Chapter 53: School on a Caribbean Island Part two final.
Location: Somewhere over the Celtic Sea south of Ireland. August 29th O’ six hundred hours. A Royal Navy helicopter is speeding on its way to a rendezvous. Up ahead is a long sleek superyacht with a body that’s about the length of a Boeing 747, a bit wider in girth with short stubby wings about two-thirds of the way back that swept all the way to the rear of the craft that angled downwards. The belly of the craft and all leading edges are black with the remainder of the ship a bright white color. On top of the wings were two large round cylinders that looked a bit like jets but there were no fans visible. At the bow was a radar dome. Beyond the bow, a passenger deck evidenced by a row of round windows which ran the length of the craft with a flat deck above from the bow to a third of the way back that was just open space covered in black solar cells built right into the deck, followed by a large sloping cabin with two floors and a bridge above that. Behind the bridge was a short tower containing a number of antenna and satellite dishes all shielded from the extreme shear forces of supersonic flight, and on the fantail, there was a landing pad for a chopper on either side of which was a tail fin that stuck outwards at an angle. On each tail fin was a logo of two winged unicorns one representing night and the other day. The ship itself appeared to be motionless. Not even the rough waves below seemed to be moving it, and as the chopper approached the reason became all too apparent. The yacht was hovering about one hundred feet above the sea while a number of vector jets built right into the hull were being used to maintain the position.
The chopper swung around and guided by an air marshal, landed on the helipad.
“What the hell?” One of the pilots said as the electronics all shut down moments after touching down. Moments later the three officers are outside watching dumbfounded as their bird is secured, the pad retracted into the hold, and large cargo doors folded out and closed up.
“Sent you out with a machine that’s not properly shielded.” An engineer offered. “It’s the Positron Drive. Tends to kick up a bit of EMP when we are hovering like this. No point in trying to get the chopper going again, we’ll just have to unload you at Heathrow.” EMP, in this case, is Energized thauMaturgic Particles. Maybe a little electromagnetic pulse thrown in for good measure too.
“I’m Captain Morris British Airways. My chauffeurs are lieutenants Smith and Jones.”
“You can call me Scottie if you like. I’m the chief engineer, and the Lieutenant is Princess Nova Moon.”
And with that explanation, they went in through a doorway into a very nice cabin followed by an equally nice corridor.
“So, um, why are we here and who are these people?” Asked Captain Morris as he unzipped his Navy jumpsuit to reveal a civilian pilot uniform underneath.
“They needed a pilot. Didn’t anyone tell you?” Lt Smith offered. “You’re supposed to fly this into Heathrow.”
“What? You’re kidding right?”
“Not that kind of pilot.” Lt Nova Moon offered. Nova gave them a smile. “Welcome aboard the Hermes, It’s acting Lieutenant actually. No, you don’t have to fly it, we’ve crew to include myself who can do that. What we need is someone who can bring us into Heathrow. We’re from a small island nation called Eques, and well, none of our people have any experience flying into a large airport. Also if we are to go in at speed it’ll behave a bit like a Concord. We are also chartered through British Airways.”
“And I just happen to be a Concord pilot.” Captain Morris replied. “So what do you do at home? I mean as far as landing and take off?”
“Vertical take-off – land in a lagoon. More of a large atoll actually… It’s a supersonic flying boat capable of vertical takeoffs and landings. Most of the work is done by a computer. A person would have to defeat the system to crash it.” Nova offered. “We’ve some older airships that aren’t anywhere near as advanced, and likely would never make it across the Atlantic. Believe it or not, this was cobbled together with bits and pieces, some reverse-engineered tech, and a few ideas of our own. The basic configuration is a cross between an Avro CF-105 Arrow and a fancy cabin cruiser.” She couldn't help but smile at the look they gave her. “I imagine the people who did the contract work didn’t have a clue what the parts were for.”
The group continued on through palatial lounges to climb the stairs up to the bridge where they met the captain. Sparrow his name was and bore a striking resemblance to his namesake save in his crisp clean white uniform. At first, the bridge looked like most any other bridge, but when the command to get underway was given a large screen rose up out of the floor to position itself in front of the helmsman's position. Two helmsman positions that were configured about the same as a pilot and co-pilot position with two major advantages. Thanks to the screen and a bow camera they had an unobstructed view of what was in front of them, plus the majority of the fiddly controls and readouts were simply not there. Most of the flight instruments had been moved to other duty stations to be monitored by other members of the crew. All the Helmsmen had to deal with were the basic flight controls and readouts most of which were integrated into the monitor screen along with a graphic virtual overlay display that indicated the projected course flight speed altitude and relative position of the aircraft.
“Care to take the co-pilot seat Captain Morris?” Nova offered.
“Lieutenant, care to take over helm one?” Offered the individual present at the helm. “You’ve flown this thing as much as I have, and you’ve more experience with the proper protocols.”
“Alright switch to auto for the moment.” Nova offered.
“Just how many hours flying have any of you had?” Captain Morris asked.
“In an actual aircraft…” Nova began as she took over the first position. “You don’t want to know. There’s a reason the computer does most of the work. Well, that and this thing would be impossible to fly without it.”
“Actual aircraft?”
“Do we have our transponder on?” Nova asked.
“Actual aircraft?” Captain Morris asked again.
“Let's just say I’m a military asset and leave it at that.” Nova offered with a smile and a wink. “Most of our fleet is small lumbering lighter than air aircraft. This one is a neutral buoyancy craft. First-ever built. Actual hours flying it … not a whole lot.” Nova refrained from telling him that this would be the first time landing on an actual runway.
“We got a call sign?” He asked.
“EQFB flight 100.” Captain Sparrow offered.
“Captain looks like that weather system over London is building,” offered a crew member who was presently watching a radar screen.
🌌
Heathrow Airport, outside visibility is dropping and the wind is rising, inside Mr Weasley is geeking out over all the clever muggle devices and making security nervous. Fortunately, airport management had been given a heads up that a number of individuals booked for the flight to Eques might be uniquely challenging but otherwise harmless. Ron and Hermione are there along with a handful of youth from wizard families as well as students from none wizard families. Somehow they’ve all managed to make it out to the far end of terminal three where their flight is supposed come into.
“So when do we see Harry?” Ron asked as he followed Hermione. Her parents were presently doing their best to help Molly keep Arthur on track.
“But-but…” Arthur Weasley could be heard somewhere behind them.
“He’s probably going to meet us on the plane.” Hermione offered. “And wait till you see his brother, they are nearly identical.”
“Like Twins?” Fred and George offered. The two boys being unusually well mannered. In fact, they’d been on good behavior ever since the Equestrians had come to pick up Harry and the extra set of twins. Which might help to explain why they’d been invited to come as well.
Hogwarts was going to be missing the entire second-year Griffindor class that year along with a number of select ‘muggle-born’ students who’d been invited. Harry’s friends had been invited and before long the entire class wanted to go. Although, at the moment, it was starting to look like no one was going anywhere. Flights were being delayed or canceled even as they made their way to the gate they were to go to.
“A bit.” Hermione offered as she looked out the windows at the driving rain. “This might sound a bit odd but little Airry, Harry’s brother, is bigger than Harry. It’s on account of how the Dursleys treated him. Harry that is.” Hermione simply could not keep the disapproving tone from her voice anytime the matter of the Dursley family came up.
🗼
Meanwhile up in the tower, “Sorry Eques one hundred, there’s a bit of a squall going past. Can you divert?”
“Tower, be advised that the Hermes is fully capable of landing blind in hurricane conditions,” Nova called over the radio.
“That sounds like SAM Acorn One.” The dispatcher said over the radio.
“That I am, I’m aboard EQFB flight 100 Heavy this morning. We can see where we are going even in zero visibility and have auto landing if we need it. Wind isn’t going to be an issue. Just give us a slot and we’ll be fine.”
“What exactly are they flying?” The dispatcher asked as they turned to look towards their supervisor.
“Some sort of experimental flying boat is all I know.” The supervisor offered. “Supposed to be about the size of a seven forty-seven and capable of vertical take-off and landing. Cutting edge radar and computer augmented fly by wire. It’s supposed to be impossible to crash.”
“Didn’t they say something similar about the Titanic?”
“Weather isn’t throwing icebergs at us just yet. We are right at the threshold, tell them to go ahead and bring it in on R27 and proceed to three thirty-eight.”
“Eques one-hundred you are clear to land on runway right two seven.”
“Roger that tower, Eques flight one hundred heavy on final approach.” Captain Morris replied with the lights of the Hermes breaking through the cloud layer moments later.
“Looks like someone put delta wings on a bleeding cabin cruiser,” one of the dispatchers offered moments later. “Hang on, is that fire coming from the nose?”
“Eques one hundred are you experiencing a fire in your nose?” Another asked over the radio.
“Negative tower, those are vector engines compensating for the wind,” Nova offered.
“Would ya just look at that…” A tower operator asked as they looked through binoculars. As the Hermes set down there were none of the struggles many other aircraft experienced landing in a crosswind. No-slip, no turning it into the wind, no sign of turbulence what so ever aside from vector engines firing to maintain a straight and steady path.
🛳
“It’d take a ship of some kind to make it through that weather.” Seamus was lamenting as he looked out into the weather.
“Um, Seamus…” Neville prompted as he tapped the other boy’s shoulder and pointed out towards the taxiway.
“Why is a yacht coming down the taxiway?” Ron asked.
“It’s the Hermes,” Hermione said proudly. She had actually seen the craft being tested and had even been provided a lift home on it. Only that time they’d slipped in and out of London via the Thames river so no one would know it was a flying machine.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the gobsmacked expressions of the ground crew. Despite the Hermes having landing gear extended just like any other aircraft it still looked like something that had no business being there. They watched as a member of the ship’s crew came out on the deck in bright red seaman's foul weather gear, lay down, and shout at the men on the ground while pointing at the bow.
“What’s he doing?” Parvati Patil asked Hermione.
“There’s a camera in the bow just below the radar dome that lets the command crew see everything in front of them just like if they were sitting in a normal airplane cockpit.” Hermione offered.
“Pardon, is this zee plain to Eques?” asked a pair of striking blond girls dressed in light blue.
“Why yes, yes it is.” Dean Thomas offered. “Dean Thomas, and you?”
“Aurélie Dumont, and this Fleur DeLacour. We are zee exchange students from Beauxbatons. “Madam Maxime thought zee experience would be good for us. No?”
“Ah, yes, it’ll be a good experience. Learning at a different school. No trolls wandering the halls. No wraiths teaching classes and trying to murder students.”
“Trolls? Wraiths?” Fleur asked astonished.
“He means no Slytherins.” Ron offered which resulted in the Hogwarts alumni having to explain the previous year at Hogwarts. Granted not everything that had happened could be blamed on the Slytherins. After all, Quirrell had been a Raven claw alumni and it was Dumbledore who’d chosen to bring the Philosopher’s stone to Hogwarts.
Outside the Hermes has been parked, a bow door opened, and the extendable gangway fitted to it. At the stern, the bay doors have been opened and the chopper is being rolled out onto a lift platform while luggage is being loaded via a door that’s about halfway back. Also on the main passenger cabin deck with luggage going down a service shoot to the hold with pets going to assigned rooms. Granted there had been a number of requirements. All animals had to be fixed with the exception of intelligent familiars, and every creature had to have a full battery of immunizations. Everything required of all the muggles coming and going through the airport. Moments later Nova and Captain Morris come walking out from the passenger boarding bridge.
“Well if you don’t mind getting stuck on a Caribbean island for several months.” Nova offered with a smile.
“Well, as tempting as that may sound I’m going to need to get back to work.” Morris offered. “Still though, that has got to be the smoothest landing I’ve ever done. I can’t see why no one has ever thought to add vector engines.”
“Adds weight and it’s expensive.” Nova offered. “If it wasn’t for the Positron Drive that beast wouldn't even be able to get off the ground.”
“What exactly is that anyway?”
“In simple terms, its a type of reactor. It’s the power plant for the main driver and the device that allows us to achieve neutral buoyancy. It has the unique property of negating gravity in its immediate vicinity.But let's not be telling anyone. It’s all rather hush-hush.”
“I would imagine. Well, any time you need a pilot give me a call. I wish everything I fly was as nice.”
“Maybe next time we’ll see how high it’ll go.” Nova offered. “The idea is to take it up into low Earth orbit to eliminate the sonic boom while crossing land masses.”
“I’d certainly want to be on that trip.”
“And speaking of which, it’s time we started loading our passengers.”
“Just one thing before I go, I can’t see any fans in those large jet engines on the back?”
“There’s a small fan underneath that feeds into the big jet to get it going. But aside from that, they are fan-less so far as the primary portion of the engine goes. It starts out as a conventional jet and goes from standard configuration to supersonic. We figured out how to get ion drivers to fire the combustion chamber rather than use fossil fuels. Air can go through at any speed and our actual fuel consumption is minimal. Pity the whole system is reliant on the prime mover.”
“You got ion engines?”
“Sort of.” Nova offered sheepishly. “We were actually kind of disappointed in them at first because they weren’t putting out enough power to actually push anything by themselves.”
“Miss, is the flight-ready?” asked a gate agent.
“Yes, yes, we are ready.” Nova offered.
“I should get going.” Captain Morgan offered, shook Nova’s hand and made his way through the curious crowd. Curious in more ways then one but he tried not to let that bother him. Behind him Nova picked up a mic at the boarding counter.
“Ladies and gentle peoples.” Nova began. “For those of you who have your golden ticket, I’d like to welcome you all aboard the skyship Hermes.” Nova welcomed each and every passenger as their boarding passes were checked.
“Is that uniform for real?” Ron asked as he’d approached only to get admonished by Hermione.
“I’ve seen her fly it.” Hermione offered.
“She’s going to fly it?” Ron protested. “I’ve changed my mind.”
“I’m only a helmsman, Ron. There’s an entire crew on board, and Harry is waiting.” Nova encouraged.
“That seems to be all.” A boarding agent offered once everyone was aboard.
“One more,” Nova replied. She smiled at seeing Millicent Bulstrode hurrying to the gate with parents in tow. “You made it.”
“What is that thing?” Mr Bulstrode asked.
“It’s a skyship. First of it’s kind.” Nova offered loud enough for all the hangers-on to hear. “You’re not making a mistake by letting your daughter come to the Eques Academy were ability is what matters the most.”
“Well, Millicent made a rather convincing argument.” Mr Bulstrode offered. “The world is changing and anyone who can’t change with it will just get trampled underfoot.”
“Never a truer statement.” Nova offered. “Thank you for letting her come. I promise you will not be disappointed.”
“And how can you be so sure?” Mrs Bulstrode asked.
“As sure as I know the rain will stop falling.” Nova offered with a smile, her hair billowed out for a moment, the sun broke through the clouds, and she quietly took up one of Millicent’s carry on bags, and escorted the girl down the passenger boarding bridge.
“Dear, I realize I don’t know a whole lot about magic…” Mrs Bulstrode began in a whisper, “But did that young woman just stop the rain?”
🏰
Hogwarts: September first, beginning of the sorting ceremony. There is a new teacher at Hogwarts, his name is Gilderoy Lockhart. But as Dumbledore looks out over the hall he knows that he’s made a huge mistake. The entire second year Gryffindor class is a no show along with the Weasley twins. In fact, there are quite a few missing faces from all the houses. Several Slytherin students transferred to Durmstrang and the group of new students that McGonagall just brought in to be sorted is so pitifully small it’s disheartening.
“Minerva, is that all of the new first years?”
“Even the train was smaller than normal,” Minerva offered.
“But, we sent out more cards then this?”
“Have you checked the master enrollment book?” Minerva asked. “We got a bunch of letters from parents saying that they were going to find another option.”
Dumbledore got up from his place, went out from the grand hall, climbed stairs, and passed down corridors until finally coming to the room with the master enrollment book. Here the enchanted lock on the door was set that only the headmaster could get in.
Dumbledore opened the door, stepped in, and cast his eyes at the open page of the enchanted book. What assaulted his eyes was a crude drawing and three little words.
Kilroy was here.
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I take it Percy is still here. I get the feeling that Dumbledore should have asked him what happened to his brothers and sister as I doubt she is here as well. Now I wonder how Hogwarts will fall into irrelevance?
Wow, just wow, great job on this one and I can't wait for what you have planned next! 👍 Keep up the great work my friend!!! --- Tom was here...😁😁😁
2 awesome chapter to this grate story.
10165247
Percy graduated. Or at least that's what was in the conon material.
10165757
So Percy only completed his fifth year then and chose only to get his OWL’s then and not continue on to get his NEWT’s ok.
10165866
OK, I had to check, he didn't actually graduate till 94, but he'd kind of been all but written out after the first book. Doesn't really change How I chose to end this as Dumbledore would still want to check the enrolment book because a lot of students he had expected to see did a no show.
Kind of an abrupt ending, but I get you want to complete the story. Good job
10165922
I'm sure there was a lot more I could have done, but yes, I really wanted to close it up and call it done. Part of my reasoning is that should I suddenly drop off the face of the Earth tomorrow, I wouldn't want people wondering if it'll ever get updated. Like so many stories I've seen that start out fairly good and then nothing. I know life can get in the way but it's also important to see projects through to the end if at all possible. I may also add little short stories from time to time as sequels as I get the inspiration. Just not going to make any promises right now.
Can't wait for the next book in this saga.
In short their fancy new seaplane breaks as many rules of physics as possible. Smug magical ponies.
Well if this gets a sequel I'd love to read it.
10186506
Thank you. I'm kind of playing around with a couple of ideas, but it'll be a while before I have enough where I feel I can start posting.