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SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : Part 55 of 83 : World of Sea

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SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

Part 55 of 83

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

written 2007

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

//////////////

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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New to the story? Read from the beginning. PART 1 is here

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Someone in the melee noticed them in a brief moment of better visibility. They frantically called, “Boarders aft!” Shocked into further action, Captain Mord left the fight and led the two hundred and fifty foot charge back to the map table. They were too late. Kurin was gone.

In a small boat, barely out of sight in the fog, Tanlin bent her back to carefully muffled oars. The Sea Hawk circled once and disappeared into the mist. Shortly, they heard it scream, back near the Longin. The bird came back and circled, flying low and slow ahead of them. In short order, the Wide Wing lead them to the other three boats.

It swooped down and landed on Tanlin’s heavily padded shoulder, talons adding another few small rips to the pads. Tanlin chucked the Sea Hawk under the beak and then gave it a bit of dried skelt. The razor sharp beak took it gently from her fingers and made short work of it.

As Kurin looked on in amazement, Tanlin said, “Good, Skye. Good. Now, show us t’e way t’ ‘ome an’ nest.” The big bird bobbed its head, and launched off her shoulder, beating up, out of sight. Tanlin had a faraway look, as if the world about her was a dream.

She shook herself and pointed surely through the fog, “T’at way, swift an’ quiet.” After they had rowed for a bit, she ordered, “Step masts. Rig t’e sails. Lively, now!” Without a word, the crewmen and women leapt to obey.

A cat’s paw breeze swept through the fog and filled their sails. In a short time they were clear of the fog and scudding north through the chop raised by a brisk breeze.

Finally, Tanlin relaxed, but only a little. She called to the other boats, “Wad t’ey nae look at our message at all?”

“No, Captain. We were driven back by knives.”

Shaken, Tanlin asked, “T’ey refused ye rescue? T’e Longin broke the Groit Law? Ye were attacked wit’ knives?” She paused and swallowed hard. In a calm voice belied by shaking shoulders and tears she asked, “W’at losses?”

“One dead, three wounded, one missing,” they replied.

Kurin saw Tanlin crumple a bit but then brace herself. “‘Oo died?”

“Macoul, the helmsman,” they called back.

“T’e wounded?” she asked, shaking but dry-eyed now.

“Gemma Colin, Darkistry Colm and Lenai Halin, Captain,” they called back.

“An’ t’e missin’?”

“Bosun Modanet.”

Then she did cry but she held her course. “A good ‘elmsmon gone. Doctor Corin’s daughter. M’ best friend. Arnat’s mot’er. Oi can ‘ope t’at t’e Bosun got our message t’ yer Ca’tain. I’ ‘arm t’ t’ese few ‘urts so muckle, ‘ow does anyane survive a war?”

Kurin tried to distract Tanlin from her grief. “How did you train Skye so well? I never heard of anyone taming a Wide Wing before. It was like he understood you.”

Tanlin did smile, though there were still tears in her eyes, “She. Skye’s a female. T’under’ead’s bock ‘ome on t’e nest. Huh, she just got bock t’ t’e ship. She brought ‘im a fish.”

“But how did you train her so well?” asked Kurin, in genuine curiosity.

“Oi dinnae. Oi defended t’eir nest wen t’ey decided t’ make ‘t in our rigging w’ile we rode in t’e eye o’ t’e storm. Oi brought t’em some fish, because t’ey’d been days wit’oot food. T’ey adopted me. T’en w’en Mecat gave m’ a Dragon’s Gift, t’ey were on m’ shoulders, trin’ t’ protect m’ from a Groit Dragon. T’ey got included in t’e Gift.

“Sorry, Oi’m upset an’ tellin’ ‘t badly. Let m’ calm down an’ Oi’ll tell ‘t better.”

“Did I hear one of the crewmen call you ‘Captain’?”

“Full o’ quest’ns, arenae ye?” said Tanlin, smiling in spite of herself. “Aye, Ca’tain Barad stepped down voluntarily, for t’e good o’ t’e ship. T’e crew elected m’. T’was unanimous. Ye con poll t’em yersel’, i’ ye wont.”

“What I would want is to hear Barad say that he stepped down voluntarily,” said Kurin almost wistfully.

“T’en ye shall ‘ear ‘t from ‘is ane mout’, an’ t’at, soon,” said Tanlin firmly. She pointed. The sails of the big square-rigger could be seen coming over the horizon. A Wide Wing could be seen leading the ship. When it was clear that ship and boats had seen each other, the bird dove from five hundred feet up, hitting the water cleanly, with only a small splash. A few minutes later, it surfaced and took off, circling back to the high lookout where the nest was.

“T’at wa’ T’under’ead,” said Tanlin, proudly. “Wen we get t’e wounded taken care o’, Oi’m going t’ take t’em a basket o’ fish, for t’eir chicks. Oi’m part o’ t’e flock, after all, an’ tis the duty o’ t’e flock t’ care for t’e young.” She cocked her head in self-conscious imitation of a bird. “Oi’ll take care o’ ye, t’. Wont t’ ‘elp feed t’em?”

The Grandalor turned into the wind, using it as a brake, to stop so that the party could board.

“What fortune?” called a light baritone voice that Kurin knew.

“She came wit’ us, Barad,” Tanlin called back. “T’e price wa’ ‘eavy. We ‘ave t’ree wounded, ane dead an’ ane missin’.”

“You heard the Captain,” Barad’s voice called. “Get four stretchers rigged, now!” Their boats bumped up to the Grandalor and tied up to a piece of cargo net that had been hung over the side for use as a ladder. The boarding party swarmed up the net, except for Tanlin and a few others who stayed behind to tend to the dead and injured.

Tanlin turned to Kurin, “Go on, get aboard. T’ese folk volunteered t’ be in t’is party an’ ye are t’e reason t’at t’eir blood wa’ shed. I’ ye donnae get aboard, t’will ‘ave all been for naught.”

“I’ll go aboard, never fear that,” Kurin answered seriously. “These people risked their lives to get me here. I can take a few minutes to help them. I know bandaging and that abdominal wound needs to be rebound. She is in shock. Wind her tightly. Her arms and legs, too. It will help to keep her blood pressure up.”

“Thank you, Kurin,” said a dark haired woman, injured in both an arm and a leg, as she helped wrap the more gravely injured woman. “I’m Darkistry, by the way. I hope that Lenai will be able to thank you herself. I wish that we had known this trick of bandaging two hours ago.”

“I wish that I had known it was needed,” Kurin replied seriously, bandaging an arm. “Captain Tanlin, this woman needs to go first. She’s in deep shock.”

Tanlin, who was steadying the first of the stretchers, said, “OK, Kurin, can ye ‘elp get Lenai int’ t’e stretcher? Oi’ll ‘old ‘t steady.”

Kurin placed the crewmen along Lenai’s still form and directed, “Everyone, lift at once, on my mark… Lift!” They all lifted until she was high enough for Tanlin to get the stretcher under her.

Tanlin signaled for the stretcher to be raised and called, “Number ane, ready for lift! Get ‘er directly t’ Doctor Corin in sickbay! Oi t’ink ‘e’s going t’ ‘ave t’ operate on ‘er.”

Darkistry said, “Take Gemma next. She’s lost a fair bit of blood and got a nasty blow to the head. My cuts are pretty deep, but I’m not bleeding much, I just need a ride to the deck and somebody to lean on until I can get stitched up.”

“Ye’ll lie flat an’ stay t’at way until we can take care o’ ye,” Tanlin ordered.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Darkistry replied with an almost impudent grin. As an aside to Kurin, she confided, “I never was very good at taking orders but I think that I’ll follow these.”

They helped Gemma into her stretcher and Darkistry into hers. Crewmen went up alongside, to keep the stretchers steady. An honor guard of Macoul’s friends came down and escorted his body up to the deck.

When they were alone in the boats, Kurin demanded, “What are you up to, Tanlin? This ship,” she gestured at the Grandalor, “has been rebuilt for war! I’m not blind. You’ve changed the bow profile for better speed and ramming strength. It’s been reinforced with at least two layers of Wing Ray for hardness and penetration. Your bowsprit has been reinforced and broadened as part of that.

“Your standing rigging is over twice the thickness needed for storms and it’s been moved to absorb ramming shocks better. Your rigging and sails have the coloration of fresh fireproofing by Hag extracts.

“What do you hope to gain by all of this?” Kurin ended her tirade, hands on hips, face set and angry.

“Oi’ve made ye a promise, an’ ‘t’ll be kept! T’is ship ‘as been remade because we see precious little o’ justice in t‘e actions o’ t’e Council!

“We are nae paddle ducks t’at ye can cut t’e ‘ead off wit’ nae struggle! We’ll fight for t’e rights o’ the Groit Law! Wen we can get a fair trial, we’ll submit t’ real justice!

“We’ve a few prisoners t’at we belive need t’ go for a swim t’ yer foster fat’er Iren’s halls! T’eir trial’ll ‘ave t’ be a fleet matter. We are ‘olding t’em until t’ey can ‘ave t’e chance t’ rebut charges o’ mutiny an’ murder!” Tanlin paused for breath, fire in her eye.

“Tell m’ Kurin, w’at’s t’e second o’ t’e Groit Laws, t’e ane right after t’e ban on slavery?”

“The right to rebut charges. Everybody knows that…” Kurin trailed off.

“Name m’ t’e court w’ere we can answer any charges? T’ere’s nae such court for us. We were condemned wit’oot trial. Ask yer friend Sula i’ t’at precedent isnae w’ere t’e Ca’tain o’ Ca’tains got ‘is start? T’en ask ‘ow many ships an’ lives were lost as a result. T’e answers’ll appall ye.

“Groit Law is put aside at groit peril. We’ll send for Sula an’ Ca’tain Sarfin, along wit’ a quorum o’ t’e Council, yer ane Ca’tain Mord an’ ane ot’er ‘oo ‘as an interest in t’is case. Blind Mecat. Ye know ‘er, Oi believe,” Tanlin finished with irony.

“How can you send for Cat, or the others, for that matter?” Now Kurin was curious again.

Instead of answering, Tanlin said, “Cume up t’ t’e deck an’ brace yersel’ for w’at ye’ll see. Ye’ve nae beheld t’e worst t’at’s t’ be seen, yet.” Tanlin did not wait, but climbed the net. Shrugging, Kurin followed.

TO BE CONTINUED

<==PREVIOUS NEXT==>

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to World of Sea

#SEA DRAGON’S GIFT #Part 55 of 83 #World of Sea #Written by De Writer

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loa-fm · 7 years

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(Loa) A Look Inside: Food Safety After the Fish Crisis Published February 28, 2017 By Nguyễn Linh Chi

The food culture in Việt Nam is big. People gather and socialize over food. Business deals are made over food and ceremonies are performed with food. So it’s no surprise that quality of food is also a hot topic. Travelers to Việt Nam are often warned of food poisoning prior to entering the country. Rumors of plastic rice, rubber noodles, and other toxic additives in food regularly pop up on local and social media. Not holding much faith to the state, being selective with food to bring home to the family has been just as much a part of the food culture. But the fish crisis last year elevated public skepticism to another level.

Listen to Loa’s reporting on the crisis in episode 48 of Loa.

Since we last checked in, Formosa officially took responsibility for the mass marine deaths, and agreed to pay a 500 million dollar fine to compensate for losses. A toxic combination of phenol, cyanide and ferric hydroxide was found in water samples and was confirmed to be the cause of the fish deaths.

Thái Văn Dung, a Việt Tân member and human rights activist based in Vinh, central Vietnam believes the 500 million dollar fine is nowhere near the amount needed to compensate for the damage that was done.

He says, “They said Formosa would pay the fine -- but what exactly will the 500 million dollars be compensating for the people? That’s not enough to afford caskets for the Vietnamese people.”

“Is fish safe to eat yet?” This is the big question on many people's minds, as Central Vietnam supplies seafood for the rest of the nation. Vietnamese government officials made an announcement in November 2016 that fish from above the seabed are safe to eat. The public announcement included a list of 154 kinds of contaminated fish to avoid, and strongly urged consumers to avoid eating seafood caught within twenty nautical miles to the shore. It did not include plans to filter the sea, or how to contain contaminated seafood from flooding the market.

“‘Hey, don’t eat things twenty miles away’ -- How do we tell? That doesn’t help us at all. It just feels like a very gimmicky answer and a very rushed response that they felt like they had to say something, because they haven’t spent enough time that they should have earlier looking into the problems that happened,’ says Hoàng Nguyễn, a 27-year-old from Huế, central Việt Nam, who is currently studying public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“I mean, if you won that 500 million settlement, there needs to be a plan. And if you don’t have a plan, there are big organisations who you can ask for help, such as the WHO, and other big health organizations,” he says. “Oil spill at fisheries has happened before and you can learn from the mistakes of other countries to see how you should address the problem. The next thing is be very transparent with the plan.”

But transparency hasn’t exactly been a strong point. Last April, the same month the mass fish deaths occurred, high-ranking officials from from both Hà Tĩnh and Đà Nẵng -- two regions heavily impacted by the crisis -- announced that fish were no longer dying. In November, the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Trần Hồng Hà, assured the public that the Central coast beaches are safe to swim in. Thái Văn Dung says, “They keep saying that the sea is safe and that some fish is safe to eat.. But there is nothing left in the sea to catch. The toxic killed them all. The people are suffering badly. When the officials said fish caught above twenty nautical miles is safe to eat, the fishermen went out and did just this, but no one would purchase their catch. No one is there to make sure the fish is caught above twenty nautical miles, or whether the fish is contaminated at all. They keep saying all this to mislead the public, especially poor people who aren’t aware of the fish deaths. They keep telling people that the fish are safe to eat. But would they eat the fish themselves?”

“Would they eat the fish themselves?” This is the other question many are asking. In April 2016, the people of Hà Tĩnh offered their head official Đặng Ngọc Sơn one kilogram of fish a day, and invited him to take a dive in the local waters. The officer objected, despite previously proclaiming its safety. The phone conversation of this offer was recorded and put on the internet. It went viral.

Meanwhile, reports of food poisoning continued to soar. In Quảng Ngãi, central Vietnam, there were reports of 28 hospital admissions over food poisoning linked to eating contaminated fish. In Đà Nẵng, a deadly fish dinner sent a family of three to the hospital in December. An anonymous interview with the people of Nghệ An with a group of blue collar workers revealed four cases of food poisoning-related deaths over contaminated fish. The video was widely spread online, but never made it to official news.

The internet has been a key platform for information gathering in light of the big, unanswered questions surrounding the crisis. It has also served as the means of educating citizens on the risks of eating contaminated fish. A quick search on google returns countless tips and tricks to help health conscious consumers detect contamination. And the more people get informed, the more seafood demands have plummeted. Meanwhile, other proteins such as pork, beef, and chicken are seeing record high sales. Dantri news reports that certain cuts of pork are doubling - some tripling its price in the market. Thái Văn Dung says consumers in general are backing out from purchasing seafood altogether, but many people out there don’t get to have a choice.

Many people still continue eating fish, knowing it’s toxic, because they can’t afford to eat anything else. Everything else is getting more expensive because fish doesn’t sell. Poor people are risking their lives and are just taking it day by day.

After participating in several medical missions in Việt Nam, Hoàng, the Public Health graduate student in London, says the lack of government protection of public health in a time of environmental crisis is linked to deeper issues such as ethics and human rights.

Hoàng says, “Public health is in general is looking at the health of the public, which is sometimes very ignorant, especially in governments like Vietnam, where it seems like its citizens, the people, are not their priority. That ties into ethics.” He says activism and civil disobedience is a natural byrproduct of such conditions. Thái Văn Dung is one of many riding this wave of increased activism, as he continues to organize protests on the fish crisis in Central Vietnam. Although many of these protests have ended in police brutality, Dung says he will not stop until the government steps up and takes responsibility. He and many protesters across the country continue to raise their voices, demanding justice for the people of Việt Nam.

#Vietnam #news #formosa #environment

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ask-de-writer · 6 years

Text

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : World of Sea : Part 55

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

written 2007

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

//////////////

///////////////////////

New to the story? Read from the beginning. PART 1 is here

///////////////////////

A cat’s paw breeze swept through the fog and filled their sails. In a short time they were clear of the fog and scudding north through the chop raised by a brisk breeze.

Finally, Tanlin relaxed, but only a little. She called to the other boats, “Wad t’ey nae look at our message at all?”

“No, Captain. We were driven back by knives.”

“One dead, three wounded, one missing,” they replied.

Kurin saw Tanlin crumple a bit but then brace herself. “‘Oo died?”

“Macoul, the helmsman,” they called back.

“T’e wounded?” she asked, shaking but dry-eyed now.

“Gemma Colin, Darkistry Colm and Lenai Halin, Captain,” they called back.

“An’ t’e missin’?”

“Bosun Modanet.”

Kurin tried to distract Tanlin from her grief. “How did you train Skye so well? I never heard of anyone taming a Wide Wing before. It was like he understood you.”

“But how did you train her so well?” asked Kurin, in genuine curiosity.

“Sorry, Oi’m upset an’ tellin’ ‘t badly. Let m’ calm down an’ Oi’ll tell ‘t better.”

“Did I hear one of the crewmen call you ‘Captain’?”

“What I would want is to hear Barad say that he stepped down voluntarily,” said Kurin almost wistfully.

The Grandalor turned into the wind, using it as a brake, to stop so that the party could board.

“What fortune?” called a light baritone voice that Kurin knew.

“She came wit’ us, Barad,” Tanlin called back. “T’e price wa’ ‘eavy. We ‘ave t’ree wounded, ane dead an’ ane missin’.”

“I wish that I had known it was needed,” Kurin replied seriously, bandaging an arm. “Captain Tanlin, this woman needs to go first. She’s in deep shock.”

Tanlin, who was steadying the first of the stretchers, said, “OK, Kurin, can ye ‘elp get Lenai int’ t’e stretcher? Oi’ll ‘old ‘t steady.”

Kurin placed the crewmen along Lenai’s still form and directed, “Everyone, lift at once, on my mark. . . Lift!” They all lifted until she was high enough for Tanlin to get the stretcher under her.

“Ye’ll lie flat an’ stay t’at way until we can take care o’ ye,” Tanlin ordered.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Darkistry replied with an almost impudent grin. As an aside to Kurin, she confided, “I never was very good at taking orders but I think that I’ll follow these.”

“What do you hope to gain by all of this?” Kurin ended her tirade, hands on hips, face set and angry.

“Oi’ve made ye a promise, an’ ‘t’ll be kept! T’is ship ‘as been remade because we see precious little o’ justice in t‘e actions o’ t’e Council!

“We are nae paddle ducks t’at ye can cut t’e ‘ead off wit’ nae struggle! We’ll fight for t’e rights o’ the Groit Law! Wen we can get a fair trial, we’ll submit t’ real justice!

“Tell m’ Kurin, w’at’s t’e second o’ t’e Groit Laws, t’e ane right after t’e ban on slavery?”

“The right to rebut charges. Everybody knows that. . .” Kurin trailed off.

“How can you send for Cat, or the others, for that matter?” Now Kurin was curious again.

TO BE CONTINUED

<==PREVIOUS NEXT==>

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to World of Sea

#SEA DRAGON’S GIFT #World of Sea #Written by De Writer #Part 55

16 notes · View notes