Storm Chaser: Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Elena watched Kiera for the two days it took to get from the Marta to the new channel. To her surprise, her neighbor was handling the transition very well. She still wouldn’t stray too close to the railings but seemed to be taking the transition in stride.

“Either that or she is bottling it up and waiting to scream when she is pretty sure no one can hear her,” Elena mused. “Of course she did see the channel mouth.” Admittedly she didn’t see it as a pilot would but she had seen something. “Which is more than even Mateo could do.” Elena tapped the wheel in thought. Peter would have mentioned had Kiera been related to any of the guild families, no matter how distant. The council kept track of things like that.

There was more to her neighbor than she had suspected. Such mysteries would have to wait however, as they were about to go through the new channel. This time much of Mateo’s electronics would be useless. They were designed to take the weight of the ship off of her while she opened the channel. This time they were going in and all the others could do was watch. Elena took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Some channels let out just at the water line while others were a little above or below. The lower ones were like diving into the trough before a wave, water drenched everything in sight. The higher ones were a little like a drop in a roller coaster. It was the splash down that sometimes scoured the deck. Without knowing which she faced, Elena called for a clearing of the deck rather than the more normal channel entry warning. All four of her passengers retreated to the galley. She had half expected Mateo to come up to the pilot house so he could see the first entry into the channel. Instead he led Kiera inside. Elena looked down at Spin.

“I guess it’s just you and me for the first view,” She said. Spin climbed onto the small space that served more as cat perch than window sill. She turned and faced the soon to be opened channel. Elena smiled and focused on the worn spot of space. With use it had become easier to open the new channel. Elena wasn’t sure if it was the passage becoming accustomed to being used or if it was her skills improving. This time, instead of opening a small entry to admit the probes Elena opened the channel fully.

Mentally she recorded the depth as the Storm Chaser began its entry. This new channel was deeper than the Marta, even at its maximum depth. She didn’t think it would be deep enough to admit the fully loaded cargo ships the Librarian’s used but they could certainly get heavier loads through. She didn’t know where in the season this channel was, so every passage through would have to be charted to find the seasonal variations.

The familiar play of lights and colors in the space between played and Elena found herself wondering if the lights and colors were even there or if it was simply a construct of her mind, allowing her to comprehend the odd nowhere between places. She had debated this with friends over drinks when talk turned philosophical but as with most questions of this sort, definitive answers were hard to find.

The Storm Chaser slid into the unknown ocean with a splash and Elena estimated the channel opened up a little less than a foot above the water’s surface. She signaled the all clear and took a look around as everyone else emerged from the galley. The sun was burning bright in the sky and given its position, Elena estimated it to be about mid day. The clouds looked like shredded cotton batting streaming across the deep blue of the sky. Elena opened the window to the pilot house. The wind was fresh and held the same scent that all open oceans regardless of world seemed to carry when you were far enough from land not to smell the earth. Out of habit Elena glanced behind. There were no dolphins in sight.

“Or whatever passes for dolphins here,” she said. She stretched her senses and could feel three other channels leading off the planet. Each of them led only one way, out. Oddly enough one of the channels was over a jut of land. Elena could still feel the channel she had created behind her. It closed after the ship passed through it but she could still feel it. Elena looked at it and added a little energy. The channel began to open. She pulled back and let it close.

“One thing not to worry about then,” she said with some relief. “We can definitely leave if we need to.” Elena watched the others wander around on the deck. There was no land in sight so there wasn’t much to see but Mateo had already dropped a line over the side. She didn’t know if he was fishing or taking a water sample. He stepped away from the side and began making his way around the perimeter.

“What are you up to?” she asked as he moved past.

“I set up cameras,” he told her. “Now I’m installing the memory chips.” He held up one of the storage boxes. “I figure we can record everything this way.”

“Just don’t damage the ship,” she told him. He gave her a salute and continued on his way. A little while later she saw Benjamin take a chair and a fishing pole and station himself at one of the railings.

“I wonder if his catch will be dinner or samples,” she mused. When she saw Andre and Kiera hauling specimen containers up, she decided anything he caught would fall into the latter category. She was somewhat relieved as she had no idea how to test for toxins on alien fish. She was curious so when Benjamin’s line went taught and he began to reel it in she locked the wheel and went down to the deck to see.

Benjamin struggled with whatever had taken his bait. Elena watched the muscles bunch on his arms. She had always known he was a large man, that fact was inescapable, but she hadn’t considered how much muscle he actually had until now. Slowly he reeled the line in. Mateo returned from his trip around the perimeter and all four of them watched as Benjamin brought his prize to the deck. Mateo let out a low whistle as the monster fish flopped on the deck.

“Wow,” Elena said, nearly at a loss for words. The fish was nearly 3 feet in length. “There is a scale in the cargo hold,” She said. Mateo retrieved it from the cargo hold and set it up on deck. They measured the fish and found it was a little over three feet and weighed 226 lbs.

“It looks like a normal fish,” Kiera said. “I thought it would look a little more alien.”

“I kinda think all fish look a little alien,” Andre said.

“Reminds me of a black sea bass,” Benjamin said as Mateo began taking pictures of the hanging fish.

“But it isn’t black,” Kiera said.

“Not all black sea bass are black,” he told her. “Some just have black spots kind of like this one.”

“Are they this big?” Andre asked. “Mostly when I see fish the sushi chef has already turned it into bite sized pieces.”

“Some of them are,” Benjamin told them with a smile. “The black sea bass is sometimes called a giant sea bass. There was one hooked off the coast of California that came in around 8 feet and weighed nearly 600 lbs. They are endangered though. They were over fished because they are so good to eat.” Elena caught the way he was looking at the fish.

“And this one may have toxins we have no remedy for so until we do…” She gestured towards the specimen jars.

“Spoil sort,” Benjamin told her with a grin.

“I think we are going to need a bigger container,” Andre said.

“There are larger ones in the hold,” Mateo said. “We also have a sub zero freezer so we can take it back in good condition.”

Confident that no one would be turning their first specimen into the dinner special, Elena returned to the pilot house and left them to their work.