Attack on Thera (Chapter Three.)

CHAPTER THREE

Glistening sunlight poured in through the windows reminding Lizzie of the time she had last been here, the time she had escaped from the giants on the flying island and to the pad in Kashlum. Too much of her experience here was full of physical pain and distress at being chased but she also remembered her wonder at the technology and the internal architecture. She looked back at Paul who was making the best he could of his predicament. He’s putting on a brave face, I bet he’s as scared as I am.

Things were quiet until they got to a ramp that led to the next floor, a swarm of flying droids had gathered in the hallway below. They seemed to be waiting for them. There were too many to fight so Wagstaff threw another grenade at them. All of the drones fell to the floor with a clatter at the same time when the discharge hit them. 

As the party picked their way through the drone cemetery Lizzie moved the fallen flying machines out of the way so that Paul could get past safely. About half way down the hall a glass like barrier blocked the way. Simpkins walked into it, “Ouch!”

Lizzie felt it, “Is it glass?”

Wagstaff also looked at it, “Or something like it. We may have to go around. Ask your friend if there’s another way?”

“Ven hat tumo?”

The man nodded and pointed to a door they had passed, “Ventro kallan.”

“What did he say?” asked Paul as he made his way back towards the fallen drones.

“It’s dangerous though,” translated Lizzie as she followed the man through the door.

The room they entered was large and Lizzie saw a wall of gold to the far side. Then she realised what it was. Metal Men, hundreds of them. The man continued to walk ahead, “Fan tuno,” she called. She asked him why he had brought them here to die. He replied that the metal men were not working, it was a factory that had been closed down long ago. They still needed a part to make them work, the metal man brain. It was dangerous at the other end where there were welding lasers that would have to be negotiated or disabled.

“Did you get that Professor,” she asked, “he said there are welding lights at the other end we have to deal with.”

“Lasers,” corrected Wagstaff, “very strong lights that can cut through metal.”

When they got to the other end they saw the problem. The only way through was via a metal arch. The metal men had passed through it when they were being made and were welded together with lasers. Two lasers were flickering on and off still pointing to where they had done their welding. They had cut two holes straight through the walls and floor and could be seen from outside the craft. The top laser had eaten through the roof and part of it had collapsed blocking the safe way through to the other end of the room.

Looking at the flickering lasers the Professor judged the situation, “To be safe we have to redirect at least one of the beams with a mirror.” He looked at her, “Lizzie, I know you have one in that little bag of yours.”

She searched through her shoulder bag for her makeup mirror, when she found it she handed it to him. 

He had some pliers on him and he gently held the mirror with the pliers, “We don’t need seven years bad luck do we,” he said as he directed the lower beam towards one of the inert metal men. The laser bit into the golden man and crackled, but now the gap was big enough to get through. Lizzie went first and all but Wagstaff followed her through. The professor then handed the pliers and the mirror to Lizzie to hold for him while he stepped through. “I really need to get a look at how this laser is produced,” he mused, “it would make a good weapon.”

She took the mirror back and handed him the pliers. “Not much of a good weapon if all it takes is a mirror to stop it.”

“Ha ha, not all things can be covered in mirrors.”

Looking at the one of the metal men the professor noticed something, “These metal men look different to the ones we got from the temple, newer maybe.”

“Does that mean they are better then?” she inquired as she also looked at the lifeless golden golems.

“I would have to take a look inside really,” he looked at one of the plates covering the chest.

“We need to keep moving,” said Paul as he looked towards the door at the end. He was annoyed that the professor kept wanting to stop.

Johnson got to the door first and opened it. He looked outside into another passageway and as he did he saw a barricade at the end where they needed to be going. A shot from an energy weapon hit the door frame above his head. Holding the others back he said, “I think we have giant trouble.”

Lizzie used her mirror to look down the passageway to see a giant laying on a table with an energy rifle. She asked the man who was helping them if there was another way round. He told here that there were even more metal guardians and drones the other way. “It seems as though the giants have forced us this way round, so they can deal with us.”

Simpkins looked at the man, “Has he got a name?”

“Klim Kano?” inquired Lizzie.

“Tran,” he replied.

“Does Tran know how many giants there are on the island?”

She found out that there were ten giants and one hundred slaves. The giants were the engineers and scientists whereas the slaves did the menial labour.

“Only ten, “ mused Simpkins, “we’ve already killed three. I wonder why there are so few?”

Lizzie spoke to Tran while the others tried to decide how to deal with the giant. 

She came back to Simpkins and the others, “I found out that the island was really only supposed to be a defensible overspill for when a lot of people use the travel pads. This past couple of centuries the giants have let things slip defensibly because there was no perceived threat from human interference. That is until recently with the human invention of the coil driven airship. The giants are now trying to overhaul the defence system. They don’t trust the slave humans enough to teach them how to be engineers or scientists. It is they who stopped the transport pads expecting an attack of some kind.

“‘So that spy at the airbase was really working with the Hoo, not the Andacians.”

Simpkins looked a little sheepish, “That’s good Lizzie,” he paused, “We have thought of way to deal with the giant but it needs your help.”

“Me, what?”

Paul then joined in, “We thought that you could order Lukin to zigzag towards the giant…”

“I am not going to tell him to do that!” she said furiously because she didn’t want him destroyed.

“No, you didn’t let me finish. I was going to say that when he is distracted by Lukin I can take a shot at him.”

She was silent for a bit as she considered this request. That’s not too bad I suppose, as long as John gets him. What about Paul? “Can’t you let Paul take the shot, he’s better than you.”

Simpkins immediately looked at Paul and she could see there was a rivalry between them.

“I don’t mind taking the shot,” remarked Paul, “It’s just that it might take me more than a couple of seconds to set up with the gammy ankle and all.”

Lizzie got Lukin out of the bag, “Come on Lukin, I have something for you to do.”

Lukin started to hover into the air away from Lizzie’s hands. “Yes Lizzie.”

She looked gloweringly at Simpkins, “You’d better get him first time this time, not like you did on that metal man.” Then she looked into Lukin’s glowing eyes, “I want you to go through that open door, to the right, and zigzag down to the barricade and back again. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes Lizzie,” replied Lukin as he started to move towards the door.

“Quick,” she cried to Simpkins who was a bit slow off the mark.

Lukin zigzagged quite quickly down towards the barricade. Simpkins could see him doing so and got down on one knee. He looked through his scope and could not see the giant straight away. The giant saw Lukin and shot at him twice. One of the shots came really close to Simpkins.

He saw the giant and also saw the giant lining up on him. For a second he stopped breathing and then fired.

Lizzie looked out of the door. She had heard the shot. As she peered out Lukin came back and hovered in front of her face, “Is there anything else Lizzie, it’s just that somebody has been trying to shoot at me.”

She ignored Lukin and looked down. Simpkins was smiling up at her. “That wasn’t so slow or inaccurate now, was it?”

As she shook her head Paul popped his head out as well, “Has he done it yet or is he messing around again?” He too smiled at Simpkins who had got up and was walking towards the piled up furniture at the other end. When he got there he saw a large giant, about ten feet tall, sprawled out on a desk with a bullet wound to his head. The giant was dressed in the silvery metallic material he had seen on the others. Simpkins picked up the rifle the giant had just started to point at him. He looked at it, it shined as if it was coated in chrome and was nearly as long as he was. Aiming at a chair that was at the top of the barricade he shot at it. It shattered the chair and left the remains smoking. Lizzie and the others came up to him, “That’s a little more powerful than your pistol Lizzie,” he said as he handed her the rifle for a look.

She looked it over, “I think it’s a little too big for me to handle.” She gave it to Johnson who she liked more than Hawkins, “You need a gun of some sort.”

“We need to get over this,” said Ichabod as he climbed up to look over the barricade.

As Wagstaff looked over the barricade a shot hit his arm. He fell backwards onto Simpkins who was climbing up behind. Simpkins caught the professor and helped him down, then scrambled back up to peep over. He saw ten men with Martini-Henry rifles formed as a squad might position themselves in the army. He looked back at the others, “I think it’s some of Parvill’s soldiers guarding the passage beyond. Some of them still have parts of their uniform on.”

Wagstaff was not badly hurt and spoke to Lizzie as she looked at his wound. “I should have been more careful,” he shook his head.

“It’s a minor wound, luckily it only nicked you. A bandage and a tot of rum and you’ll be fine.”

Getting down again Simpkins walked over to them all to discuss the situation, “It looks like they’ve blocked the passage we need to be down. Any ideas?”

“We could use another grenade,” suggested Paul.

“Then I only have one left,” replied the professor, “we still have six giants to deal with and I don’t know how many metal men or drones.”

“Could you make more grenades?” asked Lizzie as she continued to bind him up.

“Maybe I could, I could use some parts from those unfinished metal men.”

“How long would it take?” inquired Simpkins.

“About half an hour, if somebody else helped me take the metal men’s chest plates off then a lot quicker, maybe ten minutes?”

“Let’s go back then,” ordered Paul.

She helped Wagstaff up with his good arm and they went back to the metal man factory. Paul guarded them from the doorway in case any of Parvill’s men tried to come over from their side.

Wagstaff had made 1 makeshift grenade when they heard a shot from the doorway. Paul called back to them, “That one didn’t just get away with an arm wound,” he smiled.

Wagstaff made them all stand back as he tested one of the new grenades. It wasn’t as powerful as the others he’d made, “The storage batteries have not kept their charge, it will only take out a few men or possibly one metal man.” He picked up the spent grenade to have a look, “And the wiring is not so good, I need to solder these really.”

“We will have to make do,” said Simpkins as he returned to take another chest plate off to get to the inside.

The soldiers had their own grenades and threw one over. Paul saw it in time and closed the door quickly to stop the blast entering the room. He then opened the door again and shot another man who tried to get over. Then he saw another man’s eyes look at him for a second. Paul shot the part of the barricade he thought the man was hiding behind. “I think they might try to rush us or something, have you got one of those grenades ready?”

Wagstaff had another two ready and Lizzie was also helping him prepare some more by twisting the wires together. He gave two of the grenades to Simpkins, “Turn this switch, you have ten seconds to throw it before it discharges.”

Paul then covered Simpkins while he went closer to the barricade.

Another grenade came over from the other side. Because it landed near Simpkins he dropped the electric one he was carrying, picked up the explosive one and threw it back. Just in time for it exploded in the air just beyond the barrier. He picked up the electric grenade and as he did he heard groaning from the other side.

Attack on Thera (Chapter Two.)

CHAPTER TWO

The noise became louder as she came into consciousness. The light also became brighter until she opened her eyes. She had a headache, similar to the one she had on Gersbalk last time. Lying there she looked around, Simpkins was aiming his rifle out of the window but she couldn’t see anyone else. As she sat up she felt a little giddy.
Simpkins looked back at her, “Lizzie, are you all right?”
She nodded, “I think I really do need a metal helmet when I go on a mission, ow!”
Standing and holding onto the side she asked, “Where’s everybody gone?”
He looked at her, “The two air sailors are helping Paul free the ship from the ground it’s caught onto. The Professor is running his shield machine, it seems to be working.”
“Really?”
“Yes, since we’ve been here none of those guns has got through it. I only hope they don’t have proper artillery, then we’re done for.”
“Have you seen any giants?”
“One popped his head out of a hole and I shot him,” he grinned, “John the giant killer.”
“I suppose it was lucky the shield wasn’t stronger really, otherwise your bullet would have ricocheted all round it, might have killed one of the air sailors.”
“What, the useless one,” he whispered but mouthed at the same time to give it emphasis.
“Useless one?”
“Yes, that Hawkins, when we got hit he threw a wobbler and crash landed, there was nothing wrong with the ship before he crashed it.”
She went down to the engine room, Wagstaff was floating on the ceiling and she had to grab on not to also be taken up into the air, “What are you doing?” she wondered.
“I am trying to calibrate the coils so that we have the shield while we are in flight. I think I’ve just about done it.” He used the climbing bars to make his way round to her, “Now if they can just free her from that outcrop...”
Following Ichabod outside the airship she saw Paul, Roland and Hawkins trying to cut the Tawa free from a nasty hook she had crashed into. They needed to saw through the strut that was caught on the hook. Flying higher had only caused it to get a better grip. It was Paul’s turn to use the hack saw and he was breathing heavily. “Lizzie...” he called her as he handed the saw over to Johnson. He walked up to her, “Saw you bang your head, I think you need to wear a helmet or something when you’re on the move.”
Grimacing she asked him,” Are we nearly free?”
“We are, but I’m thinking about staying. We’re safe as long as we stay up here, under the shield. Any giants who pop their heads out either Simpkins or I will shoot.”
“So we’ve just come for the view and the hunting of giants then?”
“We are on Gersbalk, the giants are going to know we’re here whether we’ve come secretly or not, and that’s if we could have been secretive. They seem to have some kind of sense that we’re here, Wagstaff told me. So I say let’s make the best of it and try to rescue the queen now.”
“So you’re going to shoot your way through hundreds of giants?”
“Hundreds, I thought you said you only saw a few?”
“I did, but I only saw a small bit, there could be hundreds, there could be fifty. Either way it’s risky.”
“Shall we take a vote on it then?”
“No, we should try now.” For a second she looked at the enormity of the flying island and then went into the airship to discuss how they were going to attack the giants and find the queen with Wagstaff and Simpkins.
As they sat having the cup of tea that Wagstaff had prepared them Paul suggested, “We could go in through that door that the giants keep trying to use to get to us.”
“We could,” agreed Lizzie, “and if it’s locked we’ll get Lukin to open it for us.” She had kept Lukin wrapped up in her bag so far, Wagstaff had said that the shield machine might affect him.
“What do we do about the guns firing at us?” queried Johnson.
“I think I can create a corridor through which we can walk in safety by moving the WED with us part of the way,” suggested Wagstaff. He unbolted the shield machine, “We can take it as far as these wires are long, after that we’re on our own to the door.” Then he asked Johnson to help him lift it, “You two can cover the party,” he nodded to Simpkins and Phoenix. Making Johnson go backwards up the steps Wagstaff made sure of his footing as they both walked towards the giant door.
The single cannon that could line up on them continued to fire at the ship, however they would be dangerously close to being targeted by another gun when they made a run for the door.
There was twenty foot of cable, which left a ten-foot gap with no cover. And from this distance they could see two dead giants through the doorway and another cowering behind a wall. Simpkins positioned his rifle to take a shot, but the giant saw this and moved completely around the corner. He looked at Paul, “Who’s going in first?”
“I wish I had a shot gun, at close range it would take him out.”
“Or a grenade,” smiled Wagstaff as he took one out of his pocket.
“That doesn’t look like a grenade?” commented Lizzie as she too lined her DN35 up on the doorway.
“It’s a stun grenade, I’ve been working on them based on the technology from electric pistols. You see here…” he started to explain to them how it worked.
“Just throw the blessed thing,” ordered Paul.
The Professor turned the knob at the top, left the safety of the electric shield for a bit and then threw the grenade into the passageway beyond. At the same time as he stepped back into safety an electric discharge hit the giant and it fell motionless into view. Part of the discharge hit the electric field but dissipated around it.
Paul and Simpkins looked at each other then, as though they had communicated with each other mentally, both ran for the door. The other gun turned to match their movement but did not fire.
When they got inside they found a spiral passageway leading down. There were no other giants waiting for them. Paul kicked the arm of the unconscious one, “Big feller in’t he.”
Turning to Paul he remarked, “Well, he is a giant!”
Lizzie came in next followed by Wagstaff then the two air sailors.
As she looked down the passageway she saw a cylindrical object, open and full of tools, “Looks like they were a repair crew, they weren’t even armed.”
“Shall we kill him?” Paul asked as he kicked the unconscious giant again.
“We’ll tie him up for now,” said Simpkins who didn’t feel right about killing an unconscious man/giant.
Lizzie moved forward a bit to look down the ramp, “We seem to be at the top of a spiral walkway, I can see another gun emplacement further down.”
“They were fixing the guns,” responded Wagstaff as he joined her, “that means we were lucky then, all the guns weren’t working.”
Paul finished tying the giant up with some metal strip he found in the giant’s own toolbox. Then Lizzie led the way down the metal ramp.
They passed the backs of thirty energy cannons on their way down. When they got to the bottom the rooms were similar to the ones Lizzie had been in last time she was on Gersbalk. “I think the terramidion is down that way a bit,” she commented.
“The what?” asked Simpkins.
“It is like a giant conservatory.”
“What’s the use of that?”
“You can bypass locked doors and that.”
“I thought that’s what we had your little toy for?”
She looked thunderously at him, he is so arrogant, and I thought I liked him?
There was a strange clattering sound from the passageway they were nearest to. She looked down it, “Metal men.”
The others all took a gander as well, “Four, how are we going to deal with four?” moaned Johnson, who was only armed with a cutlass.
“Can one of your grenades take them out Professor?” asked Lizzie.
He felt in his knapsack, “I don’t know, I only have four left.”
“What else are we going to do then,” she reasoned as the metal men came closer.
Paul and Simpkins started shooting at them and though they were hitting them they had no effect.
“Oh all right then,” relented Wagstaff as he primed the grenade, “but Lizzie hide your stun pistol in case it affects it.”
As he threw the grenade she made sure the pistol was behind her back. Three of the metal monsters were hit by the full blast of the electric grenade and fell to the floor the fourth only partially. It had been thrown backwards and was now scrambling to get to its feet again.
“Use another one Professor,” she ordered.
“No, I only have three left, what if there are loads more of them?”
“I’ll distract it,” offered Paul, “while you shoot it in the back of the neck Simpkins.” He then began to run towards the metal man.
“Simpkins,” cried Lizzie, you fool.
Getting on one knee John readied himself for the shot. Paul ran straight towards the robot then, as it began to grab for him, he sidestepped and got behind it. A broken table leg looked like a good implement, left after one of the others had fallen on it. He threw the leg at the golden man and so it turned to combat him.
Simpkins shot at the robot and hit it but missed its neck. He reloaded.
“You can’t afford to miss John,” chided Lizzie.
“Don’t put me under even more stress then,” he replied as he put his eye to the scope again.
Phoenix whacked one of its arms, then ducked. Come on Simpkins. The thing grabbed for him again and caught hold of his leg. It swung him up in the air.
“Dang,” cursed Simpkins as he saw Paul being swung in the air by the robot. He didn’t want to make the shot and hit his friend by mistake.
Lizzie saw what was happening and ran toward Paul and the metal man. Maybe I can shock it with my stun pistol. 
As he was dangling there, his ankle in a vice-like grip, he tried to grab for the bunch of wires on the back of its head but missed.
Pointing her electric pistol she shot at the back of the golem, it had no effect at all, except to make the thing angrier. It shook him even harder.
“Thanks Lizzie, I almost had it then.”
Turning round the metal man looked at Lizzie, it raised Paul as though it was going to use him as a weapon then fell inert.
“Can somebody please release me,” called Phoenix from the back of the machine.
Running behind the robot Lizzie saw Paul dangling there clutching the bundle of wires from the back of its neck. She jumped up and down but couldn’t reach the arm to release his leg. The others came up to try and help. Simpkins stuck the bit of broken table leg between the fingers and Johnson helped him pull the fingers apart. Holding on to the metal monster Paul lowered himself down. “Oww!” he cried as he rubbed his foot, “the stupid thing nearly snapped my foot off!”
Wagstaff looked at it, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a bit of a sprain.”
When Paul tried to walk on it he found he did have a sprain. “Great, now I’m going to be hobbling around in the midst of danger.”
“You’re the one who ran into danger,” she admonished as she looked at his ankle.
“You could put a bandage on it for him,” Wagstaff suggested to her, “it’ll feel a little better. A few days rest and he’ll be as right as rain.”
After she had bound his ankle and Simpkins had given him a curtain pole as a stick to walk with they discussed what they should do next. “Can’t that talking head of yours tell us where she is?” asked Simpkins.
“I can ask him if he has a map of Gersbalk and where the likeliest place would be,” she replied.
“Do that then.”
Johnson spotted something, “Hey, there are people looking at us.” He had seen them peeping out of a door across from the windows that looked out on the rest of the island. He ran down to the door but it closed in his face. Trying to push the door open he got a broom in his chest. This sent him backwards and he fell on his bottom.
Lizzie laughed, “Ha ha, I think you just met the same people I saw last time.”
The door slammed again. She walked up to Johnson and held out her hand, “Come on.” As he stood to his feet she told him, “They only speak Hoo. I’ll need to talk to them.” Through the door she said, “Got ham ne gundan.”
“San balet?”
“Se Lizzie McBean com, se tum kenar.”
“What’s she saying?” Simpkins asked Wagstaff.
“She’s saying she’s a friend, that’s all,” replied the Professor.
Lizzie continued to talk to the cleaners behind the door until one of them plucked up the courage to open it and let them in.
The woman had seen Lizzie before and she was scared. The man was friendlier but neither of them knew much English. When Lizzie asked the man if he knew where the queen was he said that a prisoner had been taken to the waygard. The waygard was at the lower part of the island. She was guarded night and day.
Lizzie asked him to show them the way. The woman was most distraught fearing that she would be punished by her giant masters if she helped in any way. The man told her to go back to her quarters. He was willing to show them though as long as they took him with them when they left.


“Clip, clip, clip,” went Paul’s makeshift crutch.
“Well that’s nice and quiet,” Hawkins moaned to Johnson. They were at the back of the party because Johnson only had a sword.
“What’s the matter with you, you’ve been quiet until now and then you moan?”
“We shouldn’t be helping them get their queen back but defending our own land.”
“Wouldn’t you ask them for help if Queen Isabella was kidnapped by a foreign race?”
Hawkins shook his head, “Of course I would.” He held back a bit then as he passed a console he pressed a silent alarm.

Attack on Thera (Chapter One)

CHAPTER ONE

The airship rocked as another shot from the giant flying city hit its metallic walls. Its Tesla coils crackled in protest against the barrage. The air sailor steadied the craft and tried to take it away from the electro cannons that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere from the body of the island. This was supposed to have been a covert mission, one of secrecy. The giants on the flying island had switched off the transport pads so the rescuers had attempted to reach the Queen by airship instead. Now they were encountering resistance they hadn't planned for.
“They know we’re here for sure,” whispered Lizzie to Paul as she lined one of the ship’s cannons up on the defences of Gersbalk. A beam of light shot out from the tip of her weapon and hit its target. “One less,” she smiled. The smile didn't last long though for another shot from the island hit the Princess Tawa.
One of the coils shorted out. Without the coils exactly cancelling each other out then they lost the anti gravity effect needed to maintain flight. The craft started to dive towards the flying island.
“We’re going to crash,” cried the other air sailor, “hold on to the rails.”
She held on for dear life. I should have stayed back at base. At least then I could have had some spotted Dick.
Though the air sailor tried to line the planes up to make the ship land more smoothly it did not work and the Tawa crash landed on a promontory of the island. Lizzie hit her head on a loosened strut and fell into unconsciousness.


24 hours before…

There was a meeting in the house that they had been allocated by Tyreen High Command. For a week now they had been drilling on the Princess Tawa with the two air sailors that were seconded to them. Between all six of them (seven if you counted Lukin) they were able to fly the airship and use its weapons adequately. The first to make his voice heard was Simpkins. “We must try something, the longer we wait the more they can mess up her mind, or… even kill her.”
When they had first arrived on Thera they had discussed just putting in the co-ordinates to the giantish kingdom to the East, the one that Parvill had used to escape with Queen Victoria. They sent Lukin to scout ahead and report his findings. He ended up in a slave market and was nearly captured.
When they did check it out they could find no trace of Parvill or the Queen and had difficulty accessing a transport pad to return to the airbase.
Eventually Admiral Shore gave them the name of a contact within the eastern giant kingdom. When they contacted him he told them that Queen Victoria had been taken to Gersbalk for conditioning. That was a week ago now and a week since they found out that the travel pads no longer transported them there.
“But we are not ready,” fumed Paul who was used to training and drilling soldiers, “if we try too soon then all may end in failure.”
“Then let us put it to a vote,” said Professor Wagstaff who looked at the others who were seated at the table with him.
The air sailors were present and voted against the mission, so did Paul. Wagstaff, Lizzie and Simpkins voted for it.
“A split vote,” observed Simpkins.
“We could get Lukin to vote?” nodded Lizzie enthusiastically.
Paul laughed, “You can’t be serious?”
“We need a vote to break the tie.”
“You may as well just ask him to generate a random number. No, I should get the deciding vote, I am the ranking officer.”
“I am a founding member of the VAS, I should get the deciding vote.”
Paul looked at her as though he was going to argue, but then relented and held his hands up in submission.
“Do we go then or not?” asked Wagstaff,.
“Yes tomorrow, when the repairs to the Princess Tawa are complete.” She clenched her lips together waiting for somebody else to disagree with her but none did.


Simpkins caught up with her as she was walking to the hangar to see how the repairs were coming along. “What was I going to say?” he shook his head.
“She looked back at him, “I have no idea.” She was flattered because Simpkins was showing some interest in her.
“I’m glad you pulled rank on him, we need to try for a rescue as soon as possible.” They both entered the hangar and saw two ships being repaired. The other was the Queen Isabella, Captain Reena’s ship.
Captain Reena was there, one hand on her hip, inspecting the Queen Isabella and she looked a little angry when she saw Lizzie and Simpkins.
“Hello Reena,” greeted Lizzie, a smile on her face as she came over.
“Miss McBean,” nodded Reena. She snubbed Simpkins.
He looked a little embarrassed.
“It was an accident Captain Reena,” explained Lizzie, hoping to bridge the barrier that had come between the two.
“Who let Simpkins pilot the Tawa? If you had let the air pilot do his job then none of this would have happened. My boots still don’t fit right after we were downed in the sea.”
“We needed to let him get a bit of practice in an action situation.”
“Does he speak for himself or hide behind your skirts?”
This irked Simpkins, “You are a patriot aren’t you Reena.”
She was a bit taken aback, “Of course, why?”
“If your Queen Isabella was kidnapped then wouldn’t you do all in your power to get her back?”
“Yes.”
“That is what I am trying to do,” he turned and stormed away.
Reena softened a little around Lizzie. “So you like him then?”
Lizzie smiled.
“He’s not bad I suppose, a bit too English for me.”
“I haven’t seen Charlie, since…” Now Lizzie was still a little hurt over Reena and Charlie’s relationship. She bucked herself up, “…since he came through the IWTD with Lukin.”
“No, he’s doing a special mission for me.”
“Getting some stretchers for your boots?”
“It is a secret.”
“Getting some secret boot stretchers for you?”
Reena shook her head, laughed a little then invited Lizzie for a cup of coffee over at the canteen.


As they were drinking their coffee the two air sailors who were part of Lizzie’s crew came in and sat next to them to eat their breakfast. “Johnson, Hawkins,” acknowledged Lizzie.
“Roland please,” said Johnson as he sat down with his tray.
Reena looked at Hawkins, “Do you have a first name?”
“Edwin,” replied Hawkins curtly.
Reena raised her eyebrows to Lizzie at the obvious grumpiness of Hawkins.
“How are the repairs going on the Tawa?” Roland asked Lizzie.
“Aye she’ll be ready by tomorrow,” she replied in a West Country accent.
Roland laughed and put his hand over his mouth. Hawkins just glanced at him.
“Well I must be off,” Reena told Lizzie, “the Isabella is nearly ready, not as much water went into her as the Tawa,” she got up and smiled then left.
Hawkins spat out his food, “This is dire, I need a drink.” He also stood up and left without another word.
“He’s a cheery fellow isn’t he,” commented Lizzie.
“No, not really, he’s always grumpy.”
Has this guy ever heard of sarcasm? She thought as she looked at him quizzically.


Hawkins went back to his barracks. In the latrine section, under a sink, he retrieved a small communications device. He made sure there were no others around then he used it. “Butterfly to Spey, Butterfly to Spey, come in.”
There was no reply to begin with so he opened the channel again, “Butterfly to…”
A voice came over the device, “Butterfly, what do you want?”
“I was successful in crashing the airship, they thought it was the tall Englishman’s fault. But the ship will be ready by tomorrow, they will attempt to land on Gersbalk to rescue the Queen then.”
“Gersbalk’s defences are being restored, only a third of its cannons are in working order, you must delay the mission or sabotage it again.”
“Understood,” as he said this he heard someone enter the barracks and so put the communications device into his pocket.
“Hawkins,” said the NCO, “the commodore wants to see you.”
As he was walking towards the outer barracks door he threw the communications device under the pillow of another air sailor.
The NCO looked back, “What was that?”
“I was trying to swat a fly.”
They both made their way across the courtyard to the administrative building.


Ichabod was in the development section of the administrative building, Lizzie went to see him with a cup of coffee. He heard her coming up the steps, “Is that you Lizzie?”
“How did you guess?” she asked as she came in and put his coffee on the side.
“Ooh, not there, that’s where I keep my notes,” he picked the cup up and put it on the windowsill.
“I have a distinctive walk?” she asked as she sat on a spare chair.
“Yes, the heels of your boots make an unusual sound.”
She thought about the sound of her boots as she looked around to see what he was working on, “What are you doing?”
He picked up his coffee and took a sip, “I am developing an electric shield for the ship. If it works it could direct energy weapon fire away from the hull.”
“Would that mean we were invulnerable?”
“Not from laser beams or regular weapons.”
“Still that’s good, there are quite a lot of ships that have energy weapons.”
Tapping his finger on his cup to denote his frustration he replied, “I can only make it work when it’s not flying at the moment, the earth gives it a grounding effect.”
“Can I see it in action?” she stood up and went closer to the machine Wagstaff was working on.
“All right, I’ll do a test now, we do need to be over the other side of the room though.” He placed an insect within the range of the machine, stood back and then switched it on. She saw a slight blue hue surround the machine. Wagstaff fired his own electric pistol at the machine and the bolt from it dissipated around the shield and hit the wall behind, scorching his map of Thera. “Oh dear,” he sighed as he switched the shield off and patted the map, “I’ve singed the North Pole.”
“Why can’t it bounce a cannon ball off?”
“Well it could if I had more power, but the engine and coils on the ship aren’t big enough. You would need the coils and engine from something like the Volans Terrorum.”
This reminded her of the air battleship she had flown on to Kashlum. She had seen it being refitted in the dry dock. Then she laughed.
Looking over his glasses he asked her, “What are you laughing at?”
“I was just imagining those big coils on the Tawa.” She moved toward the machine again, “So what could it stop if I threw something at it?”
“Maybe a tennis ball.”
“Can I try?”
“Of course,” he moved the insect back to the machine and switched it on again, then he gave Lizzie a tennis ball. “Try to squash the insect,” he told her.
She caught the ball and then threw it at the insect. It bounced off the shield, landed on the windowsill and spilt the rest of his coffee over some of his notes. “Oh no, oh no,” he moaned as he switched the machine off and dabbed the notes with his scarf, “I always seem to get into trouble when you’re around Lizzie McBean.”
As she left she looked a little embarrassed and closed the door behind her.


For the rest of that day she took in the sights of nearby Teredon and also decided to do a little shopping to get some new boots so they didn’t make a distinctive sound. She returned later, ate her evening meal and went to bed early.


The airship repairs were finished in the morning and as a team they were already making plans to fly up to Gersbalk because its current position was quite close to Tyreen. Lizzie was looking in the base armoury for some more ammunition when she overheard a conversation between the stores man and another air sailor. “It was Keith, they found it under his pillow as part of an inspection. Who would have thought old Keith would have been a spy for the giants.”
“A communications device that small? The things we have are like boxes!”
She was on the other side of some shelves and the stores man was a bit startled when she came out from behind, “Cor, love a duck, I forgot you were there. Did you get everything you needed?”
“Erm, can I have a revolver as well, and some shells?”
“You’ll have to sign for them, so I can tell the Commodore where they’ve gone.” He picked a DN35 off the shelf close to him, “This should do you, not too big, six shots, .45 calibre.”
Looking at the barrel and then pointing it at the shelves she said, “Thanks.” Then she collected up the rest of her ammunition, said goodbye and went back to the Princess Tawa.


She stowed away her gear in the box below her bed. Simpkins came in with a new rifle. “Nice,” she commented.
“I thought it was better to get one myself instead of using Paul’s.”
“Did you hear about that spy they caught?”
“Yes, the Commodore told me earlier.”
She felt a little miffed that she had not known.
Within another half an hour they were travelling toward the flying city of Gersbalk.


There were some clouds in the sky but Lizzie was just able to see the flying city in the distance. It grew bigger and Lizzie swore that she saw giants moving through its outer areas. Hawkins took Wagstaff’s advice and tried to advance upon the city from above. As they started to ascend Johnson noticed that some of the cannons were lining up on the ship. “We have movement from those guns.”
She looked down, it was quite disconcerting to be so close and to see the enemy’s guns line up on you. But she also saw that other guns were inert. When she looked at Wagstaff he seemed to be in a bit of a tizz. “What’s the matter?” she inquired.
“I can see those guns getting us in their sights and I don’t know whether to switch the WES on.”
“WES?”
“The Wagstaff Electric Shield.”
“Why? What difference does it make?”
“We could lose altitude, it could affect the way the coils balance each other out.”
He didn’t have chance to switch it on before a shot came from one of the guns on one of the concourses. “She seems to be all right at the moment,” said Wagstaff. Then they started to dive. The Professor ran into Hawkins to find out what was the matter.
“She seems to have lost lift.”
Wagstaff ran to the engine area below. He called up, “Both coils are fine.” but by then another shot hit them and they started to fall towards a promontory on the island.

A few years ago

Managed to type in 250 words today of chapter 7, and write 200 words of chapter 12.

Today's joke is one I made up a few years ago:

I lent my Mother-in-law £100.
I said I needed the money back, she said she wasn't going to give it to me back. I said I would take her to court.
She reminded me that it says in the Bible, 'Not to take your brother to court.'

So I'm going by bicycle and she's going in the car.

A lift

Today I managed to type in 500 words of SAASA 4 before I went out. I went to pick my wife up, and while I was waiting for her I wrote 200 words (then found out she got a lift home with someone else.) While waiting for her at her piano lessons I wrote another 1,000 words so I have finished chapter 11 and am half way through SAASA 6!

And Facebook is down...

Today's joke is:

How do you make anti-freeze?

Take away her blanket!

WhooooooooooooooooT!

I managed to write 200 words today.

WhooooooooT!

Meet the Authors

I wrote about 250 words over the weekend and about 200 today, so I have now done 1,000 of chapter 11. Went to Meet the Authors at Heslington in York on Saturday. Got there a little late after picking the grandkids up. (Took them to York walls for the first time, they enjoyed firing invisible arrows through the gaps in the battlements.) Enjoyed talking to Jack Everett and Rosie as well as Jason and Agnes. It seems as though a lot of self published authors are going through the mill.

Today's joke is:

Marriage means commitment. Of course, so does insanity.