Free Iron Rage by James Axler Page B

still a man who had watched his beloved ship—his home, his livelihood, to all intents his life—reduced to a wreck, and seen the love of his life torn limb from limb and devoured alive by crocodiles.
    â€œWell,” Mildred said, “we already know we won’t die from radiation poisoning. Not right away.”
    Myron’s jaw tightened briefly under his beard. Krysty’s friend Mildred tended to deal with severe stress through sarcasm. And what she said was actually both true and responsive to the question. But put that way—well, it probably didn’t sit too well with the poor man.
    â€œWe have food for a couple weeks, easy,” Arliss said. “More if you don’t mind living on nothing but that hundred pounds of jugged sauerkraut we picked up in Moellerville. We’ll see how bad the croc jerky we’ve got drying turns out to be.”
    â€œWe can also fish, and mebbe catch some more crocodiles,” the rigger went on.
    â€œIf they don’t catch us first,” Jake said.
    â€œYeah, thanks for the reminder.” Arliss flicked his eyes to Myron, the acting captain. He had his head down with his beard on his collarbone and seemed too sunk in his own misery to register what the perpetually gloomy navigator had said. “We can also try hunting, trapping and fishing for fresh meat.”
    â€œWe want to be triple careful of that,” Ryan said. “Especially if stickies are in the area.”
    â€œOf course, if they are, we’ll likely find out about it when they come calling,” J.B. stated. He sounded way more amused at the prospect than the Queen ’s crew looked.
    Ryan scratched his right ear. “That’s why Jak’s prowling out in the weeds beyond the perimeter. That, and we’d have to chain him to the boat to keep him from patrolling on his own.”
    â€œWill he be okay out there?” Suzan asked. “I mean, if there’s stickies and all. Not to mention other wild animals.”
    â€œIf stickies reside in the vicinity,” Doc said, “it is highly unlikely that any other predators of any size do. Many muties are not highly tolerant of competition.”
    â€œNot to mention just plain mean,” Abner added.
    â€œWhat about the rads?” Nataly asked. “And the toxic metals Mildred talks about? I mean, in the fish and game, if we eat any of it.”
    She dabbed at some crocodile grease at the side of her thin-lipped mouth. The fresh croc flesh had been altogether tasty, roasted on driftwood spits over open fires.
    â€œIf we stay away from internal organs, especially the liver, we shouldn’t get hurt by heavy metal toxicity any more than from environmental exposure to the fallout. Same for the radiation, actually. The fact there’s no real hot spots right close by, and we didn’t land smack-dab in the middle of a strontium swamp, is a hopeful sign, at least.”
    Her broad, normally smooth forehead creased in a thoughtful frown.
    â€œStill, as long as we don’t spend more than a week or two here, the rad and metal poisoning shouldn’t shorten our lives by more than ten, twenty years.”
    Everybody had a good laugh at that. None of them would have called the prospects of their all living to see the sun come up again particularly prime.
    â€œWhat about those two fleets full of ironclads that almost did us in today?” Sean asked.
    Arliss looked at Myron, who was still sunk in his despair. Then he looked at Ryan.
    â€œThat’s a fighting matter, I’d say, more than a river boatman’s. Where do you guys stand, anyway? You signed on for the duration of the voyage down to the Sippi Delta baronies, which would appear to have come to an end, at least for now. And you hired on to accept the, ah, the Conoyers as your bosses while actively employed. But it looks to me like you’re free agents now.”
    He grimaced. “It’s not like there’s anything