Sky Pirates

Chapter 61

Throngs of dwarfs ran in all directions. Some were unloading the Robin's spoils and booty from her latest venture, while others were restocking her with food, water, and arms in preparation of her next voyage. The great crane removed three mail schooners. In addition, two groups of dwarfs, one led by Rifle, the second by Parker Greene, assembled in their locations.

Greene and Nate entered the ship. There had been no fight, there had been no resistance. Nate blended easily, being among the little people. Parker stood several feet taller; there was no merging or hiding among the activity. The two quickly made their way to the lower decks, to the stokers. There was little time to convince them to join up with Greene and the dwarfs.

When they entered the boiler room, Lord Greene gasped at the sheer size of the boilers, each of the six at least twenty feet high by twenty feet wide. Great hoses were now filling them for their next journey. Shirtless young men, with goggles over their eyes, stoked fires. With each shovel of wood or coal, sparks shot out of the furnaces.

"Lord Greene?" He barely heard the voice.

Parker turned to the young stoker who called to him. Even covered in soot, he recognized the blond boy from his own ship, the Barkley. "Yes."

He pulled off his eyewear. The rubber and glass lenses bounced around his neck as he talked in an animated style. "Have you come to save us?"

"Are you all prepared to fight, to follow, and to fight some more?" Greene wanted to put an arm around the man's shoulders, but the furnace man was covered in soot and grime.

"We are prepared. We have a plan in place, a contingency really, for any opportunity."

"Good, lad. What is your name?"

"Albert Neyland."

Parker Greene continued: "Albert, is there anyone here you cannot trust?" Parker looked around the floor where dozens of young men, dressed in like fashion, worked on their own boilers.

"There is one." He pointed toward a young boy in the corner. Unlike the others here, he was clean, wearing a crisp white shirt. He held a book and walked from boiler to boiler taking notes. "He holds all the power here."

"That diminutive boy?"

"He is Flynn's son."

"Ah. Well, he must be the first one murdered. There's no turning back on that. As soon as the fighting begins, he must be taken out. Is there one among you who is up to such a task and can do it without remorse?"

"Choose anyone here, and they will gladly take on that burden." Albert smiled wryly at Parker Greene.

"Good. Well, you choose who it will be. Second, the doors to this chamber must be locked and secured from the inside. And, finally, the boilers must be ready for flight in a mere twenty minutes from..." Parker took out his pocket watch. He pushed a pin. "Now."

"Yes, my Lord. As you wish. I will see to all these details."

"Good man. You shall be rewarded."

"Regaining my freedom shall be reward enough for me, sir."

This formal exchange was British. They were now at war to uphold the morals of England and their dear Queen. The words weren't trite, but incendiary. Parker Greene, lost in the excitement, patted Albert on the back; his hand came away covered in coal dust, grime, and sweat. He turned and strode toward the door where Nate waited on lookout.

"All's clear, Lord Greene."

Parker liked that the men had taken to calling him "Lord" once again. They were all British. Subjects of their beloved Queen.

The plan of action was underway. He stepped through the door; there was a brief cry behind him, a grand "Hurrah!" from the crew, and then only the hum of the boilers, the scrape of the shovels. Once outside the boiler room, the door he'd traveled snapped shut; he heard the bolts cast.

"Next stop, cleaning up the upper decks. We must spare all we can."

"We're prepared to kill them, sir." Nate walked as fast as his legs could carry him. "I understand your morality, but we've been prisoners for decades. The captors must die." Up one flight of wooden stairs they came together with a group of dwarfs, each carrying some bizarre looking weapon. Some harnessed electricity; others were complicated collections of gears and cogs that when brandished delivered death in efficient ways. His favorite weapons among the new creations were those that gave the little men and women who brandished them the power of the pirates they fought. A bow with cogs and pulleys turned a full-sized bow into a child's, but allowed great power. Another gun-like defense, when shaken, gathered a charge, which could be administered to an enemy, but the two must be close together. And so, with a collection of toy-sized artillery, the growing band of small men and women moved forward with their task of clearing the Balsa Robin of any remaining pirates.

While Greene's plan was to allow the men to live, but to leave them on their island without workers or power, he respected the desire of the dwarfs. He brandished his sword, and along with his friends, cut down the unarmed pirates, those few onboard who were overseeing the packing and cleaning.

The mob of little men and women began spreading out, combing each nook and cranny, opening each door. Whenever the enemy was encountered, they were slaughtered. The halls and decks became slick with blood. No one looked back with any regret. After years of oppression and servitude, these small people were having the final word with their captors.

Parker Greene considered the mess, but continued forward with his rag-tag band.

Deck-by-deck the small band moved, footsteps moving together, almost as one, as each cabin and storage space were checked for pirates. One man, swinging in a hammock in a dark corner was cut in two by swords, his body left to drip and ooze as the mob moved on to the next set of stairs, the next cabins, systematically killing, leaving the bodies where they fell. Some tried to run from them, and those were taken down by the wonderful new weapons.

Finally, Nate, Lord Greene, and a band of twenty arrived at Captain Flynn's door. They stood silent for a moment and then burst through the door like an army. The dwarfs in page uniforms quickly joined the ranks. Upon entering the inner office, Flynn stood, outraged to see the band before him.

"Have you come with some complaint? What are you about, Greene? Representing the little people?" He laughed heartily.

Without warning, two of the pages, one to the left and the other to the right of their master, moved their hands in quick order, rubbing their pointed rings over Flynn's body. Red began to seep through his pants and shirt.

"What are you..."he gasped. "Bad form, Greene."

A lifetime passed in very slow motion and Flynn fell to the floor. He writhed for just a few seconds and was dead.

"How?" Parker asked toward Nate.

"Poison rings. Two or three pokes with intention and the contents inside are released into the victim. Quick, sudden death."

"Why haven't you ever used these weapons?" Greene couldn't believe they'd lived so long as captives with a mechanism such as this to deliver freedom.

"We needed a leader. Not just random killing."

With the shipcleared, Greene and his men began ordering the Robin prepared to sail. He hoped Rifle was meeting with a similarease of success. They'd have to compare notes to discover who among thoseschool chums had been killed, who simply left behind. It didn't feel like asatisfactory conclusion, yet the actions were happening and there was nochanging the outcome now.

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