I don't own these characters; Disney does.
8: All Hands on Deck!
Kim did not like the look of the water. She really wished they were just back in the south, back in the calm, melted turquoise of the islands. The mainland colonies were too close to this almost black water.
The sky was clear, but the water was unusually murky. Kim swore the white on the charcoal waves looked more like grinning teeth than anything else. The grinning teeth of a shark right before it comes in for the first bite. She shook her head, hoping they would soon be out of these unfriendly, foreboding seas.
"Hey, little Mouse, check the sails!" Betty called from the poop deck.
Kim glanced over at the captain, thinking that was an odd order. The sails were obviously fine. She turned her eyes back to the water and realized Vivian probably noticed her staring at the waves. Undoubtedly, the blonde suggested the captain give Kim something to do. She was happy for it and scurried up the ratlines to do as she was told.
Once she was at the top, she checked the sails just because she was up there. After making sure everything was fine with the lines, she cast her gaze out to the ocean. She figured seeing the sun and the sky along with the water would make her feel better. Instead of taking in the sights, though, she spotted trouble.
"Oh, crap," she muttered, taking in the light blue sails off in the distance. "NAVY!" she hollered down to the crew.
It seemed as if every company man aboard heard that cry. Kim never knew so many men had spyglasses until they pulled them out to see into the distance. Betty was the first one with her telescope out, but also the first with it put away.
"We can outrun them. This is one of the fastest brigs ever made," Betty declared confidently. A couple of ships at their back was nothing!
"Captain…" Vivian murmured and pointed out in front of them.
Betty turned to observe, yanking out her spyglass a second time. A groan escaped her lips as she saw there were Navy ships approaching from the front, too. There were two ships approaching them from windward (1). She checked her vessel's flanks, seeing a pair of ships coming in from the port side (2), too. It would seem the Imperial Navy was serious.
Betty snapped her spyglass shut. "We've got company coming from windward, leeward (3), and port side. I never realized how popular we were!" Far from looking worried about their current trouble, a cocky smile settled onto her tanned face.
"I know we can't outgun them, but can we outrun them?" Vivian inquired with a tiny wrinkle between her eyebrows. If they could get by the ships in front of them and outrun them, everything should be fine. But, the trick would be getting by those front ships. Betty seemed confident the ships at their back would not catch them and she liked to think they would be able to outrun the ships coming at them from their port side, too.
"You tell me, Navigator. Is there an escape route?" Betty countered. It was those front ships that would cause them the most problems, she figured. They needed to shake those vessels to truly make a clean getaway.
"There's always an escape route," Vivian proclaimed, putting her chin in the air. "…I might need a moment or two to chart it, though," she muttered, scratching her head as she tried to think of how they might escape.
"Take that moment then, love," Betty replied. She then turned her attention to her busy crew below. "Lads, we've got a bit of a problem! It seems the Navy wishes to disturb our jolly plunder!" she called to them, smiling still to downplay the situation.
The pirates all stopped looking out at the approaching Navy ships and turned their attention to the captain, hoping she had a solution for the problems descending upon them. They all figured she had things under control because she always did. It was one of the best things about sailing with her. Betty gave them a brief look, knowing what they thought. She did not want to tell them she believed they might be in some serious trouble. She made sure to school her features into a hard, determined expression.
"Looks like a fleet, but that's nothing! They're just going to end up being eaten by us, the Hounds of the Sea, like any other piece of the Navy trash that has challenged us!" the woman in charge announced with great confidence to a rousing round of cheers. "Prepare the guns for our guests!"
The crew quickly moved, getting the cannons and ammunition ready. Betty kept an eye on the Navy fleet while waiting for Vivian to bring good news about an escape route. Her jaw tensed. The Empire was not pulling out any stops for her. She could not recall the last time she heard of six Naval ships being sent after one pirate ship. So much attention and she did not even have a fleet yet! She hoped the other pirate commanders out there were not jealous, she thought to amuse herself.
"Sir, should we go into special battle forms yet?" Will inquired, standing right next to the one-eyed woman right now.
"We don't want to play too much into their hands. Right now, they have us easily outmanned and outgunned. Our best bet is to outrun those ships while keeping them at bay with our guns. At least you know we merit so many ships. Seems the Global Justice is quite popular among the Navy," Betty remarked, cocky smile still in place.
"Well, sir, you have taken over thirty very large prizes since starting out," Will stated.
Betty shrugged as if it was not big deal. She was not interested in stats at the moment, even though she was certain the Navy was. There were no living pirate captains with more than thirty successful attacks under their belts. She refused to be counted in that number.
Betty dismissed Will, wanting him to get to his gun because she was sure they were about to take on fire. The Navy was close and getting closer with every passing second. A feral smile spread across Betty's face. She was itching for a fight, as always.
"Well, Fate, let's see what you got," the one-eyed woman said to the wind.
The first shot was fired moments later, falling several feet short of the Global Justice. A column of water rose as the cannonball dropped into the opaque sea. They did not even feel the spray of the water thanks to the distance. Will looked almost ready to crack a smile from the rather pathetic — in his opinion — shot. Betty had to chuckle at the attempt. Those Navy guys might not know who they were messing with if they were going to take warning shots at the ship instead of trying to take them out as soon as possible. Betty figured they would have to pay for taking the Global Justice and its crew so lightly.
"Will," Betty called.
"Aye, sir!" the ebony-haired bosun (4)/gunner replied, knowing exactly what his captain wanted.
Will prepared his gun (5); he was the only gunner who worked alone. He found no one else could work his gun in the way he wanted. He resented anyone who went near his weapon, too, so he did not want to work with anyone, thinking they might somehow harm the cannon. Of course, if the captain ordered someone to help him, he reluctantly yielded to it.
Will's return got a round of cheers from the crew. Despite the distance, Will nailed the ship that dared to fire on them. The reason he hated for people to touch his gun was because he had modified it himself… okay, with a little help from the captain and Vivian, but it was not the average gun, more so than the other guns on the ship. A ghost of a smug smile twinkled in his eyes as his shot ripped through the hull a Navy ship.
"Reload, Will! Maybe we can slow them down a bit," Betty announced as the ships came ever closer. In a moment, she knew they would not be getting warning shots, but cannonballs ripping through the Global Justice. "Lads, ready your guns, but do not fire. We'll leave them to taste lead from Will's gun and confuse them as to why we won't fire more than one."
The men agreed and the gunners all readied their cannons, but no one opened fire just yet. Will continued firing, but he was not doing it fast enough for Betty's liking. She barked for Kim.
"Monkey, help Will with his gun! We need more than what you're giving!" Betty huffed.
"I don't need any help!" Will objected, readying to fire his next charge.
"Let her swab the barrel! You're wasting too much time. She knows how to use a gun," Betty reminded him with a growl. It was no time for egos or pride when they had several vessels approaching them from all directions.
The former Navy sailor frowned, but he did not object. Kim dropped down from the lines, landing right next to Will. She had seen how the gunners worked their weapons, so she knew the steps. She just never really worked guns herself.
"Start with the swab," Will commanded, not harshly, but with enough force for her to get the idea that she needed to move now.
Kim went to work. She never said so because she knew it would go to Will's head, but she was impressed that he worked his gun alone. Some of the guns needed as many as six men on them, which was normal. Betty and Vivian had modified many of the cannons on the Global Justice and two or three crewman could work them without much trouble. None of the guns had the range of Will's or could be operated by a single person like his either. Added to that, Will often made it look so easy.
"Lads, be ready to fire! Take aim at the ship next to the one Will is taking care of," Betty ordered as she watched the ships getting closer. She used her telescope to check on the damage Will had done to the one ship off on the port side. She nodded, approving of the destruction, seeing Will was making short work of the main mast. "Bless that boy's eyes and aim," she muttered. Unfortunately, they still had to worry about the ships to their front and their back. Those were getting much closer and could easily fire upon them at any moment.
Charges exploded in the waters around the Global Justice. Now, the shots were close enough for them to feel rain of ocean water as the cannonballs landed around them. The crewmen did not return fire, still letting Will go on his own. His firing speed increased with Kim's help — not that he would admit to that. Betty continued to scowl and hoped Vivian would have a way out of their current mess soon. As the ships came closer, she finally gave the word.
"FIRE!"
Blasting sounds erupted as every gun on the Global Justice went off at the same time. Smoke drifted off into the air and charges hurried through their marks. The Naval ship slowed almost instantly, feeling the bite of the Global Justice. Well, it seemed like they had a good handle on the two ships on their side, but there were still the other four.
"Reload!" Betty hollered at the crew. She then turned to the navigator, who poured over her maps and charts. "Vivi, baby, any day now," the captain cooed as the sounds of explosions hollered over the waves. Cannonballs sailed overhead, whistling a song of death and destruction through the air and through the ship as more guns erupted, firing back and forth at each other. The air was hot with trouble and soon to be filled with anguished screams as shrapnel flew off in every direction.
"I'm working on it, sweetie! We don't frequent these waters enough for me to have an immediate solution for you," Vivian pointed out.
"Be quick about it, Vivi," Betty snapped. They did not stand a chance in a gunfight against so many ships. It did not help matters that the ships inched closer. She feared the Navy would soon board them. If that happened, they were done for.
"If only it was that easy…" Vivian sighed, eyes still on her maps.
The captain tried to assess the situation and come up with a better strategy since Vivian could not hurry as she wished. She knew their best bet was to outrun the Naval ships that bombarded them with heavy charges. There was only one way to do that, though. The only side that was open to them was the starboard side. She suspected that meant there was land close by and that was why a ship had not come from that side. She just hoped the land was not too close.
"Take us southeast," Betty commanded the helmsman.
Vivian glanced up, but she did not say anything to the captain. Betty hoped that glance meant "oh, yeah, that's safe" instead of "I don't think you wanna do that, honey." Vivian had not looked up long enough for Betty to figure out which it really was.
Deciding Vivian would speak up if something were wrong, Betty turned her attention back to the Navy. Cannonballs ripped through the ship, taking bits of the mast and railing. Betty actually laughed a bit.
"Their gunners aim like me without my eye," she remarked to the air. They did not seem to have the depth perception or proper direction while aiming. She hoped things stayed like that, so they had a chance to get away.
"Captain, the ships at the head are closing in," the helmsman reported.
"Steady the course, man," Betty ordered, turning her attention to the ships in front of them. If they stayed on the course they were, those ships would eventually end up on the left. "Kim!"
The redhead popped up, hearing her name over the cannon fire, roar of the ocean, and all around devastation. Green eyes went to the captain, who waved her up. Kim charged up to the poop deck, leaving Will to his gun. He did not object.
"Captain?" Kim asked.
"Go to the gun deck (6). I want all the guns on the port side," Betty ordered and Kim nodded. The redhead ran off while Betty turned to the helmsman. "Make sure you keep those ships to port."
"Aye."
Betty hoped they had a chance if they kept all the ships to the left and then all of the guns could focus on the left. That at least doubled the firepower. Cannon fire echoed through the air, smoke began low hanging clouds, and the water erupted like angry volcanoes each time a charge missed a mark. Splintered woods shot out in every direction when a cannonball did hit its mark. Sailors had to dodge bits of wood and other debris coming off any struck target.
The only thing rivaling the sound of the guns were the shouts trying to carry over them. Screams of pain carried in the din, coming from all ships involved while the thunder of battle swallowed any smaller agonized noises. The sky turned gray from the eruptions sparking out of the cannons and the sun seemed to be devoured by the rising smoke. The smell of gunpowder, burning embers, smoke, blood, sweat, and salt water burned the nostrils of everyone out in the air and choked anyone trying to breathe. The deck rocked under Betty's feet, but she held steady, carefully watching the Naval ships, trying to find a weakness or an opening for them as the Navy crept closer. Soon, they would not even have to fire the cannons and would be able to just ram the Global Justice.
"Vivi!" Betty called, checking on their plan A, knowing they were still going to need a plan B.
"I'm working on it, sweetheart!" Vivian answered, focused on her charts, trying her best to keep them on the table as the ship rocked violently with poundings from the charges.
"Continue fire!" Betty hollered over the havoc and mayhem. She thrust her cutlass in the air. That was the signal for her crew to keep firing, just in case they did not hear her. They honestly did not need the reminder command.
"Captain, anything else for me to do?" Kim inquired, running back up to the one-eyed woman.
"Unless you can hold a cannon on your shoulder…" Betty trailed off as she noticed swinging ropes from the ratlines. "Actually, come with me," the captain commanded, glancing over to ships getting closer. One was near enough to ram their ship now. They needed to do something about it as soon as possible.
Kim did not argue and just followed the captain to the ratlines. When Betty grabbed into one of the ropes, Kim got the idea of what they were about to do. She did not even wonder if they would make it to the other ship, she just swung out right after Betty. They landed on the closest Imperial vessel — the one close enough to ram their ship — and started kicking around the closest sailors. The Navy crew did not know what hit them, literally for many of them.
"Get them!" the commanding officer hollered, pointing to the pirates who just boarded.
As men moved, they met Betty's cutlass as Kim dropped into a defensive stance. Naval sailors, dressed in their pressed light blue uniforms, came to the women as if they were sirens. Those uniforms were quickly soiled, blood spilling on the deck, and seeping into those baby blues. Men fell left and right in a rapid amount of time.
"They be demons disguised as women!" a sailor gasped before Betty ran him through with her blade. She quickly turned and dispatched another Navy crewman without acknowledging what the other man said. She cut down as many men as she could with the speed that almost did not seem human.
"Captain!" Kim called, spinning into a roundhouse kick and taking down two men at once.
Betty knew why she was called, so she started moving without responding. Kim followed her lead, as she expected and they moved to get off the ship. They did not have to find any loose lines because sailors on the Global Justice hastily swung ropes over to them. Catching the ropes, the duo vanished from the naval vessel just as quickly as they appeared. Landing back on the deck of the Global Justice, Betty went right back into command form with top deck gunners took care of the ship that was closest to them.
"Vivi!" Betty hollered over the roar of the cannons.
"We're coming to the inlet of a wide river!" Vivian shouted back.
"River?" Betty echoed and marched up to the poop deck to find out what the blonde was going on about. She also checked to see that four of the Navy ships were closer than ever. They had managed to slow down, so they probably would not do much damage if they got close enough to ram the Global Justice. Still, they were firing on the pirates and that was dangerous enough.
"We can sail up river. It's wide enough for the ship, but the Navy wouldn't be able to follow us as a group. They'd have to go single file. We can make it back to the ocean because the river forks shortly after. We should at least be able to even the odds or slow them down," Vivian answered.
"Better battle plan than I have at the moment," the captain admitted. "Helmsman!"
"I have the orders already, Captain!" the helmsman answered.
Betty did not see a problem with that and turned her attention back to the battle at hand. Opening her mouth to call out an order, she quickly closed it as the ship lurched to the right side. Over the cannon roar, the whole crew heard the thundering sheering of wood assaulting their ears worse than the cannons were doing to their hull. The captain's face dropped instantly, looking as if her guts had just been torn out.
"Did we just wreck the hull?" Betty wondered aloud, even though she knew the answer to that. That gut-wrenching sound was unmistakable, like having a tree fall on a house. She felt like the blood drained from her body.
"Damn it, we hit a reef!" Vivian hollered, running to the side of the brig to confirm her suspicions. "This wasn't on the goddamn map!"
"Captain, the crew below deck wanted me to tell you we're taking on water," Kim reported, coming up behind the brunette.
"Son of a scalawag!" Betty growled and then waved her hand. "Abandon ship! Abandon ship!" she commanded her crew, knowing if they stayed with the Global Justice, they were sitting ducks. Although, she doubted they would fare much better on land. The Navy was just too close to them now. Those sailors would descend on them like gulls on a fish carcass.
Vivian's face dropped. "Abandon the Global Justice?" she echoed in disbelief. This ship was Betty's baby and she had been on it for as long as she had known Betty. So, the ship was pretty much home for her and because it was precious to her beloved, it was precious to her.
"There will be other ships to be had, Vivi, but only one life to live," Betty pointed out. It broke her heart to call for the total abandonment of her ship, but right now, they did not have a choice. It was her duty to protect all of her sailors first and foremost, especially Vivian and Kim.
Vivian did not dispute that and Betty took her hand to lead her to one of the lifeboats. Kim followed along as usual. The company boarded the boats as the Global Justice listed further to the left as water poured in from the piercing in the hull. The Navy wasted no time closing in on the defenseless pirates, firing at the rowboats with cannons while making sure to stay away from the reef that tore apart the Global Justice. The crew of the Global Justice hoped they could make it to land before the Navy overran them.
"Kim," Betty said, pulling the petite redhead close to her.
"Captain?" Kim questioned.
"I have something I want to give you," Betty explained in a low tone, not wanting to risk anyone else hearing.
"Captain?"
Betty reached inside her jerkin and pulled out a wrinkled, rolled up parchment. It was more like leather than paper. "You take this and the second we hit the beach, you run like hell away from this place," she explained, sliding the document to Kim as discreetly as possible.
Kim blinked hard, olive eyes laced with confusion. "Captain?"
"There's going to be nothing but bloodshed on that beach. The Navy has us. They're going to be on us like fleas on dogs before we even get to land. So, you take this and you get the hell out of there as soon as you can. Consider that an order from your captain during an attack," Betty stated in a hard tone.
Kim could only nod, knowing that because of her vow to the company she could not refuse a direct order from the captain during an attack. That was grounds for marooning because it showed a lack of trust and could endanger all of their lives. And, sure, she doubted the company would survive to maroon her or lose faith in her, but she could not take that chance. She could not disobey the woman who saved her life.
Betty proved to be right. The attack started before they even made it to the beach. Navy snipers shot at the pirates from the ships, plucking them off one by one while the Navy ships put their own boats into the water to chase the outlaws. As soon as the water was low enough to stand in, pirates and Naval sailors alike took to the waves, looking to run or to chase. Red washed into the dark blue ocean, turning the water a sickening black.
The captain pulled her cutlass and fought off any sailors that ventured near her or the two other women of the crew. As soon as sand was under her feet, Betty pushed Kim away, urging her toward the cover of the nearby forest. Kim did not move fast enough for the captain's liking.
Betty snarled and glared at Kim. "Run now, girl, or I'll run you through myself!"
"What about you and Vivian?" Kim implored them with her eyes to flee with her or let her fight with them.
"We play Fate again," the brunette replied. "But, it is not your game, Monkey. Go now!"
Kim did not look ready to move, so Betty went as far as she shoving her cutlass in the redhead's face. It did not stay there for long as Naval sailors came to them, looking to show what they were made of. Kim stepped in to fight, only to find her captain's boot in her chest. Kim fell back, shocked that Betty had actually kicked her.
"There's more where that came from!" Betty shouted and it was unclear if she was talking to Kim or the Navy sailors, who were joined by more of their comrades.
Kim was about to join in again, but a shot at her feet stopped her. Looking up, she saw that Vivian was the one aiming the pistol at her. The glare in those sky blue eyes made her gasp.
"Go," Vivian commanded in the coldest voice Kim had ever heard, pistol steady in her grip.
Kim's feet moved on their own. She ripped her eyes from the grisly battle scene where the pirates were outnumbered by almost five to one. Screams of pain echoed in her ears and bodies gushing blood ripped through her eyes. The blood of her comrades, the comrades she was leaving on order of the captain. Despite the fact that it was so clear the battle was one-sided, a large part of Kim wanted nothing more than to stay with them and hold ground with them. But, the look in Vivian's eyes as she pointed that gun at Kim kept the redhead moving away from the carnage. Soon, the sounds grew faint, but the images remained fresh in her mind.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Kim does battle with a pirate known as The Dragon of the Sea, who works for a Cap'n Drakken.
1: windward — the side facing the direction the wind is blowing.
2: port side — the left side.
3: leeward — the direction the wind is blowing; the opposite of windward.
4: Bosun — the boatswain.
5: Gun — on a ship, a cannon is called a gun.
6: Gun deck — pretty much just what it sounds like. A deck below the top deck where there were more cannons. Ships usually had guns on the top deck and the gun deck.