The Kraken Wars - Part 3

The Battle in the Frozen North

The cargo blimps assembled at the same beachhead on Marmedunck. However, this was a much longer voyage with no stops and would end with delivery to Juno airport in the Blake Passage area where the cargo blimps would refuel and take their cargo to various ports in the vast northern area. Kraken attacks had not occurred in these cold, northern climates.

The first attack came just after the first hour of their patrol.
A solitary Kraken came reaching for them out of a thin bank of cloud, halfway to Crows Nest. It seemed confused and its attack was halting and disjointed, as if it were unsure of which blimp it was attacking.

Phineas swung Doom to port to bring his starboard gun to bear. Becca placed her round directly behind the beast’s eyes, killing it instantly. As the Kraken dropped to the choppy waters below, Phineas was piloting Doom down to tag and mark the carcass for collection. Drew kicked her gun mount in frustration, "When do I get a shot at a damn Kraken"?

"Drew, I promise you will get to shoot Kraken. It just has been the luck of the draw. Now tag this brute so we can get back on patrol."

The convoy proceeded North into a steadily rising breeze. Progress dropped as Jack read the signs and noticed that the surface appeared to be somewhat calm. He called Phineas on the Marconi device and suggested that they descend from the 200 M altitude to 25 M above the surface.

Phineas signaled the fleet to descend as the first Kraken struck. They had begun to see every cloud bank as a possible hiding place for an attack and the small cloud ahead of them proved to be a den of tentacles. Four Kraken attacked the descending convoy head on. The cutters flew into the pack of Kraken. Bane and Doom were still flying one above the other when they engaged the Kraken Pack.

Drew fired two rounds in quick succession and her target sank to the surface. Becca looked for a shot but the Kraken in her line of sight had attached itself to the top of Doom’s gas bag. Chandler took careful aim. Jack held his breath. The shot rang from Banes port gun and at first Jack thought he had missed. The bullet ripped a furrow of flesh, the Kraken began to slide down the hull until it dangled below the bag and just ahead of the pilot station. Chandler took it off with a clean second shot and the Kraken crashed to the waves below as he heard the roar of a gun and from his peripheral vision saw Brad hammer a Kraken hard in the head.

He began looking for the fourth when he heard Phineas in his headset.

"Jack, one went under your keel and is heading for the fleet; I am on him, watch that cloud!"

Jack trusted his brother’s instincts and just as he turned his eyes to the cloud he saw a huge Kraken heading for the fleet. Jack pushed the throttle to the stops and Bane leaped forward. When they were 50 M apart, he spun Bane on her center and as he did so, Brad took aim and fired. The impact of the heavy bullet spun the Kraken like a top and it was still spinning when it hit the surface.

The convoy descended to the surface, the beaks were collected and the Kraken bodies linked together, tagged and marked with a beacon. As the fleet resumed their formation and move off at a new altitude of 50 M, Jack was surprised to find his headwind had become a tailwind and progress was smoother as well as faster.

Spirits were lighter as the convoy progressed and Phineas heard Becca giving her sister a hard time about needing two shots for that teeny little Kraken. Drew turned with fire in her eyes and said, "He's dead isn't he!"

Becca laughed and said, "You must learn to respect your elders."

Phineas turned to stare at them, "Elders"?

Drew hissed, "Yess, by a minute and a half and that witch never lets me forget it!"

With the tailwind, Jack could still hear the laughter in his lead position.

The final attack on this cruise came as the convoy entered the waters of Blake Passage. A solitary and rather small Kraken dropped from a cloud directly above the convoy and went through the formation to a position just above the surface. As the Kraken started to rise, Phineas dove his cutter down to meet it. He turned to starboard to bring his port gun to bear as Drew fired a single, killing shot.

She looked from Phineas to Becca, and shook her head. "This is a scruffy looking juvenile," she said.

"Remove the beak in any case, but don't bother to tag it. Let the company decide if he qualifies for the bounty or not," ordered Phineas.

“It is a Spotted Kraken and the beak is spotted as well. They are small, powerful and meaner than a stepped on snake.”

The beak turned out to be full size or nearly so, and Phineas could only shrug and rejoin the fleet.

As the convoy entered Blake Passage they seemed to have flown into another world of cold and ice and stinging winds.

The flying leathers now had a layer of quilted long underwear and all the crew of Bane and Doom wore gloves and scarves around the neck. The captains of both Cutters wore heavy pea coats and gloves as well as a wool mask over the face. The crews huddled in the stern where the engine gave up some heat to add a bit to their comfort.

Phineas looked at his watch every hour and saw that five minutes had passed.

A song lyric kept running through Jacks head. "Does anyone know where the love of God goes, when the day turns the minutes to hours"?

A cheer rose up from all hands when the light of Juno Airport came into view through a wispy fog in the dim light of early dawn. The cargo blimps were refueled and fresh crews boarded to distribute the much needed cargo through the islands of Blake Passage. The cutters were tied down for a day of rest for both crews, as the sun rose over a snow-capped mountain range.

A few days later in the offices of Sprokit and Kogg, Jack and Phineas were smirking over cups of steaming Dark Roast Boobinga coffee. Phineas had just remarked that CAT might regret the charter they had underwritten; the pile of Kraken beaks and the per diem for escorting their convoys had fattened the brothers’ bank accounts handsomely.

Jack rose from the coffee cups and went to his desk. He returned with a smile and handed Phineas a bank passbook. Jack had set up an account with Wyatt as joint holder with Phineas. Wyatt had made deposits in the account as the market for Kraken Bites had risen and the plant food had begun to sell.

Phineas just looked and blinked. "This is our share? Not the total, but our share"?

Jack continued to smile and nod.

"Sweet Baby Copernicus! This is more than we made on the Beak Bounty!"

Jack only smiled more, "No wonder Wyatt jumped all over this idea. That crafty fellow saw the value, from the jump. It's a good thing we drove as hard a bargain as we did. I suspect he's skipping and singing all the way to the bank!"

Phineas sat up in his chair and said, "I wonder how the Krakenettes are doing it; moving this much product, that is."

"We have three more contracts in the next ten days and a couple of short patrols on our own, where Kraken have been spotted. They will have plenty of product to sell."

The next two weeks found both men sun burned, very happy and nearly exhausted. The crews of both cutters were spent as well and the craft were in Air Dock for maintenance and inspection. A short furlough was much needed by everyone.

On the second day of this respite, Jack received a message from Wyatt Tong requesting a meeting as soon as it could be arranged.

The following day found Jack at the Green Door Cafe. Elder Tong smiled and opened the door to usher him in, "Wyatt is waiting for you in his office, lunch is ready for you."

Jack thanked him and made his way to the office. Phineas was already present and seated at the table, sipping a cup of mead.

"Welcome, Jack. I was just telling Wyatt how shocked I was at the success of Master Kraken and the Krakenettes."

"You make it sound like a steampunk band," replied Jack.

Wyatt got a good laugh out of the remark but soon became very serious. The furrowed brow and set of his mouth caused the brothers to exchange concerned looks. Over a fine lunch of Peafowl Salad on lightly toasted sesame bread, a delicate watercress salad and oolong tea, Wyatt spun his tale and the source of his concern.

"As you well know by now, the Kraken processing and distribution plant on Tong Island has done very well. The small island may be outgrown and ultimately require more space, for a variety of reasons, none of which need concern you. My brothers are overseeing the food and fertilizer sides and all is well in both regards. However, there is one matter that may be of import to both of you."

"My brother, was overseeing the processing of the food end of the business when he spotted a leaf in the waste bucket. He picked it up and was instantly aware that there was something very strange about this leaf. It seemed to have insects attached to it and a network of fine wires connecting the insects together. The stem of the leaf seemed to have a thorn on it; almost like a barb."

"Virgil is a bright and inquisitive young man. He asked from where came this leaf, and was told that they show up on many of the Kraken. He told the workers that when these leaves were found that they were to be handled with great care and brought to him immediately. Very shortly he had three more of these mysterious leaves and he brought them to my attention. I now bring it to yours."

Wyatt produced a gray sack of a course weave and placed it on the table. He withdrew a black framed, glass, display panel. It was framed in black metal with clear glass on both faces. Wyatt placed this strange artifact on the gray cloth and Jack and Phineas stared at it for several seconds.

Wyatt spoke again, "I have not made any scientific analysis of this phenomenon yet and at this point I have only suspicion and supposition. I have moved a small building onto an open stretch of beach on Tong Island and a selection of test equipment for electronic and chemical examinations. Virgil has alerted the workers in the food processing areas and they will not remove any more of these leaves. They will remove a section of flesh with the leaf attached and place this section in a chiller. He will summon me when this happens. Sadly, that is all I have for you at this time but I felt you should be made aware of this development as soon as possible."

The Tong Island Lab

JJack placed the specimen box on the table and sipped his tea. He looked first at Phineas, who merely shook his head; he had nothing to offer. Jack said, "Do you believe these leaves are somehow connected to the Kraken attacks"?

Wyatt nodded his assent, "But, as yet, I have no evidence to support my theory. Time and careful investigation may provide some answers. In the meantime, Tong Island, as it is now shown on the latest charts, is listed as private property and no longer open to unauthorized landings of any kind. We now have an armed security force in our offices. All of these precautions are thanks to our good friend Jacob. We must take no chances.”

To be continued

(c) All text and pictures by Jack Tracker