ONE
A Discourteous Engagement
"I have never been a proponent of open war, Luna." I begin as the lunar guardian uneasily settles into her seat, "My skills have always been best served in a diplomatic setting though I have had to uphold my honor in combat many times."
The story begins some months ago when the Dark Kingdom was still secluded in the lawless mountain regions surrounding Elysion. For weeks Prince Endymion was bombarded with pleas for aid from some of our small, outlying villages. They spoke of demons sacking their towns, destroying their homes, and killing everyone in their path from women to children to livestock. My heart grieved for the Prince as I knew he desperately wanted to help, but our resources have been greatly taxed these past years after recovering from the costly political battles with the Silver Alliance.
As always I was at Endymion's call when he needed guidance. This is the primary function of the Shitennou, you see. Many smaller kingdoms and the various member planets of the Alliance boast advisors and counselors to their regent lords but our relationship with the Prince runs far deeper. There is a bond that we share that I don't know if I could easily explain. It is perhaps born of the trust he placed in each of us to watch over the four corners of the earth. We are gifted great power at the cost of our mortality. Some consider this a blessing; others could say it is a great curse. Truth be told I've not yet made my decision as to the nature of my longevity. I may appear a youthful man to your eyes but in fact I've aged lifetimes.
We are bound to Endymion and to the Earth. We are as unchanging as the world itself. At all times we feel the mother earth's essence flowing through us. Endymion chief among us all can sense the ebb and flow of the planet's power. We are connected, the Shitennou, Endymion, and the Earth. It is a very strange, very old connection. I'm sorry I can't explain with greater clarity. Simply understand that it is the great gift of our Master. Should our mortal bodies perish either by time or by the sword we would live on, allowed to continue our great work and watch over the planet from afar. Perhaps this will become clearer to you as I continue.
I had sensed the coming of the Dark Kingdom, as did we all, but we scarcely knew what to expect. The first attacks were menial raids on our border regions as I said, but all too quickly the Dark Kingdom's forces increased their tenacity and their daring. At first we believed them to be little more than raiders and pillagers, but as the army swept south its numbers began to swell. Town after town fell and many were slaughtered, but those who managed to escape the cruel blades of the Dark Kingdom came to side with their assailants.
Word began to reach us of a dark intrigue seeping across the land. Farmers and merchants began gathering their life's savings to support the Dark Kingdom's war effort. Tributes were paid to their generals as word spread of a previously impenetrable secret held among only the ranks of the Shitennou and Endymion himself.
The Prince had taken Princess Serenity of the Silver Millennium as his lover.
I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the, shall we say, abrasive relationship between the Earth and the Moon. When mankind was still in its infancy our ancestors worshipped the Moon and the ageless creatures who lived there as gods. The Moon was our vigilant protector and guided early man down the path of enlightenment, but as you know those sentiments grew sour as our ancestors began to resent the Moon's one-sided monitoring of the Earth. With the discovery that the Earth had been excluded from the Silver Alliance for centuries due to its perceived nature as a lawless barbarian world awe and reverence turned to hatred almost overnight.
It has been many years, but still the relationship between the Earth and the rest of the solar system remains icy. Some on Earth still practice the old ways and cults of Moon-worship have persisted, but their members are widely reviled as heretics and sympathizers. How the Dark Kingdom learned of Endymion's so-called indiscretions with your Princess I still do not know, but it has been a powerful weapon in their effort to turn our own citizens against us. The Dark Kingdom has played upon people's distrust of the Silver Millennium and the Alliance. To them, Endymion is a traitor; little more than a soft-hearted idealist under the sway of the Moon Queen herself.
And so the Dark Kingdom has spread and their attacks became more vicious and focused. We have faced skirmishes on the borders since Elysion's inception but the first formal act of war came only a few weeks ago when reports began to reach us from the coastal ports of merchant ships being torn apart in open water by a fleet of vessels flying the Dark Kingdom's bleak colors.
Endymion ordered the fleet destroyed and blockades placed around the most vulnerable ports. For this he dispatched one of the finest naval commanders in the Kingdom: my fellow Shitennou, Nephrite. Perhaps we should begin with that fateful voyage as it was the first time I stared into the maw of darkness and watched as it consumed one of my compatriots.
I have never been comfortable at sea. I prefer dry land as it is closer to my way of thinking than rolling waves. Solid earth is stoic and still. It rarely changes but for the acts of men. The ocean on the other hand is roiling and untamable. It is as unpredictable as a storm. Perhaps that is why Nephrite finds himself at home on open water.
I have known Nephrite for as long as I have known myself. We both bear the sacred charge of the Shitennou. Yet even as I know the man as fully as anyone could hope I am constantly surprised by his ever changing philosophies on life and our purpose in the world. Of piloting and naval strategy he is something of a genius, though an unorthodox one. For years mariners have enjoyed the so-called luxuries of sextants and compasses to chart courses across the great seas and yet Nephrite shuns all but the most primitive forms of navigation. He looks to the stars to guide him as sailors of ages long past had before we knew of latitude and longitude.
His crews are stalwart and brave. The Shitennou carries himself with an air of command and distinction that rivals Endymion's. He is a hardened sailor and equally as hardened a warrior. From what little I remember of our early days together I had always known Nephrite to be fast on the draw; to readily take up his sword to end a dispute even when diplomacy could prevail. He is not a violent man by rights but he is quick to anger and quicker to act. He acts predominantly on impulse where others such as myself might spend more time weighing options. I know for a fact that Nephrite's brash demeanor has him constantly at odds with Jadeite.
Of the youngest Shitennou I have little to say at the moment. Know that Jadeite is every bit as valuable to the kingdom as any of us, sometimes even more so. He is young but his wisdom astounds me time and time again. Where Nephrite favors action, Jadeite favors analysis. If Jadeite had been a musician he would have constructed the most intricate and flawless melodies ever to reach man's ears. He has an uncanny ability to intuitively understand every side of every engagement and plan accordingly. He is a brilliant strategist as well as a master of many magical and mechanical arts.
Chiefly, however, he is the face and voice of the Shitennou. Children look up to him, women swoon over him, and men fashion themselves after him. Perhaps it's something in his youthful appearance or his willingness to indulge in the lives of Elysion's lower classes that draws crowds to him. All the Prince knows is that Jadeite can instantly calm a panicked mass with no more than a few words and an easy smile.
Forgive me for straying. It was five weeks ago aboard Nephrite's flagship, Gemini that my harrowing sojourn began …
I awoke from my uneasy slumber with the sound of thunder crashing in my ears. As my eyes adjusted to the gloomy and damp cabin I realized that the peals were actually waves breaking against the hull of the ship. My sleep thoroughly destroyed, I lifted myself out of the rather uncomfortable cot onto wobbly legs. I have never been a friend to the sea and I can never seem to find my balance on the constantly pitching and yawing vessels I'm sometimes forced to ride. I quickly slip into a pair of leather pants and a loose cotton shirt before summoning a light to better find my bearings.
The air in the small cabin is thick and reeks of brine immediately setting pressure on my temples. A headache is one of the unavoidable consequences of my infrequent trips to sea. I quickly located the high-topped boots I save for what I call "wet work" and grabbed my short saber and belt from my bed table before turning the latch on my cabin door. I stumbled out into the crew quarters of the ship where a dozen or more sailors were hanging asleep in parallel hammocks. Their snores and coughs mingled with waves thrashing at the waterline to create a cacophony that I'm surprised any man could sleep through.
Even though the noise level was high in the bowels of the vessel I made my way across the wooden floor quietly, tying my belt around the tails of my shirt and attaching my weapon in the same movement. I hurried up the stairs that switched back on themselves before emerging on the deck of the ship. The cloud fettered moonlight leaked over the vessel like a fog barely illuminating the impressively tall twin masts and the proliferation of sails that drove us forward with the wind. I'm a meticulous man by nature and yet I'm always impressed at the intimacy by which sailors, particularly on Nephrite's vessels, know the sail riggings.
I nodded at two seamen engaged in scrubbing the wooden planks of the deck as I made my way starboard. Along one of the ornate rails at the ship's edge I found my fellow Shitennou standing with his back to the vessel appearing lost in thought at first glance. His arms were crossed across his chest and he wore an impassive, almost sour expression as I approached. His eyes were fixed straight ahead across the darkness of the ocean no more than a yard in front of him. I glanced upward and noted the ribbons of dark clouds darkening the sky as I stepped up to the railing beside Nephrite.
"When the clouds block the stars I've got nothing to sail by but my eyes alone." he told me in his raspy, well-worn voice.
"It seems to me you'd do better to watch the water in front of the ship."
"You see?" he asked with a knowing grin, "That's exactly why you could never be a sailor, Zoisite. You think too linearly."
"I don't follow."
"The wind can change direction at any time." he explained, pointing up at the billowing canvas sails, "You have to know what lies on all sides."
"A tireless vigil, no doubt." I joked, "Or can you simply not sleep either?"
"No," he replied, shaking his head with a chuckle, "I never could sleep at sea."
"Let me guess …"
"I always feel like I'm going to miss something." Nephrite answered before I could finish my sentence, which was pretty much what I was thinking.
"Why did you agree to come out here?" Nephrite asked suddenly.
"Master Endymion wanted me to accompany you." I replied without hesitation.
"We know very well that Master Endymion did not order you to come aboard." he reminded me, "So that means you decided to of your own volition."
"My reasons are sound." I reassured him and subtly bit my lower lip in contemplation, "I felt I should be here."
"Strange." Nephrite said raising an eyebrow and glancing up at the parting clouds and the stars beyond, "So do I."
The conversation was broken by a low pitched scream, more of a groan, emanating from across the black water. Nephrite's spine immediately stiffened and when he turned he did so with military precision. A man rushed to his side: a short, scrawny creature with thin black hair and a blunderbuss strapped to his side that was nearly as long as his arm. He held out a telescoping looking glass which Nephrite snatched and immediately made use of.
"Hello out there!" I heard the voice hear clearer, "Bear a hand, aye?"
Nephrite snapped the telescope shut and his voice boomed across the ship, "Vessel in distress! All hands make ready to assist!"
Suddenly the deck shuddered with trampling feet as the whole crew appeared one after the other out of their quarters as if they hadn't just been fast asleep. They moved to their stations swiftly and without ceremony awaiting the next order from their captain. All at once the ship was alive with half a dozen people moving at a time, pulleys creaking and sails flapping.
"Bring us around, broad on the quarter!" Nephrite ordered, "Lively now, men!"
The Gemini turned into the wind and the ship came up alongside a much smaller vessel from whence the cry of alarm came. An elderly looking sailor stood at the bow of the smaller merchant ship waving his arm frantically at our massive brig. His boat, no more than thirty feet long with a single mast, was half submerged, seemingly split down the center. Crates and barrels floated freely around the wrecked vessel.
"Saints be praised!" he cried up at us, "They came at us out of nowhere!"
"Grapples!" Nephrite shouted, "Get aboard, men! Find any survivors and get them back here on the double!"
Immediately a group of sailors rushed to the edge of the boat where I still stood and began flinging grappling hooks over the side to catch on the half sunken merchant vessel. The experienced sailors repelled down the taut rope where they began combing through the broken and sinking wreckage of the ship. The old man in the bow stumbled his way into one of the sailors and attempted to begin climbing the rope.
My eyes wandered off from the sorry vessel to the dark ocean beyond. Just as I had lifted my head I saw it: a faint glimmer beyond the sinking ship. It appeared as little more than a red spark that anyone not looking for it would have passed over. I was suddenly filled with dread and the shadowy outline of a large vessel operating with no burning lamps appeared before me. The dark wood of the ship blended almost perfectly with the lightless night and only the weak reflection of the few stars that broke the clouds hinted at its position. My hand shot to my saber and I turned to my companion.
"Nephrite!" I shouted.
He registered the fear in my voice immediately and his eyes followed mine out into the dark water. His eyes doubled in size and he threw his body across the ship's railing, screaming for all he was worth.
"Sailors, back to the Gemini!"
The elderly man who was rescued from his sinking vessel suddenly stopped shivering on the deck and glanced at Nephrite. His face twisted into a sickening, fanged sneer as his pale, wet skin became dark black leathery hide. His eyes bulged and exploded in red flame as the seemingly simple merchant sailor became a hideous creature of shadow and sinew before my eyes: a youma, the unholy creatures of the Dark Kingdom.
Cannon fire followed immediately thereafter and a single ball smashed into the half-sunken vessel and a tremendous explosion ripped through the ship. At that moment I realized the trap: no doubt the free-floating crates and barrels were full of flammable oils and black powder, a terrible ruse executed with ruthless efficiency. The force of the explosion knocked me off my feet and the Gemini groaned against the shock. The leather skinned demon meanwhile had Neprhite pinned to the ship's center mast. He struggled against the beast but it was surprisingly agile and powerful and my companion was never able to reach his cutlass.
Only the timely intervention of the small man with the large hand-cannon saved Nephrite from the claws of the beast. He unloaded the bell-shaped barrel of the firearm into the creature's side and it let out a pained howl before dropping on all fours and leaping over the side of the boat to the crushing, freezing ocean below. The scrawny man helped Nephrite to his feet and replaced the blunderbuss on his belt.
"Mister Skinner." Nephrite ordered through gritted teeth, "Find me that ship!"
The silent man nodded and quickly made his way to the helm where two other sailors stood and began conversing with them. I pulled myself off the cold deck only to see that the shadowy vessel I'd spotted was now nowhere to be seen. I clutched my aching elbow which had taken my full weight when I fell and moved to Nephrite's side. He spun around, catching me off guard, and latched onto my gaze with a fury I'd seldom seen.
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" he demanded.
Taken aback I replied, "I only saw the ship just now."
"I lost at least eight honest sailors to whoever's vicious trap we sprung." Nephrite growled from his throat, "Your foresight would have done them well!"
Insulted that a fellow Shitennou would call my power into question I replied, "You know I don't choose what things are shown to me. There was no way I could have known what we were getting into."
Nephrite frowned and looked away over the bow at the scarred hull of his flagship. The explosion had left small pockmarks along much of the ship's length but there was no major structural damage. The vessel immediately turned towards the area where the hidden ship was first seen. Nephrite did not approach the helm, he only stood motionless at the very fore of the Gemini scanning the dark waters.
Now what you must understand about Nephrite is he is a man of action. I said before that he is prone to acting on impulse, but on his ship when the lives of his men are at stake that trait is amplified a hundred fold. I knew from the instant our phantom assailants fired their dreadful cannons that Nephrite was already planning to strike back. What I didn't know was how far his revenge would take him, how changed my companion would be when we finally returned to port, and the dark, fiendish places his own personal voyage would take him.
"Eight men just died needlessly and without honor." Nephrite said as he scanned the ocean and I saw his complexion noticeably darken, "I will consider this discourteous engagement an act of war."