ERB |
Edgar Rice Burroughs fan fiction | The Water Pirates of Mars |
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ERB |
Edgar Rice Burroughs fan fiction | The Water Pirates of Mars |
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The Water Pirates of Mars |
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NOTE: This summary continues the story begun in The Rebels of Mars.John Carter and Van Kaltor are overwhelmed by dozens of the brigands. Their leader, Vaj Mortan, decides to have them killed immediately, but he orders his men to take them into the Toonolian Marsh so no evidence of their capture or execution remains in his fortress. The two prisoners are hustled off to one of the unmarked warships and John Carter overhears one of the brigands as he asks when they will steal the first water ships from the Great Fleet. Carter realizes that the brigands intend to commandeer the fleet and hold all Barsoom hostage. Their power, if they could control a significant off-planet supply of water, would increase. As the warship flies out over the Marsh, Carter reveals the brigands' plans to Van Kaltor. Van Kaltor points out that Barsoom still has much water. It would be many centuries before the pirates could gain a stranglehold over the slowly dying planet. Carter agrees and sets the matter aside. He turns to effecting their escape, and he sees an opportunity when the warship sets down on an island and most of the crew disembark to secure the area. When brigands come to take the prisoners away, Carter uses his chains to kill one of the guards. Van Kaltor distracts the other as Carter steals a sword. Carter then kills the second brigand and the two men find keys to unlock their chains and escape. It is not long before the brigands discover their dead comrades. The island is too small for Carter and Van Kaltor to hide, and Carter realizes they must take to the water. Van Kaltor is a very brave warrior, but he shares the innate fear of water that is common to Barsoomians, whose experience with large amounts of water is limited. Nonetheless, faced with being taken prisoner again the two men dive into the water. Carter helps Van Kaltor stay afloat as they let the river's current take them where it will. Soon afterward, the warship rises from the island into the sky and begins searching the marsh, but Carter and Van Kaltor elude the searchers by drifting along the riverbank. When the island and warship have been left behind, and it is clear that Van Kaltor will soon give in to the unreasoning panic that threatens his people in water, Carter helps him get ashore. They find they are near the edge of the Marsh and decide to follow the river. It is not long before they come to a great man-made resevoir, and it is obvious from the strong guard mounted over it that this the repository of water which the brigands control. Van Kaltor sees a small hangar where some two-man fliers are stashed. He and Carter wait for nightfall and then steal one of the fliers. They make their escape without detection and Van Kaltor suggests they set a course for Phundahl, where he has a kinsman in the Jed's Guard. Carter agrees, since Dar Tarus the Jeddak of Phundahl is friendly to Helium and supports the Great Fleet. They reach Phundahl and wait near the outskirts of the city until morning. But just as the two-man flier is about to cross the walls the city's alarms start up. Van Kaltor swerves away from the wall to avoid being shot down by the city's defenses, and as the flier comes about they see a small fleet of warships coming from the direction of Atholia. Another fleet is moving in from the direction of the brigands' fortress. Carter realizes that Kalvan See has deduced where the nearest friendly port lies for the Warlord of Barsoom and he has come to destroy Phundahl rather than permit Carter to warn all Barsoom of his nefarious alliance with the water brigands. Realizing that Phundahl has been caught off guard and may well be destroyed by the two fleets, Carter and Van Kaltor agree to fly directly toward Kalvan See's fleet. They hope thereby to distract the Jeddak and win time for the fleet of Dar Tarus to assemble and repulse the invaders. The flier approaches Kalvan See's flagship and is ordered to land on the warship's deck. A dozen soldiers surround John Carter and Van Kaltor to take them prisoner, but when Dejah Thoris appears with the Jeddak John Carter goes berserk and breaks free of the guards. Capturing a sword, he attacks the Jeddak, who draws his own weapon and claims he will have Dejah Thoris for himself. The two men dual as Van Kaltor calls upon the men of Atholia to foreswear allegiance to their murderous Jeddak. Rebellion sweeps across the flag ship and Van Kaltor leads the rebels in slaying or forcing Kalvan See's men to jump ship. John Carter kills Kalvan See and is at last reunited with Dejah Thoris. As Van Kaltor and the victorius rebels seize control of the warship, they strike Kalvan See's colors and raise the colors of the Warlord of Barsoom. Van Kaltor signals all other Atholian ships to rally to the Warlord's cause, and fighting breaks out among them. The brigands, now attacking Phundahl, are soon overwhelmed by the Phundahlian fleet and driven off with heavy losses. About one third of Kalvan See's fleet withdraws under the command of his brother, Jurvan See. Dar Tarus' flagship comes alongside John Carter's ship and the Jeddak invites Carter to visit the city. John Carter, Dejah Thoris, and Van Kaltor return with Dar Tarus to his palace, and there they unveil Kalvan See's scheme to gain control over the Great Fleet with the help of the brigands. Van Kaltor reveals that the dead Jeddak's brother is even more vicious than Kalvan See was, and there is no knowing what Jurvan See will now attempt. Phundahl is the only nation which can strike out against Atholia, and they quickly agree to lead Phundahl's ships and the rebel Atholian ships under Van Kaltor's command against Jurvan See before he can consolidate his power. The fleets set out at once and they speed their way over the Toonolian Marsh to the small city of Atholia. There Jurvan See has assembled all that remains of the Atholian fleet and he has been joined by the remnants of the water brigands. In a great battle the four fleets clash and Van Kaltor is able to board Jurvan See's flagship. But the new Jeddak of Atholia escapes in a one-man flier and because of his cowardice the Atholians surrender. Van Kaltor is proclaimed Jeddak of Atholia and he swears to give his full support to the Great Fleet. With Atholia securely under Van Kaltor's rule, John Carter asks Dar Tarus to destroy the water brigands' fortress and resevoir so that Atholia and other nearby nations will once again have free access to water. The Jeddak of Phundahl agrees and quickly makes short work of the fortress. Nearly all the water brigands have been slain or captured, but Vaj Mortan has not been found. Nor has any sign of Jurvan See been discovered. Troubled but confident that the two men pose no further threat to Barsoom's Great Fleet, John Carter accepts Dar Tarus' offer of a safe escort home and soon he and Dejah Thoris are flying toward Helium with three Phundahlian warships to protect them. But as they approach the borders of Helium six strange warships rise up to attack the fleet. Too late John Carter recalls that Kalvan See had been organizing rebel factions around the world. The Phundahlian warships are driven off and one of the six attackers forces John Carter and Dejah Thoris to land. They look up to see Vaj Mortan staring down at them with a jubilant expression of victory. |
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