After their shooting practice, Luke Ravencross made his way back to his own ship and opened the latch to his headquarters. Formally Jack's headquarters, Luke had requisitioned it once the Commander had moved over to the Destiny. While the quarters were still a little on the tight side, it was still better than the cramped officer's cabin he had before.

Luke had just crossed to the other end of the cabin to put his rifle away when there was the sound of a small cough behind him. Turning around, he wasn't surprised to see Kim Cross leaning against the doorframe. Her arms were crossed, and she was giving him a look that told him she had plenty to say.

"Oh, hey, Kim," he started in a nonchalant manner.

"Oh, hey, yourself," she said flatly. "Why is your sling off?"

Luke set the rifle back into the gun safe, only grimacing once the weight passed over his arm. "Can't shoot a gun with my arm in a sling. That wouldn't work out too well."

She closed the door behind her. "Why would you need to shoot your gun? You don't need to practice while your arm is still healing."

Luke grabbed the sling that was on his desk and started to maneuver it back onto his arm. Kim quickly crossed the distance between them and helped slide the strap over his head. "I can only imagine what Jack had to say about you taking your arm out so early."

Luke gave her an embarrassed look. "Actually, I told him it was fine for me to have it out. I told him the doctor cleared me."

Kim's face went from a look of confusion to anger in about two seconds. "Luke! What is wrong with you? Do you want to get reinjured? What would Jack say if he knew you lied to him?"

Luke grabbed her hands. "Kim, I'm fine. Seriously. I know my own body and it was time for the sling to come off."

She cocked her head to one side. "So you can honestly tell me you felt no pain at all while shooting?"

Luke's eyes rolled up in thought. "Umm, no?"

She reached out and swatted his good arm. "You're lying. I know you and you can't lie to me."

"Honestly, Kim, it's not hurting me."

All it took was Kim to feint a hit to his bad arm. Luke grimaced as if she'd already struck him and pulled away quickly. "Okay, okay, it still hurts! Happy now?"

"No, I'm not," she said while crossing her arms. "I just want you to heal. You're of no use to us when your arm is still like this."

"Don't you think I know that?" asked Luke with a raised voice. "I'm sick of this damn sling! I can't do a damn thing! I feel helpless."

Kim softened her tone and approached him, putting her hand on his back. "You know I didn't mean it that way."

"Well, that's the way I took it," he answered while looking at the floor.

Kim moved to stand right in front of him. "Luke, look at me."

It took a moment but finally his light-brown eyes fixed on hers.

"We need you better. We need you to be yourself again. I know it sucks not being able to properly take care of yourself but if you try to do too much too soon, you're just going to end up being hurt for longer. No one wants that."

Luke began to nod. "I know. It was so good though just to get back out again. To just fire a weapon and forget about this damn sling. I feel like everyone looks at me different with it on. Like I'm not the same guy I used to be."

"You are the same man. The best of men," reassured Kim.

Luke caught her eyes again. "I feel like I owe it to Jack as well. He deserves to have me at one hundred percent for this mission. Every day that I spend down is one more I'm taking away from him. I guess I just don't want to be cast aside as not good enough or less of a man than I used to be."

"Jack needs you to be a good leader. To be a good leader doesn't mean you have to be completely able-bodied. What he needs is your mind, Luke. And nobody can take that away from you."

Luke started to grin. "Why are you so good to me?"

Kim gave him a half-cocked smile. "I have no idea but I really shouldn't be. You never listen to me, and I always have to repeat myself with you."

Luke used his good hand to wrap around her body and pull her in closer to him. "You're so good to me because you kind of like me, that's why."

"Only kind of?" asked Kim with a turn of the head.

"More than kind of."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're right, I do like you. So try not to get hurt again, you hear me?"

"I hear you," said Luke with a chuckle, before using his hand to pull her closer still. Their mouths quickly closed the distance and before she could react, his lips pressed gently to hers.

Kim eagerly pressed into his kiss and her hands quickly wrapped around his shoulders. It wasn't long before her tongue sought entry to his mouth and when permission was easily given, they dueled tenderly as they had many times before.

Kim was the first to pull away. "You're so bad. Why do we always end up in the same position?"

"Position? You mean like missionary style?"

She swatted him. "No, I mean why do we always end up having sex when we're alone in your quarters?"

Luke raised his arm to gesture to the small room. "Like there's anything else we could do in this tiny ass space."

Kim giggled. "Okay, okay. Shut up and kiss me."

He answered her request with a more passionate kiss. She sighed complacently against his lips and before long her hands were quickly shedding his body of his entire uniform. Careful with his wounded arm, she delicately pulled the sleeve of his jacket through it and tossed the garment carelessly onto the floor. Once he was topless, she began to litter his torso with tender, sucking kisses, bathing his flesh with her mouth.

Luke was far from idle as well. He gripped her bottom with his strong hand and helped her climb on top of his desk while waiting for her legs to wrap around his waist. After having her right where he wanted her, his hand crept north and grabbed a fistful of her red hair, gently yanking it back to lay kisses against the exposed flesh of her neck.

"I love when you kiss me right there," cooed Kim while pressing her lower half against his own.

"Good thing for you that I have plenty more kisses coming your way," he teased in return. His fingers began to undo the buttons on her jacket, quickly exposing the plain, white shirt underneath which contained her plentiful bosom. Starting with the hem, he raised her shirt above her head, and watched as it gave way to a white bra underneath.

Luke bit his lip at the pain of raising his arm too far, a fact that didn't escape her notice.

"Here, let me help," she said with a giggle, reaching behind her back and unclasping her bra. It fell without warning, revealing her topless body in all its glory. Luke was especially pleased to see her nipples were stiff and erect, begging for attention from his body.

He couldn't resist having a little fun with her. "Are you cold or just really happy you're with me?"

Kim rolled her eyes and then pretended to shut her legs. "Another bad joke like that and I'm going back to my quarters."

Luke put his hands back on her legs and pushed them apart. "I'd normally say that I'll behave but you rather like me when I'm being bad." He finished that sentence with a passionate lip lock and felt her whimper against his lips. During the kiss, his hands moved to slip under her waistband, and he deftly worked her trousers down her long, slender legs.

All that remained was an intricate, white thong and Luke made quick work of that as well. Kim spread her legs once more before him, showing off her patch of red-tinged pubic hair and glistening lips.

"I love seeing you like this. You're so fucking sexy," said Luke while looking up into her dark eyes.

Kim smiled shyly. "You wouldn't happen to be saying that just to get in my pants, would you, sir?"

Luke took one look up at her and then back down to her pants. "I'd say we're way past that stage."

Kim giggled as he laid a kiss against her stomach and tenderly worked his way down. Brushing his lips across her small thatch of hair, he didn't stop until he reached her slick opening. Kim laid back further against his desk and spread her legs wider, giving him easy access to her wet entrance.

"You're not going to tease me now, are you?" Kim asked, watching him eye her most private part.

Luke responded by taking a long, gentle lick of her labia and then swirling his tongue around the opening.

"I like your answer," she said with a smile and a shudder.

Luke grinned up at her. "I figured you might."

Returning back to her, he began to tease her with his tongue in just the way she liked. It hadn't been particularly hard to figure out, especially given how long they'd been sleeping together. First, Luke teased all around her entrance, laying sucking kisses and giving tender licks to get her to the point where she squirmed with anticipation. When she could no longer stand it, he would slide his tongue inside her wet channel and flick it against her walls in such a way that produced the sexiest moans he'd ever heard.

After Kim was thoroughly warmed up, he would replace his tongue with his fingers, rubbing in a vigorous motion as he began to tease her clit directly. It was after a few moments of sucking her clit that her body would begin to shake and her mouth would drop open into a heavy pant.

"Fuck, Luke. I'm going to cum!" she whimpered while pressing her mound against his face.

He applied just enough pressure against her clit to send her into orgasm and then released it as her body rocked and convulsed. If he knew anything after sleeping with her for so long, it was that she was too sensitive after an orgasm to keep up such treatment. Instead, he watched her beautiful face come down from her high, and soon enough her eyes opened to reveal a very content smile.

"You need to finish what you started," she said while blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"With pleasure!" Luke stood up and positioned himself between her legs. Watching her orgasm on his tongue had turned him on to no end, and his cock was achingly stiff and erect. He eased the purplish head between her drenched lips and prepared to slide it in further.

Thrusting his hips forward, Luke slid the first few inches inside of her.

"Mmm fuck, I love that feeling," said Kim, throwing her head back.

"Me too," said Luke with a smile. He didn't try to slide deeper but instead just enjoyed the moment of being inside her.

Finally, Kim cocked her head to one side and looked at him with a smirk. "Are you going to fuck me or what, Luke?"

"Sorry, I was just enjoying the view," he said before fixing his gaze on her eyes. "You just look so damn beautiful."

Kim's lips split into a heart-stopping grin and she leaned forward to kiss him. The movement of her body helped to push him in deeper and soon enough, he was fully inside the sexy redhead.

Luke reached forward with both hands to grab her hips, holding her in place as his hips began to thrust in and out. Once they had established a steady rhythm, his eyes drifted to meet hers, and they watched each other as they coupled. At first, Luke felt content to just stare back into her eyes as he penetrated her and so was she. Eventually, Kim's smile became more demure and her cheeks filled with color at the intimate contact, and she then leaned forward to kiss him as his thrusting became more intense.

"There's no way I'm going to last long," panted Luke as the sounds of their flesh meeting echoed through the tiny cabin.

"Don't care," she panted in return. "Just keep fucking me!"

Luke unleashed his hips and began to really pound into the sexy redhead. Sweat started to slip off his brow as he focused on deep and powerful thrusts, making Kim whimper every time he completed a thrust.

"You have no idea how good this feels," she cooed, pulling his body into hers.

Luke grinned. "Yes, I do!"

Their rhythm continued for several more minutes as his cock drove deeper inside her. At one point, Luke looked down to find a shiny sheen of her juices coating his entire manhood, and he became entranced at watching it slide all the way inside her body. Soon enough, he reached the point of no return.

Burying himself inside her, Luke began to unload. Feeling several powerful spurts, he filled her with every single drop as she held his body tightly against his own. Once he was fully drained, he hazarded a look up to her worn-out yet content face.

"You got me all sticky," she said with a playful accusation.

He responded by kissing her deeply. "You're welcome."

Kim started to wipe the sweat off her chest and brow. "I needed that so badly. Sometimes nothing makes the day better than really good sex."

"Well, you know where to come next time your day needs a pick-me-up," said Luke with a cheeky grin.

Eventually, they managed to part and each of them reluctantly got dressed once again. With there always being a task that needed completed for the senior officers, Kim was soon off to a meeting with the mess cooks while Luke had to get to the bridge and relieve Cory. As Kim prepared to leave his cabin, she stopped right before exiting the door.

"See you on the bridge in a little bit?"

He smiled. "Of course."

She took a deep breath before returning his smile. "Back to reality." Kim then cracked the door.

"Thank you for meeting with me, sir," she said loudly, ending with a wink.

"Of course, Lieutenant," answered Luke with a grin. To anyone nearby, it would appear to be just a simple officer meeting, yet to the two of them, it was so much more.

Kim slipped out one last look of longing and closed the door behind her. Before he left for the bridge, Luke grabbed his service cap and then fixed his sling. The last thing he wanted to do was to give Kim one more reason to worry.

Even if it meant he would still have to hide the arm from Jack.

*****

About a day later, Jack heard the lookouts report in a sighting of land. Much of the journey from Lishkerra had been uneventful, and the smooth sailing reminded him of quieter times. He just hoped that their dealings with the Sorellans would go a lot easier than their side excursion at Lishkerra.

On the bridge of the Destiny, Abigail handed him the spare pair of binoculars. “Let’s see if we can spot this land, shall we?”

Taking the pair, Jack followed her lead to the front window and began to peer out toward the recorded sighting. It was still early in the morning, and a heavy fog shrouded most of the horizon from view. All except one small point of darkness just off to the northeast.

“Keep up full steam,” said Jack to Anna before resuming his look. The ship split through the morning waves easily and soon enough, the looming landmass in front of them began to open up.

“That one looks a lot bigger than Lishkerra,” said Abigail.

She was right. Whereas Lishkerra was long, narrow and relatively flat, Sorella was filled with hills. Gentle, rolling expanse took off right beyond the beaches, populated with a small spattering of trees along the way. In the center of the island, a single, solitary mountain rose above all the rest, its mouth caked in black and casting a tall shadow across half the island.

Once they were able to get a little closer, Jack could see that most of the land had its own form of scars. The small number of trees looked to be because there were a great many that had been felled. Those that remained looked charred, the brutal remains of a devastating fire. Great pockmarks were left in the hills, something that reminded Jack of the aftermath of a Javan artillery barrage. What looked to have been once fertile, virgin land now had the appearance of barren waste.

“What do you think happened here?” asked Abigail quietly, noticing the same devastation.

“I have no idea. The Lishkerrans seemed to think this was the best place to start. I don’t know if I agree with them seeing all of this,” said Jack.

Abigail turned to look at him with a worried look on her face. “What if the Lishkerrans are wrong?”

Jack’s face filled with concern before looking back to shore. If Sorella looked this way, he could only imagine what the islands just off to the east and north looked like. Slavers and dragons were worse than this? It was enough to send a small shiver down his back.

Eventually, the task force reached close enough to shore for them to start a reconnaissance of the area. Greg sent two fireteams of marines ashore in the fast motor craft and everyone on the Destiny seemed to be rooted to the spot watching them hit the beaches.

“This island doesn’t look so hot,” said Greg as the marines began to inspect the surroundings.

“It almost looks like a war has gone on here. The marked landscape, the burnt-out trees. Could someone be trying to conquer the Sorellans?” asked Jack.

“As much as I hate to say it, we may have come at a good time. If someone is attacking them, maybe they’ll be more eager to sign an alliance with us,” said Greg.

Jack shrugged. “That is, if there’s anybody left.”

The marines made their initial reconnaissance of the land and stayed ashore for the next two hours. During that time, Jack radioed all the new information they had discovered back to the Valiant and Tiger and the small task force remained at anchor just off shore.

Finally, the marines radioed in with the message everyone was waiting on.

“Major Vaughn, come in. This is Sergeant Peters,” crackled the radio.

“Go ahead, Sergeant,” said Greg.

“We have a few bodies here. They look to be human but they’ve been dead for a couple days. Do you want us to bring them aboard?”

“Affirmative, Sergeant. How many are there?”

“Honestly? There’s about fifty here. Mostly women and children.”

Jack felt his chest seize up at the last mention, seeming to confirm his initial thoughts. If it were only women and children, where were the men? Off fighting a war?

Greg seemed to be the first one on the bridge to recover. “Bring two bodies per team.”

“Roger that, Major,” came the muted reply.

“I almost hate to think what could have caused their deaths but at least if we can get their bodies to Dr. Kendall, we can find out why,” said Jack as he wrote a message to the doctor to prepare him for their arrival.

“Jack, I want to get some ammunition in the guns. It looks like we just landed in the middle of a war zone, and I don’t want to be caught unprepared,” said Abigail with a worried expression.

“Agreed. Kyle, can you send out the order?” asked Jack.

“Of course,” replied the able deputy. Soon not only were the guns loaded but the turrets went through a rotation in their casemates as part of the standard preparation for battle. With the uncertainty of the situation, Jack wanted nothing more than to be prepared for what might be ahead.

The marines came back to the ship about twenty minutes later and each time carried with them two bodies for further examination. Jack and the rest of the bridge met the teams as they climbed back to the main deck and were one of the first groups on the ship to see the bodies of the dead.

“I’m not a doctor, but those look like bullet holes,” said Jack, watching as the first woman was laid carefully on deck. Her mud-caked tunic and trousers were stained with blood in several spots and it wasn’t hard to see the wounds were deeper than just skin level.

What was even more frustrating was that her wounds appeared to be non-fatal. Most of the damage seemed to be in her limbs. Jack counted a wound on each leg and one on her right arm. Either she died of fright or she was left to bleed to death.

Later that morning, Jack and the bridge met with Dr. Kendall as he examined the bodies.

“I’d say you were right about these people, Jack,” said Kendall, pointing out a particularly nasty wound on one of the women. “By their own, these wounds didn’t need to be fatal. These women could have survived if they were treated with proper medical care. All of them died due to loss of blood.”

“The only question is why was there no care given?” asked Abigail. “These are people, not animals. Why wasn’t aid given to them?”

“It all points to a war going on,” muttered Greg. “These women just happened to get caught in the crossfire.”

Jack studied the bodies more closely, trying to look beyond the wounds. Besides the tattered clothing, most of the women looked greatly emaciated. They were nothing but skin and bones, having been without a proper meal in quite a long time as evidenced by their paper thin skin, protruding bones, and visible rib cages.

“This conflict has been going on for some time,” said Jack while looking up to the rest of the group. “These women would have died from starvation sooner or later. Perhaps death was merciful in this regard.”

“Not this kind of death, Jack,” interrupted Kendall. “This would have been agonizing and painful. Look at the size of these bullet holes. I have recovered one of the bullets from the wounds. This wouldn’t have been quick.” Kendall handed the large bullet over to Jack.

"I haven't seen this type of bullet in a long time," said Jack, rolling it with his hand. "This looks like an old musket ball."

"The Lishkerrans did say that their guns produce a really loud noise and generate a lot of smoke. I guess they do really use muskets," said Greg.

“We need to find out who did this,” said Jack, nearly shaking with rage. “These people didn’t deserve such treatment.”

“We should get moving then,” said Stephanie. “Perhaps we can find this Daimanos and figure out what’s going on here in Sorella.”

“Agreed,” said Abigail. “Anna, will you raise anchor and get us moving again on a southeasterly course? Follow the coast as long as possible.”

“Of course,” said Anna, radioing the instructions down to the engine room. When she was finished, she looked up to the rest of them. “I’ll get word to the Valiant and the Tiger as well.”

The ships were once again in motion as the entire task force sailed down the coast of Sorella. Jack kept his eyes peeled in case they found any signs of life but even the further they sailed, nothing changed about the scenery beyond the war-tainted environment. No signs of life were seen for miles along the entire stretch of coast, and Jack started to wonder if perhaps they had gotten the wrong island. There’s no way this could have been the land described to them by Numa and Vigo.

Finally, after sailing for the entire morning, the radio crackled with a long-awaited message.

“Ships! Ships on the horizon! Four great sailing vessels, sir! And the first one is waving a giant, white flag.”

Jack bolted to the front of the bridge and peered out the window toward the horizon. True to form, he could now see the large, rigged vessels bearing a course that would take them just alongside their own ships. In front of the first ship, Jack could see a man on deck, his arms waving a large white flag and staring straight at the Javan task force.

“Unknown ships on the horizon,” said Jack, radioing a message to all three ships and their officers. “Continue our approach with caution.”

The entire bridge waited with quiet anticipation as the sailing vessels came closer still. When they were just a few hundred yards out, Jack looked out to see the crew on the ships themselves. Recognizing the truth behind the Lishkerran’s knowledge of Sorella, their technology appeared to be just shy of a hundred years behind that of Java. The common sailors on deck each wore a simple outfit just a step above rags while the sides of each vessel displayed a row of cannons in three banks.

For a brief moment, it reminded Jack of one of the vessels he had trained on when he was still in the academy, an old frigate by the name of New Venture. The only sailing vessel still in the Javan navy, it was typically used to train new officers on the proper way to command. Now seeing such a similar ship on the opposite side of the world created quite the surreal feeling for Jack.

Finally, once the distance between the two ships was close enough, Jack gave the order to bring the task force to a halt.

“Go ahead and stop the ship, Anna. Let’s see what happens with the Sorellans,” instructed Jack. The ship’s boilers ground to a halt shortly after as the giant ship went dead in the water.

“Jack, look here! It looks like they are sending a delegation over to us!” Abigail pointed out the bridge window to see a small boat being loaded up with people.

“Would you look at the get-up on that guy? What’s with all those fancy robes?” asked Greg.

“Maybe it’s a governor or a senator or some sort,” said Stephanie as the boat drifted closer.

“You think it might be Daimanos?” asked Kyle.

Jack shrugged. “I don’t think we’re important enough for their leader to come all the way out but who knows? Have a squad of marines readied though. No need for us to be unprepared.”

Jack ordered a small group of sailors down to the landing on the starboard side to meet the delegation. As he and the rest of the bridge waited on the main deck, a large, wiry-faced man was the first over the top of the ladder.

“Welcome to East Sorella, Commander Easterbrook of Java,” said the man with noticeable flourish. “I have the privilege of being the First Minister for His Majesty, King Daimanos of East Sorella. You may call me Barak.”

"Greetings, First Minister Barak," said Jack with a formal smile and handshake. He moved forward to extend his hand to the minister. Barak took his hand warily.

Jack slowly lowered his hand. "We are honored to have His Majesty on our ship. Tell me, how did you know who we were?"

Barak met his gaze. "Your coming was told to us by a pair of drifters. His Majesty is eager to meet with you. As you may know, we don't get many Easterners here in this part of the world."

"And we are most eager to meet you," came a voice from the side of the ship. At that moment, the man who could only have been Daimanos labored his way over the side and landed on two feet on the deck. The Sorellan King wore a crown of solid gold around his head, sparkling with jewels of every color around the rim. He had long, flowing black hair that came just down past the base of his neck. Judging by his face, he was mid-forties in age and his scars and wrinkles told of many past battles.

The clothing that the King wore was just as extravagant as his crown. He wore a red cape that was embroidered with gold on the edges and fastened to his body by a golden brooch on his chest. Beneath the magnificent cape, he wore a fine, intricate tunic that went just past his knees, also inlaid with gold. Simply put, Daimanos looked every part the regal king and all eyes were on him the moment he set foot on the deck.

The very first thing he did upon arrival was walk toward Jack and clap him on the back. Whereas Barak had been slightly reluctant to touch, Daimanos seemed to prefer it.

"Commander Easterbrook, welcome to East Sorella! My kingdom is happy to have you here. I would like to throw a large banquet in your honor tonight!" said Daimanos with a boisterous and friendly tone.

"It is a pleasure to meet Your Majesty as well," said Jack with an easygoing smile. "Welcome aboard our ships. I am the Commander of this task force, but in command of the ship is my deputy, Lt. Commander Abigail Wainwright." Jack pointed his finger to the dark-haired woman and she stepped forward to greet the King.

"And beautiful too. A pleasure to meet you, Lt. Commander," said Daimanos with a slight nod of the head.

"Would you like to meet in private with us? I'm sure we have much to discuss," offered Jack, pointing to the superstructure of the Destiny.

Daimanos nodded. "That would be delightful. I will follow your lead, Commander."

The small group made their way through the masses of sailors who had come above deck to catch sight of the extravagant King. Many of them gaped, their first time seeing royalty since they were back in Java. Although Jack had to admit that Daimanos cut a much more impressive profile than Emperor Charles IX ever did.

Abigail led the way inside the superstructure, followed by Jack, Daimanos, and Barak with Greg bringing up the rear. Once all were on the inside, Greg shut the door firmly behind them and Jack turned to face their visitors.

"Welcome again, Your Majesty. Our ship is what's called a heavy cruiser, but you can see she's entirely made of steel," said Jack while slightly raising his arms.

"Would you look at all this," said Daimanos with wide eyes as his gaze centered on all of the sophisticated technology in the room. "How did you build your ship out of metal? How does it stay afloat?"

Jack let out a small smile. "It appears there's much our people can share with yours. Technology may just be one facet."

"I certainly hope so," said Daimanos with a heavy chuckle. "I thought I had the mightiest warships around but you could probably blast us out of the water without breaking a sweat!"

Jack grinned. "Remind me to give you a demonstration sometime of the guns. It's an experience every man should have at least once in his life."

"I'd like that, Commander," said Daimanos with another laugh.

"Please, feel free to call me Jack, Your Majesty. No need for such formality away from the crews."

Daimanos nodded. "If that's the case, you can dispense with all this Your Majesty crap as well. Just Daimanos is fine."

"That sounds like a deal, Daimanos," said Jack.

"Anyway, Jack, what brings you to East Sorella? Surely you didn't come all of this way just to introduce yourself?" asked the King as he sat down.

"You're right about that," answered Jack. "We're here on behalf of our own emperor and come seeking an alliance. Our emperor believes there's no reason for the ocean to be a barrier to friendship between like-minded peoples. Perhaps there's a way we could explore that a little further."

Daimanos reached up to rub at his chin while in heavy thought. "An alliance you say? I would be open to an alliance. We can't count on too many friends in this part of the world, so perhaps it's time we cast a wider net. I'd be most interested in learning about your people on the other side of the ocean too."

"Perhaps we could discuss the finer details of it over this banquet you mentioned?" offered Jack. "I'm sure there are a few points we'd like to go over to be in agreement, and I'd want us to have time to think about it."

"That's an excellent idea," said Daimanos. "Let's plan on that."

Before Jack could ask another question, it was Abigail that spoke up next. "Excuse me, Daimanos, I had noticed that you had referred to your kingdom as East Sorella."

The King nodded with a small amount of apprehension. "That is correct."

Abigail raised her brow. "When we were with the Lishkerrans, they referred to this whole island as just Sorella, but they also mentioned that it was split politically?"

Daimanos made a disgusted face and then finally nodded. "That's right. Sorella is divided in two. There is an East Sorella, which you are in, and there's also a West Sorella on the other side of the island." Daimanos kept making faces every time he mentioned the name West Sorella.

"I take it these West Sorellans are not good people?" Jack asked, watching the King's body language.

Daimanos nodded. "The worst people, Jack. I will tell you more about it during the banquet tonight. You'll have to consider yourself very fortunate that you landed in East Sorella and not the western part."

"That actually brings up a very good question too," said Jack. "We did land further west initially and have been sailing down the coast. Most of the land back there looks like a war zone. We even recovered some bodies of those recently deceased. I'm afraid most of them were women and children."

Daimanos nodded solemnly. "Not only is the island split in two, but there is a devastating war going on between both halves of the island. Unfortunately, most of the middle of the island is a dead zone. A no-man's-land if you will. With all the reversals in our fortunes, most of the people who get stuck in that land don't tend to come out alive."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Daimanos," said Jack with a gentle head nod. "It must be terrible to see the island in such a state of civil war."

"It very much is, Jack. At one time, Sorella was a beautiful land. When I was a boy, it was nothing but fertile farmland as far as the eye could see. Rich, gorgeous valleys and stunning beaches were some of my earliest childhood memories. It's a shame what it has become."

"Why is that, Daimanos?" interrupted Greg. "How could this have happened?"

Daimanos assumed a firm look. "That would be the fault of the usurper, King Heron of West Sorella. A bloodthirsty tyrant, I assure you. I heard that he routinely takes the firstborn child from new mothers and sacrifices it so that he can drink the child's blood. Something about the blood of innocents providing everlasting life. Granted, I've never witnessed such a thing but the stories are out there. He's a savage, and he's usurped half of my kingdom. The ones that follow him are just as dastardly unfortunately. Since he's been around, Sorella has known no peace. Nothing but war and agony."

"Even their soldiers are nothing but cruel brutes. All that devastation to the farmland you see out there? It was caused out of spite. Because peaceful East Sorellans lived and farmed there. It's a most terrifying spectacle to behold how they kill off the men first—all the warriors. Then they visit the cruelest possible tortures on the women and children remaining. It's horrifying, Jack."

"That must be hard for you to see as the King," said Jack sullenly. "I can't imagine what it must be like to watch a people fall apart like that."

Daimanos looked up at him with strained eyes. "You have no idea. It pains me every night to see my children at war with each other. All I want is to have the two halves reunited and to become a strong kingdom once more. Is that so much to ask?"

Jack shook his head gently.

Daimanos ran his hand along the steel command station. "Perhaps with your technology as part of an alliance, we could find a way to finally put an end to this conflict. Perhaps together we could bring this Heron to justice?"

"We can certainly discuss it as part of our terms," said Jack with a nod. "Especially if they are out killing women and children on nothing but whims."

"There's hardly anyone left on Sorella who hasn't seen the cruelty of King Heron," said Daimanos.

"We will see what we can do about it," confirmed Jack once again. "I would like a chance to discuss it with my crew first, but as of right now, I don't see any reason why we can't join you in an alliance."

A relieved look appeared on the King's face. "That would be so wonderful! Well, let me return to my ship and lead you to our city. We are not far from it, and I'll send word ahead about starting the banquet for tonight. If you would be so kind as to follow us, we'll show you where you can dock as well," said Daimanos with a dramatic flourish of the hand.

"We would be grateful for that," said Jack. "But we'll have to anchor out at sea for now. At least until we sign our alliance. It can't hurt to be too precautious. We'll escort you back to your ship, and we'll follow in your wake though."

Daimanos smiled gratefully, and the small crew made their way back to the main deck and to the small boat they had used to come over.

"Until I see you this evening, it was a delight to meet you, Commander Easterbrook," said the King as he gave a regal wave and disappeared over the side.

"The same for us, Your Majesty," answered Jack. Barak was the last to go over the railing without another word, leaving the Javans alone on their ships. After returning to the bridge, Jack watched as the Sorellan ships changed course and led their small squadron along the southeasterly course to Daimanos' capitol city.

As soon as they were underway, Abigail returned to her command post next to Jack.

"Well, he seemed friendly," she said with a heavy smile.

"Yes, he did," agreed Jack. "It might be easier to find an alliance here than I thought."

"You think?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Maybe. We'll just have to see what happens."

"Their plight with the West Sorellans just sounds terrible though," said Abigail.

Jack nodded. "I agree. If it's something we can help with, we'll do all that we can. I don't want to see that kind of treatment given to anyone, let alone women and children."

"I wonder how it all started," mused Abigail. "Where did this Heron come from? How did he get these people to follow him? How did he turn them into such bloodthirsty brutes?"

"Perhaps we'll find out later on tonight. I'm sure Daimanos has a lot more to tell about Heron and his minions."

"Perhaps," said Abigail with a nod. "One thing is bothering me though. He said he heard of your arrival from drifters. What drifters have we run into that would know who you are?"

"That part bothered me as well. The only ones who have seen us have been the Lishkerrans. From what they had to say, they don't leave their own island very much. So who could have told them?"

Abigail furrowed her brow. "Maybe it's something that Daimanos can explain to you tonight. It seems we have a lot of questions that need answers."

"I do have to wonder what will happen if we do sign an alliance with them," said Jack out loud. "Our goal was to find allies for our war, not to entangle ourselves with other peoples already at war."

She slowly nodded. "I don't think that's what the emperor had in mind either."

Jack turned to look at her. "Do you think we should avoid an alliance with them then? For that reason?"

Abigail shrugged and then shot him a smirk. "That's above my pay grade. I will say this though—if the West Sorellans have the same technology as the East then I don't think this should be much of a fight for us. Not with steel ships and automatic rifles to counter their sailing vessels and muskets. We could make quick work of them and not really break a sweat."

"That's true," said Jack with a subtle nod. "It wouldn't be a second too soon. Not for the monsters who did all of that back there."

"I do think we need to tread carefully with Daimanos though," said Abigail apprehensively.

Jack furrowed his brow. "Why do you say that?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it. It just seems a little too easy to me. I feel like getting an alliance should be harder."

A grin slowly filled Jack's face. "Speaking of making things harder . . ."

She swatted his arm. "Don't you ever learn?"

"No, I need to keep relearning the same lessons," said Jack with a gentle nudge to her side.

She shot him a coy grin. "Is that your way of trying to compliment me?"

"Yes and no," said Jack with a chuckle. "Why, would it get me anywhere?"

Abigail's smile grew wider as she shook her head from side to side.

"Then I guess I'm not trying to compliment then." He gave a playful sigh to emphasize his point.

"Too late, Jack. It's already out there."

"Oh, I can always wind it back in."

She nudged his side. "You're going to get yourself in trouble again."

"With you, I feel like I'm always in trouble."

Abigail laughed. "Now, there's a true statement."

"What am I going to do with you?"

She turned to look at him. "Nothing that we haven't done already."

Jack fixed his gaze on her, taking in her soft, brown eyes and the flirtatious look hidden behind them. He knew by now all it was just a tease, and he knew better to pursue it. Besides, he also knew Anna would be devastated if she discovered what had already transpired between them. He was determined to hold that in as long as possible.

"This is a dangerous line of talking," said Jack finally. "Perhaps we should reel it in a bit."

Abigail's mouth dropped open. "You're the one reeling it in for once? Are you feeling okay, Jack? Is this still really you?" She put her hand to his head playfully to test his temperature.

He gave her a weak smile. "I know, I know. It's just . . . it's not fair. To your sister," he said in a whisper.

Abigail nodded eagerly. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I get lost in the playfulness too, but you're right. We should be more conscious of her feelings."

"I'll behave myself if you do," said Jack with a smile.

"Bargain struck," said Abigail while holding out her hand. He took it gratefully and they sealed their pact with a light chuckle.

As the two of them bantered back and forth and followed behind the squadron of East Sorellan ships, the one thing they didn't notice was the gaze of a careful observer. From her command station, Anna watched closely as her sister and Jack engaged in their lively repartee with silent cognizance. As both of their faces filled with a range of emotions from joy, content, and humor, Anna's filled with quiet despair.