Chapter 5 “There it is, Altain Island.” Bae pointed. Rin cupped his hands to his eyes and looked out across the water. “Is that the seawall you were talking about?” “See that hole right over there?” Massi leaned against the railing and pointed. “Mr. Niu says he saw a whale swim through there once.” Bae sighed. “Everybody’s got jokes.” Massi looked around Bae at Rin. “You should see the boat ramp, it’s safer to throw your boat off the side of the dock than go down that thing.” Bae rolled his eyes. “It’s not that bad.” Massi lifted a pair of binoculars to his eyes. “Bae?” Bae cupped his own hands to his eyes, then Massi handed him the binoculars. Bae scanned back and forth along the harbor entrance. “Oh crap, oh crap, no no no.” The inner section of the sea wall was just coming into view, or better said, where the inner section of the wall used to be - a two hundred foot section of the wall was missing, and six fishing trawlers were lying on their sides where the west docks used to be. “What is it?” asked Rin. “Hurricane damage,” replied Massi. “It’s really bad.” “Massi, where’s the fish processing plant, and why...” Bae’s voice trailed off as he noticed the black cloth hung from the other buildings. Bae didn’t wait for a response and ran into the wheel house. The Captain was on the ship to shore phone and held up a finger. Bae ignored him and blurted out. “The fish processing plant is gone.” Gunther was standing near the Captain and also held up a hand. “Hold on, Bae, we’re finding out what happened.” “Alright, I’ll take care of it,” the Captain said into the phone. “Have a car waiting at Narrows Harbor to take him to the Airfield.” The Captain hung the phone up and turned the tug away from the harbor. “Why are we going to the recreation marina?” asked Bae. “There’s six trawlers aground on the docks, three more sunk in the harbor, and the rest of the fleet is damaged; two of them are still in danger of sinking. The Harbor Master doesn’t need us in the way, he’s been struggling since the storm to save them. Gunther, take the wheel.” “There’s black cloth up,” said Bae. “Who did we lose?” “I have the wheel,” repeated Gunther as the Captain stepped away to face Bae. Captain Sal saw Rin and Massi standing at the door, but they needed to know also. “Bae, have a seat.” Bae clenched his fists and his breath nearly froze in his chest. “I don’t want to sit down, who did we lose?” The Captain’s voice was somber and tinged with grief as he spoke. “When the seawall collapsed, a surge wave ran through the harbor and wrecked the fleet. The wave hit the docks, and with the already weakened foundation of the fish processing plant, the building collapsed. Governor Baestar was inside at the time and seriously injured. They flew him through the hurricane to the hospital on Tares Island for emergency surgery.” The Captain swallowed hard, “Bae, I’m sorry, Governor Baestar passed away this morning.” Bae took a step back. His leg came into contact with the bench and he sat down heavily. He dropped his head and whispered. “It’s all my fault, I didn’t fix the wall.” Captain Sal shook his head and knelt before Bae. He tried to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder, but Bae shook it away. “No, Bae, it’s not your fault. Long before you were born, the Governor had been warned for decades to fix that wall. I’m sorry, but the hard truth is that this was the result of the Governor’s negligence.” Bae’s eyes began to water. “You said it was my responsibility.” “And maybe that was a mistake, I’m sorry, but it was never your responsibility. We thought if we started you young thinking about the things that would be your responsibilities one day, you wouldn’t make the same mistakes as the Governor.” Bae’s lips pressed together in anger. “You lied to me.” “My job is to raise you to be a good man, and a good governor, I did what I felt was best for you.” Bae’s breath came in short angry heaves. “Lord Baestar was a great man.” “Yes, he was,” agreed the Captain. “He was the bravest man I’ve ever known. He saved countless lives and never once hesitated to throw himself in the way of danger to protect his people. But, he wasn’t a very good administrator.” Bae stood suddenly and pushed past the Captain. “You’re a liar, I hate you, don’t talk to me again.” The Captain brushed the temper tantrum aside. Bae was hurting and needed someone to take it out on. “You’re flying to Tares Island to see your father, then you’ll escort the body back here for the funeral and burial in the Baestar crypt. Change into your formal Naval Uniform and be ready to leave for the Airfield as soon as we dock.” The Captain stood and his eyes shifted to Massi. “You’re going also, change into your formal uniform, and sidearm is authorized. Tath will be going also.” “I’m going too,” said Rin. “You’re getting on a plane and going home,” replied the Captain. Rin drew himself up and stared at the Captain with a fierce determination. “House Protocol requires that the Senior Lord of a visiting House friendly to that House escort and attend the funeral of any deceased Lord of that House while visiting.” The Captain frowned at Rin. He was fairly certain Rin was reciting the rule from a book he’d been made to memorize, but had little understanding of what it meant. “Rin, if you escort Lord Governor Baestar’s body, you’re informally announcing friendship with House Tares.” “I was going to anyway,” said Rin. “And if I don’t attend, it could be seen as an insult to House Tares.” The Captain made a non-committal grunt and picked up the ship to shore phone. “Is Mrs. Hansson there... I’ll wait..” The Captain watched Rin closely while they waited, the boy maintained a perfect posture and never once fidgeted. The boy had obviously been trained to hold himself well. “...yes, hello, Mrs. Hansson, Captain Sal here... what... no, Gunther’s fine, he’s right here next to me... yes, he’s eating proper, do you still have one of Bae’s formal dress suits from when he was ten... good, I need you to take it to Narrows Harbor, and bring your sewing kit, you might have to make some adjustments... yes, right away, please... good idea, and shoes, socks, undergarments, whatever a boy needs to be dressed for a funeral detail... he’s ten... umm... I think he’s a little shorter than Bae was at ten... alright, but tell nobody, I don’t want this to turn into a dog and pony show, you’ll be dressing Rinathian Lothan... Mrs. Hansson? Are you still there...? Mrs. Hansson...? Ah, there you are, I thought I lost you for a moment... yes, that Rinathian... no, it’s not a joke... thank you, I’ll see you in 20 minutes at Narrows Harbor.” Gunther chuckled as the Captain hung the phone up. “She’ll be talking about this for the next thirty years.” Captain Sal rubbed at his temples; the last several weeks had been difficult, Bae was getting to be more of a challenge the older he got. The Captain smiled to himself remembering when Bae had been younger and sat quietly in the Captain’s chair watching his every move. He sighed softly and looked up. Bae was gone, but Rin was still standing in the door waiting for instructions. “Rin, go talk to your men and see if any of them have a pin, or a patch, anything we can put on the suit to identify you as House Lothan.” Rin nodded and took off at a run. The Captain frowned and called out for him to walk on deck. Rin only had two speeds, stop and run. The door to Bae’s quarters was open as Rin was heading to the quarters where the men from the cargo ship were staying. He stopped in the doorway. Bae was sitting on his bunk with his head in his hands. “I’m going with you,” said Rin. Bae raised his head. “Captain Sal won’t let you go dressed like that.” “He called somebody by the name of Mrs. Hansson, she’s bringing me one of your old suits.” “That’s Gunther’s wife, I hope she doesn’t bring the brown one, it itches.” “I’m really sorry about the Governor.” “He was my cousin, once removed, but he was more like a grandfather to me. He taught me everything I know.” “Are we going to carry the casket? I’ve only seen a funeral on t.v.” Bae shook his head. “I don’t know, but Mrs. Hansson knows all the protocols, she’ll tell us what we’re supposed to do. Hey, wait a minute, you just recited funeral protocol to the Captain.” Rin shrugged. “I made that up. I just didn’t want left behind.” Bae stood and grabbed his uniform from the back of a chair. “I have to get dressed now.” “Okay, I have to get something,” Rin turned to leave, then added. “You’ll wait for me?” “I’ll wait,” promised Bae. Rin disappeared around the corner and Bae pushed the door shut. He went to his bunk and laid the uniform out and ran his hand across the two ribbons on the chest. The first ribbon was for completing the Naval Cadet Summer Course when he was twelve, and the second for directly participating in the rescue of a capsized ferry. Fastened under the ribbons was the Basic Scuba Divers Badge, and wrapped over the left shoulder was a red and blue knotted cord that identified him as an open-water rescue diver. He swiped his hand across his eyes to clear the tears forming. Governor Baestar had awarded each of the ribbons to him, and now Bae would never again see that look of pride on the Governor’s face each time he earned another achievement. The movement of the tug under him changed slightly; they had entered the smaller recreation harbor; at least the seawall here was newer and still intact. He hurried into his uniform, not really taking the time required to make sure everything was on straight. He opened the door and found Rin leaning against the opposite wall. “You take forever,” noted Rin. The boy’s hurried back up to the bridge; the Captain was at the wheel again and maneuvering the large ship to the center of the harbor. “We’re not going to dock here, the ship is too big and would rip the moorings out. Tath is lowering the tender, Gunther will bring it back. Massi and Tath will act as security for Bae, and the two sailors from the Gunboat will be Rin’s security. Mrs. Hansson is going with you, and don’t give her a hard time.” Bae gave the Captain a dubious expression. It was more likely Mrs. Hansson was going to give them a hard time, she was a very demanding person. Bae paused at the door before they left and looked back at the Captain with a guilty expression. The Captain smiled softly. “It’s okay, son, I know you didn’t mean what you said. I’ll be here when you get back.” Bae dropped his eyes. “Promise?” “I promise, I’m not leaving you, Bae.” Bae nodded and headed to the stern. The tender was already in the water and everyone took turns climbing down the ladder to the boat. Rin slipped as he was trying to step into the tender, but one of the Gunboat sailors caught him and hauled him into the tender with a practiced heave. Rin gave Bae an embarrassed grin once he was seated. “It takes practice getting into a tender from a big ship,” Bae reassured him. There were no further incidents and the group made it across the harbor and disembarked from the tender. Bae noticed there was very little damage to this small marina, the seawall here had held well and protected the small vessels from the storm. “These boats look different,” said Rin, walking with Bae at the front of the procession. “Most of these are charter boats,” explained Bae. The Dock Master greeted them half-way, but Bae had a sudden inspiration and held a hand up to stop the man. Bae turned around and looked at the boats tied to the docks. The fishing fleet was all but destroyed and wouldn’t be able to sail anytime soon. His people would starve come winter if the fleet couldn’t sail in two weeks for the fishing season. “They’re charter boats,” repeated Bae. “You said that,” said Rin. Bae turned back around and looked at the Dock Master. “You’re Mr. Taylor, right?” “Yes, Master Bae,” the man confirmed. Bae narrowed his eyes slightly. “Lord Governor Bae.” “Of course, my apologies, Lord Governor,” the man quickly corrected himself. Bae nodded, satisfied, but also knowing he was being spiteful. He was still angry and looking for someone to take it out on. “I’m issuing my first emergency order. All charter and private boats on the island are hereby confiscated.” A woman pushed past the Dock Master. “You mean commandeered, not confiscated,” said the woman. She turned to the Dock Master. “Contact Mr. Niu and Captain Sal and tell them that Governor Bae has ordered the Charter Fleet and all private boats into service for the duration of this emergency, or until the end of the fishing season.” The Dock Master hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do. The woman made a shooing motion. “Go on now, you have your orders, unless you want everyone to starve to death this winter.” “Yes, Mrs. Hansson, right away,” the man turned and fled. Mrs. Hansson smiled at Bae. “It is a good idea, Bae, but before you make any further proclamations, please speak to myself or Sal, just so we can get the wording right. The difference between confiscated and commandeered is significant. The word confiscated will get half the island chasing you with pitch forks. And, Dear, everyone is on your side, there’s no reason to go throwing your rank around, you were taught better than that.” “Yes, Mrs. Hansson, I’m sorry,” said Bae. Mrs. Hansson made a clucking sound. “Did you sleep in that uniform?” “Umm...no, Ma’am,” Bae lied, he had used it for an extra blanket a few times. Mrs. Hansson sighed. “You need a haircut.” Bae was about to protest but she was already done with him and spun on Rin. “And is this Rinathian.” Rin was about to respond, but before he could react, Mrs. Hansson scooped him up and lifted him off the ground in a bear hug. “Oh you poor dear child, you must have been so frightened out there alone in the ocean.” Rin’s eyes widened at the assault; touching a noble was forbidden, but this women either didn’t know that, or didn’t care. Mrs. Hansson sat him down and brushed his hair out of his eyes. Mrs. Hansson’s daughter appeared, and nearly as quickly as Mrs. Hansson had attacked, put a wreath of flowers on his head. The girl took a step back, and curtsied. Rin smiled and lifted a hand to adjust the flowers. Bae rolled his eyes, Rin looked ridiculous. First Sons were notoriously famous for allowing themselves to be fawned over, and Rin was apparently no exception. “Come along boys, we have a long trip,” said Mrs. Hansson. Mrs. Hansson led the way with Rin trotting along after her like an obedient puppy. Bae rolled his eyes again and followed. There were people at the end of the dock with cameras, which made sense, Rinathian was a lot more famous than Bae and it must have already leaked out that he was here. Rin waved at the people and even stopped to pose with a few of them. Bae noticed one of the people weren’t taking pictures of Rin, the man’s camera was pointed at him. He smiled at the camera, but the man’s expression wasn’t right; the man just didn’t fit in with the crowd. Bae could have had Tath go check it out, but that would have caused a scene. Bae chose to ignore it, but the man gave him the creeps. “Are you alright?” asked Massi. Bae turned his head away from the man taking the pictures. Massi must have noticed his discomfort. “Yeah, but that guy over there is giving me the creeps.” “Which one?” “That one right...” Bae paused, the man was gone. “He was right there.” “Okay, if you see him again let me know,” said Massi. “Tath and I can check him out.” They made it past the crowd and loaded into the back of Gunther’s truck. Mrs. Hansson probably didn’t have time to find a better vehicle to use. She drove them out to the Airfield with Rin standing and pointing at everything, wanting to know every detail about the island. They arrived at the Airfield with Rin chattering on about the runway not being paved. They boarded the small private plane, with Rin wanting to sit up with the pilot. Bae was side-tracked thinking about the man he’d seen. He was certain he had seen the man before. Bae buckled himself into a seat next to Massi, Rin settled up front with Mrs. Hansson and her daughter where he could watch the pilot fly the plane. The plane took off and Bae closed his eyes to get some sleep. He was nearly there when he remembered. His eyes flew open and he nudged Massi. “Did you change your mind, they still have some bottled water left,” offered Massi. Bae noticed Massi was holding a bottle of water. They must have thought he was asleep and passed him by when they were passing out the refreshments. “How many pirates did you guys capture on the beach?” asked Bae. “We killed four and took the other three into custody,” said Massi. “Massi, there were eight pirates on the beach,” said Bae. “That man I saw, he was one of the pirates.” Massi unbuckled his seatbelt. “I’ll go tell Tath, we’ll put out an alert. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.” Bae watched Massi make his way up to Tath’s seat and realized something. He was now the youngest Baestar to ever become an Altain Governor, which meant Massi was now the youngest bodyguard of an Altain Governor, the pressure of the new responsibilities must be difficult for him. Massi had never really had to guard Bae for real, he had always just been a companion and friend. Tath was Bae's real bodyguard for now, and Massi's teacher, the same as Captain Sal was Bae's teacher. Bae saw Tath get up and go forward to the pilot, probably to use the radio. Everything would be fine. Captain Sal would find the pirate. Bae leaned back and closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. There was still something nagging him at the back of his mind, something about the beach and the pirates, but couldn’t put his finger on it.