The other pirates copied their leader. Bonny Anne reached, as if to draw her own weapon to defend herself, but realised she didn't have one in her wedding dress. Nevertheless, she stood up to her mother boldly. Jimdrick stood beside her, still reeling from the shock. The G&Sers shrank back, afraid. But the sheriff stepped between the Queen and her daughter, calling loudly for his deputies, who came hurrying in and surrounded the Queen, Ruthless Rachel and the rest of the pirates.
The Queen fired, and a deputy fell back. "Oh no you don't," the sheriff said, and was on her before she could fire again, grabbing her weapon. The pirates fought fiercely with their bare hands, and it seemed to be a close thing to decide who would win. Then Bonny Anne, despite the fact that her long white dress was not the ideal garment for fighting, plunged in and knocked her mother to the ground.
The travellers tried to shelter behind the furniture at the end of the room.
"What are we going to do?" Agnes asked.
"Leave them to it," Ernest said.
"But we can't just do nothing! What if the pirates win? They'll take us prisoner again," Zoe said. "I'm going to help the sheriff's deputies." She stood up and threw herself into the fray. Several others joined her, among them Matt, Ben, Natalie and Marie.
Ruth looked out, uncertain what to do. She agreed with Zoe and wanted to help Anne and the others, but she was afraid. She knew she was not much use as a fighter, and was afraid of getting hurt. She took an uncertain step or two towards the melee. A bolt from somebody's weapon, fired at random, zipped over her head and she ducked down behind a chair. That was it. She stayed there.
Jimdrick stood there, still in shock. At his feet, Anne struggled to hold her mother down. The sheriff was struggling with Ruthless Rachel. Argent had got her hands round her daughter's throat and was throttling her, even as Anne fought back. Her frightened eyes looked up at Jimdrick.
Suddenly, with a terrible cry, he threw himself into the battle. He crashed down on Argent, knocking the breath out of her and making her let go of Anne, who rolled away, choking, to rise up and grab the Pirate Queen's arms and bend them behind her back. At the same time the sheriff had overcome Ruthless Rachel, and the sheriff's deputies were getting the better of the other pirates.
It was all over. The pirates were tied up and taken away. Bonny Anne and Jimdrick hugged one another as Argent and the others were marched off to the jail house.
"Remember th' curse, Jimdrick Gurtramoyd," the Ex-Pirate Queen cried as she was marched out of the door. "Ye cannot escape th' curse."
Feeling slightly ashamed, Ruth and the others came out of hiding. There was blood down Bonny Anne's dress, and Jimdrick's suit was torn beyond repair. Zoe had a cut on her forehead which was bleeding a bit, but no one seemed seriously hurt.
The sheriff came back in. "All safely locked up, and I've sent a party to find and capture their ship," he said. He looked at the bride and groom. "Did you wish to continue the wedding ceremony?"
The couple looked at each other. Jimdrick shook his head.
"No," he said. "For if what she said is true I cannot, cannot marry you. It wouldn't be fair to you, to make you go through that." He turned away from her.
"But...we've got to," Bonny Anne said. "Otherwise we can't take the land claim. Jimdy, this doesn't change anything. I still love you." He turned back to her.
"We both need to think about this," he said. "Can we postpone the wedding- at least for a day or two?"
"Perhaps that's wise," the sheriff agreed.
"Well...alright then," Bonny Anne said. "But I will marry you."
"What is he scared of?" Nick asked on the way back to the ship. "I mean, a curse- surely that's not real?"
"Out here, anything could be real," Ernest said. "I mean, a few days ago I guess none of us thought there was extra-terrestrial life- or at least, not like this."
Will nodded. "It could be a hyper-intelligent computer programme- like a virus, only worse."
"Sounds more like a genetic misadventure function," Zoe said.
"But if it's just some kind of technological thing- I mean, not supernatural or anything- isn't there some way of getting rid of it, of curing it?" Tom asked.
"I didn't say it wasn't supernatural," Will said. "Why does it have to be one thing or the other? You Earth-dwellers, you do limit things so!"
The others looked at one another, confused. "But even so," said David, "surely there's something we can do?" Will and Zoe looked at one another and shrugged.
"Not our problem really," Will said.
"Tomorrow the ship will be ready, and we can leave," Zoe said. "We've got to get home."
"But what about Jimdrick, and Anne? They saved our lives!"
"They'll be alright," Will said, somewhat uneasily.
The story continues...
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