"Yes. Just as I expect from you of our mother's 3rd litter," Battle-Hammer said. "You are all so arrogant and above your position in society."
Seraphine chose not to speak.
"Mother suspects the secret airship's crew is working with the remaining army of the United States of America. They wish to get the fort back from the Confederacy that our agents helped them to capture. If they are successful, they might pull them and their supporters into their Imperial Union. This would be a great threat to our plans of using the Confederacy to conquer the Americas. We cannot permit this to happen. They must be stopped. You will go to the home of General James and help them destroy that airship at all costs!"
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Klein and James.
"Whoa!" Jeremiah Klein shouted. "Damn old nag! Where did you steal these half-dead horses from, Abbie?"
"I didn't have enough time to pick and choose, Jeremiah," Abbie said. "I just grabbed the first ones I found."
The three fugitives rode along. Michigan was still far away and across the great lake they were approaching.
"How are we going to cross without a boat?" George Donaldson said. "Not to mention how to get these horses across too."
"There's probably a ferry big," Jeremiah said. "We just have to have patience to find the damn thing. Now where would they put it?"
"How, by the devil's dung, am I to know that, Jeremiah?" Abbie said.
"What? I was thinking out loud, you stupid whore!" Jeremiah said.
"At least I have a job, you bums!” Abbie said.
"Job? As if you wouldn't whore for free if I'd let you!" Jeremiah said.
"Hey!" George said, but they weren't listening.
"I let you fuck for free every once in a while!" Abbie said. "Maybe I should demand you pay for it just like the rest!"
"Hey!" George repeated.
"You're hardly worth more than a penny!" Jeremiah said.
"Like you're not worth less than that!" Abbie said.
"Hey!" George hit Abbie with an Indian blanket that she had given him. After he struck her, he did likewise to Jeremiah.
"Ouch!"
"What's with you, George!" Jeremiah said.
"Look up there, dammit!" George gestured at the sky.
It looked like an old three-pointed hat someone had tossed into the air. The thing grew bigger by the second. Jeremiah's horse reared and so did the others. The animals tried to bolt, but it was as if something had put invisible fences around them. Jeremiah tried to dismount, but he couldn't let go of the reins. He couldn't move. He tried to shout to warn George and Abbie, but when he opened his mouth no words came out. A globe of blue light popped out of the object that Jeremiah knew wasn't a giant hat, though he didn't know what it was. The blue light enveloped him, his horse, and the others. Then, unbelievably, it picked them all off the ground and up into the air. They were floated into the object screaming and neighing. The group was pulled inside of what looked like a cargo hold.
The door whooshed shut. They felt the tremor and sound of supersonic acceleration, thought they didn’t know what it was.
It stopped and the door opened. The globe of blue light surrounding them popped out of the attack-shuttle and placed them onto the ground.
"Where are we?" Abbie screamed.
"We can talk now?" George said.
That thing in the sky that grabbed us is gone! Jeremiah thought.
"Yes, stupid," Jeremiah said. "We can talk now. Who...what was that?"
"I don't know," Abbie said. "My momma said God had angels that he sen--"
"Angels! Your momma was a drunken whore...even worse than you, Abbie!"
"You leave my momma alone! She did her best to raise me and my brothers and sisters."
A high-pitched whistle sounded. They turned and saw a woman sitting in a carriage with a middle-aged gentleman beside her and a driver in his seat. She whistled again.
"Excuse me," the gentleman said. "It seems we have all been kidnapped and dropped into the same place. For what reason I have no idea, do you?"
"Angels or demons?" Abbie said.
"Nonsense, miss," the gentleman said. "I have read about the Martians that invaded Britain. They had strange flying airships like that, but I didn't think they could move so fast. I thought it was impossible. In a blink of an eye and we were gone."
"Oh, Furragus! I'm so frightened! What if they come back?" the lady in the carriage said. She had been hugging the gentleman's arm and clinging close to him for protection.
"Now. Now, Seraphine," Furragus said. "You are going to frighten this young girl. I am sure they won’t come back."
"Well, sir. Allow me to introduce myself," Jeremiah said. "I am Jeremiah Klein, a gentleman from Texas where we raised cattle and oil. This is my friend, George Donaldson from Toronto, Canada. And this charming little lady is Abbie Tail, also from Texas."
"How do you do, sirs and lady. I am Furragus Gano Le Trosne, the French Ambassador to Canada. And this dear lady is my wife, Seraphine Julie Le Trosne."
"I'm honored to meet you, sir and your lovely wife." Jeremiah made a polite bow and tipped his hat.
"Yes, I have heard of such things as oil and its uses," Furragus said. "Quite impressive these new diesel engines. I read they might outrun the steam engines."
"Thank you, Mr. Le Trosne," Jeremiah said. "They're the engines of the future."
"Yes, Mr. Klein, but now I think we should all go up to that house over there and ask where we are."
"Jeremiah, I think someone is watching us," George said.
“There’s a house over there,” Furragus said. “Maybe we should go say hello.”
Jeremiah agreed. Furragus told his driver to take them up to the front door. The carriage and the three horse riders journeyed across the orchard and into the backyard. Jeremiah and George kept their right hands near their revolvers while Abbie looked like she was ready to bolt at any time. Seraphine seemed terrified, but Klein wondered if she was only acting in the way Abbie did at times.
Fields of corn, squash, and tobacco were being grown. Men and women knelt pulling weeds. If this was Confederate territory then those probably were slaves. Unlike most plantations he had seen there was an extra building with some odd and old machinery around it. He wasn't sure what they were for-a broken down field cannon, a giant cigar as long as the carriage. And was that a metal horse?
As they got closer, Jeremiah saw people coming out of the house-two white women and a Negro man in the lead with few other Negro's following. The Negro man was carrying an old flintlock musket; one of the white women was dressed like a Catholic nun, but held a rapier in one hand. Jeremiah grew concerned and wondered what was going on. A white man with a long white beard came out. He was obviously the man of the house since everyone stopped and waited for him. He held a revolver and, as he got closer to them, he stuck it in his coat pocket with the handle hanging out.
Jeremiah rode up and stopped. "Howdy, sir. I'm sorry we are on your land without your permission, but we didn't choose to be here. It's kind of hard to explain." He introduced everyone. "And this is Furragus Gano Le Trosne, the French ambassador to Canada and his wife, Seraphine. We met up a ways down the road."
"Howdy, Mr. Klein and the rest of you," the white man said. As he spoke a number of soldiers in Confederate grey uniforms came up in fast march. Each was armed with modern rifles. "I am General Frank James and this is my plantation. Allow me to introduce my wife, Ashton and her friend, Sister Annunziata-Maria Bonati. This is my head Negro Teddy. Ah! And here comes my Captain Greene and some of his men."
"Sir!" The young officer stood at attention with his saber held point-up. His men consisted of a sergeant, two corporals, and seven privates. All stood at attention holding their rifles.
"What is going on here?" General James said. "What are you doing there?"
Jeremiah was about to respond when a noise came from behind him. Everyone turned as a couple more soldiers rode from the orchard.
"That would be a coupl
e of my men," Captain Greene said. "They were on guard duty over there. Major Lewis is on patrol with the cavalry."
"Understood, Captain," General James said as the newcomers joined Captain Greene's men.
"We seem to have been kidnapped by an unknown flying object," Ambassador Le Trosne said. "A UFO, as some conspirator people call them. I believe it might have been one of those Martian airships -the ones that invaded the British Isles."
"Really?" General James said.
Ambassador Le Trosne told everything that had happened to him. Jeremiah Klein did likewise, but chose not to mention that they had broken out of a Toronto jail.
General James listened to it all calmly.
"Tell me more. What does this strange vessel, the UFO, as the ambassador calls it, look like?" Mrs. Ashton James said. "I'm a...something of an amateur inventor with an interest in unique machinery."
Jeremiah glanced at the building with strange broken machinery around it. He decided she must be a unique woman herself.
"Oh, so...that's your stuff?" Jeremiah said. "Huh."
"Yes," General James said. "I just boss soldiers around."
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Jujutsu Problems.
"A lot of the techniques I showed you while we were standing up can be used on the ground," Hirohira said to Wendy. "Preferably you would perform the techniques while standing, but in reality, things don't always happen the way we want them to."
The two of them were in the gym practicing jujitsu. Wendy laid on her back with Hirohira seated on top of her.
I would have preferred to learn something more like boxing. His manhood is way too close to my belly. Forget it, Wendy! Just do the move that he taught you.
Wendy put her left hand under his right armpit. With the other, she grabbed a handful of his jacket. Wendy got her left leg between his legs and pushed up with her knee. She pulled to the right with her right hand and pushed up with her left hand. Come one, Wendy! Here we go! Hirohira was turned over onto his back. She shoved the heel of her palm towards his nose with a yell, but stopped before hitting him.
"How was that?" Wendy asked.
"Not bad." Hirohira pinched a sensitive spot above Wendy's left hipbone.
“Ouch!” Wendy felt herself being flipped off of Hirohira. Now she found herself on the bottom again. Oh! Darn it! She felt pain as he applied a head lock. Wendy slapped the mat. He let her go. "Always remember to distract your opponent before you make a move."
"Yes, sensei," Wendy rubbed her free neck.
"Ready to try again?" Hirohira asked.
"Yes, sensei," Wendy said.
Wendy got to her knees just as Hirohira did. Now what? Watch out for his arm! Wendy pushed away one arm, but he caught her. Wendy cupped the back of his neck to try and swing him around. Aaah! Wendy was flipped onto her back again with him on top. Wendy wrapped her legs around his hips. Wendy grabbed him around the neck and he pushed her hands away. He grabbed her right arm. No! I won’t let you! Wendy smack him in the face bucked up with her hips. He seemed to go off balance for a second and she slipped out from under him. Wendy grabbed for his arm and tried for an arm hold. She found herself on her back again somehow. Don’t let him get a grip on me! No! What do I do? What do I do?
Wendy kissed Hirohira on the mouth.
Everything was quiet in the gym. What did I just do? I didn’t just do that? Wendy heard her heart beating in her throat. No! Wendy kissed him again. This time long and hard. Wendy felt him kissing back. Yes! No! I shouldn’t be doing this! Wendy rubbed across Hirohira's muscular buttock as they continued to kiss. Oh! Wendy felt his erection not against her belly, but her groin. Wendy let his hand search under her wet shirt. It moved elsewhere along with her own hands. Oh! Yes! Oh! No! NO! Wendy wanted more, but instead she pushed him away.
"I'm sorry!" Hirohira sat up. Wendy saw fear and shame in his eyes. "Wen-sorry..."
"No. I sh-shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry."
Wendy jumped up and ran out of the gym.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Preparing for a Journey.
Ellie Jackson ran across a dirt road in the dark and down a small bank. She sat in a dry creek bed and sighed. She had been running for a while and wished she had something to drink and maybe something to eat. She was kind of thirsty, but not hungry at the moment. She knew she would be hungry later. She needed to find some friends and not someone who would send her back to the damn hospital. She thought of who she knew in the area, kinfolk, friends, and folks who would help the daughter of one the great heroes of the Confederacy. I am the President’s daughter! Of course they’ll want to help. There were times she didn't like being her father's daughter, but other times it was useful.
Ellie looked at the 'hand'. Ellie closed the fingers and opened them. She could almost feel it, almost like the real thing, though it wasn't real. She had seen men and few women with missing limbs from the war. A haunted look in their eyes seemed to wish they were just as dead as the missing limb. Did she have that look now? Ellie cautiously held her real flesh hand over the metal hand. Her fingers dangled above it. She touched it. Cold. Smooth. She could almost sense her real hand touching the fake hand.
Maybe I should have waited to ask the doctors more about it. What if it gets damaged or dirty? Is there something I'm supposed to do? Am I supposed to polish it like a sword or knife? Oil the hinges?
Ellie suddenly remembered where she could go and headed down the creek in a southeasterly direction. She found a pool of water a couple of miles ahead, but didn't think it fit to drink. Ellie remembered her father saying, “Don't drink water that's not moving, girl.” She climbed a bent old tree to look around as best she could. The moon out and her night vision helped her see where she was going. She leaned her hip against the branch bracing herself with her real hand. About a hundred feet away was a big military cemetery. It contained the graves of many soldiers who had fought in the five battles of Richmond, the capital of Virginia. Many were of unknown soldiers from both the Confederate and Union armies.
Goose pimples covered Ellie’s arms, and the hair on the back of her neck raised like a frightened cat. Ain't no such things as ghosts, woman!
Ellie gripped the branch and dangled toward the ground. She dropped and landed on her feet. Her heart pounded in her throat. She took off quickly through the cemetery expecting hands to reach up and grab her legs
Nothing happened, though she almost tripped over a small headstone. She regained her balance and continued to run. At the farthest side, she bent over, hands on her knees. She looked back. She started laughing and sat to look at the cemetery. She stopped laughing. She stood up and stood at attention as she had been taught at the academy. She saluted and quietly said, "I'm sorry." She stood at parade rest for a while and then left them in peace.
#
Ellie knocked on the door. Someone open this door! Now!
The door opened and Bartie Jackson stood in his nightclothes with a candle.
“Ellie!”
"Howdy, cousin!"
"What in God's name are you doing here?" Bartie said. "I thought you were in the hospital. Lost an arm or such."
"Actually not all of the arm. See..." Ellie held it up. "They even gave me a replacement part. It moves and everything."
"What?" Bartie said. "I'm trying to sleep."
"Where's your southern hospitality, Bartie? Ain't I your cousin and all?"
"Oh. Fine." Bartie walked back to the couch.
"Sooooo, did she throw you out of bed again?" Ellie followed before he changed his mind.
"Yes! It’s not my fault! You women folk are all nuts!" Bartie flopped down on the couch.
"Bartie, you have never been sane in your life!"
They turned to look at the stairs where the voice had come from. The elegant Annie-lou walked down toward them dressed in a light blue nightgown covered by a yellow robe covering it.
"Ellie!" Annie-lou shouted. Ellie opened her arms as the
other woman ran down the stairs to her and slammed into her hard. "I heard that you had been terribly injured! Are you okay? What happened?"
Ellie laughed and hugged her childhood friend back. "I'm good, Annie-lou. Why weren’t your slave Manny open the door for Bartie"
“Oh he let a friend borrow the slaves from some such nonsense,” Annie-lou waved a hand toward her husband.
“We’re supposed to get them back Tuesday,” Bartie shouted from the couch. “Why that should matter or why I should put up with your nonsense? I don’t know.”
They went to sit on the couch, pushing aside Bartie’s blanket. Ellie told Annie-lou and Bartie her story about coming across Dr. Sakusa Momiji in Illinois and the terrible sword fight that ended with Ellie's hand and part of her arm being cut off. "So…Momiji helped the aliens escape and got away herself."
"You've always had the habit of falling for girls who wind up being cruel to you," Bartie said.
"Bartie!" Annie-lou yelled.
"Sorry if I didn't sugarcoat it, but it ain't no lie."
"Mmmmm," Annie-lou said.
"He's right," Ellie said. "Anyway. I hate her! I have to find her and kill her."
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Annie-lou said.
"Yes, cousin. I need your help. A horse, saddle, and guns. I don't care how long it takes. I will find her. Wherever she is and wherever she goes."
"Uh, Ellie," Bartie said. "I actually might know where she is."
"What?" Ellie said.
"I have my connections in the secret world of espionage, as well you know. I have an AM down there in the basement. I got a message that said Belle Starr and Jesse James kidnapped Doctor Sakusa, and she is being held at General Frank James' home in Michigan."
"Where is that?" Ellie had been there once; she tried to remember the location. Near one of the big lakes up there, but which one? I don’t remember. Huron? Superior? Aree? Erie?
"Here, I have a map," Bartie said. "I'll show you."
Ellie borrowed the map from her cousins along with a horse, saddle, a revolver and one of Bartie's old sabers. Her cousins asked her to spend the night, but she wanted to get out of Virginia as soon as possible.
The Mighty Airship Kaede. (The Mighty Airships of Earth. Book 1) Page 18
