DF237 - Baby Wants To Ride (Patreon)

They brought Cheia in for the discussion about deploying the Whiskerwind. Partly because, as its captain, she was the most knowledgeable source of the ship’s capacities. But the other part of it was that half the council didn’t believe that a girl that young had a Class that had taken Zamarra through its greatest naval engagement.

Aris got to greet her first, of course, and stayed beside her as she presented herself to the council. Anton was impressed by how she stood proudly under the scrutiny of the gathered nobles. And himself as the King, of course, but Anton knew he would always be her older sister’s boyfriend in Cheia’s eyes.

The rest of the table looked at Cheia with Nobility’s Privilege, but Anton saw more than they did.

Cheia Anat, Level 16, Human, Original Ship’s Gunner, Doxy/Original Gunner’s Apprentice/Original Ship’s Gunner, S: 17 T: 5 A: 21 D: 28 P: 27 W: 21 C: 14

“That’s… six levels from the battle, then?” he confirmed for anyone who couldn’t see for themselves.

Cheia nodded. “I’m third Tier, now,” she stated proudly. “Same as you two.”

Aris ruffled her sister’s hair. “Don’t get cocky now; we’re still twelve levels higher than you.”

“So young,” Elara murmured, reminding the sisters that the rest of the council was there.

“Um, well,” Cheia said, pushing Aris away and standing up straight. “There were a lot of Tier Twos and Threes on those boats, and we killed a lot of them. Even shared with the rest of the crew, it’s a lot of levels.”

Killing was always the fastest way to gain levels, Anton knew. And Cheia was likely getting experience from firing her gun, giving her the same double experience that Aris had been getting through her second Tier.

“Take a seat, Cheia,” Anton said. “With the Elitrans approaching, we’re discussing how to deploy the Whiskerwind.”

Kelsey waited until Cheia was sitting down before she spoke up. “We shouldn’t deploy it. Not outside the harbour, at least.”

“What?” Cheia exclaimed, shocked into forgetting decorum. “Holding us back like that would mean cutting our mobility! That’s the only reason I’m still alive?”

“Explain that for the others,” Anton said, over Aris’s shocked gasp.

“Sail is great, I guess, but the wind only blows in one direction. I don’t really get how sailboats can go in other directions, but they can. But they’re really bad at it. However Kelsey’s boat works, I can just point it where I want and go in that direction. I can speed up or slow down as I like, and it just happens. And the Decksweeper can fire ahead or to either side. So we can dash in, fire, and then dash out again before they can do anything.”

Cheia took a deep breath.

“But if we’re cooped up in the harbour, we won’t be able to do any of that.”

“All true, grasshopper,” Kelsey said. “But nobody knows how dangerous the Whiskerwind is like the Elitrans do. They wouldn’t have brought a fleet if they didn’t have a counter.”

“And what might this counter be?” Duke Ariman asked. ‘We can hardly hold back our strongest weapon out of fear of a defence.”

“I don’t know,” Kelsey admitted. “Magic? But until we do, we can’t afford to engage unless the cannon is available to back her up. The Elitrans don’t know about that, and I doubt the Tiatians are going to tell them.”

“Never underestimate the utility of spies,” Count Hartwell said. “For much of its existence, intelligence was the only advantage the Rose Circle had.”

He turned to his mage. “What do you think of the idea that the Elitrans can defend with magic?”

Killian stroked his neatly trimmed beard. “It’s possible,” he mused. “If they had a mage for each ship, or at least the ones on the outer perimeter. Elitrans have always fielded mages in greater numbers than other nations.”

“I wonder why,” Kelsey said sourly. “Well, I have some experience in penetrating mage shields, but I’d rather do that with the cannon than with the Decksweeper.”

“If I can add one thing,” Suliel said. “In our last battle, one of the reasons we had the Whiskerwind operate outside of the range of the cannon was so we didn’t accidentally hit it. With the levels gained from battle, the crew have gained Traits that aid in accurate aiming, so I think we can operate in the same area with greater safety.”

“That’s comforting, but it still puts me almost entirely out of the battle,” Cheia complained.

“I think it’s a fine idea,” Aris said. “That way, Mom won’t be worrying about you.”

“Aris!”

“Both of you,” Anton said firmly. “Aris, Cheia is a fully fledged third Tier now. It’s not appropriate for you to treat her as a child. But I do think it unwise for us to risk our only naval asset. Unless the situation changes, we’ll keep Whiskerwind in the harbour.”

Cheia opened her mouth to protest, but the glares from the noble side of the table reminded her of where she was.

“Yes, sire,” she finally said.

“This wouldn’t be an issue if the Whiskerwind wasn’t our only naval asset,” Anton said, looking at Kelsey, who threw up her hands.

“Give me time, and I can tool up your shipwrights to make some decent hulls,” she said. “Once that’s done, we can bring up engines and guns to put on them. Just remember your logistics. You’ll need ammo, fuel and people. I can only provide two of those, and not in unlimited quantities.”

“Where do we find more fuel?”

“I don’t know,” Kelsey said seriously. “I haven’t found any underground oil deposits; I don’t know if they exist. The fuel I’m making now is biodiesel—you can make that from any kind of organic waste.”

“Organic waste… wait, so when you cleaned up the sewers…”

“All of that got processed,” Kelsey confirmed. “Gets processed. Having an army sitting above me has been a great help. Waste not, want not!”

“You mean the Whiskerwind is powered by…” Cheia paused, searching for the right word to use in polite company, “Excrement?”

“Exactly. Makes the fact that we’re still using that stupid name easier to bear.”

“But that’s… horrible! Terrible! Disgusting!”

“Grow up, kid,” Kelsey said. “There’s nothing left of the original material when I’m done processing it.”

“I had wondered why we weren’t getting the usual complaints about overflowing toilets,” Duke Ariman said. “But if we could now move on. Captain Anat, if you could return to your ship and make sure the crew is ready.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Cheia said, dipping her head.

As she left, Anton heard her mutter, “Not sure if I want to, now.” It was said softly enough that his Perception was the only reason he managed to pick it up. From the supressed smiles around the table, he wasn’t the only one with the Perception to hear her.

“What’s next?” he asked.

“Scouting.” Count Hartwell laid out a map on the table. “The… Balloon is a great help, but we need to confirm that Prince Mazir really has left. And I know you believe the Elitrans will land here, but we should set up runners around the coast in case they decide to land elsewhere.”

“It would be just too convenient for the Elitrans to land right where our main force is,” Duke Ariman rumbled. “We need to be prepared for them to do the sensible thing.”

“I’m not against it,” Anton agreed. “But do we have enough scouts? We had to repurpose our foresters for the role before you arrived.”

“We don’t,” Count Hartwell agreed. “On the coast, we can place a knight with a horse and a small squad to defend him at regular intervals along the coast.”

It took a moment for Anton to grasp the idea. “I see. When the fleet is sighted, the knight rides back to send word. What happens if the fleet lands?”

“The soldiers withdraw, either back here or into the interior. They’re not going to stop even a single ship of soldiers.”

“Radios would help with that,” Kelsey said, looking with interest at the map. Anton wondered if she was copying it. It was more detailed than most maps he’d seen.

“What are radios?” Duke Ariman asked.

“Like we use to talk to the balloon. That uses a wire, because there is one right there, but we can send voice over the air. It’s how we talk to the Whiskerwind in battle.”

“There is magic to do such, but it is costly,” Magister Killian said. “Equipping each team with a magical device would take a team of Enchanters a month or more.”

“Is range an issue?” the duke asked.

“It shouldn’t be. I haven’t tested any transmissions that go over the horizon, but it should work. Bulk is a factor; the batteries are still pretty heavy…”

“Are the radios ready to go right now?” Anton asked. “Because the teams need to leave quickly if they’re to get into position in time.”

“Aaaahhhh, no.” Kelsey waved her hand in defeat. “It would take a day or two to get them ready. A week if I want to do proper testing. I could make one of those hand cranks like they had in the war movies…”

“Put it on the schedule then, for after the Elitrans are dealt with,” Anton told Meryn. He would trust in the power of the schedule.

“Riders, then,” the duke confirmed. “They’ll be more use out there than behind the walls.”

“Agreed. Does that mean you want to send out what scouts we do have after Prince Mazir?”

“Yes. We need to send a large enough group that they can split up and follow different trails, as circumstances dictate.”

“What’s your minimum size group? We have so few that they’ve mostly been operating independently.”

“That can work,” the duke allowed, “But if they get spotted, they can be taken out, and you don’t get a report. With a pair, one following the other, the second one can report back if the leader gets killed or caught. And a three-person team grants even more redundancy.”

“I think we have six scouts, all up?” Anton said.

“Only if you count Zaphar,” Kelsey said. “Don’t. Send him with Aris.”

“Why?”

“For one, he’s not really made for forests,” she said. “For another—story stuff.”

“I don’t follow,” Anton said. The rest of the table had blank faces as well, but Anton had at least an idea of what Kelsey was talking about.

“That supply depot is on the route you’ll take when you head for Bures,” Kelsey said. “You’re sending Aris ahead of you—a harbringer. Sending Zaphar along with her signals you’re taking him to Bures, where your next big event is. Sending him after Mazir makes it look like you’re sidelining him, and you-know-who won’t like that.”

Duke Ariman cleared his throat. “I have enough scouts to bring your five up to eighteen. Three teams of six, that can be split once more. With your permission, I’d like to split your people up between the teams, as they will know the local area better.

“That sounds fine,” Anton said, still looking at Kelsey. “How much of this is guesswork on your part?”

“Almost all of it,” Kelsey admitted. “But I’m like eighty percent sure the green guy believes in it.”

Anton stared some more. “I thought my next big event was going to be here. The arrival of the fleet, Al-Kadir back for revenge and all that.”

“Pfft, that guy,” Kelsey dismissed. “Imma gonna stick a cannon shell up his butt and send him flying out into the ocean. Team Rocket blasting off again!”