Thursday, 9th of August.

"Land ahead!"

The shout, muffled from the distance and the wooden deck over his head, was still enough to jolt Pedro Alfonso Niño out of his weary stupor. He pushed himself off the pages of arithmetic strewn across his desk; the ink smudged from where his face and chest were resting.

Concern, and a little fear, gnawed at his stomach as pushed himself to his feet. He had done the simple calculations a dozen different times, and each time only confirmed his initial suspicions.

He left the cabin and made his way up to the deck, squinting at the brilliant light of the late morning sun. Lope's outline on the Rigging was the first thing he saw, as the young man was hanging in the air and pointing straight ahead.

Alfonso set aside his mission for a moment and let himself watch the rocky cove ahead. The sunlight and calm seas were on odd contrast to the urgency of his news, and the green of the island was in inviting destination.

It's not a bad place to stay, if our intrepid admiral decides to carry on with this foolishness.

"Alfonso!" Someone bellowed from the aftercastle, where Captain Columbus stood, lazily holding the wheel. "Come up and take this from my hands. No good captain should be made to hold this infernal thing for so long."

"Aye, Capitan!"

"Admiral, you heretic!" Columbus bit back, taking off his hat and waving it towards Pedro Alfonso. "It is by the grace of God I suffer your moorish visage on my ship, try to remember it."

Alfonso flinched at the reprimand, but bid his tongue to be silent. He had unpleasant news to give to the admiral, and could not waste his time for a bit of petty satisfaction. As he mounted the aftercastle, he took off his own hat and held it to his chest. "Admiral, I've gone over the calculations, and I'm afraid-"

"Afraid I can't do math, Alfonso? Because if that's the case, you can swim the rest of the way to Los Palamos," the Admiral warned.

"No, Admiral. There is no error in your math. But your reliance on the work of the astronomer Alfraganus-" Pedro began to explain, but was again cut off.

"Are you really doubting that infidel? His work is superb, despite his accursed faith."

"Yes, Admiral. And he estimates the world to be twenty-five thousand miles. But the distance from Portugal to Cipango (Columbus' name for Japan) is recorded by the Portuguese as twenty-two thousand."

"You make my mood darker than your face by bringing up my humiliation in front of King John the second and Portugal's court," Columbus said, with malice in his voice.

Alfonso swallowed, but pressed on. "Their court believes the world is substantially larger than what Alfraganus postulates. And I can conclude, sire, that both the Portuguese court and Alfraganus are right."

Predictably, Columbus laughed. "Life at sea doesn't agree with you, Alfonso. It has gone to your head."

"Admiral, the Arabic mile is not the same length as the Roman mile," Alfonso said.

At this, Alfonso watched with both pleasure and relief as Columbus' smile was washed from his face. The smug grin was replaced with horror as this 'Admiral of the Ocean', as anointed by Ferdinand of Aragorn and Isabella of Castile, realized the implications.

"How great is the difference?"

"Three hundred paces more in an Arabic mile. Which would mean-" Alfonso began to explain, but the admiral cut him off.

"Cipango is ten thousand miles from here," Columbus whispered.

"Possibly more," Alfonso said.

"We cannot travel ten thousand miles in these ships, not even with the easterly winds carrying us thirty miles a day."

"Agreed, sire," Alfonso admitted with relief. "But the people of Los Palamos swear there is land, and that their fishermen have seen hints of it in the distance. They petitioned Lady Isabella's court a few years ago for a ship to see for themselves."

"I will not risk it," Columbus said. "Ten thousand miles of water may as well be the end of the world. No, we will follow Portugal round the cape, and by the will of God, make enough in trade and plunder to spare us the ire of Ferdinand and Isabel. We can let the other captains know while we fix the Santa Clara's rudder."

Alfonso glanced back and watched the other ships following the Santa Clara.

"There is another option, Admiral," Alfonso said.

"What is it?" Columbus asked.

"We said around the cape, like you said. As we do that, we confirm the distances Alfraganus  proposed as we make our way to China. We will then know for certain if the trek is as long as we fear.

Columbus nodded, and stared out to the south.

"If it's as you believe, we can get provisions in Cipango and sail to home from there, circumnavigating the globe at the same time," Alfonso finished.

Admiral Columbus smiled, and pointed out to the water. "Do you see that?"

Alfonso strode to the side of the deck, and looked out into the water. To his surprise, in the clear blue water, he could see a sight that both made his heart soar, and his blood run cold.

One of the behemoths of the sea, a beast as large as the ship they sailed on, was swimming south. It's great, blue form twisted lazily in the clam water as it swam away from the Santa Maria.

Swimming south.

"A sign from God. A good omen," Columbus insisted.

"As you say, Admiral," Alfonso said, not about to disagree when he had just gotten his way.

"Well pilot, take us around the rocky cove to the south. The port should be somewhere up ahead. We fix the rudder, and make our way across the world," Columbus said.

"Sire, there is another possible outcome to this," Alfonso added.

"Zheng He again? His appearance forty years ago left quite an impression on many of us."

"It did, sire. And it's been rumoured that he attempted the same voyage we will. He did not reach the other side and circumnavigate our world, but he did find land there. Possibly the same Vinland the Nordic folk speak of at times."

"Then we shall do the same. Set out course, Pedro Alfonso. History will remember us forever."