Chapter 3: Louisville, Kentucky
Captain’s diary, October eighth, two thousand seventeen, ten hundred hours. After winning a two-day battle with the McAlpine Lock and Dam, the Voyager is closing in on Louisville, Kentucky. I have my air contingent out looking for signs of habitation in and around the city. Plans are to tie up near the Belle of Louisville paddleboats, to see if we can siphon some fuel out of the tanks. We topped off in Evansville, thanks to Captain Reynaud, but I want to be assured of adequate fuel in other places. Yes, we can use the gasifier, but I want to save that for going downstream, not up!”
Captain Howard Crane sat back in his office chair, put down the pen and rubbed his right wrist some. Yes, being a hippogriff gives him a perfectly usable set of hands, but the way a hippogriff’s claws are, compared to a human’s, makes using a pen difficult. “Ah should wrap this in duct tape, but then it gets a bit too clumsy to use…” he muttered as he got the stiffness out.
“Recon Viper One to Commander Adama,” Howard heard in his head, thanks to the communication gems given to the crew by Queen Marie back in New Orleans.
“This is Adama. Go ahead, Recon Viper One,” he ‘replied’ via crystal.
“Captain, I’m seeing signs of fields being tended to here in and near the intersections of I-64 and I-65. They are lush and varied. Permission to close in to see if ponies are near?” Frack asked the Captain.
“Go on ahead and do so, Viper One. Viper Two, you seeing anything interesting?” Howard asked his Second Officer, Harry Bell, who was flying along the north side of the river.
“Not much of anything here on the north side, Captain, just overgrowth and buildings going to ruin. Permission to join One on the south shore?”
“Harry, stay north. Got a pegasus coming up to me. Stay hid and watch,” Frack reported as Howard saw through Frack’s eyes a pink pegasus with white wings flying up from the fields to intercept Frack.
“Hurry! Follow me before Bart sees you!” the pink pegasus said with urgency, the tones marking the pegasus as a female.
“You lead, I’ll follow. Who is Bart?” Frack asked as he fell in behind the pegasus.
“He’s the boss here! He gets nasty about strangers taking what he thinks is his!” the pegasus explained as she winged under I-64 to a crudely-built shelter there, opening the door and urging Frack inside.
Once they were in, she shut the door with a hoof and relaxed by taking a deep breath and letting it out. “Much better! Are you off the Voyager?” she asked. “We’ve been expecting you for a while now. Sorry about not opening the locks for you, but the only one who knew how to do it left with the dragons. Bart may be awake now, but maybe not. He has a bit of a temper, he does,” the mare said in a rush.
“Easy there, slow down!” Frack said, patting the pink mare with a wing. “Slow down and try again. First, who are you, who is this Bart, and why should we worry about him?”
The pink pegasus shook herself some, visibly calming as she did. “Okay. I’m Julie Lowry, aerial superintendent and only pegasus who figured out how to fly before Nikolai took off for parts unknown, taking most of the population with him. Bart is a griffin who showed up two days after Nikolai left. He was some sort of gang boss Before, and now he thinks he runs the town. Well he does, after he slashed Jesus some. You have a doctor, right? Since July, he’s healed some, but he’s in a lot of pain still, and his wing’s not healing properly.”
“Yes, we do have a doctor. In fact, we have two. Now, how can we deal with Bart, so we can make deals here?” Frack asked.
“He’s taken over Galt House for his own. He generally comes out about nine, then flies south to hunt. He comes back around noon, then makes a pest of himself until nightfall, when he goes back to Galt House, and the rest of us head to our home at the ballpark. Nikolai and Cacofonix lived in the bullpen while we ponies took some of the luxury boxes,” Julie explained in a bit less of a breathless rush than before.
“Okay, then. Who’s left here, and what is the best way to approach Bart?” Frack asked, still keeping a wing over Julie.
Julie took a deep breath, then another. “Okay, there are eight of us left. Jesus is our leader, he’s a bat pony, but his left wing is shredded and a couple bones have not healed right, so he can’t fly. We have four earth ponies, they being Charlie, Patty, Sally and Linus. They do most of the crop tending. That is, Charlie and Patty do. Sally is six and Linus is four. The two unicorns, Igor and Rena, know some basic spells Cacofonix taught them before he left. They kept Jesus from getting worse, but don’t know how to make him better.”
“Okay, then, what about Bart? How should we handle him?” Frack asked, while making sure Howard was listening.
“He’ll come on like he owns the place, which in his mind, he does. We don’t want him around, but we can’t convince him to leave us be. If you can’t convince him to leave us be, how about talking him into backing off on demands of us? We’re not his slaves!” Julie snapped, letting her exasperation show about the situation of life in Louisville.
Frack patted the pegasus some, getting her calmed again. “The Captain is aware of what you said. We plan on tying up by the riverboats. Think he would come to the boat first or swing here to check on you?”
“Oh, he’ll go to the boat, if he sees it, which I’m sure he will. He will be loud and blustery, and he does know how to fight.” Julie said. “He does, none of the rest of us do.”
“The earth ponies should be able to stomp the snot out of him. Why don’t they?”
“Charlie and Patty are a married couple with two young kids, Sally and Linus. Bart can use a gun. They can’t.” Julie explained.
“That’s a good point,” Frack admitted, looking at the watch strapped around his left foreleg. “It’s coming up on half-past ten now. Why don’t you spread the word around town, and see if anyone wants to come meet us? Captain says he’ll put out a spread for lunch at noon. See you at the riverboat dock?”
Julie nodded. “I’ll do that. Pull up ahead of the riverboats. That is, upstream of them.” she shook her head vigorously, sending her mane flying. “Er, pass the riverboat THEN tie up! Safest that way!”
Frack chuckled as he gave Julie a hug. “Easy. I know what you mean. How old were you before the Event happened?”
“Not quite nineteen, working at a concession stand at the ballpark. I taught myself how to fly!” Julie said with an excited squeal.
“So did I, Julie. Now, let me report back to the Voyager, so we can get a welcome ready for Bart. See you in an hour or so?” Frack told the young mare.
“We’ll all be there!” Julie said eagerly as she opened the door to the shed, took several steps then took wing. Frack did the same.
“Ideas, Captain?” Frack sent to Howard.
“Two on Bridge watch, starting now. Jason’s getting a lunch ready for all, and a copy on mooring ahead of the boats. The Belle has a bit of a list to landward. Meet us there to handle lines, Eng.”
“Will do, Skipper!”
1125 am
“Lookout to Captain,” Brenda Jourdain sent from her post atop the Bridge. She could fly a little, mainly making it easy to get on the roof of the Bridge, but that was about it. “Griffon coming from the south.”
“Thank you, Brenda. I’m on it. Chief, with me.”
“Aye, Captain,” Carroll Milsap, his Chief Officer, replied, going to meet the captain on deck. Together, they flew up over the boat, easily spotting the noble visage of the oncoming classic eagle/lion griffin. However, the pair were unimpressed. They waited, hovering above the ship watching the griffin approach.
“Hey!” the griffin hollered as he came within range of the pair, coming to a stop out of easy claw range. “What do you think you’re doing here? You’re not taking my city from me!”
Howard was the first to speak. “I’m Howard Crane, captain of the Mississippi Voyager. You should know of us, if you have been listening to the shortwave or the AM at night, coming from New Orleans, WWL 870. We have no intention of taking any pony or any thing from you, but I do warn you, if you want to get nasty, well, so can we. Do look down, Mister Bart,” he said calmly, pointing with a claw at the Voyager.
Bart looked in the indicated direction, where he saw a machine gun pointing right at him, the barrel looking like he could fly through it without touching the sides. The grenade launcher alongside it moved in his direction as well. He shivered, making his hover shake some. “That is a rather convincing argument you have there. You would open fire on me?” he asked in a much less bombastic tone as before.
“In a heartbeat, if we think it’s needed,” Howard replied in flat tones. “Recall what happened to Zvezda, and what the dragons did.”
“Yeah, I heard the story. Now I believe it. Okay, no rough stuff. Are you going to do what you did in Evansville?” Bart asked.
“If you would like. We’re having a luncheon here in a little while. Why don’t you join us, tell us about your group, and see if we have some items you can use?” Howard offered.
Bart shivered some. Being in the line of fire of big guns was something he did NOT like, thank you very much. Immediately changing his plans, he said, “Sounds like a good idea, Captain Crane. Mind if I head to my den for a little bit? I have some ideas written out, and being in the line of fire has jolted them out of my mind!” he said with a little laugh, which had no visible impression on the hovering pair from the ship.
“Go ahead and do that, Mister Bart. Lunch is at noon, aboard the ship.” Howard glanced at his watch. “Twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be there!” Bart said before diving and turning, heading for Galt House.
“Think we made an impression on him?” Carroll asked her commanding officer.
“I’m positive of it. You, me, and anyone else who wants to, show up to luncheon visibly armed. That should put the skeer into him,” Howard said as the two flew back to the deck of the Voyager.
1210 pm
All the adults gathered in the Lounge, having helped themselves from the serving line, taking seats at the long table set up for everyone. The two foals, Sally and Linus, were with Doctor Macombe, sitting outside at a table, listening to him tell stories. Say what you want about him, he does have a way with littles.
At the long table, the ship’s crew sat on one side, while the Louisville residents sat on the other, Howard and Bart in the middle. “Now, can I hear about what life was like while the dragon was here, and why they took off for parts unknown?” Howard asked.
Jesus answered that question. He sat on Bart’s left, with Julie on Bart’s right. The earth ponies were to Julie’s right, while the unicorns were on Jesus’ left. “It really was not that bad under Nikolai. He set out goals for us to accomplish, mainly gathering loot. Cacofonix worked on helping us improve living conditions. They were sensible about matters. We could have had worse leadership.”
“We do…” Patty muttered from the far end of the table.
“That’s for later, Patty,” Jesus said with an edge to his voice. “When Nikolai and Cacofonix left back in July, half of the colony decided to go with him. It was an offer, not a command.”
“Just where did they go?” Esther Lindley, the white Abyssinian third officer, asked.
“All we know is that Nikolai said he had been recalled, and anypony who wanted to go with him was welcome to,” Jesus answered.
Rena cleared her throat. “Pardon, Jesus, but there is more. Cacofonix asked us not to tell, but now, I think we should,” she said slowly, in hoarse English.
Igor said something that nobody understood. “You sure?” he asked in Estonian.
Rena nodded. “I sure, brat.” she said before addressing the group. “When decide we do not to go, Cacofonix hurry-taught us some medical spells to help colony. He say all dragons left go to Pittsburgh, take Zvezda’s territory, and build up power. What plans are after that, he did not know.”
“Why did you not say so before, Rena?” Jesus hissed, clearly upset. Bart looked at the unicorn as well.
“Simple, Jesus. He ask us not to. Plus, spells he teach to me and brat help you, da?” Rena told the thestral.
Jesus nodded, his ire subsiding. He, too, did like Cacofonix, just not enough to follow him, because he hated being under Nikolai. “Okay, that I can understand. Cacofonix is a decent unicorn.”
Bart took that moment to stand up. “I got something to say, too. I know I ride rough on you all, but I have a reason. Not too far away are a bunch of monsters living in Churchill Downs. I go there every morning to keep them from coming north. I don’t know what they are all called, but there’s a bunch of them there. Me and the lightning buzzards keep them in check,” he explained to all those present.
“Lightning buzzards. I know them as storm birds. If they’re at Churchill Downs, they’re fairly quiet,” Frack said. “When they’re active, I can feel them up to six miles away.”
“The buzzards were pecking away at a corpse this morning. I took down a deer a couple days ago, and there’s still enough left for me to get a good feed from still. I tend to eat down there, because I know those up here don’t like meat," Bart told the group.
Howard glanced at his crew. “How about, after lunch, you and I go down there and we take a look at the situation? One thing we don’t lack is firepower,” he said to Bart.
“Captain Crane, that would be a good idea. Say, an hour after we finish lunch? I’ve never asked the group here because I know all the hunters left with Nikolai. There are several down there that put the scare into ME!” Bart said with a laugh. “They look like lions with a scorpion’s tail and bat wings.”
Howard nodded. “Manticores. Very dangerous critters. We can leave a potion kit here that contains manticore antivenom, but it has to be used properly. Doctor van Alten will instruct those of the city who want to learn how to use the kit. As for you, Jesus, after lunch, Doctor Macombe will check out your wing and see about fixing it proper. Until then, shall we enjoy lunch?”
Bart nodded vigorously. “I can’t believe how good fresh hot cornbread is with butter! My compliments to the chef!” he said eagerly before taking a big chomp. The sentiment was one of the few times the Louisville crew agreed with Bart.
1400 hours
Bart and Howard stood on the wharf alongside the Voyager. Together they looked at the lowering clouds coming in from the west. “We can get one quick look in today before rain sets in,” Howard said, patting the revolver that was ostentatiously strapped under his left arm.
“Yeah,” Bart agreed. “How long before the rain gets here?”
“Both Frack and Harry say before sunset. Frack, I believe,” Howard said as they took wing. “His cutie mark is enough for me.”
“That’s one thing I don’t quite get. Why do some have butt pics and others don’t?” Bart asked as he took the lead, heading to Churchill Downs.
“The way I hear it, it has something to do with where your talents or passions lie,” Howard explained. “Mine, for instance, shows my love of sailing up and down the rivers. Been doing it since I was a teenager, and when the Event happened, I was almost seventy,” said cutie mark being that of a dark brown ship’s wheel boldly emblazoned on his white flanks.
“Frack’s is a weathervane, right?” Bart asked.
“That it is. He’s pretty good at calling the weather. Not perfect, though. He says we should have rain before sunset, so, let’s get going. You lead. Never been to Churchill Downs,” Howard said as he prepared to fly.
Bart did the same, using his powerful leg muscles to leap high enough to get his wings started. “It’s not that far. Just a few miles south. Let’s do this!” he said, leading the way. Howard flew alongside the griffon.
“Sooner we figure out where and what they are, sooner we can figure out how to get rid of them. Knowledge is king here,” Howard observed as he flew.
“And Lady Luck is queen,” Bart added.
“Don’t forget, the joker’s wild,” Howard riposted.
It was only a few short minutes before they were overflying Churchill Downs, the twin spires of the grandstand showing signs of wear, but still stood proudly on the roof, indicating that this was indeed the home of the Kentucky Derby. Admittedly, the turf track was overgrown and the main track could use a grooming. Several animals grazed in the infield. “Where did those sheep come from?” Howard asked.
“Can’t tell you. They were here when I first showed up,” Bart replied, sliding up to Howard’s left side.
“Good prey animals, but where are the predators?”
Bart slammed into Howard, knocking them both to the ground. Bart grabbed Howard’s pistol and held it in his left forepaw, pointing it at the hippogriff’s head as he lay sprawled on the grass. “There’s one right here, Captain Crane. Me.”
Bart pulled the hammer back. “Once you’re out of the way, I’ll have more under my sway!” he declared, finger tightening on the trigger.
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Oh dear. Behaviour not conducive for recovery of civilisation or survival in the long term.
One Griffin Ball coming up?
Or just how good is Sniper?
Good to see you back!
That catbird is more pretty than smart, isn't he?
11770361
and tell me how big the world population is at this point in history, in your opinion?
11800306
My estimate is about 100,000 widely scattered. Louisianne has maybe 2000, and that's only because if one Returns in her territory, she knows it and finds them.
Commander Adama okay when did we get a battle wing of Vipers?