ARCANA Chapter 4 by William James Johnson

Carlo and John spent many frustrating hours practising mooring and lift off in Airship Nobile. Designed into the base of the crew gondola, attached at the nose, was a hundred foot long telescoping bipod which was a portable anchoring tower and ladder. When the pilots had completed a reconnaissance of the terrain selected for mooring, the mast was released from the rear of the gondola, and it swung vertically under the nose of the crew compartment. The pilot tried to keep the Nobile from shifting while the co-pilot extended the mast towards earth.

The base of the mast contained a recessed video camera which provided a picture in the crew compartment of the depth perception essential for a safe anchoring. Built into the base structure were three ways of attaching the mooring mast to the surface: a deployable gas filled circular dinghy, which permitted water moorings, massive suction cups for use on bare rock, and three long rocket-fired metal darts for anchoring the mast on soil.

At the rear of the craft two other crew members helped lower the electrically operated winch anchors which stabilized the airship laterally. Crew timing was essential to ensure all three anchor points touched within a half minute of each other. Carlo's loss of temper during several practise sessions resulted in a heated argument between him and John.

"What the hell's wrong with those idiots at the rear? All they have to do is press a button when they're told."

"It's your fault, Carlo. You're taking too long to deploy your main anchor base."

"Well I can't deploy it if the craft is still moving. Hold it steady."

"I'm trying to hold it steady. That's not a vacuum out there."

"If you can't handle it, maybe you'd better go back to covering football games," Carlo said sarcastically.

Moysev hated to interfere in these exchanges, but he didn't want the petty remarks of the hot headed Italian to undermine the good morale the crew had developed from the first day.

"That's enough you two. You're acting like little children. No one said it would be easy. I'll take my turn on rear anchor and you can try again. Come, Helga, you can take starboard anchor."

Embarrassed at the truth of the old man's remarks, Carlo apologized profusely, and John gave him a friendly poke in the chest.

"Come on, Commander, let's master this beast."

Near the end of May, an observer would have thought Airship Nobile was an extension of the crew. Moorings had become so proficient Carlo invited the villagers to come to a spectacular open sea mooring in the harbour of Gaeta. The crowds were thrilled at what they saw.

Offshore winds were light as the crew extended the nose mooring pylon and inflated the dinghy attached for water landings. Suddenly, out of the bottom of the crew pod, a bright orange inflatable descent-chute grew from the base of the airship and reached over the water surface like a huge slide in an amusement park. The crowd roared as each crew member hit the top of the slide and came dashing down the chute, screaming like hyper children as they hit the spray at the bottom. Even Chow and Moysev were excited and wet as they came up on the sand.

Carlo was the last to leave the craft. After hitting the water, he returned to the end of the chute and pulled a release cord. Unfastened from the gondola, the top of the chute drifted down to the sea like a limp monster, forming a long floating dugout raft. The others rushed back into the warm waters of the Mediterranean and helped him pull it ashore. Taking their prearranged places along the side of the long orange chute, they began opening valves to release the CO2. When deflation was completed it was folded carefully into a bulky mass and put into a monofilament container Carlo had removed from the top end. He and John attached it to the port rear anchor for its return trip to the dirigible.

The older members of the crew found the hand over hand climb up the hundred foot bipod ladder to the crew compartment the most difficult chore. Carlo, always the last to leave the craft, insisted on being the first to return to the top. He had John come on board last. John preferred it that way. He would arrange to have one of the women climb ahead of him. A moderate woman chaser in his own right, he enjoyed admiring the flexing of their athletic buttocks under their well-worn jeans. The two girls knew what he was doing. Once he grasped Helga's ankle and her warm smile from above promised better things to come. He was full of the zest of living, and it showed in his enthusiasm towards his work. His attitude was an excellent counter balance to the uptight seriousness of Carlo.

Chow was still having problems making a total commitment to the mission. He was always quick to find fault, and petulant when proven wrong. He made a significant discovery during the training period. Designed into the top of the massive gas bag was an enormous bank of solar cells which charged the nickel cadmium storage batteries that provided the energy to turn the long propelling fans. The helium kept the airship aloft, and the fans gave it motive force. Chow's computers recorded on a brief trial run on a cloudy day that the batteries drained much faster than had been anticipated. He felt this was very critical when the long journey north was being planned and asked everyone to meet in the computer chamber.

"Three dull days in the Arctic and we'll be prisoners on a floundering craft. There wouldn't be enough energy to deploy the mooring mast. Adrift, we'd be at the mercy of the elements. We could end up like General Umberto Nobile and his doomed Italia'".

Carlo resented Chow's reference to the fate of his grandfather. He knew the scientist had the welfare of everyone at heart when he brought this to their attention. John admired Nobile's control of his emotions under this provocation. He felt the young Italian pilot had matured considerably since the start of the training phase.

Tuma, who was usually quiet, spoke up. "We go north soon?"

"Mid June," replied John.

"No dull days in Arctic in June", said the Eskimo in his quiet way. "That is month of the long sun."

Chow was sure he had a reasonable objection this time so he continued, "Are you going to accept the judgement of a child over my years of experience? Clouds will interfere with our solar cells."

Tuma was firm. "Over my land in June, the sky is as clear as the Arctic river in the summer."

"We have thousands of miles before we get to your land. What then? Do you want to be adrift over the Atlantic?" asked Chow.

Dr. Henley Armstrong offered his solution. "I must agree with Liu, which is not to say that I disagree with Tuma. My disagreement is with the selection of materials for our storage batteries. I recommend we convert to zinc lead batteries which hold their charge more effectively than nickel cadmium."

"What about weight? " asked John. "We start changing a basic component we've got to think of the weight factor."

Carlo took a small calculator from his breast pocket and quickly pressed the plastic numbers. "This could make a significant change in our capability. Switching storage batteries could increase our weight by over five hundred pounds. That's more than two crew members."

Chow was satisfied now the others were beginning to appreciate the seriousness of his discovery.

"Henley's suggestion is a good one. Five hundred pounds does not affect the airship's capability significantly in its lift potential. It just means we're going to have to be satisfied with moving at a slower speed."

"How much slower?" John asked.

Chow typed the question into the computer terminal.

"We will move at forty knots instead of forty five."

"And in days extra to get there?" continued John.

"About an extra day."

"Then what're we worried about? Let's make the change right away."

Andre Goulet broke into the conversation. "You are forgetting, mes amis, the toxic fumes from zinc lead batteries will mean additional weight to provide a sealed compartment with proper venting.

Henley reluctantly changed his mind, but like the others was anxious to get on with the mission. "I'm prepared to say leave it as it is and go with Tuma's assurance that June is the month of the long sun."

"Are we not having a trial run to Oslo next week?" asked Helga

Carlo replied in the affirmative.

"Then let us see how it works under operational conditions. If Liu feels this is satisfactory, I propose we delay our decision until after Oslo."

Chow felt he was being backed into a corner again. He interceded, "I will say yes to Miss Korb if you will agree that at the first sign of energy discharge we will moor until the conditions improve."

Carlo asked for a show of hands to Chow's proviso, and all agreed.

In early June, Airship Nobile left its base at Pozzuoli for the twelve hundred mile journey to Oslo, Norway. The celebrating villagers acted as though the Nobile was beginning its arctic journey. A brass band turned out for the launching. All along the small harbour, yachts had been collecting for the past week. Shouts of the crowd, boat whistles and brass band gave the crew members that extra pep to climb the ladder with more vigour than they'd ever shown before. Even Chow was caught up in the excitement.

Sandra and Helga wore pale blue form fitting crew suits designed by Bardoni. The men were outfitted in navy blue accented with red and white. Portly Moysev and skinny Goulet looked dashing in their sleek flying suits. Carlo's uniform had four narrow gold bands on each epaulet. John settled for three. The others were given small silver replicas of arctic owls to designate their crew rank.

The launch went perfectly. Rear anchors and the portable tower settled in comfortably against the crew pod. Carlo's resonant Italian voice expressed a cool, controlled excitement which inspired confidence in the others. If everything went smoothly, they would be in Norway in two days.

During the first few hours of the trip, they had the enthusiastic excitement of tourists on a conducted sightseeing bus. Thousands cheered as Nobile flew over Rome's stadium. As they left the central mountain range behind them Carlo pointed out the famous attractions of Italy. The sun glistened on the canals of Venice.

When they achieved an altitude of about five thousand feet John had to correct the craft's heading, as increasing winds from the west pushed the dirigible off course in an easterly direction. The navigation video indicated they were cutting off the western edge of the former iron curtain nations.

By late afternoon they were passing over Nuremberg. There was a moment of silence as the crew members remembered the historical context associated with this German city. The crew of Nobile was joyous as they headed north west across the mountainous Balkans.

It was then that Carlo called out to John, who was chatting with Henley. "We're getting a radar signal coded enemy coming at us from the east."

"Thorpe said we might have troubles."

"Troubles! Why wasn't I told?"

The targets were closing rapidly on the cumbersome airship.

"Let's hope this does the trick." said John grinning nervously, as he selected the laser activate switch. Nobile trembled as a fireball appeared nearby and the enemy aircraft spun out of control.

"He's got a partner" yelled John as the second jet blew up on the top of a mountain in Macedonia. "Thank God for good old US technology."

"Why wasn't I told?" demanded Carlo.

"So now you know. Just keep this thing heading north."

Carlo felt like someone had him by the throat.

By evening their speed had increased and they had crossed Potsdam and the corner of West Berlin. A bank of heavy cloud had been developing in the northwest and Michael, who was monitoring the meteorological reports, called John on the intercom.

"Skipper, we've an emergency report from Copenhagen, with a warning there may be heavy squalls later this evening off the North Sea."

Chow heard the broadcast in the computer chamber and cut in on the intercom.
"Our energy state looks fine Commander. Maybe we shouldn't push our good fortune. We still have enough light down below to make a land mooring."

Carlo came on to the radio. "There's no need for a land mooring Liu. We need some experience with flying continuously. There's no need to moor."

Michael came back on the intercom. "At this altitude the weather satellite is forecasting winds up to 200 miles an hour from the west. Apparently we're intercepting the jet stream at an unusually low level."

"What about it, John," asked Carlo? "You're the man with the experience. Can we stay airborne safely?"

"I would say, yes, if you're prepared to be blown around like a balloon, such as we are now. At forty five knots per hour, we really don't have much choice in that kind of wind. I think there'd be more risk in trying to put it down than in riding it out."

The rest of the crew had come into the flight deck, all except Michael, who continued to monitor the latest weather. Distant lightning illumined their anxious faces as they peered over the shoulders of Carlo and John. The tremendous visibility in Verdi's designed windows now was an obvious handicap. They felt themselves suspended in space with jagged rips of lightning tearing through the pod.

Stark brightness and thunder reverberating through the massive gas bag began to chill the crew. Over 1200 feet in length and 150 feet high, the enormous gas chamber resounded like a gigantic stadium packed with people. The hundred and twenty foot crew pod suspended beneath this gas bag was dwarfed by its immensity.
Heavy rain had begun to whip against the acrylic windows with the staccato rhythm of an automatic weapon. Airship Nobile was under attack by its most unpredictable enemy, raw nature, unleashing a vicious onslaught against this man made marvel.

John studied the terrain below on his video readout, a computer image formed by using radar echo principles so that the darkness of the storm did not interfere with the scope return. A powerful updraft thrust the ship to ten thousand feet. The navigational maps affirmed that the craft would be clear of all obstacles at this height.

Without warning the heavy rain changed to hard chunks of hail smashing against the Nobile. The slender craft limped through the barrage like a vintage fighter craft in an antiaircraft attack. Just as suddenly as the violent crashing had begun, it ended, followed by an eery silence and the build up of rime ice on the gas bag and all the windows. The crew were at once plunged into a deep freeze in their posh surroundings.

"I'm freezing, Skipper. Can we have some heat?" asked Sandra.

"We're all freezing. Hold on for a minute. What about it Liu? We going to risk running low on energy if we crank up the heaters?"

"Our energy level is very high, Commander. I don't see any problems."

"You heard the man. Give the lady some heat, John."

Soon the warm currents of heat wafted upwards from the floor along the perimeter of the flight deck. The sudden lapse in the storm made them feel more confident that Airship Nobile could handle any difficulty and still get them safely to their destination.

Sandra Wright, feeling more comfortable again, regained her composure, as she captured with a hand held video camera the varying expressions of the Nobile's crew. As she zoomed in on the face of John Robins, she suddenly realized how much confidence the others had placed in this young man. She wondered what it was about his wife back in the States that had led to their separation. Studying him through the lens she felt his love for danger must have been part of it.

Without warning, a tremendous blast picked up the Nobile and forced it eastward. Those standing in the crew compartment were hurled against the bulkheads. Carlo and John, strapped in their seats, fought to regain control of their ship as it darted eastward on the whim of the jet stream. John instinctively feathered the two giant fans and yelled at the others to strap themselves in. Minutes later Michael came back on the intercom.

"Goteborg Sweden has picked us up on radar. We are caught in a western jet stream."
The crew were reassured when they heard that someone was watching their progress. Then, a blinding flash of lightning made Chow leave his forward position and rush to his computer chamber. Soon he was shouting on the intercom.

"Listen, everyone. This is most serious. We are in an overload condition. There is a huge build up of static electricity on the gas bag."

Nicholas and Helga, from years of working together, reacted instinctively to Chow's cries. Helga shouted over the noise of the storm as she undid her safety belt.
"This could be the best time to use the SIC to reverse the charge on the gas bag. Come, Nicholas. Let us try."

"You two be careful going back there that you don't get smashed against the wall again. Tuma, help them get to the SIC."

John was as anxious as the two scientists to see if the theory which had been presented would actually work. He was also very concerned about their safety as they headed back to the SIC.

"What is it they're going to do, John?" asked Carlo.

"Something electronic to reduce the overload we have gathered flying through this storm. Electronics is not my strong point. We'll just have to wait and see."

Bouncing off the walls of the ship's corridor, the three made it to the Synthetic Ionization Chamber. Moysev pressed several buttons and watched the readings supplied by Chow's computer in the adjacent chamber. The two scientists looked anxiously at each other. Helga saw the degree of charge which would have to be used and, with a nod from Moysev, adjusted several knobs with the new figures. Then she gave the old Russian a thumbs up signal and he pulled down on the main control lever. For a moment it was as though the entire skin of the Nobile was ablaze with electrical fire. The charge of energy sent to neutralize the build up caused a loud explosion, startling the crew. Carlo was certain the gas bag had blown.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted.

"It works Moysev! It works!" shouted Chow.

"The gas bag is in a balanced state again...your idea worked."

The rest of the crew had never doubted Moysev, but at last he had a convert in Liu Chow.

"And that noise? Anyone going to tell me what that was all about?" insisted Carlo.
Moysev tried to explain the sudden rush of electricity was like that same phenomenon when lightning results in thunder. This sound was manmade thunder."

"Just the same, I think when we get out of this storm we're going to have to send someone out to examine the gas bag. I've got a feeling that that crash damaged the solar field on top."

"I must agree," said John, "but first we've got to decide what we're going to do now."

Michael came back on the air.

"Goteborg is in touch with Kalmar on the east coast of Sweden. From their fix, they say we've drifted two hundred miles off course. They recommend we put down at Kalmar."

John punched in the word Kalmar into the navigation computer. The video indicated they were within twenty miles of Kalmar Sund. Below was only pitch darkness broken intermittently by a pin point of light moving along a highway.

"Plug me into Goteborg, Mike."

"Goteborg, Airship Nobile. How do you read? Over."

"Five square Nobile."

"Goteborg, our computer shows we are about twenty miles off Kalmar on the east coast. We've had a pretty rough time of it in this storm. There's even the chance we may have some damage to our solar panels. I've decided to put down at Kalmar. Please advise, Over."

Goteborg took a few minutes before replying. "Nobile this is Goteborg. Please confirm you have a sea landing capability. Over."

"That's affirmative, Goteborg. I would expect the high sea state would make it damn dangerous. I prefer to make a land mooring. Over."

"Nobile, Kalmar is noted for its irregular terrain. Recommend you put down on the Kalmar Sund. A small island off the coast might help to moderate the surface winds for you. If you agree, we will notify the fishermen in that area to turn their search lights on the surface."

John turned to Carlo. "Well, Commander, it's your decision."

"I don't think we should go on without checking the solar cells. That last bang may have damaged them. If we don't check them, Chow might be right. We may not have enough energy to extend the mooring mast. I think we better take it down."

"Okay, Chief. Then it's down we go."

"Crew, this is the pilot. Take up your amphibious mooring positions. Goteborg radio, this is Nobile. Request your fishermen shine for us in Kalmar Sund. Over."

Off to the right and down about three thousand feet a triangle of light indicated a high sea state, about seven on the Beaufort scale.

"Gawd Carlo, you think we can keep this bastard on?"

Carlo Nobile suddenly saw the image of his grandfather on an arctic ice flow huddled among the few crew members who had made it with him.

"Begin the descent, John."

The cross wind diminished as the craft descended. The fans kept the dirigible oriented north south and John instructed his crew.

"Standby to lower boom. Lower...now...Release rear anchors...now."

Carlo projected the telescoping bipod and as it approached the surface he inflated the doughnut dinghy. Within fifteen seconds both rear anchors struck the white water. John pulled back on the power setting and after three or four violent pitches the Nobile settled down to the regular undulations of the sea below it, the movement diminished by the hundred foot separation from the heaving water of Kalmar Sund.

"Goteborg radio, this is Airship Nobile. Thank you for your help. We've made it."

Sandra put her camera on the floor and rushing to John did what all the crew felt like doing, kissed him like he had never been kissed before.

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