Skylords Part 1

Sam pulled hard at the carrot, but it would not budge. He had used too many drops of his father's experimental plant growth hormone a few weeks prior and was paying the price. The carrot was well over thirty pounds, and packed tightly into the soil. As he leaned backwards, putting the last bit of his strength into a final pull, it came flying out of the ground and landed on his chest. He lie there, gasping for air.
"Twenty nine more." He muttered, looking down the row of plants. Sam hated being a farmer, but he knew he would be stuck doing it for the rest of his life, just as his father, and his father's father had. Generations of his family were farmers. They could not remember doing anything else before they had settled on Greenwatch Island. In truth, nobody in the family wanted to farm. They all had different desires, ranging from artist to Knight of the Shattered Lands. Sam, however, was subject to the same fate of his family: There was no way off of Greenwatch Island. The only thing that ever came or left the island was a Skylord ship, The Ugly Siren, and that was to collect the Sky King's taxes and buy crops.
Greenwatch Island was large, but all farmland, save for a village on the northern mountain. There the Lord of Greenwatch lived in his castle, governing the peasants to the best of his ability. In truth, the Lord of Greenwatch should not have been the Lord of anything, being the son of a highly uneducated farmer, but the people of Greenwatch were all simple and had no need for an intelligent ruler. Pirates never came to their region of the Shattered Lands, nor did ships. The Ugly Siren did all the work required. The island was not a tourist attraction, for not many knew of its existence.
Sam finished in the field late at night, and had missed his dinner. Having no way to keep food fresh, Sam's mother was forced to feed any food left over to the pigs. He was disappointed that he had missed his favorite dinner, and hung his head low as he climbed into bed. The house was dark and smelled of cow dung. Sam was sure the rats that scurried across the floor of his bedroom were the size of cats, but he could never find his candle in the dark. He just lie there, tuning out the pitter patter of the mammals below him as he drifted into sleep.
The skies were golden as Sam's ship leaned into a sharp turn and prepared to fire upon the pirates. The Purple Dragon reflected light as the sun set, spewing steam from the back exhaust pipes. The cogs all turned smoothly and the wings were strong. A common problem among the ships were loose wings, coming apart in the midst of battle.
"All men, port side!" He yelled to his crew. A single slip by any man could mean death for the entire crew and loss of it's cargo: two hundred thousand gold coins from the Sky King's treasury, an assignment given to him personally by the King.
"I trust no one but you with my money, Lord Barret!" The Sky King put his arm around the young man. His brown hair was combed back, and he wore the Skylord uniform, a dark Blue coat with matching pants and a green shirt. The brass buttons were polished three times overm and his boots were shined until comperable to a mirror. His belt held all of his tools. "You have executed every assignment flawlessly, and have been a friend to me since you joined the Skylords. You have a bright future my boy!"
As The Purple Dragon, approached the pirates, Sam recognized the Flag it bore. Ironhide Higgard was the most powerful pirate captain in the world, tales of him reached every island across the world.
"Men!" He shouted, drawing his sword. "Today we approach none other than The Crystal Skull, captained by Ironhide Higgared!" His crew froze, staring wide eyed. "We know the legends! We have heard the stories since we were children! Higgard may be strong, but he does not have an Iron Hide! Today he will see something new! For the first time decades, Higgard will see the spirit of the Sky King's soldiers! People run from this "Ironhide"! If we stand our ground now, we will demolish his ship, destroy his crew, and claim his head! He isn't used to being challenged! Let's give him a fight like none that has ever been seen!" Sam yelled at the top of his lungs, adrenaline pumping through his body. He crew cried out, filled with pride and ready for battle.
Ironhide Higgard stepped down from the bow of the ship, examining his crew. It was by definition the scum of the earth. Men ranging of all size littered the deck, covered with their own filth. Murderers, rapists, thieves, every despicable kind of person was aboard, ready to kill for the sake of killing. Higgard straitened his hat and coat. The crew stood, watching him in fear. He was as unpredictable as he was infamous. A cough at the wrong time can lead to the removal of your hands. The Crystal Skull was dark, dirty, and showed damage from countless battles. It was a amazing it had been able to fly ten feet.
"Alright men!" Ironhide Higgard yelled, scanning his crew with his mechanical eye. "We have fought ten times more men than are aboard that vessel, and all of them stronger and braver. All you need to remember is that every single person over there is a quarter of what you are, and would do anything to see you torn apart by a pack of angry lions! We are going to kill them! We are going to burn their bodies, we are going to eat their flesh! We are going to take the king's treasure! No man can control us! Let us show that "Sky King" what we are capable of!"
Higgard's crew cheered dutifully and rushed to their positions. They despised their captain, but knew better than to stand against him. He was their superior in every single way, and They served in fear, where the Purple Dragon's crew served in respect.
The ships approached, cannons blazing, as they both veered sharply to avoid collision. Sam and Higgard both at the wheel, focusing as hard as their crews armed the cannons. They both turned to pass at each other again, with Higgard blasting a straight line of rounds across the deck of the ship. His laugh boomed across the ship. He turned to pass, only to be  hit across the starboard side, steam blasting in white streams. They passed repeatedly, only managing to waste ammunition.
Sam had a plan. He called in his first mate. "Arm the Hook. Take a shot at the port wing next pass."
"Aye, Skylord!" The young crewman yelled as he left the cockpit. Sam turned the ship sharply and came towards the Crystal Skull again, this time at a higher speed. Firing cannons through the hull of the opposing ship, sparks raining across the deck. The Hook shot out as he turned away, ripping the port wing away from the ship..
Ironhide let out a cry of anger as his ship began plummeting towards the clouds. "Activate the port jets!" He cried, turning to see his assistant leaning over the controls. The man had been shot in one of the flybys. He shoved the body aside, and examined the bloody control panel, Frantically smacking at the controls until the jets activated and stabilized the ship.
Sam flew downwards toward The Crystal Skull. "Men!" He yelled from the cockpit. "Prepare to board! We will kill every pirate aboard that vessel!" He yelled.  The men drew their swords and pistols, eager to fight their enemies to the death. As the ships lined up, both sides opened fire and the men began to cry out in the heat of battle. Men from both sides began jumping onto the opposing ship, striking down their enemies, one side with honor, the other with hate. Blood covered the decks of both sky ships, men trampled bodies and severed limbs of their comrades and enemies alike. Bullets flew, swords cut, fists smashed, men screamed, and chaos broke loose in full force. Sam jumped into the fray with his rifle. With a swift strike, he removed the arms of a pirate who was raising a pistol and shot another in the eye.
Sam sliced his way throw the crowd. His bayonet caught one man under the chin, another was shot just above the groin. He sliced and shot his way toward Higgard, ready to end the life of the man who terrorized the skies for nearly a century. He saw fear in Ironhide. "I come for your head, Pirate King!" Sam cried out, stepping from the crowd. Higgard and his first mate stood ready.
"Kill him, Jeoff!" Higgard cried to the large man next to him. The dirty figure let out a war cry and raised a large axe, but as he stepped toward Sam there was a loud bang and he fell to the floor. Higgard stood agape, not sure if he should run or fight. Sam dropped his rifle and pulled out a pistol.
"You've lost, Higgard." He aimed at his forehead. "Surrender your ship." The Pirate stood, smirking.
"You are wrong, Skylord. I am never defeated. I am a champion. You gave heard the stories. Champions are never defeated. Only silenced." Higgard dove backward, over the rail of The Crystal Skull, falling through the clouds. Sam followed, diving headfirst and unloading his entire clip into the clouds behind the pirate. He discarded the gun and straightened himself, falling faster and faster towards Higgard. Sam reached out and grabbed the boot of the pirate, and pulled him closer. Ironhide struggled but could not escape the grasp of the Skylord. He grabbed his pistol and pressed in under Sam's chin. As Sam rose his blade to give the death strike everything went dark.
Sam shot up in his bed, covered in cold sweat. He examined his room. It was unchanged, just as dark and empty as it was when he had entered the house. He lie back, head throbbing, and tried to return to his dream.