Chapter Sixteen
Battle Plans
Captain Hiro Akima glanced up as the orderly ran into the bridge and hastily saluted. Captain Hiro returned the salute before barking out, “Report!”
The orderly stammered out the ill news, “It is as you feared Sir. The scroll has been found and activated.”
Captain Hiro’s face darkened as he bitterly spit out, “There will be no stopping the Americans now! The war is over and we are all dead men!”
With that said the Captain abruptly turned away from the orderly and the room full of officers. He stared out over the ocean before him and then up at the orange sky.
He supposed it was fitting in a way. It had been them once who had intended on unleashing the dark power that the scroll contained against the Americans. Thankfully they had been stopped, but would the Sea People be able to stop the Americans or was all hell about to break loose?
Now all that was left to do was to somehow inspire his men against the inevitable. And for what? An honorable death was the best that any of them could hope for now.
“Sir?…… Sir?”
The voice of the orderly impinged into the Captain’s private sorrow. Impatiently he turned back from the forward windows to the orderly, “Yes, is there more?”
“It’s not the Americans Sir, at least we don’t think so.”
The Captain’s full attention re-centered on the orderly, “Then who?” He barked out at the man.
The orderly looked on the verge of passing out and the Captain immediately regretted his harshness, but he had to know!
In a more controlled tone the Captain asked, “Who?”
The orderly choked the one-word answer out, “Pirates.”
The room went deathly still as officers and sailors alike looked at each other in horror.
The Captain silently turned back to the forward windows.
Pirates!
This was worse than being on the losing side of a war. Now everyone would die.
The Captain turned back to the orderly, “Have they headed for the city?”
“Yes Sir. They’re almost there. If we had but been closer we could have been able to cut them off, but…….”
The Captain held his hand up cutting off the useless words of the messenger. Without saying anything he walked from the stillness of those gathered in the bridge and out onto the swaying platform of the over deck. He stared down at the sailors working on the deck below and then out at the choppy waters beyond the keel of the ship.
What should he do?
What could even be done?
As bad and as costly in lives as his proverbial war had been between them and the Americans, both sides of the conflict had been unified in their fight against the pirates. The pirates in this Undersea world were something worse than human.
What they did to the people who fell down from above and what they’d done to the native populations of the islands for centuries was unconscionable. Both his people and the Americans had declared the natives off-limits for the pirates. In return for being safeguarded from the pirates the natives resupplied both sides of the armed conflict between them and the Americans.
Strangers who fell down from the above world were given a choice as to whose side they wished to join without punishment. While there was an ongoing war that had stretched on for many years it had been at times a rather amicable one with neither side pressing for the kill.
The pirates would be different. Their lust for power and revenge for all the long years of being hunted unmercifully by both sides would translate into a bloodbath of epic proportions now that they had the power behind the scroll.
The Captain’s head began to shake back and forth as he gripped the railing hard. So many would die.
The Captain’s head lifted on a sudden realization. The sunken city that was the pirates primary objective was near an inhabited island. The pirates would…… The people of that island would be the first casualties if they were not warned. Even then what did it matter?
The Captain left the railing decisively, because it did matter. It mattered as long as he was alive to do something about it.
He reentered the bridge, which immediately dimmed to a hushed murmur as they all looked to him expectantly.
“Helmsman turn us around and head for Bonady island. The people there need to be warned. We will assist with their evacuation.”
“Then what Sir?” An officer within the bridge asked.
The Captain shook his head and said, “I’m not sure, but we’ll start with doing the obvious thing that we do know to do. We can at least do that.”
The officer who’d asked the question nodded affirmatively.
Sudden emotion caused the lean jaw of the Captain to tick and pulse and everyone waited with bated breath.
The Captain turned to the first radio sailor man, “Sailor I want you to send an all points broadcast of what the situation is and what our current strategy is. Our strategy is to evacuate the first island to be hit by the pirates once they’ve realized all of their power and are ready to move.”
“Yes Sir!”
“Sailor.” The Captain said steadily.
“Yes Sir?”
“I also want you to send the broadcast in English without any encryption as well.”
The sailor blinked and swallowed and looked at his Captain as if he thought he’d misheard him.
A junior officer spoke up, “Sir you can’t mean to…….”
The Captain cut the officer off with a hand gesture as he maintained eye contact with the radioman, “Send it.”
The sailor nodded and saluted, “Yes Sir.”
The Captain turned from the sweating sailor to address the room of officers and upper class sailor men.
“We have no time for this foolish war with the Americans anymore. There can only be one war now!”
Captain Hiro paused for effect as he met select pairs of eyes around the room in a hard stare that was unrelenting, “The war to survive!” He finished brutally and those within the room straightened and came to attention.
“Message has been sent and received Sir.” The radioman called out.
“Good!” The Captain said before turning around to face the windows once more.
He called out, “Full speed ahead.”
“Full speed it is Sir!” Called out the helmsman.
*****
I lay against Colt basking in the warmth of the day and the smell of his skin. The curly hairs of his chest tickled my nose so I moved my hand to lay between us.
Him being so harry wasn’t really a big deal as it was just another part of who he was, but I had to admit that his hairs had a way of their own as to where they landed up. I opened my mouth and picked one of them from off my tongue.
The chest beneath my face shook as Colt chuckled. In an apologetic tone Colt said, “Sorry.”
I turned my head and looked up at him smiling dreamily, “Don’t be. I don’t mind.”
He rolled his eyes at me like he thought I was telling a lie and in all seriousness I insisted, “Colt I really don’t mind.”
His eyes came back to mine and I caught sight of a seemingly delicate emotion for such a brawny man as he to manifest.
“You don’t?” He asked hesitantly.
I responded with a firm shake of my head no.
He didn’t quite look convinced so I ran my hand through the thick curls of his chest hair and said, “You’re so manly looking. I like it. I wouldn’t change anything about you other than to dial down your stubbornness level some.” I said teasingly.
He didn’t really play along with my tease though. Instead he had a look of relief, as if he’d barely managed to come through some kind of hurdle. Was he really that sensitive about his body image?
“Did you get teased a lot about your hairiness growing up?” I asked softly.
The corresponding look in his eyes spoke volumes in terms of an answer to my question.
I leaned down and kissed his hairy chest, “I’m sorry that was the case Honey.”
I felt him relax under me and in a way I felt our new relation with each other deepen.
“They always referred to me as the ape man.”
I raised my head and noticed the buried layers of hurt in his eyes. How could I change this remembrance of the past into something positive?
“Ape man huh?” I said slowly.
He nodded in affirmation and again I felt the body beneath me tense in anger.
“Well you have to say Colt you are pretty strong, but that’s where the similarities end. You’re all man! My man!”
I felt him relax again and with confidence he said, “And you’re my woman.”
Feeling playful all of the sudden I pushed away from him and said as I rose to my feet, “Only if you can catch me!”
He lunged for me but I danced back out of reach and turned to run. He got a hand on my ankle that sent me toppling into the sand. Giggling I sprang back up and continued to run not wanting the chase to be over too soon.
I ran through a patch of jungle and burst out upon another section of beach. I was breathing hard and despite my best efforts I was still laughing, which was hampering my efforts to escape, but then I wasn’t really trying to escape.
I glanced back and saw that Colt was about thirty feet behind me. He came to an abrupt stop and began to stare intently at something that was out ahead of me.
My merriment of the chase fled as I came to a stumbling halt myself. My head whipped back around to see what new danger Colt had seen, but my straining eyes took in nothing but the empty beach and the sea beyond.
I didn’t get it. What had he seen?
“Gotcha!” I heard Colt exclaim in triumph even as I was snatched off my feet and held above the ground in the strong clasp of his arms from behind.
I couldn’t believe it! He’d tricked me! What a dirty rotten trick!
“Hey ! Hey! Simmer down Kim!” Colt said, even as I felt a barely restrained laugh ripple throughout him.
“You scared me!” I said in an angry tone, as I struggled to get free.
“You know I like how feisty you are.” Colt said against my neck even as he continued to hold me off the ground bound up in his powerful arms.
Just like that the mood of my capture switched from outrage to the passion that I felt for the man who held me.
I turned my head to whisper an endearment into his neck, but to my surprise he was nonresponsive. I pulled back from his neck to see him looking back over my shoulder all of his attention seemingly elsewhere.
Slowly he spoke, “Kim you need to see this!”
“Yeah right! I’m only falling for that one once!” I said sardonically.
He kept up with the staring fixatedly over my shoulder so I decided to up the bet and say something into his ear that I didn’t think he would be able to resist from doing with me. My lips opened……
“I knew that I left you in good hands.”
My head whipped back forward as I stared in shock at the man who was approaching out of the waves of the ocean.
“Koke!!!” I screamed out as my feet landed on the sand as Colt released me.
I was running and then I was holding my brother and he was holding me back just as tightly. After a long moment I pulled back blinking away tears of joy, “Oh Koke your alive!”
Then I added, as I noticed something different about him, “You’re different Koke. What’s changed?”
His face was still wreathed in a friendly open smile that had his former way about it, “Call it responsibility. I’m a prince and I’m married.”
In shock I followed his hand gesture where further out to sea a blonde who could only be termed as gorgeous, briefly stood up out of the waves followed by a score of others. The blonde smiled and waved and somehow I felt her words of welcome within my head. Just like that the Sea People re-submerged and the surface of the sea was once again flat with only the ripple of the waves to be seen.
I blinked. This couldn’t all be truly happening could it? My brother lived underwater and was a Prince?
My eyes came back to Koke’s only to see him regarding me with a knowing smile.
“You’ve changed a lot yourself dear sister.”
I blushed red as I took the obvious drift of his meaning even as he added, “And you’re a lot better for it!”
He took my hand then and started leading me toward Colt with a sense of command that I had never seen him manifest before.
I gasped, “Koke! You’re back!”
“Ahh, never mind that, all healed now anyway. Come, we have important things to discuss.”
Koke pulled me along until we came to a stop before Colt who was smiling. Koke leaned forward and slapped Colt on the back in a manly gesture that I’d never seen him manifest so overtly before.
“Thanks for looking out after the little sister! I’m sure it wasn’t easy to start!”
Colt gave me a knowing look and then with a cocky smile he said, “It’s been worth it.”
I blushed even as Koke laughed. Colt was going to pay for that later, but right now all I wanted to know was what was happening that Koke seemed so serious upon discussing.
Koke continued on up the beach and into the jungle and I hurried after him. What was the rush for?
“What’s going on Koke?” I asked breathlessly as I hurried through the narrow strip of jungle towards the opposing beach on the other side
“Going on!” Koke burst out with as we stepped free of the jungle onto the beach.
“Goodness don’t you know? Oh, I guess you don’t. The pirates got a hold of the scroll. There’s a second war about to break loose in this little fallen paradise we now call home. A war just to survive most likely.” Koke finished with grimly.
Colt broke into the conversation from Koke’s other side, “I’m sorry! I……”
Koke held up a hand forestalling Colt from going any further in apology, “You couldn’t have known Colt. No one is blaming you; even the Sea People have something of a stake in all this. They freely admit now that they should have either destroyed or hidden the scroll much better than they did. Down here there’s a little blame that belongs to everyone. Isn’t that right Captain Hiro?”
With a gasp I pulled up and let go of Koke’s hand as I took in the Japanese Captain accompanied by a group of officers standing in the sand before their beached boats. The entire Japanese Navy lay at anchor in the background just offshore.
Both Colt and I shared a glance of intense meaning. We were going to need to plan our little get-togethers a little better in the future, if we expected to have any privacy.
Captain Hiro nodded his head forward in a perfunctory bow, which was soon followed by the rest of his officers in attendance. It was very clear that the Sea People that Koke was now a part of held the balance of power in this underworld realm.
I wondered why that was and then I remembered the talking dragon. With a beast like that at their command it made sense why there was this show of respect. Respect directed at my brother. I’d never been more proud of him. We’d both come a long way from our childhood beginnings.
I watched as the Japanese Captain drew close to my brother stopping only two feet away from him. Koke introduced who Colt and I were to the Captain.
I couldn’t but feel that along with Colt that I was somehow to blame for the risk to so many lives that having unearthed the scroll had resulted in. What my brother had said about everyone having a share in the guilt had helped, but it had been Colt and I that had released the threat of the dark natured message of the scroll back into this sunken realm.
The Captain, I’m not sure how, seemed to sense my guilt over the situation. In heavily accented English he spoke, “You have not been the first to succumb to the wiles of the dark words and threaten to unleash their unholy offspring. Over thirty years ago a junior Captain of a destroyer in our fleet found the scroll washed up on a beach not far from here. He read the words of the scroll and bonded himself with a manifestation of sheer evil. An evil that I wished to never have to face again. The inhabiting manifestation of evil offered his knowledge of a sunken city filled with the means by which we could use to win our war with the Americans overnight if we would but allow possession of ourselves by the dark forces. My Admiral did not see why we should stoop to such dark paths in the pursuit of victory. We were winning the war against the Americans anyway. The Admiral was a man of honor, as am I. Most of the fleet agreed with the Admiral, and the manifestation of evil was denied access to our souls. In retaliation the possessed young Captain stole on board the capital battleship and killed the Admiral in his sleep. He then tried to gain control of the battleship, but the crew resisted and would not take orders from him. In the fighting between the crew of the old Admiral’s and that of the upstart Captain’s crew a fire got started, it touched off a powder magazine and our battleship, which was the pride of our fleet went up in flames taking with it the lives of over eight hundred sailors. The rebel Captain’s ship was also destroyed. The loss of those sailors and those two ships has been a costly one. Ever since that day we have been at a disadvantage to the Americans and forced to flee every fight we have encountered with them. The ancient scroll is poison of the worst kind and must be destroyed!” The Captain finished passionately as he turned to look at Koke pointedly.
Koke nodded affirmatively, “The scroll will be destroyed this time Captain. I have the pledge of the Sea People to that end. Now on to the pressing matter at hand. You’ve come to evacuate the island I take it?”
The Captain nodded affirmatively, but Koke shook his head in denial of the Captain’s expressed action.
“We can’t focus on such efforts right now Captain. We need to strike the pirates now, while their newfound powers are not quite realized if we have any hope of seizing the scroll away from them.”
The Captain’s face looked strained for a moment as he contemplated what Koke was asking of him.
“You are suggesting that I commit my fleet to open confrontation with the pirates?”
Koke nodded grimly.
“Such an action would be an act of suicide, if they’ve uncovered even just a part of what the scroll implied was buried in the city!”
“Even so Captain the battle is before us. The Sea People need your fleet to act as a diversion, while we do what we can beneath the waves. Are you in or out?”
A long moment stretched out then, which Koke broke with, “Captain Hiro we don’t have much time.”
The Captain looked down with a frown at the sand specks sticking to his otherwise immaculate looking boots. His tone reflective sounding he said, “We’re dead if we don’t and dead if we do.”
The Captain looked up to stare directly into Koke’s eyes for a moment before flatly saying, “We’re in. It is better to die in honor than to be hunted down and raped individually into a state of defeat. We will fight!”
Koke reached forward to grip the lean Captain’s shoulder, “Thank you Captain! Give us four hours to get our people into position before you make your approach on the city.”
The Captain nodded and started to leave, when not being able to hold back what I felt burdened to say any longer I said, “We should pray.”
All eyes turned to me. Swallowing down my apprehension at so many direct stares upon me I said, “It would seem that our chance for victory is a slim one. I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to seek a little Divine favor.”
Koke nodded in affirmation and glanced to the Captain, who looked decidedly uncomfortable.
The Captain spoke haltingly, “I gave up the belief in my gods long ago, as have most of my men, but if you wish to pray to your God I will listen.”
I nodded and started into a prayer that I hoped covered the situation we were faced with, but what was more important than that was I prayed what I did with all of my heart.
Some distant part of me couldn’t believe that I was leading such a diverse group as was gathered on this beach in prayer.
The prayer finished I opened my eyes to see Koke smiling warmly at me and the Captain looking puzzled about something. Colt; however, was gone!
My frantic eyes turned to Koke and I asked, “Where did Colt go?”
He pointed out behind me and I looked to where he pointed only to see Colt approaching the outlying reef in a native dugout canoe. What was he doing?
I started to scream out to him, but Koke restrained me by grasping my arm.
“He wouldn’t hear you.”
“Where’s he going Koke? He can’t be going for the scrolls alone can he?”
“No, the sunken city is in the opposite direction. I think he’s going for help.”
“Help? From who?”
Then it came to me, “But they tried to kill us!” I exclaimed, as I remembered my time spent with the American Navy.
Koke shook his head, “I don’t see much hope in it, but it’s best to let him try.”
The native dugout’s small square sail came out and the little vessel shot out for the open ocean. I felt tears course down my cheeks as I watched the little boat disappear quickly. He hadn’t even said goodbye.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned to find that the touch had been that of the Japanese Captain.
“Would you care to come aboard? This island will not be any safer than our ships if we fail in the fight to come. Perhaps your strong prayers may provide my men the inspiration to fight harder. I can see that you believe everything that you do and that inner confidence could be of great value for my men to see.”
I wiped at my tears even as I was inwardly overwhelmed by the Captain’s confidence in my praying ability. I’d only been praying for a few weeks now. What measure of strength did he think I possessed, but then I guess it wasn’t my strength that he was noticing. The knowledge that my life was reflecting my Savior was in turn confidence inspiring to me.
“I thought you said you didn’t have faith Captain?”
“I don’t, but it is clear to me that you do. Perhaps my former faith was wrong. Anyway I would like to see more of your faith in action.”
I fought against being overwhelmed by the Captain’s confidence in my faith. A simple message held true within the confines of my mind. If victory was to be achieved and miracles performed it would only be by the grace of God and not by any act of mine.
I felt an urging from within to go with the Captain, but I hesitated.
I turned to Koke, but he was no help.
“It would be as good a spot as any to be Sis.”
I looked back to the Captain and nodded. He saluted and headed for the boat that had brought him and his officers ashore.
I gave Koke a brief hug, which he returned to the extent that I thought he was about to crack my ribs. The strength of his hug helped to express without words what needed to be said. There was no time for words anyway.
I turned from Koke and caught up with the Captain’s boat as two sailors started pushing it into the surf.
*****
Koke watched his sister for a moment as he said a prayer of his own. He turned from the retreating boat to head for the other shore where he walked into the waves and was soon gone from view.
*****
“That’ll do boys! Heave the old brig still!” Captain Sally barked out.
The old galley came to a sluggish stop. The crew glanced among themselves at a loss over what had possessed the Captain to stop here of all places. All they saw was open water all around with not even the hint of an island on the horizon. The sea was empty.
Captain Sally shook her head at their looks of consternation. They were as stupid as she had been once, but no more!
She felt alive with the secret hidden knowledge that had blossomed within her. Stupid or not she needed the crew to cooperate and help her. The scroll had told her that she could expect direct interference from the Sea People and possibly others.
Captain Sally stretched her hands out to the water and spoke the dark words of the scroll.
As the words formed out past her lips they seemed to burn through her heart. Instead of sensing further loss of spirit all she felt was the promise of the power that the words would bring.
The words had been said and glancing around, Captain Sally saw that her villainous crew was impressed as they’d never been before with her. There was a good reason for that as she’d never put so many words together before in one unbroken sentence as she had just done.
The crew’s focus on her was broken by the sound of breaching seawater behind her. She spun around back to the railing to behold the action taking place in the formally empty scene of open water.
Tall spires of a city’s architecture unparalleled by any in the modern era punched clear of the waves to rise up once more into the daylight after a long absence from the realm of the living. Towering spires gave way to a city the likes of which none of the pirates could ever have dreamed possible in terms of size and awe inspiring appeal.
“Feast upon the sight of our salvation boys! It is Lemuria itself, that ancient city of old, second only to Atlantis and it’s ours ripe for the taking! With the power of this city behind us we can conquer all who oppose us! There will be no more meddling in our affairs or running from the likes of Sea People or fancy navy captains bent on blowing us to hell! We will rule here in Undersea and we alone!”
Her crew echoed her excitement and looked about ready to jump over the side and discover the emerging city for themselves.
“Whoa boys not so fast! If you are to take yonder city and enjoy its wonders then ya got to be a pledging yourself to the cause as I have.”
“What cause be that Captain Sally?” One burly pirate asked suspiciously.
Captain Sally didn’t take offense at his question, but shot right back with, “Why it’s rebellion my lob eared floozy! Rebellion it is I say. That be my cause. Rebellion against God and man and any pathetic rules there may be!”
A pirate to the side of the pirate who’d just asked the first question burst out with, “Well dat be our lives now Captain Sally!”
Captain Sally gave a loud cackle in return and said, “Why so it be!”
Her face went from merriment to dead seriousness in the next instance as she said in a tone that didn’t quite seem her own, “Now repeat after me and don’t any of ya’s leave a word out of this binding covenant!”
Half mesmerized by the city beyond and eager to explore it to discover what booty it may hold the crew repeated after the Captain and lost all hold on reality. Pledged over and demons welcomed in the weak natured pirates gave way to the vain personalities that hungered for even more conquest than they had.
The first road of conquest was to regain control of the city. As one the possessed pirates leaped over the side and began swimming for the fully emerged city that glistened beckoningly before them. The scroll lay discarded on the deck of the old galley no longer needed or of any worth. It was now blank and void of any of its former abilities
There was something that not even the Sea People had grasped about the scroll, which was where it had gotten its luminescent power. The demons of the past in an effort to preserve themselves and avoid the Deep had bound themselves as a last resort to the scroll itself.
They were chained no longer. Craftily they had avoided the deadly deluge that had destroyed so many of their kind. They’d even survived the trip into the sunken realm within the Earth itself, ever waiting for that someone who would completely read them out of the scroll and give them a new habitation in which to dwell.
They’d found their hosts at last and now all they could feel as they swam for the city was hunger. They hungered to destroy, pillage, and wreck human lives. It was after all their destiny and point of being.