A Tale Of Two Secrets: A Steampunk Serial

Chapter 12

"Neither."

"Oh, I see. You're more the type to leave a trail of broken hearts in your wake," Jo teased. "A devastated young maiden in every port."

"Not exactly. I'm..." Henry looked embarrassed. "I guess you could say I'm not one for romance."

"Well, that makes two of us." Seeing his discomfort, Jo took pity on him and threw an arm around his shoulders. "I've no desire to be tied down. I joined the Fleet so I could see the world. For glory and adventure! Married life is fine for swells like the Admiral's nephew, but it's not for the likes of us. Right, Henry?" She grinned up at her friend.

"Right." He smiled back. "You know, I never felt like I fit in with the other lads at school. But here aboard the Swallow, I've finally found a place where I belong. Thanks, Jo."

"Don't mention it." Looking up and sideways at Henry was giving her a strain in her neck, so Jo took a step away to lean against the ship's rail.  It wouldn't do for Henry to note just how much shorter she was than he. "I wonder what Cousin Josephine is doing now," she said, changing the subject. "Remind me to post a letter, will you?"

"You and your cousin are called Joseph and Josephine?" Henry asked. "That's rather unusual, isn't it?"

"Not so unusual. You see, our mothers were sisters," Jo lied. " We're named after their father."

"Henry! Jo! Have you heard the news yet?" Everett's voice floated across the deck, saving her from any further questions.

Jo turned. "What news?"

"We're headed for the front lines as soon as the ship is repaired. The order came direct from the Admiral." Everett's face was flushed with excitement. "The whole fleet's being called up on active duty."

"The whole fleet?" Jo stared at him. "But...why?" The offshoot they'd encountered had been farther inland than any Wasp she'd ever heard of, but surely the entirety of Her Majesty's Aeronautical Fleet wasn't required to prevent further incursions by the huge insects.

"I don't know for certain, but rumour has it the offshoot we encountered isn't the first to be spotted so far to the north. The word among the crew is that the Wasps have been getting bolder in recent months, but the Admiral's been keeping it under wraps."

"That's what the crew is saying, eh?" Henry was amused. "How did you become so well-informed?" As the youngest and smallest of the Swallow's recruits, Everett was ordered to do scut work even more frequently than the rest of them. He was often seen carrying messages, polishing brass, and, of course, swabbing the decks.

Everett grinned. "Being the least senior airman on board doesn't have many advantages, but I do hear things the rest of you don't. Brasch seems to forget I can hear him so long as I don't stop doing the tasks he's assigned."

"That's brilliant," Jo said appreciatively. She'd often employed the same strategy to great effect when eavesdropping on her father and his associates. No one ever thought a young lady was interested in anything but fashion and pouring tea. "What else did you hear?"

"There's a whole Swarm headed for the Continent. The offshoot we encountered was only a fraction of the total number coming this way. Huge tracts of land in China and India have been overrun already and fatalities are in the hundreds. It'll be thousands soon if the Swarm isn't stopped."

"Oh, my. All those people..." Jo's smile faded. Everywhere a Swarm flew, devastation followed. The Wasps were insatiable omnivores, destroying crops and preying on any creature unlucky enough to be caught out of doors. If the Swarm wasn't stopped soon, the death toll resulting from the invasion would continue to rise as the food shortages they caused resulted in famine and starvation.

"How could an entire Swarm have been allowed to advance so far?" Henry wondered. "Why hasn't the Eurasian Alliance done anything before now?" England had the largest aeronautical fleet in the Alliance, but it was by no means the only country with the means to fight the Wasps.

"I don't know." Everett's frown was troubled. "Come to think of it, I haven't heard anything about the Alliance's strategy at all."

"Well, why would you?" Jo concluded after thinking about it for a few seconds. "The captain isn't likely to discuss tactics with Brasch. That sort of discussion would be above his pay grade, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose you're right." But Everett didn't look convinced.

"Did Brasch say anything about how long the repairs will take?" Jo asked.

Everett brightened. "I almost forgot to tell you - we'll be in port for the next two days and the captain is giving everyone twenty-four hours of shore leave."

"Don't get too excited," Henry warned. "That probably doesn't apply to us recruits. Someone has to stay aboard to stand watch."

Now Everett was practically bursting at the seams. "That's the best part! We get leave too. Midshipman Davies convinced the captain to let the recruits go ashore to reward me and Jo for our part in outwitting the Wasps. He volunteered to stay and stand watch himself."

"Really?"

"That's damned decent of him," Henry said. "I've always wanted to see Athens."

"That makes two of us," Jo agreed.  "I've heard the theaters and restaurants in Athens are beyond compare. Not to mention the museums and cafes."

"And the girls," Everett chimed in with a grin.

Jo burst out laughing. "Everett, you rogue, I had no idea you were even interested in girls. I thought the only thing you cared about was science."

Everett blushed, but gave as good as he got. "Even we men of science appreciate a pretty face. Besides, girls love a fellow who can carry on an intelligent conversation. Something you wouldn't know anything about."

"He's got me there," she admitted to Henry. "How about you, Larkin? Have you got an eye for the ladies?" Henry spoke about himself so seldom, Jo seized the opportunity to learn more about the young man.

"Oh, er..." Henry blushed even redder than Everett. "A gentleman never tells." 

His embarrassed response made Jo like him even more. In her opinion, a boy who boasted about his flirtations with no regard for a lady's reputation was one who ought not be trusted.

She clapped Henry on the back. "Well, gentlemen, Athens awaits. Let's make ready and meet back here in a quarter hour, shall we? Tomorrow we may face the Swarm, but tonight the city is ours!"