Explorer of the Endless Sea

by Jack Campbell

  The four captains walked away from the waterfront and the remnants of the one-sided battle, down a new street with the skeletons of new buildings rising on the soil of a new land. But Jules’s thoughts stayed on the waterfront until they reached the place where the Imperial captain had been left.

  And found it empty.

  Jules was still trying to tamp down her emotions and not yell with anger when Kyle came running up to them. “I was looking for you, Captain. We took that Imperial officer to the big building where we could guard her better.”

  Inhaling slowly, Jules nodded. “Is she still tied up?”

  “Sure thing, Captain! Gord’s knots—I tell you, the man ties a knot like no other sailor I’ve ever met.”

  Afraid that she still might snap at Kyle, Jules forced a smile and nodded to him before leading Erin, Lars, and Hachi to the completed building where Colonel Dar’n’s body still lay upstairs. As they were about to reach the building, though, Jules stopped. “Hold on.”

  “What is it?” Lars asked.

  “I was thinking of something we were talking about earlier,” Jules said. “About the rest of you.” She bit her lip, looking toward the building where the Imperial captain was held prisoner. “I’m the only one of us that officer has seen. If we all four go in to talk to her, she’ll see you three and know the parts you played here.”

  “You’re thinking you should talk to the captain alone?” Erin said.

  “Yes. You can be close enough to listen, unseen. But you and your ships and your crews will become targets of the Emperor if it’s known you were equals in taking this town.”

  “And your ship and crew?” Hachi asked.

  “We were already targets of the Emperor,” Jules said. “I’m not trying to claim credit for this in anyone’s eyes except his.”

  “You are trying to claim the blame,” Lars said. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you taking a dagger thrust that should be aimed at all of us.”

  “She’s right, though,” Hachi said. “It would be better for the rest of us if the Emperor’s eyes were fixed on her.”

  “I may not be a legionary obsessed with honor,” Lars said, “but it still bothers me.”

  “You’re not asking it of me,” Jules said. “I’m making a free choice here. That’s important to me, that I can decide such things instead of being only a plaything for destiny.”

  Erin looked her over before nodding. “All right, then. I admit the wisdom of what you say, and it’s your right to decide it.”

  “I will also agree,” Hachi said.

  Lars grimaced, looking away, before finally nodding once as well. “All right.”

  Jules let out a sigh of relief. “Give me your Mechanic weapon,” she told Lars. “I’ll need to show that officer who was backing us.”

  Holding Lars’ revolver, her own in its holster, Jules walked the rest of the way to the front door. Opening it and looking inside at the reception area, she saw a couple of pirates lounging on a comfortable couch while they watched the Imperial captain, who was tied to a substantial chair. “You two take a break outside,” she told the pirates. “I need to have a private chat with this lady.”

  Gesturing to Erin, Lars, and Hachi to stand outside by the doorway out of sight of the Imperial captain, Jules left the door open after the guards left. Dragging a chair to face the one where the captain was tied, Jules sat down, resting Lars’s revolver on one broad arm of the chair.

  Then, annoyed with herself, she got up again, using her dagger to cut free the gag over the captain’s mouth.

  The once perfect uniform of the captain of the newly-captured sloop now bore scuffs and slashes. Her dagger sheath and sword scabbard were empty, not that the woman could have reached either with her arms and hands tightly bound. A rough bandage soaked with blood covered one side of her face where Jules’s dagger had slashed it. Another bandage was wrapped tightly around her arm, where blood barely showed against the dark red Imperial uniform to mark the place where Jules’s second thrust had gone instead of into the captain’s heart.

  The Imperial officer studied Jules with a look that promised slow and painful death. “You may have won this day,” she said in a voice rendered hoarse by her injuries and the pain of the gag, “but I will hunt you all down and make you pay for this with blood.”

  “The Emperor wouldn’t be happy to hear you threatening injury to me,” Jules said, leaning back in her chair in a deliberate show of casual disregard for the threat.

  “Why—?” The officer stared at Jules, her face hardening even more. “You.”

  “Me,” Jules said.

  “That supposed Mage prophecy won’t protect you forever!”

  “Oh, the prophecy was real,” Jules said. “And so far it hasn’t really protected me from anything. In fact, it’s been the source of a lot of trouble for me. What’s your name?”

  The Imperial officer glared for a moment before answering. “Captain Kathrin of Law.”

  “Law? Where’s that?”

  “A small town east of Emdin,” Kathrin spat in reply. “I bear its name with pride.”

  “Wait.” Jules looked closer at the officer. “Captain Kathrin? No-Quarter Kathrin?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You don’t know your reputation among other Imperial officers and sailors? I heard that you’re a hard-ass who never learned the meaning of mercy. Every officer trainee I knew was scared of being assigned to a ship you commanded.”

  Captain Kathrin smiled. “I admit such a reputation would suit me. I do my job.”

  “If I wasn’t smart,” Jules said. “I’d kill someone like you. But it happens that I need you.”

  “If you think I’ll serve your purposes, you’re not only treasonous but also stupid.”

  Jules smiled at her. “But you do your job, don’t you? And that means delivering a report to the Emperor of what happened here. A candid, truthful report. That’s what you’ll do, right? Because your reputation is also that you’re as hard on yourself as you are on others. You won’t try to minimize or conceal anything to make herself look better.”

  After a long pause, the Imperial officer nodded. “Why you think that will help you, I don’t know. But I will tell the Emperor everything that I can. Where is Colonel Dar’n? Where is the commander of this town?”

  Jules outwardly stayed relaxed, but she took a moment to steady her voice before replying. “He’s dead. He died fighting in defense of this town.”

  “How do I know that’s true?”

  “Because I told you that’s what happened,” Jules said, her voice growing cold.

  If Kathrin noticed Jules’ warning reaction, she gave no sign of it. “How does a town with a garrison of fifty legionaries fall to a band of pirates?”

  “How does an Imperial sloop get captured by pirates?”

  “You’re lying!”

  Jules shook her head. “You’ll see soon enough. Your crew did fight, but they lost.”

  “Lies! What happened here? Did Dar’n surrender the town and the garrison?”

  Jules came up out of her chair in a swift movement, reaching out and grabbing Captain Kathrin’s throat. “Colonel Dar’n died defending this town,” she said, each word coming out slowly and forcefully. “He refused to surrender. That’s what you will tell the Emperor. It is truth. If I hear that you have reported something different, that you have dishonored the memory of Colonel Dar’n, you won’t have to come looking for me for revenge. I’ll find you. And you will beg for death a thousand times before I finally grant your plea. Do you understand me?”

  Despite the pressure on her throat, Kathrin kept her eyes fixed defiantly on Jules. “I understand you,” she said, her voice rendered even more raspy by Jules’ grip on her throat. “I’ll tell the Emperor exactly what happened. And his wrath will shake the world.”

  “Will it?” Jules said, seeing that her smile startled the Imperial officer. Letting go of Kathrin’s throat and stepping
back, she sat down again and tapped Lars’ revolver with one finger. “Do you know what this is? Where it came from?”

  “Everyone knows you have that. And that the Mechanics also want you dead now. It won’t save you.”

  “Perhaps this one will, then,” Jules said, bringing her own revolver out of its holster and holding it next to the other. “The Mechanics and I have…an understanding.”

  Even Captain Kathrin had trouble dealing with that revelation. After a long pause, she narrowed her eyes at Jules. “The Mechanics dare to attack the Empire?”

  “The Mechanics believe the Empire should do as they direct,” Jules replied. “The Great Guilds run this world, don’t they?”

  “Not forever,” Kathrin said. “And I’m not speaking of that prophecy.”

  “You’re thinking that the Emperor is powerful enough to challenge the Great Guilds?” Jules asked. “You’ve seen their ships, haven’t you? All metal, moving so fast in any direction, those very big weapons on them. Have you seen them up close? Have you been inside one? I have. Your ship, my ship, any ship of the common people, wouldn’t last more than a few breaths against a Mechanic ship. And their Guild, so I’ve heard, has four such ships.”

  Kathrin frowned as if seeking a forceful reply, but stayed silent.

  “And,” Jules said, “many weapons like this.” She raised her own revolver slightly to emphasize her words. “I’ve heard them speak of even worse weapons, weapons that could destroy vast numbers in one blow. The Emperor is surely wise enough to know that war with the Great Guilds would be a mistake. If any of his advisors are urging such action, they are not serving the best interests of the Empire.”

  “There are also the Mages,” Kathrin said, eyeing Jules to watch her reaction.

  “The Mages are no friend to anyone,” Jules said. “They’ll kill me if they can, to keep from having their Guild overthrown someday. How do you think they’ll react if the Empire and the Mechanics Guild go to war? I’ll tell you what I think. I think they’ll let both sides bloody themselves and then move in to take complete control of everything. Also not a good thing for the Emperor and the Empire.”

  “What do you care about the welfare of the Empire, traitor?”

  “I care about the people of the Empire,” Jules said, sitting forward. “Not the princes and the officials, but the people.”

  Captain Kathrin’s smile held more scorn than that of any society matron viewing a newly-rich rival. “A pirate? Do you consider yourself compassionate? How many people have you personally killed?”

  “I don’t keep count,” Jules said. “I only kill if I have to, or if someone deserves it,” she added with a meaningful look at the Imperial officer. “No one said the Mechanics were involved here. Did I say such a thing? No. But we have these weapons, and the means to shoot them. We may gain access to more of them. Those who make such weapons may decide to take other actions if they decide it’s necessary. I couldn’t say, of course. I only speak for myself. But the Emperor will want to know everything before he decides what to do, weighing the welfare of the Empire in the balance. Remember that this town is a secret project. Few knew it was here, few knew the Empire reached this far. And that means few will know of any defeat here. Perhaps the Emperor will prefer to keep things that way.”

  “You’re hiding behind the Mechanics,” Kathrin said, looking contemptuously at Jules. “Serving them. The girl whose line will supposedly free the world, but you sold yourself out faster than a cheap courtesan on Marandur’s streets.”

  “I never sought the cheap pleasures of Marandur’s streets,” Jules said, stung despite her pretended indifference to the insult. “You seem to know a lot about them, though. Maybe you’ll live to see them again, if the Emperor is more merciful than you are.” Pointing east, Jules spoke again before the Imperial officer could reply. “You, your crew, and the captured legionaries will be taken back to the Empire and set ashore on an empty coast. Because I’m merciful.”

  “I demand to speak with Centurion Rasel,” Captain Kathrin said.

  Jules shook her head. “One, you aren’t in any position to make demands, and two, Centurion Rasel who commanded the legionaries here is dead and won’t be speaking with anyone. I regret to inform you that the centurion from your ship also died fighting. His actions should be remembered with honor.”

  “What of Lieutenant Martine?”

  “Injured during the fight. If he recovers, you’ll see him. He also refused to surrender.”

  Kathrin looked at Jules, then slowly shook her head. “How much blood do you have on your hands?”

  Tired, stressed, and feeling the cold inside her, Jules drew her dagger. Standing up, she rested the point of the dagger just beneath Captain Kathrin’s chin, pressing just enough to sting. “There’ll probably be a lot more blood before all is done,” she said. “I didn’t ask for this, but I’m going to see it through. And anyone who fights me will pay a price. If you don’t want your blood on my blade, you’ll steer clear of me from now on.”

  The Imperial captain didn’t answer, her eyes still bearing their promise of vengeance someday.

  Sheathing her dagger and picking up Lars’s revolver, Jules went outside. “Back on duty,” she called to the guards, hooking a thumb toward the inside.

  Walking away from the building, she waited until Lars, Erin, and Hachi joined her at a safe distance. “Well?” Jules said, once she knew Captain Kathrin could no longer hear them.

  Erin shrugged. “It was as you said. You took it all on yourself.”

  Lars, accepting his revolver back from Jules, said nothing.

  Captain Hachi looked up at the sky. “I’ve decided that I won’t be fighting you, Captain Jules. I value my existence in this world too highly.”

  Haunted by the memory of Dar’n’s body still in the building, Jules spotted Marta walking past and called to her.

  “Yes, Captain?” Marta asked.

  “I need a favor,” Jules said. “I know you help Keli lay out bodies when someone dies. Upstairs in that building is the body of Colonel Dar’n, the Imperial commander of this town. Could you lay it out properly for burial?”

  “All formal and everything, in uniform, Captain?” Marta said.

  “Yes. He…deserves that.”

  “Consider it done, Captain. I’ll get some others to help and see it through.”

  As Marta went in search of help, Jules noticed the other captains watching her.

  “Did you know this Dar’n?” Erin asked.

  “That’s none of your business,” Jules said, not wanting to discuss the matter with anyone.

  “If you say so, but I’ve another question.” Erin raised one hand and touched Jules lightly on the chest. “Is it lonely in there where you keep everything locked down tight?”

  “Knock it off,” Jules said. “None of you have to live my life.”

  She walked away, knowing what Ian would think when he heard what had happened here, visions of the ugly, one-sided fight against the unarmed Imperial crew filling her memory. The sun overhead beamed down on the town, but Jules didn’t feel any warmth from it.

  Chapter Ten

  The former Imperial town, now independent—though few people other than Jules understood even a little what that meant—had been built alongside a mighty river flowing down from the north. As Shin had noted last night, not far outside the town a rocky hill patched with dirt and brush rose steeply, like a tower of stone more than ten lances high. On top of the natural landmark was a flat area on which Imperial workers had already begun a watch tower to crown the hill. By the standards of the mountains of the Northern Ramparts, the mount was minuscule, but out here surrounded by otherwise nearly flat land along both sides of the river, it dominated the landscape.

  Jules, restless, wanting to be alone and wondering when the Sun Queen would return, decided to climb up for the view. A rough path had already been worn to the top, making the journey a tiring but not too difficult climb. Remembering the refugees she’d
rescued from Sandurin fleeing west through a pass in the Northern Ramparts near Kelsi, she couldn’t help wondering if the settlement they’d founded had been set up somewhere to the north on the banks of this same river.

  But as she pulled herself onto the top of the natural spire, she bit back disappointment at seeing someone else already seated on a convenient stone.

  Captain Hachi, who’d been gazing to the east, nodded in wordless greeting.

  Feeling awkward, Jules gestured in the same direction. “Thinking of home?”

  Hachi shrugged. “Home can mean many things.”

  “What’s it mean to you?” Jules asked, walking to the north side of the hilltop and looking in that direction.

  He took so long to answer that she looked back at him. Hachi wore a thoughtful expression as he considered the question.

  “Somewhere you belong,” he finally said. “And feel safe.” Hachi turned his head to look down at the settlement. “I’ve been thinking that this place might be a good home for the Star Seeker.”

  “I think it could use someone like you,” she said.

  “Was that a compliment?” Hachi asked, as if dubious it could really be such a thing.

  “Yes,” Jules said. “And this town would certainly be a safer home port than places closer to the Empire. Safer for you and your crew, anyway.”

  “But not safe for you.”

  “Mages tend to show up if I stay anywhere for any length of time. As well as Imperials eager to win favor with their Emperor by bringing me back in chains to warm his bed.”

  “I admit I’ve never had to face either problem myself.” Hachi tilted his head slightly as he studied her. “Where do you belong, Captain Jules?”

  “If you’re asking where I feel safe,” Jules said, “that’d be aboard the Sun Queen.”

  “At sea.” Hachi nodded slowly. “That’s your empire.”

  “That’s a strange way to say it.” Feeling uncomfortable to be asked about her feelings, Jules nodded to the east. “Where was your home before?”

  “Centin.” Hachi smiled in a thin, humorless manner. “Where I worked as one of the Emperor’s many hands and eyes and ears.”