Month: August 2020

The Merfolk that staged their kidnapping were still in the warehouse. They were just lazing around, amusing themselves with various hobbies. “…Hey,” called one Mermaid, “you think they’ll ever find us?”

“Not in any reasonable time,” remarked the Ringleader, a Cecaelia woman. She then looked in her hand mirror and tilted her head to have the mirror focus on the right of her head. “What do you think?” she asked the whole group.

“No offense, Teylan,” remarked a Merperson as they adjusted their glove, “but you don’t really pull off the whole ‘flower in hair’ look.” The Cecaelia, Teylan, gave her reflection another glance before removing the flower from her hair.

“I guess I just wanted to experi…” she was interrupted by a pounding on the door. “Who in all the…Tayan, see who’s out there.” The nonbinary Merperson swam to a window and yelped.

“It’s the police!” they warned.

“WHAT?!” yelped the first Mermaid.

“What are they doing here?!” asked a Merman.

“Tanshwar’s out there!” reported Tayan as they bit their nails nervously. “He’s cast a voice amplification spell!”

“The jig’s up!” called Tanshwar. “We know all about this joke! You idiots panicked too many people! Come out with your hands up! We have you surrounded!”

“They know!” wailed the first Mermaid.

“We gotta go NOW!” declared Teylan. “Get the supplies and get that escape tunnel open!” The crowd wasted no time in gathering the supplies. However rushed it looked, there was a clockwork efficiency to the gathering of supplies. A large crate was pulled back and revealed a tunnel. The crowd swam towards it just as the police began slamming a battering ram into it. The police broke through only to be greeted by sudden flashes of light temporarily blinding them. When their eyes cleared, the crowd had vanished, leaving only the police.

“Search the joint!” ordered Tanshwar. The police turned the whole warehouse upside down and soon found the collapsed entrance to the tunnel.

“Should we detail a digging crew?” asked a Merperson.

“They’ll have long gone before we even broke through,” countered Tanshwar. “We’re going to set up patrols around the city. Yenfu, detail the patrols.”

“Yes, Sir,” declared the Merperson, Yenfu, as they swam off.

---

After the disaster at the warehouse, Chief Inspector Tanshwar met with the Caldora Family and personally reported what happened. To say that the Royal Family was unhappy was an understatement. The news made it to IntraRealm Communications and was spread around all sorts of social media. When Mr. Iggir met with the Royal Family and Tanshwar, the immediate water surrounding him felt hotter than usual. “‘Alleged Kidnapping Victims: Nothing More Than Practical Jokers’,” Samuje read from her shell-phone. “‘Mr. Iggir makes clownfish out of police department and Kurontar Sea citizens.’ Well, Mr. Iggir, what have you to say for that?!”

“Just a minute, my Lords and Ladies,” Mr. Iggir gulped, “there’s obviously a misunderstanding!”

“Yeah, and you misunderstood that we would allow this kind of sick joke!” snapped King Vorko. “We saw the video of you explaining why you would do all this! Now, the question becomes, why would you want us to go back to those lawless days?!”

“Come now, those days weren’t ENTIRELY lawless,” replied Mr. Iggir.

“Mr. Iggir, it was YOUR responsibility to assist me in keeping our people safe!” snapped Tanshwar. “Since you were derelict in that duty, as the Chief of Police, I have every probable cause to demand that you resign!”

“And we have enough reason,” growled Queen Yotrii, “to have your sorry hide rot in the dungeons for the rest of your life! Trying to undo your rulers’ work is a treasonous act and such blatant disregard for your proper leaders will not go unpunished! We have decided that you are unfit to be part of Kurontar Society! If the courts find you guilty, you will be stripped of your assets and the money will be used as reparations for those citizens you’ve panicked!”

“Even if I thought that fair,” remarked Mr. Iggir, “you won’t have enough money.”

“Even with the stash INSIDE the northern wall?” replied King Jentay. “What about the stash by the bank in the southern district? Or the stash at the abandoned shell-slam stadium? I could go on, but the list your daughter gave me is a little long.”

“My daughter told you about my stashes?!” yelped Mr. Iggir. “I am SO gonna disown her for this!”

“You won’t get the chance,” muttered King Bremmek. “Besides, she’s proved her patriotism by telling us how much you were withholding from society.”

“You mean the riff-raff!” snapped Mr. Iggir. “You royals constantly hound us for cash just so you could use it as a hand-out for the poor because they’re too lazy to do anything else!” That did it! King Bremmek left his seat and was about to beat him senseless before Samuje and Marianes held him back.

“YOU DARE CALL CHARITY A HAND-OUT!” he roared. “YOU LEECHES ARE A CANCER TO MY OLD CLASS! YOUR PARENTS PAID FOR YOUR EDUCATION! THAT’S THE BIGGEST HAND-OUT OF ALL!”

“My husband was a member of the poor before he married into our family,” hissed King Jentay. “Guards, take him away!” The guards grabbed Mr. Iggir and hauled him out of the throne room as he flung various threats at the Caldoras, promising revenge. Bremmek was seething for a good minute until he took deep breaths to calm himself.

“…Sorry you had to see that,” he sighed.

“I have patrols looking for the rest of his gang,” reported Tanshwar. “We’ll find them.”

“We’re going to hold you to that,” replied Jentay. “The people are incredibly angry and want answers from those involved in this scandal. You may go.” Tanshwar bowed and left the throne room.

---

Arsha reported the whole thing to Rokalla from her Ready Room. “That escalated quickly,” muttered Rokalla. “This won’t look good for the Kurontar Sea’s readiness and unity, especially if war’s on the horizon.”

“We’re giving the police a helping hand,” reported Arsha. “Personally, this feels like desertion to me.”

“Me too,” agreed Rokalla. “Give whatever aid you can. The Kurontar Sea Merfolk Kingdom would be a prime target for Dr. Borg in its current state.”

“Understood, Sir,” answered Arsha. “Arsha out.” The call ended and Arsha returned to the bridge. “Any communications from the kingdom?” she asked Shalvey.

“A request for further aid,” answered Shalvey. “The City Guard is assisting the police and want us to bring a platoon of Guardsmen to the end of their escape tunnel. The police found the end just the other day.”

“Accept their request and ask for details on when and where we’re picking up the City Guard Platoon,” directed Arsha.

---

The Endeavor picked the platoon up in the Central Plaza an hour later. They plotted a search pattern from the northern wall that would spiral outwards. They began the search and had just completed the first spiral, a five-hour long journey, and were beginning the next when Malak found something. “Captain,” he reported, “sensors indicate something following us on the seafloor.”

“Can you identify it?” asked Arsha.

“Identifying now,” replied Malak. His eyes then went wide. “It’s a Golem! …Wait, a Golem? Beneath the water?”

“Splitters might have improved on them!” declared Arsha. “Beam that Golem to the brig!”

“Beaming,” reported the brig’s transporter chief. After a few seconds, he reported that the transport was complete.

“Denstra, take a team and figure out how that Golem was able to stay together underwater,” ordered Arsha.

“Aye, Captain,” confirmed Denstra. She then turned to Dalengor and Endea. “You two, with me.” The three then left the bridge.

“In the meantime, we continue our search,” declared Arsha. “Malak, keep sensors tuned for any more of those Golems.”

“Aye, Captain,” replied Malak.

---

Denstra, Dalengor, and Endea arrived at the brig to see the Golem. It was shaped in the standard Golem shape, but the color was all wrong. The clay it was made of looked silver instead of terracotta, grey, or brown. The light inside the eyes and mouth took a yellow color instead of red, orange, or blue. “What position are you?” demanded Denstra. “What branch are you?”

“I’m not a Splitter Golem,” scoffed the Golem in a female tone. “I don’t identify myself by my position. My name is Ms. Femfaf.”

“…A name?” asked Dalengor. “Golems don’t have names…or gender.”

“My breed of Golem does,” replied Femfaf. “I am Golem 7.0.”

“A more advanced Golem,” mused Endea. “That explains, somewhat, how you were able to stay together while submerged.”

“Having metal shavings introduced into your birthing clay,” answered Femfaf, “DOES tend to hold you together better. I followed you to propose an alliance.”

“Alliance?” asked Denstra. “Why should we honor that request?”

“Because those people that fled the kingdom,” explained Femfaf, “have damaged my organization and we want to see justice done to them.”

“What proof do we have that you’re on our level?” interrogated Denstra.

“Absolutely none, given the circumstances,” replied Femfaf. “But, right now, you are proceeding under the assumption that I was the only one of Golem 7.0.”

“…You brought a whole platoon with you,” realized Endea.

“They’re keeping well out of your sensor network,” continued Femfaf, “but they WILL go after the deserters and, if necessary, kill them. I want to prove that we don’t need to be that savage. After all, wouldn’t it be easier for the Caldoras to dispense justice?”

“…I’ll need to talk to the Captain about this,” remarked Denstra. “You’re not leaving that cell. Dalengor, Endea, watch i…her.”

“Understood,” replied Dalengor. Denstra left the brig to report the news.

---

“An alliance?!” protested the Guard Captain.

“Golems are shock-troopers,” continued Arsha, “they live for destruction. Why would they want to see any form of justice?”

“I have a feeling this particular Golem,” replied Denstra, “is one more clever than Splitters want.”

“Well, we need to find the deserters,” mused Arsha. “…Tell Femfaf that we’ll be allying with them but watching them closely.”

“Captain, I must protest this course of action,” argued the Guard Captain as his fins twitched. “For all we know, these new Golems are in the service of Dr. Borg.”

“That’s why we’re watching them,” answered Arsha. “The instant any single Golem does something against us, we destroy them.”

“That’s something I can get behind,” conceded the Guard Captain. “I withdraw my objections.” Arsha then nodded to Denstra and Denstra left the room to carry out her orders.

Samuje swam through the castle in a purposeful manner during the night, barely acknowledging the guards that said “hello” to her. She made her way to the Caldora family’s private communications console, reserved for contacting Realmfleet. She keyed in a command to open a communications channel. “This is Princess Samuje Caldora, requesting to speak with Admiral Sanfar,” she began. “Admiral, are you receiving?” An elderly Merman then appeared.

“Your Highness?” he quizzed. “What are you doing calling me? Is there a problem?”

“I need to have my Captaincy reinstated,” answered Samuje.

“What for?” asked Sanfar.

“…I need to fix the mistake of the Gamfinar Jungle,” explained Samuje.

“…Revenge,” scoffed Sanfar. “I’m sorry, but no. I won’t have your Captaincy restored because you feel the need to avenge your crew. I won’t have you make the same mistake as me.”

“Mistake?!” argued Samuje.

“Yes, mistake!” snapped Sanfar. “Revenge is NEVER the answer! You’re not commanding a skyship until a Psychiatrist has deemed you mentally fit enough! End of discussion!” The call then ended. Samuje sighed as her shoulders sagged. She turned to swim out and yelped in surprise as a Merman was floating by the door.

“Your Highness,” greeted the Merman.

“Endrek!” gulped Samuje. “What are you doing, floating around here?!”

“What am I doing?” asked Endrek, Captain of the Royal Guard. “I think the question is what are YOU doing?”

“…I, uh, I…thought I…heard a burglar,” lied Samuje.

“Of course,” remarked Endrek. “And you thought the best way to scare them off was to call Realmfleet about getting you back in the Captain’s Chair.” Samuje gave up her attempts to lie.

“I have to defend my people,” she insisted, “and the best way to do that…!”

“Your Highness, put yourself in my place,” interrupted Endrek, “and look at this from a sensible position.”

“I am!” hissed Samuje.

“Crashing into walls like this is NOT sensible,” remarked Endrek. “You have a burning desire to help, that IS a strength, but it can be used as a weakness, especially where your mental health is concerned. You can’t just live for other people with disregard to yourself.”

“My personal feelings are unimportant!” insisted Samuje. “I have to get back into the Captain’s Chair!”

“For your own good, take my advice,” urged Endrek. “Listen to someone whose head isn’t always above the water’s surface. Forget Realmfleet for a while!”

“…No!” declared Samuje. “This is a matter of principle with me! I’m going back in the air!”

“You’ll crash and burn if you try it right now,” muttered Endrek. “Crash and burn. Good night.” He turned to swim off before he remembered something. “And try to keep the noise down. Some people around here are trying to sleep!” He finally left and Samuje rolled her eyes before swimming back to bed.

---

On the Endeavor, Shalvey was asleep at her workstation. When Thangred came in, he sighed as he saw Shalvey with her head on her desk. He retrieved a blanket and placed it on her when he noticed what was on the screen. A notification was flashing on the screen. As Thangred read it, he nudged Shalvey. “Hey! Shalvey!” he whispered. “Shalvey, wake up!”

“Mm, whu?” mumbled Shalvey as she woke up.

“Look!” urged Thangred as he pointed the computer. Shalvey blinked as her vision was returning to focus. When they finally cleared, her eyes became wider! She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things and the notification remained the same! It read “Audio/visual sort complete. Audio/visual threading complete. Audio/visual file decoded.”

“YES!” cheered Shalvey as she thrust her fists into the air. “Let’s see it!” She typed in a command and the video played to reveal what was going on. As they watched, their happy faces turned to ones of angry disbelief.

“I don’t believe it!” growled Thangred.

“Mr. Iggir’s in on this gag too?!” hissed Shalvey. She activated the intercom. “Shalvey to Arsha.”

“Go ahead, Commander,” replied Arsha’s voice.

“Captain, could you and Chief Inspector Tanshwar meet me and Thangred in the Conference Room?” requested Shalvey. “I just finished with the two files.”

---

Arsha and Tanshwar were opposite Shalvey and Thangred as Shalvey prepared her presentation on her findings. “Like the police,” she began, “I had believed the files to be audio files, but I was turning up nothing when I was running strictly audio sorts. After I had to take a mental break, I was hit by inspiration. What if one of the files WASN’T an audio file? I then ran audio/visual sorts and my theory was proven right after the second try.”

“So, they’re just two halves of a video file?” asked Tanshwar.

“Exactly,” confirmed Shalvey. “As Thangred and I watched the video, we learned what was going on with the kidnappings.”

“You mean you have a culprit?!” asked Arsha.

“And a motive,” answered Shalvey.

“Let’s see it!” urged Tanshwar. Shalvey pressed play on the video. It opened with a bunch of Merfolk hanging around a warehouse. “Hey, those are the kidnapped people!” revealed Tanshwar.

“They look pretty calm for being kidnapped,” observed Arsha.

“You’re right,” mused Tanshwar. “I know a few of them should be hyperventilating by now. Why…wait, someone’s opening the warehouse door.” The person wore a cowl to disguise their features as they swam in.

“There we are,” chuckled the person as they removed the obscuring cowl, revealing HIS face. “The city’s in a tizzy.”

“Mr. Iggir?!” yelped Tanshwar.

“Mr. Iggir,” called a Mermaid, “just so we’re clear, this is all to get rid of Tanshwar?”

“Exactly,” replied Mr. Iggir. “I tell you, the man’s just ridiculous!”

“You ain’t wrong,” remarked another Mermaid. “He’s been hounding me over ‘improper usage of medical tools’ and some stupid thing over a medical license! So, what, because I don’t have some fancy card, I can’t put my degree to practice?!”

“Er, that’s the general idea!” commented Arsha.

“Well, once he’s forced to resign,” replied Mr. Iggir, “I’ll take over and we’ll all go to town! Business will finally boom again!” The video ended.

“Who’s gonna resign?!” growled Tanshwar.

“Last time I checked,” recalled Thangred, “the Kurontar Sea Merfolk Kingdom wasn’t the safest place in the Realms until you took over as Chief of Police a thousand years ago.”

“Exactly!” confirmed Tanshwar. “I managed to keep criminal activity down so far and I won’t stop now!”

“It sounds like Mr. Iggir really profited from those lawless days,” remarked Shalvey.

“Yeah, well, he’s gonna REALLY be bankrupt once I tell the Royal Family about this!” declared Tanshwar. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a report to the Royal Family. May I have that video?”

“Of course,” replied Shalvey as she handed him the data crystal the video was transferred to. He departed the conference room in a water chair.

“Commander Shalvey, I’m impressed,” praised Arsha.

“It was a tough assignment, I will flat out admit,” sighed Shalvey. “I almost killed myself. Thangred had to step in to stop me from spinning my wheels uselessly.”

“You tend to go at assignments without a break,” remarked Thangred.

“I’d prefer not to lose one of my officers like that,” advised Arsha. “Please take sufficient mental breaks next time, all right?”

“Aye, Captain,” confirmed Shalvey.

---

The Caldoras were having lunch together. Samuje was just poking her food with her fork. King Jentay noticed this and decided to speak. “Samuje,” he began, “I trust you’re not on a starvation diet?”

“No, Daddy, I’m not,” sighed Samuje. “I’m just not feeling hungry right now.”

“I know you want to go back to Realmfleet,” continued Jentay, “but you served honorably. There’s no shame in leaving now.”

“With no corruption in this kingdom?” muttered Samuje. “I can’t stay in good conscience while our allies need our help.”

“That might prove to be a spurious claim, if the report I got before lunch is any indication,” countered Jentay. Samuje then looked at her father.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, this is something for the whole family to hear,” remarked Jentay. “Might as well tell everyone now.” He cleared his throat and everyone gave him their attention. “My dears, I received a frightening report before we sat down for lunch,” he began. “Mr. Iggir’s the one responsible for the kidnappings.”

“WHAT?!” everyone yelped.

“What for?!” demanded Samuje.

“According to Chief Inspector Tanshwar,” explained Jentay, “the Endeavor found evidence that Mr. Iggir and his ‘victims’ staged this whole thing so everyone would return to a view of looking out for number one. They determined it to be the most profitable outlook on life.”

“You mean this whole thing was a cash grab for them?!” snapped Marianes.

“Oh, I hope Mr. Iggir gets what’s coming to him!” hissed Jalmurna. Samuje remained quiet as the family talked.

“…Corruption at home?” she thought to herself. “I can’t go back to Realmfleet on that note. …I guess I better stay here for a while longer.”

“We need to meet Tanshwar and Mr. Iggir once the idiots that were in on this are located,” declared Queen Lammeera.

“Agreed,” rumbled King Jortol. “I won’t have this in our kingdom!”

“The question then becomes,” mused King Kwinmar, “who else is part of this demented gag?”

“I hope it ain’t Dr. Borg,” shuddered Murbira.

“This seems a little too petty for Dr. Borg’s schemes,” replied Samuje.

“Well, we need to make sure,” declared Jentay.

“I’ll work with the City Guard to prevent further incidents like this,” offered Samuje.

“…I thought Realmfleet Captains can’t join the City Guard,” remarked Marianes.

“I’m switching priorities,” replied Samuje. “I’m going to resign from Realmfleet. I don’t know, maybe I’m wussing out…”

“Samuje Caldora,” declared King Vorko, “giving up that kind of power willingly, especially after what you went through, is the hardest thing anyone can do. What you’re doing isn’t a sign of weakness, but of strength and I could not be more proud of you.”

“Hear, hear!” called Marianes.

“Hear, hear!” repeated the entire family. Samuje sighed happily as a great weight was lifted from her shoulders. She finally ate, her appetite returning.

The data crystals were plugged into the Endeavor’s computer and Shalvey was busy decoding them. Her work went well into the night as she tried every audio sorting method to get a clear answer. One such night, she was busy typing away at the computer when Thangred came in. “Shalvey, you need rest!” he boomed in the usual Dwarven bluntness. “You’ve refused to eat your meals, you’ve been skipping out on rest, and you’ve barely spoken to anyone! You’re about to kill yourself!”

“Yes, yes, I’ll get right on that once I’m done,” replied Shalvey absentmindedly.

“You’re not even listening!” snapped Thangred as he whirled the chair around.

“HEY!” snapped Shalvey as she forgot she was a Mermaid and tried to stand up to tower over him. She immediately collapsed to the floor, landing on her face. A few seconds after she landed, she moved her head so her face wasn’t lying on the floor and massaged her nose to relieve it of pain.

“Shalvey, Sweetheart, you can’t kill yourself over this,” urged Thangred as he scooped her up bridal style and carried her to the tub. He turned on the water and filled the tub so Shalvey could hydrate herself. Shalvey sighed as the water melted her aches and pains away.

“Oooh, that feels good,” she sighed. She then turned to Thangred. “I’m sorry, Sweetie,” she bid. “I’ve just been taking this personally.”

“Why?” asked Thangred.

“When I was a little girl,” explained Shalvey, “my mother was kidnapped. Even though Dad followed through on the kidnapping terms, we never saw Mom alive again.”

“…I…I didn’t know,” stammered Thangred as he realized Shalvey’s motives.

“You’re right, though,” continued Shalvey. “I’m not gonna be much help to them if I’m crashing into walls.”

“Then let’s get a meal at Barmek’s,” suggested Thangred. “You need food something fierce.”

“…Yeah, I do,” sighed Shalvey. Thangred brought her water chair to the tub and filled it with water, then helped Shalvey into it. They then made their way to Barmek’s and were greeted by Mr. Barmek.

“Welcome, my friends!” he cheered. He then noticed Shalvey’s expression. “…How many times did you sleep?”

“Sleep? What’s that?” snarked Shalvey. “I’m just taking a break from all the work I’ve been doing lately. I’m coming up with nothing.”

“You need brain food and something to help you rest,” declared Mr. Barmek. “How iffy are you with fish?”

“Love it!” sighed Shalvey happily.

“Perfect,” replied Mr. Barmek. He then turned to Jaltor. “Shalvey on table 2 needs a Galdredan leafy salad, Midoran salmon, Rokanth yogurt with berries and walnuts, and Wysper tea!”

“Brain food special for the Communications Officer on table 2! Coming up!” called Jaltor.

---

While Shalvey was having her long-awaited dinner, the Caldoras and their pet moray eel, Skalomel, were all in their main dining hall, enjoying their meal. “Rosa, sweetie, could you pass me the crab cakes?” asked Queen Jurma.

“Sure thing,” replied Rosa as she passed down a plate.

“And I’ll have more lobster,” called Skalomel. No one passed him a dish for a few seconds.

“May I have some clams?” Marianes asked Troga.

“Anything for you, my beauty,” answered Troga as he passed the clams.

“And I’ll have more lobster,” repeated Skalomel. Still nothing.

“Want some tuna?” Floona asked Samuje.

“Ooh, yes, please!” replied Samuje.

“HEY!” called Skalomel. “What’s a moray gotta do to get some shellfish around here?!”

“You’ve had enough, Skalomel,” remarked Queen Arlamu.

“No offense,” continued Erga, “but you’re getting pudgier than me.”

“Almost like a frightened pufferfish,” sniggered Jalmurna.

“Jalmurna,” admonished King Kulptak.

“What?! He is!” protested Jalmurna.

“Me?!” argued Skalomel. “I’m as lithe as a sea snake! Besides, I only had 14 of the 15 food groups!”

“What’s next?” snarked Dromu. “Whale blubber?”

“Dromu, please!” snapped Kulptak.

“Not to excuse my daughters’ insults,” mused King Jortol, “but maybe you should go on a diet.”

“I don’t need to go on a diet,” snapped Skalomel as he swam away from the table, offended, “because I’m not fat! I’m big-boned!” He headed for the little eel door and made it halfway through before he got stuck. He tried pulling himself out to save dignity. No luck, the Caldoras couldn’t help but giggle.

“Need a push?” asked Valomee.

“You laugh, I poop in your bed!” threatened Skalomel. He then noticed something outside. “Hey! Who’s that in the courtyard?” Marianes, Jortol, Arlamu, and Kulptak swam to the windows and found two people in the courtyard.

“It’s Thengo and Marshii!” remarked Marianes.

“What are they doing here?” asked Troga from the table.

“No clue,” replied Jortol. “I’m getting to the bottom of this!” He grabbed the door handle.

“WAIT! KINGY! I’M STILL…!” Too late. The door opened and Skalomel’s rear end was slammed into the wall. As someone tended to the poor moray eel, Jortol swam to the courtyard.

“Excuse me!” he called. Marshii and Thengo turned to give him their attention.

“Ah, there you are,” greeted Marshii. “We’re using medical privilege here. Where’s Samuje?”

“Ah, it’s about her methods of dealing with her trauma,” realized Jortol. “One moment.” He swam back to the dining hall and got Samuje. As they returned to the courtyard, she stopped as she realized what’s going on.

“You have reservations about my coping mechanisms, don’t you?” she muttered.

“Your Highness, with all due respect,” replied Thengo, “it sounds like you’re trying to force yourself back into Realmfleet.”

“Doctor, I assure you,” soothed Samuje, “I AM giving myself time to recover. I know what I’m ready for and what still needs time. The fact that I’m talking to you tells me that I don’t have any grudge against Realmfleet Officers. I’m still uneasy about looking at a Realmfleet ship, much less setting a fin onboard. I assure you; I’ll make a full recovery.”

“There’s no such thing as a ‘full recovery’ from that kind of survivor’s guilt,” countered Thengo. “Trust me, I’ve had a few cases like that.”

“…Survivor’s guilt?” hissed Samuje.

“Like Thengo, I’ve seen this before,” continued Marshii. “It was at its worst when I tended to your injuries. You feel as if you should have died with your crew. You somehow think that you surviving dishonors those that died. It looks to me that you’re only trying to get back in the Captain’s chair so you can ‘die in glorious battle’!”

“You’re getting rather personal, Doctor!” warned Samuje. “Realmfleet needs ship captains, especially now that Oyed’s coming back!”

“Realmfleet needs STABLE ship captains, especially now that Oyed’s coming back,” corrected Thengo.

“I AM stable!” snapped Samuje.

“With all due respect, no, you’re not,” answered Thengo. “You really need to step back from Realmfleet for a while longer.”

“…You’re asking me to stay out of Realmfleet?!” shouted Samuje.

“We’re asking you to look at your mental health objectively,” countered Marshii. “You’re coming off as self-destructive and you’ve been pushing your family away for a while. Your mental well-being comes before your service record.”

“…You can leave!” hissed Samuje. Marshii and Thengo then left the courtyard as the guards escorted them.

“Er, Samuje,” ventured Jortol.

“Just leave me alone!” grunted Samuje as she swam off. Jortol winced as he imagined what was going on through her head.

---

Thangred and Shalvey were back in their quarters, both crashing on the couch. Shalvey had her head in Thangred’s lap as they snored. Shalvey was the first to stir. She sat up slowly and yawned, letting Thangred snore away. She stroked his beard as her chair arrived. “Keep dreaming,” she whispered. She then maneuvered herself into the chair and then she made her way to the coffeepot. She poured herself a cup, then moved back to her workstation. Her computer had its screensaver on. She chuckled a little bit. “Lots of pretty colors,” she sighed as her hand hovered over the mouse. Then…it happened. “…Colors,” she mused. “…Wait, what if…I mean, such files WERE mistaken once or twice…”

“Something the matter?” asked Thangred’s voice.

“Did I wake you?” winced Shalvey as Thangred approached her seat.

“Yes, but I have no arguments being woken by your voice,” replied Thangred.

“Sorry,” muttered Shalvey.

“Like I said, your beautiful voice is always a pleasant thing to be woken by,” assured Thangred. “I didn’t fully hear your muttering before I spoke. Is something wrong with the decoding?”

“I think the police may be wrong about one or both of the files,” replied Shalvey.

“How so?” asked Thangred.

“What if one of them ISN’T an audio file?” mused Shalvey. “What if one of them is visual? If that’s the case, I need to run an audio/visual sort for both, sorting one by sound waves and one by colors. After that, it’s a matter of stringing the two files together in a logical pattern.”

“How long will that take?” asked Thangred.

“That depends,” replied Shalvey. “What time is it?”

“14:45,” answered Thangred

“Accounting for the possibility that I might be running the wrong kinds of sorts on both files,” remarked Shalvey, answering Thangred’s question, “easily until 35:00.”

“Yikes,” winced Thangred. “Better keep some coffee and snacks on standby.”

“Yep,” confirmed Shalvey.

“Well, I’m heading off to see how the water pumps are doing,” rumbled Thangred. “We can’t have water in the engines. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” replied Shalvey as she typed at her computer, setting the parameters for the audio/visual sort and sipped her coffee.

Dreams are a rather fickle thing. You may wish someone to have pleasant dreams, but their own minds will work against your wishes. For one night, in the Captain’s Quarters of a Dauntless-class skyship, the Captain’s mind worked against the wishes of her lovers. Her ears twitching as her expressions grew more worrisome, she soon started mumbling. “No…no, please…no…NO!” Arsha Royana then sat upright at lightspeed, wide awake, panting, and drenched in sweat. She ran her hands down her face, then looked around at her quarters, then looked down at the bed to see her fiancés, Lardeth Felompha, Falnii Loftanaf, Malnar Emboramii, Gorfanth Steelhorn, and Foresna Falshenda, all still asleep. She looked at the clock to see that it was 39:25; 11 hours and 25 minutes until dawn, 1:00 of a new day. She got out of bed, crawling over Lardeth and Foresna in the process, and headed to the fridge to get some milk. After pouring it into a cup, she then cast a small flame, held it under the cup, and warmed her milk. She slowly drank her warm milk, wanting it to do the trick. After she finished, she yawned and returned to bed, climbing over Lardeth and Foresna again, and settled into her spot on the bed. “This is becoming a habit for you,” mumbled Lardeth’s voice.

“…The prospect of war terrifies me,” admitted Arsha in a whisper. “…Maybe I should visit Thengo.”

“Not a bad idea,” replied Lardeth. He then pulled her close to him. “Falnii can also help.”

“I don’t want to abuse her gifts,” mumbled Arsha. “Besides, my dreams are a little too bloody, even for her to dispel.”

“Won’t know unless you ask,” mused Lardeth.

“…Yeah, I guess,” sighed Arsha. “Good night.”

“Night,” returned Lardeth. Both of them drifted back to sleep.

---

Once the dawn broke, everyone woke up, ready to start a new day. Falnii had cooked up breakfast, bacon and eggs with toast and honey butter. “So,” mused Malnar, “what’s the Endeavor’s Captain up to today?”

“Got a mission in the Kurontar Sea Merfolk Kingdom,” explained Arsha.

“Er, Realmfleet’s not very popular there these days,” reminded Lardeth, thinking of what Arsha explained to him about Oyed’s first defeat.

“The Caldoras asked for aid anyways,” replied Arsha. “Merfolk have been disappearing left, right, and center and their investigators are utterly baffled.”

“Okay, that’s a little terrifying,” gulped Gorfanth.

“A little?” gulped Falnii.

“Has anyone found any…” Foresna was almost afraid to say the word, “…bodies?”

“No, they haven’t,” replied Arsha. “People are terrified right now and the Endeavor needs to help, no matter the public opinion.”

---

“Realmfleet, Daddy?!” protested Princess Jalmurna to King Fordro in the throne room of the Caldoras’ undersea castle in the Kurontar Sea Merfolk Kingdom. “After what they put Samuje through?!”

“They have the technology needed to assist us,” answered Fordro. “Look, I know you have misgivings about Realmfleet, but, right now, we need to deal with this crisis.”

“I won’t suffer them in our kingdom!” defied Jalmurna.

“That’s not your decision to make,” hissed Fordro.

“I can’t let them anywhere near Samuje!” countered Jalmurna.

“Who do you think asked for them?” called Samuje’s voice. She swam into the throne room and gave Jalmurna a hard look.

“…You can’t be serious!” hissed Jalmurna. “After what they did to you?! I’ve been protecting you from them and THIS is how you repay me?!”

“I never asked for your help!” snapped Samuje. “It was never your job! Now, if you don’t mind, I need to talk to Papa ALONE!”

“But…!” protested Jalmurna.

“Jalmurna Enfeer Caldora,” rumbled Fordro, getting her attention, “leave us.” Jalmurna floated in her spot before she swam off.

“You’re ungrateful!” she hissed to Samuje. She left the throne room and the heavy doors slammed.

“And you’re too damned overprotective,” muttered Samuje.

“Samuje, I hate to sound like her,” began Fordro, “but are you ABSOLUTELY sure you can stand a Realmfleet presence here?”

“As long as I don’t go near the ship,” declared Samuje, “I’ll be all right. I can handle the crew members.”

“Very well,” sighed Fordro. “Just make sure you’re properly taking care of yourself.”

“I will, Daddy,” promised Samuje. Father and daughter then hugged each other. Samuje then broke off the embrace a few seconds later. “Now, I’m going to be hanging out with Mama Thanmar, Mama Hurmu, Mama Brenmu, Marianes, Klarii, Drasada, and Diumal.

“Girl’s day out today?” chuckled Fordro.

“Yep, got a whole day planned at the Succulent Tail spa,” answered Samuje.

“You girls have fun, then,” wished Fordro. “We’ve all handled matters of state today, so Papa Vorko, Lord Endrek, Skalomel, and I are going to spend the rest of the day in the Southern Courtyard.”

“See you tonight, Papa!” bid Samuje as she swam out.

---

The Endeavor was cleared to land at Docking Bay 2 and the landing ramp was lowered. After the land-dwellers had cast various spells to compensate for lower light and being able to breathe and move in water effectively, Arsha, Denstra, Dalengor, and Marshii swam into the city, escorted by guards as a few citizens glared at them. “Sheesh, feel the love here,” muttered Denstra.

“Samuje was one of the people’s favorites of the Caldora Princesses,” explained Arsha.

“Ah,” realized Denstra. They soon arrived at the police station and met with Chief Inspector Tanshwar. They shook his hand before sitting in his office.

“I have to say, this whole thing baffles me,” he muttered as he fiddled with a shell on his desk. “We’ve been turning up absolutely nothing in terms of clues.”

“That’s certainly troubling,” remarked Dalengor.

“You think there might be wounded?” asked Marshii.

“Or worse,” replied Tanshwar. “I don’t want to have to tell someone’s mother that…” He was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Now, see, I KNOW I told Jenshee that I was busy with you guys!” The door was flung open as a Merman angrily swam in.

“Chief Inspector Tanshwar, I demand a word!” he shouted.

“Captain Royana, may I present Mr. Gol. D. Iggir, head of the Kurontar Citizens’ League,” Tanshwar introduced. “Mr. Iggir, what, pray tell, are you doing here?”

“Have you seen the news?!” barked Mr. Iggir. He presented a data pad displaying the headline of the featured news article.

“‘Mysterious Kidnappings Panic Kingdom’,” Tanshwar read aloud. “‘Police Shakeup as Serial Kidnapper Strikes Again’.”

“There you are!” snapped Mr. Iggir. “There it is, in written words! This kidnapper’s making a clownfish out of the police department! Now, look here, Inspector, you’ve GOT to catch that kidnapper!”

“Just a minute, Mr. Iggir,” soothed Tanshwar, “we’re doing the best we can. In fact, with Realmfleet’s help, we’ll catch them as soon as possible!”

“Realmfleet, BAH!” scoffed Mr. Iggir. “Look here, this kidnapper MUST be caught! If you can’t catch them, as head of the Kurontar Citizens’ League, I’m gonna have to demand your resignation! I don’t want to make you any trouble, my friend, but this thing’s gone far enough! In fact, it’s gone TOO far and something’s gotta be done!”

“Mr. Iggir, if you would please give me a chance!” snapped Tanshwar. “We’re doing what we can with the resources we have! After all, police officers can only do so much! You know how the news builds these things up!”

“Builds things up?!” repeated Mr. Iggir. “I had six calls yesterday! Six calls from irate citizens, demanding action! I refuse to be the lobster!”

“Come on, Mr. Iggir!” protested Tanshwar. “Nobody’s asking you to be the lobster! We’ll catch this kidnapper!”

“You’re supposed to have an efficient police department!” snapped Mr. Iggir. “Yet, you can’t catch a third-rate hoodlum who seems to be Depths-bent on making mothers cry in worry and fear that they’ll never see their kids again! This is your last chance! Good day!”

“Mr. Iggir, let’s understand each other!” called Tanshwar. Mr. Iggir wasn’t in an understanding mood as he angrily swam out of the office and slammed the door. Tanshwar was trying to keep a lid on his temper in front of Arsha and her party.

“Mr. Iggir sure sounds pleasant,” muttered Denstra.

“That man’s been hounding the police department for too long,” explained Tanshwar. “He can’t seem to understand that investigations like this require an uninterrupted investigation. The Kurontar Citizens’ League and the police used to work together, yet nowadays, we’re always at odds! I COULD demand his resignation, but he hasn’t done anything to warrant such a demand.”

“I don’t want to even remotely sound like him,” interjected Arsha, “but are you absolutely sure there AREN’T any clues?”

“Just two audio files that we couldn’t decode at all,” answered Tanshwar.

“May we see them?” asked Denstra.

“Knock yourself out,” replied Tanshwar. He activated his intercom. “Jenshee, could you send up the two audio files?”

“You got it, Sir,” confirmed a woman’s voice.

“Thank you,” bid Tanshwar. He explained more of the case to Arsha’s party as they waited, revealing when this all started, who got kidnapped, the lack of any ransom notes, and who recommended that Realmfleet got involved.

“Samuje? Really?” asked Arsha. “I thought she wanted nothing to do with us anymore.”

“She’s trying to snap herself out of her trauma,” explained Tanshwar, “according to official sources.”

“That’s dangerous,” remarked Marshii. “It could fracture her mind even more. Thengo and I will need to see her.” A middle-aged Mermaid then entered the office with two data crystals.

“Perfect,” praised Tanshwar. “Thank you, Jenshee.” Jenshee nodded before swimming out of the office. “Each crystal contains one of the two audio files we can’t decode. I hope your crew can make heads or tails of it.”

“Shalvey is a master of communications,” answered Arsha. “We’ll get them decoded or die trying.”

“And I’m going to the Caldoras’ castle with Thengo to make a house call for Samuje,” declared Marshii.

“Please do what you can to help us,” pleaded Tanshwar. “As Mr. Iggir mentioned, mothers are too afraid to let their children out and are scared they won’t see them again.”

“We WILL fix this, I promise,” assured Arsha.