A Red Sky Is Upon Us

by Ryan Gilbert

  As he was walking down the steps, a sailor ran up to him and exclaimed, “Sir, ship sighted off the starboard side.”

  “Colors?”

  “There aren’t any, sir.”

  A jolt of hostility ran through his spine as soon as the words reached his ears.

  “Sailor, get the civilians below deck. Make sure that they are safe.”

  Soldiers ran to load the cannons and their muskets as the Magistrate drew closer to the mystery ship. Hamond pulled out his spyglass and peered out into the night. He could clearly make out the outline of the ship as he tried to see its color. To his frustration, he could not. In the darkness, the entire ship looked black. The only thing he knew for certain was that it was a pirate ship.

  Pulling out his sword, the Commodore yelled to his crew, “Gentlemen, tonight we make these criminals pay for their crimes. Prepare for combat.”

  With a loud cheer, the sailors hurried to prepare the ship for battle. The Magistrate was gaining on the pirate ship, but Hamond still could not see if it was the Red Sky; the moonlight was camouflaging the colors.

  Grabbing his lieutenant, the Commodore said, “Hold fire until we get closer. I need to know that is the right ship.”

  BWHOOM

  A cannonball landed in the water right next to the Navy ship. The pirates had noticed them.

  “Orders, Commodore?” shouted a soldier.

  Hamond did not answer. His eyes flitted back and forth, trying to decide on a course of action.

  BWHOOM

  “Commodore? We need orders,” the soldier shouted.

  BWHOOM

  “Fire the cannons. I want them subdued, not killed,” the Commodore said at last.

  “Yes, sir. Starboard cannons… Fire!”

  K-BOOM K-BOOM K-BOOM

  The night sky lit up with the flash of the cannons. With almost grim delight, the Commodore watched as the cannonballs tore through the wood of the ship. The water around the ship soon became littered with debris and bodies as the pirates tried to fight a losing battle. Cannonball after cannonball shot into the pirate ship as its crew shot its cannons aimlessly. None of them even came close to the HMS Magistrate. The pirate ship turned to face its conquerors, almost daring them to destroy it. It shot another cannonball in defiance.

  “Fire.”

  All of the cannons fired, demolishing the pirate ship as it stood mocking the Navy. The inside of the pirate ship glowed yellow for a second and then exploded outward as the gunpowder supply caught fire. The explosion caught the soldiers by surprise, not expecting such destruction. When they realized what they had done, they fell silent.

  “Bring the ship about,” ordered Commodore Hamond, trying to keep himself composed.

  Worried, he surveyed the wreckage of the pirate ship. As it floated in the water, burning, he tried to see if he could identify anything or anyone. If Julia had been on that ship, he wanted to know. Unfortunately for the Commodore, the explosion had destroyed most of the vessel and had burned most of the bodies beyond recognition. Stomping his foot in frustration, the Commodore was far from closure.

  Travers approached and said, “Sir, there are men in the water. Shall we stop for them?”

  Grabbing his sword, Commodore Hamond answered, “Only for interrogation. These pirates have a future that ends in a hanging.”

  In a few short moments, the stunned pirates were sitting on the deck of the Navy ship, gasping for breath and soaking wet. The group was quite a pitiful sight as their clothing stuck to their sunburnt bodies. Many of them were bleeding from wounds sustained in the battle.

  The Commodore approached one of the pirates and stared down his nose at the criminal.

  “What was the name of your ship?”

  The pirate laughed and looked at the Commodore quizzically.

  “Ye just destroyed it. Why give a damn what it’s called?”

  Running short on patience, Hamond yelled, “What was the name of your ship, vermin?”

  Chuckling, the pirate answered, “The King’s Bounty, but right now, I’d kill for free.”

  The man pulled a gun from his coat and aimed it at the Commodore. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

  *click*

  Wet powder had saved Hamond. Not waiting for his soldiers to react, the Commodore struck the man across the face. The useless gun fell out of the pirate’s hand as the Commodore held a sword at his prisoner’s neck.

  “You are going to answer my questions, pirate.”

  The man scoffed, but after Hamond pricked him with his blade, he nodded to show his obedience.

  “Do you know of the ship called the Red Sky? Or of the pirates that crew the vessel?”

  The man said, “I don’t know o’ such a ship.”

  “You don’t… know… of the Red Sky?”

  “Did I not speak clearly ‘nough? I’ve ne’er heard o’ the ship.”

  In a final effort to escape, the pirate batted away the sword, but Hamond’s soldiers were prepared this time. Shots rang out, and the man fell to the ground, dying before he even hit the deck.

  “Do any of you godforsaken miscreants know anything about the Red Sky? The man that speaks up saves the lives of his fellow prisoners.”

  None of the pirates said anything. They simply stared up at the guns being leveled at their heads.

  “Really? No one knows anything?”

  The captive crew remained silent.

  Turning to the English sailors, Commodore Hamond ordered, “Kill them all.”

  “Wait!”

  Turning back around, Hamond shouted, “Stand and state your case, pirate.”

  Through his yellow teeth, the pirate said, “I encountered that ship once before, mate. It was many moons ago, and I remember little about it. All me mind remembers is the crew.”

  “What about them?” asked the Commodore eagerly.

  Smirking, the pirate said, “The scoundrels were pathetic, just like their captain. They’d gone soft.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I ain’t saying another word until I get some food,” the man snarled.

  “Fair enough.”

  Sheathing his sword, Commodore Hamond turned and called Travers to his side. He was satisfied with what he had heard, but there were still some questions that he needed answers. Those would have to wait for a later time, when the pirates were more cooperative and less rambunctious.

  “Sir, what should we do with the prisoners?”

  “Lock them in the brig. Give them minimal food and water. I need them to be calm when I interrogate them.”

  “You don’t intend to set them free afterwards, do you?” asked the Lieutenant.

  “No, of course not. They will face the courts just like all the other pirates that we’ve been able to capture. Chances are they will be sentenced to the gallows.”

  “I certainly hope so, sir.”

  Leaving behind the voices of the disgruntled pirates, Commodore Hamond disappeared to his cabin. He slammed the doors shut and started to pour over his charts. He wanted to find any and all places that the Red Sky could hide. He would find them if he had to chase them to Hell and back. All he wanted was his daughter, safe and sound.

  CHAPTER SIX

  *knock* *knock* *knock*

  The pounding on the door roused Riggs from his slumber. Though he had slept for hours, it did not feel like that long of a rest. Rubbing his eyes, the pirate captain put on his coat and hat and made his way to the door. Once he opened it, he was greeted by Eli’s dust-covered face.

  “What is it, mate? It better be somethin’ important.”

  “Captain, there’s a ship off our bow… English by the looks of it.”

  Yawning, Riggs asked, “Do they look like a threat?”

  Handing his captain a spyglass, Eli answered, “See for yourself.”

  Riggs straightened his hat and then looked through the spyglass. His tired eyes could hardly see anything. It was all just a big blur.

  Looking to his cre
wmate, Riggs said, “I don’t see anythin’.”

  Perturbed, Eli handed Riggs a bottle of rum. One sip later, the Captain was wide awake.

  “Well ain’t that a kick in the ass,” Riggs joked.

  “Just look, Captain.”

  He did as he was told and surveyed the ship with the energy only rum could provide. From first glance, he knew that the Red Sky could outgun them. He saw very few cannons on board the vessel, so it was probably a merchant ship. It was definitely not a ship from the English Navy, and therefore, it would not be a problem to attack it. It did not even look like they had seen the pirates yet.

  “Full canvas, ye scoundrels. We got a ship that needs a catchin’.”

  The skull and crossbones were raised, flying high above the proud pirate crew. The men scattered to open the portholes and run out the cannons. Ripper stood at the ready, should the order be given to fire.

  Loading his pistol, Riggs caught sight of Julia coming up from below deck. She was still wearing her pirate garb, minus the coat. Presumably, it was too hot for her. Her eyelids looked heavy with sleep. In fact, Riggs doubted that she had slept a wink. The poor girl seemed disoriented as the crew rushed by her.

  “Riggs, what is going on?”

  “And a good mornin’ to you too, m’ dear.”

  “Fine… good morning… now what is going on?”

  Resting his arm on her shoulder, Riggs said, “This, Julia, is a raid.”

  Julia saw the merchant ship and gasped. Angrily pushing his arm away, she seemed like a powder keg just waiting to burst.

  “Those are innocent people on that boat, Riggs. You can’t just kill them and take their things,” argued the girl.

  Sticking his pistol in his belt, Riggs responded, “First of all, we’re only gonna kill if need be. Secondly, we’re free to do whatever we want on these waters, includin’ survivin’.”

  “Aren’t they just surviving as well?”

  Gesturing toward his crew, Riggs said, “Take a look at us an’ tell us that we’re survivin’ better than they are. You’ll find yourself hard-pressed to do so.”

  The Red Sky was approaching the ship fast. Peering through the spyglass again, Riggs could see the panic start to spread as the merchants tried to get away. Obviously, they were not prepared for an attack; the portholes for the cannons were not even opened.

  “Fire a cannonball off their port side,” ordered Riggs.

  BOOM *splash*

  “Dat scared ‘em, Captain,” shouted Ripper.

  “Get ready to board, fellas.”

  In almost no time at all, the Red Sky was next to the merchants, cannons trained on the ship and ready to blow it out of the water at the first sign of trouble. It was almost a relief to the pirates to be raiding ships again, especially after so many fruitless years with Richardson.

  Julia grabbed Riggs’ sleeve and begged, “You don’t have to do this. Just let them go.”

  “Sweets, they’re not gonna die ‘less they do somethin’ stupid. I promise you that.”

  Walking to the railing, Riggs looked out over his captured prize. The ship was only a tiny bit smaller than his own, which meant that it must have been carrying a good amount of valuables. The fact that none of the portholes had even been opened to try to fire a shot was confusing to the young captain. Still, the men on board the ship had their swords drawn and were ready for man-to-man fighting.

  “Who among you is the captain o’ this ship?” shouted Riggs.

  A well-dressed man stepped forward, holding his sword in front of him.

  “It is I, pirate.”

  “Ah, good then. Tell your men to lower their weapons and none o’ you will get hurt.”

  “You will not order me around, you monster.”

  Smirking, Riggs said, “No… I guess I won’t.”

  Pulling out his pistol, Riggs shot the captain in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground.

  Turning his attention to the merchant crew, Riggs casually reloaded his pistol and shouted, “Would every man except the captain lay down his weapon?”

  Nearly every man dropped his sword immediately.

  Riggs waved his hand as a signal to his crew to send over a group to recover goods. It should be safe now, seeing as the merchants did not want to end up like their now-crippled captain.

  Riggs called Coral Jack to his side and told him, “Lead the search party, Jack. We need supplies for our trip to Isla de Dolor, and we only have so much room on the ship. Make sure those bilge rats only take what we can handle.”

  “Aye, Captain,” said Jack with a grin.

  As Riggs walked along the railing, watching the merchants to make sure that they did not try anything foolish, he heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching him from behind.

  “What is it this time, love?” he asked, turning around.

  Julia looked even angrier than before. Riggs could see the pent-up emotion building behind her pretty complexion.

  “You said that no harm would come to them.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Julia. I said that they wouldn’t die… unless of course they did somethin’ stupid, which the captain did. Plus, I shot ‘im in the leg. He’s not gonna die.”

  Unable to put up with Riggs, Julia stormed off in a rage, leaving the Captain alone for the moment. He shrugged, watching the other ship’s crew from the safety of the Red Sky.

  Everything seemed to be moving along quite smoothly. So far, about a dozen boxes of food and supplies had been loaded onto the Red Sky, and none of the merchants had lifted a finger to stop the pirates. It was almost a new sensation for the crew to actually gain something from pirating. Riggs could hardly contain his excitement. For the first time in a while, a raid was going to be successful.

  BANG

  Suddenly, a shot rang out, and the pirates started dashing out of the cargo hold of the merchant ship. Coral Jack was at the front of the pack, sword flailing and guns blazing. The merchants had started to fight back.

  “All hands, back to the ship,” shouted Riggs to his crewmembers.

  A shot flew by Riggs’ head as he ducked behind cover. Steadying his aim, the pirate captain shot his attacker in the chest, saving himself for the moment. The two crews had begun an all-out battle.

  “Jack, get the men over here.”

  “We’re a little busy at the moment,” yelled the boatswain as he swung his sword wildly at one of the sailors.

  Some of the merchants were trying to board the pirate ship by running directly up the gangplank. Riggs was not about to let his ship be overrun by a beaten, merchant crew. He ripped his sword from its scabbard and leapt onto the gangplank.

  “Can’t let you gents onto me ship like that.”

  “You are not a match for us.”

  “We’ll see,” said the pirate, urging them to come at him.

  One by one, the men charged the captain. The first man was met with a kick that knocked him and the man behind him into the waters below. The next man swung his sword at Riggs’ head, but missed, giving Riggs the perfect opportunity to clobber the man in the face and grab his sword as well.

  Undeterred, the sailors kept coming. Stabbing one man in the gut, he used him as a barrier to keep the other men at a distance. He pushed them backwards, all of their bodies falling onto the merchant ship. As soon as he stepped foot on the boat, swords clashed over his head, barring him from escaping for the time being. Soon, he and Jack were back to back, facing off with exceptionally angry merchants.

  “Jack, get off the ship now,” Riggs said as the crowd of sailors pushed forward.

  “Captain, we’re the only ones left.”

  Quickly, Riggs looked around him. Coral Jack was right. They were the only two pirates left on the ship. Looking back to the Red Sky, he saw almost his entire crew running to get the cannons ready as they prepared to pull away. The rest were yelling for him and Jack to get off the ship.

  Pushing the crowd of sailors back, Riggs and Coral Jack dashed across t
he gangplank.

  “Hard to port,” yelled Riggs as the merchant sailors made their way across the plank.

  Clint yanked the wheel just as Riggs and Jack tumbled onto the deck, pulling the Red Sky away from the ship and sending the pursuing sailors tumbling into the water.

  “Fire the cannons!” Riggs shouted, scrambling to his feet.

  BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

  Hauling himself to the rail, Riggs could see the terrified looks on the faces of the merchants. Within moments, the ship’s hull was torn apart, holes gaping in the ornately painted wood. The men fled in panic, but they had nowhere to go. Water beat against the ship and poured into the holes.

  Riggs held up his hand as a signal to stop. He knew that it would take all of the sailors’ strength to keep that ship from sinking, if it was even possible to save it. It was a far crueler retaliation to keep them afloat.

  Helping Coral Jack to his feet, Riggs looked around at his crew. Some of the men had cuts and gashes from the battle, but none of the wounds were serious.

  “Doc, where are ye?”

  The old doctor appeared, carrying his medical supplies under his arm.

  “Here, Captain.”

  “Good. Take care o’ whoever wants it.”

  “Aye,” he said, “Some more victims, I assume?”

  “Bugger, Doc, just do your job.”

  Riggs’ eyes wandered to the wheel, where he saw Julia standing next to Clint with a sour look on her face. Straightening his hat, Riggs made his way up to her. Turning her back to him, Julia walked over to the rail and looked out over the sea.

  “You know we had no choice, love.”

  Keeping her back turned, Julia said, “No choice? Whose choice was it to capture that ship in the first place? Your delusions almost cost you your life.”

  Leaning on the railing next to her, Riggs said, “Sweets, do you know how many times I’ve nearly been killed?”

  She said nothing, but he answered any way.

  “Too many times for me to remember.”

  “Then why do you do it? For glory? To show off?”

  “Julia, the best thing a pirate can do is survive and be recognized. What’s the use of survivin’ if you’re not notorious?”