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Chapter 26. Lothan Board Room, Lothan Federation, Mainland. Lord Lothan sat in the office of his private jet. The teleconference screen in front of him displayed the Boardroom on the 99th floor of the Lothan Tower, filled with the sponsors of the Captains of Nine game. “Good morning, gentleman,” said Lothan. “I’ve been briefed on your concerns and would like to hear from you directly. Mr. Roth, would you be so kind as to give us a financial breakdown as it stands right now?” Mr. Roth, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, pointed a laser pen at a display screen at the far end of the room. “We have twenty-four participating stadiums filled to capacity. With ticket sales, vending, and parking, our net profits should reach around six-hundred million, and an additional twelve million in commercial merchandizing.” Lord Lothan gestured with a hand. “Over six-hundred million for a three-day event that was put together on the fly sounds good, considering the usually low revenue for a summer season. What’s the problem, Gentleman?” “If I may, Sir." Lothan shifted his gaze to the Federation Sports Commissioner. The former triathlete had a shock of gray hair at his temples and looked like he had been chiselled from stone. “Yes, Mr. Greyson, go ahead.” “Sir, I’ve spoken with many of the sponsors that stepped in to cover this amazing game. They are satisfied with the sudden windfall of profits that Master Rinathian has brought us. However, we have polled viewers and discovered that this game will pass as nothing more than an interesting summer fad.” “Your suggestions, Mr. Greyson?” “Sir, there has only been two engagements in the game, and you can’t sustain interest in any sporting event with so little substance. The event is being run like a poorly planned Little League game. We need a grand finale.” Lord Lothan turned his head to the Secretary of Labor. “Mrs. Tanner, what do you say?” “Our initial numbers indicate we could be adding two million jobs and a revenue of upwards of six billion to the economy, not to mention countless new industries,” replied Mrs. Tanner. “Explain,” said Lothan. “We haven’t built galleons in over 200 years, so I had to look it up,” said Mrs. Tanner. “One galleon uses 3.8 miles of rope, and that has to be constantly repaired or replaced. Rope manufacturing alone would see an explosion in production. Just that one industry would add thousands of jobs to the work force.” “Sir,” Mr. Grayson interrupted. “Every House State will want its own team, and that comes out to over six-hundred galleons. Mr. Larson, the Director of the Federation Maritime Commission couldn’t be here today, but I spoke with him about the safety boats. He stated that we would need a fleet of around two-thousand specialized motorboats, which equates to eight-thousand safety officers.” “Excuse me, Sir,” said a man near the door. “John Mackenzie, CEO of Nathite Robotics.” “Yes, Mr. Mackenzie,” replied Lothan. “Sir, this game would require over two-thousand drones to be built and maintained. And the cross-over applications to the Military and Space Agency alone could be a trillion dollar industry.” Lothan held a hand up and leaned back in his chair. “Alright, Mr. Grayson, what do you need from me?” “Sir, we need you to call Master Rinathian and have him turn around right now. We need a spectacular grand finale that will create the spark to make all this happen.” Lothan sighed and reached for the phone on his desk. *** Rin’s Yacht, 3 miles from Altain Island. “That’s not fair,” Rin shouted into the phone before slamming it down on the galley table and stomping off. Chief picked the phone up. “Woods here…Yes Sir, I understand...I’ll try to explain it to him.” Chief Woods tapped the end button on his phone before tossing it on the galley table next to his unfinished plate of eggs. Bae glanced at Rin as he stormed out of the companionway and pounded his fist on the bench cushion. Altain Island was only three miles ahead. “You got the phone call, didn’t you?” said Bae. “The phone call?” asked Rin. “Yep, we all got the phone call.” “Really?” “I was hoping you wouldn’t get the call,” said Bae. “Ceri had to ‘accidently’ drop his mainsail to give the pirates time to catch up, and Bali and I both had to turn around. Mikai had to pretend to tack badly to let them catch up, and Kai and Kale both had to let them sink their boats a quarter-mile from the beach and swim through musket fire.” Rin pursed his lips in anger. “This isn’t fair, we won.” “Welcome to the money side of the game,” Bae replied with a shrug. “It’s worse this time because the Lothan Federation put a hundred times more money into the game than we ever did. We've only had two engagements in the whole game, and that doesn’t justify the money they spent.” “They can’t tell my dad what to do,” pouted Rin. “Yes they can,” said Chief, coming up from below deck and crouching in the companionway. He glanced up at the sky. “I think the drone was out of fuel,” said Bae. “It went back to the safety boat, I’ll let you know when it’s headed back. Chief nodded, he wasn’t supposed to be giving advice to the boys, being that he was technically dead. “Rin, the Lothan Federation is comprised of seventy-four separate Minor House States, your father has to walk a fine line to keep them all happy. This game has exploded into a multi-million dollar sporting event over-night. I’d bet there’s already a Sporting League in the works. By this time next year, there will be seventy-four teams competing for the right to play against the Tares Pirates.” “I am not playing this stupid game every year,” said Bae. Chief held up a hand in surrender, he didn’t want to get into an argument with Bae over something he shouldn’t be involved in. “That’s not for me to say, but the Altain franchise alone will be worth millions. You have a lot to think about.” “Can’t they just go play baseball?” said Bae. “I’m not telling you what to do,” said Chief. “Just consider how powerful the sponsors are that they could get Lord Lothan to make that phone call.” “Fine, whatever, I don’t want to get my dad in trouble,” said Rin. “What do we do?” “Whatever you do, it’s going to have to be big,” said Chief. “They want their money’s worth, and you haven’t given it to them yet.” Bae spun the wheel and the yacht began to come about. “Okay, they want big, great, we’re going to go sink the Broken King.” Chief studied Bae’s face for a moment. “You mean ‘simulate’ sink it, right?” “Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, that’s what I meant,” said Bae. Chief chuckled and shook his head, he was pretty sure at this point that Bae could sink a battleship if he put his mind to it. “The drone is coming back,” said Bae. Chief ducked back below decks. “Hey Bae, I think the Broken King is that way,” said Rin, pointing east. Bae was heading north. “I know, I have an idea,” said Bae. *** The Broken King, 75 miles from Altain Island. Laki reclined in his hammock with his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. The hammock didn’t sway back and forth, but instead was pleasantly motionless; a result of the pitch and roll of the ship being nulled by the hammock, and the reason sailors preferred using hammocks instead of bunks. Lord Tares tapped the table with his spoon. “Laki, you can come eat.” Laki shook his head. “Nope, you grounded me, I’m grounded.” “You know what you did wrong, now come eat,” said Lord Tares. “I didn’t do anything wrong, brothers come first.” “I didn’t see you on my side during the mutiny,” said Kale between shoving food in his mouth. “Because you were being stupid,” said Laki. Kale stood and spun around to face Laki. “You’re getting too cocky, little brother, how about I knock some of that out of you.” Laki rolled out of his hammock and landed neatly on his feet. Ceri, sitting at the table closest to Laki’s hammock, slipped his knife underhand to Laki. Laki grabbed the knife and held it pointed at Kale. “I’m not afraid of you,” Laki shouted at Kale. “I’m sick of you always bullying me." Lord Tares took a swallow from his mug before speaking. “Laki, son, don’t hold your knife like it’s a hammer. Hold it parallel to the ground at chest height and your elbow back like a snake getting ready to strike.” Mikai slammed his fork down on the table. “Father, he’s seven.” Lord Tares shrugged. “If he’s old enough to jump up, he’s old enough to hold his knife correctly.” Mikai responded by grabbing a knife off the table and jumped up to face Kale across the table. “If you lay one finger on him, I’ll cut you up for fish bait,” said Mikai. Kai tapped a spoon on the side of his plate. “Mikai, are you planning to spread some butter on your biscuit?” Mikai's eyes flicked to the knife, only just realizing he'd grabbed the wrong knife. Kai slowly rose from his place at the opposite end of the table from Lord Tares. Mikai, like all his brothers, had inherited their father’s size, but at sixteen he still had a little way to go before he would reach his full height. Kai however was nineteen and could present a real threat to Kale, even if he were six years younger than his elder brother. “Kale, you’re a coward to threaten a seven year old, it’s not a wonder Father didn’t choose you to be House Lord. How about you try threatening me?” “Oh, this does bring back memories, doesn’t it, Cecil,” said Lord Connelly sitting next to Lord Tares. “Shut up, Ken,” said Lord Tares. Lord Connelly sighed. “You think me a self-centered fool, and perhaps I am, but I would give anything to sit at a meal with my brothers again.” “They’re not here because of you,” snarled Lord Tares. “And I deeply regret it.” Lord Connelly lowered his head. “Boys, this is your last meal before we reach North Beach. Dear Mara has already parted your company, and before this is over, several more of you may join him. Cherish this moment together, or you will live with regret as I do.” “Uncle Ken is right,” said Bali. “Can’t we just have a normal meal like a real family?” Kai spread his arms and gave Bali a small bow. “Spoken with wisdom, little brother.” Kai sat back down. Mikai tossed the butter knife on the table and sat down also. Laki lowered his knife next and sat at his place next to Ceri. He handed the knife back to Ceri. "Thanks,” whispered Laki. Lord Tares tapped his mug. “Rin and Bae should be arriving at North Beach about now. I suspect Bae will allow Rin to walk up on the beach first. I need to know which of you intend to challenge Rin.” A powerfully built man came down the stairs from the maindeck at that moment before any of the boys could reply. “Sir!” “Yes, Mr. Strum?” “A container ship has just entered the restricted game area, it’s headed right for us.” “Have the safety officers tried to contact it?” asked Lord Tares. “Yes Sir, it’s not answering.” Lord Tares reached into a pocket and retrieved his phone. He tapped out a number and put the phone to his ear. “Lord Lothan, Lord Tares here. Did you change your mind and make the phone call to Rin?...I see, yes, thank you…I’ll see you on North Beach soon.” Lord Tares tapped the end button and grinned. “They got the phone call, didn't they?” asked Mikai. “Yes, apparently Lord Lothan is just as vulnerable to the sponsors as I am. Rin and Bae were ordered two hours ago to turn around and give the sponsors a Grand Finale.” Lord Tares stood. “A container ship is it, Mr. Strum?” “Yes Sir, a big one.” “Make to Quarters, Mr. Strum. Boys, to your cannons, your brother is hiding behind that ship. A desperate plan to be certain, but he knows he has no chance against the Broken King.” The boys scrambled from the table, their meal forgotten, and ran to their assigned gunports, leaving only Laki and Lord Connelly sitting at the table. Laki stood and went back to his hammock. He gave his father a defiant stare before jumping into the hammock. “You’re not grounded anymore, it’s time to fight,” said Lord Tares. Laki narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m not fighting Bae.” Lord Tares sighed. “Very well, Ken, take Laki’s cannon.” Lord Connelly glanced at Laki and winked. “No, thank you. I think I’d like to be on the rebel’s side one last time.” “Then you’ve learned nothing, brother,” Lord Tares nearly growled the words. “You’re wrong, brother. I’ve learned to care about someone more than myself. I’ll stay here with Laki.” Lord Tares’ eyes bore into his brother. “If I find out you’re working another angle to get at Laki’s money, it’ll be the last thing you do.” Lord Connelly pulled his signet ring from his finger and tossed it on the table. “You gave me grandfather’s estate, you can keep it, and my title.” Connelly waved a hand at the ring. “Just don’t take Laki from me.” Lord Tares spoke between clenched teeth. “I didn’t rip the ring from your finger thirty-five years ago, and I’m not doing it now. Put your ring back on, no Tares has ever been stripped of their title. As to whether you will be allowed to spend time with Laki, will be up to Laki.” Lord Tares spun around and stormed up the stairs to the maindeck. Lord Connelly smiled at Laki. “I guess it’s just us, kiddo.” Laki shook his head. “You won’t trick me twice, Uncle Ken. Leave me alone.” Laki pulled the privacy flaps down on his hammock. *** Rin’s Yacht, out of bounds of the game area. “We could be fined for entering a restricted area,” replied the Executive Officer of the Kalipio Container Ship.” “I guarantee you won’t be,” said Chief. “The boys’ plan is sound, and even if you are fined, House Lothan will cover the fine and any legal costs.” The XO shook his head. “I need to cover my butt, I want a written order from IPS to enter the game area.” Chief grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out the order, then signed it and handed the paper to the reluctant XO. The XO folded the paper and put it in his pocket. The XO nodded to Rin. “Good luck, Master Rinathian.” “Hey, can you guys hurry up, it’s hard holding position next to this thing,” shouted Bae from the helm. Rin followed the Container Ship XO out through the companionway and watched as the XO performed a well-practiced jump from the yacht to a rope ladder hanging over the side of the ship. Bae pulled the yacht away from the titan sized ship as the XO climbed the ladder to a long steel walkway that led the rest of the way up to the top of the ship. The Yacht pitched and rolled from the big ship’s wake. Bae let the boat drift as far as he dared without losing the advantage of hiding behind its bulk. The safety boat came alongside until it was close enough for one of the safety officers to jump aboard. “You’re out of bounds,” said the Safety Officer. “We’re heading back in the box now,” said Bae. “I need you to take your boats away from us or you’ll give away our position.” “I see what you’re doing,” said the Safety Officer. “I don’t see anything in the rule book to prevent you from using the container ship to hide behind, so I’ll allow it, but I’ll remain aboard to call the results of the battle from here.” Bae went over his plans with the Safety Officer while he maneuvered the yacht until it was directly behind the container ship. “Rin, I think we’re getting close, I need you on the bow now. As soon as you see the bowsprit of the Broken King, shout out.” Bae kept the boat at the starboard side of the big ship’s stern and watched along the length of the ship towards the bow. The wait seemed to take forever as Bae struggled to keep from capsizing in the wake of the big ships screws. Bae knew Father would know they were hiding behind the large ship, but stealth wasn’t his goal. “There it is!” shouted Rin. Bae spun the wheel hard left and pulled directly behind the big ship. “Get on the starboard cannons, we’ll only get one chance.” Rin ran back to the cannons on the right side of the yacht and waited. Bae locked the wheel and turned around to the stern. He pushed the yachts dinghy off the stern and into the water. The small boat bobbed on the water and drifted away as the yacht continued forward. It took less than a minute later for the bow of the Broken King to appear. *** The Broken King, closing for a broadside attack. “There they are, Father,” shouted Kale. “You were right, they were hiding behind the container ship. Cowards.” “They’ll fire a broadside now, stand ready on the cannons,” shouted Lord Tares, then lowered his voice and spoke only to himself. “I’m disappointed in you, Bae, your plan is weak and reeks of desperation. I’m sorry, son, I’m going to have to sink you.” Black smoke rose with a boom as Rin fired the cannons at the Broken King coming around the stern of the big ship, but the turbulant water behind the container ship didn't allow for a good shot and Rin fired too soon. The Safety Officer onboard the yacht raised a green flag and shouted into his bullhorn. “MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FORECASTLE.” “Fire!” shouted Lord Tares, and saw his mistake too late. Bae was riding up on the container ship’s propeller chop, and the moment before the Broken King fired, Bae spun the wheel enough to drop into the trough on the other side. The yacht dropped just enough that instead of hitting the hull, the cannonballs ripped through the yachts rigging. The Safety Officer raised a red flag and shouted. “THE MAST IS SHEERED IN HALF, THE YACHT IS NO LONGER MANEUVERABLE AND DEAD IN THE WATER.” Lord Tares was watching the yacht’s dinghy drifting away. “Now why did you throw that over-board, do you think to use it to escape?” Lord Tares shook his head, there would be no escape. “Let’s finish this, prepare to fire another broadside.” “Father, they’re waving the white flag,” shouted Kai. Lord Tares walked to the railing and looked at the two boys waving white pillow cases tied to poles. Lord Tares turned away in embarrassment. “I should never have let you befriend that Lothan coward,” whispered Lord Tares in anger. “No Tares ever surrenders, you should have gone down with your ship.” Lord Tares went back to the wheel. If he fired a broadside at Rin while he was holding a white flag, the Lothan Federation would come unglued, there would be serious consequences, maybe even war. He raised his voice and shouted. “Grappling Hooks, bring them alongside,” Kai, Kale, and Mikai threw the grappling hooks out, and the yacht was pulled alongside. A rope ladder was thrown down and Bae and Rin climbed up and over the railing to stand facing Lord Tares. “Hello, Father,” said Bae. “Don’t call me that, you’ve brought shame on House Tares today,” replied Lord Tares. “Take them to the Brig until I decide what to do with them.” “I forgive you for saying that, Father,” said Bae. “Give the crown to Rin now and I won’t sink the Broken King.” “Get out of my sight,” growled Lord Tares. Bae and Rin turned and walked away with Mikai and Kale escorting behind them. “Cowards surrender,” said Kale. “I guess you’re not Father’s favorite anymore.” “I never was,” said Bae. “Get on your knees and beg me for forgiveness and I’ll spare you.” “Keep walking, coward,” said Kale. They reached the middeck, the only place on the maindeck Bae’s plan would work. He turned his head to Rin and shouted, “NOW!” Both boys turned and darted across the open deck to the starboard side, opposite of where the yacht was tied to the ship by the grappling lines. “Bae, you’re just making it worse, stop,” shouted Mikai. Bae and Rin jumped up on the starboard railing and jumped off the side into the water. Lord Tares cocked his head to one side in curiosity, then his eyes widened as he turned to look at the yacht tied up alongside the galleon. “Cut the yacht away! Cut the yacht away!” he screamed the order, but too late. An explosion and black smoke rose from the yacht. He turned back to watch the boy’s swimming to the drifting dinghy. “So, it was your escape boat afterall.” The Safety Officer raised a red flag and shouted. “THE BROKEN KING HAS BEEN DESTROYED AND WILL SINK COMPLETELY IN THIRTY SECONDS, THERE ARE NO SURVIVORS ONBOARD.” “Explain how,” said Lord Tares, already knowing the answer, but he wanted it on the record. The Safety Officer lowered his bullhorn, it wouldn't be wise to shout directly into the angry Lord Tares' face. “They used a coffee can to simulate a powder keg, which would have been present on a schooner. They then cut a length of string to simulate a fuse. I verify that I did measure the string, and it was cut the correct length for a slow burn. I allowed Chief Woods to fire a cannon into the air to simulate the subsequent explosion at the correct time. The Broken King was cut in half by the explosion, and its own powder magazines are now exploding, hence why there are no survivors.” “It’s a fair assessment,” admitted Lord Tares. “The Broken King has gone down with all hands.” “Not quite,” Lord Connelly called out as he and Laki climbed the steps to the quarterdeck. “Laki was at the Head when the explosion happened. He always uses the one under the bowsprit because he thinks it gives him better privacy.” The Safety Officer looked at Laki. “Is that so, young man, were you sitting on the center Head?” Laki blushed and nodded. “Sorry, I ate one of those greasy sausages and couldn’t hold it.” The Safety Officer smiled and nodded. “Sausages do the same thing to me. Okay, the bowsprit is a twenty-two inch beam of stout oak. I agree you would have been protected from the explosion being all the way forward and under the bowsprit. However, you would have been thrown from the ship. So, you have two choices. Cling to debris and drown in a few days, or go surrender to Bae and Rin. Keep in mind though that Rin executed the last survivor of the ship he sank.” Laki didn't reply as he sprinted for the railing and dived over the side into the water.” The Safety Officer lifted his radio. “We’ve got three boys in the water on the starboard side, let’s get some boats over there to monitor them.” Lord Tares’ sons gathered around. He frowned and sighed. “Alright, boys, its over. You were all killed by Bae during the game, therefore none of you are permitted to issue a challenge when we get to North Beach. Bae outwitted me and has proven he’s a superb sailor and devious enough to wear the crown.” “He’ll give the crown to Rin,” shouted Kale. “Bae is the Pirate King now, and it’s his choice what to do with it, we can only wait and see.” Lord Tares turned to the Safety Officer. “It’s going to take at least five days for them to row that dinghy to North Beach. I don’t think it’s necessary to keep the game going any further, there’s nobody left to challenge them.” “There’s still Laki,” noted the Safety Officer. A shot rang out and Bae’s voice could clearly be heard shouting, “Dammit, Rin, stop shooting my brothers.” Lord Tares sighed and glared at Lord Connelly. "Happy now?" Lord Connelly shook his head. "I was trying to give him another chance at the crown." "Rin knows better than to leave a contender for the crown behind him, Bae is his only weakness." Lord Tares turned to the Safety Officer. “Go ahead, pick them up and take them to North Beach. Let’s find out which one of them is putting the crown on.”