"Captain!" yelled the man in the crows nest, "Pirate Hunter!"
Long John Silver stepped to the port side of his ship, cranin' his neck over the railing into the vast nothingness of space. He zoomed in with his mechanical eye onto the ship gainin' on them-red sails and a billowin' black flag. Blast, he thought, they caught our scent too quickly.
Only a few days ago Silver and his crew had boarded a merchant ship, stole their cargo, and left them stranded somewhere between Cumartin and the Eluthera Keys. Their cargo wasn't the best, per se, but it would strike a hefty price at the black market on Grand Bardad-where many pirates hunkered down, hidin' from the Royal Navy. He could not have this nuisance follow him there.
Turning, he yelled to his crew, "ready the cannons!"
Two shots flew above their ship. Warnin' shots. As if I would surrender that easily!
Minutes passed as the crew scurried about readying the energy cannons. Silver watched, arms crossed, weighin' their chances at victory. The Seven Stars was a good ship, sturdy and true, but Silver knew she wasn't up for much of a fight. It had five cannons on each side, and two more rows down below, making the count twenty cannons. A good amount-to scare merchants into surrendering their cargo without pickin' a fight-but not enough to take on Hunters, who no doubt had a bigger ship than his little schooner.
Silver looked back at their pursuer. It had closed much of the distance between them. Time was running out. He counted ten cannons on the starboard side. Then, his eye focused on a figure standing on the foremast-a girl, smiling wildly with sword in hand.
He sighed as he looked back at his crew. The girl had looked so eager for a fight, so eager to die. His sigh turned into a growl. Well, I'll give 'er what she wishes. No one takes my ship. "Can't any one of you idiots get more power into our sails?" Silver yelled, "they're gainin' on us!"
Then his ship lunged forward, creakin' and howlin' like the devil. The opposing ship had rammed into them, dealing damage to the rudder. Silver had fallen forward with the momentum but quickly regained his footing. The Hunter was alongside them now. For a large ship, they were pretty fast. He could see the hunter's crew yellin', screamin' for a fight. His mechanical hand changed into a sword. "What ya bloomin' idiots waiting for! Fire!"
"Fire!" came a call from the other ship.
Energy blasts flew toward them and into their ship, sendin' crewmen flying off the deck and destroyin' the wooden exterior. Before Silver knew it, the enemy was boarding the ship, clearly unconcerned with the remaining number of Silver's crew. He began cuttin' down anyone close to him, thinnin' out their numbers.
Then the girl jumped in front of him. Immediately he switched his arm to his gun and shot at her chest. There, he thought, until he watched the armor on her forearm become a shield and deflect the shot. The shield then disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. She smiled at his surprise, then lunged toward him with her sword. His sword quickly met hers, showin' her the agility at which he could switch his weapons. The smile never left her face, however.
Silver pounded her with his sword, angry she had bothered him that day after their victory with the merchant vessel. She let his swings clang against her sword, backin' up a little more each time. When her back felt the strong wood of the mainmast, she dodged his swing and his sword embedded itself into the wood. In one swift motion, Silver had pulled his sword out and swung toward her. Once more she dodged. The distance between them urged Silver to switch to his gun again. He battered her with shots, and each one she dodged. A quick little thin', Silver thought. Before he could send another shot, she lunged toward him with her sword. Silver, surprised, tried to switch to his sword, but then realized somethin' was jammin' his mechanics.
There, between his gears, was a steel dagger.
The girl stood before him, that blasted smile still on her face. Her sword tip tickled his chin.