The Nautican Gambit
The Nautican Gambit
"Computers don't need to gulp!"
The three of them argued loudly before being quieted by a staticky noise that sounded over their intercoms.
*grrraaachhhvvoooorrrrrquaaaavvvv*...*krrruuuuuvvvrrrachhhhhh*
The terrifying voice of a Nautican crackled through their radio. Neither of them spoke the aquatic language, but it was only a few seconds before the radio started automatically translating as the message continued.
This is Commander Quav of the Nautica Red Fleet. If you lay down your armsWeapons; such as a sword or a gun. and prepare your ship to be boarded, you will be given quarterTo show someone mercy or spare their life.. We carry with us a letter of marqueA "letter of marque" was a special document used during the Age of Sail. It was signed by a king or ruler and gave permission for a ship to attack the enemies of that country. Without a letter of marque, you were a pirate (Arrrrrr!). With one, you were a legally protected privateer or corsair.
signed by the Emperor of the Dark Void himself. To fight us is to fight the Dark Void.
The message ended, and the ship was silent. After a few uneasy seconds, Watt pounded his fist down on the arm of his seat.
"I was about to tell you not to break stuff," Core said as he climbed up out of the ship's belly and onto the bridge. "But I guess that chair is about to be scrapped anyway..."
"I would still prefer that you not break any parts of me," Stella stated. "Might I also add that if you are about to be boarded by the Nautica, or teleported onto their ship, that you might want to activate your space suits. Unless you've both grown gills since this morning."
But before Stella could even finish her sentence, there was a flash of light and both Core and Watt were gone.
"Ugh..." Stella said to herself. "Why couldn't I have been built by a normal family..."
✧ ✧ ✧
Core felt as though he had been suddenly splashed in the face with cold water. In fact, it felt like his entire body had just been dunked in a water tank. And that was because it had! He and Watt had both been teleported directly into the water-filled brigA ship's prison or a military prison. of the enormous, Nautican cruiser. The planet Nautica was completely covered in ocean, and its inhabitants had evolved only ever breathing in the depths of that ocean. Therefore, the inside of all Nautican ships were filled with water. That was fine for the Nautican corsairs that were swimming around the suddenly submerged brothers, but for Core and Watt it was a real problem.
In a panicked scramble, the brothers fumbled at their wrist computers to find and press the buttons that would seal the helmets and visors of their space suits. Watt pressed his first and just like the roof of a convertible, the helmet quickly unfolded and covered his head and face. Core's helmet sealed shut just a moment later. Their suits automatically drained the water from inside and the brothers could finally breath again.
