Piracy
Chapter 18
Chest of Mille Mortuus Animus
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny
It was mid evening when Luna and her crew finally arrived on the shore line of the tiny island. They had taken extra precautions to not be seen and made sure that they were on a side of the island where the trees were thick and could conceal the ship from sight at a long distance, the only disadvantage would be that they would have to cut threw the underbrush of the forest and that would take lots of time. By then they should have the night's cloak of darkness to aid them.
Luna paced the in circles as she tried to come up with a plan on how and when to strike the Archangel. Her red jacket was off and she paced in just her white standard military shirt and pants as the weather was hot, to hot for the heavy wool of her uniform.
What would be the best phase of action? Luna thought to herself. She wanted no slip ups, she had to take the Archangel and their captains in one go, she couldn't afford any escaping or loosing to many men.
"What to do?" Luna murmured to herself. She was an excellent fighter after all she had been training almost half her life for this. She was sure that she could take on the captain one on one, though she did admit and only to herself that she was nervous. Captain Kira was famous just as much if not more for his fighting skills than his actual reputation as a scourge.
It has to be perfect, no screw ups, but what can I do, would he be at the ship? They must be here to collect whatever it is they are looking for. I have to wait until sunset before we move out, that way for sure I will know if he's there.
Luna thought to herself. She wouldn't have her plans ruined because of bad timing, no everything would be precise, an attack that would make the Navy proud.
"What are our orders?" Rey asked as he approached the magenta haired girl.
Luna paused and placed a hand on her chin in thought. After a moment or two she looked at her second with determination.
"Have everyone prepare, I want everyone to be equipped with a pistol and cutlass, and everyone should be prepared for close combat." Luna said sternly.
Rey frowned. "Not everyone is trained in such away."
Luna nodded. "I understand that, I will have the gunners in the back but even so everyone must be prepared to fight at close range. Pirates are experts in that field and I know that we can not fight from a distance for long, we aren't in a boat."
Rey's frown deepened. "Then why not wait until they set sail once again? Surely our ship could take them out."
Luna glared. "I will not wait any longer, I want this, and I want that Captain Kira dead!" Luna shouted spitting Kiras name as if it were poison.
Rey wanted to protest but knew it would do no good; Luna was fare to gone to be open to other options other than attacking the Archangel as soon possible.
She will get us killed; doesn't she realize how idiotic this plan is?
Rey thought to himself in distaste, he had gone against the Pirates of the Archangel already and knew their strength; they would slaughter them in close combat. He knew that an attack at sea would be their best option. However Luna had been given full control by the commander so he could do nothing.
Reluctantly he saluted Luna and headed off to inform the other recruits of her orders.
Taking orders from a woman, how shameful. Rey could not help but think bitterly.
Luna was pleased as she watched Rey stack off before turning back to her pacing and concentrated on thinking up a plan, they would head out at sunset and strike the Archangel while it was night. She would conquer that ship for her military and nation and take the life of its captain for herself.
Forest
Cagalli was loosing patients fast, she had been sent to the back of the group because she had taken just a little bit longer than average in cutting away a vine. Like Athrun managed to do it so much faster, she was just being undermined because she was a woman, or so she thought.
"It's not because you're a girl." Kira sighed as if reading his sisters thoughts.
Cagalli glared at the back of her brothers' head. "The hell it's not."
No bothering to turn around Kira continued leading the group. "You're to slow, why would I leave you in the front to take up more time when Athrun can cut faster?"
Cagalli snorted and crossed her arms child like. "I do not care, it wasn't that much faster."
Growing annoyed Kira let the matter go. "If you say so."
Mwu and Dearka, who were a few paces in front of Cagalli snickered with laughter, causing Cagalli to growl like a lion causing her nostrils to flare.
"Something you find amusing?" She snapped at the two who gulped and said no as quickly as they could.
It was Kiras turn to laugh. "You really are a hellcat, causing two bloodthirsty pirates to cringe in fright at your wicked tone."
Cagalli took no more and started shouting colorful profanities at her all too cheeky brother who had the nerve to laugh even harder.
Athrun who was beside Kira rolled his eyes in disbelief at the twos display of sibling squabble. It was times like this he wondered how two people with such low maturity levels where two of the most feared pirates among the waters.
After a few minutes Athrun made the mistake of trying to break up the scrap between the two only to have Cagalli direct her anger towards him.
"I don't know why I was wasting time on him; it's your fault I'm in the back anyways." Cagalli roared.
Athrun flinched but fought back. "Me? What did I do you're the one who took forever to cut a single vine."
The two battered brutally for a good five minutes and caused a few headaches before Kira stopped them by suddenly discontinued his walking causing Athrun to run into him and fall to ground in a huff.
"What was that for?" Athrun asked annoyed as he stood and brushed off his pants, a scowl in his face.
Kira did not answer and simple walked over to a random spot and kneeled down to sweep away some top soil and weeds from that area.
Dearka looked confused. "Captain….why are you playing in the dirt?"
Making an annoyed sound Kira stood and stomped on the spot three times before looking at his small party with a large grin though seriousness adored in his eyes.
"It's here."
Archangel
Lacus hummed softly to herself as she sat idly on a rock that faced the forest, she felt a bit repulsed by her action, a maiden waiting for her lover to return, how sad, she long ago forgot about fairy tale endings, the moment she was told that she was engaged to that monstrous Yunna, so she was shameful of her actions but continued to hum her sad tune.
"Is Lacus sad?" Stellar who had approached Lacus with out her knowledge.
Smiling Lacus turned to look at the girl. "No I'm not sad, more like jaded."
Stellar made a face not understanding. "That song is sad though." The young girl prodded.
Lacus smiled, Stellar was too cute for words. "I wasn't singing."
Taking offence Stellar frowned. "Humming is the same."
"Is it now?" Lacus asked her eyebrows rose. She did not know why she was being a bother to the blonde girl. Perhaps it was because she was so annoyed with herself.
Getting angry Stellar placed a hand on her cutlass on instinct which cased Lacus to flinch. Would Stellar pull her blade on her? Lacus had a cutlass of her own, Kira had given it to her and Cagalli had been giving her lessons from time to time, though she knew that she could not defend herself against Stellar if the girl truly meant her harm.
Stellar noticed this and let go of the hilt of her blade. "Stellar would not hurt Lacus."
This calmed Lacus down, especially since Stellar no longer held the hilt of the deadly cutting edge.
"You still have not answered Stellar, why were you singing a sad song." Stellar asked again not about to let the question go. Realizing this Lacus sighed and tried to think up a logical reason.
"I'm sad." Lacus said and immediately felt stupid for doing so. At least it was logical.
Stellar looked annoyed with the response but said nothing as she looked past Lacus with an inquisitive look. Her brows where knitted together as if trying to make something out amongst the trees.
Lacus looked at the prying girl in confusion. "Stellar…what are you…"
"GET DOWN!" Stellar shrieked and tackled Lacus to the ground just as an arrow with a white feather tip struck the rock Lacus had just been sitting on and fell to the ground.
"What the…" Lacus stared at the arrow in a mixture of horror and perplexity. Someone shot an arrow at them?
Forest
Dearka and Mwu had started digging while Kira and Athrun waited with Cagalli, they would each take turns so that they all would be to worn out and the others could keep a look out. Dearka and Mwu had graciously offered to go first and Kira and Athrun kept watch as Cagalli grumbled on how that the hole they were digging would be too small.
"I wonder…" Kira murmured to him as he kept watch into the dark forest, even with the sun shining bright and hot above them the forest was still dark and deep long shadows could be made out amongst the trees.
Athrun who had been listening to Cagalli complain turned to his friend and captain. "What's the matter?"
Kira shrugged his posture a bit more stiff than it was a few minutes ago. "Aren't there suppose to be natives on the island? Isn't that what Old Bloom said? He warned us about the natives."
Athrun looked shocked and looked around frantically as if said natives were about to jump out at being mentioned. "Your right, where are they? Surely they would have notice us on their land. This island isn't very big after all."
Kira nodded. "That was what I was wondering, it makes no sense. They should have seen the ship or someone would have seen us cutting our way threw the forest, we weren't exactly quiet." Kira said as he looked at Cagalli who merely made a rude gesture as she was not paying attention to the conversation.
Athrun frowned in thought. "You are right. But maybe they aren't as savage as Bloom made them out to be, perhaps they are peaceful and do not wish to encounter us unless we are a treat."
Kira placed a hand on his chin and gripped his cutlass in thought as he pondered the idea. "No, that's not it, I know my father, and he would not leave something he wished to be protected in an even remotely "safe" environment."
Athrun nodded, he never knew the man but from stories from both legends and his past crew members Athrun knew that a man such as Ulen was not careless.
"Hey! I found something!" The excited shout of Dearka pulled Kira and Athrun from there musings.
All crowed around the fairly deep hole that Mwu and Dearka had been digging. The hole was a good four feet deep, but not very wide, only a little wider than two feet.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Cagalli snapped at the same time as her brother, the two letting everyone know for a brief moment that they were in fact twins. "Pull it up!"
Dearka nodded and bent down to start lifting the object out of the ground with a shovel. Mwu however looked like he was about to say something about Kira and Cagalli speaking at the exact same time but decided against it as he received an angry glare from the twins.
The three pirates stepped back as Mwu and Dearka heaved the obviously heavy object from the ground. As it rose from its hidden view of the hole all stared with completely different reactions.
Athrun look memorized his mouth slightly parted as he stared slightly wide eyed at the large brown wooden chest that was stained in dirt and grim.
Cagalli seemed skeptical and annoyed as Mwu and Dearka were taking to long for her patients and as the balanced the chest between them she seemed almost disappointed. This chest did not seem the extraordinary after all one would think that suck a find would not be made of brittle wood and rusty hinges and padlock. Indeed there was nothing special about this chest from the outside.
Kira however was grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were bright like a small child receiving a gift. His hands clenched in suppress excitement; it was amazing that he managed to remain perfectly still rather than bouncing on his heels like an idiot.
Still grinning Kira stepped forward as the chest was finally placed on the ground.
"At last." Kira beamed.
The chest though appeared ugly and insignificant to anyone who would look at it. Brittle wood that had rotten away of time and had been eaten away at by worms and bugs. The hinges were covered in a heavy sheet of rust and dirt, the apparently once strong padlock was in similar shape and over all this chest was certainly not what one would expect from a pirates chest.
Kira found it beautiful all the same. It was not what was on the outside of the chest but what lay contained within it. Its contents were valuable priceless and Kira licked his lips subconsciously.
"Open it." Athrun whispered from behind Kira.
Kira nodded not daring to take his eyes off the chest as if he feared it would disappear. Kneeling he removed his cutlass from its scabbard and brought down the hilt hard on the padlock, breaking the lock with a heavy thump.
Sheathing his cutlass back into place Kira placed his hands on the chest lid and slowly began to lift it. The hinges squeaking in protest but never the less Kira continued ignoring the annoying sound and flaks of rust the sputtered from them.
All crowed around the chest of Mille Mortuus Animus in anxiousness but none got a chance to look as Kira slammed the lid close in fury and cursed loudly, so much to that it echoed through out the forest.
"Kira!" All shouted surprised.
"Damnit!" Kira cured as he stood and delivered a devastating kick to the chest of a Thousand Dead Souls.
Gold, precious gems and other jewelry spilled from the chest as it keeled over. Wood splints flew into the air from Kiras kick causing everyone to cover their eyes with and an arm.
No one knew what to say until Athrun broke the silence of Kiras heavy breathing.
"It's not there." Athrun said slowly as he brought down his arm the shielded his eyes from the broken wood chips.
Kira sent a nasty glare at Athrun as fire blazed from behind his eyes.
"The Natives!"
A/N: Whew! That was a long wait for an update. Sorry about that everyone and to those who have heard my profile it is pretty obvious that my plan of finishing this story by the end of December was a complete failure. (Sigh), the woes of a busy lifestyle.
Please review if you are still reading.