World 2 – Low Gravity World
Read from the beginning
Time passed as the crew restlessly waited for the pursuing ship to finish reeling them in. The black skull on the blood red pirate flag grinned malevolently down at them. Imagination gave it a sinister aura that was felt even when turned away. Captain Rush and Shipmaster Tavorian stood in the lookout staring and trying to think of something else to do.
“Maybe we should just let them catch us and get this over with,” the Tavorian sighed.
“It’s an idea, but I don’t want to limit our maneuverability. After what we did, they’re going to be out for blood. I don’t want to make it easy for them to sink us.”
“True. But if I’m thinking this, our crew is too. We don’t want to wear out their nerves by waiting too long.”
“Good point. I think we can stay ahead of them for another hour, but by then it will be dark.” He paused to think then ordered, “Turn into the sun and let them close the distance. Then they’ll find the sun in their eyes when they attack.
“Yes sir!”
The crew sprang into action, relieved to finally have something to do, and placed to ship into a leisurely turn sunwards. The pirate ship, predictably, cut inside their turn, dramatically reducing the distance between them. Once the ship was on course, everyone went back to their positions and waited for the attack.
They did not have long to wait. Arrows began peppering them as soon as the pirate ship was in range. Many missed, partially because of the distance, but also because the Captain’s turn into the sun was having its desired effect.
As the pirates drew closer, fire arrows were brought to bear. These did little damage and injured no one, but they kept firefighting teams busy smothering the arrows.
This harassment ended as the enemy ship pulled alongside. Grappling hooks flew through the air binding the ships together. The pirates shouted and launched a hail of arrows. Fortunately, the crew had already taken cover, expecting such an attack.
The arrows suddenly stopped, and pirates swarmed over the side of the ship. They paused just long enough to form up, then charged forward. Captain Rush frowned at this development. These were no amateurs rushing heedlessly into battle. These were disciplined, seasoned fighters. This fight would be a bitter one.
Fortunately, the Captain had positioned his men where they could attack from all sides. This allowed the defenders to harass and disrupt the formations. However, the superior armor and experience of the attackers gave them an advantage, and they used this advantage to push their way further onto the ship.
The men of the ship were fighting valiantly but were slowly ground down. They had superior numbers, but it was not proving to be the advantage they hoped for. Their only real advantage was knowledge of the ship’s layout. Many pirates were taken down by surprise when a defender popped out of an inconspicuous hatch or maneuvered around for a flanking counterattack. Additionally, two scouts managed to get back in the air and were engaging in extremely effective hit and run attacks.
As the men were pushed back, the pirates separated into multiple smaller groups with the largest centered around the Pirate Captain. Captain Rush gathered men to face him, but they were exhausted and demoralized. Sensing this, the pirates surged forward. Just at that moment, arrows fell from the sky, striking down three of their members. Their falling bodies tripped those behind them, and the entire formation paused to look for this new threat. Taking advantage of the pirate’s confusion, Captain Rush urged his men forward and succeeded in holding the line. Unfortunately, the Pirate Captain quickly had his men back under control and did not give ground.
But fortune favored the brave on this day. At the bow of the ship, a group of defenders overwhelmed one of the pirate formations, and the surviving men rushed to help others nearby. Their sudden flanking attack annihilated the next formation, and with this, the battle suddenly turned in their favor. Neither captain, who were locked in combat, noticed this, but many pirates did. Marvelous discipline prevented them from running. They retreated and linked up with other pirate groups hoping to turn the battle back in their favor. The defenders pressed them but could not prevent many from banding together.
Unnoticed in the desperate struggle, a door leading to the living quarters lay smashed on the ground. From the shadow of this doorway, an arrow came, striking the Pirate Captain just under his helmet and dropping him like a marionette with strings cut. When they saw this, the pirates, already feeling pressured, broke and ran for their ship. The retreat had become a route.
“Don’t let them get back to their ship,” the Captain yelled. “They may decide to try and sink us out of spite.”
His yell came too late. The surviving pirates had almost reached the railing. However, when they arrived, instead of rappelling down to their ship, they froze and looked at each other with confused expressions.
Their ship was not there. A small group of enterprising souls had snuck aboard the enemy vessel, and, when they saw the pirates coming, cut the lines between the two ships.
Captain Rush pushed forward to face the trapped men. “Lay down your arms and surrender,” he commanded.
The pirates looked at each other and the grim faces of the men around them. Finally, one of them spoke up.
“If we do, what are you going to do to us?”
“We will hold you prisoner and take you back to our city. After, the council will decide your fate. I can promise nothing more.”
The pirates muttered amongst themselves. Then, with a variety of dark looks, they resignedly tossed their weapons at the defenders’ feet. It was over.
But who fired the arrow that killed the Pirate Captain? To answer that question, we must look at the battle from Delia’s point of view.
Beto was right. The uproar of the pirate attack could be clearly heard from their shelter. Clash of steel, stomping of boots, shouts, groans, and screams all came through more clearly than was comfortable. Delia’s stomach tightened, her mouth went dry, and she gripped her spear with white knuckles.
Beto’s face lost its warmth, settling into an expressionless mask with dead eyes. He drifted over to stand beside the door and stared at the floor, listening intently. The clamor continued moving tumultuously around the ship.
Delia tried to interpret what was going on but failed. Are we winning? Is everything going to be okay? Each second seemed to last a year, and each minute, a lifetime.
Suddenly, Beto looked up. Delia wondered what had changed and strained to listen for a telltale sound in the midst of the cacophony. Then she heard it. Heavy boots trod towards the door. She heard other doors opening and voices. Then, there was the noise of someone trying to open their door.
The door was locked of course, but that barely slowed the intruder. A heavy blow struck the light door smashing it inwards. One of the pirates stood in the doorway. Seeing the scared faces behind it, he laughed, turned back to the hallway, and spoke in a foreign language. Fear had wrapped itself around Delia, pinning her in place, but when the pirate turned away, she managed to break the bonds of fear and channel it into fury. Definitely, she lunged forward stabbing out with her spear. They would not get her. They would not get Tiga. They would not get Bremen. We are going home.
The spear struck the unwary pirate in the chest, piercing through the links of his armor into flesh. But the cut was not serious, and the impact failed to knock him off balance. Even worse, the spear stuck in the armor. Delia desperately tried to free it, but the pirate grabbed the shaft and viciously knocked her down. With a roar of anger, he ripped the spear from his chest and lifted his sword.
Another pirate joined him, and they forced their way into the room. The new pirate had a shield and used it to block the clumsy attacks of desperate mothers and grandparents while the other cut them down. Surprisingly, (especially to the pirates) after only a few steps into the room, the first one collapsed revealing Beto standing behind him. Before the other realized what happened, Beto stepped forward and killed him with one quick motion. Then he quietly returned to his position beside the door.
Delia looked down at the blood seeping from small punctures in the base of both pirate skulls and vomited. She felt better afterward and retrieved her spear. There were more men in the hallway and, upon hearing the commotion, moved to attack.
Three more arrived, but only two entered the room. The third stayed just outside the doorway to watch their backs. Beto, unaware of this, moved to dispatch the pirates as before. He got to one before the third pirate reached him and raised his sword to strike. Before he could deliver the blow, an arrow struck him in the ear toppling him. Delia attacked again, this time going for the arm holding sword. Ineffective as her attacks were, she managed to keep the pirate’s attention long enough for Beto to finish him off.
A limping step could be heard in the hallway, but it wasn’t the hard boots of the pirates. It was the light shoes of a scout.
“Is everyone all right?” It was Tristan.
“Tristan!” Delia said relieved, “you’re alive! You made it back!”
“Yeah. They put me down the hall with the wounded, but when I heard fighting here, I came to see if I could help.
Beto gave him a nod, “I think I owe you my life.”
Tristan clenched his teeth and growled, “I think the pirates owe us a lot of lives.”
Beto made no response but turned to survey the room. The attack was brief, but there were many casualties. Here and there people were binding up wounds. In the middle of the floor were others crying out in grief.
“There are quite a few wounded here,” he said. “Is there a place where we can get medical supplies?”
“Go back the way I came, and there is a makeshift infirmary set up in the next section’s common room.”
“I’ll go,” said Delia. “Beto, you know more about this than I do. Help me determine what we need.”
Beto looked nervously towards the door, but Tristan reassured him.
“I’ll stand guard. I’m tired of sitting around doing nothing anyway. I thought the battle was bad, but being helpless below decks during a battle is worse.”
“All right Delia, but let’s hurry.”
As he turned to examine the wounded, Tristan limped up the hall towards the broken doorway leading to the ship’s deck. Through the door, he saw Captain Rush making his stand. Hanging back in the shadow of the doorway, he watched for pirates coming his way. He spotted the scouts flying above the ship, and when they attacked, he added his own arrow to theirs.
The result was everything he could hope for. The arrows coming from above and behind confused and distracted the enemy. For a moment it even broke the cohesion of their formation.
He felt vulnerable, alone with a hurt leg, and did not want to draw attention to himself. Still, he looked for other opportunities as he fitted an arrow on his string.
There was an interesting development in the group he had just attacked. One pirate was getting the others organized again. He might make a good target. Tristan lifted his bow and waited for a clear shot. There! He drew and fired in one fluid motion. Long hours of practice paid off. The arrow flew into the back of the neck just below the helmet, killing the pirate instantly.
The pirates were on the run! Tristan could hardly believe it. He managed to get one more before they made it to the railing, and his fellow shipmates blocked his shot. Then, deadly silence fell.
Tristan tried to see what was happening, but the backs of his shipmates blocked his view. Finally, the crowd parted, and he saw the surviving pirates led away to be stripped of their armor and bound. A huge sense of relief and elation fell over him. He started to walk out on deck until he remembered those below. Turning, he hurried to spread the good news.