Chapter Thirteen:
...There had been a mutiny with Silver as the leader, the highest of all betrayers. Everything had erupted into chaos aboard the Legacy, just as I believed it would. The Captain, Doctor, and Jim escaped and hopefully had made planet fall unharmed with map in hand. I foolishly had challenged the crew—or what remained of them—to a duel... me, against every last one of them.
It was a brash, idiotic, naïve decision but it was the best way I could pose as a distraction to ensure the others' escape to safety. So here l am caught in the thick of a battle when the number of my opponents seems to never end. Every time one falls, another arises from the background to take his/her place. I may be an Academy graduate, a commissioned spacer, and top notch weapons specialist but I lack what others take for granted—something so crucial in a fight it practically is the fight!—stamina. Endurance...changing the name as I please doesn't alter the fact that I am weak.
My swords, Rosalind and her twin brother Aeron, are knocked from my hands. Their clatter as they hit the deck sends grotesque shivers down my spine and is followed by a curious screech as their opposing polarities bring them to form one once more. One pirate kicks Rosalind out of sight through an open hatch and she tumbles out my sight into the hold. My eyes gaze after my sword, totally ignoring what the brute in front of me is saying. The oaf of a pirate roars and lifts me by the collar of my uniform; I glare and kick at him weakly but give up and dangle there like a doll in the hands of a child.
"Set her down mate, she's lost all her fight, perhaps now she will listen to reason." A voice commands. I am set roughly onto way feet and my knees buckle from the weight under his giant hand. I look to find Silver grinning at me clearly pleased at my current status. "That's better, now Miss Aderyn it seems to me that you're in quite a fix here. The crew clearly wants to take your head after what you've done to so many of our mates." He gestures at their fallen comrades, and I flush internally with pride at my handiwork. "Now on any other day I would probably let them, but I'm a merciful man and in this generous mood I have decided to let you live on condition of surrender."
I open my mouth to dispute all of his claimed attributes and refuse his offer with some pretty colorful words when he shushes me. I stare incredulously at the man who dared to silence me by covering my mouth with his own filthy hand as he continues. "Ah ah, hush, and listen to ol' Silver. You don't even have to speak to agree, just kneel. After all, what do you have to lose? The ship's taken, your fellows may have escaped but we will hunt them down soon enough, and the treasure is as good as ours. So... how's about it missy?" His cyborg eye glints and he removes his hand from my mouth. I look at each of the pirates, saving Silver for last, and instead of kneeling I spit at the deck space near Silver's boots.
Before I can dodge or even think twice about what I just did Silver unleashes his machete and cuts into my right shoulder. The blade is prevented from doing serious damage because it immediately nicks bone but the true exquisiteness of the pain has me hissing and I fall unwillingly to my knees. Blood seeps through my first layer and into my outer-coat and I totally regret not wearing the thicker of my two uniforms. However I made the choice of agility over protection and now I am facing the consequences of such a decision. My hand is pressing at the wound in a weak attempt to staunch it but I only achieve in getting my hand bloody.
"Now," I look up through the mess of my bangs to find Silver cleaning his blade on the edge of his coat. "This next one will end with me running my sword right through you...or will you come quietly?" His face has darkened considerably, all signs of mirth gone. He waves his machete before me and my vision makes it blur, the blood loss is dizzying. I sway and reflexively boost myself to one knee to steady myself. I blink multiple times and spot an opening. To the left of Silver and past two pirates is the open hatch leading to the hold. If I move quickly enough I can bar myself there and a plot a way to escape. I suck in a few deep breaths and lock eyes with Silver. 'Never.'
He roars and lunges at me; I roll forward using my left shoulder and occupy the space he just freed. I scrambled to one knee still holding my shoulder and side swipe swiftly knocking the two pirates off balance and then to the ground. I jump over them and run into the dank hold. I trip over the unseen object and crash taking most of the shock in my wound. I curse wildly until I realize, it was my sword. My right scoops her up despite my blood-slickened grip and I carry on.
As I progress further in, there are sounds of heavy steps as the pirates give chase. They slow but my eyes have already adjusted to the dark so I only gain distance from them. There's a large tarp ahead and I duck behind it; leaning against it as I catch my breath. My wound aches fiercely and I shake my head to cut the focus on the pain. If I don't hurry I know I'll end up fainting, my heart is pounding way too quickly, and once more I realize how idiotically I have trapped myself. In anger I hit my head against the tarp and suddenly remember what lurks underneath the rough exterior. I rip off the tarp using my good hand and reveal my second most favourite possession, my solar surfer.
Relying heavily upon my left side I manage to bring the surfer upright and kick start it. I hop on and gun the engine and with my right tightly gripped around my sword I blast through the hold. I scream at the pirates who were still stumbling through the dark space and fortunately they had the sense to duck as I came barreling past them. The exit was close at hand and I shut my eyes tightly against the harsh daylight. With my instincts alone I guide the surfer skyward to break free of the Legacy's artificial gravity. For a moment the world was still and all that stretched above me when I opened my eyes was glorious space eternally flowing before me. Then came the slow motion movement of arcing the surfer until I was nose down, hitting the accelerator so my descent began.
Naturally my aggressors would in no way, shape, or form be willing to let me slip so easily out of their fingers. Therefore it was only predictable when one of their remaining gunners began firing laser balls at me. It took every ounce of my skill and inner harmony with the surfer to dodge, evade, and spin out of danger's way. At one point I spent so long in a continual spin that my equilibrium couldn't even tell what direction I faced and if I was travelling vertically or horizontally anymore. Finally I regained my balance and slowed my descent after I broke through the planet's tree line; I casted a quick glance upward and found that I was no longer being dogged by lasers.
'Probably have given up now...serves them right, no one stands a chance against those evasive maneuvers...' I chuckled briefly but it was cut short by a flare of pain in my shoulder. I lessened the output of the engine and brought up the sail. I glided quietly through the forest until I came past the wreckage of an abandoned longboat. I hopped off the surfer, letting it hover while I investigated the remains of my party. Part of the longboat was singed and some areas were still smoking...they must have been hit with the cannon...and judging by the small pools of blood in the longboat and on the ground someone was injured. Because there was no corpse nearby and a lack of freshly disturbed ground the wound hadn't been fatal. Panicked thoughts immediately went to Amelia but I silenced them when I found a mixture of footprints leading into the forest. Swiftly I returned to where my surfer floated and revved the engine, slightly increasing the speed so that I might rejoin my party in faster time.
It didn't take long because less than a kilometer from the longboat's position I found them. There was a thick stand of shrubs and other greenery blocking my path and so it took some time to hack my way through them; enough to alert the group that they were being followed and when I broke through still riding the surfer I was greeted by two pistols and a rifle being pointed at my face. In another situation, one far less critical and serious—I would have made some witty remark that would go unappreciated but this was not one of those situations. I almost tumbled off my surfer in my rapid attempt to reach the Captain.
'Amelia!' I cried, briefly forgetting my own pain as I fluttered over her. 'Are you hurt?'
"No, Kalena, I'm fi-" she began but winced when she tried to sit up. She gave up and sank back into Doppler's arms and could only stare at me while I spouted off questions.
'Where is she hurt? What have you done to steady her condition? Is anyone else injured? What happened after I left? What's our heading? How much firepower do we have?'
"Kalena please, stop speaking long enough for us to get a word in about what is going on." My captain commanded. I silenced myself and took the moment to sheathe my sword; the slightest movement in my right hand jostled my arm and I whistled regretfully at the pain.
'"Kalena? What's wrong?!"' Jim cried as I swayed, all of the adrenaline now gone from my body. I shook my head weakly, and steadied myself leaning against a tree for support.
'You first. What went down Captain—er—Doppler?' I redirected my question after seeing how tired the Captain was. Jim and the Doctor took turns filling me with small excerpts from the Captain. It hurt internally to see her in this shape, my strong and powerful Captain, my caretaker, wounded. I left her at the worst time and she ended up injured because of me. They had finished their storytelling and looked at me expectantly; instead of answering I stayed silent. Slowly and painfully I unbuttoned my outer coat and with a little force and a lot of teeth-clenching, my jacket came off. I had Jim cut away the non-bloody bits and use the rest to create bandages with.
The Doctor treated Amelia while Jim wrapped up my shoulder loosely to stem the blood that still ebbed down my arm. In one of my pockets I found my emergency cache of pills and had just finished popping four when Amelia cheekily asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any painkillers on your person would you?"
I laughed harshly, an alien sound against the quiet of this planet and told her, 'No Captain, I only have my supplements. They're somewhat of a painkiller for me. Can't guarantee they will do the same for you though. Care to sample one?' I tossed Doppler the bottle which he surprisingly caught with only the slightest of fumbling and gave her one.
"Ghastly." She said with disgust evident on her face. I laughed but ended up clutching my shoulder in pain.
'"Kalena. You never told us how that happened."' He pointed at my bloody shoulder.
I took a deep breath and stared at the ground as I spoke. 'After you left I blasted a hole in the stateroom's wall to escape through while the pirates drilled away at the door. Sorry Captain.' I smiled apologetically at Amelia who nodded understandingly. 'I fought their gunners using my pistol and dispatched most of them. They still had one individual capable of manning the cannons, no doubt the same person who hit you during the planet fall.' I winced at the pain but persevered anyway. 'With the gunners down I engaged what remained of the crew in a duel... All of them... against me.'
"Oh Kalena why would you..." Amelia began but turned her face away shaking her head disapprovingly.
'Most of the blood on me isn't mine it belongs to pirate filth. And if they have any decency—which I doubt—they will spend their part of their time disposing of the bodies and the rest searching for us.' Jim shuddered as I calmly admitted that I killed some of our former crewmates but I ignored him. 'Eventually I was overpowered by their numbers and Silver proposed the option of surrender once more. I resisted of course and so he cut me. No question that I'll have a new scar to go along with these.' I lifted what remained of the shredded bandages on my hands; bits of scar tissue could be see here and there. 'I was made the offer again with the threat of damage to my internal organs if I declined but in the heat of resisting a second timeI managed to drag myself to the hold, mount my surfer, and ride outta there with engines blazing. Now,' I stood and regretted doing so, Jim bounded to his feet to brace me. 'We are not at all protected in this position but the Captain isn't suited for any kind of travel therefore I propose that Jim and I scout ahead for a new location while the Doctor and the Captain stay out of harm's way. If need be you can use my surfer as a stretcher to place the Captain on and move quickly to a new hiding spot.'
"But Kalena! You're injured yourself and bleeding everywhere and-" Doppler whines but I cut him off with a raised hand.
'There's no other way Doppler, now quit your babbling, and look after my Captain.' I turn on my heel and leave the nook with Jim trailing me.
It wasn't long into our journey when I let Jim take over; it took all of my muscle memory to keep my feet going without stumbling. My mind was in shambles as I attempted to process all that had happened; the mutiny, fighting recklessly enough to result in injury, finding my Captain wounded, and the map gone; I wasn't sure if there was any more surprises I could handle. All of my concentration was spent on remaining conscious and so that left Jim to be the alert and vigilant one in our duo. I doubt he was successful because somewhere along our walk we ended up holding hands so that I could keep up easier. He eventually exchanged holding my hand to slip his arm around my waist; however right when he started to speak is when I heard a noise.
'Shh...' I peered around, eyes squinting at the darkness with my left hand pulling at Rosalind enough to expose a good six inches of blood-stained steel.
"Kalen-Aah!" Jim screams as a figure leaps from the bushes. I try to draw but am blocked due to Jim's proximity to me and instead prepare to roughly elbow him in the gut to achieve freedom.
'"Aah!"' The figure yells back, glee coating its voice. '"Oh, this is fantastic! Carbon-based life forms come to rescue me at last!"' The shape pounces and I duck to avoid being trapped which left Jim to be smothered. '"I just want to hug you and squeeze you...and hold you close to me."'
I sheathe my sword with an impatient click as I watch a strange rusted robot hold Jim in a surprisingly strong grip. "All right. Ok. Would you just let go of me?" Jim says annoyed. I lean against a tree for balance and observe the happenings in silence; I'm not the only one because Morph—who I'd forgotten all about—was also watching the stranger with mild interest.
'"Oh sorry, sorry, sorry. It's just that I've been marooned, for so long. I mean solitudes fine. Don't get me wrong. For heaven's sakes, after a hundred years...you go a little nuts! Hahaha! I'm sorry. Am I... I am, um... My name is, uh..."' The robot pauses after its intense rambling and seems confused; Jim and I share a look of interest, at this point anything is possible. Morph decides to take the robot's shape with a little cuckoo bird popping out the top; Jim smacks him playfully, and I giggle quietly. '"B.E.N.! Of course, I'm B.E.N. Bio-electronic Navigator. And you are?"'
"Jim. And this is-" He starts.
'"Oh, what a pleasure to meet you, Jimmy."' BEN says taking Jim's hand.
"It's Jim." Jim retorts with a hint of annoyance.
I sigh heavily and rest more firmly against the tree, my left hand drifting down from where it had clutched at the wound. I strain to hear Jim protest with the newcomer against the fog in my brain and the only thing that prevents me from sleeping is Morph's sudden urgent whines in my ear. 'What is it boy?' I whisper tiredly and feebly attempt to hear what he wants me to listen to. I pick up the sounds of voices in the distance and go into action promptly.
'Enough chitchat boys, we've got company closing in on us and fast. You have to get out now.' I push Jim weakly with one hand trying to get him moving but to no avail.
"Kalena you're coming as well right?"
'No Jim, I must play distraction once more. Now go.' I tell him turning in the direction of the voices.
"No! I won't let you leave to get hurt again!" He grabs me and pulls me against him.
'"Awkward..."' BEN whispers to Morph as they watch. I sigh and make eye contact with Jim.
'Look, I have to go. It's up to you to get everyone to safety, and that's not possible with pirates dogging our every step. Please listen to me, my mission has to come first even if it means throwing myself back in the face of danger.' I lift myself to tiptoe after spotting the unconvinced look in Jim's eyes and kiss him gently on the lips. 'Trust your instincts, and follow the robot, he might prove useful in procuring a hiding place.' I give him my pistol so that he now has two and then take off running to prevent him from protesting further. My footsteps soon drown out BEN's chatter as he resumes his conversation with Jim and once more I am separated from my allies.
I slow due to exhaustion but continue to create as much noise as possible to shield my comrades. I enter a clearing and am almost entirely unsurprised to find myself surrounded on all sides by pirates. 'Kalena...you sure have a way of finding yourself in the thick of some very problematic situations.' I whisper to myself as I turn in a full circle. My left hand rests on Rosalind's hilt, tentative while my right holds the scabbard steady. I can feel myself trembling, not out of fear but because my nerves cannot steel themselves when I am so close to breaking.
The pirates form a tight ring but open once to let Silver through. "Well..."
'Here we are again Silver...sick of me yet?' I breathe heavily while trying to stymie my shaking.
"I'm getting there miss. Where are the others?" He looks around but I only shake my head. "Not gonna tell huh? Loyal little kitten to the end, eh? Oh well, we'll just have to settle for one." He tilts his head and one individual behind me hits my neck in the sweet spot.
The lights go out and I mercifully go with them. The last sensation I feel is that of being heaved over someone's shoulder and then carried away.