The bridge of the Dreadnought Thalassa hummed with the low thrum of ancient machinery and the soft crackle of the holographic display that pulsed in the center of the space. A massive, shimmering projection of Amiso Island rotated slowly, its green and blue dots sprinkled across the landscape like scattered seeds. The blue dots clustered around the coastlines and the major settlements, while the green dots spread across the plains and foothills with clusters of blue dot in diffuse patterns.
Galit Varuna sat in the pilot's seat, his emerald eyes darting across the readouts with restless energy. His long neck curved in that loose, observant S-curve as his fingers flew across the console, tapping out commands with the rapid-fire precision of a man who thrived on chaos. His dark teal Riptide Cloak pooled around his seat, the hydrophobic fabric shedding any stray moisture.
Aurélie Nakano Takeko occupied the copilot seat, her long silver hair spilling loose over her shoulders. Her steel-gray eyes studied the holographic display with cold focus, and her black tactical attire was immaculate, not a crease out of place. Anathema rested against her hip in its sheath, and her poetry notebook was tucked into her waistband, the pages visible and slightly worn.
Bianca Yvonne Clark sat at the engineering station, her waist-length black hair tied in a messy bun with a pencil stuck through it. Her grease-stained overalls were worn open over a floral blouse, and her large magnifying goggles were pushed up on her forehead. Her calloused hands flew across the panel, her colorful nail polish contrasting as she worked. She muttered under her breath, her words punctuated with her characteristic speech pattern.
"Like, okay, the power readings are, like, totally weird. I have never seen anything like this before, like, ever."
Charlie Leonard Wooley sat at the science station, his vintage pith helmet perched on his head at a slightly rakish angle. His round wire-framed glasses had slipped down his nose, and his khaki shirt was rumpled from hours of leaning over ancient texts. His leather satchel lay open at his feet, spilling scrolls and crumbling notebooks across the deck. His fingers danced across the panel, tracing glyphs and symbols that only he could interpret. He nodded to himself, a self-satisfied smirk playing at his lips.
Bō-Zak Kaminosukei and Kaburo Gusaki stood near the holographic image, studying the terrain with focused attention. Bō-Zak's tattered dark woven shawl was draped over one shoulder, and his wooden pipe smoldered with fragrant smoke. His gold-flecked brown eyes studied the holographic display with the sharp, perceptive gaze of a man who had spent years reading the subtle language of the world. His dual sickles hung at his hips, their dark hardwood handles worn smooth.
Kaburo Gusaki stood beside him, his dark gray sleeveless kimono top revealing the scars that crisscrossed his arms. His long dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and Kalamaru rested at his hip, the cursed Ōdachi humming with a faint, malevolent energy. His sharp, intelligent eyes studied the image with the cold detachment of a man who had seen empires rise and fall.
The door swung open with a hiss, and the rest of the crew filed in.
Atlas Acuta strode through first, his rust-red fur with leopard-like black spots gleaming under the bridge's ambient light. His blue sapphire eyes swept the room with the lazy confidence of a predator who had just enjoyed a good meal. He moved to find something to lean against, his broad shoulders settling against a bulkhead.
Jelly Squish bounced in behind him, his translucent blue body wobbling with each cheerful leap. His massive, starry-eyed pupils sparkled with excitement, and his tiny red bandana flapped with each bounce. A perpetual grin stretched across his gelatinous face.
Jannali Bandler followed, her full afro wrapped in a stylish headscarf. She wore her off-the-shoulder crop top and skort, her toned legs crossing as she found a spot near the hologram. Her golden hoop earrings swung with each movement, and her hand rested on the collapsed form of Gosan at her hip. Her brown eyes inspected the room with sharp awareness.
Eliane Anđel walked beside her, her silver hair tied back in a practical braid. Her blue eyes carried that calm, watchful quality, and her white chef's jacket was unbuttoned over a black top. A bamboo practice sword hung at her hip.
Vesta Lavana bounced on her heels behind them, her rainbow hair shimmering with a cascade of color. Her violet eyes sparkled with excitement, and her eclectic, high-fashion outfit was a riot of bold colors and asymmetrical cuts. Mikasi, her living guitar, was strapped to her back, its amber varnish gleaming. She hummed a melody under her breath, her fingers twitching as if already playing.
Ember followed, her neon-pink space buns defying gravity with streaks of soot running through them. Her tattered black-and-crimson Lolita dress was layered with tactical belts holding explosives, and her boots clanked against the deck. Her mismatched eyes—one icy blue, one gold—darted around the room with manic energy. The charred plush rabbit, Mr. Cinders, was tied to her waist, and she muttered under her breath, responding to voices only she could hear.
Sanza Kaplan Figarland brought up the rear, his mod-style red hair an uncombed mess. He wore cargo shorts and an armored Gundam-style space suit graphic t-shirt, and his heavy Gallagher eyebrows were lowered in a perpetual scowl. A bamboo practice sword was tucked under his arm, a weapon he wielded with far more confidence than skill.
A fly buzzed into the room, its erratic flight path cutting across the holographic display.
Jelly's eyes locked onto the insect with laser focus. His grin widened, and his gelatinous body quivered with anticipation. He bounced after the fly, his hands outstretched, his mouth open in a silent chomp.
Ember's attention snapped to Jelly, her mismatched eyes following his movement. Her head tilted, and her lips curled into a manic grin. She began to bounce after him, her voice carrying a note of gleeful competition.
Galit looked over his shoulder when he heard the hatch open and close. His emerald eyes swept across the newcomers, and a hint of relief flickered across his features.
"Oh good," he said, his voice carrying that rapid, excited cadence. "You are here."
He spun around in his seat, Aurélie, Bianca, and Charlie following suit. Galit rose to his feet, his long neck extending as he addressed the group. His voice carried a note of urgency.
"You saw a flash of light."
Jannali nodded, her accent thick with affirmation. "Mate, it was bloody brilliant. Lit up the whole sky like a damn firework show."
Eliane added, her voice carrying a note of quiet discomfort. "It made my eyes burn. I had to look away."
Aurélie leaned forward, her steel-gray eyes narrowing. "And Marya was already gone?"
Atlas shifted his weight, his arms crossing over his broad chest. "Yeah," he said, with grim certainty. "She was long gone. Took off before we even got to the deck."
Aurélie's jaw tightened, her voice flat. "She has always been impulsive. She is not one to wait when there it is of a personal nature."
Vesta walked up to the holographic image, her rainbow hair shifting to a deeper blue as she leaned in. Her violet eyes scanned the display, and her voice carried a note of confusion.
"All the red dots are gone," she said, her finger tracing the empty spaces where the God's Knights had been clustered moments before.
Bianca flicked her wrist, "Like yeah. Like after the light flashed or whatever, like all the red lights were, like, gone. Poof. Vanished. Like they were never there."
She pushed a few buttons on her console, and the hologram shifted. Two blue dots lit up, clustered together in a location that was conspicuously absent from the main display. Bianca spun from her chair, moving toward the hologram with an excited bounce in her step.
"So, like, there was like a crazy, massive power surge from, like. this location and stuff." She gestured at the two blue dots. "So, like, whoever is there might, like, be able to, like, tell us what, like, happened or whatever."
Galit's eyes narrowed, his hand moving to his chin as he considered the information. "Halia," he said, in a tone of command. "Zoom in on Marya's last known location as well as the God's Knights."
Halia's form materialized beside the holographic display, her silver-blue hair moving as if suspended in water. Her oceanic eyes swirled with patterns of ancient script, and her elegant robe shifted with patterns of navigational charts and schematic diagrams. She nodded, melodically in measured quality.
"Affirmative."
The hologram shifted and zoomed, the landscape of Amiso Island rushing past in a blur of green and brown. The image settled on a section of the foothills near the Red Rampart, a wide clearing dotted with scattered rocks and tall grass.
Jannali cursed under her breath, her hand flying to her headscarf. "Bloody hell," she said, her voice sharp. "She made it all the way there? That is insane."
Atlas chuckled, the sound low and warm. "Of course she did. She is Marya. She does what she wants."
Jannali glared over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing. "We were right behind her. We should have been there."
Kaburo stepped closer to the hologram, his voice a dry monotone. "It appears there are several Navy and Natives clustered nearby." He pointed at the blue and green dots surrounding the clearing. "They look as if they are in a holding pattern, waiting for orders."
Halia nodded, replying melodically in measured quality. "Affirmative. Monitoring communications suggests that the Navy is also attempting to assess the situation."
Galit shifted his weight, his fingers drumming against his thigh. "What is their current status?"
The hologram shifted again, zooming in on the Administration Building in Ooka-Hoop. The image showed a cluster of blue dots gathered around a central structure, with green dots scattered throughout the surrounding streets.
Halia's replies, "Navy communications have referenced the Oceti Ningthou, the Dual Flame Council, being detained in the Ooka-Hoop Administration building. They intend to question the Council. The Navy suspects this could be a counter-offensive by the Council to gain leverage over Mary Geoise."
Aurélie raised an eyebrow, her voice flat. "Is that what is happening?"
Charlie stood, clearing his throat with a theatrical "Ahem!" He stepped closer to the holographic image, dramatically adjusting his pith helmet as it shifted. In his typical pedantic, slightly nasal quality that made everyone's eye twitch.
"If I may."
Jannali made an audible groan, her shoulders slumping. Atlas muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible. "Here we go."
Bō-Zak smirked, his pipe sending a thin trail of smoke into the air. His gold-flecked eyes sparkled with amusement.
Charlie continued, his voice rising with scholarly authority. "Based on the original geological location of the power surge and its extreme distance from the more populated areas of the island, it is safe to assume that while the indigenous people of this island may be aware of some sort of ancient technology, there is no evidence that suggests there is any daily use of or even interest in practical or experimental application."
Bianca cut in, with challenging confusion. "So like how did you, like, even come up with that?"
Charlie's eyes lit up with excitement. "Halia, zoom out please."
The hologram shifted, pulling back to show the entire island in panoramic detail. The architecture of Amiso sprawled beneath them, a patchwork of mangrove roots, earthen domes, and terraced mountains.
Charlie gestured dramatically, his voice rising with each word. "As you can see, based on the organic nature of the architecture as well as their nonintrusive form of power consumption and current use of technology, this does not align with anything that we have seen with ancient technology or archaeology. I would argue that the natives of this island have..."
Jelly bounced through the hologram, his mouth wide open, his eyes fixed on the fly that had buzzed directly into his path. His body phased through the shimmering image, disrupting Charlie's lecture with a wet, wobbling sound.
Eliane began to giggle, her hand flying to her mouth. "Jelly, you have to be smarter than the fly."
Jelly's as, determined as a mutant jelly fish can be, proclaims. "Fly time is over! It is snack time! CHOMP!"
He missed, his jaws snapping closed on empty air. The fly buzzed away, and Jelly bounced after it with renewed enthusiasm.
Sanza crossed his arms, with his posh pronunciation. "You know, I never considered that the reason there are no flies on this vessel is because of Jelly. He is a living fly trap."
Vesta nodded, her rainbow hair shifting to a bright pink. "Oh yeah, you are right. I never thought of that. He is like a living, breathing, bouncing fly catcher."
Ember joined in with Jelly, her mismatched eyes locked on the fly. She bounced after it with manic glee, make her own proclamation of participating in the competition. "I am going to get it first! It is mine!"
Charlie cleared his throat, in strained patience. "As I was saying..."
Galit cut him off, sharp and decisive. "Okay, so Marya and the God's Knights are missing, and the Navy is looking for them just like us." He turned to face the group, his emerald eyes scanning each face. "We have two possible leads. The location Bianca mentioned and the Oceti Ningthou, the Dual Flame Council."
Aurélie pushed from her seat, rising to stand next to Galit. Her silver hair spilled over her shoulders as she gestured at the hologram. "I would also suggest investigating the location of the disappearance. There might be evidence there that could tell us what happened."
Galit nodded, his fingers drumming against his thigh. "Okay, we need three teams." His eyes scanned the group, landing on Jannali. "Jannali, you take Bianca and Charlie to investigate the source of the power surge."
Aurélie interjected, her voice flat. "Bō-Zak, Kaburo, Atlas, you come with me to investigate their last known location."
Sanza raised his hand, with imperious demand. "I too would like to accompany you."
Aurélie glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "As long as you keep pace with the group."
Galit looked to Vesta and Eliane, in a tone of command. "Looks like you will be with me then. We will investigate the Oceti Ningthou, the Dual Flame Council."
Jannali pointed her thumb over her shoulder at Jelly and Ember, who were still bouncing around the bridge in pursuit of the fly. "What about those two?"
Eliane bounced on her toes, her hand shooting up with a bright smile. "Jelly can come with us."
Jannali sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Right then, guess I will take the pyromaniac."
Galit nodded, with finality. "Everyone has transponder snails, stay in communication and do not get caught. We need to find Marya and get off this island."
Vesta was biting her lip, bouncing on the balls of her feet, her rainbow hair shifting with nervous energy. Her hand shot up with barely contained urgency.
"What about her brother?" she asked, her words tumbling out in a rush. "I thought that is why we came here."
Galit nodded in gentle patience. "It is, but..."
Aurélie interjected. "We focus on finding her first, then we will consider the next course of action."
Everyone nodded, their attention shifting to the sound of a giant belch. BBBBEEEELLLLCCCCHHHH!
Jelly stood triumphant in the center of the bridge, his hands planted on his hips, a wide grin spreading across his gelatinous face. The fly dissolved in his translucent body, a faint shimmer marking its final resting place. Ember pouted nearby, her arms crossed, her mismatched eyes glaring at Jelly with mock indignation.
Jelly announcing in pure satisfaction. "Fly snack, yum!"
The room erupted in laughter and smirks. Vesta shook her head, her rainbow hair shimmering with amusement. Sanza rolled his eyes but could not suppress a smile. Atlas chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling.
Halia's voice gentle cut through the laughter in reminder. "The green dots represent the native population of Amiso Island. The blue dots are the Navy occupants. There are no more red dots."
The laughter faded, replaced by a quiet, contemplative silence. The crew turned their attention back to the holographic image, the weight of their mission settling over them like a shroud.
Galit nodded with grim determination. "Let us move."
The bridge erupted into motion as the crew dispersed, their footsteps echoing against the metal deck. The hunt had begun.
If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider giving Dracule Marya Zaleska a Power Stone! It helps the novel climb the rankings and get more eyes on our story!
Thank you for sailing with us! 🏴☠️ Your support means so much!
Want to see the Dreadnought Thalassa blueprints? Or unlock the true power of Goddess Achlys?
Join the Dracule Marya Zaleska crew on Patreon to get exclusive concept art, deep-dive lore notes, and access to our private Discord community! You make the New World adventure possible.
Become a Crewmate and Unlock the Lore:
https://patreon.com/An1m3N3rd?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
Thanks so much for your support and loving this story as much as I do!