Chapter 1: Enemy In Sight
Captain’s Cabin
Lieutenant Devareaux was awakened in his cabin by the ringing of the bell next to his bunk. He sat up too quickly and slammed his head on the low bulkhead above his cot. His profanity drowned out the ringing of the bell as he grabbed his injured head and rolled off of the bed and onto the floor. His knees impacted hard on the wooden deck, sending needles of pain lancing up through his body to ensure that he was awake. His head snapped up as the hose for his rebreather mask was caught on one of the posts of his bunk. With a practiced slap of his hand he freed the extra long tube from his bed.
Devareaux grabbed the corner of the desk and used it to lever himself upright. Turning to his small vanity, he looked at himself in the mirror. His dark brown hair was as disheveled as his brown eyes were bloodshot and his tongue felt like it was wearing a wool coat. Moving to one of the few luxuries of his command cabin, Devareaux grabbed the speaking tube of the repeater station.
Observation Deck
The harsh voice that rang out over the repeater tube was not using standard procedures.
“What!” From the observation deck at the top of the airship, Octavius and Bosun Hargrave looked at one another and grinned through their respirators. Willard ‘Willy’ Sykes, the midshipman of the watch, cleared his throat to remind them of their duties. Sykes began his report.
“Sir, I believe we have spotted the German convoy. We have observed multiple columns of smoke from their surface fleet, and we have spotted three of their airships. The surface fleet has spotlighted them to allow us to determine that two are the large Dessauer class capital ships and one of their lighter City class airships. What are your orders, sir?”
On the observation deck, the midshipman toggled the tube to wait for his senior officer's reply. He placed the goggles of his respirator up to the telescope mount and scanned the horizon looking for any other surprises.
The grumpy voice of their commanding officer came through over the repeater tube, “Well, crap. I'll be right up.” The Middy's eyes widened as did those of Octavius and Hargrave when they heard the terse reply bubbled from the repeater. It always seemed that moisture gathered in the tubes giving everyone the sound of someone drowning.
Their new captain was full of surprises. Since he took command of the CSS Appomattox, Lieutenant Thomas Sumter Devareaux had run the crew ragged. He was not a by the book officer, yet he drilled the crew constantly. He had kept the ship for the past week at the highest maximum altitude for an airship of their class. He kept the boilers running and fired the weapons at least once a day. The crew had to work, sleep and live in their respirators. Only the captain's cabin was pressurized. Yet rather than rule from the thin comfort of his cabin, the captain constantly moved about the ship.
It was only three minutes before they heard the banging below their feet. Bosun Hargrave opened the hatch to let the Captain in. Upon pulling himself up through the entryway, Devareaux hurriedly plugged in his respirator tube into the spare outlet. He audibly sucked in a deep breath of the stale but oxygen rich air. He moved to the telescope and Midshipman Sykes stepped aside. All four men were bundled in heavy coats and fur hats. The captain peered through the telescope toward the horizon. After a minute he turned and affectionately slapped the midshipman's shoulder.
“You found them, Willy. The weekend pass is yours. Now let's see what kind of damage we can do.” Plugging the speaking tube into the all-ship connection, he shouted out his orders.
“Now hear this. All crew, battle stations. This is not a drill. Set the helm five degrees port and full military power. Gun crews, we are over one thousand feet above the enemy. We will make a single pass over them and turn for home. Commence firing as soon as you have a reasonable target. That is all.” Grinning, Devareaux pointed to the gunner’s mate.
“Octavius, you won't have much to do. We are too high to get a decent shot with your Gatling. Keep your eyes peeled. You see an opportunity, take it. Just don't shoot the Appy. Got it?” Without giving the gunner time to respond, he turned his attentions to the middy.
“Willy, keep a sharp eye out for any tricky stuff from those Huns. The damn Germans are ten times more devious than the Yankees.” With that, he unplugged and disappeared back down the hatch. The three men shared a look between each other that was in awe of the captain's daring. He had guessed right. They were above the enemy.
CSS Appomattox Description:
“Deserves an “A” for thinking outside the box,” James F Walroth.
In the middle of the ocean.The enemy closing in. What can airship commander, Thomas Devareaux, do?
Over the Atlantic, the crew of the CSS Appomattox is going to war in defense of their new allies, the Empire of Spain. Captain Devareaux and his crew are part of a token naval force assigned to defend Puerto Rico and stand against the threat of an expansionist German empire and its ally, the United States.
The crew of the Appomattox not only has to battle the German military, they must also fight forces from within. Devareaux and his crew were recruited by the Signals Bureau (the Confederate Secret Service) to combat enemies overt, and covert.
The action unfolds in the skies, and on land, above the Caribbean, as Devareaux leads his landing party of marines to support guerrillas fighting in the hills of occupied eastern Puerto Rico.
The CSS Appomattox is a work of alternative history. The action takes place in the air, over sea, and on land, as our heroes battle to defend their country.
The CSS Appomattox is the first book in the Thomas Devareaux series.
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