Chapter 56 - The Kraken Gate
I’d slept less than two bells last night and survived a serious assault with firearms and explosives. To say I felt drawn a little thin would have been an understatement, but Director Harman was in a bullish mood. His machine had been recalibrated and no one had a reason to delay any further. The gate would open this afternoon. That meant that I needed to come up with a plan to establish a Charg-proof base of operations on the Ganessa side.
I got a message out through Harman to assemble everyone in the Great Hall of the mansion. Ten turns later, with some sandwiches and a strong cup of coffee inside me, I was again standing under the painting of the Harman family, facing an assortment of marines, scientists, engineers and several members of Lannerville Estate’s staff who Harman had released into our service including; five kitchen staff, four gardeners, two groundsmen, three stablehands, the head carpenter and his two apprentices.
‘Thank you for coming,’ I began, trying for a commanding tone to cover my fatigue. ‘It’s not my place to make grand speeches about the future and our legacy, but I think you all understand the extraordinary potential of this device that Professor Maddison has invented, and that Director Harman has sponsored. In order to capitalise on the opportunity that Ganessa presents us, we need to be able to come and go safely. That means that we need a forward base on the planet, one that keeps us safe from the Charg.’
‘That’s all very well, Ms. Derringer,’ interrupted Banks, ‘but we can’t explore the planet while cowering in a base. Don’t we need to exterminate the Charg?’
‘We do need to find a way we can travel safely, Lieutenant Banks, but I’m not sure that we should be turning Ganessa into a sterile wasteland. Doctor Evershed tells me some of the flora and fauna may have medicinal properties unknown to us here on Illesin.’
‘A good man died on our last trip, Ms. Derringer. We didn’t pick a fight with them. They started it.’
‘I’m not the expert here, Second Lieutenant, but I imagine they may have been upset and frightened to find alien creatures trampling around on their territory.’
‘So we’re going to kiss and make up with them, is that it?’
‘I didn’t say that.’ Now he was getting on my nerves. ‘I agree with you that we need to be able to operate on Ganessa free from the threat of attack, but there may be ways to do that without resorting to a scorched earth approach. It may be a case of avoiding their territories, if they can be mapped out. Isn’t that so, Doctor Evershed?’
‘Ah, er yes, Ms. Derringer. I’ll draw up a map, if your team provide information on sightings.’ The naturalist was planning to avoid another trip to Ganessa, which was unacceptable while others were risking their lives.
‘Oh, Doctor, we couldn’t possibly manage without your expertise on the ground, besides, this new planet must be home to countless new creatures that your many readers will want to know about, eh?’
‘Well, ah…yes I…’ said Evershed, flustered and unable to fabricate a reason for staying behind.
‘Excellent. I’m so grateful to you. You’ll be joining me at the head of this afternoon’s expedition.’ I gazed about the room. ‘As I said, our intention is to construct a base from which we can operate. Lieutenant Scott?’
‘Yes, Ms. Derringer.’
‘Please would you and your company design a wooden fort that can be assembled without metallic tools.’
Benjamin snapped off a salute.
‘Yes, ma’am. A wall may help to keep the Charg’s poison gas out. Where will the wood come from?’
‘Professor Maddison is targeting a spot on Ganessa that has trees of some kind, but we should work with the Harman’s people to prepare some to take through, like we did on the last trip.’
Speech done, I delegated several tasks, most importantly, placing Ellen in charge of the logistics. Estate staff had been selected to help us cart materials through the gate and build the fort on the other side. It was Ellen who corralled Benjamin and three of his men with the head carpenter, Mr. Jupp. Mr. Jupp was a scowl-faced man with a bushy beard that was mostly white, but yellowing in places thanks to the pipe that drooped perennially from the corner of his mouth. When I stopped by to see how they were getting on, the carpenter blew an ill-tempered cloud of smoke at the ceiling and protested in a broad Lannerville burr.
‘No nails?’ This was the first the head carpenter had heard of the Koulomb Gate’s finicky requirements as the head groundsman hadn’t troubled him to help build the lowly stockade.
Ellen shook her head. ‘Not unless they’re made of brass.’
‘No nails?’ said the carpenter again, certain that he’d misheard.
‘Not even in your boots,’ replied Ellen. ‘You’ll all be checked before you are allowed through the gate. A belt buckle or a coin could get you killed.’ The carpenter beetled his scruffy eyebrows and muttered, but Ellen wasn’t even warmed up yet. ‘Well Master Jupp, I thought that the better the carpenter, the fewer nails they use! Why, I met an apprentice in Emberly who boasted that he could assemble a house using only wooden pegs.’ The carpenter stood a little taller and took the pipe from his mouth. He smiled brown teeth at Ellen and tugged his cap down a little tighter on his head.
‘It be a question of speed, is all,’ he drawled. ’Yah’ll see we are the finest craftsmen this soide of the Kurtmain River, no disrespect to yor big city types. We’ll just need to do a mite more preparation before we go through yon gate.’
In fact, the level of organisation and preparation was impressive considering how little time there was. Ellen worked her charms on Rigsby and unsurprisingly, he proved far more willing to help her out than me. Soon they had established a supply chain preparing lumber and other raw materials in a hastily constructed, open-air workshop near the hunting lodge, from where it was a short haul to the hatch at the top of the portal chamber. Then, a steam winch that was normally used for ploughing was repurposed to lower everything down into the cavern.
Ellen didn’t need my help. As well as recruiting Rigsby to her team, she’d also befriended Millicent Onacar. With her initial report to Director Harman about Ganessa complete, the hydrologist found herself at a loose end. Her full report on the planet’s water depended on further surveys, which the industrialist wasn’t ready to schedule until more important matters were settled, so Millicent volunteered to help us. Her inquisitive nature meant that she was keen to learn more about Lockhouse Security, and since Ellen needed a scribe to record responsibilities, inventory and schedules relating to the preparations underway, they immediately developed a close working relationship.
Mahkran and Ankush set to training the marines in the use of Na-Su’s weapons. I persuaded Benjamin and Banks that it made sense for them all to become familiar with them. That way, they could provide additional support to my team whenever they could be spared from watching Harman’s estate.
Seeing that everything was in-hand, Inigo and I set off for our appointment at the Ministry of Comportment in Lannerville town. In a fortunate coincidence, Na-Su had received word that the second consignment of weapons was ready for collection and insisted on coming along to collect it. Her lakeside vigil the previous night hadn’t led to any action, and the possibility that we might meet another welcoming party in Lannerville was too tempting for her to pass up, even if her shoulder wasn’t fully healed. I asked James to come with us too, partly because he would come in handy if there was trouble, but also because he was the only one to whom the stable master would entrust two horses and a carriage because of his experience working the dockside ponies.
The carriage ride into town was uneventful, and even though the weather had eased up a little and the sun was out, I was unable to relax. I had a feeling that everything was about to spin out of control. My team and I were holding on with our fingernails, but that wouldn’t last if things got any more difficult. As we pulled up in Lannerville’s main square, I had to content myself with tackling one problem at a time. Right now, Inigo and I had to satisfy the conditions of his parole, next we would collect Na-Su’s latest consignment. In the evening we would travel back to Ganessa where we would hopefully deal with whatever the alien planet threw at us. Somehow, along the way, or afterwards, we would find a way to unmask the traitor in our midst.
As it turned out, the visit to the Ministry of Comportment was an anticlimax. Inigo and I were in and out in fifteen turns, feeling relief and confusion in equal measure. The local branch of the Ministry of Comportment hadn’t asked any questions relating to the parole. They had us both sign forms of attendance which they duly stamped and countersigned, and then they dismissed us. It was as though they wanted to distance themselves from the crimes and misdemeanours of the capital. We were an anomaly and an inconvenience, one they hoped would disappear back to the city very soon.
James and Na-Su were outside with the carriage, relieved that their wait had been a short one. I glanced around, but could see no sign that we were under surveillance this time, but that didn’t stop me getting a prickly sensation at the base of my neck. James got the horses moving and we headed directly for Rebett and Sons.
At the coal merchant, we located the new consignment of two crates with which we hurried back to the estate. Na-Su was unbearable. She absolutely refused to reveal their contents, insisting that we would have to wait until we got back to the hunting lodge. Ellen was nowhere to be found, but the Gulreimian brothers crowded round, eager to see what the Omolit had dreamed up for us this time.
We were not disappointed. The first crate, which was the longer of the two, held twelve, carefully wrapped scythes, at least that’s what they brought to mind. Each was made from a single shaft of white oak fully ten hands long. Two thirds along, the shaft went into a gentle curve all the way to its end, the outer edge of which was set with a hundred black glass teeth, fastened in place with pitch resin and some kind of pale-grey cord.
‘Thaller sinew,’ explained Na-Su, when I asked. ‘Boiled in oil from its own blubber, it shrink and set hard after tying.’ No metal at all.
The scythes were well weighted; light enough to wield in battle for half a bell, but heavy enough to inflict real damage. The trick with them, as Na-Su explained, was to judge the distance well, so that the curved edge would slice deeper as it swept across an adversary. They didn’t have the reach of a Charg’s tentacle, but they were similar in that they imitated the chitinous scales along the edge of those whip-like appendages.
The smaller crate contained thirty-six slingshots whose cup-sized pockets were intended to hold packets of quicklime. There were spare rubber tubes and smaller leather pockets that could be fitted if the user wanted to change ammunition back to the more conventional stones. Obviously, Na-Su had never tried them, but she was confident that they could lob a quicklime packet sixty paces, or more.
Na-Su had one final surprise unveiling. At the bottom of the first crate was a slender wooden box roughly eight hands long. She pulled at the cord which held the top on. Inside lay an unadorned brass cutlass sheathed in a simple leather scabbard.
‘I copy design of yours,’ said Na-Su, handing the weapon across.
I didn’t know what to say. I’d been trying to ignore the fact that I had to make do without my cutlass on the other side of the gate. It wasn’t that I felt naked without it, but having it at my side lent me a little extra confidence.
‘It not as strong as steel and need sharpening more often, but I thought you like it. Scabbard made of walrus skin. Waterproof. Long-lasting.’
‘You’re amazing, Na-Su!’ I unsheathed the sword and hefted it. ‘You’re sure there’s no iron or ferrous metal in this.’
‘Harland and Coates don’t make mistake,’ replied Na-Su, as though I’d blasphemed. ‘They follow design, no question.’
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