June 13, 2021
2:43 PM
The Emerald Islands. Maria had heard that name for Fuyang more times than she could count, and now, finally in the Pirate Republic itself, she could see why. The country was like a smattering of green paint on a blue canvas, tropical rainforest-covered islands surrounded by crystal blue seas. It must have been the most gorgeous place in the world.
And right now, the most boring. Maria had not come to Fuyang to snorkel, or hunt megalania, or relax on a sunbaked beach, but to work. Someone had to captain the Sea Spirit. One of the world’s largest cruise ships, the Spirit was 220,000 gross tons of luxury and decadence for the world’s elite. With a water park, a theater with four Olympic swimming pools for seating, and parks full of tropical plants, you’d think Maria would be paid more than $65,000 a year to pilot the beast. But hey, at least she had free reign to the perks too.
Right now, though, she was lounging in an uncomfortable desk chair in her quarters, half-surveying their navigational map, half letting her mind wander. The whole system was automated, it wasn’t like she needed to be present at all times. There was very little she would need to worry about on this job. Low pay notwithstanding, it was one of the cushiest gigs she’d ever gotten.
Well, there was the problem of pirates. That other nickname for Fuyang, the Pirate Republic, was based on its historical status as a nation run by pirates, but was proving to be an accurate moniker recently. A new emperor had been elected, someone named Wan -- a further left, salt of the earth, man of the people type, and the bourgeois elements of the navy had been less than pleased. They’d been expressing their displeasure first through protests, then through strikes. The emperor kept his course all the same, and they had turned to covering navy ships in black flags and shaking down fishing boats for cash. It was an odious thing for a national navy to do, but they were making their point. The emperor was nonetheless unswayed.
But that wasn’t likely to be a problem. The Spirit was already one of the most secure cruise ships sailing these seas, and it had only become more secure with these recent attacks. Security on the boat had tripled, and arms were hidden in inconspicuous spots throughout the ship. The master-at-arms, a beast of a man named Hoi, could’ve told Maria he’d wrestled a bear and won and she’d probably believe him. There was nothing to worry about.
Her mind drifted off pirates to the passengers, since she'd never before escorted such a high-profile audience. Most prominent, of course, was Avelina del Villar, a Gran Aligonese actress Maria had never heard of, but had been assured was a very big deal. She didn’t need convincing; half of the other passengers seemed to be press here for her. She had made sure to watch one of her movies before the trip, but wasn’t impressed.
Two other passengers were more her speed, a retired Pulaui official and a current Unionite athlete-turned-official. The Pulaui, a woman named Amehan Leano, was a former councilmember, much beloved in her home country, and a favorite of Maria’s when she cared to follow Pulaui politics. The Unionite, a man whose name she’d ashamedly forgotten, had started life as a professional wrestler, and a very good one, before his heart was set on public service. A very honorable man, in her opinion. She was looking forward to a conversation with him.
Her thoughts came back down to earth as she stared out the porthole. A small island, untouched by man, was drifting by. She thought she could see something breaching near the island -- a pod of dolphins, maybe.
She smiled. This wouldn’t be so bad.
And right now, the most boring. Maria had not come to Fuyang to snorkel, or hunt megalania, or relax on a sunbaked beach, but to work. Someone had to captain the Sea Spirit. One of the world’s largest cruise ships, the Spirit was 220,000 gross tons of luxury and decadence for the world’s elite. With a water park, a theater with four Olympic swimming pools for seating, and parks full of tropical plants, you’d think Maria would be paid more than $65,000 a year to pilot the beast. But hey, at least she had free reign to the perks too.
Right now, though, she was lounging in an uncomfortable desk chair in her quarters, half-surveying their navigational map, half letting her mind wander. The whole system was automated, it wasn’t like she needed to be present at all times. There was very little she would need to worry about on this job. Low pay notwithstanding, it was one of the cushiest gigs she’d ever gotten.
Well, there was the problem of pirates. That other nickname for Fuyang, the Pirate Republic, was based on its historical status as a nation run by pirates, but was proving to be an accurate moniker recently. A new emperor had been elected, someone named Wan -- a further left, salt of the earth, man of the people type, and the bourgeois elements of the navy had been less than pleased. They’d been expressing their displeasure first through protests, then through strikes. The emperor kept his course all the same, and they had turned to covering navy ships in black flags and shaking down fishing boats for cash. It was an odious thing for a national navy to do, but they were making their point. The emperor was nonetheless unswayed.
But that wasn’t likely to be a problem. The Spirit was already one of the most secure cruise ships sailing these seas, and it had only become more secure with these recent attacks. Security on the boat had tripled, and arms were hidden in inconspicuous spots throughout the ship. The master-at-arms, a beast of a man named Hoi, could’ve told Maria he’d wrestled a bear and won and she’d probably believe him. There was nothing to worry about.
Her mind drifted off pirates to the passengers, since she'd never before escorted such a high-profile audience. Most prominent, of course, was Avelina del Villar, a Gran Aligonese actress Maria had never heard of, but had been assured was a very big deal. She didn’t need convincing; half of the other passengers seemed to be press here for her. She had made sure to watch one of her movies before the trip, but wasn’t impressed.
Two other passengers were more her speed, a retired Pulaui official and a current Unionite athlete-turned-official. The Pulaui, a woman named Amehan Leano, was a former councilmember, much beloved in her home country, and a favorite of Maria’s when she cared to follow Pulaui politics. The Unionite, a man whose name she’d ashamedly forgotten, had started life as a professional wrestler, and a very good one, before his heart was set on public service. A very honorable man, in her opinion. She was looking forward to a conversation with him.
Her thoughts came back down to earth as she stared out the porthole. A small island, untouched by man, was drifting by. She thought she could see something breaching near the island -- a pod of dolphins, maybe.
She smiled. This wouldn’t be so bad.
Iho, Layo Province
June 13, 2021
6:13 PM
The smell of grilled tuna drifted through the air. A slight breeze blew it toward Mik, and he drank it in. He swayed in his hammock, sunlight warming every inch of his body. It was a great day to be alive.
Anjo wasn’t having such a good time. He paced across the deck of their fishing boat, hands drawing imaginary shapes as he thought. “You have any ideas, or are you just gonna lie there?”
Mik slowly raised his head. He hadn’t been listening. “Huh?”
“Unbelievable. We’re losing this country to communists, and all you can do is sleep.”
Politics wasn’t something Mik enjoyed thinking about, but he tried to recollect as much as he could in his stupor. Anjo must’ve been talking about Wan, the new Emperor who had been screwing over the Navy since he’d taken power. The rest of the country, too -- the man was a bleeding-heart liberal, not that Mik cared too much. He just wanted to do his three years of service and get his government benefits for it. The rest of the Navy cared, though, so Mik was obligated to too.
“He isn’t a communist, he’s a… social… social democrat, yeah.”
“Same thing!” Anjo walked over to Mik’s hammock and swung it until Mik fell to the deck with a loud thud.
“Ow, fuck!”
Anjo laughed. “You can sleep after we’ve gotten rid of this Wan asshole. Now, come up with some ideas.”
Mik glared from the ground. “I don’t know, how about the crab trawlers out in Bugnaw?”
Anjo shook his head. “They hired security.”
“Uh, those Pulauans in Sipon?”
“Sure, if you really wanna piss off Pulau, but don’t get me involved.”
“The sardine ships in Kawatan.”
“You really think they have money in Kawatan?”
“Well at least I’m coming up with ideas! What do you have?”
Anjo’s eye twinkled. “Well, I have one, but you’re gonna call me crazy.”
“I already think you’re crazy.”
“Crazier.”
Mik rolled his eyes. “Fine, shoot.”
“You know the Sea Spirit?”
“No.”
“It’s this massive cruise ship from Belisaria, coming to Fuyang for the first time. It’ll be about a mile north of here in a few days.”
Mik stared at Anjo for a beat. There were crazy plans, and then there was this. “You intend to hijack a cruise ship?”
“It crossed my mind.”
“How the hell do you plan to do that?”
“C’mon. If we got the entire Navy behind it, we could take that thing. Do you know how rich the assholes on that ship are? They’ll fold instantly. You know Avelina del Villar is on that ship?”
“No shit.”
“Yeah. Probably some other high-rollers, too. There’s nothing stopping us from taking that thing but ourselves. And if we did, you know what that would tell Wan? ‘Give up, or lose your country.’ No one will want to set foot in Fuyang if they know he’s still in power, since that means we’ll still be around.”
Mik thought for a beat. He knew he might fight people in the military, he wasn’t stupid, but he hadn’t imagined anything like this. He thought he would be going after the pirates, not becoming one. He wasn’t entirely opposed, though, especially given that it was for a good cause. Even still, this was going a great deal farther than he’d ever planned to. “Anjo, you’re sick in the head.”
Anjo grinned. “I don’t hear any arguments against my master plan.”
“I mean… I don’t… ugh.” Mik stared into the sunset. “It could work.”
“Yeah it could.”
“Not if you burn that tuna, though.”
Anjo wasn’t having such a good time. He paced across the deck of their fishing boat, hands drawing imaginary shapes as he thought. “You have any ideas, or are you just gonna lie there?”
Mik slowly raised his head. He hadn’t been listening. “Huh?”
“Unbelievable. We’re losing this country to communists, and all you can do is sleep.”
Politics wasn’t something Mik enjoyed thinking about, but he tried to recollect as much as he could in his stupor. Anjo must’ve been talking about Wan, the new Emperor who had been screwing over the Navy since he’d taken power. The rest of the country, too -- the man was a bleeding-heart liberal, not that Mik cared too much. He just wanted to do his three years of service and get his government benefits for it. The rest of the Navy cared, though, so Mik was obligated to too.
“He isn’t a communist, he’s a… social… social democrat, yeah.”
“Same thing!” Anjo walked over to Mik’s hammock and swung it until Mik fell to the deck with a loud thud.
“Ow, fuck!”
Anjo laughed. “You can sleep after we’ve gotten rid of this Wan asshole. Now, come up with some ideas.”
Mik glared from the ground. “I don’t know, how about the crab trawlers out in Bugnaw?”
Anjo shook his head. “They hired security.”
“Uh, those Pulauans in Sipon?”
“Sure, if you really wanna piss off Pulau, but don’t get me involved.”
“The sardine ships in Kawatan.”
“You really think they have money in Kawatan?”
“Well at least I’m coming up with ideas! What do you have?”
Anjo’s eye twinkled. “Well, I have one, but you’re gonna call me crazy.”
“I already think you’re crazy.”
“Crazier.”
Mik rolled his eyes. “Fine, shoot.”
“You know the Sea Spirit?”
“No.”
“It’s this massive cruise ship from Belisaria, coming to Fuyang for the first time. It’ll be about a mile north of here in a few days.”
Mik stared at Anjo for a beat. There were crazy plans, and then there was this. “You intend to hijack a cruise ship?”
“It crossed my mind.”
“How the hell do you plan to do that?”
“C’mon. If we got the entire Navy behind it, we could take that thing. Do you know how rich the assholes on that ship are? They’ll fold instantly. You know Avelina del Villar is on that ship?”
“No shit.”
“Yeah. Probably some other high-rollers, too. There’s nothing stopping us from taking that thing but ourselves. And if we did, you know what that would tell Wan? ‘Give up, or lose your country.’ No one will want to set foot in Fuyang if they know he’s still in power, since that means we’ll still be around.”
Mik thought for a beat. He knew he might fight people in the military, he wasn’t stupid, but he hadn’t imagined anything like this. He thought he would be going after the pirates, not becoming one. He wasn’t entirely opposed, though, especially given that it was for a good cause. Even still, this was going a great deal farther than he’d ever planned to. “Anjo, you’re sick in the head.”
Anjo grinned. “I don’t hear any arguments against my master plan.”
“I mean… I don’t… ugh.” Mik stared into the sunset. “It could work.”
“Yeah it could.”
“Not if you burn that tuna, though.”
