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Apocalypse, Please (PenandSword/Visions of Black)

P

PenandSword

Planetoid
Joined
May 21, 2014
Location
America!
Aradia swept her dark ebony waves back over her shoulders to get a better view of the infamous Vancouver Island. The swaying waves below her feet were comforting in the face of the looming city permeated by rumors of violence. For her first voyage, she'd done well - she didn't get seasick like Sarafina had bet she would, and she'd been a decent help to the crew.

A hand clamped onto her wrist and turned her around. Aradia jumped, until she recognized Sarafina by her shoulder-length russet hair and piercing blue eyes. Aradia had always envied them, preferring blue to her murky hazel. What Sarafina envied of Aradia, though, was the luscious curves of her body. It was, after all, what led Leo to flirt with her and manage to talk her into going on this sojourn.

"So, when do we hit land?" Aradia inquired, smirking.

"The Land of the Infidels!" Sarafina wrapped an arm around Aradia's shoulders, turning her around and holding a hand out as though to encompass the ever-approaching city. "Are you that excited to get there? I'd say in about fifteen to twenty minutes."

"Are you that excited?" Aradia asked. She weaseled away from her best friend's grasp before jogging to the railing of the ship, and over to the ladder that would take her up to the next level. She clambered up, wanting a better view unobstructed by soft waves. Once here, she held a hand over her eyes to block out the light of the setting sun and grinned. My first voyage, and I have travelled halfway across what's left of this world. Sybil will be so jealous, she thought fondly of her little sister. Again, Aradia swept her hair over her shoulders, setting to carefully braiding it in the hopes it would hold for at least until they hit land.

Quite a few minutes later, Leo climbed up the ladder beside her. His light brown hair made him stand out among the rest of the darker-haired crew of the ship. "Slacking off, girlie?"

"No," she responded, shoving him. She felt as though nothing would ruin her good mood. However, a seed of guilt swept in as she watched the rest of the ample crew rush around the main deck in preparation of hitting land, and she could have sworn she saw a few weapons exchanges. Finally, Aradia ventured, "Is Vancouver really as bad as they say?"

Leo's good-natured grin vanished, and he frowned. "Well, it's definitely not Nirvana. You'll probably be more than ready to go home once we're done here."

"Hmm," Aradia murmured grimly, folding her fingers together and popping the knuckles, feeling her heartrate pick up. Not much ruined Leo's grin, and when something did, it was bound to make those around him nervous. "Stick with me, then," she said. "And Sarafina."

Leo's grin reappeared, making his eyes twinkle, and he saluted her. "On my honor."

With a laugh, she leaned back, promising to give herself five more minutes before she climbed back down with him to resume helping the crew.
 
RE: Please, Apocalypse (PenandSword/Visions of Black)

Vancouver was known to be a hub for dissidents, pirates, smugglers, and a slavers the world over after the war and as one of the prime pieces of land which escaped harsh fallout after the bombs went off across Canada and the United States it was a prime spot for land grabbing. On the Island, the strong survived, the weak perished or found themselves working for the stronger.

The island was separated into regions these days, a different chief of a different tribe (groups separated by strength and allegiances, not by blood) was prominent in each one of these regions. The 26 chiefs controlled the economy, their soldiers, their citizens, and their lands according to their will. Some were democratic, some were tyrannical. The majority was of the latter faction. Especially in Victoria, the seat of the most powerful chieftain on the island. He had little to do with the other chieftains and little care for them until they intruded on his territory, or they came into possession of something that he wanted dearly. He had become known as more than just chief in the last several years, some were beginning to call him Warlord, a man who could control other regions through his influence and call them to war if he so desired. This man was Rask Feron, an original native of the area and who claims to be descended from General Feron, the man who assumed military control over Vancouver Island during the war and maintained its defenses. He believed this gave him the right to the island, and many knew that he would not stop until he had it.

Being an island, many of the small regions controlled an ample sized naval force mostly consisting of smugglers and the odd pirate ship or two, Rask Feron's was of course the largest but others to rival his operated in the waters off the island. The pirates were especially active in raiding ships which traveled to close to the island or were fool enough to come ashore.

Approaching the shore, the boat which bore Aradia was doing a pitiful job of remaining stealthy, especially to the prying eyes of the natives on the shoreline. It was a relatively uninhabited spot that they seemed to be heading towards (a forest with a large river inlet) but Jean du Parc, a chief whose forces were nearly the rival of Rask Feron's forces had his eyes everywhere. His scouts in the old abandoned lighthouse had seen it as it came out of the fog early that morning. He had been warned by wire that it was coming. It would be a prime ship for raiding. They assumed it had men who were prepared to fight, but they knew they could throw more against the ship that they had the possibility of resisting.

From the shoreline, behind the cove a mile or so to the left of the ship's heading, a large cargo freighter began to sail. It was not a stealthy ship, but it was larger than the one Aradia was one and it was loud. The old ship was rusted but had powerful engines and large naval grade cannons mounted to the top of the ship, relics from the WW2 era.

It would of course take a moment for it to be noticed by the ship it was approaching, but given time or not the two large cannons were manned ready. One of the crewman, a large burly pirate was rotating the guns by hand and turning them in the direction of the ship. He aimed just over the prow of the boat and when given the order to fire, fired. A large shell fired over the prow as a warning shot.

The captain of the ship would of course know that this meant stop and be boarded....what he would do, was of course, up to him.
 
RE: Please, Apocalypse (PenandSword/Visions of Black)

"Coming off the shore!" Leo shouted, startling Aradia from her calm daydream. She snapped her gaze up and followed his, as did a good amount of the rest of the crew, to see a ship leaving the coast approaching.

"Who is it?" Aradia asked. She moved to the ladder and climbed down, Leo right behind her.

"If I knew, I would tell you," Leo said. "But I try not to keep company with many in Vancouver!"

The rest of the crew bustled in a discussion of how to proceed. To sail away from the oncoming ship? To meet them, or ignore them? Aradia folded her arms and looked over as Sarafina approached, her eyes wide and actually scared. Leo didn't look happy either. "I'm failing to see the big deal," Aradia said. "We have weapons."

"We're in their territory," Leo said, "and they will likely have much, much more if it comes to a fight."

"Is it going to come to a fight?" Sarafina asked, eyes even wider.

The captain of the crew waved everyone toward him, walking out from the interior of the ship where he directed the vessel. Aradia, Leo, and Sarafina hurried to join the others, where they stood sporting guns, knives, or whatever weapon they were most comfortable with. A gun was offered to Aradia, which she didn't take. Leo took his without hesitation. Sarafina plain-out refused. Aradia asked quietly, "Is it truly going to be a fight?"

"It very well might be," the man offering the gun said. Vancouver truly is this bad. And as Leo had predicted, Aradia indeed found herself wanting to go back home. She curled her fingers around the cool metal of the gun and held it with both hands like a viper.

Then the warning shot went off. Sarafina screamed, cowering into Aradia. Leo's expression narrowed, his lips and eyebrows pinched in a grim demeanor that frightened Aradia slightly. "Leo?" at her questioning voice, his expression eased, but didn't let up.

"They want on board," Leo translated for the shot.

"And so we'll let them on," the captain said, overhearing them. His own face was reluctant, and there was more than one gun holstered to his belt. "We have to. We'll attempt to keep it so only one man crosses, perhaps two or three. Everyone conceal your weapons. I don't want it instantly to seem that we're hostile. They could be curious about our transport."

"Or they could be raiders," someone piped up. The captain shushed them and said, "Do as I say." He then returned to the interior of the ship, and Aradia felt the changing direction as it turned to run parallel with the oncoming ship. Soon enough, they were slowing down, and a few of the men of the crew were preparing a gateway across the two vessels.

"I'm scared," Sarafina said.

"Why don't you go to the back of the ship?" Aradia suggested. "No one should go there." Leo nodded in agreement with her. Sarafina seemed resolved to stay for several moments, but the closer they came to the foreign ship, she finally caved and left them.

"Not going to join her?" Leo asked.

"I'm staying," Aradia said firmly.
 
RE: Please, Apocalypse (PenandSword/Visions of Black)

As the ship began to approach, the finer details of it came into view. It was indeed an old cargo ship, likely one that used to ferry large crates south to Washington from Vancouver, but it had been retrofitted with what appeared to be American weaponry from the war. It was armed to the teeth and was certainly no longer a transport vehicle. The two canons on top of the ship were joined by two mounted machine guns on the port and starboard side, at the front and the back.

The men on board were armed with an array of weapons crossing over several time frames. From the M16 rifle, which had been developed during the war and the Russian AK47...to older WW2 rifles and WW1 weaponry. Many had long knives at their belts and sidearms as well. The entire crew was male and no female was seen aboard ship at all...they numbered around fifteen, though if the sailors of the other ship were familiar with a tactical show of strength they would know that there was very likely many more men below deck...or they would be caught unaware of the fact.

As the ship pulled near, since the other ship had stopped, there had been no more hostile action except for long hooks on chains which had been thrown to the side of the foreign ship and chained to the deck of the other.

Unfortunately for the foreign ship they could not really see the port side of the island vessel, along the side were two other ships, small, hoisted up and held above the water by the cargo ship which were equipped with fast engines and ten men each. They were intercept craft that were able to be deployed in case they ran.

A large plank was dropped to the side, connecting the two ships and two men stood at the other end. Neither held weapons in their hands. One of them was dressed far better than the other, in a suit and a captains hat, the other looked like a common man, wearing a Russian sailors suit from the 1950s.

The one in the suit spoke, first in English, French, and then Russian.

"What language do you speak? We will have words with your captain", the mans accent was French, though it was slightly different from what the passengers had heard before, it was a bit rougher, and mixed with sounds from other languages.

"I will see him now.", his voice let off the air that he was not to be questioned.
 
As they drew ever closer to the vessel, Aradia squinted, standing at the railing of the ship closest to the island ship. "Holy shit, Leo," she said quietly, looking at the cannons and guns mounted upon the ship. "Is this a warship?"

"It wasn't built to be, but they made it so," Leo replied, his skilled eyes travelling the exterior of the vessel. He took Aradia's arm and pulled her away as the hooked chains were tossed over their side to connect the two.

"Can we escape?" Aradia asked softly.

"I doubt it," Leo replied just as quietly. "Keep your hand on your gun but keep it out of sight."

Aradia nodded obediently, moving a hand inside of the navy-colored jacket she wore to the gun in her inside pocket. Leo moved forward with another crewman to the plank connecting the ships. Leo was the one who spoke up after the multilingual introduction. In a heavily-Italian-accented voice, he replied, "English will suffice." Leo moved aside for the two men to come across, and motioned for his partner to retrieve the captain. "He will be here shortly."

Aradia had to think hard to understand what Leo was saying to these islanders. It had been almost two years since she'd been required to speak English. She moved to stand next to one of the brawnier men on deck, feeling her own nerves set at ease. He shot her a teasing grin, clearly either posing a façade or truly unaffected by what was going on.

The captain swept out from the ship's interior then, followed by the man who'd been sent to retrieve him. He went to stand with Leo and face the men on the other ship, saying, "You wished to see me."
 
The man in the suit nodded as the Captain came towards the plank. Nonchalantly and unafraid he and the other man strode across and stepped down onto the ship, the gunman looked amazed at the newness of the ship, but the other was unimpressed.

"I am Martin St. Clair, I speak on behalf of my Chief, Jean du Parc. He wishes to know why are you here and who you are...and most importantly, when you will be leaving."

His voice was stern and he gazed at the Captain, his eyes narrowed. Briefly, for a moment, he stared at Aradia, then to Leo and back to the Captain.

"This is the Dreadnought ", he said as he pointed back towards his ship. "As you can see you are outmatched. You would be fools to use the weapons you are trying so hard to conceal. You are in our waters yet you arm yourselves...why?"

He stared back, waiting for his reply, though he was carefully assessing the ship and the crew...very few seemed to be skilled fighters.
 
The captain moved aside to allow the two men across the plank, listening to him speak with a neutral expression, his hands open and at his sides. Unable to hide a grim frown upon the mention of weapons, he simply shrugged. "Our apologies. Your own vessel is quite daunting all on his own," he said, nodding his head to the canons and machine guns. "We do not expect the best when we travel to Vancouver Island."

Leo looked to Aradia once, but held his ground near the captain, unmoving aside from that. His own fists were clenched. The captain went on, "However, there are a few resources here we have trouble coming across otherwise and so we do trade with some areas of Vancouver. We don't expect to be here longer than it takes for us to take care of our trade and restock for the journey home. A day, at most."

Aradia felt Martin St. Clair's gaze fall upon her, and she met it, her eyes steely and holding no other reaction. When he looked away, though, she stepped a little closer to the brawny man at her side. "I don't like him," she mumbled softly. She moved her gaze to Leo then, watching him in a clear bit of fear. Be careful...

She looked across to the other ship and at the men there, her eyes going wide. They all had guns, big guns that they would have no hope of holding off... "They'll just let us go, right?" she whispered. "It's not like we've done anything terrible."

"We are trespassing to them," the man mumbled beside her. "And, to confirm your thoughts, we are indeed at their mercy."

Aradia simply clutched the gun she held in her jacket tighter. "I shouldn't have come."

"No, you shouldn't have."
 
Martin looked to the Captain, and shook his head.

"These are our waters, we have a right to carry what we will Captain. Also I would have you...." he paused immediately and turned to Leo and Aradia as they spoke to one another quietly. He couldn't hear but he could certainly see.

"You will keep your crew quiet! I will not have them plotting in a language unknown to me while we discuss your options!" he glared back to Leo and Aradia and snarled. "Ferme ta putain vous!" he said angrily, French escaping from his lips in frustration.

He cleared his throat to continue and looked to his partner a moment, who seemed to get excited at his change of tone and told him to be quiet.

"If this is where you have come to trade in the past I am sorry to notify you that whomever you traded with previously is gone, Jean du Parc runs these lands now....what resources did you require. We may be open to trade.

For a moment he looked back to his men and waved his hand. They raised the cannons now above the ship so that they did not aim directly...this seemingly enough, was a sign of momentary peace.

"And what have you to trade?"
 
The captain looked to Leo and Aradia, scowling and ordering one quick word in Italian: "Silenzio!"

Leo fell quiet, and Aradia gritted her teeth, glaring straight at the captain of the other ship. Then she looked away, fighting down the anger of the sudden order when she hadn't been speaking of anything that would fit the word "plotting." More like "regretting."

"I meant no disrespect to your vessel's cargo," the captain said as amiably as he could. "It's impressive. As for trade, we often come in for aircraft pieces and certain foodstuffs. What we have in return are machinery, steels, and pharmaceuticals." He paused, and then commented, "This Jean du Parc must be quite powerful."
 
Happy with the Captain's quick handling of the situation he nodded gently for a moment and listened to what he had to say. "Oui, Chef du Parc is powerful. Do you know anything of the Island and its politics?"

For the moment he seemed slightly uninterested in the question of trade, but curious to know what and how much they actually knew about Vancouver island. "We have of course some things to trade." he said briefly. "But, Monsier Du Parc is patient. You will come aboard and have a drink with me while we discuss the particulars. Come." he said, turning towards his ship.

But for a moment he turned back and looked to his partner. "Fabien, tu restere pour vingt minuit. Tu regarde ils." his voice was harsh, but much like a superior might speak to his subordinate.

"Come with me Captain."
 
The captain hesitated clearly upon the invitation to come aboard, and Leo took his arm, shaking his head lightly. "Sir..."

"Forse che io ho scelta, Leo?" the captain queried, pulling away. "Mantenere cauto." He took a long breath and then stepped onto the plank, moving across between the ships onto the opposite vessel. "Tell me you have vodka. I know some information about the island, yes."

Aradia gripped Leo's arm, just as he'd done to the captain, and looked up at him. Leo glanced back at her and shook his head when she opened her mouth to speak. "Go to Sarafina," he said, in English. Aradia set her jaw.

Infuriated at the refusal for an explanation, she let go of him and swept back and went below deck, to where Sarafina would be. She found the girl sitting with some of the trade items, and Sarafina's expression was curious rather than frightened as Aradia approached.

"The captain is going to be speaking to the captain of the other ship," Aradia said grimly.
 
As the two came across to the Martin's ship the plank was removed, but the other man who had been left there, remained. If anything were to happen to him, the Captain might suffer the same fate.

"We have Vodka." he said, a small smile on his face. "It is home made of course, so it is strong, if you can keep up, you can have some."

He led him across the rusted deck and into the Captain's quarters, it seemed that Martin was the Captain as well as the interpreter and the speaker for Chief du Parc.

"Sit." he said, pulling a chair out for the Captain and pouring him a short glass of Vodka, and he poured one for himself.

"Monsier, Jean du Parc is not like the other rabble on the island...be sure that if you had made landfall to the south and the east of where we now are, you would be dead, your crew would be dead, your women enslaved, and your male passengers would be working in the mines." he paused for a moment and took a drink.

"Unfortunately, while most of the islands rabble feel the need to kill and murder, we are only interested in trade."

Smiling for a moment he finished his glass and poured another for himself, topping the Captain's off as well.

"Now...you say you have pharmaceuticals, this is something that we need the most, as you likely well know." he smiled some.

"We would be willing to trade with you, if you agree to return twice yearly to return to trade."

********

Outside on the decks of both ships people were growing agitated by what was going on. Du Parc's ship though seemed slightly calmer and had much less to worry about, though, on the top of the Captain's cabin a man stood with binoculars, searching the sea for sign of anyone who might pose a threat.

Back on Leo's ship the man with the gun stared hard a the rest of the crew members, unfortunately he spoke only French, so communication would be difficult, if any communication needed to be had at all.

However, if anyone had planned on attempting to communicate, the time was certainly not now. The man on top of the Captain's quarters began to stomp to alert Martin as he pointed to the air towards the island and then looked back through his binoculars and pointed to the sea.

He began speaking rapid french, yelling, and everyone on board the ship started to arm themselves. The chains which had held them together were quickly released. The man on Leo's boat tried to jump the distance, but the other ship was already moving and he splashed into the water, frantically trying to stay afloat.

On Leo's ship, their own lookout cursed in rapid Italian.

"Helicopter, and another ship....no....three ships, three small ships coming at speed!"

******

Inside the Captain's quarters Martin stood immediately when he heard the commotion and looked at the Captain. "Sit!"

Running outside he saw what was going on and growled.

"They must have intercepted our communications, quick, take us further out to sea!"
 
At long last, Martin's explanation of a desire for trade seemed to put the captain of his own ship at ease. He took the vodka and held it up in a toast to the man before taking a drink as he listened to him go on. He considered the offer, nodding his head in thanks as his glass was refilled, and said, "We were only coming annually once before, but I'm sure the finances to come twice would be available. I thank you for the warning regarding our locations. It's amazing how much can change in a year. Could I ask what you have to trade?"

-~-

Leo looked up as the lookout's panic began. He shot a look to the Frenchman and walked to him, growling and ordering in English, "Did you plan this?" He pointed in the direction of the now approaching boats. "Was this your doing?"

"Leo, we haven't the time!" another crewman shouted. "We have to move out!"

"Get us back, further out to sea!" Leo shouted, spinning away from the Frenchman and hurrying to the ship's interior. As he did, he said of the visitor on their vessel, "Keep an eye on him!"

Below deck, Aradia and Sarafina felt the panic as though it were a disease sifting through the air. They heard the yelling and the stomping of their lookout, and exchanged both confused and worried glances. "What's going on?" Sarafina asked.

"I'll go see," Aradia said uneasily, standing up. She hugged Sarafina quickly and jogged to the steps, hurrying up to the deck and looking around. It didn't take her long to see the approaching ships. "Whose are they?" she demanded of someone rushing by her, and was ignored. Aradia finally pulled out her pistol, unable to pretend she wasn't armed any longer.

-~-

The captain's eyes widened at the rising panic, and he slid down into a seat, rather cautiously as he kept his grip on his vodka. "Who has intercepted your communication?" he demanded in a low growl. "What's going on? What of my crew?" At the thought, he started for his feet. "I have to get back to my ship first!"
 
Martin turned back to the Captain and shook his head before going to the wheel of his ship.

"There is no time, do you not see the Helicopter? How could I possibly deliver you to your ship!"

Growling with anger he turned towards the oncoming ship and helicopter before shaking his head and turning the wheel of his ship hard to port side. The ship acted as if it wanted to capsize, but Martin was an experienced pilot. Turning hard to starboard directly afterward he sat a course out to sea. His men were already on the guns, aiming them, but having a difficult time. The ships they could outrun for a time, but the helicopter had to be taken down.

"Shoot it down!" he growled and his ship fired, barely missing the chopper, which swerved out of the way and continued on.

******

Back on the the other ship the gunman that had stayed aboard ran to the back of the Italian ship and aimed his gun outward...trying to show that he was not their enemy and at that the enemy was behind him. Perhaps it would be obvious to everyone, now that his ship had fired, that they were on the same side for now.

"See!" he said, using one of the few words he knew in english, hopefully they would understand.

******

The Helicopter continued on, hurrying towards the ship and strafing so that they could not get a good aim on it, the hardware being WW2, would have made it difficult to catch a helicopter in the air, but the back two machine guns of the ship made a good try.

Releasing its own flurry of fire, the chopper strafed the ship, firing its large machine gun and tore through the side, killing many of the crew.

Martin lay against the wheel....he wasn't moving.
 
The captain hurried to watch Martin's movements, eyes wide as he turned his gaze up to look upon the helicopter so doggedly pursuing them. "What can I do?" he demanded. He still wanted terribly to get back to his own ship, terrified about how they would fare. His ship had no weapons like Martin's. If worse came to worse, his people would be powerless.

Martin's words returned to him. The women enslaved, the men in the mines, their assets seized... He had to do something! But what?!

-~-

Leo stared at the man and scowled. "Fine," he growled in admission that he wasn't the current enemy. He whipped out his gun, unsure if he could make a difference. How could he with such a small weapon? Leo looked around and spotted Aradia. "Go back below!!" he ordered. Aradia stared at him and gritted her teeth.

"But-"

"Go!"

Leo shook his head furiously. "GO!"

Aradia's eyes widened in clear fear at the terror in his own voice. That was when the helicopter fired into the opposite ship, and she couldn't help her scream. She was frozen. This...! The Captain...! At Leo's next cry, she ran back below deck at last, running to Sarafina and grabbing onto her, shaking. "I-I...!"

-~-

Blood splattered onto the captain's clothes. Somehow, the bullet trail missed him. He stared at the fallen captain he'd only just begun to consider an ally, and slowly lifted his head to look at the helicopter. Then, with grim grief, he pushed Martin away from the wheel and took over, gritting his teeth. "Forgive me," he muttered aloud.

(Please forgive spelling errors, I posted this from my phone...)
 
As the Captain took the wheel of the ship he would notice the difficulty in steering. Some of the crewmen near the back of the ship were yelling in French, and signalling to the man at the wheel.

For just a moment they stared at him but shrugged it away anyway, someone had to man the wheel. But the plume of smoke coming from the rear of the ship was certainly not a good sign. The engines had been damaged in the gun fire and were inoperable. The propellers were still rotating, but slowing down...the ship would not turn. They were headed out to see a-drift. The other boats were closing in on them quickly....and the helicopter was coming in for a second pass.

*****

On the other ship, luckily, they were still making headway. The injured ship was the primary target, but it seemed only for a moment. The helicopter, which had been coming back for the damaged ship had been fired at again. Taking one or two shots from the machine guns to the tail it spun for a moment but the pilot seemed to regain control. It was no use for him to take on such a well armed ship in such a small craft...and as such, he turned wide out to sea but back to angle near the Italian vessel....less then three minutes and he would be on them.

*****

Back at the Vancouver ship the three boats, which were speeding towards them were surrounding them. An exchange of gunfire was going on between the three and the one. One of the boats though went near the engines, lodging something on them as they passed before hurrying out of the way. Not long after a deafening explosion could be heard by the Italians as the Vancouver ship's engines were blown completely apart by some sort of improvised weapon...the exchange of fire continued, the ship was still afloat, but it was being boarded by two vessels...one of the boats broke off and began to head for the Italians.
 
"This is a death game," the Captain murmured grimly, turning to look over his shoulder at the shouting and spotting the flames pluming from the engine. "A death game we're sorely losing." He turned back and set to continue trying to steer, away from the helicopter in an attempt to break its sight of the engines. It happened in his head, but he had yet to accept in reality they were still moving straight.

"Dannazione!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist against the wheel as he finally accepted what was apparently becoming their fate: the ship would not turn, the helicopter was closing in, as were the other three ships. The Captain glanced toward his own ship, still moving, and he whispered, "Keep going!"

That was when the chopper turned its interest toward the Italians. "No!"

-~-

Leo had taken the wheel of this ship and was listening to the warnings of fellow crewmates, following directions accordingly where there was agreement among them. Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of his face from anxiety and frustration. Why couldn't they go any faster?! They were going as fast as they could, enough some crew members were starting to look seasick with the speed they were at. But Leo still desired to go faster.

"Leo! Behind us!" someone screamed. He looked back and spotted the helicopter turning toward them, and uttered a heavy stream of curses as he angled the ship slightly, causing several members to tip to the side, attempting to put some distance between them.

"Take cover!" he shouted.

-~-

The Captain heard the ear-numbing boom, and his heart sank. Instantly, he felt his own control begin to slow down until they were victim to the waves - and the other ships surrounding them. "Merda, merda, merda," he cursed, leaving the pilot's quarters and hurrying aboard, taking a spare gun one of the Frenchmen had, meaning to help as much as he could. He took to begin shooting down any men he saw attempting to board the ship. He looked over to see the third boat heading for this own, and cursed once again, shaking in his own disbelief and anger.
 
The gunfire being exchanged between the Captain, the rest of the crew and the ships and men attempting to board was getting the attackers nowhere. It was too difficult to board the ship and they had already lost three or four people. They were screaming in English.

"Blow it up! Back to the boats!"

The ones who had been climbing into the others ship abandoned their plans, diving back into the faster agile attack boats. As they got below the line of vision some of the frenchmen looked down and began to fire into the boats, but almost as soon as they began they stopped and turned.

Two of them ran past the Captain and dived directly off the other side of the boat. One of the crewmen who spoke english ran past the Captain and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Jump!"

The same device which had blown up the engines were now being stuck to the side of the ship. The crew was abandoning the vessel and moments later....the two ships sped off away from the ship and around to the other side. Ear-splitting explosions sounded and the metal of the ship was blasted apart opening a large hole in the ship of the ship....and it was now filling with water. Many of the crew were swimming for their safety. Anyone left on board was likely injured, dead, or diving into the sea.

*****

Back at the other ship the maneuvering was working, only for the time being. The Helicopter was close though and was firing its machine gun, but only at their engine and nothing else. It wouldn't be long before it landed enough shots to damage it permanently and stop the vessel for good.

But there was another option as well....when the chopper turned to the side a man sitting out on the edge was aiming his rifle....taking shots at Leo.

*****

Back near the sinking ship the boats sped off towards the Italian vessel, catching up with the first...however before leaving they had fired their AK's into the crowds of desperately swimming crew, reddening the water with their blood. The possible injuries, not to mention the freezing water of the Atlantic, did not make for a good chance for anyone.
 
The captain vaguely heard the shouts of the attackers, but not enough to understand them over the retreating gunfire and the shouts of the Vancouver crew. He followed the others and fired into the boats as the attackers continued to retreat, but jumped as the Frenchman grabbed his shoulder and ordered him to jump.

With a curse as he realized what was happening, the Captain followed suit with the rest of the crew, hurdling the edge of the ship and down into the water, paddling as hard and as fast as he could, foolishly abandoning his gun though it wouldn't have helped with wet gunpowder as it was.

The explosion set his ears to ringing, dulling the sounds of the waves, the flames, the shouting crew, the helicopter's wings, and just about everything. Disoriented, the Captain looked around until he spotted his own ship. "No...!"

-~-

"You have to get the engine out of his line of sight!" someone shouted to Leo.

"What do you think I'm trying to do!?" he shouted back, continuing to turn the wheel as the helicopter corrected itself to aim at the engine. "This is going to turn me back toward Vancouver or have us just spinning in circles!"

"Leo, move!!" someone on his opposite side shrieked, spotting the gunner at the last second. Leo did move, but not fast enough. Shots ripped through his body, missing anything vital but nevertheless doing a good job of promising a slow death of bleeding out. Leo managed to take a step back before he slid to the ground and dropped onto his back, breathing laboriously.

Below deck, two of his closest friends were cowering and terrified. He was sure of it. Aradia had been angry and frightened when he sent her back down. He could only hope she stayed where she was with Sarafina. Maybe they could escape, maybe they'd survive...

But doomed here in Vancouver... Leo let out a pained groan combined with grief, slowly clenching a shaking fist.

-~-

The Captain spotted the ships moving toward his own raising their guns, and took a deep breath, diving down into the water and kicking his way downward as quickly as he could. He heard the zip of bullets ripping through the water around him, could see the water turning red against the sunlight refracting in the water. Nothing had hit him just yet.

The Captain heard it fall silent, and cautiously let himself float upward, when a few more bullets ripped out and pain exploded in his arm. He cried out in pain, bubbles escaping instead, and had no choice but to go back up and gasp for air. Already his body was growing colder and colder. He wouldn't last much longer.
 
There wasn't much more to do with the Vancouver ship or the foreign Captain who was piloting it before. The crew was certainly going to be lost and the ship was already gone.

But the Italian ship was now the focus of everyone's attention and when Leo had been fired upon and shot, with no one to pilot it, it was an easy target. A straight shot from the chopper once it was able to line up behind the ship would disable the engines and from that point, it was an easy clean up.

~*~

Down stairs in the hold two of the men ran down stairs to check who was still alive. The sniper in the chopper was picking people off the top of the ship and more and more people started to come down, looking to the two girls one of the men frowned and shook his head before turning back to his companions.

"We can swim for it."

"Are you kidding me?" Came a reply. "Are you fucking serious did you see what the..."

Suddenly the ship rocked as the engine was hit, gunfire was issuing from outside and more people of both sexes were starting to run down, frightened and terrified, now the hold in the bottom and the rooms were starting to become packed in the hallways. There was no room..people were screaming, guns were firing. A dead body fell down the stairs and the flood of people stopped.

"Out! Without your weapons!"
 
Aradia and Sarafina cowered together under the sounds of the helicopter's guns, terrified at its implications and wondering who was dying. More than once, Aradia almost went back up to check on Leo, but Sarafina held her back every time. She took her gun out as people started filing downstairs, prepared to shoot anyone she didn't recognize. Unfortunately, someone snatched the gun away from her, snapping, "Like you know how to use this!"

"Dick," she snapped back, feeling bare without the protection. Everyone who'd filed down began to try and fight for room, and Aradia and Sarafina had no choice but to push themselves into a corner to avoided being crushed by the mass of bodies. That was when the engine was hit. Sarafina screamed, clutching Aradia's arm in a vicegrip. Aradia's face was white with fear, but she didn't make a sound.

More people poured down the stairs, and Aradia straightened up, trying to get a view of the stairs - right as the body fell. She swallowed hard, trying not to make a sound, trying to be strong for Sarafina. Upon the command, quite a few of the crewmen raced up the stairs, doing the exact opposite - brandishing guns and attempting to fight their way free. The gunfire and the falling bodies, and the repeated command of, "Out - no weapons!" made who was victorious obvious enough.

"They won't kill us right away," Aradia said weakly, "if they are ordering us out. Otherwise they would go to the door and shoot us all one by one..." No one heard her aside from Sarafina. She bit her lip and began to push her way through the crowd, Sarafina letting go of her arm at last. People moved side for her once they realized she was going to the stairs.

"If she wants to die first, let her!" someone snapped.

At last, someone with a bone of chivalry went to go with her - a man her age, nineteen years old, with wavy black hair and a pale but clear complexion. His body was muscular but not overly bulky, almost with the build of a martial artist. Aradia gave him a timid smile, having to turn her head up to meet his height of six feet, and he gave back a more reassuring one. Together, the two of them stepped up the stairs into the light, making Aradia's hazel eyes and glossy and straight elbow-length black hair shine. Her height only reached 5'6. Her skin was more tanned than a few other people on the crew due to working with her family in the sun back at home. While she was a worker, her face was almost too gentle and curved, rather than pointed, for one who had been a member of the labor force. Her body was voluptuously curved with a well-defined chest and ass and a small waist, though her clothes didn't allow for it to be seen so easily. The two stood side by side as, finally, other members began to come up.

A few of the girls had lighter hair, but most of them had dark hair. Very few members of the crew, male or female, had dark skin. A few other members were in their thirties or forties, the Captain's handpicked few. Half of the men had lighter hair, the other half had either black or brown hair. There were no redheads aboard. Aside from the older members, most of the crew were between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five. Sarafina was one of three seventeen-year-olds. Another boy came out with Sarafina at the very end of the line, guiding her by her arms as she kept trying to shy back below deck. The boy with her was one of the ones with somewhat lighter brown hair. His body was more muscular than the man who had come out with Aradia, but not by much, and the same height as Aradia had been. Sarafina's body wasn't as finely curved as her braver friend's, but the curves were there. Both the male's eyes and Sarafina's were bright blue, the latter's eyes wide and face open with fearful innocence and truly knowing and suspecting nothing of what was to come.

Once all of the crew, or what remained of it, was out, they looked at their antagonists and waited for their judgment. Aradia spied around the deck, searching for Leo and biting her lip when she didn't see him. Leo...

(Let me know if I need to change anything.)
 
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