Chapter 24
Walrus silently crept though the dark places, hiding in amongst the great chunks of earth that once made up Treasure Planet.
The only reminders left of what was the most sought after location in the Ethrium drifted aimlessly in space. Like an apple eaten to the core, Treasure Planet was nothing but a skeleton of rock entwined with the great tentacles of what was once the mechanism that held the core in place.
A broken moon drifted in its crocked orbit. On a slow death march that would ultimately lead it crashing into what was left of the planet.
And it seemed that all of Nathaniel Flint's hard work had been put to waste.
But this was far from the case.
Elizabeth stood on deck, gazing out at her home.
Her father was no fool. He'd anticipated the grubby hands of thieves would eventually find their way to his trove... would come to claim his legacy.
It seemed an ironic twist of fate that the only two people who escaped the clutches of Flint were able to sire offspring. Offspring that were bound to that treasure just as she was.
Silver was out of her clutches for the moment but he would show in due time.
In the meantime, however...
Right on cue, torn and battered, Defiant appeared from the asteroid field, landing gently in the clearing of space that surrounded what was left of the planet core.
She watched them as with eyes of awe and fear they inspected the disaster that was once Treasure Planet.
No one even bothering to glance behind them as Walrus slowly slunk from the shadows, hot on Defiant's tail.
"Witchpather, prepare the men," Elizabeth snapped an order to her second man, her face becoming a leering grin. "It's time to make an unexpected house call upon our little friends."
Winded and gasping for air, Dolphy rolled over onto her back, choking up what remained of her dignity as she pulled her hands away from her Captain's legs.
Jim sat up, a hand upon his head and a confused stare visible upon his face.
Suzie stood in front of him, grinning like an idiot at the sight.
"Alright," said Jim. "What just went down here?"
"Dolphy just saved you from taking a spacewalk without a suit."
"JIMMY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" B.E.N came trotting up the stairs, his arms flying in every direction in gesture. "THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE! WE JUST HAD AN 'OTHER-WORLDLY' ENCOUNTER WITH SIRENS!"
"B.E.N." Jim squinted.
"YES?"
"What did I tell you about inside voices?"
"Oh right..." The robot shut up.
Men were pulling themselves to their feet, wondering on their whereabouts before quickly scurrying back to their posts only to stop at the sight of the old, skeleton of a planet that befell them.
"Wow." Faces gazed on in pure wonder and jaws dropped.
Was this really all that was left of the planet?
BOOM!
The blast was loud and unexpected.
A whistle filled the air that compelled man and woman alike to suddenly spin on the spot.
CRRRUNCH!
The cannon ball blew through one of the masts, sending wood and metal pieces raining down upon the deck.
The dark ship only spoken about in story books slid out of the darkness. The letters forming 'Walrus' visible upon her haul.
Jim's heart pelted to a screaming halt, his eyes going wide.
Good god, he saw that ship, along with everything else that made up Treasure Planet blown to smithereens... didn't he?
The dark ship swooped down upon them, cannons blazing.
"Battle stations!"
Jim's stagger turned to a bolt as he tore back up the stairs and to the wheel, quickly wrenching Defiant out of the path of cannon fire.
Defiant, still limping from the asteroid belt, creaked and groaned under the pressure, her responses sluggish at best. She soon found herself unable to out run the pirate's fire upon her.
She had no choice but to return fire.
Cannons buzzed, humming in charge before they fired, blasting holes into the pirates.
Leering faces and toothless laughs greeted them on the other side. Pirates hooted and screamed. Cannon's fired and Defiant shook under the pressure.
Crew fell about the decks, staggering under the mighty quake.
Jim staggered into the wheel, desperate to steer her but before he knew it, Walrus was next to her. Mighty talons hooked into Defiant's bow, securing her into place. She jolted to a stop suddenly, sending her crew tumbling forward.
Jim gripped his wheel, his eyes cast across the dirty, pirate ship to where the blue demon stood high and mighty, sword pointed and her shout loud over the masses.
"Prepare to board!"
And there was nothing Jim could do to stop them.
"Gather your weapons! Prepare for combat!" he could only warn his people.
Ropes swung and pirate feet landed.
Snarls, swords and pistols.
Jim dove for his weapon box, reaching for a pistol but the boot kicked it from his hand, sending it skittering across the deck.
Jim glanced up into the leering face of the blue demon, backing, with hands raised as the sword found its way to the juicy pulse in his throat.
"Master Hawkins," she said with an amused sneer. "How ironic that you decide to return to the scene of the crime. See what you did to my lovely home?"
Jim said nothing, licking his dry lips. The lump in his throat he had trouble swallowing... and the itch!
His skin felt like it was crawling!
Elizabeth, noticing this, stepped forward out of the way of the bright, moonlight that now shone upon them. The moon shifted, ever so silently across the sky and out from hiding behind the broken planet.
"Ahhh!" Jim staggered forward, his head felt like it was going to explode!
His skin was changing colour. Eyes twisting, bones grinding. Flesh became scales.
And all the whilst, Elizabeth watched on, her scowl now a twisted grin.
"HURRRUUHHHHHH!" moments later and the Dragon's roar bellowed over the sounds of battle. "HURRRRHHH!"
Pirates and crew alike stopped, might fight. Bewilderment and horror evident on their faces.
"Beast!" The pirate captain ordered, pointing with her sword. "Destroy this ship!"
"HURRRUUHHHHHH!"
The dragon's tail swished this way and that, destroying everything in his path. The great fireball erupted from his mouth, setting Defiant ablaze.
"Men! Round up the prisoners!"
The battle was sort and fierce. But this time, the advantage was not on Defiant's side.
Edmond and Suzie fought back to back with Onyx and Dolphy. B.E.N swung on the ropes, dropping his heavy, metallic body down upon any unsuspecting pirate.
Fire and ship shards sprayed everywhere.
Pirates kept appearing, swords and pistols flashing until there was simply too many of them.
The moon shifted, its light slowly disappearing behind an asteroid and gradually the dragon began to shrink.
Moments later and Jim hit the deck, panting heavily upon his hands and knees.
He could do nothing as the pirate captain's laugh shrilled over him. Watching on as his crew, one by one were taken. Hands bound and kicking and screaming they were dragged from the ship.
"Grab the boy!" Elizabeth's order sounded and all at once, the great panther appeared before him, rope and shackles on hand.
Jim rolled but Witchpanter was quick and grabbed at his arms, wrenching him back to his feet.
The rope came around his wrists and again around his neck.
The panther showed no mercy as he brutally dragged Jim down the stairs and to the main deck.
He found himself shoved up against Suzie and Edmond who embraced one another tightly through their bonds.
Planks fell and formed bridges over to the Walrus.
Jim, from the corner of his eye caught the bicker that went on between Dolphy and a pirate. With tooth and claw she fought at the pirate's attempts to bound her. Her boot kicked him in the shin and teeth bit into his fingers. She broke free, sliding across the deck but the pirate was quickly upon her and in a snarl of aggravation he whipped out his pistol.
"Dolphy!" Jim screamed, somehow managing to wrench himself from the grips of his captor.
He staggered, shoving the girl out of the path of the pistol just as it fired...
Jim's knees hit the deck.
A pulse bounded loudly in his head, drowning out the bloody cries of battle.
He swallowed... his eyes falling from the steaming wound in his chest to the faces that watched on... screaming at him... Dolphy struggled at her captors... fought to reach him... the blood curdling look of horror upon her face... the dark form stood over him...
Then the deck came rushing up to meet him...
"Fool!" Elizabeth howled as she watched the boy's body hit the deck. That incompetent fool had just cost her a valuable asset.
And for that he would die.
Before the pirate knew it, her sword flashed and he was missing his head.
Elizabeth kicked at the boy's side but it was useless... Jim Hawkins was dead.
"Dump the bodies overboard."