Tantamount

by Thomas J. Radford

  Hang on, Sharpe's actions . . .

  Nel glanced at Violet. The girl still clung to Horatio's hand like a drowning man clung to a rope. There was a fervent desperation to the girl's behaviour.

  “Violet,” Nel said, kneeling beside the girl and speaking in a low tone. “When the fire broke out, why didn't you stay to help?”

  Barely restrained tears made the girl's eyes bright in her face. “I wasn't here, Skipper. I . . . I'd already . . .”

  Nel nodded. It confirmed what she'd already suspected. That made more sense to her than how Scarlett had put it.

  “The box you took,” Nel kept her voice calm and steady, “was that your idea?”

  Violet's stricken look was all the answer Nel needed. The tears started to flow freely. Violet knew too.

  “Sonofa—” Nel lashed out at nothing angrily, stalking away from Violet lest she take her frustrations out on the girl.

  “Nel!” Gabbi's voice cracked across her tantrum, bringing her round. She stared at her friend, still furious, but it was a cold anger now.

  “He played us, Gabbi,” Nel said. “He played us, he played me for a fool. Gods only knows how long he was setting us up for. Since the start, maybe.”

  “It's not your fault,” Gabbi said, but the response sounded automatic to Nel.

  “He's got my ship, Gabbi. Quill . . . Quill . . .”

  Gabbi shook her head. “I don't think he was in on it, Skipper.”

  Nel snorted. “You really think Sharpe bullied him into flying the ship out? Quill could have pitched him overboard.”

  “Can't throw people, Skipper,” Gabbi reminded her.

  “He would have found a way,” Nel retorted. “Hells, I can't believe you're standing up for Quill. He couldn't stand any of us, the only person he even remotely liked was Sharpe. Sharpe!”

  “He liked you, Skipper,” Gabbi said quietly.

  No, Nel thought. Not anymore.

  Not after what happened at the blockade. He was mad and had every right to be mad. Mad enough to . . . to what? Mutiny? Or just run off with the ship when opportunity presented itself?

  “Sharpe found a way to get to Quill, Skipper,” Gabbi insisted. “He must have.”

  Sharpe now. Not Castor.

  “Maybe.” Nel wasn't convinced. She couldn't think of any way Sharpe could have persuaded Quill to launch the Tantamount against his will.

  The Tantamount. Her ship.

  She wanted it back. She was going to get it back.

  “Do what you can for the captain and Piper,” she told Gabbi. “I'm going to need to talk to them as soon as they come round. Violet.” Nel nudged the girl with one booted foot. The fox girl looked up through teary eyes.

  “Start getting the rest of the crew together. I want them ready.”

  “Ready for what?” Violet dashed tears away with the back of her hand.

  “I'll let them know when they're ready.” Nel jerked her head. “Move, girl.”

  Violet got to her feet shakily, but moved with purpose, flitting from person to person of the crew. Nel caught the eyes of one of them and beckoned them over.

  “We needs another ship, Skipper,” Jack grumbled as he lumbered over.

  “I want mine back,” she said.

  Jack grunted. “Sharpe's got it. Don't think he wants to give it back.”

  “Didn't much plan on asking, Jack.”

  Jack grinned at her, a collection of stained, broken teeth. “What am I doing, Skipper?”

  “Finding me a ship.”

  “Not our ship?” he clarified.

  “Something small and fast,” Nel said. “A ferry, a runabout.”

  “Those aren't fast.”

  “It only needs to get us to our ship, Jack.”

  “Right. I'm with ya now. You want me to buy it then?”

  “Rent,” Nel said.

  That evil grin again. “Negotiable?”

  “Don't steal it, Jack,” she warned.

  “I wasn't gonna.” He laughed. “You really likes our ship, don't you, Skipper?”

  “More than I like you, Jack,” she told him honestly.

  More laughter. Jack flexed his muscles, cracked some knuckles. His small, dark eyes were already squinting in consideration of how to go about his task.

  Nel moved to head him off. “Take some others with you, Jack.”

  His face darkened. “I don't play good with others.”

  “You don't have to play with them,” she assured. “They'll just make you look scarier.”

  Jack thought about that and nodded in approval. “Okay.”

  “Don't be long, Jack.”

  He grunted in response, casting a speculative look out into space, past where the Tantamount had been docked. “Sharpe's a strange one, isn't he, Skipper?”

  Nel raised an eyebrow questioningly.

  Jack shook his head. “Daft man. Set fire to the ship, then he stole it. Daft.”

  Jack, of all people, had put his finger on another of Nel's concerns. Giving it voice had brought it to the crux of her thoughts. Why had Sharpe set fire to the ship in the first place?

  Obviously his intent had been destructive. What were his potential targets? The ship, of course, but since he'd gone and stolen it afterwards that didn't seem likely. There were Nel, Horatio, and the crew, but again she couldn't think of a reason that justified that. He had nothing to gain from them dying in a fire. That left Scarlett, but as far as Sharpe had known she hadn't even been aboard. She'd been dockside when Sharpe had started his conflagration. He'd walked past her and her pet golem on the way to the ship.

  Which only left the cargo itself. Half of which had been unloaded on the docks. Nel paced, thinking. Why would Sharpe care about a cargo of relief medicine, one destined for his own home?

  Was that it? Did Sharpe not want those supplies getting through? It hardly seemed worth it for a delivery of medical supplies.

  Assuming that was what they were delivering.

  Scarlett had almost lost it when she found out what Violet had done with that one box. Nel turned, looking at the stacked cargo spread out over the dock.

  What in the hells were they really carrying?

  Piper sat back on his haunches, considering the contents of the box he'd opened. He hadn't said anything since coming round and Nel had explained the situation. He'd taken it upon himself to go through all the remaining cargo; the foodstuffs and the medical supplies. Horatio hovered nearby, peering over and around Piper's shoulder and generally getting in the way, having seemingly taken on the role of filling in for Bandit until the loompa reappeared.

  Nel had the impression both men were annoyed at having been unconscious for most of what had happened. Piper wasn't talking and the captain was doing his best to pretend it had never happened. Both had taken to their tasks with unexpected zeal.

  “Well?” Nel drummed her foot. “That's the last box, Piper. What are we dealing with?”

  Piper and Horatio exchanged a long measured look. Horatio's fuzzy eyebrows somehow managed to rearrange themselves into a sage expression; one of wisdom hard acquired through years of rough living and travelling. Piper's face was like when he was at his most philosophical. A number of facial expressions passed between them, a silent communication until they were ready to explain. They turned to her as one.

  “We have no idea,” Horatio said.

  “None,” Piper confirmed.

  The assembled crew drew back in trepidation.

  “So what,” Nel growled, “have you been doing for the last bell?”

  Piper shrugged. “Being thorough.”

  “Yes, being thorough,” Horatio said shrilly. “And don't you take that tone with me, young woman.” He shook one bony finger at her. “As long as you serve on my ship don't you take that tone with me.”

  Nel glared at him flatly. Horatio shook, but didn't look away.

  “I want my ship back,” he whispered so only Nel and Piper could hear. “Get her back, Nel. Get my ship back for me.”
<
br />   Nel sighed, unable to hold the glare.

  “I'll get her back, Captain.” It was all she could say.

  “Skipper,” someone called. “Jack's back.”

  Nel turned to greet her scarred crewman. He was alone.

  “Where are the others?” she asked immediately. Worst case scenarios flashed through her mind.

  “With the boat,” Jack said, like it should have been obvious. He held up his hands. “It's not very big.”

  “What isn't very big?” Horatio asked. “Eh? Speak up, boy. Now's no time to mumble.”

  Jack sized the captain up in annoyance. Nel could read his thoughts plainly. To Jack you were either top dog or you weren't. Without a ship to command Horatio had gone down in Jack's pecking order.

  Time to draw his attention to her. “What'd you find, Jack?”

  “It's a tug,” Jack said, adding “Skipper,” almost as an afterthought. “Won't fit many of us.”

  “How many?” Nel pushed.

  Jack shrugged. “Not many.”

  Great, Nel thought.

  “Piper,” she said, “you're coming with me.”

  “With us,” Horatio said huffily.

  Nel hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. Not a battle she had the energy to fight right now.

  “Gabbi,” she called, “keep an eye on things 'til we get back.”

  “That gonna be long?” Gabbi asked.

  “I'm getting my ship back. Takes as long as it takes.”

  Gabbi wheeled on Piper and the captain. “You two be careful. I didn't patch you both up so you could go and get the stuffing knocked right back out. You hearing me?”

  Piper and Horatio exchanged another of those looks. “Never argue with the cook,” was Piper's solemn comment.

  “Indeed.” Horatio agreed, eyeing Gabbi warily. “We'll be careful,” he promised.

  “You'd better,” she warned them.

  Nel took Gabbi by the shoulder, leading her away. “Keep an eye on Violet,” she told her friend. “Keep her here, make sure she doesn't try and follow us.”

  Gabbi glanced at the Kitsune girl. She was seated glumly on a crate, but watching everything intently. “You think she might?”

  Nel squeezed the woman's shoulder in an affirmative. “Given half a chance, yes. She's feeling guilty. Don't let her do anything too stupid.”

  “No, I'll leave that to you and the captain,” Gabbi drawled.

  “Watch your mouth, cook,” Nel admonished.

  “Aye, Skipper, watching it.”

  Nel snorted. “Fine. Be that way. I'll be back with our ship.”

  “Good. Don't bother with Quill though. Damned Kelpie's not worth the sweat.”

  “Fine, you can push the sails then,” Nel said. Gabbi made a face like she'd sucked down an extremely sour lemon.

  “Watch yourself, Skipper,” Cyrus said as she went to rejoin Jack and the others. “Just sighted one of those blockade ships coming in.”

  Nel hesitated. “One of the frigates?”

  Cyrus grimaced. “No, Mangonel, the big one. Still a ways out, can see the big tub from leagues off.”

  What was the Mangonel doing headed this way? Nel put it to the back of her mind. Worry about it if it becomes a worry.

  “Nel,” Horatio called to her from across the dock. “I've been meaning to ask you. What happened to Scarlett?”

  “You're kidding me,” Nel said. “That's the best you could find?”

  The best had turned out to be not much more than a longboat, a glorified tub, the hull lined with a threadbare layer of ether, just enough to snag a breath of air when it left the Rim's envelope. They wouldn't get far in it. Maybe a few miles outside of Rim. They could go further but wouldn't have enough air to get back. Not a pleasant thought.

  “That was all they had,” Jack growled.

  “He's right, Skipper,” Orim, one of the crew who'd gone with Jack, chimed in. “We tried everywhere, you shoulda seen the stuff we didn't go for.”

  “No, she shouldn't,” Aldy, the other crewman, added.

  “Hells,” Nel muttered, pacing round the boat. Jack hadn't been exaggerating, it wasn't fit to be called anything else, it barely even qualified as that. Her pacing didn't take long. The boat wasn't much longer than she was tall.

  “This isn't going to work,” she said.

  “Course it will,” Horatio said. “Just has to get us to the Tantamount.”

  Nel glanced out at the cold, empty expanse surrounding Rim. Blackness and miasma, no sign of the Tantamount or any other ship out there.

  “We can't all fit in that thing,” she said.

  “Well, I'm not staying behind,” Horatio said emphatically. “I won't hear of it.”

  “It can take two,” Piper said speculatively. “One to work the winches and one other.”

  The boat had the same hand operated propulsion as a bubble. It just didn't have the ability to operate for as long away from an actual envelope. There wasn't even enough ether to keep the passengers grounded. Instead there were straps to tie them down to their seats and stirrups to mount their feet in.

  “You and me then, Piper,” Nel said.

  “I said I'm going!” Horatio insisted.

  “I ain't staying either,” Jack growled. “Not on this heap.”

  “This isn't up for a debate,” Nel said.

  “I'm the captain,” Horatio screeched, doing a madcap dance and waving his arms. “I want my ship back!”

  “Yeah,” Jack grunted, folding his beefy arms. “He's the captain. He tells you what to do, Skipper. So he goes and I go.”

  “Eh?” Horatio paused, looking Jack up and down.

  No, Nel thought immediately. There was no way she could let that happen. Out there in the miasma, she didn't trust Jack with the captain. Not alone, not one bit. Hells, the way he was acting she wasn't even sure she trusted him here. She glanced at Aldy and Orim, saw the same uneasiness. They weren't the smartest sailors on the roster but they'd spent the last bell with Jack, had noticed the way he was acting.

  Korrigan Jack was crazy. Nel had never doubted that. But crazy by itself didn't bother her, half the crew had some sort of mess they were forever hiding or trying to work around. Jack worked to some set of rules unknown to anyone but him. Sometimes there was a twisted kind of sense that could be found to fit his actions, but with the ship gone some of those rules seemed to have changed. Nel did know one thing though, Jack was not someone she could ever back down to.

  “Captain,” she said, “the ship was taken on my watch. Getting her back is my responsibility. Besides,” she added, seeing her words start to have an impact, “you didn't even bring your wand.”

  Horatio patted his belt, looking concerned.

  “Piper and I will be going,” she said this last to Jack.

  Jack didn't answer her. He was watching the captain frisk himself, a calculating look on his face.

  Hells, Nel cursed inwardly. He wouldn't dare.

  Would he?

  “Skipper,” Piper said loudly. She glanced at him. “You should take Jack. I am . . . not myself.” He pointed to his head and the signs of his last run-in with Sharpe. “And I would spend some more time looking for Bandit. I am concerned for him.”

  “Bandit's missing?” Horatio piped up. “Well, we can't have that, Piper. Can't have that at all. Bad enough we've got a missing ship out there without losing any more crew along with her.”

  Nel caught Piper's eye. He nodded imperceptibly. He'd noticed the way Jack was acting as well. Enough to move to ensure the captain wouldn't be left alone with him. And the captain was . . . well, the captain was the captain. Some things never changed.

  “Get in the boat, Jack,” Nel ordered. “Aldy, Orim, launch the damned thing.”

  “Aye, Skipper.” The two jumped to it.

  “Did I ever tell you about my cat, Piper?” Horatio was saying as they made to cast off.

  “No, Captain, you did not,” Piper rumbled.

  “Damnedest thing. No idea w
hat happened to it.”

  In Nel's mind the boat had ceased to be anything that could even be dignified as such. So from the prow of the dinghy, she watched Jack turn the crank that worked the propeller. Jack watched her too. In between watching each other they searched for the Tantamount. It wasn't there to be seen, so they spent more and more time looking at each other.

  Surrounded by banks of miasma deeper than the thickest fog, Nel considered her situation. It wasn't good. If Horatio had been out here she suspected Jack would have already made his move. Because it was her, he hadn't.

  Nel sat with her feet tucked into stirrups set into the flooring, hands resting on knees, wand tapping against the palm of her hand. From the weight, slight though the difference was, it remained about half charged. To fix that she needed crystals and the crystals were in her cabin, aboard the Tantamount. If she had to use the wand on Jack, in a vessel this small, at this range . . . well, it would deal to him. And likely her as well.

  Jack stopped, tensing. Nel did the same.

  Was this it?

  His head moved, not looking at anything she realised, he was moving his head to try and locate the direction of a sound. In the miasma there was almost no sound and no perspective to give it reference. The only thing that made sound was the rumble of something massive, an envelope cutting through space and fog.

  A ship, in other words.

  Nel rose to her feet, swaying in her stirrups while Jack twisted in his seat, both trying to see better. The movements were unconscious and didn't accomplish much. The miasma was too thick to let them see anything until it was uncomfortably close. They could make out the beacon lights of Rim, blazing in the mist, but nothing else.

  Nothing until the mist turned dark, giving way to what could only be the Mangonel, the massive hull close enough that Nel should have been able to make out individual nails and planks. But all she saw were silhouettes and lines, coloured signal lights and vague disturbance where the envelope began.

  Jack grunted, leaning back. “How'd we miss that?”

  Nel sat back down, reaching out to hold both sides. Jack's weight alone was enough to rock the boat.

  They must have gotten badly turned around to get between the Alliance dreadnought and Rim. It didn't make their chances of finding the Tantamount look any better.