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. 

With a sigh of relief, Honoria lowered her gun and ejected the empty cartridge. She grabbed the round held between her lips and place it into the gun, slamming the bolt home, before flipping the safety to ensure that a misfire would not occur during her climb. With the death of the savages, Honoria and her crew finally had some breathing room.  Melissa walked up to her captain and made a status report.

"Captain, the crew is tired and hungry. If we don't head back soon we will starve out here... I suggest we cut our losses and return to Austria. Surely, the information we provide to the Crown will cause a bountiful reward."

Honoria bit her lip, she was not yet resigned to suffer defeat, and turn back when they had come so far. With a bitter smile, the Pirate Queen responded to her first mate's claims. 

<br/>"For now, we will rest. Send out some girls to forage for food. There has to be something edible in these damned mountains!"

Melissa sighed heavily as she nodded her head. If they did not find some food soon, then there would surely be a mutiny. Thus she dispatched her orders, sending Elfrun and a squad of privateers out into the mountains to search for food. 

While on their journey, Elfrun began juggling her stick grenades as she and her team walked through the mountains, the sight of which brought a sense of dread to her squad members. Could this girl be any more obsessed with explosives? 

After appearing over a ridge, the team noticed a small native village. In this village appeared to be small farms. As for what plants they were growing, that remained unknown. However, this clearly meant that they had found some much needed food for their unit. 

Elfrun and her girls remained undiscovered, and made a stealthy exit as they reported back to their captain. When they returned, they found that a large argument was occurring between some members of the crew who were agitated over the journey, and those who remained loyal to Honoria. 

"You have led us into these mountains promising us fame and fortune, and all we have encountered is endless combat. We have already lost twelve girls in our company! Tell me, will you continue this mad pursuit into this unknown land until we have all passed away? We are running out of rations, and we are far from the shores where our ship lies! If we wish to survive, we must turn back!" 

Honoria frowned, she knew that her grew was growing discontent with her actions, but she still believed there was something in this land worth discovering. Thus she refused to turn back until now, a mutiny. had occurred. If not for the threat of violence, and the fearsome reputation she had, Honoria's crew would have already overthrown her. 

Right as armed conflict was about to occur, Elfrun fired her pistol in the air, gathering everyone's attention. The crew looked over at the location where the shot had been fired to see the explosives expert with a wicked smile on her face..

"Have no fear, for I have found the solution to our problems. About three miles west of here there is a farming village. If we take it not only will we have a defensible position to set up a base camp, but we can also engorge ourselves on whatever they are growing!"

Honoria gazed at the mutineers with a smug expression before commenting on their behavior.

"You see, I knew it was only a matter of time before we found something of value. What do you say? Will you lower your weapons and fight to take this village? Or will you betray men, and in doing so ensure the pursuit of the Austrian Crown for the rest of your miserable lives?"

Upon hearing that they had access to a defensible position, and a food surplus, the women who were so keen to rise up against their Captain, willfully lowered their weapons and nodded their heads in agreement. 

"Very well, we will take this village, but after we have done so, we need to have a serious discussion about our next move!"

After saying this, the leader of the mutineers departed, not willing to endure the vicious gaze of her vengeful captain any longer. As for Honoria, she lowered the hammer to her revolver, and placed it back in its holster, before grabbing ahold of Elfrun and hugging the girl tightly. With a wide smile on her face, the Pirate Queen petted the girl's hair before commenting on her arrival.

"My little hero! You showed up just before things became bloody. I owe you a reward for your actions! But first, tell me about this village. I don't want to lose any more girls when we besiege it."

Elfrun wore a proud smile as she discussed everything she witnessed, from the farms to the defensive measures taken to ensure the survival of the village. Everything was primitive, as one would expect from a stone age civilization. 

Thus, Honoria was quite certain with the support of their mortar squad, they would be able to bring down the small agricultural village easily. With a cruel smile etched upon her lips, Honoria made a bold proclamation to her privateers.

"Prepare yourselves. We march within the hour to lay siege to this village. Do whatever it takes to seize this town, even if it means the slaughter of everyone inside it!"

Honoria's crew nodded their heads in response to their captain's orders. Here in the new world they were not beholden to the Austrian Rules of Engagement. They could do whatever they wanted to the local villagers, and nobody would be any the wiser. After several weeks of constant battle, these women had grown rather cold towards the native people, and desired vengeance for their fallen comrades. 

Thus, when they finally encountered the village, they would be less than merciful with the people inhabited it. Honoria, personally did not care for the lives of the natives, she had shed too much blood on this journey so far, and if this village did not have some kind of treasure she could take back home, then she was liable to massacre its entire populace just to appease her wrath. 

As promised, within the hour the crew of Privateers set forth on the brief journey towards the village, its inhabitants completely unaware of the wolf that lie on the horizon. If they knew that an enemy force of roughly one hundred women, armed with firearms and mortars, was about to descend on their village, they would likely abandon their homes and flee with their lives intact.

Unfortunately, they were unaware of Honoria's presence, or the might which she and her crew of salty lasses commanded. Thus, it will be a bloody and ruthless conquest. The first of many that Austrian Explorers, and privateers would engage in when knowledge of the New World became public. Such things were unavoidable when men and women alike were held unaccountable for their actions.