by Kyle Larson
“Yes, sir, we got it,” the science officer said.
“Transmit whatever readings you have to Earth Navy Command,” Riz said.
“Sir, we’ve lost communications. The magnetic fields around each asteroid won’t let us send a signal out of the belt,” the communications officer said.
Kelvin and the rest of the crew forgot about the star dragon in that moment. They realized they were on their own now.
Amelia tapped Kelvin’s shoulders and he turned to see she had removed her headset.
“You need to tell him. Now,” was all Amelia said, as she waived to Riz, who was smiling with relief they had made it into the Antioch Belt without incident. He walked over to them.
“Yes, Ms. Boone?”
“Riz,” Kelvin said, as Amelia motioned Riz that Kelvin was the one who needed to speak with him. “Right before you engaged the Hawk Drive, I received a transmission.”
Riz’s smile went to that of concern.
“What transmission?” Riz said.
Kelvin queued up the transmission from Aren once again and played it for Riz. An expression Kelvin and Amelia had never seen on Riz’s face — fear — took over. He also looked angry.
“Did you trace the source like I taught you?” Riz asked, looking around suspiciously at the bridge, to make sure no one else was listening.
“Yeah, it’s right where Queen Evet said the Pirates of Mercury would be.”
“Battle stations ready! Bring all of our defensive systems online!” Riz said, as he quickly turned away from Kelvin.
The klaxons blared out and the bridge crew rushed to different stations, as a whole new slough of controls lowered from the ceiling of the bridge. Kelvin and Amelia recognized the narrow shafts with joystick controls — they were gunner turrets for the cannons of the Monarch.
It all happened so fast, and then a proximity alert sounded. Another set of objects were approaching and this time the computer knew exactly what they were: ships. And there were hundreds of them.
Riz knew what was about to happen but he hadn’t prepared himself. He had hoped for the best outcome, that things would work out, but he realized now it was too late. The secrets he’d lived with since Princess Aren had gone missing were about to be revealed in the worst way he could imagine. He wished there were other options, but if the Pirates of Mercury were approaching, then that meant Riz was out of them.
“Sir, we’ve detected two-hundred, twenty-three ships approaching. They’ll be within range of our defenses within ten-minutes. None of them match any known configuration or registration,” the sensor officer said.
“Sir,” the communications officer cut in. “We are receiving a transmission from what appears to be the lead ship. No identification, just an open hailing frequency.”
Riz looked nervously at Kelvin, but averted his eyes as soon as he could sense his own uncertainty coming through.
“Put it through,” Riz said.
The face of an old, grizzled looking man with a thick gray beard and long, ratty hair appeared on the largest view screen. The man looked about as mean and uninviting as Kelvin imagined a pirate would look.
“This is Captain Avery Harcrow. We are the Pirates of Mercury. Stand down your weapons, issue a surrender, and prepare to be boarded!”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
RIZ SAID NOTHING at first, just glared back at Captain Harcrow. Kelvin, Amelia, and the rest of the crew looked upon Riz with the feeling of dread. From the commander’s face, they could tell Riz knew they were outmatched. The ships continued to pour from the asteroids into the clear lane of space, until they almost formed a field of their own, with hundreds of ships. Kelvin felt like he was reliving what must have happened to his sister, ten years ago.
“You and your crew are now servants to the Pirates of Mercury,” Captain Harcrow continued. The captain had fierce eyes that looked almost black. His hair was greasy and long, some long strands braided in a mess that looked like old knots of rope, dangling from his head. He wore a safari hat that looked like it was made out of chrome, with messy red letters painted on it from a language no one the bridge could understand. His long, thick beard covered most of his features, as all anyone who had ever encountered him needed to see the eyes. “Surrender peacefully and your ship will have a place among the fleet you see before you. We will free you from the bondage of the Nine Kingdoms and the corruption of the crown. Your ship and your people will help us take back the Nine Kingdoms from the tyrants that have held them for centuries. Today, this is your first taste of freedom.”
“Call me a simpleton, but that doesn’t sound a lot like freedom,” Riz said. “We feel pretty free right now and have made our choice to live under the Nine Kingdoms, captain. You and your people have committed crimes against the Kingdom of Mercury and are suspected of other multiple crimes. We are not here to join your criminal enterprise, or whatever it is you’d like to call it.”
Captain Harcrow started to laugh, as well as all the other pirates the bridge crew of the Monarch could see standing behind him. The thought that these scoundrels might be the one holding his sister made Kelvin furious. He’d studied the warrant Queen Evet issued him and memorized the declaration he was supposed to make. Without hesitation, Kelvin stood from his seat and marched in front of Riz, turning to face Captain Harcrow.
“By the authority granted to me by Queen Evet Tian, I place you and your ships under arrest. You are ordered to surrender your ships and follow us back to Mercury, where their local law enforcement will process you through their justice system. You are accused of multiple thefts and attacks and are called to answer for them,” Kelvin said, impressed with himself that he did not stutter.
“Lord Sellwood, it’s a great honor,” Captain Harcrow replied, his smile growing wider after Kelvin’s proclamation. “We will be happy to have your mighty ship escort us back to Mercury, but it won’t be to surrender. We will take back the planet that was stolen from its people by the Tian dynasty. Your ship will be a fine addition to the fleet. You have your defenses up still, so we’re going to need you to stand those down. Power down your weapons, let us board, and no one gets hurt. Queen Evet won’t risk a conflict and she’ll surrender quietly. No one gets hurt, Lord Sellwood.”
Kelvin turned to Riz, who looked shaken and angry. He could tell from the man’s eyes there was no solution. It didn’t take a military strategist or tactician to tell Kelvin they were outnumbered several times over by the Pirates of Mercury. There was also no escape. The reality hit Kelvin very hard: the Pirates of Mercury were going to take the Monarch, and there was nothing he could do about it.
“Queen Evet will not surrender quickly,” Kelvin said, defiantly. If Riz wasn’t going to stand up to Harcrow, he would.
“Oh she will, just like you will,” Captain Harcrow said. “If there’s one weakness you royals share, it’s the safety of your people. You are going to let me on your ship, or I’m going to start hurting your people. I’m sure everyone will blame me, but you’ll always wonder what could have been if you’d just done things the easy way. Queen Evet will have the same problem. There is no one in the Nine Kingdoms that can challenge the Pirates of Mercury, save the Jovian Navy, but we don’t have to worry about them for a while.
“So, Lord Sellwood, I’m going to make this very easy for you. You have ten minutes to lower your defenses, power down your weapons, and prepare your largest hangar to receive myself and a good portion of my crew. All you need to tell your people for now is to stay out of our way. They’ll be plenty of work to do later, and when the time comes, we’ll let you and them all know when you can start your service to the Pirates of Mercury. I know you’re very keen when it comes to service, Lord Sellwood.”
Kelvin clenched his fists. Though it seemed irrational, Kelvin felt very calm when he made the decision that the Monarch should fight. All of their battle stations were prepared. If they powered everything down they would not get another shot at defending their ship. As the possibility of the Pirates of Mercury c
onquering the planets became real, Kelvin realized they were the only thing standing in their way. If the Monarch could at least stop a few of their ships, Kelvin didn’t believe the Pirates of Mercury would actually destroy the Monarch. They would need the ship.
“We will not be lowering our defenses, Captain Harcrow. My warrant still stands. Surrender your fleet or we open fire on your ship. I’ll give you the same ten minute courtesy,” Kelvin said, coldly. He signaled the communications officer to end the transmission by swiping his palm through the air in a chopping motion.
“Riz, get it together,” Kelvin said quietly. “We need to prepare an attack plan to damage as many of their ships as possible. He’s right….Mercury doesn’t stand a chance against a fleet that size. If we can take out a few of their ships and get a distress call to Earth Navy, Mercury might be able to hold them off until they get their. I’ll suspend the Traditions of Service so the navy can offer assistance.”
The klaxons began to sound again, only this time it indicated shots were incoming. Riz said nothing, but grabbed Kelvin by the arm and moved him quickly back to his chair, before taking hold of something. The Monarch suddenly shook violently, tossing Riz from where he stood and nearly knocking the rest of the crew out of their chairs. After a few moments it stopped and everyone checked each other out to make sure no one was injured. Everyone was fine, but they were certainly frightened. No one had ever experienced a real blast from another ship.
“Sir, Captain Harcrow is requesting communications,” the communications officer said.
Kelvin stood from his chair and walked right back to the center of his screen. Harcrow’s face reappeared, with a smug grin on his face.
“Consider that a warning shot, Lord Sellwood. You’re a child on a ship full of children. Your people know nothing of battle. Sure, you like to build big ships and put on fancy uniforms, but aside from your father and Lord Ristep, no one on that ship has seen real war. This is your last chance, Lord Sellwood. You stand down your weapons or we won’t bother boarding your ship, we’ll destroy it.”
“Fire everything we have at them!” Kelvin shouted
“No wait!” a voice came from behind Harcrow. A woman’s voice. “Kelvin! Wait! No!”
It was Aren.
“Hold your fire!” Kelvin shouted again.
Harcrow looked to Aren, with anger burning in his eyes, and stepped out of view so that she was at the center. Aren shook her head and looked very upset. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she didn’t break down crying.
“The last time I saw you…” Aren started, but she couldn’t finish her sentence. She took a deep breath and tried to continue. “Kelvin, you’re so grown up. I just wasn’t prepared…seeing you just makes me realize how much time has gone by.”
It was hard for Kelvin, too. Seeing the sister he could barely remember as a grown woman was shocking. Aren had almost never seemed real to him, since his father could barely handle discussing her, and Kelvin could tell it took quite a bit of strength for his mother to. Kelvin only had an idea of who she was, and the person on the other side of the screen did not resemble that person at all.
“Kelvin, I need you to let me come on board. Just me. I’ll take a shuttle from here. Just let me into a hangar, so the two of us can talk. I haven’t been honest with you and you deserve a chance to know why things are happening the way they are now.”
“Aren…what is this?”
“I’ll be leaving now. Please tell your gunners not to fire on me. Meet me in the main hangar. I’ll have all of our weapons stand down. I’m on my way,” Aren said. The screen went blank.
“Sir, the fleet is powering down their weapons. We’ve detected a hangar door of their main ship opening and a single shuttle powering up,” the sensor officer said.
Kelvin caught Amelia’s eyes; they looked at him with concern and empathy. She looked like she was about to stand and walk with him to the hangar, but she knew Kelvin needed to go alone. Riz looked like he got his composure together, but for the first time, Kelvin didn’t have a lot of faith in the man that was sent to protect him. His guardian didn’t know what to do when the time came and it was only the classes Kelvin had taken in his naval classes that had allowed him to negotiate with Captain Harcrow.
“My lord, we’ll have a full security detail there,” Riz said.
“No, it’s my sister,” Kelvin said. “I trust her.”
Those words did not come easy, as Aren would have a lot to explain. Somehow, she seemed to be in command when it came to the Pirates of Mercury. Harcrow had stepped down when she came to the front, but a big problem remained for Kelvin: Aren had fired on her own people. She was keeping things from him. There was something much bigger that was going on in the Antioch Belt than him trying to catch the Pirates of Mercury.
“Riz, what do you think is happening?” Kelvin said. The rest of the bridge crew had returned to their work, so it was noticeable that Kelvin and Riz were in a tense conversation amidst the noise of the bridge.
“Let’s walk together, Lord Sellwood,” Riz said, motioning to the lift door.
Kelvin led the way to the lift. As he crossed the bridge, he gave Amelia a smile he hoped would be reassurance. Her eyes met Riz as well, who seemed to have transformed from his noble self to someone who was very nervous. She suddenly didn’t trust him and didn’t know why. Amelia turned to her workstation console and brought the Monarch’s database online. There were archives of almost all the Nine Kingdoms stored in the database. In the search column, she typed in “SIR RISTEP OF EARTH”.
Amelia thought it was time she get to know more about who the person protecting her best friend was.
Riz piloted the lift across the virtual city inside the Monarch. Where Kelvin could usually look down and see his people going about their everyday lives, even sometimes looking up and waving to him, there were only empty streets and walkways. The klaxons were silenced, but red lights flashed everywhere, telling everyone onboard the Monarch they needed to be in their homes and strapped in. Kelvin felt a large amount of guilt about this. He imagined how scared everyone must have been.
“Your sister is right, Lord Sellwood, you have been kept in the dark about many things. It’s time you had the answers,” Riz said, looking off into the distance, but his voice much calmer.
“Do you have answers for me, Riz?” Kelvin said, his eyes deliberate on making contact with Riz.
“Not all of them, but some. I’ve know about your sister for some time, though I don’t know how she came to be the commander of the Pirates of Mercury. I took part in a survey mission, years ago, that put my ship at the edge of the Antioch Belt. We scanned this fleet, the Pirates of Mercury, and intercepted transmissions before they noticed us. I recorded several transmissions where your sister lead them in military exercises, similar to the ones we had on Earth. Several of my former officers, the ones that had gone missing with Princess Aren, were taking part in them as well. You sister, though, without a doubt, was the one in command.”
“Why didn’t you tell this to my father?” Kelvin asked.
“I did,” Riz said, with a biting tone that caused his face to scowl and his nostrils to flare in anger. Kelvin could tell what he was hearing was something that caused Riz a great deal of trouble. “Your father is not well, Kelvin. He is my friend and he is my king, but he has not been fit to govern since your sister went missing. The only reason your family still has the throne is because your mother is a wise ruler and you are about to come of age. I told your father everything. I tried to play him the transmissions, show him the sensor readouts, and convince him Princess Aren was alive, but he wouldn’t hear it. He accused me of falling for a trick. He said it was a forgery, created by the other Nine Kingdoms to weaken Earth. He wouldn’t hear it and he threatened to strip me of my rank and command in the navy.”
It gave Riz no pleasure in telling Kelvin the true state of King Erelm. Riz was someone who did not want to believe it either. When he went to the king with news Princ
ess Aren was alive, he hoped it would restore the person, instead it just made the king more delusional and angry.
“So what did you do?” Kelvin said.
“I poured everything I had into this ship, to prepare these soldiers for whatever we would have to face out here. I’ve known it was coming, what Captain Harcrow said, for years. The only thing I didn’t know was how big their fleet was, and it’s worse than anything I could imagine. He’s right, Lord Sellwood, they have a fleet that could do serious damage to Mercury and Venus. I’m sure the Venusian Gravity Warriors would give them a ground fight, but their navy and the security fleet of Mercury would stand no chance. The Pirates of Mercury would eventually take them, and then they’d move onto Earth.”
“We have more ships than they do,” Kelvin said.
“More ships, yes. But we don’t have the crew to operate them. Most Earthers don’t join the navy, Lord Sellwood. War is a forgotten past.”
“Did you share this with my mother?” Kelvin asked. Riz shook his head.
Kelvin didn’t know what to think at this point. Emotions swirled around him. In a few minutes, Kelvin’s role as heir to the throne of Earth had become much more complicated.
War was a forgotten past, that much Riz had right, but it was not that way for all the Nine Kingdoms. The Nine Kingdoms were created after the most terrible war in human history: the Solar War. When humanity originally left Earth and settled on other planets, it was not to expand the human race, it was to exploit whatever resources they could find on those planets. For centuries, humankind fought amongst themselves, until the most powerful planet in the solar system, Jupiter, brought all of the leaders from each planet together and created the Nine Kingdoms.
Kelvin couldn’t stand to think that war could come down on the Nine Kingdoms for the first time in their existence. The Traditions of Service and the weight of the crown took new meaning for Kelvin as Riz told him this.
“Lord Kelvin, the hard truth is that they would take Earth before anyone could stop them. By the time the Jovian Fleet reached them, it would be too late.”
