A Steampunk Short Story
“We are outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and outclassed!” Stephen Mallory slammed the table with a white-knuckled fist. “The North commands six ships to every one of ours. If we do not build more, with heavier guns, we will never break the blockade!”
President Davis lowered his eyes and chuckled. “I would give you the money, sir, if you would kindly tell me where to find it. Shall I tax old men whose farms are burning? Or mothers still mourning at their sons’ graves? As it is, most southerners have already spent the gold in their teeth.”
President Jefferson Davis and Virginia Governor John Letcher had gathered a collection of military leaders at the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond to discuss the future of the fledgling nation’s fight to free itself from the north. In addition to Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory, there were a number of scientists and engineers.
Near the back of the room, a man in a rust red coat stood and slipped his fingers into his suspenders. He was a head taller than anyone else in the room, his size further exaggerated by a stovepipe hat. His chin sported a goatee shaped like an Indian arrowhead. “Gentlemen, I do believe I can be of service. For those of you who are unaware, I am Wesley Chase, former college professor, current inventor, and lately, the Confederacy’s finest privateer. I have already written to Governor Letcher about my idea, and he has expressed some interest.”
Mallory gestured for the maid to bring a fresh pitcher of water. “How many ships do you have under your command, Mr. Chase?”
“Only one, sir.”
Mallory laughed. “One? This must be a hell of a ship! Well, after the pirate saves our navy, perhaps we can fill our cavalry with horse thieves!”
“Quiet! Quiet!” Letcher growled. “A privateer he may be, but this young man is the son of my secretary. He practically grew up in my home. I know he will prove himself useful.”
“As I was about to explain,” Chase said, “I have made a startling scientific discovery that may prove useful. I have already used it to capture several merchant vessels. You are probably unaware of the fabulous nature of my exploits, due to their far-flung locale. The Union Navy has been watching over the Atlantic trade routes, even offering escorts to the ships carrying the most expensive cargo. And so, I traveled where the Union would never follow me: the waters of Antarctica.”
Chase strolled to the front of the room, the sound of his heavy boots filling the space. “My ship is equipped with a remarkable device of my own invention: a steam-powered pump capable of creating a fountain of liquid fire. I simply set a merchant ship’s sails alight, and its crew quickly hurls the burning cloth into the sea, to avoid the rest of the ship being set ablaze. Once they see my mighty flame gun, their terror compels them to surrender their cargo. However, being a humble man, I must confess that my ingenious invention is not quite so useful against the Union navy. It can burn sails, but it cannot repel cannon fire. But fortune smiled upon me in the waters of Antarctica, where I discovered a new weapon, one that I would be willing to lend to your aid — for a price. ”
Mallory snorted. “For a price? The pirate would blackmail us!”
Chase took off his hat and held it against his heart. “All I require is a modest home for me, and my bride… and my own private island.”
Hampton Roads was a dangerous place. Union forces controlled the entrance to the harbor, and the land to the north. Confederate ships were free to sail along the southern edge of the water, but nothing was allowed to enter or leave. The Union blockade had cut off Virginia from the world, and local merchants were suffering terribly from their inability to trade.
The Gosport Shipyard was in Portsmouth, the south side of Hampton Roads, friendly territory, and an eight-hour carriage ride from the Governor’s mansion. Despite Mallory’s insistence, Chase refused to reveal a single detail of his plan until they were on board his ship. “My apologies, Mr. Secretary,” he explained, “but this weapon I have discovered is so incredible that my tongue struggles to find adequate words to describe it. More importantly, I find that the ears are quite incredulous, but the eyes are more easily convinced.”
The Archimedes was a clipper ship, two hundred fifty feet long, with a small, iron cannon mounted on the deck near the prow. A thick, rubber hose ran from the back of the cannon and snaked across the deck to a large, silver steam pump. This must have been the flame gun. The sails and body of the ship were flat black, as if they were painted with tar.
As they stood at the peer, Chase gestured up at the masts. “I painted the Archimedes with a fireproofing agent of my own invention. No one will be burning my sails.”
“You must have been here quite awhile,” Mallory observed. “No ship this large would have slipped past the blockade unnoticed.”
“I was in South Carolina last April, auctioning half a ton of seal pelts, when that bastard Lincoln gave the order for the blockade. I narrowly escaped before the Union ships arrived. I traveled north to Virginia, where I thought I would be safe. A week later, while I was still restocking my supplies, Virginia voted to secede, and they were blockaded as well.”
Mallory laughed. Clearly, privateers were liars as well as thieves. “What an almighty force this secret weapon this must be! You’ve been trapped here for almost a year, and you have yet to free yourself!”
“Alas, my machinery required some repairs, and I lacked the funds to complete them. I was without even the money to pay my crew, and they deserted. Most of my funds were expended just keeping the creatures alive.”
“‘Creatures’?”
“Come aboard and I’ll show you.”
Walking across the deck, they climbed the ladder down to the cargo hold. The hold was empty, save for three wooden crates filled with coils of wire and lumps of machinery. Chase pushed one of the crates aside, reveiling a small trap door. “The compartment below is flooded. It is entirely safe to climb down the ladder half way, but do not touch the water.”
“What’s down –”
“Go.”
Mallory pulled open the trap door and gingerly stepped down the ladder. There was just enough light to make out three vast shapes circling in the water below. He took another step down, and then another, but it was still too dark to discern any details. He descended until the waters lapped at his feet. One of the shapes stopped, turned, and swam under him. Something darted out of the water and reached for him — an immense, headless snake.
Mallory scrambled up the ladder and slammed the trap door. He started to push the crate back over the door, but Chase grabbed his shoulder. “I see you’ve met my monsters.”
“I had tracked a sealing vessel to the Weddell Sea off the Antarctic Peninsula. For the next two days, I observed the seal hunters through a spyglass as they went about their work. They were dangerously low on supplies, so they were attempting to fill their hull with pelts before they ran out of food. They worked faster and faster, and eventually even stopped taking the time to make sure the seals were dead before they skinned them.”
“Simply inhuman cruelty,” Mallory said.
“As soon as they loaded their cargo,” Chase continued, “I swooped down upon them, burning their sails and capturing their ship. I locked the sealers in the cargo hold and had my crew rig a new sail. While I waited, I idly searched the sea with my spyglass. I observed a school of cod near the surface of the water. As I watched, something darted out and dragged a fish into the darkness of the deep. Curious, I bid the crew to raise anchor and move forward. As we drew closer, I saw the thing snatch another fish. A long, tawny arm slithered out of the water, and wrapped itself around a cod. The arm was studded with large suckers. This was a genuine sea monster — the legendary colossal squid!”
“Those beasts below decks are squids? But they’re enormous!”
“Indeed they are.” Chase slipped his thumbs into his suspenders. “Quite challenging to catch.”
“And you use such creatures as weapons? How can they be controlled?”
“Electric current transmitted through a thousand feet of insulated wire. It’s a variation of the electric spurs I originally developed for controlling horses. They could take an unruly stallion and tame him in an instant! Alas, I was banned from selling the device after a man in Georgia claimed his pony’s heart burst. I refused to accept any blame. Like ordinary, metal spurs, the device can be used gently and kindly, or with great cruelty and wickedness.”
“And you can get these sea monsters to break the Union blockade?”
“Indeed I can. As long as Governor Letcher pays the price.”
The next morning, the Archimedes was bringing up the rear of a small flotilla, trailing four other Confederate ships. Archimedes had its flame gun, and the three steam tugs, the Beaufort, the Raleigh, and the Teaser, had one small canon each. Their only heavily-armed ship was the Patrick Henry, a side-wheel steamer with ten canons.
The flotilla left the Gosport Shipyard and headed up the Elizabeth River, an estuary that connected to the main body of the harbor at Hampton Roads. The Elizabeth River was friendly territory, as the mouth of the river was protected by a battery of Confederate cannons on Craney Island. Once they passed the island, however, they were in sight of the shore of Newport News to to the north, and the Union fleet.
The Union fleet was headed by the sailing frigate Cumberland and the steamship Cambridge. The Cambridge was far longer, but the Cumberland had nearly twice the armament. Neither ship appeared ready for war. They both had their portholes closed and the sailors’ washing hanging from the rigging to dry.
Mallory peered through his thick, brass spyglass. “By my count, the enemy ships and batteries on the shore add up to three hundred guns — three hundred to our fourteen. Do you really think those creatures are a match for all these weapons?”
“I would not be here if I believed otherwise,” Chase said.
“That is what I fail to understand. Why are you here? You were out of reach of this war. You could have traveled to South America, Europe, anywhere.”
“No, sir, the universe itself compelled me to return to Virginia. A living poem named Violet has my heart in chains, and I cannot escape without her. I will fight in Lincoln’s war, if I am rewarded with a home for me, and my bride, and an island home. Violet and I must escape from those who think they know how other folks ought to live.”
“Why, once our victory is complete, any place in the south should meet your needs!”
“Any place where we can be alone.” Chase considered his options. “Now, I reckon the Cumberland represents the greatest danger. Signal the other ships that she shall be our first target.” Mallory produced a small mirror and, holding it aloft, flashed the coded orders.
Down below decks, the creatures were floating languidly in their flooded compartment. Chase pulled a lever, ejecting them into the waters of Hampton Roads. Had they possessed much larger brains, they might have been confused. This new place was far from their natural habitat. The water was far too shallow, and much, much too warm.
Throwing a switch by the captain’s wheel, Chase sent an electric shock down the cables to the animals in the water. After a year of long training sessions, the animals knew that the only way to make the pain stop was to obey.
As the Confederate ships drew closer, the Union blockade came to life. The washing was hauled down from the rigging and the ship extended its guns like a porcupine bristling with quills. Chase’s cables pushed the squids forward. The men aboard the Cumberland were amazed — the Archimedes was only a few hundred feet away, but they still had not fired. What were the rebels waiting for?
As the men waited and wondered, something like a gigantic, headless snake rose out of the water. It darted for the deck and wrapped itself around the main mast. As the wood cracked, the men struggled not to panic long enough to load their muskets. The sail fell, a flash of white, and half a dozen men vanished into the water.
A second squid swam under the Cumberland, and the pair wrapped themselves around the ship. They shook the vessel like the hand of Poseidon. The remaining sailors attempted to fire their muskets, but they couldn’t stand still long enough to aim.
As the ship began to crack, another vessel appeared on the horizon. Its long, flat deck barely extended above the water. The deck’s only feature was a round turret in its center. While the other Union ships had a dozen guns or more, this new ship just had two, twin cannons like the trunks of silver oaks. The hull had the glint of cold steel.
Mallory grabbed Chase’s shoulder. “What the bloody hell is that thing?”
“It appears that we are not the only ones with a secret weapon. The Union navy has constructed a ship covered in armor plate. How clever.” Indeed, it was a clever design. The ship’s low hull made it a difficult target for canons, but even small waves washed over the deck.
The Patrick Henry fired its guns on the new vessel, but its shot bounced off the armor plate harmlessly like hail off a tin roof. The Beaufort, the Raleigh, and the Teaser fired upon it, but also to no effect. The new ship did not condescend to return fire. Instead, its turret revolved until its guns were pointed squarely at the Archimedes.
Chase leaped for the controls to the electric reins. He threw a series of switches, sending painful shocks down the wire to the beasts in the water. While two of the squids continued wrestling the Cumberland, he pushed the third to attack the steel ship.
The Union secret weapon was not so easy to rock as the Cumberland. The heavy hull hardly moved as the squid’s limbs lashed against it. The monster’s body was too low in the water for the ship’s guns to reach, and its tentacles were far too fast to hit. The turret spun left, right, back and forth, but it simply was not designed to fight a moving target. Finally, the gunners’ desperation made them reckless. They fired the twin cannons. The shot flew over the squid, and headed for the Cumberland.
The shot punched through the side of the Cumberland, sending shrapnel flying. One of the squids retreated, a jagged, wooden shard in the center of its gigantic eye. The second squid reached into the hole in the ship’s side, snatching a sailor and dragging him out by his ankles. The squid’s beak tore him in half. The monster reached back into the hole for a second helping, as the ship began to take on water. The sailors inside impaled the beast with their bayonets, pinning its tentacles to the floor. As the ship slid into the sea, it dragged the squid to the bottom with it.
The steamship Cambridge moved forward, attempting to trap the Archimedes between itself and the armored Union ship. Chase pulled the now one-eyed squid back, into the path of the Cambridge. The squid grasped a log floating in the water and thrust it into the ship’s screw-shaped propeller. The propeller jammed, the twisted metal bending against the log. Finally, the wood snapped, but the propeller was so warped that the ship was stuck spinning in circles.
The cyclopean squid grasped the bottom of the Cambridge as it passed overhead, and reached up to the top of the deck. It wrapped a pair of tentacles around the steamship’s smokestack, twisting it and bending it in half. The engine room filled with smoke, and the choking sailors were forced to shut down the boiler.
A sailor on the deck of the Cambridge produced a spear gun and fired at the monster. The spear missed the squid’s head but severed the electric cable connected to its harness. The cable fell onto the water-soaked deck, and the men on board fell silent. The reek of charred flesh filled the salty air. Freed from the Archimedes and Chase’s control panel, the squid retreated into the water and away from the thunder of battle.
The remaining squid was continuing its struggle with the steel Union ship. The gunners were still fighting to aim the turret but, at last, one of the sailors found a rifle. He stood on the deck and aimed carefully, but his bullet only succeeded in blasting off one of the beast’s tentacles. The squid screamed. It plucked the gunman from the deck and snapped his neck with its beak.
The squid tossed the gunman’s body into the water. It reached into the view slits in the turret and its tentacles found the gunners’ throats. Even as he was being strangled, one of the men managed to draw his pistol and fire into the flesh wrapped around his neck. Startled, the squid withdrew.
The monster jetted to the Cambridge, which was still dead in the water. It grasped the ship and dragged it across the harbor, faster, faster, faster. The remaining sailors on the armored Union ship scrambled, but the heavy, steel vessel could not move in time. For a dreadful moment, the captain considered giving the order to fire, but it was too late — the Cambridge collided with the Union ship, sliding up on top of its deck.
The heavy steamship pushed the already overweight Union ship down, and the water crested over its armored deck. The sailors rushed to the top of the turret, the highest point on the ship.
On board the Archimedes, Mallory slapped Chase on the back. “My boy, you’ve done it! Now, do we demand their surrender, or watch them drown?”
Mallory laughed. “Why, I can’t decide. I say first one, and then the other.”
Chase trudged into the governor’s mansion, the smell of the sea sweeping in with him. The carriage ride had been far too rough to sleep. Servants attempted to take his coat and hat, but he slipped through their fingers like a handful of sand. President Davis was waiting for him in the dining hall, along with Governor Letcher and the usual collection of advisors and military brass.
Chase tipped his hat, and tried to hide his exhaustion. “I have done as I promised, gentlemen.”
Letcher nodded. “And you shall have your reward: a private island, a house, and your bride.” He gestured to his aids. The two men stepped into the next room and returned with the deed, and an African woman in a simple, denim dress. When the woman saw Chase, she burst into tears.
“Wesley Chase,” she said sweetly. “Even when they told me, I never thought I would see your face again. When you left, the sky cracked in two, and it’s been pouring rain ever since. This is the first moment I’ve seen the sun in years.”
“Will you marry me?”
“And today, the President of the Confederacy himself says I’m to leave Richmond, and go anywhere I please! And it’s all because of you!”
“Violet, will you marry me?”
“Wesley, where you been all this time?”
“Violet!”
“Yes,” she laughed. “A thousand times, yes!”
Chase rushed forward and lifted her into his arms, throwing her over his shoulder. He carried her past the shocked servants and out the front door. His carriage took them to the Archimedes. The ship carried them away from a world of governments, war, chains, and death.
They named their island “Freedom”.
“The situation is dire, sir.” General Robert E. Lee held his hat in his hands and sighed. “Governor, I have lost nearly 1,500 men, and the Union troops are regrouping. The surviving men are afraid to face General Porter again.”
“Don’t you worry your pretty, little head, General,” Governor Letcher laughed. “I believe you are aware of a man called Wesley Chase.”
“The privateer? What help would he be on land?”
“One week ago, Chase sent me a rather fascinating letter. It appears that it did not take him long to grow bored of home life, as he has already returned to Antarctica. He was exploring frozen wasteland, and discovered something sealed in the ice: a gigantic reptile called a ‘Tyrant Lizard’…”
