Grantville Gazette 37

tonight,' Pers told them as they each took a careful sip. Even Dore smiled at the delicious taste and took another, bigger quaff. Pam looked at her friend and grinned. No teetotaling for the Christian soldier tonight. Looks like we won't have to play our usual game of 'let's get Dore drunk.' She's leading the charge for a change! This is definitely going to be fun! Pam thought with glee. She was fairly vibrating with excitement and drank again, deeply, with intense pleasure.

'Tell Gerbald he's a genius and to keep these coming,' Pam said. 'I intend to get loaded. Party on!' Pers had enough English by now to get the gist of her meaning and smiled with professional grace as he melted away. The kid has a future as a great waiter, he's a natural! Despite her proclamation, Pam tried to pace herself somewhat. She knew she was going to have to give a speech or two and wanted to be well- relaxed for that, but not to the point of word-slurring wasted. She could do that after the speeches were done.

The sun was setting and various torches and lanterns were being lit. The men assembled on the deck, ready to commence the official celebration. Someone had found a very large gong which Lind struck with a cloth hammer, the deep, vibrating tone signaling everyone to be quiet. By now Gerbald was sitting next to Dore, who was on Pam's left. The bosun and Lojtnant Lundkvist soon joined them, sitting to Pam's right.

The bosun stood and caught the crew's attention. 'Good evening to you all. Here at last we find ourselves delivered from our isolation, aboard a ship that, while strange-looking, is a nimble and sound vessel worthy of the Swedish Navy!' He waited while a hearty cheer went up from the men, Pam and her retinue joining in. After a minute he silenced the men with a certain gesture, and continued. 'And though some of us gathered here are not Swedes by birth, they have earned their place in our ranks through their great courage and dedication to our beloved princess! All hail Pam, Gerbald and Dore!' The cheers were louder this time, which Pam didn't think was possible. The attention made her face flush redly as usual, but she smiled and took another big gulp of cocktail to steady her nerves.

The bosun, once again cutting the cheers off with an effortless gesture, turned to the two Germans and the American, a woman from a country that didn't even exist in this world and probably wouldn't. 'As far as we are concerned, you three are every bit as Swedish in your hearts as we are, and I welcome you as brothers and sisters. Hurrah!' The men went wild this time and the three of them found themselves urged to their feet to take their bows. Gerbald and Dore returned to their seats but the bosun beckoned for Pam to join him at the front of the stage.

'And now let's hear it for our fearless captain, Pam Miller! Three cheers!' Gerbald must have coached them in the English-style he'd gleaned from watching old movies, as 'Hip-hip-hurray!' sounded across the deck. When the traditional cheer finished, the bosun, who was proving to be quite the expert master of ceremonies, gave Pam a courteous bow and asked her, 'Please, Captain Pam, a few words for your men if you would.' He stepped back then, leaving Pam in the figurative spotlight.

She smiled at all around her, not feeling as nervous as she usually did. She was comfortable here; these were her people, more than any she had ever known. There was nothing for her to be shy about. She spoke out loudly and clearly, 'My beloved brothers and sisters, my dearest friends in all the world. You are the best of the best and it is my supreme honor to be chosen as your captain. I will work my hardest to earn your trust in me, and lead us on to victory. In Princess Kristina's name, I swear!'

She paused and another cheer went up, everyone clapping as loudly as they could. She felt as if she were a rock standing in a sea of love and each wave that washed over her filled her heart with perfect joy. Deep in her mind she took some of that feeling and put it away for safekeeping. She knew she would need it someday when the doubts returned. The love she felt tonight would be a talisman against the darkness that sometimes tried to steal her few joys. Maybe that won't happen so much anymore. Things have changed. I have changed.

With what she thought might be the sweetest smile she had ever worn, she raised her hands and shouted over the din, 'Let the party begin! I order every man aboard to drink as much as they want. Let's raise some toasts!' She felt like a rock star.

There was a bustle about the deck and soon she saw that everybody was holding some kind of a cup. They still had quite a bit of their carefully-rationed rum left, almost an entire barrel, which she figured they would be finishing off this night. Gerbald told her they had also found a number of very large ceramic jugs filled with a palatable alcoholic beverage he thought must be rice wine stored in the ship's hold along with a collection of jugs and barrels containing strange-smelling and rather less reputable-looking liquors. We aren't going to run out of booze in any case, God bless us one and all! We'll be needing His mercy when the hangovers hit tomorrow!

The crowd was very quiet now, waiting for her lead. Pam held her cup aloft and in what she had been taught was the Swedish way and made a point of meeting the eye of every single person aboard. Once she had accomplished that feat she shouted. 'Skal,' and downed her cup in one swallow, quickly followed by everyone else. As soon as the cups were refilled, she began working through a long list of toasts, to the men, to their country, to their king and princess, to the lost men of the Redbird, and finally to their new ship. She paused then, looking a bit perplexed. She turned to the bosun who was beginning to list a little bit thanks to the quick succession of shots. There was little doubt that everyone was starting to feel pretty darn good.

'Herr Bosun, what is this ship's name?' her voice had grown just a tad thicker but still could be heard clearly all across the deck.

The bosun stepped over to her and scratched the back of his head as if it would help him think. 'Truth to tell, Captain, I have no idea. I think that's it painted there on her aft, but none of us can read it!' Then he laughed and everyone joined in, the raucous sound echoing all around the bay.

Once the hilarity had subsided, he said, in as serious a tone as he could muster, 'Captain Pam, she's your ship so you must name her,' and gave her a slightly wobbling but deferential bow.

Her mind a sudden blank, Pam turned to Gerbald and Dore for help. Those two had been drinking almost double time and were already about two sheets to the wind and starting to let out the third. They both broke into fits of laughter when they saw Pam looking at them so seriously. That almost made Pam start laughing, too, but she kept in control.

'This is serious, you guys, we need a name, and we need it quick!'

'How about The Hungry Dodo?' Gerbald offered, trying hard to keep a straight face. His goofy hat was tilted nearly sideways on his head and Pam figured the only reason it hadn't fallen off was because of the longtime bond of affection they shared. The hat, in combination with the incongruous fuchsia silk blouse he wore, really did make him look like something out of a Dr. Seuss cartoon and Pam struggled to keep a straight face.

'No, no . . .' she told him. 'Dodos aren't exactly symbols of good fortune, not yet anyway.' She turned to Dore, whose perpetually rosy cheeks blazed like fire engine lights on the way to a three-alarm fire.

Seeing that it was her turn, Dore sat up nearly straight and said 'How about Chinese Chopsticks?' with sincere earnestness, except it came out sounding more like 'Shineeze Shopstigs.' She waited expectantly for Pam's certain approval, her big, blue eyes as wide and glassy as a stuffed toy's.

Pam had to look away from the two of them before she lost it. Meanwhile Pers had come onstage bearing yet another round of drinks (someone should tell him to stop . . . well, maybe later) and her face lit up; an idea was coming.

'Pers! The other day, when we were taking the dodos back to the forest . . . what was it that you called them?'

'Ummm, 'stupid creatures'?' he blurted out, too late realizing that wasn't likely what she was looking for. He looked embarrassed by his candor.

Pam had to laugh then, but stayed in control. Everyone was still waiting on her decision. 'No, no, something about them being lucky, or something.' Pam started to chew on her pinkie's sometimes-abused nail. Pers, who quite sensibly hadn't been drinking at all, having been sentenced to take the night's watch after the party, thought hard for a moment and then raised his hand hesitantly. 'Do you mean when I called them the 'second chance birds'?' he asked in a hopeful tone.

'That's it!' Pam suddenly rushed over to hug him. If not for his quick reflexes and fast feet, she would have knocked him and the small drink staging table he had set up right off the stage. After a good squeezing of surprisingly bear-like strength, no doubt augmented by the high octane content of her blood, she let go of the scarlet-cheeked Pers and turned to those assembled.