Phantom Regency

Do not love these worlds you call home.

They are but dead rocks in the sky.

If you chain yourself to them, you will die with them.

They were given to you as nursemaids,

providing for you until you go to your true home.

Be grateful for them, live on them, utilize them.

But do not cling to them.

Look beyond the planets for peace and freedom.

Set your eyes on the Sky above the sky.

From “Sayings of the Sky Man”

Eamor looked up at the knight.

“Get on your feet, kid,” he said smiling brightly.

“What… what do you want with me? Why are you here?” Eamor asked.

The knight sheathed his sword and handed his helmet to one of his men standing close by. He folded his arms and looked Eamor in the face for several moments. Eamor turned his eyes to the ground.

“To tell you the truth, I need a cabin boy. Lang, here was my last one,” he said, nodding in the direction of the young man with the wild black hair and eye patch. “But he’s too good at pirating now to wait on me.”

He paused, studying Eamor’s face again. “You have a look about you. You want adventure and you can handle it. The question is, do you want to be a farmer the rest of your life or do you want to join us?”

“Why would I join you? You killed my mother!” Eamor blinked back angry tears.

“I am sorry,” he replied and Eamor, looking up, saw truth in his face. “We are not here to kill. We are looking for something very important. This castle may contain a clue. The rocket that hit it was a mistake.”

“Captain Dread,” said another of the pirates, walking up. “The villagers have all been assembled.”

He was accompanied by an old woman in a fancy costume. She shouldered her way past the pirate.

“I am Elza Sandar. My family and I are the most famous entertainers on Galmar. I insist that you let us leave immediately. The Duke…”

She was interrupted by laughter from the pirates.

Captain Dread held up a hand. “My dear lady, I have no doubt that you have friends in high places. However, your concern is misguided. You and all the villagers will be released tonight.”

“Cynrus, take her to join the others.”

The helmeted pirate grabbed her roughly by the arm and took her away as she protested. “I am not a common villager. I will not be treated like a…”

As her ravings faded, Dread asked the pirate, “How many dead?”

“Six so far. Most of them did not fight back.”

“You and Jopp begin processing them. I’m especially interested in the old people. Lang, you go with them,” Captain Dread replied.

Eamor watched them walk toward the center of the village. The villagers were huddled together being watched by a half dozen other men. The decorations for the festival seemed very out of place now.

“Good, now we are alone.”

Eamor turned back to face the knight.

“Captain Gaius Dread,” he said, un-gloving and extending his right hand.

Eamor hesitated but then shook his hand tentatively. He wondered why this stranger was being so kind and persuading. Surely, he could force him to be his cabin boy.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Eamor. That’s all I know.”

“What do you mean?” said the knight. His voice sounded caring and sincere.

“I don’t know who I really am,” Eamor said fighting back tears. “My mother took me here when I was a baby. She never… She never told me…” His voice trailed off.

Gaius Dread paused and stroked his chin thoughtfully. He recruited for his pirate gang on hunches. He often felt guided in life and he knew this kid was supposed to join him.

“Look,” he said. “What if I told you that the thing we are searching for could save the Regency, save the galaxy?”

“You are our only hope,” his mother had said. Could this be part of his “destiny”? If this Captain Dread was saving the galaxy, was he supposed to join him?

Trust your dreams.

“Ok, I will go with you. I have nothing left here.”

“Excellent. Go get your things. We must search the castle and then we’ll leave in the morning.”

A girl’s scream pierced the air. Eamor looked up and saw Averil being dragged away from the other villagers by Lang. He heard Lang yelling, “Shut up! I’m tired of your mouth, girl.”

Eamor’s fists balled up. He turned to Captain Dread. “She is my friend. Can you make him let her go?”

“I don’t know. My men are rough characters. We are pirates after all,” was his reply, though his tone indicated that this was anything but his final word.

Lang shoved Averil to the ground, grabbing a whip from a fellow pirate. She sat up and backed away against the wall of a cottage. She glared at him and balled up her fists. Lang sneered at her, “Time for school.”

Eamor took a step towards him. He whirled and faced the captain. “I am one of you now. Can I do anything to stop him?”

Dread paused thoughtfully. “Lang!” he yelled. “Let her be for a minute!” He turned to Eamor. “Can you handle a sword?”

“Why?”

“When my men have a dispute, we have a ritual called ‘first blood’. They spar with swords until someone draws blood. The winner gets bragging rights. The loser gets patched up. You game?” he said with a smile.

Eamor was no coward. “Sure. But I have no sword.”

“Somebody bring me a short sword!” he commanded. “Lang! Front and center.”

A pirate trotted up with an unsheathed sword. “What gives, Cap’n?” he asked.

“First blood,” he said. “Our newest comrade is already going to show his mettle. Give him the sword.”

Lang walked up, scowling. “I don’t fight kids,” he said.

“That’s funny coming from you,” said an old, rough-looking pirate. “I bet you’re not two years older than him.”

Lang shot him a dirty look then turned to Eamor. “She your girlfriend?”

Eamor’s only answer was to whirl his sword around, getting used to the balance of it. It was much heavier than his toy, but not too unwieldy.

Several of the pirates gathered in a wide circle. Their lamps and torches cast a pale light on the arena they surrounded. Captain Dread strode to the center. He gave each of them a long look, then backed away saying, “Remember, no head shots. No thrusts to the chest. Begin.”

Lang brandished his sword in one hand. He stood his ground, shifting his weight back and forth. Eamor took a step forward and readied his sword. He took a tentative thrust, which Lang easily parried. He swung from a different angle. This time Lang blocked the blow and countered. Eamor had to twist out of the way quickly to avoid a cut to his ribs.

Eamor tried several more moves that had worked easily enough on Boldic, but Lang handled them with ease. Then Lang began to attack. Eamor had to back away continually to handle all the blows, twisting and dodging. He had quick hands and a lithe, agile frame. He was proving to be a difficult target. Lang was getting frustrated.

“Quit running, punk!” he snarled. He began to swing harder, trying to knock the sword from Eamor’s hand. He almost did as Eamor stumbled under a particularly hard overhand blow. From one knee, Eamor made a slash at Lang’s leg. It nearly connected, but he knocked himself off balance and had to put his sword hand on the ground. Lang stepped on his wrist, savagely twisting his foot, making Eamor let go of the sword. Lang nudged him over on his back with a foot.

“First blood,” he said and slashed his sword across Eamor’s right cheek. Blood trickled down his face.

“No, Lang,” Captain Dread said. “Look at your knee.”

A dark stain was spreading on Lang’s left knee. Eamor had connected. Lang was furious. His hair was wilder than ever and dripping with sweat. He shot a murderous glare at Eamor, and then stalked away limping.

Eamor rose slowly, spitting out blood that had trickled into his mouth. He gingerly touched his face. The gash was large, but not too deep. His chest was pounding. His whole body ached.

“Get the medic,” Captain Dread ordered. He walked up to Eamor. “Impressive. Your swordplay is sloppy, but you’re really fast and pretty fearless for a kid.”

“Thanks,” Eamor mumbled. He glanced over at Averil. She was still sitting against the wall. As he walked over, she arose. Her dress was dirty and disheveled and tears stained her cheeks.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

“Are you?” she said trembling. She reached her hand out toward his wound but slowly drew back. “Why did you do it? What is going on?”

“I don’t know. I just know I have to go with them.”

“Eamor!” she pleaded. “Why? Why would you join…?” Her face was sad and confused.

He reached out and stroked her cheek, wiping away a fresh tear. “My mother…” he began and choked up. He paused. “Averil, stay here with your family. They won’t bother you again. I can’t stay.”

She looked at the ground, tears streaming down her face. “I know. You are special. I’ve always seen it. You never did belong here.” She looked him in the face. “Thank you for fighting for me. You will always be in my thoughts and in my heart.”

Eamor didn’t know what to say. He looked at her, smiled as bravely as he could, and turned to walk away. She watched him stride back to the pirates. Her heart ached. I will never see him again.

An hour or so later Eamor had gotten patched up and gathered his belongings. Everything he had fit in two small bags. Clouds had moved in and it was dark now. It was going to be a cold night. Captain Dread approached him.

“The men are searching the castle. Why don’t you come with me? I’m going up to the ship for the night,” the captain said, grabbing one of Eamor’s bags.

Eamor lit up with excitement. He would finally set foot on a phantom ship!

“This way,” Dread said, pointing across one of the fields.

They began walking silently side by side, their path lit by lights on Dread’s armor. Eamor had a pang of fear being alone with him. Was he really trying to save the galaxy? Why then did he call himself a pirate? Where would he take him?

Eamor broke the silence. “So, why are you dressed like knights? Why armor and swords?”

“The reason for the swords is that when we raid a ship, we don’t want to damage it. Bullets tend to bounce around in a ship and kill someone you’re not aiming at. Ion guns tend to disrupt critical systems. Some ship guards carry shotguns, that’s why the armor. These days most in-ship combat is with nerve sticks.

“But, really I like the idea of the old way,” continued Dread, “The old Aralian knights had a code of conduct that made combat civilized. Our first blood tradition is rooted in the knight’s code.” He paused and smiled. “Plus, the sword is bloody. Puts fear in people.”

They came to a low fence. Dread kicked over a post and held the wires down with an armored foot as Eamor stepped over. They startled a herd of cows as they continued across the fields.

Eamor took a sideways glance at the pirate. “Whose side are you on? I’ve heard about wars and pirates in the galaxy. What’s really going on out there?”

“Well kid,” Dread began, “I’m not on anyone’s side. My band of pirates stands against what’s wrong with the STARegency. We are trying to get enough power to make them listen to us.”

“So, what’s so wrong about the Regency?”

Dread paused, gazing wistfully. “The Sky Travel Allied Regency used to provide a place of freedom and adventure. In the beginning, they only regulated and protected inter-system travel. Now the Grand Council of Worlds heads a bloated bureaucracy that tries to manipulate and control all the planets. The Regent only cares about money and power and largely ignores the councilors who represent the people of their worlds. They don’t even explore or send out probes anymore. My grandfather was captain of one of the last probe ships, the Outrider, searching for new worlds. Petty jealousies and fights rule the day now. All the power is with the Regent and the SERPENT Authority now. I just want to bring peace and freedom back to mankind.”

“What is the serpent thing you said?”

“A million questions, huh?” Dread winked. “The SERPENT Authority is another part of the bloated bureaucracy. Instead of letting private enterprise mine the ore-rich worlds on the rim, they created an arm of the government to do it. The only problem is they have created a monster. They stuck this group of greedy business minds out there in the richest worlds in the galaxy and left them alone. Now the Authority has a huge fleet of ships and is beginning to wield some real power and influence. We must rescue the galaxy from this mess and restore freedom.”

He sounded so good and noble to Eamor. And yet he felt uneasy. He knew that this was a violent and dangerous man, despite his intentions.

“So, coming to Galmar is part of all that? What could you possibly need from a bunch of farmers?” Eamor asked.

“Too many people have forgotten about Galmar. You do know this is where all life began, don’t you?” He glanced at Eamor, who nodded. “This planet holds the key to our future. Some power or force intervened on this little world eons ago and brought forth life. I have learned that this power left something here that will give us the means to overthrow our adversaries.”

“Is that power Sky Man?”

“Now, that’s a good question. People don’t talk about him much anymore. Some folks believe that he is some kind of god. Some say he’s an alien from another galaxy. To me it doesn’t matter. Somehow, he or it gave us the Nexus, the factory for phantom cylinders, and with them the power to shift into the phantom sky and move quickly across the galaxy. But I believe that here on Galmar is the true source.” Dread pointed ahead. “Here she is.”

Eamor looked up. There was an oblong vessel sitting in the field. It was streamlined, with stubby wings. It looked a little like the airplane that Duke Rylius flew in. He was the last native Aralian who claimed noble blood. Uncle Rylen said he did little more than collect taxes and get fat.

But this ship was much larger, bigger than a cottage. It was painted black with many weapons and turrets.

“Is that a skyboat?” Eamor asked.

“This,” he said, “Is an Ostian Mark Six Gunboat. We use them for raids.”

Dread walked up to the side of the ship. He stabbed a few buttons on a keypad. A door opened and a ramp slid down, pressing into the soft dirt of the field.

“Come aboard,” Captain Dread said, bounding up the ramp.

Eamor followed him up the ramp. He entered a brightly lit chamber. Stacks of containers lined some of the walls. They were strapped in with a netting of some kind. There was an open door toward the back of the ship. Eamor could see that it was packed with machinery, tubing and wires. Dread was already disappearing through the door on the opposite side, toward the front of the ship. Eamor followed. This chamber had several rows of seats with harnesses. There were portholes lining the walls.

“Pick a seat,” Dread said as he started up a small ladder at the front of the room. “I’ll get her warmed up.”

“Can I see the cockpit?” Eamor asked.

“Sure, come on up.”

Eamor climbed the ladder behind him. Dread eased himself into the single pilot’s chair. Eamor looked over his shoulder as he began throwing switches. The engines whined as they came online. Eamor imagined himself at the controls, flying the ship up away from the planet and into the sky. The thought of such freedom exhilarated him.

Captain Dread hummed to himself as he scanned the readout. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Let’s get you strapped in. Climb down.”

They climbed back down to the cabin. Captain Dread helped him put his harness on. “Don’t take it off.” He winked. “Or you’ll get splattered against the bulkhead.”

Eamor watched him climb back up to the cockpit. In a few seconds the whine of the engines became a roar. He felt the ship shudder and he was pressed into his seat as it launched into the sky.

Well, Mother, I’m off.

He felt sad that he was leaving her behind; along with the only home he had ever known. He was a little nervous about what was to come. What would he do? Where would he go? His young, adventurous mind quickly began thinking of the future he was embarking on.

He broke out of his musings and looked out the portholes. The curve of the planet was already receding beneath them. The vessel tilted away from the planet. All Eamor could see now was empty sky and stars. He wondered if one of them was the system he was born on. He suddenly felt very alone and scared.

His fear and loneliness instantly disappeared as the ship came into view. Captain Dread was flying along side of it with Eamor’s side of the gunboat facing it. He knew that his knight was doing it just for him. He smiled and gazed in wonder at the sight. The ship was sleek in front. The prow was separated and came to two points. Between them was the barrel of an enormous cannon. About halfway back there was a tower-like structure bristling with weapons. Behind that the ship was narrower and at the back were the two phantom cylinders set off from the fuselage by two thick struts. It looked very much like the picture of a STARegency cruiser he had seen. How did a pirate get a hold of a military ship? He wondered.

They were now circling around the back of the ship. He could see the landing bay situated between two round openings which he later learned were the nova engines used for planetary travel. They coasted gently into the landing bay. Eamor could see one other gunboat as they touched down.

The realization hit him that he was on board a phantom ship. All his dreams could now come true. It was the first step to fulfilling the destiny his mother had always believed in.