Iceland
Previously John Watkins, acting Engineer of the HMAS Francis , and his two Airship Marine shipmates, Cpl Ellis Cooke and ex-sergeant Kade Fraser, have received orders to retrieve a secret package from one of her Majesty's Aetherwave stations in Iceland.
They are to report to a Major Woolsley-Hampton MBE in Reykjavik for further instructions.
You can start from the beginning of their adventure here.
Enjoy Part III
Keep your sightglass full, your firebox trimmed, and your water iced.
KJ
Ice and Clockwork
A serial story from The Airship's Messdeck.
Part III
by Kevin Jepson
Reykjavik ,Iceland
Watkins and the two Marines have arrived at the Operations HQ for Her Majesty's Airship Service in Reykjavik. The city is blanketed with a thick layer of snow. Thankfully there is almost no wind, but it is still many degrees below freezing. The steam sledge on which they rode from the landing field is slightly warm courtesy of its boiler.
Watkins opens the sledge door and steps out to go inside. There is a burst of fog when the icy outside air floods in. "Hang onto the sledge I shouldn't be too long."
"Aye aye Sir." Corporal Cooke quickly closes the door and says "I'm getting sick of all this cold Sarge."
"Aye, give me a posting in the Med anytime! Haven't been warm since before we left London on the Doris."
"Watkins says we are off to some Aetherwave Balloon station on a Volcano out in the country somewheres."
Fraser chuckles. "Well maybe that will be warm if it's erupting eh?"
"We can hope Sarge, we can hope!"
There is a tapping on the window to the driver's position which opens revealing the rugged blond head of the driver. His accent is very strong, "Going to get more coal at depot, be back in a few minutes. You want I can bring some drink and food back?"
"Wonderful much obliged." says Cooke.
The window closes and the sledge rocks a bit as the driver jumps out and trudges off through the snow. "You know you just gave him permission to go to the pub on his way right?" Fraser says with a grin.
"Eh? I did no such thing Sarge, he offered to bring us back some food."
"Aye and where do you suppose he is going to get that? We'll be lucky to see him again by nightfall I'm thinking"
"Ha, just cause that's what you would do Sarge doesn't hold that Icelanders would."
"Well how about we bet on it then?" There is a gleam in the ex-Sergeant's eye that warns Cooke not to be stupid and comply.
"Oh no! I recognize that look! Between you and Miss BB* I near lost me last button so no thank you. I will say I'll be surprised if he ain't back by the time Watkins is."
"We'll see, in the meantime I'm going to try to get some sleep while I'm not quite frozen."
"Good idea Sarge, the sledge ain't going anywheres without a driver so we don't need to stand watches."
In a remarkably short time the two Marines are sound asleep.
---
Inside the office of Major Woolsley-Hampton MBE there is a redly glowing pot-bellied coal stove in the corner next to an ornate desk piled with papers and maps. The room seems very warm compared to the hallway outside, and impossibly warm compared to the street.
The major is off on an inspection of some sort and expected to return shortly, at least that is what Watkins was told by the Major's clerk, a striking blond Icelandic lady with the most amazing blue eyes he has ever seen.
Watkins makes himself comfortable on a chair next to the stove to await the Major's return.
After what seems like an eternity, he awakes from a doze with a start.
The sound of raised voices comes from the hallway, he can make out the stern voice of the clerk and the deeper tones of someone else. They are speaking Icelandic so he cannot understand them but there is definitely something amiss.
There is a tapping on the door of the office and the clerk comes in.
"Your pardon Sir, but this gentleman has a... a concern."
"A concern is it? Sounds like a right row it does. May I be of assistance?"
The clerk looks somewhat embarrassed. "Yes Sir there may be. This man says your marines have stolen his sledge!"
"The devil you say!"
Grabbing his coat and cap Watkins leaves the Major's office and stepping out the door to the street sees no sign of the sledge, or its two lobsterback passengers. There is a slushy spot where the heat of the sledge's boiler had melted the snow but that is all.
The driver is standing shaking his head, at his feet is a bag of coal, two flagons of ale and a ham. "I go get coal, food and drink and when I come back no sledge!"
"Bloody hell! Where would they go damn their eyes! Not like they could drive the damn thing anywhere without anyone seeing."
The tracks of the sledge are clearly visible in the snow heading out into the street where they disappear in the welter of other tracks.
"I have no sledge, now have no money, my wife will not eat if I have no sledge!"
"Aye mate that may be and all, but I don't think my men have stolen your sledge, they are Airship Marines and not taken to joy riding. I'm thinking something else must have happened, but what?"
The driver simply shrugs and shakes his head.
Part IV is here.
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* Lt Beulah Bueckert, aka Miss BB, is the Communications Officer of their previous airship the experimental
HMAS Velvet Brush. She was with their Commander and the rest of his crew when they went missing at sea after the great gale described in the
previous story. Miss BB is an incredibly lucky gambler.
