"Well, well, well. If it isn't the king of the bastards himself." Sombra sneered. "Where is she?" King growled lowly, turning to show off his full broadside. It was an impressive loadout. Not quite as many guns as Mary but much more than Sombra. Sombra showed no fear. She had none since Britannia died. And if she died and joined her, then it would be wish granted. "Go ahead, shoot me! You'd be doing me a favor!" She hissed, unmoved. "If you would so wish it." He snarled. "Shoot her, it'll be the death of you." Mary threatened. "You're here to kill me anyway. I saw this plan coming!" "Yet you came anyway? Foolish." "I lost one love... I will not lose another." "She was my love too!" Sombra all but snarled. "And you killed her! You stood by and you let her die!" "No... I did nothing." He stared at her, "I thought it was just another Brit. She told me she'd stay in port! She said she wouldn't fight us herself for this reason! And I made the mistake... She's gone now and... I did nothing... So yeah, it's my fault! But God dammit I've paid for that... my Pearl... Wench... Black Shadow, she is my only solace now! Please... you know how it is to lose love... Please, let her go... Hurting her won't make things right!" "You still killed my mother!" Mary snarled, her anger flaring. But Sombra staggered back in shock. "Wench is-is Black Shadow…?" She whispered. "You didn't know?" He asked. "Who? Why should I care? Why is he still alive?!" Mary growled. "I do. Black Shadow is my sister." Sombra said, her eyes wide in horror. "Oh, what have I done…?" She whispered. "What?" Mary looked at her, "if that's true how did you not recognize her?" "Just let her go! She doesn't deserve this... please... she..." He hesitated, "she's a mother..." "What, with you?" Sombra hissed. "Thought you'd just take another mate did you? Will you kill her too? Like you killed Britannia, and my father? I've had enough of you!" She snarled and lunged at him. Mary followed suit milliseconds later. King hissed, firing his broadside into their faces. "I should have known you wouldn't be reasonable!" "We called you hear to kill you. What'd you expect?" Sombra hissed, firing one of her chase guns at his foremast. He did a hard turn to avoid, growling. "I won't go down without an honest fight! You've made a terrible mistake in your plan." "As I said, kill me you'd be doing me a favor." Sombra said, sinking her teeth into his flank. Another foolish idea. He fired a full broadside, the dozens of flaming metal balls striking her at point blank in the face. She was blown back with a screech of agony, the wounds deep. She was left with deep scars in her face. She spat out the remnants of a few teeth, bleeding heavily from her left eye. "Mary, he's all yours." She coughed. Mary hissed and lunged, King easily deflecting her and shoving her into the shallows. "You're powerful but inexperienced, girls. Don't make me kill you!" "Even if you do, you'll never be free of us!" Sombra snarled, staggering to her heel. "I swear if I die before you, I will be your personal poltergeist!" "A promise Britannia also made me that she never kept... You're quite like her. Just more foolish! Stop now!" He growled, "You're only going to find misery sailing down this path. I know!" "I've known enough misery. What's a little more to a ship like me?" Sombra asked. She glanced at Mary who was struggling to pull herself off the shallows. "I'll let you go this one time. My sisters stays with me!" "I'm taking her home. Her son needs a mother. Good luck with your new life... I hope you find happiness in it as Black Shadow found happiness in her new life."
And without another word, he turned to sail for Spain. They had been beaten and humiliated in the span of a few minutes. It made Sombra furious. She turned to Mary to help her back into deep water. "You okay?" She asked. "I'm fine... physically. Are you? You look like a zombie. Your torn to pieces but you're acting just fine!" Mary exclaimed. Sombra sighed. "I knew I couldn't defeat King and his pirates on my own so I made a deal. So far, I've gotten the better end of that it appears." "He'll be dealt with soon enough, I have a feeling." "We'll have to do this the hard way then." Sombra hissed, staring out to sea.
By the time they returned to Spain, Sombra's strength had waned. She was immortal but not invincible and leaned heavily on Mary. To make matters worse their only bargaining chip had vanished, rescued by King. As Sombra had predicted. "He was a banshee. Unseen, but heard. Leaving death in his wake." Fantasma panted, "I cannot believe he could have done this..." "I can, I've seen it before." Sombra sighed. "If we're going to defeat this pirate threat, we're going to have to do it the hard way. No more tricks. No more diversions." She looked down at the sea. "Track them." She whispered. There was a ripple and the water smoothed in a certain pattern. "We can follow that trail, it'll lead us straight to them." "No, we need to rebuild." Sombra hissed and looked at Mary. "That bastard has taken everything from me. And now he's corrupted my sister!" "You heard Fantasma." Mary sighed, "Flagship's orders." Sombra looked her over. "You alright? Running over coral isn't fun." "Just some scratches, I'm fine. You got essentially grape shot to the face... I don't think those wounds will heal." Sombra blinked, already blind in her left eye. "It can't be worse than what I've had before, on the inside." She sighed. "Where's the worst place hit?" She asked Fantasma. "The Cell docks where Wench was being kept. He blew them open so she could get out any way she wanted." "I'll get on it." Sombra answered, turning to help. She almost keeled over. "I'd say damn King to hell but hell is too good for him!" She groaned. "Hell is a place for no one." Fantasma growled. "After what King's done? It's where he belongs." Sombra hissed, swaying on her keel. She winced in pain, clutching her bleeding eye. "Rest up!" He growled. "And no more talk of this. We've more pressing matters now anyway." Sombra thought about arguing but she staggered off to her berth. She had no strength left to fight.
In the morning, her wounds had mostly healed and she found her sight returning in her eye which was good. So far NuSorik was living up to his word. She sailed out, making a loop around the harbor. And it was interrupted by Fantasma again. "Sombra. We need to speak." She paused. "Yes Fantasma?" "The British. We're at hard tensions again." "What do you need me to do?" She asked. "Increase your patrols." "Not a problem. What's my ROE?" "Fire only if you are engaged or if they enter our waters without permission." Sombra nodded. "Count on it." She growled and set out at once from the harbor, heading straight for the channel and the border with England.
Most of her patrols were uneventful. However several times she saw HMS Sapphira. And every time her flanks got wider. She growled at the thought of such ships procreating. Her anger was a manifestation of something directed purely inwards. Guilt. If she had just gone with Britannia… Fantasma wasn't blind. He must've seen the way she reacted whenever Britannia's name was mentioned. He must know her feelings. Homosexuality was a crime against the church and each day she feared retribution. Something she was becoming convinced that she deserved. And one day it became too much for her to hide. Finding Fantasma alone, she approached him. "Sir, I need to talk to you." She began. She did not expect that his knowledge of her matters superseded her own. "No, you need to vent to me and then listen to my advice. Come, Sister Sombra." He smiled. Sombra whined and accepted this reluctantly. He led her to a rather private spot. "This cove is special to me. It was where I was conceived and born. It's where I go to relax. Now release unto me your thoughts." "You won't like what I have to confess." She said and sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal""Britannia wasn't just my flagship or my friend. She was my mate. We shared a bond, a soul bond. And when she died… That bastard King took her from me. I needed her! She was everything to me! And he killed her! And to just let him walk away with my sister? He killed my mate, he killed my father and now he's taken Black Shadow?! And you think I can just stand there and watch?!" "Yes, I do." She was taken back by his rather calm voice. It had no anger or authority in it. He sounded genuine. "Sombra, things happen. Things we can't control. Things we want to, but we can't. The Lord has a plan for each of us. It was Britannia's time, it was your father's. And it was God's plan for your sister to fall in love to become a pirate. But all of these things that you stress over, they are past events, yes? So what good does stress do? It does no good. You should find solace in the fact that they have been reunited with our Lord. That they sail eternal seas with deceased love ones. You should find peace knowing that they are at peace. You should be happy because those you care about are happy." "And what about my happiness? Everyone I loved is either dead or in a place that I can't reach. What is there for me to be happy about?! Why would God do this to me? Why?!" She wailed. "Because you are strong, Sombra." He licked her, "and God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. Your suffering will be met with reward at Heaven's Gate. Everything that is taken from you is just so you can be more happy when you're finally able to be with them again." Sombra quivered as she looked up at the sky above. "That day is too far away to put any hope in. How can I-How can I go on in the meantime." "By knowing everything you lose will be yours again one day. You don't know what day. But does it matter? Your life is an adventure and each day should be treated as such. And every sunset, every day that passes is a day closer to that reward." She sighed, sparing the sky one last glance. "How is it that you're so wise Fantasma?" She asked. "You don't get to be flagship by being stupid, Sombra." He smiled softly. Sombra's eyes closed and she took a breath, the tension in her body was released with her exhale. When she looked at Fantasma, her green eyes were brighter. On that day, HMS Britannia of the Royal Navy was finally laid properly to rest. "One day." Sombra thought.