We had been traveling in formation for 3 hours, the fleet traveled slowly wist and the breeze had vanished. It was hot and I was sweating a little, sitting in the sun for this long was miserable and I wanted to go inside. My neck was very uncomfortable in this heat with my collar on, and I couldn’t wipe my neck off.

At first I was looking around nervously but after a while I just sat there and did nothing, I was waiting for the creature to show up or do anything. Constantly being nervous while nothing was here didn’t make sense, that would only strain you mentally for no reason.

“Your slave is just doing nothing, discipline her.” Doyle said over the radio.

“Your not my Master so don’t comment on what I do.” I responded.

“Private you are not to comment on what others do, I’m in charge of this ship. She is waiting for when we fight but unlike you she doesn't get a seat, she can rest until we find it or it finds us.” Dan corrected him over the radio.

“Sir.” he responded then looked back at me.

“Master.” I said as I called for him over the radio, I just saw something splash in the water far ahead.

“I saw it to, don’t know what it was. Something up ahead made a splash.” Doyle then added.

I got on one knee and aim my empty launcher, I wouldn’t load unless commanded by Dan. Then suddenly it came out of the water and exposed its head and front fins, I was frozen in fear as I looked. This thing was huge and terrifying in person, I stopped thinking and just knelt there.

I was still not moving until Dan snapped me out of it “Lin, get ready to fight. Don’t worry we are still not up close, focus on staying calm right now.”.

I slowed my breathing and looked away until I was mostly calm, then a little more of it came out. The first was farther away then where it came out, how did it make such a small splash? Not that it mattered as we now had to kill it before thinking about anything else. I couldn’t really think of what to do, luckily I wasn’t charge so I didn’t have to think of that.

“Orders from the general, we will continue moving forward and switch to the next formation when closer. Hold your fire until I say other wise, Lin load a rocket but don’t cock the hammer.” Dan told us.

I grabbed a rocket and loaded it, I kept the safety cap on and aimed at it. We slowly approached and I was staying mostly calm but this was nerve wracking, approaching a giant aggressive sea creature without knowing if we could kill it. Then the artillery on top of the cockpit and in the front of the ship on the Salty Bitch fired. Our ship was not next to it but still it was loud and scared me, then the cockpit guns of the other large ships fired. We were in between 2 of them and the sound was louder then the general’s ship guns, I tried to keep aiming but I couldn’t. The sound of the large guns was to much, I put down the rpg and covered my ears.

I remembered one night when I was watching tv, there was fireworks outside but I was not aloud to watch. My mom was in her office and she burst out yelling at me, “I was denied a promotion because of you, I know why I wasn’t picked. I missed a big meeting because you fell down the stairs at school that day, you made me leave work early and at a very important time. If i had been there I know I would have been chosen but I had to go pick you up from the nurse’s instead! Do you ever consider I have a career to advance and you cause me nothing but problems!!!!! If you just did better in school and life for once I could focus on work”.

As the fireworks continued my mom grabbed a pan and hit me in the head, why didn’t I run or block? I already knew so why did I ask, because fighting back or running would have only pissed her off more so I accepted the beating. I hated how I thought back then because if I had spoken up or fought back maybe I could have ended the abuse but I was to scared. I woke up later still on the floor with my mom and sister asleep in bed, my head hurt. I went to bed for the night and continued on as usual, I finally was back at the present.

After a minute I think I picked up my weapon and got off the ground still shaking but determined to over come this fear. In the past I was to afraid to face my mother or other problems in my life, I wanted to change that. Facing the loud guns and this creature would be my chance, plus I didn’t want to make Dan look bad. I now was determined to fight as best I could, it was like a fire had started in me.

“Good job Lin, you got yourself back up. Its your first time in a battle like this, granted its not against an enemy fleet but still. Those guns are loud and we are up against a monster but I knew you would handle it somehow and you did.” Dan told me.

“Master I’m ready now.” I responded having to speak loudly.

“What happened to you? One minute you on the ground then you get up and act all tough, are you…..” Doyle started to say before Dan shut him up.

“Shut up private.” He was told.

We continued to approach while the large guns fired, until the order to alter formation was given. It was funny going from loud gun fire to silence, my ears were still ringing. All ships began to surround the thing, the f300 and 400s would stay in this formation while our ship, the Hades Lady and the Little Trident would stay with the rest for now. We would later get closer whenever the general ordered us to, while on stand by we would hold fire.

Once in formation all the guns and harpoon canons fired and it was honestly impossible to hear anything. Luckily the radios volume was really loud so I could still hear what Dan was saying, already I saw massive open wounds on its skin and harpoons stuck in its skin. Then suddenly that small hole on its face made its purpose known, something was spit at on of the ships.

“Shit, its spitting acid.” Dan told every one.

Then near our ship outside the formation something else came out of the water, it took a few seconds to realize what it was. It was the end of the creature, I saw the 2 side fins and the third sticking up then it slowly raised its rear end.

Suddenly it dropped and the waves created as it hit the water were huge, our ship being smaller was hit worse then others. The whole boat was rocking up and down and moving every where, I fell down but luckily stopped my head from hitting the deck. I got up and saw it continue to spit acid at the ships, then one of the large ships near us moved up a little then dropped.

“Master, I think its trying to hit boats from under the water. If we get hit we wont be as well off.” I told Dan.

“I know but its hard to tell where its rear is under water so I can’t really avoid it.” he responded as I saw the rear come out again.

It was raised near the deck then a mouth opened on the end, it wasn’t a but clearly. Its teeth were not teeth but more like clear blobs or something, “Master its mouth is where its ass should be.”. I said and I could see the anus mouth approaching the deck as it was fired on, was it trying to eat people on the ship?

Then we were ordered to start circling around and shoot it, we left the formation and went in the circle. The water around it was red with flesh chunks and blood also the thing had been set on fire in certain spots, the boat speed up and the 3 smaller boats headed towards the red water. As we got closer I could see squid fish as expected, the meat chunks and blood was free to them. We finally got as close as we would get, Dan told us it was about 45 feet we were to leave in between us and the thing. You could see all the chunks being blown out of its body and falling in the water, the Harpoon really speed up and we were ordered to fire at will. I still was terrified being this close to it but I was ready to fight, the sooner it bleeds out the sooner we are safe. Facing port side I was ready to fire, It normally would be hard to hit when the boat was moving so fast. luckily this was a big target, so I would have to try to miss so that would help me. I was ready to fire but forgot about how the hammer was uncocked and the safety cap was on, after fixing that I aimed. Pulling the trigger for the first time showed me how loud it was, even with all the sound around me. Doyle had started shooting before me and he kept shooting, I could feel how I was hanging by the harness as we moved fast.

Our ship was faster then the others but our turns were wider, as we finished our first lap around I reloaded. I was going to fire but then I saw the rest of its mouths, the top part of its face opened from the sides. Then on its fin another opened running from its body to the fin tip, I assumed there was one on the other fin. It raised its fin and lowered it, I fired again aiming anywhere on its body. Suddenly I thought about something, was the thing in pain or something. It must have pain reflexes so why was it not swimming away, it looked like it was going to die here. Not to mention it let us approach it and showed itself first before attacking, that puts it at a disadvantage so something was off but I had to focus on fighting first.

Then as we continued to circle the waves from its fins were big enough to make our trio of boats move away a bit. Still the bloody water splashed on the deck, the ff45 was the slowest of the 3 and one big wave launched the bow up. Before it could drop a second wave hit the bow from the side and the boat tipped over, suddenly you could see squid fish in the water rushing over to the knocked over ship. In theory with all the blood in the water they could go unnoticed because of how over whelmed the fishes senses would be. Plus none of them should be bleeding but some must have seen them fall in the water, we still circled and I stopped noticing the wind on me as I got used to it. My hair was moving every where, I fired once again when I heard Dan over the radio.

“I going to swing by and try to save some of the Little trident crew, Lin don’t undo your strap at all but keep the launcher unloaded so they can grab on. Just stick it in the water try to save anyone.” he told us.

I didn’t reload and we went very close to the ship as we circled and stopped then the Harpoons horn went off. Now I could see 5 people being pulled under and eaten, suddenly 3 more swam as fast as possible to our ship. The look of fear on there faces, our own ship was bouncing up and down and the creature splashed its fins a second time causing the boat to move more violently. Finally one person was close and I stuck on end of the launcher in the water, he grabbed on and I pulled with all my strength. After most of his body was out he lifted his legs and swung his feet forward. He fell on the deck then ran inside, I did the same with the next person who came luckily she was lighter. Then there was 2 more people one closer than the other, I helped one of them up then Dan spoke over the radio.

“We have to leave now, if any one else is left they are basically dead.” he told us as we stared to move again. The girls still swimming towards us looked as we left her.

Suddenly the head lowered and moved towards where the ship had been as now it had sunk, squid fish and any crew left fell in its mouth. I saw that one girl disappear in the water and I knew what happened to her. We continued our plan of attack and while I felt so upset about leaving her to die I had to move on and focus on the fight. Another rocket was fired as we got closer again, I saw in the distance the rear was still attacking the outer side of the formation as we turned. It had moved to a different ship from when we saw it, I gave it another rocket. It had finally stopped spitting acid, maybe it could only do that for so long before it could make more?

We did one last run around and I fired 2 more times, then we were ordered to leave the circle and go after its rear. I finally noticed Doyle had run out of ammo and fired his only harpoon, we slowed down when we got out of the circle then headed towards the ship being attacked. It didn’t feel any safer being this far away from its head, I saw another strange creature before it went under. It was the top of a creature about twice the size of a squid fish, its eyes were huge. Still not a threat so no need to worry, we had to finish this thing off. We got to the ship where the ass mouth was now slamming against the ship, Dan order me to continue fire so I shot again. We stopped moving and I then continued to fire, the water was calmer out here but not by a lot. It dropped its rear again but this time was different, it had stopped moving. Finally it was over, after Dan got the order to stop combat me and Doyle were told to come inside.

I saw Kelly had a first aid kit and she was checking on the saved crew, I sat against the wall. I was so tired and I closed my eyes, after I went half asleep for a few seconds Doyle nudged me awake. I instantly went to block him but saw he had a bottle of water, I took it then drank right away. He sat next to me then spoke after he finished his.

“Good job today, sorry about earlier but you really proved yourself today. So you deserve the privileges you get. How do you feel?” he told me. After a second of shock that he was nice to me I responded.

“I don’t know, so much happened and i cant really say much I just feel over whelmed right now. Still I feel bad for that one girl we left behind, I still remember that look on her face. That’s the one thing I really can remember right now.” I said.

“Yeah its my first major battle like this to, I have had several small ones with pirates but this was a lot. Also pirates don’t eat you whole or make all the water red, thanks for saving them. I know you couldn’t save her, no one could have but you saved some at least.” he continued.

“Thanks but it wasn’t just me, my Master stopped the ship and ordered me to so its more of a team effort I think.” I told him.

“Still you are the one that pulled them out so that counts.” he told me.

“its weird still talking with you like this.” I said.

“Yeah, I get it. Still a lot happened back there.” he finished before Kelly came to us.

“Nice to see you to getting along, let me check on you guys.” she said as she looked both of us over.

“do you both feel fine?” she asked and we both responded.

“Good then dry off, here are some towels.” she told us as we were handed small towels. I dried my face and arms off then put it on my lap, my legs felt heavy and I didn’t want to move at all.