No Ordinary Voyage, Chapter 8: Putting up Defenses
A longboat had pulled up beside us, and what it carried, though small in number, was dangerous. "Pirates!" Luygef cried.
Ranga tossed guns to the Captain and me, and we jumped into the fray. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Felix fighting, exchanging blows with a Strimbila by the helm. She was furiously defending both herself and the controls of the ship. But I had no time to watch and marvel at her skill; I had to join Ranga and defend the passengers.
The fighting was terrible. I could hear shouts of pain and struggle from all around. Ranga and I herded the passengers into a secret room when he had to turn back for Sylik and Henry, one of the child passengers. "Get them inside," he croaked. I watched his silver back disappear into the mess on deck.
As I leaned against the wall and watched cautiously, I felt a tug at my coat and looked down at Melissa, one of the children. Her big, red-and-orange eyes teared. "Will Mister Rang-ga be all right?" she whimpered.
"Let's hope so," I answered. I looked out into the smoke, but I couldn't find him. Melissa asked if she could look out, too, but I told her to stay back so that the pirates wouldn't find and get her. Just as I pushed her away from the doorway, a few bullets whizzed past the both of us. Melissa cowered and buried her face in my leg, and she began to sob hysterically.
I didn't want to panic. But I couldn't bend down to shush her, and I searched frantically for her mother among the passengers. Outside, one of the pirates had tumbled out of the battle. Getting up, he'd heard Melissa's cries. He began to walk toward us, and I tightened my grip on the gun.
Two figures suddenly knocked him out of the way, and they tumbled into the secret room. One of them pushed the other toward the passengers, and they tripped in a scramble. I found myself looking down at Sylik, and he was clutching the shirt of the missing boy, Henry. Gasping for breath, the cabin boy got up and pulled Henry to his feet.
"Where's Ranga?" I asked. "He was looking for the two of you!"
Sylik looked up at me, and then he exchanged glances with Henry. "He's down," he said quietly. It was amazing that I still heard him with all the noise outside. My eyes widened.
I noticed a particularly large man climb out of the longboat and onto the deck. It wasn't so much his size as it was his presence that made him stand out. I could tell that he was the pirate captain. He looked around, fired here and there, and grinned menacingly.
Then, as if he'd seen a ghost, he paled. He stared quietly at Captain Peter, and I took aim. Ranga did, too, but the pirates noticed that their captain had stopped. One by one, everyone on deck became silent. We watched as the pirate captain slowly walked toward Captain Peter.
He looked at him strangely, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, as if to check and double-check. He squinted, trying to be sure if he was looking at who he thought he was looking at. "It can't be," he muttered. I didn't hear him, but I could read his lips as the words came out of his great mouth. Then, he asked uncertainly, "Alvés? ...Alvés, is that you?"
Captain Peter froze and pointed his guns at the pirate. "What do you want?"
The pirate captain stopped, but he continued, ignoring the Captain's question. Hearing the Captain's voice seemed to make him more sure than ever. "Stefan! Stefan, it's me, Drom! Drom Hicxon!"
We, the crew, watched our Captain blanch. Then, his gaze turned to steel. "Stefan Alvés died eighteen years ago. I am Captain Peter Helikos, and I demand that you leave my ship immediately," he said sternly. Once more, I was afraid of the Captain. He seemed to seethe with a strange, pulsating energy, and one of the passengers behind me began to whimper in fright.
Meanwhile, Drom Hicxon's eyes widened, and he recognized Captain Peter at last - "Why, it's little Peter Alvés! I hadn't seen you since you were a kid! But your daddy was alive then, weren't he? Jumping jarungas, you look just like him."
The Captain stepped forward and said more firmly, "Alvés died eighteen years ago. Leave my ship. Now."
Hicxon backed away, and stumbled. Regaining his balance, he looked up at his man by the helm of the Interloper. Then his eyes moved to Felix. "And that's Felixa! She was only a baby when I last seen her! You wailed like an etherium banshee whenever I came near you."
Felix stared in horror and surprise. She backed away from the helm, ready to run.
Our Captain fired, narrowly missing Hicxon's ear and making us all jump. Drom raised his hands in the air. "All right," he said quietly, still stunned at seeing Captain Peter and Felix. "I'll go." He nodded at his men, and they swiftly moved back into the longboat. Some of them grabbed jewelry and other odds and ends, glancing furtively at Captain Peter and the other crewmen to see how we would react. But in the end, they pulled away.
When they were all gone, Captain Peter put his guns away and checked if everyone was around. "Everyone all right?"
One by one, those of us in the secret room came out and into the light, with me at the lead. I spotted Ranga on his back and immediately ran to his side. I called, "Ranga's down, Captain!" Soon, there were similar yells around the ship as I propped the old Grahonian up. He grinned, though he was obviously in pain.
The Captain took note of the injured - thankfully, no one was lost. Though some of them were old, the crew of the Interloper was in great shape. Captain Peter said that he was glad everyone was all right. Then he looked around.
"Felix?" he called. I looked up to where the First Mate stood by the helm, still catching her breath. Captain Peter moved to the stairs. "You all right, Felix?"
Not answering, she turned around and ran out of sight, her hand over her mouth. We heard a door slam, and it made us jump the way the gunshots did.
Ranga, still propped up against me, said, "That one's still got her defenses up."
A longboat had pulled up beside us, and what it carried, though small in number, was dangerous. "Pirates!" Luygef cried.
Ranga tossed guns to the Captain and me, and we jumped into the fray. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Felix fighting, exchanging blows with a Strimbila by the helm. She was furiously defending both herself and the controls of the ship. But I had no time to watch and marvel at her skill; I had to join Ranga and defend the passengers.
The fighting was terrible. I could hear shouts of pain and struggle from all around. Ranga and I herded the passengers into a secret room when he had to turn back for Sylik and Henry, one of the child passengers. "Get them inside," he croaked. I watched his silver back disappear into the mess on deck.
As I leaned against the wall and watched cautiously, I felt a tug at my coat and looked down at Melissa, one of the children. Her big, red-and-orange eyes teared. "Will Mister Rang-ga be all right?" she whimpered.
"Let's hope so," I answered. I looked out into the smoke, but I couldn't find him. Melissa asked if she could look out, too, but I told her to stay back so that the pirates wouldn't find and get her. Just as I pushed her away from the doorway, a few bullets whizzed past the both of us. Melissa cowered and buried her face in my leg, and she began to sob hysterically.
I didn't want to panic. But I couldn't bend down to shush her, and I searched frantically for her mother among the passengers. Outside, one of the pirates had tumbled out of the battle. Getting up, he'd heard Melissa's cries. He began to walk toward us, and I tightened my grip on the gun.
Two figures suddenly knocked him out of the way, and they tumbled into the secret room. One of them pushed the other toward the passengers, and they tripped in a scramble. I found myself looking down at Sylik, and he was clutching the shirt of the missing boy, Henry. Gasping for breath, the cabin boy got up and pulled Henry to his feet.
"Where's Ranga?" I asked. "He was looking for the two of you!"
Sylik looked up at me, and then he exchanged glances with Henry. "He's down," he said quietly. It was amazing that I still heard him with all the noise outside. My eyes widened.
I noticed a particularly large man climb out of the longboat and onto the deck. It wasn't so much his size as it was his presence that made him stand out. I could tell that he was the pirate captain. He looked around, fired here and there, and grinned menacingly.
Then, as if he'd seen a ghost, he paled. He stared quietly at Captain Peter, and I took aim. Ranga did, too, but the pirates noticed that their captain had stopped. One by one, everyone on deck became silent. We watched as the pirate captain slowly walked toward Captain Peter.
He looked at him strangely, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, as if to check and double-check. He squinted, trying to be sure if he was looking at who he thought he was looking at. "It can't be," he muttered. I didn't hear him, but I could read his lips as the words came out of his great mouth. Then, he asked uncertainly, "Alvés? ...Alvés, is that you?"
Captain Peter froze and pointed his guns at the pirate. "What do you want?"
The pirate captain stopped, but he continued, ignoring the Captain's question. Hearing the Captain's voice seemed to make him more sure than ever. "Stefan! Stefan, it's me, Drom! Drom Hicxon!"
We, the crew, watched our Captain blanch. Then, his gaze turned to steel. "Stefan Alvés died eighteen years ago. I am Captain Peter Helikos, and I demand that you leave my ship immediately," he said sternly. Once more, I was afraid of the Captain. He seemed to seethe with a strange, pulsating energy, and one of the passengers behind me began to whimper in fright.
Meanwhile, Drom Hicxon's eyes widened, and he recognized Captain Peter at last - "Why, it's little Peter Alvés! I hadn't seen you since you were a kid! But your daddy was alive then, weren't he? Jumping jarungas, you look just like him."
The Captain stepped forward and said more firmly, "Alvés died eighteen years ago. Leave my ship. Now."
Hicxon backed away, and stumbled. Regaining his balance, he looked up at his man by the helm of the Interloper. Then his eyes moved to Felix. "And that's Felixa! She was only a baby when I last seen her! You wailed like an etherium banshee whenever I came near you."
Felix stared in horror and surprise. She backed away from the helm, ready to run.
Our Captain fired, narrowly missing Hicxon's ear and making us all jump. Drom raised his hands in the air. "All right," he said quietly, still stunned at seeing Captain Peter and Felix. "I'll go." He nodded at his men, and they swiftly moved back into the longboat. Some of them grabbed jewelry and other odds and ends, glancing furtively at Captain Peter and the other crewmen to see how we would react. But in the end, they pulled away.
When they were all gone, Captain Peter put his guns away and checked if everyone was around. "Everyone all right?"
One by one, those of us in the secret room came out and into the light, with me at the lead. I spotted Ranga on his back and immediately ran to his side. I called, "Ranga's down, Captain!" Soon, there were similar yells around the ship as I propped the old Grahonian up. He grinned, though he was obviously in pain.
The Captain took note of the injured - thankfully, no one was lost. Though some of them were old, the crew of the Interloper was in great shape. Captain Peter said that he was glad everyone was all right. Then he looked around.
"Felix?" he called. I looked up to where the First Mate stood by the helm, still catching her breath. Captain Peter moved to the stairs. "You all right, Felix?"
Not answering, she turned around and ran out of sight, her hand over her mouth. We heard a door slam, and it made us jump the way the gunshots did.
Ranga, still propped up against me, said, "That one's still got her defenses up."
