PADT, Inc. – The Blog

There just is not enough engineer-focused fiction out there. Romance, Horror, Sci-Fi, Young Adult, Historical, Mystery, etc. They all do well, but they are rarely written for the engineers of the world.

Here at PADT, we are all about undoing such injustices. We decided to brainstorm a story about an engineer who does simulation and 3D Printing and ends up on an adventure. We hope they will find some mystery, some science fiction, and some horror. Maybe even a little romance. To develop the characters and the plot we all got on an MS Teams meeting and blocked it out. It was a lot of fun. That turned into an outline, that will turn into a chapter every month.

We hope you enjoy the result as much as we enjoyed dreaming the journey up.

It should be noted that every character in this story is completely made up. Sometimes we steal some names from real people as a shoutout to them, but that is about it. PADT does not have a basement or a fancy cluster in one. Everything is made up. Well, almost everything. We do have a stack of furniture in the back of shipping and receiving.

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Chapter 10
Party and Pursuit

Takaa was prophetic. The entire town had been celebrating for three full days. And Ash had a headache that would not go away. She and her friends had been eating, drinking, and dancing well until the early hours of the morning. Although her head was still foggy about the details, she did remember a very drunk Verihbitt clinging to her in the hallway, slurring her words, and tapping Ash on the saying, “This is the last night of cela.. cela… being happy about winning. Tomorrow we start planning our counter at… atta… fight where we go to them.”

The last thing Ash wanted to do was leave the comfort of her bed. Duzi was snoring next to her. The time she had spent alone with him over the three days had been almost dreamlike. She had never seen him this relaxed and happy. At times she even forgot that she would have to leave soon. 

Outside the window, she could hear the noises of the town and, in the distance, the constant sound of the surf pounding the shore. And looking out the window, Ash could see white clouds drifting lazily by. Noone and nothing was in a hurry. But, it was time to move on. The celebration had been a nice escape. She had not charged her phone or worked on the calculator. She knew that her parents and her friends were probably worried and felt guilty that she had not worked towards getting back to them.

Rolling on her side, she pulled a protruding duck feather from the mattress they slept on and used it to gently tickle Duzi’s nose. Still asleep, he raised a hand to swat it away. Ash grabbed the hand, brought it to her lips, and gave it a gentle kiss.

Duzi smiled and stretched under the linen sheets. Then he let out a loud groan and said, “aaaaahhhh!. My head!”

Ash leaned over him and kissed his forehead. “Wake up, my darling, we have work to do today.”

She felt his hands slide to the small of her back and pull her down onto him.

He said, “Not yet, my smart one. We have other work to do first.”

The sun was well past its zenith when they walked into the courtyard to find their friends lounging around a low table, talking in quiet towns.

Alim smiled when he saw the couple approach and said, “Look who has decided to join our planning session. Our warrior and our scholar. “

Everyone turned to smile at them. Verihbitt added, “we are not going to ask where you two have been.”

Mnihh’dm rose and pulled two stools from the edge of the courtyard to the table as the others spread out to make room. A crude map was covering the table. It showed an island sheltered in a natural harbor with the name Motye written above the island. She knew it was an island just off the west coast of Sicily, one of many Phoenician trading outposts spread around the rim of the Mediterranean sea. Ash’s LARPing group often talked about organizing a trip there someday.

Alim pointed at the island and said, “We captured several sailors and some officers when they washed up on the shore. Most of them were more afraid of their King than us. Those died without telling us anything. A few cracked, and we learned that when what was left of the fleet fled and everyone received orders to regroup here, at Motye.”

Takaa added, “It seems they took over this trading post first and have since turned it into their rabbit hole. One captain, who claimed to have twenty children he wanted to see again, claimed they have set up their mirrors on the island along with enough supplies to last them a while.”

Thinking about the situation, Ash asked, “I guess we can’t try the same night-time attack?”

Verihbitt nodded. “They will be expecting that, but we can still attack at night or on a cloudy day. The problem,” she drew a big circle around the island with her finger, “is that our father-of-many also told us around half a two hundred bowmen are stationed on the island.”

Mnihh’dm pointed to the western side of the island, “If we can get our ships to beach here, we can overwhelm them. The problem is getting that close with so many archers.”

Ash thought for a while. The military success of the Phoenician empire was built on their bowman, and she assumed that this King Gula was taking advantage of this mastery. Imagining their boats rowing towards the beach, Ash could visualize the cloud of arrows descending on the unprotected oarsmen. Unless, she thought, they were protected somehow.

“Duzi, did any of the attacking ships wash up on the beaches near here?”

“Yes, a good score or so did. They are all badly burned, though.”

“What about their mirrors? Did any have mirrors?”

“Yes, be we ruined them by covering them with die. We are planning to melt them down and sell the copper to help pay for all of this.”

“Don’t do that yet. That much copper sheeting may come in handy. Let’s all take a walk to the harbor.”

Fifteen minutes later, she was telling a group of dockworkers to tie the remaining rowing skulls together, three in front and three in the back, to make a large parge.

“Druzi, do you think you could pull this behind your ship?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t hold enough men to survive an archery attack.”

“You are right, but if we put our fastest runners on board, and we protect them, do you think they could run into archers and attack them? Would that allow your ship and a few cargo vessels to land behind them?”

“Yes, but what about their mirrors? There is no way we could get them before they set us on fire.”

She looked at the makeshift barge and said, “We will land at night?”

Mnihh’dm spoke up, “But even with a full moon, there won’t be enough light for us to attack.”

Ash smiled. “We will bring our own light.”

For two weeks, Ash worked on her inventions for the attack and the calculator. She sent some short texts back to the future letting them know she was OK or asking for clarifications on the complex analog computer she would use to determine her exact time and location.   Then, after a long day, her friends would gather for some food and to share the status of everyone’s project. These were followed by late evenings with Duzi. Every morning was more bittersweet than the last because each dawn brought her closer to returning home.

The first task had been to pound out the recovered copper sheets and shape them into peaked covers for the outrigger. An arrow would go straight through them if fired head-on, but they would deflect off a peaked roof. That was the easy part. Building spotlights was going to be more difficult.

She had never thought about it before, but the only way to make light in the ancient world was by burning wood or oil. Working with Alim, Ash experimented with different combinations and found that wool soaked in olive oil, with a little sea salt, gave off the brightest flames. She then instructed the artisans to repolish some of the copper to make reflectors. They then mounted the reflectors to the back of clay bowls that held the wool torches.

When enough of these beacons were added to her barge, they could illuminate a nearby beach, even on a moonless night. It was not perfect. Ahe didn’t have the time to play with minerals in an attempt to make a flare. This would have to do.

Her last morning in Tripoli started with a gentle kiss from Duzi.  “Rise and shine my little scholar. We have to catch the tide.” They ended up arriving late.

The group was gathered for a quick breakfast in the courtyard. All of Ash’s gear was now on the ship, safely stowed away.

She walked over to where Verhibitt was eating and sat beside her. Her whole mindset had changed when it became obvious that they would be leaving in less than an hour.

Ash said, “I am scared.”

Verhibitt took a bite of bread and then said, “You have been through this before, worse maybe. We will be safe on Duzi’s ship.”

“I know. But before, everything happened so fast. I have had two weeks to think of everything that can go wrong.”

Yes,” said Verhibitt. “Sometimes, extra time can make things worse. Try not to spend too much of your day, or your nights, in thoughts about what might happen. That is for Baal to decide. Not you.”

Ash was a little surprised. She had never heard Verhibitt envoke the Phoenician deity before.

“You look shocked. I mentioned Baal.” Verhibitt took a deep breath. “Well, maybe this time I am also more than a little scared. Maybe this time I am looking for a little help.”

At high tide, they moved down to the harbor and boarded their mini-fleet. Five cargo vessels crammed full of as many soldiers as they could gather rowed out of the harbor behind them, following the towed barge. The wind was behind them, so they dropped sails, and the oarsmen laid around the deck, playing dice and sharpening their weapons.

Ash used the time to work on the calculator. All of the brass components were cut and shaped. All that remained was to put it together. And that was turning out to be very hard.

Back in the twenty-first century, making precisions components was easy. She could have used rigid metals and precision CNC machines. Now, working with soft brass and everything hand-made, she had to assemble each part then file it by hand to fit. Ash remembered watching documentaries about Swiss watchmakers that built timepieces the same way. She never thought she would be arched over a bench sailing across the Mediterranean,  doing the same thing. And without a magnifying glass.

Verhibitt came to sit with her on their second day at sea.

“I don’t know how you can sit here for so long and file away at your little project. I am going crazy just watching you.”

“I’m not sure how I am doing it. I guess I do not have a choice if I want to go home.”

“Ash?”

“Yes?”

“Do you really want to go back to your land?”

Ash thought about the question. About her friendship with Verhibitt and her romance with Duzi. They were wonderful people, and she had had so many amazing adventures. 

“I think about it all the time. Every morning and every night. But as much as I have felt so welcome here, and have built friendships…” Ash paused, looking for the right word.

“More than a friendship?” Verhibitt offered.

“Yes, and that. I have never felt like this about anyone before. I have had what we call boyfriends. But never like this. The problem is, with all of that, I just do not belong here. Hear and now is not my place in the world.”

Verhibitt sat and watched Ash work for a long time before she said, “I see that.”

And that was the last time they talked about it.

The next day they arrived off the south shore of Sicily. Stowing the sails, they rowed way from shore and waited for the sun to go down. Everyone was preparing for the battle, including Ash, who was storing her phone and the calculator safely inside storage crates. She then covered them with wet hides to protect them from fire. Behind them, the soldiers were preparing the barge, soaking the wool in the baskets with olive oil.

Then they waited for the sun to go down and for the sea and the beach to become dark.

When Druzi decided it was safe enough, everyone moved into position, and they used to stars to row west, then north to the small lagoon The moon was just a sliver, so that did not help much. Finding the opening to the lagoon and then the island were the biggest risks of their plan. 

Then they saw light on the horizon. As the small collection of boats moved closer, they could make out a large bonfire on a beach. Silently, they rowed towards it, and as they got closer, it became clear that this was the island they had been looking for.

Duzi came back to confer with the group at the back of the ship.

“It looks like our King is so arrogant, he has set up his own bonfire. And even better, it is on the other side of the island. If we keep our distance and circle around, we can use our own lights to attack the beach we want to land on, and they will be blinded by their own flames.”

“Are you sure?” asked Mnihh’dm.  “This seems a little too easy.” 

Verhibitt laughed. “I think if the gods smote the island with lightning in front of us, you would claim that it was a trick.”

Mnihh’dm grumbled, “it just doesn’t feel right.”

They moved as planned, keeping as far away from the island as possible till the North star showed that they were east. They stopped and let the barge loose. Soon, the soldiers on board began to row to the front of the small armada. When they were between the ships and the shore,  Duzi uncovered a small lamp to signal the beginning of the attack.

Ash could see white foam catch the dim moonlight as the soldiers in the barge began to paddle as fast as they could. Then, a few hundred yards from the beach, they lit the torches. She could now see the beach outlined in the growing flames, reflected by her makeshift searchlights. The archers were nowhere to be seen. 

She turned to Verhibitt and said, “This may be easier than we thought.”

And then she heard the shouts. 

Soldiers on the deck of one of the cargo ships were screaming. She could just make out that they were pointing to the left of the barge. A huge trireme came out of the darkness into the light created by the barge. In seconds, it smashed right into its side.

The sound of splitting timber and screaming men ripped through the air. Before they could really see the damage, the torchers went out as the barge broke apart and sank. They were in near darkness again and had lost their lightning attack force.

Ash watched the huge trireme slowly turn towards them and then gain speed as it moved to ram one of the cargo ships. Duzi was barking orders, and the soldiers on each ship began to row as well. Ash ralized they were not moving towards the attacking ship. They were going to storm the beach.

Druzi screamed, “Faster, you worthless dogs! They are too big to get close to the shore! We need to beat them in!”

Holding her breath, Ash felt the ship leap forward and head straight for the shore, the cargo ships close behind. 

“Faster!”

Ash heard the sound of timber rending again and turned, expecting to see one of the cargo ships breaking apart on the bow of the trireme. Instead, she saw the huge three-deck ship light up as fire broke out on the deck as it broke in half. 

Verihibitt shouted over the noise, “It must have hit a rock! Maybe I need to talk to Baal more often!”

Then Ash was lurching forward, trying to grab onto something as the ship came to an abrupt stop on the beach. When she stood up again, she saw that Duzi’s men were jumping over the railing and joining up in formations on the beach. Their cargo ships and the soldiers on board soon joined them.

Everyone relaxed a little, setting up defensive formations preparing to march to the fort on the other side of the island.

Then the arrows came. 

In the dark, it was hard to tell where the projectiles were coming from. Duzi sent ot squads in every direction, searching. Soon, a group to the left was soon yelling for everyone to join them. Ash watched in shock as half of the soldiers ran into the darkness while the other half took up a defensive position on the beach. They dragged those injured by the archer attack back to the ships.

The sound of fighting reached them from a distance, and Ash began to feel panic grow in her. Every battle she had been in so far was over in minutes. It had been over thirty minutes since they had slammed into the beach, and the small group was still out there fighting. 

She felt tears coming to her eyes. The fight was taking too long, and Ash began to give up hope. Then she saw a tall figure slowly walking towards them in the light from the still burning trireme. When they realized it was Takaa, she and Verihibitt leaped to the sand and ran towards him. As they got closer, she realized he was dragging someone by the neck.

He stopped short and kneeled in the sand, still holding on to the squirming figure.

Panting for breath, he said, “The battle is done. We lost about half of our men, but we sent their men scrambling back to their fort. They are locked inside now.”

Verihibitt kneeled next to him, took his face in her hands, and kissed him deeply, and then said, “I am so glad to see you.”

The squirming man that Takaa was still holding in his large hands spat at Verhibit and yelled, “You whore!”

Someone brought a torch, and they could see that Takaa’s captive was Verhibitt’s former betrothed, Ahinadab.

– To Be Continued –

Please subscribe to our newsletter, so you will know when the next installment, “Siege and Showdown,” wherein, our intrepid crew corner their prey, and work to draw the evil king from his fortifications.

There just is not enough engineer-focused fiction out there. Romance, Horror, Sci-Fi, Young Adult, Historical, Mystery, etc. They all do well, but they are rarely written for the engineers of the world.

Here at PADT, we are all about undoing such injustices. We decided to brainstorm a story about an engineer who does simulation and 3D Printing and ends up on an adventure. We hope they will find some mystery, some science fiction, and some horror. Maybe even a little romance. To develop the characters and the plot we all got on an MS Teams meeting and blocked it out. It was a lot of fun. That turned into an outline, that will turn into a chapter every month.

We hope you enjoy the result as much as we enjoyed dreaming the journey up.

It should be noted that every character in this story is completely made up. Sometimes we steal some names from real people as a shoutout to them, but that is about it. PADT does not have a basement or a fancy cluster in one. Everything is made up. Well, almost everything. We do have a stack of furniture in the back of shipping and receiving.

---

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Chapter 9
Design and Deploy

The group reconvened in the central courtyard. Soon most of the remaining royal court and military leadership joined them, minus Ahinadab. After picking himself up, he and his guards had fled the palace. No one knew where and few cared.

Verihbitt took charge of the palace and the planning.  “As niece to the King and ranking royal family member, since my betrothed decided to leave us, I will lead our response.  Who is the ranking military commander still here?”

The assembled officials looked around. None of the leadership from the fleet was there.  The attendees in uniform huddled in the corner and talked amongst themselves.  Before long, an older man in a tattered uniform stepped forward.

“Your Highness.  It seems I’m the ranking officer after the fleet was destroyed and others left with the prince.  I am Abibaal, supply master for this port.”

Verihbitt thought for a few minutes, then smiled. “Well, that is good. Because a quartermaster is what we need.  I hereby appoint you as Admiral of his majesty’s fleet and army in the west. Now go and do what quartermasters do best. Get me an inventory of what we have left. Food, weapons, fuel, ships, supplies.  Everything within the port and the city walls.  I expect a detailed list first thing in the morning.”

She turned to the crowd and motioned for the best-dressed man in the room to step forward.  “You are Platibaal, correct? “

The man answered, “That is correct, I am Platiball the farmer.” 

“And a smuggler and trader as well,  from what others have told me. You are now my ambassador and chief negotiator.”

The man turned ashen white. “But my princess, I know nothing of negotiation and –“

Verihbitt cut him off, “You know how to lie and hide things. That is what we need now.  You are to row out to the main boat and deliver a clear message. Tell them that we will comply with their demands but will need three days to gather the money.  Go to Baal’s temple and take enough gold to satisfy them as a token. And if you skim, I’ll shave part of your hand off.”

The crow gasped, and Takaa asked Duzi, “I thought we were going to fight?”

Verihbitt stood and said, “This is to buy us time.  We need a plan, and we need time to come up with our next step.” She paused and looked at her hands, and took a deep breath. Then asked, “Ash, what is our next step?”

Ash stood frozen. What she wanted to do was hide behind Duzi and Takaa and let someone else figure this out.  But no one was breaking the silence.  She tried to relate this to her previously normal life. What would she do if her boss asked her this question? Then an idea came to her.

“Well, what I usually do in a situation like this, is develop a project plan. And that starts with defining our specifications and then brainstorming solutions.  “

Alim asked, “Why would getting so drunk our brain storms help?”

“That didn’t translate well.  I’ll explain. We are going to use some proven project development tools to understand and design our way out of this mess.”

Alim shook his head, “I only understood the small words in that sentence. But you have been correct so far with your inventions, so lead on.”

An hour later, Ash had all of her friends sitting in a circle with two scribes ready to write things down on clay tablets.

She began the session with, “Remember, there are no bad ideas. Just share what you are thinking with the group. You don’t have to defend it. No one can criticize anyone’s ideas. Our scribes will write it down, and then we will choose the best ideas.”

“Our problem statement is simple. There is a fleet of large ships off our coast. They have big, polished metal mirrors on their decks.  When the sun is right, they use those mirrors to send the heat of the sun on the town, burning everything. How do we stop them from doing that?”

Takaa spoke first, “We sink their ships!”

Mnihh’dm shouted back, “We have no ships or soldiers to do that with!”

Ash interrupted with, “Remember, no criticism.  We are generating ideas here.”

Mnihh’dm muttered, “You do things strange where you come from. Arguing is where the fun is.”

Takaa then asked, “So no one can attack what I say?”

Ash said, “Correct. There are no bad ideas in brainstorming.”

“Then,” began Takaa with a huge grin, “I would like to point out that Alim’s tunic is the color of vomit and it makes him look sickly and makes me feel worse.”

Alim started to shout, “You oversized, insolent…,” then saw the look on Ash’s face and instead said, “Thank you for your comment.”

Some laughing and silence followed, then Verhibitt said, “What if we attack at night, in small boats, somehow disable the mirrors or the boats?”

Alim added, “We could damage their tillers, so they can’t steer.”

And that started the discussion.  For a good hour, they tossed out ideas and a few more insults, Ash facilitating and adding her own suggestions.

When two tablets were full, she said, “This is good. We have good ideas. And I think we can put them into three groups.  The first is to sneak out there and damage their ships somehow. The second is to pray for divine intervention, and the third group is to find a way to damage the mirrors so they do not work. Verihbitt, you get to decide which group to design our solution around.”

The princess began to pace the room while everyone waited for her answer.  After some time, she said, “I think we will do all three. The priests can start their sacrifices.  But the rest of us will find a way to sabotage the mirrors and their ships.  I like the idea of making clay pots filled with ink and fire. What do you all think?”

Ash answered first, “I agree. We can take clay bottles and fill them with ink or oil.  Attack them at night and cover the mirrors with ink and sink a few ships with the fire.”

The group all nodded in agreement. 

“But,” asked Alim, “How do we get out there quickly and quietly?”

Ash answered, “We build outriggers?”

Takaa looked at her and said, “I do not know this word, outrigger?”

“Some island people in a distant sea use them. They are small, fast rowing boats that can get through the waves and maneuver between the large ships.” 

Ash took a clay tablet and sketched a narrow rowing boat.  It showed five rowers and someone in the front and back to throw the small bombs. She marked an area to store the clay jars.  Then she drew an outrigger on the right side of the small vessel.

She tapped the tablet with the stylus and said, “We need to make as many of these as we can, as fast as we can.   Carve the body out of logs, make them as thin as possible.   This part here,” she pointed to the outrigger, “will keep the boat from tipping over.  We also need big fat oars instead of the ones we use.” She drew a picture of a wide-bladed, sort paddle.

Alim and Mnihh’dm studied the tablet and talked to each other in low whispers. Before long, they were nodding and started making their own drawings.

Meanwhile, Verihbitt ordered the head of the local potters guild to start making the small bombs. She then commissioned another group to get oil and die to fill the projectiles. Abibaal the former quartermaster, joined her in coordinating supplies and manpower.

As the sun started to set, everyone in the town who had not fled inland was busy working on the plan.

Several rooms in the palace were turned into makeshift workshops, and everyone was busy, although Ash really had nothing to do. Her attempts to supervise slowed people down, so she found herself in her own workshop, staring at the pile of supplies she had gathered for the device Alex had sent instructions for. Her battery and her phone sat side by side on a bench, both depleted of energy.

She stood there, paralyzed, for so long that the oil lamp she had brought with her flickered out.

“Ash, are you OK? Why are you standing alone in the dark?”

She turned to find Duzi, his charming smile illuminated by a small lamp he held in his hand.

“I honestly don’t know.  I should be working on my device, but I just can’t seem to start.  Or at least charge my phone.  But same.”

She felt his strong arms wrap around her from behind. The heat of his body was comforting. She tucked her head under his chin and leaned back into him.

“I am happy with that.” He kissed to top of her head gently. “I don’t want you to work on those other things.”

She felt his arms tighten around her. But instead of comforting her, it made her feel trapped. Ash flexed her arms to signal that she wanted him to loosen his grip. Instead, he held her tighter.

Duzi said, “I want to keep you right here with me.”

Rage built up within Ash. It was not just about how Duzi was acting. It was about everything.  She had not thought about leaving him and her new friends. She had just focused on solving the problem of how to get home.

Ash shouted, “Let go of me right now!”

She felt his arms fall away as she turned to face him, “You have no right to tell me what to do or when to do it. Nor can you try and keep me here.” She poked his chest with her forefinger while she spoke, looking up at his face.

“I know that in your culture, you feel like men make all the decisions, and we women just need to meekly do what you tell us. But, and listen very clearly, where I come from,” Her voice got louder as she continued to shout at him. “Duzi, where I come from I decide what I’m going to do and who I’m going to do it with!”

She expected him to try and comfort her, or apologize. But instead, his face turned bright red.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shouted into her face, “I came here to help you. And I was telling you that I did not want you to leave me. I have done nothing but support your strange way of doing things.  And…“ Duze let go of her shoulders and stepped back a few feet. “… And I get repaid by being accused of something I did not do. That may be how you do things where you are from, but here we talk things out and treat each other with kindness!”  

Duzi turned and walked out of the workshop, leaving Ash standing there in the dark, not really knowing how she felt.

The next few days were hectic.  Ash ventured out of her workshop to check on progress, then returned to work on her own device.  The phone sat uncharged, and she only ate sparingly and slept less.  When Verihbitt or Takaa came to check on her, she told them she was just tired and that everything would work out.

No matter where she went, Ash didn’t see Duzi, and he never returned to their rooms.  When she finally asked her friends where he was, Alim mentioned that he was angry and had taken a chariot to try and gather more supplies from the surrounding villages.  He had told Alim, “It’s best I do my part from a distance.”

On the second night, two of the outriggers were done, and she worked with the oarsmen from her ship and some navy rowers they picked. At first, they struggled with the broad paddles she had devised. But after doing laps in the harbor for a few hours, they got the hang of it and showed that they could move quickly and quietly. Takaa had recruited a group of skinny teens to be their bombardiers, and he was showing them how to throw the small pots, whild sitting down, in a field out of view from the ships blocking the city.

Before she went to bed, a little after midnight, Ash filled the battery with juice to charge her phone while she tried to sleep. At first, she blamed her restlessness on all of the stressful activities going on.  Then she realized the problem was that she missed Duzi.

As the sun rose the next morning, a messenger rowed ashore from the siege line with a scroll. Verihbitt read it and announced to everyone around her.  “We must deliver the gold tomorrow before the sun is at the highest.” She turned to Mnih’dm. “How are we doing with collecting the golds?”

Mnihh’dm said, “We are on schedule. We collected every bit in the city. Duzi is still out with some troops getting the rest from the surrounding villages.”

“There you have it,” Verihbitt said to the messenger. “Tell your king that we will have his money tomorrow.”

The messenger grinned and said, “That is good. You are wise not to fight us. However, I would have enjoyed seeing this city burned to the ground. I’ve never been a fan of Tripoli.”  Ash could see some of the city father’s in the crowd tense. But they held their cool, knowing they would get their chance to fight back after midnight.

After a brief conference to update everyone on progress, Ash returned to her shop.  She tried to work on her device but could not concentrate. Then she remembered her phone. She picked it up, flopped down on her bed in the next room, and texted,

She waited a good fifteen minutes before a reply came back.

Before Alex could answer, the phone went dead. Confused, scared, and depressed, Ash closed her eyes and soon drifted off into a deep sleep

“Ash… Ash… wake up.” It was Verihbitt’s voice.

“I, ah, what… what time is it?”

“It is time to destroy a fleet. Come with me, join us on the balcony. And grab some food.”

A few minutes later, Ash found herself on the balcony overlooking the harbor.  She could see the dim outline of the sea wall and the occasional glint of moonlight off of the ships poised to attack them. The vessels had no lamps lit or fires going on their decks.  They were just darker patches on the dark sea.

She could also make out the nine outrigger canoes they had constructed. The plan was for them to follow the coast to the east, then head out to sea and loop back, attacking the extortionists from the rear with fire, then paddle between the ships and launch the die on the mirrors.

They all stood in silence and munched on the snacks each had brought, looking for some sign of what was going on. When Ash could not take it anymore, she asked Verihbitt, “Did Duzi come back from his mission.”

“Why yes, he did, just as the sun was setting. He had enough oil and dye to finish filling our pots.  He was a huge help.”

Feeling relieved that he was back safe in the walls of the city, Ash then asked, “Do you know where he is now?”

Verihbitt lifted her arm and pointed out to sea. “Somewhere out there, rowing with his men.”

Ash’s heart sank. And she knew, if he were killed in this attack, she would never forgive herself.

Just as the waiting became unbearable, they saw the first flash. All at once, flames appeared up and down the line of ships.  The flames provided enough light for them to see the outriggers speed between vessels and, hopefully, launch the multicolored dyes that the team had scraped together.

Like many battles, this one did not last long. They could hear some shouting and splashing from up on the hill, but mostly they saw the line of ships begin to move in random, at least those that were not on fire. It seems that the oarsmen on the ships had not been sleeping on their benches, and by the time they got into position and began to move, the wooden decks were on fire.  Although they could not see, they also assumed the mirrors were now covered in many different colors of dye.

When they saw the outriggers begin to head back to the harbor, A good two-thirds of the ships were on fire, and some were starting to sink. The remaining, including the large command vessel, were rowing to the east. The group on the balcony gave a loud cheer, and the rest of the city did the same.  Everyone headed to the harbor.

The outriggers were beaching themselves when Ash, Verihbitt, Mnihh’dm, and Alim got there. Then she realized that the large bodyguard had not been with them on the balcony.  Takaa must have gone with the attackers as well.  

She counted the outriggers.

There were only six that made it back to the port.

In the dim light and in the crowd of well-wishers, she could not spot Takaa or Duzi. She walked through the gathering looking, hoping. Dread and panic welling up in her as she still could not find either man.

Then she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Looking for someone?”

It was Duzi. She spun around and leaped onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. She kissed him as hard as she could.  When she pulled back to grab a breath of air, she saw that Verihbitt was doing the same to Takaa. 

Realizing how awkward things were, the four friends soon began to walk up the hill to the palace in silence as the townspeople and soldiers started a party that would last till well past sunrise. When they arrived at the entrance, they turned to look down on the sea, where a dozen ships still burned.

“I can’t believe we did it,” said Takaa.

“It must have been the storm braining,” responded Verhibit.

Ash said, “It is brainstorming, and that only helped a little. Mostly, it was people working hard to save their homes.”

She felt Duzi’s arms around her again, and this time she didn’t feel trapped.  He said, “But their king got away.”

Takaa added, “And that is why we will celebrate for a few days. However, when the headaches are gone, we go back to work.”

– To Be Continued –

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