American Renegades — Chapter 7. Diane laid in the Teepee, drifting in…
By: Sascha Gomberg
Tags: Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, War, Fiction, American History

Diane laid in the Teepee, drifting in and out of sleep. From the last time the old Shawnee woman had tended to them, she could tell it was night. She was pretty sure that she had brought a watch, a cheap digital one, but it either fell off during her tussle with the mountain lion or maybe the old woman had taken it. “Chaska?”

“What?”

“Can you speak their language?” Diane asked, hoping that maybe they could talk their way out of it. Chaska sighed and replied, “Some words are similar. Really it won’t be of any use. A Shawnee will kill a Siouan on site. And so will a Siouan kill a Shawnee.”

Diane shook her head, “We need to try. Me being white doesn’t change anything?”

Chaska snorted. “It makes it worse. I’m positive they haven’t killed you because they fear the repercussions.”

“Repercussions?”

The wounded warrior smiled and said, “You’re very beautiful. They’ll think your somebody’s woman. And whoever that might be, would definitely come after you.”

She could do nothing but blush, which of course Chaska couldn’t see, so he took her silence as rejection.

“Thank you,” murmured Diane. Chaska smiled. The flap burst open and in rushed Chief Panii, the tribe’s pot-bellied, silver-haired leader. He shouted in a incomprehensible tirade and held out Diane’s digital watch. In his other hand, he held a sharpened spear.

Chaska said something to the Chief, who paused, silently evaluating Chaska’s thick accent. Panii asked what sounded like a question and Chaska nodded. The Chief lowered but didn’t drop his spear and circled Diane. He then said in Siouan, “I made a promise to my people that I would never allow a witch to walk our lands. I swore I would kill them.”

Diane stared back at the man, “I’m not a witch.” Panii raised the watch and said, “This is witchcraft.”

“That is a watch. It tells the time.”

“A pointless trick, you can tell the time by look at the sun.”

Diane groaned, “This device allows you to tell the time to a very precise measurement. Please, I’m not a witch, just a traveler.” Panii inspected the watch carefully, running his fingers over the glow of the ever changing symbols. “How does it work?”

“It goes from zero to twelve twice. Or twenty four. Each number represents an hour.”

“An hour?”

God, why is everything so hard to understand? thought Diane. She spent the next two hours explaining and re-explaining the concept of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, and decades. Chaska asked a few questions. While she spoke, she realized how much education would be needed in the next few years for her plan to work, but she knew that the pay off would be worth it. Finally, Chaska and Panii were satisfied. “So you’re able to measure time to the extent of a beating heart?” asked Panii. Diane nodded. “She has many other things. Things that make that watch look like an arrowhead,” admitted Chaska.

Panii’s gripped his spear, taking a menacing step towards Diane.

— —

Jose didn’t lower his pistol. He kept it raised even when two soldiers entered the room. Upon seeing Thomas’ body and Nicolls with his hands up, they leaped at Jose, but stopped short after Nicolls barked at them to stay back.

“Speak your piece,” demanded Nicolls. He knew that Jose couldn’t make it out alive, even with the magical weapon, but he did not want to meet the same fate as Thomas.

“You already know why I’m here. I need lantern oil, as much as you can give me.”

“For what purpose? Is your nation lacking light?”

Jose shook his head, contemplating whether to tell the truth or not. “Lantern oil where I’m from is called Kerosine. We can use it to fly. I know I won’t be able to fight my way out of this, but if you give me a few barrels, I can show you how it works.”

Nicolls pondered this for a minute, while Jose kept the pistol aimed at his head. Finally, the Colonel said to the men behind Jose, “Smith, Benson. Fetch three barrels of lantern oil and load them up on a carriage.” Then, he turned to Jose, “You have my word of protection. Please lower your firearm and we shall go see how your device works.” Jose lowered his gun slowly and shoved it back into his waistband. Nicolls smiled and thought one way or another, I shall have that marvelous device.

— —

Jose and Nicolls sat on the carriage next to three large wooden barrels, which Jose hoped were full of kerosine. Smith and Benson walked briskly next to the carriage, shooting Jose dirty looks.

The plane appeared through the streets, sitting in the same position where Jose had left it. The two soldiers that Thomas had left were sitting next to it, throwing stones idly at the hull. When they heard the approach of the carriage, they stood at attention.

Jose watched Nicolls’ face grow more entranced with the sight of the plane. He could guess the Colonel was going to try to steal it from him, so he would have to be careful. The carriage came to a stop a few yards away from the end of one of the wings. Nicolls, Smith, and Benson stared in silence at the plane. The two men Thomas had left, Blish and Doyle saluted Nicolls and Blish stepped forward, “Commander, it’s exactly how the Lieutenant left it. We were unable to discover anything on board, but-” Nicolls silenced Blish with a wave of his hand, then commanded all four soldiers to help unload the barrels.

The Colonel looked at Jose with a twinkle in his eye and asked with surprising warmth, “Where do we put the lantern oil? And how soon shall it be ready to fly?”

Without replying, Jose hopped down and showed the men where and how to fill up the tank. Nicolls watched closely, still perched on the carriage. They ended up using all three barrels, which Jose had anticipated. After checking the fuel gauge, he saw that the tank was half full which would be enough for a test flight but not to get back to Diane.

The teenager stepped out of the plane and said, “It’s ready to go,” then he lied, “but I can only take one other person.” Nicolls jumped down from the carriage and confidently strode forward. Even though they all dearly wanted to ride in the flying machine, the men knew that the Colonel would be the first.

Inside the plane, Nicolls watched carefully as Jose pressed switches and turned nobs. The Colonel’s excitement far out-weighted his fear, and he found himself gripping the seat. “You ready?” asked Jose. Nicolls nodded, feeling embarrassed about showing so much emotion.

Jose gunned the motor and the plane crept forward down the dirt path, slowly gaining speed. “I thought this was supposed to fly?!” shouted Nicolls.

As he pushed the throttle forward, Jose laughed and shouted back, “It does! It just needs some speed first!”

Nicolls’ eye grew wide as the plane traveled faster than he’d ever believed possible. They hurtled toward a line of large pine trees. “Look ahead! Watch out, young sir!”

Jose laughed again and gunned the plane upwards. He hadn’t needed to cut it so close, but messing with Nicolls was too good to pass up. They soared above the treetops and into the bright sunny day. Jose glanced over at the Colonel, who stared out at the landscape in utter awe. His trousers were wet, but he couldn’t care less. “Did you pee yourself?” Jose asked, disgusted.

The Colonel pointed at New York, which now looked to Jose like a jumble of buildings in a third world country. “I can see everything! Fly over the city.”

Jose took the Colonel on a joyride up and down the coast. They would dive down at certain parts on the Colonel’s instruction in order to “inspect this” or “survey that.” After an hour or two, Jose told Nicolls that it was time to return, as the fuel was running low. The Colonel agreed and cheerfully patted Jose on the back. “You and I, my friend, will do many things together.”

— —

A dutch maid, Lotte, on the way back from washing clothes in the river, stopped and stared at the giant roaring beast, flying through the sky. Her wet clothes hit the muddy ground as she sprinted away towards Fort Orange, the biggest Dutch colony in the Americas.