On the defenders’ ship they found Commander Flagg in his stateroom. Flagg was a portly middle-aged man with scars on his face that said as much as his warm smile did. He had his top three officers in attendance. They shook hands all around and sat at a table big enough for twelve. The commander never lost his smile, but also got right down to business. He listed the casualties, damage, and prisoners, then asked the other captains to do the same. Inu directed Waymer to start, and he provided a full account of the battle from his perspective. The hosting officers laughed when he told them about the water spout. Churro’s presentation was shorter, since his only involvement was in the capture of the soaked ship. Inu saw everything from his aft deck, so his version was longer and more detailed. Lewis noticed that he left out the part about being shot.
When Inu was done, Flagg looked at Lewis, who provided a capsule version of his team’s involvement. They all listened and when he concluded Flagg sat back.
“Now I have a few questions,” he said. “For instance, who ordered the change of formation?”
“I did, on Lieutenant Lewis’ recommendation,” Inu volunteered.
“Tell me, Lieutenant,” Flagg queried. “Aren’t you a land soldier? How much experience do you have fighting on the water?”
“None sir,” Lewis replied. “But I have participated in quite a few running vehicle battles and it looked like we would be better off doing something. What I didn’t want to happen was for you to take on all three enemy ships, while we stood by and did nothing. I figured that if we did something, it would distract them.”
“Well, I guess it did that,” the commander told him. “But do check with me before you enact a radical change like that again.”
“Yes sir,” Lewis answered, mindful that he would probably be spending more time with Flagg after Port Mist.
The discussion turned to how to distribute the prizes. One of the ships would burn to the water line and sink, but the other two would be divided between the defenders and DeLeah shipping. The prisoners would be transported on the defenders captured ship to Landee. Flagg’s second, Lieutenant Commander Casey was to command her to Fort Dillson. By dead reckoning Fort Dillson was two hundred twenty-five miles, same as going to Port Mist from where they were now.
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The three captains each contributed a few sailors to sail the other ship to Port Mist. It took five days for the convoy to limp into port. When they passed the submarine dock Lewis saw that there was a boat tied up, with men in blue jumpsuits hustling up and down the gangplanks. They were building a structure adjacent to the dock. Floating in the water outside of the dock was the research boat two thirty-five, with an inflatable boat tied alongside. The sailors on the convoy and the submariners all took a moment to acknowledge each other before going back to their work.
The warship dropped anchor in the harbor, and the merchants went on to dock at the city. Flagg sent an officer, and an NCO, to talk to Lewis in a longboat rowed by six stout seamen. Lewis paid four hundred fifty kolas for the dock fee and saw that Nora was waiting to greet them.
“Welcome back, Lieutenant,” Nora said with a smile. “How was your trip?”
“It was productive,” Lewis told her. “We brought that grain you needed.”
“I see that you have an escort,” she commented. “Did you have any trouble?”
“A little, but we handled it,” he answered.
The defenders tied up their ship and the officer came ashore with his NCO and two seamen. They introduced themselves to Nora and Lewis as Lieutenant Junior Grade Victor and chief petty officer Irwin. Victor looked very young, and was tall, thin and uncertain. Irwin, by contrast had some grey at the temples and a slight limp on the left side, he had an ease about him that told Lewis he had years of experience. Nora welcomed them, handed Victor a visitor’s booklet, and went off to talk to Inu.
“Commander Flagg sent us to let you know that he wants to depart as soon as possible,” Victor said, a little too aggressive for Lewis’ taste. “Do you want to leave now?”
“No, Lieutenant Junior Grade Victor, I do not,” Lewis said, quiet and firm. “I have a few things to do.”
Lewis glanced at Irwin, who just shrugged non-committedly. Then he noticed about twenty people coming from the south. He excused himself and walked over to the dock.
“What’s this?” he asked Nora, indicating the crowd, which looked quite angry.
“I don’t know, there has been some tension over the food shipments,” Nora answered. “But I didn’t think it was that bad.”
“We don’t know what they are here for,” Lewis pointed out. “But here comes a few more,” he pointed east, where five more were coming out from between two buildings. “If this is what I think it is, you had better call the guards down here pretty quick. We will not allow those people on our ships.”
Nora turned pale as the gravity of the situation sank in, and then she turned and ran north toward city hall. She turned east and two men out of the five left the group, meaning to intercept her course. The defenders by the longboat sprinted to cut off her pursuers.