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The call rang out loudly from the crow's nest. "Two ships spotted! Both flyin' the colors of the Kaokuro Empire!"

As word of the sighting spread quickly across the ship, the deck began to teem with the sailors on board. Escorted by two warships, the ship christened the _Star-Bound Bounty_hailed from the Empire of Thorns, and carried with it an important mission. Those onboard were proud members of the Dodeeja race, a species made up of humanoid rats, and in their world were seen as the most wide-spread and advanced people of all.

The Star-Bound Bounty rolled up its sails, and slowed to a crawl until it met on Port-Side with the ship sent by the Kaokuro Empire, the Fleur de Mer, and her sailors began to secure planks between the ships.

Members of the Ri'pado, a race of humanoid hares, stood proud upon the deck of the other ship, their long ears and short tails dramatized by their frilly attire.

A well-dressed dodeeja stood up before the main plank that connected the ships. Unfurling a long rolled up parchment, he cleared his throat. "By decree of King Jaojin Dujada Do'uzzan, and the signing of the Trade Agreement between our Lord and the respectable Queen Galencia To'que which occurred at the dawn of the 4th of Summer in the grand port city Kun'doajjie." Pausing, he took note of the sudden fog. It struck him as mysterious on a day with clear skies only minutes ago. "The Empire of Thorns christened ship the Star-Bound Bounty will hereby unload its cargo of gold into the care of the Kaokuro Empire in exchange for their cargo of grain, wheat, jerky meats, and sun-dried fruits upon this, the 63rd of Fall in the seas between our two nations."

He stopped as he tried to read on, but the mist began to thicken so bad that he was unable to see as far as his forearm. Looking away from the obscured parchment he saw the darkened figures of his brethren around him.

The Kaokuro Ambassador called out from his ship; "What trickery is this, dodeeja?"

Crews from both ships began to argue across the waters, as accusations and denials were shouted back and forth.

The commotion was interrupted by a series of thundering explosions. The mist lit up a violent red with each of the three blasts, and the seas aroused in chaos, rocking both of the ships as waves pushed against the sides with an incredible force. Two of the planks connecting the ships fell into the ocean, and the fog began to clear as if the clouds were being pushed away.

A look of horror painted the faces of both crews, the escorting warships from the Empire of Thorns, and the escort battleship from the Kaokuro Empire were gone! In their place was only floating debris of their remains. Cracked wooden planks, torn shreds from their sails, and lifeless corpses littered the area.

In the distance, a massive vessel was seen as clearly as the light of day. It wore crimson paint with blackened edges. Dark grey sails were tugged by the wind upon each of the three masts, and the black flag strung upon the main mast fluttered in the breeze and prominently displayed the red symbol of twin daggers.

"Battle stations!" the dodeeja captain cried, as confusion and panic struck the crew. With their warships demolished, many of them wondered what chance the lightly equipped cargo ship could stand against the massive pirate vessel.

The remaining planks between the two empires were retrieved and their sails loosened, but it was as if the air had been stolen away.

As the pirates drew closer, the waters around the Fleur de Mer became rapid and began to swirl. The ship uncontrollably spun, and its bow crashed into the Star-Bound Bounty's port-side. The cries of the crew being knocked off of the ship overlapped with the screams of those already in the violent waters.

Red lights lit up along the deck of the Fleur de Mer, and dragged long trails across the floor. Ri'pado fell to the ground in agony as their feet were ripped apart from the energy, painting the deck in their spattered blood. The lights converged on the forward mast, and an explosion like a grenade going off lit up red and threw more of the crew overboard as the mast itself fell forward and tangled in the fabric and ropes of the Star-Bound Bounty's canopies.

Shouts for "everyone for themselves" erupted amidst the chaos, but those who dove overboard found themselves boiled alive by waters that burned with magical energy.

As the dodeeja captain tried to assess the situation, he turned back to the pirate vessel. It appeared to be growing bigger, and the ocean's waves were getting larger. His attempts to make sense of the situation ended in vain, as a bright flash of light clouded his vision.

The waters calmed, and the fog dispersed completely. Boiled corpses littered the sea where both ships had been, but there was no woodwork left to be seen. The pirate ship turned its sails eastward and made its way back to its home port.

So ended the trade between the two empires on the 63rd of Fall, 205 P.D.

An old dodeeja in a cowl sat in a dark room far below the deck of the pirate ship, and with his gnarled hand wrote delicately in ink with a quail quill. His words were crisp and clear to read, and were written upon the back of the parchment once found in the hands of the ambassador working for the Empire of Thorns. Satisfied with his accomplishment, he rolled the parchment up and tied it with a red cord to a decorative purple bag which was labeled "Star-Bound Bounty."