Chapter 19 *** The Kings Schooner, anchored 300 feet off-shore of Maliki Island Chief Woods flicked the fishing pole and sent the line sailing out across the water to land with a plop. The sinker, a 4-ounce egg shaped weight, pulled the line down into the water. He wasn’t really fishing with any intent to catch anything, he didn’t even have bait attached to the line; there was already enough fish stored in the freezer for the next three weeks. He was just bored. The boys had been at the castle for three days now and showed no signs of emerging. A vibrating buzz from his pocket demanded his attention and he set the pole into a holder attached to the railing of the schooner. He retrieved his cell phone and glanced at the screen. IPS Central Command Text Message 14:15 – For: All IPS Agents. Stand-by for Command Directive Message. Threat level: Green. Chief tapped his thumb on the message to acknowledge he’d read it. It was just a standard command message alerting field agents to pay attention for another message to come. “Something’s happening over there,” said Captain Dan as he picked up a set of binoculars and zoomed in on the Tares Castle three miles away. “There’s a Galleon coming out, and it’s backwards.” Chief shoved the cell phone back into his pocket and grabbed a second set of binoculars hanging on his fishing chair. “Is that normal?” asked Chief Woods. “No, they should have already performed their heave-to maneuver,” replied Dan. “I’ll pretend I know what you just said,” retorted Chief. Dan chuckled and explained. “Those ships were towed to and from the docks, once in open water they would raise their sails in a very specific order that would cause the ship to back up in a hairpin type turn to bring their sails properly into the wind.” “Again, I’ll pretend I know what you just said,” replied Chief. “A better question is why is one of those Galleons setting sail, and why is it spinning in circles?” “I’m not sure, they can’t be doing it on purpose,” said Dan. Chief’s phone buzzed again to get his attention. He set the binoculars down and pulled the phone out again. IPS Central Command Text Message 14:22 – For: All IPS Agents. Possible House hostilities. Stand-by for Command Directive Message. Threat level Blue. He tapped the message with his thumb to acknowledge it, but wasn’t concerned yet. The message had gone out to all IPS Agents worldwide. There was always someone somewhere getting rowdy, the message could be for any House on the planet. Dan stood up in alarm. “Someone just fell from the rigging, and now a second person. Whatever is going on over there isn’t going well.” Chief shoved the phone back in his pocket and looked to Tath standing on the yacht they had taken from Mara. Tath wasn’t watching the Galleon, but instead was looking up at the sky. Chief looked up and saw what Tath was looking at. “We need to get ready to go,” said Chief. “Where’s Jon?” “He just went below,” said Dan. The cell phone buzzed again. Chief pulled the phone out and looked at the screen. IPS Central Command Text Message 14:23 – For: All IPS Agents within Tares Territories. Stand-by for Command Directive Message. Threat level: Yellow. Chief returned the phone back to his pocket and went below to find Jon. He found the boy in the forward cabin sitting on the floor with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. There were tears in the boy’s eyes. The cell phone buzzed again. Chief pulled it out and checked the message. IPS Central Command Text Message 14:24 – For: All IPS Agents operating within Tares Territories. Hostilities expected. Stand-by for further instructions. Threat level: Amber. Chief kept the phone in his hand, the messages were coming as fast as agents on the ground could report them. He knelt down and gave Jon a reassuring smile. “You need to tell me what’s going on. Why did your father take the big ship out?” “I don’t know,” said Jon. “Jon, you need to tell me before someone gets hurt.” Jon buried his face into his knees. “I can’t.” Chief heard someone behind him and looked over his shoulder. Tath entered the forward cabin dripping wet. “You know, there was a dingy available,” said Chief. “Faster to just swim,” replied Tath. “Jon, look at me.” The boy raised his head only enough to make eye contact. “We know something big is happening, and it probably has to do with Mara.” Chief’s phone buzzed again, along with a phone in Tath’s pocket. Chief glanced at the screen. Tath had to remove his phone from a plastic bag to see the identical message. IPS Central Command Text Message 15:45 – For: All IPS Agents within Tares Territories. Hostilities eminent. Move all primaries to a lock-down position immediately. Threat level: Red. Tath looked up from his phone. “Jon, Chief Woods put the dots together as fast as I did, and he’s not even family. It’s over, Jon. I suspect the next text message I receive from IPS will force me to arrest you for treason.” “I’m not a traitor,” sobbed Jon. “I found out by accident. He took her and said he’d hurt her if I said anything.” “Who did Mara take?” asked Tath. Jon sunk his head back into his knees and mumbled. “Miss Lara.” “When did this happen?” asked Tath. Jon sniffled. “Right after they sent me to stay on Maliki because of the flu on my island. I was exploring Mara’s Manor and over-heard him talking with some guys. They caught me and took Miss Lara away.” “Who’s Miss Lara?” asked Chief. “Jon’s nanny,” replied Tath. “All the boys have one, Mrs. Hansson is Bae’s.” Chief looked back at Jon. “Where’s Miss Lara being held?” Tears flowed down Jon’s face. “I don’t know.” The phones buzzed again. Chief glanced at his phone. “Jon, we’re going to help you, but you have to tell us everything.” Jon’s eyes were wide with pleading. “Please, help Miss Lara. Chief finished reading the message. IPS Central Command Text Message 15:52 – For: All IPS Agents within Tares Territories. Possible House Coup in progress. IPS Agents at Tares Mansion report shots fired. All IPS Agents are ordered to secure their primaries and stand-down from any internal conflict. Lethal force is only authorized to protect the primaries life. IPS is now in stand-down mode. Chief looked back at Jon. “We need you to tell us what Mara is doing?” Jon swiped his sleeve across his face. “I heard Mara say he was tired of waiting for Father to step-down as House Lord, so Mara is going to force him to step-down.” Tath sighed. “I knew Mara would mess up eventually. It’s legal for him to challenge a successor after Father announces he is stepping down, but challenging Father directly is an illegal attempt to seize the crown.” “Mara is too smart to conduct a coup he doesn’t have a way to slither out of if it goes south on him.” Chief lifted his phone and typed out a message. To: IPS Central Command Text Message 15:54 – From: Agent Woods. A hostage with close ties to Master Jonathan Tares is believed to have been taken. Request permission to mount a rescue operation. The reply came almost immediately. IPS Central Command Text Message 15:54 – For: Agent Woods. Rescue attempt is not authorized. Secure your primaries and send location of hostage. IPS agents within Tares territory are ordered to stand-down. Chief shoved the phone in his pocket as Captain Dan stuck his head in the forward cabin. “We need to talk,” said Dan with a jerk of his head towards the galley. Tath and Chief followed Dan into the galley. Dan turned on the two men and in a hushed angry voice, spoke between clenched teeth. “What’s wrong with you two? I can understand Chief acting like that, he doesn’t know Jon, but you, Tath, you should know better than to threaten to arrest him for treason.” “We needed information, and we needed it fast,” said Tath in his typical calm voice. “And that wasn’t how to do it,” said Dan angrily. “Of all the Tares boys, Jon is the most docile and least likely to ever commit treason. Lord Tares is not going to be pleased when he finds out you interrogated him like a common criminal.” “I’ll take responsibility for it,” said Chief. Dan held a hand up. “While you were grilling an innocent boy, I called Captain Sal and got the whole story. What Jon told you is a misunderstood version of the events, he doesn’t know the bigger story. Lord Tares is stepping down as House Lord, if Mara somehow discovered this early, then he’s engaged in a legal coup, but just barely. Taking the hostage though was going too far and might hurt his chances to be the next House Lord.” Chief shook his head in confusion. “How can a coup be legal?” “You forget where you’re at, Chief,” said Dan. “These islands were settled by the most brutal pirates the world has ever known, and they have governed these islands for the last six hundred years. We’ve been isolated from the rest of the world for most of that time, the old ways still exist out here, and the Tares succession is always brutal. Only the strongest and most brutal pirate gets to take the pirate throne.” “I thought the native islanders controlled the government?” said Chief. “Our control is tentative at best,” said Dan. “They behave for the most part, but when they decide to play one of their games, they brush us aside like children.” “The Captains of Nine?” asked Chief. “It’s a friendly game that teaches the boys their heritage, up until it’s not a friendly game. My father told me stories of when Lord Tares was fighting Lord Connelly for the throne; I was just a baby then. My father said the Port of Tares burned for 7 days as the battle raged between the 1st son and the 9th son.” Dan’s eyes was a mixture of resignation and excitement as he spoke. “We thought they would wait for Laki’s Captains of Nine for the real game to begin, but Lord Tares had his children a little later than usual and he doesn’t have any more time left. So, it’s our boys turn to fight for the pirate throne, and no, I don’t know why they brought outsiders into the game, it’s got everyone confused.” “Alright, I think I understand what’s going on,” said Chief with a shake of his head. “You people are insane.” “That’s probably true, but the native islanders love their pirates, don’t ever forget that,” said Dan. “If you knew even half of what our pirates have sacrificed to keep these islands safe, you would too. What are you going to do about Miss Lara?” “IPS told me to stand-down.” Chief grinned and shrugged. “The message was terribly garbled and unreadable. I’m going to go get her, and maybe spank Mara again while I’m at it.” “So much for IPS not getting involved. What’s the plan?” asked Dan. “Keep in mind the safety officers are watching us and will report anything we do.” “You know that little marina right over there at the mouth of the river where we stopped for snacks,” said Dan. “I think we need to make a run for some more chips and soda, I’m all out.” *** Altain Island – Governor’s Manor Trey grabbed another sandbag being passed through the Manor by the long line of reserve navy sailors that had been called into service. He dropped the sandbag on the growing wall of sandbags that lined along the walls of the Manor. Outside at the wall around the Manor, Trey could see the other eight IPS Agents that had arrived last night after retreating from Tares Island on a sea plane they had commandeered. Two of the men had bandages on their arms, but their wounds were minor and still fit to fight. Tares Island was now in the hands of Mara’s rebels, though it would do them little good. Mara had found the armory emptied of all its weapons and ammunition, and the six fighter jets gone – even the two secret gunboats housed in a covered dock were gone. Lord Tares had anticipated what Mara’s first move of the game would be and had denied him access to additional weapons. Mrs. Hansson entered the room with a broom and frantically tried to sweep up the sand being spilled from the sandbags. Trey called out to her. “Is everyone ready to go?” “Yes, Sal is calling for you,” she said absently. Trey looked at the man next to him. “Take over here, make sure the sandbags are tight, no gaps.” Trey turned away and walked towards the door. “Come on, Mrs. Hansson, you too.” Mrs. Hansson frowned and shoved her broom at one of the men in the line. “I don’t want to find piles of sand everywhere when I get back. Do you hear me, Bobby, I mean it,” ordered Mrs. Hansson. “Yes, Ma’am,” said the man. The other men in the line grinned and a collective “Ohhhhh, you’re going to be in trouble,” rose from the other men. They had all had Mrs. Hansson as a teacher in Junior High and High School, and some even Elementary School. Mrs. Hansson grabbed the sailor into a hug. “You boys be careful, and keep your heads down.” Trey watched from the doorway as the men gathered around their former teacher and hugged her. Mrs. Hansson’s eyes filled with tears as she followed the line of men towards the kitchen door. There wasn’t a single man she didn’t stop at and pat on the arm, or give a hug, and each one she addressed by name. She knew them all, these were her boys. Trey escorted the woman to a school bus at the head of a long column of buses, trucks, cars, and vans. The children on the bus were excited and shouting and jumping around as children do. Mrs. Hansson climbed onto the bus and faced the children with her hands on her hips. She didn’t say a word, but the children immediately settled down and took their seats. Trey turned away and thought about what life on these islands must be like with everyone knowing everyone, and everyone being like a big family. He understood now what Rinathian had seen in these islands. When this was over, he might be in trouble for defying the stand-down order, but this was worth protecting. Trey lifted two fingers to his mouth and whistled. The eight IPS Agents from Tares Island took one last look at the sectors they had been guarding, then jogged over and stood in front of Trey. “If anyone wants to leave now, nobody will say a word. The plane is at the airfield and can take you to the mainland.” One of the agents spoke out. “When I retire from IPS, I’m building a house here.” The other agents nodded their agreements. They had all discovered what Trey had learned over the last month. Life out here was much different than on the mainland. The customs were odd, but they had all found that elusive thing that had been missing in their lives; they had been welcomed by the islanders and made to feel like they finally belonged somewhere. “Nuts with the stand-down order,” said another agent. “We’re staying.” Trey gave the men a nod of gratitude for their loyalty. “Okay, there’s air-raid bunkers that were built during the Great War at the base of the mountain. The islanders have maintained the bunkers with basic supplies. You’ve got 8,614 civilians under your protection; that’s almost everyone on the island. Get them inside the bunkers and seal the doors. I’m told it takes three days to select a new Pirate King.” Trey paused and laughed. “If you would have told me a month ago that I would ever say something like that, I would have called you crazy.” The men laughed and Trey continued. “As long as the civilians are too inconvenient to get to, Mara will leave them alone. Mara wants Captain Sal and Lord Lothan as leverage against Baestar. We only have to hold the Manor for three days, and then it’s over. Go on now, get this convoy moving. Good luck.” Trey shook each of the agent’s hands before they left and again wished them luck. Trey watched as the first agent boarded the school bus Mrs. Hansson was on and instructed the driver to move out. One of the other agents straddled one of Rin’s dirt bikes; he would take a scout position ahead of the convoy. The other agents walked back along the convoy to vehicles towards the middle and rear of the convoy. Trey walked over to the gazebo where Captain Sal and Lord Lothan were studying a map. Captain Sal looked up as Trey approached. “Good, you’re here,” said Captain Sal. “I was just showing Alex this on the map, take a look.” Trey raised a brow, but said nothing. The two men were on first name basis now. “Sir, there’s still time to put you on a plane and evacuate you to the mainland,” said Trey. Lord Lothan looked up with a grin. “Are you kidding? I’ve never felt so alive. I’m not going anywhere. Have you located where my son is, there’s been no sighting of his yacht on the television all day?” Trey hesitated. He had used the tracking software to locate Rinathian, but… Lothan sighed. “I understand, you don’t want to tell me in case I’m captured. Okay, I can accept that, if you tell me he’s safe.” “He’s safe, Sir,” said Trey. “It was pretty easy to figure out his plan once I located his position. And I can tell you this, he might be a Lothan, but that boy has the heart of a pirate. His plan is brilliant, and he’s going to run circles around everyone.” “That’s my boy,” said Lothan proudly. “So he’s going to win?” “As long as he doesn’t make a mistake, he’s already won,” said Trey. “I just don’t know what he’s won. This game is confusing.” “That’s because there’s several games being played on different levels,” said Captain Sal. Trey leaned over the map. “So, what do you got?” Captain Sal pointed at the coastline on the map. “See that right there?” “Sea cliffs,” said Trey. “They look steep, Mara won’t try to come at us from there.” “I only know the secret of those cliffs because I was ship’s boy when Governor Baestar still captained a sea tug,” said Sal. “Before the Great War, Governor Baestar’s predecessor knew the war was coming and had all the old maps destroyed and new maps drawn. There’s no cliffs there, it’s a hidden cove with a dock and four escape yachts hidden under camouflage nets. The trees have since grown up and concealed it even more.” “Somebody must have sailed past at some point and noticed there’s no cliffs,” said Trey. “That’s the beauty of it,” said Sal. “These two small rocky islands just off-shore block the view of the cove. Governor Baestar added to the illusion by placing warning buoys indicating there are hidden rocks and a coral reef that isn’t there. The shipping lanes are to the north of the island, so nobody goes near this area because the maps say it’s a hazard area.” “Hikers could have found it by now,” said Trey. “The whole area is fenced off with signs that say there are unexploded ordinance from the Great War,” explained Sal. “I get it, good plan,” said Trey. “We make sure everyone knows that is the rally point for escape if we’re over-run.” “I’m not willing to give up the secret of this cove to everyone if it’s not necessary,” said Sal. “I might need this escape route in the future. There’s an old decommissioned lighthouse right here,” Captain Sal pointed at the map, “it adds to the illusion the coast is dangerous on this side of the island. That will be our rally point.” “Understood, I’ll make sure everyone knows,” said Trey. Captain Sal looked up at the convoy now moving. “It’s going to take an hour or more before the vehicles in the back of the convoy even start to move.” “We’ve got time,” said Trey. “They won’t come until after dark, and I’ve got some surprises for them at the harbor.” Captain Sal sighed. “Are you going to blow up all our new construction?” “Some of it.” Captain Sal stood and looked off into the distance, remembering something from long ago. “I was just a little boy during the last succession, but I remember that even with Tares Island being three-hundred miles away, we could see the horizon glowing red from the fires.” An explosion in the direction of the harbor brought Sal back to the moment. Trey reflexively tried to shield Lord Lothan, but the man pushed Trey away. “They’re early,” said Lothan. Two more explosions from the harbor rolled across the sky. Captain Sal looked at the slow moving convoy with dread. “We’re not going to have these people out of here before Mara’s troops arrive.” Lord Lothan grabbed a rifle leaning against the railing and stepped off the gazebo. His eyes narrowed as he stared in the direction of the harbor. Captain Sal saw the look in the man’s eyes, he’d seen that look before in Lord Tares’s eyes. “I’m done planning secret escapes and last stands inside a sandbagged house,” said Lothan. “I’m taking the fight to Mara.” Lothan gripped the rifle and headed towards the gate. “Where are you going?” Captain Sal called out to the man. “I saw some horses next door,” Lothan called back. “Get these people out of here.” Captain Sal looked to Trey. “What’s he doing?” “The Lothans are horse soldiers, or they were,” said Trey. “It’s how they conquered a continent. We play war games also, though not on the level you’re doing. Ours are more like re-enactments, but he’s very skilled in the saddle with a rifle.” “Stop him, Mara is going to be shooting back,” said Sal. “This isn’t some gentleman’s sport shooting event.” “I know it’s not, and so does he,” said Trey. “But it’s too late to stop him, your little war game has rekindled the Lothan fire in him. If you thought little Rinathian was running circles around your people, wait until you see what the grown-up version can do. Mara’s about to have a very bad day.” Trey followed after his brother to look for the horses. Captain Sal was still standing next to the gazebo when Gunther came up to him. “All the sandbags are down, where are those two going?” “They said they’re descendants of the Lothan Horse Soldiers, so they’re going to go steal those horses from the Sieya farm next door and attack Mara.” Gunther shrugged. “Sure, why not. We’ve got descendants of the Tares Pirates out trying to sink each other, why not add the Lothan Horse Soldiers to the madness. You know, my parents immigrated here from Giema. I’m a descendent of the Giema Barbarians, should I go find a battle axe and a loin cloth?” Captain Sal shuttered. “Oh, please don’t.”