Phase I:
(1911 A.D., The Capital City of Blackfrost Port, The People's Republic of the Neverlands, the Realm of Ishrakie)
The blazing Neverlandian Sun steadily takes its cooling sleep beneath the distant horizon giving way to the watchful silver gaze of the moon. The great city of Blackfrost Port roars with the ruckus nightlife of its many taverns, pubs and brothels. Staggering jolly drunkards clutter its lamp-lit streets lost in the fervour of shanty tunes and sloppy singing. Dandy pleasure boys and sultry wenches work their trades upon the various nocturnal passersby. Looking down from his Administrative Chamber located on the top floor of Mistress Thorn's House of Roses, Hook sighs contemplatively before returning back to the massive planning table occupying the centre of the room. He strides up to his beloved first-mate and rests a tired arm over Mr. Smee's shoulder with a half-hearted smile.
"How's it looking?" asks Hook with a hint of subtle exhaustion as he allows himself to gently breathe in Smee's soothing scent of cinnamon tainted pine. The sound of reverberating footsteps approaching from the nearby hallway breaks the delicate quiet of the moment.
"Sir, the new troops have arrived from Wonderland. The Red Queen has generously provided us with 10,000 Cardmen as agreed," interrupts the approaching messenger boy. He comes to a stop a few feet away from the two men and bows low, awaiting Hook's response. Hook exhales at the interruption but maintains his composure as he casts his eyes momentarily back at the battle plans laid out before him on the planning table. Hook feels himself fade in and out as his mind stretches and warps between distant points, the soft call of the Pale Tower cooing in his mind. I know… I hear you… no, not now but soon.
"Umm... sir…" utters the messenger boy meekly casting a confused gaze to Smee.
Smee steps over to Hook and places a hand on his shoulder.
"Captain… CAPTAIN… are you alright captain?" asks Smee gently jostling Hook, snapping his mind back to the moment… back to the matter at hand.
"Oh um. Yes, very good. Thank you for your report. Please assign the Cardmen to Reserve Corps #2 and instruct them to prepare for deployment," Hook replies, nodding cordially to the messenger boy.
"With haste, sir," replies the messenger boy before turning and starting to leave the room to carry out his orders.
"Wait… Sven. Is that a new waistcoat?" Hook asks the messenger boy, causing him to stop, turning to face Hook once again.
"Um yes, it…" starts Sven.
"And you changed your hair. It suits you. I like it. You're a very handsome boy," interrupts Hook, smiling warmly at the Sven.
"Um, yes. Thank you, sir. You are very kind," Sven replies, looking himself over with a slight blush. What's going on? Why is he being so nice? Normally he only speaks freely to me when we are alone.
"After you convey my orders to Lower-Command you are dismissed for the night. Go have some fun with your friends," Hook continues before nodding his head ever so slightly in respect to the boy.
"You are too kind, sir. Thank you, sir," replies Sven as Hook gestures for him to leave.
Smee makes note of the oddness of the situation but then tucks the observation away to instead focus on the matters at hand. "About that order. Is it wise, Captain?"
"It's the Cardmen. We need to know if our men and the Cardmen can work effectively together. Granted, assigning the Cardmen to Reserve Crops #2 and dispatching them to the Fryst Vilda Isles to deal with the savages there should be a worthy test but it still makes me nervous. They're not human you know? Not men like us. I just don't know what to make of them yet."
"Your point is duly noted, Mr. Smee," replies Hook, nodding understandingly. His objections are sound after all.
"However, a trial by fire is one of the best at breeding comradery and thus cooperation and if the Cardsmen prove to be unable to work with our men in such circumstances then we will simply have to reevaluate their use alongside our forces in the future."
"Very well, Captain. Let's see, 10,000 Cardmen plus the 12,000 men in Reserve Corps #2 comes to a total of 22,000. Will that be enough to deal with the Fryst Vilda Folk?" replies Mr. Smee contemplatively.
"Time will tell I guess, but with all that is happening lately, I have never been more grateful to have you by my side. I know I am not an easy man to deal with but you stand by Smee and it does not go unnoticed," replies Hook, pulling Mr. Smee into a deep loving embrace.
"I will always be yours, sir, always," whispers Mr. Smee into his captain's ear.
"Your words lift my heart but still we have accomplished so much so quickly using the power of the Pale Tower. Using its magic we have been able to mobilise, industrialise and make preparations that should have taken years in just a few months. I thought I was ready, I am still certain I am… I think it's just…" starts Hook, his voice barely suppressing a storm of uncharacteristic uncertainty.
"The men believe in you sir and so do I. You are Captain James Hook, and no one deserves to rule the Neverlands more than you. You can do this. Trust me."
"Good man, Smee," Hook whispers as a rare, soft smile bows his lips before gracing Smee with a brief but tender kiss.
"Back to the matter at hand. Now here's the plan," Hook starts as he steers Smee back toward the grand map of Neverlands spread out on the desk. To the untrained eye, the small carvings of military troops look as if they are scattered haphazardly around the map. Hook wraps his chitinous hook around one small group out in the water and pulls them towards an island.
"I have assigned my most trusted Captain to lead Reserve Corps #2."
"You mean Captain Zurokashi?" asks Smee with an approving eyebrow raise.
"I do, indeed. Not only is she unwaveringly loyal but she is a battle-tested master strategist after my own heart," explains Hook.
"A fine choice, sir." agrees Smee nodding.
"Captain Zurokashi and Reserve Corps #2 will be assigned to take the beach outside the Fryst Vilde Tribe's Central Grounds under the cover of night and then…" Hook continues to lay out his plan to Smee concerning the invasion to the come.
******
The moonless night was darker than normal as even the stars grew dim, providing very little light thanks to the power of the pale tower. The sound of the waves lapping against the side of the boats masked the oars slipping into the water. A war-ready woman stands at the centre of the second boat to make it to shore. She conveys her orders with silent precise gestures, preserving the sacred silence of the night causing her crew to spring swiftly and silently into action. Vast legions of brutal pirates and blood-thirsty Cardmen swarm forth onto the beach.
The treeline marking the border of the Fryst Vilde Tribe's Central Grounds stands just a few dozen yards inland of their current position. Her crew spreads out, slipping into the shadows to carry out their orders with each member of her trusted crew acting as a field-commander to their own detachment of forces composed from the larger army of Pirates and Cardmen accompanying them. Understanding stealth as their greatest weapon at the moment, Captain Zurokashi instructs her crew to take their assigned forces and quietly cut a path through the trees without giving away their position, something she is certain she can trust her own crew to do well but something she is unsure she can entrust to the Cardsmens if they are left to their own devices. Still, she had to admit the strange creatures did perform well during their pre-invasion training exercises.
The intelligence Captain Hook provided her on the Fryst Vilde Tribe estimated their total military might to be mere 6,500 to 6,800 troops. It does seem a little ridiculous to send me here with such overwhelming numbers to do what should be a fairly simple task but his logic is sound. If our forces and Cardmen cannot work together on such a trivial task as this, then the Cardmen cannot be relied upon for more critical engagements.
Before long the outskirts of the Fryst Vilde Tribe's Central Camp comes into view. Soldiers man the gates and guard the walls but Captain Zurokashi's forces remain undetected as they wait for her to order the attack. Breathing in deep, she issues the attack order causing her army to fall upon the enemy camp with terrifying ferocity. Her army washes over the camp like a tidal wave of death and destruction. wordless command and Reserve Corps #2 swarmed forward with the ferocity of a tsunami. The gate guards fall before the warning can even be sounded. The wall guards are overwhelmed and encircled, closing them off from backup. The soldiers filing out of the barracks are met by the savage Cardmen. Monstrous Bellowing and laughter fill the camp as the Cardmen take their perverse pleasure in the torturing and slaughtering of their prey.
"REMEMBER MEN, ANY CREWMAN WHO MURDERS AN ABLE BODIED VILLAGER WITHOUT DUE CAUSE WILL TAKE THEIR PLACE IN THE WORK CREWS," Captain Zurokashi barks in a stern, unforgiving voice.
The remaining village soldiers drop their weapons in surrender assuming the captain's words meant mercy from the invaders. They learned their folly soon enough as the Cardsmen descended upon them bringing every Fryst Vilde Soldier in the camp to a violent and brutal end. Every villager who showed even a modicum of resistance was massacred. The order was not mercy, it was logistics. Every pirate understood it though the bloodlust of the Cardmen took some considerable effort to bring to heel. They were eventually made to end their slaughter and in less than an hour, the Fryst Vilde Tribe's Central Camp was captured.
With the battle over, Captain Zurokashi lays claim to the camp's Governing Longhouse. She orders the High-Elderin and the High-Druziden to be taken captive and moved to the Knight-Raven, a maximum-security prisoner-ship that she has designated to be used for high-value hostages with the exception of the High-Elderin's daughters who she orders to be 'processed' and taken to her personal vessel, the Gilded-Dragon. With a deep sigh, she sits down on the throne of the Fryst Vilde High-Druziden and pulls out a palm-sized, silver object. She presses the finger-shaped indent in the centre and speaks. What a strange device. Well, here goes nothing.
"Captain Zurokashi reporting from the Fryst Vilde Tribe's Central Camp. Does anyone read me?" declares Zurokashi feeling slightly silly talking into the strange device.
"Coming through loud and clear, Captain Zurokashi. I have been eagerly awaiting your report," replies Hook's unmistakable voice through the device. I'll be damned, it works. Fancy that.
"The assault was successful. We lost a few of our own but the cost to our own forces was overall minimal and well within acceptable levels. As for our enemy, well, all military forces and some of the more resistant civilians of Fryst Vilde Tribe's Central Camp have been eliminated. The Cardmen are a little too bloodthirsty for my liking but we were able to bring them to heel with some effort. They seemed to dislike the thought of being clapped in irons themselves and made to work alongside the captured. Speaking of which, I have captured the Fryst Vilde Tribe's High-Elders and their High-Druziden. Shall I send them with the other high-value prisoners to you in Blackfrost Port?"
"Ingenious tactic, Captain. We can't have the Cardmen just running amuck, slaughtering at will. They need to be kept in control," Zurokashi inclines her head at the compliment, not caring if Hook could see it or not.
"Concerning the high-value prisoners, sending them to me is a fine idea. I am sure I can find a use for them," Hook continues.
"Yes, Captain. However, may I…" starts Zurokashi.
"Pick out the noble girls you wish to keep but send the rest here. I am sure our fine Mistress Thorn can find good work for them," Hook interrupts, knowing full well of Zurokashi's proclivities from rumour and long-held suspicion.
"Of course, sir. I am honoured you have entrusted this invasion to me. I live to serve you. Now as for our minimal losses. I was hoping to refill our ranks by recruiting and training some of the more persuadable Fryst-Vilde civilians," Zurokashi explains, causing Hook to go silent for a moment.
"A daring move. Do you think that is wise?" Hook inquires.
"Who doesn't want a better life for their family, Captain? And if they betray us, who better to pay the price?" responds Zurokashi with a malicious chuckle.
"Again, ingenious ploy, Captain. Working with you is a pleasure," Hook replies with a hint of a smile in his tone.
"Likewise, Captain. Serving at your will is a true delight."
"Unfortunately the celebrations of your victory must wait. You now occupy the most critical point in the Fryst Vilda Isles. Those Isles and their mineral wealth will be crucial to our future efforts to finally civilise the Neverlands. I am trusting you to hold this crucial territory against all threats," Hook explains sternly.
"As you wish, Captain. I will not fail you," Zurokashi declares firmly.
"I know you won't. I will get back to you in the morning with further orders. For now, relax and enjoy your scared and delicate rewards. But remember: girls can break very easily if you are not careful," Hook replies with a sadistic laugh at the end of his words.
"Understood. I shall await further orders… and as for the girls. I would appreciate your discretion. Over and out."