SOUTHAMPTON ENGLAND JULY 1924 "MAJESTIC"
I was resting comfortably at my berth when a naval ship came over. "HMS Barham." She said. I dipped my head. "RMS Majestic." I replied. She nodded knowingly.
"You're presence is required at Ft. Cowes." She said, turning back for the fort. I knew better than to ask questions, I turned and followed her to Cowes.
HMS Hood was waiting for me when I arrived. "RMS Majestic, the king and queen have been expecting you." She said. I nodded, trying hard to hide the surprise I felt. Hood turned to my escort. "Thank you Barham, that'll be all." She said. The big battleship dipped her head and left.
"Come with me." Hood ordered. I followed her inside the fort. Rows upon rows of ships watched me as I entered behind Hood. I'd always known that England had the largest, most powerful naval force on the planet but this really gave me a new perspective on the power of my country. "The whole fleet must be here." I whispered. Hood smiled. "Hardly, this is just the Atlantic fleet. Many of the Pacificers could not make it in time for the ceremony." She said.
"What ceremony?" I asked. "My word, did Barham not tell you?" She asked. I shook my head. Hood sighed. "I'm not sure if you know this but the king used to be a naval officer and has always had an interest in the merchant marine." She said. I nodded. She went on. "Well, the king wants to personally inspect one of his finest ocean liners." She said.
"But why me, I'm White Star sure, but I'm not English?" I said. "But you are royalty. You and your sisters were christened by Kaiser Wilhelm. The German Kaiser is the king's nephew, which makes you practically family." She said.
That much was true. Homeric was christened by the Kaiser and while I was intended to be the only one of my class to be christened by a woman, Kaiser Wilhelm ended up christening me anyway when the woman missed.
The ships had all lined up in columns so they left a small isle for me to move through. The royal yacht, Sunrise moved forward from the opposite end of the row of ships. Hood and I moved forward at the same time so we would meet somewhere in the middle.
"Nervous?" Hood asked. I nodded. "Don't be, it'll be fine." She assured me. I nodded. "I sure hope so." I moaned.
Sunrise halted alongside me. I stood at attention, waiting for the king and queen to board me. They did and my captain met them on the bridge wing, ready to take them on a tour of the ship.
King George looked like an eager schoolboy, about to embark on a great adventure, Queen Mary was more stern, although she did seem at least mildly interested.
They went through all the staterooms. The king thought they were magnificent while the queen declared them no different than the ones on Sunrise. "Ignore her." Hood said. "She's just trying to look like the queen she is." While King George behaved like an immature little boy, Queen Mary maintained a stern, firm countenance although I could sense the curiosity she felt.
"Thanks for the tip." I muttered. "Don't mention it." She said. Next stop, the engine room. King George absolutely loved it and even Queen Mary managed a smile and a complement that was below what she actually felt. I felt jubilant though.
Just as the royal visit was ending, Mauretania came in. Seeing what was going on she blew her whistle and dipped her ensign in salute. I returned it with a whistle blast of my own. And with that, the royal visit was over.
I sighed, relieved that all went well. As the queen disembarked, the king remained behind. He was pretending to look around, the crew knew what he was up to though and weren't surprised when he started talking in Shiptongue.
"You're a marvel Majestic, a wonder of the age." He whispered. "Thank you, your Majesty." I said. Too late, I noticed Olympic, she'd heard what King George had said. Whirling around, she sailed off. "Oh no." He murmured. "You've got that right." I muttered back.
"I'd better go after her." I said. He nodded. "Good luck, Majestic." He said. "Thanks." I said. As soon as he stepped onto Sunrise I was off, chasing after Olympic.
I found her just outside the harbor, staring at the stars that were appearing in the sky as the day turned to night. "Olympic?" I asked. She gave no sign that she heard me. I came up alongside. "Olympic." I whispered, looking up at her. "What is it Majestic." She asked.
"I'm sorry, Olympic I didn't mean..." She cut me off. "You think I was offended by what King George said?" She asked. I nodded. "I wasn't, not in the slightest. Despite his fondness for the merchant marine, it is incredibly difficult for a ship to get a complement like that from King George." She said. "I am, so proud of you, Majestic." She whispered.
"Then why did you run?" I asked. She looked away. "Not now, Majestic I can't." She moaned. "Olympic, whatever it is I can handle it, talk to me." I begged. She bowed her head.
"Wilhelm died this morning." She said. I backed up a few steps, shocked but not surprised. My old leader had greatly advanced Propellerous and it was only a matter of time before she died from it.
Celtic had told me that Wilhelm and Olympic had been very close, much closer than they should've been. They weren't soul sisters like she and Arizona were but they were very good friends. Olympic had already suffered so much and I found it cruel for her to suffer some more.
I had no idea what she must be going through. I touched my bow to her side. She flung herself at me, seeking refuge within my protective side. I could feel her shaking. She had no shame in showing emotion. Raising my bow up, I stroked her decks. "Shh, it's ok." I whispered. She didn't answer, she just pressed closer to me.
Olympic had lost both her sisters, whom she had loved very much. She had lost many friends during the Great War, like Carpathia and Lusitania. Now, she had lost not just an equal or a fellow leader but a close friend. Remembering Deutschland, I knew how she felt. But with all that extra hidden pain there, I couldn't even begin to comprehend what this must be like for her.
Helping her back to Southampton, I stayed beside her throughout the night. Once or twice, she called out my name and I would always respond with a simple "I'm here." She didn't make any attempts at a conversation, she just sat there quietly. Her eyes tracking the movements of the stars across the sky and I knew she was thinking about the Ancients.
I raised my head to look at them. "Are you up there yet, Wilhelm?" I whispered. The stars just twinkled kindly at me. Sighing, I settled down to go to sleep. As I did, I thought I felt a burst of heat from one of my breakers. I knew that Homeric suffered from shorted breakers and I assumed that's what it was.
Sighing, I knew my crew would handle it. There was the night shift after all and they would spot the problem. They were aware of its possibility anyway and knew what to look for.
As I drifted into unconsciousness, I was unaware that the shorted breaker's wires were getting warmer and warmer as more electricity flowed through them.
I dreamed I was sailing across a warm tropical sea. The waves were gentle and the wind was warm. Everything was warm, then it grew hotter and hotter and that's when the dream shattered. I woke to a fiery world.
My crew was struggling to control the flames that seemed to leap up from out of nowhere, everywhere. Some managed to escape out the portholes and onto the mooring lines connecting me to the dock.
They slowly began creeping their way down to the shore where the wind could then carry sparks into the nearby hotels. "For god's sake, get those ropes untied!" I yowled.
The men looked at the ropes and realized what was happening. A small group of them dared to risk leaving me and managed to untie several of them. They fell into the water with a splash, the flames were doused instantly. "We need water, and lots of it!" I called.
"Do you think we don't know that?" One man called. They had hoses hooked up to the city water but the water pressure was so low, it hardly had any affect. "We need more water pressure!" I exclaimed. But there was no way we could simply increase the pressure on the hoses suddenly, they might burst rendering them and the water inside them useless.
I had to think of something fast. I winced as the flames reached the bridge and gave a cry of pain as something exploded. "The fuel stores?" I asked. Oil may as well be rigged dynamite when exposed to fire.
"All removed." One man replied. "What just went off were the valves. They've just popped off and the steam in the pipes came whooshing out, it caused the flames to suddenly spread with a roar." He explained.
I nodded. "We'll get this fire out, Majestic don't you worry." My captain said. "Just do the best you can." I groaned.
They did. By morning, the flames were out but the damage was done. Most of me was at the very least charred and several men were killed during the night. I bowed my head. "It's my fault they died." I whispered. "No, Majestic no it wasn't your fault and if you cared for them at all, you will not blame yourself." My captain ordered.
I nodded. "I understand." I rasped, my voice scratchy from inhaling all that smoke. "Tell me, when will the pumps be up and running again?" I asked. "Soon." He said. Since the pumps were down, I'd been forced to get my Hydrogen, the ship's equivalent to Oxygen, from my smokestacks which were still venting a lot of steam and smoke from the smothered fires.
The air was far from clean and it was anything but safe, but it was either that or suffocation. I had no choice but to put up with it.
In return for my night guarding yesterday, Olympic kept a close eye on me during the day. "Majestic, you have to rest." She told me. "I wish I could Olympic but I can't." I rasped.
The process off Sand Sickness was accelerated by the smoke. Some of the pumps were up but I couldn't use them to get Hydrogen until all were running.
I coughed, my funnels giving off a large cloud of black smoke in response. Olympic gently massaged my side, easing it. "Thank you." I managed. "Thank me by going to sleep." She ordered. I nodded. "I'll try." I coughed and I closed my eyes.
I thought sleep would be impossible with all the distractions going on but I was tired enough to just block 'em all out and fall asleep, knowing that my crew would have me repaired in no time.