Tempus_The Terraunum Origins Series

by R. J. Batla

  “Wylie!”

  “Ma’am?”

  “As soon as we can send a communication to Watuaga, tell them what’s going on.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Mate, adjust course five degrees starboard. Maybe we can hit a current…”

  Mate twirled the wheel slightly as the sails finally filled with wind at the same time that the Tempus Pushed, thrusting the Ajax forward, slowly gaining speed as the pirates grew closer and closer.

  Boom, boom, boom!

  “Cannons! Take cover!” Mate screamed, spinning the wheel as three cannonballs raced their way. The ship zigged to port, the projectiles throwing a geyser of water as they exploded where the Ajax had just been seconds before, directly behind and to the right, the evasive maneuver and the long shot allowing the Tempus ship to avoid a direct hit.

  Celeste glanced at Mate. “That’s awful accurate for such a long-range shot, don’t you think?”

  “Aye,” Mate said. “I’ll be needing some guidance from behind, Captain.”

  “You got it,” Celeste said, moving to the stern and hearing another volley coming. This time, she pulsed her powers, using them to determine where the projectiles were coming from. “Hard to port!”

  Mate obliged; the cannonballs missed by a wider margin this time.

  “Let’s get five more sailors clearing whales and pull ten more to help Push the ship. We need more speed!”

  The pirates kept firing, and Celeste kept her ship safe, shouting directions to Mate. One volley went wide, and another was short. Yet the whole time, the pirates kept gaining on the Ajax. They must have been using an extra propulsion system. How were they getting past the whale corpses so quickly? Shouldn’t it be slowing them down at least a little?

  “All hands, we need to Push harder!” Celeste yelled. “Hard to starboard, Mate!” Three more explosions erupted just off the side of the ship. That was too close, but her crew was now in position. “Wylie, call it out. Let’s put some distance between us. Get somewhere where we can maneuver!”

  Wylie obliged, and a chorus of “Stroke, stroke, stroke!” boomed over the waves. With each word, the Tempus Pushed the Ajax, giving her a burst of speed that the wind maintained. Those up front had to work much harder to keep the whales out of the way of the now fast-moving vessel. The ships behind them quickly stopped gaining ground. Then they were falling behind.

  Five minutes later, they cleared the last of the dead whales. Celeste called for a spyglass. Bringing it to her eye, the pirate ships were miniature versions of what they had been moments before. Then they turned broadside and were heading away, back the way they had come. A wide smile split her face. “They’re turning away, mates!”

  The crew celebrated – their first pirate encounter with a new captain and not a soul was lost. Celeste and Mate still watched the ships. “Should we follow at a distance?”

  “Risky, Captain. We don’t know what they’re up to out here.”

  “Do we have any other options? Or are we…” As she watched, suddenly one of them veered to the east, the others continuing on south. Now what in Terraunum was that ship doing going off by itself?

  Putting the spyglass down, Celeste drummed her fingers on the stern railing. What to do…what to do…After a quick debate in her head, she decided she needed counsel, and they had to choose quickly. She called John over to take the wheel. “Mate, Wylie, Leroy, Poteet, in the navigation room. We’ve got a decision to make.”

  On their way, Mate asked, “Poteet is third in command, Captain, so I know why you invited him. But I have to ask – why Leroy?”

  Celeste shrugged. “He’s a capable sailor and I’ve got a feeling he knows his way around a fight on the seas. I want his perspective.”

  Mate shrugged.

  They made their way to the room and sat down. Celeste placed her hand on the table and the wood was covered by a slight glow, which then formed into a map, right there on top of the table. “Wylie, where exactly are we?”

  “Here, Captain,” she said without hesitation, pointing a blue finger to a spot on the map, a red X appearing where she pointed.

  “Where was the distress signal from?”

  “Here,” Wylie said, a blue X appearing much closer to shore, “Where we found the first dead whale.”

  “And we’ve heard nothing from the Spirit?”

  “Negative, Captain.”

  “So we basically have no idea where the ship could be, where it might have been headed, or, for that matter, if it was really our ship at all, and not just a decoy that sent the distress call to lure a Tempus vessel away from the main fleet for whatever reason?”

  Leroy laughed. “A good summary if I’ve ever heard one, Captain!”

  “This can’t be a coincidence – the pirates have to be the reason for the distress signal from the Spirit, right?”

  Poteet shrugged. “Probably, but she’s a big ocean ma’am. Could be anything.”

  Celeste eyed the map, drumming her fingers on the edge of the table. “One pirate ship was heading due east – but there’s nothing out there that we know of, is there? And if you keep sailing east, you’ll be in the Lost Seas within a couple of weeks, right?”

  Wylie touched the map in several places, zooming in and out. No matter what she did, no land masses appeared. “No, ma’am, nothing. The other known islands are further north and south of here – there’s nothing east of here but open ocean. Do you think it wise to go after them? You think it’s a trap?”

  “Could be. Or they could be trying to throw us off their tail. Or they could be meeting with their leader, or delivering information, or, or, or…” Celeste said, now drumming her fingernails on the table.

  “What’s on your mind, Captain?” Mate asked. “You have some ideas?”

  “We have three options, as I see it,” Celeste said. “One – we call it in now, turn tail, and let the higher-ups send in some bigger guns to clean the whole mess up.” Her crew all almost growled, and she grinned. “Two – we try to follow the four ships, hoping they lead us somewhere important that we can use against them. It’s uncommon for pirates to band together and split the spoils, but I don’t think their secret would lie with the majority of the ships. And that’s if we can follow them undetected, something that is very hard on the ocean, even for Tempus.”

  “What’s the third?” Poteet asked.

  Celeste grinned. “We follow the lone vessel and take her. See what secrets she holds. She was a frigate, but I ain’t seen a pirate yet that can stand against a Tempus crewed ship!”

  “Hear, hear!” they all said, banging their fists on the table, the excitement electric in the room.

  “Well,” Celeste said, “I think we have our decision. Wylie, call HQ on the telestone, tell them what happened and that we’re pursuing the lone vessel. Tell them I suggest they send a full flotilla down here, that there’s at least five pirate ships and probably more. The rest of you, man your station, and tell the crew. We’re hunting pirates!”

  A chorus of cheers broke out as they disbanded, Mate bellowing out orders as he exited the cabin and headed to the wheel. The crew quickly set to work. The ship zipped through the water, picking up speed quickly as they turned away from the wind and the crew Pushed the ship forward.

  As she walked into her cabin, Celeste’s nerves were on end with excitement. They were chasing down pirates! It was almost too much to ask for on her first mission as captain! She took a full five minutes to calm herself down and keep her hands from shaking. When she felt she was good enough, she changed into leather armor, complete with two dozen concealed throwing knives – the one distance weapon she was absolutely deadly with. Celeste had to squeeze into the armor, a tight fit for ease of movement while fighting.

  Next on was a pair of pants reinforced with metal threads. They weren’t puncture-proof, but they were slash proof. And as most pirates or anyone riding the waves wielded a cutlass, that was a great thing to protect against. Finishing off the ensemble was her captain’s hat, complet
e with a large white feather, boots, and a sleeveless blue canvas trench coat. She checked herself once in the mirror, and with a nod, swept out of her chambers.

  Chapter 8

  Stepping back into the navigation room, she saw Wylie was still there. “Did HQ reply?”

  “Affirmative, Captain: they said happy hunting and report back afterwards.”

  Celeste waited a second for her to speak again, but she kept looking at her map. “That’s it? Nothing on sending more ships?”

  “Negative, Captain. Just to handle the situation, as it will take time to organize a party to come down here after us and those four other pirate ships, but they’ll get a fleet on the water as soon as possible.”

  OK. If that was how they were going to play it. “Figures. We hadn’t expected to run into trouble, so even if they sent someone immediately, it’d take them three weeks to get here. I guess we’re on our own for now. Are there any ships close?”

  “No ma’am, the nearest naval ship is far to the south, over two weeks away.”

  “Too bad. Excellent work, Wylie. Finish up here, then join us on the deck. I don’t want you to miss any of the fun.”

  Wylie grinned, adjusting a few dials on the square housing that held the Tempus telestone, and made a few calculations, jotting some notes. “Aye Aye, Captain!”

  Celeste stepped back out on deck. She grinned. A Tempus clipper would be more than a match for a pirate frigate. One Tempus sailor was a match for ten pirate sailors. Bounding up the stairs to the poop deck, she said, “Talk to me, Mate.”

  He looked her up and down. “Nice hat, ma’am,” he said with a grin. “Maybe we should paint a target on your back too? Or will the waving white feather be a distraction?”

  She rolled her eyes. “The pirates, Mate. Talk to me about the pirates.”

  He chuckled. “Aye. They’re still heading due east at a leisurely pace. I don’t think they’ve spotted us yet.”

  “Tempus!” Celeste shouted. “If we’re gonna catch these pirates, we need more speed! Half the crew at a double-time sprint, then switch at five-minute intervals! Do you want a fight or not?”

  “Aye, aye!” came the shouted reply, as her now more heavily armed crew gathered on either rail, and in unison made circular motions with both hands and then thrust them towards the back of the ship.

  The Ajax lurched forward, practically flying over the water. The reinforced hulls, like all Tempus ships, crashed and sliced through the waves, aided by a couple of the Tempus crew at the bow, easing their passage with their water powers.

  “Ah, lookie there. They’ve spotted us now, Captain. They’ve increased their speed, but I don’t think they have the muscle we got,” Mate said. “Judging the distance, we can catch them easily.”

  “Aye. Swing around behind them, Mate. I don’t want them taking potshots at us while we close in.” Mate spun the wheel and the Ajax changed directions, throwing a wake behind her as they steadily made up ground. The closer they got, the more nervous Celeste became. “They’re holding steady on their course and speed?” Poteet nodded. “That doesn’t make sense; they should be trying…something. Mate, what do you suggest?”

  “You’re the Captain, ma’am. I’m –”

  “A good captain consults her advisors before a big decision. So what would you suggest?”

  Mate stared at her a minute before nodding. “See if we can get a good shot at her rudder and get it to stick it in a permanent spin, that way –”

  “Mines ahoy! Charges! Straight ahead!” James said from the bow.

  “Mate, evasive maneuvers!” Celeste said, rushing to the rail to get a better view before reaching into the water with her powers, finding the explosive devices as the ship frantically turned to try and avoid the mines. “Damn, they’ve scattered them wide; we’ll have to set them off. Twenty degrees to port, Mate! Slow us down, sailors. All ahead, sails only! John, get ten sailors and get to the bow. Blow those things up before we get to them!”

  The crew jumped at her command, the Ajax turning and slowing while several Tempus gathered at the bow. Celeste watched as all ten pulled power from inside them, using their energy to pull water toward them before freezing it into a ball of ice that hovered in front of their closed fists, their arms cocked back like they were about to punch someone. Concealed inside each ice ball was a bubble of energy encased in thin metal. The sailors launched the grenades, guided with pinpoint accuracy because of their command over the ice. The ten charges exploded simultaneously, the shockwaves rocking the ship. The geysers rose higher than the three masts.

  The Tempus kept at it as ten more charges exploded, then another ten, then one way too close to their hull.

  Celeste shot her man at the bow a look. “What was that, John?”

  “Sorry, ma’am, one was partially submerged. We didn’t see it and had to set it off at the last minute.”

  “Well don’t let it happen –”

  “Captain,” Mate said from the wheel, pointing ahead. “They’re coming about!”

  No! If they got full broadside before the Ajax was ready, the Tempus ship was a sitting duck, especially having to dodge those mines. They only needed a hundred more yards…

  “Marshall! We need a spear gun!” Celeste said, bounding off the poop deck and racing toward the front of the ship.

  “Aye, Captain!” A sailor peeled off from those along the rails, grabbing a couple more as he went. They extracted a long, silver tube from where it was stored along the rail. They then rushed it to the bow of the ship, Celeste running alongside them, filling the tube with water and holding the liquid there. The three sailors slid the spear gun into a holder made specifically for it. Five more Tempus joined Celeste and together they froze the water inside, then put their hands on the weapon in specified places, waiting for the order, power humming in the air.

  Celeste took her position and looked through the sites mounted atop the back of the gun. She took a few deep breaths to steady her racing heart and her aim.

  Poteet was behind her, calling out her shot. “Four hundred yards to target. Speed: thirty knots. Wind: behind and slightly to the left…” She adjusted her aim, maneuvering the back of the spear gun to accommodate the windage and elevation needed. She took a steadying breath, then held it slightly on the exhale. “Fire!”

  The five sailors grunted and pressed their powers into the gun. A sharpened bolt of rock-hard ice rocketed out of the barrel of the weapon with a thou. The projectile arched high over the waves, glinting in the sun, coming down slowly…slowly…

  “Come on,” someone said.

  With a thud that could be heard even from several hundred yards away, the ice spear struck home, impaling the pirate ship’s rudder, nailing it to the starboard side of the stern of their ship. The vessel lurched to the side, then went into a wild turn, spinning out of control, giving them no opportunity to fire upon the Ajax.

  The Tempus crew whooped, including Celeste. That was the longest shot she’d ever made with a spear gun, and was a damn good shot. Almost more luck than skill. The grin would not come off her face. “All right, all right, clear the last few mines and let’s collect our prize. That ship is still dangerous, and they might even fire on us if we give them the chance. James, John, I want ten sailors on either side of the ship ready with enough water to shield us from attack if needed. They very well could still have some fight left in them.”

  “One can only hope, Captain,” Leroy said, pulling out a couple of long daggers and twirling them around. Several others around him readied weapons too.

  Celeste jerked her head to the water, running to the rail. “Did you see that?”

  “See what, Captain?” Mate said, running to join. “More pirates?”

  She looked again, but whatever it was had gone. “I could have sworn I saw a person with fins in the water there…”

  Leroy laughed. “Like a mermaid? Old sailor’s legend, if you ask me. Let’s go get some pirates!”

  Two minutes later, the Aja
x cleared the last of the mines and approached the disabled vessel from behind. With no sign of activity aboard the ship. Odd.

  “Deploy bow hooks. And be on your guard, mates – something doesn’t seem right here,” Celeste said.

  As they drew close enough to the pirate ship, Tempus sailors in the bow pulled levers on either side of the bow, Pushing blue energy-laden water into cylinders to operate the machinery with hydraulic power. Two large beams with metal hooks on the end extended from the bow of the ship. They reached out and grabbed the back of the pirate ship, pulling the Ajax closer. In a few seconds, they would be attached and able to board the other vessel easily. It was a lot easier to board a captured vessel from behind than broadside where they would face the full force of their cannons. At least that was the thought.

  The instant the bow hooks slammed home, the water just off the port bow began to bubble. The Tempus sailors looked over just in time to see the water erupt in a geyser.

  A dozen small wooden crafts with three men on each erupted from the sides of the vessel and blazed across the water, circling around and bearing down on the Ajax.

  “Jet boats!” someone called out.

  “Prepare to be boarded!” Mate yelled, drawing a cutlass strapped to his belt.

  Celeste drew her cutlass and pulled water to her hand, where it pulsed and hovered, ready to be used against an opponent. She rushed to the port rail, looked down, and immediately jerked her head to the left as an ice spear whizzed by where her head had just been, fluttering her dreadlocks as it passed. In a matter of seconds, the Tempus had gone from the aggressor to being on the defensive.

  Celeste cocked her arm and fired her own spear back, the ice embedding in the covered hull of one of the jet boats. The small boat shook with the impact, then stalled out. She must have messed up the propulsion system, as it stopped dead in the water. Its three occupants ran toward the Ajax – on the water – until they found holds on the wooden sides and started climbing.

  Water Senturians – the human version of the Tempus! What a disgrace to the element, turning pirate!