The Talon came out to the sea of stars where she belonged. The ship it self reminded much of the Atlantis but had a lot of the Death shadow in it, it where dark blue in colour with silver grey skulls and crossbones decorating its sides and top. The Flag Of Captain Falco waved at its mast. A black flag with a silver skull and crossing sabers. Fritz sighed and let his first officer take over, as he sat down in his chair. Silvereye took of from his shoulder end perched himself on the top of the chair, much like Tori-san, and his uncle Mind usably did. Fritz leaned back and leaned his head back with a heavy sigh. He opened his eyes and looked up. Silvereye looked down at him. His golden hard bird eyes shined in the weak light. Yet as cold as those eyes seemed he could feel his friend worry about him.
"I am okay." he lied. The guards had not been kind to him as they broth him down to the cell. A series of punches and kicks had rained over him for having killed quite a few of their friends. Silvereye said nothing. He had been there and seen it all, but Fritz were to much of a Harlock to admit it.
"Where to, captain?" The first officer asked. Fritz looked back to him. The little man could remind one of the Yattarn of the Arcadia, apart from the fact that he had no glasses.
"Take us to the DeathShadow Island. We'll restock there and rest a little." Fritz said looking out to the stars.
"Yes sir!" The first officer said as he punched in the coordinates.
"I still don't understand why the DeathShadow island is standing there. It has always followed the Arcadia of Captain Harlock. Yet for a whole year it have been standing in that same spot and the Arcadia is nowhere to be found." Silvereye said low as the Talon made speed. He jumped down to the armlet of the chair and looked at Fritz. The young Pirate nodded.
"And no sign of the Atlantis, the new Arcadia of Young Harlock or the Queen Emeraldas either." Fritz growled.
"Something must have happened. It's been a whole year since we last heard from them." Silvereye said worried.
"Captain! I am picking up a distress signal!" Fritz's staff officer Irai Yuki, the daughter of Kei Yuki and Kai Oyama, called as she suddenly picked up the signal. The young girl was no older that what Kei had been when she first came on board the Arcadia. In so many ways it was easy to see who her mother was as she had her mothers golden hair and blue eyes. Fritz stood up so quickly, that Silvereye jumped and lost his grip of the armlet. Flapping his wings, he landed of Fritz's shoulder again.
"Who?" He asked her hardly.
"The signal is from the earth forces, sir. They are under attack from pirates!" She said as she realized what it said.
"What!?" Fritz said and rushed to her side.
"From their description, its the DeathShadow, sir..." Irai said shocked.
"What? that cant be right.. The DeathShadow has not been in use since Tochiro jr got the new Arcadia to sail." The first officer called.
"Take us there.." Fritz said, his eyes were wide and his face unreadable.
"Hai!" The first officer called and ran to the controls. Fritz made his way back to the chair and sat down.
"How is that possible? Who has taken over the DeathShadow? Only the descendants of Captain Harlock will ever have the right to be behind that helm!" Silvereye growled angry. He feared the DeathShadow had ended up in the hands of wannabe pirates, that would disgrace the ships proud past. Fritz nodded, his fist closed angry at the thought of some cowards taking the proud ship. He would not have it. As long as his father and Harlock and his son were missing he would protect the Earth as well as their honour.
--
As the Talon finally came to the spot where the ships where being attack they were surprised to see how effective the pirates had been. The guard ships had all been rendered helpless and could do nothing to the pirates, but none of them where destroyed. The cargo ship had been stopped by a few well aimed shots.
"Who ever this people are, they are good." The first officerer said whistling as he saw the ships and the condition they were in.
"And they seem to follow Harlock's way of not killing with out reason..." Irai said looking to Fritz as he came up to the window. His grey brown eyes narrowed.
"Take us around to the other side of the cargo ship.. I want to see their ship." He said.
"Hai hai." The first officer said as he took the Talon around the cargo ship.
--
"Impossible!" Fritz gasped surprised as they came around to the other side.
"Is that not..." Irai asked but dared not to say it.
As shocked as they where, indeed right in front of them with boarding tubes to the Cargo ship, the DeathShadow lay and looked at them. The green unmistakable ship with its white skull and cross bones on it shined in the weak light of a moon.
"Master, look at the flag.." Silvereye said. As Fritz looked away from the ship and up to the mast, he was even more surprised to see the flag of Captain Harlock and his family. A black flag with the white skull and crossbones.
"Either these ones have a death wish to show the flag of Harlock so proudly or something else is going on here." Silvereye mumbled shocked.
"Irai, have you gotten any contact with them?" Fritz asked.
She shook her head.
"No sir, they are not responding to any signals I send." She said worried.
"Try the voice of Arcadia's fresequence." Fritz said.
"Hai!" She said and started to send out.
"Do you think...?" Silvereye asked realizing what Fritz here thinking.
"Could be.." He only answered.
"Sir, I am resiving a transmission." Irai said surprised over how fast they answered now.
"Put it up." Fritz said looking up to the screen over them. As the green screen changed even as surprised as he was, Fritz did not show it when he saw the young teenager's face. Unmistakable hard hazel eyes and hazel hair with a touch of fire red in it.
"Little Harlock... I had a feeling it was you." Fritz said crossing his arms over his chest and lowered his head as he shook it slowly. This young boy, only seventeen of age, the son of Captain Harlock and his wife Marian. He had like Young Harlock, his half brother, most of his father in him but you could always see hints of Marian in him as well. Fritz was a little surprised seeing the suit the teenager was now dressed in. The suit it self was red with white brims and a white skull and crossbones on the left side of the chest.
It's like Young Harlock's only red.." Silvereye said surprised and said what Fritz where thinking. He had a Cosmo Dragon gun resting at his side, but no saber.
"Fritz! I am glad to see you. We feared something had happened to you and the Talon as there were no news about you for some time.." The young teenager said smiling. Another young teenager came up to his friend, he was a few years younger that Little Harlock. This one was also easy to see what parents he had as he had the classic Oyama look. He also had his father's dark brown hair that where bound up behind his head, but had his mothers blue eyes.
"Ni-san!" Irai called shocked and there were a tone of anger in her voice.
"Hey Irai.." The young boy said, knowing his elder sister was mad at him now.
"Riki-ken! You know mother and father wanted you to stay on Earth!" She said to him angry. She jumped a bit as Fritz rested his hand to her shoulder.
"Little Harlock.. What are you doing out here?" He asked looking to the young pirate in front of him. Little Harlock sighed.
"We cant just sit on Earth as both our fathers are missing. You know this as well as us. That's why you are are here isn't it?" The young boy hit the nail on head. Fritz sighed.
"Where and how did you find the DeathShadow? I believed that had been placed somewhere in the universe for safekeeping.." Fritz asked looking to the young boys with a cold hard look, that his father had often given him when he had done something he shouldn't.
"That well... We were not the ones that found it. The government did. They were all over the news, saying that they were gonna destroy it. Me and Riki-ken snook into where they where keeping it and took it back. Then we gathered a crew of our own and headed out to the sea of stars." Little Harlock said angry. "There was no way that I would let them destroy my father's and my elder brother's ship!" He said cursing angry. Fritz were surprised over how honest they were as they said this. He nodded.
"The DeathShadow belongs to you now, Captain. It could not be any other way." He said giving the two boys a kind smile. Silvereye flapped his wings and called glad. The two boys beamed up proudly. Then suddenly an alarm went of at both' ships.
"Sir! The military is here!" Irai called as she looked to the screen.
"What ships?" Fritz asked as he moved quickly over to the helm.
"Sir! Its the Karyu!" She called surprised, as she recognised the ship.
"The Karyu?" Fritz said surprised with a faint smile.
"This is Admiral Zero of the Karyu, I order you to surrender!" Zero's voice called over the com. Fritz smile widened.
"Apparently he does not know who we are.." Silvereye laughed at his shoulder. Fritz smiled.
"Open a com- link to them." He said.
"Hai, com-link open, sir." Irai said turning to Fritz.
"This is Captain Fritz of the Talon, you order us to surrender? That's an odd thing to say for you is it not? Admiral." He smiled. Zero gasped surprised as he saw the young pirate. Fritz were surprised as well. Zero had become much older. About the age of Captain Harlock the first time Fritz met him. He had also grown a moustache and looked nearly reconcilable, had it not been for those hard brown eyes that looked as strong as ever. His suit was pretty much the same but with more markings on the chest, stating his high rank.
"Fritz Harlock. I have not seen you in years. You are captain of your own ship now?" Zero asked surprised.
"Move us out of the shadow of the Cargo ship. Let them see the Talon." Fritz said to his first officer. As the talon moved away from the cargo ship and out where the Karyu could see it, Zero's eyes widened.
"You have indeed a great ship. The rumours of the Talon is becoming well known. I did not know if the rumours about it being you that commanded her, were true." Zero said surprised.
"Kai Oyama build her for me. The Talon stands s the DeathShadow of the Arcadia." Fritz said proud.
"I see.. Yet I don't under stand how this cargo ship could mistake your Talon for the DeathShadow." Zero said looking at Fritz.
"The attack on these ships where not done by the Talon, Admiral. The real DeathShadow did this." Fritz smiled. He saw how Zero's eyes widened.
"What?" He asked, yet he paled as he suddenly saw the other ship that came out from behind the Cargo ship and up next tot the Talon.
"the DeathShadow?!" He asked shocked yet there were a hint of joy in Zero's voice.
"It's not what you think I am afraid." Fritz sighed as he heard.
"What do you mean?" Zero asked worried and were surprised as the DeathShadow answered him.
"It is not my elder brother's ship any more. Young Harlock command the new Arcadia now and disappeared with our father.." Little Harlock answered with true pain in his eyes as he said that.
"Your elder brother? But that would make you..." Zero asked confused and stopped himself.
"The young half brother of Young Harlock, son of Captain Harlock and Marian. My name is Franklin Harlock the second, or Little Harlock as they call me." Little Harlock answered proudly.
"Then you are the ones that saved the DeathShadow from becoming junk?" Zero asked relived, surprising both of the Pirate captains.
"I tried to make them not do it, but they would not listen. They believed if they junked it the era of Space pirates were over. I planed to have someone steal it and bring it somewhere safe but I am glad to see a Harlock behind her helm again. It should not be any others being her helm. I am sure you will make your family proud." Zero said relived. Little Harlock nodded to him proud.
"It has been years since I least saw Young Harlock behind her helm." His face showed real worry and sadness as he said that.
"Then I take you have not seen or heard anything about the others?" Fritz asked, his eyes narrowed. Zero shook his head.
"Nothing... No words and no signs. I don't like this. I can only hope nothing has happened to them, like being held by someone like Kichigai or his son Akuhei again." The military captain cursed. His cross shaped scar over his chest had still not faded away and served as a painful reminder of what had happen to him and Young Harlock.
"Any sign of any hunters? Like the Hunter Brothers?" Fritz asked again and made no attempt to hide the icy anger in his voice as he said that.
"None." Zero answered knowing why Fritz were angry to think of it. "We'll keep looking. I want to find them as much as you do, my friends." Zero said but his eyes turned to a side for a few seconds.
"You better leave now. We are picking up three other military ships heading this way. We'll fire some shots towards you, to make it seem you are getting away from us. Hurry!" Zero said. Fritz nodded.
"Thank you Zero, we will head to the DeathShadow island. If you find something then come there." He said as he signalled for his first officer to get going.
"Little Harlock! You did good work here. Your elder brother and father would be proud of you." Zero said with a smile. Little Harlock smiled a smile that Zero recognised so well from Young Harlock. Riki-ken grinned like an Oyama.
"Thank you Captain Zero." Little Harlock said as the DeathShadow followed the Talon.
Zero sat back in his chair and smiled.
"I had never expected two boys so young, could get the DeathShadow out of the claws of the government." Drake smiled by his side. The chocolate brown, one eyed wolf looked up at him and smiled. Zero smiled and scratched his ears.
The Karyu fired of a few shots towards the pirate ships but missed on purpose, Zero could not help but smile as he saw the too ships disappearing.
"The era of the Great Space Pirates are not over by far, it has just begun." Zero smiled.
Author's note:
okay I had only first planed to have only the first chapter of this story but as Gemini kept coming with great ideas I had to continue this story.
Here you go Gemini, I did as you suggested and added a Son of Kai Oyama and a son of Captain Harlock and Marian. I took the liberty of making the mother Kei Yuki and also adding a daughter.
The names I used translates to:
Riki-ken means Strong sword.. I found that it were a good name for the son of a great sword master as Kai of the Oyama clan.
Irai as his daughter is called means Trust. A fitting name for her as she does the same work as her mother does on-board the Arcadia and also as the daughter of Falco's best friend Kai.
I picked Little Harlock as the name of Harlock's second son as he is the youngest and also as a homage to the manga of the Harlock saga storyline where the father of Captain Harlock calls his son Little Harlock.
I chose to enter Captain Zero here and as much time has passed I imagined Zero had been rising in the ranks since we last saw him, but he will not give up on his old ship the Karyu.
More will probably follow this but I hope you liked it so far.
Feel free to tell me how I did.
Lightingtooth.