The Admiral

James Morgan

It was glorious to see the crew of The Morning Star in battle. They really are the best of the Fleet, and Captain Dabang and his Lieutenants are exactly the types of leaders one could dream of having. They’re so in tune with their instincts that there was no hesitation in their orders, and all that training and strategies seem to fall into place when the crew is all on the same page.

I watched through the scope of my rifle and took out any pirates who were an imminent threat to any of our crew, covering their backs as it were.

As I scan the enemy ship in search of Arden in her brown-haired wig my sights land on Lieutenant Giddeon. He’s spattered in blood and a fierce warrior to be sure. When I saw the way he was watching the woman I suspected to be Arden earlier I followed them only to have my suspicions confirmed: it was Arden.

I made sure to stay quiet and listened to every word. I sure as shit didn’t like the way their conversation started, but by the end of it I was full of hope; Arden has never been with a man. My ego won’t allow me to hope she’s been waiting for me all this time. In our world, there’s no guarantee there will be a tomorrow. It was heartbreaking to hear Arden speaking so dimly about her future. I know she has suffered in the past, most of us here have, but everything she said was so dark and void of any hope.

The biggest question here though is why everyone on this ship is denying her existence. I know she did well in the Academy, maybe she’s a Commodore? It wouldn’t surprise me one bit; we practice protocols in case we ever find someone of high command on our ship and if Arden was a Commodore she might be protected by Ghost Protocol if exposed to danger. Wait, am I the danger? Adam and I are part of the fleet, why would they go so far to protect her from a stranded pair of their own?

I try to push all the swirling thoughts from my mind and focus on the task at hand. As much as I’d like to shoot Lieutenant Giddeon for kissing Arden, what he said to her was truly honorable. He’s not a bad man, but still, he must care for her dearly to wish her happiness even at the cost of his own.

As the battle begins to die down, I can see that Captain Debang means to take the ship instead of sinking it, most likely to replace The Orion. Once the crew inspects it and deems it worthy a handful of us might sail it to whichever Academy is closest and start gathering a new crew.

The remainder of the pirates are all lined up on deck. This is my least favorite part. None of them will make it out of here alive. Killing someone in battle while they’re armed is one thing, killing a bound human being when they’ve already been defeated is another thing entirely. But this is what I signed up for.

I sling my rifle on my shoulder and make my way down the rigging. I notice my disguised Arden leaning against the railing on deck watching everything play out before us. Charlotte stands next to her, and they seem to talk casually in French. I didn’t know Arden even spoke French. Good thing neither of them knows I also speak French.

When I reach the deck, I take my time to go stand near them without making my presence known.

“Should I be worried?” Charlotte asks her.

“Charlotte, you know where I stand on this.”

I look over at the pirate ship, our crew has started making their way back to the Morning Star.

I spot someone moving on the rigging of the ship; looks like we missed one. I take up my rifle and look through the scope to find a man on the main top reloading his rifle. As he goes to aim it at our officers, I take the shot.

The man falls, his leg snags on a rope and he hangs upside down, swinging across the deck, and falling dead on the deck as soon as his foot is released. Everyone looks my way and I lower my rifle. So much for subtlety.

I glance over to where Arden was standing only to see she’s gone. That woman’s like a cat, I didn’t even hear her leave.

Charlotte narrows her eyes at me, “Nice shot, Ace.”

Unable to keep playing this game of hide and seek I leave. Since I’m not needed anymore, I dismiss myself for the night and try to get some sleep. My body still hasn’t fully recovered from my dip in the ice, and the rum certainly didn’t help.

I’m not sure what woke me, but when I couldn’t get back to sleep, I decided to get some air and made my way outside. The air is warm at night here, it’s exactly what I needed. It’s a perfect star-littered night.

I hear laughter coming from the bow and make my over to see some of the crew hanging around, drinking and laughing. Amongst them, I spot my white-haired Arden, her hair almost glowing in the moonlight. I feel a smile growing on my face with each step I take closer. She’s sparring with someone, and everyone else is too busy watching or too drunk to notice my approach.

Even if she was wearing that ridiculous wig, I would know it was her. The way she moves is unique only to her, but for whatever reason, Arden is using her left hand to fight. She seems to entertain her opponent for a while before eventually disarming him and sending his sparring sword flying high into the air. The onlookers cheer or boo, and money exchanges hands.

Charlotte hands Arden a bottle of rum and she takes a long drink before looking around, “Right, who’s next?”

Arden’s eyes lock onto mine, and to my surprise, she doesn’t run away. She smirks and points her sparring sword at me causing all heads to turn and look my way.

“Who was meant to be lookout?” Someone asks.

“Damon,” another voice answers.

Everyone looks over at a man sleeping on the deck. This must be Damon. Falling asleep on watch is a serious offense, one that is punishable depending on how many times the individual has fallen asleep in the past.

“Tie him to the bowsprit,” Arden mutters and the crew works to get it done.

“How long?”

“Two hours.” I was right, Arden is in a position of authority, quite possibly one of the three Commodores.

As some of the crew go to tie poor, sleepy Damon to the bowsprit Arden watches me intently. This is the first time I’ve seen her this close as herself. I can honestly say she hasn’t changed much. She’s definitely not a girl anymore yet the woman that stands before me has the same fierce gaze that seems to penetrate into my soul and see every inch of my being whether it be good or bad.

I smile, “I see you still haven’t learned how to use a comb.”

Arden’s smile widens until she just can’t stop herself from laughing. I step closer to her to see her better, but she doesn’t allow it. Arden lifts her sparring sword up to my chest and I stop, raising my hands. Arden’s eyes narrow at me, her cheeks are burning pink, and she sways a little. It’s clear she’s been drinking.

“You see this man Azizi?” Azizi grunts as he drinks from his bottle of rum, “He’s the only one to have ever beaten me in a sparring session.”

Azizi’s brows shoot up, he looks at me, takes some gold coins out of his pocket, and slams them down next to him.

The crew that still linger about start placing bets on who will win if Arden and I spar. I notice Giddeon sitting next to Captain Debang, watching me intently.

Ox comes over and hands me a sparring sword. Arden lowers her sword and watches me. The flame of a nearby torch flickers and I can’t help but be bewitched by how beautiful she looks right now.

“Let’s make this more interesting. What do I get if I win?”

Arden blinks slowly as if the words take a while to sink in and smiles, “The pleasure of knowing you beat me?”

I sigh, “If I win, I get to kiss you.”

Arden’s cheeks seem to burn even brighter. This close her scent drifts into my nostrils, there’s no trace of alcohol on her breath. It was undoubtedly her in bed with me, keeping me warm, bringing me back to life. I knew I wasn’t dreaming.

“Fine, done,” Arden goes to move away.

I gently hold her arm, and when she looks at me again, I’m lost in her amused eyes, “And if you win?”

Arden smirks, the way she tongues her lips teases at my control. She shrugs, “I have everything I want.”

As do I. With Arden’s consent, a kiss is all the motivation I’ll need to defeat her.