Watson returned to the harbor for a second time. And found the harbor exactly as promised.

In the dead of night, when no one was there, only the hunters and their leaders swarmed across the harbor. Cluttered. Organized. With gear in hand, they floated about and waited. Some even looked shocked as the harbor seemed empty. But Watson didn’t care. He knew the harbors would be empty at certain times of the day, and took advantage of that most clearly.

“You’d think the stridewrights and harbormaster would be here to greet us,” Haddock noted.

“For some reason this harbor isn’t, but I would agree,” Watson said. “I won’t be missing this chance though,”

“I can see why you picked this spot,” Haddock insisted.

Watson then swam to the striders, all of which were chained with anchors back to the harbor. He then turned to the brigade, all of which had clustered together in single unison, staring outwards in front of them. There were enough lights in the harbor to at least show the throng of hunters standing right in front of Watson, all eyeing him as he would prepare the next move.

There was naturally some chattering. But to Watson’s surprise, it was not enough to stir commotion beyond the harbor to other parts of the city. At least in this regard, Watson knew not to expect any more company. Or any more trouble. It relieved him.

“Joining the hunt with us this time, Commandant?” a hunter asked.

Watson pointed to the hunter who decided to challenge him. “It’s only natural for you to wonder why I’m here now,” Watson said. “I know I might not have been the most adept, or most friendly, of Commandants the city has to offer. But this particular expedition is personal to me. So yes, I am joining,”

No other hunter would challenge Watson in that instance. But Watson paid more attention to the hunter that questioned him. “At least you now know your place at the walls,” Watson insisted. “I see you’ve learned,”

“Haddock called the expedition, but you are leading it,” the hunter said. “That makes no sense to us. Why?”

“It does now, and for this expedition it will,” Watson said. “If you don’t like it you can go report to the Vicegerent.”

The hunter immediately fell silent. And in that silence, the rest of the brigade followed.

Normally the Commandant would raise his harpoons and cross them above his head. The hunters would then follow suit. Before long, Watson would recite a sermon, thanking their Lord Wayne for guiding them through the wailing waters and blessing their journeys so far. But Watson wanted to get going immediately, so he would have none of that.

“Haddock, go to the Redemption and unfasten the Strider from its anchor,” Watson said. “Ulysses, to the Titan on the far right. The rest of you, split yourselves between the three of us and latch onto a strider fin while you can. This is going to be a long one.”

“No greetings then?” another hunter asked. “What is this?”

“I’ll let you know what this is, this could be the most important expedition of your lives,” Watson said. “No amount of years, training, or experience will prepare you for this expedition. So I suggest you muster whatever manhood, or manpower, you have left in you. Your life might depend on it.”

What Watson said startled the entire hunting brigade as Haddock and Ulyssses unfastened their respective Striders. Almost shortly afterwards, the entire hunting brigade began to split into three groups. The hunter Watson eyed strayed to the far left. As he reached for the chain, he unhooked the links to the anchor pole, then simply held onto the chain. The weight of the Strider, against the lighter current of the Ocean beneath them, created a strain that pulled back againsT Watson’s grip. Forcing him to contend with the Victory as it was about to drift off into unknown waters.

And near his leg, someone grappled his left knee. He looked down and noticed Pisces still standing there. “How did you get by unnoticed?”

“I’m a little clever that way, I guess,” Pisces insisted.

“Stop sneaking up on me like this; it gets me worried,” Watson said. “Let me tend to the Strider, stay close,”

Watson reined in the Victory as other hunters started to climb atop the strider, standing on one of the four fins on opposing sides, and latching onto them. Watson and Pisces simply waited until all the hunters mounted their respective striders, before taking off into the unknown waters.

Raising a thumb up against the biolights in his own regiment, he checked with Haddock and Ulysses on opposing sides. He got the queues for both of them, indicating they were prepared to go.

Then Watson let go of the chains anchoring them to the Tridention harbor, and the Strider was slowly carried away by the subtle, but light, movements of water they were in. It was a miracle to Watson how, even despite all the weight on the Strider, and the weight of the Strider itself, water still could move it like it was nothing. It got them started, and it got them going.

Helming at the front of the Victory, Watson told hunters to the left and right of him to orient the fins such that it would make a left turn. The hunters on the left pulled on their fin with rings, while those on the right pushed down on theirs. Eventually, the Victory made a complete left turn. And the Strider now would circulate the city.

The Victory, Redemption, and Titan formed a single file while turning against Tridention’s walls. The walls that surrounded the entire city and protected them. They would circulate around the city of Tridention and then head far north.

Golden walls towered them to their left. Watson only looked upwards to admire their sheer height. But he stayed undercover in the baskness of dark, for the hunters of thirty-four other brigades still patrolled the city like hawkfish. Some even had biolights on them as well, so any trace of them by them would catch them and arouse suspicion.

Pisces latched onto her father while he steered the Victory around Tridention to head for the Atlantic up north. “Is that a girl right next to you, Commandant?” a hunter asked.

“She’s my daughter,” Watson said. “I’ve decided she would accompany me this time.”

“Ah,” the hunter said. “Is this her first expedition?”

“Aye,” Watson noted.

“That’s interesting,” the hunter said. “Quite the choice of an expedition to have her come with you on.”

“There’s no perfect time for something like that, to be quite frank with you,” Watson said. “I simply couldn’t leave her alone in the city.”

“No family?” the hunter asked.

Watson halted at the question. While he knew the hunter wanted to strike conversation, Watson did not want to disclose family life to the hunter himself. As he stared outwards into open water, he watched the Strider and the wall as the Redemption and Titan loomed large right next to him. “It’s a long story, hunter,” Watson finally said to him.

The hunter kept the conversation at that. Pisces then slowly approached him. “You see?” Pisces said to him softly. “Nobody has said anything yet.”

“Not what I was expecting,” Watson admitted.

“You worry too much,” Pisces said. “Do you know what I mean?”

Watson processed Pisces’ statement. Unsure if it was a statement or a warning, he still processed it. But the admission got to him as he pondered it. The Victory had reached the midpoint of the left city wall. Tridention as a city was traditionally surrounded by a cylindrical wall that spanned its perimeter, housing in Whitehall, the residential section, the barracks, and all a manner of structure. But even as he stayed in the darkness, trying to dodge the biolights to get to open waters again, Watson pondered. “Perhaps I do,” Watson said.

A biolight from above watched as the three Striders, side-by-side, eventually passed them and were caught in its brightness. Watson looked upwards, and wondered if the hunter would give them much thought. They know now, Watson thought to himself. There can be no going back at this point. This either works or doesn’t.

The three Striders eventually passed the walls and made it to the open waters. To stare into the open waters for this long meant to stare into perpetual nothingness, that supposedly went on for much farther than the eyes could see. “The Ocean is huge,” Pisces said. “I can’t see anything here.”

“It’s because you’re not supposed to,” Watson said. “I forgot, you’ve never been outside of the city walls before, have you?”

“You never let me,” Pisces said.

And for a good reason, Watson thought. “The Seven Oceans are much larger than you and I could possibly comprehend,” Watson said.

“You ever try swimming around the Seven Oceans all by yourself?” Pisces asked. “I wonder what that would be like,”

“You couldn’t,” Watson said. “Would take many lifetimes to do that. And you only have one. It’s why you shouldn’ try it.”

“You never know,” Pisces said.

“Oh I know, it’s you who don’t,” Watson said. “Not yet at least.”

“We’ll see,” Pisces insisted.

Watson called for two Rank Commanders to come to the front and use the biolights on their heads to illuminate the space for them. Dim spheres of light surrounded the strider, and gave them a way to get around in the open waters as they treaded up northward. Watson stood and took watch, while Pisces stood right next to him and watched too.

Pisces might have had a point about him worrying. He was worried people would say something about him bringing his daughter on the expedtiion. He was worried about a hunter noticing them leaving, and uncovering the true plot of the expedition. He was worried that Jane would kill herself persistently trying to get the relief expedition afloat. And most importantly, he was worried that preparations would go so awry, that the truth would not be covered and peace would not be restored.

But none of that came to pass. And Pisces was right. But Watson chose to deny that to her. For the same reason that Watson never chose to tell Pisces the truth about why their mother had left them behind.

I always knew the truth, but hid it, Watson said. It was not the weight of responsibility that forced her to leave us. It was my weight. I worried too much about everything, and it was my worries that took things to uncontrollable levels. I did this to myself.

And now I’m worried I won’t know what to do in the blistering cold of the High Arctic, Watson thought to himself. It’s just completely uncharted, or so it seems.

Watson controlled his breathing, trying to heave his chest and keep composure. Once he relaxed, he looked to the darkness of the Indian Ocean to calm himself down. I have to figure this out now, Watson thought to himself. For Pisces.

Watson found relief once the three Striders got away from the open water. But now that the Oceans were in front of them, and the city behind them, Watson’s most endearing expedition yet would unfold. He calmed himself down as the Striders took front in the open waters. And after a long strenuous watch, he eventually succumbed to sleep.

In his slumbers, Watson secretly prayed he would find the answers he was looking for. Once and for all.