HOW IT ALL BEGAN
PART II
Jon was bored. No, he was worse then bored, he was fed up.
He was fed up with his life in the navy. He was fed up with being cycles at a time away from his family. He was fed up with the fact Commander Mackenzie had been lecturing the whole Bridge crew on how his and Admiral Mendoza's daughter shouldn't be together.
"I mean come on!" he protested slamming his hand down on the armrest of the command chair, "They can't be together and that's that! It's one of the basic rules of Valua. They're rich, we're poor, He's an Admiral, I'm a commander, it just wasn't meant to be!"
"If we all say we agree with you will you shut up and let us get back to our duties?" Josh asked, not looking from his console.
Jon smiled slightly as Mackenzie snorted indignantly.
"Humph," he grunted, "You know I'm right."
Rodriguez sighed and finally looked up from his console.
"Yeah, I know that, and you know that, and even Admiral Mendoza knows that, but the fact is, those two kids now that and they don't care," he swivelled back to his console, "And quite frankly, I think it's cute, kinda like one of those Romeo and Juliet things," he paused, "only with people on opposite ends of the social ladder instead of opposite families."
Jon sniggered as Mackenzie sighed and turned to the white haired crewmember that was bent over his navigation console.
"What do you think Ramirez?"
"Hm?" Ramirez blinked and looked up surprised, "I apologise I wasn't listening, did you say something?"
Mackenzie sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair.
"It's the Daniel/Piastol dispute Ramirez, don't let it bother you," Jon said with a chuckle.
Ramirez sighed and looked over at Mackenzie, "In my opinion, Daniel and Piastol should follow their hearts and I have told them both this myself."
Mackenzie's jaw dropped,
"You?" he said in barely a whisper, "You're the one whose kept this going!"
Ramirez nodded curtly, "With all due respect sir, Daniel and Piastol have about as much right to fall in love with each other as you did with your wife, wouldn't you say?"
Mackenzie just opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, totally stupefied.
Jon however, looked over at his friend.
"You seem troubled Ramirez," he said aloud, "Something on your mind?"
Ramirez blinked, before looking away.
"Oh, I um…it's nothing,"
"Come on, you can tell us," Jon swivelled in his chair towards his friend.
"Well…" Ramirez scratched his head slightly, "Remember when I got angry at Admiral Galcian for insulting Admiral Mendoza's name?"
"How could we forget?" Josh smirked as he turned to join in the conversation, "It too me, Jon and Doc just to restrain you!"
Ramirez smiled weakly, "Do you remember what Galcian said to me on that day?"
Jon paused for a moment, "Yeah, he said something about how people who put all their trust in one person will eventually be betrayed by him. But what's that got to do with anything?"
Ramirez's face turned grave.
"I did some research on Admiral Mendosa."
Mackenzie sat up straight, "You did WHAT!"
"I had to find out what Lord Galcian meant," the Silvite hissed, "And I found something out too. Apparently, Admiral Mendosa has been giving the Ixa'takens extra working hours, and pocketing the Moonstones for himself!"
Mackenzie snorted, "Preposterous, Why everyone knows Mendosa is against the mining project in Ixa'taka. He even told you yourself that he would speak with the Empress herself to try and stop the Mining operation!"
"All the same," Jon said slowly as he turned back to his console to correct his course slightly to avoid a large boulder, "I think we should check this out. Ramirez usually knows what he's talking about, and doesn't usually go into things without having all the facts."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Josh thumped his console, "I say we go down to the Admiral's quarters and straighten this whole mess out."
"I'm with Josh," Jon said with a smile, "You coming James?"
Mackenzie looked indignant.
"No thanks," he said stiffly, "I'm in enough trouble as it is with the Admiral as it is,"
Admiral Mendoza didn't look up from his desk when the three of them burst into his office.
"It's polite to knock you know, Ramirez?" he sneered, not looking up from the report he was writing.
"Admiral Mendoza," Josh spoke up first, "We have intelligence on you that suggests that you are illegally profiting from the Ixa'taken Mining Operation. Our intelligence says that you are forcing the Ixa'takens to work extra hours, while you keep the profit, is this true?"
Mendoza paused for a moment, his pen hovering above the page, before putting it to one side and smiling at the three officers, a slightly sinister look about his face.
"Would it do me any good if I were to say your intelligence was wrong?" His smile increased at the look of horror on the Silvite's face, "You are to easily fooled Ramirez my boy. Did you actually think I care what happens to those pieces of Ixa'taken filth? They're just slaves, easily replaceable."
"You lied," Ramirez said in barely a whisper, "But what about your promise? How you were going to speak with the Empress?"
Mendoza waved it off, "And let my little scheme be revealed? Far from the realm of the possible my boy!"
"Then you leave us no choice," Jon said in a dead calm voice as he pulled a pistol from his belt, "Admiral Jefferson Mendoza, Due to circumstances revealed to me, I hereby arrest you under the charges of conspiracies against the crown of Valua. Anything you say or do will be used against you in a court of law."
Mendoza did nothing, despite the fact he had a pistol aimed at his head.
"And what if I told you about this little patrol we're on right now?" he asked calmly, steeping his fingers.
Jon faltered as Josh hesitated, "What do you mean?" he asked, "This is just a routine patrol mission along the Grand Line."
"That's where your wrong my dear Lt. Rodriguez," The sound of his voice was getting more sinister my the minute, "You see we are on a mission from the Empress herself," he glanced at the grandfather clock beside him, "In a few moments, a Nasrean fleet of lightly armed vessels is going to pass through here. As soon as they come into range of our cannons, my fleet is going to blow them from the skies."
Josh gasped, "That's awful! Why would the Empress do such a thing?"
"Quite simple, War. If Valua and Nasr go to war, we shall defeat them and rule the skies with an iron fist, not only that, but Valua will vastly profit from a time of war, wouldn't you say?"
"No, I wouldn't," Jon said with a sad sigh, "By the regulations set down by the Valuan Armada, section five, subsection delta, Article six, paragraph four: With Ramirez Silvairian and Joshua Rodriguez as my witnesses, I, Jonathan Meridian, hereby remove you of your command for conspiracies against the crown of Valua. You will step down from command of the Aquila, and list any conspirators you are working with."
Mendosa smiled and stood up with open arms.
"With pleasure Mr. Meridian, he's standing right behind you."
BANG!
Jon froze as a gun shot echoed through the room. Ramirez watched in horror as the pistol fell out of his hand with a clatter, blood slowly spilling out of his back as he fell into the Silvite's arms.
"Jon!" he whispered frantically Josh spun around to see the attacker.
"You?" he spat.
Mackenzie smirked, his pistol still smoking, two heavily armed guards on either side.
"Me," he whispered.
"R…Ramirez," Jon managed to get out as he died slowly, "You…have to stop him…if we go to war…thousands of innocent lives will be lost,"
"Hold on Jon," Ramirez muttered frantically as he shifted through his pockets for a green moonstone, "Just hold on,"
"Ramirez," Jon sounded weaker as he clung onto his friend's sleeve, "You must…know something,"
Ramirez paused, his face paler than usual as Jon continued.
"My son…Carlos…is not my son…he was left abandoned on…my families doorstep…wrapped in a silver cloth…a sword and duel pistols tucked in with him…and a letter…from his parents…Ramirez…he…he must not know! He…he is a child…of the House…of Silvairian."
Ramirez's eyes widened, "What did you say?"
But Jon was slipping away, as his eyes closed he whispered something that only Ramirez heard.
"He is Silvite born…of Silvites pure,"
His body went limp in his arms as the Silvite tried to process this information.
Josh was still looking daggers at Mackenzie.
"You shot him!" he spat.
Mackenzie shrugged, "He was committing mutiny against the Admiral, and I couldn't let them ruin our plans."
Josh gritted his teeth before whirling back on the Admiral.
"Is the whole ship in on this little mission?"
"Oh yes," Mendosa smiled, "In fact the only people who weren't told were you, Commander Meridian, my two daughters, Ramirez and the Doctor. It was thought that you were all too weak minded and would try a little stunt like this."
"I'm weak?" Josh snarled, "I'll show you who's weak!"
In one swift move Josh pulled a pistol from his belt, before promptly getting Mackenzie into a headlock, the hand-gun aimed point blank at his temple.
"Hold your fire!" Mendosa called when the guards raised their weapons, unsure of what to do.
"You just killed my friend James," Josh hissed in his ear as he dragged the First Officer into the corridor, "And now your gonna pay!"
"What are you going to do?" he whispered in a would be calm voice, "Your on a ship that is now full of your enemies," he paused for a minute as the ship rumbled from the sound of Cannon fire overhead, causing him to smile, "The Battle of The Grand Line has begun. So what are you going to do Josh? What are you going to do?"
Rodriguez smiled sinisterly, "I'm going to blow this ship out of the sky," he whispered, causing Mackenzie to freeze, "And I'm taking you with it. HEY RAMIREZ!" he called to the Silvite, who was still kneeling beside Jon's lifeless body, "You coming?"
Ramirez's face became dark and clouded as he stood, facing Admiral Mendosa with pure hatred.
"No," he muttered, unsheathing his sword, "I'll take care of things here,"
Josh nodded grimly, before lugging his hostage down the corridor towards the Engine room.
Mendosa laughed as the four armed guards filled into the room.
"Ramirez, do you really think that you can take on all five of us? By yourself? Even you are not that greater swordsmen."
Ramirez's face didn't change.
"I don't think I can take you on," he muttered darkly, "I know I can defeat you. You killed Jonathan, and you lost my trust. I shall never forgive you."
Mendosa scowled, "And to think I once thought of you like a son," he shook his head sadly, "Then you leave me with no choice. I want him in pieces!"
Josh looked around grimly at the dead bodies as he tied Mackenzie to the Moonstone chamber. It hadn't been hard to overpower the engineers. He had given them a chance to flee and they had turned against him, so now they littered the engineering room floor, all dead for their crime of siding with a traitor.
Mackenzie squirmed with all his might to try and wiggle free of the bonds, only to fail.
"You're insane!" he cried as Josh stood up and dusted off his hands.
"Maybe I am," he muttered darkly, "But unlike you I have a heart. Do you know what a war with Nasr would do to our world? What about our children? How will Daniel feel when he finds out his father was instrumental in what's going to be the one of the bloodiest wars since the days of the Old World?"
"He'd be proud!" Mackenzie held his head high, "He'll be proud that I set in motion the events that will lead to the Great and Glorious Valuan Empire ruling the world! And what about your own daughter? How will she feel when finds out she's the daughter of a traitor to the Empire?"
Josh said nothing as he fished the pistol from his belt.
"Belleza's a smart kid," he said after a moment, "She'll figure out the truth if it comes out, she and Carlos will find the truth out sooner or later."
He aimed his pistol above Mackenzie's head, aiming for the Yellow Moonstone in the chamber.
"I hear that when a engine is active without a moonstone in the chamber, it activates a chain reaction that will blow half the ship away.
BANG!
Mackenzie winced as the gun went off. He looked up in horror. The glass separating the moonstone had shattered as the Moonstone splintered into pieces, the ear-piercing whine of an overload almost deafening the Former First Officer.
"WHO ARE YOU RODRIGUEZ!" he screamed as the former gunner walked slowly towards the exit, "WHO ARE YOU TO HAVE NO HEART! TO LEAVE YOUR FELLOW VALUAN TO DIE SUCH A HORRIBLE DEATH!"
Josh stopped at the doorway, turning around to face his commanding officer one last time.
Mackenzie gasped, his eyes widened in fear a something seemed to burn red on the Gunner's forehead: a single thick circle, with two lines on either side poking out of the side, before lowering down like legs.
As the engine went critical around them, James Mathew Mackenzie whispered one word.
"Redite…"
Outside the battle raged on. The Valuan ships hand an obvious advantage, with their heavy artillery and metal battleships, against the Nasrean wooden ships.
Then, something happened.
The Aquila loomed over on of the more badly damaged ships, its cannons burning with red magic.
BOOM!
In a sudden flash of fire, the entire back end of the immense ship exploded, showering the area in shards of metal and moonstone dust.
The Aquila began to waver, with no engines to hold the ship up, it was only a matter of time before the ship sank below the clouds.
(7)
Doc ran through the corridors of the ship, Maria's bawling ringing in his ears as he carried her in his arms.
Flames licked the walls as he ran for the Bridge, to the Admiral's Ready room, to make sure he was all right.
When he got there, what he saw made his heart stop.
There stood Ramirez, over Mendosa's dead body. As he looked around, he saw the dead forms of four heavy armoured guards, as well as Jon, lying with his hands folded across his chest.
"R…Ramirez?" he yelled over the sounds of explosions, "What happened here?"
"It's no use Doctor," the Silvite said sadly as he gazed down at the man he had looked at like a father, "I've been betrayed, we've all been betrayed."
"What are you saying?" Doc asked frantically as he gazed at his friend.
"Mendosa was nothing but a liar and a thief. Commander Mackenzie was nothing more than a murderer," he turned his gaze to Jon, "Josh and Jon are dead. Thanks to this man!" he suddenly gave Mendoza's body a savage kick to the ribs, "I believed him, I thought he was the kindest man this world has ever known, but I now know otherwise."
"What are you saying?"
"From this day forth, I shall only follow those with power."
He turned to face Doc, his eyes sad and mournful.
"Good bye Doc," he muttered, before walking away.
"Wait!" Doc called after him as Maria continued to scream from his arms, "Ramirez! RAMIREZ!"
As the Aquila slowly sank below the clouds, the Battle continued around them. In the far distance, a ship with the signature of the Blue Rogues emblazed on her sails sailed in to assist Valuans and Nasreans alike as their ships were either disabled or destroyed.
Among the survivors was Ramirez, Maria and Doc, however Piastol was reported missing, as was Joshua Rodriguez, Jonathan Meridian, James Mackenzie and most of the crew of the Aquila.
The battle ended with the defeat of the Nasreans. What survivors were left were drawn into the custody of the Empire as Prisoners of War, taken from the Rogues by the remaining Valuan ships. It was the start of a war, a great and bloody war. A war that would change the face of Arcadia forever.