and workmen, probably peasants hired hands from nearby villages, were hard at work, assembling heavy lifting equipment in the form of pulleys, cranes, winches, I-beams, preparing for a big salvage operation it seemed. Some of them were working on a large floating platform they had set up out on the lake, erecting large wooden cranes on makeshift derricks they had built in the water. In an instant, Josh understood. They were going to try and raise his downed pod from its watery grave!
"So this is what you meant when you said the rescue would require putting my skills to the test," he exclaimed, turning to look at Nicodemus who nodded. Josh had to give the Rat King credit; rather than send troops up in the Dark Mountains, whose chances of locating the Exiles' hideout were slim to none, what better way than to use his guest's hyper-advanced flying machine? The thought of flying again made the blood race through Josh's veins. Then again, he couldn't help but feel there might still be some problems to overcome, namely the pod's questionable working condition.
Flashing back to the violent passage through the storm, the near-fatal re-entry and the ditching in the lake, he knew his pod had taken quite a beating, pushing it way beyond her safety limits. Although she'd come down in one piece, there was no telling how much damage she had sustained. Could she still fly? He hadn't had time to assess the damage before abandoning ship, but knew she had been exposed to a number of hazards, any of which could have taken its toll on the Scout. The lack of tools and spare parts would make repairing her a serious problem.
A local fisherman had prepared a rowboat for them, which stood waiting at the water's edge. Josh, Justin and Brutus helped Elizabeth, Mr Ages and Nicodemus aboard and they cast off. With Justin and Josh rowing, they made their way out to the floating platform above the wreck site. The workers had just finished setting up the last of the six heavy-load cranes, standing in trios in opposite rows above the sunken pod.
A couple of swimmers took turns diving down to the wreck, sliding thick ropes lined with leather padding under the submerged fuselage, where the crane hoists would be attached to. On the platform, Josh saw more workmen rigging up some crude floatation aids fashioned out of empty wine barrels, made watertight by tarring them up.
"First, we're going to lift it using the hoists," explained Ages, who was supervising the operation, "Then, we'll slide the floatation aids, which I personally designed for this project, underneath, and tow the thing ashore with the winches. The rest is up to you, Josh."
"You really think it will fly?" asked Brutus doubtfully, thinking of their last eventful flight on the glider. For once, Josh couldn't help but share his sentiments.
"Hard to say," he said, thinking up top of his head, "I don't know. Maybe, if the fuel cells still work, the heat shield isn't cracked and the guidance system isn't shot… We'll have to wait until we've brought her ashore and dried her out first, so I can get a better look at her."
Soon, Ages' salvage crew were ready to roll. The pulleys were securely fastened into place and the winch operators were at their posts. The hand-operated winches that controlled the pulleys were a special design of Nicodemus', who had copied it off of one of Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings he'd found on the Stone, adding a touch of modern technology to their otherwise primitive equipment. Mr Ages stood on the edge of the platform, waving a pair of white flags, one in each hand, directing the crane operators.
"Ready? Lift! Come on, put your backs into it!"
Each crane, manned by a pair of thickset Rats, hulking beasts of labour, sprang into action. Putting all their muscle power into the winches, they began winding up the pulleys. Josh and the others watched as the ropes stretched tight, the cranes' flimsy wooden structures straining and buckling against the pod's massive weight, looking as if they were about to give way at any second. But they held.
Inch by inch, the operators fought with the pulleys. Beneath their feet, under the water, the Scout slowly began rising from her watery tomb. Suddenly, the roof of her white fuselage broke the surface. Josh felt a sense of awe as he watched his pod rise out of the water like a whale. Her titanium skin was all scorched and drenched in algae, but otherwise she looked intact. The hatch was open, just as he'd left it after bailing out, the cockpit dark and swamped with water, with no working lights or power, but at least no signs of major structural damage. Just a sleeping ship waiting to be revived…hopefully. But before any congratulations could be exchanged however, trouble struck.
Without warning, one of the pulleys, overtaxed by all that weight, finally snapped and came loose. This consequently put more weight on the remaining five cranes, causing them to buckle. With the load now unbalanced, the waterlogged spacecraft tilted nose-down, about to slide off the support cables holding her up and sink back to the deep.
The Rats went hectic. With Ages yelling instructions, the workers sprang into action, struggling to secure the barrels in place, to keep her from sinking. For a moment, it seemed all was lost but then the pod stopped, one end hanging loosely from the cranes, the other held up by the floatation aids. With the situation momentarily under control, the Rats quickly fastened more buoyancy aids along the hull. Before they could lose a second crane, the strain on the pulleys lessened as the pod sat bogging up in the water, held afloat by twelve floatation barrels.
"All right, let's bring her in!"
Ropes were tied around the Scout's fuselage, trailing all the way to the shore, where a second group of workers with another, larger winch stood ready to haul their prize ashore. Making sure the barrels were all strapped tightly into place, Ages gave the order to start. The Rats began pulling her in. But the worst wasn't over yet.
Only a few yards short of the shore, one of the harnesses snapped, causing two of the barrels to break loose. The pod began listing. This, in turn, created a domino effect, causing the rest of the barrels to start breaking loose one by one. And this time there was no recovery. The two workers standing atop her, making sure the lines were secure, abandoned their post and jumped overboard, to avoid being sucked down with her. In an instant, the pod was once again sinking.
From their boat, Josh and his group watched the entire salvage operation about to go to waste. In another minute, the pod would sink back to the bottom and their best hope of saving the children would be lost. But Josh, having gotten this far, was not about to let that happen. Before Justin or the others could stop him, he had removed his cloak and cap and dove into the lake.
Swimming up to his sinking pod, he reached for a maintenance panel built underneath the service module. Popping a release button on the edge of the panel, the cover popped open, revealing a small control port inside, with a bank of manual controls. There was no point trying any of the cockpit controls; the auxiliary power was long drained, so nothing worked. But the manual overrides, which didn't require power, were another story. Holding his breath, he got to work.
With the pod quickly sinking above his head, threatening to pin him beneath her when she hit the bottom, Josh reached for a hand-wound lever inside the port. This was the override for the hydraulics; a bypass system for hand-cranking the landing gear down in an emergency. This was his chance.
Grabbing the red lever, he pulled it up, turned it clockwise and pushed it back down. Another five seconds and he'd be pinned to the bottom by his own ship and drowned, if not crushed… Suddenly, there was a loud hissing noise like compressed air venting out of a tank, as the hydraulics repressurised and the landing gear deployed. Three housing panels sprang open and the undercarriage came down, locking into place. Just as the pod was about to disappear beneath the surface, the landing gear touched bottom, arresting the sinking.
The Rats watched with awe as Josh dove into the lake to save his sinking ship. Elisabeth screamed in terror. The Rats looked on with astonishment. What was that crazy human playing at? Surely, he didn't expect to hold that hulking contraption afloat with his bare hands! Then, much to everyone's amazement, the pod suddenly stopped sinking. What had happened?
For a few seconds, nobody dared move or speak; then, they saw a grinning Josh resurface, giving them the thumbs-up. The pod was secure; although it would take a double hernia hauling her ashore, at least now she stood back on her own undercarriage, with wheels on which to winch her out of the water. Elizabeth screamed with delight.
"Oh, Josh, you're all right!" she explained, grabbing him into a hug as Justin and Brutus pulled him back into the boat, "You gave me such a scare!"
"You crazy human! What were you thinking?" growled Brutus, yet Josh could tell he was just as impressed as everyone else. On the shore, many of the workers, who had seen what Josh had done, were cheering. Nicodemus merely sat watching the whole show in silence, a smile on his face. Only Ages, still standing on the platform, wasn't joining in the cheering, utterly mesmerised by the sight of the beached pod, staring at it as if it were a priceless treasure. But Josh couldn't care less at the moment, realising just how cold the water had been, as he snuggled deeper into Elizabeth's warm embrace, shivering.
Sometime later, after Josh had dried out and Ages and his workers had put their shambled equipment back together, they all gathered on the shore for the final phase of the salvage: haul the pod out of the water and onto dry land. On Josh's instructions, the workers had slid weighted planking under the wheels, forming a makeshift ramp for the pod to slide onto. A second winch cannibalised from the wrecked crane was added alongside the first, doubling the pull force. The operators took up their positions and resumed work.
Heaving frantically, they watched as the pod inched forward along the ramp, slowly rising out of the water. The Rats heaved with all their might, intent on seeing the job complete. They all watched, expecting anything to go wrong at any second and ruin everything. But the worst was finally behind them. Soon, they had Alpha Scout, the last remaining fragment of the Nimh-One spacecraft, safely back on dry land, dripping water and drenched in algae, but otherwise intact.
By this time, many curious spectators had gathered, curious to see the alien contraption. Josh could hear whispering all around, as locals pointed at the pod, bearing the foreboding owl crest of the NIMH-One, and back at him, many fearful. Although this was all being done under the direct authority of the King, many still felt uneasy about aiding this human. What did Nicodemus possibly hope to gain through this heresy he was openly committing without shame?
Once the local garrison had shooed the annoying spectators away and they had finished bailing out the water from the cockpit with buckets, Josh, tools in hand, was able to start examining the dead pod, assessing the damage. To his good fortune, there was no damage to the fuselage or heat shield, other than some ugly scorching and ruined paintwork caused by the sloppy re-entry; likewise, the infrastructure was undamaged, the pod appearing structurally sound and still fit to fly…structurally at least.
The next step was to check all the onboard systems, to determine whether she could be revived or not. To do this, Josh would have to restore power; thankfully, there was an override switch for disengaging the emergency shut-off valves that had disabled the fuel cells in flight. If he could get the generators going again, he could then check the avionics and guidance system. But first, they would have to wait until the pod had thoroughly dried out; no point risking further damage to the irreplaceable, delicate electronic hardware from shorts, without which the pod couldn't fly.
With night approaching, they decided to call it a day and return to Rosebush City, and come back the following morning to finish the repairs. Leaving the pod under the watchful eye of a dozen guards, to keep any curious spectators from vandalising her for souvenirs, they took Nicodemus' carriage back to the City, thinking of what a good day it had turned out to be.
Upon their return to the palace however, they met with an unpleasant surprise. Entering the throne room, they were confronted by Jenner and several stern-faced Council Rats, which, Josh remembered, had been among those who had voted against him during yesterday's hearing. The sinister Rat General had a smug smile on his face, as he approached his Uncle with an official scroll, bearing the Council seal. No doubt he had some bad news for them.
"Your madness has gone far enough," he sneered nastily, "I ordered the Council to revise their decision in your absence and the majority agree with me. Therefore, we've passed this Executive Act. Your human has to go." He handed Nicodemus the scroll, who opened it and read aloud.
"What is the meaning of this outrage, Jenner?" demanded Justin angrily, furious that Jenner had been pulling the strings behind his Uncle's back again, "The Council has already agreed by majority that Josh can stay, as long as he's under our constant supervision…"
"Not if the Council thinks the creature…ahem, I mean, Captain Anderson is a bad influence to the people," explained one of the Council Rats on Jenner's side, stammering at the use of the word "creature", as he caught sight of Nicodemus' disappointed expression, "There have been protests from civilians and peasants alike, seeing your human walking around free."
"Protests fuelled by you spreading more of your foul lip, no doubt," retorted Justin, glaring at Jenner. The Councilmen however would not be swayed.
"The air is buzzing with fear and unrest. The fact that the human is under your personal protection is only tainting your good image, Nicodemus. This folly of yours must stop at once."
"You can't do that!" exclaimed Mr Ages, "Don't you realise, you fools? Captain Anderson is the key to our future! And yet you insufferable, bone-brained morons still dwell on your superstitious fears…?"
"Nicodemus has the final say in any decision the Council makes," said Justin coolly, challenging Jenner, "He has the authority to void this Act of yours if he sees fit…"
"True," said Jenner, his face curling into a mean smile, "But at the expense of his already dwindling popularity, I'm afraid. This heresy you're flirting with, Uncle, is quickly opening everyone's eyes to what you've become: blind and ineffective. Keep this up, and they'll soon be demanding your abdication and the next heir to ascend as king."
Nicodemus, despite his calm demeanour, couldn't help but frown. True, the Council had the power to force his abdication if the majority deemed him ineffective in fulfilling his duties, or that he posed a danger to the kingdom – thanks to an emergency law he himself had placed in the stature books. With Isabella still unmarried, and thus not ready to become queen, the only suitable heir would be Jenner, which could ruin everything. For a moment, he felt, as a human might put it, like a rat caught in a trap.
"Taking into account all the generous favours you've done the Council over the years, however," continued the Council representative, this time in a more sympathetic tone, "We have decided on the following ultimatum: you and your human are given exactly three days time to execute this rescue mission you're planning. If the human is to stay, then the Council needs proof of his trustworthiness, and above all, of his importance to the Plan." Josh wanted to yell at this little imbecile that he was technically the only person alive who could help them find the Stone, but remembering Nicodemus' warning of absolute secrecy, kept quiet. The Rat king considered for a moment.
"Very well, I accept the conditions of the Council," he said finally, "But until the deadline expires, on my direct authority, it's my command that absolutely nobody is to touch Josh or hinder our efforts in the rescue mission for the Brisby children."
"And if they're no satisfactory results by the time the deadline expires, which, I have every confidence, there won't be," added Jenner, stating his own terms, "Then I'll be taking the human into my personal custody. And, mark my words, Uncle, I'll make sure to prove to the public exactly what a foul and dangerous creature he really is!" Without another word, he and his Council cronies departed.
Josh's group sat in silence, feeling at a total loss at this latest news. Brutus rounded on Nicodemus, "I told you passing those emergency laws was downright foolish! A leader never permits anyone to question his authority, if he wishes to retain it. Jenner is now going to use your own laws against you!"
"Can't you do something, your Majesty?" begged Elizabeth, "Maybe revoke that law, or override the Council's decision…?" Nicodemus shook his head sadly.
"I'm afraid the only way to revoke any law in the stature books is by winning the Council's approval by majority – it's all part of another law I passed, in the hopes of ultimately initiating the birth of a free Constitution upon my passing. I learned it from another engraving on the Stone, detailing the philosophy of the ancient Greeks…"
"Well, we're surely not going to be winning any favours by majority now," said Justin grimly, "That insufferable, cunning scoundrel has already poisoned the entire City against Josh – against us. Who knows what he'll plan next…"
There's no point arguing about this," said Mr Ages, "We're on a tight time limit. The way I see it, the only way to get those Council boobies out of our fur once and for all is the ultimate success of this rescue mission." He turned to Josh, "How long will it take you to repair your flying machine?"
Josh considered, "Assuming we can get her going again, under normal circumstances, I would have insisted on a few test flights before embarking on this mission. Going by the checklist, it could take up to a week."
"A week!?" they all shouted in unison, "But we don't have that much time!"
"However, there's a way around it," Josh continued, pulling out a soggy flight ops manual he had salvaged from the pod's cockpit. Although submerged in water for nearly two weeks, the plastic lining of the paper had kept the manual from disintegrating. Even the print wasn't smudged. Slamming it down on a nearby table, he flipped through the pages, consulting the checklist.
"If we skip all the trial flights and all the maintenance and safety inspections, literally going by a barebones checklist and hope our luck holds out, we can cut that time down to two days," he said. The others looked at each other, sceptically. Maybe their friend was pushing his luck too far, skipping all the safety inspections?
Josh continued, "For the flight, we'll need power, propulsion, flight controls, and the guidance system. Everything else is just icing on the cake. The good news is, there are automatic backups built into all the systems. If something's broken, the redundancies can compensate…"
"Wait a minute. Are you suggesting we fly up into the Dark Mountains in an untested ship?" asked Brutus, "That thing has already crashed once…!"
"She was flying just fine until the electromagnetic storm that sent me hurdling though time disrupted key systems in flight. If we can restore power, theoretically, she should fly as good as she did before. Besides, even if we knew something was damaged, there wouldn't be much we could do about it anyway, so we might as well chance it. She's our only hope of finding the children in time." Although sceptical, but realising they had no other choices, the Rats finally decided to go ahead with Josh's radical plan.
"So, what's the next step?"
"First, we'll have to fashion some kind of radio and set up a Mission Control, to monitor the flight," said Josh, "I have most of the components I need in my kit, but I may also need to cannibalize a few things from your trinket collection, Nicodemus, if you don't mind."
The Rat King nodded without hesitation, "Anything you need is at your disposal. What else?"
"I'll need all the inside intel you've got on the Exiles and their territory," said Josh, "Names, possible locations of their hideout, their strengths, abilities, everything you know. Also, I'll need some kind of close-combat weapon I can use for the infiltration. Wish I still had my gun…"
"Leave that to Brutus and me," said Justin, "The Royal Garrison has got plenty of weapons in our arsenal, as well as experienced combat trainers to train you how to use them. We'll have a full soldier's kit prepared for you by tomorrow morning."
"Well, it looks like we all have a lot of chores to do before we sleep," said Nicodemus, "We might as well get started…"
It was very late by the time the utterly exhausted Josh made his way to his quarters to get some shuteye. They had spent all the afternoon going over rudimentary maps of the Dark Mountains, listing all the possible locations of the Exiles' lair, where Josh would search when he went up the mountain. Making the journey up there by air would be relatively easy; but then, there was still the question of infiltrating the hideout. As no one had ever seen the Exile's stronghold and lived to tell the tale, little was known of the inside of the enemy lair, which Josh could only determine once he found it…if he did. A Hail Mary pass, to say the least, but at least they had a plan worked out.
Close to dropping, Josh bid Elizabeth goodnight and left to return to his quarters, eager to get as many hours of sleep as possible. He had a big day tomorrow and wanted to be as rested and refreshed as possible. In fact, he was so tired, he was completely caught off-guard when he opened the door, only to discover he had a visitor.
It was the servant girl, Ms Mousekewitz, standing over at the table in the study, where Josh had laid out his dismantled space suit for cleaning and inspecting, curiously going over the different parts of the alien suit, not unlike how Timothy and Martin had done with his survival kit back on the farm. Hearing Josh's footsteps, she spun round in alarm, uttering a gasp. Obviously she knew she was not supposed to be in here, much less touching the personal belongings of a royal guest.
"Oh…Oh…" she stammered, hastily trying to take off the visor she had been trying on for fun, only to find it was struck. In her fright of being caught red-handed, she tripped over the life support pack at her feet, and fell to the floor, still struggling to get the incriminating helmet off, looking utterly embarrassed, "Oh, sir, I'm so sorry, I've no business…"
Josh, although trying hard not to laugh at the sight of her head stuck in his oversized helmet, wasn't feeling too happy that she'd been touching his things without permission. Elizabeth's children having a little fun he could understand; but a girl her age should know better! His meagre equipment was more valuable to him that ever and he didn't need any curious spectators poking around for souvenirs every time he left the room. He stood over her with his arms crossed.
"May I ask what you think you're doing in here, young lady? My stuff is not on exhibit, you know!" He had a good mind of reporting her to Arthur, when she dropped on her knees before him, grabbing him by the hem of his cloak, her face fearful.
"Please, sir, I beg you," she pleaded, "Don't report me! I'll lose my job for sure, maybe get whipped…!" Josh frowned at the mention of whipping, making a mental note to have a little chat with Nicodemus later, as to how servants were treated around here. Deciding it best to let it slide, he helped her to her feet.
"There, there now, it's all right, you aren't in any trouble." Carefully, he helped her out of the visor, which had gotten snagged on a lock of her long hair, "Your name's Tanya, I think?"
"Yes, sir, Tanya Mousekewitz, formerly of the House of Mousekewitz," said the girl, as Josh put the visor aside and politely offered her a chair to sit down. Although she still seamed rather weary of him, perhaps by finding herself alone in the same room with a potentially unpredictable human, she was quickly regaining her confidence at Josh's kind nature, "What kind of suit of armour is this?"
"Josh laughed, "It's not a suit of armour, although it does protect you from some of nature's worst hazards. It's called a spacesuit, which we use to breathe and withstand the cold of the vacuum of space." To demonstrate better, he tapped a series of keys on the touchpad, causing the suit lights to turn on, causing Tanya to yelp in surprise at the peculiar phenomenon of electricity.
"This is so fascinating!" she cried, running her hands over the illuminated lights and dials of the suit in wonder, "I've never seen the like… This is real magic!" Josh chuckled.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it magic, but, in a sense, yes, it can be so," he said, admiring her spirit, "But I don't suppose you've come here to ask for my autograph, right?"
"Actually, I've been wanting to talk with you…"
Tanya hadn't always been a servant; a native of a faraway mouse city called Minsk, she was the eldest daughter of a wealthy landowner, along with her younger brother Fievel. A little over a year ago, the family's good life had come to an end when a revolution had broken out against their king. Her parents, passive resistance individuals, were killed by the rebels and their property seized, forcing the children to flee into exile.
En route to Rosebush City, hoping to start a new life, the two young immigrants had run foul of an Exile raiding party. Somehow, Tanya had managed to get away and barely made her way across the desert until she was found by Justin's garrison and brought to Rosebush City. But her little brother had been lost.
"Fievel was taken by the Exiles," she finished her story, holding back tears, "Justin took pity on me and helped me get this job, as a maid to Princess Isabella…" She broke down sobbing at the memory. Josh felt for her; losing her home and family like this was cruel and unjust, furthering his hatred of the Exiles even more. He swore the next time he met up with those scoundrels, he'd give them a taste of their own medicine.
Tanya wiped her eyes and turned to him again, "Captain Anderson, I need your help. I want you to help me find my missing brother and bring him back." Although Josh was obviously willing to help her out, he couldn't help but point out the odds hardly seemed promising. After all, what were the chances of a child surviving in Exile captivity for so long? Unlikely, to say the least.
"You think your brother's still alive?"
"I know he's alive," insisted Tanya, "And I can't live with myself any longer, knowing he's somewhere out there, living as a slave. He's the only family I've got left. I know they're sending you up there to save those children; you can find him. Please!" Although feeling for her, Josh wasn't sure if it was worth jeopardizing his mission by going out of his way to find a boy who, for all he knew, was already dead.
"Tanya, please don't get me wrong, I do sympathize with your loss. But you must understand it's highly unlikely your brother's…" But Tanya, not wanting to hear the rest of it, got down on her knees again, begging him with crossed hands, looking as if she was about to cry.
"For the love of the Great Mouse of Minsk, I implore you! I promised Mama and Papa I would look after him. The Council have bluntly refused all my requests to send out a rescue party to find him, and I haven't any money to bribe them. Bring him back to me and I'll do anything you want, even serve you as your slave for the rest of my life if you wish..."
Josh wanted to point out that he'd probably only be bringing back her brother's remains for her to bury; Elizabeth's children would be damned lucky if they were still alive themselves. But, seeing her desperation, he decided to try a more optimistic approach. Gently, he took her hand.
"Honey, you don't have to beg me like that, nor offer up your life and freedom to me in a bargain," he said, revolted by the fact that she was prepared to go as far as to offer herself up to him as a slave in exchange for his services, simply because those Council cowards wouldn't help her. Unfortunately, in this world, it was only money and power that counted, neither of which applied to her anymore. But not if he had something to say about this… After all, he was still a soldier of honour. Making up his mind, he spoke plain.
"Although I can't promise you that I'll find him, if he's still alive, then I will do everything within my power to bring him back to you safely. And that is the word of a British officer, whose honour is his Bible," he said, reciting an old army motto of his long-gone countrymen.
Tanya was utterly amazed that this human was actually willing to risk his life to find her brother, without even naming a price. Growing up in a world where the rich and the powerful were the ones in control, she had often seen those less fortunate than her offering themselves into slavery, to pay off debts, or just so their families might have something to eat. Offering herself into the servitude of this strange human with 'magical' powers had seemed like the only option. After all, she was an able-bodied servant, who could cook, wash and care for a household, not to mention her good looks… And yet, Josh willing to help her for nothing.
"So…so you will find Fievel for me?"
"There are many things that are so badly wrong and unjust in this world of yours, Tanya," said Josh, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "And I, for one, have every intention of doing by best to put them right…"
Author's note: Sorry about the delay but life's been hectic lately. Coming up next, the rescue mission gets underway! I've decided to make this story into a crossover with more mouse characters. The characters of An American Tail belong to Don Bluth. Enjoy and please review! Merry Christmas!