Chapter 6: A Red Dawn
A/N: Um, I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean either (the fourth movie wouldn't have happened if I did.) Get ready for some socioeconomics! Speaking of, class choices were completely random (you'll see what I mean) so don't get all fussy with me. Oh and beta, another name change. Announcement: I recently created a poll (99% sure it worked) for this fic. Trust me, you should check it out.
No matter how cool Pirates of the Caribbean made it look, America was really starting to hate sailing. He was from the era of steamships, speed boats, planes, jets, and his beloved automobile. These slow moving hunks of wood were getting on his nerves. How England could stand a century of it, he had no idea.
The glorious age of technology also included Google maps and GPS, unlike this seemingly never advancing dimension he'd been thrown into. The enchantments on the ship also made it harder for him to pinpoint exactly where in the world they were at the moment, the closest he could get was somewhere in the Atlantic. Joy.
At least the company was good. Over the past three days at sea Matthew had explained some of the politics and society of the Cards kingdoms. Aside from joint leadership each society was designed as a caste system of sorts based on numerical order of cards two through ten.
Families of the ten, nine, and eight denomination were like the nobility or aristocracy and also provided the best of the military. Seven, six, and five were the wealthy business owners and entrepreneurs, five being more of the former. Four and three were the middle-class workers and small market shopkeepers. Two were the lower-class farmers and peasants, also the largest class by population due to larger families.
What was most interesting was the choosing of the royals. Class denomination had no meaning to whatever higher power chose the next rulers; it was based on the individuals alone. If they were deemed worthy at the time they became the chosen ones and took over for the fallen face card. Though it seemed some families were luckier than others.
Alfred and Matthew were brothers of class four, chosen three years apart after the former King and Ace of Spades went down in a naval battle and land ambush in the last war almost four decades ago. In the same war the Queen and Jack of Diamonds were assassinated and the siblings Basch and Lili were chosen to replace them, both class three.
Feliciano had taken over for his predecessor nearly a century ago as a nine and his grand-nephew Lovino stepped up as a six after a fire took the life of the Ace of Hearts. Ivan and Natalya were distant cousins chosen nearly eighty years apart as a two and five respectively.
Another annoying thing about this universe was the lack of communication between continents. The Dominion of Cards had gone off the grid after its founders fled Chess and contact was once in a blue moon between them. Apparently, early on they had the triangular trade network set up, minus the slavery of the Middle Passage, but after the suit kingdoms separated all trade was cut off, everything was home grown or produced in local factories, no kingdom outsourced to anyone1.
Currently, the Rummy was somewhere in the Atlantic and a red dawn was breaking. A brilliant, fiery red dawn that drew every soul aboard the ship on deck to gaze at. The swollen ball of fire slowly crawled into the sky, tinting the clouds a rainbow of colors from purple to pink to yellow.
Three days in and blood had already been shed. They hadn't even made it to Chess, not halfway there, and people already died in the war to end all wars in the West. England leaned against the railing, the sun making a silhouette of his blue-clad form. Canada decided to join him, slouching against the wooden railing lazily. The crew was already up and making their rounds, quiet conversation going on in the background.
"You know, there's one thing about this that just doesn't add up." The Brit started, breaking the silence between them. His former colony turned to him, waiting for elaboration. "Why now? I mean, according to Matthew there is almost no contact with Europe or anyone, so why would this Chessmen Empire decided to steal their prized possession now of all times? What motivated them to do it in the first place?"
"Maybe they never really broke communications, they just let Cards think they did and kept spies there watching. Maybe they knew all they needed was for someone to strike a match and let the pieces fall where they will. Then they'd come once the initial carnage ended and decimate the remaining forces, taking Cards for themselves." Canada suggested, the morbid possibility made England frown. Canada wasn't one for pessimism, and the thought was unsettling.
"Canada?" Now more than ever it was nearly impossible to tell who was who with the North America brothers. There really were two Canadas plus their twin America all on one ship. Said Nation looked up at him in acknowledgement, proving that he really was talking to the one and only Canadian Nation. "Just making sure."
"It's just a thought.-"
"No, that's not what I meant. That is a very real possibility, and it doesn't make our job any easier. That would mean the Chessmen know we're- they're- coming. Whoever they are, they'll be expecting us. And if they're anything like the Europe we know-"
"Then our job just got a whole lot harder." Canada finished, eyes wide. "What if we don't make it back before they kill each other?"
England turned back to the expanse of ocean before him, eyes longing, "I don't know lad. I don't know."
Gotta love the smell of napalm in the morning. At least, you can love it when you stand miles away watching the mushroom cloud rise into the sky and are not running for your non-immortal life on an island just invaded the day before at dawn by very scary ships with emerald green flags fluttering ominously in the sea breeze.
If Isle Maid existed in the normal universe, it would take the place of Cuba. Isle Maid stood as a strategic port for Spades in defending against naval attacks by Clubs as most of their major ports lie in the southern parts of the kingdom. Gin, taking the place of Jamaica, was Clubs' key port against Spades.
Much like another certain island, Isle Maid thought an attack on them from Gin was suicide, and thus they stayed well protected from a southern attack. And much like another certain island, Isle Maid was taken completely by surprise by the largest naval attack force ever to leave the Port of Gin and the western city of Kingston had been burning for over twenty four hours now2.
Half the fleet in Kingston lie at the bottom of the harbor while another quarter slowly sank into the depths behind their fellow vessels. All at the hands of Clubs military. Reinforcements from the eastern ports were already on the scene but the damage had been done before the sun reached its apex the day before.
Isle Maid was in utter chaos and the rest of Spades would soon follow. As the navy attacked strategic ports in the South, club-crested armies crossed the dividing border between the belligerent kingdoms in the West. Yao furiously deployed all naval assets to the west and south, half the fleet creating a blockade around the Florida peninsula where the capital was located while the rest met green banners off the shore of Kingston.
Little did Clubs know that Hearts began its own attack after gaining passage through Diamond waters in the far south. Diamonds maintained its neutrality up to this point, only allowing guarded passage to Hearts navy while staying out of the fighting for as long as possible. With any luck, the three warring kingdoms would simultaneously decimate each other and Diamonds would be left the spoils.
Unbeknownst to all but Spades, small entourages would be arriving on their shores soon enough with a weapon more volatile than gunpowder could ever be: A means to threaten the relationship between king and country.
France arrived with a small group of Spades Special Forces on the shores of the Kingdom of Diamonds. Dusk was just setting in and made the optimal cover for the classic French coup d'état he was planning3. The four members of the party each arrived in the orange clothing of the land of Diamonds, all but one looking utterly disgusted at the thought of wearing such treasonous colors. The party slowly began their trek north into the heart of the kingdom.
Germany, Italy, Romano, and Japan all arrived late into the night in the Kingdom of Hearts, having to take a wide arcing route with no other option available. Their group leader held a rough map of the kingdom in his crimson-gloved hands as they too began their journey up to the scarlet castle on a hill.
Russia had yet to leave the confines of Spades yet, as trying to escape into enemy territory undetected was proving very difficult indeed. Entry by sea was out of the question but the only other passage in was all the way around the northern border of Clubs to the mountain range on the other side. That pass would take days to reach by horseback and though they had a train it would be too suspicious. They just had to wait for a window to open.
Alfred, Arthur, and Yao had not set foot outside the castle walls since seeing the Nations off to Chess. Fear of spies jeopardizing the whole plan kept them behind closed doors and without Matthew to run interference they were nearly blind. Arthur's cousin Dylan, a commander in the Spades army, was the only go-between they had for at least another two days. Long enough for Russia to make it to Clubs and for everyone to get rooted into rival governments before the doubles were revealed. That is if no one decided to put two and two together.
If Spades had a personification, he or she would likely be bedridden at this point. The royals were doing the best they could with what they had but morale was low after word of the missing Timepiece spread through the kingdom. Nothing like a war to invoke national pride though, even if the odds were against them. For the first time ever, citizens from all across the kingdom of every social level were pouring into the enlistment offices pledging servitude in what many saw as the final voyage of war for all suit kingdoms4.
It made the royals prideful of their citizens but also made them realize just how devastating this war could turn out to be if the Timepiece was not returned.
Nothing like imminent death to make you feel alive.
"They attacked civilians. Not a single soldier in a seven mile radius and they attacked civilians. Those bastards!"
They being Clubs infantry and civilians being the small town of Alcade west of Spades River-or the Mississippi, take your pick. It had been a massacre and gave the advantage to no one. Clubs just wanted to kill civilians to make the point that they could, and would.
Yao could not take the isolation any longer and he didn't care who noticed he was still in Spades. As head of the military he had a job to do and that job was protecting his subordinates as well as his people. Sitting in a castle for the sake of illusion was not worth the hundreds of lives being lost by the day. Which is why he stood with Dylan among the cavalry ranks preparing to liberate Alcade and prevent a single green soul from crossing the river. Past that daunting obstacle was just flat land and village straight up to the heart of the kingdom.
They were losing. Bad. Diamond forces had yet to rear their ugly head but day-long naval battles and invasions from the west were enough to handle, too much it seemed. All they needed was one victory. Just one and spirits would rise. Stand-stills and impasses were not cutting it and Spades was running out of ships. Boats could only be built so fast, regardless of what time period it was.
It had been four days since the Rummy headed for Chess, four days since the war began, and they needed a miracle. Now. Otherwise there wouldn't be a four-way war for much longer. The Timepiece was a handicap; Spades' greatest strength was inevitably their greatest weakness. The other three kingdoms had danced to the beat of the war drums for centuries without it and their experience was showing. After being dragged down to their level, Spades was at a complete and utter loss on what to do in foreign territory in both warfare and geography.
Though, they still had an ace up their sleeve. Technically two aces, four kings, two queens, and two jacks. Russia had finally managed to slip through a gap in Club defenses and was hopefully wreaking havoc in the kingdom. At least it seemed that way, because the western cavalry would have been crushed without Russia's intervention in delaying the troops.
As such, they were still hilariously outmatched. The sun was just beginning to set on the shores of Spades River and not a single green uniform was in sight. Either a trap or the lucky break they'd been so desperate for. Unfortunately it was probably the former.
Along the entire river inside Spade territory, there were a total of seven bridges. Burning said bridges or bombing said bridges was not high on the popularity list of either kingdom. It prevented forces from either side crossing to either side.
But something had to be done to prevent the fall of the larger cities. So down they went, all but one right where the cavalry was stationed. They could always build new ones. It was a funnel system really, simple yet effective. Horses and large weaponry could not cross the river unassisted, meaning they had to cross the bridge or else they wouldn't cross at all. So waiting on the other side was an attack force ready and willing to slaughter anyone or thing that stepped foot on the cobblestone pathway.
Yao, much to his chagrin, could not stay at the riverbank for long. Other battles and other lives were at stake elsewhere and his military knowledge and strategy was needed. Ah, the perks of not aging.
He rode alone back to the castle, still undercover in an eight-banded uniform. His horse moved swiftly and steadily through the night, the only sounds were the animal's hooves pounding into the gravel road. While on the silent ride, Yao had time to think about their apparent allies from another world and one question kept resurfacing no matter how far he shoved it away:
Can they really be trusted?
What stopped Ivan from turning on Spades and siding with his doppelgänger? Or any of their spies in other kingdoms? Even the group headed east, what made them loyal to Spades? If their attitudes were anything to go by these Nations rarely got along with each other and yet here they were all fighting for the same side.
Why?
Was it because it was Spades that called for aid and not another kingdom? What if Hearts had summoned them? Would America, England, China, and Canada ruthlessly undermine their doubles as the others currently did for loyalty's sake?
Or was it something else entirely? Maybe they all, for once, wanted to fight as allies instead of adversaries. Or they thought siding with the historical victor would win the war faster and send them home.
Yao sighed and shook his head, once again shoving the thoughts aside. Paranoia only served as an obstacle, especially in war. The second you begin questioning your allies is the second you sign yourself to failure.
The brunette road onwards into the night, running straight forward into more bloodshed.
Footnotes:
1: Back when you were either an empire or feudal farmers, Western Europe, Africa, and America/ the Caribbean all did this thing called triangular trade going around in a loop in the order listed above. The Middle Passage was the journey from Africa to America for slave ships.
2: Pearl Harbor, explained a few chapters ago. Taken completely by surprise and lots of people died not just in the initial attack but from drowning in the sinking ships. I applaud Japan for coming up with that scheme, even if it really wasn't worth it in the end. Though it wasn't battleship v. battleship. More like completely overwhelming air raid.
3: Napoleon basically came to power by promising the French an amazing empire in the midst of their bloody revolution (which kinda happened because of ours). He did so by secretly toppling the government from the inside. But most people know him for being short (he really wasn't), his epic failure in Russia, and Waterloo in 1815.
4. In WWI, or the Great War, everyone and their cat was signing up for the war that would last "Only a couple of weeks". No, people didn't think it was "The End" but still. Propaganda was still everywhere but in places like England people were dropping everything to enlist. War really does invoke nationalism and patriotism, or it invokes traitorous ideas and threats against humanity. Take your pick.
This isn't labeled merely because I didn't know where to put the superscript. "Red Dawn" (not the movie) is a disambiguation used for the foreshadowing of something bad that's about to happen. It's been used tons in literature and movies as symbolism, I just think it sounds cool and really works, especially in this setting. Though there's also tons of different ways to say it, some are weirder than others. Look it up if you don't believe me. Thanks again for continued support guys!