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24.29% Out of Space / Chapter 163: Holidays and Festivals

Chapter 163: Holidays and Festivals

Sawtooth Mountain Holding Camp

Kaga Whitetail yawned and stretched her body out in a very cat like manner on the simple bed she was lying on. It was just a simple metal frame with a piece of cloth stretched over it, the idea was ingenious to Kaga. In fact, ever since they arrived at this place, she was amazed and constantly surprised by many things.

After the fiasco with the Hero, Kaga and the rest of the slaves, escorted by the strangely dressed barbarians which she later found out that they were mostly from the Kingdom of Goldrose, which the Empire had labeled them as rebels, traveled a couple of days before encountering a caravan of dragon wagons which was hired by the rebels to transport the tired slaves to safety.

The caravan foreman, named Norman, seemed to have come from the same employer who bought and freed them. He appeared to be afraid of something as he kept twitching in fear throughout the journey until they reached an impressive stone castle built into the very surface of the mountains where he adamantly refused to enter, staying outside the castle and leaving as soon as the slaves were dropped off and even refusing an escort through the Uncharted Forest.

They rested half a day before setting off again, this time riding strange mechanical contraptions that appeared to run on magic without the use of any dragons! The speed which it traveled boggled Kaga's mind as the scenery outside the glass windows appeared to vanish as rapidly as it appeared!

They were then told to exit the magic wagons and a small army of white coated and similarly white costumed healers fussed over them before they taken to a place for a shower and fresh clothing were given after which they were fed. Once that was all settled, they were separated into males and females and were given a large tent which was shared by four persons each.

Kaga remembered the healers were saying something about diseases and virus and 'ma-nu-tree-tion' among the survivors, and they were needed to be 'qurr-ren-teen'?

She slipped on a pair of slippers that she was told were actually made out of slime parts. The sole came from the body of black slime, found in the swamps up north, the slime was gutted and its guts removed before the body was machine pressed into a shape of a sole and sun dried. A simple soft woven strap made of grass was secured to the sole.

The slippers felt soft and comforting to her feet as she exited the tent, and headed towards the canteen for food. She noted some of the womenfolk were washing their clothes at the washing areas where water gushed out from taps which she only has seen at either nobles, royalty or the filthy rich mansions.

Finding her way into the cook tents, she smelt the strong aroma of herbs, spices, and meat! Kaga grabbed a tray from the side and joined the queue where a cook was giving out food. As her turn came, she gave her most charming smile at the young man, who blushed and handed her a slightly larger portion. Today's menu was scrambled eggs with ham and two slices of white bread and slices of a red sweet and tart fruit that they called 'toe-ma-to'!

Finding an empty seat, she sat down and wolfed down the food. Ever since she came here, she felt she was gaining the weight she lost over the past few months. The food was just too good and exotic, like that 'bur-girl' she had the other day, two toasted bread buns with a juicy chunk of meat with cheese and more of that red tart fruit! It tasted heavenly and Kaga was looking forward to what is for lunch today.

As she was finishing her meal, she overheard a group of people who came together with her to this camp, discussing about what are they going to do next. "This all seems just too good to be true!" One of them was heard saying his voice low.

"But they fought and protected us from the Empire!" Another was saying also in a low voice, but Kaga hearing was sharp enough to hear their conversation.

"Yes, but look here! They are keeping us like prisoners!" The earlier male spoke, his eyes glancing over to a couple of guards at the end of the tent. "We are like slaves still to these people!"

Kaga's ears twitched as she held in her anger, her food forgotten. Did they know how much they sacrificed to save them?

"I heard that they will be asking us who wants to stay and who wants to leave to go to the Isles," Another person whispered, "I overheard some of the strangely dressed healers talking."

"Are you sure?" Another asked, "Could they be selling us off instead?"

"I just find all this all too good to be true!" The original speaker insisted. Kaga discretely observed the speaker, who had a sunken yellowish face and dark silvery hair and a thin body frame, most likely from being starved over a long period of time.

He glanced furtively around and gestured his group closer and whisper even softer, making Kaga strain her fluffy ears as she leaned closer to listen while pretending to eat her breakfast. "We should make a run for it!"

"But how? The camp is surrounded by those strange wire fences and there... guards!" Someone hissed. "You want to overpower the guards?"

"Shhh... lower your volume!" The yellow faced elf sharply whispered. "You want everyone to know?"

"No way," Another person said, "I'm out of this. this is way too much for me!" A few others also disagree and they picked up their trays and left.

"Cowards!" The yellow faced elf spat, "Ignore them, they can be slaves for all their lives!"

"But where can we go?" Those that remained asked.

"Simple! We know they are going to ship us off," The elf gave a nasty grin, "We just steal that ship!"

-----

UNS Singapore, Main Conference Room

"So what do we know of the Isles?" Captain Blake asked everyone gathered in the room.

"Virtually nothing, except information from some merchants who dealt with them in the past," Lueftuant Tavor of Fleet Intel, replied. "What we have is only second-hand information, which can't be verified."

"But we do know is that they are the strong naval force in this area, on par with the Goblins at least," He said next, "Also what we know is that they have a very strong presence in the finance world. Most likely controlling at least 50% or more of the trade within its sphere of influence."

"It should be comparable with old Earth Britain, an island nation, which its navy as its strongest military power and relying mainly on trade." Tavor pointed to the map highlighting the area where the Isles were reported to be located. "The map given to us by Goldrose is over a hundred years old and un-updated, so this is to be taken as a gauge."

"UAV recon flights had already spotted a large sailing fleet heading our way," Tavor switched the view on the screen to display a top down view of over ten ships with white sails in an inverted 'V' formation.

"Those looks like similar our old sailing frigates to brigs," Chief Matts spoke up as he looked at the image. "Just no cannons."

Tavor nodded, "Yes, from the images we managed to identify their main ship to ship weapons are mostly ballistas or catapults. Crew strength in the smaller brig like ships are calculated at around 200, while the larger frigates types are at around 350. Also, we found that they appeared to lost one ship after the storm the night before."

"At their rate of speed, they will arrive in another day or two." Tavor finished his report and sat down.

"Thank you," Blake said, "Alright, Far Harbor has informed me that the pier is ready to welcome our guests, so we be sending some representatives down. We will also isolate the visitors to only the area around Far Harbor, I don't want them to know our capabilities. All construction work and equipment will be pulled out and the workers will be given a holiday."

"I want security to be on full alert too," Blake added, "And also if possible, Princess, I will leave the negotiation of trade deals under your care."

Princess Sherene shyly nodded and blushed, keeping her eyes down on the note pad in front of her. Blake grinned and turned to Dr. Sharon. "How are the newcomers?"

"We have settled them down, and done a full medical and health check," Dr. Sharn replied, "So far, blood works on virus and diseases came back negative. But I still like to keep them in quarantine for a couple days more just to be sure."

"Got it," Blake nodded, "Major? How are you men doing?"

"Morale is actually pretty high, despite the memorial service the day before." Major Frank replied, "In fact, the men of Eagle Company are calling themselves Godslayer and are recovering well."

Blake gave a weak smile remembering the tears of families as they watched the coffins enter the ground. "Princess, how is the civilian population doing?"

Sherene jerked as if she just woke up, "A-ah, so far, repairs are still ongoing," she replied in a fluster, her face turning red. "City Hall has run a few public broadcasts on the radio explaining the situation, and we managed to appease the population, and with compensation given to the families that were affected, and with the amount of support given by the government, so far there weren't many complaints."

"A-also, I like to propose something," Sherene looked up at Blake, "It's almost summer and soon it will be harvest time, I like to propose we have a summer harvest festival for the people."

"A summer festival?" Blake turned and glanced at Ford who shrugged, "Is there any cultural background to it?"

Sherene nodded, "Traditionally during mid summer, after the time of harvest, everyone gathers to give thanks to the God of Harvest for providing food to the people. And I think we need something like this, it will help boost the morale of the citizens."

"Well, I think it is a good idea," Ford spoke up, "We did miss out on celebrating Christmas, New Year and other festivals."

"Yeah," The rest at the meeting room nodded and voiced their approval to the idea of having festivals and holidays. "Holidays!"

"Alright, alright, relax people!" Blake nodded and gestured for everyone to calm down, "Plan the date, budget and manpower needed. City Hall will handle all forms of festivals and holidays, ok?"

Sherene nodded eagerly and gave a small smile at Blake who gave a cough and turned to the look at the rest, "Now in regards to the Hero incident, we will need an SOP (Standard Operation Procedure) in dealing with entities like these. We can't keep firing the main gun unless it is a situation that threatens the whole of the colony, the main gun isn't a weapon for atmospheric usage. It is over powered in fact!"

"But Captain, 20 mm cannons and rockets barely deal any damage to the Hero," Major Frank pointed out, "We can't fight something like that on par."

"I know, so either we upgrade our weapons or we have someone where similar powers," Blake replied. "All black powder weapons will be turned in and returned to the factories to be modified for the new smokeless propellant ammunition. That will improve our firepower sufficiently at least."

"And so far the only force I know, managed to fight with the Hero almost on par is Claymore One using black powder weapons." Blake continued, "Therefore, I want you, Major, to scout for more talent among the Marines to join the ranks of the Hundred and First. We need more than one team of Claymores."

"Sometimes if guns don't work, we need to use magic, and if it doesn't work either... we use both guns and magic!"


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Neobear Neobear

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Blaah... cholesterol levels too high ... need more meds =(

Chapter 164: Friends from Afar

Goblin Coast

"Ahoy! I see something ahead!" The boy yelled down from the crow's nest, his hands forming a rectangular shape with his fingers as the air around was magically enhanced, giving the boy a blurry but zoomed in view of the coast.

A tall whitish stone structure loomed up from a long stretch of what appeared to be a pier or harbor of sorts. Waves crashed against the stone surface and figures could be seen moving around. Fleet Master Dijon frowned as he noted the length of the stone pier like a bridge into the sea with a round tower that he wondered if it works in the same function as their firelight towers back at the Isles.

"Sound the horns and raise the flags," Dijon ordered to his first mate, "Tell the rest of the ships to form up in a tight formation." He did not expect the rebels to have such awe looking structure and it would be more impressive as they neared.

His suspicions were true when his fleet came within eye distance, and he gauged the pier to be at least 10 times the length of his ship from land to the sea, while the width of the stone bridge to be at least as long as his ship from the beam to the aft. Such an impressive engineering feat, they must have a very powerful spellcaster or geomancer to mold and rise stones to make something like this!

He also knew that the last time, any Isles ships that passed by this area did not report any signs of construction, and it was just before the winter season. So that meant that the rebels had magically raised this in with two seasons? How much did they sacrifice to make something like this? Or were the rumors true that they sold their souls to the demons for power?

"Signal the rest of the ships," Dijon narrowed his eyes in thought. "with the red and yellow flag."

The boy in charge of raising signal flags and blowing the horns looked startled at the order and hesitated, but with a glare from Dijon, he quickly scrambled off to the main mast and started pulling colored flags out from the locker and attaching it to the signal lines and hoisting it up for the rest of the fleet to see.

The other ships' Captains seeing the colored flags frowned and their expressions turned serious. "Order the crew to make ready for combat, stay on the highest alert and be ready for an attack!"

The red flag meant "Make ready for possible battle" while the yellow flag meant "stay alert for an attack." The ship crews unlocked the weapon lockets, removed barrels of cutlasses soaked in oil of the fruit of cococane, and crossbows while gunners ready the ballistas and catapults.

The ships closed their formation, expertly forming up into two rows as they sailed towards the stone pier while making ready for battle.

-----

Goblin Coast, Far Harbor, Pier One

Princess Sherene was dressed in a simple cream colored short sleeved long dress that reached till her ankles, tied with a golden ribbon around her slim waist, which she found that she appeared to be have gained weight making her slightly depressed as she thought of all the tasty food she had over the month. She wore a simple woven straw hat, that provided some shade from the summer sun, and had a pair of shades given to her by Blake and also a cream that Dr. Sharon insisted her to apply on her skin, saying if she does not want to look like a cooked spider ant, she better apply it.

The white washed concrete pier rosed up several meters higher than the ocean waves, barely sending any sea spray onto the broad expanse of the pier. She noted it could easily park over a dozen of the Jeeps without any issues, while still leaving space for people to walk. The sides of the pier waist height pillars spaced out evenly along the edge, where a simple rope was tied to rings embedded into the pillars, creating a fence like effect, most likely were to prevent people from walking over the edge and into the sea, Sherene thought to herself.

She held on to her fluttering dress tightly, as the sea breeze blew strongly and glanced out towards the clear sea, where she saw two lines of sailing ships with their white sails coming towards the pier. She glanced around, making sure everything was in order, the welcoming band, something she picked up from the hoomans, to the colorful banners and flags tied to the small pillars, making the whole area look festive.

Dozens of police, security and even a platoon of Marines stood at their posts while guests invited over by the City Hall and selected workers from the harbor construction and harbor staff crowded behind the guards as they chattered in the sun and sea breeze waiting for the ships to arrive in excitement.

Further down, behind a roped off area, were the freed slaves they escorted through the Uncharted Forest. All of them were invited to come to watch the ships arrive, and informed that they can have the choice of staying behind here and earning their citizenship or leaving with the strangers to the Isles.

-----

Lt Joseph removed his beret and rubbed the sweat off his regulation cropped hair. He replaced his beret and carefully pressed it down to the desired shape and turned to watch the coming ships. 2nd Battalion, Eagle Company, Platoon One were given this duty as a simple job for them, as most of the men that survived were still recuperating and HQ thought it will be good for them to have some sun, not to mention they were with the slaves for a better part of their journey, and it was better to have familiar faces than strangers posted to watch them.

Dressed in a starched dark grey uniform coat, with a polished leather belt and holster, gold buttons and a pair of marking trousers with red strips along the seams. He walked towards the Princess who was holding on to both her dress and a wide brimmed straw hat.

"Princess!" Joseph grinned, as she turned around in surprised and broke into a smile at the sight of him.

"Lord Joseph!" Sherene cried out in pleasant surprise. She last saw him was after the time he returned from the forest, covered in injuries. "Have you recovered? Shouldn't you be resting somewhere?"

"Hahaha," Joseph laughed warmly, "I'm all fine, Doc gave me a perfect bill of health just the day before."

"Are you sure?" Sherene looked at him worriedly, she treated him like family as he and Magister Thorn were the only people left in her life that she knew since young.

"Of course, of course!" Joseph waved her concerns away. "I'm here to help keep an eye on order, but it shouldn't be too hard, so it will be a relaxing job."

Sherene nodded, "If you are not well, remember don't push yourself ok?" she reminded him again.

"Relax, Princess!" Joseph grinned, "Look! The Isles ships are almost upon us! What we are missing is that old bugger, Thorn and it will be just like old days!"

Sherene laughed, "Well, I heard he is pretty busy at the new school of his, working on some project or teaching students. I did invite him along, but he said something about his old bones unable to ride in the Jeep for long hours." It was roughly a 3 hour drive from the City to Far Harbor.

"Heh, knowing him, he must be engrossed over the artifact we found from the Hero to be bothered with all this ceremony," Joseph gestured around them.

"Hehe," Sherene covered her mouth and giggled, "I guess you are right, he must be deep in his study trying to dig all the secrets he could out of that thing!"

"Look, here they are!" Joseph felt warm hearing the Princess's laughter and watched the large and imposing sight of a sailing ship slowly make it way to the pier.

-----

"Master Dijon!" The first mate yelled, "We are nearing the pier, depth at roughly a quarter less five and holding!" He stood over the anchor chains holding a weighted stone and line, measuring the depth of the ocean floor as they approached the bridge.

Dijon watched the figures at the pier suspiciously and looked behind his ship, where other Captains had formed up in a line. On the stone pier, a figure, most like the port master was blowing a shrill whistle, all the while waving a yellow colored flag.

"What is that man doing?" He asked curiously, wondering why is he waving a flag. "Is it some kind of warning or signal?"

"Master Dijon," His navigator holding on to the steering wheel spoke up, "I think he might be telling us to follow him to where to tie the ship up!"

"Really?" Dijon raised his eyebrows, as in the Isles, a boat will lead the ships to the docks to be tied up. "Well follow him and be on the alert for any signs of trickery!"

The massive two decker ship creaked as it rocked it way slowly, the navigator carefully steering the ship beside the stone pier, listening to the first mate calling out the depth and the crew threw ropes over to the men who gestured for the ropes on the pier as the port master blew his whistle and waved his flag madly at the ship, signaling them to hold. The port workers quickly secured the ship's ropes to the concrete pillar lining the edging of the dock and they removed the rope barriers to allow the ship to drop their gangplanks over to the pier.

Half of Dijon's fleet followed him in, the other fleet dropped anchor and held their position in a line, their catapults, and ballistas aimed towards land and the pier. The ships following Dijon's flagship were also directed to dock on both sides of the stone pier and soon the pier became crowded with ships for the first time.

Dijon gave a sight a relief when noted the friendly smiles and waves the dock workers gave the crew, but that did not ease the sense of unease in his heart. He glanced towards the land, seeing several large walled buildings and what appeared large blocks of stone of some kind laid neatly on the ground.

"Secure the lines!" Dijon bellowed at his excited crew, "The first watch with me, the rest be on alert!"

His crew from the first watch, gathered up at the gangplank, dressed in their best day dress, mostly a mix of color faded blouses, threadbare coats, and patched trousers. All were armed with a variety of weapons, from cutlasses to hooks, to cudgels and even knuckle knives, hidden daggers, and hand crossbows.

A small party of neatly and smartly dressed elves stood ramrod in a perfect row of two lines. They held what appeared to be a long metal rod with wood finishings, that looked like a mix of a spear with the lower body of a crossbow. A very pretty lass in long fluttering dress and holding a straw hat in one hand smiled at the front of the group together with a severe-looking male, in a weird flat hat on his head and also similarly dress like the two rows of elves.

"I am Fleet Master Dijon," He declared as he stepped down the gangplank, in his white and gold clustered coat, a flamboyant wide brimmed hat with a large golden tail feature of a griffin. Gold chains hung from his thick muscular neck while his fingers were adorned with more gold and precious stones. Yet all that wealth, he carried a simple and worn cutlass scabbard hooked on his rich leather belt.

"Humble greetings! Fleet Master Dijon," Sherene gave her best court curtsy and gave her best smile, dazing the crew. "I am Princess Sherene, previously of the Kingdom of Goldrose, now Assistant Governor to the Colony of Mankind."

"Welcome to Far Harbor, friends from afar!"


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Neobear Neobear

Advance chapters are available on Patreon (16 Chapters Ahead)

https://www.patreon.com/neobear

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Join the discussion in Discord

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Donate/Support me via Paypal now!

https://paypal.me/neobear

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Enjoy~ Gimme all your stones and reviews~

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