Tyranny of Steel

Deep within the Andes Mountains, the Privateers of Queen Honoria ’s Revenge were camped. Weeks had passed since they first landed, and they had suffered constant ambushes throughout their journey. For whatever reason, the native peoples of this strange land seemed more dedicated to violence than a peaceful approach to the strange foreigners who trespassed on their soil.

Without a means of communication, Honoria and her girls were forced to endure constant onslaught. Despite this, they were well supplied, and had brought sufficient ammo with them to endure a long campaign of discovery and exploration. At the moment Honoria had three .45-70 cartridges in her fingers, and one in her mouth as she rapidly reloaded her rifle and fired on a nearby enemy.

The sound of gunfire echoed in the air as the bullet tore through the torso of her opponent, dropping him to the ground, where she mercilessly finished him with the 10 inch steel blade of her bayonet. So far, her girls had suffered limited casualties, as it was more common for the enemy to break ranks than continue to fight until their utter destruction.

Still, the weeks had not been easy. As women, they were not as strong as their male counterparts, who would normally do the heavy lifting of supplies on this mountainous trek. Exhaustion had set in, and with each assault, her privateers ’ morale sank. Until now, they had discovered no treasure. Thus, in the eyes of many who took this job in search of fortune, things had become beyond the point of despair.

While they had skillfully mapped much of the territory they had crossed, and thoroughly journaled their encounters with the hostile natives. Honoria was far from pleased with the results. If she did not bring back a token of her triumph, then she would not feel easy with the losses she had suffered.

At the moment, rations were running low, and Melissa was by her side, in the thick of battle. Another echo resounded as Honoria reloaded her weapon and fired once more at the enemy. With this wave of gunfire, they had slaughtered enough of the native war band, causing the survivors to break ranks and route.