//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: My Little Destroyermen: Walker on Water // by The Atlantean //------------------------------// “What did they want to speak with you about?” Matt asked Sandra as she munched on a ham-and-turkey sandwich with just a hint of mustard. “Mm,” she replied. “We mostly discussed things like exchanging medical ideas, but the main topic was that Keje wants to come aboard and visit. Tomorrow.” ------------------------- The next morning, the entire crew was resplendent in their coffee-stained whites as they milled about the ship. Matt sighed. It had been a hair-brained, panicky order from high command at the beginning of the war back home, who thought it’d be harder to spot warships if white sailors weren’t running around them. As if a ship and its wake was easy to find in the open ocean. If one was found, it didn’t matter what color the uniforms were. The officers and NCOs had 1918 pattern cutlasses from the armory--likely commissioned with the ship--to symbolize their command status and remind the Lemurians, once again, that they were warriors. Courtney Bradford didn’t have one, though, because he somehow cut himself before he completely pulled his cutlass from the scabbard. Somehow. “That’s some trick,” McFarlane murmured, referring to the Lemurian vessel. “It’s like they have a whole miniature harbor in there, protected by the hull. The stresses involved in that would be large, to say the least.” Similarly, Twilight watched the approaching Lemurian party. She didn’t have a cutlass, though, unlike the destroyermen, instead favoring a wholly different weapon: hard magic, solidified over the course of several mind-breaking hours. They were ceremonial blades more than anything, like Matt’s own Academy sword, but had a fantasy-esque appeal to their curved T-shaped blades and decorative hilts. As a pony, she would’ve easily held them in a practiced telekinetic grip, but a dual wield in her human hands would have to do for now. Currently, the two mage swords were in their respective hard-magic scabbards, which Twilight had spent most of the previous night crafting to fit the swords (after spending most of the afternoon making the swords themselves). “Impressive.” “Is that all you have to say about that?” Spanky asked. “It almost seems like a miracle, since the whole thing’s made of wood!” She shrugged. “Princess Celestia raises and lowers the sun. It’s a lot harder than it sounds, Mr. McFarlane. I should know--I’ve done it myself.” “You moved the sun?” “I had to keep the day cycle going somehow during Lord Tirek’s rampage.” “I’m not even going to question the logistics of that. An entire country that depends on the sun being moved around the planet is just insane,” Lieutenant Alan Letts, Walker’s supply officer, commented. “This should be common knowledge to all of you by now. I’ve said it enough times already.” The lieutenant shrugged. “What if your Princess Celestia can't do it? That would be bad.” “Which is why Princess Luna can do it, too.” “Twilight, do you remember that cucumber plant you fertilized?” Mertz interrupted from the counter. “It's already sprouting leaves.” She turned around. “That shouldn't be happening already. Effects of the spell, perhaps? I've never used it on a non-Equestrian plant before.” “Whatever it is, I thought you should know. The captain, too, but you're the expert on magic.” Mertz was like that for some reason, instantly accepting her as an authority in her field. Maybe it was Sandra’s example. More likely, it didn't change his position at all. He just served the crew, and she was part of it. A clamor at the ladder revealed a furry face as the Lemurian climbed the rolling destroyer’s rungs. “Should I?” Carl Bashear asked, his voice small enough to be ousted by a two-knot breeze. “No, damn it,” Gray replied as he took the pipe from Bashear. “If anyone's piping aliens aboard Walker, it's me.” Gray’s sharp whistle of the Bosun’s pipe gave the reddish-brown Lemurian a start before he cocked his head in recognition of tradition. Then everyone saluted, which he found more startling, but he mostly kept his composure as he scanned the human faces. The Chief remained stoic. Twilight offered a moderate bow instead of a salute. Within moments, he found Matt and smiled a very uncat-like smile. He pivoted aft, saluted at flag, and turned back to salute the captain. “Meeshin ta caamaa-burd, zur?” he asked with great difficulty. Matt realized that his jaw had gone slack. Sandra gave him an explanation, to which he nodded. A quick glance told him that Courtney was loving it. “Permission granted,” he replied. Over the next few minutes, the rest of the nearly dozen Lemurians boarded, each saluting the flag and captain. Nothing else could have integrated themselves with the crew as well. They gathered in the galley area, with Lanier serving all sorts of food, including (unfortunately) Vienna sausages. Iced tea circulated the group, which the Lemurians instantly became fiends for. Gray offered Adar a Coke, which the Sky Priest curiously accepted. Within seconds, he spit it back out, soda fizz foaming his mouth. The Chief laughed, patted his back, and drank from the same bottle to show he hadn’t tried to poison the priest. Twilight spun fantastic stories about her adventures in Equestria, telling the men in English and the Lemurians with her translation spell. While talking to Keje, Matt caught a bit about the Elements of Harmony, which he’d only heard of sparingly, and a literal god of chaos. “Perhaps Captain U-Amaki would like a tour of the ship?” he asked. “I will pass that on, Captain Reddy, but know that U-Amaki is not his name, but rather his title--like ‘Captain’,” Shinya replied. “Oh.” Keje smiled and accepted Matt’s offer. Taking Adar and Chack with him, along with his usual guards, he followed the American around the ship. When they entered the bridge, Adar freaked about the navigational charts, but an understanding quickly surfaced. Keje was hesitant to show them where he’d been headed, but decided that the Americans weren’t malevolent enough to directly assault the land colony. And so, he indicated Borneo to them. ------------------------- “So, you’re not an Amer-i-caan like the others?” a Lemurian asked Twilight. “No. I am Equestrian. Back home, I’m not even a human--er, a Tail-less One. I’m a pony, a four-legger with a tail. More specifically, I’m an alicorn, so I have a magic horn and wings to fly.” “Wow.” “What’s it like?” another asked. “Peaceful. There are no wars, and very little crime as far as I know. We all live under Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who rule with benevolence and kindness.” The discussion continued for a few more minutes under Silva’s watchful gaze. Eventually, though, Juan approached. “Cap-tan Reddy and the Lermurian leaders are gathered in the wardroom. He requests that you join.” “I’ll be there.” She turned to the Lemurians. “Sorry, but I must leave now. The Captain needs me to go elsewhere.” “Awww,” they collectively sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back later.” She stood and strode to the wardroom, brushing dust and flecks of paint off her borrowed nurse’s uniform. Her mage swords clanged at her side, but they phased through hatches with ease. A minute later, she opened the pea-green curtain to the wardroom. “Captain, you wanted me?” “Just for your presence as a head of state. You’ll need to know what we discuss here.” “Fair enough.” she sat and folded her arms across the table. Even though Twilight could use her translation spell, Matt communicated through Shinya to prevent confusion among his Lemurian guests. It was tediously slow, however, and quite a bit was lost through the three-language translation, but it made sense to keep the system established through use. “I don’t know how to compensate for your generosity, Amer-i-caan,” Keje said after a while, “but I can leave you with Chack, to possibly learn your language better, make our friendship less inconvenient. He is most undoubtedly a worthy person, and he has also recently distinguished himself a skillful warrior.” Chack was astonished. This was an honor he didn’t expect to receive. Could it be to get him away from Selass? “I will do my best, Lord,” he mumbled. “He’ll be welcome as part of our crew,” Matt replied through Shinya. “But Chack, noble as he is, is only small recompense. Do you need supplies, repairs?” “Supplies are fine for now, but we’d like to try some of your fruit if you can spare it. We don’t really have space for gardens. What we really need is that black substance on your stays and shrouds and that you use to seal your seams.” Keje was silent until the interpretation came through. Then he looked around, surprised. “You have leaks? I didn’t know you had a use for gish. We carry much, just for that purpose, and it is very abundant where we go. It bubbles from the ground at the trading land!” he chuckled. For the first time in a long time, Matt’s face broke into a genuine grin. It was the first time either Twilight or Shinya had seen it, and Gray grinned too. “In that case, why don’t have some more tea?”