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The Undaunted was quite busy today’s evening. Sailors and marines swarmed the deck performing their duties and talking to each other about the upcoming leadership change. The purser sat in his office with one of the Lieutenants in order to configure the pay for the crew in the wake of the new commander. In the medical bay, the yelps and pained shouts of patients could be heard as the Surgeons operated on them.
Their two orderlies had been dismissed for the evening, so the Captain’s quarters was solely occupied by two naval officers as they ate their dinner. The silverware and gold elements on their naval uniforms - epaulettes, gold linings, buttons, the decorations on their sabres, the anchors and crown of their insignia - shone brightly and glimmered in the candlelight as the two men discussed with each other on various matters.
The Captain at the end of the table nearing the door, the incoming replacement, was energetically talking to the outgoing commander as he stabbed repeatedly at the meal. He had black hair and a sharp face, with a defined jaw and cheekbones accompanying an aquiline nose. Notably, he held his head high in a posture that signalled confidence and pride, which he had not failed to maintain throughout the past day.
The other, red-headed Captain meanwhile was eating his food and engaging with his guest at a much slower pace. His features were comparatively rounded to the other officer present, and similarly, his posture was more relaxed and slouched as he listened to his successor. Despite the difference in age between the two men only being two years, his spirit seemed older and more resigned, and indeed his face looked to be more aged by war than the other’s
Though, he miraculously kept his hairline. He wondered how the other’s was already receding to a… significant point.
‘ Probably singed off. ’ He thought.
"You are going to be invalidated back to England by request, yes, I have heard you say that, but I must question why,” his successor spoke to him in a voice full of vigour. His body was incredibly animated as he moved. “Personally, I have never let sickness get a hold of me permanently in the service of the Navy and Crown. I have been wounded many times in battle, and look at me now! They never expect for me to keep coming back at such short notice, ha!"
Thomas looked at his successor with an eyebrow raised but with no malice in his expression.
“That is for you. For you, Captain Ussher.” In stark contrast, he replied in a gentler and slower tone, somewhat weaker than usual due to his recent sickness. He looked back at the steak on his plate. “I have heard of your relentless dedication in fighting for Britannia despite your wounds, and while it is… dangerous, I can say that I both respect and am in awe of such a thing.”
A proud smile spread over the Irishman’s face, pleased by the flattery. “You speak nought but the truth, good sir. I serve the kingdom with pride and honour.”
Captain Thomas nodded and set down his cutlery in order to think for a moment. He hummed quietly.
“But, for me, I… find myself more inclined towards a more peaceful life, perhaps settling down, having a wife at this advanced age. I have served more than two decades in His Majesty’s Service, and throughout them, I have gone through much excitement, and many trials and difficulties. Not as much as you, but a sizeable amount nonetheless. And, I think that I have had my fill, especially in the face of my ailing health. Even then, you can see my roles are more administrative and technical than anything. I much prefer my post as Flag Captain to the late Lord Collingwood than in operations, and I spend most of my time on the Undaunted as a mediator between my crew.“
He took a sip of his wine. “As you can see, I am boring… and much, much more agreeable to physicians than you are.”
An amused smile cracked itself on Thomas’ face as Ussher laughed loudly, leaning back slightly in his chair.
“Lord knows how many I have angered in my service!” He declared. “But who is to care for oneself when more important matters await?”
Well, that is certainly an attitude. His surgeons must be exasperated with him. He wished good luck to Edgar and his Mates.
Captain Thomas shook his head. “Having an injured commander is hardly an advantage. And I do say, attempting to get back into service while on crutches is unwise, despite its patriotic connotations. I hope you promise not to do such things as Captain of this ship.”
“Ah, when was that? Some ten years ago? I was a Lieutenant back then, and I have certainly gotten wiser since then as Post-Captain.”
Ussher thought he saw the briefest hints of doubt flash in Thomas’ eyes, but he blinked and found it nowhere to be found. Thomas drank from his glass and moved on.
“The crew will be quite excited to have a change of pace around here. However, I hope they do not freeze in place at the shock of the sudden change of leadership. I certainly expect more attacks around Spain and France, that is for sure. But I implore you to not go insane with your engagements.”
“Ah, sir, I assure you that your crew is in capable hands,” he replied in between bites, “I have been showered in many accolades and praises from the Commander-in-Chief and Admiralty themselves if you have forgotten already! If I were just another reckless gentleman’s son, I would not be a Captain! Or maybe dead. I swear that I will lead your crew to victory against the French, Spanish, or whatever other enemy may appear, do not worry.”
…
Whatever enemy may appear?
Ussher took greedy gulps out of the wine glass in his hand, but he noticed that Thomas’ eyes seemed to dim and begin to look somewhat absent.
"What, Captain Thomas?" he paused, laughing a bit. "Captain Richard Thomas, my God is that not confusing? Are you afraid that I will sink this ship into the ocean floor? Frankly, I should be offended by such a slight on my ability!"
Thomas blinked and looked at Ussher. He cleared his throat. "Oh, excuse me, I was just reminded of something. Nothing is needed, thank you."
The Irishman looked incredulous. "Come on, let us hear it - it must be quite concerning and relating to conduct here based on your reaction. I must remind you, I am to be Captain of this ship tomorrow. It would be no use to take your problems back to England!"
It was amazing how he had somehow forgotten in such a short period of time that his successor was a stubborn nuisance.
Thomas looked at him as he was pouring more wine into the glass like some sort of gossiping countess. He rolled his eyes as he was also served with a generous refill, a smirk on Ussher’s face.
“Yes, of course..” he sighed and nodded. He ate up what remained of the meal and straightened his posture while also clasping his hands. “There has been an… incident that has been weighing on my mind for several months now and contributing to my health. It also regards the crew as well.”
“I must warn you…” Ussher looked amused at the thought of needing a warning, but Thomas did not see it clearly as he started to recall, “...it is not exactly known information. A very sensitive topic as well.”
“Oh? Go ahead. Come on, what is it? Have you accidentally fired on a neutral battery on the way here? Danish? German?”
It seemed as if he resorted to guessing games. The Captain bit his lip.
“Nay, it is… something else.”
“Thoughts of mutiny? I will ensure that discipline will be restored on this-”
“No, it is not that either!” He retorted in sudden (yet polite) indignation and in defence of the crew. Ussher recoiled back in light surprise. “The crew are incredibly loyal although bored due to patrolling the North Sea for an extended period of time. They would not do such a thing.”
“You sound as if you were a father arguing in favour of his spoiled children,.” Ussher smirked as his amusement only grew more and more. “Very well, I will have one last guess. Rebellion has started to fester in another one of His Majesty’s Ships?”
“Thankfully, no Captain nor Admiral plans to turn on His Majesty.”
“Then, what is it, man?” He waved his right hand as he used his left to prop up his cheek. “I am just as dumbfounded as I was a few minutes ago.”
Thomas paused for a few moments in order to ponder his thoughts and make the report presentable to his successor. Ussher also took this time to gnaw down the rest of his steak. Somewhat impressive given the short period.
“...we had been patrolling in the North Sea, as you may know,” he finally broke the silence, “over the coast of Norway and Russia.”
“God knows why you were assigned there in the first place.” Ussher mused, now taking fully to his wine glass. Thomas was honestly a bit frightened at the speed he was going through his food.
“God knows indeed. Anyways, around the start of December, we were travelling near the Coast of Norway when… a few of our ill men started becoming aggressive. Not only aggressive but an… otherworldly sort of aggression… it is hard to explain exactly.”
He remembered the first outbreak of the madness being reported by the Surgeons. A few of the infirm and deathly ill, whom the mates thought had originally passed, had suddenly risen up and were causing mayhem in the medical bay. Reportedly, one of the men had tried to poke the eye out of one of the passers-by.
The wardroom found themselves completely unexpecting of this entire situation, and they had muttered amongst themselves nervously. Himself included.
Ussher seemed to stop in the midst of drinking his wine, looking intrigued and completely taken off guard by the information being currently relayed to him. He leaned forward and placed his hand on his sabre.
“Aggressive how?” He asked, eyebrow raised.
“It… I could hardly believe it myself. The original madmen had turned grey and looked akin to corpses. I believe the Surgeons said they were originally motionless before they arose with a bloodlust in their eyes. They tried to bite and devour some of the people present and-”
He shook his head, seething through his teeth.
“When they were successful, the unfortunate person that had been targeted soon turned to another one of them after hearing voices. The madness they suffer through is infectious .”
He had actually been there just as one of them was undergoing the grotesque metamorphosis. The crew present there had all backed off in shock and he clearly remembered the pure terror in the Midshipman’s eyes as the sailor had covered his face, only to suddenly dash at him.
Ussher blinked and his eyes bulged in surprise. He paused drinking from the glass and stared at the outgoing captain with a shocked and disbelieving expression on his face.
“What?! Surely, you joke?” He coughed slightly and turned to him completely. “Infectious madness? Why, one has never heard of such a thing before!”
Again, Thomas sighed. He crossed his arms as he shook his head solemnly.
“I am afraid I tell the truth, despite my wishes for the contrary. The healthier men who were ‘maddened’ by them seemed to have more capacity for violence than any of the original patients. The Surgeons reported one of them… they tried to sprint at the unaffected men and poke their eyes out with their eyes glowing red . Another one transformed as well while we were inspecting them. It was a hard task containing them, and in some of the instances… we had to unfortunately put them down.”
“But what happened to them?” Ussher exclaimed, “I have not seen them around the deck so surely you have cured them?”
The gloomy look on Thomas’ face seemed to prove otherwise.
“We forced them into quarantine on a tow-boat a week into December,” he replied, looking away slightly. “But, a few days later, a harsh blizzard made us lose them around the island of Vardøya.” He pronounced the name of the island in the way of the local Norwegians.
“Oh dear, then…” Ussher looked completely aghast, “Then what happened?”
“We sent a jolly boat of fifteen men in order to retrieve them.” He paused and a guilty look spread onto his face while he sighed. “Only four returned, one died of wounds, and they brought horrible accounts with them.”
He was thankful that his counterpart was not drinking from his glass as of now, lest wine be spread all over him and spilt onto the floor by the sheer reaction he had, with a sudden jerk of the body.
“Four?!” Ussher gaped, hands moving in a sudden motion, “How did they-”
“The survivors… They told us of the absolute devastation that Vardø had suffered in such a short period of time. They were part of the group that had been sent to investigate the town and they reported that it was roaming with what they now dubbed as cannibals. They said that they moved like a herd, consuming every person that they came across, or for the more fortunate ones, having their throats ripped out.”
He winced as he said the final words, those poor souls. Ussher looked as if he were to speak, but his words were stuck in his throat in pure shock.
“They used the jolly boat in a hurry to get away from the herds,” he continued, “and I do not blame them for doing so. We saw many sizeable groups pass by and with how terrifying they were, it was completely understandable as to why they used the boat to get back in such a rush. But the other group was still missing in action.”
“We waited for a few days in order to stay alert for any calls for help that they could signal for. Indeed, on the evening of the twenty-fourth, we heard the church bells ring, and we went to the pier in order to retrieve them. But it was not the rest of the marines and sailors that rang.” He admitted sorrowfully. “It was the Danes of the garrison who were attempting to flee in one last desperate attempt that alerted us. When we went to pick them up, hundreds and hundreds of bodies littered the pier as they fought off a massive horde of cannibals. The sheer amount of corpses was horrifying. They littered the snow like leaves, forming small hills. The snow itself was stained red by their dried blood.”
To think that this was all caused by losing a simple towboat. Thomas’ face contorted into one of advanced grief and guilt.
“Why do you tell me this?” Ussher finally said, voice free. “Do you wish for me to set my course back to the North Sea and bombard Vardoya in order to rid the island of the madmen? I am quite sure that my abilities will be sufficient for success! If you wish, I will call for support from other ships.”
Thomas waved his hand at his brave, but violent counterpart.
“No, no. My concerns are much greater than this.”
“How can one’s concerns be much greater than a horde of man-eating cannibals?!” he cried.
“Excuse me, please give me a few seconds.”
Thomas stood up from his chair and walked slowly to his desk. He took out a newspaper from its drawers and laid it out on the table after pushing away his plate and wine glass. Ussher noted that it was in… Danish or Norwegian? He was not really familiar with the languages, he spent most of his time in the Mediterranean after all.
“We docked at the village of Bodø after fleeing a suitable distance from Finnmark” his face scrunched up in a mix of emotions, “and left the Danes here. We procured some supplies in order for our travel south when one of the sailors who knew Danish came across this newspaper. He alerted me and the other officers towards this portion.”
He pointed to one section, in the corner of the page. It was somewhat small, but the bold header could be read clearly.
RYGTER OM MENNESKEÆDENDE HORDER, DER REJSER GENNEMGÅ DET RUSSISKE RIGE MIDT FRANSK TILBAGETRÆT - RIGA OG TALLINN UNDER TRUSSEL?
“There are rumours that the Russians have encountered them as well, and they are already at the walls of the Baltic cities.”
Ussher could not believe his ears.
“My God… the Russians as well?” he said, somewhat quiet due to his shock returning. His mouth seemed to be locked open as he leaned forward even more..
“This is not an isolated case,” Thomas nodded sadly, “though they are still ‘rumours’, it is incredibly clear that they are very, very real.”
“What I am asking of you, dear Ussher, is assurance of your protection of the crew against these madmen and cannibals.” Thomas leaned in to meet his successor despite his apparent ailments.
“Though they are still in Eastern Europe, the fact that they completely overran an island within a few days alarms me. They can burn through the continent like a wildfire, completely destroying everything in the blink of an eye. They may reach Spain in a few months, and I simply cannot allow this crew to suffer such a fate. I ask you, as I am being invalidated back to England, in one action as Captain for their safety and benefit. The cold has already deteriorated my health to a high degree, and the crew simply cannot be led by such a weak and tired man like me, especially in these times.”
His eyes also seemed to plead and beg. “I plead for you to do this. I ask you, not only as my successor but also as one of the bravest, fiercest and most zealous captains I have ever had the pleasure of hearing about and meeting. Your proven capability of fighting on in the midst of adversity is something admirable and is desperately needed in these times if the beasts ever find themselves in Spain. Can I trust you to do that?”
In an instant, he saw the shock melt away on Ussher’s face. Determination made its way onto it instead, and he leaned forward to meet him fully.
At that moment, Thomas understood what this man’s crew felt. Before him, he saw the many-times wounded commander of many ships, the veteran of many battles having been wounded himself countless times in such attacks. The daring and stubborn Captain who was awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin, and who had been praised by the highest Admirals and commanders of the Navy.
“You will not be disappointed, sir,” he replied, mixing his already energetic and vigorous voice with a tone of seriousness. “I will be sure to retaliate against these madmen to the best of my ability, and I will ensure that not one part of the crew will have a finger laid on them. If we were to find them in the Mediterranean, I will be sure to fight them off and eradicate and obliterate them so fully as to render them extinct.”
Thomas was in awe at the sheer power and projection he had in his words. He smiled in relief.
“I am forever in your debt, Captain. Now I know that the crew and the Undaunted will be in capable hands. They are lucky to have such a commander as you.”
Ussher had leaned back with a hint of satisfaction on his face. He took his wine glass again and swirled it.
“I swear by these words, Captain Thomas.” He replied. “Has any other Captain of the fleet been alerted to the existence of the madmen?”
“As of now, no.” Thomas shook his head. “I have sent a letter to the Admiral detailing the entire incident, but I have not yet received a reply.”
“I see…”
Ussher tipped the wine glass to a large degree in order to drink it.
Thomas was alerted as a splash of wine split down the Irishman's uniform and stained the newspaper on the table. He coughed profusely and the Captain leaned forward in concern, hands outstretched.
"Ussher, are you fine?" He asked.
"Damn!" he swore in between his hacking, but he had some humour in his eyes and tone. "That's what you get for taking more than you can!"
As Thomas looked, he noticed something uncanny and froze. He did not know if it was a trick of the light, or if his stress-filled mind was fooling him.
The shade of the wine was somehow dark enough… to be reminiscent of blood.
It dripped down from Ussher’s mouth and cheek in an eerie way. It leaked into the front of his uniform, and the way it mixed with the dark blue colour was… far too familiar to members of the Navy.
But the way it settled onto his neck disconcerted Thomas the most. It went down from his cheek and into his collar. The way he leaned his head to one side made it go horizontally across.
It looked like a gash, with small drops of blood flowing down.
And he noticed from the corner of his eye, the wine had spilt primarily on the same article in the corner detailing the whispers of the Russian madness.
He did not know why his brain decided to focus on that imagery, he also did not know why dread seized him all of a sudden.
“Now what about you? You look like the one needing help!”
He was broken fully out of his stupor. He shook his head. He convinced himself that it was probably the stress from remembering the cannibals getting to him.
But a bit of unease remained.
“You should clean yourself up, Captain.” He said, again standing up from his chair. “To be soaked in wine is not a good day to start the first day of command in front of the crew. What would they think?”
Ussher coughed and put the wine glass back on the table. He laughed.
“Tsk, ah, a lesson learned for my Hubris.”