Within the Water

By Kelly Fallows

Once rising star of the Republic’s naval command, now disgraced officer turned pirate; Captain Benjamin Daniels is a man who treads a fine line. Deep within the waters where the remains of humanity has forged a new existence from the ashes of the land wars, Daniels knows only too well how quickly the powers that be can turn against you.  
In the wake of his disgrace, and cast adrift from the life he knew but with all the skills of a first class naval officer, he finds himself the leader of a crew of fellow exiles. Left vulnerable and at the mercy of the criminal Guild, who control whatever the Republic does not, the crew must use their skills, once learned as respectable members of society, to pull jobs for the Guild and stay one step ahead of the Republic’s troopers.  
Caught between the might of these two factions in their fight for dominance over the innocent citizens, Daniels is forced to take on a suicidal mission to protect his crew. Daniels and his crew must race against time, pursued by enemies old and new and even mother nature herself, to protect not only themselves but all the citizens of the new world. For their success will decide all of their fates and the truth of their lives within the water.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Release date: May 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789010916

Kelly Fallows

Kelly Fallows is a practising solicitor at a law firm in Kent. Having taken up writing fiction with friends at school, she moved onto writing her own novels while studying law at university, both in the UK and America.

Book preview

Within the Water

Kelly Fallows

Copyright © 2018 Kelly Fallows

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

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ISBN 9781789010916

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador® is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

To Tracy, Dave and Chris, without whose support and belief in me, this book could not have been written.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter Thirty-three

Chapter Thirty-four

Chapter Thirty-five

Chapter Thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-seven

Chapter Thirty-eight

Chapter Thirty-nine

Chapter One

‘Run!’

Duncan was pulled sharply out of his musings as his captain threw himself out of the building and into the passageway.

‘Err, Captain?’ Duncan questioned uncertainly as they ran through the eastern quarter of Eckarna, dodging the people and passage-stalls as they went.

‘You were right, Duncan; she wasn’t happy about it,’ his captain replied, grinning. However, his grin quickly faded as the pair rounded the corner to see twenty Guild crew scouring the passageways for them.

‘Damn.’ He looked around for an escape route. ‘Here!’ he whispered urgently to Duncan as he pulled him behind a barrow filled with none-too-appetising food.

‘Ay! What’re you doing down there?’ the woman minding the barrow began screeching at them.

Duncan turned to his captain, giving him a look that plainly said that this was such a bad idea.

‘Now, darling, just calm down…’ his captain replied quietly, raising both hands in front of him, ‘we aren’t going to hurt you.’

‘Hmph, like you mean that. Go on, get out of here; scram before I call the law down on you!’ she threatened.

‘Now darling…’ he paused giving his best smile, ‘such a lovely lass as yourself wouldn’t do that to us now, would you?’

‘Well, I…’ He smiled at her as she struggled to decide which way she was going to go.

Leaving his captain to his flirting, Duncan scanned the area for a way out of their predicament. Seeing an opening appear, he signalled to his captain, who glanced over his shoulder, checking it out before nodding to Duncan. ‘Get ready… go!’ Dunc gave the command as the two raced out from behind the barrow and across the passageway down into a narrow alley, noting that his captain still managed to send a wink back to the floundering woman.

Duncan turned just in time to see the Guild crew moving in on their former position, ‘well that was interesting, Captain. Where do we go from here?’ he asked with only a trace of sarcasm in his voice.

‘Now, we go back to the Coelacanth and let Rose calm down a little,’ he replied quickly, as they ran down the alley.

‘Rose? Calm down? You’d better not show your face around here for a millennium or so then.’ Rose was notorious within the Guild for her fiery temper and the captain of the Coelacanth was equally notorious for getting the worst of it. ‘Unless you want your head blown off,’ he added for good measure.

‘Nah, and resist this smile? Impossible.’

‘That’s why you had to jump out of that building back there and why we’re running away,’ Duncan pointed out.

‘One, we are not running away, merely avoiding certain people, and, two…’ he turned to face him, ‘she obviously couldn’t have seen my face properly.’

‘Obviously,’ the first mate replied dryly.

***

‘Sophie! Where is that blasted woman?’ the captain hollered once they had reached the Coelacanth.

‘Probably helping Blue – I’ll get her,’ Duncan told him, climbing down the shaft to the engine room.

‘Never mind that. Just tell her to get us out of here… preferably now,’ he added as Duncan disappeared from sight.

Grumbling to himself, he walked along to the mess, only to be met with an unmoving wall of six Guild crew.

‘Ah, Captain,’ the largest man greeted him with no warmth, yet he still smiled. ‘How good of you to join us and save us chasing you through the seas.’

‘Well, I like to be as helpful as possible, especially to Rose,’ he replied with forced pleasure, glancing around the room to see all his crew sitting there with murderous looks on their faces. He swallowed; he hoped those looks were for their present captors and not him.

‘Shall we?’ he said pleasantly, indicating towards the door.

‘After you, Captain…’ Gore replied, laying special emphasis on the captain, ‘we wouldn’t want your first mate to get any clever ideas and try to stop us,’ he told him, still grinning.

‘Of course not,’ came the reply, full of his distaste.

***

‘Benjamin Daniels!’

‘Hello Rose.’ Ben cringed at the woman’s shrieking voice. Although she was hardly the banshee that this suggested, Rose had a presence that could not be ignored. She was her own unique brand of beautiful: a dark beauty with an underlying quality of power and danger. ‘And how are you?’

‘Don’t you how are you? me, Captain,’ she replied contemptuously.

‘Apologies.’

‘Hmph.’ She regarded him with a piercing glare, daring him to say something.

‘You know, Rose, it really wasn’t my fault—’ he began.

‘Not your fault, Ben? I find that hard to believe. For all your so-called cunning and ability, you seem to have the inability to get yourself out of simple situations.’

‘I promise I’ll make it up to you.’ Ben tried a different tack, treading warily.

‘To me? This isn’t about me, Ben. This is about the Guild,’ she told him. ‘The Guild is the heart of this world, without it all those whiter than white idiots wouldn’t be able to survive. "The Republic stands" because we bloody well hold it up! We regulate all the crime and keep pirates like you in order. If you start disobeying the Guild, your easy life disappears: no protection, no jobs and a huge price on your head. And what about your crew? Do you want to see their necks stretched at the next Jigs Day spectacle? Or have you stopped caring about them since we last met?’

‘I know, I know, darl— Rose, which is why I’ll make it up to yo— the Guild.’ Ben was getting desperate; his life wasn’t easy by any means, but he knew he'd never be able to protect his crew with the Guild on his tail as well as the Republic.

‘Mmm,’ was the only reply he received. Rose, unbeknownst to most, had a soft spot for the crazy captain, which is why he generally annoyed her more than most. His cavalier attitude and complete disrespect for authority meant he frequently found himself on the wrong end of a pistol or sword. Despite this, her glare was unwavering. Ben, feeling as though his livelihood, not to mention his life and those of his crew, were slowly slipping away, made the mistake she was waiting for.

‘Please Rose, I’ll do anything…’ As soon as the words had left his lips he cringed, berating himself for the ease with which he fell into her trap. He watched as Rose's face slowly began to light up with a triumphant smile.

‘I’m glad you feel that way, Ben…’ she said sweetly, ‘because, as it happens, I have a particular job that would suit you just right.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

***

‘Ah, our illustrious captain has returned! And with his head still intact, I see.’

‘Miraculous!’

Ash and Duncan greeted their captain as he entered the cargo bay.

‘But, what’s this, no smile or glib remark?’ Ash continued his teasing.

‘Well, that solves the mystery then,’ Duncan replied, and on enquiring looks elaborated: ‘She must have taken his tongue as payment this time!’

‘Well, there’s obviously no brain to take,’ Sophie added sourly, being more than just a little annoyed at her captain’s ability to infuriate one of the highest-ranking members of the Guild almost every other week.

‘Have you all quite finished?’ Daniels finally asked his assembled crew.

After they had looked around at each other, Duncan spoke up, ‘I think that just about covers it.’

‘Good. We need to get moving.’

‘Moving? We’ve only just docked… Simon’s already left to see his wife… we need supplies…’ Sophie pointed out.

‘Well, go find him then. And Blue? Where’s he got to?’ Daniels sighed. Why were things always complicated? he demanded of himself.

‘He went to see about getting some more parts for the engine; we apparently blew out something on that last run,’ Ash stated, ‘and he was more than a little upset about it, actually.’

‘Wonderful.’

‘I don’t quite think that’s how Blue put it, but then you know him – very colourful when it comes to descriptions,’ Ash said with a completely straight face, but with a glint in his eye.

‘We leave as soon as they get back; have Blue fix whatever the problem is on the way,’ Daniels ordered as he strode off to his cabin.

Silence followed his departure for several minutes as everyone considered that exchange.

‘Apparently Rose wasn’t so forgiving this time,’ Duncan murmured thoughtfully. Their captain was usually the life and soul of the party, and gave as good as he got. His dullness and lack of humour set the crew on edge – something had to be wrong.

‘Hardly surprising though, he’s had it coming for a while,’ Ash commented soberly.

‘Wonder what she did to him?’ Sophie thought aloud.

‘Whatever it was it spells trouble for the rest of us; if the captain’s down, so are we,’ Duncan prophesised ominously.

***

‘Come.’ The reply to Duncan’s rap upon the hatch of the captain’s cabin was short and harsh.

Daniels did not turn around as his first mate entered, but stayed facing the porthole. Should one look out of this particular porthole, they would not see much to keep them occupied longer than a few seconds. The cold, hard, blank wall of the dock was all that there was to be seen. It, therefore, should be assumed, as Duncan did, that something else occupied the captain’s thoughts.

‘Rose didn’t take your apology well, did she?’ Duncan stated more than asked.

‘No.’

‘What happened?’ he asked bluntly. He and the captain had known each other for a long time and had witnessed a great deal together. There existed a trust and a depth of understanding between these two friends, deeper than most would or could understand – various trials had proven that.

‘Rose got what she wanted… as she always does.’

He stood there a moment longer before turning to face his friend and first mate. ‘I went too far,’ he said simply. ‘I got careless and am now in danger of dragging us all down, deeper than either of us would care to go.’ He paused. ‘Politics is a dirty business.’

‘Politics?’ Duncan echoed sharply, looking directly at his captain.

Daniels sighed, ‘Aye, politics. I’m afraid we’re going in again.’

‘Rose put you up to this?’

Daniels nodded, ‘There’s no way we can avoid it.’

‘Then let’s just trust that we don’t meet any old friends on our way.’

‘We shouldn’t – if all goes well that is. But I’ve a feeling there’s more to this than Rose is letting on. She knows that, whatever it is, I won’t like it.’

‘What have we got to do?’

Daniels looked at him, ‘What we do best…’ giving him a half-smile before finishing, ‘piracy.’

***

‘Just got back?’ Duncan asked Blue and Simon as he entered the mess.

‘Yeah, heard we’re in a hurry?’ Simon asked.

‘Yeah, we’ve got a job.’

‘Really, that’s all? Never known the captain to get jittery over a job… Well, not until it starts going wrong and even then he’s usually all right. From what I’ve been hearing, something’s got him spooked,’ Blue stated.

Duncan leaned on the table giving the group a flat stare, ‘the job’s not routine, all right – Rose has… put us in a tight spot all right,’ he explained. ‘Now let’s get moving.’

‘Right you are, Dunc. I take it I’ll be fixing this on the way then.’ Blue walked off grumbling to himself about the Coelacanth and the captain – not being very flattering by all accounts.

‘Sarah all right?’ Duncan asked Simon as they began to get the Coelacanth prepped.

Simon smiled, in the way only newlyweds can. ‘Yeah, she’s doing great. Due in about August – so they tell me.’ He straightened up and grinned, ‘little Kathleen Cronin.’

‘A girl then? Thought you didn’t want to know?’

‘Sarah insisted; she wants everything ready for our daughter when she comes. Big plans my wife has,’ Simon joked.

‘Hands are well and truly full then.’

‘Wouldn’t have it any other way.’

Duncan grinned and slapped him on the back before heading to the bridge; Simon’s good mood was definitely infectious.

‘By the way…’ Duncan called, as he poked his head back around the corner as an idea just occurred to him.

‘Yeah?’ Simon turned back to answer him.

‘You’re not going to name her Kathleen Crippen then?’ Duncan grinned.

‘Oi!’ Simon shouted, hurling a handy bowl in the direction of Duncan’s grinning face, ‘You may well call me after some butchering quack of the nineteenth century, but, by God, you’re not calling my daughter that!’

‘Now, now, take it easy; don’t lose your head, Crippen,’ Duncan told him gleefully before disappearing quickly out of Simon’s line of sight, but more importantly out of his firing range, leaving Simon to splutter in his indignation.

‘Ah, Captain!’ Simon jogged down the passage towards Daniels, after he had calmed down from Duncan’s little jibe.

‘Simon,’ Daniels said as he turned to greet the sub’s doctor, ‘sorry your trip was cut short.’

‘A job’s a job.’ Simon waved off the issue.

Daniels just nodded, ‘What did you need?’

‘Ah, yeah, Duncan said you went through the grinder back there…’

‘Hell no, Crippen!’ Daniels exclaimed cutting Simon off mid-sentence and backing up a few steps, ‘You’re not getting me in that chop shop of yours!’

‘But, Captain, you can never be too careful – what seems a minor injury could turn into something serious.’

‘It usually does when you’re involved.’

‘Cap—’

‘Crippen, you’re not cutting me up. Go find someone else to sharpen your knives on,’ Daniels told him, walking away swiftly before the good doctor could find any more excuses to detain him.

‘You managed to put off Dr Crippen then?’ Duncan asked as Daniels made his way onto the bridge.

‘No thanks to you! He gets enough ideas in his head without you helping him. I swear his eyes light up when there’s even a glimmer of hope that he’ll get to operate.’

‘Well, he needs to put all that book learning to use,’ Duncan commented.

Sophie listened in to their conversation shaking her head. They’re just as bad as Simon when it comes to cutting into other subs; pot calling the kettle black springs to mind, she thought wryly.

‘So, what’s the plan?’ Duncan asked, in an attempt to move the topic to something slightly more relevant than Simon’s surgical abilities.

Daniels turned to look at him, cocking his head slightly. ‘Plan?’

‘Aye Captain – a plan would be good,’ Duncan continued patiently, as though talking to a child.

‘Now why would we need a plan?’ Daniels replied grinning, his encounter with Simon having pulled him out of his depression from his little chat with Rose.

Duncan gave a world-weary sigh, ‘To stay out of the noose, perhaps.’

‘Ah. Now why didn’t I think of that?’ Daniels replied in mock deep thought.

Duncan just shook his head and moved on; it was no use attempting to get a sensible answer out of him when he was like that.

Daniels grinned – before remembering the plan. Not wonderful by anyone’s standards, he thought ruefully, but it will have to do.

***

‘Captain, we’re coming up on another sub.’ Sophie’s voice rang through the sub over the communication (or comm.) system.

In the mess, Daniels pushed his chair back and hit the comm. ‘Be right up,’ he said, around a mouthful of rice. He was soon on the bridge looking at the image on the scanner.

‘Freight.’

‘Tidy profit to be had then,’ Ash commented, having followed Daniels onto the bridge.

‘Alter your course, Soph,’ Daniels ordered.

‘What!’ Sophie exclaimed. ‘I’m right on target,’ she insisted, checking her instruments.

Daniels shook his head. ‘We’re not going to take her,’ he stated. ‘We’ve more pressing issues,’ he added by way of explanation.

Duncan watched this brief exchange from the hatchway. Nonchalantly leaning against the frame, he watched Ash and Sophie’s reaction to the order. There could be trouble if we don’t tell them, he decided. Sophie grudgingly changed course to skirt around the freighter and Ash just stood in stony silence watching the sub slip away.

‘Hope this prize you’re going after is worth it, Captain,’ he muttered, pushing past Duncan.

‘We could have taken her, Ben,’ Duncan said quietly to his captain as they walked back down the passage.

Daniels stopped and regarded his friend, slowly he shook his head. ‘The risks were too great: she was a Class D; they can run heavily armed and are likely to have troopers onboard. Would have been a fat prize, but we can’t spare the time… We’ve a timetable to keep to,’ he explained gravely; something he did not often do. His carefree façade was slipping – Duncan had seen that before, but rarely since they had begun in this business.

‘Maybe we should explain this to the others. Ash was not happy about letting that freighter slip by. Class D are quite a prize. Blue won’t like it either,’ Duncan pointed out. ‘Giving them the details will become necessary soon anyway. Why not tell them now and save any trouble? Ay?’

Daniels nodded slightly, ‘Call them all to the mess.’

***

‘This looks serious,’ Blue commented, taking his seat at the table where the rest of the crew were already assembled. Daniels stood off to one side, leaning against the wall and staring across the room; his expression unreadable.

‘Captain?’ Duncan called hesitantly.

‘Mmm.’ Daniels looked at him enquiringly. ‘Ah right.’ He walked to the head of the table and studied his crew for a few moments; taking a deep breath, he began. ‘As you all may have noticed, this job is different from the others we usually receive… The old rivalries from the Foundation have begun to emerge again…’

‘They do that every couple of decades or so; it’s never come to much before,’ Ash pointed out.

‘Yes, they do, but this time the Guild has taken an interest – voluntary or otherwise – which means we’re involved as well.’ He paused, letting that announcement have time to sink in. The Guild was strictly apolitical; it always profited from these little skirmishes, but never became directly involved. Its involvement could have major ramifications, which no one wanted to dwell on – theoretically, it held power greater than that of the chancellor, but it had never chosen to exercise it. No one was sure why the Guild had never utilised this power; there was great speculation that the chancellor held something over them, but no one knew for certain. This move into the political arena could mean the beginning of an all-out war between Chancellor Carrington’s government and the Guild.

‘The truce has been broken then,’ Blue stated, causing all eyes to turn to him. He shrugged, ‘A truce has existed between the Guild and the chancellor since the Foundation. Sort of passed down through the generations as it were. It’s what allows the Republic to stand,’ Blue gently mocked, ‘and now someone has broken the rules.’

‘You don’t think it’ll get as bad as the Land War, do you?’ Simon voiced the generally held fear – another war like that would wipe out the human race on Earth for good.

‘With nowhere else to run to, let’s hope not,’ Duncan answered; the Republic wasn’t the best place, but it sure beat anywhere else right now.

‘So, what does this have to do with us?’ Ash asked.

‘Other than the possible annihilation of us all, not much, I’m sure,’ Sophie muttered scathingly.

‘Minister Devonport has some information; Rose wants us to get it for her,’ Daniels said simply.

‘That doesn’t sound too bad,’ Simon commented.

‘Not too bad!’ Sophie exclaimed. ‘Devonport is second down from Carrington. He never comes out of the government quarter of Isnal. He’s heavily guarded at all times: the Elite Troopers – remember them? This is suicide!’

An astonished Simon looked around the rest of the group in disbelief.

‘She’s right you know,’ Duncan added.

‘Yes, she is… except for the fact that Devonport is currently crossing the Straits.’ Daniels disclosed this information lightly. ‘This is our only chance to attack him out in the open.’

‘But won’t he be in an Imperial Class A? I hear they're armed with all sorts of lovely state-of-the-art weapons and security measures.’ Ash raised this point in a slightly cynical tone.

‘Imperial Class A,’ said Daniels as he nodded, ‘complete with advanced RSG sensors; torpedo banks; a strengthened, titanium hull; and not to mention the few score of Elite Troopers who will be onboard.’ Daniels listed but a few of the sub’s qualities.

‘Like I said: suicide,’ Sophie interjected.

‘Not necessarily,’ Duncan announced. ‘If we can make it to Heaton Passage before Devonport, we might be able to take her.’ Daniels nodded.

‘Even RSG sensors are pretty useless down there; they’ll have to fall back on the standard RSD, which evens things out a bit,’ Blue added.

‘What about their advanced weaponry, which I notice you didn’t mention?’ Ash asked, shooting an accusing look at Ben.

‘Most of that relies on the advanced sensors. Without them, the weapons system cannot lock onto a particular target; they’ll be shooting blind,’ Daniels replied, with a slight smile.

‘That improves the odds slightly,’ Ash agreed.

‘Don’t it just.’ Duncan grinned; the plan wasn’t the best he’d ever heard, but it wasn’t as crazy as some that he and Ben had pulled off.

‘Still think its suicide,’ Sophie grumbled, stalking off to the bridge. ‘But, hell, why wait for the government and all the nuclear bombs to wipe us out? Let’s do it ourselves.’

‘Nuclear bombs?’ Blue repeated as Sophie disappeared around the corner.

‘Always optimistic, that one,’ Duncan commented.

‘Well, hopefully, she’s wrong, and for once the government will have learned from the Land War.’

‘Hmph, like that’ll happen,’ Ash remarked.

‘We live in hope,’ Blue murmured, as each went to their tasks to get the Coelacanth ready for the upcoming fight.

***

‘We’ve made good time, Ben,’ commented Duncan by way of greeting his captain as he arrived on the bridge.

‘Good work, Soph,’ Daniels said, patting her on the shoulder while looking at the monitors. They needed to sit in one of the small cavities that lined Heaton Passage, which was perfect for an ambush: a pirates’ heaven if it were not for the interference the rocks caused their instruments. But, for Daniels, it was perfect.

‘Dunc, just there on the right?’ he asked his friend, pointing at the third monitor.

‘Pretty good – it affords a reasonable view of the passage and good cover. Can’t ask for much more in these conditions.’ Duncan assessed his captain’s choice for cover.

‘Soph, can you take us in there?’ Daniels asked his pilot.

‘It’s gonna be tricky,’ she replied, flicking switches and grasping the helm firmly, but she manoeuvred the Coelacanth into position with a gentle hand.

Sophie leaned back in her chair with a small smile of satisfaction playing on her lips. ‘There you go, Captain.’

‘Thanks Soph.’

‘Now all we have to do is wait,’ Duncan murmured, taking a seat and watching the monitors closely.

Daniels leaned casually on the wall with his eyes half closed, seemingly half asleep as if the whole episode bored him, but he was, in fact, just as intently watching the monitors as Duncan; ready for action.

Their wait was brief. The Imperial Class A, Serronous, was powering through the water. The preciousness of their cargo was shown in their speed – a high-profile government minister out in the open was a recipe for disaster, and they knew it.

‘She’s here,’ Daniels stated from his languid position on the bridge. ‘The Serronous,’ he murmured thoughtfully to himself. ‘Mmm, the irony.’

‘Let’s get to work then,’ he said, pulling himself upright.

Duncan hit the comm. next to him. ‘She’s coming in, everyone make ready for the attack,’ he commanded; no explicit commands were needed in a situation like this – they had done it too many times before to need telling what to do.

‘Well, this is going to be interesting,’ Daniels muttered, casting a glance at Duncan.

‘Yeah, it sure is.’

‘Soph, keep us in here till I give the word… We’re gonna need Blue on this one – keep the channel open to him as well, as things might get a little tricky.’

‘Right you are, Captain.’

‘Blue, how are the sensors holding up? Can you get a lock on their engines and torpedo bays?’ Daniels asked down the comm.

‘I’ll give it a try, but the sensors are worse than we thought. I’ll be shooting the old-fashioned way,’ Blue responded.

Duncan grinned. Blue loved the ‘old-fashioned way’ as he called it; it did take more time, but, for accuracy, with Blue at the controls, the difference was minimal.

‘Right. Take out their engines first, then weapons… and taking out the sensors wouldn’t be a bad idea either,’ Daniels suggested.

‘Do you want to come down here and show me how to wipe me arse as well, Captain?’ Blue retorted.

‘Just do it, Blue.’

‘Soph, as soon as their engines are out, bring us out of here and level alongside,’ Daniels instructed as he and Duncan ran down to the starboard hatch.

‘You see her name?’ Duncan asked, once they were out of hearing range of Sophie.

‘Yeah, ironic huh?’

‘Hope that’s all. If they know we’re coming…’ Duncan left the sentence unfinished.

‘They can’t,’ Daniels stated simply. ‘We’re dead, remember?’

‘You ready?’ Daniels asked as they came up on the hatch where Simon and Ash were waiting, standing side by side ready for battle.

‘Always,’ Ash replied with a grin, while Simon gave a curt nod. Ash stood nearest the hatch holding a somewhat-crude-looking electronic device in his left hand. Both had two semiautomatic pistols strapped to the belts around their waists and a set of long knives. Ash also added a shotgun to his arsenal, with the extra cartridges on a diagonal belt around his torso.

Duncan and Daniels stood shoulder to shoulder, and were dressed in much the same attire: brown trousers and military-style boots, waist-coats with a red shirt in Daniels’ case and a white one in Duncan’s, and Daniels had completed his attire with a long frock coat. Each wore a sword strapped to his left hip, and a number of guns and daggers were also among their personal arsenals, which were neatly concealed out of sight. Even the crew didn’t know how many weapons they carried, but they did know they had never yet run out.

‘Don’t know why you bother with those swords,’ Ash grunted, gesturing to the offending objects.

Daniels gave a wry smile. ‘Old habits die hard,’ he replied, his hand gently resting on the hilt of his sabre. It was a typical military-style design; combat in enclosed spaces required a lot of skill – the sabre having been designed with that in mind with a slightly shorter blade, allowing a skilled swordsman to wield it easily within the confines of a submarine passageway. Although both Daniels and Duncan carried similar swords, there were a few differences: Daniels’ was slightly more ornate, but not in the extreme, and he had engraved a strange symbol on the hilt.

No one really knew what this symbol stood for; it could have been interlinked letters, maybe a word or just an aesthetically pleasing design. Sophie had tried asking the captain once, but he had merely held it close to his face and stared at it for a long time, lost in some memory. Sophie had made a move to leave, when he suddenly turned and, looking her full in the face, said, ‘It is a symbol of bright promises long since shattered and forgotten by many, but not by me; never by me.’ And with that he turned back to the sabre, regarding it a few seconds longer then placing it back in its scabbard, before abruptly rising and walking brusquely away from the table and Sophie. No one had mentioned it again.

Chapter Two

‘What’s taking him so long?’ Ash growled angrily after the silence became too much. Silence gave them all too much time to contemplate the imminent attack.

‘Blue always takes his time; she has to be right in line with us before he can fire,’ Simon pointed out.

Ash just gave him a look that clearly implied he had neither wanted nor required an answer; he knew well enough himself what was taking the time.

The Coelacanth suddenly jolted and then lurched forward, a sure sign that Blue and Sophie had begun the attack.

‘Get ready,’ Daniels commanded needlessly as they all stood awaiting the alignment of the two subs. The Coelacanth jolted several more times as shots were discharged while Sophie moved them into position. Unexpectedly the Coelacanth lurched sideways as it collided with the Serronous. A movement which was accompanied by Sophie’s voice crackling over the com: ‘Sorry.’

‘Just get us inline Soph!’ Daniels hollered back.

The Coelacanth screeched along the Serronous until the access hatches were level.

‘Ash,’ Daniels said, nodding his head in the direction of the hatches.

Ash just grunted as he moved into position, placing the electronic device against the panel next to the hatchway.

‘Hurry it up,’ Duncan called, as Ash was tapping away furiously on the keypad, and muttering some choice words about the sub and Elite Troopers.

‘Aha!’ Ash finally exclaimed as the hatches locked together.

‘Good. Now open the doors!’

‘All right! I’m doing it already!’

‘Get ready,’ Daniels murmured again, taking a gun in each hand; Simon tightened his grip on his guns while Duncan pulled out his own two. All eyes were focused on the hatchway; they knew that, as soon as