Matt turned to the bridge watch. “Take her in, Mr. Kutas,” he said. “We’ll sound general quarters and honk the horn, if you please.” He chuckled. “Is there a specific window we should shine the spotlight in?”
The noisy tumult at the dock did arouse a reception. A few Imperial Marines were the first to arrive, milling about with their muskets, unsure what to do with them. An agitated naval officer finally appeared along with a trickle of sailors, but once they saw the utterly unfamiliar old destroyer, all they could manage was to stand and stare. Jenks held a speaking trumpet to his lips, and after identifying himself, demanded that those on the dock assist in securing the vessel. A few bold men scrambled forward and took the lines thrown to them-but then had trouble securing the lines after they saw the creatures that threw them.
“You there!” Jenks addressed the officer. “What’s your name?”
“Uh… Lieutenant… uh, Daniels, sir, if you please.”
“Lieutenant Daniels, who commands here?”
“The harbormaster, sir? The fort?”
“No. Who is high admiral here?”
“A… Admiral Rempel, sir.”
“I must see him immediately. The very Empire is at stake!”
“Well, but… you see, he’s asleep.”
“Then wake him yourself this instant!” Jenks roared. “I’m here on behalf of the Governor-Emperor himself, and I’m the direct representative of his authority! Sound the alarm and have all officers gather in the Naval Headquarters conference room. If Admiral Rempel considers a few more hours’ sleep more important than the safety of this city and the people here, he can take longer than the twenty minutes I give him to arrive.” Jenks glanced at the large watch he pulled from a vest pocket by a chain. “Twenty-one minutes from now, he will be replaced.”
Admiral Rempel, a short, obese man with the almost-universal mustache and a set of curly muttonchops, bustled into the noisy chamber with three minutes to spare. His face was red and his expression dour-until he saw the several Lemurians who’d accompanied Matt, ing trumpe, Spanky, the Bosun, and Courtney Bradford. The ’Cats were all members of the Captain’s Guard and had come armed. No one wanted to take any chances the unpreparedness they’d witnessed was due to Dom or Company influence.
“What the devil is the meaning of this?” Rempel demanded when his surprise subsided and he regained his voice. “And what are those… creatures doing here?”
“Your attention, please,” Jenks commanded, ignoring the admiral. “The Empire and the Dominion are at war, and have been ever since they recently perpetrated a dastardly, sneak attack against the Home Islands!” The room erupted with shouted questions, oaths, and excited conversation.
“Silence!” the Bosun bellowed. “Jenks ain’t done yet!”
Harvey glanced at Gray and nodded ironic appreciation. “That’s right,” he said, “there’s more.” He took a breath. “At this moment, a most formidable force approaches here. It was to arrive tomorrow, but we… may have disrupted their schedule. Regardless, it’s coming, with ships, infantry, and even trained dragons to attack from the sky!”
“Impossible!” someone muttered, but Jenks forged on.
“Not impossible. Fact. As of now, we don’t know where they are or how their plans may have changed, but we have little time to prepare for whatever they mean to do.”
“My God,” muttered Rempel. “What will we do?”
“What do you have?” Matt asked.
“My apologies, gentlemen,” Jenks said. “This is Captain Matthew Reddy. His is the lovely, fast ship tied to the dispatch dock. He and his crew, largely composed of the… unusual folk you see-‘Lemurians’-are our allies in this war, and you may thank God for it. We haven’t the time at present for me to detail all the ways they’ve already helped us. Suffice it to say they will be treated with courtesy, and Captain Reddy’s word carries the same weight as mine; the same as that of the Governor-Emperor himself.” He faced Rempel. “What do you have?”
“Why… there are two hundred Marines in garrison here, and half a dozen river steamers; gunboats you could say, but they’re more suited to responding to the depredations of the local denizens than fighting battles. Other than that, there are a number of armed Company ships in port, and a few Imperial warships undergoing repairs.”
“Immediately after this meeting, the Marines will take possession of those Company ships,” Jenks said darkly, “and I need a full report on the disposition of the Navy vessels and crews. What of the militia? Every able-bodied man in the city is a member, if I recall.”
Rempel glanced about. “True… but only the Governor may call up the militia and… he’s not in the city. He’s on a sport shooting expedition in the mast-tree forest.”
“Sport shooting… after the creatures near here? Is he insane?”
Rempel fidgeted. “The greater beasts grow fewer near the city, but small game abounds.”
“Regardless, the militia will be called in the name of the Governor-Emperor. See that the alarm is passed for a full mobilization! How many troops will that give us?”
Rempel’s face had turned darker. “Some five thousand or so, if they all report. You must bear in mind that the militia is not a professional force by any means. Their personal courage and individl fighting skills are… sufficient, certainly, but they’re not given to a high degree of discipline. An example is that some, more than a hundred, have already left against specific orders to scout some dubious reports by a brigade of trappers that arrived yesterday from the south. They brought wild tales of Dom troops coming ashore…” His eyes widened. “I had no reason to credit the tale and considered it ridiculous, of course…” He paused. “You don’t suppose…? Oh damn me, I had harsh words with the militia captain who wanted to investigate. I… ordered him not to go-the expense of an expedition!-but he went anyway, under threat of charges to strip his rank…”
“Pray I don’t do the same to you, Admiral Rempel,” Jenks said. “Where did these reports put the incursion?”
Rempel stepped hesitantly to a map of the coastline on the inner wall of the chamber. “Here,” he said, pointing at a bay about fifty miles south of where they stood.
Matt vaguely recognized it as Monterey. “How large a force did they report?” he demanded.
“Um, a dozen ships, perhaps a thousand troops-now see here, these trappers are notorious liars! Information is as much a commodity to them as the hides and ivory they bring to sell!”
“Are they in the habit of selling false information? What would that gain them?” Matt asked. Rempel didn’t respond, and Matt studied the coastline during the uproar that ensued. “These can’t be from the same force we tangled with,” he said loudly, regaining everyone’s attention. “It might arrive at any time, but allowing for the travel time of those trappers, it couldn’t have gotten there days ago. This must be a separate force sent to establish a beachhead, maybe a base of operations. They might put the rest of their troops ashore there for a flanking attack while their Navy tries to force the forts guarding the bay. Maybe that’s where they mean to base their damn lizard birds. We have to be sure about the range of those things; it might be crucial!”
“I say,” said Bradford, “there wouldn’t be any naturalists in the room at all?” A few hands tentatively rose. “Natural scientists” were fairly common in the Imperial Navy. “Splendid! Let’s put our heads together and see if we can answer Captain Reddy’s crucial question!” He looked at Matt. “Will these gentlemen miss anything important if they leave with me now?”
“Not unless they command troops or ships. Otherwise, what you come up with is of extreme importance.”
“Thank you, Captain.” He motioned at one of the officers who’d stood. “Please lead the way to a suitable chamber, preferably one where refreshments might be had!” Courtney Bradford followed half a dozen officers from the room.