Not your typical fanfic as it takes a while to get to the fanfiction portion, and before you decry this, time travel and magic are canon in Harry Potter, thus anything is possible.
What had happened? Nobody knew. Time like thin ice, and cracking. Treasures, powerful technology and people from other times and other places appear, and their presence inevitably changes our world into a chaotic mosaic of fire, metal and science. Great Treasures - Objects with the power to bury a country, drown a volcano, or freeze an ocean have collapsed several civilizations into a myriad of dictatorships and anarchies.
What has happened, and what will happen? The present dilemma for the honest and wise.
For the less decent sort, the present is for taking riches and enjoying the moment.
To the Sea, From the Sky
"Look at this chest of loot we got from those filthy French merchants!"
"These are gen-u-iiine opals here, an' pearls too!"
Fiery rubies illuminated greed, and icy diamonds reflected delirious dreams.
A motley crew bustled around a massive chest filled to the brim with glittering loot, picking up fistfuls of gems that sparkled in the evening sun.
"What a day! Captain Artemis will be so pleased with us! Look at this lock here, with these fine clockwork gears interlaced with the golden scarab? No doubt this is a fine multi-gear lock." A giant blond man wisely remarked with a nod of his head as he crossed his arms before his broad chest.
With the heavy thud of footsteps, the crew shivered as if chilled by mountain sleet. "Oh really? I'll be pleased? Do tell me how the raid went, Gabriel."
The infamous Artemis Kaleo calmly crossed the deck as she ran her rough fingers through her short, tousled auburn hair. She wore a fitting blouse and loose, comfortable britches tucked into heavy leather boots, all with broad black smudges of greasy diesel. Simple and streamlined. She looked about as she tried to fill in what she had missed while occupied in the engine room.
"We overtook the French merchants as you ordered Captain!" Gabriel explained eagerly with a salute, "We overtook them quickly, and the cowards handed over their goods cleanly in exchange for their pitiful lives, Ma'am!" He stood still at attention, awaiting the captain's response.
Captain Artemis stared at the chest keenly, and the crew held their breath for several long, silent seconds. Then, she gave a low chuckle, and her crew nervously joined in her laughter.
"Silence!" She snapped like a jackal. "Do you think this funny? Am I some kind of joke to you, Am I some puny captain undeserving of your utmost respect!"
"No Capt'n!" The crew shouted from a tense attention, fear evident in their eyes as they cautiously leaned back from the captain's rage.
"No? No? Really! You think this is valuable treasure, but in comparison to what you fools left on that ship this is nothing!" With a lashing kick Artemis sent the chest flying, its glittering contents pouring out in a glorious cascade. "That ship has one of the great treasures of our age, and it shall be mine!" She took a deep breath and stepped back before she scared the crew overboard. "Private, where is that vessel right now?" Artemis rumbled.
Gabriel, the only one still unmoved, threw his shoulders back and reported, "They are broad on the starboard bow Captain, travelling at twenty knots with a ten minute head start, so three-and-a-half knots away and counting!"
Artemis sighed and leaned back against the engraved railing, arms crossed in front of her chest. "Gabriel, if you weren't such a pious fool, you would be such a godsend."
Gabriel puffed out his broad chest, blocking the sunlight. "It's in the name, so what do we do now Ma'am?"
Artemis straightened and strode across her deck. "First thing, nobody gets away with mocking my crew, thus we shall board and take what is rightfully mine. Second, nobody lives after mocking me, so I shall obliterate them, and watch them crumble into the sea." She declared with a wide predatory grin. "Are you with me!"
"AYE CAPTAIN!"
"Then let us get to it! Adjust the sails! Change course heading! Clean up this mess! Rin, get me my pistols and prepare the cannons! Gabriel with me! The rest of you, arm yourselves!"
Artemis scaled the ratlines like a spider across its web with Gabriel close behind her. As she made it to the crow's nest she deftly caught two glimmering pistols from a tattooed blonde swinging madly from the hanging lines.
"Are you ready to board Gabriel? Watch my back."
"I expected no less. I have already prayed Artemis, and steeled my resolve." Gabriel raised his hands, palms open towards the sun. "To you, o lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. Psalm 25:1-2."
Artemis covered her face in exasperation. "Not this again... You do know you're a bloody pirate like the rest of us now, and not some kind of saint?"
Gabriel lowered his hands and looked at Artemis with a relaxed smile. It made her twitch. "I see clearly, and my lord gives me strength to follow my destiny. I intend to spread his word across the globe. Seedlings of devotion to grow in beauty and strength, liberating and lifting souls."
Artemis scrunched up her face and waved her hand. "Never mind, stop please. I don't need some spiritual powers. I am strong and I rely on myself and my crew. Don't expect me to change my beliefs or ways or anything, because I am a pirate through and through, stained in the blood of my enemies, and damn well proud of it."
"Patience is mine. I have until the end of your days to save your soul yet."
Artemis rolled her eyes as she held one of her pistols in her mouth to free a hand, and Gabriel held a curved scimitar in his mouth. They took a rope in hand, and swung down and over to the other vessel. They crossed the breach between the two ships and initiated combat, Gabriel swinging his scimitar in unforgiving waves of death, and Artemis quickly striking down foes with her pistols as she carved a path of blood to the captain's cabin. She kicked down the door and shot the groveling captain.
Unfortunately, he was probably the only one who knew where the artifact was hidden.
"Dammit!" she uttered to herself as she tore through the room searching for her treasure. Bedding and papers and ledgers fell to the floor. Artemis was so focused on her task that the sudden bite of steel across her back caught her by unpleasant surprise. She kicked out behind her and shot the ponce with a short sword. His blood oozed across the wooden flooring.
She grimaced as she felt the gash on her back. Well, it is only about a knuckle deep, I will manage. On the other hand, my time is running out. I have to get out of here soon. There is no way a merchant like that would hide such a great treasure anywhere else, would he?
The floor gurgled.
Artemis paused and looked around, when she saw a neat square of bubbles on the floor. "Aha!" she cheered victoriously, wrenching open the trapdoor. The Catalina 482 is known for starting the trend of the captain's hideaway, of course. She heaved out a chest bearing the French crest, and stroked it tenderly before opening it and pulling out its contents.
Inside was a gorgeous gem, filled with a swirling white, viscous gas surrounded by runes set into the center of a glimmering, embroidered green gown. Her hand reached for the swirling, swirling gem, and suddenly she was in another place. A gorgeous room, with stone floors covered in tasteful emerald rugs. The entire place seemed rather dreary, except for the soft sunlight that graced a wide window, illuminating a white bed steeped in the tangible aura of death. A pale blonde lay there, nearly skeletal, with her small hand held by a man who would have looked quite handsome if his face was not marred by deep frown lines and dark rings around his eyes.
His fingers traced her hand as she softly spoke. "You know I love you so much, and I will love you forever. We tried so hard to wipe them out, but soon we only have that one thing this illness hasn't taken from us."
"I wish we had more time." He tried to smile, but his muscles had forgotten how.
"Do not linger on such things, and care for the one that lived, our last child, My Love. Perhaps this war can be won in the next generation."
Artemis gasped for air like a drowning beast. She blinked and shoved the dress back in the chest, hauling it out on her back in a daze. What was that? I just- her mind tumbled incoherently and she barely registered Gabriel bull-rushing the Frenchmen overboard before running back to Artemis for the chest. He easily hauled it up on his shoulder as he turned back. "Get back, we've got it!" The crew disentangled themselves from battle and reboarded their ship, fighting back the oncoming enemies. Gabriel checked the crew, and everyone was back on board except- "Captain!" Gabriel shouted. Artemis pulled herself from her muddled thoughts in time to see her ship drawing away as she just stood there. "Don't worry, we'll turn around!" The crew bustled about in panic, trying to turn about.
Her legs moved her to the ratlines, her arms pulled her up and her hands grabbed the rope. Gravity pulled her along a swing across the gap- then her hands let go. Her body flew onboard with a heavy thus that set the crew in an uproar.
"Are you alright?"
"Rin! Artemis is hurt!"
"Get the medkit!"
"I'm fine! Back off!" Artemis demanded, the ache bit through her mental fog. She forced herself up, then she took a breath and raised her hand, face hardening and crew quieting. "This is no time for concern, for the enemy is still standing. "Rin! Are the cannons ready?"
The tattooed blonde in hung over the railing from the upper deck of the boat, her pointed teeth widened into a fierce grin. "Yah!" She saluted over her scarred bright blue right eye that stood in contrast to her green left eye. "Hy got de kannon ready Kaptain! Ve kan blast dem to bits! Den I kan fix Kaptain yah!"
"Then shoot down those flea-bitten French pansies already!" Artemis commanded.
Rin grinned widely and flung herself through the hatch below, boisterously humming until a hull-shaking ka-BOOM rattled the deck, and a cannonball crashed into the other vessel, splintering their hull.
Artemis watched the destruction with a grin.
The sun turned the horizon a brilliant red, indicating good weather ahead.
This just gets better and better, Artemis mused as she watched the other ship sink.
Finally, the ship disappeared into the blackened depths, the sunlight faded to night, and the crew slunk off. Artemis remained alone on the bowsprit, running through her thoughts, holding her hands together. What was with that…thing? Who were those people? I don't understand it at all…"
"Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor darkness. Thessalonians 5:5." Gabriel quietly murmured and leaned on the railing near Artemis, and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "You did well today, Captain. What do you want done with this treasure?"
Artemis leaned back from the mentioned box. "Get that away from me this minute Gabriel."
"Eh? What is wrong with it? I would think you would want it to better your heroic might?"
"Gabe, there is no way I'm getting near that, it is so… no. Just put it next to the clockwork gears down below after putting a real lock on it."
"Aw, can't let the crew see you all ruffled and sweet now can we? Have to maintain that serious killer reputation you've built for yourself." Gabriel lightly mocked. In response, Artemis sighed and slouched back and cringed. Gabriel's smile faded and he gently rubbed her back, mindful of her bandages. "I hope you know there is nothing wrong with dresses, they are all a part of God's creation."
Artemis turned away and stared into the night. "Hmph, if you really like it, then wear the stupid thing."
"Ah well…" Gabriel took a deep breath as he stood up and loudly exhaled. "The problem is that I couldn't even get an arm through there, and we both know it couldn't be long enough to be more than a shirt." Gabriel joked. Artemis didn't say anything in response, and the two stood there in silence for a minute, looking out to sea.
"Well… good night Captain."
Artemis listened as Gabriel walked away, and shivered from a blast of chilly northern wind. She looked one last time out to the distance, and she saw a falling star twinkling far off somewhere. She thought a bit more about her vision, before letting her thoughts wander.
Sometimes I wish I could change. I'm too old to grow up, but I really believed there was something more to growing up and reaching my lifelong dream than this. Sure the ocean is still there, glistening, but I feel something is gone. I know the ocean, and it knows me. I worked so hard, and worked through so much to reach this, and somehow…
She lowered her head in thought. "Bah!" She quietly exclaimed. Here I am wasting time on these petty thoughts when I have a report to prepare by tomorrow morning. Fantasies are for fools, and sleep is for the weak, I say!