Seas of the Red Star

by Andrew Gates

  The sea scorgers with firearms raised their weapons. They aimed at her body. She was now standing before a firing line.

  It was the JSR all over again.

  Yuri, do you think you can reinforce my skin somehow?

  That’s vague. You mean like a shield?

  Anything.

  I can’t make a shield, no. But I can use nanotech to heal your skin the second any shots breach the dermal tissue. The nanotech can even help push the bullets out. They can work fast, but they aren’t instantaneous. There’s a slim chance this would work.

  Rapid healing is good. That’s better than nothing. What about the carbon-fiber latticework in my bones and organs?

  That’ll help protect you from the projectiles. At the very best, the bullets won’t be able to breach your bone structure.

  Do it. Use the nanotech to heal me the second I’m hit. Tell Gloria to do the same to Dave, Ellen demanded. If there was even a slim chance this would work, she would take it.

  Suddenly a roar of footsteps echoed from the staircase behind her. Ellen quickly turned around as the rest of the ship’s crew emerged from the deck above. They immediately formed a line and raised their firearms at the sea scorgers with Ellen and Dave caught directly in the middle.

  Now they had a firing line on both sides. The Navy’s side was considerably longer and two rows deep.

  “Well fuck,” Dave said, turning to face the Navy.

  Nobody fired. Everyone stood still. Ellen wondered why nobody was shooting anyone. It seemed odd considering the chaos that had ensued only minutes earlier.

  Suddenly Commodore Yasso pushed through the lines. He stood between two armed sailors and smiled. He slowly removed his hat and held it by his side.

  “Well, it would seem we have an old-fashioned standoff,” he said as he examined the room. “What happened to the grand battle down here?”

  “It would seem we brought more guns than they were prepared for,” added one of his officers. The man smirked with delight.

  “Yes, it would seem so. I’m sorry lads, you sure fought a valiant fight. I never expected you to climb the walls like that.” The commodore placed the cap back on his head. “But alas, here we are. As can be said of the rest of the battle raging outside, you will inevitably lose for one simple reason alone: we have more guns than you.”

  “Fuck you, sea rat!” spat the man with the scars. “We’ve fought too hard to give up this fight now. Stand down or we’ll be forced to make this messy.”

  “You want me to stand down?” the commodore repeated. Some of the men to his side snickered. “Or what? You’ll die having killed a few of my men?”

  “It’s a few of your men die, or none. Your choice,” the man continued.

  “You are fools. I can see why the Governor finds you such a nuisance,” he said. The commodore waved his hand and turned away.

  “No, Commodore, listen to them!” Ellen pleaded.

  The commodore suddenly turned back around. His mouth was open wide, as if he could not believe what he had heard.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “I said, listen to them. Nobody else has to die. Do you really want these crewmen here to die?” Ellen motioned to some of the men standing in the line.

  “Step aside, Corporal Ellen Milsen, and let these men do their work.”

  Ellen stood still, as did Dave.

  “Step aside, or I will report to the Governor that you went against my orders. Though I don’t know the specifics of your arraignment, I do not think he would be so inclined to help you if he received such news.”

  “Why do you follow the Governor?” she asked.

  “What kind of question is that? The Governor is in charge,” the commodore responded. “That is the order of things.”

  “Yes, but why?” Ellen repeated.

  “The Governor is a man of magic.” The commodore sighed as if answering this question were beneath him. “He knows all. He sees all. He has lived since the dawn of Taspansa. Therefore, he is most fit to rule. You and your friend may be strong and diminutive like him, but no others share his gifts.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Ellen said as she slowly lowered her head and walked away. Dave took Ellen’s lead and cleared out behind her.

  Russell glared at her with eyes of disgust as she stepped aside for the Navy men to fire.

  You’re walking away? Yuri asked.

  I am.

  What was the point of all that questioning authority stuff you were saying? I thought you were about to do something big, Yuri said.

  Just wait.

  Uh oh. Will I like what you’re about to do?

  You said that nanotech can heal me, right?

  I said I can do my best, Yuri replied. Please don’t take that as a guarantee.

  That’s good enough for me, Ellen said back.

  “That’s good, Corporal Ellen Milsen. Now men, prepare to fire,” Yasso said.

  “Lads, let’s show these sea rats what the scorgers are made of!” the scarred man shouted.

  “Three… two… one…”

  “Three… two… one…”

  Ellen quickly dove between both lines with her arms and legs outstretched horizontally in the air. Bullets pounded her from both sides. Blood erupted from her skin. The pain was worse than anything she could have ever imagined.

  By the time her body hit the ground, the gunfire had stopped. Neither side moved. All were still.

  Ellen had been shot before, by weapons far more advanced. But it had never felt quite like this. She recognized the familiar coldness that spread throughout her body. Her vision grew blurry. Sound disappeared.

  You’re alive, Yuri said. Nanotech is doing its job.

  Fuck. I feel like I fell down a skyscraper and lived.

  Ellen felt the nanobots push the bullets out of their entry points. They clanged against the metal ground as they fell.

  Stand. You have to stand, Yuri said.

  Oh my god, that’s easier said than done, Yuri.

  Ellen placed both hands against the floor and pushed as hard as she could. Slowly, through intense pain and dizziness, her body began to rise. She rolled over until she sat on her butt and leaned forward until her back was upright. She closed her eyes for a few moments, took a deep breath, then put all her effort into standing.

  As Ellen finally stood up to face the two lines, both the sea scorgers and the Navy dropped their weapons. The sound of clanging metal filled her ears. She could hear again. Her vision came back to her.

  And then, as if they had seen a god, they bowed.

  Last Stand of the Sea Scorgers

  Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 02.03.5673

  Location: The Adorned Lady, Just Outside Coral Cove, Taspansa, The Governor’s Dominion

  Captain Azzorro gripped the railing of the deck firmly with one hand while staring through his monoglass with the other. The battle was not going well. Despite the Governor’s Bane looping around behind the enemy line, sea scorgers ships continued to perish faster than the Governor’s. There was just no stopping the Navy. Azzorro was outmanned, out gunned and unprepared.

  He sighed as he lowered the monoglass from his eye. This was a truly desperate hour.

  “It was a good plan, Captain,” said Captain Reez as he patted Azzorro on the back.

  Azzorro turned to face him. Reez was a younger captain. Within the past month, he had taken charge of the Adorned Lady, the ship which now led the sea scorger attack. Its former captain, Captain Memphis, had supposedly vanished in the night. Many believe he had fallen overboard and drowned, though Azzorro suspected he had simply grown tired of a pirate’s life and secretly fled to a nearby island with the remainder of his wealth. That had always been his style.

  “It was a good plan,” Azzorro agreed. “But the Governor attacked without warning. There was not enough time to prepare. We were supposed to bring the fight to them, not the other way around.”

  “Not all fights can be on the seas of ou
r choosing,” Captain Reez replied. For a young man, his words were surprisingly wise.

  “I developed the plan. I led the attack. If this fails, it shall be my failure to bear,” Captain Azzorro responded. “I will not bear that kind of guilt. If we fail here, I will take this fight to my grave.”

  “As will I,” the young man said. He patted Captain Azzorro on the shoulder.

  The two of them turned to face the battle. Smoke from the Scorger’s Fist was now beginning to clear. The boarders, departing from the Wave Rider, had successfully managed to enter two of the Navy’s metal boats using the smoke as cover. The trick had worked, thanks to Captain Bergh’s brilliant thinking. Unfortunately, while the cannons aboard both Navy vessels had stopped firing, there was no sign of the ships changing hands anytime soon. Captain Azzorro began to wonder if the daring maneuver had all been for nothing. The boarders had been fighting for nearly an hour now.

  In that time, the remaining steel warships had practically laid waste to the entire sea scorger fleet. The Adorned Lady was one of the few ships left floating, along with the Wave Rider and the Pirate’s Fury.

  The sea was littered with wooden planks, nets, sails and desperate sailors trying to stay afloat. The sight was almost too horrid to watch.

  “I’m afraid this may not be a fight we can win, Captain,” the young captain said as they studied the scene. “The Navy’s numbers are too great and we stand no chance of destroying those steel ships unless the boarders are successful.”

  “The boarders are now our only hope,” Azzorro agreed. “Without them, we are doomed.”

  The boatswain suddenly ran up to the captains, waving desperately. This man, Reggie, was once a member of Captain Bergh’s crew aboard the Scorger’s Fist. He was one of many sailors Captain Azzorro had temporarily assigned to a new ship for the duration of the battle.

  “What is it?” Captain Azzorro asked.

  “The steel ship on the port side, sir. It’s coming into attack position.”

  Azzorro turned to face the port side. Sure enough, one of the untouched steel ships was setting up for an attack. It approached them a direct course. Slits opened up on the bow of the vessel, revealing its forward-facing cannons.

  “All hands, prepare for attack!” shouted Captain Reez. “Prepare cannons on port side!”

  “Preparing cannons!” returned Master Gunner Don, another crewman taken from the Scorger’s Fist.

  All hands scrambled aboard the deck in wild desperation. Captain Azzorro had never seen such focus. Every man aboard this ship must have known that the fight was folly. But there they were, strong and undeterred: the last stand of the sea scorgers.

  Captain Azzorro could not stand idle and watch the boat rip apart under the cannon fire of the Navy’s steel vessel. If they were to die, he would stand proudly among them.

  The captain hobbled below deck and found the nearest port side cannon he could find. The cannon crew of four busily rammed the sponge through the front-loading muzzle.

  “Allow me to help you, lads,” the captain said. He removed his favorite hat and set it down on the top of the cannon.

  The crewmen turned to face him. Their jaws opened wide. It was as if they expected anyone else but him.

  “Captain Azzorro?” one of them said.

  “Aye, that be me. How can I help?” he replied.

  “Hand me that gunpowder there,” the same man responded, pointing to a small sack in the corner.

  Captain Azzorro quickly retrieved the gunpowder and handed it off to the man, who poured it down the muzzle. Another man pulled out a ramrod and slid it behind the powder.

  “Cannonball!” another man shouted.

  Azzorro lifted a cannonball from a nearby chest and handed it off.

  The master gunner hastily walked past the cannon crews and did a double take as he passed by Captain Azzorro.

  “How are those cannons coming along, lads?” he asked.

  “Almost ready here,” Captain Azzorro replied.

  “Ready!” shouted another cannon crew.

  “Ready here too!” shouted another.

  The master gunner peered through the slits, as if studying the steel vessel. Suddenly a voice echoed from above deck.

  “Captain says ‘fire’!” the quartermaster shouted from up top.

  “This is it, lads! Fire!” repeated Don.

  Booms filled the air. The ship rocked. Clouds of dust and smoke filled the cabin.

  Azzorro’s own cannon crew was a bit behind. They quickly slid the ball down the muzzle, rammed it in, and fired, only a few seconds after everyone else.

  The enemy ship returned fire now. Within a matter of seconds, thick balls penetrated the Adorned Lady’s hull. Wood splintered in every direction. Some balls even collided against crewmembers, dismembering them instantly. It seemed nowhere was safe.

  A cannonball broke through the wooden wall just before the captain. He dropped to the floor right on time. The ball zoomed forward, grazing the hair atop his head. He could feel the heat of the ball and the rush of the wind around it.

  “Reload!” shouted the master gunner. “Reload and show those dogs who rules the seas!”

  Captain Azzorro stood up, thankful that he had narrowly avoided the cannon blast. He turned to face his cannon crew, who had not stopped for even a second. In fact, they appeared to have finished most of the loading process already.

  “Hand me that ball there, Captain!” one of the men shouted.

  Captain Azzorro did as he was asked and handed the man another cannonball. They promptly loaded it into the muzzle.

  “Ram it in!” someone else cried out.

  They pushed the ball down using the long rod. Once it was ready, they pulled the ramrod back out and set it aside.

  “Fire!”

  Boom! Another blast roared through the ship, sending up a cloud of dust and smoke. Only this time, the enemy ship did not return fire.

  Master Gunner Don made his way to the slits and peered through. He focused on something outside.

  “What is it?” Captain Azzorro asked.

  Don turned. A look of utter astonishment covered his wide-eyed face.

  “What is it?” Captain Azzorro repeated. “Why have they stopped firing?”

  “It’s not just that sir, their flagship has just ordered a surrender.”

  “What?” Azzorro did not believe it. The scorgers were all but defeated. There was no reason for the Navy to give up now. “Let me see!” he demanded.

  “It’s true, Captain!” someone echoed from above. It sounded like the quartermaster, though Azzorro could not tell for certain. “See for yourself! You get a better view from up here!”

  Captain Azzorro wasted no time. He grabbed his hat from atop the cannon and placed it firmly on his head. He stormed his way up to the deck and pulled out his monoscope, ready to study the scene.

  The enemy forces had stopped firing. The sea was now as quiet as death.

  “It can’t be,” Azzorro muttered to himself.

  The enemy flagship stood at the front of the triangular Navy line like the tip of a spear. Captain Azzorro saw a figure standing on the roof of the steel ship, waving flags in surrender. He studied the figure through his monoscope.

  At closer glance, Captain Azzorro recognized this man. He was the captain aboard the ship that had captured his crew over a week ago. He could not recall the man’s name, but he knew for certain that it was him.

  “By the Red God,” Captain Azzorro said. He dropped his monoglass in disbelief. It shattered as it collided against the Adorned Lady’s deck.

  “What are your orders, Captain?” asked Captain Reez, walking up from behind. For the first time since the battle began, Captain Reez spoke with a tone of optimism in his voice.

  “Send a messenger at once. I want to know why they stopped fighting,” Azzorro ordered.

  “Understood, sir,” he replied.

  Azzorro could not believe it. They had won. They had actually won.

 
; Parlay

  Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 02.03.5673

  Location: Steel Victory, Just Outside Coral Cove, Taspansa, The Governor’s Dominion

  Ellen shook yet another hand. The young Navy man bowed down before her and kissed her palm, which was practically dripping in saliva by this point.

  “Yes, yes, thank you,” she said to the excited young sailor. A look of joy filled his face.

  You’ve gone from a dead woman to a god, Yuri noted. These people are literally worshiping you.

  I’m glad you’re having fun. I feel like shit.

  21 shots to the body will do that.

  Goddammit, is the number really that low? I feel like I was shot a thousand times.

  Ellen had been though countless battles and simulations, but this was easily the worst she had ever felt in her entire life. Just standing up was like moving a mountain.

  She had severe internal bleeding and even worse lead poisoning. The nanobots in her bloodstream were quickly working to resolve both issues in addition to healing the tissue and pushing out shrapnel.

  For now, despite the intense pain, Ellen would stand tall and act like nothing had happened. As far as any of these men needed to know, she was fine. Believing she was a god was the only thing strong enough to unite these warring sides.

  Russell approached her now. Tears still filled his eyes, though Ellen could tell they were not tears of pain. The boy sniffled and grabbed hold of her moist hands.

  “Russell,” she said to him, “no, you don’t have to bow to me. Please don’t.”

  “You were a sorcerer all along,” he said with a smile on his face. “I knew it!” Ignoring her request, he bowed down before her.

  “Listen, Russell, I want to tell you I’m sorry,” she said.

  The boy lifted his head again and stared into her eyes.

  “I did what I had to do,” she continued. “Dave and I… it was the only way for us to get free of this place.”

  “I know. Well, I do now. I understand that you did not want to hurt me. I should have listened. I’m sorry,” the boy replied. He looked down to the floor.