Sky Pirates

Chapter 9

In awe, Lord Greene watched as the great Balsa Robin was guided by lines dropped from her sides that had been taken up by men on the ground. Yet, the ropes weren't pulled by them; instead, they were hooked through a lattice of metal connectors which, as they moved and shuffled, perfectly glided the airship into a resting berth. The slow motion adventure culminated with a very slight thud; Parker maintained his footing without issue the entire time.

Now, inside the massive hangar, the hive of activity within the building was matched on the ship. Gang planks were lowered. Men, and surprisingly women, boarded the ship from the ground and began the great task of unloading the ill-gotten cargo. The bees of this hive, spoke a collection of different languages and dialects—some Parker Greene had heard before and others he hadn't. The crew's skins were all possible shades from the whitest Irish linen to the blackest African night.

Once again, Parker felt he should be doing something, participating. Despite his title, he wasn't a man to shirk responsibility or duty. Even here, a prisoner as it were, he still felt a strong desire to work for his keep. Yet, no one, not even one of the many dwarfs he'd met and who had acted as his handlers, had come to him to give charge or order. And, so he watched the proceedings.

Ropes were released from the hull and many men, normal sized and smaller, captured them and began leading the Balsa into her berth. The great bird was slow, even tempered, and gentle as it entered the cavernous hall. A series of gentle thuds worked their way from bow to stern. The ship was being locked into place. A haze of smoke filled the space and threatened to engulf the entire barn, but just as Parker Greene reached for a handkerchief to cover his mouth, hundreds of panels opened in the ceiling, allowing release of the fumes.

Then, the moment of silent clarity broke. Shouts from all directions came. Lines of small men and women came toward the ship at four different entrances below the main deck and in even rows. Their empty hands were filled, and they walked back the way they had come, through a myriad of doorways and passages.

Sections of deck opened wide and colossal cranes swung over the deck and, after some attention to detail, one by one, the pirated mail schooners were lifted whole from their births aboard the Robin, swung gingerly and slowly off the boat, and then lowered to a massive track and rail where they were then tugged out of the main building and out of view.

As he watched the Barkley follow this fate, he had a twinge of regret. His personal effects remained in his cabin, and he hoped he'd be able to retrieve them. At the thought of the possible loss, he touched his breast pocket where his niece's last letter remained folded. He could feel the weight of the small pistol in the other inner pocket. And, he now had use of his walking stick once again. He'd survive no matter what happened. Yet, Greene wondered what the fate of the Barkley and the other ships would be. Would they, after the moveable contents had been removed, be broken down for their wood and fixtures? Would they now become part of the pirate's fleet? Would...

"Lord Greene?"

"Yes." Parker Greene turned toward the soft voice to discover another dwarf, this time a woman. He'd only seen female dwarfs at county fairs and on stages, never so close. He was amazed that she was mostly like a miniature person, except the proportion of her head to her body was out of sorts.

She took his hand. "I'm to show you to your temporary quarters."

A shudder ran along his spine. "My things have..." he pointed toward the direction where the Barkley had been. The whole ship was gone, taken. He looked around, attempting to find the ship, but he couldn't discover it.

"Not to worry, sir. Your personal possessions will be removed from the ship and placed in your quarters."

"Everything?"

"Well, not the furniture, sir. But, everything that is yours." She tugged lightly at his hand. Her small fingers were soft and gentle, a woman's touch. And she, like the others, sported a grotesquely sized ring.

Lord Greene allowedhimself to be led by this fair creature off the Balsa Robin and on to land as all around him, hundreds of men andwomen, continued with their tasks of off-loading the great ship.