by John Ringo
"But you wouldn't?" Bruce asked. "The Freedom Coalition hasn't done anything to be ashamed of in this war?"
"No, we probably have," Edmund admitted. "But there's a world of difference between what we're doing and what New Destiny is doing. There's a huge difference between accidental deaths in combat, or a few soldiers out of hand and dealt with swiftly and surely, versus intentional atrocities and Changed orcs that are nothing but 'out of hand.' There's a difference between accident and intent. And the point I'm trying to make is don't make the same mistake you just made with me around them. Or whatever it is you're trying to hide, they'll hang around your neck like a dead albatross."
"I'll keep that in mind," Bruce said. "But you keep this in mind. We're not taking the mer off to war. We have important work to do here. And we're going to continue it."
"Oh, don't worry," Edmund said. "I have that. Chapter and verse."
* * *
Edmund had gotten into a discussion with one of the tool makers while Daneh had been dragged off to see one of the mer's casualties. This left Rachel to be dragged off by Jason.
They went down one of the narrow crevices to where it turned into a tunnel. About a dozen feet in there was a brief break in the overhead and in the sunlight was a young mer-maid plaiting a twisted cord.
"Antja, this is Rachel Ghorbani," Jason said.
The mer-maid dropped the material and drifted towards the entrance, smiling.
"Welcome," she said. "There's not much to offer, but if you'd care for some sea plum?"
"I don't know," Rachel said. "I've never had sea plum before." Her stomach rumbled and she realized that it had been quite a few hours since she had eaten.
Antja went to one of the crevices along the wall and pulled down some plum-sized fruits with a suspiciously familiar appearance. Rachel took one and then paused as she realized she was wearing a full-head covering. She frowned, then pulled the mask out allowing the water to strike her face for the first time. She took a bite of the fruit and recognized the taste. She carefully put the mask back on, sealing it down, and took a breath, relieved that it hadn't taken any hurt from its submersion.
"I'd never heard it called sea plum," Rachel said. "But I recognize it; it's kudzi."
"What's kudzi?" Antja asked.
"There was once a noxious vine called kudzu that covered all sorts of areas in Norau," Rachel said. "A long, long time ago, someone released a retrovirus on it and forced it to produce fruits. The fruit is a cross between kiwi fruit and strawberry with a plum skin. Tasty, but it gets tiring. Where do you find it?"
"Anywhere that there's a fresh-water outlet," Jason answered. "Like the spring on the island. In the brackish area around it, there's lots of sea plum. It's got some good points, fish like to nest in it and it doesn't really push anything out of the niche. And it produces sea plum. But, yes, it does get tiresome."
"Unfortunately that's about all that we have right now," Antja said. "Unless . . . ?"
"We didn't get much," Jason admitted, sadly.
"Well, maybe Herzer and his group will bring something back?" Rachel asked.
"Who's Herzer?" Antja said.
* * *
After about an hour of fishing the dragons came up out of the water, the wyverns shivering with cold but burbling happily to each other. Two of them were carrying large fish in their mouths and they carried them to shore and dropped them, still flopping, at the feet of the riders. After that they all gathered around the fire, their wings spread, and soaked up the heat happily as their riders dabbed at under-spots.
Pete, once given a decent knife to work with, turned out to be one damned fine filleter and in minutes the fish were trussed up and sizzling over the fire.
"What I couldn't do with a little orange sauce," Pete complained as the fish were served on broad leaves. He had dragged himself up on the shore to direct the cooking and shook his head at the fumble-fingered grilling of the riders. When the fish was done he took a bite of one and then shrugged. "I guess it's better than what we've been eating; sea plum and sushi without wasabi."
"What's sea plum?" Herzer asked around a mouthful of steaming hogfish.
"You'll find out," Pete said darkly. "It's fine at first, but after a while it really starts to pall."
The grilled fish, two grouper and a hogfish, were excellent, despite the chef's complaints. The smoky fire added just a hint of seasoning to succulent flesh that was perfectly formed and solid, so solid that it had held up to being grilled with nothing but some sticks shoved through it.
"This is good," Joanna said. "I mean, it's sort of a snack to me, but it's a hell of a lot better than raw, let me tell you. And nice to not be crunching bones."
"I see you decided to start without me," Bast called from the darkness. She strode into the firelight, still stark naked, bearing two huge tuna and with a string of at least two dozen lobster tails around her neck.
"How in the hell . . . ?" Pete asked.
"I heard something about the town not having enough to eat," Bast said simply. "We can carry these back."
"Not why," Pete said. "How?"
"Oh, that," Bast said with a shrug. In the firelight, with her hair flat against her head and none of her panoply she looked like nothing so much as a young, very young, teenage girl. The tuna that she held, effortlessly, must have weighed nearly as much as she did. "Do you know how to catch a unique rabbit?"
"No?" Pete said.
"You nique up on him," Bast said. "That fish smells good," she added, dropping the tuna and lobster to the ground.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
By the time they were done, with the last scraps given to the wyverns, the sun was just about down and Herzer was not looking forward to the ride back.
"I thought a Blood Lord was always prepared," Vickie said, maliciously.
"Pain is weakness leaving the body," Herzer said. "I can take a little cold."
"You'd damned well better not get hypothermic," Pete said. "There's a reason that we stay down where the water is relatively warm. And we still need a lot of fats." He frowned at that and shrugged. "Those tuna would have been good." The now gutted fish, and the lobster, had been loaded on Joanna for transportation to the mer-town.
"I've got an idea about that," Herzer admitted as he loaded the mer-man back on his mount. True to his prediction the leather had stretched and was loose on the dragon.
"You mean other than siccing your girlfriend on them?" Pete asked.
The wyverns were warm, fed and balkish about flying. Furthermore there were no bluffs around and the omnipresent wind had died down to no more than a zephyr. So the dragons had to take off the hard way.
They turned into the wind and started hopping forward on their big hind legs, wings blasting downward with each hop. At each hop they got a little more speed and a little more height to flap with until they were finally, barely, airborne.
It was the first time Herzer had taken off that way and he didn't like it any more than Pete, who complained vociferously. Herzer had to bury his face into the dragon so that his head wouldn't be slamming into its back with each landing and he now understood, plainly, why dragon-riders hated to take off anywhere that there wasn't a bluff, a good wind or, preferably, both.
"So, you guys want us to fight for you or what?" Pete asked, as they flew back to the rendezvous.
"Yes, and or what," Herzer answered, honestly. "New Destiny is building a fleet to invade the UFS. We're going to fight it but there's a lot of the buggers. We're looking for the help of the mer for scouting and, probably, to attack the fleet."
"There's not much we can do to ships," Pete said.
"There's a guy on the ship that's on its way that could probably come up with some ideas," Herzer said. "But New Destiny has some seafolk on their side. Specifically the orcas."
"I'll have to admit I haven't met a single decent person who has turned themselves into an orca," Pete muttered.
"And we're willing to do more than just ask," Herzer con
tinued. "The ship has some materials on it, things we thought you might need. Beryllium bronze knives and spearheads. Beryllium bronze is more resistant to corrosion than the usual type. There's even some things made of stainless steel that the dwarves dug up and we ground down. And wasn't that a job."
"Those would help," Pete admitted. "But couldn't we get the same things from New Destiny? Or by trading, for that matter?"
"It's a long way from the dwarves," Herzer pointed out. "What can't they get from others that are closer? And Raven's Mill has the best textile and rope manufacturing on the East Coast; we're where the cord for your nets is being made. We can sell that closer, too. I wouldn't say you need us more than we need you. But it's close to equality."
Pete didn't answer that, just gestured at the ground, which was already dark although the dragons were still flying in the last shreds of sunlight.
"Can the dragons land in this?" he asked.
"As long as it's not on a carrier," Herzer said with a laugh.
"A carrier?"
"How do you think we got here?" Herzer said. "You'll see. In a few days after it beats its way around to us."
They landed by the lighthouse, without incident, stripped the harness off the dragons and unloaded Bast's catch. The wyverns immediately hopped over to the shelter of the bluff to be out of the wind and tucked their heads under their wings, nodding off into sleep.
"I'll go find Edmund," Joanna said, walking into the water.
"I'm for town," Pete said, gesturing at the fish and the lobster. "Can I take those?"
"And what do you think I caught them for, young mer-man?" Bast laughed. She picked up one of the fish and strode towards the water leaving her gear, and her clothes, in a trail behind her.
Pete picked up the string of lobster and looked at the other tuna.
"Herzer?"
"Got it," he said, hefting the fish with difficulty. He had long ago realized that Bast was stronger than he was but it was a bit shaming to have to struggle with the single fish when she had carried two of them easily.
Pete crawled to the water on his hands and submerged without a ripple and Herzer quickly followed him, fumbling with the combination of fish, mask and flippers.
The water trailed green phosphorescence around him as he strode into the water and he submerged quickly, following the faint luminous trail that Pete and Bast left. Bast was in the lead and seemed to know exactly where she was going.
"Bast?" Herzer called. "Two things. One, slow down. Two, how do you know where you are?"
"I was here years ago, Herzer," Bast said, slowing down to let him catch up. "I'm not sure how long ago, but I recognize it. And there's only one place for a mer colony around here."
"I've never heard of you," Pete said. It was clear that he thought he would have.
"The great grandfathers of the mer today were not yet born when I was here, young mer," Bast laughed.
"That was . . . a long time ago," Pete said.
"There was a mer colony in the Isles before the AI wars, mer-man," Bast said, softly. "Even then they were repairing the damage. I recall when the Port Crater was made. And why," she added in nearly a whisper.
The response from Pete was an untranslatable whistle.
The town when they reached it was lit in a fairy tale glitter. Luminescent fish swam around the square while the entrance of each canyon was lit by glowing globes.
"The fish are attracted here by feeding," Pete said. "Careful feeding. The lit globes are a type of sessile sponge; I think it was genegineered."
"It was," Bast said. "By the Bettel corporation as a type of underwater toy. Just as the wyvern were created by the Disney Brothers corporation."
"You were there?" Herzer asked.
"No, but in days when I was created genesis was still well known," Bast said. "These latter days . . . humans have forgotten most of their history. Fire lizards, wyverns, even great dragons, were all created by Disney genegineers. They've been tinkered with over years, but that is original genesis. Disney even did first work on mer, young mer-man. So owe your genesis to creators of dragons."
The arrival of the fish, and the lobster, was greeted with acclaim, and Jason pushed himself to the front of the mob that crowded around Pete.
"Good job, Pete," Jason said.
"Not me," Pete answered, waving at the naked elf next to him. "Thank Bast here."
"Bast," Daneh said, swimming up through the crowd. "I think we need to find you a bathing suit."
"Why?" Bast said. "I'm no more naked than the mer. Those slits on their fronts have a purpose, Daneh Ghorbani."
Daneh just chuckled and shook her head. "Whatever."
"This gift . . . it is a gift, right? This gift is much appreciated, Miss . . . ?" Bruce said.
"Bast," Bast replied, sticking out her hand. "Pleased to meetcha." She somehow retained her position in the water even while shaking hands with the mer-leader.
"How did you . . . ?" Bruce said, gesturing at the giant tuna she was holding by one gill-plate.
"Oh, no," Pete said, waiting for the dread pun.
"What's wrong?" Bast said with a grin. "Fish are curious. I just let their curiosity be their undoing. It's an old trick."
"Well, however you did it, we appreciate it," Bruce said. "Pete, can you divide it?"
"Here," Edmund said, swimming over most of the crowd. "Use this," he said, holding out a knife.
"Heavy," was all that Pete said as he used it to slide through the skin of the fish. "And sharp."
"Beryllium bronze," Edmund said as Bast passed out the lobster. Jason ensured that they were passed out to family groups but most of them simply opened up the shells and tore out the meat ravenously.
"Do you want some?" Bruce asked as Pete started handing out the thick steaks of tuna.
"We ate," Herzer said. "Grouper and hogfish that the dragons caught."
Pete had set aside a large fillet from the first fish and was starting on the second.
"Could you section that up, Herzer?" Pete asked. "It's for the delphinos."
"Sure," Herzer replied. His knife was of stainless steel, issued for the mission, and much smaller than the one Pete was using. But it sufficed to chunk up the tuna, if somewhat messily. When he had the meat cut up he looked at the chunks and realized that he had no way to move them.
"Here, let me help you," a mer-maid said. She had long, dark hair that was black in the pale phosphorescence and was slimmer than normal in what was generally a hefty group, with high, firm breasts, a nice smile and a tail that was apparently bright blue. What was strangest was that she had a moray eel twined around her neck like a collar. She held out a mesh bag so that he could load the chunks of meat into it. "I'm Elayna."
"Herzer Herrick," Herzer said, acutely conscious as her breast innocently brushed his arm, of the comment Bast had made about nakedness. Not to mention the fact that Bast, who was one of the most dangerous individuals he had ever met, was no more than an arm's length from him. But he had been celibate for an awfully long time.
"Come on," the girl said, picking up the basket. "The delphinos are usually down at the tip of the reef."
He followed her into the darkness and as they neared what he felt was deeper water he saw a group of shadows up near the surface.
"That's them," Elayna said. "The delphinos are really strange; as close to aliens as we'll ever find. We work together, but they keep a separate society from us."
"How do you 'work together'?" Herzer asked as they neared the group.
"They herd fish to us and we try to catch it in nets," the mer-girl said. "Try, I say, because our nets are really lousy."
"Fish smell," one of the delphinos blatted. He had been floating at the surface but now dove, followed by the rest of the pod.
Herzer felt more than heard a wave of sound cross him and he knew he was being sized up by the delphino. While he'd seen the occasional mer, this was the first delphino he'd seen in the flesh and was surprised by the size of the being
.
"Herzer, this is Herman the pod leader," Elayna said. "Herman, Herzer Herrick. He and some friends brought tuna."
"Good is," Herman said. "Much is. Good hunting us, some take. Most take back, need not."
"Thank you, Herman," Elayna replied. "Jason didn't get much today so we need it."
"Know," Herman said. As she opened the bag he pulled pieces out and flipped them dexterously to pod members in some pattern unclear to Herzer. He stopped when only half the bag was gone and flipped his nose at Elayna. "Back take. Hunt tomorrow."
"Herman," Herzer said, diffidently. "I think that there might be a way to capture the big pelagics if you, the mer and the dragons worked together. It might not work at first, but I think we can figure it out."
Herman paused and Herzer felt another of those ripples of sonar run across him. He wondered what it would look like, what he would look like, to a delphino.
"Good is," Herman said. "Try will. Morrow?"
"I'll see," Herzer temporized. "Hopefully."
"Jason see," Herman said. "Breathe must. Morrow."
"Morrow," Herzer said as the delphino floated back to the surface to breathe.
"What's this idea you have?" Elayna asked as they headed back to town.
"I'm not sure of the particulars," Herzer said. "I need to talk to Pete and Jason." He paused as a shudder passed through his body.
"Cold?" Elayna asked.
"Very," Herzer admitted. "But I'll be okay."
"Maybe, maybe not," Elayna said in a concerned voice. "Hypothermia is no joke, and there's nowhere to warm up. I get that way sometimes, too. But we have a better heat regulation system than landies." She reached into the bag and extracted a chunk of tuna, biting into it as she swam. "Of course, it also requires more energy, so we have to eat stuff more than landies. And tuna's the best; lots of fat."
"I noticed that you're . . . heavier than most landsmen," Herzer said.
"You can say fat," Elayna said with a laugh as she fed some small pieces to the moray. "But the fat's really just a reservoir for us. And we've been losing a lot of weight lately; I know I have. With the way that we push water through our gills, fat doesn't help with the cold. Eating fat does, though," she added, taking another bite. "Want some?"
