“Why don’t you stop playing games and tell us what’s on your mind?” said Finn.
“I’m disappointed that you have not deduced it,” Drakov said. “Where is your imagination? I am in command of an underwater, mobile,
virtually undetectable strategic missile base. What use might I make of it?”
“If you believe you can get away with international blackmail, Drakov, you’re madder than I thought,” said Finn. Shiro started to rise, but Drakov quickly motioned him back down.
“Please, Mr. Delaney,” he said, “Shiro is quite sensitive about the manner in which I am addressed. I would advise you not to provoke him. You would be no match for him. As for your suggestion, I thought you would give me credit for more imagination than that. In point of fact, I could easily get away with international blackmail, though I-but no. I will let you contemplate it further. It amuses me. At any rate, you will all know soon enough. For now, you may prepare to leave the Nautilus for a short time. We can hardly put into Barataria in a nuclear submarine. For that purpose, we require another type of ship.”
“Barataria?” said Land. “The name rings a bell. Where have I heard it before?”
“It should be well familiar to a seaman, Mr. Land,” said Drakov, “even one such as yourself, who has worked out of New England and Canada. You will have heard stories of Barataria, perhaps during your boyhood. There are several places we visit for recreation and Barataria Bay is one of them, a particular favorite with my men. In the year 1807, Barataria came into prominence as an island smuggling base. It is located at the mouth of a bay in the bayou country at the gulf near New Orleans. In many ways, Barataria was a tiny nation unto itself, a haven for pirates and smugglers where the law did not reach, at least for many years. The man who ruled this pirate island is one you will undoubtedly have heard of. He was one of the last freebooters, a legendary figure among corsairs. His name was Captain Jean Lafitte.”
8
Benedetto came to their cabin after transition was completed and announced they were surfacing. “The captain requests the pleasure of your company on deck,” he said, with a mock bow.
“Have we got a choice?” said Finn.
Benedetto grinned and stood aside, holding the door open for them. They climbed up through the hatchway and stepped onto the outer deck of the Nautilus, into the open air for the first time since they came aboard. The warm wind was the first thing they noticed. The second thing was a sight which brought them up short. Several hundred yards away, sailing toward them, was a long, clipper-bowed schooner with tall masts and a sleek, low hull. It was a lovely ship with graceful lines, its wooden hull painted white. As it came about, its sails luffing, its crew prepared to bring her alongside.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” said Drakov. “My prize possession, the Valkyrie. Everything I learned in my youth as a ship’s captain in the Pribilofs, I used in building her. We shall be going aboard while the Nautilus submerges and awaits our return.”
“Who’s sailing her?” said Lucas.
“And where did she come from?” said Drakov, smiling. “Isn’t that what you really want to know? For now, I will tell you only that she is a time ship, like the Nautilus. Mr. Mar tingale has arranged for her arrival at these temporal coordinates. We are now in the Gulf of Mexico, in the year 1812. As to where she came from, as you have surmised, I have a base of operations where she is berthed when I am not using her. You will forgive me if I do not tell you where or when it is located. You will see it for yourself before very long. Then you will be able to fully appreciate the extent of my resources. The Valkyrie’s crew are people I have carefully selected, from various nations and time periods. I have created my organization in the mold of the Timekeepers, only I have made it a great deal more clandestine and efficient. We are all united in one cause. Temporal corsairs or, as you would put it, time pirates.” He grinned. “Thus far, Mr. Priest, you have seen only the tip of the iceberg. I want you to see it all.”
“We’re to be your messengers, is that it?” Finn said. “That’s why you’ve been flexing your muscles for us. We’re supposed to be suitably impressed, so we can tell Forrester how formidable you are when you send us back to him with your demands, right?”
“Rather crudely phrased,” said Drakov, “but you’re quite correct. I want my father to have a clear understanding of my strength, of what I have accomplished. A father should be proud of his son.”
“You expect him to buckle under?” Finn said.
Drakov chuckled. “If the choice were his, I am certain he would not, regardless of the cost. But the choice is not his. Is it?”
The Valkyrie came alongside and lines were tossed to the men aboard the Nautilus. The crew of the submarine secured the lines to cleats built into the deck. The exchange of crews began. Several of the men sailing the Valkyrie remained on board. Drakov explained they would stand watch upon the ship while the crew of the submarine enjoyed their liberty among the smugglers and corsairs of Barataria. The rest of the Valkyrie’s crew boarded the submarine. They were a colorful group, dressed according to period in loose-fitting cotton shirts, leather vests, sea boots and striped breeches. They were Blacks and Asians, Europeans, Scandinavians, Hispanics, a melting pot of nationalities and races, all rough-looking, all in excellent physical condition. They moved quickly, with military precision.
“This is looking worse and worse,” Finn said to Lucas.
Lucas nodded. If, as Drakov boasted, they had only seen the tip of the iceberg, then it was already more than they could handle. They needed help badly, only there was no way to summon help. Even if they could, by the time it arrived, Drakov would be long gone, to another century. Drakov knew there was nothing they could do and his confidence was galling.
“You will, of course, accompany us,” said Drakov. “I would hate to be deprived of your company. Besides, I think you’ll find Lafitte a fascinating man.”
“He was a pretty fascinating child,” Finn said.
Drakov looked at him with surprise. “You encountered Jean Lafitte as a child? How?”
“It was during an adjustment mission in Paris,” Lucas said. “He was only about twelve years old at the time.”
“How extraordinary!” said Drakov. “This could prove to be a problem if he remembers you.”
“He shouldn’t,” Finn said. “He became involved in our adjustment mission and it was necessary to condition him to forget his part in it.”
“Then there should be no problem,” Drakov said. “I will be very interested in discussing this with you later. Jean must indeed have been a fascinating young man.”
“That’s an understatement if I ever heard one,” Finn said. “He was scary enough as a kid. I can imagine what he must be like as an adult.”
They went aboard the Valkyrie, where a change in clothing was awaiting them below decks. The crew of the Nautilus had already changed into period costume prior to boarding, so they had the privacy of one of the cabins to themselves. Drakov took Verne to his own stateroom to share a glass of port. He seemed especially anxious to please the author, no doubt to ingratiate himself with his future biographer.