The Pirates of Mercury: The Kelvin Voyages Book One

by Kyle Larson

  Kelvin reached inside his suit and pulled out his phone. He turned it on and Mara’s icon appeared.

  “Greetings, Lord Sellwood, you have fifty-seven missed calls from Amelia Chapman,” Mara said. “Also, I regret to inform you I was temporarily taken offline by Sir Ristep, but his signature is now out of range, so I’m back.”

  “Welcome back, Mara,” Kelvin said, shaking his head at his uncle and the other Lunar Guardians. “Call Amelia Chapman back.”

  The dial tone hummed once before Amelia’s voice came through it’s speakers.

  “Kelvin! Are you okay? Are you on that insane looking ship?” Amelia said, very worked up.

  “Apparently it’s called the Lunar Gale,” Kelvin said. “And, yeah, I’m fine. It’s my uncle’s ship…I mean, it’s the Lunar Guardian’s ship.”

  Kelvin could tell despite the rough look of his uncle and the other Lunar Guardians, they wanted their titles to be recognized. Especially since Kelvin was in communication with the flagship of Earth Navy.

  “Is everyone onboard the Monarch okay?” Kelvin said.

  “Yeah, I hear there’s a few people in medical with bumps and bruises, but nothing major. You okay?” Amelia said.

  “For the most part. We have to get out of here and warn the rest of the Nine Kingdoms. My sister and Riz have lost their minds!”

  Kelvin felt the ship shudder suddenly. He looked to his uncle, who took notice, but didn’t seem concerned.

  “Sounds like the little ships are shooting at us, brother,” Raige said. “Shall we show them who they’re shooting at?”

  “Yes, brother, let’s show them what happens when criminals shoot at the Lunar Gale,” Rewill agreed.

  “The Lunar Guardians?” Amelia said, puzzled. There was an awkward few seconds of silence. “Well, that’s good. We’ll need all the help we can get, and it looks like the Pirates of Mercury’s electro cannons aren’t having any effects on their ship. What’s that thing made out of?”

  “Our home,” Earlos said. “The strongest stone, deep from within the crust of the moon. They’re going to need more than electro blasts to take us on.”

  “Yeah, he’s right, Kelvin. But if they start firing blast missiles, it won’t matter what that thing’s made of. Our engines are barely charged, and Riz was the only one who had the map to navigate out of the Antioch Belt. I don’t think we’re going to get out of this without the Monarch and the Lunar Guardians firing a few shots back,” Amelia said.

  “Come, Lord Sellwood,” Earlos said, as he turned and started to walk down the hall, followed by Raige and Rewill. “We’ll continue this conversation on the bridge.”

  “Holloway’s working on getting access to Riz’s drive, but that won’t change much about our current situation,” Amelia continued. “Their ships are moving closer, now that they don’t have to worry about your sister and Riz getting caught in the crossfire.”

  The hall was like a maze and the Lunar Guardians didn’t slow down at all. It was also very dim, almost like they were in a cave. The walls and floors were not smooth and polished like the Monarch. The ground was hard and the walls chiseled with cracks and uneven stone. The ship continued to shake from electro blasts. If the Lunar Guardians were at all worried, Kelvin couldn’t tell.

  “Tell your friend we’ll get you back to your ship, as soon as we deal with the Pirates of Mercury. Request the Monarch prepare their electro cannons and fire when we do,” Earlos said, as the doors to a massive glass dome opened. The bridge was entirely transparent and the sensation Kelvin could be sucked into space became very real because whatever glass was used to create the dome was so clear it didn’t even look like it was there. Earlos could tell his nephew was uneasy. “Don’t worry, Lord Sellwood. The glass may be clear, but it’s thicker than most the walls on this ship. Made from Saturn ring ice. Virtually unbreakable.”

  Earlos wasn’t kidding. Saturn ring ice was a rare rock that was more transparent than glass once it was properly polished. It was harvested from the rings of Saturn and very hard to find. Kelvin couldn’t imagine how valuable the dome made the Lunar Gale.

  “Your Monarch is a fine ship, but she’s not the Lunar Gale, with all due respect,” Rewill joked to Kelvin.

  As they stepped onto the bridge, Kelvin immediately noticed the Ascalon bots, all in workstations around the bridge. Ascalon bots were also rare. They were robots built in the last century, but who were limited in their numbers because their creator, Dr. Ditha Ascalon, went missing shortly after she built the first and only hundred. Kelvin counted ten of them on the bridge, with no other humans present.

  “Wow,” Kelvin said, as he looked up at his uncle. “Where’d you find these Ascalon bots?”

  Earlos looked at Kelvin, almost offended.

  “Lord Sellwood,” he said, in a quieter tone. “You may not be familiar with artificial life, but these are living beings, just like you and I. They have feelings and they are our family, so with all due respect, I must request you don’t refer to them as bots. Just them or they will do.”

  Kelvin nodded, his face turned slightly red. The crew didn’t notice.

  “My friends, may I present to you Prince Kelvin Sellwood,” Earlos said, in a very regal announcement. “Let’s show him what the Lunar Glide is capable of and how the Lunar Guardians defend against threats to the people of Earth.”

  “A full spread of electro blasts are prepared, Lord Monson,” a member of the crew said.

  “Thank you, Officer Nobuo,” Earlos said. “Fire them all now, at the nearest ship.”

  A spread of hundreds of electro blasts lit up the darkness above the dome and everyone watched as they hurtled toward the Pirates of Mercury. The Monarch joined in the light show and launched a few dozen of its own, though it didn’t look like much compared to the Lunar Gale’s attack. The Pirates of Mercury answered with their own and fired a series of shots back. The electro blasts, from every ship, all collided and went up in a brilliant flash.

  “Prepare another spread,” Rewill said. “Neither the Monarch or the Gale were hit.”

  “Officer Nobuo, open communications with the flagship of their fleet,” Raige said, as he stepped forward, looking eager to talk.

  A hologram of Captain Harcrow suddenly appeared front and center in the bridge.

  “I am Lord Raige Auvola, Lunar Guardian of Earth’s Moon and protector of its people. Your fleet has engaged in hostile actions against Earth’s flagship and their sovereign prince, Lord Kelvin Sellwood. Surrender your fleet and prepare to be escorted to Mercury for arrest and due process,” Raige said, as if he’d been waiting his whole life to make such a proclamation.

  Harcrow smiled and looked past him, right at Kelvin.

  “Ask the little prince what happened last time he tried to do this,” Harcrow said, winking at Kelvin. “On behalf of the Pirates of Mercury, we would like to welcome the Lunar Guardians to the Antioch Belt. We’ve heard much about you and the famed Lunar Gale. You and your ship will make a fine addition to our fleet and our cause.”

  “I’m fine, my ship is fine, and I got away. How are you going to explain that to your Colonel?” Kelvin said. He saw a flash of anger in Harcrow’s face when he evoked the Colonel.

  “I already did,” Harcrow said, recomposing himself. “I’m not sure if your sister and your friend Sir Ristep informed you, Lord Sellwood, but this is not our entire fleet. The Colonel is on his way here now, with the other half of the Pirates of Mercury, to help us deal with you and your moon people.”

  The Lunar Guardians all took a sharp, deep breath at the offense. Moon people was considered an insult that went back generations in the order of the Lunar Guardians. It was not only an insult to them where they stood at that moment, but everything the Lunar Guardians stood for since their founding.

  “Tell your colonel to increase his speed. We moon people look forward to meeting him and dismantling your fleet, one ship at a time,” Earlos said.

  The holograph vanished and Riswell motioned to
Nobuo to fire.

  Holloway clicked and swiped furiously through the different layers of code that protected Riz’s drive. In her experience, she’d never seen a drive as protected as this. As complicated as it was, it gave her a huge insight into how the Pirates of Mercury use code. It was entirely unique, with a different set of numerical and letter designations, also with complex geometric shapes that came from ancient methods of equation. Most encryptions in the Nine Kingdoms were generated from proprietary software––but no matter how complex they were, they were predictable to a point. The Pirates of Mercury used code that was like nothing she’d ever seen before.

  “How’s it coming, Holloway?” Amelia said, over her shoulder.

  “Eh,” was the only response Holloway could give while still trying to remain focused on her task. “It’s coming, but it’s gonna take a while. Whatever Riz has in here…the file is a lot bigger than a map of the Antioch Belt. And judging by this encryption, it’s something he really doesn’t want anyone to see.”

  Amelia didn’t respond, she just patted Holloway on the shoulder and walked back to the center of the bridge.

  “What’s our status? Who’s in command here?”

  “I guess I would be,” Eerika Ali, the senior officer, a commander in the mechanical division, was the highest ranking officer on the ship, behind Riz. She was head of the mechanical division, and before that, had been first assistant in the engineering division. Though she was brilliant and skilled beyond most officers, she’d never had command experience, at least since her training days in academy simulators.

  “What’s our next move?” Amelia said, realizing that her knowledge was limited to Earth Navy protocol, and her leadership relied on only simulated experience. She didn’t realize how not so different her training might have been from the other officers, but that they couldn’t be more far apart in the capacity for leadership. Amelia didn’t want to be the captain of the Monarch. She was just a kid. Asking Eerika what to do next was her way of handing over the responsibility.

  Eerika cleared her throat and tightened up her shoulders, standing tall from the crouched position she’d been in when Amelia called on her. There had been an electrical problem in one of the workstation computers where she stood, during the attack. She couldn’t help but fix it, because that’s what Eerika did best.

  “Keep the electro blasts firing. I don’t want us to stop. Try to compliment every blast the Lunar Gale fires, until Holloway decrypts Riz’s drive. I want all power either going to recharging the engines or powering the electro blasts. Those ships are closing in fast and we’ve got to be prepared to run as soon as we can.”

  “Commander,” an ensign from the sensor station said. “We’re picking up several hundred large objects closing in from within the field. There’s too much interference to tell exactly what they are, but they’re headed straight for us.”

  “The back-up Harcrow was talking about,” Amelia said. “Oh no.”

  “I’ve got it!” Holloway shouted from her station. The drive seemed to suddenly open up on its own, making Holloway wonder if the encryption only appeared to be as complex as it seemed to ward off anyone who would try to break it.

  Amelia dashed over to Holloway’s station as she skimmed through the contents of the drive. The map provided by Mercury was the most recent document, so she immediately transferred it to the Monarch’s navigational database.

  “Tactical stations, did you get that?” Amelia said.

  “Got it. Engines won’t be charged for another thirty minutes. All battery power is dedicated to their recharge. We’ve deployed solar collectors as well, but they aren’t helping, due to the belt blocking out most of the sun,” the officer responded.

  “Bridge to engineering division. This is Commander Ali, I’ve assumed command of the Monarch.” Eerika’s voice sounded much more confident, and inside, she was beginning to like being captain. “Start a multi-phase cycle to the third-power on the primary power generators.”

  “But commander, that’s just a theory,” the chief engineer answered. They had a history, but Eerika knew he was just doing his job by pointing out her command might not work out the way it may be intended.

  Eerika studied the different drive systems that kept the Monarch powered and moving. That had been her primary focus in school, and she was a renowned expert in all the Nine Kingdoms. When King Erelm pulled back from dispatching Earth Navy to aide other kingdoms and patrol space, Eerika spent her time trying to improve the drive systems technologically. She developed more efficient components, and the last theory she’d been working on was how to produce more power so that the Monarch could constantly stay in flight, if needed, and never have to dock at a refueling station.

  Eerika hoped to one day propose Earth Navy send a ship into deep space, outside the Nine Kingdoms, to another star. The theory she had come up with about everlasting recharging was one she was about to test for the first time. She was sure all of the numbers were correct, and that if everything went according to her equations, the engine systems of the Monarch would be fully charged instantly.

  “Just do it, Joe,” Eerika ordered. “I don’t have time to argue with you. You have the equations and you know how to do what I’m talking about. You know that if it works, we can fly out of here right now. This is not a request, this is an order.”

  Amelia’s eyes widened and she smiled. She liked Eerika in the few seconds she’d gotten to see her transformed into a captain.

  “Copy that,” Joe replied. “We’ll start the cycle and I’ll check back in when it’s complete. I have a feeling we’ll know by then if you were right. I’d like to go on record that I think this is a waste of time and resources. I need five engineers monitoring this, at all times, when they could be working on ways we know will work in getting our power back.”

  You just wish you’d thought of it.

  “Please do, lieutenant. I’ll be sure to note your comments in the ship’s database, whether this works or not. Commander Ali out.”

  The comm speakers snapped off.

  “Communications,” Eerika resumed. “Transmit that map from Sir Ristep’s drive to the Lunar Gale. Inform them what it is and request they either return Lord Sellwood to us, or follow us out as soon as we have full power. If they are still recharging their engines, tell them we may have a solution.” She looked nervously at the floor and spoke under her breath, “If it works.”

  “Amelia, come here,” Holloway said. As Amelia approached she could see Holloway was scanning through a massive amount of documents. There were graphs, crew manifests, ship locations, maps, weapons inventories…every secret of the Pirates of Mercury, right here. “This is insane. These aren’t pirates…this is an armada.”

  “Is this being archived in the Monarch’s database?” Amelia said.

  “Not yet. I need to sweep it for viruses before I put it into our database. It could be bait, which is a classic cyber crime. The information looks legit, though,” Holloway said. “And it looks like they aren’t just in the Antioch Belt, but that they have an operative on every planet of the Nine Kingdoms. All of them close to the royal families.”

  “Who?” Amelia said, realizing that she probably knew whomever the operative on Earth was.

  “It doesn’t say. They all have codenames, but the communication logs indicate each transmission received was sent from inside the royal palace of each planet. And there’s one from everyday, as far back as ten years ago, up until yesterday.”

  “Commander,” Joe’s voice came over the comm speaker. “I can’t believe it. The cycle worked. Our systems are at full power. Engines are fully restored.”

  Eerika smiled and noticed the rest of the bridge crew were smiling with her. The Monarch needed a win and this was a huge one. They had the map, they had the engines, and now they could get their people out of harm’s way as soon as they confirmed Kelvin would be safe with the Lunar Guardians.

  “Commander Ali,” a nervous sensor officer said. “I thi
nk you should see this.”

  Eerika walked quickly over to the sensor station and stopped dead when she could what the officers were watching on the monitors.

  “Please tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Eerika said.

  Star dragons, hundreds of them, in a swarm that resembled a stampede, headed right for the fleet of enemy ships and their own. The star dragons eyes glowed and they looked more like the dragons everyone on the bridge remembered hearing about in fairly tales. Nothing about this visual was good, though it was as stunning as it was terrifying.

  “How long until they’re here?”

  “Three minutes,” the sensor officer responded.

  The sight now had Amelia and Holloway’s full attention. The star dragons might as well have been the asteroids in the belt turning on them. Even if they didn’t consume the ships, their speed and size would tear every ship apart in the path they took.

  “Emergency impact protocols, people!” Eerika shouted. “I want everyone in their seats, strapped in. Sound impact alarms and confine everyone to their current location. I want everyone holding onto something or fastened into their seat.”

  “Lord Sellwood,” Earlos said. “Come. It looks like the star dragons have taken notice of us.” He lead Kelvin to a chair and motioned for him to strap in. Earlos sat at the adjacent chair and strapped himself in, as well.

  “You’ve seen them?” Kelvin said, surprised.

  “Oh yes, my lord,” Earlos laughed. “This isn’t my first time in the Antioch Belt. Hopefully, I can share those stories with you someday, if we get out of this.”

  “Lord Raige,” a crew member said. “The flagship of the enemy fleet just fired a spread of blast missiles. Enough to cause significant damage to both ships.”

  Kelvin and Earlos watched the missiles scream full speed toward the Lunar Gale. They were very fast, and despite the ship starting to move away from their path, the Lunar Gale wouldn’t have time to escape them. Just as it appeared as if the missiles would hit the ship, the star dragons emerged.