"...after mom died I didn't know what to do. I felt as if my life didn't mean anything to the crown. So I chose to look after myself. And I resorted to this life of piracy. Mostly picking at the Indian Ocean trade. Ran into a fellow who said he knows you, says his name is Reaper. Sent me here." Dark Shadow sighed. Pearl smiled. So the old fellow was still alive after all. She had a feeling. Reaper was very difficult to track. "It is, good to see you brother." "And you," he dipped his head, smiling, "Has Long Shadow visited?" "I haven't seen her since that mad dash through Whitecap Bay." Pearl replied. "She hasn't been the same since Nassau was taken by the British." "There's no ports left near the shipping lanes. Pirates are becoming extinct. Alexander, he, he's really cleaning up. Have you heard about the Caribbean?" "We just came from there. I spent five months warding off Royal Navy ships to rejoin Interceptor to come here." Pearl said. "Dark Shadow, have you seen any sign of the Royal Navy or any European power in these waters?" Mauna Loa asked. "The Royal Navy are actually joining forces with the Portuguese, French and Spanish to wipe out piracy in the New World." he regarded Mauna Loa, "Nothing military. Whalers and exploration ships. Did see a frigate but he was heading west." "Who has claims on the mainland and how far do those claims extend?" Kohala asked. There was a purpose to her question. She needed to know the loyalties of her mainland sisters. He rubbed the side of his head, "I'm not political or pay attention to territory. I don't know. I'm sorry. The British hold the eastern coast of North America, and the French hold many parts as well, including up in the Arctic Seas." "My stomping grounds." Interceptor smirked. Kohala sighed. She would have to wait and ask Tacoma about it when the big ship stopped here in a month. Regular contacts were key for the isolated Hawaiians.

"But I came here for a reason." Dark Shadow turned to his sister once more, "There is a treasure in this ocean. Worth ten times anything we could get from a Spanish treasure galleon. The Apple of Eden." "I've heard of it." Pearl said. "But such treasure would not go undetected for long. And I for one do not need to be caught up in another fight with European navies." "There wouldn't be a fight. With the Apple, we can make anyone submit to our orders." "Which is why the British will be gunning for it as well. And I just got done battling them and a demon ship for one treasure." Pearl hissed. She had found her slice of paradise in the world. She just wanted peace. Was that so difficult to understand? "So you're content to let the world burn while you sit back in retirement? Black Shadow, Pearl, we can stop Alex with the Apple! It depends on who finds it first! What if Alex finds it? Hmm?" Pearl hesitated. "Prince, what do you think?" She asked her son. "If it means stopping Alex from using the power," he nodded, "Then I'm in." "So am I." Interceptor said. Pearl sighed. "Very well." She agreed. "You have our support as well." Kohala said. Dark Shadow grinned, "That's what I like to hear. Ancient Legends say it's found in the center of the Gold Mountain, in the Dragon's Lair. Located somewhere in the Ring of Fire. Fitting name." "You'll need our support on this." Mauna Loa said. "The Fire Serpent does not give up his goods easily." Dark Shadow looked at the volcano, "You know where the Ring of Fire is?" "Sure I do. You're inside it now." Kohala said. "It surrounds this ocean. From China to Cape Horn." "The entire Pacific Ocean? That's a very big place to find our choice." "What about this Gold Mountain? That sounds like the mainland." Hualalai was a quiet brigantine, dwarfed by her much larger neighbors Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Usually quite shy she only spoke if she felt it worth speaking. "Are there any mountains with gold?" "Sure there are. Volcanic regions are perfect for the formation of that yellow rock you all crave so much." Mauna Loa sneered. "Peace, Loa." Kohala warned her. "Perhaps its not a literal translation." She mused. "What do we really know about the serpant?" wondered Kilauea as she spoke for the first time. At this time she was small, just a sloop, but she was powerful as evident by her glowing red eyes she shared with her sisters. Kohala was silent, gaze fixed on the horizon. She looked at Mauna Kea who was thinking the same thing she was. "Serpent?" Prince asked, "What serpent?" "Eons ago, there was a, how do you put it, dragon, that gave rise to our kind seeking vengeance." Kohala explained. "The Gold Mountain must be his lair." "But I thought his prison had dissolved ages ago as it was designed when the darkness left him." Mauna Kea mused. "He has no power now, all that transferred to the ship we assigned to guard him." Kohala looked closely at Interceptor. "Now I know where I sensed your strength from. You must have known her very well." "You speak in riddles. We be but humble pirates. Who and where are you talking of?" "The Serpent is a dragon named NuSorik. He created our kind." Kohala said. "There was a battle, a great war as I have told you before and he was defeated. We created a prison that was designed to fail when the darkness in his heart faded away. Guarding that prison we placed the most experienced and heroic of the mortal ships. It is her power I sense in you." "Who? The only one I can think of is...was Britannia." "Yes, that was her." Kohala sighed. "She may be gone but she won't be for long. NuSorik's power grants one immortality in spirit. She will return with a new form." Interceptor chuckled and shook his head, "Well she can't return soon enough. However that doesn't explain how you sense her power in me. We were just friends near the end of Nassau." "That's where you're wrong." Mauna Loa moved in close, touching noses with him. Her touch made him recall his earliest memories, drawing them out of the recesses of his mind.

Britannia had her teeth buried in the dock to muffle her screams. Her flanks heaved with the pains of childbirth. At her side was Dauntless. Interceptor's eyes widened while his mouth gaped. Tears swelled in his eyes. "I-impossible..." Mauna Loa pressed forward. "Keep looking." She whispered. Interceptor emerged into the world encased in blood that Dauntless quickly cleaned off. Her face was the first thing his eyes saw, making him believe that she was his mother. Britannia never touched him, she let Dauntless clean and feed him watching her son with eyes softened by love and darkened by agony. She could not keep him. "I'm...the offspring of HMS Britannia...?" he whispered, shocked by what he saw. "That explains why she gave you command of the fleet at Nassau." Pearl said and Mauna Loa nodded, once again displaying that memory. "Get the fleet to safety, you're in command now." Britannia told him as she turned to face Alexander's encroaching armada. Her blue eyes held no fear, only love and pride. How could he have missed it? All the signs were there. "You have her power Interceptor. And with it you can find the location of Gold Mountain." Kohala said. "I'm still trying to take this all in," he trembled. That was two mothers he'd lost to Alexander's hatred for pirates. The anger, sorrow and confusion raked each other like Ships-of-the-Line inside him, a tempest of emotion. "I-I don't even know where or how to start..." Mauna Loa backed off allowing Kohala to move closer. It was rare for the old ship to move about nowadays but she did so now. Her eyes were soft and her voice gentle. "You can start by clearing your mind." She said. "The power lives inside you. If you focus on it, you can use it to guide you." "I suppose I'm an idiot," he growled, "what am I supposed to clear my mind of? That saying makes no sense to me, if I'm trying to clear my mind would that not make me think about said subjects?" "Focus Interceptor. Have you ever heard of meditation? Clear your mind and let the power come to you." Kohala spoke gently. "I just don't get it..." he sighed, "I can't meditate. I always worry. About them. About her..." his eyes looked to Pearl. "She is safe with you as her mate. And even if something were to happen to you, you know we would care for her." Kohala assured him. She gave a nod to Pearl who backed off allowing Kohala to take her place at his side. Her hull brushed his, warm and welcoming.

"She didn't mean the Pirates of Nassau when she told me to take care of the Fleet...Did she?" he murmured. Kohala sighed. "No." She replied softly. He looked ahead towards the open Pacific. "No matter what path I take, it all leads back to Alexander. He's my destiny. Not Pearl's." "You know you would've had to confront him eventually." Kohala said. "I thought he would be Pearl's." he gave a hard and heavy sigh, "Now I know. The path ahead is going to be long and hard. And it starts with the Apple..." "Britannia knew the way and so do you. Her blood flows through your veins." His eyes hardened before closing. He exhaled slowly. "I will try. For Britannia." "For Britannia." Pearl echoed, voicing her support. He focused hard. Concentrating all of his mind on one thing. He bared his teeth. The Brig had something...he gasped. "I saw...a great inlet...on the West Coast of America. A large bay, a sound, overlooked by a mountain of ice that was damn near the largest I've ever seen." Kohala looked at Mauna Loa. "Tahoma. It has to be." She said and the other nodded. "She'll be here soon. Should we wait?" "If she doesn't appear in a week we'll have no choice but to go." Kohala replied. "Another volcano?" Interceptor asked. "Yes, a large one. One of the largest on the mainland." Kohala said. "Great. Should be easy to grab the Apple then." "We should hope so. Tahoma was a lead figure in the war against NuSorik. If anyone knows where the Apple is, it's her." They would find out soon enough.

Tahoma pulled into Pearl Harbor just as she usually did twice a year. Her regular contacts kept the Hawaiians in touch with their mainland sisters. She was very surprised to see Interceptor. "Thought you were dead boy." She grunted. "I am pleased to see Britannia's blood still lives." "Do all of your kind know me?" he asked in confusion, "This is quite strange." "Britannia was no ordinary mortal." Kohala said. "She not only fought in the Great War she lead it, uniting us against NuSorik. It's because of her this world even exists." "I see. This NuSorik seems quite the character." "You don't know the half of it." Mauna Loa grunted. "I assume this is about the Apple." Tahoma sighed. "We need it before Alexander finds it." Dark Shadow rasped. Tahoma sighed. "You're asking the wrong ship. I don't have it but I know who does. Her name is Loowit." "Of course…" Kohala gasped. "He wouldn't have trusted anyone else." "Who? You all have such bloody strange names." Prince chuckled. Interceptor sighed and rubbed his head, "Where is this Loowit?" "On the mainland." Tahoma replied. "I can take you to her." "Please." he murmured.

It had been centuries since Kohala had left her native waters but she and Tahoma led the way with Interceptor, Prince, Catcher, Dark Shadow, and Pearl close behind. Mauna Loa guarded the fleet from the rear. "There's still so much left in the world that the Empires have not yet hurt..." Interceptor murmured. "I wish it could stay that way." Kohala sighed. "Soon enough the whole world will be on an accurate map." Dark Shadow said as they sailed on, "It's inevitable. We can only hope we're on the right side when it happens." "We are pirates, what is the right side?" Pearl asked quietly.

It took them a month to traverse the 3000 miles to Tahoma's waters. "There's so much green." Prince inhaled sharply, "And it's not so humid. It feels so nice here..." "Welcome to the most volcanic region on the face of the earth." Tahoma murmured and Kohala shot her a glare. "Okay, second most volcanic." The gray ship ammended. "It's still pretty." Interceptor agreed with Prince. "Would be a nice second home." "You wouldn't stay hidden for very long. This region is very popular for fur traders." Tahoma said. "We have managed to uh, persuade them to avoid going upriver but even that won't deter them for long." "What's upriver?" "Us." Tahoma replied and Kohala grinned slyly. "Using the old fire and rocks trick to keep them at bay I see." "Oh shush!" Tahoma sniffed. "You told me the volcanoes here were far more nasty and likely to kill me," the new voice of Interceptor's captain spoke up as he came on deck and looked to Kohala with a smirk, "They don't seem as bad as you made them out to be." "You haven't met the younger of the bunch yet." Tahoma said. "As long as you stay with me, you should be okay. But I wouldn't go wondering off in these waters." She looked at Kohala. "Did you really say we were that vicious?" She asked. "You flatter me sister!" "I figured he was a pirate cretin at the time." Kohala pouted. "And was going to try and break into the fur trade." "I could've handled it if that were the case." Tahoma smirked. "Until you realize my ship has the power of Britannia." he raised his head cheekily, Interceptor rolling his eyes and giving his own smirk. "Alright, enough." Pearl rolled her eyes, not in the mood to deal with volcano ship posturing. "Now then, who exactly are we looking for?" She asked. "Her name is Loowit. The youngest of the Cascades and the most volatile." Kohala replied. "We'll watch our tongues." Dark Shadow replied, "We don't want to cause any trouble." "It might be best if we remain silent and let the volcanoes do the talking." the suggestion came from Prince. "Hey my brother has a brain under his brawn after all!" That was Catcher, grinning at his big brother with a twinkle in his eye. "Stuff it tiny," he smirked back, "I know when to keep my guns corked. When I don't, that's when I just go out guns blazing!" "Is that why Jackdaw captured you?" Interceptor's question made Prince wince and look away, grumbling to himself. Pearl chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Now, now boys behave. Catcher you know better than to tease your brother and Prince, don't rise to the bait. You know he does it just to annoy you." She ordered. "Yes mom." Catcher said. "Yes mother." Prince snorted then smiled.

"Pearl will you take my place?" Interceptor asked, "I'd like to share a few words in private with Kohala, if that's alright." "Of course dear." Pearl had the boys fall back with Mauna Loa and Tahoma leaving Interceptor alone with Kohala. The old volcano looked at him. "I want to know more about this, thing with Britannia. How I'm supposed to take up her legacy. I don't know where to begin. To be as strong and powerful and beloved as her...you are the only one who can help me." "It is true that I trained her for battle during the Great War, yes." Kohala sighed. "I could teach you what I taught her but I don't know if that's what's required for you. You have her power but you are different. You have a different understanding of the world than she did." "I just want to do right by her. And when she returns she can hear the stories of the legendary Interceptor, as many have heard the stories of the legendary Britannia. And she can be proud that she left this life knowing her son was up to the task left behind by her. I want to do her right and make her proud." Kohala shook her head with a sigh. "Oh Interceptor, you already have made her proud." She said. "No," he whisperered, looking at his reflection as he turned, "I'm running away." "Are you? You chose to leave the safety of the islands to find an artifact you do not know if you can control, just to keep it from Alex. You are not running away, you are still fighting and one day soon you will find a fleet to fight him with." She nuzzled him. "Sooner rather than later." he murmured, "Still. I could use the training." "I will help you." She promised him. "Thank you." Kohala did something very bold then. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "The others are waiting." She said and set off to return to the fleet. He blushed and followed. They approached the fleet as they met Loowit. And the first one to speak was Interceptor's captain, a soft whisper full of pure truth. "She's beautiful..."

Far from the largest of the Cascades, Loowit was the youngest and her beauty was unmatched. She sported a white-gray hull that matched the colors of her peak and her eyes were glacier blue. But there was a hardness to her gaze that spoke of a tough heart and a fire that displayed the fierceness of her soul. Her beauty hid a much more dangerous side lurking just beneath the surface, literally and figuratively. She was not a ship to be trifled with. "I'd be careful with your flirting, Sir. She doesn't seem to be one you'd want to get involved with." Interceptor murmured. "I'd be willing to take the chance. Her eyes speak of hidden pain." "I'm sure her sisters are helping her." "And I'm sure she'd rather a stranger like her. Non-biased..." "Love at first sight, Sir?" "I can't say for certain...but...it's possible." the man stared at Loowit for a good moment, smiling up at her softly. If she noticed that she was being admired, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on Interceptor although she occasionally glanced at Kohala who was at his side, standing almost protectively over him. "Speak mortal, quickly." She growled. "I haven't got all day." He dipped his head respectively. "Forgive our intrusion, Madame Loowit. We seek the Apple of Eden. We heard that it lies with you. We wish to keep it out of the hands of the European Empires. They would do unthinkable things with its power." "And why should I turn over something so powerful to you?" Loowit asked. "How do I know you aren't seeking to use it yourselves." "I vouch for them." Kohala said, stepping up. "As do I." agreed Mauna Loa. "Until the situation blows over I could stay as insurance." Interceptor's captain spoke up, "This seems a truly awe-full place. Filled with beauty unmatched by any other. Both in nature and in the creatures who live here. As long as they have the Apple, I can stay here. A trade." "Is that some weird form of flirt?" Dark Shadow cocked his eye. "It's merely a suggestion. I'd quite like to stay, really. I find this a much more comfortable environment. Coastal forests are my preference, not tropical jungles." "Whatever works. We can do what you need us to, in order to have the Apple." interceptor sighed, "Please...for Britannia." Loowit stiffened at the name. "You, are her son." She realized. "Truth be told I just found out myself." he chuckled shyly but nodded, "Yes. I am the son of Britannia." "I sense her power in you." Loowit sighed. "Very well." She consented. "I will show you the Apple." "Thank you, very much." "Do not make me regret this, Son of the Chosen One." She growled a warning. "For if I regret it, then so will you. This I vow with all my strength." She held out to him in one of her wires, the key to the apple itself. "Take this to fork, where the Snake's tongue meets the river." "Joy, another riddle and more visions." he snorted, before bowing his head, "Thank you much, Lady Loowit." "You're fortunate you have a local guide. Tahoma knows the way." Loowit snorted back, two smoke rings appearing out of her nostrils. "Also, Tahoma do not let me catch you in my waters again. You know our deal." "I apologize Loowit." Tahoma bowed her head. She would one day become the flagship of the Cascade Squadron when the British and later the United States lay claim to the territory but for now, it was every volcano for herself out here.