"The mark's slowing down cap'n."

Silver turned toward the bridge and gazed up at the navigator. She peered back at him with one of her three bulbous eyes while the other two regarded the screens in front of her. He glanced back at the Ethereum and the innumerable amount of jagged chunks of rock hanging as if suspended by invisible threads all around them, "Ye think they're slowed down by all this, Delia?"

Delia blinked at him, this time turning all her eyes toward him, "From the readings I'm getting, they've already passed all the way through."

"Mm," Silver tapped his fingers on the railing. "A'right. Boot th' cloakin' system back up."

"It's the middle of the day-" Delia continued to stare unblinking at him and it was starting to make his skin crawl. "If any of their crew looks back they'll be able to see the shimmer of the panels in the light."

"Better'n us jest comin' out flag flyin'. Jest keep us far 'nough back their lookout don' see us."

Delia shrugged and she flipped a switch. Silver heard the distinctive hum of the cloaking screens booting up and soon enough they blinked on and his ship was hidden - mostly hidden - from any prying eyes. If anyone was above them they'd be able to see the deck, but from below or any of the sides the ship would be completely invisible save for the slight shine of light along the edges of each panel.

And his system wasn't the newest or most advanced that money could buy so the panels had a short half a second delay, which meant anything that they passed in front of would show up on the screens, but if it was a big enough object to see around the ship as they were passing in front of it the whole thing would look slightly warped.

No matter. As long as they stayed far enough back, the lookout on the Eclipse wouldn't have any reason to sound the alarm.

But this meant that they couldn't see the Navy ship as well either. Silver leaned against the rail and zoomed in with his cybernetic eye. A smile passed over his face when he saw a familiar figure at the rail of the Eclipse.

Aren't you just as sharp as ever, eh Jimbo? Almost as if you can sense us following you.

He could see Jim searching the Ethereum. The human wasn't shy about his suspicion; his expression clearly showed it by the way his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes darted around and his mouth curved into a slight scowl.

Jim disappeared for a minute and Silver assumed he'd gone to look over the other side of the ship, but he was back again shortly. He was quickly joined by another human, this one a couple inches taller and with blond hair, and they both looked around. The second man looked entertained and confused, and he eventually said something to Jim, who looked back at him and jumped.

They spoke back and forth and the smirk Silver knew so well went over Jim's face and he got uncomfortably close to the second man before he laughed when the other backed away quickly.

Silver felt a frown pulling the corners of his mouth downward.

Who's that? I don't remember Jim talking about anyone he was intimate with…

Why else would he be getting so close to that other human? And why would he be so open about it? They were in a place the whole crew could see them if they had eyes in their heads. Silver felt like he should look away, but the two of them had moved away from the railing and he couldn't see them any longer anyway.

It stung a little that Jim hadn't told him he had a partner. He'd known for a while Jim was attracted to men even before he had admitted it to Silver in confidence; Jimbo had a way of expressing his emotions on his face without even knowing it and more than once Silver had caught him staring with unabashed attraction on his face as his eyes followed another man.

"Captain!"

He shook his head and looked up at the call. Delia waved a hand wildly, pointing back toward the Eclipse, "There's another ship!"

"Wha-"

Even with the cloaking panels up on the other ship, he could see them before they turned the cloaking system off in a brazen move.

Rage instinctively washed over Silver and he snarled, "Damn you Raith!"

The green painted ship was a dead give-away as the Buckler. And the move to turn off their cloaking system before they reached the Naval ship to attack them screamed of Raith's massive ego. She loved to show off. She just had to be seen whenever she made a move. If she did anything it had to be theatrical and dramatic and damn obnoxious.

"What d'we do, captain?"

"Go after Raith. I tol' tha' cat te stay off me mark."

All he could see was red. He'd won that fight fair and square, won the right to track the Eclipse. He didn't care if he got anything from the venture, it was more a ruse to hide his desire to keep tabs on Jim, and he was furious with himself for trusting that Raith would have any semblance of honor and hold up her end of the agreement. Silver knew her better than that and still he'd trusted her.

"They'll see us, sir-"

"I don' care! Jest go after tha' bitch an' make 'er work fer it!"

Anyone close enough to hear his angry command gaped for a moment before scrambling to obey; if he was anything, he was not a man that used words like that to describe women. But Raith…she really was a bitch and Silver allowed himself to describe her as such.

He was sure the crew was surprised at his order too; they knew his tendency to let other pirates who were more equipped take a mark. It had happened several times before and they'd come to expect it. He was more than tempted to let them all know that this was personal and he even opened his mouth to do so when-

-There was the sound of wood cracking and his eyes went to the shattered bridge of the Eclipse.

Jim…

The ship was a sitting duck now, wounded with no means of escape, and Silver felt his heart fall into his gut. As well as he knew Jim would never abandon ship and his fellow crew, he still silently begged that the human would stray from his morals just this once and make a run for it. Above anything else he hoped Jim had been fast enough to escape the bridge before it was reduced to a pile of splinters.

"Screw Raith, g't te our mark an' search it!"

Silver felt the ship pick up speed and motioned to Delia to cut the power to the cloaking system to give more juice to the engines. Another cannonball from the Buckler brought down one of the Eclipse's masts and he snarled again.

It's like they aren't even fighting back!

Not a single return shot had come from the Eclipse and it infuriated him that Raith would win so easily. But then finally, mercifully, there was the tell-tale streak of blue light and he could see shots fired from the crew of the Eclipse that were privy to carry weapons. It certainly took them long enough to decide to defend themselves. There was no saving their ship at this point.

They were on the wrong side of the Eclipse to help return fire at the Buckler, but at least they wouldn't be hit by Raith's barrage of cannonballs. They started to pull in close when he noticed the shots fired being centralized at the stern of the Eclipse and he bellowed, "FALL BACK! G't outta blast range!"

Just in time too; the rear of the Naval ship exploded and they were just barely out of reach of the blast. Once Raith was content that there would be no escape for any possible survivors, she wheeled the Buckler away and sped off.

Silver and his crew gazed solemnly at the listing ship.

"Captain…" Timetra spoke softly, and he felt her fingertips brush his forearm. "Your order?"

"Search the ship fer survivors an' anythin' o' value…"

He debated silently the whole way to the longboat bay whether or not he wanted to be on that boat to help them search. On the one hand, he wanted to be the one to find Jim's body…on the other hand, he also desperately didn't want to find Jim's body.

But he eventually caved and climbed into the longboat and his heart sank deeper with every second that ticked by and every inch closer they got until he was certain it would crush underneath his foot when he finally stepped on deck.

A cold, aching pit yawned open in his gut and he turned to look beyond the bowsprit.

There was a glimmer of a distant sail from a fleeing longboat dancing out of range of the Buckler's fire and the tiniest flicker of hope warmed his heart.

He'd bet his organic arm that it was Jim at the controls of that boat by the way it moved. Silver had never met anyone before or since Jim had come into his life that could drive anything the way that human could, and sure as the sun shone in the sky, it looked like Jim's driving now.

"Finish the search 'ere an' follow tha' boat," He barked.

"Sir?"

Silver didn't take his eyes off the longboat, even though they were too far even for his cybernetic eye to make out the passengers. His emotions were frayed, but he was a quick thinker - you didn't make it as far as he had by being slow on the draw - and he motioned with his head toward the planet the longboat raced toward, "Wha'e'er the Navy's after is important 'nough te send a boat o' able bodied soldiers fer it instead o' stayin' te fight. What'e'er they're after is what we're after. An' I'll be damned if'n I let Raith 'ave it now."

They didn't question him and he hurried back toward the longboat to wait for them to finish.

Keep your head down, Jimbo. I'm coming for you.

Jim had a skin crawling sort of feeling all over his body and he hated it. Like someone was watching them. He kept peering over the railing of the bridge on either side of the ship, and even behind it, but he couldn't see anything. The literal minefield of those weird floating rocks hadn't helped with the sensation at all either. He could have sworn he saw things darting between the rocks as if the ship was being stalked.

He leaned over the railing again now and scrutinized the Ethereum on the port side of the Eclipse. Jim looked toward the bow of the ship now too and stood on his tiptoes to see as far as he could.

"What'cha looking for?"

Jim turned back at William's voice and nearly threw himself overboard when he jumped in surprise. Will stood right up in his face so close that their noses had nearly cracked into each other when he turned.

"Jeez man, ever hear of personal space?" Jim took a step back and William followed him with a grin on his face.

"I thought you didn't mind getting close and personal."

Jim smirked, "Oh, are you making advances on me, William? How bold of you…"

He took a step closer and pressed their bodies together and- predictably- William turned beet red and jumped backward. Jim laughed at how flustered his friend got, "I thought you wanted to get 'close and personal'. You can't go leading me on like that, Will; I might get the wrong idea."

"Dammit Jim…" Will's customary mumbled response made him laugh again.

He started to turn back toward the navigation controls when he noticed a glimmer out of the corner of his eye. Jim turned just as an approaching ship let down their cloaking shield and barreled toward them, their laser cannons trained on the Eclipse. Jim saw the skull and crossbones on the flag-

"PIRATES!"

The captain flew out of his stateroom at Jim's shout and stared with an open-mouthed expression on his face in his shock. That was NOT the reaction Jim had hoped for. Any seasoned Naval captain would have come out shouting orders to direct their crew toward evasive action.

Jim glanced at him and growled at the lack of reaction from any of the crew. They all just stared surprised at the ship bearing down on them. He charged over to the helmsman, "You'd better move unless you want to get thrown out of my way!"

The man leapt back and Jim took the wheel and started barking orders. Wide-eyes turned to gaze at him and he snarled, "MOVE DAMMIT! Do you want to die?!"

Everyone scattered at the mention of the possibility of death and Jim started working the wheel to make the ship dodge out of the pirate's cannon range. The Eclipse was a fast and agile little thing, and Jim was determined to use every trick he knew to get away from these bastards. They'd come too far and were so damn close now; they could see the planet they were sailing to! He felt the ship losing power underneath his feet and he looked at William, "What the hell-"

He looked just as startled and confused as Jim felt and he looked at the throttle that was still pushed in the position indicating that they were going as fast as they could.

What the fuck?! Jim didn't have time to go below deck to look at the drive system to see what was going on. I thought this was a new ship! It shouldn't be having these issues!

Jim dove for the communication tube to shout down at the mechanics but he froze.

There it was.

The sound that haunted his nightmares on especially bad nights.

A laser cannonball hurtled toward them with the distinctive scream-whistle he remembered from when he was just a teenager stuck in a longboat with no way to escape. Jim turned to stare at it. His heart fell into his stomach as it came hurtling toward the bridge…toward him -

"JIM!"

William tackled him and threw them both over the railing from the bridge and down onto the deck below. Just in time. They watched as the cannonball slammed through the bridge and destroyed the wheel and where they had been standing mere moments before.

"There's another ship!" Someone screamed off the starboard side and Jim pushed William off of himself to look.

Sure as shit, a second ship was coming up on them in a hurry. And the flag adorned with a skull and crossbones flying from the top of the mast indicated they weren't friendly either. Jim slammed his fist down on the railing.

"Fuck!"

Another cannonball ripped through a mast and brought rigging and sails down onto the deck and sent men flying from the shrouds.

"Hawkins, Delaney!"
Jim turned at his name. The captain grasped his side, blood oozing between his fingers, and he stumbled until he fell against the railing. He motioned weakly with his hand, "Take a longboat…finish the mission…We'll hold them off and distract them while you escape…"

He barked orders to the crew without another word to either Jim or William, and the two men looked at each other quickly. William's expression tightened before he swung around and ran to the stairs leading below deck.

Jim was hot on his heels. He brought his hand to his mouth and whistled for Morph.

He didn't wait for the blob to join him as he ran toward the longboat bay. Morph would catch up to him. He knew where to go.

The bay door couldn't open fast enough, the longboat couldn't lower fast enough, the two of them couldn't climb in and get everything set up fast enough; it still felt like they were taking too long and that the pirates would come barrelling down the stairs and into the room at any moment. Jim could hear the firefight happening - though it was muffled where they were - above them. His eyes darted around. Morph wasn't with them yet…

He whistled again and waited. Still Morph didn't come at his call.

The boat was lowering and it was almost low enough that the clips holding it in the bay would release and they would go into the freefall before the sail popped up and power was routed to the engine.

"MORPH!"

William jumped next to him and grabbed his arm as he started to move to climb out of the longboat, "What are you doing?!"

"I have to get Morph-"

"Jim, we don't have time! We have to go!"

A flare of anger had Jim lashing out and wrenching his arm out of William's grasp, "I'm not leaving him behind!"

"If he didn't come at your call then he's already gone!"

The pain was instantaneous and overwhelming. Jim didn't even feel the way his stomach dropped as the clips released and the longboat went into freefall. He didn't notice the sail opening or the engine kicking in or William grabbing his arm again and shaking him.

He turned back to look at the Eclipse, which was smoking and listing heavily to one side, and the first pirate ship that had come to a stop before reaching it. His heart shattered as he saw the barrage of cannonballs ripping through the Eclipse until one finally made contact with the engine room and the whole back half of the ship exploded.

" MORPH! " Jim's hands gripped into fists so hard they shook. His throat burned from screaming and from the emotions threatening to drag tears from his eyes.

Not Morph…

"Jim! Jim!"

He heard his voice as if he were underwater and whoever was calling for him was above the surface. Jim turned dazedly.

William was screaming at him. He couldn't hear what he was saying, but he could tell he was agitated and he followed the direction his friend was pointing with his eyes.

The pirate ship was heading for them now. His eyes roved over the hull. He was numb now. Cold. His heart didn't even feel like it was beating anymore.

I know that ship…

How could he NOT know it? What other pirate captain was so bold and egotistical as to paint their ship an emerald green so they would stand out and be easily recognizable? Who else other than Raith?

The rage that slammed through his veins BURNED.

Jim snapped out of his daze and grabbed the longboat's controls as the Buckler bore down on them. His voice was rough and deep from holding back tears, "Hold on."

He didn't even wait for William to get fully settled in his seat before he punched the throttle forward. The longboats had been designed to be just as agile and fast as the Eclipse, if not more agile, and Jim made this little boat dance.

He kept one eye on the Buckler, watching as the green-hulled ship tried to follow their movements. They were fast, but Jim was faster, and he coaxed every ounce of speed from the engine he could.

The laser cannonballs that were shot at them didn't even get close, and soon they were hurtling through the planet's atmosphere and into the cover of the trees with the ship and the wreckage far behind them. Jim dropped the sail and used the built up momentum to steer them around trees and into a deep section of the forest before he finally pulled up on the throttle and brought them to a stop.

"What are you doing?!"

"We can't use the longboat without the sail, and if we use the sail they'll see us. We've got to keep going on foot," Jim was numb again. It was better than losing himself to how his heart throbbed with agony at his lost friend.

What do I tell Silver when I see him next?

If he ever saw Silver again. Jim climbed out of the longboat and stared blankly at the trees around them before he shook his head and opened the navigation tool. They weren't in a safe place, they had no supplies, and there was no way they'd survive a trip back in the longboat. All signs pointed to them not making it out alive…

I should have called mom this morning to tell her I love her…

The throbbing was starting to come through the numbness and Jim pushed it down, "Let's go. We'll hide the boat here and come back when we've finished the mission."

"Jim-"

He heard the concerned tone in William's voice and he didn't want to deal with it right now. If Will tried to hug him he knew he'd crack and cry. And they didn't have time for that.

"Come on. We need to get out of here."

Jim didn't wait for William to respond before he started walking. He didn't know which direction to go, but he knew he couldn't keep standing there or he would fall into his thoughts and his emotions would take over.

"Here's my half of the coordinate," William caught up to him and punched the number into his navigation tool. Jim regarded it silently. They were almost going the right way.

He adjusted his direction and William fell into step beside him and they walked together without saying a word for a very long time. They didn't stop until it was so dark they couldn't see where they were going. Jim would have kept walking, but William caught his wrist and pulled back hard enough that Jim was forced to come to a standstill, "Jim, that's enough for today. Let's get some rest, ok?"
"Ok."

He let William coax him to walk until they were in a secluded spot tucked between several bushes. It was warm on this planet, and in the trees it was stifling and humid, and they stripped off their coats to use as pillows. Only when Jim heard William's breathing even out and indicate that he was asleep did he allow himself to feel again and he cried quietly into the crook of his elbow.