Iris' planet could be seen far off into the distance. It wouldn't be very long now until Jim and his crew, along with Iris and Kate, would reach the beautiful planet made up of diamonds.
The gravitational pull was already making an effort to drag them in and it was a wonder that Barlow even managed to make it out. Jim's ship was strong, though, and it would take more than that keep him from leaving when the time came. That was the mission: go to Iris' planet and see that her village was kept from harm, and then, kill Barlow when he arrived.
"Ready the shield!" Jim hollered to his men. Two levers were pulled and a holographic shield appeared, covering the entire ship. And just in time, too, it seemed like. A cannon was fired, bouncing off the ship's shield.
One of Jim's men took out his binoculars to scan the open area behind them. "A ship with black sails is fast approaching!" He yelled back at Jim. It could only mean one thing: Barlow was finally making his move.
"Ready the cannons and spear guns!" Jim ordered his men.
Kate did the same, and they prepared for a fight.

All the while Iris stood at Jim's side, but it wasn't for much longer as Jim quickly turned to her and said, "I need you to go to our bedroom and stay there until I come get you."
Iris protested. "But I can fight! Let me do it!"
Jim shook his head. "No, Iris. I want you to be safe. If the shield breaks I don't want anything hitting you."
"But, Jim!"
"You are my top priority right now. Go!" He gave her light push to send her on her way. No matter how much Iris wanted to help fight, Jim knew it was best that she remain hidden.
Kate was the first to fire back, the laser cannon cracking Barlow's shield.
"Fire!" Jim yelled and every single gun on his ship went off, piercing Barlow's ship. This is too easy, thought Jim. He has something planned.

Barlow never faltered his speed and continued heading their way.
The gravitational pull was greater now, and as they entered the atmosphere the storm of crystals began making a dent on all if them.
The frenzy crystal storm got thicker by the minute but Jim knew it would soon pass. They could just have to survive until then. It would seem they had more to worry about than Barlow's cannons.

Barlow fired more cannons and laser guns, but this time it was all directed towards Kate. She forced to move from her current position, and the force of the storm wasn't helping either. It was causing them all to split up.
It would seem that Barlow had nothing left, for his attacks stopped, but his speed remained the same. His main target was Jim, and just as they were reaching the other end of the storm where Iris' island would be waiting on the other side, Barlow's ship rammed into Jim's.
"Take cover!" Jim let go of the helm and let the storm guide the ship. He dropped to his knees and tried to cover himself as best as he could.
The shield around the ship broke, shattering with a loud crack. The storm of crystals swarmed them and Jim could feel every single one ripping his clothes and cutting into his skin. It stung but the pain did not last for long. Both Barlow's and Jim's ships popped out from the swirling storm, falling.
The clean air was welcoming and Jim stood up fast to take control of the ship again. He altered its speed, and changed its course; their free falling stopped.

More laser cannons came flying their way, but they were not the target. Admiral Blake and And Captain Amelia could be seen near the island with their ships resting in the ocean. They were aiming for Barlow.
All shots fired were accurate and blew Barlow's ship off course, disappearing somewhere on the opposite end of the island.
As Jim slowly descended and landed with as much grace as possible into the ocean, it was then he took a big breath. He let go of his tight grip on the helm and walked out on his deck to check his men. Some were badly wounded, while others had lost their lives. It appeared that the storm of crystals was what did them in. Thankfully they were away from harm for the moment, but how much time would they all have to rest before Barlow made his next move?

After checking on his men Kate could be seen making her way out of the storm. Her shield was barely visible; she landed next to Jim and sent men over to check on them. Admiral Blake and Amelia could be seen making their way over as well.
Jim was very adamant about his men getting taken care first. As a captain he felt that the only way to have a strong crew was if everyone was treated fairly. He didn't want to take the attention away that his men desperately needed.

Finally, all captains made their way on to Jim's ship.
"Sit your ads down." Kate scolded and forced Jim to let the doctor from her ship check him over. Unfortunately Jim's doctor did not see the fight through and perished in the storm.
Iris did not wait for Jim to return. Instead she took it upon herself to go to him. "Jim..." She slowly walked up to him and stood by his side. "Your hands..." Iris gently touched his hands to look them over once the doctor had bandaged them. Even though his wounds had been cleaned, fresh blood could be seen seeping through the clean white bandages.
"Ill be fine." Jim told her. He didn't want her to worry.
Iris scanned his face next and glad to find only a scratch across his cheek. His uniform, however, was done for. He had tossed his jacket seeing as

it no longer served any purpose and revealed the cuts in his shirt. Thankfully the cuts were not as deep as the ones on his hands; his jacket put up a good fight.
Amelia made her way over to the two of them. "We've made contact with Iris' people. They know she is coming."
Iris' eyes lit up with joy. "How are they? Did you see my mother?"
Amelia nodded. "Indeed. She is pleased to know that you are alive."
Admiral soon made his way over as well. "We shouldn't waste any more time. Amelia and I will stay here near the base of the island while you, Kate and Iris make your way to the village."
"Are you sure?" Said Jim.
Admiral Blake nodded. "Of course."

Preparations were soon made and the trio got into a lifeboat. A few men and women from Blake's and Amelia's crew accompanied them while on a second lifeboat. Jim stared down at the ocean. It really was just as Iris described: you could see the ocean from miles down and from there you could the hundreds to thousands of crystals resting below.
"This place is bigger than I imagined." Said Kate as she stared at her surroundings.
One of Amelia's crew members said, "The forest is even bigger. I've never seen anything like it."
Once they sailed to the beach and brought the lifeboats up to a comfortable distance from the waves they soon made their way into the forest.
"I will lead." Said Iris. "I know this place better than anyone here."
Jim smiled, nodding. "Lead the way." He was happy to see her taking control of the situation and for once in a long while he felt like he could take it easy.

The rays from the burning sun was soon hidden from view as the leaves from the trees put up a wondrous shade. Birds could be heard singing and seen flying from tree to tree. Some were as small as Iris' hand, while others were half the size of the lifeboats. The colors from their feathers were beautiful, too. But there was more than just the birds who made an appearance for their new arrivals. Creatures Jim never dreamed possible to ever existed walked among them in the forest. They, too, were curious about them.
"Don't worry about them." Said Iris. "They are perfectly harmless." She continued leading the way as she held Jim's hand. From time to time she would glance back to look at the marveled expression on his face; Kate's as well.

As the narrow path they followed opened up, turning into more of a road with banners made out of animal skin hung on the trees, they finally reached the village. Huts made out of grass, hay, giant leaves and mud. Work benches were set up to craft weapons and meat was strung up to be cleaned once cut from the animal. Some animal's were left unscathed once skinned as they hung upside down. There were even tents made out of the skin and fur from the animals they hunted. And up ahead sat the biggest hut in all the village. It was decorated the horns of animals and their bones. It was done in a way though that it almost looked beautiful; that whoever did the decorated truly cared and respected the animals they harvested from.

Heads were immediately turned and they were yelled at in the islands native tongue.
Iris put up her hands and spoke to them in the same language.
"Iris..."said one of the men.
Iris smiled, nodding as she continued to speak in her native tongue. When they exchanged a few more words Iris looked back at Jim and Kate and said, "Everything is fine."
The men who stopped them guided them through the village while the rest of its people stood off to the side and watched them make their way to the giant hut up ahead.
A middle aged woman soon made her grand appearance. Her hair was long and pulled back in a tight braid. Her outfit consisted of a dress made out of animal skin and resting over her shoulders was white fur. The necklace she wore was made out bone and teeth and feathers much like the ones from the birds they saw making their way here. As for her feet, she wore nothing. In her right hand, though, she held a wooden staff that was curved and twisted at the top.
"Mama!" Iris cried and ran into her mother's arms.
"I've missed you, little one." She cupped her daughters face in one hand and smiled down at her daughter. "Although, their is something different about you. You're not so little anymore, are you?"
Iris was completely overjoyed to see her mother again. "I have some friends I want you to meet." Iris joined Jim's side again. "This is my husband Jim, and my friend Kate."
Jim quickly glanced down at Iris as she called him her "husband". He didn't say anything in protest as he did not want to ruin the precious moment. Jim thought, when did I propose?! He wasn't upset, of course, just really shocked.
A man not much older made his way out from the crowd and stood in between Iris and her mother. "You slept with this man?!" He hand long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. He was almost as tall as Jim and his skin was slightly darker than Iris'. He wore nothing but animal skin and fur around his waist; he was well build too.
Iris took a step toward him as she could tell that he attention was focused on Jim. "Stop, Lee!" She pushed him back.
"You are my betrothed! How could you do this?"
Iris crossed her arms and stood her ground. "I never agreed to marry you." She told him.
Kate leaned in and whispered to Jim. "Aww, isn't that sweet? She thinks you two are married."
Jim tried to hush Kate as discretely as he possibly could. He didn't want go draw any further attention to himself.
"You're going to have to explain a few things to her." Kate told him and she moved back to her spot.
Iris' mother banged her staff on the ground. "Enough," she said. "There are bigger matters at hand here. Iris has chosen her mate and we will leave it at that." She held out a hand. "Come, Jim and Kate. Let us talk inside."

The inside of the hut looked like any other home that belonged to a loving family, only it was decorated in a different manner. There were red, blue, brown and black rugs spread out across the dirt floor. It was divided into three parts: a main living area where they all sat down on piles of fur, and two other areas that looked like rooms, but the hay sewn covered curtains made it hard to see inside to know what it really looked like.
"You have returned my daughter to me safely," began Iris' mother. "For that I am forever grateful to you. Tell me," she then said. "Is Leland still alive?"
Jim nodded. "Yes. He is on the ship we arrived on. In fact, there are four ships out there and the captains there are keeping a close eye out for Barlow." He paused before saying, "Leland is also my father."
"Its true!" Said Iris when she saw the look her mother gave her.
"My...what a surprise." She said. Her face became serious now. "You spoke of Barlow. He has returned then?" Jim nodded to her. Iris' mother cursed in her native tongue. "That is a problem."
Kate spoke up. "Ma'am, if its alright with you, we'd like to become better acquainted with the area. We want to cover as much ground as possible before Barlow makes a move."
"I'm sure Barlow has already made a move to make his way here." She scoffed. "Admiral Blake and Captain Amelia have been scouring the island for the last couple of days. We've ready made planes for them to hold the fight out in the forest for when Barlow comes."
"Then what is it that you have planned for us?" Jim wanted to know.
The beautiful now chief of the village smiled warmly at him. "You are your men will stay here in the village and protect us and help us fight if Barlow and his men break through."
Jim then said, "But will there be enough room for all of us?"
Kate nodded to this. "Jim is right. Someone should stay behind to ensure the safety of our ships."
Jim looked back at her. "That's too much work for one person." He told her.
Kate scoffed. "Please, Jim, I won't be alone. I'll have my crew with me. And as long as a few men from each crew stays behind with me, I'm sure it will not prove difficult."
"She's right." Said Iris. "With Barlow's ship destroyed he will try to take one of the others. If that happens..." Her voice trailed off.
"Do not worry." Said Iris' mother. "As long as we work together we can win this fight. And this time we have an advantage: we know Barlow is coming and we'll be ready for him"
Jim held out his hand. "Then we have a plan." Said Jim. "I look forward to fighting alongside your people." And the two of them shook hands.

Sorry for no sex this chapter. Goodies are promised in the next.
Not sure when next chapter will be out. I am going to Disney World next week.
And as always: a review is food for the writers soul.
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