Shortly after the brief pirate incursion, Red found himself and all the other remaining survivors packed into a chamber they had turned into a conference room. There were no tables or chairs. Instead, everyone sat or stood in a ring around the center of the room. In the center lay one of the maps from the conference room in the fort; it was tattered and beaten up, but still somewhat usable.
The tension in the room was palpable as the last of the soldiers shuffled in from wherever they had been posted. There were only six of them now after the attack on the fort. The six of them and Silas. Silas was present, but at the same time, Red wasn't sure that the man really was present. He still seemed to be ignoring the outside world entirely.
On the other side of the room stood the fear-filled civilians. There were only four of them now: Brad, Sonja, Max, and Shaun. Red hadn't really had the chance to talk with any of them much since things went to hell. However, he remembered how Vizim had been, and they seemed to be much worse off.
Red suspected that if they were given time, they'd adjust to the ongoing conflict in order to survive in a world with the gearborn; you had to be able to adjust. However, things had been traveling at such an unnatural pace that even he had lost track of himself.
The last three members of their group were Derrin, Vizim, and himself. The three of them remained together, opposite Silas. It had been a long time since it had just been the three of them struggling to survive. Or at the very least, it felt like it had been a long time. So much had happened in the short time on Rim that Red felt like he was living a completely different life.
One of the soldiers stepped forward, his fists clenched. "I'm telling you. We can't keep hiding here forever. We need to throw caution to the wind and make our move first."
Another soldier growled, "Really? That way we can get picked off one by one? Staying here at least gives us ground to stand on. What is there to find out there except more blood?"
"And you think we won't find that here?"
The argument continued in that way for a while. They had been making these sorts of arguments and statements ever since the fort's destruction. Without Silas to direct them, the soldiers had been warring over their duties and their personal opinions. All their years of service together seemed to be doing little to keep them from outright cursing each other out.
After a minute of the bickering, Derrin finally stepped forward, after Silas made no moves. All eyes turned to him as he had essentially become the de facto leader of the group, even if no one was willing to admit it.
Derrin took a long breath. "We will remain here for the time being."
The first two sailors turned on each other, their eyes filled with fire, but neither man moved. They were too well trained to devolve into that.
Derrin continued, "Fleeing this location does us no good. We'll simply end up somewhere else in the same situation. And then somewhere else. Eventually, the net will close around us no matter where we go. All we can do is try and control where it closes, and this is as good a place as any."
There were nods of agreement and a few scowls, but no one argued. The fact was, everyone knew what Derrin meant by controlling the net. It was less of a net and more of a hangman's noose. Staying anywhere meant death, but that death could happen where they chose. They had chosen this cave system and plateau. If they were going to die, and there was really nothing they could do about it, then at least they would go down fighting.
No one was saying it out loud, though.
One of the sailors, Sonja, slowly stepped forward. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "And what if…that man… the Pirate King returns?"
Silence.
Everyone in the chamber hung their heads because no one had figured out how to deal with the bastard. No one… except Red.
Red slowly rose from where he had been leaning against the wall after Derrin gave him a little nod. His voice echoed across the chamber, making all eyes turn to him. Even Silas, who had been silent and unmoving thus far, turned to look.
"Actually, I have a plan for that bastard."
Hopeful relief washed through the sailors while the soldiers only waited for him to continue.
"I will get into the details in a minute. For the moment, though, I need everyone to understand something. Everything relies on us killing the Pirate King. If he escapes, we lose. So whatever we do, we need to make certain that he is dead before this battle is over. Otherwise there is absolutely no chance of victory."
"Now, there is one other main complication. He is strong. Incredibly strong. Some of us have experienced his power firsthand and understand the gravity that he poses to our survival. Killing him or even defeating him is far easier said than done, and we must kill him because allowing him to escape is still a loss no matter how injured he is."
"But if we are to kill this bastard… then it will require all of us to work together. Everyone needs to help and be in agreement because it simply isn't possible to do this on my own."
Another silence fell over the crowd. This was a heavy silence, as if the weight of the world rested on their shoulders. The sailors gave him encouraging nods. Anything that could increase their chances of survival, they agreed with. The soldiers, though. They remained stoic and unmoving.
A voice rang out from the crowd, and Red turned to find Silas standing. "No one else has thought of a plan for that traitor. So we'll follow your lead, Redwynn. All of us. If you have a way to kill the Pirate King, then let's do it."