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 The Blue Narwhale  (60 ratings)by Roger Born Page 1 of 3 It was illegal and he knew it. He did not care. He lived for the Hunt.
Carefully he guided his tight little ship, "The Requiem," into the roaring,
stormy, midnight Antarctic Straights, oblivious to the fiercely pounding
waves. Tonight, he was meeting Destiny. For here, in this empty sea, he was
going to find his most prized victim of all, the Blue Narwhal whale!
The most advanced detection gear, coupled with the automatic firing system for his steel harpoon had been built into, and then carefully hidden in this old, stealthy, Navy pocket ship, along with the latest digital video gear for recording his deeds. She was a hundred-ten long, of solid iron, and could be battened like a submarine. She cost him all he had and then some, but he cared not. This ship was his ultimate tool for the Hunt. He listened carefully for the sounds of life through his costly sonar gear, coupled like it was to a sophisticated computer with complex interpreting circuits, and routed to his simple headset. The digital view screen and direction finder, glowing in front of him, was also interconnected, so that he could literally see what he was hearing. He sat in total concentration 'out there', belted into his heavily padded command chair, unaware of his fingers as they deftly played the engine and rudder controls with a mind of their own. It was bitter cold and dark on the command deck, but he never noticed. Nothing hindered his attention to the Hunt. He heard a voice in his head! Shaken, he listened all the more intently. It could only mean that there was another Hunter out here with him right now! "Who are you?" He asked tentatively. "I am She Who Hunts," came the reply. He again was disturbed. He had been about to give his name to her, but she was obviously into using a code name. Why give away identities out here? "I am Hunter," he said into the microphone on his headset. There was a long pause. What was she doing? "You live for the Hunt?" Her voice sounded closer. "Yes! Always!" He replied. "Then we are mates," she said. He grinned at this. She was not just bold, she was brazen! He spoke again. "Where are you from?" Another pause. "I am from the icy North." She sure was into this code thing! She didn't ask him where he was from. "Have you found what you are hunting for?" He asked her. Maybe she knew where to hunt. What did she look like? He could read nothing in her voice. He had to keep this conversation going! "I hunt for food, but I have hunted for you for a long time." She said. More code! "Why do you hunt me?" He asked. "Because we are the last of our kind, you and I." She replied. He was ignoring her now. He had just picked up some kind of image, fifteen thousand yards out to Port. He couldn't see her ship anywhere. Obviously hers was as stealthy as his. He wondered briefly if she was a government ship, searching him out. But no! Nobody in their right minds would be in these tempest Straights this time of year! He eagerly turned his ship toward the faint echo. "Are you finding what you are hunting for?" She asked. "Yes. I see it ahead." He regretted saying that immediately. She was so disarming. What did she look like? Savagely, he concentrated the more on his screen. Only the Hunt was really important here. She was just an interference. "I find nothing yet." She said simply. So! She had not yet seen his Prey! She must be far away from this area. He would not ask her position, for then he would have to give away his own. Basically he was completely selfish at heart. All Hunters are. Dimly, he was aware that huge waves were crashing against his hull, as he ran his ship contrary to the winds. His engines whined in protest, as the sea regularly dropped below the stern of the ship, exposing his shielded props. He simply gave no thought to the possibility that this sea could hurt his ship or damage its engines beyond repair. The Hunt was all that existed for him here and now. The image in his screen was evolving into a single solid form. he recognized its signature! His heart raced. He had found his prize! It was a small Blue Narwhal! "They only exist in the Arctic." He thought to himself. But he had tracked this one all the way down here. This one would bring much gain from those who wanted its parts for delicacies and aphrodesia. Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 Roger Born, sffworld.com. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the author. The author has submitted the work in accordance with and in agreement with the following Submission Guidelines. |
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