Francis, the captain, glared at the five boats impeding his path. From his post at the helm of the ship he commands Steve to radio the coast guard. This behemoth of a ship could crush these tiny tugboats, but the crew is weary.
“Give us your cargo, and maybe we will let you live.”
Holding the radio close to him, using it as support, as Francis feels weightless. Although, he was trained for situations like this. A freighter full of dolls and children toys wasn’t worth too much, so he bought time.
“I’ll tell you what. Give me five minutes to consort with my men.”
The captain is covered head to toe in white with gold patches on his shoulders to signify he alone is in command. The tension has got to him as he hesitantly taps his finger on the radio with the consistency of a metronome.
“Captain? You seem shaken. What the hell are we going to do?” Kelly, his first mate, looked at him with a contorted face coming from the thought of unwavering doom.
“Everyone listen! Go to the lower decks and gather everything that can be used as a weapon.”
Francis has done the math, and they aren’t going out in cowardice. Francis’ plan depends on everyone reaching deep for their own inner heroism.
“Have you signaled the coast guard?” Francis exclaims
“They are jamming our signal!” Steve replies
Kelly chimes in, “We aren’t going to just lay down, so let’s take the fight to them!”
Francis motions for calm, “Please Kelly keep it together, and let them come to us.”
The tugboats are formed in a close-knit half circle, close enough to block the boat's path. A formation practiced time and again as they honed their skills. The Somali pirates mock the giant ship, ready to bring it crumbling. One of the pirate’s ready’s the tear gas.
Kelly reports, “Captain! The crew on the lower deck made shiv’s and weapons out of what they could.”
The look on Francis’ face intensifies as he watches a storm gathering on the horizon. Thinking it’s there to punish those too weak to stand on their own. Kelly drops to her knees in prayer, but Francis stares gravely. Standing above an abyss so deep, so unforgiving.
Francis and Kelly watch helplessly as a can breaks through the command posts’ window. The gas slowly starts filling the room capturing a couple crew members in its toxic swirls.
“Evacuate!” Francis yells
The crew frantically makes its way to the lower decks. Twisting and curving throughout the hull of the ship. Arriving at the lower decks where Stan, who was in charge of getting the weapons together, waits anxiously next to a myriad of weapons. Including everything from shiv’s to spears, to a few small caliber guns.
“Captain! What the hell was that ruckus?”
“Tear gas, the damn animals.” Francis says undecided between the good we all have, and the evil we all endure.
“Ok guys gather around.” Francis starts pacing to the point of his indecisiveness.
He points to the north, “Those animals out there just want our valuables but I say that I will not lay down and let them have it. I beg you look inside yourself for that spark of greatness. If you look hard enough you’ll find it. Now what do you say? Lay down or go out in glorious combat?”
“Sir they said they may let us free,” States Kelly, curled up in the corner.
“Bull. I was taught about situations like this, ninety percent of the time we die.”
Cutting through the silence is the sound of urine flowing freely down a member’s leg. He, and the crew, waddle about. Wanting desperately to somehow escape.
Francis looks upon the man, “I understand you might be frightened. That's normal. Just imagine if the divine were looking down upon you. How would you act in what may be your final moments?”
The pirates begin their ascent throwing giant hooks over the brim of the hull. The clanking echoes throughout the ship, striking the crew. Determined pirate’s start climbing the vast hull.
Hiding his own fear Francis says, “You hear that? That’s the sound of impending wrath! Now what do you say?”
Each individual grabs a weapon, and they sit cater cornered in the intricate maze of halls. Some wait for the initial strike. While others position themselves to flank the unwitting pirates. Francis, holding a spear, stares deeply at the rust encrusted door with the sound of the pirate’s rustling just outside.
“Steady…. OK here they come!”
Bursting through the initial door with a brutal C4 charge a couple pirates come rushing in. Gliding through the air a spear fashioned from wood pierced the first pirate to come through. Francis charges with the ferocity of a wounded animal, followed by his colleagues. He stops and notices through the smoke a hand grenade coming into view sitting ever so ominously. Retreating he is hit in the back by the explosion and thrown a distance slamming his head against a wall.
“Captain? Are you okay?” Kelly demands
Francis is laying on the floor drenched in blood not knowing whether it's his, his crew’s or the Pirates.
“How long was I out?” Francis asks sitting up painfully
“About fifteen minutes I presume. That's how long it took to dispatch of the pirates. Do you think that's the end of it?”
“No. Of course not. They were testing our defenses. You see how none of these pirates have guns?”
Francis thinks back to the dream he had while unconscious. Great flames indured the bathtub at his home, and he stared in bewilderment as if the flames were speaking to him. Then an idea strikes him.
“OK guys we don’t have much time. Throw these no good corpses overboard. I have a plan.”
With precision and focus Francis moves to a map on the wall of the mess hall where it shows everything you need to know about the layout of the ship. Pointing and commanding the crew he explains his plan.
Kelly runs to the lower decks, glowing with optimism. The gas tanks, seldom touched, are rapped and pillaged by the crew taking them to the uncovered deck. Kelly starts frantically pouring gasoline over the hull of the ship. The rest of the crew joins her. Far as they could to still have precision.
“Don't forget to pour gas on the cargo!” Francis yells
The crew splits to drench the cargo, some crates stacked four tall. The fumes from the gasoline make several pelicans fly away off the top deck. The water around the edge of the ship is now fused with gasoline. The ship and its crew are ready. Francis can feel the calm come over him knowing it's done.
Peering over the side of the ship they notice more pirates moving into position. So, they do the same. A small boat sits in the back corner of the ship, and they all gather around it. Francis has one lighter ready for above, and kelly has another ready for below. “There’s that sound again.” Francis thinks to himself. The clanking of metal on metal as the usurper’s prepare to come aboard.
The wind brushes Francis’ hair and he yells “NOW!”
He ignites and drops his lighter and Kelly does the same. What a splendid response. As soon as they drop the lighters so does the escape boat. Leaving just enough of a gap in the pool of gasoline surrounding their ship they land in the water. Up in glorious splendor and triumph do the flames engulf the ship. The flames in the water conceal the eye line of the pirate’s. They have no idea of the escape.
Just barely escaping the crew watches as the boat bursts into the sky, which is looming darkly as the storm gathers. Success. The pirates were blown into nothingness, and now adrift at sea. Francis begins writing a note.
-----------------------------------------------------
Several days later...
“There can’t you see!” States the short man, filthy and brooding.
The man and his acquaintance glare at the boat stale and lingering in the water fifty meters from shore. The men go out on their own boat to meet the curiosity built by staring for a half hour.
They arrive at a bleak understanding. Scattered across the floor is fifteen dead men and women. The filthy man notices a note sitting in between the corpse’s. He read aloud so his companion could hear:
To whomever first reads this,
Please I beg you do not look down upon us with pity. We
triumphed over an evil bound to catch us in the end. I’d give it the
name of human desire. Lust, greed, and power to name a few.
I, for one, am glad to be part of an event which purged the villainous
from this vast and harmonious sea. At first not knowing what to do,
but struck with the knowledge and ingenuity we understood what to do.
The enemy of greed was vanquished and our duty was filled. I am
not afraid to die but I am afraid you won’t listen. Listen for news of
a flaming boat, and you will see what I speak of.
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