Secrets of the New World (Infini Calendar) (Volume 2) (26 page)

Pierre and Victor left Commander de Fleur’s office and headed down the hall to their respective rooms. One of the privileges of being a knight in the Ordre was having your own lodging.

As they walked, Victor laughed. “I thought she was going to run your goods through with her rapier then and there.”

Pierre tried to shrug it off. “I didn’t mean any disrespect. I just thought our commander would be…you know…older.”

“And male? That’s my fantasy, not yours.”

“You’re…like
that
?”

He nodded. “That I am.”

“A-Anyway…I wasn’t expecting a young woman. Wasn’t the previous commander in his forties?”

Victor shrugged. “He died unexpectedly. What can you do? If it makes you feel any better, it’s obvious she isn’t any happier about this than you are.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Of course. Didn’t you see how on-edge she was in there? She hates her new assignment.”

Pierre stopped to consider that for a moment. “That could be a problem.”

“Yes, it could. If a leader doesn’t want to lead, how can missions be carried out?”

“I don’t know.”

***

Later, Jeanne walked down the opulent halls of the palace to clear her head. However, she paid absolutely no attention to the gold trimmings, beautiful paintings or massive ornate windows.

This wasn’t how she was supposed to have taken command of the Ordre. It should have happened years from now, with Rene Assange retired but still offering her advice whenever she needed it. Now, he couldn’t help her at all.

“Oh, Jeanne! I’m glad you’re here.” She turned around, and there was the queen, Marie Antoinette, decked out in a fabulous turquoise dress. Jeanne knelt before her. “Oh, you don’t need to be so formal with me. Rise.”

Jeanne obeyed, but kept her right hand over her chest in deference to her queen. “To what do I owe this honor, Your Majesty?”

“There’s someone I want you to meet.” The queen indicated her companion, a teenage girl with short brown hair and glasses. She wore a uniform Jeanne recognized as that of a student
. “This is Celeste. She just graduated top of her class from L’Académie des Sciences.” Celeste bowed to Jeanne.

“Ah…” Jeanne shook the girl’s tiny hand. “Nice to meet you, Celeste,” Jeanne said.

“Likewise,” the girl replied.

“Congratulations on your academic success.”

Celeste blushed. “Oh, it’s nothing compared to the commendations you’ve received in the military.”

“Thank you. You’re very polite.”

“It’s just the way I was raised, ma’am.”

The queen then said, “I wanted to introduce you to Celeste because I’m assigning her to your crew as the Ordre’s head engineer.”

“Isn’t she a bit young?” Jeanne asked. “I know you said she graduated top of her class, but…”

“She may be young, but she has a brilliant mind. I’ve observed that for myself. And since my husband is giving you our former airship, you will need someone with her knowledge taking care of it.”

“Very well,” Jeanne said. She trusted Her Majesty’s judgment. “Celeste, report to my office at fifteen-hundred-hours for the briefing.”

Celeste gave her an energetic salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

***

At fifteen-hundred-hours Celeste—along with the two newly-appointed knights Pierre and Victor—gathered around Jeanne’s table in her office. A map of Europe was spread out before them.

           “Here is the area we’ll be heading to tomorrow, once the
Minuit Solaire
is fully outfitted for the mission. Our intel says the Spanish galleon ran aground in shallow waters. We’re going to attach cables to it and drag it to shore, then load the gold onto the
Solaire
. Pierre, I’m told you have diving experience. Is that true?”

“Yes, Commander. As a boy, swimming was a hobby of mine.” His hands were behind his back in a very professional manner. Perhaps he was trying to make up for his insolence earlier? It was a good sign, Jeanne thought.

“Good. You’ll be responsible for attaching the cables.”

“What will be my role?” Victor asked.

“Back-up diver in case anything happens to Pierre. I understand you’re also an experienced swimmer.” He nodded, apparently satisfied. “Celeste, you’ll be overseeing the entire operation of the airship. Make sure she has enough power to get the job done.”

“Understood!”

“We leave at oh-eight-hundred. Anyone who is late gets left behind and kicked out of the Ordre. Dismissed.”

***

An hour later, Jeanne visited the airship landing pads behind the palace. At this point in time there were only two pads, but there were plans for more as France’s airship fleet grew.

The
Minuit Solaire
was currently resting on the left pad. A crew of engineers swarmed around it, ensuring its proper maintenance.

Celeste strode up to Jeanne. The Ordre’s new head engineer was now wearing dirty overalls. “Hello, Commander. Did you come to check out the
Solaire
.”

Jeanne nodded. “It’s my responsibility to make sure everyone is doing their job. Not that I don’t trust you.” Jeanne couldn’t honestly say she trusted any of her new subordinates, but felt it best she not say that.

Celeste asked her, “Have you ever ridden on it before?”

“Once. The king and queen invited me aboard the maiden voyage.  That was the first time I ever left the ground. It was amazing.”

“This is a dream come true for me,” Celeste said. “I love machines.”

Jeanne looked at her. “You almost sound like you prefer the company of machines to actual people.”

Celeste looked away, embarrassed. “Machines can’t hurt you. Only people can hurt you.”

“Well…all right?” There were certainly a few strange people in the Ordre now.

“N-Not that I have anything against people. It’s just…machines are predictable. They only do what you tell them to.”

This conversation was getting bizarre, so Jeanne decided to get back to the business at hand. “Can you show me around the
Solaire
. I need to familiarize myself with its layout.”

“It would be my pleasure, ma’am.”

They climbed the rope ladder hanging off the hull and entered the hatch on the deck. They went down the ladder, whereupon Celeste showed Jeanne the bridge, followed by the various crew cabins and Harpoon Control. The latter was a cramped space which held metal rods connected to thick cables. These were what they would use to pull the Spanish galleon to shore. Jeanne felt them to satisfy herself as to their thickness. They would have to be very strong to pull an entire ship without breaking.

Next was the engine room. Jeanne had a working understanding of steam power, but she would have to rely on Celeste for the running of the airship.

When they returned to the landing pad, Jeanne said, “Thank you, Celeste, for showing me around.”

“Don’t mention it, ma’am. If there’s anything you need, just say the word.”

“Actually, there is one other thing. Do you know how to defend yourself if attacked?”

“Well...not really. I’m not a soldier.”

Jeanne said, “I can teach you a few moves, if you’d like.”

Celeste’s eyes lit up with both fear and excitement. “R-Really?”

“Of course.”

“When?”

“Now.”

“You mean…right here?”

Jeanne nodded. “Sure; there’s plenty of room on this landing pad and not many people around.”

“Um…all right. Just promise you’ll go easy on me.”

She smiled. “I promise.”

2

Off the coast of Spain, September 3, 1788 (Infini Calendar), 10:00 a.m.

The
Minuit Solaire
left Versailles and flew southwest, eventually coming to the coordinates given to them by Louis XVI. This was a shallow area just off Corunna on the northwest tip of the Kingdom of Spain. The weather was clear on this day.

The airship landed in the water over where the sunk galleon was supposed to be, and the knights, along with Celeste, gathered up on deck. Pierre was inside a bulky diving suit, his head covered by a cumbersome round helmet.

Victor laughed at him. “You look ridiculous.”

Pierre gave him a scowl. “How I look is irrelevant. I will complete the mission for His Majesty and prove myself worthy of being a member of the Ordre.

Celeste finished making sure the suit was sea-worthy. Finally, she turned her attention to Pierre’s faceplate.

Jeanne said to him, “Once she shuts that plate, you won’t be able to hear us accept through the tube running from your suit to the ship. So before that happens, I want to make sure you understand your job. Get down there, find the wreckage of the Spanish galleon and attach the cables we’ve already lowered into the water. Then tug on your suit’s tube and we’ll pull you back up. Be as fast as you can, because if any Spanish vessels show up, we’re going to have a serious problem explaining this. Understood?”

“Yes, Commander.” She could tell he still didn’t entirely trust her, but as long as the mission remained uneventful it wouldn’t be a problem.

“All right, then. Seal the faceplate.”

Celeste did so, and Pierre proceeded to climb down the ladder. When he reached the bottom he simply let go and plunged into the sea.

***

Pierre floated to the bottom of the sea, about thirty feet down. He tested his arms and legs in the suit and was satisfied he could move freely in it under water.

He looked around. Visibility was moderate, though he couldn’t see too far in any direction. Still, he felt confident that if a ship really was resting somewhere down here, he’d be able to find it before long.

He walked over to where the two cables had been dropped from the
Solaire
and took hold of them. He then decided to test the tube attached to his helmet. “Can you hear me,
Solaire
?”

“
I hear you, Lieutenant, though your voice sounds a bit distorted
.”

“So does yours, Commander. I suppose tube technology still has a ways to go.”

Jeanne de Fleur chuckled lightly. “
Perhaps you’re not as stiff as I originally thought, Lieutenant. Anyway—do you see the galleon
?”

“Not yet, but it can’t hide from me for long, assuming it’s actually down here.”

“
You doubt the intelligence we received?”