A New Beginning

by Alexander W Meurant

  Turning her gaze back to the front Mehrasa watched the ship on the horizon as the little dinghy sped closer in near silence, the sun rising higher still, its orange glow lighting up the ocean in a brilliant hue.

  After a few minutes the distance shrunk considerably, and the ship became clearly visible, its cargo of containers easy to see. Mehrasa judged they were probably within a kilometer of it. As they approached, Jimmy reached down into the boat and produced a pair of binoculars and stared at the ship, sweeping his gaze along the starboard side of the vessel.

  "They have one gunner. By the looks of it, it’s a sniper. Sojun, raise a barrier in front of us. Roole, get the RPG" Jimmy stated and Mehrasa watched the two pirates do as they were told. Sojun started mumbling something and raised his free hand, a distortion in the air betraying the presence of magic. Mehrasa felt her heart start to hammer and she no longer felt cold as adrenaline started to pump through her. This was it. Everything was about to start.

  Dropping the binoculars Jimmy instead picked up a sort of pistol and held it straight up. He pulled the trigger and a bright light erupted from it, shooting straight up into the air, leaving a trail of brightly colored smoke behind it. Mehrasa looked in awe as it went even higher and then started to fall away.

  "Alright, there’s the flare from our other team" Jimmy stated suddenly and Mehrasa brought her gaze down to the ship and saw another bright light in the sky on the other side of the ship. Speeding closer still the magical barrier in front of them burst into a spatter of color and Mehrasa stared at it in awe.

  "There you go. They tried to shoot us. Well, it’s just gonna get bad for them now" Jimmy stated and dropped the strange pistol, letting it clatter into the bottom of the boat even as he picked up a large sort of wide tube in its place.

  "If you value your life stop shooting and let us board. Or we will rocket your ship" Jimmy yelled into the object and his voice was amplified greatly. Feeling the boat rock a little, Mehrasa shot her eyes to Roole who had stood up and was pointing the RPG at the bow of the ship, evidently in threat. Looking out over the ship now, Mehrasa saw two sailors on the ship’s deck, both lifting their hands into the air, one holding a long rifle with a scope.

  "There we go. It’s always simple when you point an RPG at them. Take us in Sojun" Jimmy stated and dropped the tube and instead picked up another sort of gun, this one with a long sort of bow along its top. Some sort of crossbow Mehrasa though. The bolt had a rope attached to it and its head had a four-pronged hook on it. As Sojun guided the dinghy in closer to the ship, their little vessel started to jump up in the water rather violently as it rode over waves of water pushed out by the larger ship. Mehrasa reached out her left hand and gripped the edge of the boat tightly, trying not to let herself get thrown overboard even as water slapped into the boat, swirling around its bottom.

  After a little while the small vessel reached the side of the ship and Jimmy pointed his crossbow upwards. He pulled on the trigger and there was a snap sound as the bolt loosed. It sailed up through the air and over the railing of the ship, a good twenty meters above them. Jimmy pulled on the rope until it became taught and he yanked on it to test it. That hook had caught on something, and satisfied it was stuck in place, Jimmy then tied the rope to a point on the front of the dinghy before reaching down and pulling a second rope from somewhere, a bolt attached to it like the first. He loaded the crossbow again and shot upwards once more. When the bolt disappeared over the edge of the ship, he pulled on it once more, the hook catching. Then he tied the rope to the side of the boat.

  "Alright. Sojun and I go up first. Wait for one of us to wave you up. If we don't within five minutes, cut the ropes and get out of here. Blow a hole in the ship cause fuck them" Jimmy stated and Mehrasa snorted, a grim smile settling on her face. Jimmy picked up a rifle like hers and slung it over his back even as he started muttering, a distortion appearing around him as he created a barrier from magic.

  Then he and Sojun started climbing the ropes. Mehrasa watched them go, the two of them swinging side to side and occasionally bumping into each other. Mehrasa gulped, wondering if she would have the strength to climb that rope herself. The two of them reached the top of the rope and disappeared over the ships side and Mehrasa held her breath as she started to count the seconds. After half a minute passed, she saw Sojun's head appear over the side and he waved, beckoning them up.

  Mehrasa sucked in a breath and stood up, Mihben doing the same. Grabbing the rope, she turned to look at Mihben and saw him place his feet against the side of the ship as he hauled himself up the rope and she swallowed, copying him. She found it surprisingly easy as she sort of walked up the side of the ship as she hauled herself up hand over hand. She could feel her arms and shoulders burning from the effort and knew she would be sore for days later.

  Before long Mehrasa came to the top of the ships side and she climbed over the railing, coming face to face with Sojun. She saw Jimmy not far off, patting down the two sailors she had seen earlier, the rifle they had had now slung over Jimmy's back along with his own rifle. Jimmy cast his gaze back briefly and then nodded to Sojun.

  "Sojun, take Mehrasa to the other side of the ship and check on our comrades" he ordered and Sojun nodded. He beckoned for Mehrasa to follow and she nodded herself, following him dutifully, leaving Mihben alone with Jimmy. Roole and Cabhar would come up the ship soon to join them.

  Sojun set off at a jog down a sort of corridor between rows of stacked shipping containers and before long they came to the other side of the ship. As Mehrasa came out of the corridor she looked left and right and heard shouts to her right, towards the bow of the vessel. A wave of relief washed over her as she saw the other pirates, a single sailor of the ship in their custody. Seeing Mehrbad behind the man she felt her relief fade only to be replaced by annoyance. Her brother had a gleeful look on his face and was pushing the captured sailor around, obviously tormenting the man.

  Sojun walked forward, approaching the group’s leader, a dour looking man with a long beard reaching to his waist and a turban wrapped up high on his head. Feeling suddenly conscious that she was the only female pirate here Mehrasa reached up and tugged her headscarf that bit tighter around her head and shoulders, the damp cloth rubbing on her skin somewhat. Judging by the appearance of the man with the turban, he was a one of those traditional fanatics and Mehrasa was not inclined to butt heads with him.

  Finishing his conversation with the man with the turban, Sojun returned to Mehrasa and seemed to be thinking on something.

  "Garka says that this sailor told him there are eight crew members on this vessel. That matches with what the ones we captured had to say. We go back to Jimmy now and then hunt" Sojun said and then turned, jogging back the way they had come. Before long they returned to Jimmy, the man having tied the captured sailor’s hands behind their backs. He looked up at Sojun, an expectant look on his face.

  "Garka and the others boarded fine. They captured a sailor who said there are eight crew members on this ship" Sojun stated and Jimmy nodded.

  "Got it. Roole and Cabhar, watch these two. Follow after us at a distance towards the stern of the ship. The rest of you follow me" Jimmy stated and unslung his rifle and cocked it. Mehrasa blinked and followed suit, wondering why she hadn't done so earlier. Sojun did the same, a guilty look on his face. Most likely because he realized he hadn’t readied his rifle earlier either. But he was able to use magic, so Mehrasa figured that wasn't so bad.

  When Jimmy started off at a jog, Mehrasa followed as she raised her rifle to a firing position, Mihben and Sojun following suit behind her. As the group approached the stern of the ship, Mehrasa saw a staircase that ran up the side of the ship, towards a tower. That would be the ships bridge. Hearing a shout to the port side of the ship she turned her gaze and saw Garka and his group. They had all come into an open area of the deck, and there was a door situated between the two groups. It was beneath the ships bridge and no doubt led below decks to the ship’s quarters and
such.

  "Garka. Take your group below. I'll take mine up to the bridge. There should be eight crew members all up. We have three" Jimmy shouted out and Garka nodded before leading his men below. Jimmy then made his way up the stairs, his group following. As they reached the top of the stairs they came onto a landing and Mehrasa looked through the windows into the bridge right before the glass blew out. Glass and bullets peppered the group, but all bounced off a barrier created by Sojun, the man muttering under his breath.

  Hearing shouting Mehrasa watched as Jimmy used his own magic and sent a blast of it at the door that led to the control room. The door gave way and Jimmy went inside. Mehrasa sucked in a breath and went in after him, raising her rifle and pointing it at those she found inside.

  "On the ground! On the fucking ground now! Drop the gun! I said fucking drop it!" She shouted out as she saw two people inside, one holding a shotgun, the other one hurriedly talking into a radio.

  "She said on the ground you cunts!" Jimmy yelled and used a burst of magic to send the shotgun flying from the sailor’s hands. Sojun broke past her and full on tackled the man to the ground, leaving the other man still talking into the radio. Mehrasa guessed that was the ship’s captain and she moved forward, feeling a surge of adrenaline rush through her. She lifted her rifle high and brought the butt of it down hard, smacking it into the back of the man’s head. He crumpled under the blow and crashed to the ground, his head thumping into the floor with a dull thud.

  Hearing words come back over the radio, Mehrasa stared at it, not understanding the language. Jimmy walked past her and picked up the receiver, speaking quickly into it, his words not being understood by her either. He was speaking another language, and it sounded the same as the one that had come over the radio. Flicking her gaze to the man Sojun had tackled, she saw he had been knocked unconscious as well and his hands were tied. Sojun grabbed the captain and tied his hands as well.

  Hearing the receiver slam down Mehrasa looked back to Jimmy who had a sour look on his face.

  "Let’s drag these two fuck heads down to the hold" he muttered and moved to grab the captain by the shoulders. He then started dragging him outside. Mehrasa heard crackling noises as the broken glass was stepped on and the man dragged across it. Seeing Sojun do the same she shot Mihben a look and he just shrugged. The two of them followed Sojun and Jimmy out of the room and back down to the deck, the two unconscious men being dragged unceremoniously down the staircase, their legs whacking into each step. The two pirates were obviously unconcerned with any injuries they may causemthe crew members.

  As they reached the deck, Mehrasa found six sailors huddled into a group, the other eight pirates surrounding them, rifles at the ready. Jimmy dumped his charge in the group and then looked them over.

  "Thats all eight then. Find an empty room below deck and lock them up. It's going to be a long day" Jimmy stated and watched as the group got herded below decks by Garka and his men, a few of the sailors now carrying their unconscious comrade and captain. When they were gone Jimmy looked around at the group.

  "Now it’s time to find the mercenaries. They are in containers thirty-six through to forty. There will be a lot of them. The containers open from the inside. Knock on the doors and say Rehan sent you. That will be enough to stop them attacking you. They will probably be pretty pissed off. Being in a container for weeks will do that to you. Mihben and I will go to the bridge to monitor radio chatter and maintain the ships speed. Send the mercenary leader up there. Now go" Jimmy stated and the other four pirates moved to obey.

  Following the orders Mehrasa started to walk down the rows of containers, looking at the numbers painted on the sides. She couldn't read them though so frowned.

  "So Sojun, can you read the numbers?" she asked, and the man looked back at her, a shocked expression on his face. It was quickly replaced by a wry smile and chuckle.

  "I can. Lucky that. I'll find the containers then" he stated, and he kept walking until he found what he was looking for. He pointed out four containers, their doors all pointing inwards to a makeshift corridor.

  "I found them, so you knock on them" Sojun stated, a small smirk appearing on his face. She felt a thud in her chest and scowled.

  "Fine" she muttered and walked towards the closest one. She raised a fist to knock and saw her hand shaking. Gulping she clenched her fist and waited for her nerves to settle. Then she rapped hard on the metal door, her knuckles stinging a little.

  "Rehan sent us. Come on out" she shouted and stepped back as she heard a scraping noise inside. There was a rattle and then the doors opened outwards suddenly, an annoyed face appearing. It was that of a woman. A red-haired woman and Mehrasa blinked in surprise.

  "Well look who finally showed up" the woman stated in heavily accented speech. She certainly wasn't fluent in the Cassar language that was for sure. She looked back over her shoulder and shouted into the container in a different language, getting a chorus of cheers. Hearing rasping locks from the other containers Mehrasa looked down the corridor, seeing those doors open as well and more heads appear.

  “Um hi. My boss said to tell you to send your leader up to the bridge to talk" Mehrasa said, stammering slightly as she passed on Jimmy's message, her eyes wide.

  "Well girl, move first, unless you want to get stomped by a few dozen pissed off Krat's. I'll see about sending up my boss when he is good and ready" the red-haired woman stated and Mehrasa jumped back out of the way as she caught a whiff of the air inside the container. It reeked of sweat and human waste. She gulped. Surely these people hadn't been doing their business inside the container. That was not healthy. She shuddered and tried not to think how these people managed being in containers for weeks out on the sea. Maybe they slipped out at night. Who knew?

  Chapter 26

  * * *

  "I don’t like these mercenaries. I don't like them at all" Sojun muttered as he rolled the dice down on the table. He didn't seem to be rolling for any particular reason apart from boredom.

  "We aren't paid to like them Sojun. It’s just a fucking job" Jimmy growled and Mehrasa looked between the two. Currently she was up in the ship’s bridge with Jimmy and the rest of the team, whilst Garka and his team watched over the sailors imprisoned below decks. Most of the mercenaries were below decks as well now, while a dozen of them had stayed on deck, just looking like they were doing nothing but patrolling.

  Hearing more chatter on the radio Jimmy switched his attention back to it and picked it up, speaking in that foreign language Mehrasa had heard earlier. A reply came back to whatever he said, and he slammed the receiver down in anger.

  "Fucking bastards! This ship's owner is refusing to pay a single bit of ransom for his sailors and goods. And this Samite Navy is demanding we turn ourselves in" Jimmy growled in anger as he gestured to the radio. Mehrasa frowned at his words and actions.

  "The Samite Navy. Why would they be involved?" she asked, and Jimmy turned to stare at her in surprise.

  "Are you stupid woman? We are in Samite waters right now. The ship is in their jurisdiction. So, they are responsible for this whole thing. That’s what these mercenaries wanted anyway" Jimmy growled and threw his arms up in the air and Mehrasa flinched, sinking back in on herself somewhat. She just stayed silent now and looked down at the table sullenly. This was just a job. She was only here to do what she was told so that was what she would do. Not ask questions.

  "What do you mean that this is what the mercenaries wanted?" Sojun asked as he looked up from his dice and Jimmy scowled again.

  "I don't know the specifics, but they want the Samite navy to actually attack us for some obscure, fucked up reason" Jimmy stated and shrugged, his agitation evident to those in the room. Mehrasa looked at everyone in the room now noting how Mihben, Cabhar and Roole were all laid out on blankets at the edge of the room sleeping rather lightly. Eventually that trio would wake up and swap with Mehrasa and the other two for a rest.

  Sighing, Mehrasa kept staring down at th
e table tiredly, watching Sojun roll those dice over and over, just wishing for her turn to sleep to come that bit sooner. She had been up super early in the morning, just like everyone else and she felt quite fatigued. Hearing footsteps thumping up the staircase from outside Mehrasa was suddenly fully alert and reached for her rifle that was propped against the wall. Jimmy and Sojun reacted in a similar manner and all three of them turned to look at the entry to the bridge and saw a head appear.

  Mehrasa relaxed a bit as she saw it was the woman she had greeted at the containers, the woman's bright red hair now hidden under a khaki colored scarf that was wrapped around her head in a fashion similar to Mehrasa's. The woman walked into the room, a sort of sub machine gun hanging from her shoulder and she flicked her gaze around at the trio.

  "There is Navy Destroyer and Frigate approaching. You go below deck now" the woman stated in her broken Cassar. Mehrasa gulped and stood up from the table, Sojun doing the same as Jimmy moved over to the other three that were sleeping and kicked them awake. Groans and curses erupted as the three got up, all reaching for their own weapons. Mehrasa looked over the gear they had brought up from the dinghy. There were a few ammo boxes, tins of food, bottles of water, blankets, various bits and pieces and of course the RPG with two extra rounds for it. Garka had taken a similar amount of supplies below decks from his own dinghy as well. Sojun saw Mehrasa looking at it all and stepped forward, grabbing a tin of food and a bottle of water.