The deck of the Horizon Talon was chaos. Waves crashed against the ship, sending cold spray over the rails, and the screeches of the crew mixed with the eerie, otherworldly roars of the Veilstrikes as they slithered and darted through the water, attacking with terrifying precision. The crew already knew what they were facing. Translucent serpents with glowing amber eyes, as if the ocean itself had given birth to nightmares.

  Then, the Marines burst forth from below deck like a swarm of angry bees, their combat boots slamming against the deck in unison. Clad in full combat gear, their rifles drawn, they moved with deadly purpose, ready to repel the attackers.

  "Get in position!" Gunnery Sergeant Alan Briggs shouted, his voice booming above the storm and chaos. His Marines, disciplined to the core, raised their weapons with precision, lining up to fire.

  Kade, standing near the rail, spared a glance at the Marines, relief momentarily washing over her. Finally, some firepower, she thought. But her relief was short-lived.

  Briggs pulled the trigger, his rifle aimed at one of the Veilstrikes slithering through the waves just below the bow. Nothing happened. The rifle stayed silent. There was no recoil, no crack of gunfire. Just a cold, mechanical click.

  For a split second, disbelief flickered in Briggs’ eyes. His Marines hesitated too, pulling their triggers, trying to fire, but the rifles all failed. No sputtering, no misfires, just complete silence. It wasn’t just one malfunction. All of their weapons were dead.

  "Rifles are dead!" one of the Marines shouted in frustration, shaking his rifle as though he could coax it back to life.

  "Drop ’em!" Briggs barked, his voice sharp and immediate. "Knives out! Close quarters! Move, Marines!"

  The Marines didn’t hesitate. With a swift motion they abandoned their rifles, the weapons clattering uselessly to the deck. The Marines drew their combat knives practically in unison, the cold steel gleaming as they prepared for hand-to-hand combat. This wasn’t what they were trained for, but they were professionals. Improvise, adapt, overcome. That was their creed.

  But even with their training, the threat they faced was beyond anything they could have imagined. The Veilstrikes were relentless. One creature, its translucent, shimmering body blending almost perfectly with the stormy sea, rose from the water and lunged over the rail, striking a sailor with terrifying speed. Its amber eyes locked onto the man as it coiled around him in an instant.

  The sailor let out a blood-curdling scream, struggling against the crushing strength of the serpent-like creature, but it was too late. The Veilstrike dragged him overboard, his scream cutting off as the churning waves swallowed him.

  Kade’s pulse raced as she watched, her hand tightening around the railing. The crew fought for their lives, and now the Marines had to drop their guns and fight the creatures with knives. They were at a severe disadvantage, and every second, the Veilstrikes grew bolder, their attacks more vicious.

  "Captain!" one cadet shouted, his face pale as he fought to keep the lines steady. "They're everywhere!"

  Lt. Sarah Kade’s heart pounded from adrenalin, but her mind was sharp, even in the face of such overwhelming danger. She had no time to dwell on the fear gnawing at her. The crew needed her now more than ever. Without firearms, if the Marines were forced into hand-to-hand combat, every available person would be needed, armed with anything they could find.

  This was no simulation, she thought. It was a slaughter unless they turned it around.

  "Everyone! Grab axes, belaying pins, pike poles. Anything you can use to bash a skull in!" Kade’s voice cut through the storm, laced with a grim, dark humor. "Looks like these bastards want to fight the old-fashioned way, and I don’t intend to disappoint them! If anyone asks, tell ‘em we gave the Simulation a real welcome back party!"

  The crew, already rattled, responded to her words. The gallows humor and defiance gave them something to hold on to in the madness. They scrambled to arm themselves. Fire axes yanked from their mounts, belaying pins hefted like clubs, and pike poles grabbed with trembling but determined hands. Kade could see the fear in their eyes, but she also saw the resolve.

  Gunnery Sergeant Briggs moved with deadly purpose among his Marines, combat knife in hand, his gruff voice cutting through the chaos. "You heard the lieutenant! No backing down, Marines! Make the grass grow!"

  A Veilstrike rose from the port side, its long, sinuous body shimmering like the water itself, and lashed out at the nearest Marine. The soldier dodged, slashing at the creature’s translucent flesh with his knife. A precise blow from the blade opened a gash in the creature’s side. The Veilstrike recoiled, retreating into the sea with a hiss.

  Kade gritted her teeth, hefting a fire axe in her hands as she steadied herself against the next wave of attacks. The wind howled, the sea surged, and the translucent forms of the Veilstrikes slithered through the storm, circling, waiting to strike again.

  But this crew, her crew, wasn’t going down without a fight.

  With a grim smirk, Kade muttered to herself, "If we’re going down, we’ll make damn sure they regret coming aboard."

  A savage battle cry drew Kade's attention as she looked down from her position. Briggs currently fought a life-or-death struggle with another Veilstrike. His knife drove deep into the Veilstrike’s glowing amber eye with a sickening squelch, the blade sinking into the creature’s serpentine skull. For a split second, satisfaction flickered across his grizzled face. The Marine had landed the perfect strike. But instead of retreating into the sea as any ordinary beast might, the Veilstrike recoiled violently. The movement was so sudden and powerful that Briggs’ hand slipped from the hilt of his knife, and before he could react, the creature jerked away, taking his weapon with it.

  "Damn it!" Briggs growled, stumbling as he tried to keep hold of the blade. The knife lodged firmly in the creature’s eye socket.

  As the Veilstrike pulled back, its long, serpentine form twisted violently in the water. Briggs stumbled, unbalanced from the struggle, and went down hard on the deck. From where Kade stood, she saw him land flat on his back, the wounded creature looming above him. Its amber eyes locked onto him with terrifying focus, its coils tensing like a spring. Kade didn’t need to hear its thoughts to know it wasn’t retreating. It wanted payback.

  "Well, that’s just bloody perfect," Briggs muttered, his gruff voice edged with frustration.

  From Kade’s vantage point, he was still flat on his back, weaponless, and face-to-fangs with an angry sea serpent. The creature hovered, its coils shifting with lethal intent as it moved to strike. Kade didn’t hesitate. She lunged between them, axe raised.

  With a cry that was part determination, part frustration at the sheer absurdity of the situation, Lt. Sarah Kade swung the fire axe she’d grabbed earlier, the heavy blade arcing down with deadly precision. It bit deep into the Veilstrike’s neck, slicing through translucent flesh and sinew in one brutal strike. The creature’s head dropped to the deck with a dull thud, the glowing amber eyes dimming as its body twitched once and went still, then slid back into the waves.

  Kade straightened, yanking the axe free from the severed neck with a grunt. Her chest heaved from the effort, but a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth as she looked down at the now-dead creature. "That’s one way to tenderize calamari," she said, wiping sweat from her brow.

  Still on the deck, Briggs let out a sharp breath. Kade couldn’t tell if it was frustration or reluctant admiration, but he was breathing, and that was enough. "Could’ve left me a piece of the action, Lieutenant," he grumbled, hauling himself up on one elbow. "And that was my favorite damn knife."

  "Yeah, well, you’re still breathing, so I’d say it’s a fair trade," Kade quipped, her voice a mix of sharp wit and battle-ready calm. She tossed him the fire axe, the weapon still slick with the creature’s blood. "Here. Hold the deck with this while I grab something better suited for the job."

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  Briggs caught the axe in one hand, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then he gave a grunt of acknowledgment, his grip tightening around the handle. "You planning on coming back with a chainsaw?"

  Kade shot him a wry grin. "Something like that." She didn’t explain or tip her hand to what she was after. She had something far more effective in mind than a fire axe, but there was no need to advertise it to the world. Not yet.

  Without another word, Kade turned and darted toward the hatch leading below deck. Every instinct screamed that she was running out of time, that the next attack was just moments away. But she knew exactly what she needed.

  Kade darted below deck, each step echoing in the narrow passageway as the sounds of battle faded behind her. The air felt heavier down here, quieter, but there was no time to linger. She moved swiftly through the dim corridors, her mind already on the weapons she needed. Her officer's cutlass and the Captain's were sharp and well-maintained, a blade she never expected to wield in combat. While part of the SMC dress uniform and mainly ceremonial, it was a functional sailor's sword.

  The moment Kade’s boots hit the deck, the rage of the battle hit her full force. The deck was slick with seawater and the bodies of sailors and Veilstrikes, the air was thick with the scent of salt and blood. Marines and crew fought desperately to hold back the creatures as they lunged and twisted in every direction, their long forms darting across the ship.

  She didn’t hesitate. Spotting the captain, she tossed him his cutlass, the gleaming blade catching the light from the storm as it sailed through the air. "Thought you might need this," she called, her voice steady despite the vortex of violence around them.

  Voss caught the sword with practiced ease, nodding his thanks despite his grim expression. "Let’s make this count."

  "Only plan I’ve got," Kade replied, gripping her own cutlass tightly as she turned to face the nearest Veilstrike. She could feel the weight of the blade in her hand. Lighter than the fire axe, more balanced, more suited for the precision she needed now.

  The two of them moved instinctively because of years of working together. Back to back, they fought. The cutlasses cut through the air with deadly grace as the creatures lunged again.

  Kade’s blade found purchase first, slashing through one creature as it coiled too close, the sharp edge cutting deep into its side. It recoiled, thrashing violently, but she didn’t let up. A swift second strike severed the creature’s head, sending its body tumbling back into the sea with a splash.

  Behind her, Voss was holding his own. The captain’s movements were slower and more measured, but no less effective. His blade came down hard on another Veilstrike that had slithered over the rail, cleaving through its neck in a clean, brutal arc. Blood splattered across the deck as the creature collapsed, twitching as it slid back into the water.

  Kade spared a glance toward the rest of the crew, where Gunnery Sergeant Briggs and his Marines fought with grim determination. Their knives were wet with blood as they engaged the creatures in vicious, close combat. Despite their best efforts, the tide of battle wasn’t in their favor. She could see the toll the fight was taking. Several Marines suffered wounds, and some lay dead on the deck, their blood mingling with the seawater as it collected in the ship's crevices.

  She cursed under her breath, but kept fighting. There was no time for grief. Not yet.

  "On your right!" Voss’s voice snapped her attention back to the fight just in time to see another Veilstrike lunging toward her. She turned swiftly, her cutlass flashing in the storm light, and drove the blade deep into the creature’s side. It shrieked, and she pulled the blade free and slashed again, this time severing its spine.

  The deck rocked violently as another wave crashed against the hull, nearly throwing Kade off balance, but she held firm, her boots sliding slightly on the blood-slicked wood. All around her, the battle raged on. Screams of people and monsters alike echoed in the wind and the clang of metal against flesh filled the air.

  She caught sight of Briggs out of the corner of her eye. He was down on one knee, his axe buried in the body of a thrashing Veilstrike, his face set in a rigid grimace. The creature tried to pull away, but Briggs held on, his muscles straining as he forced the spiked end of the axe head deeper. A final twist, and the creature went limp.

  "Not bad for a couple of dress swords, huh?" Kade shouted over the roar of the wind, her voice laced with her usual dry humor as she swung her cutlass toward another approaching Veilstrike.

  "Could be worse," Voss grunted, blocking a lashing tail with the flat of his blade before driving the point into the creature’s throat.

  Kade’s muscles screamed from the effort, but she didn’t stop. There were fewer creatures now, but the cost had been high. A glance confirmed it as several sailors lay unmoving on the deck, their bodies twisted and broken. The Horizon Talon was holding, but barely. The price of survival was steep.

  A final creature lunged at her, its fanged maw open wide. Kade dodged to the side, her cutlass slicing through its side, then again through its neck in a blur of motion. With a final hiss, the creature slid overboard, its body disappearing into the depths.

  She paused momentarily to catch her breath, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. All around her, the sounds of the battle were fading. The remaining Veilstrikes were retreating, their slithering forms vanishing beneath the churning waves.

  Kade wiped her blade on her sleeve; her breath labored as she surveyed the aftermath. The deck held the scattered bodies of crew and beasts. Her jaw tightened, but she forced herself to stand tall. There was no time for mourning, not yet. They had a ship to keep afloat and an enemy that could return any moment.

  "We’ll count the dead later," Voss said quietly beside her.

  "Yeah," Kade replied, her voice flat. "For now, we make sure the living stay that way."

  The deck was a mess of blood and wreckage, the scent of salt and steel lingering in the air as the crew snapped into motion. Orders rang out sharply as Kade and Captain Voss surveyed the aftermath. The Horizon Talon had held, but barely. Bodies, some lifeless, others wounded, lay scattered where the Veilstrikes had attacked, and the ship itself seemed to groan from the strain of the fight.

  "Corpsmen, to the deck!" Kade shouted, her voice cutting through the grim silence that had settled after the battle's fury. The sailors, still able to stand, moved with disciplined efficiency, clearing the bodies and debris under her command. They didn’t need to be told twice. "I want this deck cleaned up. Blood, bodies, and whatever's left of those things overboard. Make it fast."

  As the crew began their grim task, Kade shot a glance at Voss. The captain had returned to the helm, his hand resting on the railing, and she could see the wear on his face. He wasn’t built for this kind of chaos anymore. He was a career naval officer, yes, but the years had taken their toll, and this... well, this was a far cry from naval drills and diplomatic voyages. She could see it in the set of his jaw, the way he lingered too long on the bodies being dragged across the deck.

  He had become quiet since the fight ended, his usually sharp commands now replaced with terse, practical orders. But it wasn’t just fatigue. Kade knew the captain. He was struggling to come to terms with the fact that magic and monsters were now part of their reality. And for a man like Voss, a mentor who had always grounded his command in logic and duty, the sheer impossibility of it all was showing.

  She stepped up beside him, lowering her voice. "Captain, we’ll pull through this. The crew’s following orders. They’re keeping it together."

  Voss nodded, though he didn’t meet her gaze. "Aye," he said quietly. "But this... It’s like we’ve stepped out of reality, Sarah."

  She couldn’t argue with that. "You’re not wrong, sir. But we deal with what’s in front of us. Like we always do."

  Voss’s eyes darted to hers for a moment, then back to the deck. His nod was slower this time, but he straightened his shoulders slightly as if pushing the disbelief aside, at least for now. "Get the officers to see to their men. Fifteen minutes. We’ll regroup in the ready room."

  Kade turned away to carry out the order, her gaze settling on Gunnery Sergeant Alan Briggs and 2nd Lt. Mark Lawson as they directed the Marines. Briggs, as usual, was barking orders in his gruff, no-nonsense style while Lawson coordinated the rotation for the Marines to stand watch and recover below deck.

  "Set a rotation. Half of you on deck, the rest below. Move!" Briggs growled, his tone carrying more authority than frustration. The Marines responded immediately, several of them still covered in the grime of battle, but every one of them appeared ready to follow orders.

  Lawson, though younger, was every bit as focused. "I want eyes on the horizon. Let nothing slip through again. Everyone else, get below and recover. You’ve earned it."

  Kade strode up to the two men, her expression resolute. "Lawson, Briggs. Thank you. Without your men, this would have gone an entirely different way," she said, her voice carrying a note of sincerity despite her exhaustion.

  Briggs looked at her, a slight smirk pulling at his lips. "Saved my ass out there, Lieutenant. I’d say you did your fair share of intervening."

  Kade snorted softly. "Only because I didn’t feel like hauling your carcass back to shore."

  Lawson chuckled at the exchange, but there was still an edge to the moment. Everyone knew how close it had been. The Veilstrikes had nearly overwhelmed them.

  Kade’s eyes shifted to the Marines standing at attention, waiting for their next orders. She couldn’t help the dark grin that spread across her face as she addressed them. "You boys did good. And now you have one hell of a fishing tale for the next time we're in port."

  Briggs nodded to his men before turning back to Kade. "We’ll hold the deck, Lieutenant. You handle the bigger picture. We’ll be ready for whatever comes next."

  "Better be," Kade replied. "I have a feeling this is just the beginning."

  She gave them a mock salute before turning to head below deck. The captain was right. They’d crossed into something unreal, something far beyond the world they knew. And if there was one thing she hated, it was not knowing what was coming next.

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