As Bonny Anne had said, the next day they landed. The planet, or at least the section they could see from the high windows in the dressing rooms, seemed uninhabited, barren rock and swirling sand. Ruth wondered why they had landed. What could they possibly want from here?
The landing, despite Will and Zoe's earlier fears, had gone fairly smoothly. There was something of a bump as they touched down, but nothing like the awful shuddering they had experienced when taking off. Some of them wondered if perhaps Will's skills as a pilot weren't all that could be desired. Not that it seemed to matter now.
The girls were uncertain what to decide about their future. Should they join Queen Argent's crew of pirates, or allow themselves to be sold as slaves? "Slavery's a hard life, an' an early death," Bonny Anne had said. She had spent some time with the girls, telling them more about what a pirate's life was like. "But our life`s nay easy either. An' since yedasn't know much about space set sail, an' come from a planet that`s so backward, I dasn't know how well ye`d fit in. An' then thar`s th' Code. Sometimes I wish I`d had a choice, that I didna be havin' t' obey...but that`s life. Nothing`s fair."
"Didn't you get a choice?" Rachel asked.
"How could I? Me mother be th' Pirate Queen! I grew up a buccaneer, 'tis all I`ve ever known. An' now I be a criminal, wanted in six systems. Thar`s nay life fer me other than th' one I lead. I be condemned t' lead it till I die, or be captured. An' so alone..." She turned away from the surprised girls. "On yer planet, be thar lasses who live happily wi' men? Or be all relationships like th' things me mother described? Be all men unfaithful, untrustworthy lyin' slime, or be thar some ye can trust? Do ye b'lieve in love, or be 't all jus' some big con as men use t' get power o'er lasses? What be this love?"
They looked at each other, unsure what to say. How could they convince this untaught, scarred pirate of things so far outside her experience.
"I love Ernest," Emma said eventually. "I believe that love is real."
Ruth looked sideways at Sarah. After she had found out about Will's alien origins she had been horrified, but since the pirates had attacked Ruth had sensed a measure of forgiveness, of a second chance developing.
"Love is real," Ruth said. "It doesn't always work out, sometimes things go wrong, but it's real. People aren't perfect, neither men nor women, and sometimes they both do things wrong. But it's worth having your heart broken to know love. And believe me, I know."
"I think as I understand," Bonny Anne said. "But...be 't worth riskin' yer life for?"
"Only you can decide that," Ruth said.
"Would ye?"
Ruth didn't answer for a moment, thinking. "Yes," she said finally. "If I loved someone enough, I would. Because I wouldn't be happy if I didn't."
Bonny Anne said no more, but as she left Ruth thought she looked thoughtful.
The Amazon, Queen Argent's ship had landed beside them. From the windows the others could see the pirates meet outside and confer amongst themselves. Then all but two of them headed off into the distance on foot. The two who were left- Bonny Anne and Jimdrick- headed back into the Hilarity. The prisoners assumed that the others were going to collect whatever it was they had come for- although they still had no idea what it might be- while these two had been left as guards. It didn't seem to matter very much. Their dilemma was still before them.
The pirates disappeared into the distance. The prisoners were alone with their thoughts. For an hour or two (although Earth time, like everything else, was meaningless now) there was peace over the two ships.
Then the prisoners heard the doors at the end of the corridor being unlocked. Nothing strange in that, it was presumably Anne or Jimdrick coming to check up on them.
In fact, it was both. They seemed excited as they called everyone together in the green room.
"The others have gone t' look fer buried treasure," Anne said excitedly. "They won`t be back fer some time. In th' mean time, we`ve been discussin' things an'...we want t' escape. We`re goin' t' launch this ship, get away from here an' th' Pirate Queen. We`ll release ye, an' ye can drop us off somewhere on yer way. Be that alright wi' ye? Ye`ll be free!"
"Well...of course," said Emma. "That's...great. But why? What's made you decide to do that?" Jimdrick and Bonny Anne looked at each other and smiled.
"Well, we be alone together jus' now, an'...I finally told Anne that I loves her..." Jimdrick said shyly.
"And I told Jimdy I loved him too," Bonny Anne said. "So we thought we`d take th' chance t' get away, before th' others come back."
"Congratulations," Ernest said, looking slightly puzzled, but trying to conceal it.
"Well then, let's be off," said Bonny Anne, making a move towards the doors.
"Hang on though, what about the other two?" Sarah said. Will and Zoe were still being kept prisoner in the other ship.
"They kidnapped us," Marie, one of the girls' chorus, said. "Why should we bother about them?"
"We can't just leave them as prisoners," Adam said.
"We need them," Tom agreed. "We don't know how to fly the ship, or how to get home." They all looked at Bonny Anne and Jimdrick.
"Well then," said Bonny Anne. "We`ll be havin' t' go an' get them from th' other ship. Jimdy, ye take a couple o' these lads t' free them while th' rest o' us get ready fer take off." She turned and went downstairs. The former prisoners stared after her, trying to take it in. A few minutes ago there had seemed no hope for them, and now everything had changed!
Or had it? Even if they escaped the clutches of the Pirate Queen, what would happen then? Could they trust Bonny Anne and Jimdrick? With Will and Zoe back and able to fly the ship, could the G&Sers take control if the two ex-pirates refused to set them free? But given the choice that faced them if they remained, what did they have to loose? Their recent experiences had made them perhaps less cautious than they had been before leaving Earth. Going along with Anne's plan seemed the best thing to do.
"We'd better go and get the other two," Nick said, looking at Jimdrick. He nodded, and Nick and David followed him down the stairs. The others hurried down to the foyer- sorry, the bridge.
Ten minutes later Jimdrick, Nick, David, Will and Zoe hurried in. "The others be coming back already!" Jimdrick said despairingly. "`Tis nay good! We`ll nere get away without them followin' us!"
"They're on their way back? How far away?" Bonny Anne said.
"About ten kliks, I would guess from the scanner," Zoe replied. She and Will were still confused as to exactly what was going on, but almost anything was better than being held hostage.
"Well, at least we can get a start on them," Bonny Anne said grimly. "Nay second thoughts?" No one spoke, even Jimdrick who seemed the most nervous and on edge. "Then prepare fer lift off."
The ship began to shake, then shot suddenly upwards.
The story continues...
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