Seas of the Red Star

by Andrew Gates

  Goddamn, this is just too much. I feel like I’m in an old movie, Ellen noted.

  All we’re missing is Tinkerbell.

  What’s a Tinkerbell?

  It’s from Peter Pan.

  Oh. I don’t think I know that one.

  The boat picked up speed now as a forceful gust of wind hit them from behind. The vessel raced across the wavetops, sending splashes this way and that. Sailors had to grab their hats or risk losing them forever.

  Ellen ignored the powerful gusts and continued helping the crew with the lines. Her strength came in handy here, as the storm made everything that much harder for the sailors. Meanwhile Dave helped out with a different line.

  “Aha! We’re really going now! Those bastards’ll never catch us!” declared a nearby crewman.

  “Don’t get so cocky, Lars. They be closing in still!” replied another. Ellen recognized this man as Aiden.

  The man named Lars quickly glanced back. His jaw dropped and a look of fright covered his face as he realized just how close the steel ships were.

  Suddenly a booming sound echoed through the air. It resembled thunder, but shorter, more focused. A whizzing noise followed. Before Ellen could piece it together, a cannonball blew through the mainsail like it was nothing.

  “Fuck!” someone shouted.

  “Hole in the sail! Hole in the mainsail!” someone else cried out.

  Another boom echoed. This time the mast bore the impact, but it remained mostly intact. Wood splintered.

  “How are they hitting us?” Aiden asked, peering over his shoulder at the enemy boats.

  “They have forward facing cannons!” Master Gunner Thomas said as he sprinted across the deck. He stopped a breath away from Captain Azzorro. “Captain, what are your orders?”

  “We’re dead in the water without a sail,” he explained. “We can’t run anymore. We must take them head on. Are the starboard cannons still loaded?”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Good.” The captain turned to face the boatswain. “Drop starboard anchor! We’re turning this ship!”

  “No, no, no!” Ellen said. She let go of the line, forcing some men to instantly carry the extra weight. “Captain, those boats are made of steel!” she explained as she made her way to him. “Cannonballs will not damage their hulls.”

  Save it, Yuri advised. He’s not going to surrender. You already tried that trick.

  I know, but I can’t sit idly by while this happens. It’s going to be a massacre.

  You might have to.

  “This is the second time you have questioned my decision,” the captain bluntly responded. He leaned down to her and put his face so close that a slight jostle of the ship would force them together. “If you question me again, I will have you hanged. I don’t care where you are from, how strong you are, how much you know. There will be order upon my ship!” He pointed down to the deck. “Is that understood?”

  Ellen gulped. She could have said many things in response, but she simply remained quiet.

  Don’t do it, Yuri advised.

  Ellen slowly nodded her head and stared into the man’s eyes.

  “Good,” the captain eventually responded. “Now get back in line and help those men!” He waved her off.

  Ellen did as he asked and went back to her fellow crewmembers.

  Good call, Yuri said.

  Was it?

  It was. Believe me, we don’t want to get into more trouble than we’re already in.

  Is that even possible?

  The ship suddenly made a hard right turn as the anchor touched down on the ocean floor. Another boom echoed, signifying more cannon fire. Ellen instinctively ducked, though this cannonball missed the boat entirely as the vessel turned course.

  The Red God’s Gleam was now perpendicular to the pursing ships.

  “In position, Captain! The boats are in range and in sight of our cannons!” someone shouted.

  “Open fire! Show no mercy!” Captain Azzorro screamed.

  “Fire!” repeated the gunner.

  Ellen felt her heart race as the world lit up in smoke. A choir of cannons sang to each other across the sea. It was almost impossible to tell who was firing at who anymore.

  Wooden splinters shot up from all sides. Waves splashed onto the ship. Crewmen were torn apart and flung across the deck as cannonballs collided against their fragile bodies.

  Suddenly the mast blew apart as it was struck by a blast. The thick wooden beam dropped down. Ellen dove out of the way right in time, barely staying clear of it. Others were not so lucky as they were flattened beneath the massive pole.

  Ellen stood up and assessed the battle. While the Red God’s Gleam fell apart around her, the steel vessels appeared unscathed. The enemy ships were nearly on them now. They both stopped their cannon fire and took position around them.

  In a matter of minutes, the sea scorgers were surrounded. One steel ship stopped at the bow, the other at the stern. For a strange moment, everything was still. The crew seemed to take a deep breath all at once.

  “They’re going to board!” the quartermaster called out, interrupting the momentary calm.

  “All crew, weapons at the ready!” Captain Azzorro ordered. He pulled the pistol from his holster.

  The crew followed suit. Each of them pulled out their weapons. For most, that meant nothing more than a small knife or axe. For others like Ellen and Dave, that meant nothing but bare hands. Very few had swords. Even fewer had firearms.

  They were severely outmatched.

  A hatch dropped down from the boat on the bow, revealing a squad of soldiers dressed in various uniforms. Most of the Navy men had a jacket of some sort, along with a cocked hat. One man in the back stood tall and proper, likely the leader of the regiment. He wore a dark blue coat with a white collar and cuffs, along with clean white breeches. All his men were armed.

  The sea scorgers opened fire first, prompting the Navy to return fire. There were casualties on both sides, though considerably more belonged to the seas scorgers.

  “Wait!” Ellen shouted, running up to the bow. She waved her hands wildly.

  “What are you doing?” Dave asked as she passed by.

  I second that question, Yuri added.

  “Wait!” she continued, ignoring them both.

  By the time she reached the bow, both sides had reloaded and were preparing for another bout. Before anyone could get a shot off, the ranking Navy member spotted Ellen and held his hand high in the air.

  “Hold!” he bellowed as a sight of bewilderment grew across his face.

  The Navy men lowered their weapons, prompting the remaining sea scorgers to do the same. For a moment, it was peaceful again.

  Suddenly the vessel by the ship’s stern dropped its hatch. Navy men flooded out, but upon seeing their comrades holding fire, they stopped in place.

  “What is going on here?” one of the Navy men from the stern shouted, pushing his way to the front of the group. This man was dressed similarly to the one who had ordered the ceasefire.

  “You. Who are you?” the man by the bow asked, pointing to Ellen. Apparently he was not interested in answering his comrade’s question.

  “My name is Corporal Ellen Milsen.”

  “You are curious, Corporal Ellen Milsen. You look… err… who are you?”

  “I already answered that. I am Corporal Ell-”

  “I mean to say… never mind. You resemble the Governor,” he explained.

  “So I’ve been told, as does my friend, David Cutter.” Ellen motioned to Dave on the deck. He waved back awkwardly.

  “You two must be worth a high ransom,” the man presumed. “It is rare to find someone of your… stature.”

  “I agree,” Ellen replied. “Surely you would not be so unwise as to kill us.”

  “I can keep you alive, if that is what you want to hear. But what’s to stop me from killing your friends?”

  “You are a gentleman of the Navy. Surely I can hold you to your honor, c
an’t I?” Ellen asked.

  “Of course you can.”

  “So let’s make a deal. If David Cutter and I come to you willingly, you must agree to spare all these men.” Ellen motioned to the deck as she said this. “If you refuse this offer, we will continue to fight and make things difficult for you.”

  “If we fight, we will win. You are outmatched.”

  “You also risk killing me and Cutter in the crossfire,” Ellen explained.

  The man paused for a moment and stared her down. Ellen wondered what must have been going through his head. Finally he let out a deep breath, looked down to the floor, then back up again.

  “Deal,” he eventually said. There was a tone of reluctance to his voice. He turned to his regiment. “Bring these sea scorger scum on board. We’re taking them prisoner!”

  That was smart thinking, Yuri said.

  See? You should have never doubted me.

  How did you know that would work?

  I didn’t. I took a risk and it paid off.

  Remind me never to play poker with you.

  I don’t see how that’s even possible, Ellen replied. You’re in my head.

  Escape from Steel Victory

  Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 01.25.5673

  Location: Steel Victory, Taspansa, The Governor’s Dominion

  Ellen calmly sat against the wall as the Navy man locked the cell bars. It was hard to hear much over the roaring sound of the ancient combustion engines, but she knew she would eventually adapt. The crew here seemed to pay no mind to the noise.

  “Now rest easy. You may be here awhile until we find something to do with you,” the sailor said with a sleazy grin. The man walked off and set the cell keys on a hook against the far wall. He took a deep breath, then sat down. Ellen assumed he was going to stay there on watch, though he appeared tired. She wondered how long his patience, or his energy, would last.

  Ellen took a deep breath of her own and studied the area.

  This section of Steel Victory laid on the port side of the ship. It was dimly lit by candles that lined the walls and smelled of piss and rum. In many ways, it reminded Ellen of being back on the Red God’s Gleam, only with more metal and less wood.

  Her new cell was hardly larger than a broom closet. Dave and Russell were thrown in with her. It took the three of them a few seconds to figure out the best way to position themselves in this crammed enclosure, but they eventually found a way to angle their legs such that they could all sit comfortably.

  Dave and Ellen were relatively composed. Russell, on the other hand, trembled and shot nervous glances to the guard. Sweat dripped down his face. Ellen slowly placed her hand on his, trying to calm him down.

  “How can you not show fear in this hour?” the boy wondered. He met Ellen’s eyes. She could immediately see his worry.

  “All will be okay. Trust me.”

  “Can’t you do something? You’re strong! Why not break the bars?” Russell said, motioning to the cell door.

  “It’s not that easy,” Ellen replied, shaking her head. “I may be strong, but those bars are thick.”

  “But the two of you together-”

  “Sorry,” Ellen interrupted. “There’s nothing we can do.”

  The boy sighed and leaned back against the wall. He closed his eyes as a single tear streamed down his face.

  “There, there,” Dave said, trying to sound kind.

  The boy sniffled.

  Ellen could only imagine what this experience must have felt like for someone his age. The boy must have been around 12 or 13, judging by the look of him. He had seen so much already. Russell likely thought he was going to die soon, though Ellen doubted it.

  “I never thought we would end up here,” Russell began. He opened his eyes again and slowly looked down to the floor. “I always thought Captain Azzorro would keep us safe. He would protect us, look after us.”

  “Like family,” Ellen added.

  “Aye, like a family.” Russell nodded. He let out a deep sigh. “That’s how it’s supposed to be. I… I wasn’t always part of Azzorro’s crew. I used to be a fisherman on a boat called the Bright Side of Taspansa. I was born and raised on that ship. My mother was a comfort wench. I’m not sure who my father was. I don’t think she even knew. He may not have come from the ship at all.”

  With the planet covered in water, Ellen wondered how many other children were born and raised aboard boats. Perhaps some people had spent their whole lives having never touched solid land.

  Hearing him talk about his mother, she could not help but think about her own son and daughter in that moment. She wondered about them again, about their lives without her.

  “My mother died when I was seven or eight. After that, I felt alone. The crew did not take kindly to raising a kid aboard their boat. No one wanted to do the work. They tried to find ways to get rid of me. They even had me thrown overboard once, though I managed to swim back to the ship.”

  “That’s horrible!” Dave remarked.

  “It is,” Russell agreed, “but that’s life on the ocean. It wasn’t until we docked at an island near Coral Cove that I met Aiden. He was interested in buying some of our fish, you see, and took pity on me. He convinced me that there were better things out there. He spoke of a life of adventure, of riches, of family!”

  “Pirates paying for fish, huh?” Dave asked.

  “Sea scorgers don’t steal when they we don’t have to. Sometimes it’s easier to pay for things the old-fashioned way. It avoids messy complications, especially in port,” the boy explained.

  “How old were you when you met Aiden?” Ellen wondered.

  “We met only a few months ago, but I was drawn to his tales of adventure. I did not hesitate to leave the crew of the Bright Side of Taspansa. I never felt welcomed there after my mother passed, but in the Red God’s Gleam, I felt right at home again.”

  “They care about you.”

  “They do,” the boy agreed. He finally looked up from the floor and smiled. “They really do.”

  Ellen was surprised to see such a strong level of comradery among the sea scorgers. She knew they were close, but she could see that there was more to them than that. This was a community that would die for one another. She hoped her own children found their own versions of family in her absence, just as Russell had.

  “I know I don’t have a big role on the ship,” Russell continued. “I mostly just fetch supplies or help the riggers. But I take pride in what I do and I’m just happy to help them out anyway I can.”

  “You’re a major help to them, I can tell,” Ellen said.

  “Thanks. I certainly hope so. Captain Azzorro deserves it. Every move he makes has our best interest at heart. He is not oft one to risk our lives or start a fight he isn’t sure we can win.”

  “Until today,” Dave challenged.

  “Well, yes, but that was a surprise. He was not expecting an ambush.” Russell lowered his head again. “I still can’t believe it. The Navy finally got to us.”

  “Has the Navy been after you for a long time?” Ellen asked.

  “Of course!” Russell looked at her again. “The Governor holds nothing but scorn for sea scorgers. He wants us dead, not captured. He will not rest until we are wiped from Taspansa.”

  “Why not capture you? I don’t understand,” Dave said.

  “There are tales here and there. Each tell of different reasons why he hates scorgers, but no one really knows the truth. Honestly, I think him simply a greedy sort. He wants to control trade. If he has control, he gets all the profits, you see?”

  “You are smart for your age,” Ellen said, shifting around. “How old are you?”

  “12,” the boy replied with a smile. “Almost 13 soon, I think.”

  “You don’t know your birthday?” Dave asked.

  The boy shook his head.

  The guard against the wall lowered his gaze to the floor. Ellen kept a watchful eye, but did not address it aloud.

  “If
you don’t mind me asking,” Russell said as he leaned forward. His tone was not as serious as it had been. “I know you have been secretive about your identities, but I am curious to know-”

  “If we’re sorcerers?” Dave asked, finishing the sentence for him.

  Russell simply nodded back.

  “Well what do you think?” Dave continued.

  “I think you are,” Russell replied. A giddy smile formed on his face. It was as if he were proud to reveal their secret. “I know you said you were not, but you must be! Your strength, your eyesight, your cunning! The Navy must know it. That is why they have captured you, isn’t it? They believe you sorcerers as well.”

  “The Navy knows we are valuable, but they haven’t figured out how yet. Same as the captain,” Ellen replied, shifting her legs.

  “You mean Captain Azzorro?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you are sorcerers, aren’t you?”

  Ellen did not respond. She let out another deep breath and leaned back against the wall.

  What should we do? Lying could make it easier for this boy to cope with our presence. The truth could upset him, maybe get more doors shut in our faces, Ellen said.

  Captain Azzorro may have shut a door in your face, but he has not shared your identities yet. I believe you can trust him, for now, replied the AI.

  Still, that doesn’t answer my question.

  As an AI, I suggest airing on the side of caution. Information is valuable. It is best not to play all your cards at once. Let’s not repeat the same mistake we made when you spilled the beans to the captain.

  So you recommend I lie?

  I’m not necessarily suggesting you lie. You could simply withhold the truth.

  Ellen calmly nodded her head before remembering that none of the others could hear her conversation with Yuri. Fortunately, neither of them seemed to notice.

  “So… what is it?” an eager Russell asked, pulling Ellen’s focus back to the conversation already in progress. He turned his head to face her as she recomposed herself.

  “Perhaps it is best to answer that later,” Ellen finally replied. She knew those words would not satisfy the curious boy, but it was the best she could come up with.