The first installment in SuperNova is underway! I need opinions: Should I change my penname from ecto1B to something around "SuperNova?"
Thanks! And enjoy (and review :P)
-ecto1B
Disclaimer: (Almost) All of the characters in this chapter belong to me. The rest belong to Disney! :)
Chapter 1
Know Thine Enemy, Even if He's Fat
I shut my eyes, fighting back the tears that so fervently wanted to fall. My knuckles turned crimson as I clenched them harder against the pistol I held behind my back. My face grew hot when I ducked in front of the large wood chest nearby, prying it open with my free hand. The combination set upon it was tough to crack, but I had a feeling a simple lock would not repel those fiendish freebooters. What the chest contained was worth more than any mere pile of gold. An object of immense power, it could cause downfall to the regime if found in a pirate's grubby paws.
Just minutes ago, my crew and I were experiencing an abnormally hushed voyage through the Etherium. It seemed I was the only one who noticed, for the tension hadn't grown at all. Apparently I was the only one who used to read those old stories about pirates growing up. A tranquil Etherium was an unsafe Etherium. My ship, the S.S. Bravery, was a powerfully built vessel, much unlike the others of her kind. But I was ambivalent as to how she would hold up against a fiery raid.
As if they'd read my mind, a small but sporty craft sailed up next to the Bravery, and its crew began boarding. All were strange, fearsome creatures that towered over my company. They held pistols and swords, waving them around and toppling my men. Fire spurred inside their eyes. I saw my second-in-command, Patchy, holding his own against the pirate's captain: a pot-bellied, livid… cyborg? Patchy was a pelican-looking man with a large beak and blue beady eyes. He'd been second-in-command under me for—it seems like—eternity. Burly and well trained in combat, I knew Patchy wouldn't take any crap from this chubby cyborg.
As Patchy's blade collided with the pirate's, he managed to holler out to me. As of that moment, I was standing next to my cabin door, having just exited. Seeing the chaos emerging on deck had frozen my body.
"CAPTAIN!" Patchy called, grunting and grimacing with every blow. His oversized beak snapped at the cyborg's free hand. "GET INTO YOUR CABIN! KEEP IT SAFE!"
Nodding, I spun around and vanished into my cabin, knowing exactly what "IT" was. That's where I left off, when I dashed to the wooden chest and wrested the top open.
When my fingers, thrashing around inside the trunk, finally caught hold of a tightly packaged spherical object, relief flooded my veins. It was still safe. I pressed it tight against my chest and hopelessly scanned around the room for an escape. Using the main door was out of the question. Windows? Suicide. Crawl through that dingy grate in wall? Too dangerous.
There came a heavy pounding at the door, with yelling and cursing not far behind. The desperation grew hotter than a burning star. I had to get out, or die. Die, and never see the regime fall, and the peoples' independence expire. I shook my head and sighed. What a terrible way to go out.
My eyes suddenly left the package in my hand and came to rest at the floorboards, where I knew hid a long wiring of tunnels and longboats beneath. Longboats! Escape!
The hole that I made with my pistol in the floor became much wider than I'd expected. I managed to jump below deck—with the object still safe in my hands—and hurry past miles of wiring to a small room where three longboats waited. Sounds of swords, shouting and explosions echoed from above my head. Different scenarios started creeping up on me.
I hope Patchy and the others make it…
Hastily, I sprinted to the nearest boat and began untying the ropes. I'd taught my crew to use a special knot that was not only efficient, but was easy for me to disfigure. Once it was free, I tossed the parcel into the boat and began climbing inside. I was surprised as to how smoothly everything was carrying out, until…
ZING! A pistol bullet shot past my shoulder and collided with the wall. Another one proceeded, skimming my back. Wincing in pain, I clasped my revolver and fired back, not able to see whom it was because of the lack of light. Someone screamed out in pain, so I assumed my bullet had hit its intended target. I had no time to completely turn around to see my assailant.
"Avast ye' hoppin' lass!" someone bellowed, firing another round of bullets my way. "That be me treasure ye' escapin' with!"
I clumsily dodged each bullet, still massaging my shoulder. It hurt like heck. I had to find some sort of doctor… this pain was nothing like any injury I'd ever gotten. But when had I ever had an encounter with pirates before?
As I clambered into the longboat, I heard someone from the other direction calling to me and getting nearer. The sound of their boots seemed familiar.
"CAPTAIN! HURRY! GET IT OUT OF HERE!"
Patchy?
And then, as if a huge blanket had swept over me, everything went black. Patchy faded away, and so did the rest of the world. I no longer could feel my legs and arms as I vanished into the abyss of the shadows consuming me.
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