Kingdom Hearts: The Dark World

Chapter 14-6: Flight of the Centurion - Part 2

The hijacked Centurion charted a course to an unknown destination by order of Iron Beard. The three captives --- Jim, B.E.N, and Kate --- could only anticipate what the cold blooded pirate had in store for them. 

"This is all feeling so...so familiar," B.E.N said to Jim.

"Remember what I told you last time about things being over?", Jim said to a discouraged B.E.N.

"Yeah. You said this isn't over yet."

"Same idea here."

"Oh posh," Kate scoffed, "Are you going to talk them to death with your incessant blabber of the good old days? Or perhaps how you enrolled in the academy with no formal training whatsoever and aren't a stickler for rules?"

"No, I'll think of something. Just be ready for when we get an opportunity. You still remember your training from the academy with pistols?"

"Yes, but I don't see how that's going to help us."

"Oi!", one of the pirates yelled out, "Enough of that yammering back there!"

"Wait and see," Jim whispered.

Iron Beard payed the group no mind, instead choosing to look out to the vast nebula at the bow of the ship. A sea of stars sprawling along the open galaxy, in all of it's enchanting glory and distant beautiful supernovas, couldn't mask the void in his hollow, empty eyes. With his hands folded behind his back, the steel jawed pirate only left his true intentions to the imagination. What were his plans for the Centurion? If he were to outfit the ship with weapons, what was he trying to destroy with them? Where were they going? Nobody knew. Even his crew didn't really know. The majority of them waded past him with hesitation and fear. No one looked him in the eye, no one spoke to him. The only time they did was to update him on any information regarding the distance towards their destination. Outside of that, he'd periodically have an engineer check on him. On occasion he'd follow his engineer back to his quarters, perhaps for maintenance, the others thought. Jim eyes would thoroughly scan the cyborg every time he walked past them, with Iron Beard's steely gaze meeting Jim's own. Iron Beard passed by them to his quarters with his engineer about six times. When he caught wind of Jim staring at him again, he marched over to him, ringing him by his collar and hoisting him up the mast they were tied to.

"You look like you've got something you want to say," Iron Beard's metallic voice rattled.

"Yeah, what's your deal?", Jim said as he struggled, "You trying your hand at being the greatest pirate in the galaxy?"

"I don't have any reason to share my business with you, boy. I suggest you keep your eyes to yourself. Wouldn't want you to lose them on your first voyage."

"Not my first voyage. Won't be my last." 

"We'll see," Iron Beard dropped a hand tied Jim to the floorboards and walked away.

"Are you daft?!", Kate whispered, "Are you trying to get us all killed?!"

"He won't kill us," Jim responded as he watched Iron Beard walk away, "He wants an audience.  Or we wouldn't still be alive."

"I just hope someone finds us before it's too late." 

"I wish I had some kind of emergency tracking beacon," B.E.N said to them, "The only thing close to that is this stupid bulb flashing in the back of my chassis."

Kate and Jim looked at each other before they peered back at B.E.N and saw the flashing light. It's luminescence was very dim, but if someone were close enough, they'd be able to catch it. There was no audible noise to it either, which made it easier for it to go undetected.