The two young men looked over the subdued crew of the pirate vessel. The smirks plastered across their stubbled faces said they were more than pleased with their handiwork.
"So, you call yourself 'pirates'!" Julian, the blond haired one, said. "You take a bit of water from the Sphere when they're not looking? Knock out a few lone S22s here and there? Yeah, great work! You're ineffectual. Pathetic!" Here he stopped, and spat on the deck. "But when have you ever gotten us any water, hmm? Well, we need some, and we're taking yours. And your vessel while we're at it. How's that for pirating? You see, we're the real pirates here!"
The captain of the ship glared, anger smouldering behind his brown eyes. He was tied at the wrists and down on his knees. Julian's younger brother, Samuel, pointed an energy rifle at the man's head. But instead of looking at that threat of death, the captain had his glare firmly fixed on Julian. He snorted. "You're not pirates. You're just boys, pretending to be men!"
"We're providing for our family!" Samuel snapped and shoved the barrel of the rifle, and his face, closer to the captain's ear.
"Sam…" Julian started.
The red haired man suddenly moved, and in a blur Samuel was down on the ground, clutching his bloodied nose where it'd connected with the captain's forehead. "Son of a…!"
Julian spun on the captain, pointing his own weapon now. He suddenly feared getting too close. "Stay… stay down!" he growled, keeping his distance.
"Come on, kid," the man growled. Julian could now imagine the captain was a coiled spring of energy, just ready to attack if either of them gave him another chance. "You don't want to do this…"
"Yeah, we do…" Samuel pulled himself back to his feet. "I think you broke my nose… no, don't move!" He raised his weapon again, obviously ignoring his pain.
This time the captain froze in place.
Samuel's weapon was now pointed at the one other crew member they'd apprehended on the vessel. "You want to break my nose? How about I break his head!"
"Cortes…" the old man said, shying away from the weapon. "You can't let them get the ship. Puerto Angel needs…"
The captain snapped his head around. "Don't name it!"
He was distracted for a moment, and Julian realised he briefly had an advantage again. How dare the man take that away from him in the first place? And how dare he attack his brother! Before he knew it he'd taken one determined step forward, planted his foot down, and swung the butt of his rifle up so it connected with the captain's jaw.
Unable to break his fall with his restrained hands, the man sprawled flat on his back to the deck.
"You dare fight back? After all the trouble you've caused us! How hard you've made it to keep water!" Julian stepped up and planted his foot on the man's chest. "No, don't move! Or my brother'll blast your friend's head off!"
Julian put more of his weight down, until the captain grunted under the pressure. Anger had flared somewhere deep inside of him. "Well, I'm going to make you pay. Sam! Go to our ship. Get the rope."
"The old man…"
"Take him with you!"
"But why do you need…"
"Just get it! And don't you move, or your friend is dead!"
The captain swallowed.
That's right, now he was the one scared. Served him right! Julian had been scared too many times in his life, and it was wonderful to see someone who deserved it scared of him.
Samuel returned with a long length of rope. "Well?"
Julian took the offered end, but kept his foot on the captain's chest. "Keep your gun on the old man," he told his brother again. "Captain…" he leaned down, "give me your hands."
The captain thrust his tied hands upwards.
Julian glanced in his eyes; wanting to be sure he had no intention of pulling a fast one. The anger was still there, but it was much subdued. The man had no intention of putting his older friend in jeopardy. Julian smiled unkindly. "Thankyou." He untied the captain's wrists.
"Careful…" said Samuel.
"You're not going to let your friend get hurt, are you?" Julian asked. His smile had begun to stick to his face as a mad grin. His heart was pounding faster. He took the rope he held, and tied it to one of the man's wrists. "So you're just going to stay down when I finish this off, aren't you." He stepped off the man's chest, and walked to the bow of the ship. He was now completely confident the captain would not fight back. At the bow, he tossed a loop of the rope over, but kept the other end in his hand.
He swaggered back, pulled the captain to his feet and placed the loose end in this hand. The rope now encircled the ship's hull. "Tie that off for me, would you?"
The man looked at him blankly.
Rather than annoy him that only made Julian's grin grow wider. He had no idea what was about to happen! "On your other wrist. Tie it off."
"Julian, what are you doing?" Samuel asked.
"Sam! Don't you remember those pirate stories our father used to tell us?"
"Yeah…"
"There is no need for this kind of violence!" the old man suddenly burst out.
"Look! He knows what I'm doing!" Julian grinned. "Remember what pirates do to the captain's of the ships they take? It's not walking the plank!"
"This is unnecessary!" the old man tried again. "You can take the water! But in this day and age? What you're about to do is barbaric!"
"What's barbaric!" Julian demanded, still grinning. "Come on! I want somebody to say it!"
"To keelhaul a man for…"
"There!" Julian interrupted. "You see now, Sam!"
"Keel…" the captain started, but then faltered and dropped the ropes end.
Julian caught it, and slapped it back in his palm. "Tie it off!" When he didn't comply, Julian snatched it back and knotted it himself. Tightly, and roughly. He wouldn't be held up now. The captain struggled slightly as he finished off the knot, but there was no real fight in it.
"Julian…" Samuel began. "This is…"
"No!" Julian snapped. "You know how much these pirates have cost us? They can't get away with it. He deserves this!"
"I just meant that…"
"Watch the old man! You, go!" Julian shoved the captain hard, towards the side of the ship. "Keep going, or my brother shoots!" He planted both palms hard against the man's chest, and he stumbled right to the very edge. "I'm going to enjoy this…" One last push and the captain of the pirate vessel tumbled over the edge.
Julian grabbed onto the rope as it slipped over, braking its descent. Somehow, he didn't feel the pain as the rope burnt through his skin. There was a thud that reverberated through the deck as a human body hit metal. Julian could not stop himself grinning madly as he again let the rope slide through his fingers.