Grantville Gazette, Volume 40 (19 page)

Catrin didn't bother to say anything; she just thumped her chest to indicate she was the pilot.

"And we need someone capable of maintaining the vehicle."

Again Catrin thumped her chest.

"Really?" There was a lot of disbelief in that word. "You expect me to believe you not only pilot the hovercraft, but you can also fix it if it breaks down?"

Catrin advanced on the man until she compromised his personal space. "Not
if
it breaks down,
when
it breaks down. And yes, I can fix it."

"A woman lacks the strength to . . ." Agmund started to say.

"When something goes wrong it will not be fixed by the application of brute force and ignorance," Catrin almost shouted at Agmund. "It will be fixed by someone who knows what they are doing applying that knowledge."

Agmund raised his brows. "Brute force and ignorance?"

Catrin managed not to blush. "It has been my experience that too many males live by the mantra
if at first you don't succeed, use a bigger hammer
. Women know better."

The two of them eyeballed each other in silence. About this time it started to dawn on Catrin that they'd been happily
exchanging views
in German. Obviously there was no need for her phrase book, which she shoved back into her bag, but more importantly, a native of Arendal who spoke German might be her employer, and she hadn't been very polite. Never one to hold a grudge, Catrin decided to pretend nothing had been said and that they'd just met. She held out her hand. "Catrin Schmoller. I'm the pilot of the hovercraft. You might have heard about the high speed dash I made in it from Magdeburg to Grantville back in March."

Agmund stared at her hand for a few seconds before he smiled. "Agmund Torgeirson. I am the new owner of the hovercraft, and your employer. When can you give me a demonstration?"

Catrin hadn't exactly been expecting that question. Perhaps stupidly, she'd sort of thought she'd arrive in Arendal, transfer to another ship, and head straight for Kirkenes. However, if the man wanted a demonstration of the hovercraft's capabilities, she was only too happy to accommodate him. She looked around to check out the terrain. There wasn't a lot of flat land about, but there was a slipway just down from the docks that she thought, at first glance, had a slope the hovercraft could cope with.

"Is there somewhere all the pieces can be moved to so I can assemble it? Somewhere with relatively flat land between it and that slipway."

Agmund checked the land in the direction Catrin was indicating. "Yes, I have a warehouse."

"Right, well, you get everything into your warehouse, and I'll put everything together, and if you're a good boy, I'll take you out on the harbor. Meanwhile, I don't suppose I can have a hot bath, and something to eat?"

****

Agmund watched the German girl walk off into the distance as she was guided towards the inn where a room had been booked. She had been a surprise. It wasn't just that she was a woman, but such a woman. She reminded him of a much younger Inger Mogensdotter, the family matriarch. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it did suggest young Catrin might be worth cultivating.

Next day

Agmund wasn't the only person standing around watching Catrin directing the assembly of the hovercraft. Inger Mogensdotter had also turned up to inspect the family's latest purchase.

"She has a way of getting things done that I like," Inger informed Agmund.

"You mean she stands back and lets the men do the hard work."

"Yes. Why get your hands dirty when there are big strong males available? However, she is doing a good job of directing the men."

Agmund had to concede that Inger had it right. First thing that morning the work crew had tried to ignore Catrin's instructions, but she'd soon put an end to that. There had been harsh words exchanged—one hesitated to suggest that an educated young woman had used obscenities that had even hardened merchant sailors blushing—before Catrin managed to establish her authority, but since that first skirmish the men had diligently followed her instructions, and the preparation of the hovercraft was progressing rapidly.

Suddenly, or at least it seemed sudden to Agmund, the job was finished. Catrin had her crew push the hovercraft on its wheels out of the warehouse, onto the dock overlooking the slipway.

Agmund walked around the hovercraft. It wasn't quite what he'd expected. The rear section boasted a large radial engine power propeller that provided propulsion, with steering being provided by moving a rudder across the air being thrust rearward. Then there was the cargo hold. It was a shallow compartment currently fitted out with three bench seats. At the front was a single seat behind a steering wheel. That was the pilot's station. He'd expected all of that based on the diagram in the newspaper. He just hadn't been prepared for the sheer size of the vehicle. But that wasn't the only surprise. "Why does it have wheels? I thought it was supposed to float on a cushion of air."

"She does. The wheels are for when you want to move her without running the engines. But don't worry, they're removable."

Agmund followed her around as she supervised the removal and storage of the wheels. "I can see how they would help moving the vehicle around on firm ground, but what happens if the engines fail on water?"

"Like if they were to fail while we're out on the harbor?" Catrin grinned. "Don't worry. Remember, Master Delp is a boat builder, she'll float."

That did reassure Agmund. "Can you take us out on the harbor now?"

"I just have to start the lift engine."

Agmund watched Catrin fiddle with the engine and wind a cord around a capstan. She braced herself and pulled. There was a spluttering from the engine bay, but nothing more. She fiddled with the engine again and rewound the cord. This time when she pulled on the cord there was a muted roar. Catrin made a few more adjustments before she lowered the cover and walked back to him.

"If you'd like to pick out some passengers, I'm ready to put her through her paces."

Agmund cast a look over the men and women who'd turned up to see the hovercraft. It wouldn't hurt to invite some of them along as well. "How many passengers can you carry?"

"I've carried six Marines and their equipment, so she can easily manage eight."

Agmund turned to where Inger was standing, and raised his brows. She nodded and joined him beside the hovercraft. He picked out six of the men watching, including two of the sailors who'd helped assemble it. They were directed to seats by Catrin, who put Agmund and Inger on the bench just behind the pilot seat.

Before she took her seat, Catrin offered Inger a headscarf, which given Catrin had a soft leather helmet in her other hand, Agmund wasn't surprised Inger accepted. There was a short delay while Catrin secured her helmet and lowered the glass eye-covers before starting the big radial.

When Catrin started the small lift engine Agmund had wondered about the newspaper's claims of people complaining about the noise on that historic run from Magdeburg to Grantville. However, the moment the radial started, he understood why the people along the route might have complained. However, he forgot all about the noise the moment the hovercraft rose on its cushion of air and started to move. It glided down the slipway onto the harbor.

Agmund wasn't the only person aboard to look over the side to check that they really were floating above the water. This was all very good of course, but it wasn't what he'd expected from a demonstration. He was all ready to tap Catrin on the shoulder and demand she put on a bit of speed when that was exactly what she did.

Nobody was thrown back in their seats, but there was a definite
sit back in the seat
level of acceleration. The radial howled, and the hovercraft picked up speed. The wind whipping past his face was so fast Agmund's eyes watered, and his long hair was blown all over, but he didn't care. This was something special. He was almost sorry the hovercraft was destined for his son up in Kirkenes.

After too short a time Catrin headed back for the dock. "Did everyone have a good ride?" Catrin asked the moment the radial was silenced.

Agmund translated, and smiled at Catrin. "They say why did it have to end so soon."

"I could have gone on for hours, but joyriding isn't why you bought the hovercraft. Unless of course, you'd like to go out again?"

Agmund gestured to the people who'd been watching. "Maybe we could let some of the others have a ride."

"You're the boss. I'm just the pilot."

Agmund snorted. This young woman could never be
just
anything.

****

Catrin piloted the hovercraft back up the slipway after the last joyride right into a mass of people who'd turned out to see what was making so much noise. She cut the engines as soon as she was on the dock, and the hovercraft slowly settled to the ground. She wanted to refit the wheels and get the hovercraft into the warehouse for an after trip inspection, but Agmund insisted on dragging her out to meet the good people of Arendal.

Her eyes lit up when they settled on a family of three she recognized. She'd been hoping to catch up with her friend Veronika, who'd left for Arendal several months ago, and here she was, with baby Heinrich in her arms and husband Gottfried at her side.

"Do you know my friends?" she asked Agmund as she dragged him towards them.

"Herr Spengler and his family? Yes, I know them well."

"I prefer to refer to them as Veronika and her family," Catrin joked. "How are they doing? In her letters Veronika said the new mill was doing well."

"They are doing very well," Agmund said out of the side of his mouth as they got closer. "Herr Spengler is very interested in electricity, and he's been a driving force in the tapping of the local waters for generation capacity."

Catrin stopped, dragging Agmund, whose hand she was still holding, to a halt. "What does he need electricity for?"

"To make bleach. His process needs a lot of bleach to make the white paper the English desire, and it is cheaper to make it here than to import it, so he has invested in plant to make it."

Well, that did sound like Gottfried,
Catrin thought to herself. "So, Gottfried is finally making the white paper he has always dreamed of making."

"He sent off the first shipment just the other day," Agmund said as he tugged Catrin's hand to get her moving again.

"He's only just sent the first shipment?" By this time they'd arrived at where Gottfried and Veronika were standing. "Gottfried, Agmund here says you've only just sent a shipment of paper to England. But you've been here months."

"And it's nice to see you after so long apart too, Catrin," Gottfried said.

Catrin poked her tongue out at Gottfried, kissed Heinrich on the cheek, and hugged Veronika. "How have you all been? I've missed you so much."

"We've been doing well," Veronika said. "The natives are friendly, and we've only sent off the one shipment to England because it took so long to build the three-ton digester Gottfried insisted on having. But we have sent off a few shipments of ground-wood paper to Hamburg."

Catrin had helped Veronika research paper making when she set out to catch Gottfried, so she knew something about the mechanics of paper making. "Three tons at a time? That's enough for two hundred and forty reams a day. Is there a market for that much paper? I thought England only imported about a hundred and thirty thousand reams of white paper a year."

"Of which over half is for use of the press," Gottfried said. "You're right, England isn't ready for so much extra writing paper, but not all of the pulp is being used to make paper."

Catrin stared hard at Gottfried. This was the man who'd sold up a very successful mill producing newsprint so he could make white writing paper, and now he was happily saying not all of his pulp was going to make paper. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Gottfried Spengler?"

"This is the real Gottfried, Catrin," Veronika said, "and I was just as shocked when he first agreed to it, but we were made an offer we couldn't refuse to provide pure cellulose to a plastics factory in Hamburg."

"It means we have the cash flow to build the new mill how I want it built," Gottfried said.

"Oh!" Cash flow. That Catrin could understand. "But you are producing the white sulfide-process paper you dreamed of producing?"

"Yes, I am making the paper I dreamed of making. The move to Arendal was worth it."

Catrin was happy to hear that. She would have been really upset if Veronika had been torn from her if they weren't producing the paper the move had been all about.

"Ah, Gottfried, Veronika, so you know our latest recruit," Inger said as she approached. "Such a delightful girl. She's just what Agmund's son Mikkel needs, isn't she, Agmund?" She turned to Catrin. "You don't have a young man waiting for you back in the USE do you? Mikkel's in charge of the expedition at Kirkenes. You'll like him. He's a handsome devil."

Catrin glanced towards Veronika, who had a look on her face she thought had to mirror hers. It was a bad sign when family promoted one of their members as a desirable party. It usually meant they were incapable of attracting a mate themselves. Handsome probably meant he still had most of his teeth and wasn't too badly covered in smallpox scars.

"Catrin goes through young men like they're going out of fashion," Gottfried warned. "She dumped one guy because he wanted to play with his radio."

"I dumped Andreas because he'd rather play with his transceiver rather than attend your thirtieth birthday party with me."

"You know someone who has a transceiver?" Agmund asked.

"Andreas has a GARC CW-80. I even learned Morse code so I could understand what was being said." Catrin puffed out her chest a little. "I tested out at forty words a minute."

"Just a minute," Gottfried said, "I was there when you got your results, and I distinctly remember you saying you tested out at twenty-five words a minute."

"That's because Andreas had just proudly announced he'd tested out at thirty words. I could hardly tell everyone I was so much better than he was, could I?"