CHAPTER 37 - THE DREAD TAKES FLIGHT

Punky was carefully studying the map of their route. It was going to be a long, difficult, and dangerous journey. She was memorizing landmarks, estimating way-point times, and calculating fuel consumption. She had the map spread out in her lap and a checklist on a clipboard balanced on the control panel. The shining new dual steering wheels of the dirigible were in front of her - one labeled ‘UP&DOWN’, and the other ‘PORT&STARBOARD’. Daggy was fiddling with a control box and Ed was checking the manifest for a fifth or sixth time. They were a bit heavy.

“Done!” said Daggy as she rose and brushed dust and candy wrappers from her trousers. “This is just for you Punky.” Daggy pointed proudly to a shinny new toaster lashed to the engine pressure gages. Tek, standing on the engineers chair and reaching high into the starboard cable raceway said “If I get some time ill put in a cocoa maker next to the toaster while were underway. That is if we can get the flakey nav system working.”

Everyone but one crew member was on board Punky knew. They were waiting for Kees Kepler, the last crew member and a certified coal shoveler and boiler operator. Already on board were; Daggy, the Mission Commander, Tek, the Flight Engineer, and Ed of course who had a critical role to play during the rescue. Macboy Jewell was already above in the engine passageway and was stoking coal like mad into the ravenous boilers.

Both Kees and Jewell were members of Omega Squad of the Blue Navy, but their blank stares, thick necks, and muscle bound physiques would never give a clue as to their most important role on the mission – besides that of keeping the boilers hot and the ship aloft.

Punky had studied carefully the map and photos of the Capital City Stadium. She had noted the height of the stadium walls, the light towers, and the dimensions of the Pi Ball field. Punky had noted current weather and wind conditions in blue pencil on the map.

She turned quickly and looked at a flight plan for getting in and out of Clissan airspace. That was going to very difficult Punky knew. Clissan airspace was thin and feeble and always horribly horribly cold. Not to mention that recent inter-sim tensions were at an all time high and war was on the horizon. Unfortunately that horizon lay on the boundary between Sonogno and Clissa. The airspace was bound to be watched and well defended. If they could slip into Clissa, deliver their passenger, and slip out without detection would be a miracle. But that’s what her orders said.

Lastly she had been given a map of Sodom Mountain and a lengthy description of the mountain printed by the Tourist Commission. Together with the map had been a yellow posit it that in no uncertain terms said “Study this map till your eyes fall out”. Signed Second Sea Lord. About as explicit as you can get thought Punky.

Sodom Mountain was in disputed territory, between Clissa and Io, and was the home of 14 separate faiths in Second Life. Each faith had claim to a different portion of the extinct volcano and they were always irritated with other faiths fouling or defiling their sacred patch of pumice or lava flow. Each faith had a different legend for the Mountain and its origins. The Goonaanites claimed that the god of private property lived here once and had developed the mountain into an exclusive condominium intended only for the repose of their souls. No other souls were to be allowed to live on the mountain. The followers of Old Rome, said that the god of unspeakable acts had blessed the mountain and covered its slopes with no trespassing signs. The adherents of the ‘Book of What?’ claimed that the great god Ohm had stood upon the mountain top and wrestled with the god of mud men until the sky turned brown and the goddess Maslow got mad and banished the god of mud men from Second Life and into real life. Others held that the goddess of snow, and her demi-gods K2, Burton, and Morrow lived on the mountain top near the lifts and that to disturb their sleep was to ensure fresh powder. The list went on and on. Punky paid careful attention to the section about the Druids.

Sodom Mountain was a not quite extinct volcano. Thousands of years before it had blown its top in a dispute with the gods of the sky. Something about who was the Husband of Mother Earth. So rather than a nice cone shape like Mt. Fifi, the mountain had split into two parts with a deep rift between them. Weather and erosion had over the years rounded off the pointy parts and the mountain looked very much like someone’s fat big round bottom, but with the bottom part pointing up. In the chasm there had been active volcanic activity in recent years. Small lava flows and a thin column of grey smoke were often seen from the Snowboard Temple on the left peak. The right peak was bare except for an altar to Ohm. The altar had been abandoned years before, when the Orthodox Ohmists and the Left Handed Ohmists split in the schism of the Right Hand Rule. Punky remembered from her history class that the split had been nasty and that Tesla himself had tried to intervene but had been laughed at by both Ohmist factions and Tesla had left in a huff never to return to the tradition and faith of his family.

The mountain was 7000 meters in height, the highest mountain in all of Second Life.
The chasm plunged down to the tree line at 4200 meters. At the tree line and adjacent to the small fiery pit of the volcano was rumored to lay the Druid Grove. The Grove of ancient trees was said to be haunted and was considered an evil place. Avatars stayed away. Lions were said to live there, but no one was certain. An expedition from the Second Life Geography Club had entered the Druid Grove three summers ago but they had never returned. A rescue organized by the Red Pumps Society had also failed and no one returned. After that everyone seemed to loose interest in that part of the mountain. The ariel photos of the grove were almost useless but Punky could make out a small clearing adjacent to the fiery pit in the dense forest. The clearing seemed to be edged with giant stones and in the center Punky could clearly see a large stone bench or platform.

Punky heard footsteps on the gangway and she looked up. In the distance she could see Kees Kepler, with his duffel over his shoulder, open the hatch, salute to the nose of the ship and say “Permission to come aboard Mam.” He stood there for some time until Punky realized that Kees was addressing her. What am I supposed to say Punky wondered? Then Daggy stuck her head out from behind the hydrogen separators and shouted “permission granted and welcome aboard Kees.”

Daggy quickly put Kees to work in the engine passage shoveling coal into boilers 1, 2, and 4. Daggy noted the pressure in all gages rose to operating pressure. They were about to shove off.

Punky put away her maps and notes and centered herself. Ed came forward, wiping his hands of a greasy hand towel. Tek, was running down the final engineering check list. Daggy had taken her seat near the big window. The ship was humming and felt all jumpy and tense, like a cat ready to pounce on a little lizard running in the garden.

Punky stood up. She turned and raced to the hatch, opened it and ran down the gangway. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, she was counting. At 43 she hit the cement floor and sped to the little door. She was gone. Daggy looked at Ed in stunned amazement. Ed looked at Daggy in astonished disbelief. Tek leaned out of one of the open port holes and looked.

“Here she comes,” said Tek in obvious relief.

Punky hit the lower gantry stairs running, 43, 42, 41, she began counting the stairs as she rushed up the gangway. In her hand she held a bright little yellow box.

She threw open the hatch with a wide smile and held above her head a brand new navigation system from Blurts – the famed “Street Walker” lifted from the Ardabil.

It was noon and the show was about to start in the Capital City Stadium

Punky sat in her pilots seat and threw open the sliding glass side window. She stuck her head out and looked first aft and then forward. The apron tenders stood in little groups below. Punky saw the Second Sea Lord standing on the deck by the design shop. She gave the Second Sea Lord a snappy salute. “Away the gantry,” Punky shouted in a very loud voice. The gantry pulled away slowly. “Away the stern lines.” The ship shuddered a bit and rose slightly. Punky with a huge smile on her face shouted. “Away bow lines.” The ship rose about two meters. She was alive. She was free. She was The Dread.

Punky slowly turned the UP&DOWN wheel and the airship settled into neutral buoyancy.

The huge doors of the hanger slowly parted. A brilliant shaft of sunlight flooded the tarmac and the ground crew stared in awe as the first rigid airship in all of Second Life proceeded dead ahead out of the hanger and into the sun and cold winter air. The Dread was gleaming in the light. The ground crew began to cheer. Little droplets of water condensed on the warm skin of the Dread and she began to shine like a thousand diamonds. The Dread sparkled as she slowly rose into the skies of Second Life.

The Second Sea Lord began to hum the Blimp Hymn. “God bless you and god speed to you Punky Pugilist and the crew of the Dread. God speed, and good luck.” said the Second Sea Lord.