Chap. 397 The Metal Artifact

Chap. 397 The Metal Artifact

A deep voice came from the Serengeti.

“K’ndar! Ahoy, there, mate! Port, let those two landlubbers onto the wharf!  Come here, K’ndar, and see what we’ve dredged up for you this time!” Captain Disko called, waving from his forecastle.

They walked out onto the solid basalt dock, for which K’ndar was grateful. No getting seasick on THIS dock!

When he reached the side of the ship, he saluted the man. “Captain Disko! Good day, sir! This is Raylan, my boss. This thing you have for us, it’s not stinky, I trust?”

The captain laughed, along with those of his crew who heard it while working.  “Had it been, K’ndar, I’m sorry to say, but you’d never have heard of it. Even Harve wouldn’t have spilled.”

K’ndar laughed. “I don’t blame you, sir. That jaw took a long time to get even slightly bearable. What do you have for me?”

The burly man leaned over the rail.  

“It’s a metal construct, K’ndar. It’s probably been on the seafloor for a thousand years but other than barnacles all over it, it’s not rusted a bit! I haven’t a clue what it is. The dolphins have no history of it, although they do say they’ve seen it before. They say it’s manmade, and only a small part of it, the part I’ve brought up, was retrievable. I think they mean there’s more to it but it’s buried in sand. It’s definitely part of SOMETHING, something very complex, but your guess will be as good as mine.”

“Did they find it for you?”

“Not purposefully. They saved me a net. Gads, but I love those beasts. I can’t call them animals, they’re people, funny looking but far better swimmers. We get along very well with them. They told us of a huge school of whiptails, we were almost atop it.”

The ginger cat jumped to the rail and tightroped it’s way to the captain to say hello. He didn’t seem to mind that the outboard edge was a few centimeters from his paws.  The captain absentmindedly began to scratch the cat’s back. A sea wherry swooped down at the cat. “Ger out, you beggar,” Disko said, swiping at it. It back winged and flew off. The cat ignored it.

“Bloody nuisances,” he said of the wherries.  A crewman touched his elbow, asked him a question, and he pointed behind him.

“There’s times I just don’t understand my own kind,” he said. “Me, and my crew, we’ve become friends with the dolphins. They will come and tell me about a big school, like the one this morning. But I know fishermen who think the dolphins will eat every fish in the sea and do their best to scare them off. Idiots! If anything, it’s them that drives the fish off, not the dolphins. Then they wonder why they can’t find the fish schools like I supposedly can.

“They recognize us, you know,” K’ndar said.

“Not only that, K’ndar, they recognize our SHIPS. I don’t know quite how, although they say they know us because of our cat, Simba. He’s utterly fascinated by the dolphins. He’ll sit right here for as long as the dolphins are talking to us.”

“He’s awfully close to the edge, there. Has he ever fallen in?”

Disko laughed. “Nay, although if we’re in port for an overnight, he’s not above jumping onto the dock to go hunting, and it’s not prey he’s looking for.”

They laughed.

“What’s even more amazing is that ALL of the dolphins know my ship because of Simba, even when he’s not visible. They saw him once. That’s all it took. One asked, what is that animal on the rail and I said, “Simba.”

They took it to mean ‘Simba’ means ‘cat’. So as far as the dolphins are concerned, every ship on Pern that has a cat-and the smart captain ALWAYS has a cat for good luck-doesn’t have a cat, but a simba. Mine is probably the most famous cat on the planet.”

They laughed even harder. Simba took it all in stride.

“I don’t know how, but every dolphin seems to be able to talk to every other dolphin,” Raylan said.  

Disko laughed. “Aye, I’ve heard that. But I can live with that. It plays to my advantage. All you need do is piss one of them off, like not allowing them first catch, and every bloody dolphin in the ocean knows about it. In minutes.”

For a moment, he was silent. Then, “And while they don’t ever seem to act on it, they definitely can hold a grudge. For instance, they all-every one we’ve talked to-knows about the pirates who killed my kin and his crew, almost killing Harve. They know about you, too.”

Oh, no, K’ndar thought, not the time the mosar bit Raventh’s tail. Tillek told them to never mention it again, but you never know.

“What did they tell you?”

“That you pulled a bloodfish off one, and that you and other dragonriders saved Harve, and burnt the We’re Here. They knew that their people were disappearing, but until you told them about the pirate it had never occurred to them that it was a human doing it. They assumed mosars were the culprits. They still can’t imagine a human killing another human, never mind killing a dolphin!  And they know he’s still alive on that island. They stay a VERY long way from the pirate.”

I won’t tell him all of us fisherfolks are still fishing off that island. Dolphins aren’t the only gossips! Everyone knows now what that pirate and his crew did to the We’re Here’s. AND the others: the Rising Sun, the Coral, the Sea-N-Sky-all eventually sighted aground, looted and burnt on flyspeck islands with nary a survivor. If it hadn’t been for K’ndar and his mates, we’d have never had Harve returned to us, nor know what happened to my brother’s ship and crew.

But now, everyone on the sea knows. Too many of us have suffered losses and unexplained incidents, we chalked them up to bad luck or bad seamanship. My boot, that wasn’t bad seamanship. It was theft, rape and murder.

Harve’s rescue answered many questions, but posed many more. What do we DO with such monsters? What they’ve created in many of our hearts is a hatred and a thirst for revenge.

That pirate and his kind broke the unwritten law of the sea. There are men who I wouldn’t piss on if I found them on fire, but if one were in the water after a dismasting or a sinking, I’d drag his arse aboard even if it meant losing my fish. That’s what we do. My brother pulled that monster and his mates out of the water and was tortured and murdered for that kindness. Never mind what he did to my sister in law.

His heart cringed.

 No, I shan’t tell this man from Landing that all us fisher folk still fish off that island. They’re good waters. We are abiding by the law. We don’t put in. We don’t approach any closer than a safe depth under our keel. So many of us would love to fill him up with arrows, but none of us are known to be archers. It’s costly to shoot an arrow into the sea. Even so, we’re punishing him in our own way. When any of us, even the cargo carriers, get close enough for that pirate to hear us, we make a big racket to attract his attention. Oh, we see you, you piece of shite!  Yes, we see you, shrieking and waving, help me help me I’m shipwrecked, help me!  It’s so satisfying to see him with the chains on his legs, stumbling into the water, shouting help me!

And we’re laughing at him, calling him all sorts of vile names-my stars, I never knew Cooky knew such words but doesn’t she send venom!  “I’ll poison you, you monster” she shouts, and those are the softest threats in her repertoire. Nay, it won’t ever bring my kin back, or the others, but it certainly is delicious revenge.

He looked up to see Harve slithering his way down a ratline from his duty station in the tops. He’s so like his father, he thought, that boy is as born seaman as my crew. They want revenge, even if they’re not all blood relatives.

But no, I won’t go by that island ever again, Disko thought.  No. Because of Harve here, the boy the spitting image of my brother. No. Harve is still wounded. He is such a brave lad, he pretends he’s ‘fine.” But his eyes betray him, I can’t bear the look of terror in them when he sees the pirate. He knows he is safe but can’t convince his mind of that. I can’t ignore it when his nightmares wake him up shouting. Then my Simba, this battle scarred tom climbs up into Harve’s rack, thunder purring like a mother cat soothing her kitten, saying, hey, shipmate, I’ll kill those nightmares.

The cat arched his back, asking for more scritches. He dragged his attention back to K’ndar, who was saying  “I had help with the blood fish, sir, as well as rescuing Harve. It wasn’t just me alone. And Harve…” he caught himself just in time. Harve and F’mart had gone back to the island to torch the pirate’s lair, against Landing’s orders. I was sworn to secrecy about that escapade. I wish I’d been there to see it!

He coughed, then said, “Damn bug! Thought it wanted me to eat it. Disko, I thought Harve was so clever to chain up the pirate’s legs. Personally, if I could have gotten away with it, I would have found a way to make sure he was very dead, accidentally, you understand.”

Harve looked at him with eyebrows raised, then relaxed when he realized K’ndar wasn’t going to spill.

“Accident my boot, K’ndar. Some people just need killing. He was one of ‘em. No way on this planet would I, or any decent seaman have testified against you,” Disko snarled.

“Thank you, sir.” His stomach suddenly felt queasy. His view of the captain, the cat and the ship was one of going up and down, up and down ….I’m standing on solid rock, he told his stomach, shut up. Besides, this is the longest conversation I’ve ever had with Captain Disko. He’s fascinating. I’m glad he’s taking the time to talk to me.

Behind the captain, he saw the crewman winching a metal object up from the deck. He had to tear his attention back to Disko.

“Is that it?”

Disko didn’t bother to look. “Aye, we’ll be dropping it at your feet in a few.”

“How is it you recovered it, captain?” Raylan asked.

“We had just dropped my net in the middle of the school the dolphins had told us about. But the fish fled, scared off by the dolphins who jumped up and stop, stop! it’s snagged on a metal thing. We will unsnag it, they said.

I think, metal? At first, I was just going to leave it where it was. I wouldn’t have bothered pulling it up. We don’t find wrecks very often, but there are many on the bottom.  And the sea water eats them up quickly, the metal is usually so friable it falls to pieces. But the dolphins insisted it wasn’t from a ship, it was strange to them. What in the world could it be?”

We brought the net back up, no fish in it thanks to the dolphins. I wanted the thing, if for no other reason than to clean the sea bottom up. These are awfully good fishing grounds. So, we sent a single cable, a good stout one on my heaviest boom, down with a hook. I’d say it was about a hundred meters? That’s the longest cable I have. They hooked it up, and we pulled but it was stuck pretty good. It only came up after we put on some sail to yank it out of the muck.  And they were right, the dolphins, it’s the oddest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s not from a ship.  It looks like it was originally straight but has been bent almost double, as if it had taken one shard of a blow. I have no idea what it is or what it does, never mind how it got to the bottom.”

“How big is it?” Raylan asked, itching to actually take possession. Let’s cut the chitchat! But no. Let the man tell his story, it’s interesting and will prove fruitful in the future, should he find more artifacts.

“It’s a good size, Raylan, it’s about four meters long, it’s built like a fat U. One end looks like it held something in a fork, but it’s sheared off, and it appears that it was able to telescope. It’s definitely been machined. I’ve never seen anything like it. What’s even more interesting, is that it’s got barnacles all over the side that wasn’t buried in the sand, and yet not a bit of rust on it. Not one bit.”

“Whoa,” both Raylan and K’ndar said.

“Did you lose any fish?” Raylan asked.

“Nay, sir, that’s the thing. The dolphins warned me FIRST. After I got it aboard-and that was an interesting little dance, mind you, that seaman behind me, is the best boomer in the fleet. He got it aboard. Then we dropped the net hoping we hadn’t chased the fish away.”

“And?”

The man rocked back on his heels, laughing. “Those dolphins, I love ‘em. I do. I’d adopt ‘em if I could figure out a way to keep them alive and happy aboard.

The entire time we’re pulling that thing up, two or three of them? kept that that school pretty much in one big ball, in one spot, until I dropped the net and then they drove them RIGHT INTO THE NET! like they were sheep!” He roared in delight.

“This wasn’t no mixed school of a few this and few that. No sir, it was solid nice fat whiptails, no accidental bycatch, nothing we’re obligated to throw back alive. Pure one hundred percent whiptails, side to side, top to bottom. No sir, it took us ten minutes, max, to fill that net where usually it takes an hour IF we’re lucky!

So, thanks to the dolphins, I beat out the rest of the fleet. There’s one ship, the Rover, that follows me. He’s a good fisherman, but he’s the type that doesn’t believe the dolphins. And he’s a bit lazy. He’s always said, “I follow you, Disko, because you have the knack of finding the schools and you save me a lot of time. Never mind that my ship is faster than yours.” Then he laughs, knowing there’s nothing I can do to stop him.”

He growled, then grinned.

“That would certainly piss me off,” Raylan said, “You’re stuck, yes? You have to make a living bringing in the fish.”

Disko looked over the people on the docks. They’re just mine, he thought, the porters are gone, we’re almost done, and the Port staff is elsewhere.

Do I dare tell them?  He looked at K’ndar. That man can keep a secret, and he’s vouched for his boss.

“But today, he taught me something. And I’d appreciate it if you two would just keep this to yourselves?” he said, conspiratorially. He dropped his voice to where they were the only ones to hear.

K’ndar didn’t hesitate. I have secrets regarding Harve, too. “Sir, you know you can trust me.”

Raylan nodded. “Me too,” he said, wondering if he wasn’t about to perjure himself. Somehow, he doubted it.

“We were first on station, we’d dropped our net, like I told you. I thought I’d given the Rover the slip. But no, ol Harve here, my eyes in the tops, sings out, “Rover inbound, all sails set. He’s flying.”

“Sure as sunrise, Rover came about, staying upwind of me with his sail half full. We fishermen watch each other.  If I see someone pulling up an empty net, I’m fairly certain I won’t do much better, no use wasting daylight and wind. So,I go elsewhere.

He was watching to see what I’d pull up in my net. He’s done it before. His ship is much faster than Serengeti, but not so roomy. He’s watching, you know? And sees me pull up the empty net, then sees me set sail, he had no idea I was doing so to pull that thing out of the seabed.  And he thinks, oh, ho, Disko, nothing below you but water in your net and now you’re setting sail to head elsewhere. Ta, yob, I’m gone!”  and he set off due north.” He laughed.

“He didn’t see you drop your net a second time?”

“Nay, and honestly, I would have waited him out. I’m not much of a card player, but I do know how to bluff a competitor who might hold better cards than me. And I knew the dolphins would keep that school for me.”

“Did he see the dolphins?”

“I doubt it. They were on my lee side, as was my net.”

“It’s ready, Cap’n,” cried a young woman. She had a tag line in her hand.

“K’ndar, if you don’t mind, I’ve got work to do. Here’s Harve, he’ll manage this from here on. Raylan, it’s been a pleasure. By the way, K’ndar, will you be needing tackle to take this thing to Landing? I know you’re good about returning my rope.”

“Thank you, sir, but no. I brought my own,” K’ndar said, thanking his foresight-and feeling honored by the captain’s trust. “But if your crew thinks mine isn’t up to it, I’ll be glad to borrow some from you and I promise I will return it, probably this afternoon.”

“Better hurry, then, K’ndar. I’ll be leaving before the tide. I’ve shaken the Rover and I’ll be going out to that same spot, I have orders from another Hold for fish. Good day, sirs,” he said, and moved away from the rail. The cat jumped to the deck to follow his captain.

The teen leaned over the rail. “Hello, K’ndar, and you sir, you’re Raylan, correct? I think I remember meeting you when they brought me to Landing.”

“I do remember you, Harve, except that you’ve grown about half a meter and climb those ratlines as though you were a quorl.”

The young man smiled. “And I had dreadlocks to my hips and hadn’t had a bath in four years, and then when I was brought here for therapy, the healers gave me my legs back. How is F’mart?”

K’ndar laughed. “He’s Weyrleader at Kahrain Weyr now.”

“WOW! And Kenth?”

“Is still the biggest bronze dragon on Southern.”

The teen’s face turned wistful. “I …I loved that dragon.”

F’mart told me I had the Gift. He said Kenth said I had greatness in me. Should I try to be a dragonrider?

Once again, the wonderful life he’d regained, opening up now with so many opportunities overwhelmed him. I want my own ship. I want to be a scientist, like K’ndar. I want to explore the world. I want to learn to ride a horse. I want to be a dragonrider. So many things!

“We all do, Harve,” K’ndar said.

“’Ware, Harve, we have the thing all tied up and ready to warp,” said the boomer. “I’m out of the way,” Harve said. “Ready?” the boomer called, then, “Heave ho!”

Within a few minutes, it hit the dock with a loud “clang”.

“K’ndar, sir, see that side that’s not covered in barnacles? It’s got letters on it. They look like they were just carved into the metal, it’s that clean. And it’s fairly heavy, I think it went about 30 kilos. If you need help loading it onto a cart, we’ll winch it back up and drop it into a cart.”

“25 kilos, if I’m any judge,” said the boomman. “Shouldn’t be too much for two big men like you to lift into a cart.”

K’ndar heard the man’s unspoken demand to unhook the thing from his cable.” He disconnected and waved to indicate it was free.

“Thankee, K’ndar,” the man said, winching the cable back up.

Raylan immediately moved to the thing. And was dumbfounded.

“Look how it’s twisted, it’s cracked, but it didn’t break,” Raylan said, more to himself than to K’ndar and Harve. “I’m no engineer, but this thing isn’t supposed to be twisted into a U. I’m sure it was originally straight. I believe it was part of a bigger assembly.  It took one shard of a hit, too. I’ve never seen a metal like this, either, Harve, you’re right, it’s certainly odd that there’s no rust.”

“I tried to knock most of the barnacles off,” Harve offered.

“Back away, Raylan? I’ll photo it and send it to Jansen,” K’ndar said, having pulled his datalink into play. It didn’t take as good photos as the camera, but it would do. For now.

I should have thought to do that, Harve thought. I am still trying to learn how to use my datalink. I have to have K’ndar show me how to take pictures with it. Someday?

“Fast thinking, K’ndar. Make sure you get the numbers.”

“Done.” He pinged Jansen. “Jansen, I’m about to send you a picture of that thing the Serengeti found.”

A few moments later, she said, “Ready!”

K’ndar hit send.

“Sir, do you have any idea what it is?” Harve called. First Mate came over and gave him that look that said, you have about five more minutes, lad.

He nodded. “Um, I’ve got to get back to work here shortly.”

“I don’t have any idea what it is, Harve, but if our computer can’t figure it out here, I’ll definitely let you and Captain Disko know when we do. I have to thank you and your crew, you were right. This is most definitely an artifact. We’re having our tech look at it.”

And they waited and waited. Harve felt the first mate’s eyes on his back. I resent this, First. These are my friends, and the reason I’m alive and right here. But yes, I know. ‘I have responsibilities’.

“Jansen?” K’ndar finally asked.

“Turing is scrolling through numbers faster than I can read them.”

Harve said, “K’ndar, I have to get back to work, will you please…”

“Oh, hello, “Jansen’s voice carried, “Turing’s onto something.”

“Who is Turing?” Harve asked.

K’ndar grinned. “That’s Jansen’s name for her computer.”

“That’s odd, for a person to name a computer,” Harve said, failing to consider that he stood on the deck of a named thing. Only later and far too late did he understand.

The First Mate turned to Captain Disko, looking for backup. His eyes said, leave the boy be.

She acquiesced.

“He found it! Raylan, Raylan! He found it! Turing pulled up a drawing of it, a correct one, and immediately, pinged the Yokohama! And she sent back saying it’s hers!”

“The Yokohama?”

“Yes! She had to go way back into her equipment logs AND the Captain’s log. If it hadn’t had a these numbers, we’d never have found it. Turing says the numbers identify it as, quote, “shock absorber assembly, nose landing gear, Shuttle Moth.”

“A shock what? A nose gear? It’s a gear?” K’ndar asked.  It looks like no gear I’ve ever seen.

Raylan’s draw dropped.

“What’s a moth? Is it a boat?” Harve said.

Jansen heard him. “Turing says it’s the Moth. It wasn’t a boat, it was a shuttle, it flew into space and brought cargo down from the starship. My computer says it was the one of Yokohama’s shuttles!  One of the crewmen was Nabol, the man who Nabol Hold is named after. It says the shuttle crashed into the sea after the crew tried to reach the Red Star! Isn’t that amazing? That thing is from the COLONISTS!”