Finally some action. Sorry for the late update. The next following chapters are proving to be extremely challenging for me. Mostly because I know nothing about the navy, pirates and battle tactics. I've had to do a lot of research. Asking help from a friend of mine who was naval officer for seven years, watching intense battle scenes and clips from 'Master and Commander' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. To intense… I don't even know why I'm writing this fan fiction. I know it's only going to make me cry. The first action scene will be the next chapter. That I promise you. I warn you I may have to jump between Levi and Erwin in future chapters… I'm sorry for the lack of smut… but will come… but much later in this story. At the moment, it's mostly drama, action and angst. Sorry folks. Hope you enjoy!

A few hours before daybreak, Commodore Erwin Smith and Ian Dietrich stood together at the east side of the fifty-metre barricade. Aside from the soft murmurings from the soldiers on duty, everything was eerily calm. It was too serene for Commodore Smith's liking. He rarely took night watches thus he had grown accustomed to the sounds of city and harbour life. Even his lonesome days at sea were more eventful and lively than this. Everything was too peaceful for him to handle. He shivered within his clothes and buttoned the collar of his coat. The cool wind from the expanse of inky water that lay before him was crisp and shockingly cold against his face.

"My ship was pointing due east from the wall. It was around there I spotted the Pirate Ship" Commodore Dietrich stated gesturing to a space within the blackness, as if trying to create something tangible.

Erwin raised his telescope to his right eye and peered into the empty space. Well wherever the Pirate ship was, it was definitely gone. The only ships present were the naval ships that surveyed the area. He had taken heed to his Admiral's warnings, doubling the amount of surveillance ships with firearms, a larger number of soldiers and recruits for night shifts as well as more thorough inspection on the imported merchandise.

He released a sigh of annoyance.

"Well it's gone now"

"What will we do? We have no idea of their whereabouts and their methods of attack"

"They'd be fools to attack at night. The doors are made of solid oak and secured with iron plates. Scaling up the fifty-metre wall is impossible. Those sea dogs would send themselves to an early grave if they tried to moor the ship closer to the wall. The Maria would be crushed by the surf in a matter of minutes". Commodore Erwin Smith stated as he contemplated the various theories for attack.

"I agree. The only entrance is through the oaken door. But what if they commandeer one of our ships?" Dietrich pointed out.

"Don't be idiotic!" Erwin snapped. He quickly scanned the wall to see whether the watchmen with them were out of hearing range. He whispered softly.

"Captain Levi and his men may be the most ruthless and merciless band of monsters to sail the seven seas but he doesn't have a naval fleet. Commandeering one of our own gives you a one-way ticket to the gallows. You'd be surprised how many pirates understand the ways of the navy Dietrich"

Dietrich nodded and tucked his cold chapped hands deep into the warmth of his coat pockets.

"So then the kingdom's navy, have no means of avoiding a conflict with these bastards?"

Erwin shook his head.

"It's highly unlikely. Although we have a somewhat clear idea of their motive, I'm not entirely sure how they will achieve it. All we know is we are there new targets"

For half an hour, the two commodores stood silently in the cold, as the world around them grew steadily lighter and the first signs of civilization began to stir within the quietude. The sky began to change from a dark crystalline blue to an unsettling shade of deep burgundy reds as the sun began to peak over the horizon. A red sunrise was a sailor's worst fear. A bad omen for future blood shed.

"A red sunrise?"

"Indeed Dietrich. A bad omen… When the time comes, Captain Levi will strike... and he will take the city and its people. It will be the most devastating siege of our lives. Unless something is done, Utopia and Trost will fall" Commodore Smith declared, more to himself than to Dietrich.

"What will you do?"

"I don't know. I will find away to stop them, even if it kills me. I will stop Captain Levi and his band of miscreants if it's the last thing I do!"

Captain Levi grinned malevolently underneath his hat. Like a predator, his gaze was latched onto a black merchant ship in the distance, his first morning prey and a far more appetising meal for him. He felt more alive and invigorated than ever. Deep within him, the urge to kill, to feel that power of dominance and supremacy was so fierce it almost terrified him.

"Captain Levi. The men are ready. We wait for your orders sir"

Petra announced saluting.

"Thank you Miss Petra. To your post" he ordered, breaking his fixated gaze from the merchant ship that lay before him.

"Yes sir" she replied, standing a little way from the helm for Captain Levi.

Captain Levi leant against the helm and smiled smugly at his crew. Their craving for conquest and glory mirrored his facial expression. He felt a new vitality seep within him, as if he was somehow feeding off the ambitions and desires of his crew. The cries and cheers almost deafened him. After a few minutes, he raised a gloved hand for silence.

"It's good to see ya me lads, not a faint heart among all of you. I know you are all as anxious and impatient to get into close action as I am"

Ear splitting cheers filled the entire vessel. During the din, Captain Levi took the opportunity to search for the eager faces of the Maria's original members: Eld Jinn, responsible and his reliant first mate, Gunther Schuitz strong and reserved, Oluo Bozado, boastful yet the most skilled member within his crew and finally to Petra Ral. His comrades, no… he considered them his only true friends. Each original member showed similar expressions. All four wore a mask of impatience and fierceness for battle and slaughter.

"Now we have to remember. This merchant ship before us is just an appetizer. It is unfortunate we have to kill so little today… but we need live bait for the big catch. The real fun has yet to come so don't waste your energy on something so insignificant. Save it for the navy. Remember our primary goal is taking the Hestoss trading route and eventually all of Port Trost and Utopia. That is our prize. The navy will meet our demands since their precious economy means so much to them"

He turned his direction back towards the helpless merchant ship, a mere dark silhouette across the horizon, the sky streaked with vibrant red from the sunrise. Giving one last sneer, he drew his rapier from his waist and pointed it to the sky, earning cheers from his crew.

"Men unfurl those sails and to your posts. We sail! To riches and to glory!"

Again short chapter… sorry… I warn you. There's going to be a lot of blood and violence in the next chapter. That's all for now folks.

Evening Falls