The distant sounds of frantic knocking threatened to drive Seko from slumber. Instead, he rolled aside and buried his head further into the bundle of straw he called a pillow. His mind didn’t want to function and wake from the bliss of nonexistence. In this weary state of exhaustion, Seko could almost pretend he was back in his youth, avoiding the watchful eye of his mother’s servants and trying to sleep off his hangover before morning training. Simpler times. 

The cabin door swung open and cast the room in the blinding light of morning. The panting of the crewman forced Seko to turn, giving him the full view of the scrambling deck, partially succumb to flame. He almost dismissed the sight as a figment of his dreaming eyes, but the blood-red flag of a Royal Imperial Vessel caused the truth to sink in. Seko shot out of bed and grasped for the tricorne hat placed on his bedpost.

“How?” Seko’s voice was calm, but his mind began its routine of planning. Ideas and escape routes tinkling into place at the forefront of his thoughts. 

“With the light, sir, caught us off guard. Crew was changin’ over and-”

“That they bloody well did!” Seko shouted. “All hands! To your stations!” He pushed past the startled crewman and stepped out into the madness.

Seko grimaced at the thunderous crack of a nearby cannon as it returned fire on the approaching vessel and coughed as the plume of smoke encompassed his ascent of the side stair to the helm. Nakyan stood beside a haggard Helmsman, his body in a relaxed parade rest. Seko chuckled and stepped beside the duo.

Though he looked calm, Seko could see the gears turning behind Nakyan’s eyes. A glint in the brown that showed more was happening beneath the surface, and that all should beware what his idea was. Not that Nakyan needed the look to intimidate. He did that well enough with his height and physique. Only the pointed ears of their father showed the similarity between the brothers. 

“What seems to be the best course of action for us, Nakyan?” Seko asked. He nodded to the helmsman, a middling man with graying hair and a thin beard, who gave as curt a reply as he could. 

“Not dying,” Nakyan laughed, “or did you wish to go out in a blaze of glory so early in the morning?”

“Is it working yet?” he motioned to the call pipe affixed to the helm.

“Unlikely.” Nakyan said, “Aithur, see if Reeves has that running.”

“Aye sir,” Aithur pulled the call pipe and shouted his question.

“Not yet, sir.” Reeves’ voice sounded distant through the pipe. His tone reaching unexpected heights and depths within the metal, “Unless you have a few Arc-Batteries up there suddenly.”

“Guess not, then.” Seko sighed, “Ready all hands! Brace for a fight, the empire sure aims to bring us one!” He laid a hand on the railing for support as he leaned over and called to the crew below. They gave a cheer of excitement. Bursts of a war chant started throughout the ship. 

“Good morning, brother.” Nakyan said, leaning over the rail to watch the crew. 

“Morning,” Seko smiled, “At least we die together.”

“Sad as that may be,” Nakyan joked, “I doubt this’ll be the one that gets us.”

The whoosh of a cannonball sailing past drew the pairs’ attention to a second ship with the same Royal Imperial Flag. Seko gave a silent curse and started down the stairs for the lower decks. 

“Seko!” Nakyan cried.

“Full sail! We need to get them behind us!” He shouted. Nakyan nodded and relayed the order to the crew. The faded white sails of the ship falling into place and catching wind moments later. 

Seko leapt down the stairs to the second deck and circled to the third. He pressed aside crewman shuffling with powder kegs, cannonballs, and small arcane-firearms, making his way through the enclosed hall and into a small room with thick silver wires of metal spreading from its door. Inside he found three figures, two tan skinned Mardan, one with long ears and one with rounded, and a tall Broxceon with a single short horn affixed to her head. 

“Captain!” the Broxceon, Sunte, shouted, catching the attention of the other two.

“Reeves, Paz, Sunte, we need to disappear.”

“What about this?” Reeves called. He slammed a hand into a large metal pillar in the center of the room, avoiding the conduit crystal at its center. “You were just asking-“

“Forget that. They sent the Raz after us.”

The crew froze. Even those that had been passing by with supplies halted in their tracks. This resulted in a jumbled line of crewman, barred by those struck with fear or surprise, mixed with the shouts of those trying diligently to press on and get the job done. It took only a moment for the flow to return, but the effect had been apparent.

“Here? They sent the Raz here?” Sunte drew her lip back and showed her teeth in a macabre smile. “They really want us to sink their pride that bad?”

Seko shook his head. “We can’t sink the damned thing right now, especially if we don’t have a safe way out of here.”

“Captain,” the frantic tin voice of Aithur came through the pipe, “Third ship captain! Got the pair behind us.”

“Cristilla!” Seko shouted, “Fine, Aithur make for Trelapaze. I guess sinking them might be the only option.” 

“Aye sir!”

“Sunte, Vel-“ Seko gave the room a quick once over and groaned, “Where’s Vel?” 

“On the fourth Gewel,” Paz said. “Went over when you called.”

“Sunte, you and Vel create smoke and help us get out of here. Paz, Reeves, get the Arc-Cannon ready.”

“I thought you said-“ Seko cut Sunte off with a hand.

“I know what I said, but plans change and they’ve given us no choice.” 

Sunte’s smile returned as she ran off into the chaos of the lower decks. Paz and Reeves  quickly nodded and made for the next room over, shouting about tools and calling for aid from a passing crewman. Seko pushed his way back through and climbed the ladders to the top deck. Wood splintered against Seko’s face as a cannonball ripped through the side railing, sending him crashing down to the floor in a pile and forcing another curse from his lips. 

A firm grip fixed onto his shoulder and yanked Seko to his feet. Eado, Seko and Nakyan’s oldest friend and the largest Hiander either had ever met, crested the stairs with a long purple cannon strapped to his back. Eado deposited Seko to the side and made for the prow of the ship, followed by Paz and Reeves. Each of the man’s four arms were engaged in holding the massive device along his back as they walked off towards the prow. 

Seko thanked Eado quickly for the aid and let the trio continue on their way as he pressed further towards the helm. Nakyan signaled to the top deck cannoneers, who released a volley of thunderous blasts out into the crashing waves. Two of the Imperial Ships were in a staggered line, but the largest, the Raz, the pride of this stretch of the Equinswade,  remained in the foreboding position ahead of their path. Seko crested the stairs and gripped the railing, knuckles turning white.  

Thick clouds, like those of a storm, thunderous and crackling with power, trickled from spots along the rear sides of the ship, covering the area behind in an opaque plume of  fog. Seko grinned as he heard the many cannon shots land wildly off target, now being fired without clear sight. Only the Raz remained a threat now, its fore guns releasing small volley after small volley of piercing shots. Each impact sending a rippling crash through the ship as metal scraped on metal. The effect was like nails on a chalkboard. 

“All the crew in the Seas, and they send a Nirukian Commander-Frigate to sink us!” Seko shouted as he fell in alongside his brother at the helm. 

“Aye, but what would be the fun of fighting them on uneven footing?” Nakyan laughed at the thought. He stopped short, though, as a crewman crested the space and whispered something in his ear. 

“Captain,” Nakyan smiled. “it seems your project is ready. Should they fire?”

Seko, finally feeling a sense of control over the situation, laughed and looked around. He spotted the trio of Eado, Paz, and Reeves working to align the massive purple Arcannon, and indicated for them to aim at the Raz. 

“You realize,” Nakyan started, “that if this kills them-” 

“Then we’re the ship that sank the Raz,”

“And if it fails?”

“Then we’re the ship that nearly sank the Raz.”

“Ah Seko,” Nakyan moved to stand beside his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Where would we be without your ever present optimism?”

“Likely at the bottom of the Expanse, if I had to guess.” Seko said, “Ah, but where would we be without your dedication to routine and strict regimenting?”

“Similarly sunk, I’d wager.” Nakyan grinned. “Are you sure this one will work?”

“If not, then we go back to Niruk and are hung as traitors.”

“Would be a rather sad end to it all.” Nakyan said.

“Mother would be happy.” Seko chuckled. 

“Yours perhaps,”

“Ah.” Seko saw Eado wave for his attention and noted their readiness. He nodded and made the response to fire. “Perhaps we’ll get lucky this time.”

“One can only hope.” 

A ting of metal, like someone dropping a pin onto a plate of sheet steel, filled the area and seemed to absorb all the surrounding sounds. The air vibrated with static and a feeling of weight filled every breath Seko took. He gripped the railing tighter and prepared for the worst of the Arcannon’s effects. He tapped Nakyan’s shoulder and watched his brother take a place beside him. A ball of light built at the tip of the Arcannon, its hazy purple glow growing with each second. As its size built, so too did the difficulty Seko felt in breathing, until finally it felt impossible to draw a breath. 

In the overwhelming silence caused by the Arcannons building, as sound, energy, air, and light were swallowed into the mass at the tip of the weapon, Seko almost felt at peace. The absence of all natural noise was cathartic. Until the panic bubbled up from his lack of breath. His mind launching into overdrive with adrenaline as he fixed his eyes on the glob of nearly bursting light, like a water droplet that was ready to fall at any moment.

If this worked… If they managed to take out this ship. This one of all ships on the strait. If. If. If. And what if it fails? What then? Would the entire ship go down with the cannon? How would the fleet respond? What if they missed? Was the cannon ready? How would they know? How would-

All at once, a crack split the air and the vibration of static reached a peak. The string had finally snapped, and the energy that was building instantly released. The massive beam of purple-white energy burst from the Arcannon and ripped through the side of the Raz, shredding away entire pieces. Its light became so bright that Seko had to turn away, lest he succumb to a temporary blindness. 

After a minute, the beam of light and destruction dissipated and the Arcannon’s only sign of use was a single line of smoke spilling from its barrel. Seconds later and the stream of storm clouds the ship was summoning engulfed them. Seko motioned for the crew to move about in quiet, then whispered to Aithur.

“Steady as she goes, Helmsman. Hopefully, we can use the shock and awe to escape.” 

Seko leafed through a collection of trading charters and spread them out onto the dark wood table chained in place. He lifted a small metal model of a ship and placed it as a weight on top of the newly created pile, then leaned back to inspect it from afar. The map of the strait separating the kingdoms of the Empire had red strings crossing and bouncing from a number of pins along the coasts of each land mass. Each string marked an Imperial supply ship and its estimated path. He’d placed them exactly as the documents had described. 

“Quite a lovely bit of sewing.” Nakyan said. He spilled himself into a nearby chair and uncorked a bottle of Tleasa. 

“I’ll assume we’re in sight of Anriuku, and this isn’t a half-hearted attempt at mutiny.” Seko extended his hand for the bottle, to which Nakyan obliged by producing a second. 

“Hardly,” Nakyan said. “If I were to kill you, it’d be with at least a minor audience.” 

Seko gave a weak smile and took a pull from his own bottle. He lifted a paper and handed it to Nakyan. “This is what I’m considering currently.”

“Another supply charter?” Nakyan took the page with disdain and gave it an uninterested once over. “Seko, we talked about this! We can’t make a fortune off the dregs of the Empire, either we need a big pull or- “

“What would you have me do, Yan? Hmm? Follow the trail of legends and chase treasures?”

“It’d do us a damn well better than taking table scraps!” Nakyan tossed the page aside and stood, “Which of these... lines is the most dangerous?”

“We needn’t chase the largest fish simply for the fame either, Yan. We need real goods. There is barely anything to show this time.

“Then let’s forget trading in the cargo and go after something with more of a reward!” Nakyan shuffled through the papers, eventually placing a specific page before Seko with a confident smile. “Why don’t we chase this one?”

“A Treasure fleet?” Seko asked. He glanced at the page and spotted a note of concern over the contents. “That just so happens to possess the journal of- “

“Dotan Depairyo, a lesser noble from Niruk some 600 years back.”

“And this journal can get us a lesser noble’s wealth...how?”

Nakyan smiled and took the paper back. “Look, a long time ago I heard a story about Depairyo having amassed a fortune during his days as a pirate and a rebel. Now, I doubt there’s much treasure in his family anymore, but the possibility of a legend’s treasure hoard should pique your interest, right?”

Seko sighed, pinched his brow, and did his best to fight back his growing frustration. “We aren’t boys, Yan. We can’t chase pipe dreams, hoping they’re real.”

“The gods are real. Pipe dreams they were before we knew they were real. The creatures of the dark and danger are real. Damned Seko, we’ve fought off more than our share so far!”

“Gods and Monsters don’t make the drunken rantings of a beggar real!” Seko slammed a hand on the desk and accidentally sent the ship-figure toppling over. 

“So we try this treasure fleet.” Nakyan said. “If the journal has anything we can use, THEN we follow it. Should it be nothing? We still captured a ship of wealth from the fleet, right?”

Seko gave a strained smile, trying to think of the best counter to his brother’s argument. It wasn’t a smart decision, and unless they made some serious investment in rearming their crew, it was likely doomed to fail. Yet he could see the logic in Yan’s idea. Their ship and crew could take the prize and make a tidy fortune from it. All they’d need is to survive assaulting a handful of well-armed and armored ships. Hopefully ones with none of the Empire’s little heroes.

He sighed. Nakyan always seemed to worm his idea into Seko’s logic. Even as a child, he’d found ways to get them into trouble, always finding just the right idea to pique Seko’s interest and stoke his flame. If he was honest with himself, he probably didn’t mind Nakyan’s plans or impossible ideas. Those ideas often inspired Seko for new plans or inventions for the ship. It wasn’t something he wanted to end. If humoring Nakyan this once could put him at ease, shouldn’t he?

“Fine.” Seko said, relenting. “You win. We go for the treasure fleet. Don’t tell the crew until after we leave. That being said, we will need to make several additions to the old girl before we depart.”

“Not to worry, brother,” Nakyan said, “I think I can handle those. Though you should likely check with your ‘special project crew’, see if you can’t speed some things up.”

“Aye,” Seko nodded, “Good to see the Arcannon worked as intended. I was half assuming it would take us with it.”

“Have some faith in your work. It hasn’t killed us yet, Sek.”

Nakyan sat back in his chair again and nursed his bottle, now considerably emptier than Seko had expected. His eyes didn’t gleam with determination, but with excited anticipation of a coming fight. Nakyan claimed he would be a warrior till his dying day. Though Seko wasn’t of the same mind, he would not stand in his brother’s way. 

“Do you know what we need?” Seko asked after a few silent minutes had passed. The distant ringing of bells and squawking of gulls were an instant comfort to him, and he felt himself release the tension he’d held. Land. He was about to be back on land. He could drink and breathe and be free. The ocean was his home, but land was his respite.

“I’d assumed Yedia was more than capable of informing me.” Nakyan said. “Though, if you feel it so important-“

“I do.” Seko snapped, then caught himself. “Sorry, but if we’re going to do this, we need to do this right.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Yedia will know the basic outlines of the work, but we need to make sure we mount the Arcannon and readjust the flight Gewels.”

“Readjust?” Nakyan stuck his nose up in disgust. Neither he nor most of the crew were happy at Sekos insistence that they remove nearly twenty of the ship’s limited cannons for another of his “pet projects”. “What do you need to readjust? They don’t even work yet.”

“That’s why they need to be readjusted.” Seko said. 

“Fine. Anything else?” 

Seko looked over the sprawling pages and spotted a requisition order placed by Yedia a week prior. He handed the paper to Nakyan and shook his head. “That should be it. Make sure Yedia is taken care of and remind them about the readjustment. Other than that, choose what you think will be best. Make sure that Yedia approves, though.”

“Aye Captain.” Nakyan gave a vicious grin and stood to leave. With a foot out the door, he turned to ask, “What should we tell the crew for now?”

“Just tell them it’s a job, nothing more. It is just another job, Yan. Ancient pirate treasure and intrigue aside, this is still an Imperial ship. We know how to handle those.”

Nakyan nodded and stepped out, leaving Seko once more in the silent creaking of the cabin.