Chapter 19
Though the Aslog mostly continued in a previously ‘Eastward’ direction, is was not due East. Torny recommended course corrections based on intuition, and more often than not brought them to other islands within a month’s time. East was no longer east. As they traveled, Shen and TL discussed whether it was ethical to return secretly to Worm Island and treat the people and land without their consent. Torny and Jerica listened to them without interjection, learning how they came about moral resolutions to debates. They weren’t just arguing; they had a primary belief of non-interference which had value, and though it was not static, it required a burden threshold to respond. Had Arne or Uffe been privy, they would have heatedly said return and act. Acting to save the islanders would have required a permanent presence, in their face, or invisible. TL could establish an invisible presence. The islanders were likely more aggressive due to nutritionally induced brain damage. That was not likely to go away for several generations, if at all, because those born into it would believe that was the way of life- so aggression and ignorance would be culturally sustained unless social intervention was enacted in addition to medical and environmental.
While this discussion was occurring, Orton was griping outloud: histrionics of north being south west, up was down, out was in, and women could block a gown ass man from eating his own kill.
“Let it drop,” Arne said.
“She said it herself. If we cooked it well, it would have been okay,” Orton said.
“Drop it or I will drop you,” Arne said.
“Like Shen allegedly dropped Uffe?” Orton said. He got the crew to laughing at that. “No one hear believes that shit.”
“You calling me a liar?” Uffe demanded.
“There is no way in hell he dropped you,” Orton said. “You were being generous because Arne has taken a liking to his woman…”
Uffe, Erico, and Arne pulled out their swords. Orton, and two other men pulled out their swords. The rest of the male crew retreated to make room for the entertainment. Torny suddenly had her staff in her hands. It had come to her grasp straight, flying across the deck. She tapped the floor. Bracelets flared, a ward against the sleeping spell.
“Boys!” Torny snapped. “Secure your weapons or I will.”
Orton laughed. “Arne’s anger increases the validity of my statement. Everyone sees how he look at her. How many marks on your bed post do you need, Arne? When will you surrender the new fuck to one of us?”
“Fuck, even I look at her,” Jerica said. “Who here hasn’t looked at her?”
The men laughed at that.
“I challenge Shen to take me down,” Orton said. “I promise I won’t coddle him the way Uffe did.”
“I will not fight you,” Shen said.
“You have been challenged. You will fight, or I will claim penalty. I will bed your woman the rest of this voyage in front of you,” Orton said.
TL laughed. “You’re all idiots. I will fuck who I want, when I want. And I’d fuck almost anyone who comes at me right. It will not change my loyalty to Jon, and nothing will change how he relates to me. We are that solid.”
“You cannot claim his woman as penalty,” Torny said. “She is not property. She is a free spirit.”
“It is the only thing he has to offer,” Orton said. “He will fight me and win, or I will bed her right here and now. The crew will see that I get my winnings.”
“Really?” Jerica said. “Have you all been sniffing lotus?”
“Or they ate raw pig,” Yaffa said.
“What is this?” Arne demanded. “A mutiny?”
“You have broken the code. We have equal share in the spoils of this journey. What have you shared with us lately, other than continuance of misery? Further from home and no treasure? You didn’t even let us fuck the natives on the last island.”
“The worms would have eaten your worm,” Jerica said.
“It seems to be getting smaller,” Arne said. “Fight me if you want a fight.”
“No more protecting this fucking runt and his woman,” Orton said. “I don’t care how much magic she wields. Tree Spirits serve us, not the other way around. Unless that too is path change. Come here, spirit. I have some wood that needs quenching.”
“I accept your challenge,” Shen said.
Arne, Erico, and Uffe sheaved their swords, and retreated from the combat area. Even Torny retreated from this. If a grown ass man accepts a challenge, men will not get in the way.
“Jon,” TL said. “This is some macho bullshit. Let it go.”
“It’s macho bullshit, and it needs to unfold,” Shen agreed.
TL was not happy. There was truth in the statement. “Okay,” she said. She backed off to stand with Jerrica.
“I accept, Orton. Come at me.”
“Someone lend this fool a sword,” Orton said.
“I need no weapon, come at me,” Shen said.
“Magic is cheating,” Orton said, pointing his sword.
Shen considered that, shook his head ambivalently. “Technically, it is not. A skill is a skill. But if you want that argument, the present disparity in intelligent is technically a cheat. I can’t make myself stupider to balance this playing field. If you wish to yield now, I will accept with no penalty.”
The men laughed.
“No magic,” Orton said.
“I promise. No magic. Come at me, by yourself and I will demonstrate my skill without killing you,” Shen said. “If you come at me together, one or more of you will die.”
Orton pointed his sword. “I will kill you, but not before you see me bed your woman.”
“All I hear is talk,” Shen said. “Come at me.”
“My challenge, you come at me,” Orton said.
“Come at me, or I will exact a penalty from you now,” Shen said.
Orton charged. What happened was so fast he didn’t even understand it. All he knew was he was on his back looking up at his own sword pointed down at him. Shen tossed the sword to the deck, retreated so that Orton could get up. No one was laughing.
Orton stood. “How is that not magic?”
“You fight like untrained school boys,” Shen said. “You know nothing about war. You know nothing about fighting a real enemy. I am not your enemy, but even now you are not learning from me. Hacking and slashing and using strength and weight, that’s just bullshit. Are you satisfied?"
Orton picked up his sword, made a signal, and charged. His two friends joined the melee. Again, Orton was flat on his back, one of the friend’s was dead, decapitated, blood pooling on the deck. The other was on his ass, broken leg, both swords against his neck. He tapped out. Shen tossed the swords to the deck and turned back to Orton.
“Yeild,” Shen requested.
Orton stood up. He came at Shen slowly, determined, but not rushing. Shen allowed him to get close, hoping he was coming to accept defeat. Orton threw a punch. Shen embraced it, coming out behind Orton, joint lock engaged. Orton went to his knees when the boot caved in the calf from behind. Orton quickly learned getting out of a joint lock was impossible.
“I don’t understand,” Orton said.
“Eyes!” Shen said. Orton met Shen’s eyes. Shen pointed to the joints, instructional. “Thumb and elbow, nerve fiber along here running to your shoulder, brain, down the spine. That’s part of it, also your present stance, body mechanics, won’t allow you to fall or stand. If you were sitting in a chair and I put one finger on your forehead, here,” Shen tapped the forehead, “you would not be able to standup. Not magic. This is simple physics and physiology. Yield.”
“No!” Orton yelled.
“Yield or I break your arm,” TL said.
“You don’t have the strength…’
“I don’t need strength. Your own weight when I topple you will break your arm,” Shen said. “Yield.”
“No! Frode?! Ingolf?!”
“Anyone else enters this, you will die here and now,” Shen said. “Yield, or I will sleep you so hard you will shit your pants.”
“Fuck you!” Orton said.
Using a Taser option facilitated through suit contact from the elbow, Orton went to sleep. His head hit the deck hard. Shen turned, his eyes low, assessing. If there was another intending to fight, he did not see it. Still, if they were harboring it, he would rather it be over now.
“Come on, let’s get this over with,” Shen said. “Who else wants to sleep?”
“It’s done,” Arne said. “Stand down, brother.”
“It’s not fucking done!” Shen shouted. His hands were shaking. A flag popped and he turned suddenly, like a cat ready to face the next threat. “Who else wants to sleep?! Come on, stump fuckers. None of you cowards want to visit Valhalla today? You know you want to prove yourself. Come at me.”
Arne came closer, arms out, hands up. “Brother. It is done. No one here questions you.”
“It’s not true. Look at their eyes. I am tired of having to prove myself over and over. Fucking bring it on, cowards,” Shen said.
“Brother,” Arne said. “A man will always have to prove himself. But today. With us. You are solid. Come. Let’s drink together.”
“Jon, come aft with me and Arne,” TL said, coming in closer. “We got you. It’s okay.” TL extended a hand.
“It’s not fucking okay,” Shen said. He didn’t emphasize there was a dead man. TL didn’t explain this was her reservation, that someone would be dead and the weight would be a burden.
Shen took a moment to survey the eyes, came finally back to TL’s eyes, and accepted. She drew close, taking his arm, and lead him out of the blood. Arne walked with him. Erico accepted a glance from Arne, knowing he wanted the deck cleaned. Erico had the crew clean the mess. Bodies were stripped of metal, weighted with rock, and sent into the sea.
They sat on the deck, back against the wall, drinking ale. TL had repaired the injuries of the day. Orton was quiet, not quite sulking, but definitely keeping to himself.
“You okay?” Arne asked after the first round.
“I have killed more people in this world than any previous world I have been to,” Shen said.
“You have also lived here longer than you have on any other world,” TL said.
“How many worlds are there? There is here, and the underworld. Do you count the islands as worlds?” Arne asked.
“Do you get tired of the wars and killing?” Shen asked Arne.
“I get tired of stupidity,” Arne said. “The next portal, I promise Orton is off this ship.”
“That’s not helpful,” Shen said. “He’s just been schooled and if you replace him, there is risk of someone else wanting proof.”
“I will not allow such disrespect for my authority again,” Arne said.
“Fuck you. You wanted to see me kill someone just as much as they!” Shen snapped.
“Brother, I did not want this. You were challenged. You responded appropriately. You told them what would happen and you followed through with your word. There are now sufficient witnesses to your skills that I can intervene and hold the counsel of the group. The group caries some weight. Everyone here, in full light, with the exception of Orton, will support you if you chose not to fight,” Arne said.
Shen accepted this. He scratched his head. “I am so tired of this anger,” he lamented. “Were they good men?”
“They were men,” Arne said. “That’s enough.”
Someone shouted land.
They went forwards to see two islands in the distance. As they drew closer, they could see that each was defined by a single mountain, volcanic in appearance. Each mountain had a temple. A pretty good rule of thumb was: where there is a temple, there is a portal. Arne recommended they land on the right island, simply out of proximity preference. Both islands had rocky shores. The ship was brought in with oars, and rested on the only soft part of the beach. They disembarked and began a walk up to the grassy plain that led to the mountain.
“I don’t like this place,” Erico said.
“No trees bother me, too,” Torny said.
“Stop,” TL said. Shen stopped immediately. Shen tracked what TL was tracking, after the fact: a security field. They were in it. If it were a trap, it was already triggered.
“We should withdraw.”
Arne looked at her. Torny, Yaffa, and Jerica went to full alert.
“You heard the lady,” Arne said. “Back to the ship.”
“Fuck that, I am going to the temple,” Orton said. “And going home.”
“You can’t operate the gate without our keys,” Torny said.
“We don’t even know if there is a gate,” Jerica said.
“There’s a temple, there’s a gate,” Orton said. “Come on. Tree spirit is spooked because there is no trees.” Men were confused; likely because of they knew if a ghost was spooked, they should be weary, not because of loyalty to Arne.
“Back to the ship. Leaving without you Orton,” Arne said.
“Get down!” TL directed. Men didn’t listen, not understanding what was coming. Stone structures placed along the beach, inviting visitors to embark on the easiest path towards the temple suddenly revealed themselves for what they were- batteries. Beach defense turrets. Metal extended from the turning stone, firing a stream of hot metal. TL and Shen ran forward with their Torches, not manifesting swords, but shields. Together they made a gap, and dug their feet in holding against the barrage of hot metal. The sisters lit their staffs and created a similar barrier, but not as wide as what TL and Shen had made. Men fell into the projectile shadow. The noise was thunderous. There were dead and wounded men on the beach.
“Jon, I am sorry, I didn’t see this for what it was till it was too late,” TL said.
“Focus,” Shen reminded her. “Resolution options.”
“How can I help?” Arne asked.
“Hold this, like this,” TL said, handing her Torch to Arne. “Hold here. Jon, I need you.”
“Erico!” Shen said. Erico came to him. “Hold this, like this, hold here.”
Shen fell back to TL and followed her out, just a hairline under the fire line, barely protected by dune. The fire stream would like cut through the sand and hit them. She passed up several dead for someone she could save. “I am going to have to remove the bullet and re-inflate a lung,” she said, manifesting tools.
“Dirty?” Shen asked.
“If he’s going to live, yeah,” TL said.
A guy that had been wounded sat up.
“No!” TL yelled, pointing at him. “Stay down!”
His head exploded.
“Fucking tell your guys to lay still!” Shen said.
A door opened in the earth. Men in riffles came out of the bunker, firing. A rocket launcher shot a fat projectile with flaming, smoking tail- suggesting dirty, unstable fuel. Crudely, or hastily assembled, it was effective. The Aslog exploded. Splinters and burning pieces of sails rained down.
Shen ran to Erico and took his Torch back, shoved his head into the sand, ‘Stay down!” With shield he charged the soldiers. They concentrated fire on him, while their rocket launcher guy prepared another round. When upon them he exchange shield for sword. One of the soldiers got a good shot into his back. His uniform protected him, but he went to his knees. The blade took out one guy’s legs as Shen rolled. The remaining solders retreated back into the bunker, firing. The stump guy was struggling to get back- yelling for his friends to help. They closed the door on him, leaving him behind. Shen killed him and took his grenade belt. He flipped sword to shield. He took out a turret by dropping a grenade into the structure after cutting a hole in it with his sword. He took out a second turret in a similar fashion; two more remained. He ran to the next. His sword melted through the extended weapon. He rushed to the other as it was withdrawing into the stone. The stone lowered, closing on stone. He push his sword through the lower stone, and a moment later there was an explosion that blew the head off the turret and sent him flying back. His Torch extinguished. He lay, stunned, until Arne came to get him. Arne pulled him back to the dune. Fourteen men, 4 women, huddled on the beach. Shen came to.
“You need to stop hogging all the action,” Arne said. “Teach me to use this.”
“What?” Shen asked. Fuck, he thought, I am deaf. He heard TL in his head translating- and she affirmed his hearing was impaired, but would return.
TL captured an orb she had launched and came closer. “The way I see it, we can leave by water, or by portal. But we need to do this before dark. They will have regained their confidence by then.”
“They lost their confidence?” Yaffa asked.
“They were not expecting us to resist with magic and tech,” TL said. “I have gathered some intel. They have been at war with the neighboring island for a hundred years. They live their lives in the bunkers and continue to exchange fire with the other island. That’s why there is nothing here but grass and rubble.” She became more serious.
“Jon, there are no women on this island. They are using cloning tech. If I understood the intel right, the island with the enemy, they’re all female. This is war of the sexes, and it’s been going on for generations.”
“Why couldn’t we have landed on the women’s island,” Erico lamented.
“Shut up,” Arne said.
“Generations, and they haven’t run out of ammo?” Shen asked.
“They have a three d printer making a continuous supply of ammo and ration bars,” TL said. “These people are not healthy. And they are not right in the head. They may be as brain damaged as those of Worm island- a culture of violence and hate extending back who knows how long. We landed on Man Island with women in the company. We are the enemy. If we landed on the other island, we would still be the enemy because there are men in the company.”
TL projected a map in holographic lights. “The fastest path to the temple is the stairs, and ten turrets along the way, with bunker doors here and here. Best ambush spot here, and at the temple.”
“We’re not getting past this gauntlet,” Shen said.
“I agree,” TL said.
“We can’t go by water. They destroyed my ship,” Arne said.
TL looked to Shen for authorization.
“Get me inside this bunker, I’ll end this fucking war,” Shen said.
“And then what? You let crazy ass women take this island and then they spread out and take over the world? These two islands are in balance and they keep each other in check. No one can reclaim the surface as long as the war is on,” TL said.
“We take both islands out,” Torny said.
“Fucking A,” Shen agreed.
“As a free man, a human being, I can’t stop you, or the others, from doing that, but I cannot assist in what would be tantamount to genocide when we have the ability to evacuate to safety,” TL said. “I will not let you use my tech for geneocide.”
“Swim?” Arne asked.
TL took a pocket size boat out of her bag. It was contained in a bubble, like a ship in a bottle. The bubble was comprised of hexagons, and turning it in her hand revealed a dozen different ships; Viking, Spanish galleons, Submersible, ultra-modern aircraft carrier... They understood what they were seeing, though they didn’t understand how the ‘tech magic’ of it would manifest; even when she stopped the rotation on her selection, they failed to grasp the entirety of it. She selected a sloop. No one was amused.
“The minnow I presume?” Arne asked.
“We’re not all going to fit on that,” Yaffa said. “Should we draw straws?”
“This is fucking nuts,” Orton said. “If you can kill these bastards, do it.”
“Alright,” Shen said. “Let’s go to the water. Arne, you and me on shield duty, we go as one.”
“We’re not leaving without our dead,” Torny said.
“We tend to the living first,” Arne snapped. “The dead will care of themselves.”
He looked to Shen. “We’re ready.”
Arne and Shen stood and brought up shields. No one was firing but they held as if they expected to be shot at. TL led the way to the water. The bunker door began to open. Men came out, weapons aimed, firing. Yaffa stepped out far enough to launch an arrow and dropped three of the men in a row with an arrow of light.
Loxy placed the boat-ball in the water and directed it away from shore.
“Fuck, this is crazy. Go kill them!” Orton said.
“Brother,” Arne said. “If you charge again, I am going with you.”
Suddenly there was a full ship behind them, facing seawards. Erico tapped Arne. He turned to see the ship. His mouth dropped.
“Fucking mother of Skidbladnir,” Arne said. “How did you…”
“Let’s go!” TL said.
“You heard her!” Arne said, clapping.
“I am not getting on a ghost ship,” Orton said.
“Is it made of fingernails or wood?” Arne asked Orton.
“Fuck if I know. It could be air,” Orton said.
“Rocket launcher,” TL announced.
“Got it,” Yaffa said.
The arrow she launched went straight in the launcher and detonated it. The squad that had come out were knocked off their feet, half killed, everyone wounded. Yaffa fell, bullet wound to her thigh and abdomen. Shen and Arne shifted over to shield her as men scrambled onto the boat. TL immediately fell to taking care of Yaffa.
“She’ll live. I’d rather do the surgery on the water,” TL said.
“Erico! Uffe!” Arne said.
The two understood, left the aft of the ship where they were helping their people out of the water, handing up wounded. They survived a volley of bullets as soldiers shifted their aim away from the shields. TL carried Yaffa out to the ship. There was a lower patio that made sea access easier and ‘fun’ in the right context; they handed Yaffa up to Jerica and Torny.
A whole platoon emerged from the tunnel, weapons up and ready. A general came forwards. A tank rolled out with the platoon.
“I cannot permit you to leave,” he said.
“You either let us leave, or you will all die,” Arne said.
“You cannot kill us all. Surrender to us, and I promise your women won’t die. At least, not today,” the general said.
Arne laughed. “You wish.”
“A fuck is a fuck, corpse or not,” the general said.
“I am going to kill you, corpse fucker,” Arne said.
“Come,” the general said.
Arne charged. Shen went with him without hesitation. They didn’t make it before the platoon was falling. Arne and Shen halted their advance, going to their knees and overlapping their shields. Tiny lights were whizzing around them, like a stream that had separated around a rock. The tank blew up in a spectacular way, flipping it up and back into the tunnel, preventing the bunker door from closing. Ten of the men ran, and were trying to scramble around the tank, or under it to get away. Everyone else, except the general, died from lights penetrating them. The lights retreated going back to source, TL. Arne dropped the Torch-shield. He went straight to the general, drawing his sword. The general’s trousers darkened, but he held sufficient control to raise his firearm. The first round discharged into Arne’s hanging armor. There was no second round, as the man lost his arm. He turned to flee but Arne tripped him, turned him over on his back so he could see who was to kill him.
“Our tech is superior,” he said. “I will be back.”
“No you won’t,” Arne said. He plunged the sword through his heart.
The ship initially powered away on hidden engines, no sails. There was a fuss about the mast and rigging not being right, but once the sails were deployed and the wind took over, they were off like a shot, tacking into the wind. There was a respectful quiet as their minds took in the arrangement and started doing math, following the angles and curves of the boat. TL performed her miracle medical procedures on the wounded. Yaffa was last to be sorted due to triage, even after TL solicited ‘ghost’ helpers. Yaffa asked for the bullets she had removed and TL gave them to her. All the while, TL piloted the ship. She could pilot it from anywhere on the ship. So could Shen, as there was an AI simulator on the ship that he could interface with him through his Uniform. She found Shen easily enough, at the helm, monitoring the wheel that moved itself. She liked seeing him at the helm, the instrument cluster holding his attention. They didn’t have a magnetic compass, but they had gyros and bearing, and semi reasonable world map that was uploading the newly found clarity they brought as they tracked through the world. Depth gages measured the distance to the floor, and counted life forms. Surveys were available for review, numbers changing in real time.
The ship was essentially a Pereni Navy, E-Volution sloop-rigged sailing yacht, 64 meters, extended exterior deck/living space. The ship was space age, sleek, and with the technology available through Space Force- environmentally friendly. No petroleum fuel. The sails were both canvas for wind, but also solar collectors that collected energy for all ships function, saving energy in a bank of capacitors that delivered energy on demand and stored better than any previous battery design.
“People are resting,” TL told him.
Shen nodded. He had been following her work. He had intentionally stayed out of her way, knowing if she needed him, she would call him- even to the point of possessing his body to have more hands. He simply waited, available, waiting to be called. He bothered by the deaths, but less so than the death that had happened when he and Orton fought. He was sorting how angry he had been, knowing had TL green lighted his thoughts while angry, he would have taken out both islands. He wondered how far he would have gone with that. Would he had stopped before kill all the men? He probably wouldn’t have killed all the women. He wondered what the Kirk solution would have been? Destroy their tech so they would have to wage war by hand to hand combat. If their resurrection technology was destroyed, would they cease fighting? He touched the helm, wanting to be present.
“What should we christen her?” TL asked.
“The Sloop John B,” Shen said.
“Because of the misadventures we have been having?” TL asked. “Anything brighter?”
“Dawn Treader?” Shen asked.
“No,” TL said. “This doesn’t feel like a pleasant frolic through Narnia.”
“You were carrying a ship around in your purse; what do you call it?” Shen asked.
“Calypso,” TL said.
“There it is,” Shen said.
“Sing it, and it will be so forever, and this will set the tone for all that is to come,” TL said.
Shen looked at her as if she were crazy but saw the truth of it and smiled. “I love you.”
“I love you,” TL said.
Shen turned to face the bow, extended his hands. There was a guitar sounding, invisible, loud, and solo- then a bell sounding, then a full orchestra. Everyone on deck came to him. Everyone below deck came up. Flying fish took to the air. Dolphins danced in ship’s wake. The waters stilled and they shot through a space that was transparently clear it was if they were flying in air. Sea turtles, sting rays, octopi, a million types of fish. The floor descended, the water became green, and blue, but still crystal clear, and then they were back into the black and the waves began kicking back up, and they in turned and went with the wind. The song was perfect. The light was perfect. It felt wrong having everything this perfect after experiencing death.
“Is this heaven?” Erico asked.
TL touched Shen. “Take the helm, I will show our guest how to use our ship.”
TL provided the 50 cent tour. Laughter came from below and he inquired through the suit; he discovered they were fascinated by the toilet and the shower. It was made Viking tough. The Calypso was Viking tough, with bed spaces that could accommodate the tallest of them reasonably well. They would have to sleep in shifts, or make campsites about the ship. The women shared quarters. Shen and Arne were assigned private quarters.
Arne withdrew from the group and came up to the helm to visit with Shen.
“Captain Shen,” Arne said.
“Captain Arne,” Shen said.
“No more,” Arne said. “You are superior to me.”
“No,” Shen said. “I am just older. Read a lot more books than you. Saw way more movies than you. Heard more songs. You are superior to me in many ways.”
“Name one,” Arne said.
“You handle death better than I,” Shen said.
“Shen,” Arne said. He drew closer, leaned against the helm console, came off it quick as if having lost his mind, but Shen assured him, he had not harmed anything. Arne nodded, leaned back, put his hands on it. “Maybe you can’t see it, but they are hurting. I am hurting. My people didn’t get a proper burial. I will endure. They will endure. Th