Surrender, Lilliput

Chapter 3: Attacking the Blefuscan Armada

Chapter 3:

Galatcha was awakened by a large number of Lilliputians carrying baskets and barrels of food for her breakfast. The sun was just beginning to rise in the East. She quickly ate, then listened to the instructions of a Lilliputian military officer, General Pozole. He instructed her on how to reach the Blefuscan fleet.

"If you don't defeat the entire fleet today," the general explained, "they might find a weakness of yours and exploit it. I don't think it would be impossible for them to find a way to dip their arrows in poison and overwhelm you if you go back on a different day for a second attack."

"I understand, general!" said Galatcha.

When she had heard and understood the instructions, Galatcha took the netting that Mendigar had given to her and exited the cave, heading toward the coast. She remembered General Pozole's instructions and when she came to the cliffs at the beach, she headed in the direction she was instructed to travel. Because of her immense size, Galatcha could see the land of Blefuscu in the distance, so she wouldn't need to swim far.

In the center of the channel, the water was only slightly deeper than her height. Before long, she could stand and walk instead of treading water. She could see the port where the Blefuscan fleet was anchored. At this early hour of the day, the sailors were caught unaware when Galatcha attacked.

Galatcha grabbed the nearest ship and lifted it easily. She took her net, and tossed the ship into the net. Blefuscan sailors jumped overboard into the bay to escape the wrath of the giantess who was conquering them. Galatcha grabbed a second ship, and did the same, stuffing it into the net, then grabbed a third ship. Sailors jumped into the water, and yelled to alert the sailors on the other ships.

When she had collected about twenty ships in the netting, Galatcha returned toward Lilliput. When she reached land, she climbed the cliffs and headed to high ground, and retrieved the ships from the netting, and set them down. The Lilliputian army was waiting, in case there were still Blefuscans on board the captured vessels. There were, and the Blefuscan sailors were captured by the Lilliputians.

Galatcha took the netting and retuned for a second attack. This time, there were archers waiting for her on the piers. They shot hundreds of arrows in her direction. Galatcha swatted the archers with her right hand, while holding the net in her left hand. A group of archers were reaching for more arrows, so Galatcha grabbed a group of them and lifted them to her mouth. She tossed them in, and swallowed them. Some of the other Blefuscan archers saw this, and ran off in terror. Other archers were undaunted, and continued to fire arrows at her.

Galatcha blocked her face from a volley of tiny arrows, then reached down and grabbed the offending archers and swallowed them, as well. Before long, she had swallowed all of the remaining archers.

And so it went, she would capture about twenty ships, return to Lilliput and deposit them on high ground, then return to Blefuscu and capture twenty more. It took several hours to capture all 300 vessels, because it took about half an hour to reach Blefuscu and return to Lilliput with the captured vessels.

By noon, Galatcha had captured all 300 vessels.

The Lilliputian army cheered when Galatcha brought in the last of the enemy vessels. All of the captured sailors were gathered together and put in chains. One Blefuscan sailor was adamant that what the Lilliputians did was against their code of war.

"The giantess you have in your service swallowed Prince Churro! He was one of the archers she devoured!"

General Pozole heard of this, and told a contingent of his soldiers to retrieve a hundred barrels of Ipecac syrup, and bring it to the site where the enemy vessels were gathered. They left immediately, and returned less than an hour later with the barrels.

"Galatcha!" said Genreal Pozole. "When you swallowed the enemy soldiers, you swallowed a member of the Blefuscan royal family. We need you to vomit up the captives you devoured!"

The one hundred barrels of Ipecac syrup were opened, and the giantess took a swig from each one. When she had swallowed about twenty barrels full, she began to gag, and vomited in a canyon not far from the Lilliputian military.

She had swallowed about thirty Blefuscans, and they emerged unscathed.

"It looks like they're none the worse for wear!" said Galatcha with a sinister smile.

The Lilliputian soldiers gathered around the men the young giantess had vomited up, and apprehended them.

"We've found Prince Churro!" said one of the soldiers.

"On behalf of the armies of Lilliput, we thank you for your assistance, Galatcha!" said General Pozole.

"But now that I vomited, I'm hungry again!" said Galatcha.

General Pozole ordered his soldiers to retrieve enough food to feed the giantess. Within an hour, they returned with hundreds of baskets and barrels of food. Bread, meat, cheese, fruits and vegetables. Galatcha took the food and ate, grateful that she had enough to sustain her. After eating a hundred baskets of bread, a hundred baskets of meat, fifty baskets of produce and fifty baskets of cheese, she felt satisfied, though she could've eaten more if it had been available.

Galatcha excused herself and went to the site where the metal workers had poured the copper into the mold the day before, to make a shovel. The shovel was formed, but there were rough edges that were being filed down by scores of Lilliputian workers. Count Champurrado assured the giantess that the shovel would be ready the following day, so she could begin digging the canal.

"We have shifts of workers toiling around the clock!" the Count assured her. "You should be able to begin work after breakfast tomorrow!"

Galatcha excused herself and returned to her cave. When she arrived, Iota was waiting outside the cave for her.

"I didn't want to enter your cave without your permission!" said Iota.

Galatcha collected him and set him on her stone table.

"So did you devour any Blefuscans this morning?" Iota asked.

"Yes, but one of them was a member of the royal family, so General Pozole forced me to vomit them back up."

"So they all survived?" Iota asked.

"As far as I know," Galatcha replied. "I don't like being a cannibal, yesterday I was all for it, but after actually doing it, it feels different."

"If you change your mind, you could be a military machine for the Lilliputian army!" said Iota. "If you swallowed a hundred enemy soldiers a day, every day, you could defeat their army in a matter of weeks!"

"The general said it isn't a good idea to attack them again," said Galatcha. "They might figure out a way to kill me. And I don't appreciate being used as a tool for the military."

"But you're like a war machine!" said Iota. "You could destroy a hundred enemy armies, and they could fall prey to your titanic tummy!"

Galatcha grabbed Iota and lifted him into the air, above her mouth. "You want me to be used as a weapon of war? How about I swallow you, instead?"

Galatcha lifted Iota higher, and dropped him into her mouth. She closed her lips with him inside, then began laughing. She opened her mouth and lifted him out.

"I wouldn't really swallow you, Iota. I was just teasing you! The main reason I had a change of heart is because if I swallowed someone, I might have to vomit him back up, and I would waste precious food that way."

"So you're not going to swallow anyone any more?" Iota asked.

"I don't foresee it happening," Galatcha replied. "I have to get to work tomorrow digging that canal, and it will take many hours a day for months."

"Suppose General Pozole orders you to execute Blefuscans by swallowing them?" Iota asked. "Will you refuse?"

"I can only take so many orders," Galatcha replied. "There is a lot I would do for Lilliput, but they can't turn me into a killer for their needs. If they want me to attack Blefuscu again and force their army to surrender, then so be it, but I won't hurt any of them."

Galatcha set Iota down on the ground.

"I will return to the royal palace and tell the king of your wishes," said Iota.

"Tell them I want to be kept informed of their progress tracking down the Icosahedron." Galatcha grabbed it from the stone table and showed it to Iota. "It is just like this, but on a smaller scale."

"I'll find out, and bring you the news!" said Iota.

Iota made his way down the mountains, and into the capitol city. When he reached the palace, he drank some water from the fountain, and informed the guards that he had information about the magnificent maiden who had conquered the Blefuscan fleet earlier that morning.

Count Champurrado arrived, and asked for any updates.

"Galatcha doesn't want to kill anyone," Iota proclaimed. "The most she would do is command the armies of Blefuscu, and force them to surrender to the Lilliputian army, but she won't hurt anyone."

"The Blefuscans won't be a problem now that their armada has been captured," said the Count. "We need her digging that canal tomorrow morning. She will save our economy a great deal by getting that done, but with the amount of food it takes to feed her, it balances out. Still, it's worth it to us to have her here working for us."

"She wants to know the progress on tracking down the Icosahedron!" said Iota.

"I'll look into it right now," said the Count. "Come into the palace and have some food while you wait."

Iota followed Count Champurrado into the palace, and was led to a dining hall where he was served ample amounts of food.

Meanwhile, the Count went to the chief scientist of the Lilliputian royal court.

"I don't have the slightest idea about such a device," said the scientist.

Across the court, a group of Blefuscan sailors were being interrogated by the king. One of them heard the conversation between the Count and the scientist.

"It's in Blefuscu!" the sailor proclaimed. "If I tell you where it is, will you release me?"

The Count approached the Blefuscan sailor, and grabbed him by the collar. "If you tell me where to find the Icosahedron, we won't kill you, Blefuscan mongrel!"

"The Icosahedron is at the light house on the coast of Blefuscu, in our capitol city! The keeper of the light house is known as Sabio!"

Count Champurrado approached the king. "If we get the Icosahedron now, we can use it as a bargaining tool with the daunting damsel! She will do what we ask of her as long as we have it, but once we give it to her, we lose our power over her!"

"It would be foolish to send a garrison to Blefuscu now, so soon after our attack," said the king. "I want to send Galatcha to retrieve it, along with one ship of our soldiers, protected by her."

"If we send Galatcha now, so soon after the attack, they might have gathered enough hemlock to dip their arrows and poison her!" said the Count. "I say we send a group of spies by night to storm the light house in Blefuscu tonight! We'll have the Icosahedron by dawn tomorrow!"

"We will do it your way, but if that doesn't work, we will send the giantess and a ship as I had instructed earlier."

"Thank you, your majesty!" said the Count, before bowing and leaving the royal court.

The Count entered the royal dining hall and waited for Iota to finish his food.

"Tell the giantess we have located the Icosahedron, but we need to travel a distance to retrieve it. We could have it soon!"

Iota promised to deliver the Count's message, and made his way back to the giant cave where Galatcha was staying. When he arrived, he told her what the Count had told her.

"Do they need help?" Galatcha asked. "If the Icosahedron is in a foreign land, I could offer assistance. It is very important to Mendigar that I return with that device!"

"I only know what I was told," said Iota. "They should have it soon!"

"I sure hope so!" said Galatcha with a look of concern on her face. "I can't fail on my mission!"

To Be Continued!