The two dogs with the rifles fired their RPG’s at the same time. They immediately proved their lack of skill with them, as one completely missed while the other did not hit the ship square, glancing off the top of the cabin block before detonating, fortunately missing the chicken coop and the weapons emplacement.

“Use the smaller grenades, not the big rockets, you morons!” the dog with the bullhorn screamed at the others. The dog with the cart dug out two smaller baseball-sized green spheres with stems.

Before the two rifle dogs could reload, Howard answered the question he posed earlier. “GET STUFFED!” he shouted into the mic as he triggered a three-round burst from the grenade launcher. The shout got the dog's attention. They watched the grenades arc up, then down to detonate one, two, three not thirty feet from them. The concussions bowled them all over, weapons flying away from them.

Howard didn’t hesitate. Over crystals, he ordered Aaron to go up to the rooftop gun placement, Jim and Lucien to go outside aft and immobilize/anesthetize the dogs, and Ruth to take a pistol from the armory and go out forward to cover.

Aaron got into the gun emplacement and swung the fifty-cal M2 over and down to point at the dogs as Howard got back on the microphone. “Now, fellows and gals, we have us a job to do farther upriver. If His Majesty the King wants to have a conference on our way back down river, we’ll be plum tickled to chat with him. Queen Marie Laveau would be right displeased if you damage her ship. Topside, keep them covered until we get out of range. Later, all!” he said as he mentally gave Arnie the order to open the north doors to the lock. Once they were through, the lock party was hurriedly brought aboard and the ship made best speed north.

Howard ordered all hooves and paws to a meeting in the Lounge, leaving Carroll and Esther in Control and Paige as Lookout. Once there, Lucien reported that he hit the dogs with a sleep spell while Jim moved the cart to the lock, dumping the grenades into the water.

“That’s from behind, but we’re not clear yet. Who knows what this ‘King of Keokuk’ has at his disposal? Here’s my tentative plans.

“We will remain at battle stations until we get to Nauvoo, Illinois. That’s about ten miles from here. There, we’ll remain alert for a day, keeping a watch out from all sides. Stephanie, I want you and Becky to get on the computers. I want you to send a preliminary report to the WSU in Rotterdam as to what just happened. Next, I need all contact information with the folk in Davenport. I was going to do that later, but now we’ll need to find out what they know about this ‘King of Keokuk’. Cicely, Ruth, I want one of you on watch at all times on the stern deck, watching. This is a barge, not a warship. We’re not fast, but we are armed. If they come after us, we need warning. You two are the stern warning system. Trade off if you want.

“We should be in Nauvoo within two hours. Once there, hopefully I’ll have some better information. If I have not mentioned you, normal routine until things change. Dismissed.” Howard concluded before going to the coffee bar for a mug. The two girls went right to the main shipboard computer, which is in one corner of the Lounge. Most everyone had laptops, tablets and whatnot, but the main one had the best outside links. Cicely and Ruth went aft, as did the engineering team. After pouring not one, but three mugs, he put them on a tray and went to the bridge.

Howard barely had time to pass out the coffee mugs when Paige reported in via crystal. “Captain, I see a motorboat pulling out from a pier ahead. One being aboard, a pony. Not a pegasus. It’s steering for us. Orders?”

Howard picked up the bridge binoculars and scanned the river ahead. A small recreational motor boat was heading for the ship, a pony driving, closing distance, a small rooster tail forming behind the motor boat as the driver applied power. “Esther, activate forward gun mount and train weapons on the incoming target. Weapons cold, but looking that way.”

“On it, Captain,” Esther said as she manned the weapons control station. She powered up the cameras and guns, aiming the M2 and grenade launchers at the boat, which quickly closed the gap.

When the boat was about a hundred yards off, Howard picked up the loudspeaker mic. “Okay, you, cut power! Let us come to you! You are in our weapons sights and right now, we’re not very happy!” he said firmly.

The boat driver (a unicorn, as it turned out), immediately cut power, letting the motor boat drift. The driver waved some, apparently miming wanting to tie up alongside. “Paige, see what the driver wants,” Howard ordered.

“On it, Cap!” Paige replied, swooping down to the motor boat.

“Request permission to come aboard!” shouted the driver once Paige was within shouting distance.

“Permission granted! Do you have something to tie up with?” Paige shouted back, relaying from the Captain.

“Yeah!” the unicorn replied as its horn lit up with an orange glow. A rope that was lying on the bottom of the boat lifted up as it was smoothly brought alongside, then it snaked its way through a ring on the small boat and around a stanchion on the bigger barge, knotting itself firmly. Once that chore was done, the unicorn shut the small boat’s motor off and scrambled aboard the Voyager.

“Hi! I’m Marian Atherton, electrical engineer out of Bettendorf, Iowa. Thanks for getting me out of there!” the yellow and white unicorn with a dull orange mane and tail and bright orange horn said. “That King can be crazy!”

Paige landed carefully on the deck. “I’m Paige Olsen, from Davenport. Captain Crane will want to speak with you. Care for some coffee?”

“I won’t say no to that! Let’s get inside!” Marian agreed, following Paige into the Lounge.

Inside, Paige and Marian were met by Jason, who was carrying a tray with two mugs, one with Paige’s preferred tea and one of coffee. Marian took the coffee and sipped. Her eyes widened at the taste- it was hot, good and the way she liked it. “How did he know?” Marian wondered as Paige led her to a table, where some small pastries waited on a plate.

“Just roll with it. I’ve been aboard since Saint Louis, and it’s just the way he is. I’m glad for it,” Paige said in dry tones as she sat down.

“We have a couple of good cooks at the Arsenal, but nobody inspired. We tend to take turns, but those of us with essential infrastructure tasks are exempt. Myself and two others keep the power going,” Marian explained as she took a seat.

“Just how many ponies are at the Quad Cities, Miz Atherton?” Captain Crane asked, coming up to the table and sitting down across from Paige and Marian. “I’m Howard Crane, Captain of the Mississippi Voyager.”

“Thirty-seven when I was last there, and how did you know my name?” Marian asked, startled.

Both Howard and Paige tapped the gems around their necks, his a diamond, hers a sapphire. “These allow us to communicate telepathically, Miz Atherton. I was also watching as Miz Olsen rendezvoused with you. Just what were you doing in the motorboat, if I may ask?” Howard asked casually.

“Getting the hell out of Keokuk!” Marian shouted. “That King is a dangerous freak of nature! He lied to the Mayor to get me down there to get the power plant working and would not let me go! I’ve been there since the end of January!”

“Dangerous freak of nature? What do you mean by that?” Howard asked.

“He’s a creature that is a split personality writ large. When calm, he’s nice, polite and charming. When mad, things around him burn. His army is a bunch of thuggish mutts, and most of the rest are just too scared of the King to do anything other than their assigned jobs!” Marian said, allowing herself to rant some about the conditions in Keokuk.

Howard sipped from his coffee. “Just how many thuggish mutts are in the King’s army?” he asked.

“Five. One is his bodyguard, and the other four handle threats. When the four went after you, I made tracks to the yacht club and stole a boat to meet you. I was supposed to go back to Davenport at the end of February, but I was held prisoner!” Marian ranted.

“How did you get to Keokuk?” Paige asked.

“The King came up to Davenport when he heard we had electric capability restored, and asked for someone to come down and restart theirs. I drew the high card, so I went down with the King and his crew. It was only supposed to be a month, but he refused to let me head back!”

“Just how did he know Davenport has power?” Howard asked.

Marian had a piece of pastry and some coffee before answering. “Last fall, we had a hippogriff come through the Quad Cities from upstream. She said she wanted to get to Saint Louis, so she didn’t stay. We already had power back then. She left around the tail end of October, and the King arrived in mid-January. I don’t know what he dickered with the Mayor for my services, but I went back with him to Keokuk. Fortunately, it didn’t take much at all to get the power back up, just some lubing and a breaker lineup. Needed someone who knew what the hell to do, and that someone was me. I’ll be damned if I’ll go back, for sure!”

“What do you know about the World Seafarer’s Union and the Kingdom of Louisianne?” Howard asked before biting into a beignet.

“Just what we hear over the radio at night. There’s only three working satphones, and none of us have the skill to get a computer up and running. The Mayor I know has phoned in to Rotterdam. You do have a Louisianne rep on board, right?” Marian asked in return.

“That we do. Plenty of time to talk to her. She’s watching behind us, in case Keokuk pursues us,” Howard told the visiting unicorn.

“They won’t. I took the only operating motor boat. He only has two flyers that can, and they won’t go far. A pegasus and a griffon, and they are both rather scared of the King. When he gets fiery, I can’t blame them,” Marian said, calming down some.

“Would you like the opportunity to call your Mayor and fill him or her in on what’s going on, and we’ll be bringing you back in a few days?” Howard offered.

Marian smiled brightly, orange sparkles running up and down her horn. “I would like that very much, Captain! Before or after lunch?”

“How about after? We plan on pulling over up in Nauvoo to compare notes. We’ll have lunch then, then we’ll go up to my office and call your Mayor. Before that, I’ll have to get on the phone with the WSU and tell them to go radio-silent on our encounter with Keokuk. Do they listen in down there?” Howard asked.

Marian nodded. “That they do, especially at night. It’s the only real link they have to the outside. If they knew you were passing near, that word didn’t get to me. I’m either watching over the electrics or in my prison suite.”

Marian then blinked. “Oh, if I may ask, when we stop in Nauvoo, may I go to the Temple there? I want to get a copy or two of the Book, and look around some.”

“I see no reason why not. I’ll give you a little escort, just so you won’t have many surprises,” Howard agreed. “I’ll be a bit busy, but I can scare up a couple of crewfolk who would not mind a walk.”

Captain’s Diary, April 4th, 2018 0900 hours

“Currently at anchor in Burlington, Iowa. Arrived last night, after putting a supply stash at Old Fort Madison. We’re going to leave one here, after some scavenging to fill a supply stash for here. We could use stores we have aboard, but we have time to go out and look. Fort Madison, we had one ready, so we just pulled up and used our forklift to place it.

“No sign of pursuit from Keokuk. We remained at alert for a day, keeping a watch out while in Nauvoo, but there was no disturbance. Marian got her desired tour of Nauvoo, with Lucien, Stephanie and Becky as escorts. She managed to find several copies of the Book of Mormon, which pleased her. Stephanie found a trinket at one of the sites that intrigued her, a small sculpture of Moroni with his trumpet in brass. Becky found some souvenirs as well.

“The goal for today is to get through Lock and Dam 18 and make it to Oquawka (he had to spell it out for the voicewriter), Illinois before nightfall. There’s a grain elevator there that we can check out. We’ve got two empty cargo containers, and if there’s anything good at the elevator, we’ll take some. That and a chance to refuel. Next good place won’t be until Muscatine, Iowa, and I don’t want to have to push matters that far. The river port here at Burlington, well, somehow got burned out, so no fuel here.

“Now, to see what today brings. End diary entry.” Howard said before shutting off the voice-to-type function and reading the paragraphs.

“Captain! Incoming from the north!” was heard through the doorway to the bridge, said by the Second Officer, Harry Bell.

Howard strode onto the bridge. Ahead was a dot that resolved into an approaching griffon, heading straight for the Voyager. He went out the bridge door to take wing and intercept.

The griffon was clearly exhausted, struggling to maintain headway. “This the Voyager?” she panted.

“Yes, it is. What’s wrong?” Howard asked as he flew alongside the griffon, going for the fore deck, where there was more room for a bad landing.

“Quad Cities under attack. Force from Keokuk. QC forces at Arsenal. King rampaging outside,” the griffon managed to say before landing hard on the Voyager and going still, plainly too tired to move.

“All unicorns to the fore deck! Lucien, medical emergency! Get out here! We got trouble ahead!” Howard sent over the crystal circuit as he checked over the griffon the best he knew how.

Author's Note

Looks like the King of Keokuk has more tricks than the electrical engineer knew about. Besides, just how DID the king go from Keokuk to the Quad Cities and back in January?

Finally had the pain-free moments last long enough to get this down. Back and leg have been bothering me bad these last few days. Sunday was my fourth 'second birthday', but I was in too much pain to do anything but stay home and cope. Getting that way again. Goody's and Absorbine don't do a whole lot.

Pardon me, but I have a battle plan to figure out. After I do that, figure out how to do chapter four. Time to sprawl in the recliner with massage unit going.