They approached a boat tied to the last pier at the north end of the harbor, and Fink signaled to the sailor on deck. He then informed them that this was their ride. Upon closer inspection the boat looked like it should be sunk in a harbor somewhere, with its broken boards and torn sails.
“I want to escort Wilsey to his dockside,” Lewis told Fink. “Do you wish to stay here?”
“No,” Fink replied. “I want to see what a submarine berth looks like.”
There was a tall perimeter fence around the submarine area, well up the beach and back from any action. Two men with weapons ready stood guard at the only gate Lewis could see.
“Our orders are that nobody below captain is to bring guests in,” the guard on the left informed Wilsey.
“I’m aware of that, Is Lieutenant Commander Morris still here?” Wilsey answered.
“I don’t know, sir.” The guard said.
“I would like to thank your C.O. as well,” Lewis told Wilsey.
“Please inform the base that we respectfully request to see Lieutenant Commander Morris and Lieutenant Ward,” Wilsey relayed to the guard.
“Yes sir,” the guard snapped and ran to a group of sailors some fifty yards off. He pulled one out of the group and they conferred for a moment, at which point the guard returned to his post and the other sailor ran off toward the berth.
After a half hour of waiting the two officers arrived at the gate and Lewis shook their hands. Morris was a balding, middle-aged man, who carried himself with grace, and looked easy going. Ward, on the other hand was a mountain of a man, taller and broader than Wilsey. Lewis thanked Lieutenant Ward for sending Wilsey and his team to help. Ward looked surprised at the acknowledgement but recovered enough to be gracious. Lewis shook Wilsey’s hand, and then Ward took him back through the gate.
“I wanted to express my gratitude for your back up out there,” Lewis told Morris. “Two thirty-five made a big difference in terms of the duration of the action and the amount of damage taken.”
“It was good to be able to help,” Morris answered. “We didn’t want to see that grain end up on the bottom of the ocean. Two thirty-five is a research vessel and I’m a scientist, we haven’t been involved in any hostile action before. Really, it was a little exciting.”
“How often do you guys work with the defenders?” Lewis asked.
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“As far as I know it’s unprecedented,” Morris replied. “And surprisingly I’m not even in trouble.”
“I hope it stays that way,” Lewis told him. “Perhaps it’s because the defenders expressed their thanks for your action.”
“I don’t know,” Morris said. “But hopefully it signals a shift in policy on both sides.”
The departure from Post Mist went uneventfully. Lewis had never seen a vessel that looked so decrepit and could still float. Her name was Ghost and Captain Flynn said that he could take them to Haldon. The bilge pumps sent steady streams of water out on either side of the stern. After they cleared the harbor, the captain took them below decks and showed them a small room where they could sleep and stow their bags. The only other person on board was Flynn’s mechanic, Javo. Javo grinned and shook their hands, and then went back down to his engine room.
There was little besides the mist that the area took its name that hung around from midday until late into the evening. A bluish white light shone in the gloom up ahead and when they were closer, Lewis saw that it was a marker light on a small tower. The captain pulled a lever to release the anchor, announcing that he was going ashore.
“Would you like to join me?” he asked looking at them like he had just noticed that they were there.
Lewis glanced at Fink, who just shrugged and tipped his head slightly to the side. “No thanks, I think we’ll just try to get some sleep.”
“Suit yourself,” The captain said, as he began to lower the lifeboat.
In their room Lewis saw a wooden box next to his backpack, when he opened it he found salted fish, bread, and some bottles of water. The water tasted like it had come out of a metal can, but it wasn’t too bad. After eating they went to sleep, and Lewis didn’t awaken until he heard boots on the metal deck above. Victor followed him topside as the engines slowly revved, there they found Flynn making ready for departure. A very small girl stood next to him, and she moved to the other side of his legs when she spotted them.
“This is Melissa,” he told them. “She’s going to Haldon with us. Melissa, say hoy to Lewis and Victor.”
Her eyes got wide, but she stepped out and curtsied. “Good to meet you.”
“Hoy, Melissa,” Victor said, and Lewis followed suit.
There was a loud clunk and the boat vibrated as the engine engaged the propellers, sending the girl scurrying behind the captain again.
“She’s my sister,” he explained over the increasing thrum of the engines, as the boat began moving along the shore.
After about two more hours the water grew choppy as they churned along in sight of land on their starboard. Flynn moved the boat in a little closer and poured on the steam. Soon the boat was bucking on the swells but still making good headway.
Four hours after they had started, Captain Flynn steered starboard keeping five miles away from a light tower on what appeared to be the corner of Mist Isle.
“That’s a dangerous place!” he shouted over the roar of the sea and wind. “Many’s the good ship that rests under those waters,” he pointed at the roiling sea between them and the light tower. Lewis thought about Davy Jones and watched the impressive chaos that didn’t look like any sea he had ever seen, here or back at home. Melissa stood strong, braver in the face of the storm than with strangers.
Nine hours into their trip the captain announced that they would drop anchor where they were and approach Haldon at first light. Lewis listened to the engine powering down, and then went to their room to sleep. He found Victor checking Finks pulse.