

Mortimer Aglet Versus the sky Pirates

The World of Adventure Series: Book 1

Written and Illustrated by

Brian Dawson

Edited by

Alicia DiQuattro

and

Natalie Dawson

Cover by

Alicia DiQuattro

Copyright 2014 © Brian Dawson

##  Prologue

My grandfather Blackbeard, the famous swashbuckling pirate, once told me that there is a place where all the risks and dreams of those too nervous or scared to take chances end up.

That place is called "the world of adventure." According to him, it also happens to be the very same world where I am writing these very words on this very paper.

My parents, on the other hand, have always stood firm against this theory. They have no problem going against what they called my "crazy grandfather's crazy delusional mind."

I've always found their stance a bit hypocritical since my father, Grimash Top Hat, is currently the top pirate running in the Seventy-Sixth Pants-on-Fire Pilfer Contest.

My mother doesn't believe him either but has no trouble indulging me. I know this because as a ninja she always keeps her enemy in the dark about the truth so she can defeat them.

Ninja are known to be deceitful, but pirates live by their own code of ethics as straightforward aquatic thieves and adventurers. Both agree you should obey the authority when it's in your best interest, but only when it's in your best interest. They let the public see their adventurous spirit and hide their true motives.

My father, Grimash, is known far and wide as the gentleman pirate, which is likely what attracted my mother to him in the first place. He has a grace and charm that is extremely rare among pirates.

My parents love to tell the romantic story of how they first met. My mother was contracted to steal something off his ship and ended up having to hide in his cabin for five months. During that time my father became extremely seasick. After observing his suffering she left the shadows and nursed him back to health using her special ninja remedy for sea sickness; squid soup and bed rest.

To this day my father will not eat any food that has squid in it because the only thing that tastes worse than squid soup going down is squid soup coming back up.

My mother, Jade Shadow Claw, is the daughter of the infamous ninja leader Great Wolf Shadow, who is, or was, the leader of the Secret Council of Secrets.

Mom spends most of her time these days on politics rather than going out on mysterious ninja missions. She rarely leaves the island and even more rarely has time for me. When Mom does find the time, she teaches me not to be seen or heard. It's all mysterious ninja stuff, but you can imagine that during our lessons, there is very little conversation.

My father, on the other hand, is always on his ship. He sleeps there most nights, yet he still squeezes in time on land to spend with me. When he returns, he always brings me some new trinket he plundered and forces me to learn every nautical knot he can think up, some I know are not even real. He also keeps me updated on any new pirate slang. My father wants to be sure I am current on what it means to be a pirate while also making sure my grandmother is not "making me soft".

I currently live with my grandmother who takes very good care of me.

Most of the time she spends with me, she teaches me the basic things she says I need to know. Math, Language, and something she calls "the forgotten art of Science Facts."

My grandmother, Nana Bootsie, has one goal for me. She wants me to become a banker. She dreams I will end up nothing like either of my parents who she calls, "mostly useful for useless things." She says I must grow up to be useful.

My name is Mortimer Aglet.

I have not yet earned a shadowy ninja or dreadful pirate name. Up to this point, I've never done anything worth scribbling on paper.

This may seem odd as I have lived my entire life isolated on Skull Shuriken Island, the single place in the universe where ninja and pirates attempt to live together... I don't want to say "happily", but they do have an in-depth and complicated set of rules to make sure both sides are treated fairly within their own unique codes of ethics.

Pirates believe firmly in "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers." Ninja have a more "If Nobody Saw It Happen, Then It Didn't Happen" policy.

Tomorrow, I will be expected to choose between pirate or ninja school, like I can just flip a coin and decide my entire future! Up until now, all of we pre-adventure aged kids are expected to be taught by our parents or paid tutors.

I'll either be joining a junior pirate crew in training at the Cutless Academy, or I'll be part of a stealth trainee squad at the Misty Palm School of Vanishing Knowledge.

At nine in the morning tomorrow, I'll be expected to walk out of my room and say, "Oh hey, Nana Bootsie, I want to follow in either my mother's or my father's footsteps." How do I choose?

Anyway, to make the tiring and painstaking decision process easy, I plan to try and do both.

I, Mortimer Aglet, the first of my name, plan to become Skull Shuriken Island's very fist Ninja-Pirate!

I figure I can have my own ninja-pirate crew and we can travel the seas plundering all pirate-like but using our finely tuned ninja skills. First and foremost, I have to make it past the difficult and often confusing training.

So tomorrow I head right to the Cutless Academy and prove myself a mighty pirate. Then, luckily for me, the Misty Palm School of Vanishing Knowledge holds its classes at night because, well, you know... that's when ninja do their ninja stuff. It would not do any good to tell a ninja to hide in the shadows at high noon.

Epoch Log: Entry One

Mortimer Aglet

## Chapter 1 - Why Am I Late?

The Legendary Pirate Blackbeard often said that when he started in piracy all he did was pull his ship into port, go into the nearest grog dive, and call for the lowest of men down on their luck to join his crew. He said you wouldn't have a high quality crew, but you would have a crew capable of following orders and getting the job done. He said this was long before the Pirate Code and Skull Shuriken Island was founded. The only rule pirates lived by back then was, "The only difference between right and wrong is the price."

The legends and stories of Blackbeard have been around so long that most pirates are sure Mortimer's grandfather is just the latest pretender. They claim he stole the name in order to carry on the legacy of the larger than life pirate. When Mortimer was very young, he questioned his Grandfather about this and Blackbeard assured him that he was the original and was much older than he would ever admit.

Despite the doubts, half the pirate world treats Mortimer's entire family as if they have pirate royalty in their blood. The other half just assume they are a bunch of liars who stole a famous name and continue to ride its coat tails... not much differently from how all pirates treat each other.

That morning, Mortimer trudged down from his room in his grandmother's small house to find she had made him his favorite breakfast: plum and banana pancakes with crab bacon and a large harpy egg smoothie.

It may sound strange to you, but when you live on a remote island with limited resources, you have to make do with whatever you have between hauls of treasure. A few times a year, traders visit the island. "Visit" meaning they land on the island by mistake or crash and leave with an empty ship and a blank memory thanks to a secret ninja technique.

Since this was Mortimer's favorite meal, he took his time and enjoyed it.

"My first day of school! I don't have to spend all day every day with my loveable but sanity-challenged grandmother anymore!" Mortimer thought as he looked at the old woman who seemed to be frantically going from cabinet to cabinet as if she had forgotten where she kept the salt.

Mortimer lost track of time over his breakfast and realized he was running late for his first day at the Cutless Academy. He stuffed the bacon in his mouth and gulped down his egg smoothie, doing his best not to lose any on the way down. Then he felt Nana Bootsie put a hand on his shoulder.

"What's the rush, young man?" said his Nana in a soft tone, "You have plenty of time to continue your studies today." She dropped the largest book Mortimer's family owned on the table in front of him causing the dishes to rattle loudly from the impact.

"Nana, did you forget? I start at Cutless Academy today," he said with a hint of panic in his voice.

She left her hand on his shoulder and said sadly, "You have plenty of years to sail around with sharp objects and drunken scalawags. This is a time of learning. We need a banker in this family; a strong young man who has a head for where his riches are going. We do not need another pirate who squanders all his plunder on knickknacks and wenches at every port between here and the main lands," Nana Bootsie said as if scoffing at someone who was not in the room.

"What are wenches?" Mortimer asked, looking to his grandmother who shrugged off the question with a wave of her hand.

Mortimer took a moment to look down at the thick book with huge gold letters embossed on the green cover. Science Facts was written simply in neat sharp characters. He had spent much of his life so far learning exclusively from this book and the very sight of it made him feel deeply frustrated.

"It's time for me to learn the ways of my father and grandfathers, Nana," Mortimer said, turning to match his grandmother's gaze. Tears rimmed her eyes as her old face began to wrinkle. She pulled Mortimer up to his feet and looked right into him. She stood four-foot-nine at her full height, but age had brought a slight slouch to her stance. They were practically the same height. Mortimer even suspected that he might be taller than her, but her bright silver hair was done up in such a fashion as to add at least a foot to her full height. This was strange for Mortimer because it seemed as he grew so did his Nana's hair. He thought that ever since he began to approach her height, she felt she needed to use her hair as a way of reminding him who was in charge. It was not always done up in this fashion, but when it was, Mortimer always felt cheated by the sheer largeness of it as it towered over him.

"I know kids are supposed to grow fast, but how can I compete with an ever extending hair monster like that!" Mortimer thought. He realized his Grandmother was really about to start crying hard. She leaned in and gave Mortimer a long hug. Mortimer just stood there feeling an odd sense of guilt on what was supposed to be the exciting day he started his journey towards manhood.

"Just because you are going to start your training today does not mean you can forget everything I taught you over the years. Those facts can save your life, so be smart and never forget to flex your brain as much as your biceps," Nana Bootsie shot Mortimer a big smile. Then, like a practiced magician, she pulled a brown object from behind her back and presented it to Mortimer. "This was your grandfather's," she said handing Mortimer an oversized brown pirate hat.

"Wow! Thanks, Nana!" Mortimer shouted with excitement as he put the hat on and stood proudly turning his head.

"Nobody else will be able to show up wearing Blackbeard's own hat," she said as she whirled Mortimer around by the shirt and opened the front door.

"Now get out!" She said as she tossed Mortimer through the doorway. It was a light push but it stole Mortimer's balance and he stumbled clumsily onto the wooden walkway outside.

After regaining his balance Mortimer paused and looked in the direction of the Cutless Academy. There was a loud BOOM! As cannon fire rang out in the distance. Mortimer realized that sound meant he was late. He ran as fast as he could. Being late was not the way Mortimer wanted to start his first day, but he guessed it would be worth it to show up in Blackbeard's own hat.

"You ain't gett'n en!" said the large man wearing white pants with tattered ankles. The tattoos all over his upper body looked like someone had drawn a shirt on him. His right arm was missing from the elbow down and his right leg below the knee had been replaced with a peg. It did not take him long to notice Mortimer staring at his missing extremities.

"This is no freak show, boy!" said the door guard harshly. "YE BE LATE to the Cutless Academy and nobody gets into the Academy once'n the doors be closed for the day. Come back tomorrow for a repeat class and public flogging in front of ye crew." The large man let out a laugh as he pointed back in the direction Mortimer had come from and said, "Off with you now ye young'un." He waved Mortimer off with the back of his hand.

Mortimer hung his head in shame knowing the ridicule he would receive the next day from the other young pirates and the reputation he would have after his public punishment.

"Mortimer Aglet the LATE," he said to himself. Mortimer walked around the corner and back up the long pathway that led toward his home, when suddenly he felt the sudden urge to jump out of the way of something. He wasn't sure what he was jumping away from, but you don't ignore those instincts when you have ninja blood in you.

Sticking out of the wooden walkway right where Mortimer had just been standing was a shuriken with a note attached to it, the word "Egghead" was written in bold letters on the outside of the rolled up paper.

The note said: "Remember, you are much more than a simple pirate."

When Mortimer finished reading the note it vanished in a puff of smoke and in his hands were a strange-looking pair of gloves with two rows of sharp spikes that faced out and surrounded the palm area.

He turned the gloves over, admiring them in all directions, but he did not see the purpose of this gift, except maybe to give gate guard a very painful handshake. He put the gloves on his hands and rested his hand on the wooden railing as he looked out at the ocean to think, admiring the amazing early morning view.

Only as he tried to continue his sad journey home did the purpose of the mysterious gift become clear because he couldn't remove his hand from the railing! After some grunting and pulling he found that he could remove his spiked hands from the rail by twisting his wrists just right. He realized he could use the gloves to sneak into the Cutless Academy and act like he had been there the whole time.

"Thanks, invisible gift giver!" Mortimer shouted loudly into the air. His day was no longer ruined. He could make it to the first day of class and nobody would be the wiser, besides, if he got caught sneaking in he would just say he was looking for the privy.

Mortimer headed back towards Cutless Academy at full speed, though being careful not to be seen by any large tattooed guards. "Why are there guards anyway? It's just a training school," Mortimer thought to himself as he searched for the best place to begin his ascent over the walls and into the academy.

"ARG! We have fresh blood this year!" said the salty old pirate who was standing on a stage in front of eleven scraggly looking young pirates in training.

"Before we continue, let's call roll and make sure all those entrusted to us be here. We wouldn't want to deprive anyone of the privileges that come with missing the first day of pirate training," the big-bellied man with no hair said to the small crowd. He spoke much louder than was required and many of the children gave him sour looks as they placed their hands over their ears. At this, an older looking child let out a cackle of laughter as the smaller and younger ones in the group looked to one another worriedly. They realized they would be the focus of the older boy's torment as his evil gaze surveyed his new shipmates-in-training.

"Thomas Yelper. Be ye here, Tom?" Wailed the old pirate. "Here!" cried the shortest and smallest child in the group in his loudest, but still very small, voice. His hand was raised above his curly, bright red hair.

An older boy with red scars covering the bald right half of his head cackled as he pointed to the small boy and whispered something to a younger but taller boy standing next to him.

The old pirate continued, pretending not to notice the half-bald boy and his bothersome antics. "Whoopie Belche?"

"Here!" yelled a tall slender girl with long wavy blond hair and blue eyes.

The half-bald boy leaned to the same friend and this time said something that caused the taller boy's face to turn bright red.

"ARG! Keep your hole shut, Qball," said the old pirate on the stage as he leered in the direction of the half-bald boy. The boy avoided eye contact and looked in all directions, pretending to have no idea what his instructor could possibly be talking about.

"We have one more new bilge rat this year. He is the grandson of the supposed legendary famous pirate Blackbeard. Mortimer Aglet! Are you here, Mortimer?"

The old man scanned the group for Mortimer while the children looked to one another, waiting for someone to call out as their instructor's gaze bored into each of them uncomfortably.

"Don't be shy, lad! Are you here?" Asked the old pirate once again as the group of young pirates began whispering to each other.

Then a loud cry broke through the quiet murmurings. "Here!" screamed Mortimer with all his might. The shout came from high above the group on an obstacle course set up for pirate training. The entire class shifted their gaze up to see the figure of Mortimer Aglet high above them. He was grasping a rope in his hand ready to swing down to the group below. Though he tried his best to ooze confidence, he felt like he was about to lose his breakfast as he readied himself for the leap. Using the climbing gloves had been more tiring than he expected and his hands hurt. Though his heart was pounding out of his chest, he still found the experience exhilarating and it put him in just the right mood to show off while making a grand entrance.

The old pirate's face went red with anger and his arms waved furiously as he yelled up to Mortimer, "Get down here now or I will declare you late and the next thing we will do is enjoy a nice public flogging!"

"Here goes nothing," Mortimer thought as he swallowed the large lump in his throat. He grasped the rope tightly and leaped from the scaffold-like structure. Gravity took hold and he was free falling until the slack of the rope jerked tight. He swung within six feet of the ground, wishing he had worn the climbing gloves since grip was failing him. He fell the remaining distance.

But luck was with Mortimer as he was above a pool of seawater commonly used for aquatic exercises and swimming lessons. The water was extremely cold due to the early hour. A very wet and very cold Mortimer remembered with panic that he was not a strong swimmer. He struggled to keep his head above water as his limbs began to go numb from the cold. The old pirate reached out and, with one beefy arm, plucked Mortimer out of the water and placed him, soaking wet, in front of his leering and unimpressed peers.

"ARG! Now that we got that out of the way," the old man shouted out for all to hear, "Let me introduce meself. ARG! I am Steelgut Madgu and I will be your Deck Master. Your time here will be full of hard work and sweat. I aim to make you so tired that the thought of doing anything but going home and straight to bed after your training each day will make your head too heavy to lift off your wee pillows."

The group looked to one another in a collective bit of confusion. Steelgut ignored the air of confusion and announced, "We are going to learn the first and most important and thing any pirate needs to know."

The group instantly and collectively began to shout out their personal opinion of the most important lesson for a starting pirate. "Swordplay!" was repeated most, but some children yelled "Parrot care!" or "Tattoo placement!"

The old pirate put out his hands to quiet the young group and stuck a finger in the air as he shouted, "ARG!"

The group was silent. The young pirates in training all stood staring, waiting for the old sea dog to continue.

"If you're going to sail the seas as a pirate, then you need to sound like a pirate. Before you say anything else I want to hear each of you let out your best ARG!" Steelgut said as he assumed a victorious stance with one fist in the air.

The group looked to one another, each too embarrassed to let out a squeak, when suddenly the smallest girl of the group, wearing a red bandana and orange striped shirt, jumped into the air and let out a loud, "ARG!"

The rest of the group yelled their ARGs in turn, many with very little emphasis or spirit behind the word. When they had finished the students quieted down and looked around in confusion. Steelgut had vanished as quickly and skillfully as he could ARG.

"Where did the old dog run off to?!" said the half-bald boy.

"ARG! Behind you!"

The young pirate leaped aside in fear and turned even paler.

Now all ye understand the importance of a PROPER ARG!" Steelgut proclaimed, glaring around at the young pirates to make sure everyone was listening. "A true 'ARG!' can be the turn of the tides in a battle. It can save yer sorry lives! Don't you be forgett'n it." Steelgut enforced his point using his pirate glare. The group of young pirates all nodded and mumbled sounds of agreement.

"Last year, you said it was YAR!" the scarred, bald, extremely pale boy shouted.

"That will be enough out of you!" Steelgut shot back at the pale boy with a threatening look in his eyes.

"Now fur the next most important thing every new cabin boy or girl needs know. Yur arms'll be ready to fall off, yur legs'll ache and strain, you'll do this so much you will do it in all your dreams! Today you be learn'n how to swab the poop deck!" Steelgut said as he looked to the crowd of students for the expected excited reactions.

The group's groaning sigh hung in the air for a few moments. Steelgut ignored it and motioned for the group to follow him.

He lead them into another courtyard where they found what looked like three unfinished tree houses with anchors attached to the bottom and ropes and pulleys hanging off them in all directions.

Steelgut motioned for the groups to hold their position and pointed at the strange wooden structures.

"These are going to be the decks of yur ships for today's lesson. The structure of the decks are set so as to cause ye all to fall off. As such, we need to make sure yer crews are balanced by height and weight. We can't have someone's weight or size make these training sessions useless for their teammates." Steelgut shot a meaningful glare to a very large pirate boy who already had a very sad look on his face as his head hung down to meet his chest.

Steelgut broke the twelve young buccaneers into three "balanced" groups of four, having each group stand together in front of the rope ladder that was hanging down off that crew's deck.

## Chapter 2 – Why is it call a poop deck?

"This be the easiest little test we have for a bunch of wee tadpoles waiting to grow legs," said Steelgut as he motioned for an unseen someone to bring something over to him.

A hunched man with a huge jaw and a patch over his left eye came out from behind a wall pulling a cart full of mops.

Half the mops appeared broken. The rest were either dirty or so dry it seemed they would crack apart into dust. The strange man went to each of the students in turn, handing them a mop as he glared awkwardly with his one eye, making everyone feel too uncomfortable to return his gaze.

"You must swab yer poop deck with all the speed of a professional fisherman in a hurricane," Steelgut said, continuing the instructions for the exercise.

"We be usin' the mini cannons up yonder..." Steelgut motioned up above the group of young pirates, "tah fire small circle like thingies that sort of explode when hit'n things! ARG! These circle objects are filled with mud. Just one direct blow can keep a small deck like yours nice and filthy-brown like. Other sea dogs like meself, who yu'll be meet'n later in your train'n, are waiting to throw these same circle thingies in a fashion as to knock ye off yur decks. We all look forward to it every year." Steelgut said with a toothy smile and a menacing tone.

"ARG! Yur goal is teh stand yer ground. Don't be gett'n knocked off yur ships! But that not be all! Yur decks are to be sparkly clean by the end of the session. ARG! After all ye wouldn't expect yur crew to be filling their bellies while sitting on a deck covered in mud would ya?"

"For yur safety we have set up moats around the decks. If you do fall off, you will not be physically injured... hopefully. ARG! I know, without danger of a good maimin', the exercise seems pointless. But hey, if we remove the moats yur parents would have us keel-hauled," Steelgut let out a laugh at his own pun and continued his instructions.

"ARG! Look at yur mateys. Each of these will be your crew for today. They will be yur kin in the battles and trials ye be facing. If ye don't learn to win as a crew, you will not win at all. All of ye must remain on the deck. The winner of this little exercise will be the group with all four mates still standing with their deck so sparkly clean that I me-self would be willing to eat lunch right off the planks!" Steelgut motioned behind him as a man with one leg limped forward pushing a cart. He came out from behind a fence that separated an adjoining training area.

The cart held a roasted pheasant that was famous for being incredibly hard to catch and was only eaten on feast days and special occasions on Skull Shuriken Island. There was also an assortment of sweets and other hard to get delicacies and rare treats.

Mortimer started to drool when the smells hit him, even with his belly full of all his favorite breakfast foods. There was not a single person on Skull Shuriken Island who would turn down the meal on that cart.

A collective sound of licking lips and moans of desire seeped into the air as the cover was replaced, cutting off the food from their senses. All attention was forcibly returned to Steelgut.

"ARG! The mops in your hands are your weapons! The cannon balls of mud will barrage your ships relentlessly and your only hope of making it through to yer next warm meal is yer crew!" Steelgut paused motioning to Mortimer who had raised his hand.

"Sir, what happens if one of our team falls off the deck into the ocean?" Mortimer asked quizzically.

"ARG! 'Sir, what happens if one of our CREW falls into the ocean?'," corrected Steelgut. "Your crew is the lifeblood of your ship. Make sure everyone makes it, the poor souls who don't are sure to be eaten by sharks or sink down to old Davey Jones' Locker!"

"Each deck is equipped with a life ring. If ONE member of your crew does take an unfortunate spill over the side into the great blue, toss them a life ring. IF any other team member also falls in the drink, it be an automatic fail!" Steelgut paused as the group of young pirates just stared at him.

"The level of dirt left on your deck will be measured with a highly complicated point system to decide the winner of the training exercise," Steelgut said as his right eye twitched causing him to wipe the sweat from above his eyebrows. "ARG! DO NOT FALL OFF YOUR SHIP AND DIE IN THE BLUE OCEAN OF DEATH!" Steelgut shouted as he motioned for the crews to board their decks and ready themselves for the coming barrage.

The members of each team grasped their mops and looked around. Mortimer looked at each member of his team in turn. He was confused. He was sure his team could not possibly be balanced the way Steelgut had said they would be.

Both the other new recruits, Thomas Yelper and Whoopie Belche, were members of his crew.

The fourth member of Mortimer's crew was a boy named Counten Behrie. He was the tallest of their group, standing a couple inches higher than Whoopie. The broadness of his shoulders was matched only by the enormity of his stomach which was, in itself, the size of Thomas Yelper.

Mortimer figured Steelgut thought that since Whoopie was so thin and Mortimer was average height and size for his age that Thomas's micro size must balance out the sheer largeness of their fourth crewmate. Mortimer had very little faith in that theory.

Mortimer turned to Counten, hoping to gain some insight about the exercise. He figured the older looking boy had done this before and may know how their crew could survive, or even win.

"Hi, I'm Mortimer. The three of us are new. Have you done this training exercise before?"

Counten looked down at Mortimer tilting his head. "ARG!" screamed Counten causing Mortimer and Whoopie to jump in surprise. Thomas's eyes instantly grew as wide as Counten's yell was loud.

"I've done this twice before. This is my third year at the Cutless Academy," said Counten as he tilted his head in the other direction, refusing to direct his gaze fully at Mortimer. "This is the worst and hardest of the training we do." Counten paused a moment for effect. "They make us do this every so often, especially when newbies show up," Counten paused looking into the distance. "So much mud." Counten's voice faded out as Mortimer wrinkled his brow and looked up at the large boy.

"So how do we win?" Mortimer asked, but there was no time for a response.

"ARG! CREWS, TO YOUR SHIPS!" Steelgut shouted and everyone jumped up and ran towards their unfinished, tree house-looking, pirate ship decks.

The only way to climb onto the training decks was a rope that hung off the side and had knots tied every foot to give the climber something to grip.

Mortimer, Whoopie and Thomas all had no problem scaling the rope and dashing onto the deck. But Counten was stuck. He managed to get his feet tightly around the lowest knot he could reach from the ground level, then just hung there a foot off the ground.

After a few moments, Mortimer looked from Thomas to Whoopie who both gave him a disheartening shrug. Then the three heard Counten's cries for help.

"ARG! Help, help, I can't make it up onto the deck! Please guys help! Don't let me fail again!" The whole deck began to sway as Counten kicked his legs, struggling to pull his oversized body up onto the deck using nothing but his upper body strength.

Steelgut let out a booming cackle as he noticed their plight.

"ARG! Every crew member must be on the deck before the exercise can begin." Steelgut said with another pirate laugh.

"ARG! HELP!" Counten screamed once again.

The group just looked at each other, clueless to what they could do to help the large boy.

"Teamwork!" Shouted Steelgut from the sidelines making eye contact with Mortimer.

"I guess we have to try and do something to help him," Mortimer said to his fellow crew members with no hope in his tone. "What tools do we have?"

"Broken brooms and a life preserver," Whoopie mumbled in a bored tone.

Mortimer grabbed the blue life preserver and threw it over the side. The tube smacked Counten directly in the face and he let out a yelp as they heard it make a small splash in the moat below. Tears formed in his eyes and he looked up towards the deck and screamed, "What did you do that for?!"

Mortimer leaned over the side to look down at Counten to better explain his plan. "Tie the rope to the life preserver and put it under your armpits, then tug on the rope twice," Mortimer said, hoping that Counten could take it from there.

Some time passed and Steelgut grew impatient and began to yell. "You lily-liver deck-swabbers have thirty more seconds, then you be disqualified. We don't be have'n all day!"

Just then Counten let out a squeal as his feet left the ground. Up on the deck, the rope had been wrapped once around a mop handle that Thomas was holding at waist level. Thomas's face was bright red as he audibly groaned from the tension of the rope. The rope wrapped around another mop handle which Whoopie held above her head firmly. Some rope that was used to rig the decks was wrapped around her feet to keep her steady. It was easy to see that some of Counten's weight was distributed from Thomas' mop handle to Whoopie's because she looked as if her eyes were going to jump out of their sockets. The rope was then tied to the last mop handle which Mortimer was standing upon. He was gripping the loose rope slack and pulling with all his might.

Like magic, Mortimer was able to use the leverage he had gained from the other two to pull Counten up onto the deck. He had to move quickly because the weight was still straining the muscles of his other crew mates.

Moments before this, Mortimer had remembered something his grandmother had taught him from the family book, Science Facts. It was called the pulley system.

Science Facts: Chapter 13, section 78-z.

Pulleys and leverage - the mechanical advantage: It is possible, and proven throughout history, that a single person can lift ten times their own body weight or strength capabilities using a pulley system. Large structures built in ancient times, many decades before the technology seemed to exist to make it possible, were fashioned in this manner. The pulley system uses the idea that distributing the weight of an object between multiple structures or devices creates leverage, allowing a single person to hoist an object they would otherwise be incapable of moving.

Mortimer was as surprised as the rest of his crew at their success. He was also shocked to find that what he had learned from the Science Facts book was already proving to be useful. It seemed to take no time to the crew, but to Counten who dangled by his pits, it seemed to last forever. He pulled himself onto the deck and the entire crew was ready to begin the exercise.

"What happens now?" Mortimer asked looking at Counten, who was rubbing his hands together and wincing.

"I don't know," He replied. "I've never made it this far before being disqualified."

"READY!" Shouted Steelgut loudly as a cannon fired. Instantly, the once sturdy decks began to sway back and forth. "Better find your balance!" Shouted Steelgut, laughing at the sight of the three groups of children falling all over their decks. They swayed violently as if in an unseen storm.

Then, Mortimer noticed something. Not only had Counten Behrie made it onto the deck for the first time in his years of pirate training, but his bulk weighed down the deck, allowing his crew to move around with hardly any struggle.

"ARG! What's going on there?" Steelgut shouted to the man turning the crank on the far side of the courtyard. The man turned to look at Steelgut and shrugged.

"There's so much weight on the gears I'm hardly able to move them!" he shouted back. Steelgut reddened with anger.

"ARG! BEGIN THE BARRAGE!" Steelgut voice boomed through the training yard.

The sounds of small cannons echoed around the yard, followed immediately by the sounds of mud-filled balloons whizzing in all directions.

The balloons hit the decks with a loud THUNK. The struggle to keep balanced was replaced with the struggle to stay on your feet and mop the deck.

"Quick! MOP!" Shouted Mortimer to his frantic crew mates.

"Counten, stand at the very front of the deck, everyone else move to the back." Mortimer directed his crew in an attempt to delegate the weight.

Their struggle increased with every step Counten took. His bulk shook the whole deck.

"Counten! Try and use your mop like a bat to deflect back some of the balloons!"

Mortimer turned to Thomas and Whoopie. "Thomas, get low and stay down. Focus on using the mop to swab the deck but do not stand. Get on your hands and knees! Whoopie, help me redirect any balloons that make it past Counten, but mop as much as you can! If fewer balloons hit the deck, then the mopping will be much easier." Mortimer's directions seemed to work out well for the crew and soon their deck was staying just a bit cleaner than the decks of their fellow pirate trainees.

"TIDAL WAVE!" Shouted Steelgut from a perch above the decks where he could keep an eye on his students while shouting orders to his fellow instructors.

A loud whooshing sound started from the opposite direction of the cannon fire and the trainees turned to see a large wave forming in the moats below the decks. The wave built up momentum as it rushed up behind the small group of deck swabbers, gaining mass with every second.

"Brace yourselves!" Mortimer shouted as he dropped low smashing himself against the deck. He yelled to his other crew members to get down but the flying balloons and deck wobbling drowned out his voice.

The wall of water struck all three decks violently, taking most of the young pirates completely unaware. Most of the piratelings now found themselves soaking wet in the moats below their decks. To Mortimer's surprise his entire crew was still on their deck. Counten's size had stopped the balloon barrage from sullying the deck, and his body was so wide that he was able to grasp the deck on both sides which reduced the effects of the large wave. The cannon fire stopped. Feeling safe, the crew began to stand, except Counten who grasped the decks' sides with all his might and let out wails of fear.

"GET ME OFF HERE! HELP!" Counten wailed. Mortimer walked over and placed his hand on top of the terrified boys arm.

"It's OK," Mortimer said softly.

Counten opened his eyes and looked up at Mortimer. "Is it over yet?" Counten asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. I think we won." Mortimer replied. As soon as he spoke, the decks began to sway even more violently than before and another barrage of balloons filled with dirt and mud shot through the air towards them.

"SWAB!" Mortimer shouted to his comrades, but the three were too busy looking for cracks and holes in the deck to hang onto to listen to Mortimer.

The rocking motion jolted Mortimer all over the deck. Mop in hand, he tried to swab what little he could while the deck swayed violently, but the force tossed him into his comrades like a human pinball.

"I can't hold on any longer," blurted Counten as the deck turned so swiftly it nearly capsized. In that instant, Mortimer remembered something from another passage he had read in his Grandmother's book. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Something about water staying in a bucket even when upside down, long as there was enough force applied.

Quick as a flash, Mortimer yelled to his crew to grab the left end of the deck and hang on.

The deck rocked hard to the right side. Mortimer gripped with all his might but his crew was too late to understand. The centrifugal force evened out only for a moment. Relief flashed in Counten's face, but it was short lived as the deck turned completely on its left side. There was a loud splash as Counten, Whoopie, and Thomas all plunged into the moat.

The young training pirates had caused a displacement of the moats water level. With the addition of Counten, not a single pirateling could touch the bottom of the once knee-deep water. Thomas, Whoopie and Counten started to doggy paddle toward dry land, but it was slow going and the rough waves threw them around and kept them disoriented.

"THAT'S IT!" came a voice that was far louder than required. Steelgut jumped down from his viewing platform and motioned for the decks to be reset.

"What was the point of that?" Qball wailed. "Everyone ended up in the drink so nobody won!"

"Ah!" Steelgut said with a smile that looked like he had just been kicked by a mule.

"You be a crew. Failure is a group event. There don't be just you anymore, yur crew be yur family, all part of one body. A crewmate be your left arm, your right leg! You aren't going to get very far without those now are ye?"

THUNK! CRACK! SQUEAAK!! The decks protested as they were set back into their default positions, causing the piratelings to look up at the small make shift tree house decks.

"Did I win?!" came the triumphant voice of Mortimer, still standing on the deck, sopping wet but with a huge smile spreading from ear to ear.

"You can't 'WIN' without your crew!" bellowed Steelgut, anger and frustration clear in his expression. "Nobody's supposed to be left! Why?! Where?! What be going on?! Bruiser! How can ye'uh let this happen?! Where are ye old man?!"

A man with long white hair who was a head taller than Steelgut appeared from out of nowhere. He had biceps the size of watermelons, long lean legs, and he was ripped with muscles from head to toe.

Mortimer thought he looked incredibly strong, but something seemed off about him. His stride did not fall quite right and one side of his body jerked out of place with every step.

"Wh-at yo-ou wan-t?" Bruiser said quickly using short syllables. It was as if speaking out loud was not something he did very often.

Steelgut pulled the old man down by his stringy gray beard until he was looking him right in the eye. He spoke in a very quiet voice as he held back his fury. "You're not supposed to stop rocking the boats until every single scalawag has fallen into the blue. Why'd ya stop?!"

"I saw nobody. A-al-all in water!" Bruiser replied, cringing as if he was about to be walloped upside the head.

"THEN WHAT IS THAT?!" Steelgut screamed directly into the large man's face tightening his grip on Bruiser's beard.

"I-" started Bruiser, but he was cut off by a finger covering his mouth

"Close yer trap!!!" said Steelgut. He raised a hand into the air, then closed it into a fist and made a quick thumbs down motion.

A BOOM filled the air followed by a soft whistling sound. Then there was a SMACK, and an OOF! Followed by a soft splash. The pirate trainees watched as Mortimer trudged out of the moat, his face covered in mud, his clothes soaked.

"THERE BE NO WINNERS!" shouted Steelgut, glaring at each of the young pirates in turn with his good eye.

Qball let out a loud laugh. He was as wet and muddy as Mortimer, but that did not stop him from poking his buddies and whispering as they all joined him in a loud cackle.

"SHUT IT, PEEWEE!" yelled Steelgut, giving Qball an even more intense glare. He then turned back to the entire group. "Let the feast commence!" he shouted.

The roasted pheasant was wheeled out and placed on a large table up on the viewing platform.

"Ah, the rewards of victory!" Steelgut announced as he sat down at the table, taking time to tuck a napkin around his neck and arrange his silverware. Taking his knife in his one hand and the fork in his other, he leaned in and took a long whiff of the steam pluming off the bird before he flipped the knife in his hand and began to carve with unexpected finesse.

"Who wants the first piece?" shouted Steelgut, waving his fork bearing a small white chunk of pheasant in the air, sending the aroma toward the group and causing everyone's mouth's to water.

"ME!" shouted Qball who was drowned out by Counten's screaming voice.

"NO ME!" came the shout of another in the crowd.

"HA! The dead can't eat pheasant!" proclaimed Steelgut as he tossed the chunk of meat into the moat where it let out a splosh and sank out of sight.

"I guess we living will just have to enjoy whatever you poor drowned souls have left behind." Steelgut picked up the pheasant with a single massive hand and began to tear into it like an animal, allowing the juices to run down the corners of his mouth. "This is delicious," he sputtered through a mouth full of thigh meat. Steelgut placed the pheasant down on the platter, swallowed and took a quick swig of water. He looked back to the group of students and let out a giant satisfied sigh.

"AH! That was great. I feel like a new man! Now back to your training. This be yur last chance. The one of you who can be tell'n me the reason why the highest aft deck be called the 'poop-deck' will get an amazing lunch, identical to the one I just enjoyed." he looked around to his students with an insincere smile.

Quick as a flash, Bruiser appeared with another platter which he wheeled onto the stage. The lid was removed showing that the pheasant was raw, unseasoned, and ready to either be cooked that night or saved for later.

The rack that enclosed the lower half of the bird had a #1 printed on it in bright green with yellow contrast.

"ARG! Anyone who knows the answer, speak now. If ye hold yur tongue, I would be happy to take this here bird home for me supper." He eyed the uncooked bird jealously while licking the leftover juices from his meal off his lips.

A very quiet. "Arg!" came from the crowd of young pirates. Mortimer was relieved. He knew the answer but was afraid his peers had already begun to resent him because of the deck swabbing exercise. He knew Nana Bootsie would praise him if he brought home that bird, but he wanted to make friends. "Nobody likes a know it all," he thought to himself.

The tiniest pirate Mortimer had ever seen pushed her way to the front toward Steelgut's platform. The group shuffled to the sides to allow her to pass.

"My granny told me that the name poop-deck has nothing to do with what the deck is used for. It is based on a foreign word, 'la poupe,' which referred to the raised deck that most officers stand on while issuing orders to the crew at the stern of the ship," the little girl reported as if she was making a presentation to a class.

"That's right! Smart as ever, Wendy, me girl! That deck is where the officers do their business and keep the rest of the lubbers on board in line. The word be reffer'n simply to the deck at the very back of the ship. ARG! The bird be yours wee-wench! Enjoy!" Steelgut motioned for the tiny child to come up and carry off her prize. It was as large as she was tall.

"Now that be it for today. Based on what I've seen, I plan to group up yur crews and pick a cap'n who will be responsible for his group following all orders during each training exercise. The highest rated captain at the end of the term will be honored with my personal recommendation for his own ship to command upon graduation." Steelgut paused as the groups of children murmured to one another about who would make the best captain.

"However; no captain's position is safe. Your crew is your lifeblood and if they feel ye not be fit for command, they have the right to mutiny and replace you with a more fittin' leader. That is all! Return to yur homes and clean yourselves up, ya bunch of soft bellies!" Steelgut returned to his meal on the platform. Mortimer decided that he had been wet and muddy long enough for one day. He headed back home to clean himself up and prepare for his ninja class later that night.

## Chapter 3 – Skull Shuriken Island

Have you ever looked at a map and seen a cluster of islands all bundled together? That island group is known as an archipelago. Skull Shuriken Island stands very near but not directly in the center of one of the largest archipelagos in the seas. It's made up of around three hundred medium to very tiny islands.

If, for whatever reason, someone wished to visit Skull Shuriken Island, they would need to navigate between a group of tiny islands so treacherously close together that nothing larger than a brig type vessel could make the journey through to the inner islands where we are located. Or, if you are lucky enough to know where it is, you can take the safe route through.

Lucky for most navigators, there is no place as boring to a potential tourist as Skull Shuriken Island.

It's needless to say that no public mail system delivers packages or letters to Skull Shuriken Island, BUT our wonderful island does feature: vast jungles, undrinkable waters, and deadly animals including large cats and poisonous snakes. We have plenty of evil harpies and there isn't a single body of water that is uninfested with one of many types of eels and poisonous reptiles.

Anyone who was planning to live on this island would have to be completely out of their mind, which is also what most of the residents said about Blackbeard when he decided to found a base here. I am told there is only one force on the planet strong enough to cause someone to attempt to make a home on this horrible deadly island. "Love."

Yes, you heard right. My grandfather, Blackbeard the Pirate, was madly in love with a noble lady from a highborn mainland family. In an attempt to win her affections he claimed to be a wealthy merchant and exotic tradesman with his own private island paradise. This ruse worked great when he came into port and courted his lady between pirating sessions, but unfortunately as their love grew, his fair lady began to ask more and more questions about his island paradise home. Soon, due to the intoxicating effects of his love and generous amounts of grog, Blackbeard accidentally invited his love to his personal island paradise.

When the time came to leave his lady love and return to the seas, it was with promises of a romantic voyage to his island of luxury.

This is where a sane person would have cut his losses and moved on, but love has been known to drive even sanest man crazy, pirates are not sane people, and Blackbeard was an exemplary pirate.

Blackbeard began his long search for the perfect island paradise. He quickly discovered that any island worthy of such a title already had plenty of residents enjoying its natural luxuries.

One night after an insane storm mysteriously knocked all the grog overboard, because of what Blackbeard himself believed was the power of true love, the ship ran aground alongside the largest cluster of uncharted islands my grandfather had ever seen.

Once the grog had been located and was secured, Blackbeard used a small schooner to explore and chart the islands to create a personal map. Months and much grog later he had mapped the entire archipelago.

The next step was to decide which islands were suitable to be his personal paradise and, more importantly, impress his lady love. This took some time and once the island was chosen, it took even longer before he had managed to build small structures and high fences to create a small fortress to protect him and his men from the island's dangerous wildlife.

Soon he had constructed a small city that included all the luxuries he could ship in from the mainland: a fortress city for him and his crew, hidden in the most remote, reclusive, and dangerous island in the whole area.

Blackbeard believed it a good idea to set up his fortress on this island because it was so insanely dangerous, that any fool who happened upon it would turn tail after only a few moments in the outer jungles. Most importantly, his island was ready for his lady love. Blackbeard took his nicest and most luxurious ship back to the mainland to whisk away the one he called his "purest treasure."

When he arrived at her manor, he realized it had been almost a year since he had last seen his love. She was no less beautiful and when he saw her again it took his breath away. His heart beat as fast as it had during the thrill of his first raid.

"I have come to take you away to our personal island paradise. Everything has been prepared," he said with a bow that was unbecoming of a pirate.

"I'm so sorry," the lady replied, "but you've been gone for so long that I thought you weren't going to return. My heart now belongs to another." She bowed her head and an older man with an extremely large mustache who was dressed in the clothes of a Lord came up behind her and put his arm around her.

"Sorry, old bean. Bad luck," the man said. Blackbeard's eyes filled rage and his blood boiled at the sight of his love with another.

"No need for your 'Sorries.' I'm the one at fault here. I wish you both much happiness." He looked up at his love and smiled one last time. Then with a quick bow and a glance to memorize the old noble's face Blackbeard stormed out of the manor and never returned.

From that moment on Blackbeard made Skull Shuriken Island his base of operations. He carried a grudge against the Noble who had stolen his lady love and destroyed his heart. He attacked the man's ships relentlessly in an effort to make him pay for the gaping hole he now felt inside, but most of his crew suspected the person he was truly upset with was himself.

## Chapter 4 – Why is there so much paperwork?

"You're soaking wet and covered in mud!" shrieked Nana Bootsie as Mortimer walked in the door of their small home.

"How was your first day spent emulating our cultured and refined men of the sea?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Mortimer let out a long sigh. "I have no idea... I mean, I think I did what I was supposed to do..." There was disappointment and confusion in his voice.

Nana Bootsie let out a long hearty laugh. "Well, don't expect your teachers to know either. If you did anything to make yourself stand out, you likely just confused Steelgut. That man hasn't got a clue about anything. By the way, I saved your place." Nana Bootsie pointed to the family book that read Science Facts on the cover. The book seemed to let out an alluring call as Mortimer tore his gaze away and back to his Nana.

"He has no use for such a thing," Mortimer was interrupted by his mother as she entered the room. "The Misty Palm School of Vanishing Knowledge has much more to offer than simple words written on paper," said Jade Shadowclaw, Mortimer's often absent mother.

"HMPH!" let out Nana Bootsie.

"Your mother is here to visit you," she said in a disapproving tone as she walked out of the room pretending that she had something better to do.

"Are you ready to start your real training?" Mortimer's Mother said in an excited tone.

"I don't know, I really just..." and once again Mortimer's words were quickly cut off by his mother.

"You're going to love it! My time in the school was by far the best and most defining time of my young life," Mortimer's mother said as she walked over to the table and closed the book Science Facts.

Mortimer began to open his mouth once more, but before he could his mother was speaking again.

"Go upstairs and get yourself clean. I will lay out your ninja training gear and escort you to Misty Palm myself. I am SO excited for you!" His Mother let out a little giggle at the end of her words.

"Yes mom," Mortimer managed to squeak out as his Mother left the room to begin what would quickly escalate into a long-winded argument with Nana Bootsie.

After some time in a tub of soapy water with a scrub brush, Mortimer was all cleaned up from his first day of pirate training. So far, nothing had gone as he had expected, which worried him even more about what to expect from his ninja training.

He entered his room to find a new ninja gi and gear laid out on his bed. There was a black tunic with a hood, a pair of black pants, a cloth belt and boots that appeared to have a space between the big toe and middle toes.

All of the cloth felt strange. It was made of an odd material that wasn't quite soft but wasn't rough either and it was very strong. Most importantly the fabric didn't make noise when it rubbed against itself. "Ninja clothes sure are amazing," thought Mortimer as he donned his new outfit and admired himself in the mirror.

"My little baby is all grown up! What a perfect little ninja you have become! Don't forget your mask," Mortimer's mother said as she entered his room and admired her son. "Here, this is for you," she said, handing Mortimer a bag that was designed to tie around his waist and sit on his lower back.

"This both looks weird and feels out of place. Why would anyone wear this?" Mortimer said as he surveyed the bag in the mirror, now in its place above his backside.

"So it doesn't get in the way when you're running or climbing. We often use bags that tie from the waist to the leg too, but I couldn't get a hold of one so this will do just fine for now," Mortimer's mother explained as she checked to make sure the bag was secured snugly. "I think you're ready now. We'd better get going. A ninja is always early. Oh, and don't forget your climbing claws."

Mortimer grabbed the claws from his bed. They were the same ones he had used earlier in the day to scale the walls of Cutless Academy.

"How did you get those anyway? I had included some in your bag, but I found you already had a pair when I came in here earlier," Mortimer's mother reorganized his bag and inserted the climbing claws.

"I thought you gave them to me," Mortimer said in confusion. "They just sort of showed up when I needed them earlier today."

"Oh really? Hmmm. Well, that is a surprise." She motioned for him to follow her out the door as if the news of objects just appearing when you needed them was normal for a ninja.

As he left, he gave Nana Bootsie a quick hug and she pointed to the Science Facts book once again. "It's waiting for you whenever you're ready," she repeated. She was starting to sound like a mocking bird, saying the same thing over and over every time Mortimer saw her. He didn't know how to respond. The information in the book had already proven useful during his training. Still, he didn't need one of Nana Bootsie's famous "'I told you so's" right now. He just looked at his grandmother and shot her a nice big smile. "Love you, see you later!" Mortimer bolted to avoid any more awkward moments with his grandmother.

Instantly, Mortimer had to quicken his pace. His mother moved with amazing speed and grace and expected Mortimer to keep up.

The Misty Palm School of Vanishing Knowledge is located on the highest mountainside in the northern part of Skull Shuriken Island. The school itself is surrounded by sharp cliffs and rough terrain. Mortimer had once explored this area with his grandfather, Great Wolf Shadow, his mother's father, who only supported the marriage of Mortimer's parents after he found out Mortimer was on the way.

Sadly, as a Grandmaster in the ninja arts, he is always very busy training high ranking ninja in secret techniques. Mortimer could rely on him to only appear on special occasions and holidays.

Mortimer followed his mother up the narrow mountain path, cliffs above and below them as they ascended. Jade suddenly stopped. The path before them had disappeared and they were overlooking a deep chasm. "This is as close to the school as any non-ninja can go," said Jade as she reached down into her ninja pouch. She paused for a moment, feeling around as if the object she was looking for was deep in the recesses of the small bag that sat snug on her hip. Mortimer let out a small chuckle at the sight of it. His mother was elbow deep feeling around inside the tiny bag. She looked ridiculous as her stance shifted so her arm could make it just a bit further inside.

"Found it!" She produced a small, ornate, crimson key inscribed with ninja symbols and letters. She then walked up to the edge of the chasm, turned to face the rising cliff wall on one side of the path, and inserted the key into a slot that Mortimer had not noticed before. A loud creaking echoed off the rock, joined by the sound of chains and gears twisting and turning within the cliff face.

As Mortimer stared at the cliff wall, the jagged rocks began to move, twisting and turning to form a stairway that lead higher up into the mountains above them.

"You will be issued your own key as soon as we fill out the required paperwork," Mortimer's Mother called as she started up the rock staircase toward the school.

It took much longer than he had expected, but they eventually made it to the high archway that read "Misty Palm School of Vanishing Knowledge." The words appeared for a moment, only long enough to be read once, but it was just long enough for Mortimer to be sure he had arrived in the right place. He glanced back up, but the letters inscribed on the archway seemed to have faded away. During their trip up the mountain, his mother kept reiterating to Mortimer how amazing the school is and how great her time there was. It seemed that just like Nana Bootsie, his mother had already planned a future for Mortimer.

As they approached the entrance to the large structure that was the School of Vanishing Knowledge, Mortimer noticed how plain and boring the building was. The doors were white with no distinguishing markings. The building was made of wood with bricks used for supports. Wide wooden beams extruded from the structure at every corner. The roofs were the only distinguishing feature as the building appeared to have many stories, each level smaller than the last with its own narrow roof surrounding the outside of it.

"Over there!" his Mother said excitedly as she grabbed Mortimer by the hand and pulled him towards a large sign that read "New Arrivals."

They entered a door that slid open to reveal a room with two chairs and one small table between them. A single door stood on the opposite side of the room. There was no signage or instructions and Mortimer thought that already this place seemed kind of dull.

"Welcome! Over here, please," came the voice of an old woman who was sitting behind a desk in the corner. Mortimer could swear both the woman and the desk were not there when they first entered the room. He reminded himself that this place was filled with ninja, so he was probably not crazy.

"Please fill out form 547-I, 'Permission to Enter the Admissions Office'," the woman said, a large stack of paperwork attached to a plank of wood by a single nail in her outstretched hand.

"Isn't this exciting?" Jade proclaimed, rushing over to the woman to pick up the forms.

After a few uneventful and silent moments, his mother turned in the completed form. The woman pressed a button on her desk and a loud GONG filled the air as the only door in the room slid open on its own. Mortimer remembered entering through one door and seeing a second, and again had to remind himself that he was in a ninja stronghold and these kinds of things happen.

"Please proceed to the New Student Admissions Information office," the woman behind the desk said, motioning them through the door.

The two entered a long plain hallway and made their way toward a doorway at the far end. Mortimer noticed a few rooms with information plaques nailed on the wall next to them. He paused to read them, but every time his eyes focused on the words they vanished.

"We ninja believe paperwork is very important. It is the only way we have found to make sure that everything is completed on time and with precision," Mortimer's mother proclaimed to him with a smile.

"It's great, Mom," said Mortimer with a hint of confusion and boredom in his voice.

They arrived at another door that looked much like the last one but had the word "Admissions" written on a small sign to its right. Mortimer noticed that the words on this plaque did not vanish as he stared at it. The door slid open and Mortimer was shocked to find this room looked just like the first. The same desk and the same woman appeared in what looked like the same corner.

"I have your new student admissions forms ready for you to fill out," the woman explained, and with a giggle of excitement his mother skipped over and picked up an even larger stack of paperwork.

"We have to fill out all of this?!" Mortimer cried, gazing at the thick pile of papers his mother was holding. She handed him a pen, plopped the stack on his lap, and told him to get to work.

After another hour of filling out paperwork, Mortimer carried the stack of completed forms to the now bored-looking ninja administrator. She took one quick look at the filled out pages, placed the stack in a box on top of her desk marked "Out" and waited a moment staring at it. The papers suddenly faded from vision and the woman then shifted her gaze to the box marked "In" as if she expected it to do something. A small red key, much like the one his mother had used on the cliff-side, appeared in the box. The woman handed it to Mortimer and told him the location of his class for the night.

Mortimer was told he could head to class but his mother had to stay behind to fill out yet more permission forms and paperwork. Mortimer found it strange how excited his mother seemed to fill out mountains of paperwork. He hoped he would never be so bored with life that he began to think paperwork was exciting.

Mortimer once again entered the maze of plain hallways and repeating doors. His given directions: two rights, three lefts, third door; were easier to follow than he expected. He quickly located what he thought would be his classroom only to find that he was once again in a room that looked exactly like the one he had first entered with his mother. Although his mother was not in this room, he did find the same woman at the desk.

"Here for your permission to enter the classroom paperwork?" the woman said as Mortimer let out an audible groan. He quickly completed the paperwork and the door opened once again. The woman assured him that this was the last time he would have to see her for the night and Mortimer tried to disguise his happiness as he headed out the door.

Mortimer was relieved to find himself in a real classroom. Desks were lined up 4 wide by 5 deep. There were already three other young ninja there, all seated in the front row, waiting for their teacher in silence.

Nobody made a sound as the three students all turned to stare at Mortimer. He quickly found his way to an empty desk beside the others and made himself comfortable. A few times he started to turn to say something to the student sitting to his left, but when he turned to speak, all three just sat staring forward like programmed robots. Mortimer started to feel very uncomfortable with the idea of saying anything, so he just joined the others in the silence and waited.

## Chapter 5 – What kind of cookies?

The enduring silence felt awkward to Mortimer, but he could see how silence was a desirable trait in a ninja school. After all, ninja train hard to be able to perform even the most daunting, impossible of tasks without making a sound. Still, you would think in an unsupervised classroom setting, even young ninja would at least chat a bit. Mortimer was stuck dwelling only his thoughts, which frustratingly kept telling him to say something and break the silence. Finally, knowing it was very un-ninja of him, he resolved to introduce himself to the student sitting to his left.

Before he got the chance to speak, the room filled with smoke. A gray, hazy veil blocked Mortimer's vision, yet his other senses seemed to be working at full force. The smoke smelled unmistakably like fresh-baked cookies. Mortimer felt his stomach ache for food and his mouth began to water. The taste of his favorite banana and cocoa crème cookies filled his thoughts and pushed away all other sensations.

The smoke began to clear, slowly revealing a dark figure. The strangest ninja Mortimer had ever seen was now at the front of the classroom. He was wearing a bright yellow Hawaiian shirt with red ninja stars on it over his dogi uniform. He also had neon green sunglasses with black lenses that fit snugly over his ninja mask.

The strangest thing about this ninja was not his appearance, but the fact that he was striking a pose on a surfboard as if riding a gigantic wave, only the wave was not made of water but of the instructor's desk at the front of the classroom.

Doing a full three-sixty spin on the board, he dismounted with an agile jump, twisted through the air and landed on the ground in front of the desk facing the seated students.

"Surfs up, Shinobis!" the man proclaimed enthusiastically. "The surf was gnarly. I had plenty of time to enjoy myself on the big blue before class. Any wave dogs here?" the strange looking ninja said, looking at each student in turn.

The class looked at their instructor as if the man had five eyes and four sets of legs.

"Guess not. No worries, ninj-oobs! My name is Sensei Wavecrash and I will be your guide and guru on your journey through the exciting world of "Intro to Shinobi: 101.' This is a very exciting class filled with adventure, thrills, and lots of sweet waves. Sadly, before we can get to any of that, we've got some work to do." Sensei Wavecrash threw each student a standard piece of paper which zoomed through the air and landed on each student's desk perfectly in front of them. "First, we have to go through a checklist of the expected starting ninja gear. Then, at the end of the class we will have a really sneaky pop quiz. Dull stuff first, dudes."

The students remained totally silent as Sensei Wavecrash paced back and forth, reading aloud from the paper in his hand. "Page one, line one!" Sensei stated as he began to read the form.

Role form H3R3-N3.

Please fill out the following information truthfully.

  * 1. Write your full name.

  * 2. Are you filling this out in the classroom right now?

  * 3. Do you have permission to be here from your guardians?

  * 4. Have you filled out following forms: HGTV-5g: "Permission to Wear a Ninja Dogi" and GVTY-7f: "Right to Declare Yourself an Active Member of the Class?"

  * 5. Have you completed form YTU-6k: "Proof of Ninja Lineage with Blood Sample?"

  * 6. Gnarly!

Mortimer and the others filled out their forms and returned them to Sensei Wavecrash.

"Totally excellent, student-dudes!" said Sensei Wavecrash as he read over the papers, then shredded them using four ninja stars mounted above a waste bin.

Mortimer could hold his silence no longer. He pushed himself up from his chair and announced in shock, "You don't keep them on file?"

"Noooooo Waaaaayyyyy, ninja-trainee dude. Ninja can't leave any trace. 'Course, you haven't learned that yet because this is 'Ninja one-oh-one,' day one!" Sensei Wavecrash motioned for Mortimer to take his seat. Mortimer was very confused about the point of all the paperwork he and his mother had been filling out since his arrival. The awkward silence resumed as the students waited for their sensei to speak once again.

"Excellent! This class has some impressive silence skills. The next generation is already off to a sneaky start. Sadly, though, this gnarly silence has to come to an end so we can get to know each other." Sensei Wavecrash jumped back up on his desk and raised his hands in the air.

"Sly Reed!" Sensei shouted as he jumped off the desk landing in front of a young male student, "You are going to be the yellow bandana." Sensei held out his hand and produced a yellow bandana which he helped Sly tie around his forehead.

Quick as a flash, Sensei rushed around the room distributing bandanas. A female student named Wen Shadow Walker received the red bandana. Another girl named Rin Flipway was handed the purple bandana, and Mortimer himself received an orange bandana. Mortimer tied on his bandana as the Sensei returned to the front of the class.

Snapping around to face his class, Sensei raised his hands in the air, flashing the peace sign. "NOW! This is the part of the class where we would normally waste A TON of our time filling out all the required ninja permission and requisition forms. YAAAWWWNNNNN!!! We are NOT going to do that right now! The next step after that would be to spend lots of time learning the secret ninja star cookie recipe. Mondo complicated spices and sugars, dudes. We are NOT going to do that either. Cooking is so boring and it would take another two classes before we would get to the fun part. So ask yourselves, what's the sweetest part of baking cookies?"

Sensei Wavecrash turned quickly to each of his four students motioning with his hands for them to shout out their answers. No one made a sound.

"This is not silence class! Show me that ninja energy! Focus, dudes! What's the most super awesome part of making cookies!?"

The young ninja looked to one another as if they had been told by an authority figure to do something that another authority figure had told them not to do. It was a few moments before the silence was finally broken.

"Frosting them!" screamed Wen.

"Dipping them in milk!" Rin said, imitating the motion with her hands.

"Eating them all before anyone else can get any!" said Sly, sugar lust swimming in his eyes.

"The energy you get when the sugar transforms into glucose!" said Mortimer, standing as the excitement in the room increased. The three other students turned to him with confused expressions.

"ALL WRONG!" said Sensei Wavecrash as he hopped onto his desk once again. He reached into a pocket and produced a cookie in the shape of a ninja star with red frosting expertly formed into sugary blood on the blades.

"The BEST thing about ninja star cookies... is how they explode on impact!" With blazing speed and perfect form, he flung the cookie through the air directly at a poster with target painted on it. At the moment of impact, both cookie and poster exploded, showering the entire room with sparkling red and brown dust and leaving no trace of cookie or target.

The group of young ninja cheered excitedly at the sight. Sensei Wavecrash motioned the group to leave their seats and tossed each one a small gear bag filled with the ninja star cookies of various shapes, sizes and colors.

"I made them myself," Sensei said, his smile hidden under his ninja mask.

The group followed Sensei Wavecrash out the door of the classroom and through a maze of hallways, finally arriving at the ninja star training range. The all-white room was filled with pillars featuring different-sized targets painted on them and sticking out of them in all directions.

"Now for the only boring part of this exercise; proper ninja star throwing form. Very important, dudes," Sensei said as he produce another ninja star cookie and continued on to the lesson.

"Two things will make for a successful throw, allowing for the highest level of sweet accuracy and awesome power. Those things are stance and wrist motion." Sensei Wavecrash motioned for the group to watch as he demonstrated the form.

He stood with his right foot turned outward and slightly behind him and his left foot pointing forward. His left leg was bent and bore most of his weight. His left palm was about a foot in front of him facing upward, with a ninja star cookie lying flat in the center. His right hand was above his left about three inches behind his wrist, turned so his index finger slightly pointed towards his body.

"All it takes is a quick flick of the wrist. Remember to keep your hands pulled in towards your body to steady them. Aim with your eyes, mindful of everything, but only focus on your target." Sensei took a deep breath. He held it for only a moment then exhaled as his right hand moved with lightning speed, his wrist flicking through the air toward the cookie which shot towards the target painted on the front of the closest pillar.

The young ninja cheered as the cookie exploded, obliterating the target. The pillar was now marked with a giant red spot swirling out from the center of where the cookie hit.

"You have thirty minutes to master the technique, then we will be holding a contest. The winner will be exempt from the pop quiz. Any questions, newbie ninjaling-dudes?" When no one answered, Sensei turned toward the pillars and took his stance again. Stacking four cookies on his hand he shot them off, one after another, destroying their targets in turn.

The awestruck young ninja emulated their Sensei's stance, throwing cookies all over the room. It became obvious to Mortimer that Sly, Rin, and Wen all had previous experience throwing stars at targets. Since it was Mortimer's first time, he had to quickly develop his own skills to catch up with them.

Nana Bootsie had said that ninja and pirate training during her time was not useful and his mother had always been too busy to train him much herself. His grandfather was a good teacher, but forced Mortimer to focus on the sword whenever they were together. He would often say, "Every other weapon is merely a distraction."

After half-an-hour had gone by, the students found themselves out of cookies and with very few undamaged targets remaining.

"All right! I think we're ready for the contest to begin," said Sensei Wavecrash as he produced four colored gear bags. He tossed each student a bag that matched the color of their bandana.

"The first student who manages to hit me with a star will be exempt from the pop quiz. Ready yourselves, dudes. I will also be throwing stars, so watch out. Anyone who's hit is out of the game." He produced a small orb which he threw on the ground. It filled the entire room with red smoke that smelled very much like fresh-baked cookies.

"Spread out! We can defeat him if we work together," Sly commanded, but when he turned to look at his fellow ninja, he realized he was standing alone.

"It's every woman for herself!" Rin's voice shot back as the sound of ninja stars cookies exploding filled the air.

Mortimer was conflicted. On one hand, his pirate training had already taught him that working together with your group is the best way to succeed, but he also knew that when it came to ninja training, the only way to win was to work outside the rules of the situation.

Mortimer quickly pulled on one of his spiked climbing gloves and both of his boot spikes. Geared for what he thought was a brilliant plan, he climbed a pillar, searching from above for any signs of his fellow ninja.

"I hope I don't regret this," he thought to himself as he found Rin and Wen below. They weaved and jumped around with amazing agility, dodging star cookies that seemed to come from all directions.

He searched around, trying to catch a glimpse of his Sensei. He was nowhere in sight, but must have been the one throwing all those cookies. Luckily, from his vantage point Mortimer could see there was a pattern to the source of the projectiles. Mortimer prepared to leap, bracing himself with his feet as he placed two cookies in each hand. Mortimer leaped from his perch, flinging a cookie towards each suspected source of his Sensei's cookie barrage.

CLANK!!! BANG!! DWOING!!! SPLAT!!!

Mortimer's stars each hit something and exploded on contact, but to his surprise, their Sensei was not one of the targets. Instead, Mortimer discovered that the cookies weren't being thrown by the Sensei himself, but by three small ninja star cannons which had been set to automatically fire the cookies. Mortimer guessed it was a trick to keep the students distracted. Quick as he could Mortimer scaled the closest pillar to once again have a bird's eye view of the action, and it was just in time.

Suddenly, there was a loud cackling laugh from the shadows. The smoke, which had begun to fade from the room, thickened again as shapes formed in the mist. Tall and slender, the shapes of surf boards towered over the three students on the ground, casting odd shadows around the room as they moved faster and faster until Rin, Wen and Sly were surrounded.

"Surf's up, dudes!" came the voice of Sensei Wavecrash from all directions.

"Show yourself!" yelled Wen to the shadows as the smoke boards encircled the three young ninja. They were at a loss as to how to deal with the situation.

"Use your stars!" shouted Rin, and the three flung stars at the boards as they spun around, moving faster and faster, disorienting the group even more.

Suddenly, star cookies showered from behind the smoke boards and panic began to take the three as they did their best to dodge. Star after star rained on them and the group's resolve began to falter.

Mortimer was out of ideas. He watched helplessly as the two girls formed a plan to rush and overtake the surfboards by force. Mortimer knew it was a ninja illusion but he did not know how to break it himself. He was sure you could not punch smoke but he still hoped that it might somehow help. Then, as if his Grandmother was whispering in his ear, words from the book of Science Facts swam into his mind.

Science Facts: Chapter 37, section 16.

Magic is a term used to describe a performing art that is meant to entertain and thrill its audience. Magic 'tricks' or 'illusions' make use of a staged scenario or set that is prepared beforehand and uses concealed scientific and mechanical equipment to hide the truth of what is happening from the audience. When your average person is asked to describe how a trick is performed they would often answer: Smoke and Mirrors.

"Smoke and mirrors!" Mortimer shouted, interrupting Wen and Rin, who were about to initiate an intricate plan involving double back flips while throwing stars past each other and cartwheeling out of the smoke trap to safety.

"If you think the smoke has a mind of its own and you can confuse it, then it can hear you and you just gave away your plan!" Mortimer shouted.

Wen and Rin looked at each other and asked in unison, "Where's Sly?"

CRASH! SMASH! The sound of shattering glass filled the air and the smoke boards faded from sight. It was now clear to all the students that the stars were shooting from hidden cannons within the pillars all around them.

"Obviously, Sensei Wavecrash is cheating," thought Mortimer.

"It was your Idea, I just thought it sounded good," Came the voice of Sly as the last smoke board vanished with a loud crash from the shadows. Sly rushed over to his fellow ninja and the four stood back to back and scanned the room. The soft lighting was reflected off shards of broken mirrors, sending small beams of light around in the room in all directions.

"Very good. Not many newborn shinobi manage to make it this far along in the test. To give you a chance, I had those cannons set to fire their stars much slower than if they been thrown by actual fully trained ninja. Sadly, from here on in, there will be no more tricks, dudes." The group recognized the voice of their Sensei, but its sinister tone made them nervous and uneasy. They were immediately forced to scatter as stars began to shower from all directions.

Sly took three cookies to the chest as he smashed against a pillar. He winced from the stinging pain of the stars and the aching of his impact.

With amazing agility, Rin jumped from pillar to pillar, when suddenly the pillar she was headed for vanished and was replaced with Sensei Wavecrash, a star at the ready. There was a loud shattering sound and Rin hit the floor and rolled into a ball in pain, her clothes covered in cookie crumbs.

"There!" Mortimer pointed to Sensei Wavecrash as he landed between himself and Wen. Mortimer threw his star cookies as fast as he could while screaming for Wen to dodge. Sensei Wavecrash simply jumped out of the projectiles' path and the cookies collided with Wen who had just turned to look at Mortimer.

"You idiot!" screamed Wen as she tried to brush the cookie crumbs from her face, her eyes shut tightly.

"Whoa, dude! Total failure on that throw. Gotta make sure you're aiming for where your target will be, not where it was. NEVER aim where your teammate is. Bummer, dude! Looks like your time is up," said Sensei Wavecrash as he readied a fresh pair of star cookies in each hand.

Mortimer jumped towards the closest pillar. He used his climbing claws to try to stay off the ground. He kept moving from pillar to pillar, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the Sensei caught up to him. "GOTCHA, DUDE!" Sensei Wavecrash came up behind Mortimer, riding a gray wave of smoke on his surfboard. He threw his star cookies directly at Mortimer who was in mid-air leaping between pillars and unable to change direction. Mortimer threw his own cookies in desperation. With incredible speed and power, Sensei Wavecrash's star cookies hit Mortimer in the chest, taking him right out of the air.

Mortimer hit the ground with a loud thud and rolled around, moaning in pain. Sensei Wavecrash slid to the ground next to Mortimer and hopped off his board in a panic.

"Lucille! NO!" screamed Sensei as he huddled over his surfboard. Out of thin air, he produced wax, cleaning products and a special rag for buffing surf boards. He went to work quickly, forgetting he was in the middle of teaching a class.

"I'll save you, babe. You won't have a scratch on you when I'm done," he cooed, gingerly wiping his surfboard to remove the crumbs that stuck as a result of Mortimer's last desperate throw.

"Game over, dudes. This is going to take a long time. You ALL have to take the pop quiz," he was almost in tears as he stared down at his cookie stained board.

The group of young ninja, all in pain from the impact of the ninja cookies, let out an audible sigh.

"Bring me the pirate school flag that flies high above the rigging at the Cutless Academy," Sensei ordered the group. His tone was much colder, as if he was holding back a fit of anger. He did not turn to look at them as he spoke, but kept his eyes on his board as if he could restore its rightful state by mental focus alone.

Mortimer swallowed the lump that formed in his throat at the mention of his pirate school.

"The flag is attached to a mast that is used during pathetic and weak pirate climbing training. But don't let that fool you! The school is also the first line of pirate defense against a nautical attack to the island. Dudes, it always has a guard. These guards have been informed of the exercise, as is required by the Ninja-Pirate Articles of Cooperation. They will be watching for you and will make every effort to stop you. This is your first chance to prove you have the skills to hang with us awesome whispers-in-the-night. We ninja are never seen or heard on our missions, so I expect you to have the flag here waiting for me at the start of the next class. You may work as a group if you choose." Sensei Wavecrash's tone that said he was still very upset about his surfboard getting damaged.

Rubbing their injuries, the group looked to one another, not sure what they should do but knowing they needed to at least form some sort of plan.

"That means we have to do this mission sometime tomorrow?" said Rin as she looked to the rest of the group for answers. Nobody offered any helpful information. Each member of the group seemed to be completely lost in thought.

Mortimer wasn't sure if he should reveal to the group that he was enrolled at the pirate school and could use that advantage to steal the flag without suspicion. He decided not to make his advantage known, since he felt very conflicted about taking the flag of a group he belonged to.

Sensei Wavecrash broke the group's concentration once again. "You have to perform the task sometime before the next class, dudes," he said as he inspected his board with a magnifying glass and gently rubbed out the multicolored stains.

"There is also all your bogus paperwork for this class. It has to be filled out and turned in by the start of next class or you won't get credit for the day. If we don't get that paperwork done, we'll all be caught in a rip tide." He hugged his board, wiping tears from his eyes.

"This mission will be dangerous. Those pirates will do horrible things to you if you get caught! You need to plan carefully. Get together beforehand and plan it out." Sensei paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Wouldn't want you to eat it on your first mission, would we?"

The group agreed to meet up the next day. Mortimer insisted on meeting in the afternoon, knowing that he had to wait until after his pirate training class ended for the day. Everyone seemed to agree for their own reasons, but no one shared what those reasons might be. Sensei dismissed the class and the young ninja returned to the maze of hallways. Although none of them seemed to know where they were headed, their exit appeared after a few turns as if the building itself was leading them out. They double checked their meeting time and rushed through farewells, then separated, each making their way home for the night.

## Chapter 6 – Why can't he just be a banker?

Mortimer awoke the next morning to a familiar sound; his parents arguing voices. This time, it seemed they were not arguing with each other but with Nana Bootsie. Mortimer threw on his clothes and rushed down the stairs, hoping to figure out the cause of the fight without being discovered.

"I think he is doing well. I don't plan to stop him from going, but I also think it's more important for him to continue his studies with me. He can't learn what he needs to know about managing his finances in those brutish schools," Nana Bootsie said, attempting to argue her point without offending her son and daughter-in-law.

"This is an important time for Mortimer. He's making the friends he'll have for the rest of his life. They'll form strong bonds during the adventures they're about to have. Who knows, he may even earn his name. There is nothing more important than that," Mortimer's father argued with a tone of nostalgia.

"For a ninja, it's not your name but your reputation that is important. He has made a great start in his training. I spoke to his master and he said Mortimer managed to hit him with a star cookie. That's a huge accomplishment for any student in their first class of Ninja 101. He may go on to be a ninja like no other!" said Mortimer's mother with pride.

"Or a pirate like no other!" Mortimer's father stated as if he were correcting his wife.

"Names and reputations mean nothing if you don't have the smarts to use them wisely. I want to leave him with knowledge he can use when the adventures are over. He needs to know there is more in life than ninjaing and pirating. More importantly, his path will always be his to choose. We can only influence him so much. He needs to be free to make his own mistakes," Nana Bootsie pleaded.

"I have to get to my ship, there's been a rumor of cargo ships disappearing to the south. The Guild of the Hook is sending Wolfbean Yowler to investigate. I have to beat him to the punch. The Guild of the Hook needs to be taken down a notch," said Grimash, changing the subject.

"I have a meeting with the council in a half hour. We're choosing our representative at this year's Secret Council of Secrets. When I get chosen, I will be gone for at least a couple weeks. Feel free to help Mortimer with his studies while we are gone, but please do not pressure him." Jade spoke with concerned sternness in her voice.

"Well," Nana Bootsie replied in a sarcastic tone, "I understand. I will keep him on his current path and only help him when he needs it."

"Thanks, Mother!" said Grimash as he gave his mother a hug and kiss on the cheek. "I am off to my ship." Grimash turned to his ninja wife with a sleek smile. "You are coming with me." He grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her towards the front door. "Thanks again, Ma!" Jade pulled free from his grasp.

"Mother." Jade started, "Please tell Mortimer we will be back very soon and we are very proud of him. When we get back we want to hear all about his training."

Nana Bootsie nodded and shooed her out the door with a wave and a smirk. She shut the door behind them. Mortimer came up behind her and let out a long yawn, pretending he hadn't overheard the conversation.

"Oh! Mortimer, my little scalawag. You're up," squealed Nana Bootsie nervously.

"Morning!" Mortimer replied.

"Would you like some breakfast before you start your day of dangerous adventuring?" asked Nana Bootsie.

"Why are my Mom and Dad always gone?" Mortimer asked his grandmother sadly.

"Oh, honey, no," Nana Bootsie pulled him in for a hug. "Moms and dads are very busy people. They have lots of responsibilities. Your mom and dad are even more special than most, so they have to work even harder to not let anyone down. When you grow up you will also have to work very hard because you are even more special than both of them combined." Nana Bootsie released Mortimer and gave him a warm smile.

"Is that why you always want me to study so much? It's not very fun," he replied as he looked up at his grandmother with a shy smile.

Nana Bootsie let out a loud sigh.

"Don't worry, Morty. I will make sure that when your parents get back they spend a lot of time with you. Just concentrate on your training and they will be back before you know it." Nana Bootsie pushed Mortimer towards the kitchen.

He nodded and pulled away towards the stairs.

Now get up there and get ready for pirate training and I'll whip you up something to fill that belly of yours." She smiled and feigned chasing him back up the stairs towards his room.

## Chapter 7 – Why are first days so tricky?

My grandfather, Blackbeard the pirate, said there was one surefire way to tell that we live in the World of Adventure and not some boring normal regular world. "The trick to it," he said, "is that even if you chose not to leave your house (or in his case, ship), adventure will always find you."

"ARG! Just try walk'n out yur door and go fifteen fathoms in any-uh direction. WHAZAAMY! Afore you even realize it, you be on a grand adventure! Or in my case, walk'n the plank. Yar mark me words!" He would always say.

Nobody would agree with that statement more than Nana Bootsie. Before I began pirate and ninja training, every day consisted of Nana attempting to keep me studying while I plotted to escape her clutches. Sometimes, I like to pretend she is an evil witch and plans to cook me up for supper if I don't get away. She never appreciates my unique humor.

Nana claims raising me is all the adventure she could ever need. I like to think I do my best to make sure that's true.

All my life, my Mother raved about how much fun her ninja training had been. "Best time of my life," she would say. Her favorite story involved a training mission where she was required to sneak into a local village in the dead of night. Her group was responsible for replacing all the soap in every bathroom, be it a bar or a liquid, with eggs. Imagine you're taking your morning bath and you rub egg all over you. The shell breaks open and ruins your bath water in the process. Not a relaxing way to start the day.

My first mission will be much more awkward. I must steal the flag that is the symbol of safe training for young pirates from the pirate school which I attend. It will either make for an extremely easy or very complicated task, but I look forward to giving it a try.

The first time I saw that flag, I was going on a trip with my grandfather, Blackbeard the pirate. Whenever a pirate takes his family on a trip they use the pirates-in-training flag to deter other pirates from attacking.

The last trip my grandfather took me on, we ended up stuck on a small island for a week due to a high tide stealing away our small craft. Luckily, we had almost everything we needed at the camp. Blackbeard is always prepared, even for an impromptu marooning. It also happened that most of the trees and plants on the island produced fruit and leaves that were edible. The biggest problem for the marooned is always a lack of clean water.

At first, I didn't really notice we were stranded because we spent so much time fishing and hunting and having fun. Blackbeard told me the most exciting stories I had ever heard during our time there. Soon, my father showed up to rescue us. With his supplies, we spent another week on the island before Nana Bootsie demanded we return home so I could resume my studies.

Now, that was an adventure! I may have been a bit too young to realise it at the time. I find most adventures are seen as a problem or a frightening event and it is only afterward that we are able to look back and say to ourselves, "THAT was an adventure."

## Chapter 8 – Why are we called pirates?

Mortimer arrived at pirate training before class so he could scout for his night mission before his pirate classmates arrived. He noticed there was a tall mast set up in the center of the training area which had numerous rope ladders going up all sides. It was twice as high as your average ship mast. There were many extra platforms and other ladders shooting up, off, and back to the mast because it was designed to be climbed from many different angles. The entire structure looked unsound and it seemed a light breeze would take it apart. At the very top, he saw a black flag adorned with a white skull and a baby rattle. The skull wore a diaper instead of a pirate hat.

Mortimer's mind was swimming with ideas as he stared up the maze of platforms joined to the mast high above him. He wondered what kind of nonsensical training the strange platform would be used for. Suddenly, he was brought back to the present by someone calling his name. He realized the other students were arriving and several were wandering around the training area.

"Mortimer!" yelled Qball loudly, causing everyone around him to step a few feet away.

"You will not defeat me today! I'll be the captain of my crew! Your victory from yesterday will be seen for the fluke it was! I, Qball, am the greatest pirate in training and future Pirate Captain of legend!" Qball proclaimed, sticking out his chest in triumph.

"OK," Mortimer replied, confused by Qball's sudden air of challenge. The group of young pirates formed a circle around the two.

"Mortimer will wipe the floor with you! You're not fit for leadership!" Mortimer was surprised to hear Counten come to his defense.

"Come on, guys. This is just crazy!" said Mortimer as he turned to Qball. He tried to look friendly, his arms open wide.

"I'm not going to stop you if you want to be a captain. If you can earn it, then go for it," Mortimer encouraged. Qball tilted his head up and to the side in an attempt to look down on Mortimer. He stared at Mortimer sharply, trying to intimidate him.

"You don't think I can do it!" Qball proclaimed loudly. He took a step towards Mortimer, grabbing at the front his leather pirate coat.

"YAARRR!!!" Steelgut bellowed as he strutted onto the teaching platform. His heavy boots caused his footsteps to echo around the training area and the pirate trainees went stone silent. "That be quite enough of that." He folded his arms in front of him, glaring at Qball. Qball released Mortimer's coat and turned a slightly red, his eyes showing a hint of fear.

"A pirate captain is elected democratic-like and only stays in the position at the grace of his fine loyal crew, so you just be watching that attitude of yurs. Qball." Steelgut walked to the front of the teaching platform as the group sulked over and formed around him, ready to begin the class for the today.

"Now that you be done havin' yur fun, we can get on with our lessons. I have decided that this group will be divided into three crews, each with a cap'n. I'll choose your captains to start, but captains may be voted out at the end of each day." Once again, Steelgut glared at Qball as he continued, "Ye be at the mercy of your crew."

He looked around to each of his young pirates in training making sure they were paying attention. "YAR! Yur crews be the same groups as yesterday's training. Ye starting cap'ns be..." Steelgut paused for drama and suspense. "Qball for group one. Boony the Blessed for group two. Mortimer Aglet for group three." Steelgut paused as the crews formed together on their own and stood waiting for him to continue.

"At the end of each day, the pirate captain will receive score. Whoever's got the most points at the end of the basic training course will be the recommended captain when ye begin your single vessel mock voyage training."

"All right!" Qball beat his chest and flashed a fearsome grin at his crew who all cheered at him in encouragement.

Steelgut leaped from the stage with a level of agility and speed that surprised the group of young trainees. In a single motion, he drew a wooden cutlass and whacked Qball right on the side of his head.

"ARG! ALL RIGHT!" Steelgut screamed in Qball's ear. It left the boy rubbing his ear and his lumpy head at the same time. Qball drew back to hide behind his friends.

"I see ye already have yur leadership strategy underway: 'hide behind me crew'. Many a pirate captain has taken that route. Sure they live a bit longer than most, but in the end, a coward dies a coward's death," Steelgut lectured.

"Crews, MAKE READY for yur first exercise!" Steelgut screamed directly at the young pirates who were now only standing a few feet from him.

Mortimer looked to Whoopie, Counten, and Thomas who had gathered near him.

"I'm glad you're our cap'n," said Counten.

"I would vote you out in a second," said Whoopie. She folded her arms and stared at Mortimer, unimpressed.

"I am up for any task. Just say the word captain, my captain!" said Thomas as he gave Mortimer a mock military salute.

"A fatty, a legend rider, and a couple of wimpy shrimps. We are going to wipe the floor with you today." Qball stood with his crew behind Mortimer, his chest pushed out with pride. "I'll be the one to get the captain recommendation for sure, legend rider!"

Mortimer took a step towards Qball, but Counten grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back and in close. Counten whispered, "I was shanghaied into his crew last year. He cheats very badly and doesn't care if anyone gets hurt in the process. Our best strategy would be to simply avoid him. He will constantly bait you into a fight and while you're not watching his crew will sabotage your chances for victory." He released Mortimer and stood sternly next to him, as if ready to enforce any whim Mortimer might have.

Mortimer stuck out his chest and walked up to Qball. The fact that Qball was a head taller than him made the whole situation look very one sided.

"Look, QBald! We have a great crew here, so you just better watch out because soon you will be looking up at us from the ground as we stand over you in victory!" Mortimer crossed his arms and stared up at Qball, trying to seem intimidating.

Counten visibly flinched at Mortimer's words. Qball took a step forward.

"What did you just call me?" Qball screamed as he raised a fist to take a swing at Mortimer.

"ARG! That's enough!" roared Steelgut, stepping between the two boys. "From here on out you be rival cap'ns to be sure. But KEEP yur rivalry on the battlefield. Unless we are in training you keep your fists in check! Do I make meself clear?"

Mortimer and Qball glared at each other, then both gave Steelgut a submissive nod.

"ARG! Let's start today's training exercise." Steelgut headed back to the stage area and regained all the young pirates' attention.

"Today you learn why we be called pirates. Can anyone tell me why we swashbucklers be called such?" Once again, Wendy was the only one waving her hand in the air, but she was so short that even with her arm raised as high as she could manage, Steelgut did not notice her.

"I guess you'll just be havn' to learn fer yurselves since nobody here seems to know the simple history behind our beloved title. I hope our exercise today will give you a hint." Steelgut pointed to the rigged tower mast that stood high above the training yard.

"Today be king of the mountain. Yur crews must make it to the top together. If one of your crew members is not at the top with you, then everyone has failed. The first crew to make it to the top gets to sail the flagship in our first sea training exercise."

Mortimer looked up the rigging, once again taking special note of the flag flying high above him. He shifted his gaze back to the earth and saw that Counten was already dripping with sweat.

"What's wrong?" Mortimer whispered to Counten as Steelgut went on loudly explaining the rules.

"I'm afraid it'll be just like last time. I've never come close to completing this exercise. I'm sorry. It looks like I will be the downfall of your crew, just like I was for Qball last year." Counten hung his sweaty head in shame.

"Not if I can help it," said Mortimer as he looked up at the tall mast with ladders and ropes entangled in its rigging.

"ARG! When I say 'GO' begin yur ascent to the top of the mast!" He paused only for a second and screamed, "GO!" in a raspy voice.

"Help me," Mortimer said to Whoopie as he ran to the corner of the training yard and grabbed as many ropes as he could find.

"The tower is too tall. You won't be able to pull me up like you did yesterday on the deck," Counten moaned as Mortimer began to lash ropes around his arms and chest.

Mortimer tied a rope around his own chest so that the end came off his back and hung down like a tail. He then did the same for Whoopie and Thomas who both gave him dirty looks. They could see the other two crews were making quick progress up the rigging and their team had yet to start. Mortimer then finished the makeshift rope harness he made for Counten. It wrapped around his waist and legs and formed loops at his shoulders. The three tails coming from Mortimer, Whoopie and Thomas were tied to the loops at Counten's shoulders so that his harness would have about five feet of slack between him and each of his crew mates.

"We're going to go in front and climb as fast as we can. As we do, we must brace ourselves as Counten may need us to carry part of his weight. We might not win, but we can at least try!" He produced a ninja grapnel and with one good throw, he hooked it firmly on the first platform. His crew looked at him as if he was crazy but agreed they should do more than just stand at the bottom looking up.

"Counten, as we climb, I want you to climb with just your feet and use this rope to support your weight." Mortimer handed him the end of the rope he had just secured to the first platform. "Anytime you need to rest, let us know so we can brace ourselves for the added weight." Mortimer glanced at Whoopie and Thomas who both gave him looks of disapproval.

"This idea is crazy," said Thomas.

"We will never win, but with this plan, none of us will make it to the top at all." Whoopie let out a heavy sigh, letting them know she was unhappy with the entire situation.

"We ALL have to finish in order to win. Are you saying you want to give up without trying? That's not the way I do things. Maybe it's you we should be hauling up there since you don't seem to have the spirit to even try." Mortimer glared angrily at Whoopie.

She let out a huff and ran over to grasp the rope ladder. The other groups were already nearing the first platform. They could see Boony and Qball high above them having a shoving match as they both attempted to be the first on the ropes going to the next platform.

"LET'S GO!" shouted Mortimer as he rushed Thomas over to the ropes and they all began to climb. Sure enough, with each of the other three supporting a part of Counten's weight, the group ascended much faster and more easily than they thought possible. They reached the first platform in no time. Mortimer could see that both Boony's and Qball's crews were still fighting it out near the second platform.

"They are so busy fighting each other that we might be able to catch them," Mortimer said to his crew through deep breaths.

"Wow. We are catching up!" Thomas said with amazement between panted breaths.

"Sure, but there is no way we will be able to keep this up if we have to deal with them pushing us around too." Whoopie was still in a bad mood from what Mortimer had said to her.

"That's not what I'm worried about," said Counten as he looked around nervously. "Mortimer, I forgot to mention the pies!" he yelled, but the other crews above were fighting so loudly that Mortimer did not hear him.

Mortimer was gripping the rigging and about to start towards the second level when he noticed what Counten was screaming about.

It happened at once, with no warning. Huge white rats were being thrown through the air toward the pirates in training, landing on the rigging with squeals of unhappiness. Scared out of their minds, they rushed at the climbers, biting and scratching while attempting to gain a free ride either up or, more likely, back down to the ground.

"YEAAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEE!" squealed Counten as a giant rat landed right on his back. The rat scratched and clawed him as it rounded his body and headed for his stomach.

Mortimer grabbed a rat that had just landed near him on the ropes and threw it right at the one clawing into Counten, knocking both rats down to the moat below.

"Thanks," Counten breathed as he steadied himself, gripping the rope tight.

The group had started their way up the second platform's rigging when Mortimer suddenly leaped to one side.

"YYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!"

Everyone turned to see who was making the sound. Qball, after a strong shove from Boony, tumbled down the rigging right past Mortimer.

The entire group jerked as Qball grabbed Counten's leg firmly. The added weight made it impossible for the entire group to climb any further and they struggled not to lose the progress they had worked so hard to make.

"Ha! If I can't win then you won't even come close!" said Qball as he started to rock back and forth using Counten's leg as a swing. "Have fun starting from the ground!" Qball shouted. Counten began to wail in pain as another rat landed on his back.

"What do we do now, egghead?" shouted Whoopie to Mortimer.

"Look out!" Thomas screamed loudly, grabbing the group's attention.

"SPLAT!" came the sound of a pie as it landed right on Mortimer's chest. He struggled with all his might to keep his grip on the ropes.

Mortimer could feel the added weight of the unexpectedly heavy pie straining his muscles. Holding onto Counten's leg for dear life, Qball swung even more violently, trying to force the group to fall into the moat below.

Mortimer then recognized a weird but familiar smell: soap. Very thick liquid soap was oozing out of the pie tin on his chest and dripping down the front of his clothes. He mustered his strength and locked his legs around the rigging, holding on tightly with one arm. Mortimer grabbed the pie tin carefully in his free hand before it could slip off his chest and with all the accuracy he could muster, he hurled it. The tin landed right on target: Counten's back.

The soap slid down the back of Counten's shirt as another pie struck Thomas right in the face. Thomas stopped in his tracks and let out a scream of disgust.

Whoopie grabbed the pie from Thomas's face and attempted to toss it at Qball, missing badly.

Forget about him!" Mortimer ordered in his most cap'n-like voice. "Keep climbing. Slow and steady."

The group made it to the third platform's edge with Qball still grasping Counten's leg.

"NOW!" screamed Qball as from the ledge above them, two members of Qball's crew appeared. The two screamed loudly as they tossed pies right at Mortimer, Thomas and Whoopie. Mortimer dodged and a pie bounced off his left side. Sadly, Thomas and Whoopie were both struck square in the face.

Whoopie let out a scream and froze. Thomas tried his best not to fall as he used one hand to wipe the soapy liquid covering his face from his burning eyes.

"Don't open your eyes and don't wipe it off," screamed Mortimer, but it was too late. Thomas had already covered his entire left hand in the soapy liquid.

"Why not?" asked Whoopie, more enraged than ever. She had her hand up, grasping the pie tin trying to get it off her face without spreading the soap around.

"If you get that soap on your hands, you won't be able to grip the ropes!" Mortimer replied as the pie tin on Whoopie's face slowly slid off. The tin, still heavy with liquid, slipped from her one handed grip and landed right on Qball's head.

SMACK!!!

Qball let out a scream of anger as he grabbed at Counten's legs even more violently, tightening his grip.

"I can't hold on!" said Counten in a panic.

Mortimer looked around at this odd situation as his brain raced for an answer to his problems. Thomas and Whoopie blinded by soap, Counten flailing around moments from falling and taking everyone with him, and they still had two more platforms to go.

"I... I don't know," said Mortimer, his spirit beginning to fail him.

"Your group is doomed to lose!" Qball screamed at Mortimer, cackling as he swung around and caused everyone to hug the rigging even tighter.

"No group with this fatty slug holding them back could ever possibly expect to win. He's a failure and anyone who tries to help him will share his fate. So... fat..." Qball looked thoughtful for a moment, then began to chant. "Counten, as large as a house. Counten, growing in mass. Counten largest of all. Counten, you're going to fall!" Qball sang happily as he tried to climb higher up Counten's body to get at the rope harness.

The two members of Qball's crew above them took up the chant about Counten.

"I AM NOT FAT! I JUST HAVEN'T HIT MY GROWTH SPURT YET!" Counten screamed and with one motion he threw his legs forward, jerking Qball's soapy grip loose and throwing him to the rigging below where he grasped for a hand hold.

Counten's face went red and with great effort and massive upper body strength, he pulled himself onto the second platform. He moved faster than anyone expected. Counten pulled past his crew, dragging them upward behind him. The group was hoisted up onto the third platform by Counten's massive strength.

The two members of Qball's crew stumbled back in fear as he passed. They received pies to the chest and back as they rushed back down the rigging to help their captain.

"YAAAARRRRR!!!!! We have our winner!" Steelgut's voice rang out, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Boony the Blessed, you and your crew will be the flagship at the first sea training exercise!" Steelgut exclaimed so that everyone on the rigging could hear and know that the exercise was complete.

The other groups looked up to the distant top of the mast at the small figures of Boony's crew cheering in triumph.

"Crews, form up down here!" Steelgut bellowed and the entire group of students started down the rigging. The two losing crews moved with a little less vigor than Boony's.

After waiting assistant instructors helped the students clean themselves up, Steelgut motioned for the groups to form up around his platform once again.

"Well done Cap'n Mortimer," said Steelgut as his crew got close enough to the stage.

"But we lost," Mortimer hung his head.

"That may be, but yur crew was a crew and they were led by yur leadership. Never has another crew worked together so hard. Be proud!" Steelgut attempted to give Mortimer a proud smile, but he looked more like a rat had just landed on his back and was crawling all over him.

Counten gave Mortimer a small nod as Whoopie crossed her arms and shot him a glare. Thomas smiled and stood proudly next to him.

"ARG!!! Anyone learn why we're called pirates?" Steelgut shouted at the group.

"I know!" a tiny voice called out, but once again Steelgut didn't notice Wendy.

"ARG! Does it have anything to do with pie and rats?" said Boony the Blessed, his voice confident after winning the exercise.

"ARG! That it do, but more about what them rats be doing and less about what they are," replied Steelgut. He looked around the group, waiting for the answer.

"ARG! IT MEANS 'TO ATTACK!'" The shout came from Wendy who had stormed out in front of everyone and screamed at Steelgut at the top of her lungs.

"ARG! No need to be shouting, lass! We all heard ya. What means 'to attack?'" Steelgut asked the small pirate girl.

The girl's voice shrunk a bit but could still be heard. "The word 'pirate' is based on an eastern word 'pi-rata' which, at the time, simply meant 'to attack'. It was more commonly used when nautical warriors shouted the word out as they attacked a neighboring vessel at the start of a raid. In the year-"

"ARG! That be enough, lass! We get it," Steelgut cut the small girl off. He was not the biggest fan of history.

"You heard what the young lass said," Steelgut shrugged and held his hands out.

"Well, that be the last exercise we be doing in the training yard for a time. The yard will be refurbished for yur combat training. While it's under construction we be tak'n a small sea voyage. We will be gone about a week, give or take. So make sure an' pack everything you be needing for what could be a long time on the big blue. Ya never know how long a three hour tour can turn out to be! That be it for today. Get yur midget pirate selves back to yur homes!" Steelgut let out a laugh and waved everyone off.

The group broke up to wander towards their post-training destinations. Mortimer turned to leave himself, but suddenly stopped in his tracks. He realized this would be the perfect time to steal the flag at the top of the rigging for his ninja pop quiz.

## Chapter 9 – Why is this called a pop quiz?

Mortimer waited around until all the other students had left, then snuck out of sight and into the shadows to see who would be sticking around for night duty. The training sessions were over for the day and most of the instructors had already slugged off to their favorite after work hangouts, but this did not mean Mortimer was the last person left in the Cutless Academy.

The Cutless Academy served two purposes on Skull Shuriken Island. The first purpose was not actually to train young pirates, but to be the first line of defense should the island come under attack. Fort Cutless was located right on the edge of the island so it was the first thing anyone approaching the island would notice. The fort was designed to intimidate enemies from a distance. Lines of cannons sat along the upper walls facing the water, ready to halt any attack. The cannons could easily hold off a small navy as the pirates boarded their ships from the harbor on the opposite side of the island.

This meant the school was also constantly manned with lookouts and guards. High at the top of the highest rigging was a watchtower that overlooked the training yard. This was rigged from an old mast structurally separate from the fort and the academy. The crow's nest was meant to stand tall no matter what the state of the fort below. It had been many years since anyone dared attack the island, so these days, the crow's nest was a great place to take a nap on duty.

It was late afternoon when Mortimer found the perfect place to hide himself while he waited for the sun to go down. Watching the guards, he noted that even though they were supposed to change shifts every two hours, the group of guards spent most of the time together in the guard house which had a single window facing the ocean. The group of guard pirates would share grog and chat while playing games with a deck of playing cards.

Mortimer noted that the pirates who were stationed to guard Fort Cutless seemed like retired or older pirates. Some of them looked to have been seriously injured in past battles. Missing limbs and other body parts had caused them to retire from a life at sea for a more suitable one on land.

He could hear the guards talk about their glory days as they lounged around the guard house. Mortimer was bored as he waited for the sun to go down. Though it was hard to hear from his distance, Mortimer found that the older pirates repeated the same few stories over and over, their speech becoming more slurred as the sun sank lower.

How do you plan to take it?"

Mortimer jumped out of his skin and turned white as a ghost. He turned towards the voice and to his surprise, right next to him sat his grandfather, Great Wolf Shadow.

"Grandfather!" Mortimer let out a bit too loudly for the seasoned ninja's comfort.

"Keep it down, kiddo. It's only a stake out if nobody knows you're there." Great Wolf Shadow leaned in and gave his grandson a hug.

"Sorry. What are you doing here, Grandpa?" Mortimer asked, confused, but still happy to see his grandfather.

"I was in a really dull meeting when I heard you would be taking your first pop quiz today. I just wanted to jet over and see how it's going. I remember my first pop quiz..." he let out a sigh, his mind slipping into a nostalgic lock down.

"Grandpa!" Mortimer whispered loudly as he poked his grandfather in the ribs with a finger.

"Sorry," said Great Wolf Shadow as he pointed up towards Mortimer's quiz objective. "That flag is really ugly. I mean, who would think a flag like that is really worth flying? There are quite a few flags flying above this island, but that is by far the ugliest."

Mortimer let out a small laugh in agreement as he went on to explain the flag to his non-pirate grandfather.

"That flag is hung to stop an enemy from attacking. The enemy ships are less likely to bombard a group of young pirates in training since it's against the pirate code and most training ships don't carry valuable cargo. Also, when we go out on training missions, other pirate vessels sometimes board to teach valuable lessons from abroad," Mortimer educated his esteemed ninja elder.

Great Wolf Shadow let out a stealthy ninja chuckle. "I bet you know more than any other ninja in history about that flag."

"I know more than most pirates, too, thanks to Nana Bootsie." Mortimer turned so his grandfather could see his full pirate get up and let out a grin.

His grandfather visibly cringed at the mention of his Grandmother's name.

"So, why are you hiding here? You already have the 'in' you need. You have the pirate get up and the sun is low on the horizon. Move quickly and if you're spotted, just sing an old sea shanty while you slur your words. These pirates are half in the drink already. They won't be able to tell you don't belong here unless you let them know. 'Course, since you really do belong here, it may not matter at all." Great Wolf Shadow let out a second stealthy ninja laugh as he continued, "Crackers, I bet you could just walk right up and ask and they would probably give you the flag!" Wolf said, holding in silent laughter.

Mortimer's mind stopped as he stared up at the ugly pirate trainee flag.

"No," Mortimer said as his eyebrows sharpened in determination, "I am going to get the flag and nobody is going to see me!"

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Great Wolf Shadow threw a small pellet on the floor below him. On impact, the pellet exploded with a flash of smoke. Mortimer's grandfather was gone but in his place was a small wrapped package. Mortimer picked it up and unwrapped it. Inside he found a note and a small ocarina.

The note read:

"This object will help you in your quest. - GWS."

Mortimer put the ocarina to his lips and blew softly. The sound did not sound 'right' at all to Mortimer though the instrument was well in tune. The source of the sound seemed to have been coming from behind him.

Mortimer inspected the ocarina closely and found some magic ninja runes and an engraving on the underside of the instrument which read, "Always watch your back."

Something his grandfather said struck a note inside Mortimer. He thought about it for a moment and came to the realization that it was true. He could literally just go up and ask for the flag and because of who he was, it was pretty likely that any guard on duty would be willing to get it down for him. No ninja work required. Just use his identity and bypass the whole exercise. "But that would be cheating," Mortimer thought. He hardened himself and resolved, "Until I am deemed both a pirate and a ninja in my own regard, I will not abuse either of those identities to gain an advantage over the other."

Mortimer snuck out of the Cutless Academy and ran for home as fast as he could. Night had fallen completely by the time he had made it back. He quickly shoveled down the meal his grandmother had prepared while making excuses as to why he was so late to dinner. Then, after he got all his ninja gear ready for the nights exercise, he explained he had a ninja exercise even though he did not have class that night. His grandmother reluctantly let him leave for his pop quiz, but made him promise to study hard the next time he was home.

Sometime later, Mortimer arrived back at the Cutless Academy, wearing his entire arsenal of ninja weapons and equipment. As he approached the school, now a night fortress, he saw a small glint of light flash in his direction three times from a high secluded part of the wall. He hoped it was his fellow ninja signaling their location.

He donned his climbing gloves and repeated his original stealth entrance into the Cutless academy from earlier in the week. He scaled the walls unseen and headed towards his fellow ninja in training.

As he scaled over the wall's edge and onto the landing, a hand grabbed at Mortimer and pulled him roughly down behind a large barrel. From their hiding spot, all three of his ninja classmates glared at him, making him feel guilty for being the last to arrive.

"Sorry, my Nana wouldn't let me out of the house." Mortimer looked down to his feet as he made his excuse.

"Never mind. We need to get that flag. Anyone have any good ideas?" said Rin.

Sly motioned for everyone to huddle in close. "For the last hour I've noticed that no guard has bothered to watch the main yard. It might be possible for one of us to move through the yard silently right to the crank and lower the flag. At the same time, someone else could climb up the rigging to retrieve the flag." Sly let out a long sigh before he continued.

"The problem is, the crank is extremely loud. I tried to turn it earlier and it's so loud I might as well stand in a spot light and start screaming to be caught. The entire rigging also clangs against itself as you climb, so doing this without making any noise would be impossible even with the best ninja gear. You would still need a good distraction, something to make enough noise to mask our efforts," Sly trailed off as if diving into his mind for a solution.

The three other ninja just looked at Sly, completely at a loss for words.

"I had a lot of time," Sly said, pausing for his comrades to put in their ideas. "So, any suggestions?"

"Rats," said Mortimer.

"Complaining is not helpful! We need ideas!" Wen said, looking annoyed.

"No!" Mortimer exclaimed, trying to stay quiet while also making his idea heard. "They have a ton of huge white rats in cages hidden in the mid-levels up there," Mortimer said, pointing across the yard towards a higher level of rigging on the opposite side. "We can use the rats as a distraction." Mortimer noticed his fellow ninja were staring at him blankly.

"I have it!" Sly proclaimed as he pulled the group in closer once again.

"Rin, you and Wen go get those cages of rats and release them on the ground floor. Feel free to shake the cages a bit so that they are good and annoyed. The rats should keep the guards busy while hopefully providing enough noise to keep our presence unknown. While you do that, Mortimer will go up the rigging and I'll use the crank on the ground level to lower the flag."

Before Sly could finish, Wen broke in. "No way! I won't have anything to do with the rats. Do NOT ask me why! I will not touch rats!" Wen said in a huff, looking to Sly as if to say 'Change your plan or else.'

"OK, Wen, you use the crank to lower the flag and I will help with the rats. You two wait until I give you the signal before you go for the flag."

Sly's plan was agreed upon and the group split up. Mortimer and Wen went into hiding to await Sly's signal.

Even though he was a ninja, Mortimer felt completely awkward sitting in silence. He felt that sitting there next to this girl he really didn't know anything about was the wrong thing to do.

"So, are uh... both your parent's ninja or just one?" Mortimer managed to ask, completely unable to hide the nervousness in his voice. Right at that moment Sly flashed his light three times towards them.

"The signal. Let's move," was the only reply Wen gave as she shot off, stepping silently in the direction of the flag-lowering crank.

Mortimer hopped the railing and navigated the scaffolding towards the rigging.

"This is much less frightening during the day," Mortimer thought. He hugged the mast, slowly working his way up to the start of the pirate training rigging. His ascent sped up with excitement as he neared the lowering flag. Then Mortimer froze. He realized their detailed plan did not have an exit strategy. What was he supposed to do once he had the flag? Where would they be meeting up? Was he just supposed to vanish and meet his classmates at the ninja school later?

Mortimer was taken out of his thoughts as the flag lowered right into his outstretched hand. He carefully worked the flag out of the clasps that held it in place, then tucked it into a pouch on his side while searching the ground below for his fellow ninja.

He noticed Wen at the crank making some sort of motion to him, but it was too dark for him to make out what she was trying to tell him. Looking down below him, the only thing he could make out were the lanterns of the old pirate guards swinging this way and that as they fumbled around and banged into the equipment stored in the yard while attempting to catch the white rats that Sly and Rin had set free. It was a very dark night and they were having a hard time and muttering curses to themselves. Mortimer thought the sight of the old pirates falling all over themselves would be amazingly funny if he had been close enough really see it. Deciding this was the best time to escape, he carefully made his way down the rigging. He was as quiet as possible but the rigging seemed much louder now than on his way up.

Mortimer saw a beam below him sticking out from the narrow catwalk along the nearest part of the wall towards the rigging. It was a full six feet away and no more than eight inches in width and six inches in girth. Mortimer moved back up a few rungs, then held his breath and jumped down to the beam.

A small involuntary yell left his throat as his footing failed him the moment it came into contact with the beam. The fall was not far and his forward momentum took him straight to the landing below the deck with a loud THUMP which was then followed by a CRASH as he rolled right into barrels and spare planks set there to be used for the renovation of the training yard.

"What be that, then?" came the voice of an old pirate from the yard below.

"Maybe more of them rats got out! Better be head'n up there when we be done here. Gotta catch 'em all," came the voice of another pirate guard.

Quick as he could, Mortimer got to his feet. He checked himself for injuries, but the extra padding built into his ninja gi had protected him from the short fall.

"I'll check it out!" called a guard.

Mortimer froze as the voice of this new pirate was much closer than the other two had been. As quietly as he could, he hopped into a large barrel that sat next to one he had knocked over.

"Thump, thump, creak, crack, shake, thump."

The sounds of the deck grew louder and Mortimer could tell the guard was getting closer to his hiding place. His heart raced as his entire body filled with panic. He reached into his ninja pouch hoping for a smoke flash to use in his escape, but his hand found his grandfather's present instead.

Mortimer put the ocarina to his lips and blew softly on the mouthpiece. He shifted his fingers once and blew again, this time in a short, clipped rhythm.

The guard heard the ocarina, but it was as if someone was playing right behind him. Quickly and with more agility than would be expected from a pirate his age, he jumped and spun in place to look in the opposite direction. He scanned the area with his lantern and was puzzled at the emptiness.

With a sudden squeak, a large white rat leaped out of its hiding spot and made a break for the stairs leading back down to the ground level. The pirate swung his lamp towards the sound and the rat froze in fear when the light hit him.

"We gotta live one up 'ere!" the old pirate said, keeping the rat trapped with the light beaming from his lantern.

The old pirate's yell startled the terrified rat out of his frozen state and he bolted down the stairs. The older pirate tried to keep the large rat in his sights as best as he could. He sprinted down the landing stairs to the lower courtyard, determined to catch the rat.

Mortimer saw the old pirates' attention follow the scene and he knew this was his best chance. His climbing gloves in place, he made his way to a tiny window which he was barely able to force his small body through. He reached the vertical drop outside the window and grasped for hand holds on the flat wall. Mortimer took his time descending and eventually felt his feet land on solid ground. He took a moment to grip the ground with his feet and took several deep breaths, feeling relieved.

A flash of light shined three times in his direction from the shadows. Mortimer remembered that he was on a stealth ninja mission and quickly bolted towards the shadows.

"I have it," Mortimer said as he rejoined his fellow ninja.

"Then let's see it," said Rin, wanting to make sure the mission was complete before she could relax and head home.

Mortimer pulled the ugly pirates-in-training flag from his pouch and let it unfold from his hand.

"I'll take that," said Wen as she snatched the flag out of Mortimer's hand. "I don't trust you to keep it safe after how clumsy you were up there. You almost got me spotted!" Wen said.

"That's it, then. Mission accomplished. Let's head home. See you in class tomorrow." Sly took a smoke flash and threw it on the floor in front of him. The entire group winced from the flash of light. When their sight returned, Sly and the flag were gone. Wen let out frustrated moan, vowing to make Sly pay for this later.

"Was he supposed to do that?" Mortimer asked, completely unsure of the etiquette of the situation.

"That jerk is trying to take all the credit for the pop quiz for himself!" Rin screamed. Wen jumped up and put a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound.

"Let's just head home. Nothing we can do about it now," said Wen. The two girls walked off whispering to each other about revenge as Mortimer made his way back home for the night.

## Chapter 10 – What is stealth mode?

Pirate training was canceled the following day so the young pirates could prepare for their week long training voyage. Mortimer was forced out of bed by Nana Bootsie who offered him a plate of whale sausage and komodo eggs. As Mortimer was eating his breakfast, he realized it was a trap. His grandmother was standing over him with a glass of water explaining how exciting his lesson would be on lower and upper socioeconomics and their effects on the loot and plunder trade.

"Nana, may I have that glass of water please?" Mortimer asked while half choking on his salty komodo eggs.

"Oh, of course you can, little Morty." Nana Bootsie gave him a sly smile as he reached for the glass of water. She held it just out of Mortimer's reach and offered him a bargain. "It's all yours... IF you promise to read chapter 68, section 14 in Science Facts before you leave for ninja training tonight." Mortimer nodded in agreement and his grandmother handed him the glass. He gulped the liquid down, then sighed in relief.

He grabbed the heavy Science Facts book and took it to the living room. He let himself sink into his favorite reading chair, then turned to page 68. He let out a sigh. Section 14 was forty pages long!

Many pages later, Mortimer groggily closed the book of Science Facts and forced himself out of the comfy chair.

"Did you read my side notes?" Nana Bootsie yelled from the other room. Mortimer rolled his eyes.

Of course I did, Gram-Gram!" Mortimer yelled back. He walked across the room to put the book of Science Facts back in its place of honor on a shelf. He realized the hours had slipped away from him and he raced upstairs to pack his bags for the Pirate training voyage and finish his required paperwork for ninja class.

Mortimer made sure to bring along all his ninja gear and sneaking gi just in case. Next, he started on the thick stack of ninja paperwork. First came forms involving proving your identity, then forms stating you had permission to or agreed to complete a certain task or to be at a certain location. All the forms also required a parental signature. This upset Mortimer at first since his parents were hard to track down, but when he read the fine print he saw the forms would be passed along to his guardian after they had been turned in.

While reading over the "Permission to Enter Required Locations at Certain Times" form, he noticed a small paragraph.

B-E, section 45: All Students MUST fill out Leave Request form 67-G thirty days in advance of any extended leave from class. This is required for any absence that will exceed a twenty four hour period.

"I don't have time to give thirty day notice. I leave for the training voyage tomorrow!" Mortimer thought. He filled out the rest of his paperwork as fast as he could. He wanted to get to the School of Vanishing Knowledge early to search for some sort of loophole or grace period for a first offense.

A few short hours later, Mortimer reached the cliff side ninja school with plenty of time to ask what he should do about missing the next week of classes. He entered through the same doorway that he had on his first visit to the school and was shocked at an unexpected sight.

Ninja were everywhere! Many were behind desks, stamping papers and signing documents. The papers would be tossed to another ninja who would pass it to another waiting ninja. Some would add their own stamp or signature, but many just glanced at the document as it changed hands.

Over half the papers ended up in the corner of the room where five ninja waited to shred whatever was sent their way. Amazingly, they had no paper shredders or scissors or any other normal way to perform the task. Instead, these ninja drew their katana and perfectly cut each paper that made its way near them. The display was magnificent to behold as each document was transformed from whole page to shattered remains in the blink of an eye.

Mortimer was spotted by a ninja bureaucrat who was stamping papers from a tall stack, then flinging them off to various ninja around the room. The stamping ninja nodded to Mortimer, directing his gaze down a nearby hallway. The word "Administration" was displayed on a sign at the end of the hall. Mortimer sped away, doing his best not to disrupt the very busy group of ninja.

Mortimer's hand gripped the doorknob to the administrative area of the building, but he stopped when he heard a familiar voice.

"Thanks a lot, dudes! I would have been totally stuck in the high tide if you had not come through for me on this one."

Mortimer looked to see Sensei Wavecrash holding his surfboard under his left arm. He was speaking to a much taller ninja. Hoping his question could be answered faster by his Sensei, Mortimer rushed over to get his attention.

"Excuse me, sir!" he said as he walked up next to his Sensei.

"Whoa, dude! During class time it's important to refer to me as 'Sensei,' but never, ever call me 'sir!' In fact, just call me 'Sensei' all the time. I really like that. Totally the reason I became an instructor." Sensei Wavecrash shifted his board up to lean on it as the tall ninja excused himself.

"I have a question about..." Mortimer was cut off.

Hold up, dude. Have you filled out the 'Permission to See Your Instructor before Class Time' and the 'Permission to Ask a Question' forms yet?"

Mortimer stared at Sensei Wavecrash in frustration.

"Wipe out, dude! I'm just joshing you, bro! What do you need? I'll answer whatever I can for you."

Mortimer let out a relieved breath and his questions burst out.

"What happens if I can't be here for a week because I'll be on a trip and I don't have the paperwork I need filled out?" Mortimer blurted as his Sensei patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, little ninja dude. We'll be filling out all that paperwork tonight during class. I wouldn't worry about needing to miss a week. We can totally make up the work outside class time." Sensei Wavecrash looked around, making sure no other ninja were within earshot. Then he leaned in to whisper in Mortimer's ear, "I know that you're a pirate."

Mortimer turned bright red and looked down at his feet, not knowing what to say.

"It's cool, bro! Your mom has, like, all these connections to everyone. She pulled some major air to make it work, but you won't have to miss any class to go on your trip. We have it all worked out, so keep on catching those waves and I will see you in class in a bit." With that, Sensei Wavecrash waved Mortimer off towards a hallway leading to that night's classroom.

Mortimer felt much better. He had thought he was on in his own in his goal of being both a ninja and a pirate, but now he knew his mother was helping him out. He made it to the classroom and found he was the first to arrive. There was a thick stack of paperwork on each of the four students' desks. Mortimer groaned as he sat down to get a head start on his forms before class started.

Sly arrived before the girls. The pirate training flag was draped over his shoulder like he had just gotten out of the shower and used it as a towel. He shot Mortimer a nod and Mortimer nodded back, but didn't hide his annoyance.

"It was a crummy thing to do, running off like that," Mortimer said as he continued to go through his paperwork.

"I'm not claiming the credit for the quiz. It was totally a team effort. I had my reasons for taking the flag and you'll find those out soon." Sly tossed the flag across the room and it landed on the teacher's desk and unfolded itself. The skull draped over the side, its eyes staring at Mortimer and making him feel uncomfortable and just a little bit guilty.

"Nice climbing skills, by the way," said Sly, ending an uncomfortable silence. Wen and Rin entered the room together. The two girls gave Mortimer a friendly nod and then both glared at Sly. Both girls produced bright yellow ninja stars.

"Hey, I can explain. No reason to be upset," Sly blurted out. Wen and Rin threw their stars before Sly could say another word. SMACK!! POOF!! The ninja star cookies exploded on impact. One star nailed him in the chest, the other square in the forehead, knocking his yellow bandana to the floor.

Sly held his chest and head in pain.

"OUCH!" He wailed as he looked down at the cookie mess.

"Bravo, dudes!" Sensei Wavecrash said from behind the two girls, who both startled and quickly took their seats. "Looks like you got the cookie recipe spot on."

Wen shot Sly a look that said, "Ha! We got you!" but her ninja mask hid her smirk. Sly was not looking forward to explaining the large yellow stains on his clothes to his mother when he got home.

Sensei noticed the flag on his desk.

"Righteous!" he said as he picked up it and held it out to examine the flag.

"This is the real deal all right. Return this for me, dude," Sensei Wavecrash said as he tossed the flag in the air. The flag landed right on Mortimer's desk and he grabbed at his paperwork as the gust of air blew the pages away.

"Yes, Sensei," Mortimer replied, looking confused and turning slightly red. The group went to work finishing the paperwork needed for the night's training exercise.

When they were done, the students watched as Sensei Wavecrash glanced at each page, then took half the paperwork they had just spent so much time on and shredded it. A ninja appeared and took the other half away. Mortimer thought he must be delivering the paperwork back to that room he had found when he arrived.

"Cowabunga! Let's get out of this dank and smelly classroom. Today's training will be killer, dudes!" Sensei Wavecrash motioned for the group of students to follow him out the door.

To Mortimer's surprise, Sensei Wavecrash led the group out of the school and towards the docks behind the island. They made their way down a jagged path that took them from the sharp cliffs to a hidden loading dock for large ships. Mortimer was curious about the large number of ships currently docked in the small harbor.

Which ships belong to the ninja?" He asked quietly, trying to maintain some stealth.

Sensei Wavecrash let out a little chuckle. "We don't have any ships, dude! We are ninja! Well, I mean the council does have a ship used during really huge missions, but all of us ninja perform our missions by hitching rides on the ships of pirates, merchants, and private crafts. If you don't know the route you're taking to get to your destination, how will any enemy be able to ambush you?" Sensei Wavecrash motioned for everyone to quiet down and huddle behind a stack of barrels and boxes.

"Our mission for tonight is for me to teach you dudes stealth. We learn best by performing an act of stealth ourselves. Since you grommets have a mixed skill level, we will be sneaking onto a ship currently being loaded for an early voyage tomorrow. The pirates loading the boats won't say anything even if they spot you, dudes. I will be meeting with the captain later and he will let me know how many times people in his crew happened to see a ninja on board."

Sensei Wavecrash went silent and turned to watch the area, waiting for the best time for his group to sneak on board the vessel.

"Sensei, there are a whole lot of pirates loading large crates down into the hold. Where exactly do you plan to enter the ship?" Wen asked in confusion. Sly moved up next to Sensei Wavecrash to survey the area himself.

"Climbing Gloves and grapples." Sensei Wavecrash slid on his gloves and prepared his grapple in his right hand.

"We hop the rail, shimmy up the side, jack a window and enter the captain's cabin lickety-split."

Sensei Wavecrash stood on the dock's railing and motioned for the group to line up beside him.

"Ready?" He held his grapple out and with a quick flip of his wrist, the hook flew towards the ship as Sensei Wavecrash jumped from the railing over the side.

The four young ninja stared down over the side of the dock, expecting a splash. Silence remained as the black figure of Sensei Wavecrash shot up the side of the vessel.

"Did anyone see where Sensei threw his grapple?" Rin asked. She stared at the grapple in her hand as if she had never used it before. Mortimer felt like he missed the class that explained how to use his ninja gear.

"I've never used mine either," Mortimer confessed. Wen looked down at her feet not wanting to admit she didn't know how to use the grapple.

"It's quite simple." Sly held up his grapple to better explain. "You hold the strap on this end which is best wrapped around your wrist. The hook is then thrown with a flick of the wrist. When the rope goes tight you give your wrist a quick twist. The special rope will then retract and propel you forward right to the hook."

Mortimer looked at the small length of rope between his strap and hook on the grapple.

"I had no idea this thing was so cool," he said as Sly hopped up on the railing.

"Let's do this," Sly said as Wen and Rin both hopped up on the rail after him. Mortimer climbed up and prepared to throw his grapple towards the large ship in front of him.

"The Rusty Sponge." Mortimer read the name of the ship aloud as he prepared to leap from the edge.

Mortimer had no idea which of the many windows along the back of the ship belonged to the captain's cabin. As a rule, he knew the captain's cabin is usually the highest window on the ship's stern. Hoping that the rule proved true, he flung his hook towards a strong-looking railing, his arm jerking painfully as the line went taut. He flicked his wrist and with great speed, Mortimer shot up towards the Rusty Sponge's upper deck. Mortimer found himself stuck hanging over the railing by his grapple strap when Rin, Wen, and Sly shot up next to him.

"I don't see the Sensei," said Mortimer as he maneuvered himself, trying to look through very dark windows into the room beyond.

"I don't think he would turn on a light even if he were in there," Wen said.

Rin pointed to the port side of the ship and said, "I think I see an open window over there."

Ship Name: The Rusty Sponge

Type: Brigantine

Armaments: 10 Cannons

Characteristics: This 150 ton, 80 foot ship has a crew capacity of over 100 pirates. The Brigantine is unique in designed as it is built to be propelled by oarsmen or by sail. Sixteen oars on each side of the ship can be lowered into the water when wind power is lacking. The ship was designed to carry twice the cargo of any other vessel in its class. The Rusty Sponge was originally captained by Dirty Danic Donny. After taking a cannon ball to the leg, he retired to Skull Shuriken Island where he teaches cannon firing and safety at the Cutless Academy.

The group decided Rin's guess was a good one and started off toward the open window. Mortimer unhooked his grapple from his wrist and was now hanging off the side of a pirate boat with just his climbing claws to keep him from plunging into the water below. Sweat ran down his forehead and he repeated to himself, "Don't look down. Don't look down," over and over.

The group was soon through the window. Mortimer stowed his climbing gloves and took deep breaths to slow his heart rate.

"All good, dudes?" said Sensei Wavecrash from a dark corner of the room.

"We all made it. Thanks sooo much," Rin sarcastically replied.

"Can't hold your hands, dudes. Ninja gotta be tough. All right, our goal for tonight is pretty simple. Sneaking and stealth is about two things: moving and silence. Silence isn't always about the absence of sound but about using sound to create absence." Sensei Wavecrash cracked open the door to the cabin while motioning for the group to crowd around him.

"What do you hear?" He put his finger to his mouth so the group would take a moment to listen before answering.

"Men talking," said Wen as she tilted her head closer to the door.

"I hear crates being slid across the floor of the hold, gear being tossed from open hatches to the holds, men arguing over how to load a large, oddly shaped object, and at least one guy humming the Drunken Sailor song," said Sly. He smirked to the group, confident in his reply.

"You missed the waves splashing along the ship and the wind blowing against the rolled up sails and rigging. That causes those little 'ting' and 'clang' sounds. But nice try, dudes. Stealth is about not being seen while moving with the sounds already there so that none of your sounds are noticed." Sensei Wavecrash put a finger to his mask where his mouth was and went,

"SHHHHHHH...."

The four young ninja waited out of sight as a giant BOOM filled the air. A crate that wasn't properly secured slipped loose from the loading arm and took a long fall to the deck below. The pirates started running down to the hold to make sure the goods were okay. They pointed at each other and argued about whose fault the accident was. Sensei Wavecrash used the sound and distraction to leap out, shimmy up the main mast and stand on the lowest beam above the rigging.

"Cool! But how did he know that crate was going to fall?" Rin said excitedly.

"He helped make it happen with a well-placed star," Sly said, crossing his arms smugly.

Sensei Wavecrash hopped gracefully down from the rigging just as a pirate worker walked past him, completely oblivious to the ninja. Ducking between barrels and crates, Sensei Wavecrash made it back to the cabin where his students waited, anxious to test their own skills. He stood triumphantly adjusting his sun glasses with pride.

"That was a tubular example of how stealth can be accomplished, dudes. Although there are many kinds, this is the most common form of stealth we ninja use. For tonight, distraction is the only form you need to worry about. Any questions, little dudes?" Sensei Wavecrash looked to his students, all of whom seemed to be lost in thought.

"OK, if there are no questions, then who wants to try it first?" He looked from student to student for an excited volunteer. Sly cleared his throat then stepped out in front of his cautious ninja classmates.

"This kinda thing is no problem. Pirates are always so busy working or trying not to piss each other off that they rarely bother to take a good look at the person next to them. They let their guard down, especially when they are on their home ship." Sly took an aggressive stance by the door to the cabin.

"Mondo confidence, dude! Let's test out the skills behind those bold words." Sensei Wavecrash stood next to Sly as they both looked out the doorway and watched the pirates at work.

"Steal that." Sensei Wavecrash pointed across the ship to an old pirate drinking from a large gray and brown jug with a skull and crossbones on it.

"No problem!" Sly said a bit too loudly. Sensei put a finger to his lips and motioned for Sly to begin his mission.

"YAR! Easy!" a pirate bellowed to a group of men who were holding the ropes supporting a large crate of supplies as it was lowered down to the deck. Sly took advantage of the sudden commotion and rushed out from the doorway like a rocket. He made it halfway across the deck and leaped behind a stack of crates. A large pirate who was inspecting cannons along the main deck by lantern light paused next to the crates. Sly had passed within three feet of the large man and his ninja comrades waiting back in the cabin were all frozen in shock and in suspense.

"I think it's in old Dirty Donnie's cabin," a voice said. It sounded extremely close to the cabin door and the light of a lamp illuminated the cracks in the doorway.

"Ninja, become shadows!" Sensei Wavecrash commanded. Rin and Wen instantly hid behind the large dresser and desk in the room. Sensei leapt above the doorway and positioned himself like a spider poised to strike from above. Mortimer panicked. He felt like there was a "Ninja Terms and Jargon Handbook" he hadn't read. He saw only one place to hide and was sure it was a poor choice because it was far too obvious for a ninja. Mortimer shot under the bed.

The pirate with the lamp pushed the door open and took one step into the room. Mortimer found himself holding his breath as Sensei Wavecrash readied a dose of sleeping agent between his index finger and thumb.

"Not that cabin!" came the voice of a second pirate a few steps behind the one with the lamp.

"Old Donny had a bum knee so he used a cabin that connected with the main lower deck. He wasn't very good with stairs by the time he retired," said the second pirate. The pirate in the doorway turned around and pulled the door closed behind him, but didn't bother to shut it tightly. His lamplight faded down a set of stairs leading to the lower deck. Mortimer and his fellow ninja regrouped by the cracked door, searching for a sign of Sly.

"What's everyone looking for?" Sly whispered from behind the group. They spun around and Sensei Wavecrash gave Sly a congratulatory smack in the center of his back.

"Well done, dude!" He took the jug from Sly and held it up for the rest of the group to inspect.

"Who wants to put it back?"

Wen, Rin and Mortimer looked to one another, each hoping another would volunteer.

"I'll give it a try," Mortimer said reluctantly. He knew everyone would have to take a turn and thought he might as well get it over with. Sensei Wavecrash handed Mortimer the jug and the two made their way to the door together.

"Looks like the old guy moved to the bow. You have your work cut out for you, Morty-dude!"

Mortimer canvassed the deck, watching the many pirates as they performed their duties. He thought it was strange for so many pirates to be working on the ship so late at night until he remembered that he was leaving for a seven day training voyage the next day. He guessed that this was the ship that would be transporting him.

"Now is the optimal time little bro," said Sensei as he gave Mortimer a light shove out the doorway. Still wearing his climbing gloves, Mortimer shot up the wall outside the cabin and onto the roof. He edged his way to the starboard side of the ship and dropped off the side of the roof decking. Mortimer clung to the side of the ship, lowering himself slowly until he found footing below. He shimmied his way toward the bow trying not to make any noise or fall into the ocean. Suddenly a window to Mortimer's right swung open and smoke plumed out from the lower deck.

"WE TOLD YOU NOT TO SMOKE IN HERE!" The voice of an enraged pirate boomed from the open door. Several other pirates were shouting similar phrases.

"I get ye! My apologies, mates!" A hand holding a pipe came out of the window. The smell of the smoke wafting from the pipe made Mortimer sick to his stomach. The hand then smacked the pipe on the side of the boat, causing ashes to knock into the side of the vessel and fall into the ocean. Some of the light ash was caught on a breeze and floated by Mortimer. He held his breath, trying not to lose his insides from the smell. As quickly and quietly as he could, he made his way towards the front of the ship, When he reached the vessel's engraved nameplate, Mortimer pulled himself up to look over the railing at the deck.

Mortimer's target finished tying down a stack of barrels and sat down on the deck, propping himself up against the barrels. Mortimer pulled himself up onto the deck, carefully timing his movements to the sounds of the waves sloshing against the front of the ship. He crouched behind a barrel, blocking the old man from his view. He stayed as low as he could, skulking towards the resting pirate.

Unexpectedly, a horrible sound filled the air.

"GAWK GAWK WAK AK WAK WAK GAWK!!!!!!!"

A huge bundle of cages of sea gulls was hoisted into the air and extra men came over to help lower it down.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Crazy birds," the old man said as he leaned forward to rise from the ground. As he put his right hand down to support himself, it landed right onto his jug.

"How you get there, then, eh?!" The old pirate said loudly as he hugged his jug and tilted it into the air to take a swig. The gulls continued making a racket, grabbing the attention of the irritated pirates. Mortimer made it back to the cabin without being seen.

"Well done, dude!" Sensei Wavecrash exclaimed. Mortimer noticed that Wen and Rin were both absent. Sly shot him an unimpressed look.

"Here they come." Wen and Rin entered the cabin door simultaneously. Both of the girls held a single gull feather in their hands like it was a trophy.

"Well done, girls. I hate them nerdy birds." Sensei Wavecrash took the feathers from the girls and tucked them away in his gear bag.

"All right, gnarly surf dogs, let's get back to school so we can go over the exciting plans for next week and finish up our paperwork."

The young ninja let out a collective groan at the sound of the word "paperwork." Sensei Wavecrash walked over to the stern window and leapt out over the ocean without a second thought. Sly, Wen and Rin all followed, tailed by Mortimer who was just thinking to himself how weird both ninja and pirates are.

They made it back to the classroom swiftly using the same cliff side path they had taken earlier and were soon back to work, filling out all their paperwork for the evening's events. When he was almost done, Mortimer turned his papers over to find a form labeled "Permission and Request for a Week Long Training Mission." The form listed the dates for the mission. It would begin the next morning.

"What's this, sir? Are we going on a trip?" Mortimer asked his Sensei, who sat up suddenly as if he had fallen asleep at his desk.

"Oh yeah! I've already let your parents know that we leave tomorrow for a seven day training mission. The mission will be mostly about the importance of stealth and survival skills. We will also be working a lot on weapons training and hand to hand combat. Gonna be a killer time, dudes!"

"But, sir, remember what I mentioned to you earlier about missing a week of class? I need to miss this week."

Sensei Wavecrash put his right hand to his face and stroked his chin as if deep in thought.

"Don't worry, I got a letter from your mother. She explained that you are also taking the pirate training at Cutless. We are totally taking the same boat to Bilge Rat Island as the pirates. We'll be able to work around your schedule without a problem."

Mortimer sat in shock as his fellow ninja students turned to gape at him. His secret was out. Mortimer could tell they were not happy to hear the news.

"You're a pirate?" Wen said as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Wow, I knew there was something off about you," Rin spouted.

"Spy!" Sly accused.

Mortimer hung his head in shame.

"Hey, dudes, be respectful-like. We use the pirates all the time. Together, our two groups meld like a finely crafted clock. Anyway, I think that's it for today. Everyone meet me here bright and early tomorrow and we will sneak aboard the Rusty Sponge together. Mortimer," he turned, "you just go ahead and board like a normal pirate. No need for you to hide when you can just blend in, eh, dude?" The group shot Mortimer a distasteful glare as Sensei dismissed the class for the night.

## Chapter 11 – Why are they called sea legs?

Mortimer was fast asleep and dreaming he was flying through the sky on the back of a giant ridactyl. The ridactyl is a massive bird naturally designed to be ridden by humans. Nobody knows why the bird has a hardened saddle like plate on its back right behind its shoulder blades, but an exotic tribe of wild men is well known for riding them through the skies. There are legends that the ridactyl riders carry off wandering travelers who are of course, never heard from again. In his dream, Mortimer seemed to have no trouble riding his bird. He felt truly and completely free swimming through the sky, but even in a dream, this feeling never lasts. A great gust of dream wind caught him and he slipped right off the back of his ridactyl. He fell, terrified, until his descent was painfully slowed by the highest branches of a forest.

Just as his face was about to hit the forest floor, Mortimer was ripped from his dream by Nana Bootsie, who was shaking him by the shoulders while screaming, "We're sinking! We're sinking! Wake up!"

Mortimer shot out of bed in a panic and screamed. "WHAT?! What do we do?! Where are we?!" he panted.

"We're at home, silly goose!" Nana Bootsie took him in for a hug. Then she hopped off the bed and began searching through Mortimer's closet. "What should Morty wear today?" she asked herself.

"You're so mean! Hey, I can dress myself, you know!" Mortimer shouted. He rubbed his neck and shoulders. He was angry and frustrated but still very sleepy. He crawled back into his bed.

Nana Bootsie put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. She stared down at Mortimer.

"OK, mister 'I-can-dress-myself', be downstairs in thirty minutes for breakfast. You have to be off to the docks for your first training voyage!" Nana Bootsie trudged out of the room and down to the kitchen.

Mortimer washed up and started to dress himself. Then, as if a bolt of lightning struck his brain, he remembered that this voyage, for him, would double as a ninja mission. He rushed around his room gathering up his ninja gear and smashed his pirate supplies and clothes further down into his duffel to make more room for all the gear required for his dual life. After 30 minutes running around like a hamster looking for missing food in his cage, Mortimer was finally packed for his trip. He left his room slowly dragging his heavy duffel behind him. "Thump, thump, thump," rung out as he made his way downstairs to the kitchen where his Nana was waiting with his breakfast.

"Be so very careful, Morty! I will be worried about you every minute you're gone!" Nana Bootsie said as she held out a small neatly wrapped gift box adorned with a bow. Mortimer took it from her and noticed that the wrapping paper was a bit damp. He suspected she had been crying while she wrapped it. Mortimer unwrapped the small gift slowly and was shocked at what he now held in his hands. It was a small book, the contents of which seemed to have been handwritten. The cover of the pocket sized book was plain white and displayed the words Science Facts in gold letters. Mortimer noticed that the text inside was extremely hard to read as it was very small, but from what he could tell this tiny book contained all the same information as its larger cousin.

"Thanks Nana, this will be really... uh, helpful." He walked over and gave her a huge, tight hug. Spotting the table, he reached around his grandmother and grabbed at his breakfast, trying to shovel it into his mouth. Eating in one quick motion was not as possible as he had hoped. Mortimer's duffel slipped from his back and fell to the floor with a "CRASH." He left the bag where it lay and focused on filling his stomach. Once he finished eating, he took his Science Facts pocket edition and gave it a place of honor in the front chest pocket of his buccaneer jacket. With a smile, Nana Bootsie placed his hat on his head and they both headed for the front door of their small home.

"Careful not to come back a man," she said as she hugged him once again. He opened the front door and walked out.

He spun in place to face his grandmother and said, "Too late, Gram-Gram!" His duffel weighing him down, he attempted a light jog down the pathway leading to the lift platform for a pulley-based tram structure. The tram was by far the quickest way to the docks at the rear of the island, but it was considered to be slightly terrifying, even by pirate standards.

Mortimer couldn't help but think about his ninja companions who planned to sneak aboard the training ship. He was hurt that they considered him an outcast after they heard the news that he was also a pirate and was afraid he wouldn't be able to make any friends among the ninja. He also knew it was against the pirate code not to inform a captain of known stowaways. If they were found and news got out that Mortimer knew they had been there all along, the punishment would be keel hauling. This time of year, the water might be a pleasant temperature but it would still take his life - slowly.

The rickety lift platform arrived and Mortimer stepped onto it. A few other pirates also stepped on with him. They exchanged pirate-like pleasantries with the lift operator. Mortimer listened as they said their "YAR!"s and "ARG!"s, then proceeded to discuss how nice the weather was for a good raid.

The wind picked up, causing Mortimer to grasp at the platform's railing as it left the station and moved high above the treacherous rocky mountainside below. The winds shook the lines and the lift jerked back and forth violently. Mortimer held his breath for what felt like the whole ride, trying to keep his breakfast in his belly. When the lift arrived at the dock Mortimer was ready to kiss the solid ground. He then remembered he was about to go on a long voyage, the longest voyage Mortimer had ever been on before. His previous longest voyage was to the outer islands of the archipelago, so he was both excited and nervous at the same time.

The Rusty Sponge looked even more massive in the daylight. The sun shined through the rigging and danced off the water as even more pirates than had been there the previous night hustled and bustled here and there to prepare for cast off as soon as possible.

Mortimer scanned the area for any of his crew. It only took a second to spot Counten, even from a distance, thanks to his unique and large physique.

"Hey Counten!" Mortimer said, walking up to his crew mate. Counten looked down to meet his gaze and match it with a smile.

"I'm so excited! I've never been on a ship this big before. The ship they used to go to Reef Island last year was half this size. Me dad never let me go out with him on a good pillaging because Mum was afraid I wouldn't make it back, but it was me dad that never made it back." Counten let out a chuckle that ended with a slight hint of sadness.

"My grandpa once took me to an island right on the edge of the archipelago, but that's as far as I've been," Mortimer said as he and Counten looked out over the ocean and enjoyed a deep breath of the fresh sea air.

"YAR! MOVE IT, LASSIES!!" The voice of Steelgut rang out from behind them. They jumped out of their skins.

"This ain't no time for sightseeing boys, Get on that boat and get some work done! Load up yer gear and report to the first mate for yer duties!" Steelgut proclaimed noisily. He looked up at the first mate who met his gaze with a squint and a nod from the top of the main deck.

"YAR!!! AYE, SIR!" Mortimer and Counten shouted in unison. They clambered up the ramp onto the main deck, lugging their gear behind them. The planks of the ramp creaked and strained as they made their way up. Mortimer looked around, noting how many adult pirates were carrying out their duties on the deck. He saw the first mate and made his way to the large man. The first mate shouted in every direction, issuing instructions to the many crew members. As they got closer Mortimer had to resist the urge to cover his ears. The first mate's volume gave Steelgut a run for his money.

"The tide isn't going to wait for you lazy slobs. Get a move on!" The first mate screamed as Mortimer and Counten stumbled towards him. The crew mates pushed past them.

"What are our orders, sir?" Mortimer asked with an uneasy tone.

"No 'SIRS' here, me boy! First mate Lauwken McScraw at your service! Don't you be forgetting it, you young pups. Cab'n boys, then, are ya?" He asked as Mortimer and Counten looked to one another.

"We're going to be off in a few moments. We'll have plenty of deck swabbing for you later, but right now get below and report to the trainees' corner to unload yur gear. You won't have time to do much else before we cast off. If ye can, go to the galley and get some food in your stomachs. You're in for quite a workout this evening."

"AYE, AYE!" Mortimer and Counten said in unison. The first mate nodded to them to be off, his attention jumping back to the crew scrambling around on the deck.

Mortimer and Counten made their way below deck to the hold which was divided into many different sections and filled with pirates Mortimer had never seen before. Wandering the hold while searching for his classmates, Mortimer heard a familiar voice.

"Shove it, midget! This is my bunk. Take the top and keep quiet." Qball stood with a finger pointing down into Thomas's face. Mortimer and Counten walked up and Counten positioned himself between Qball and Thomas.

"G-get a bunk with your own crew," Counten said surprisingly loudly. Mortimer mentally prepared to bail his friend out of the scuffle his moment of courage was sure to create.

Qball rushed at Counten who stood his ground. The half-bald boy threw the weight of his body directly into Counten's center. Counten made an "OOFF!" sound as Qball bounced off Counten's belly and across the small bunk area right into the hull.

"Gilbert! Jack!" Qball shouted loudly and his two minions came from the adjoining bunk area to Qball's side. "Make them pay!" Qball instructed his crew. The two boys took aggressive stances and prepared to pounce on Mortimer and his crew.

"ARG!!! HOLSTER THOSE FISTS, YOU LITTLE MUNCHKINS!" Mortimer and his group whirled around and beheld the visage of one of the most feared pirates in the world: Dirty Danic Donny.

"There will be no scuffles among the cabin boys on my ship!" The old man raised his fist in the air. He stood a scrawny five feet tall and wore a huge beard that overtook his entire torso. His eyebrows matched his bushy beard. On his back was the largest sword that any of the pirates in training had ever seen. "You young swashbucklers will be coming with me up to the deck to work out all that excess energy." The old pirate motioned for everyone to follow him as he made his way back up to the deck.

Mortimer put his duffel down on the disputed bunk and ran to catch up to the group. The smell of food from the galley filled the air as they passed. Mortimer was very glad he had stuffed himself earlier. He had a feeling he was not going to get another meal until much later that day.

"YAR!! Already you be causing trouble!" Steelgut moaned in disappointment as the group passed.

On the deck, they approached first mate McScraw. As he looked at the group his eyes instantly filled with anger.

"These young pirates need to be whipped into shape. Show them the honor that can be found in a hard days' labor," ordered Captain Donny as he turned casually away from the group and returned below deck.

"All right! Grab a mop and bucket and get to swabbin. This deck better be reflecting the sun as it sets this afternoon!" The six boys hung their heads. Mortimer, Counten, Thomas, Qball and his minion crew members Jack and Gilbert. All grabbed tools and began to swab in silence. The first mate put an old pirate with no legs and one eye in charge of making sure they kept at it until the entire main deck was spotless.

Time passed quickly as they worked. The voyage started while they labored away. Mortimer didn't feel he deserved punishment for simply being in the same room as trouble, but he still performed his task without complaint. He would feel better if he had at least gotten to punch Qball in his wordy little mouth. The group was just finishing up as night fell. Their empty stomachs growled loudly, reminding them that they had missed a meal.

They stowed their buckets and the one-eyed legless pirate instructed them to head right to bed without food. When they protested, they were informed they could go eat right now if they agreed to swab the entire deck again the following day. Without another word, the six exhausted boys slugged down below to their sleeping quarters and plopped into bunks without arguing over who slept where, instantly passing out for the night.

## Chapter 12 – Why aren't all cannon balls the same?

"Mortimer. Hey, Mortimer... wake up." Sly whispered, waking him from a deep, hard work induced sleep. "Come with me quietly." Sly looked around to make sure none of the other boys had stirred.

Mortimer quietly stumbled out of bed and followed the black shadow of Sly as they made their way to the rear of the hold past the bulkhead. They pushed themselves through a small opening and into a crawlspace below the main deck and above the main hold.

Mortimer groggily crawled on his hands and knees, his body on auto pilot, until they joined Sensei Wavecrash, Rin and Wen. The girls shot Mortimer disapproving glances as they noted the pirate themed night clothes he was wearing.

"What's going on?" Mortimer asked while letting out a long yawn.

"Welcome to ninja first class!" Sensei Wavecrash said as he gathered the group of ninja around him.

"Sorry, dude, but you're required to be here for this. I saw that brutal day of deck swabbing. What a bummer! But rules are rules. We have no training tonight, but we are required to meet once every night to make sure nobody has been captured. Mondo important when on a group mission and stowing away."

Everyone looked at each other, waiting for someone to break the silence.

"So you guys have been hiding up here since we set out?" Mortimer thought he would have been better off sneaking on board as a ninja than swabbing decks all day.

"No way, dude! We totally pulled some amazing pranks! Stole the captain's lunch and he blamed it on the cook's assistant who got in a huge tussle with him. It was awesome! Next, we setup a sweet surprise for the cannon training session the captain is holding for the nooblet pirates. Whoa! Dude, that includes you, doesn't it!?"

Mortimer felt really nervous as he answered, "Yeah, I'm sure they won't let me miss that," but he tried to sound like he didn't care about the whole thing.

"Well, dude, you totally do not want to be the first to fire off any of the cannons. They're all rigged. It's going to be killer!" Sensei Wavecrash chuckled. Sly shot him a look that said, "You are being too loud," then rolled his eyes and shook his head as if this was not the first time he had to remind the experienced ninja to be silent.

"So, is that it, then?" Mortimer let out a yawn that took over his entire body.

"Sorry, dude. You can go back to sleep. But I'm warning you, tomorrow we'll be on deck during the day in disguises, so no blowing our cover or anything like that, dude." Sensei Wavecrash put an arm around Mortimer. They turned and moved away from the rest of the young ninja.

"Dude, they've said some pretty not sway things about you today. Turns out your fellow ninja noobs don't think it's right for you to be training at both schools. They totally want you to quit the whole crazy pirate thing. I looked it up, but we have no precedent to stop you, so it's your choice. Keep in mind that as ninja, we spend lots of time stowing away on these ships. I think you could learn everything you need to about being a pirate just from that. Nobody I know would ever quit an awesome life in the shadows for a life of orders and deck swabbings, dude." Sensei Wavecrash gave Mortimer's arm a supportive squeeze.

"Thanks, Sensei. I'll think about it." Mortimer crawled towards the exit.

"No problem, dude. Watch your back," Sensei Wavecrash replied to Mortimer as he crawled out of sight. Then, just when he was climbing back into his bunk, he heard yet another voice.

"Careful, Mortimer," Counten whispered. "If Steelgut catches you out of bed, don't forget that we'll all be punished."

"Sorry. Had to visit the privy." Mortimer climbed back into his bunk and fell asleep.

Mortimer was shocked out of his sleep the next morning when a giant, "CRASH, SPLASH, WOOSH!" shook his bunk. Qball, Jack, and Gilbert had gotten up early to fill a large bucket with sea water and used the frigid water as an alarm clock for Thomas. Thomas screamed in surprise as he was soaked to his under clothes.

"Quiet! You guys are going to get us all on permanent bucket duty!" Counten whispered loudly. He rushed over to Thomas and escorted him on deck to dry out.

It was just early enough that Mortimer had enough time to wash up and steal into the galley for some breakfast: eggs, eggs and more eggs. Afterward, he went up on deck to find the crew in a relaxed state compared to the previous day. The sea breeze on his face made him feel refreshed despite his tired muscles. He moved to the stern to see if he could still spot the islands of the archipelago.

"YAR! LET'S GET THIS TRAINING GOING!" Steelgut called through a megaphone. For the first time since boarding the ship, Mortimer saw Whoopie and Boony the Blessed. The two were sitting close together and talking. Mortimer joined his crew who were all as tired as he was, but were in good spirits because it was a beautiful day.

"CAPTAIN ON DECK!" First Mate McScraw bellowed as if he and Steelgut were in a noise making competition. The men on deck shot to their feet and tried to look as busy as possible, the morning calm instantly fading away. To Mortimer's surprise, the captain came over to address the three ragged groups of trainee pirates.

"Young worms fresh on the hook, eh?" Dirty Danic Donny said as he drew closer to the trainees, taking a moment to breathe in the fresh sea air.

"Cannon training starts now! First, be remembering the three main types of cannon artillery: you got your normal shot, you got your chain shot and you got your grapple shot which is my personal favorite. There are a few others but these be the main types. Don't forget that anything you can stuff into a cannon is fair game when you're in a true battle! Today, we are going to be loading and shooting some blanks." The captain nodded to Steelgut who started spouting directions.

"YAR! Form up yur crews and get to yur cannons!"

The young pirates jumped to their task, rushing down to the armaments deck where the cannons lined the walls. A scruffy looking pirate with very long hair and an eye patch on his left eye waved the crews over. He motioned to three cannons, each with the supplies for firing blanks laid out behind it.

"Yar! You little noobs are going to be firing one blank round each. There will be no ball but you do need to pack this extra special wadding here." The long haired pirate pointed down to what looked like a large pile of white towels wrapped into small packages.

"First you inspect your barrels, then ya gotta get that fuse in there good. From there, just load and pack in the black powder and wadding. After you're done, I'm going to load and fire off a live round so you can learn the right way to pack the balls. Now, get those cannons ready to fire, men! On the double!"

The three crews jumped to it. Counten, who had prior cannon training under his belt, took Mortimer's place directing the crew.

Mortimer was distracted by Sensei Wavecrash's words repeating in his mind and didn't really notice that Counten was shouting out orders. He just obeyed, handing over the items asked for and helping push the now packed cannon up to the porthole. He saw no way to avoid whatever trap the ninja had set without giving away that he knew something was up.

When each of the crews had prepared their cannons, the long haired pirate inspected their work, then instructed the young pirates to light the fuses. "BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" Mortimer came out of his stupor as his ears rang from standing close to the cannon fire. The back hatches of the cannons popped open and red goop poured from both ends of the cannons. The port holes, deck and young pirates were covered in red goop.

"OH, WHAT THE-!" Whoopie wailed. The other young pirates all let out words of surprise and protest. Every one of them had red goop in places they did not know red goop could end up.

After spending a lot of time and effort to remove the sticky red goo from themselves, the pirate trainees had the pleasure of cleaning off the entire armaments deck. Then the young pirates were lined back up before their instructor for more cannon training. Mortimer thought of the other ninja pranks described to him the previous night. He laughed inwardly at the cleverness of the pranks, but being one of the victims made him feel even less a part of his ninja gang.

"YAR! Back to it, then!" The long-haired one-eyed instructor motioned for everyone to observe as he loaded his cannon with the live round.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOOMMM!!

The trainees froze. None of the Rusty Sponge's cannons had been fired, so where had the shots come from? Then the words, "SHIP AHOY!" were called down from the crow's nest.

The group looked to Steelgut who said nothing. He turned and rushed up onto the deck.

The students followed their instructor to the main deck and found most of the crew at the railing on one side of the ship looking towards the south. A small ship could be seen on the horizon. It had just fired off a distress volley and flare. The captain and the first mate were arguing about how to proceed. The first mate's ideas were shot down as the captain insisted on implementing his favorite plan.

"ARG! 'Operation Choir Boy' is go!" the first mate shouted, setting the crew rushing off in all directions. A large pirate threw a sack of clothing on the ground in front of the trainees and instructed them to put on the contents. A white flag of peace was hoisted up the mast as each of the young pirates was handed a piece of paper with song lyrics written on it.

The small sailing vessel had recently been heavily damaged in a battle, but looked to be of the highest quality. On board was an old man wearing a faded and ragged uniform. On the deck with him were three unmoving bodies, all wearing military uniforms. The old man was bleeding. He rapidly motioned for a small figure wearing a cloak to hide in the shadows.

The pirate vessel with its sails at full mast shot along the water towards the small vessel in distress. The Rusty Sponge was swift and easily caught up to the smaller ship. The pirates plan was set into motion.

The old man on board the smaller vessel thought he could hear singing. He stood with great effort and waved his white and red shirt, frantically screaming for help. He held the wounds on his chest with one dripping red arm. Anyone who caught sight of him would know that he did not have long left in this world.

The calming sound of singing confused the old man as the large vessel came alongside his smaller, half destroyed, once great sailing craft. On the deck of the large ship lined up in multiple rows was a choir of young men in robes singing what sounded like a religious hymn. An old man dressed as a priest waved to the injured man from the deck.

'Yar! We sail across the sea, all to plunder your booty.

Sorry it has come to this, but what we take you sure won't miss.

If you're nice, you'll stay alive, but please don't run or try to hide!

We'll take everything you have, and we won't feel bad.

The end is now, your ship is ours!'

The words to the song grew loud enough for the old man to understand them as the two ship's decks came together.

The song trailed off as the old priest held up a hand for silence. A laddered plank was lowered to the smaller vessel and the priest hobbled down onto the deck of the decimated craft.

"Blessings be placed at you, me son." The priest reached out a hand to help the injured man to his feet. "What happened here?" The old priest asked, looking around at the bodies that lined the deck.

"Our flagship came under attack. We tried to defend ourselves but it was like trying to stop a storm. Metal and flame filled the air, all our gun ships were down in seconds. We fled at full speed like cowards... in the end I was the only one who made it." The old man let out a violent cough that ended with the priest holding a cutlass to his throat.

"YAR! Where be yur valuables?" Captain Dirty Danic Donny proclaimed. He ripped off his disguise and glared at the injured man with a good pirate stare. The man in rags grabbed his chest and wailed out in pain, then his body fell limply to the deck.

"BLAST! Heart attack took 'im." The old pirate yelled. He sheathed his cutlass and turned to look up at his crew who were removing their choir robes.

"Search the ship, then sink it!" The Captain proclaimed. His crew rushed down the plank and rummaged around, tearing the already damaged deck apart in search of plunder.

Mortimer and the young pirates moved toward the plank, excited for a chance to plunder the ship when Steelgut barred their path.

"Yar! Young'uns, back down below to yur lessons!" He pointed towards the door which lead to the lower deck. Hanging their heads and moaning complaints, the young pirates made their way below to continue their training.

"We never get to have any fun!" Qball screamed loudly. He was attempting to cause a rebellion within the trainee ranks.

"We go back down below and complete our training. I ain't swabbing decks the rest of the voyage because you can't just relax and take orders." Boony the Blessed stared down Qball. Mortimer let out a sigh of relief. He had been sure he was going to be the one at odds with Qball and was relieved that Boony had stepped in.

The trainee pirates formed small circles, separated by their crew assignments. Qball could be heard attempting to figure out a way that he and his crew could use the port holes to sneak on board the other ship and get some booty.

Mortimer sat with his crew and listened to Counten and Thomas discussing whether a chain shot or a standard shot would be quicker to disable an enemy ship during a surprise attack.

WHACK!

Mortimer felt something hit him right in the back of the head. Looking on the floor, he spotted a pea-sized ninja star.

Mortimer looked around wondering whether or not he should leave in the middle of pirate training. Since all the adult pirates were still above decks, he decided to see what the ninja were up to. "I, uh... I really gotta go, so if the adults come back while I'm gone, just let them know I'm in the privy." Whoopie sighed loudly and gave Boony the Blessed a meaningful look. Counten nodded to acknowledge Mortimer as he continued to argue the damage statistics of cannon shot with Thomas.

Mortimer walked toward the privy then sneaked off towards the hidden entrance to the ninja first class area.

"Dude, what happened up there?" Sensei Wavecrash said quietly to Mortimer.

"A ship in distress asked for our help. Not much help was offered, though. The only person on board died as we boarded, so what's left of the ship is plunder according to pirate code," Mortimer replied. Sensei Wavecrash put his left hand to his chin as if deep in thought.

"Really? There were no other survivors?" Sensei questioned.

"Not unless there's someone else hidden on deck that we didn't see. But I'm sure if that was the case we would have found them already," Mortimer replied.

"Follow me." Sensei Wavecrash put a finger to his lips and walked silently into the shadows.

Mortimer followed without a word as he got closer to the other three young ninja who stood crowded around a young girl.

The girl turned to look at Mortimer. Her face was as white as a ghost. Sensei Wavecrash put a finger to his lips once again, stopping Mortimer from questioning her.

"Tell him what you just told me," Sensei Wavecrash said. Mortimer took a seat across from the girl.

"My name is Aion, and I need your help."

## Chapter 13 – How can we outrun the clouds?

Captain Dirty Danic Donny ordered his men back to the Rusty Sponge after scouring the now deserted and destroyed ship. The wind took the great vessel to a safe distance while still keeping the scavenged ship in view. The pirates in training were ordered onto the deck to watch as what remained of the plundered ship was blown to smithereens.

Mortimer, who was still in ninja first class, walked over to the mystery girl. She looked to be a year or so younger than himself. The girl was a late bloomer and still much shorter than most girls her age.

"Why do you need my help?" Mortimer was confused and he looked back up at Sensei Wavecrash for any explanation.

"Dude! We ninja are like, a democratic society. If we're going to help her, we all have to agree to catch that wave." Mortimer looked back to the girl. She seemed to be ready to pass out from exhaustion.

"What happened?" Mortimer asked. The girl turned to look at him. Her strength seemed to be fading as a bit of the color in her face drained away with the effort of a reply.

"It was sky pirates. They took the fleet by surprise. My uncle was an engineer for the king. We were on a ship that was powered by his latest invention: an engine that could move the ship forward without any sails! It was amazing..." The excitement caused the girl to pause for a moment and catch her breath. "The sky pirates attacked at night. There was a rain of flame and lights from the sky. In an instant, the lead ship of our fleet vanished. Our gunships opened fire on the sky and there was a rain of fire and metal. Beams of light fell from the sky and the gunships vanished. A few others and I were loaded into an escape craft and we fled as fast as we could. I saw the beams of light take my uncle and his ship away as we rushed to safety. After that, the attackers seemed to lose interest and there was no sign of them, like they just no longer existed. This isn't the first time this has happened. Ships all over are going missing, leaving no trace.

"Sky pirates! There is no such thing!" Mortimer exclaimed. He looked to Sensei Wavecrash who was deep in thought.

"There is," said Sly. The four ninja and the girl all turned to the boy who until this moment had been silent.

"My grandfather is on the council of elders. I heard him warn my brother not to stow away on any ships heading south of the island. Many merchant vessels have gone missing. They seem to be interested in the larger vessels. Most of the ships that pirates use would be ignored by the sky pirates."

"Please, you have to help me rescue my uncle!" Aion pleaded. The group looked to one another.

"We have to take a vote. Majority wins, but in this case we only have the authority to take her back to Skull Shuriken Island and ask the council for help. We can't go on a crusade on our own to rescue your uncle unprepared." Sensei Wavecrash said.

"All those who agree we take her back to Skull Island to see the council say 'aye.' If not, we will hand her over to the pirates and she can ask them for help. All those in favor?" Sensei looked to his students, they had never participated in this type of vote before. After a moment, all the students agreed they should help Aion.

After the vote was settled, Mortimer rushed back to cannon training before he would be missed. As he got closer, he heard a distant: 'BOOM!' Finding nobody at the cannons, Mortimer rushed on deck to find Steelgut waiting for him.

"ARG! Ya scallywag, how long does it take to do yur business? Ya missed the fun!" Mortimer held his breath as Steelgut stared at him. He looked as if he suspected something. "No matter! Back to the cannon training with ye!" Steelgut waved Mortimer back where he had just come from. Mortimer turned back to face his instructor. A question popped into his head that he needed to have answered.

"ARG! Deck master, shouldn't we have arrived at Reef Island already?" Mortimer asked. With the plundered vessel now completely destroyed, his pirate classmates started to file past them from the upper deck back to the cannon training.

"Trip's been canceled. Sky pirates are in the area, so we have to high tail it back to the island. Don't worry, we can still get some good training in on land and there will always be another training voyage," Steelgut acted as if the sky pirates were common knowledge and to be greatly feared.

"What are sky pirates?" Mortimer asked. He tried to appear as if this was the first time he had heard of them.

"What? Ya been living under a rock boy? They be phantoms! They fly in their ships above the clouds and use beams of light to capture unsuspecting ships. Once they have their sights set on you, ye be done for." Steelgut shoved Mortimer down towards the lower deck with his crew mates.

The cannon training resumed for the day and the group learned the proper way to store and load each type of cannon ball. A single shot was fired for each type and each pirate was quizzed by their instructor until the dinner bell rang and they were dismissed to fill their grumbling bellies.

As Mortimer sat down to enjoy the meal of eggs and beans with lemon water, he overheard the older crew members discussing the sky pirates while sloppily shoveling the meal into their mouths.

"They come like a storm. The sea goes crazy, the sky goes black as night and fire rains from the clouds. The next thing you know you're gone without a trace!" said a young pirate.

An older man with a peg leg broke into the conversation. "I heard the captain of the sky pirates is a demon who climbed from the depths to get revenge on mankind for its sins. Nobody is safe!" He threw his hands in the air, imitating ships exploding.

"Sky pirates, AHOY!" The voice came from the crow's nest, projecting loudly through all parts of the ship.

"Get yurselves to yer bunks! " Steelgut screamed at Mortimer and the few other training pirates in the galley.

"All crew to battle stations!" the captain's voice rang out and pirates started rushing in every direction, scrambling for their weapons.

Mortimer made his way back to his bunk. Counten and Thomas rushed over to him and pulled him to the port hole.

"Check it out, man!" Thomas exclaimed while pushing Mortimer's head out of the hole.

Mortimer twisted to look up, amazed at what he beheld. The sky was dark, but lights shone in every direction, reflecting on the clouds. Flames, ash and metal drifted down from the sky.

"Northeast..." Mortimer mumbled as he was pulled back into the cabin area.

"They're heading right for Skull Shuriken Island!" He looked to Thomas and Counten who just shrugged.

"How can you tell?" asked Counten. Thomas raised an eyebrow at the question.

"The captain turned the ship around. We're heading back to the island. Not only did the sky pirates just overtake us, but they're moving much faster than we are. They're going to beat us there," Mortimer said. He looked to his friends. They did not seem to feel the same panic he did at the idea of the sky pirates ransacking their home.

"But why would they go there?" Thomas scratched his head.

"I have no idea! They are right on top of us... but I hear no signs of attack. Do you?" The three looked up at the ceiling and listened in silence. All was quiet. The group turned their gaze to Mortimer.

Qball pushed a smaller pirate out of the way and poked his head out to look up at the sky.

"The little nerd is right. They just passed and didn't even seem to notice us." He looked to Mortimer. His eyes showed fear for their island.

"There's no way to know they're heading to Skull Island. It could just be a coincidence. My cousin said his ship had a run in with them and they didn't even attack. There was just flame and ash but not a sound. The way the sky darkens sure is creepy, though." He turned back to look out the hole at the darkness.

"ARG! Nothing to worry about. The cowards were too scared to go one on one with the Rusty Sponge!" Steelgut proudly crossed his arms. "Now get yurselves to yur bunks and stay quiet!"

"Sir! The sky pirates are headed right for Skull Island! We have to warn them! Fire the warning flares!" Mortimer was panicking with fear for his family.

"Our island be hidden, me boy. There be no reason to think those sky dogs would have any knowledge of our hidden fortress."

"But Skull Island was designed to be hidden from sea traffic. Nothing was done to hide its location from above." Mortimer was becoming angry with his instructor.

"That be enough! Shut yer traps and get to sleep'n!" Steelgut ordered. The group of young pirates rushed to their bunks without another word.

The whispering voices and the sounds of the men clambering on the deck kept Mortimer awake. He feared for his mother and his grandmother who were back on Skull Island. "If only I had a way to warn them," he thought to himself.

CREEEEEBBBBAAAAASSSSHHHHHH!!!! The ship shook violently, knocking everyone around. It lifted Mortimer into the air and tossed him on the hard floor. The ship started to capsize, tipping to the port side. Mortimer grabbed a beam, gripping it for dear life. The ship violently rocked back and forth as it attempted to re-balance and return to its rightful position. The sky pirates had decided to attack the Rusty Sponge after all.

"Fire!" The command rang out and was repeated by multiple voices up on deck. Steelgut rushed to get to the students as the ship rocked to and fro, causing him to stumble to the bunk area. He tripped and nearly fell on his face in the process.

"To the life boats with the lot of ye!" Steelgut bellowed. The group burst into action.

Mortimer's mind raced, Should he go to the crawlspace to inform his ninja comrades about the danger, or should he leave them to take care of themselves? "They had to have figured out the ship was under attack by now," he thought. There was little time to act as Mortimer was herded with the rest of his group towards the exit to the upper deck. At the last moment, he pretended to catch his foot on something and trip. He crawled away from the group and rushed out of sight towards the ninja first class.

He made his way through the small area, ducking and dodging support beams. He found Wen cradling an unconscious Aion in her lap.

"What happened to everyone else?" He asked. Wen turned and her body visibly relaxed as she recognised Mortimer.

"They went to see what was going on and then Aion mumbled something about sky pirates and passed out. I was left here to watch her, but nobody's returned. What's happening out there?" Wen's eyes were full of fear and her voice was panicked.

"We're being attacked by the sky pirates, which so far feels like sailing into a hurricane. The ship is on fire. The younger pirates are being ordered to abandon ship. And I would guess the ship is already lost based on the rocking and creaking." The crawl space began to fill with smoke and Mortimer and Wen panicked.

"Help me with her!" Wen screamed. Mortimer realized the deck above them would soon be covered in flames and collapse. The two carried Aion together as Sensei Wavecrash suddenly appeared beside them.

"Dudes, this ship is done for! Quick, follow me!"

Mortimer threw Aion over his shoulder and Wen threw on a pirate disguise. Sensei Wavecrash led them around a hidden corner. He and Mortimer lowered Aion down to another crawl space between two lower decks.

"There's a hatch over here. Quickly!" Sensei motioned, placing his hands on the side of the ship.

"What about Sly and Rin?" Mortimer asked. He looked down and noticed there was an inch of water by his feet, and it was slowly rising.

CRASH! Another strike from above the ship split the main mast. The ship moaned in agony and began to capsize again. Sensei Wavecrash produced three surfboards, handing one to Mortimer and one to Rin. "Where did he get those from?" thought Mortimer. He took hold of the long board and lifted a dazed and mumbling Aion on top of it.

"We're at the southern entrance to the archipelago. We will group up outside and I will use my waverider technique to get us to the shore." Sensei looked to Mortimer and Wen who were too frightened to respond.

"What about her?" Mortimer asked nodding towards the small girl slung over his surf board.

"She is in your care until we reach the island." Sensei pushed open the hatch. Water rushed in and they fought to keep their footing. Sensei put his hands together and Mortimer felt a tingling in the air. It started slowly and then moved lightning fast. The water reversed direction and sucked the three ninja and small girl out through the hatch. They shot the few feet out the side of the ship and onto the surface of the water.

Mortimer could see the lanterns on the lifeboats in the distance. He felt sure his fellow pirates were on board those lifeboats. They were moving quickly and he knew he couldn't catch them with just his surfboard.

Sensei yelled something and put his hands together in weird positions. Mortimer could feel the surface of the ocean moving and shifting, taking him and his board up and off in the direction of Skull Island.

Looking back, he could see Captain Danic Donny on the main deck screaming at the heavens. He aimed his pistol up at the sky, firing as he bellowed obscenities at the sky pirates. A few pirates rushed over to their captain when a huge beam of light enveloped the Rusty Sponge.

Mortimer gasped in horror as the entire ship vanished, leaving a huge hole in its place. The ocean screamed out as it rushed to fill the void. The current shifted roughly and the three ninja boarders were scattered in the darkness.

## Chapter 14 – Why do I have to go on an adventure?

Mortimer and Aion clung to the surfboard for their lives as the winds and waves threw them around like a baby duck in a wave pool. Mortimer could see the outline of Skull Shuriken Island in the distance. It was lit by the fire coming from the sky pirate ship.

"I feel sick. How did we get here?" Aion groggily asked. She gripped the board tightly, her fingers going as white as her face.

"Just hang on!" Mortimer tried to locate Sensei Wavecrash. It was hard to see while being bobbed up and down in the angry waves.

"Help me paddle!" he screamed. He plopped his lower half into the water and kicked with all his might. Fighting the currents, they made very slow progress towards Skull Shuriken Island. The minutes that passed felt like hours. Mortimer's mind filled with questions for Aion but neither of them had the breath to speak. It took all the energy they had just to push for the island.

He didn't know how long they had been at it, but he noticed Aion had passed out from exhaustion once again. Skull Island was not very far away now and they had already made it well into the archipelago. The sun was up by the time he realized he couldn't keep going. He slung his upper body over the board and used a rope to tie himself and Aion securely to it. He then let himself join her in a state of unconsciousness.

As luck would have, it they had paddled into the natural current between the islands. The gods of the sea seemed to be watching over the young innocents as they floated towards the western edge of Skull Shuriken Island. At last, they washed up on the shore to safety.

"Wake up sweetie. Everything is all right now. I'm here." Nana Bootsie's voice came to him softly and he felt a warm, comforting hand brush his hair from his forehead.

"What happened?" He sat up in a daze, his head was spinning and the bright lights blurred his vision.

"You were in a shipwreck, dear. You're safe and sound at home now. Your grandfather was here late last night. He was so worried when I told him you were out on the training voyage." Nana Bootsie was holding a white handkerchief. She seemed distracted.

"Where is grandpa?" He looked around to find he was laying in his own bed in his own room.

"Oh, he had to run off, back out to sea. You know him." Nana Bootsie let out a nervous chuckle. He knew she was trying to make him smile when her eyes raced with fear with worry.

"What happened last night, Granny? Where did Grandpa go? What happened to the sky pirates? Is everyone okay?" Mortimer blurted out. He worked himself into a panic as he remembered the events from the night before. "Where is Aion?"

"Aion? Oh, the little girl? She's downstairs sleeping in the big chair. She seems fine but nothing I do will wake her." Nana Bootsie turned away from Mortimer to wipe her eyes.

He jumped out of bed, pausing a moment as the dizzies grabbed at him. As soon as he was able, he rushed down the stairs of their small vertical home, the planks creaking as he thumped on each step.

Nana Bootsie followed slowly. She threw herself on the nearby couch. As she slumped, she dropped a red octagon with a small handle on one of its eight edges onto the floor at her feet. It was as if she did not have the will to keep her grip on the object any longer.

He shook Aion by the shoulder. "Hey! Wake up!" The girl didn't show any signs of waking. He took a seat at the bottom edge of the chair she was lying on.

"They're all gone, Mortimer. I was lucky your grandfather knew how to hide me. They took him. They took everyone. All I have is that," she said, pointing to the red object on the floor. He went over to inspect it more closely.

"Weird." He held the odd object in his hand.

"My uncle's key!" Aion's voice caused Nana Bootsie to jump. She reached out and took the object out of Mortimer's hands and cradled it in her arms.

"Evil pirates stole this key from my uncle!" Her shout was directed at Mortimer and he looked back at her in anger.

"My grandfather is a great man! He's not evil!" He reached out to take the bauble from the girl but she turned away, hiding it from his reach. He lost interest in the small object as his grandmother's words reached him.

"What do you mean, everyone's gone?"

"I'm the only one left on the island. Those men from the sky... they took everyone!" Nana Bootsie repeated, looking down in despair.

"How could they do that?" Mortimer was completely confused by the idea that a single ship could whisk away the entire population of Skull Shuriken Island.

"They used beams of light. This necklace hides you from the beams." Nana Bootsie revealed a small, very plain looking necklace. The gem it held was clear and had a pale blue tint to it. She let it fall to the floor. "He gave it to me, right before they took him..." her voice trailed off.

"Grandpa!" A bit of understanding came to Mortimer. His grandmother gazed into nothingness.

"We have to go after them! They have my uncle!" Aion grabbed Mortimer by the arms. This looked quite silly as the girl was a good six inches shorter than him.

"We don't have to do anything," he said sternly. He walked over to where his grandmother dropped the plain necklace. "If they could take my grandfather then nobody can stop them." He hung his head in pre-emptive defeat.

"What are you talking about? You're PIRATES! Storm their ship! Plunder their booty! Send them to DAVEY JONES' LOCKER!!" Aion raised her small fist in the air.

"You have a pretty skewed view of what pirates do, don't you?" Mortimer shook his head.

KNOCK KNOCK! The sound of someone pounding on the front door echoed through the house. His grandmother cringed and hugged a pillow to herself in reaction to the sudden noise.

"Coming!" Mortimer shouted. He responded as if this was a normal day. He opened the front door. Counten, Sly, and Wen appeared, still wearing the ocean, a stream of water puddled behind them on the floor as they pushed past him.

"Where have you guys been?!" He asked.

"Your house is the only one with the lights on. Nobody is home anywhere!" Counten blurted out.

"What happened here? Where is Sensei Wavecrash? Last time I saw him, he was on the ship trying to find you," Sly questioned.

"Wen and I were with him when the Rusty Sponge was destroyed. I lost sight of him. What happened to you after that, Wen?" Mortimer answered.

"He used his waverider technique to push you and Aion towards the island but lost his balance and fell into the waves. I tried to get to him but the currents took me away. He might be, I mean... I didn't seem him surface..." Wen's eyes reddened and got slightly moist.

"He's a surf ninja. There's no way the ocean took him!" Sly walked up to Mortimer. "Wen is hysterical. She thinks Sensei is gone." He waved towards Counten as he continued. "I found the big fat one sitting outside his house eating cookies. I've only been able to get his name out of him. All of the big ships from the harbor are gone. A good strategy would be to move to Fort Cutless, but I think the training ship is out there and if it's still working, I think we should take it and go after them. Nobody kidnaps our entire island and gets away with it." Sly spoke seriously as his eyes narrowed.

"What could we do with a training ship? It doesn't even have any cannons! We should wait here for them to return. They took both my grandfathers. There's no way THEY won't escape!" Mortimer sat himself down in a chair, already defeated.

"They got the entire ninja council, Mortimer. If they can do that then nobody can stop them. We have a chance. They won't consider that ship a threat. We can sneak on board and rescue everyone!" Sly clinched his left fist in his right palm.

"We have to rescue my uncle!" Aion said. Wen crossed her arms over her chest. She turned away as if she wanted nothing to do with any of them.

"How could we sneak on board an air ship with a tiny training ship? It doesn't fly, in case you've forgotten," Counten asked.

"Maybe we don't need to sneak onto it in the air. It has to have a base. I mean, it can't stay in the sky forever. We follow it. I last saw it going south. Since we aren't a threat, we can follow it without drawing suspicion," Sly replied.

"What if they capture us when they see we're following them?" Mortimer was sure Sly was going crazy.

"Then when we're up there, we can help the others escape from the inside," Sly said.

Nana Bootsie broke into the conversation, stealing everyone's attention. "The necklace will hide the ship. That's what Blackbeard did. He tied that necklace to the main mast. He said the necklace blocked them from seeing him but they could tell what direction he was heading if they were aware of the ship. They won't even be looking for you," she stopped herself. "But you shouldn't do this at all! Stay here! They'll escape on their own!" Nana Bootsie pleaded.

"If none of you want to come, then give me the necklace and I will do it myself!" Sly walked over to Aion to take the key from her grasp. She screamed and ran behind Mortimer who shook his head in frustration, letting out a long sigh.

"Fine, we can go after the sky pirates, but they are way out of our league. We don't stand a chance. If I say we turn back, we turn back. None of us are dying on this quest." Mortimer glared at Sly. He was finding he liked him less every minute.

"Everyone will be fine." Sly let out a deep 'HMPH.'

"So, who's going with us?" Mortimer asked.

"I am," Counten said almost instantly. "I follow my captain to hell and back!"

"You can't take my key without me!" Aion eyed Sly distrustfully.

"This is crazy. We can't do this!" Wen said, looking at the floor in fear.

"You can stay here with me, dear," Nana Bootsie said, putting a hand on Wen's shoulder. "Let's get you out of that horrible ninja outfit." Nana reached forward to remove Wen's mask.

"I'm in!" Wen jumped up to stand next to the rag tag crew.

"Everyone, get your gear together. We have no idea how long this will take, so bring everything you can think of," Mortimer commanded. Nana Bootsie shot him a look of disapproval.

"Nana..." He put on his sweet grandson voice. "Can you please pack me and my friends some food for our insane, crazy, impossible, bonkers quest?"

Nana Bootsie gave up trying to stop her grandson. She had seen the look in his eyes before in both her husband and son. She hurried to the kitchen to put together some food for their voyage.

"Everyone, go get ready and meet back here. We'll head down to the fort dock as a group. Hurry up!" The group dispersed to make ready for their quest.

Mortimer went upstairs and strapped his ninja gear right on top of his pirate get up. He made sure all his pouches were stuffed with everything he could find around his room and that he thought might be even a tiny bit useful.

When he felt he had most of the contents of his room in his pockets and pouches, he went downstairs to see how his Nana was doing with the food preparations.

"How's it going Gran-gran?" His pouches made clanking and jiggling sounds with every step as he entered.

"If your mother was here, she would teach you the proper way to pack those pouches so they don't make any noise." She wiped the tears from her eyes as she stuffed multiple sacks of food into a larger knapsack.

"I guess the sky pirates got her too, huh?" He paused, the realization just hitting him.

"Morty, this is not your job. You should stay here and be safe. You don't have to do this!" Nana Bootsie handed Mortimer three large sacks of food.

"We may not stand a chance, but I think we will regret it if we don't try. I have to do this. There's nobody else here. Unless you plan to rescue them yourself?"

His Nana turned to him and smiled. "Refined ladies like myself don't go gallivanting around to rescue ninja and pirates from insane death fortresses in the sky," she finished with a curtsey.

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "I'm all set, Nana. Any last advice?"

"Don't fight fair. They sure won't." Her young grandson seemed to grow up right before her eyes.

## Chapter 15 – What is that? A lighthouse?

The group made it down to the dock at Fort Cutless in good time. They loaded their bags and provisions onto the small craft and were ready to set sail. Counten took charge, spouting orders to Wen and Aion who hopped to their tasks as best they could. Counten was surprised to see Aion showing signs of having sailed a ship before.

"That's pirate stuff!" Sly said in protest to Counten's request to help lower the main sail.

"Are you saying you can't climb up there and untie the simple knots and unfurl the sail? What kind of ninja can't climb?" Counten replied sarcastically.

While the boat was being put in order, Mortimer was busy reviewing the few charts he found in the main cabin. He found his pocket edition of Science Facts useful as he hastily charted a course south in the direction the sky pirates had last been seen.

Science facts: Chapter 34, section 5c

Charting a route for your sea voyage is simple. First, you must get your bearings. If you don't know where you are, you certainly can't expect to arrive at your destination. Remember to take into account the present condition of tides, currents, and the planet's magnetic field. Don't forget to check for any obstacles that may exist between you and your destination and be sure to use the most up to date charts you can find. Remember the most important rule of sailing the ocean: keep your boat in, but above, the water.

Mortimer was pulled from his thoughts by Counten's loud voice as he argued with Sly.

"Well, I certainly can't do it and I need Aion to man the wheel and Wen on the jib, so that leaves you!" Counten shouted. Sly moved aggressively towards the larger boy even though he stood more than a foot below him in height.

"How do you expect to rescue our families from the sky pirates if we can't even work together to cast off one small ship?" Mortimer stepped between Counten and Sly.

"I am not a pirate! This isn't my job!" Sly took a kunai, a knife ninja use for throwing or hand to hand combat, from his belt and twirled it in his hands, turning away from the two pirates.

"It doesn't matter if you are a ninja or a pirate! We have to work together!" Mortimer shouted back.

Sly turned, walking towards the hatch that led to the small ship's hold. There was a loud CRASH! As its door slammed shut. The deck went silent with his absence.

"I'll let out the main sail." Mortimer handed the charts to Counten and hopped up the rigging.

A short time later, the ship was untied from the dock and a very light breeze slowly moved the ship away from the island.

"Don't be too hard on Sly. Pirates killed his brother," Wen said to Mortimer. "It was a ship of what you pirates call Outmodes, old fashioned un-guilded sea criminals. Still, he has no love for any pirate at all." She turned and vanished into the hold.

After Wen was below deck, Aion, who was at the wheel, shouted, "I thought pirates didn't kill."

Mortimer walked over to Counten on the poop deck. He was going over the charts and giving Aion occasional prompts to turn the wheel, adjusting their course.

"Pirates, as a rule, don't kill anymore," Mortimer explained, "But a long time ago, pirates were more ruthless. They took the lives of merchants and sunk their plundered ships, so they were aggressively hunted by the military. The Guild of the Hook declared it was bad for business. They stated that killing was no longer acceptable behavior. 'Why kill our prey and sink their ship when we could plunder them again on the way back from their destination?'" He explained matter-of-factly.

"Ninja, on the other hand, have no such rules. They do whatever their contract requires of them, even killing in cold blood." Counten looked at the ninja gear Mortimer had strapped over his pirate get up.

"My mother is a ninja," he explained, turning slightly red under his large friend's piercing gaze.

Counten liked Mortimer more than any other pirate he had trained with before, so he just nodded and didn't press for more information.

"My parents are dead," Aion said coldly. "My uncle is all I have left. If anything happens..."

"Don't worry." Mortimer cut her off before the tears could start to flow. "We'll rescue everyone, not just the ninja and not just the pirates. We'll stop those sky pirates no matter what!" Mortimer thought how crazy his words must sounded. His friends just stared. None of them had any idea how they were going to do it, but they held onto the hope it would somehow be possible.

Mortimer agreed to take first watch and hopped up the rigging to the small crow's nest atop the main mast. The small ship had just two sails: the main sail and the foresail. The main sail caught the wind, propelling them forward while the foresail was used to direct and hold the ship's course. Uniquely, the ship had a large rudder and two extra large anchors with special releases that could be used to drop them faster than those of bigger ships. He guessed that since the boat was used to teach young pirates to sail, it needed to be able to stop on the spot.

Time passed slowly. Mortimer was bored as the ship made its way southward out of the archipelago.

Once outside the archipelago's shelter, the southern current took them, the winds picked up and they began to make real progress. He calculated that they would reach the Verganus Triangle area by noon the following day.

The Verganus Triangle was a large area of the southern ocean that most pirates considered cursed. Others referred to it as the best way to escape any naval pursuit. Legend said that a long time ago, a huge city floated on the water. After disaster struck and the city sank under the ocean, the damned souls of the dead haunted any ships that dared pass above the wreckage of the city. Occasionally, sailors claimed they entered the Verganus Triangle going in one direction and found they were on a completely different heading when they left. A change of direction was a minor inconvenience to an experienced sailor and was not always reported, so this remains a rumor.

He found himself gazing to the west when the sun glinted on something floating in the water and caught his eye. He squinted but the light bounced on the waves over and over, distracting him.

"There's something to the west! Adjust our course forty degrees port-side!" Mortimer spoke into a tube which projected his voice to Aion and Counten down on the deck.

The ship slowed a bit. They had to fight the southern currents in order to maintain their new course. The entire group was on the deck. Sly, Wen, and Counten all stood at the bow. Soon, they came alongside the strangest sight any of the young group had ever seen.

It was a tiny barren island without a single blade of grass on it. The island seemed to float on the water as if it was a boat disguised as an island. The small body of sand was home to a tower that was at least three times the height of their main mast and almost as wide as their main deck. The tower was covered in lapis lazuli stone from the bottom to top. The roof was ornamented with what looked like half of a king's crown shimmering in the light of the sun.

"I've seen this before!" Mortimer shouted. Counten dropped one of the anchors to the ocean floor and cast the other into the sand, slowing the ship to match the aimless drift of the small sand island.

"This is a wizard's tower!" Mortimer shouted. He pulled out his copy of Science Facts and showed the image from Chapter 43, section 9h to his crew mates on the deck.

"That's impossible! There's no such thing as Wizards!" Sly shouted, turning away from Mortimer.

"There are such things as wizards!" Heads turned as an eerie voice came from every direction and they were surrounded by a pale red fog.

"I am the wizard who floats on the sea, foe of all who would live for misdeeds. I hide here alone, but see all that's true. Tell me no lies, now just who are all you- AAAACHHHHHOOOOOOOO!!" The wizards sneeze cleared the fog that surrounded the small band of travelers. A man with huge eyebrows and a long beard that was separated into three parts stood before them. He wore a tall pointed hat and held a long staff which he pointed menacingly at the group on the deck.

"Who do you think you are? We just happened upon this place at random!" Sly said as he protectively stepped in front of the group.

"Liar and thief. Sniff, Sniff, ACHOO!" the wizard said between sneezes. He waved his staff at Sly who became enshrouded in a cloud of mist. Sly's cries could be heard through the mist but when it cleared, the boy was gone. There on the deck stood a small rooster that squawked angrily in chicken speak at the wizard, who just waved him off with his free hand.

"Why have you stormed my island? Speak the truth or share his fate. ACHOO!" The Wizard sneezed and sniffled, indicating the rooster strutting around the deck.

Mortimer looked down at Sly the rooster and remembered something his Nana had taught him when he was very little. "Whenever you meet someone new, always be polite and introduce yourself, even if you plan to rob them blind and maroon them," he heard her voice in his ear. He gulped, afraid that he was about to find out what it felt like to wear feathers. He leapt over the edge of the crow's nest, hopping to the rigging and landing on deck in front of the wizard. He held both hands out in front of him in a friendly stance.

"Hi, I'm Mortimer Aglet. What's your name?"

Mortimer smiled while waiting for the wizard's response.

"I am the great \- ACHOO! - Wizard Roznilrem!" He lifted his staff in the air and slammed it into the deck with a loud THUMP. The wizard proceeded to have a sneezing fit that ended with him pulling a hankie from a hidden pocket in his robes. He blew his nose multiple times, then dug around for a while as if he expected to find gold hidden deep within his nose. The group looked to one another in awkward silence, waiting for the old man to finish his business.

Mortimer was the first to chance breaking the awkward silence. "We are victims of a sky pirate raid. They kidnapped my mother, my Grandfather..."

"And my Uncle!" Aion broke in.

"We're going to attempt a rescue, but we don't know how we're going to board their sky ship. Please, powerful wizard, can you aid us in our quest? We saw your island by chance and came here only as victims of our own curiosity, but perhaps its fate." He paused, thinking to himself that he had read somewhere that wizards were obsessed with fates and destinies. The group patiently waited for the wizard to speak. For some time the old man stood stroking his beard and watching the rooster scratch at the deck as it looked down at its own legs in horror.

"Mortimer Aglet, you are a sniffle - mysterious lad. Your mind tells me you are honest yet conflicted about your place in life. I-" The wizard let out a very loud sneeze. He looked down to see the rooster rushing towards his robes to attack.

"Vuuss!" The Wizard said, pointing his staff at the small bird. The rooster was lifted from the deck and into the air as if by a strong updraft of wind. It let out a squeal as it shot up and into the crow's nest, landing softly.

"Too many allergens." The wizard pinched his nose, holding back a sneeze. "I can't help you. I can't leave my tower. The world is full of dust and spores and mold and things that I just can't let myself be exposed to. ACHHOOOO!!! My tower is hypoallergenic. Sniffle. I'm trapped here on this island, a prisoner of my body's weakness. However, I can give you something that will help you. AAACCCHHHOO!!!!!"

The Wizard waved his hands around in the air muttering a couple magic sounding words. His chanting was accompanied by flashing lights and a puff of smoke. A small red orb sprung into his hand as if out of thin air. The orb pulsed, swirling energy alive at its center as if a hurricane was trapped within it.

"Catch!" The Wizard shouted as he tossed the orb to Mortimer. With some trouble, he managed to catch the orb. It was almost uncomfortably warm.

"What you hold in your hand is the negative half of a levistone. I just happened to have a spare. It's quite a pure stone. If you travel a good while southwest from here along the outside of the Verganus Triangle, you will come to an island that has three mountains. At the base of the highest mountain there is a cave where you will find blue positive levistones. When you bring the positive and negative halves together, the stones will create lift. This is how you can reach the sky pirates. Be warned, they are very powerful foes. Your chances are not good." The old wizard began another sneezing fit and put his staff to his nose, whispering spells under his breath to block allergens and cure colds and other such things.

"I must get out of these allergens! Good luck on your quest, young ninja and young pirates!" The wizard threw up his hand and staff and vanished in a puff of smoke as if he had never been there. The island then moved away from their small craft and seemed to become increasingly transparent. It vanished completely before reaching the horizon. Sly, who returned to his true form at the moment the wizard disappeared, jumped down from the crow's nest screaming at full volume.

"Where is that old git!?"

"He's gone, but I think we have a way to save our families!" Wen rushed over to Sly to fill him in on the happenings on deck during his time as a rooster.

"All right, let's set our course for the southeast!" Mortimer smiled. To his surprise and relief, one part of their quest no longer seemed completely impossible.

The voyage took longer than any of them had expected. Aion and Wen slept on the main deck in make shift beds composed mostly of piles of clothes. Counten spent his time below deck rationing their food and preparing breakfast for the morning. Mortimer was at the wheel, directing the ship towards an island that had been spotted in the distance. It had three mountain peaks shooting high into the sky. The sun was just rising on the horizon as Sly came up beside him on the main deck.

"I don't like this idea at all. We have no proof that what that crazy old man said is true. For all we know, we're going to pull up alongside an island of cannibals." Sly stood in front of Mortimer, his arms crossed aggressively.

"You've done nothing but complain and give everyone a hard time since we set out. What is your problem?" Mortimer shot back, aggravated with his ninja brother.

"You are, for one! Why the heck are you bothering to train as a pirate? It makes no sense! We use pirates as free passage on our missions, we don't join in their pointless voyages for plunder! Plus, you don't seem devoted to either group. You just give a little of yourself to each. Frankly, I think you're a wishy-washy loser who will never be a ninja master or a pirate captain because your too busy trying to be mediocre at both!" Sly screamed in Mortimer's face from behind the wheel.

"Do you mind? I am trying to steer a ship here," Mortimer said, holding back his desire to punch Sly right in the face. "Any problem you have with me, shove it! We have people to rescue and enemies to direct our anger at!" He motioned for Sly to move away from the wheel.

"You know what!" Sly pulled back his right fist, ready to strike when suddenly, a large strong hand held his fist in place.

"Striking the captain is mutiny. I would hate to have to keel haul someone so early in the voyage." Mortimer was surprised by Counten's sudden appearance. He had noticed a shift the large boy's attitude and confidence in the few weeks since they had met.

"Ninja do not serve captains! I won't conform to your pirate hierarchy. I am ninja and we work as a team making decisions together. I don't agree with our current path. Remember that when I don't help you when we get to the island." Sly stormed off below to the hold.

"Well, I think we found out who will be staying behind to guard the ship." Mortimer joked to Counten. The two let out a small chuckle.

## Chapter 16 – Is this cave haunted?

After hours of careful sailing, they arrived at what they suspected was the right island. They anchored as close as they could to the mountain with the highest peak. Sly declared he wouldn't leave the ship for such a ridiculous quest, which got no challenge from the rest of the group. Everyone else filed into the ship's one small row boat and made for the shore. At the last second, Counten reminded Sly, who openly admitted he knew nothing about sailing, not to touch anything.

The group made good time to the beach. Each had one small bag of provisions along with their light gear. Counten, who found none of the spare ninja belts would fit around his bulge, carried the standard pirate sword and musket with extra ammunition just in case.

Aion borrowed a pirate cutlass and a spare ninja belt with a grapple and some stars in the pouches. Mortimer was afraid they would have a hard time finding the cave, but to his astonishment, he found a trench dug into the beach that led north directly into a huge hole in the distant mountain. The group hoped it was the cave they were looking for. They made their way through the trench with all the haste they could muster. Counten kept up at first but eventually exhaustion took him. Not long after, the rest of the group felt exhausted as well, which led to a unanimous agreement to take a short break.

They found a spot by a stream near the trench and made camp there. Mortimer couldn't help but look up towards the cave entrance, rarely taking his eyes from it. He felt like something inside was calling to him. His exhaustion disappeared.

"It seems like the cave is so close, yet we keep walking and walking and never seem to get any closer!" Aion moaned and Wen let out a sigh in agreement.

"I'm going on ahead. Catch up when you can." Mortimer stood up and with amazing focus and stamina, he rushed through the trench towards the cave entrance. The cave seemed to come right to him, appearing larger and deeper the closer he got to the entrance.

"Hello!" he called into the cave.

"Hello, hello, hello, h e ll o..." Mortimer's voice echoed through the cave as he stood at the entrance. He cautiously waited for a reply. Nothing came. He took a step into the ever increasing darkness.

"Ugggghhhhhhh......" He heard someone's voice deep within the cave. He stood still and yelled into the cave, "Is someone in there?" The hairs on the back of his head rose up as his heart rate quickened.

"Uuuuhhhgggggg, yeeeeessssss. Ugggghhhhhh, hhheeellllppppp...." the voice in the darkness returned.

Mortimer stopped. The cave's ridged walls poked out in all directions. He felt that this was the kind of place you'd go when you want to be eaten by the crazy monsters in his grandmother's legends. He mustered what courage he found deep inside and kept moving forward.

"I-I'm coming. I'm unarmed!" he declared as he drew his katana from its scabbard. He wished he had lit a torch as the light from the cave entrance faded behind him. He made his way even deeper into the cave, all the while shouting to the voice in the darkness but receiving no response. He was frightened and desperate for any light. He thought he was starting to see a blue glowing monster around the next bend in the cave wall.

"It's too dark! I'm going to turn around and make a torch!" He shouted to the darkness, resolved to regroup with his comrades. Mortimer turned back towards the cave entrance and stopped. He noticed his shadow on the cave wall was outlined by soft blue light.

"Don't go!" The voice came back much more clearly.

"That sounds like a person," he thought as he turned around. He summoned all of the courage he had to help the unknown someone in need. "I hope it really is a someone and not a something," he thought to himself. He carefully made his way deeper into the cave. He hoped that if there was light then he would have nothing to fear. He wondered if maybe there was another exit to the cave up ahead. It could save him time returning to his friends or escaping danger.

The blue glow brightened and Mortimer was able to see better than before. The source of the soft blue light filled the next room. There was a wide hole in the opposite side of the cavern. Shattered remains of pale blue glowing crystals lined the cave walls, most embedded deeply. Mortimer could feel the red levistone in his pouch react as his body began to feel lighter. The sensation startled him. He had never felt so light on his feet before, yet, he felt completely grounded at the same time.

"Uggghhhhhh, help mee..." the voice came again. He was sure he was now in the same room as the voice's source. Mortimer turned towards the soft moaning sound and found a huge pile of shattered crystal shards in the corner of the cavern.

"Is someone in there?" He began to walk towards the pile of shards and noticed a hand reaching out.

"Trapped under. Too weak!" the voice answered. Mortimer stood directly to the left of the hand and stared through the clear blue crystal shards at a strange looking man with a thin layer of crystal dust and shards covering his body.

"Can't you just get up? You can't possibly be trapped by such a small amount of rubble!" He inspected the man lying in the shards but kept a safe distance.

"Can't move. These crystals drain my strength. Holding me here. Left for dead." The man gasped for air. Mortimer could tell it was taking all the strength he had just to speak.

"You promise you won't hurt me if I pull you out of there?" He moved to a position where he could better grab the man by his exposed arm.

"No harm will come to you. I will reward you for saving my life." The voice came softly, going in and out as if every word stole his last bit of strength.

Mortimer grabbed the man by the arm. He was shocked to find the man's forearm was as big around as Mortimer's head. The level of muscle was intimidating, yet the man was not overly heavy. He was easily able to pull the man free from the pile of shards. They lightly clattered off the man's body.

"Get me out of here! I need to be away from the crystals." The man was free but still unable to stand and walk on his own.

"I have to take one of these shards with me. I'll find a small one that will easily fit in my pocket." He left the man laying in the center of the cavern and went to inspect the shards, searching for one the same size as the red levistone.

Mortimer had a strong urge to study the stones. He filled a pouch on his belt with a handful of the smaller blue shards. He pulled the red stone out of his pocket to compare it to a larger blue stone he had picked up. When the two stones got close together, Mortimer's feet lifted a few inches off the ground. He pulled the two crystals away from each other and landed lightly back on the floor of the cavern.

"Amazing!" The man lying on the ground noticed the red orb in his hand. "Can I see that?" he asked through panting breaths.

"No. I need it to rescue my family," Mortimer shot back at the man coldly.

"Just let me hold it for one moment. I will owe you a great debt if you do. I promise I'll return it instantly," the man's tone sounded like he was begging for his life.

Mortimer walked towards the man slowly, still holding a crystal in each of his hands. He wasn't sure if he could trust him. Though his size was intimidating, he was so weak Mortimer was sure he could take the stone back by force if he really needed too.

"Put that one away!" the man said in a panic, pointing at the blue crystal in Mortimer's hand. Mortimer complied as he moved closer. The closer he was to the red orb, the stronger the man seemed to become.

He handed the orb to the man who held it as if it were life itself. He cradled it in his hands, staring down at it in awe. The large man's eyes turned red and glowed along with the stone.

"Thank you, my boy. You saved my life!" The man's strength seemed to have completely returned to him. He handed the orb back to Mortimer.

The man jumped to his feet. He stood two heads higher than Mortimer and was ripped head to toe with muscle. He wore bright green skin tight clothing and a huge orange cape trailed from his shoulders. A symbol Mortimer didn't recognize was on his chest.

"Hi, I'm Justice Captain." The man said now hovering about six inches off the ground

Mortimer was too shocked to speak. He had already forgotten that only a few moments ago he had done the same thing.

"What's your name, son?" the large man said as he floated through the air over to him.

"Mortimer Aglet."

"Thank you, Mortimer Aglet. You saved my life and I swear to return the favor. If there is anything I can do to help you in any way, just ask." The large man shook the still stunned and tongue tied Mortimer's hand.

"Well, I am off to fight evil. Just let me know anytime if there is anything you need or if there is anything at all I can do to help you!" With that the man flew off with amazing speed towards the cave entrance. Mortimer, at the last moment, managed to get his words out.

"Help me save my family and friends from the sky pirates!" but it was too late. The super powered man had already flown away. Mortimer was left extremely confused. He made his way back to the cave entrance where his friends had just arrived.

"Did you get it?" Counten asked. Mortimer produced a blue shard and displayed it for the group.

"So what happens now? How can this stone help us save the people of Skull Island?" Wen asked.

Mortimer pulled the red orb from his pocket and slowly put the two stones closer together. Once again, he felt his body lighten, then lift off the ground. The sensation caused him to panic and he moved the two stones away from each other, falling back to solid ground.

"How will that help us?" Aion said indignantly. "It barely took you off the ground, how will it get all of us up to the sky pirates?"

"I don't think the size of the object matters. When I tried it, I could tell the crystals were waiting for mental instructions. If I had thought, 'Take me higher,' it would have easily shot me up to the moons. But I was so afraid, I kept thinking, 'Please stop, please stop. Let me down!' The orbs didn't feel happy about it though. I get the feeling they to want to fly really high and fast."

"Well, here's hoping. Let's get back to the ship fast! Who knows how long it will take us to find the sky pirates?" Counten was still panting and sweaty from the trip to the cave and dreaded the long hike back to the ship.

"No worries." Mortimer motioned for everyone to come in closer. He took his small bag off his back and reorganized its items: a small canteen of water and a single sandwich.

"Everyone grab onto the bag." Mortimer instructed and Wen, Aion, and Counten all took hold of the shoulder strap.

"Hold on tight!" Mortimer threw both stones into the bag and it became weightless. Putting one hand on the strap and reaching the other in the bag to hold the two stones, he mentally told the crystals to take them up into the air and back to the training ship.

They all felt a jerking sensation before everyone touching the bag went weightless. The group rose into the air and Aion let out a loud shriek as their feet lifted from the ground. Mortimer didn't say anything as he concentrated. Wen loudly repeated, "Oh gawd, oh gawd, oh gawd!" Counten was grinning from ear to ear as his very heavy body felt as light as a feather.

"I haven't been this light since I was a little kid! This is amazing!" Counten yelled. Mortimer's expression remained serious as he fought against his fear to concentrate.

The group made it back to the ship in record time. Sly stood on the deck and watched in shock as the group lightly touched down on the main deck. They were relieved to feel something solid under their feet. Sly continued to stare at his companions.

"What happened? A green and orange blur flew past the ship and there was a 'BOOM!'" Sly looked to his crew mates, each still catching their breath as their hearts pounded out of their chests.

"See what you miss when you stay on the ship during an adventure?" Mortimer said. He turned to his rag tag crew. "Weigh anchor! Let's go make those sky pirates pay!"

The group hoisted the anchor and rushed to ready the ship for sailing. They made their way swiftly back towards the Verganus Triangle.

Sly maintained an angry silence and stayed out of the way. He decided that from here on out he would be the one to make the decisions. Sneaking onto a pirate ship unnoticed was, after all, ninja stuff, and they would just mess it up anyway.

## Chapter 17 – Are you a pirate or a ninja?

The crew of the small training ship sailed through the afternoon and into the night. The high spirit that had started the trip back to the Verganus Triangle had quickly faded. Counten manned the wheel while Mortimer spent his time studying his book, Science Facts, for a clue to how the levistones functioned.

So far he'd had no luck finding the origin of the stones, but he did find a section of the book called 'Aeronautic Suspension.'

Science Facts: Chapter 78, section G4.

Aeronautic Suspension and the Art of Vertical Suspension:

Normally, for an object to gain lift, it must possess the correct balance of forward momentum and perfect form to allow air friction to carry the object above the current friction generated by the force of the air. When viewed through a microscope, air can be seen as individual particles mixing with all the other particles around us. Since these air particles exist everywhere around us, we can breathe. The particles separate as we move through them, but if one was to find a way to concentrate the air particles or any other particles with enough force, the particles may be able to support a person's weight. To others, it would appear that the person was hovering, or standing on air itself.

"I think I understand how the levistones work!" Mortimer walked onto the main deck with a spring in his step.

"Really?" Wen asked, hoping for a simple explanation.

"Yeah, I think they convert the particles in the air into force. In theory, the stones should be able to move the entire ship, but I'm worried that the energy required would drain the stones of their power very quickly. They could take us high into the air and then fail. We'd plummet to our doom before we reach the sky ship."

Wen once again looked at Mortimer as if he was crazy.

"Nerd!" Sly walked over to Mortimer and ripped his pocket sized Science Facts right out of his hand.

"Hey! Give that back!" He grabbed Sly by the arm. The two boys arms were locked together, ready to wrestle for the book.

"Stop it!" Wen screamed.

"My Nana gave me that book! Give it back or I'll take it from you!" Mortimer said as his anger was overtook his senses.

Normally, you'd think that a boy training to be both a ninja and a pirate, and a boy who has been training to be a ninja for his entire life, would now have an epic battle on the deck of the small ship. They would be throwing stars, crossing swords, and there would be ninja magic flying in every direction. This was not the case. After all, it was the first real fight either boy had ever been a part of. During training, they were instructed on how, where, and who to strike. Here, they reverted back to two young boys struggling over a favorite toy.

The boys rolled around on the deck of the ship, grabbing at each other while punching and kicking and holding onto one another. Both boys tried to pin the other to the floor but neither gained ground over the other. Aion and Wen tried to find an opening to pull the two boys apart. The girls stood over the two boys screaming, "Stop!"

Counten secured the wheel and made his way down onto the main deck. In a display of his massive strength, he lifted Mortimer with his left arm and Sly with his right. The two boys dangled in the air, struggling to reach each other.

"That's enough!" Counten tossed Mortimer and Sly in opposite directions. They hit the deck with a hard THUD.

"You think I like that my best friend and captain is also training to be a sneaking, back stabbing ninja?" Counten screamed at Sly.

Mortimer stood up, his anger overtaking his good sense.

"I didn't ask to have a ninja for a mother and a pirate for a father!" he screamed back at Counten and the rest of the deck.

"I'm doing what I have to! I only get to see my mother when I train as a ninja and the only way I'll see my father is to get full pirate status and join his crew. They almost never bother to visit me or even see each other. I wish I had a normal life. I wish I could take a side but I can't! So if you guys don't like that fact then, tough!" Taking a breathe he picked up his pocket sized copy of Science Facts off the deck. He turned on his heels and trudged off to the captain's cabin, slamming the door behind him.

Sly turned to the rest of the crew. His expression became serious.

"I admit, until I got my face socked in just now, I was only thinking about myself. My mother is up there on that ship. I... she's all I have." He looked towards Wen who, even through her anger, looked back at him compassionately.

"From now on, I'm in charge on this deck. We can be democratic on land, but this ship goes nowhere and does nothing without my saying so, understood?" Counten commanded to the misfit group. Sly looked up at Counten angrily, but his fury faded as the large boy stood his ground.

"Look, I don't know anything about pirating and ships, but once we get ourselves up on that sky ship we do things the ninja way. There's nobody here who knows more about infiltration missions than me, period." Sly waited for Counten to protest.

"I plan to stay with the ship when we get there." Counten's eyes fell to the planks of the deck. "My size would just be a nuisance on a sneaking mission," he continued, a bit of his confidence fading.

"Actually, there's a ninja instructor who looks about twice your size and he manages to complete all his missions just fine. You just have to use different tactics," Wen said, trying to lift Counten's spirits.

"I don't care about ninja or pirates!" Aion butted in. "I'm here to get my uncle back and I plan to do whatever it takes. So far, Mortimer has led us without even being asked. We all fell back on his decisions because we didn't offer anything better. If you want to start contributing ideas, then, fine, but don't pretend like any of us would have gotten this far without him and his insane book!" Aion entered the captain's cabin and slammed the door behind her.

Counten, Wen, and Sly all looked to one another, losing their gusto. Counten returned to the wheel and Sly jumped up to the crow's nest. Wen joined Sly in the crow's nest, explaining that they were sure to be close to the sky ship by now and two sets of eyes would be better than one.

"I think you're doing an amazing job," Aion said to Mortimer who was sitting behind the small captain's desk. His eyes were locked on the pages of his slightly soggy pocket sized Science Facts. He was scowling angrily.

"I'm not doing anything. I'm not the leader of this group and I never asked to be! Everyone looked to me on their own. I only want to save my family and friends."

"It's not like it's your fault they were kidnapped." The very small girl's head peeked up from the other side of the desk just high enough to meet his gaze.

"In a round about way. I mean, when my parents fell in love, they were the first pirate and ninja to ever, ya know, do that. Especially after all of the prejudice left over from the Great War. My grandfather's almost started a second war when they found out my parents were together. Nana Bootsie was the one who saved the day and led the group to settle their differences on Skull Shuriken Island. This island became a refuge for them and all those who wanted a place to live without the segregation and hate that exist between ninja and pirates. I'm the proof of what can happen when people put their hate aside and just live their lives." Aion continued to listen, watching him with her big blue eyes.

"You can't blame yourself. You're the result of their love, not the cause of their destruction." The young girl smiled at him.

"I know, but I feel like in a lot of ways it's my job to prove what they did was right. Even if my parents rarely see each other anymore, I'm still there to be the bridge between the two strange and opposing worlds." Mortimer laughed.

"Thanks. I think I needed to talk to someone about this. My Nana wanted me to completely leave this world behind and live on the mainland. She still hopes someday I will."

"Well, I love the mainland. The sea scares me to death, but here I am facing my fears, because if I went back to the mainland now I think I would just be ignored. Most kids on the mainland are sent to charity homes and work houses when their parents die. I was sent to live with my uncle, so I lived wherever his current crazy job took us. I've traveled all over the world and met many unique people, but I think this group may be one the most odd and amazing that I've ever met. If anyone can rescue the population of an entire island from the clutches of evil sky pirates, you can!" Aion walked out the door, leaving Mortimer to his thoughts.

The ship was silent on the water. Sly and Wen were sleeping, back to back, in the crow's nest. Aion was sleeping downstairs, leaving Counten still at the wheel. He was constantly having to reopen his sagging eyelids, determined to stay awake but failing.

Mortimer was finally doing what his grandmother had hoped for many years. He was spending hours and hours, by choice, going over every page of the pocket sized book of Science Facts. He was determined to make sure that they used the levistones correctly. After much time and eyestrain, he was sure he had come up with the right plan. He knew where to place the stones to properly lift the small ship. He also tested the stones multiple ways and learned that the red stone would recharge itself after use but the blue would deplete and turn gray after use. He wanted not only to save all his family and friends, but everyone who had been kidnapped by the sky pirates. He worked tirelessly to make sure he was completely prepared.

Unfortunately, he learned that the use of the stones put a huge mental drain on the person controlling them and that levitation would be far more exhausting than anyone could handle for long. He figured that multiple trips to the altitude required to board the sky ship would be more than one person could handle. He decided that the group would take turns using the stones so that the strain was never too heavy on one person. He hoped they'd be able to release all the islanders in one trip. His secret hope was that by the time they arrived up on the deck of the sky ship his grandfathers would have already taken control of the situation via an old fashion shanghai of the flying ship. Stealing the sky pirates' ship would give them enough room to bring everyone home and help him avoid multiple trips on Mortimer's small craft. Mortimer felt he could not rely much on that plan since they had no idea what was going on in the sky pirates' ship.

BOOM! Cannon fire stole Mortimer from his concentration. He rushed out of the cabin and onto the deck to find the source of the explosion.

"Royal Navy starboard!" Wen said into the communicator tube.

"What are they doing?" Mortimer shouted, the group looked toward the ships in the southwest.

"Have they spotted us?" Counten yelled back.

"I don't think so! They're firing at the air!" Wen replied from the crow's nest.

Sure enough, as they got closer, they spotted not one, but three royal navy gun ships all firing at the clouds. Ash, fire, and liquid metal rain swirled in the air around them. The young group watched the chaos, their hearts beating roughly in their chests.

"That's the sky pirates' ship!" Wen pointed to the clouds excitedly. Aion, awakened by the noise, came up onto the deck from below. She rubbed her eyes and squinted at the sunlight.

"Adjust to a pursuit course and follow at full speed!" Mortimer said as Counten turned the wheel towards the three naval ships, who shot another barrage of cannon fire up at the clouds.

"I need help to prepare the ship for flight!" Mortimer barked orders to the crew.

"What do you need?" Sly asked, trying to sound helpful.

"I need the furnace brought on deck and rigged securely to the main mast. I have some spare ropes and grapples. I think they should do the trick, but it's got to be really secure!" The two ninja jumped down to the deck to help him.

"Aion, man the crow's nest, will you?"

After some time and hard work, the furnace was snugly secured to the main mast. It had taken so long that Counten had been able to catch up to the slow moving naval fleet. The military ships were doing their best to unload their arsenal at the clouds above them. Counten maintained a safe distance behind the vessels, all the while repeating to himself over and over, "Please don't see us. Please don't see us." The group tried to be as quiet as possible. Everyone was on edge and felt uneasy about the short distance between them and a very angry royal navy fleet.

"You sure this will work?" Sly asked Mortimer, who was now placing the red and blue stones into the mouth of the furnace.

"All my research says there's a good chance of success. My biggest fears are getting up there and not having anywhere to land, or worse, they shoot us down and we fall to our deaths."

Mortimer stopped in his tracks. He suddenly remembered the necklace that his grandmother had given him. He felt through his pockets and pouches, sure he had it in one of them. He found it in his right front pocket, the last place he looked. With a smile of new found confidence, he held the necklace out in front of his comrades, then tied it tightly to the furnace.

"Too bad anyone looking out a window will still be able to see us." Mortimer said as he stared at the necklace.

"I've got it! Leave that to me!" Wen said cheerfully. "My mother is head of hidden arts for the only ninja ship: 'The Waveless Current.' I grew up on that thing, watching my mother while she went over the arts used to hide the ship from the navy. I think I can remember the symbols and seals used. If so, we may be able to render the ship unseen, least for a little while." Wen was very proud of herself for remembering.

"Sly can you help her with that? Make it as quick as possible." Mortimer gave him a desperate look.

"I know a few of the seals, my brother and I used to make things turn invisible while my mother cooked dinner. It requires constant ninja energy to maintain the illusion." Sly remembered, "'Where's that sauce pan?' Mom would shout as we laughed from the other room. They were only pranks, but the principle should be close, I think."

"You're so smart!" Wen said smiling at Sly.

"Not now." They ran off to place the runes around the ship.

Mortimer walked over to Counten, taking the wheel from the large, exhausted looking boy.

How are you doing?" He asked. Counten placed his hands on his knees and breathed heavily.

"Not sure I'm cut out for this kind of thing," Counten nodded to Mortimer and continued to pant.

"Look, about before..." Mortimer started, but Counten halted his words.

"It's not important. We're all in this together, ninja or pirate. I could still do without the ninja part though." He let out a small laugh.

"I know the feeling." Mortimer looked over at Wen and Sly who were busy drawing runes on the ship in ninja ink.

"We're all set, I think!" Wen finished drawing a ring on the center of the ground. It spiraled out to meet all the runes around the perimeter of the ship.

"Ok, don't do anything unless I say so." Mortimer handed the wheel back over to Counten who had regained some stamina from his brief reprieve.

Mortimer opened the furnace hatch and placed his hand inside. He found the red orb and put it against the blue stone. He held both in his hand as he thought with all his might, "UP!" envisioning the entire ship rising up to the clouds.

His eyes were closed in concentration, but he could feel it the moment the ship became weightless and lifted out of the water. The ship lurched forward, overtaken by the wind. The weightless vessel slowly rose in altitude as Mortimer focused on moving towards the sky ship. Counten fought the wind, using the main wheel to choose the ships direction. The group stared in astonishment as their craft rose high into the dark, ominous clouds. Mortimer signaled Wen to activate her runes and the ship gradually faded into the blackness of the sky.

## Chapter 18 – What are you doing here?

Blackbeard found himself sitting alone on a cold cell floor. The room was so small that his head touched the back wall while his feet touched the front. He was constantly cold since the floor and walls were made out of a metal that refused to retain any heat. He had no way to tell the time, but was sure he'd been in that cell for at least a couple of days.

In order avoid slipping into madness, Blackbeard had taken to singing all the sea shanties he could recall, though some he only knew well enough to hum the tune. When on deck, his crew had entertained themselves by singing all the classic pirate songs, but as captain he had to avoid singing to keep the crews respect. Blackbeard recalled most of the words to "Giant Squid, Don't Eat Me, Take Me Mother-in-Law Instead!" and "I Saw His Feet Move, Stab Him Again" (which was very popular thanks to its catchy chorus), but the one song he seemed to keep getting stuck in his head, even though he'd never sung it himself, was "The Deck Is Hot, I Have a Splinter, the First Mate's a Lunkhead, I Want To Go Home!"

Personally, he could do without the singing on deck at all times, but in his time of isolation, he found the memories that swam through his mind alongside the lyrics to be comforting.

There was one vent high on a wall above what he guessed was the invisible door to the cell. The room was completely sealed, so he had no way to be sure. For all he knew, he had already died and this was his own personal punishment well below in Davey Jones' locker. Sometimes he was sure he heard footsteps on the metal floors above him along with mumbling and whispered voices. Other days, he was sure he could hear the sound of screaming and the racket and rumblings of machinery. Trying not to think about the many painful ways fate may choose to end his life, he decided to sing to himself happily till the end.

"Load the pistols, sharpen your knives!

Don't hoard your treasure, spend for your lives!

Beware, Beware, the sea takes its share!

BEWARE, BEWARE, THE SEA TAKES ITS

SHHHAAAARREEEE!!!!"

He sang in hopes that the familiar words would bring him some comfort.

Blackbeard was sure there was no escaping this cell, but he remained vigilant so that the minute any opportunity presented itself, he could take full advantage. His spirit was strong and he wasn't about to start letting it fail now.

After another day had gone by, Blackbeard heard a strange scratching sound on the other side of the cold metal wall. He tried tapping in rhythms at the part of the wall the sounds were coming from, but there was no response. The scratching kept on for hours, accompanied by TINGS and BANGS, and even a few CRASHES. Blackbeard believed his torture had started, because the sound was giving him a horrible head ache and it showed no signs of ever stopping.

"BY THUNDER! SHUT IT!" He hollered and, making a fist with his giant meat hooks of hands, He struck against the metal wall as hard as he could. WHACK! CREAK!! Although his hand hurt, it was worth the pain because the wall bent and gave way where his fists had impacted it.

"YAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!!!" Blackbeard shouted and enthusiastically began to strike the wall with a flurry of blows. Strike after strike was directed at the weakening metal wall.

"What be this wall made of, tin?" He screamed and with one last strong kick, the wall gave in. His fists tore through the now destroyed sheets of metal. Unexpectedly, he came face to face with the maker of all the sounds which had driven him to the rage he used to make an early escape.

"Hello, Blackbeard," a quiet voice spoke. Mortimer's pirate grandfather stared right into the narrow eyes and crooked spectacles of Mortimer's ninja master grandfather. The two men stared each other down, not sure what to say. They wanted to feel like they had gained a step towards freedom, but the idea of ninja and pirates working together, even in a situation like this, was unthinkable. Blackbeard thought he would rather be stuck in a cell forever than rescued by someone he would have considered a mortal enemy.

"Hello, Wolf," Blackbeard finally replied. "Digg'n a tunnel then, eh?" Blackbeard looked behind Great Wolf Shadow to see the small, dull ninja kunai in his hand and a long dim tunnel of holes cut in cell after cell in the sheet metal behind him.

"I keep coming out in more cells. I could hear singing and I started to head in this direction. I was hoping all those happy sounds meant I was going to run into a member of the crew to this ghost ship." Wolf looked back down the tunnel as if he had seen a ghost.

"Don't be getting all superstitious on me now, man! It just so happens there is a part of me cell that connects to the rest of the ship." Blackbeard paused studying his ninja rival in grandfatherdom. "Sadly, I'm not tall enough to reach it on me own, you see." Blackbeard looked at the floor for a moment, not wanting to have to ask for the man's help. "That being said, I think together we just might be able to pry open the hatch and give our captors a what for!" Blackbeard looked to his potential jail-break partner.

"What can you tell me about the ship?" Wolf hoped his pirate rival had been conscious when he was taken captive.

"Woke up in me cell. Sorry." Blackbeard answered. Wolf nodded, expecting the answer.

"Same. I was sure I had been kidnapped by the blacksmith's union over a mission I had taken some years back. Fitting revenge to kill me by sticking me in a never ending maze of metal. Meeting up with you, though, I'm relieved to put that notion aside." Wolf sharpened his kunai on the rough metal edges of the ruined walls.

"This be the work of the sky pirates." Blackbeard was glad he knew the answer to at least that. "Who knows how many others from the island have been captured. I plan to get out of here and take down the captain, then bring their ship to rest at the bottom of the sea in the Davey Jones." Blackbeard motioned for Wolf to come closer and analyze the prospect of escaping through the ceiling above him. The spry ninja climbed up on Blackbeard's broad shoulders with ease. He used his slightly less dull kunai to destroy the ceiling of the cell, making quick progress towards their freedom.

"You're sure this is a ship? I haven't felt any motion. I'm pretty confident that we're stationary. Maybe they have us in a holding compound of some kind?" Wolf wondered. He realized that if the two men had been in the same room just a few days earlier, they would've argued about ninja and pirate rights.

"We be moving. Its slow going but the vibrations of the steel don't lie. My sense of direction is the best of any man alive. Reminds me of the time I plundered an experimental ship that was completely made of metal. Sadly, there was very little of value on board. I did end up spending some time with the engineer behind the design just out of me own curiosity. Not that often I come away with a plunder of knowledge!" Blackbeard laughed at his own words, causing the slender man standing on his shoulders to shake.

"Fascinating." The ninja focused his energy on tearing through the metal of the ceiling with his kunai. "I think I've almost got it. Be ready to duck out of the way, I don't know how heavy this slab of metal is but it's thicker than the walls."

There was creaking and cracking sound. Wolf jumped down off Blackbeard's shoulders and the two ducked into the tunnel in the wall.

CREAAAAAAAAYYYAAAAAAKKKKKKK, CRASH! The ceiling of the cell gave away. It plummeted down, landing with a scrape and a thud. It lay propped against the wall and the floor, wedged by its own weight. Blackbeard found he could use it for footing to climb up into the hallway above them.

BUURAAAANNGGG!!! BUURAAAANNGGG!!! BUURAAAANNGGG!!! A piercing alarm rang through the hallway. The two men knew they had to move quickly.

The men made their way up into the hallway above the holding cells. Everything was made of either chromed metal or a hard white material. The walls were lined with foreign looking panels of buttons and flashing lights and shelves that held a multitude of unrecognizable objects.

"Quick, we have to find a place to hide." Wolf looked down the long hallway. To his frustration, the walls and ceiling were evenly and dimly lit, leaving no shadows.

"NO! We take 'em head on like men!" Blackbeard crouched low on the floor next to the ninja.

"OVER HERE! BLAST THEM!" They heard a voice and a BANG break the silence. The wall panel behind the two escapees shattered.

"New plan! RUN!" Blackbeard yelled. The two men rushed down the hallway away from their pursuers.

"First chance we get, we need to hide and double back." Wolf huffed to keep up with the stout, yet agile Blackbeard.

The sky pirates fired their weapons at the two escapees and more men joined the pursuit. Blackbeard and Wolf were glad to find the doors opened automatically so they didn't have to slow down as they approached each junction. Unfortunately, the doors opened from the middle, so the men had no way to block the doors for their pursuers after going through.

"We don't seem to be making any headway." Wolf turned to look at the ever growing crowd of men in matching white sky pirate outfits chasing them.

"Once we get around the next doorway, you hug to the right of the doorway and double back. I'll keep going and lead the group off. Release as many people as you can. We need to get a small army together to take over this ship!" Blackbeard ordered. Wolf agreed with the plan even though he didn't like taking orders from a pirate, especially Blackbeard.

Another shot rang out. It ricocheted off the walls and bounced back towards the pursuing men.

"Use the stun weapons! We can't risk hitting ourselves or putting a hole in the ship," came the voice of the pursuer in charge. The men all holstered their projectile weapons and removed clubs from their belts.

"So that's my target, then, eh?" They reached the next doorway. Wolf smashed himself against the wall, panting and out of breath, as the door closed behind them. Blackbeard nodded to him and kept up his exhausting pace. Their captors spotted Blackbeard as they came through the door. In their haste, they didn't notice the fact they now chased only one escapee where before there had been two.

Wolf ducked back through the door before it closed a second time. He hugged the wall in case any of the men decided to double back after him.

"Ye grog-snarfing blowfish! Blast ye! Ye'll meet the rope's end by the time I'm finished with the lot of ya!" Blackbeard taunted as he managed to quicken his pace through the next doorway.

In a panic, he realized he was in a small room that did not have another doorway. It was a complete dead end. He looked around, frantically searching for a way out of what he feared was his new cell. To his right was a panel with a bunch of symbols and buttons. He pressed everything he could and lights illuminated behind the buttons as the room itself suddenly moved.

He could feel himself moving downward. The same door he had used to enter the room opened to reveal a long dark hallway. Blackbeard felt the hall was uninviting and stayed where he was. The door closed again and the room resumed moving. This time it moved for much longer in an upward direction. When it finally stopped, the door opened on a long, white, brightly lit hallway ending at a spacious room where he could see a bunch of white clad men sitting at tables stuffing food into their mouths.

"By thunder, where is the bridge!" he bellowed as the doors closed once again.

"Destination accepted: 'Bridge'," an invisible voice said. The room moved upward much faster than it had before. There was a loud 'DING!' and the doors slowly opened.

"Intruder on the bridge!" a man standing to the right of the doorway shouted. Men and women seated at panels all turned to stare at Blackbeard awkwardly. The man next to the doorway lurched towards Blackbeard, wrestling him to the floor to restrain him. A door opened in the corner of the room.

"Captain on the bridge!" boomed a loud voice.

The man's huge boots made clanking sounds as he made his way into the middle of the room. He turned towards Blackbeard who was held to the ground so forcefully that he was unable to look up at the man coming towards him. The man's boots moved ever closer as he lay pinned to the floor. 'Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!' The boots stopped right in front of Blackbeard's face.

"Who is this here, then?"

PUTTTOOOOOEY!!! Blackbeard spat at the massive pair of boots standing in front of him.

"I be Blackbeard, the most fearsome pirate to sail the seas! Ye best be letting me go and surrendering quick-like, before I take yer ship and make ya walk yer own plank!" He hoped the pair of boots were the type to give up and surrender without stomping or squashing. He was, after all, quite tired after all that running.

## Chapter 19 – Where is the sky ship?

Chaotically gusting winds made steering the training ship almost impossible. Thankfully, Mortimer was able to use the power of the levistones to stabilize the ship and keep it from plummeting back down into the depths of the ocean. The small stones seemed to be reaching the limit of their power.

Dark thoughts crept into Mortimer's brain. Would this be the way his life would end? The clouds obstructed his vision. His friends were terrified, grasping the ship's rails and trying not to be blown clear off the deck. Counten gripped the wheel with all his might, fighting to steady the ship through the endless winds, clouds, ash and flame. In a panic, Mortimer thought 'UP!' with all his might. Every fiber of his being begged the stones' power to lead them to safety.

Just as Mortimer was about to lose his grip, he felt the air pressure change and in less than a moment everything went calm. The winds stopped. The ash and flames were well below them and they found nothing but open blue sky above the clouds. The crew of the small craft released their holds on the ship, dumbfounded by the amazing view. In every direction they saw the majesty of the world from the sky. In the distance, Mortimer was sure he could spot the island with three mountain peaks where they found the blue crystals. The crew stared down in awe at the clouds that raged with wind, flame, and ash below them.

Mortimer expected he would behold a huge, dark, sky ship prison that spouted fire and looked like a vision of death. Instead, he saw a small metallic capsule-like object that reflected the sun back towards their small, wind-wrecked craft.

Something strange was happening. Mortimer felt the stones he held in his hand sputtering and vibrating.

"I think we're almost out of juice!" He yelled to Counten who had already begun to steer the ship towards the capsule floating in the sky.

Upon closer inspection, the capsule was just part of a larger black mass that was mostly hidden in the dark clouds. As they drew closer to the object, they were deafened by VRUMMM! VROOMMM! PUFF! PUFF! PUFF! YARRROOOOGGAA! Sounds from a cluster of blackened pipes extruding from a larger metallic object that was attached below.

All at once, Mortimer knew their time in the sky was up. He screamed to Counten who turned the wheel so the ship caught the wind and glided toward the capsule.

The rough wooden ship headed right for the smooth metallic capsule. The closer they got, the more apparent it was that they were about to crash land. The top of the capsule was not ideal for landing upon. The group cringed in unison as the two objects drew closer together. The ship had not slowed nearly as much as it should have.

Concentrating with all his might, Mortimer slowed the ship as it made contact with the capsule. There was a loud 'THUNK!' then a 'SMASH!' followed by a 'CREEeeaaaaaaayyyaaaaakkkkeee-eeeee...' as the ship scraped to a halt on the top of the capsule. Since the ship was a training vessel, it was not made to the same high standard set for most pirate vessels of the time. So where one would expect to see a capsized ship on its side with its main mast lying down like it was in great need of a nap, instead was a ship that had a capsule where the ocean should have been. The bottom of the ship was in splinters that trailed along the top of the capsule in a wake behind the upper half of a training ship.

"Is everyone all right!?" Mortimer counted his four comrades to make sure none had gone overboard into the wind.

Counten hopped down from the unstable poop deck, joining Aion, Wen, and Sly who stood looking down at the strange object in the sky on which they'd come to rest. Mortimer walked up to them cautiously.

"So, should we go say hello?" His friends turned to look at him.

"From here on out, this is an infiltration mission. I will be taking point. Mortimer, I want you on the flank." Sly paused and looked up to Counten. "I want you to be the distraction on this one." Counten looked fearful.

"Can't I just wait here on the ship where it's safe?" A gust of wind took the scraggly main sail and moved the entire wreckage of the ship a good three feet. KREEEEAAAAKKKKKKKK!!!!! The ship scraped along the capsule.

"Get what gear we can and get off the deck quickly!" Mortimer shouted. He put the dimly glowing red orb in his pocket. The largest blue crystal was now completely clear. Not a trace of the blue power remained within stone. Mortimer felt around in his pocket for the handful of blue crystals he'd put in there while in the cave. He found a few minor crystals, but nothing he thought could be used to power another ship.

Everyone rushed to action, grabbing what they could. Wen opened the hatch which led below deck but found nothing but capsule beneath.

"You can stay on the ship if you want to!" Sly said to Counten. He hopped off the deck and onto the sleek capsule.

Most of the gear had been lost to the wind, but they took what they could and hopped off the ship. Just then, another gigantic gust of wind grabbed the ship by its tattered sails and hurled it off the capsule. It vanished into the dark clouds below.

"So, anyone see a door into this thing?" Aion looked around. The group had to move slowly, grasping each other for support so as not to be blown off, except for Sly who walked surefootedly, like the wind passed right through him. It didn't take long before he found a hatch, but he needed some help prying it open. The rest of the group slowly made their way to where the smooth metal surface revealed a square divot with a large wheel attached to the front of it.

Together, they grabbed the wheel, holding on as much to not be blown off the capsule as to open it, and turned with all their strength. The wheel squeaked and slowly loosened. The group almost fell over in unison as the wheel stopped moving and the square opening lurched wide with a 'SCCOOOOOCHAAAAAA!'

Inside the square opening they saw a dark, dank smelling hallway with tiny yellow lights running along a metal walkway with adjoining railing.

Mortimer bravely hopped down, followed seconds later by Sly. Mortimer directed the others towards foot holds they could use to descend into the hallway. Sly rushed ahead to scout the area.

"There seems to be just as much fog in here as there is in the sky." Wen let out a small cough.

"Where are we? Is this the sky pirates' ship or not?" Aion looked to Mortimer who was just as confused.

"I have no idea." he replied.

Sly reappeared from the shadows.

"This is no sky pirate ship. I think it's a machine that makes the dark clouds they use to hide in and attack from." Sly was proud of the information he had managed to gather from his quick sneak around.

"So what? The sky ship is still out there somewhere in the clouds? We're just stuck in an empty machine?" Wen was confused and frustrated.

"No way! If they use this for cover then they have to be able to steer it. It must have a way to connect to the main vessel. We have to find a crew member and beat some answers out of him!" Counten pounded his fists together. Sly looked at him with a perturbed expression.

"Sneaking mission? Please! Leave it to the professionals. There's a doorway up ahead that leads to a more hospitable part of the ship. I think if there is any sort of crew we are likely to find them on that deck. I suggest that Counten and Aion stay here, while we ninja sneak into the inhabitable area and find a way to make it onto the main vessel." Sly's look dared the crew to find fault in his plan.

"What do you mean? I can fight!" Counten wailed, Aion joined his protest.

"I'm going to rescue my uncle and you can't stop me!" Mortimer jumped in front of the two and put a finger to his lips to silence them.

"Keep it down. Sly is right. We need to stop and gather information before we rush forward." He shot Counten a look that said he was doing things the ninja way, at least for now. "We're going ahead. Counten, Aion is in your care. Keep her safe and don't let anyone see or capture you."

"There is a doorway up to the left and down the hall. It's a good place to hide. I suggest you make camp there while we're gone." Sly was trying to be nice and Counten and Aion agreed to obey.

"Let's become the shadows." Sly said to Wen and Mortimer as he rushed down the hallway. Mortimer pulled his mask up to cover his mouth and muffle the sounds of his breathing.

He rushed off towards the other two ninja who were waiting for him just outside the doorway that lead to the part of the ship Sly suspected housed the crew.

"There's someone ahead. Follow my lead." Sly silently slid next to Mortimer.

"Lead the way." Mortimer responded. Sly put a hand on the latch, pulling the door open slowly and silently. Mortimer remembered the single night of sneaking training he had before the disaster that started this impromptu adventure. Listening for any noises in the room, he heard a 'TING! TING! TING!' like the sound of water dripping onto metal pipes below. A 'SCHOOOSH! SCHOOSSHH! SCHOOSH!' came from the direction the group had just come. Then he heard something he was not expecting. It was the sound of people singing with instruments playing in the background. The sounds didn't seem quite right to him, but it was plenty of noise to disguise the sounds of the ninja. He concentrated on moving from hiding spot to hiding spot, keeping himself out of the direct line of sight of any doorway. They made their way quickly through the rooms toward the source of the musical noises.

"When we spot them, let me go in first." Sly whispered. Mortimer was sure the music was coming from the next room. Every room they had been through consisted of bunks and tables, plates still filled with food, and plenty of dirty laundry all over the place.

"I don't think there are any women living here." Wen pointed to a pair of dirty male knickers hanging over the back of a chair.

"Quiet!" Sly hushed the group and hopped to the opposite side of a doorway leading out of the room.

"Just down this next hallway and to the left." Sly whispered to the group as they made their way down the corridor, going from doorway to doorway as they went.

The group stopped at a closed door that was much thicker and more secure than the others. A small porthole in the door allowed Sly to look into the room. There were four men within, each seated at a control panel. The men all pulled knobs and pushed buttons, causing flashing lights to change on the large boards. In the very center of the room sat a man with a huge flat screen and a small steering wheel in front of him. He appeared to be the one in charge. He instructed everyone else in the room about their various tasks. The men wore parts of matching pirate-like uniforms, but were obviously not properly uniformed because most didn't bother wearing shoes or shirts. More odd than their clothing was their bright colored hair and long, thin single brows over both eyes.

"I have an idea," Sly whispered. He took some caltrops from his belt and scattered them along the floor in front of the doorway.

"When I give the signal, I want you to draw your blade and knock on the door," he instructed Mortimer. Sly and Wen both used their climbing claws to hop above the doorway and hug themselves to the ceiling.

Sly shot Mortimer a thumbs up. He whispered something to Wen and the two of them pulled narrow tubes from their belts and put them to their mouths. Mortimer used the tip of his sword to knock on the door.

'TING! TING-TING!' His sword rang out against the metal door.

"See who that is, will ya?" came the voice of the man in the middle of the room.

"It's too early for anyone to be back yet," the man complained. He sounded disappointed at the idea of visitors.

"Yeah, yeah," an annoyed voice responded. The man had to push the heavy door with great effort. It creaked open loudly. His eyes locked with Mortimer's and Mortimer pointed his sword at the man. He was wearing his pirate hat and coat over his ninja gear. The man looked at him quizzically.

"Yar!" He growled. Wen blew a dart, hitting the man in the back of his exposed neck.

"Captain!" The man managed to squeak out before he lost consciousness and hit the floor. Mortimer slid behind the half-opened door as two other men rushed out to find out what had happened. They cried out for a moment from the caltrops digging into their feet and then grabbed the backs of their necks, Sly and Wen's sleeping darts protruding through their fingers. They joined Mortimer on the floor in the hallway, stepped over the unconscious men and headed towards the open door.

"Just one left," Sly counted. Mortimer was impressed at his ninja comrades' quick thinking. The three entered the doorway and walked to the exposed back of the final man. He was pouring over the screen in front of him.

"I'm busy. What do you want?" the man barked to the three behind him as if they were nothing but a bother.

"We claim this ship," Mortimer proclaimed. The man turned to find the point of Mortimer's katana next to the left side of his throat.

He let out a small chuckle and spun around in his chair. "What have we here then, eh?!" he said in a cheerful tone.

"You sky pirates have captured the residents of our island! We want them returned right now or you and your crew are all done for!" Sly announced with authority. Wen nodded next to him.

"Sky pirates? My crew? You've got it all wrong boy-o! Hi, I'm Davey, nice to meet ya" Davey held his right hand out to the young ninja. They ignored his hand and brandished their weapons uneasily. Davey yanked his hand back and continued about his business.

"Ya see, all we are here is a small maintenance crew who run this nice little cloud machine. We keep this ship in the air as a cover. We're really just a simple way to help the main ship go about its business. I don't make the decisions. We just go where we're told and teleport who we're told where they tells us to put em." Davey paused for a moment. Sly mouthed the word TEL-E-PORT to Mortimer and Wen as if it was a question.

"Ya don't even know what a teleport is?" Davey laughed and got up from his chair, causing the jumpy ninja to point their weapons at him, their expressions serious.

"How'd you get up here if you have no idea what a teleport is? Honestly!"

The three relaxed a bit when they saw that the man's posture was relaxed and he didn't seem like someone who planned to put up a fight.

"See, a teleport..." the man started and picked up a small cup of water, holding it in front of the small group. "Take this glass of water. A teleport figures out exactly where in space-time it is, then, 'poof' uses that information to move the cup to any place in space-time that I want!" The man moved the cup from his left hand to his right.

"That's impossible!" Mortimer argued. After all, he had read almost all of Science Facts and though the concept was in the book, labeled as 'Instant Object Transference', it was deemed completely and utterly impossible. He thought about showing the man the page that proved him wrong. But he didn't want to take the chance of exposing the book's existence to his enemy.

"Nothing is impossible, lad! You wanna see how it's done, then?" Davey gave a sly smile to the group of skeptical ninja. "How 'bout we clean up the mess you guys made, eh?"

Sly rushed at the man as he moved his hand towards the panel to his left.

"No funny stuff," Sly said, moving the tip of his kunai towards the confident man's neck.

"Of course not, young sir." Davey flipped a switch then moved a dial up on the panel. A strong vibration shook the whole room. "That's normal, don't worry!" Then, quick as a flash, he rushed to another panel, hitting the buttons like a mad man.

"Stop him!" screamed Mortimer. Wen rushed towards the tall man and tried to grab onto his arm. Sly produced his katana from its hidden compartment and readied to take the man down in an instant.

"VREEEOOOOOOSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The sound filled the ninja's ears and a bright light took over their vision.

The three were suddenly immobilised and looked to one another desperately. Mortimer felt like he was being smashed into nothingness. For a moment, there was blackness, then Mortimer beheld one of the most intimidating men he had ever seen. The man stood seven feet tall with huge, broad shoulders and a beard which was formed into sharp spikes. His eyes were bright red and his hair was spiked up high above his slender face. He was built of lean muscle and his all white pirate uniform seemed more ornate than those of the other men in the room.

Mortimer, Wen and Sly felt dizzy and disoriented. The man was turned with his back partially toward the young ninja. Mortimer was looking down at the large man's feet when he saw something that put him in shock.

There by the feet of the tall man was his grandfather. He was held to the floor by two men and his eyes were swimming with rage. Blackbeard looked past the tall man's boots and his eyes sparked with recognition at the sight of his grandson. He let out a deep guffaw.

"HA HA! Me boy!" Blackbeard smirked and with sudden, inhuman strength he pulled away from his captors' grasp. "It's so good to see ye, son!" Blackbeard walked past the tall, menacing man who reached to grab his arm. Blackbeard shrugged him off and scooped Mortimer off the ground, locking him in a huge bear hug.

Mortimer was still disoriented. He was sure he wasn't dreaming and the tightness of his grandfather's hug reassured him that he was very much in the land of the living. Sly and Wen regained their senses, and took advantage of the distraction to jump off to the side of the room and sneak into the shadows. A beam of light flashed and Davey joined them on the bridge of the ship. He thought he would be claiming credit for the capture of the three young ninja, but to his confusion, a large man was hugging one of the ninja and the other two were nowhere to be found.

"What's going on here? Where are the other two?" Davey grilled the ornately dressed man who had yet to speak. He appeared deep in thought, as if everything happening around him wasn't important.

"Ah, Davey, to what do we owe this little trip up to where the real action is?" The large man's voice was deep and the room boomed with its vibration. Blackbeard released his grandson and turned aggressively towards the taller, spiky haired man.

"I got me a bone to pick with ye!" He said and lurched towards the large man.

"Seize them! Lock them up while I think up a truly painful fate for them!" The spiky haired man boomed. More white clad men with bright colored hair and uni-brows rushed to restrain Blackbeard and Mortimer. The two were forced into wrist restraints and pushed into the lift Blackbeard arrived in.

## Chapter 20 – Where is the key?

Blackbeard had expected to be put in a high security cell but to his surprise, he and Mortimer were escorted to a standard looking cell. There was a single long, hard metal bench in the otherwise empty room. The walls and everything else was made of the same strange metal as the tiny confined cell Blackbeard had been locked in earlier.

Davey had escorted them personally and waited a few moments to ensure he could speak to them alone. "You and your friends are done for, but I can make the end much easier for you. Just tell me where the other two members of your crew are hiding." Davey said in his best 'Hey, I'm not such a bad guy,' voice.

"Ha! I don't know anything about this place, how could I possibly know where my friends are hiding? Besides, once ninja vanish they aren't easy to find or predict." Mortimer let out a chuckle of feigned confidence.

"Then I'll just stay here and guard you personally until they show up for a daring rescue!" Davey crossed his arms and leaned against the wall next to their cell.

Blackbeard let out a booming laugh from the pit of his gut. "BWAHAHAHAHGAHHHAAAAAAA! I admire your dedication. I meself be hav'n no desire to endure a long drawn out torture session where they try and get the location of the key from me. I be in the mood to be making a good manly agreement, that I be." Blackbeard looked over to Davey. The man was thoughtfully stroking the hair on his chin with one hand.

"I, too, find your current situation less than befitting of the greatest buccaneer to sail the seas. Alas, I have no authority to overturn Captain Kelul's orders. If he wants you in the cell, you stay in the cell." Davey tried to make it sound like he felt sorry for the prisoners, but the two pirates didn't believe it.

"All well and good, lad!" Blackbeard waved his hand as if staying in the cell was a nice cozy vacation.

"How can you work for someone who kidnaps entire islands of people?" Mortimer screamed angrily.

"Boy-o! We haven't harmed anyone. The more people we take as prisoner, the fewer who could be running free with the key, at least that's the Captain's new policy. We used to have a nice gig, sneaking onto planets, stealing resources and then making off with them before the planets even knew what happened. Your planet has so few things worth taking. I'll never understand why the Captain thinks we'll find what he's looking for here... Why am I telling you this? Nobody has been harmed. They're all in chronostasis. We can sell them off world as cheap labor slaves." Davey stopped, surprised that he'd bothered explaining things that were nobody's business.

"You're slave traders too?" Mortimer yelled. He banged his fists against the metal bars of the cell.

"Easy there, lad!" Blackbeard put a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Now then, Mister Davey, be I understanding that I meself, knowing the hidden location of the key, could possibly make a deal with your honorable self that benefits the both of us?"

"What do you want in exchange for the location of the key?" Davey responded quickly, thinking of the many ways he could use the information for personal gain.

"I want the answer to a mystery that has been bothering me for years. Where is the entrance to the sunken city of Verganus? I would love a chart that I could study while I wait to be sold off as someone's personal, amazingly manly servant. This would greatly ease me mind, at least my career as a buccaneer would end without any loose ends in me mind." Blackbeard bargained. His captor shook his head as if conflicted.

"So you'd give up the one bargaining chip you have for the location of the door which the key you would be surrendering opens?" Davey looked at the pirate captain as if he'd lost his mind. "There's no escape. You'll just get the location, then be sold as a slave." Davey wanted to make sure Blackbeard was well informed about the bargain he was making.

"I've been searching for that BLASTED door for two years BY THUNDER!" Blackbeard screamed in frustration. "I accept your bargain!" Blackbeard stuck his hand through the bars in an attempt to shake Davey's hand.

"NO! That's crazy!" Mortimer protested, trying to pull his Grandfather's hand back into the cell.

"I will keep my hand to myself, thank you." Davey looked at Blackbeard's hand as if it was a poison dagger. "I agree to the bargain. I'll return shortly with a chart marking the location. Just know that you won't be able to keep it for long. Cheerio!" Davey shot Blackbeard a stylish grin, turned on his heels and vanished down the hallway.

"That's insane!" Mortimer protested again now that the two were alone.

"Even if I tell them where it is, they'll never find the key. But me? I can't be held in any cell. I'll get us out of here as soon as we have the answer to my question. After all, that's the whole reason I came up here in the first place." He shrugged. "Sorry Mort, didn't mean to get you involved. But look at ye! A true pirate you are! Traipsing the sea, rushing to rescue yer poor captured granddad! Take right after me you do!" He put a hand on Mortimer's shoulders and shook him violently.

"You mean you let them capture you, and everyone else on Skull Island JUST to find out the location of some door?" Mortimer was furious and his grandfather was taken aback.

"Now, hold on a bit. I didn't know they be capturing the whole island. I saw 'em take a few to be sure but not everyone! I needed to make sure I had the key well and hidden before I be captured. How else would I be going back for the treasure after I got free? Besides, that crazy heroic Wolf is likely to be run'n to their rescue anyway. My only worry is for your poor Gran who be left behind. Is she safe?" Blackbeard exhibited the first sign of concern he'd shown since being captured.

"She was fine, but I have no idea if she still is! We have to get out of here and rescue everyone!" Mortimer looked to his large, fearsome grandfather in hopes he would aid in his quest.

"We might be able to get ourselves out of here, but it will take more than the two of us to rescue as many as you be ask'n. Leave such a task to Wolf. Heroics be his crazy thing, by thunder!'" Mortimer looked at him with a frown as Blackbeard continued. "That be the work of a hero, boy! I'm but a simple pirate. Men sail with me for the chance of plunder, not to rescue maidens in towers!" Blackbeard spoke a bit too loudly as Davey suddenly appeared at the bars once again.

"Well, it took some doing, but I managed to get you a simple chart that includes your planet's names for places on it. See, there at the bottom of what you call the Verganus triangle, the door is right there." Davey displayed the map for Blackbeard and then passed it to him.

"O' course! The Devil's Bellybutton! How could I have missed it?" Blackbeard sat down to study the chart.

AHEM!" Davey interrupted. "Where is the key?"

"Ah, yes, I gave that to me wife, I did. She was on Skull Island last I saw her. Though, I don't think you will be finding her anytime soon." Blackbeard let out a booming laugh. "BWAAHAHAHAHA!"

"Grandpa! How could you?" Mortimer was horrified. Davey rushed down the hallway leaving the prisoners in their cold metal cell.

On a distant part of the prison ship, Ninja Grandmaster Great Wolf Shadow was having a lot of fun. He hadn't used his sneaking skills so much in years. Being a grandmaster involved so much paperwork that his calluses from years of sword play and other ninja training had started to fade, replaced by paper cuts from shuffling papers and signing documents.

It had been over an hour since he had separated from Blackbeard. He had overheard the guards saying that the pirate captain had been captured. Wolf lurked in the shadows, unseen by the pirate guards, who didn't even seem to be looking for him. He was trying his best to find the detention deck. From what he'd heard, Blackbeard had been joined by a small pirate and both were referred to as "the prisoners," while a much larger group of captives was referred to as "the frozen." There was talk about whether they would add Blackbeard to the frozen or throw him overboard. He wondered why he and Blackbeard had been held in different cells from these frozen in the first place. He decided he would try and locate the frozen. He felt sure that Blackbeard would be fine in his cell for the time being.

He spent some time hiding pressed against the ceiling of a small box that traveled quickly throughout the ship. Wolf found that you had to know the exact name of the place you wished to go in order to have the box take you there. He used his climbing claws to stay above the pirates going in and out of the box. Unexpectedly, two small panicking ninja rushed into the moving room.

"Get in, quick!" Sly rushed Wen into the box. The door slid closed much slower than the two had hoped.

A 'BANG!' rang out as a shot ricocheted against the walls of the elevator and nicked Wolf in the leg.

"YOWCH!" Wolf cried from the pain. He was instantly angry with himself. After all his training to stay quiet no matter what the circumstances, he had still screamed out from a simple scrape. The pain shot up through his arms and he lost his grip, falling from his hiding spot. He landed right on top of Sly who was looking up in a confused panic.

"OOOFFF!!" The old man landed his entire weight onto Sly who, just at the last moment, shifted his stance so that the two hit the ground more softly than they otherwise would have.

"Get off him!" Wen screamed, unsheathing her ninja blade and pointing it at the head of her Grandmaster.

"UGGHHHH. Oooo, that smarts. Not as young as I used to be. A thousand pardons, my young pupils!"

Great Wolf Shadow and Sly slowly got to their feet. They rubbed their aching limbs. Sly, who was in a slight daze, recognized his Grandmaster and motioned for Wen to sheath her blade.

"All stop." Wolf put a finger to the lips, his beard sticking out of it in all directions.

"Master Wolf! I knew you would manage to escape! What's the plan?" Sly's spirits rose. This grand master's power was legendary and he was hopeful that this would now be over soon.

"I am so sorry!" Wen rushed over to the old man and examined his wound.

"I'll be fine. Just have to stop the bleeding so I don't leave a trail and we can be on our way." Wolf ripped some material from his robe and tied it tightly around his wound. "Have you two found any useful information?"

"We know which deck the islanders are being held on, but we had to put a knife to someone's throat to get it." Sly hung his head as he remembered being unable to silence the man, who raised the alarm. They were being pursued because of his failure.

Wolf recognized the boy's look and put a hand on his shoulder. "Never an easy thing to do. What's the name of the deck?"

"Chronostasis." At the sound of the word, the room answered his request.

"Destination accepted, 'Chronostasis'." The room lurched and moved in a sideways direction, then lurched up and down and moved forward for quite a long time.

"What is Chronostasis?" Sly asked Wolf who was just thinking the same thing himself.

"'Chrono' means 'time' I think, and 'stasis' is kind of like keeping something in place." Wen recalled something she had once read in a book.

"Both true. I'm not sure what to expect when we reach our destination, but I guess we'll find out as soon as we get there, eh?" Wolf said to the two young ninja. Even with the wound throbbing on his leg, he was having more fun then he'd had in years.

The room came to a jolting stop, causing Wolf to wince as his leg moved involuntarily.

"I'm getting too old for this."

Sly and Wen eagerly moved towards the sliding doors. "Not so fast! There could be guards!" Wolf grabbed them and pulled them out of sight of anyone who might be standing right outside the opening doors.

"You call the lift?" a ragged voice said from out of sight.

"Nope!" came the reply of a much higher pitched voice.

"Go check it out, will ya?" a much deeper, more distant voice said with an air of command.

"Watch and learn from the master." Wolf whispered into the ears of the young ninja as he reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out a small round capsule. Quick as lightning, he leaped out from the shadows, throwing the capsule into the center of the room. There was a loud 'CRACK!' and a flash of light dazed the room's occupants. Smoke shot out of the capsule and filled the room. If the men hadn't had stars twinkling in their eyes, the thick smoke would have been enough to blind them. A loud 'WACK!' 'OOFF!' 'CRACK!' sounded over and over as everyone in the room was knocked unconscious by the old ninja master.

"Just as I expected." Sly entered the room to find Wolf had taken care of the situation.

"You're amazing!" Wen cautiously drew her kunai and looked around the room in wonder.

The sky pirates had been sitting at work stations set in front of huge metal doors.

"What do you think is behind those doors?" Wen pointed behind the ninja, who were debating which button on which panel to push first.

"This one has a picture of two arrows pointing in opposite directions. You don't suppose it opens those massive doors?" Wen stepped in front of the largest panel positioned in the center of the room.

"Don't touch-" Wolf started to say as Wen pushed a button. CREEAAAAAKKKKK! Came the sound of the immense metal doors sliding open. An eerie green light and a thin fog seeped into the room through the slowly opening doors. On the other side of the door, they found a platform walled in by glass. They stepped onto the platform and one after another, lights illuminated from deep in the distance. The three ninja stood in shock, staring into a room big enough to dock a hundred ships easily. By the time the closest lights had turned on, the ninja were pressed against the glass wall.

There in the distance, floating in a green mist, were all the missing navy ships and many other ships they didn't recognize. The ship's crews were standing as if frozen in time, performing the tasks they had been doing the moment they were taken by the sky ship. Surrounding the ships were Skull Shuriken Island's missing residents, along with many other people the ninja didn't recognize. There were men and women locked in training, tending animals, eating meals, even some frozen in a never ending conversation.

"I guess we know what chronostasis is now." Sly pressed deeper into the glass, hoping to confirm the safety of people he cared about.

"Are they okay? How can they still be alive?" Wen looked to Wolf for answers. He was too focused to respond, searching the green haze of frozen people for his daughter.

Far below the platform, he saw his daughter and Mortimer's mother, Jade Shadow Claw. She looked as if she had been doing paperwork when she had been frozen.

"She had better be all right or I will make the captain of this ship suffer a fate far worse than being frozen in a green haze of death." Wolf seethed.

"Here! This panel says that everyone is still alive, they're just frozen." Sly broke in. He had taken a seat at one of the workstations.

"I think over here I can choose who to take out of stasis and where to send them once they're awake. Seems like they can't be sent very far, though. We would need to be right over the island to send everyone safely back where they were taken from."

"That means we have no choice but to overtake the ship in order to save everyone." Wolf was frustrated with the situation. It was not customary for ninja to hijack ships.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I think the best option would be to just lower the ship to a safe altitude, release the ships back onto the water and the people to the nearest land." Sly suggested. Wen turned to him and gasped.

"There are some royal navy ships in there! They would attack us the moment they were unfrozen!"

"I hate to say this, but the next thing we should do is rescue Blackbeard. These kinds of situations are the sort of thing he handles with a certain... grace." Wolf turned to look at his two young ninja pupils.

"What happened to Mortimer anyway?" Wen asked, concerned for the fate of her friend.

"He's not much of a ninja. He didn't vanish when we did, so he was mostly likely captured on the bridge." Sly's said indifferently.

"That's my grandson you're talking about! Wait! He was on the bridge? The small pirate they caught with Blackbeard... Mortimer!" Wolf rushed over to the elevator and paused for a moment, turning to look back to the younger ninja. "Well, come on! We have to save him!"

## Chapter 21 – To WHAT rescue?

Blackbeard and Mortimer sat in silence. Mortimer was in shock. The idea of Blackbeard giving up Nana Bootsie to the sky pirates without a second thought made him furious. He felt betrayed by his own family. Then it hit him.

"Grandfather..." Mortimer reached into his front jacket pocket and pulled out the necklace his grandmother had given him. He held it out in front of him and Blackbeard's eyes went wide. "ME LITTLE SCHMOOPIE!" Blackbeard jumped to his feet and snatched the necklace from Mortimer.

"Where did you get this?" Blackbeard barked as if accusing Mortimer of something.

"Nana gave it to me when I told her I was going to go rescue you and the islanders from the sky pirates."

"BAH! They ain't sky pirates. They be aliens!"

"You mean they're from another planet?" Mortimer asked. A lot of things suddenly started making sense to him.

"Ya mean ya went hunting aliens and ya didn't even be knowing? BWAAHAHAHAHHHAAA! You truly are a brave one, me boy!" Blackbeard's eyes fell to the necklace once again. "We have to get out of here. If we can escape and lead them off, they won't be going back after yer nana and the key."

"They'd still be coming after us and the islanders would still be captured. To top that all off, Nana doesn't even have the key anymore." Mortimer realized for the first time that his Grandfather may not have all the answers.

"Don't be telling me you have the key too?" Blackbeard was starting to get angry as he stood waiting for his grandson to produce the key.

"No, Aion has the key. She said it was her uncle's and you stole it from him." Mortimer said distractedly. He was shifting his brain power to focus on an escape plan.

"Aion? Who be that? I be stealing a lot of things from a lot of people, so she just may be right." He let out a chuckle of pride. "Though, most times I only ever put meself in danger. ME POOR SCHMOOPIE!" Blackbeard wailed.

"That's not helping! We have to focus on getting out of here!" Mortimer screamed at his grandfather. He'd never seen him like this before.

"There is no escape." Davey walked up to the bars of the cell.

"The captain says any information received NOT though torture is nothing but lies. Sorry mates. But from what I just heard, the boy is the one who knows where the key is. This Aion person has it. Let's get the boy to the Chamber of Taken Truths!" Davey motioned for two large guards to come to the cell. They were holding arm and leg clamps for both prisoners.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty, fellas. We can work out a deal." Blackbeard tried bargaining.

The guards began opening the cell when there was a flash of light that sent stars spinning in Mortimer's vision. Mortimer heard people fighting and hitting the floor. He felt himself being lifted up by the arms and thrown over someone's shoulder.

"What's going on?" Mortimer hoped he hadn't already passed over into the afterlife.

"Quiet, son, we're taking you and Blackbeard and getting off this demon craft," the voice of Great Wolf Shadow said softly, filling him with comfort.

"You won't escape!" Davey yelled. He slammed a button on the wall next to the open cell that now contained his two large guards.

"Wen! I said to make sure he was out!" Sly yelled as she pulled a small tube from her belt and blew through it shooting Davey with a sleeping dart, but it was too late.

BOOOOOWWWIIINNNGGG!!!! RIIINNNGGGG!! BOOOOOWWWWIIINNNNGGG!!!! "Prisoner escape. Prisoner escape," the alarm and a mechanical voice echoed as red flashing lights lit the hallway.

"To the elevator box!" Wolf was proud to have discovered the actual name of the strange room that moved throughout the ship. The group smashed together into the box which let out a moan of protest as Wolf commanded it to take them to the Chronostasis deck.

"Destination accepted: 'Chronostasis'," an invisible voice said.

"No, to the life boats!" Blackbeard protested.

"Unable to comply. Unknown destination." The automated voice replied to the large pirate as the room lurched into movement.

Mortimer recovered from his dazed state and stood next to his ninja grandfather.

"You found where they're keeping everyone from the island?" Mortimer asked, concerned.

"I found your mother and everyone else," Wolf answered. "I found your ship as well," he said to Blackbeard. A huge grin bloomed on Blackbeard's wide face.

"I wondered where they would be keeping that!" He turned to Wolf. "What's the escape plan? Can the ships be launched from within this monster?" Blackbeard hoped the flying ship had landed while he had been in the brig.

"I'm not sure. We'll have to do what the situation permits," Wolf replied. The box let out a 'ding!' They had arrived at their destination.

"Blow me down!" Blackbeard approached the transparent wall that held in the green haze. On the other side he saw the missing islanders, his beloved ship and many other ships and people floating in a green mist, frozen in time.

"So, how do we get me ship out of there an' back into the big blue?" Blackbeard asked Wolf who was seated in front of the control panel.

"I'm not sure. I mean, this technology stuff is not my thing." Wolf said, frustrated.

"I think I can-!" Wen broke in.

"Yar! That is what you pirates of this hick planet say, right?" Captain Kelul and twenty-five of his guards entered the room from all sides and encircled the group.

"Mister Beard, I heard your young lad tell you some information regarding a certain item. The item in question is the personal property of my own deceased brother. I demand his property be returned to me." Kelul commanded. Blackbeard rubbed the back of his head in confusion.

"Give me the key, or you and your comrades will all die." Kelul ordered in reply to Blackbeard's confused silence.

"Oh, THAT key! Sorry, we don't have it. Boy says some bloke named Aion does. I never heard of 'im." Blackbeard told the truth and Mortimer smacked his hand to his forehead.

"Aion was on our ship when we crashed down below. Likely she and my other crew mate sunk to the locker with the key," Mortimer said, hoping to trick the captain into landing the sky ship so they would be able to escape.

"HAR HAR! If the key sank, we will find it! We do not, however, need you cluttering up our ship and running amok any longer! Dispose of them." Kelul said with finality, turning to leave the deck.

"What if I was lying?" Mortimer stopped the man in his tracks.

"If yur gonna be killing me, I DEMAND it be on the deck o' me ship!" Blackbeard bellowed out before the large man could reply.

"Very well. If you are lying, we can always ask your corpses for the truth. Put them all on the deck of this one's ship, then teleport it out into the sky." Kelul waved his hand and told the elevator to take him to the bridge.

The group was herded together in a huddle. Three new people wearing long white coats took their places at the panels.

"Sorry about this," the one at the center panel said. In a flash of green light, the five were frozen and teleported. They were locked in time on the deck of Blackbeard's ship along with his already frozen first mate and crew.

Mortimer found that, though he was unable to move, he could still think, though it felt like his mind was slowing with every second. He knew where he was, he just didn't know what he should do once he was plummeting to a smashy, watery death.

There was another flash of green light and then bright blue sky. He felt his feet rise off the deck of the ship. The crew that had been frozen in a moment of panic now started to come to and scream to one another in a new panic. Everyone grabbed at the ship trying not to be blown overboard by the whipping winds.

"YAR! WHAT'S GOING ON!" asked Blackbeard's first mate as the ship plunged faster and faster towards a watery doom.

A panicked Mortimer looked over to Blackbeard who was screaming in terror along with everyone else. He felt the rushing air fill his pants and jacket, lifting him up off the deck. He grabbed onto the main sail and pulled himself over to the main mast, grabbing onto it for dear life.

Suddenly, an idea came to him. He reached into his left pocket, revealing the glowing red orb. It seemed to have regained some of its luster. He grasped the mast with his other arm, then wrapped his legs around it to better secure himself. He smashed the red orb into the pocket that contained the blue crystal fragments and dust. Mentally, he begged the blue energy to stop the descent of the ship.

The ship was still falling, but thanks to Mortimer, its speed had been greatly reduced. The men on the deck found themselves able to walk around. Blackbeard wasted no time in shouting orders to his men. They immediately began to untie the sails and refashion them so that they better caught the air from beneath. After a while, Mortimer felt the sails further slow the ship's descent.

He was amazed at the progress of Blackbeard's crew. The men moved with grace and agility as the first mate directed each person to their task with supreme accuracy and timing. Mortimer felt the small blue crystal shards sputter out as they were drained of power. He tried to stick his head out to yell to the men to hurry. As he did, one of the ropes came loose from the main sail. The thick rope whacked him in the back of the head as it swung away from the mast.

"OOF!" wailed Mortimer as he lost his grip on the mast, his head spinning and dazed from the impact. The ship began to fall a bit faster as Mortimer was separated from it.

"ME BOY!" Blackbeard rushed to the side of the deck and tried to grab Mortimer as he plunged down past him, careening into the clouds below.

Mortimer's wits slowly returned to him. He felt the sizable knot on the back of his head thump with his pulse. The sun shining on the blue ocean took over his vision as he gained momentum. He looked up to the ship. It was now a small wooden dot well above him. "There's no way a grapple can make it up there," he thought as he searched his right pocket for another blue crystal. Sadly, he found his pocket completely empty. He still gripped the red orb which he put back into his left pocket. He searched through his ninja gear for anything that might help.

"Nothing!" he yelled into the rushing winds. They made it hard to keep his eyes open. He realized all at once that he was going to die. It was as if every other moment of danger on his first true adventure had been nothing but a game. For the first time Mortimer Aglet was truly terrified.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! HEEEEELLLLLP MEEE!!!!! ANNYYYYYBOOOODYYYY!!!!!" he screamed to the winds, his body locking up in terror.

## Chapter 22 – Why did they leave us here?

Aion was bored out of her mind and Counten's belly had become very vocal about how long their friends had been gone.

"How long are we going to keep waiting for them?" Aion looked up to Counten. The large boy was distracted thinking about which of his favorite dishes he was going to have his mother cook for him first when his adventure was over.

"Do you think wherever they are, they're being fed?" Counten asked Aion, as if there was nothing else that could possibly be more important.

The door to the closet that Counten and Aion were hiding in burst open. Two small men in white matching pirate-like outfits grabbed at Counten and Aion, pulling them out and onto their feet. One was bearded and the other wore strange goggles.

"What are you doing in our closet? Are you with that guy who knocked us out and left us to die?" the man in goggles questioned.

"Oh, um, we had an argument with that guy and he ran off on us. We thought we were completely alone in this wonderful place, so we might just settle in and live here. Though, I guess if you guys already live here, then we should probably be going." Counten reached for Aion's hand and headed for the ladder leading up to the top of the capsule. He tried to act casually, as if they were just popping out for some fresh air.

"That way leads to nothing but smoke and death," the bearded man cautioned. The man's voice was unusually high pitched and they turned around to get a look at him. "A dart got me right in the neck." he said as if that explained everything. "Stay for some supper. We can put you off anywhere you like after! It does get quite lonely up here." The bearded man rushed over to Counten and stood on his tip toes in order to whisper in his ear, "The captain seems to have stepped out, so there is plenty of time to relax." He grabbed Counten and Aion by the wrists and pulled them towards the door at the end of the long hallway.

"We so rarely have people visit. How would you like some nice sugared apples with plum-pear jellies?" the man in goggles whispered. He kept his tone quiet, as if he was afraid someone would overhear and confiscate his coveted meal.

"That is very kind, but I think we'd like to rejoin the guy who came by earlier as soon as possible." Counten was afraid his request would be denied.

"What do you wanna go and join back up with him for? He was awfully mean to us and you don't seem to like 'im either," the goggled man mused while his counterpart nodded in agreement.

"Ah, well... we want to rejoin him as soon as possible, while the insults and anger we have are still fresh in our minds. We would hate to have too much time go by and forget all the mean things we want to say to him." Counten hoped they would believe his flimsy excuse.

"Well, the one you mentioned was captured by Cap'n Kelul, he was," the goggled man replied. "But he joined up with some wicked pirates and escaped, he did! Then he was captured again, so the cap'n had us teleport his ship out into the air above the ocean."

The bearded man interrupted, "That's right! The jerk is halfway to a watery grave already." He beamed as if he expected the two to be happy to hear the good news.

"Wow, such a shame he's getting what he deserves before we have a chance to give him a piece of our minds," Aion said, catching onto Counten's game. "Any chance you could send us to the closest spot so we can see the wreckage for ourselves? I would love to confirm his death, or even get a chance to spit on the body!" Aion threw a fist in the air in mock triumph.

"I don't see why not. Sure you don't want to stay for the jellies first? They ain't even hit the ground yet, I reckon," said the bearded man.

"I think we could stay for some nice jellies," she decided. Counten's belly rumbled so loudly everyone in the hallway could hear it.

"Great! We have the jellies in the galley! Let's go eat some!" The men grabbed their new friends by the arms and dragged them off.

Counten, Aion and the two short sky pirates sat together in the galley, eating, drinking and relaxing, behaving as if they were old crew mates. The two white-clothed men rambled on about their time as sky pirates.

"So the captain is so cross, he sticks me and Ernest here with cloud duty. The worst part is, making clouds used to be the most relaxing and easy assignment a guy could ask for, but since the captain put his screw up of a son in charge of the cloud machine, he's always trying to impress his father. Now cloud duty is nothing but back-breaking work!" the bearded man complained. Ernest joined in.

"Willy's right, the man is a slave driver! We've had at least three men jump overboard since we've been stationed here. He's impossible! I mean, you can't please someone who is so angry with his own situation that he makes it impossible for anyone else to enjoy their fate." Earnest hung his head in defeat. Counten saw an opportunity to speak.

"You both could just... leave. See the world. Find some nice jobs building things or sailing the seas fishing for rare catches," Counten suggested. The two men looked to one another.

"On this backward hick planet! You've got to be kidding," Willy sounded off. Earnest broke in.

"No offense meant! Your planet is really nice for a backward ship graveyard, but I think we would be much happier retiring on whatever advanced planet the cap'n makes port at next."

"Another planet? You have to be joking!" Counten looked to Aion whose eyes were wide with fascination.

"So you two are from another planet! My uncle said that there are millions of worlds and that there's no way ours is the only one that has people on it!" Aion gushed. The pirates looked over to her as if they had found a kindred spirit.

"Sadly, the only time we go to new worlds is to steal resources. We have a quota to fill. No time for pleasantries." Ernest wistfully replied.

"We really should be getting back to our duties. Only a matter of time before Mister 'All Business' is back and barking orders. Oh, if he sees you guys here he'll have a fit! We better put you guys off. Where is it you want to go?" Willy looked over to Counten who stuffed another jelly into his mouth.

"Well, I guess the nearest land would be good enough. We do have to try and get back to see to our friend's body, maybe visit his family and remind them how horrible he was?" Counten looked to Aion for support.

"We really want to give him a piece of our minds, even if we're just yelling at his smashed corpse! He is so selfish!" She stood up and pulled Counten to his feet.

The two men were pleased to have had people to talk to and agreed to teleport the visitors to their desired location. Parting as friends, Aion and Counten felt as if they were smashed into a tiny ball and thrown faster than the speed of thought. Instantly, they found themselves standing on a beautiful beach.

"Up there!" Aion pointed at a large pirate ship that was floating slowly down from the sky to land in the sea in front of them.

## Chapter 23 – How long was I falling?

Mortimer was screaming at the top of his lungs. "HEEEELLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!"He could see his grandfather's ship high above him. He didn't think that anyone would come to his rescue but he just kept screaming. After all, isn't that what one does when one is most assuredly falling to his death?

Like most people who find themselves plummeting to certain doom from a high altitude, Mortimer saw his life flash before his eyes. He realized that almost his entire life had been spent trapped indoors with his grandmother learning from the book Science Facts. He felt that since the book had helped spur him on in his adventure, it was the indirect cause of his certain death. He had spent too much time staying in, not playing with other children and not enjoying his childhood like he should have been. His brain was packed with all sorts of intelligent sounding facts, yet not one of them could save his life in this moment.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pocket sized version of the book his grandmother had made for him. For a moment he thought of hurling the book off into the distance. Unconsciously, he found himself flipping through the pages to find the chapter that explained the mechanics of velocity, but the rushing wind as he fell made it impossible. Distracted, Mortimer began to spin out of control. He flipped and flopped, then flip-flopped. His head spun and his stomach churned. He screamed one last time, "HEEELLLLPPPP!!!! PLEEEEEASE!!!!"

Mortimer let his eyes close and his consciousness drifted away as his body drew ever closer to the ocean below. Sadly, he didn't have time calculate his falling speed. Even if he had, he was still going to hit the ocean like an egg thrown at a rock.

"For great justice!" Justice Captain proclaimed. He arrived just in time to pluck Mortimer out of the sky and flung the frightened boy over his shoulder a split second before he would have collided with the ocean, saving him from certain doom.

"You're very lucky I was close by." Justice Captain made small talk as he flew to the closest island and landed gracefully. He made sure Mortimer was breathing and used his amazing magical powers to transfer some of his life energy to the small lad, bringing him out of his unconscious stupor.

Mortimer's eyes opened to discover he was still alive. He was shocked to find himself lying on a small, sandy island, safe and sound. "How did I get here?" He asked. He looked left and right for any sign of the miracle that saved his life.

"You're up and kicking, I see! That's great!" Mortimer looked straight up to find the strange man from the cave of levistones, Justice Captain, was hovering in midair above him. "I was going to rush to save that flying ship too, but it seems they managed on their own." He pointed over to a ship that, at that very moment, was splashing down into the ocean in the distance. All of its sails had been re-rigged to form the perfect makeshift parachute. "Well, my work here is done! For great justice!" He shot off into the sky and out of sight with a WHOOSH and a BOOM so quickly that Mortimer couldn't ask him for a ride over to his grandfather's pirate ship, the Revenge.

"To the lifeboats! We have to find me grandson!" Blackbeard shouted to his crew. Not a single man sat idle as the first mate had half the crew preparing for a search while the other half was re-rigging the sails to return the ship to normal sailing.

"I be leading the search meself and not another word about it!" Blackbeard yelled to his first mate.

He hopped into his personal boarding longboat with two oarsmen, pulled a long spyglass from his inside jacket pocket, and began to search in all directions for any sign of what he expected find, the broken floating body of his grandson.

Mortimer, who felt stronger and overflowing with borrowed energy, ran towards the beach.

"OVER HERE!" he screamed and broke into a full sprint. His vision was focused towards the small figures out on the distant ship, so he failed to notice the exceptionally small girl and overly large boy who had spotted him and were now running towards him at full speed.

"Mortimer!" Aion yelled as loudly as she could. Mortimer stopped in his tracks, but kept his eyes on the ship.

"MORTIMER!" Aion repeated in the high pitched scream of a young girl.

This time, Mortimer was sure he had heard someone call his name. He turned around and to his surprise, he found Aion and Counten were both running towards him. He ran to them as fast as he could and the three grabbed each other in an awkward group hug.

"I can't believe we found you! How did you get all the way over here? Weren't you on that boat?" Counten asked. The smaller boy was also confused about his current location.

"That's not important right now! We have to get to the beach and be spotted before the Revenge leaves without us!" Mortimer urged his out-of-breath friends. "Let's get going!" He rushed away in the direction of the beach, leaving the other two to try and catch up. He looked back more than once to make sure the others weren't too far behind. He made it to the beach first and began to yell, hop up and down, and wave his hands in the air to get the attention of his grandfather. It didn't take long before Blackbeard spotted his grandson, alive, and on a nearby island.

"OVER THERE, YA LAZY SLOBS!" he bellowed at the oarsmen who groaned as they endured Blackbeard's constant shouts to "Hurry up!" and "Put your backs into it!" Mortimer resisted the urge to rush out into the water and swim towards the lifeboat, He was sure that Aion and Counten couldn't handle the task. They seemed to be exhausted by the long run to the beach.

"Grandfather!" he called out. The large man hopped out of his boat into the shallow water, rushing over to Mortimer and lifting him off the ground in a bear hug.

"I thought I lost ye, boy-o!" A tear dripped down his cheek. "Not a word of this to the crew." Blackbeard ordered his oarsmen.

"Mortimer... Ahhhhhh!" Aion screamed in shock at finding the large scary pirate that had raided her uncle's ship and stolen his key wrapping his arms around her friend.

"Mortimer, get away from him! He's the evil pirate who raided my uncle's ship!" she screamed and ran to hide behind Counten.

"Blackbeard, sir!" Counten walked up to the large man and gave a swift pirate salute, smacking himself twice on the chest followed by a loud, "BUUUURRRRRPPP!"

"Lad, are ye part of Mortimer's brave crew?" Blackbeard asked Counten who nodded proudly.

"It's OK, Aion. That's my grandfather." Mortimer walked over to the frightened girl and took her by the hand. "This is Aion. She's not a pirate officially, but she's been a valuable member of my crew on this adventure." He escorted the small girl to the longboat and helped her on board.

"Ah, the girl with the key!" Blackbeard proclaimed. He and the others joined her in the longboat.

"You're not getting your hands on my uncle's key!" Aion cradled her hands protectively around the key pocket.

"I wouldn't dream of taking your property from you, my young lass!" He winked and turned to Mortimer. "How did you survive that fall?" Mortimer went into a long explanation of his meeting with the strange man in the cave who then came to his rescue while he was plummeting to his death. Aion, Counten and Blackbeard looked at him like he might just be losing his mind.

The longboat rocked back and forth slowly, making it hard for the exhausted Mortimer to stay awake. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since his small band had managed to destroy their training ship and part ways, but he knew he was well overdue for a good night's sleep. Once on deck, his other grandfather, Great Wolf Shadow, rushed toward him, first taking the small boy in a rushed embrace and then examining him for physical damage. After the old ninja master was sure he was unhurt, Mortimer reunited with his friends on the deck of the large pirate vessel.

"I thought for sure you were doomed when you didn't vanish with us on the bridge," Sly exclaimed.

"I was so worried!" Wen rushed over to give her friend a hug.

"You guys sure ditched us good." Counten seemed a little angry as the others looked up at him.

The group stared at one another for a moment, then they each broke into a long fit of laughter. They had managed to do what nobody expected. They pursued the sky pirates and made it onto their ship. Then, as they all realized they had yet to rescue their friends and family, they each looked down in silence and their smiles faded.

"Don't worry, we're going right back up there to rescue the rest of the islanders and anyone else frozen in stasis by those horrible sky pirates!" Great Wolf Shadow exclaimed.

"Aliens, not sky pirates," Blackbeard broke in. "First things first, we're taking the key young Aion has and going after the treasure. Once we 'ave it, we can use it as leverage to bargain for our friends lives."

"Are you insane?! We can't bargain with those men. They're heartless killers! The only chance we have is to get up there and use ninja gas. We can disable the whole ship with it and then, while they're out, we teleport everyone down, no problem," Wolf's confident tone let the pirate know that his idea was the only real option.

"And how in the almighty name of King Neptune do ye propose to get yurselves back up there?" Blackbeard stood tall and yelled down at the smaller man. The ninja glared up at him in anger.

"We can use the same method the young ones used!" Wolf gestured to Mortimer. His expression was asking him to choose sides in the argument between his grandfathers.

He produced the dimly glowing red orb. "There isn't enough juice left in this thing to do much, even if we find our way back to the island and get more blue crystals." Mortimer hoped that nobody would challenge him. He felt he'd had more than his fair share of plummeting uncontrollably through the air for one day.

"Where did you get that, anyway? What are blue crystals?" Wolf eyed the orb in Mortimer's hand curiously.

"A mysterious wizard who lives on a floating vanishing island gave this to me," he answered. His grandfathers looked to one another.

"BwaahahaaAHAHAaahaahaha!" The two men laughed together, united in their disbelief.

"First ye talk of men flying through the sky, then its crazy wizards on invisible islands! My, boy-o, you be hav'n a true adventure!" Blackbeard looked down at Wolf who was lost in his thoughts. "Well, since nobody has any better ideas... CREW! Make ready to set sail! Destination, the Devil's Bellybutton!" Blackbeard commanded, ending the conversation.

"Wait a minute, we haven't agreed to this!" Wolf argued. Aion leaped up and hid behind Mortimer.

"Nobody is taking my uncle's key!" she screamed loudly.

"Me girl, we don't need to take the key from ya. I mean we could, o'course, but..." Blackbeard trailed off when he saw the determined look on his grandson's face. His heart was filled with respect for the young adventurer and he directed his next question to his grandson.

"What do you think we should do?" he asked. Mortimer turned and put a hand on Aion's shoulder. As he did, Sly, Counten, and Wen moved to stand next to him, ready to back him up no matter what his reply.

"I think you're right. I think we have to get to this sunken Verganus and recover whatever it is these sky pirates are after. I think that's our only hope of rescuing the islanders." Blackbeard shot Wolf a smirk as if to say 'Who's the better grandfather now?' "However," Mortimer continued, "I think that once we're on board, we should search for any technology that we can use to gain an advantage. They might even have a teleport thingy and if they do, we should use it to put a boarding party on the sky ship and execute Grandfather Shadow's plan. We need to be prepared. We shouldn't only have what they want, but also have leverage should they somehow manage to get the upper hand." Mortimer noticed that the men looked to one another as if he had just taught them a valuable and surprising lesson.

"I think perhaps our young grandson may have gained some unexpected wisdom in a very short time," Wolf said to Blackbeard.

"Aye lad, ye certainly will make a fine pirate captain one day, that be for sure!" Blackbeard let out a booming laugh.

"Weigh anchor!" Blackbeard yelled. His first mate began shouting orders in all directions and the crew jolted into action, nearly tripping over one another.

"You must be tired. There are some bunks down below. I think you all should get some rest. There are a couple hours of sailing ahead before we reach our destination," Wolf suggested to Mortimer and his friends.

"I think I could do with a nice pre-nap snack first!" Counten said. They all realized they hadn't eaten much since they started on their adventure. Even the jellies Counten had eaten were not as filling as he would have hoped.

"Food sounds good," Mortimer replied. The group of young ninja, pirates, and friends headed below deck for food and rest before the next stage of their adventure.

## Chapter 24 – Why don't pirates and aliens don't get along?

Mortimer woke late the next morning feeling weighed down by all the food he'd eaten the night before. He could tell by the abandoned bunks around him that his friends had been awake for some time, but Mortimer still felt in need of more sleep. Reluctantly, he got all his gear together and headed out onto the deck.

Blackbeard and Wolf were arguing again, this time about the best way to approach the small island known as the Devil's Bellybutton. The only thing both ninja and pirate agreed on was that this mission was best performed after nightfall. The group spent the rest of the day lazily moping around the ship. Nobody suggested they discuss a plan for the night's raid as they did not want to start Wolf and Blackbeard arguing again. Night fell as they approached the Devil's Bellybutton and the only lights to be seen were off in the distance in a forested area of the small island.

"I think you should leave this to the ninja," Wolf suggested. "We have the advantage during the cover of night. We can take enemies out swiftly and move on." Blackbeard, of course, thought just the opposite.

"We 'ave to take 'em head on and force 'em to spill the location of the entrance to Verganus! If we don't handle this just right, they'll just be teleport'n us back up to their ship once they know we be there." Blackbeard's voice became dangerously loud.

"We don't need them conscious. I don't see how we could possibly have trouble finding anything hidden on an island that small." Wolf rebutted. The two men each refused to give any leeway to the other.

The ship crept toward the island at less than half sail. Mortimer found himself distracted. He looked over the side of the ship and swore he saw a flickering light deep below the surface. As he watched, beams of light fired up from beneath the surface of the ocean. The lights revealed strange sharp-edged shapes. Mortimer realized they were directly above the sunken Verganus, and the city was coming to life.

"Are you sure the entrance is even on the island?" Mortimer said, interrupting the two feuding old men. "That chart you got from Davey just shows the entrance to be in this area. It doesn't say it's on the island itself. Besides, we can't even assume the chart is legitimate. He could have given us false information!"

"The chart said it was possible to enter the sunken city from that island. Be true that it didn't say exactly where or that the entrance wasn't beneath the waves, but where else could it be? And how could we enter the blasted thing from under the water?" Blackbeard was getting frustrated with Mortimer's questions.

"The sky pirates seemed to be able to go anywhere in an instant. I guess it's our best bet to try the island first and then if we're out of luck we can start searching the waters around it," Mortimer conceded. He felt like he had been reduced from leader of the adventure back to a child-pirate in training.

"I still say we take them by surprise and leave none standing!" Wolf spoke loudly as if repetition could make it more popular.

"If we're going to storm the island, we should at least have the ninja go first and send a signal if it's safe for the rest of us to go ashore," Mortimer offered as a compromise.

"Pirates never worry about things being safe before we do 'em! Still, why not let 'em go in first as cannon fodder should the place be littered with traps?" Blackbeard shot Wolf a smug look.

"I'm going to go with them." Mortimer looked to his ninja grandfather who nodded as he called Wen and Sly over.

"Don't be join'n up with them, me boy! Get yer cutlass and we'll storm them proper-like when we get the signal!" Blackbeard urged. Mortimer looked down to his feet, embarrassed by his grandfather's pleading.

"Be ready! We make for the shore at once," Wolf commanded the young trainee ninja who excitedly prepared their gear and boarded a longboat. Mortimer wiped the sleepiness from his eyes and took one last look at his large pirate grandfather before he hopped down to join the others in the longboat.

The small boat splashed across the ocean and into the shallows of the tiny island. Mortimer was adorned entirely in his ninja gear, leaving behind the pirate overcoat. He lamented the loss of his treasured hat which had gone missing somewhere along the adventure. He felt lost without the hat and coat, but couldn't argue with the fact that he could be stealthier without them.

The group moved slowly to hide the sounds of their splashing as they hopped out of the longboat and carried it up onto the beach.

"From here on, you are my shadows. I will be the light on this mission. I plan to take our adversaries by surprise. I'll cause a distraction that will get the attention of everyone at the camp. While I do that, I want you to take them down one by one from the shadows." Wolf directed.

"I think there's only one person in this group who hasn't had training in this type of mission." Sly looked over to Mortimer who envied the fact that his friends had been trained by their parents long before starting at the Misty Palm School of Vanishing Knowledge.

"I think I can handle this. I did fine as the light on the cloud capsule." Mortimer looked accusingly at his grandfather as if to say it was his fault he was still so green.

"You'll be fine. Ninja become shadows." Wolf grabbed Mortimer by the shoulder before he could move off into the darkness. "I am sorry, son. I should have-" Mortimer cut off his grandfather mid-sentence.

"Nothing to be sorry about, I'm having the best and most frightening time of my life. What better training could there be than this?" He smiled through his mask to Wolf who could see the truth in his eyes.

"Go. Be a shadow, my young son. Remember the tools of your craft," Wolf whispered as Mortimer backed away from him and into the darkness.

Wolf made his way through the brush and trees towards the bright lights of the camp. He surveyed the area from the darkness and found there were three men stationed around what looked like a gigantic metal tree stump. It was covered in grass and stood out awkwardly from its surroundings. Next to that was an immense metal tent-like structure and a fire pit which was more extravagant and long than Wolf had expected to find at a camp this size.

Wolf's mind raced with ideas. The three guards all carried the same projectile weapons that more than once had him hiding instead of fighting during his escape from the sky ship. He wasn't sure what the weapons fired, but he was amazed at the speed and accuracy they could produce. Most guns he went up against were slow to load and even worse to aim. He had always thought of them as the worst weapon anyone could choose, but if these strange guns were ever mass produced and provided to the public, he feared it would make the job of a ninja almost impossible.

Wolf decided that the best way to take on an enemy like this was a mix of surprise and tactics. He used ninja hand signals to tell his plan to his shadows, hoping they were well versed in the secret ninja communication.

Wolf reached into his gear bag, which he had managed to restock from the ninja first class area on 'The Revenge.' He pulled out a small yellow rectangular piece of paper and held it between the index and middle finger on his right hand. He waved his hand in the air as streaming lights trailed with his motions like the light of a sparkler. He threw the paper directly into the center of the enemy camp.

The paper hit the ground and, with a giant flash of light and flame, a 10 foot high dragon made of fire was now towering over three sky pirates who were frozen in terror.

"WHAT IS IT?" one of the men screamed. He suddenly grabbed at his neck and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Wen leaped out at another of the guards and wrapped her arm tightly around his neck using a sleeper hold. He joined the first man in sleep.

The third man looked at his friends, then looked to the dragon, then back to his friends. He grabbed at his neck to find a ninja sleeping dart sticking out of it. He pulled it out and looked directly at the needle. Before he could figure out what it was, his vision went hazy and he joined his fellow sky pirates in dream land.

"What's going on out here?" Davey's voice called as he stepped out of the giant stone tent. Confusion stopped him in his tracks, immediately followed by astonishment at the sight of a giant dragon of fire and his unconscious men on the ground.

Mortimer leaped from the shadows and in one quick motion he had the tip of his kunai at the base of Davey's throat.

"Well, what a small world it must be, eh?" the voice of Blackbeard boomed out of the shadows. He, Aion and Counten stood at the edge of the camp, illuminated by the fading light of the giant flaming dragon.

"How did you get here? You should be dead," Davey said in amazement. "I'm only here because I did such an AMAZING job running the cloud machine. The captain sent me to guard the entrance to the Verganus or die trying. The captain is not exactly happy with me at the moment." Davey's voice remained casual despite Mortimer's blade on his neck.

"Yar, that be a strike of good fortune for us. Ye can be showing us exactly where the entrance to the sunken treasure be now." Blackbeard drew his cutlass moved menacingly toward the smaller gangly man.

"You're already here. You don't really need me at all. You might as well just kill me at this point." Davey made a sawing motion at his own neck, signaling to Mortimer to cut him down.

"I don't mind one bit. Step back, boy." Blackbeard raised his cutlass high in the air.

"WAIT!" Mortimer screamed, stepping in front of the sky pirate and blocking his Grandfather from making his killing blow.

"Thanks, lad!" Davey grabbed at Mortimer, who turned and began a pushing match with the taller but very thin man.

"Let go!" He screamed and kicked the man as hard as he could directly between his legs.

"YOOOOWWWWCCHHHH!" Davey wailed in agony. He fell to the ground, his hands grabbing at his crotch as tears filled his eyes.

Mortimer stepped back and Blackbeard moved closer to the man crying on the ground in pain.

"In the junk, me boy?" Blackbeard shook his head and once again raised his cutlass to strike at the poor helpless man.

"Wait! He could still be helpful! Remember how strange the technology was inside the sky ship? What if it's the same in Verganus?" Mortimer's words stopped his grandfather in his tracks. Blackbeard pulled Davey to his feet and pointed his sword directly at the man's gut.

"Looks like you're coming along for the ride. Can ye use those ninja skills of yours and tie this man up for me while I be finding the entrance to Verganus?" Blackbeard asked Wolf.

"Don't give me orders, I am not one of your dogs!" Wolf exclaimed. Mortimer looked at his grandfathers with frustration.

"This is the perfect chance for me to give all my new sailor knots a try." Counten ran over to Davey who stood a whole head shorter than him. He pulled a rope out of his pocket and attempted a monkey's head knot.

Blackbeard scoured the area for the entrance to Verganus, but quickly became frustrated. There were no caves or hidden doorways. The only thing in the area that seemed out of place was a massive metal tree stump that Aion had climbed on. She sat resting her head in her hands, swinging her legs back and forth and humming to herself.

"Wee lass, mind climbing down for a moment?" Blackbeard asked Aion. She was still quite afraid of the large man and climbed down slowly. Aion walked over to talk to Counten, admiring his rope work.

Blackbeard and Wolf stood next to the metal stump. Years of storms had rusted and worn the strangely shaped metal object. The earth formed a mound around it making it look like a giant straw stuck in an ant hill.

"This seems to be going down deep into the ground." Blackbeard knocked on the side of the stump and a loud, 'TING TING TING!' rang out from within.

"That sounds hollow." Wolf slapped his hand against the side of the stump and knocked it a few more times.

"CONFOUND IT ALL! You are the dumbest bunch of frog-brain egg-farmers I have ever met! That is the entrance to Verganus dash it all!" Davey was frustrated with watching the sub-intelligent inhabitants of this hick world try and understand complicated technology that was well above them. After his frustration mellowed, the realization of what he had just said struck him. If he hadn't been tied up, he would have smacked himself in the forehead at his own stupidity.

"A metal stump be the entrance to the sunken city of Verganus? That be hog dribble!" Blackbeard cried in disbelief. Wolf inspected the top of the metal stump. He used his kunai to scrape the dirt and grass away and found that it had been placed there on purpose. He easily removed a substantial chunk of dirt and grass to reveal a brightly illuminated control panel next to a large square pad. There were bright green flashing words that read, "Invalid response. Please use manual override," on a small digital read out above the panel.

"I think it's waiting for some sort of key," Wolf pondered. Blackbeard rushed to the exposed control panel, pushed Wolf out of the way and pressed random buttons one after another.

"OPEN! CONFOUNDED METAL LOCK!" He screamed and mashed the pad with his fist. The pad beeped in response to each blow. SMASH-BEEP, SMASH-BEEP, SMASH-BEEP!

"You dunder head! You're going to break it!" Wolf wailed.

Davey laughed loudly at the spectacle. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Blackbeard turned to him and, with one beefy arm, lifted the man up to meet his toothy, angry gaze. "So, me lad, how do I be opening this magic metal tree stump of yours?"

"You have the key, right? You said that one of you has the key?" Davey squealed as Blackbeard lifted the man, dragged him over to the metal stump and smashed his face against it.

"Aion! Ye still have that key you're so fond of?" Blackbeard eyes flashed with anger.

"Grandfather! Calm down! What's wrong with you?" Mortimer walked over to stand in front of the terrified Aion. "Aion, may I have that key please? I promise to return it to you when we're done," he asked as calmly as he could, even though he secretly thought it would serve his grandfather right if they turned around and left him there treasure-less. More than ever, Mortimer thought they should be focused exclusively on rescuing their kidnapped friends and family.

"Here, Mortimer, I trust you. Remember, that key is my uncle's! Don't let him run off with it!" Aion glanced at Blackbeard in fear and handed the key over to Mortimer.

Mortimer walked to the panel, motioning for Davey to step away from it. He didn't have any luck. The read out remained unchanged and no matter what button was pressed on the odd looking keypad, they heard the same beep. He noticed the square pad to the left that was not made of metal and examined it. It appeared to be made of small octagons intersecting behind a clear glass surface.

Mortimer placed the octagonal key on top of the square pad and heard a low pitched 'NEEE-NEEEE'. He removed and placed the key back on the pad and the sound repeated itself. Then a strange voice spoke. "Please place hand on panel for DNA confirmation." He jumped back in surprise, eyeing the stump as if there was someone hiding inside. Aion walked over and locked her eyes on the panel, her expression both confused and determined.

"This could be a trap," Wolf said cautiously.

"Aye it could. I say we use his DNA!" Blackbeard lifted Davey off the ground and he screamed out.

"No not me, I tried it already!" Blackbeard lowered him to his feet near the enormous metal stump.

"Spill the beans or we spill yer guts!" he barked to the thin man.

"We can't open the door. It only responds to the DNA sequences stored in its database. Only someone who was once on this ship's crew can open the door. It requires both the key and the DNA or it will never open."

Blackbeard scratched his head and stared at Davey in confusion. "So I hav'ta blast meself back up on yer horrible ship in the sky and drag yer captain down here by his ugly beard!" Blackbeard raged in Davey's face. The prisoner hung his head and turned away.

"Aion, you said that the key belonged to your uncle, right?" Mortimer asked the small girl who was staring at the panel in a trance.

"Yeah, he always had it with him until your grandpa stole it! He was devastated, but he said he'd already accepted his fate long ago. He said it belonged to my father who died when I was very little." Aion still stared at the panel. She reached out her right hand and placed it on the panel. The action came to her thoughtlessly.

"Welcome, Jeren Statford," the voice said as the square panel sunk into the metal stump, revealing a divot perfectly shaped to fit the key. Aion placed the octagonal key in the divot and instantly a loud 'BONG!' filled the air. The ground around them started to shake. A deep rumbling sound from far beneath their feet gave everyone an urge to flee. The ground shifted, jolting everyone. Mortimer struggled not to fall and Aion grabbed onto his gi to support herself. Just as suddenly, the ground beneath their feet was gone. One by one, the group was sucked beneath the ground and into the expanding darkness below.

## Chapter 25 – What kind of city was this?

Mortimer and Aion clung to one another, screaming in terror, as they plunged ever downward. Mortimer, who felt he had already fallen great distances more times than anyone should in a single adventure, was quite annoyed. The difference this time was that it was pitch black so he was unsure of how long he was going to continue to fall. Aion, who clung to him while screaming at the top of her lungs, was not helping his state of mind. He was trying to think of a way to live through their plummeting fate. He was startled by the sensation of a slick wall against his back. Its angle adjusted gradually so that they went from falling to sliding down a wall to sliding down a chute. The darkness gave way and the chute abruptly ended, sending them flying across a brightly lit room and smacking against the opposing wall with a cushioned OOOF! Luck was with them. The wall and floor of the room was made of an extremely soft material. It seemed to Mortimer that someone built part of the room out of fluffy mattresses.

"Where is everyone?" Aion asked as she stood up and hopped around on the squishy floor.

"They must still be at the top trying to find a way down to help us. What are you doing?" he questioned Aion, who was now studying a digital panel on the wall next to a darker-colored squishy square taller than a grown man.

"I think this is just like the panel back up there," she said. She placed her hand on the panel and it immediately lit up.

"Welcome home, Jeren Statford. Please proceed to the designated-ed-ed-ed under age enter-ter-er-ertain-me-ment area. F_llo_ _he lights," a mechanical voice stuttered. The dark-colored square slid to one side revealing a hallway extending to the left and right. Blinking lights along the ground started from the doorway and chased each other to the right as if to say, 'This way, please.'

They looked to one another and Aion gestured down the hall. "We should follow the lights, I guess."

The two entered the hallway. Mortimer looked to the left in the opposite direction of the lights and found nothing but darkness and the sound of water trickling as if someone left multiple faucets running. "Lights, lead the way." he agreed, not wanting to walk towards the wet darkness.

They followed the lights down the metal hallways, turning several times. There was an inch of cold water puddled on the floor in more than one spot. Mortimer and Aion's increasingly wet shoes made squeaking sounds with every step on the metal floors.

The flashing lights and eerie darkness had Aion grabbing onto Mortimer's arm as they edged forward. He kept a kunai ready in his hand because he was unsure what or who he would run into at any moment.

"This is the place your grandfather was sailing all over to ransack for treasure?" Aion asked Mortimer as the two rounded another corner. The lights led to an illuminated door at the end of the hall. Darkness pressed in from every other direction.

"Maybe what he wants is in there and we can get it and get out?" he hoped.

He tried to force open the door but it didn't budge. "I think you might have to work your magic here too." Aion walked up to the flashing panel and placed her hand on the square pad. A loud 'BEEP!' echoed through the hallway and Mortimer found he could now easily pull the door open.

The room surprised them. They discovered a classroom with toys and other objects obviously meant to entertain small children. Half the room's lighting was out, the other half flashed dimly. There were rows of desks with screen panels on top of them all. Only one panel was activated.

They sat in front of the brightly lit panel. Aion placed her hand on another square pad that controlled what was on the screen in front of them.

"Welcome back, Jeren Statford. What would you like to learn today?" The screen flashed the words brightly and showed the face of a smiling woman. The image of the woman moved like she was saying the words written on the screen but there was no sound.

"What's so valuable here?" Mortimer asked. The screen responded by flashing strange symbols.

"This terminal is for educational purposes only. If you would like to learn about the spacecraft Verganus, please ask a specific question." The two looked to one another in confusion.

"What is the spacecraft Verganus?" Aion hoped her question would bring a simple response.

"The spacecraft Verganus is a military-commissioned transport ship capable of long distance space travel through hostile sectors of the galaxy." The answer only brought them more questions.

"Who am I?" Aion rushed in before Mortimer could make an inquiry.

"You are Jeren Statford, son of Captain Treyan Statford."

"How long has it been since the Verganus crashed?" Mortimer hoped to gain more information as to why this 'spacecraft' was here on the bottom of the ocean.

"An emergency landing was required due to a malfunction in the engine room on Saturn the sixth, cycle one-two-eight-nine-three."

"How long ago was that on this world?" he asked as he did not recognize the date.

"Forty two local cycles," the mechanical woman said with a smile.

"What was the Verganus's last mission?" The screen went blank for a moment, then bright red letters reading 'Classified' came up.

"Well, that's helpful," Aion moaned. She was getting frustrated and cold. "Can we get out of here?" she said in annoyance.

Mortimer's eyes lit up with excitement as he decided on his next question.

"How do we get off this ship?"

A map of the ship with an illuminated route appeared on the screen. The words 'You are here' and 'Exit' were marked on each end of a long, zig-zagging line.

"That seems like a long walk," Aion griped as Mortimer got to his feet.

"Where is the cargo hold?" he asked, proud of his bright idea. The map rerouted and showed a clear path to the cargo hold.

"If only we could take this map with us." Mortimer's eyes suddenly lit up and he started rummaging through his hip bag. He pulled out his copy of Science Facts and started drawing the map on one of the blank pages in the back beside a few notes from his grandmother about the differences between the three major types of triangles.

"Please follow the lights to your destination. Remember, no horse play." A paneled door opened before them.

As they walked out the door, blinking lights directed them down an otherwise dark and leaky hallway. The dripping sound had become much louder and they found the water level had risen just enough to soak their socks.

Relief came when an incline in the floor before a wide doorway. The rest of their trip was a squeaky walk on dry metal.

They entered another door and found themselves standing in a brightly illuminated box.

"Please stand clear of the door," the strange voice suggested. The two entered and the door slid shut with a ripping creak behind them as the room jolted into motion.

"Why do you want to go to the cargo hold before we get out of here?" Aion's question startled Mortimer out of the bleak silence.

"Well, if there was anything of value on this ship, it would be kept there, right? I mean, that's where we pirates find most of the things we 'commission' when we board a ship. If my grandfathers were here, they would likely head to the hold first, or the captain's cabin. Captains always have some valuables hidden there."

"You're one strange pirate, especially in that get up," she laughed. He looked down and realized he was still dressed in his ninja gear.

"True, I get to be more than just a pirate. Lucky me!" He stuck out his chest in mock pride. Aion let out a giggle as the room slowed to a stop and the door opened.

The two made their way through the softly lit hallways to a set of stairs and then a ladder before finding themselves in front of a door like every other they had passed through except for the fact that it was next to a huge bay door the size an average pirate ship.

"Let me try!" Mortimer placed his hand on the panel.

"NEE! NEE! Please identify yourself. Warning, system will lock down in ten seconds," the voice sounded angrily. Aion rushed over and placed her hand on the panel.

"Welcome, Jeren Statford. Please be careful." The voice returned to its usual peaceful tone.

"Well, I guess this proves I'm not a long lost relative to the ship's captain," Mortimer joked. Aion glared at him.

"Shut up!" She rushed into the cargo hold, leaving him in the hallway.

"AHHAAAAAAA!" she screamed.

"What's wrong?" Mortimer said as he rushed to her side.

"De... d-d-dead!" Aion pointed to a group of skeletons lining the floor. There were multiple blood stains and a wide trail of scrapes in the floor showing that something heavy had been pushed through the room and out a wide doorway on the other side. Mortimer was mortified, staring at the remains, unable to get a hold of his senses.

"Looks like we got here just in time," Davey's voice echoed through the room as he, Captain Kelul and two of their grunt pirates appeared behind Mortimer and Aion.

"AHH!" Aion screamed as the two grunt sky pirates grabbed them and held them violently in place.

"How did you get in here?" Captain Kelul yelled. Mortimer looked over to Davey who seemed no worse for wear from having been tied up the last time he'd seen him.

"It's that girl, captain! She's the one. The ship said she's Jeren Statford!" Davey motioned towards Aion.

"Impossible! He would be almost fifty by now and, well, that's a girl!" Captain Kelul walked over and bent down in front of the terrified young girl.

"Who are you, young miss?" he asked. Aion was too afraid to answer right away. She swallowed and took a gasping breath.

"I don't know!" she squeaked in reply. "My uncle said my parents died in a ship wreck. He's been raising me since I can remember."

"What might your uncle's name happen to be, my young one?" The captain looked kindly, appearing to have a soft spot for children.

"Xeron!" She struggled to pull away from the iron grasp of the sky pirate grunt.

"Could it be?" Captain Kelul whispered under his breath. He walked over to examine the deep gashes in the floor and the angles of the bodies that littered the path.

"He must have escaped and taken it with him," he muttered to himself as though this information was very important.

"We have to get the engine back online. If we don't get this rig out of the ocean as soon as possible, it will never move again. We make for the engine room," Captain Kelul commanded Davey who was busy tying Mortimer and Aion up in the same fashion Counten had bound him.

"Walk, slaves!" Davey yelled as the two grunts ushered them forward.

"Where are my grandfathers?" Mortimer yelled to Davey who laughed loudly.

"The morons! They're still stuck in their padded cells. I was able to get to the bridge and lower the shield so the good captain here could teleport in to join us. Turns out the ship is at less than half reserve power. Most of the systems are still offline because there isn't enough juice left in the old bird, but I was able to find out that only you two were smart enough to get out of the cells." Mortimer realized that if the computer hadn't recognized Aion, he would be stuck in the padded room where they first landed.

"Don't underestimate my grandfathers. They'll surprise you," he said defiantly. Davey laughed.

"It only took me twenty minutes to get out of the ropes. The knots weren't nearly as tight or complicated as I would have expected. Still, not bad for someone who had obviously never tied up a prisoner before." Mortimer hung his head and walked in line with the group towards the exit of the cargo bay.

## Chapter 26 – How to pick a lock?

"How could there be no way out?" Blackbeard snarled. Wolf was using every ninja trick in the book to escape the padded cell.

"I don't think this room was meant to hold people. We were never meant to be here in the first place." Wolf was trying to remain calm but was unsettled by the crazy look in his companion's eyes.

"Hogtropples! We belong wherever we be. I always find me a way!" He walked over to the square panel which hung to the left of the doorway and mashed buttons over and over. The unhappy beeping of the panel rang out in the otherwise silent room. Wolf shook his head.

"It'll never open for you like that," he encouraged. He tried to relax his mind and meditate on a solution to their predicament.

"OPEN, BLAST YE!" Blackbeard bellowed. He switched to banging his fists on the padded door panel, but it absorbed every blow with a soft thudding sound.

A mechanical voice filled the room. Wolf jumped up and hopped over to the panel in order to hear the message clearly. "Attention intruders: structural integrity is now below seventy-eight percent. Please proceed to the nearest escape pod. Once outside the ship, please turn yourselves in to local law enforcement at your earliest convenience." The voice faded and was replaced by a loud creaking sound. The padded door slid half open before it got wedged in place. Blackbeard had to suck in his gut and turn sideways to squeeze out of the half-open door and into the hallway.

"Which way to the treasure vault?" Blackbeard looked up and down the dim hallways.

"I think this mission might not be profitable for you. We should group up with Mortimer and the young ones, then make for those escape pods. We can find another way to get back onto the sky ship and rescue everyone." Wolf glanced down the dark hallways, listening for signs of the others.

"No way! This is the only chance we get to discover the treasure of Verganus. Though, you may be hav'n a point. You go after the young ones and get 'em to safety. I'll go after the treasure meself. It be pirate work anyway!" Blackbeard stormed off, running down the dark, damp hallways. Wolf stared after him, appalled.

"If you want to rush off to your death, I can't stop you!" he yelled into the dark as Blackbeard went out of sight. "I just wish it wasn't the boy who will suffer the most if this is the end," he said to himself as he closed his eyes to focus his ninja senses. He knew if he could just find the young ones he could get them out and to safety, that was all that mattered. Listening to the vibrations of the ship, he could sense the closest movement to him was one floor up. Unsure of how he would get up there, he searched the area for another one of those moving elevator boxes. He hoped this ship had a similar layout to the sky ship, but he wasn't holding his breath.

Sly gripped the side of the hole with his right hand. His left hand was clasped tightly around Wen's as she did her best not to fall into the darkness below.

"Everyone... else... fell..." Sly said as he tried with all his strength to pull the two of them back up onto the solid ground.

"Don't let go!" Wen cried out in panic.

"You're going to have to climb up. I'm not strong enough to pull us both up. Use my body like a ladder, then help pull me up," Sly said between strained groans.

"But-"

"No time! Climb now or fall!" Sly braced for Wen's movement. As she grabbed onto his wrist, his grip on the edge of the hole slipped a bit and, for one moment, Sly thought they were both about to join their doomed friends below.

The few moments of agony felt like hours as Wen used Sly's body as a human ladder. Before he knew it, they both were laying on solid ground, breathing hard and exhausted.

"I hope I never have to do that again," Wen cried.

"If you worked on your upper body strength it wouldn't have been nearly as difficult," Sly complained.

"Same to you!" Wen replied and punched him in the arm.

"Ouch!" Sly screamed out and Wen laughed.

"You're right, I need to work out more. Next time I hit you, I want to make sure you can't use that arm for a week!" Wen helped Sly to his feet as he rubbed his arm in the place Wen struck him.

"I get it," Sly said, annoyed.

The two had their moment cut short as the holes in the ground suddenly closed and the entire island began to rumble and shift.

"What's going on?" Wen almost toppled over. The west side of the island suddenly dipped and the east side rose high above them as if they were standing on the deck of a ship during a violent storm.

"I think the island is sinking!" Sly grabbed Wen's hand and began to run towards the beached longboat. "We have to get out of here!" he screamed.

"I hate wet boots!" Counten yelled loudly. He trudged through the dark hallways following the lights as directed by the computer voice. He thought the voice was very kind and was extremely relieved when it offered to show him the way out of this very damp, wet, and uncomfortable place.

"Please enter the escape pod," the voice said kindly as a door to a small room slid open. Counten peered inside.

"Ummm, this room is empty."

"Please ENTER the escape pod," the voice commanded curtly. It was programmed to handle traumatized crew members and passengers during times of emergency.

"That room is empty. I don't think there's any way for me to escape from an empty room. It doesn't even have any other doors! I'll die!" Counten was frustrated that the computer voice was not the friend he first believed it to be. Then, he heard a voice he recognized but had not been expecting to hear.

"Keep walking! We're almost there. Just one more quick elevator ride!" Davey's voice came from down the hallway. Counten saw the silhouettes of a large man and two smaller men pushing along two child-size people in front of them. They were all led by a bean pole of a man who wouldn't stop talking.

A girl's yell of, "I'm going! I'm going!" echoed through the dark dank hallways.

"Aion?" Counten whispered to himself.

Counten decided that if Mortimer could be a ninja then he could too. He quietly followed the group as they moved through the hall. They were making so much noise that they didn't notice he was there. He was doing well until the group entered an elevator at the end of the hall and the doors closed. Counten found he was unable to pry them open. He struggled, pushing and pulling on the doors when they suddenly opened on their own. He discovered a room that looked almost exactly like the one the strange voice had lead him to before.

He cautiously entered the elevator, but since he had never been in one before, he had no idea what to do. He expected to find another hallway behind the door but now he just felt lost and confused. "Here goes nothing," he thought. He randomly pressed buttons on a panel next to the door and they lit up brightly. The doors closed and the room lurched roughly as it began to move.

## Chapter 27 – The tale of Xeron Dimistar

Mortimer was worn out, he felt like he'd been dragged all over the ruined, wet Verganus. He noticed that the once level hallway seemed tilted, as if the entire structure was being slowly pushed over. The air felt thinner and he wondered if they were losing oxygen. At every door they passed, a computer voice commanded them to head to the escape pods. His gut was telling him they should obey, but Captain Kelul just laughed and had his men prod them onward.

"We're almost there, father." Davey said loudly as if to reassure himself. Captain Kelul rushed forward and punched Davey violently in the face.

"Never call me that in front of the men!" he stood over his son who cowered against a wall, a hand rubbing his cheek where he had been struck.

"Sorry, Captain!" Davey whined. Captain Kelul walked past him and motioned for his minions to follow.

Mortimer looked down at the floor submissively while he was prodded past Davey. Davey tried to pretend that nothing was wrong by acting fascinated by the wall in front of him. After several seconds, he stood up and followed the others.

"Where are we going?" Mortimer asked, annoyed. "We've been walking forever! I hope you at least plan to leave soon because it seems like this place is sinking." He figured they planned to leave him and Aion behind to die, so he might as well speak his mind.

"Shut your yapper!" Mortimer's guard yelled and tugged on his bindings to make him move faster.

"We have to see what's become of the ship's engine core. If it's possible, we can get this rig back in the sky, then we'll have twice the fire power and resources to use to find... HIM."

"You're looking for someone?" Aion asked the question sweetly even though she kept daydreaming about smacking the captain over the head with blunt objects.

"Me poor older brother. He was charged with high treason and sentenced to be marooned, but something happened on the way to the prison planet and the ship crashed here. It's a safe bet that my brother had something to do with that." He winked and smiled proudly.

"What happened? How did your brother get charged with treason?" Mortimer hoped his questions would distract their captors and give him time to think of an escape plan.

"The poor guy." Captain Kelul cleared his throat to indicate that he was beginning a long story. "My brother was a wiz kid from day one. He was fifteen years older than me so I rarely got to spend time with him when we were young, but I knew he was a genius. He once built a working anti-gravity engine out of nothing but an old discarded seven-five engine and a few odds and ends from the kitchen.

"Once the military discovered his genius, he was recruited and became one of the important scientific minds of his generation. He was instrumental in the defeat of our most dangerous enemy during the Thousand and Two Year War: the giant squid people of Fergasu Yartura. They flew in ships made of water and none of our weapons seemed to do much good against them. As the battle raged on, it became clear we couldn't defeat them. At best we could only hold them at bay. We had a small kingdom, only a couple hundred united planets, and everyone loved our ruler. His majesty was willing to go to the Grand Smooka of Fergasu Yartura and beg for peace and the lives of his people. Right before he left, my brother came to him with an invention that changed the balance of power in the galaxy.

He had invented a weapon that transformed water into a super-dense solid, crushing the squid people with the same element that was supposed to protect them. The squid people's losses were devastating and they were forced to retreat. For a short time, our side had the advantage.

After some time, they developed ships and capsules that would protect their water, but we countered with blasters that would break through their defenses. Then, they developed shields that reflected the blast back at us, but we found we could use giant harpoons to force our way through their shields and capsules. This arms race went on and on with my brother always finding a way to gain the upper hand against anything the enemy could throw at us.

"Eventually, both sides realized the war would never be won on the battlefield and a treaty was formed. Fergasu Yartura was rich in many rare minerals and resources which they traded for a piece of our technology which could be used to clean their oceans.

"Over time, our two cultures intermixed and my brother went to live on Fergasu Yartura for a while. By this time, I had started my military training and though I discovered I did not have my brother's intellect, I was a rough and strong fighter who could stand up to anything. I rose through the ranks and was soon an officer in charge of my own fleet.

"Years later when my brother returned, he told me he was very proud of me and what I had accomplished, but something wasn't quite right about him. In the past, he would tell anyone who listened about his latest project, but now he hid his work. Eventually, he went completely underground. The military came after me, thinking I would be able to tell them where to find him, but I hadn't seen him in years. I was as shocked as anyone when he managed to assassinate our beloved king and use a doomsday device he had invented to place himself on the throne. There were pockets of resistance on some of the smaller planets, but his upgraded fleet was able to squash them quickly.

"I was young and I loved my brother, so I immediately joined his new order and was made high general of the military. His next move was to go after Fergasu Yartura. They didn't stand a chance. My brother had discovered a new mineral on their planet capable of producing levels of energy we were unable to measure. Using the mineral, he mass produced a new fleet of warships capable of conquering deep space.

"Sadly, on the day my brother was to send the first wave of ships to the uncharted zones, a rebellion broke out. My ship was stationed too far away to stop it. By the time I made it back, I was forced to surrender without a fight. I was sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor. My brother was sentenced to a slow death marooned on a distant volcanic planet.

"When I heard my brother's transport never arrived at its destination, I knew it was the time to make my move. My most loyal men sprung me from the labor camp. We acquired one of the amazing new ships my brother designed and made for his last known coordinates.

"It took us forty years to track his transport to this planet and find this wreckage, and when we did we found we lacked the key to get inside. Thanks to you and your friends, we have finally overcome that obstacle. My brother must have found a way to escape. The data is incomplete, but it looks like he had unexpected problems and had no choice but to crash land here. It's my belief that he's still alive somewhere on this planet.

"My men begin to doubt our mission, but if we find my brother, we can go back and retake his empire!"

"He would have to be well over a hundred years old," Mortimer guessed. He doubted the captain's sanity. The tale was far-fetched and he wasn't sure if he believed it.

"Don't call me crazy, boy! Just because nobody on your sad planet has figured out how to sail through the stars doesn't mean they won't someday!" Captain Kelul yelled in Mortimer's face. Mortimer wished his hands were free so he could wipe the spit from his cheek.

"Captain, he does have a point, I mean... how long could he survive on such a backwater planet anyway? I would die of boredom!" Davey had never met his uncle and didn't have the same faith in him that his father had.

"This girl is all the proof we need. She's the granddaughter of the captain. How else could she have entered the vessel? If her father survived this wreck, I'm sure my brother did also. Our search is not in vain!" Captain Kelul gave his son a withering glance.

"My father was a blacksmith for the king. There's no way he used to live in this weird place!" Aion was furious with the lies Captain Kelul made up about her.

"This place is falling apart. The ship is more than likely just confused and thinks she's someone she's not," Mortimer broke in. Captain Kelul punched a wall hard, the impact echoing through the halls as the ship groaned and moaned.

"Whatever the truth is, we will find it just beyond that door," Captain Kelul said as he pointed to a wide door at the end of the hallway. The door had extra latches and oversized metal locks that came together, interlocking for extra security. Mortimer thought the door was much more secure than any they had come across so far.

"The engine room. Looks like someone locked it down. There may be a breach. Proceed with caution," Captain Kelul's command echoed ominously through the watery halls.

## Chapter 28 – Because I can be a ninja

Great Wolf Shadow was perplexed. He had unexpectedly come across a brightly lit panel in front of a strange looking stage. It was marked with divots in the floor that looked to say, 'place your feet here.' He was sure that his ninja senses had felt someone, or several someones, in the room just a few minutes ago but the place appeared deserted now.

"Please set a destination for emergency evacuation," announced the same computer voice that spoke from every door he passed. This time it seemed more urgent. The voice had warned him over and over that the ship was a dangerous place to be and he needed to evacuate as soon as possible. Until this moment, he wasn't sure how he was going to do that. "Please set your destination." The voice sounded annoyed at having to repeat itself.

"Umm, hello? Where can you send me?" Wolf was uncomfortable with the idea of talking to someone who wasn't there.

"Emergency teleporter has the capacity to send you anywhere within the range of current power capabilities," the voice answered.

Wolf sighed. That wasn't the answer he had been looking for. "So, can you show me places you can teleport me? Maybe on a map?" The console flashed silently and different colors shifted and swam around on the visual display.

"All current safe zones are displayed. Recommendations are as follows: large island to the south, small fishing vessel off the northeastern coast of said island, and the spacecraft EXP46FR. All these are suitable destinations within current power reserves." As the computer presented his options, the screen gave him rough views of his choices.

"Can you send me and everyone with me to the Revenge?" Wolf hoped this would be a simple task.

"I am sorry, I do not have a destination for 'The Revenge' available. Please state an available destination and step onto the departure pad," the voice instructed, ignoring his request about the others.

He stared at the screen, conflicted about his choices. None of the options allowed him to rescue both Mortimer and his companions and the prisoners still trapped on the sky ship. Fishing did seem like a nice way to wind down from this horrible ordeal, but he knew that if anyone was going to rescue the islanders it would be him.

"I'm sorry, Mortimer." He sighed and squared his shoulders. "Set emergency teleport destination to the spacecraft EXP46FR." He walked over to the departure area and put his feet in the divots. He braced himself for the awful sensation of teleporting.

Counten had only one problem with his plan of acting like a ninja; he had no idea what ninja actually did. The only thing he knew for sure was that they took people by surprise. So, when he was sure the men who had captured his friends would not be expecting it, he made his move.

"Let them go!" Counten commanded. Captain Kelul and his men stopped and turned to look at Counten. Davey was still hard at work trying to force the door to the engine room open. So far, they had tried yelling at it, banging on it, and pushing it with all their might, but the door hadn't shown any signs of budging.

"Let Mortimer and Aion go!" Counten ordered once again. Captain Kelul walked towards the large boy.

"What will you do if I refuse?" Captain Kelul questioned.

'So much for being more ninja-like', Counten thought as he struggled to come up with a plan of action.

"When you want to rescue someone, you need to do a bit more than just demand they be set free." Captain Kelul said condescendingly. The large boy appeared frozen in fear.

"Oh no, Counten," Mortimer muttered. He watched, powerless, as the military general masquerading as a sky pirate closed in on his friend.

"GO, COUNTEN! TAKE THEM ALL DOWN!" Aion screamed at the top of her lungs causing Mortimer to jerk away from her for his ears' sake.

"You let them go right now or I'll use this!" Counten drew an oversized cutlass from the scabbard strapped on his back.

"Sounds like a fair threat, but can you follow through with it?" Captain Kelul drew the ornate sword he carried. He preferred the simplicity of a gun but decided to make an exception in order to teach the young pirate a lesson.

"YARRRR!" Counten yelled. His body jiggled with every step as he ran towards the towering captain.

"GO, COUNTEN!" Aion cheered as the two men clashed together, the clanging of their heavy blades echoing through the hallway.

"NO, COUNTEN! RUN!" Mortimer yelled. He had never seen the large boy in action before and feared for his life. Mortimer was shocked when Counten not only parried each of the captain's attacks, but dealt surprisingly fierce thrusts. Counten used his weapon with skillful timing and precision. The captain was shocked at the skill the young boy had shown in the first few moments of the match. He quickly decided that this was not a foe to be taken lightly.

Counten attacked ferociously. He swung his sword in a huge arc towards Captain Kelul's left shoulder. The large man deflected the blow to the right, forcing the oversized boy off balance as the weight of his sword took him with it.

"I have you now!" the captain called out. The older man raised his sword high, ready to strike his enemy's exposed flank.

"NOOOO!" Aion wailed as Captain Kelul's sword came down towards Counten's chest.

"I GOT IT!" Davey loudly proclaimed. The gigantic door to the engine room screamed out with a 'SSSSSSSSSSSSWHOOOOOSSSSHHH!' as all the oxygen in the hallway was sucked into the room, filling the once vacuumed sealed space.

Captain Kelul, Counten, the prisoners and crew were violently thrown to the floor by the rushing air. Breathing became difficult and as the air thinned. The ship stabilized and the dazed group struggled to their feet.

"Restrain him!" Captain Kelul barked to his minions and the two men rushed over to Counten. They each grabbed one of his large arms and forced him to the floor.

"You fought well, boy. For that, I won't end your life here. I have more important things to take care of now, anyway." The captain walked over to Mortimer and Aion. He grabbed the ends of the ropes used to bind them and dragged them along behind him through the door. The crew members forced Counten to his feet and dragged him by his massive arms into the engine room.

"This place looks like its seen better days!" Davey scoffed at the cracked panels and hanging wires that littered the decimated engine room. "Could the pressure have done this?"

"Xeron, you were here," Kelul mumbled. He walked over to a huge half-built machine. Multiple wires entangled a gargantuan blue glowing stone that was placed where the engine core should have gone.

"It looks like their entire store of zero matter has been used or stolen. There's none left." Davey announced his news with great importance, but the captain continued to ignore him.

"What were you building, brother?" Captain Kelul whispered under his breath. Mortimer came around to stare at the large glowing stone. He could feel the red stone in his pocket react to the gigantic blue stone. The blue stone also seemed to surge with life as Mortimer stepped closer to it.

"What's going on?" Captain Kelul stepped back from the crystal, pulling along Mortimer and Aion. The giant blue crystal calmed down when Mortimer backed away. He realized something very bad might happen if the red stone and the blue stone got any closer together.

"Strange. I've seen these before, but never this size." Davey walked over to the large blue levistone to examine it closely. "If only we had the positive stone! The two together create an extremely potent power source." He displayed a scientific knowledge that his father did not share.

"Can it be used to restock our power reserves?" Captain Kelul barked at his son.

"No, that's why someone was trying to build this converter. It's clearly unfinished. It's complicated and seems to be missing the component required to control the blue crystal's power. Without it, this crystal is just a giant pretty rock. I wonder why it acted up so suddenly a moment ago." Davey began talking to himself as he examined the way the light reflected off the large blue levistone.

"UNHAND ME GRANDSON!" Blackbeard bellowed as he rushed Captain Kelul from behind, smashing into him with his left shoulder. The two thickly muscled men tumbled to the ground. Mortimer used the distraction to pull a hidden ninja knife from his belt and began to cut himself and Aion free from their bonds.

Counten pulled his right arm free from his captors and, with all his might, swung an uppercut at the pirate goon to his left. The goon was more concerned with keeping a grip on Counten's left arm than noticing what his free right one could do. BAM! The power of the blow shocked the man and knocked him out cold. The other turned and grabbed Counten by the shoulders and the two grappled, each attempting to get a solid hold on the other. Try as Counten might, he couldn't get a hit in on his attacker. Every move he made was met with resistance.

Blackbeard found himself at the receiving end of a heavy push from Captain Kelul. His lower half was forced halfway out the open engine room door. Hopping to his feet and burning with rage, he rushed towards Captain Kelul. The two men both drew their blades and the two swords met with a resounding CLASH that grabbed the attention of the other combatants.

"I be the greatest swordsman to sail the seas! You don't be standin' a chance!" Blackbeard taunted as the two men exchanged a flurry of cuts and slashes. Blackbeard had Captain Kelul cornered as he wore into him with his blade, forcing the man to take a step backwards with every blow. Kelul found himself backed up against the large blue crystal, its dim light reflecting off their blades in flashes as the two men kept exchanging powerful attacks.

"Be careful! If you knock over the crystal it could take out this whole room! That stuff is unstable!" Davey yelled. Mortimer swallowed the lump that formed in his throat at the thought that he had been adventuring with the equivalent of a powder keg in his pocket.

"I'll take care of this oversized coin snatcher, father!" Davey said, drawing his sword and rushing towards Blackbeard's exposed back.

"No you don't!" Mortimer screamed out as he drew his katana and rushed between Blackbeard and Davey.

"Out of my way, tadpole!" Davey ordered confidently. Mortimer's eyes narrowed as he realized he had no swordplay training whatsoever. He was completely uncomfortable holding the blade and wasn't sure how he would use a katana to fight a cutlass. The two were designed for much different combat styles.

Davey raised his sword above his head and swung at Mortimer's head. Mortimer moved instinctually. The katana blade rushed above his head as he set his feet. The two swords clashed. Mortimer's muscles strained as the gangly man put all his weight and strength into his blade.

Mortimer pushed back with all his might and the scrawny man was thrown back. Mortimer stepped forward with new confidence and placed both hands on the hilt of his blade.

"Step aside, boy! This is your last warning!" Davey rushed Mortimer, his blade dancing and shimmering through the air with unexpected speed. Mortimer found that Davey's sword technique was completely chaotic, slash after slash coming wildly from every direction. Mortimer realized that Davey had never had any formal sword training either! Mortimer's confidence soared with the thought that he could win. He decided to go for an opening, holding his breath as his blade came within a hair's breadth of Davey's chest. Jumping back, Davey examined the large hole in his shirt that left his pale skin exposed to the elements.

"How dare you!" Davey screamed with wild frustration.

"Look out, me boy!" Blackbeard cried suddenly as, attempting to dodge an unexpected thrust by Captain Kelul, he jumped backwards right into Mortimer. Blackbeard landed flat on his back atop Mortimer. Mortimer gasped for air in panic as his grandfather tested how well Mortimer could be used as an easy chair.

"Sorry, lad." Blackbeard adjusted his weight just enough for the small boy to crawl out from under him.

"Don't move a muscle!" Captain Kelul placed the tip of his blade at the base of Blackbeard's throat, slicing off a clump of longer beard hairs. The entire room watched the black hair tips drift to the floor.

Blackbeard's eyes ignited with anger. He was unable to move, the cold steel pressing deeply into the flesh of his neck.

"Drop your swords!" Mortimer yelled out from behind the two men, their expressions confused as they spun around to meet his gaze.

Mortimer held the red levistone orb up next to the blue stone towering well above him. Blue sparks flew off the crystal in all directions while the red stone flickered with power from deep within.

"All I have to do is think and this entire place will be torn apart!" Mortimer said. He wasn't sure he had the guts to actually go through with his bluff.

"Father, look how dim that stone is. If he tries to use a stone with so little power left in it, nothing will happen! The stone might even shatter and destroy his hand. What an idiot!" Davey screamed out, laughing as blue energy from the large stone arced like lightning towards the red stone in Mortimer's hand. Mortimer pulled his hand away in fear.

"Here, son!" Blackbeard yelled, reaching into his pocket and tossing an object to Mortimer. Red light filled the room, casting shadows around the two men as it passed over their heads. Mortimer reached out and snatched the object out of the air.

"Where did you get this?" Mortimer said in awe, examining the new larger and brightly glimmering red stone as if it were a fine jewel.

"Captain's cabin! I always say all the best stuff be there!" Blackbeard shouted out as Mortimer moved the red stone towards the blue.

"No, don't! You can't control the reaction!" Davey screamed as Mortimer pressed the red stone right up against the blue one.

A flash of blue and red light blanketed the room. Everyone and everything was tinted blue and red as the energy of the two stones merged and shrouded the very ship itself.

"YAHAAaaaaa..." the distracted Captain Kelul shouted as Blackbeard's cutlass shot through his chest, narrowly missing his spine and heart.

"FATHER!" Davey cried out. He raised his sword to perform a fatal strike at Blackbeard who was trying to free his sword from Captain Kelul.

"NO!" Mortimer screamed. His emotions went wild, affecting the stability of the two energies coming off the opposing levistones. All at once, the entire sunken vessel lurched into motion. Mortimer's panic caused the ship to ascend from the depths rapidly. The sudden change in pressure was more than the compromised hull could handle and it began to cave in on itself.

A sudden burst of power flowed to every system on the ship. Lights flickered on and panels sputtered, showering sparks in all directions as emergency warning sounds filled the air. For just a moment, the group stopped and looked to one another in the full flashing lights of the room. Captain Kelul grabbed at his chest, looking to his son. Davey rushed over to catch him as he collapsed to the floor.

"Find... Xeron..." Captain Kelul said to his son through gasping breaths. Davey looked at his dying father, a burning rage slowly swelling up within him.

"All life forms, emergency teleport. Structural integrity below fifty percent," the voice of the ship came from all directions. It had after all been well programmed for this kind of emergency. The safety of any living being on board was its number one priority, although after spending so much time under the ocean all alone, it was sad to see the visitors go.

A flash of light stole Mortimer's vision as the entire group was slammed with the awful sensation of teleportation. The engine room was suddenly silent. The computer shut off the lights to conserve power and congratulated itself on a job well done.

## Chapter 29 – Winning does not always mean you won

"Here's how this is going to go down. I'm NOT going to put a blade to your throat, and you are going to do everything I say as if I DID," Wolf growled menacingly.

Three technicians, two male and one female, turned slowly and stared at Wolf in confusion. They were pulling an all-nighter, working hard to reduce the level of power needed to maintain the chronostasis chamber.

"And if we don't?" The man in charge stood to face Wolf directly.

Wolf pulled a kunai from his belt and walked up to the man. "Then I'll have to slit each of your throats in turn." He placed the kunai's tip at the man's throat and stared into his eyes with fury.

"You all saw. I stood up for us! If the captain asks, we had no choice but to do as he said!" the man whimpered at the others who nodded and agreed, repeating the part about having no other choice. Wolf put his kunai back in his belt and let out a chuckle.

"I think we have an understanding. What are your names?" he asked kindly. The workers smiled at him. They didn't get much recognition for their work and appreciated someone taking the time to ask their names.

"I'm Jack, that's Jill, and this is Jekrustapoltan." Jack pointed each out in turn. Wolf looked to Jekrustapoltan and shook his head at the completely unrepeatable name.

"Jack, Jill, and Jeck. Got it!" He waited for protest from Jekrustapoltan about his new nickname, but there was none. "Now, how do we get all those nice people out of that chamber and back where they belong?"

He hoped to get an easy answer, but after many minutes of confusing technical jargon, Wolf knew his mission would be anything but simple. The three scientists tried in unison to explain how the complex technology worked, but they stumbled over each other's words and corrected one another while randomly completing each other's sentences. Wolf held out a hand to stop them from speaking. He decided to try asking a simpler question.

"Can you explain what I would have to do to get everyone out of there?" He braced himself for another complicated answer.

"There's no way we could send everyone back to where we found them. That island, for example, is not only four hundred nautical miles northwest from our location, but it is also a thousand miles below us. If the captain were to reduce our altitude, we could send everyone to the nearest safe location. There's just no way we could do what you ask from here." Jack explained while the other two nodded in agreement.

"So, I have to take the whole ship after all." Wolf let out a long sigh. He turned his thoughts inward to meditate on a solution.

"Hello! You in there?" Jack shook Wolf by the shoulders.

"The ventilation system! Does it connect throughout the whole ship?" Wolf snapped back into the present, startling the scientists.

"Well, yes. But-" Jack started to reply, but Wolf interrupted.

"Where can I access it?" He searched through his gear for ninja sleep gas.

"If you're going to gas the ship, you'd need to access a panel on every deck. Each deck has its own filtration system to prevent contaminants from spreading from one deck to another."

"Okay, then how can I lower the ship?"

"Only the captain can lower the ship. Even if the pilot inputs the command, without him, the ship literally will not move," Jill explained. Jekrustapoltan nodded and locked eyes with Wolf.

"The captain's voice command is required," Jekrustapoltan interjected, glad to be part of the conversation.

"Then I'll just have to make your captain lower the ship!" Wolf gazed into the chronostasis chamber. Deep inside the chamber, he saw a group of his fellow ninja frozen in their training exercises for the day.

"Can you bring them here?" Wolf pointed. The three scientists smiled.

"That, we can do! Releasing them will also help reduce the power the chamber uses, though just by a small amount," Jack replied happily as the three sat down at their panels and began to go to work. Soon the room was filled with strong, able bodied ninja. It only took a few moments for Wolf to explain the current situation to his new army. After all, ninja are trained to be ready for anything at any time.

"Shadows, today we are going to be pirates. Unlike pirates, we don't seek treasure or glory and we aren't here to have our names go down in history. Our home has been invaded! Our brethren have been taken hostage! We can save them all, but we must take the ship to do it. Today, we become the shadows of war. We are honorable men and nobody has been harmed, so we will return that favor. Go forth, use non-lethal force and take out every single person on this ship! None but these three are to be left standing by day's end!" Wolf's speech ended and the ninja checked their gear, taking inventory of what weapons they had on hand. In moments, the group was still and silent, looking to Wolf to give the order.

"We are shadows. We move with the night, always covering half the world. Go forth! Teach these men to fear the night!" Wolf commanded. The ninja vanished from the room and the sounds of quiet battle drifted through the halls of the great ship above the clouds.

"Where are we?" Mortimer said, rubbing his head. His blurred vision slowly cleared.

"HELP! My father's been stabbed!" Davey yelled out into the empty, dark halls of the sky ship.

"Where are we?" Counten asked. Aion leaped up and looked up and down the nearby hallways.

Blackbeard, his sword still in Kelul's chest, stood high above Davey. He reached down and pulled the small man off the ground.

"Where in your bloody death ship are we?" he screamed, his spit splattering Davey's face.

"We're on the recreation deck." Davey replied.

Mortimer rushed down the halls and shouted to his grandfather, "There are strange looking machines in every room down this hallway. I've never seen anything like them." Counten and Aion rushed over to take a look.

"Please, you have to help him. Please don't let him die!" Davey pleaded for his father's life. The large unconscious man's chest began to rise and fall more slowly. Blackbeard turned and looked down to scoff at his fallen enemy.

"That be a fatal wound, me boy. There be no helping him now. He has but a few moments left." Blackbeard showed no compassion for the man watching his father slowly die. His cold eyes showed that he had seen the death of many an enemy and this one was no different.

"That's not true! Please, if you help him I'll make sure every single one of your people are returned safe and sound! Please!" Davey tried to bargain. Mortimer walked up behind his grandfather and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Even if I agreed, he's done for, lad! It not be possible," Blackbeard repeated, leaning down to check the dying Captain Kelul's pulse.

"You know our technology is advanced beyond what you can imagine. We have a fine, if a bit eccentric doctor, who can heal anyone, fix anything! I'm sure he can help. Once we get my father to him, I'll return all your people unharmed." Davey looked pleadingly up at Blackbeard.

"Aye. But if he can't be fixing yur dad right as rain, you'll be helping us or joining him!" Blackbeard said coldly. He carefully knelt down to lift the large man.

Davey nodded and motioned for the group to follow him. As they walked, he formulated a complicated plan to turn the situation back to his favor. He wanted to make sure that Blackbeard paid for stabbing his father in the chest. His father may never have shown him any love or approval, but Davey wasn't going to let him die before he had proven himself and made his father proud.

They walked for some time through the brightly illuminated halls until they came to an elevator. After everyone was on board, Davey ordered the elevator to the medical deck. Nobody spoke during the long ride as the room pulled this way and that, the small group inside lightly bumping into each other during travel. From the motion, Mortimer was sure this strange box did much more than just go up, down, and side to side. The endless movement was starting to make him feel sick to his stomach.

There was a loud 'ding!' and the elevator doors slid open. Mortimer stepped out first and was shocked at what he saw. In every direction, there were ninja and sky pirates in full combat with weapons drawn. The sky pirates used tactics and weapons the ninja had never seen, but the sky pirates had grown fat and lazy during the long years of searching the planet Ebon. Despite the sky pirates' fancy weapons, the ninja had the upper hand on the sky pirates' home turf. Blackbeard carried Captain Kelul, following Davey as he directed them down halls and through doors that opened on their own. The ninja and sky pirates parted as the group passed as if they were a neutral party.

Mortimer felt the urge to join in the battle and help the ninja take the ship, but at the moment he would have rushed to a fellow ninja's aid, Aion took his hand. He realized that more than anyone, she was a third party in all of this. He made up his mind right there that his mission must also include protecting her until she was reunited with her uncle.

Counten leaned down next to Mortimer and whispered in his ear, "Don't trust that guy." He pointed to Davey. Mortimer looked up to him with a smile unseen through his ninja mask.

"He's already betrayed me once before. I won't make the mistake of taking him at his word now. He's weak. If he makes a move, get him in a nice bear hug and I'll do the rest." There was a coldness in his voice that surprised Counten.

Suddenly, every light went out at once. The darkness of space filled the inside of the ship. "Oh no!" Davey screamed. Counten ran over and grabbed the man, lifting him off the ground.

"What are you trying to pull?" Counten yelled. The ninja took advantage of the blackout and over a third of the sky pirates were taken down all at once.

And just before that, over forty percent of the crew abandoned ship when a low power warning was broadcast to their terminals.

The lights were out for exactly forty two point three seconds. When they flicked back to life, they were less than half as bright as before and flickered randomly, straining the group's eyes and causing headaches. To Mortimer, it looked much more like the lighting in the sunken Verganus ship.

"We're almost out of time," Davey announced, struggling in Counten's arms. Mortimer signaled for his large friend to release the panicking man.

"Something isn't right here. What's going on?" Mortimer asked. Davey looked at him in confusion.

"We've been low on power for years. There are no suitable power sources on your world. My father was too stubborn and looking for his brother has taken too long. This ship's orbit is very low and it will fall out of the sky soon. We have to hurry! Only my father can land this thing safely in an emergency like this. If we don't get him to the medical bay, we'll all fall out to our deaths!" Davey's eyes darted back and forth, displaying his inner panic. "Follow me! Quickly!" Davey ordered. Blackbeard, who did not like the idea of dying, rushed after the group with the body of Captain Kelul cradled in his arms bleeding out slowly.

They finally arrived at the medical bay but couldn't find the doctor anywhere. Davey ran from room to room screaming for him, but all they found were empty beds. Mortimer thought he heard a rattling sound coming from one of the larger cabinets in the main room. Cautiously, he opened the cabinet door and a man with the largest nose he had ever seen tumbled out of the cabinet screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Please don't kill me! Please!" He repeated over and over. Mortimer placed a hand over the man's mouth to shut him up.

Davey grabbed the man and pulled him over the small bed where Blackbeard had laid the captain.

"Help him, doctor! Help him or I'll do the same thing to you!" Davey was taking a page from Blackbeard's book of threats. He grabbed at the man and violently shoved him toward the bed where his father lay dying.

Blackbeard grabbed Davey by the arm and pulled him away from the doctor. "All right, we did what ye asked. Release everyone you stole or I'LL do the same thing to YOU!" Blackbeard laughed as he lifted Davey off the ground.

"I can't!" Davey screamed out in terror. A tear rolled down his cheek. "My father is the only one who can lower the ship to a safe enough altitude to release the prisoners. Do you want them to be teleported out into the air like my father did to you and your ship?" Davey answered. Blackbeard slowly lowered him to the floor.

"Hello, is there a Mortimer there?" A voice from an intercom box by the door grabbed the group's attention. Mortimer walked over to the box.

"This is Mortimer. Who is this?" he spoke into the box, hoping this would be good news for once.

"Morty!" The voice of his grandfather, Great Wolf Shadow, sprang out of the box, a high pitched ringing sound to lingering after his words. "Come to the chronostasis room right away! We're getting off this ship!" Mortimer felt a wave of relief wash over him. He turned to look at the others in the room.

"What are we waiting for?" he asked. Blackbeard crossed his arms and walked towards the door.

Davey watched angrily as they fled the room without another word. As he ran away, Mortimer heard Davey screaming at the doctor in the distance. They made their way back through the halls into the elevator and out of earshot.

They ran towards the chronostasis room as quickly as they could. The battle between the ninja and sky pirates was well over. Mortimer cringed at the sight of multiple defeated ninja lying unconscious on the floor. He resisted the urge to try and carry each one with him as he went.

They entered the chronostasis room to find it filled with ninja and three strange looking people in lab coats.

"Good luck!" Wolf said to one of the men in a long white lab coat. There was a flash of light and the people in lab coats vanished.

"Yur lett'n 'em get away!" Blackbeard roared and rushed over to Wolf.

"It's all part of their complicated scientific plan. See, we're falling from the sky. They said they could save everyone, but they had to let the ship fall even lower so they could use that teleport thing from something called a cloud ship. So now all we do is wait." Wolf confidently explained the plan as if he knew what he was talking about.

"Gee, I be feel'n safer already," Blackbeard said sarcastically. Wolf let the words roll off him.

"Nobody move!" Davey entered the room with a very large gun in his left hand. "You're coming with me!" He grabbed Aion by the arm, pulling her away from the group. Both Counten and Mortimer yelled out in protest.

"Get back!" Davey fired his weapon at the ground and everyone leaped back in fear. He rushed out of sight, pulling the small frame of Aion along against her will. She cried out for help as she vanished.

"Be quiet. If you're good, I won't hurt you. You're going to take me to that uncle of yours."

They reached a small circular door in the wall and Davey mashed some buttons on a panel. The door slid open with a whoosh, sucking in the air from the hallway as it opened. Aion found herself looking into a small room. It had a bench with two grooves for seats and a long lever shooting out of the floor.

"Leave her alone!" Mortimer yelled as he leaped into Davey at full speed. The two fell through the small door which sealed closed behind them.

"Mortimer!" Aion screamed. Counten came up behind her and banged his fists on the round door in an attempt to force it open.

The man and boy in the small pod struggled violently. The room vibrated and shook as the escape pod was jettisoned from the sky ship and flew through the upper atmosphere, barreling towards the planet below.

"Better strap yourself in if you want to live through this!" Davey said. He pushed away from Mortimer and sat in one of the grooves, taking straps from the walls and securing himself in place. Mortimer quickly copied his movements. Violent turbulence overtook the small pod, knocking them back and forth. Mortimer started to feel sea sick. He closed his eyes and mentally begged for the ride to be over already.

## Chapter 30 – How to make an enemy

Mortimer felt trapped in the enclosed rumbling pod. Half his body was uncomfortably smashed against one wall as he tried keep his other half as far away as possible from the enemy seated just inches to his left. Evil intent shined in Davey's eyes and a wide grin was stapled to his face as he stared Mortimer down.

"As soon as we land, I am going to-" Davey's words were cut off. He was caught off guard as the sky ship came into view of the escape pod's single domed porthole window. He gasped in horror, banging his fists against the wall. The sky ship accelerated toward the planet's surface, rushing past the pod. Mortimer and Davey both watched in horror as the Verganus, fueled by the chaotic blue levistone, rose out of the ocean and shot up into the sky. Neither of them had ever seen anything like what happened next. The two ships increased in velocity on a perfect collision course. Mortimer found himself cringing in his seat, trying to push himself away from the view. The two massive vessels charged right toward one another. Bright lights rocketed out of the sides of the sky ship as the Verganus grew ever closer. The Verganus splintered and crumbled as its hull broke into pieces from the rising pressure of the atmosphere.

They held their breath in anticipation as the two ships met in midair before them. There was a giant CRASH as the two ships impacted violently, followed by a wave of air pressure and debris that sent small fragments of each ship in all directions. Mortimer and Davey's tiny craft was unable to keep itself stable as the air current and bits of the ships smashed against it roughly. The pod was knocked into a spin, disorienting its occupants. The ship spun out of control, rushing ever faster to meet the ground below them.

Though they knew the small pod was moving faster and faster, the voyage felt like it was passing slower and slower for its passengers. They became sicker and sicker with every disorienting spin and twirl of the small vessel. Mortimer groaned as Davey, who was just as sick, searched for a button or lever to help slow them back to a safe velocity.

The ship gave a particularly violent lurch and Davey's hand flew through the air, whacking against Mortimer leg. Mortimer's leg then smacked against the floor just as a jolt of turbulence sent it back into the air and right into Davey's head. Davey's head thwacked against the wall of the pod behind him, throwing him forward. He tried to steady himself with his left arm, grabbing at a lever on the wall that had the words 'Emergency Brake' imprinted on the handle. The capsule slowed and stabilized just in time to avert disaster, but it wasn't time to celebrate yet. They had been blown far off course and right towards a small and seemingly inhabited island.

As the pod hit the ground, pillow-like objects shot out of the walls, safely encasing those inside. Its strong metals held up well as if it had been reinforced for this very type of landing. The capsule banged and smashed and crashed into trees, rocks and bushes. It eventually dug itself into the dirt, creating a long trench as it slowed to a stop.

Mortimer unbuckled himself from the wall and turned to Davey who was knocked unconscious by the crash. Mortimer thought this might be his only chance to escape from the crazy, scrawny man. But just when his hopes for escape had risen, Mortimer found that the door to the pod wouldn't open because it was partially blocked by the ground. He pushed the lever that was marked 'Open.' The ship rocked gently with effort, but the door didn't budge. He dreaded the idea of waking his enemy to ask for help. He hit the lever again and a small opening appeared. He jammed the end of Davey's large gun in the crack in an attempt to pry the door.

"Yes!" he called out. He had managed to pry the door open just enough for his small frame to squeeze out to freedom. He hurried to remove most of his ninja gear and toss it out the door so he could smash himself through the small crack. Seconds after his escape, Davey's gun let out a 'creaaaakk' as the weight of the pod snapped the weapon in half. Mortimer realized he'd left his katana behind with his enemy. 'This was the kind of thing you would have been warned about had you managed to complete the full Ninja 101 course,' he thought. Annoyed with himself and having no idea where he was, he trudged off toward a small fishing village he'd spotted as they came crashing into the island.

The walk was long and it didn't seem like it was going to end any time soon. His leg muscles ached and he was still dizzy from the fall in the pod, or maybe from a lack of water. He was tired and wanted to go home. He had no idea what he would find in the fishing village, but he wanted nothing more than a hot bath, a warm meal, and a long nap back in his own bed. His head, which had been thumped over and over into the wall of the pod, felt like a bruised watermelon. He was cranky and tired as he trudged the long distance through potentially dangerous terrain.

"I hope this village is a secret vacation spot for gourmet chefs," Mortimer thought as he reached the first small hut on the outskirts of the raggedy looking village. He went from hut to hut, but had no luck finding another living soul. He was sure the island wasn't deserted because the huts seemed as if people had been taking care of them. He made his way to the docks where small fishing boats were tied up. It was completely destroyed. He found a few small crafts that appeared seaworthy. One in particular seemed like it had just gotten back from a day spent trying for the big catch deep at sea.

"Someone has to be here."

The sun started to vanish behind one of the larger peaks on the island, casting the village in shadow. Suddenly his search felt more like a ghost hunt than a search for friendly villagers.

"Hello! Is anyone here?" he called, hoping for a friendly voice and a warm meal to present themselves. All he could think about were the scary stories Great Wolf Shadow liked to tell around the camp fire.

"I'm pretty sure we're all alone here, boy!" Davey whispered venomously. Mortimer visibly jumped as he felt his heart leap out of his body. Then a menacing shadow stepped into his sight. He was using Mortimer's katana as a cane and his left arm was in a self-made sling. He approached slowly with a slight limp.

"Nice blade. Thanks for leaving it behind. I wouldn't have been able to get out of that blasted pod without it," Davey cackled. Mortimer reached into his gear belt in search of the most dangerous thing he could find. He pulled out a ninja star cookie and threw it at the limping man. Davey put his hand up protectively. The cookie shattered into a million pieces, leaving Davey's hand bright orange.

"HA! I figured you more for the 'beg for your ruddy life' type, or even a 'run off screaming' kind of guy." He tried to hold the sword out to Mortimer but found he couldn't unless he stood on one foot. His right leg looked pretty banged up, especially when he tried to place any weight on it. The leg twisted oddly like the ankle bone was popped out of its normal resting place above his foot.

"You aren't looking so good. Maybe we should call a truce. There has to be something here we can use to fix up your leg, then tomorrow we can take one of these fishing boats out in search of civilization," Mortimer offered. He hoped that Davey's current injured state would strike some reason into him, but his crazy eyes just glared with rage and hate.

"Call a truce! With YOU? Your grandfather killed my father! I'm going to make him suffer before I gut him and hang him by his innards! But first I plan to return your head to that tiny dump of an island you call home. Then I'll find out where Blackbeard is and make him pay!" Davey held the katana in front of him, looking as if he planned to charge Mortimer at any moment.

"You can't even stand. How do you plan to cut off my head? I don't think you could catch me if you wanted to!" Mortimer hoped the man would see reason.

"Shut up!" Davey screamed, casting away his sling and hopping on one foot toward Mortimer. He swung the katana wildly in the air, his expression showing obvious pain from his efforts.

Mortimer wanted to run, but he was sure his only hope of escape and return to Skull Island was the one seaworthy craft at the dock. He produced a small kunai that he had wisely decided to keep with him. He tried to slash back or deflect the wild swings of Davey's larger blade, but it was no use.

"That tiny thing is of no use, boy! Just sit still and die nicely!" Davey almost tripped over himself in his eagerness to get at Mortimer. He yelled out in pain and had to steady himself with his injured leg to keep from falling on his face.

"Please! Stop this madness!" Mortimer yelled. He grabbed onto the man while he was off balance and the two tumbled to the ground. The katana flew from Davey's hand and into the dark shadows caused by the setting sun. Mortimer tried to use his kunai to stab at Davey but he found he just didn't have it in him. He couldn't stab and kill someone, even if they'd just vowed to kill him and his family.

"Big mistake!" Davey screamed. He landed an awkward right hook to the side of Mortimer's forehead, sending him flying through the air and onto his back.

"You should've killed me when you had the chance! You won't get another!" Davey grabbed the kunai, which Mortimer had dropped in his daze, and leaped on top of the poor lad.

"DIE!" Davey tried to stab Mortimer through the eye with a right handed thrust of the kunai. Mortimer blocked the attack at the last moment with his left arm and sent the kunai deep into the dirt beside him.

While using his weight to hold Mortimer down, Davey tugged as hard as he could with his right arm to free the kunai from the ground. As he struggled, pain from his injured left arm shot through his body.

"GAH!" Davey raised the kunai above his head once more for a killing strike.

"NO!" Mortimer screamed. He reached into a pouch on his gear belt and grabbed a hand full of Ninja star cookies in his right palm.

Davey wailed in fury as he brought his arm down, only to miss his target as his eyes filled with crumbs of green, blue, yellow, and orange ninja star cookies.

"GAAHH! I'm blind!" Davey yelled, leaping off Mortimer and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand furiously, unwilling to drop the kunai.

Mortimer raced to where his katana had fallen and retrieved it. He stood, fully armed, just a few feet away from Davey who wailed helplessly and slashed the kunai in a blind berserker fury. Mortimer looked at the man with a new found mix of hate and pity. He'd never wanted to kill anyone in his life, but looking at this poor, angry man before him, he wondered if ending Davey's life would be an act mercy.

"Where are you!?" Davey screeched. Mortimer silently tip-toed past the scrawny, injured man and over to the seaworthy sailboat on the small dock.

"You can't run or hide! I'll come for you even to the furthest reaches of the globe! You and your entire family will pay!" Davey threatened into the wind as he slashed the kunai wildly.

Mortimer untied the one-masted fishing boat from the dock. He held the rope so the tide didn't take him out to sea right away.

"Why did you try and kidnap Aion?" He questioned from the deck of the boat.

Davey tried to hop in the direction of Mortimer's voice and he fell on his face. The kunai flew from his hand and out of reach.

"She's the key to everything! Don't you see, boy? Whatever you do, don't trust her! Her grandfather betrayed my uncle to his death here on this planet. She'll betray you too if given the chance, mark my words! Traitors' blood flows thick!" Davey cradled his injured arm as he wailed.

Mortimer let the rope go and his tiny craft slowly drifted away from the docks. "When I find help, I'll make sure someone is sent here for you!" He took up the oars and began to row out to sea.

"If I ever get off this island, you're dead!" Davey loudly screamed. "You hear me boy! You're dead!" he repeated over and over as he sat in the mud, too tired and injured to move.

Mortimer rowed as the desperate voice of Davey echoed in his ears. As soon as he felt comfortable, he raised the small sail into the wind and the ship lurched forward. He wasn't sure which direction he was going, but it didn't matter. Away from the island was good enough for him.

The sun set, leaving the light of the moon reflecting off the surface of the ocean for light. He tried to use the book of Science Facts to compare his maps of the stars to the ones shining above him, but a dense fog rolled in, removing what little view he had of the heavenly bodies above. His already dim spirits fell as he tried to figure out what to do next.

## Chapter 31 – The death of Mortimer Aglet

Two weeks ago, Grimash Tophat received word from his wife, Jade Shadowclaw that his son Mortimer had gone missing. He'd cut a lucrative smuggling voyage short in order to return to Skull Island as quickly as possible. The door to Nana Bootsie's small house flung open and her son burst in.

"Where is he?" Grimash yelled as he frantically rushed around the house, checking in cupboards and corners for sign of his son. A small girl holding a pirate hat was sitting in one of the chairs in the front room.

"Granny! Somebody's here!" Aion called. Nana Bootsie appeared at the top of the stairs. Her hair was dripping wet and she wore a large muumuu with anchors and skulls decorating the lace trimmed edges. She jiggled down the stairs to give her son a crushing, wet hug.

"Ma, what's going on? Where's Jade?" Grimash couldn't hide the hint of panic in his voice.

"She's out looking for him, of course. She left right after she sent word to you. The entire Island has been searching. Everyone feels they owe him a debt, and rightly so. Without him, every one of them would still be trapped on that sky pirate ship, or worse. I guess sometimes-" Nana Bootsie burst into tears, "Poor little Morty! It's all my fault. I let him go! I should've made him stay here with me!" She wailed and sobbed. Grimash searched around the room for a hanky. Having no luck, he took out the one he kept in his front pocket and handed it over to his mother hesitantly, as if it were very important to him.

"What happened? The letter was very vague. I was only gone a couple weeks." Grimash asked. His mother's wailing grew even louder.

"Mortimer helped rescue me!" Aion grabbed Grimash's attention. He decided it would be more productive to talk with the girl, since his mother's loud sobs had him mentally edging for the door.

"The sky pirates kidnapped everyone! Even the huge, scary, black pirate who stole my grandfather's key." Aion recounted the whole story from when the Rusty Sponge found her ship to how she and Mortimer escaped from the sky pirates only to return to rescue everyone from their grasp. Grimash took off his top hat and spun it nervously in his hands during Aion's tale. After a long and one sided conversation, Grimash turned to see his mother enter the room and wipe at her eyes.

"So, nobody knows what happened to him? He could be anywhere?" He looked to his mother who nodded. Grimash jumped from his seat. "I have to send word to my fleet. We have to join the search!"

"Everyone has tried, but there's too much debris out there. Most sunk to the bottom of the ocean, but the Verganus triangle is reported to be even more dangerous than it was before all this mess started."

"Pirates from the sky. I bet if I had one of those flying ships-" His mother cut off his speculation.

"Don't go getting yourself lost or killed now, boy!" she commanded him through her sniffles.

"Where's Dad?" Grimash looked around the house as if he had expected to see his father walk into the room.

"Your father took his ship and set out the minute he got back. I'm assuming he went after Mortimer, but your guess is as good as mine. That man has never been one to sit still if there's an adventure or treasure to be had."

"DING DING DING DING! NAVY VESSEL! DING DING DING!" The warning bell sang out from Fort Cutless. Grimash replaced his top hat on his head and gave his mother a gentlemanly smile. "No rest in the world of adventure!" he called as he rushed out the front door.

"I'm coming too!" Aion yelled and dashed past Nana Bootsie, who tried to stop her but was too slow.

"Enemy ship approaching!" The watchman from the fort sounded the alarm with a note of surprise in his voice.

"LOAD THE CANNONS!" Captain Dirty Danic Donny wailed and a small group of men sprang into action, preparing the fort for battle.

"FLAG OF PEACE WAVING HIGH!" The man in the crow's nest yelled. The other men continued to load and ready the cannons but with a bit less haste than before.

"Flag of peace?" Grimash mumbled to himself. He rushed down to the fort dock to board his smallest and fastest ship. He barked orders to his crew to make ready to meet the navy vessel.

"That ship be a royal navy huntsman class! It'll take us out before we get close enough to get a shot off!" one of the older crew members protested.

"Everyone else is out searching for my son. The least we can do is meet a ship under a flag of peace in recompense." Grimash ordered and his crew made ready. The vessel made full sail to meet with the mysterious ship.

"Pull along starboard!" Grimash ordered. Through his spyglass, he spotted young ninja and pirates on the main deck. At the bow of the ship, he saw a man waving a white flag wildly, the universal signal for peace.

The two ships came along side each other and weighed anchor. A plank was lowered from the navy vessel onto the much higher deck of Grimash's schooner. Four young pirate trainees; a very tall boy, a half-bald young man, a very small boy and a girl; walked down the plank and onto the deck of Grimash's smaller craft.

"Acting Captain Boony at your service, sir! This is Qball, Thomas, Whoopie." The tall boy motioned to the entourage that followed him down the plank and onto the deck.

"Acting captain?" Grimash looked at the small group of young children in astonishment.

"Ah, yes, sir. We've been on a crazy adventure, but we were able to commandeer a ship from our enemy and make our way back home."

"No thanks to you, Mister 'run-and-hide!'" Rin Flipway smirked as she leaped onto the deck of the small craft. She recognized the tall top-hatted pirate. "You're Mortimer's dad, aren't you?" Rin tilted her head to the side like she wasn't quite sure what she was looking at.

"Yes, though my son has gone missing. We have plenty of search parties out looking and as soon as we're done here I plan to join them." Boony stepped between Rin and the tall pirate.

"No need, sir. We have Mortimer here on board!" Boony announced proudly. Qball shook his head in irritation at the mention of Mortimer's name.

"We found him half starved in the middle of the ocean." Boony motioned for Grimash to follow him on board the large Navy ship.

"And YOU wanted to leave him out there." Rin elbowed Qball in the stomach.

"We should have left you out there too!" he retorted. He crossed the plank back onto the navy ship.

"Excuse me!" Aion shoved past Qball and almost knocked him down as she rushed to the navy ship.

"Anyone else on board?" Grimash asked Boony.

"There are a few other people from the Cutless Academy, and-" Boony's explanation was cut off by a voice that spoke much louder than needed.

"YAR! WELL, BLOW ME DOWN! GRIMASH!" Steelgut Magdu bellowed. The two elder pirates came together in a friendly embrace followed by the pirate salute.

"Found your boy, we did! Bit worse for wear, but he seems to be doing fine!" Steelgut escorted Grimash below deck and into a long, thin hallway. He took out a small ring of keys and unlocked the door to the room at the very end of the hall. Grimash gave him a confused look.

"Ah, well, he kept trying to steal a long boat and go after Blackbeard, ya see. He's convinced the big man is still in some kind of danger." The door hinges creaked loudly. Steelgut pushed the door open cautiously as if expecting to be attacked upon entering the room.

"Where is he?" Grimash motioned at the empty room. He rushed in and tore apart the furniture and checked every crevice, but there was no sign of Mortimer. The group searched the entire ship for the boy, but couldn't find him anywhere.

"There he is!" Aion shouted from high on the aft deck of the ship. She pointed out to sea. The group filed behind her. Grimash took out his spyglass and saw his son rowing away from Skull Island in a small row boat.

It didn't take long for Grimash's small, agile ship to bar Mortimer's way. They lowered a ladder off the side and he scurried up onto the deck.

"Yar! I now commandeer this vessel!" Mortimer drew his katana and pointed it at his father, Steelgut, Aion, and the rest of the group from the Navy vessel. They stared at him like he was making a bad joke. Mortimer fell to his knees and dropped his sword. It met the deck of the ship with a loud 'ting!'

"Full circle! Take us home!" Grimash commanded.

Mortimer rose to his feet and ran up to him screaming, "No! We have to rescue grandfather, he's in danger!" His father grabbed him by the wrist and Mortimer flinched like he expected to be punched in the gut or thrown to the floor. Grimash twirled him around like a dancer and embraced him as he had when Mortimer was a small child unable to sleep because of the sounds outside his room at night.

"Son, that part of the adventure is over." They embraced and Grimash saw tears flow from Mortimer's tightly closed eyes.

They made their way back to the island quickly. Nana Bootsie almost had a heart attack at the sight of her beloved grandson. Wen, Sly and Counten, who were not surprised in the least by his return, regaled Mortimer with the tales of what had happened to each of them after he'd been ejected out of the ship with Davey.

Half of the sky pirates' crew had escaped in the pods, but most were still missing. The islanders had all been teleported safely to an uncharted island. Luckily, they'd had enough ships that it only took a few trips for everyone to get home. The navy ships that had been captured were now focused on apprehending all the renegade sky pirates, and it appeared that Skull Shuriken Island currently had an unspoken truce with the navy.

Mortimer's mother, who returned to the island in distress and defeat days after Mortimer's return, was elated at the sight of her son safe and sound.

Over the next several weeks, Mortimer went back to both his pirate and ninja training.

Once the excitement had died down, Mortimer brought up the fact that Blackbeard was still missing. His grandmother, who was used his constant absences, wasn't worried and it didn't seem to bother anyone else either. Everyone did their best to convince Mortimer to concentrate on his training. Aion, who had been staying with Mortimer and his grandmother for almost a month, began to ask when she would be reunited with her uncle as she'd been promised.

When they couldn't stand being ignored any longer, Mortimer and Aion decided to take matters into their own hands. They hatched a plan to sneak away on an adventure with their friends to search for their missing loved ones. For many weeks, they met in secret to train and prepare for the journey. Nana Bootsie was no fool and suspected they were up to something. She was constantly on watch, ready to foil their plans.

"How are we going to get out of here with Granny watching our every move?" Aion asked in frustration.

"Don't worry, I have the crew on our side. When the time comes we'll be ready. There's only one problem. It might take a bit longer to return you to your uncle than I originally promised." He hesitated and looked to her for approval.

"I don't care. This place is very peaceful. We should enjoy it while we can." Aion sighed. She understood that once they left the island they would be in constant danger.

"Agreed! Let's relax and have some fun! For now..." Mortimer trailed off. He knew there was more danger in their future.

"This is gonna be hard," Aion said sarcastically and let out a fake moan.

"You two better not be planning anything!" Nana Bootsie yelled at them from another room.

"Of course not!" Mortimer answered. He met Aion's gaze and they both laughed.

THE END

This book is dedicated in loving memory of

Joan C. Rea

May her strength and compassion live on through us and future generations. Forever loved, forever missed.

And

Ronin L. Dawson

May your life be filled with the same joy and happiness it has brought already to friends and family alike.

Copyright © Brian Dawson, 2014

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

YAR! Thank you for reading my book.

-Brian Dawson

