The Pirate of Baserria/The Leader

## The Leader

"**The Leader**" is the fifth chapter of *The Pirate of Baserria*. Like the entirety of the novelette, this fifth chapter was released privately on January 2021 and publicly published to the site on May 22, 2022.

## Plot

Without a moment to lose, Linh and Mysolus ran into the tent after Allie’s brother. He didn’t make it very far. The two crewmates of the *Glass Comet* were shocked to be met with the leader of the Kawalan raiders; not a Kawalan himself, no, but a human man. The man of tawny complexion had his hair colored jet black and his eyes narrow, colored a frightening red. His armor looked to be much more well-made than his Kawalan underlings, with indigo accents that looked torn and smudged by the passage of time. He held Tedan close to him, threatening him with a sparkling knife to his neck. Tedan looked at Linh and Mysolus with fear and regret in his eyes, one of his eyes bruised. Two Kawalans in the room with them pointed their spears at the crewmen. No one made any sudden moves.

"Not a step closer," the man spoke. His voice was worn and hoarse. "Or your friend here’s going to pay the price."

Linh was the first to try and make a move. She quickly pointed her blaster at the pirate’s head, and the pirate responded by holding the knife even closer to Tedan’s neck. The man quietly chuckled, shaking his head slowly.

"*Outstanding.*"

"If this is all the firepower you have left," Linh started, taking brief glances at the other two Kawalan pirates. "Then you should just surrender now."

"And put an end to the beginning of my conquest?" The man scoffed. "You might be so open to surrender, but not I."

"Why are you stealing from these farmers?" Linh was direct. "You could’ve gone to any other planet. Taken food from any other place without hurting the lives of innocent people."

"You have to prepare an army with a trial by fire," the red-eyed man sinisterly smiled. "I’ve learned from the best."

Mysolus recognized the stylings of his armor. While they were rather worn, either from damage or the passage of time, he could tell where that armor was from at the very least. The man’s red eyes confirmed Mysolus’ suspicions.

"Tell me…" Mysolus spoke calmly, even with the Kawalan’s spear by the side of his face. "What is a *Borealan* trying to accomplish on a small, agrarian world like Baserria?"

The man frowned.

"So you know who I am." He wasn’t happy to be recognized.

"I know not you, or of you," Mysolus rephrased. "But I know of your people."

"A *Borealan…*" Linh wasn’t able to deduce this as quickly as Mysolus. She only had the basic, common knowledge on Borealans that most other Cassiopeians did. She shot a glare at the red-eyed man. "What house do you serve?"

"I don’t *serve* any house." There was a hint of scorn in his voice.

"Then who exactly *are* you?" Linh was unconvinced.

"My name is Stephen Autrey," the man proudly announced, a grin on his face. "I’m going to take control of this entire system. No… This *sector.*"

"Awfully ambitious for just a man with a small team of Kawalans." Mysolus felt the spear inch closer to his face just then.

"Oh they’re no team," the man clarified. "They’re my loyal *followers.*"

"And why follow you?" Linh strengthened her grip on her blaster, still with a metal spear held up to her face.

"I gave them purpose." Autrey’s grin became more disturbing with every word that came out of his mouth. "To them, I am as their Sentinel. They are *copies* of one another, only meant to serve me and me alone."

"*Copies...*?" Mysolus shot a confused look.

"Yes… Yes!" Autrey let out another low laugh. "The Sentinel of Borealis would use his power to create copies of himself, so why can’t I do the same? Why does he have the right to that power all to himself?"

There was much resentment in his voice. It was clear that Autrey did not have the most rational line of thinking. The two Kawalans in the room did not flinch at all by his words, taking them as gospel. Linh and Mysolus were in disbelief. Tedan only continued to fear the man holding a knife to his throat the more he spoke. LinhStephen Autrey, reflected on Autrey’s words, comparing them to the things she’s heard before. When she was young, still learning at the military academy back on Hoanghon.

"They’re not *copies,*" Linh contested, a disturbed look intense in her eyes. "You *manipulated* them into wanting power. Into pillaging the fields of these innocent farmers for your own personal gain."

"Let’s see what they have to say to that." Autrey gestured at his two henchmen, giving them a signal with his other gloved hand.

The Kawalans kicked Linh and Mysolus down onto their knees. Linh’s blaster was subsequently knocked out of her hands. Tedan felt that his time was almost up, and his impulsiveness was to blame. It looked like Autrey was going to win after all, despite everything.

Linh was not going to let that happen. Neither was Mysolus. While they knelt on the floor, the two crewmates exchanged a brief, knowing look. Linh switched out the blade from within her gauntlet, promptly stabbing the Kawalan beside her in the leg by surprise. At the same time, Mysolus knocked down the Kawalan standing beside him at a weak point in his stance, which Mysolus found to be sloppy. Shocked to see these maneuvers performed at such ease, Autrey raised his sparkling knife, ready to theatrically jam it into Tedan’s chest.

A tiny blast went through Stephen Autrey’s shoulder just as he was about to stab the Baserrian farmer. He let out a loud groan of pain, stumbling back and nearly dropping his knife. Linh was quick to the draw, her blaster pointed at the Borealan pirate. Years of military training taught her how to retrieve her weapon in the blink of an eye. It served her well in the current situation. As Autrey’s grip around Tedan was loosened after being shot, Tedan got as far away from him as he could within the tent. He was incredibly relieved, visibly sweating.

"Why you…!" Autrey rushed at Linh with his knife in hand. Mysolus got in the way, attempting to subdue Autrey. With bloodlust in his eyes, Autrey kept slicing at Mysolus aimlessly. The Praeliorian man was eventually struck across his right cheek, causing him to stumble back in pain. Pale blue blood seeped out of the cut. Linh gasped. In a fit of rage, Autrey was prepared to stab Mysolus in the heart just as he would’ve done to Tedan earlier. But Linh quickly raised her blaster directly at Autrey’s head. He immediately stopped.

"It’s time for you to stand *down,* Autrey," she demanded in a commanding voice. "You’ve lost."

Fury swelled up in the Borealan’s face. He was never one to deal with failure in high spirits, especially not like this. But before he was able to stand down and drop his knife, his eyes widened.

A sparkling metal spear pierced through Autrey’s chest. He gasped for air, with complete shock in his eyes. Linh and Mysolus shared this feeling of astonishment. The spear somehow managed to pierce right through his armor with sheer force. Tedan held onto the metal spear with fire in his eyes.

"THIS IS FOR BASERRIA!!"

He pulled out the spear from Autrey’s torso. Autrey stumbled back, unable to make out any sensible words, before collapsing onto the floor. He bled out on the rough ground of his tent. Linh helped her friend up as he held his bleeding face. All they could do was stare down at their defeated foe. They were all panting, worn out from the intense struggle. The three of them exchanged looks with a handful of mixed emotions, but the most overwhelming feeling was relief. The fight was officially over, and the Pirate of Baserria was beaten.

## Appearances

### Dramatis Personae

* **Linh Malina** - Human-Penumbrian. Captain of the *Glass Comet*, ready to get the job done.
* **Mysolus Pravo** - Praeliorian. The fellow crewmate with much to teach and with many talents.
* **Allie Lamaand** - Human. Tedan's sister, who often keeps him in check. (Mentioned only)
* **Tedan Lamaand** - Human. Allie's brother, who doesn't think before he acts.
* **Stephen Autrey** - Human. The Pirate of Baserria.

### Locations

* Cassiopeia Galaxy
	+ Central Expanse
		- Gran Axuda Sector
			* Baserrian System
				+ Baserria
					- Baserrian pirate camp
	+ Outer Core (Mentioned only)
		- Human Worlds (Mentioned only)
			* Borealan System (Mentioned only)
				+ Borealis (Mentioned only)

### Organizations and Titles

* *Glass Comet* crew
* Borealan Noble Houses (Mentioned only)
* Sentinel of Borealis (Mentioned only)

### Sentient Species

* Human
* Kawalan
* Penumbrian
* Praeliorian