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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 8, 2010 12:29:31 GMT -5
Tony waited impatiently on the deck of his ship that was now sporting the name, “The Grey Lady” that had been hastily painted over the words “Krackatowan Razor” on each side of the bow and across the stern. If anyone looked too closely, they would see the white paint was still wet and dripping in places.
His men had finished loading the seized cargo, stowing it in the cargo hold below and were finished securing the ship for sail. They needed to make their way downriver now so that the tide would be high when they reached the mouth. With the Razor loaded this heavily, she was sitting low in the water and he didn’t want to run aground in the sandbars at the river’s mouth.
Mortimer, his First Mate, stood next to him, wondering what his Captain was waiting for. He was letting Spook, who was in her accustomed spot draped across Tony’s broad shoulder, swat at Mort’s braid. He had hold of his own hair and was waving it in front of the tiny black cat. She kept batting at it with her white paw, digging the claws of her black front paw into Tony’s shoulder.
Tony glanced at Mort and then reached inside his vest and pulled out a pouch and handed it to Mortimer. Kinkaid looked at it in surprise. “Where did this come from?” He examined the contents, noting there were several gold pieces in the pouch along with a number of smaller coins.
“Just a few things I picked up at the ball.” Tony winked. “Some fools left an entire poker pot unattended on a table, there was a noble with three pouches dangling from his belt just begging to be lifted, so I obliged, of course; and a lady whose eyes almost matched the sapphires around her neck.” He held up a sapphire and pearl necklace and handed that to Mort. “See that all this is distributed equally among the men and officers.”
“Ai, Ai, Captain!” Mort slid the pouch into his blouse front to count and distribute later. He scanned the shore. “Sir, if you don’t mind my asking, what are we waiting for? Shouldn’t we be sailing?” The crew was ready, the cargo loaded. “All the crew is here.”
Tony looked up the hill toward the castle, its imposing spires easily visible above the smaller buildings that surrounded it. In fact, if one listened very closely, you could even hear the sounds of the ball in full swing inside Castle Araluen.
“Not everything is here yet, Mortimer.” Tony said, still scanning the streets, hoping they would hurry. He couldn’t wait for long, he had other clients to think about on this trip and one of them wore midnight blue and made his skin crawl in apprehension whenever he was around the man. “I arranged for another client’s cargo. They should be bringing it any second now.”
His eyes scanned the streets up close and then back along the route up to the castle as far as he could see without buildings hampering his view. Finally he saw a very, very large man, carrying a bundle on his shoulder heading for the docks. The man fit the description. Now he waited in anticipation, wondering if ‘she’ was nearby and coming with them. “Here it comes, set the men to the oars, but don’t shove off until I give the word and keep the plank run out.”
Mortimer nodded and noticed the big man heading their way. The cargo on his shoulder seemed to be moving, but he didn’t have time to study it. He turned away to follow Tony’s orders.
Tony stood at the bow and glanced at the other ships moored to the pier. One was already pulling away, her hull sitting light in water. Apparently that ship had been delivering to Araluen and hadn’t picked up much. Tony shook his head, ‘bad management’ he thought. He always tried to have the ship loaded to the hilt when he left a port. “Never run empty” had been his mentor’s mantra and he wholeheartedly believed it. If the hold was empty, there wouldn’t be any profits at the end of the voyage. The voyage in front of Tony could prove to be very lucrative, but it was also looking to be one of the more dangerous voyages he had taken so far. His eyes narrowed, as he noticed the "cargo" appeared to be a live human with a sack over his or her head. He scowled, wondering just what was going on, as the huge man drew closer.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jan 9, 2010 14:09:12 GMT -5
Ulrich, having finished his pre-voyage duties, leaned against the shore-side rail of the deck of the Razor, enjoying the last sight of land he would have for the duration journey. He gave a little nod and salute as Mortimer passed by to relay the captain's orders to the oarsmen below. Returning his gaze to the shore, he raised a curious brow as a very large man with an axe and a hostage drew closer. Ulrich frowned. He'd so hoped that they would be able to avoid this kind of thing this time. But then, he was working with pirates. What did he really expect?
He jogged down the ramp and stood at Tony's side as the giant approached. "So, we're kidnappers now?" he joked quietly, but with more than a little stab in his tone on the word, 'kidnappers.' ______________________________________________
Wesley slowed down as he grew closer to the two men standing in front of the ship. Axe over one shoulder, the king over the other, he stood over them, his shadow practically consuming them. He gave the two men a smile and said, "Hello, pirate men. I brought a last minute passenger." He winked and chuckled, thinking the comment quite clever. He'd spent the entire trip here thinking it up. "We go on ship now and leave. Many people are not so happy with what we have done. Is best to go soon."
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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 10, 2010 0:34:09 GMT -5
Tony nodded to Ulrich as he approached and scowled at the kidnapper comment. “Gentlemen, I believe I am about to be double-crossed by a woman.” He growled. “She said illegal cargo, not anything about it being a person.”
He watched the huge man approach and had even more misgivings. He waved the man on up the gangway. “Welcome aboard the Razor, I am Tony.” He would have held his hand out for a shake, but the giant had both hands full. “Any you are?” He ushered him up onto the ship and told the men to sail.
They reeled in the gangplank and shoved off from the peer, pulling out into the river on the heels of the first ship. Another was getting ready to sail right behind them. ‘Good’ thought Tony, ‘They will provide us with some cover should anyone ask.’
Tony showed the big man where to stow his “passenger” in a small cabin that had a deadbolt on the outside. “Just who have you got there anyway?” Tony asked Wesley as they entered the cabin.
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Post by Cutebabys on Jan 10, 2010 6:12:09 GMT -5
Lee sighed. What were they waiting for this time? They should have set sail some time ago. He walked towards Tony, about to pose a question when he saw two men, one with a sack over the head. He raised his eyebrow, uncomprehending what was going on.
"Gentlemen, I believe I am about to be double-crossed by a woman.” He growled. “She said illegal cargo, not anything about it being a person.”
So that was it. The reason why they were so late. He followed their captain to see what exactly was going on and who was under that sack.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jan 21, 2010 20:50:20 GMT -5
Wesley set the hostage down in the cabin, exited the small room and bolted the door. He grinned and winked at Tony. "Very important man. In charge of many people. People who are very angry at us for stealing him," he said, nodding as if this answered the question perfectly well and there was nothing more to be said. ______
Ulrich looked at the giant with expectant curiosity. He couldn't just leave it at that. There had to be more... No. He had stopped talking. The room was silent. Ulrich leaned in and tilted his head at the giant, indicating that they needed to know more. ______
Wesley laughed loudly. He threw his arms up in the air, violently connected with the ceiling, but fortunately, not going right through it; and shouted, "It's King Duncan!"
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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 22, 2010 13:13:31 GMT -5
"It's King Duncan!"
Tony's face went white as a sheet at the words. Oh my God! We are all going to hang for this! He thought, studying the Giant.
He looked at his men and quickly composed his face, knowing they would soon be rounding on him, demanding to know what he was up to. He thought furiously for a moment, remembering the deal he had made.
He should have known that the profit was too high for it to just be some random "illegal cargo", but he had no idea she was planning to kidnap the King. No wonder she hadn't told him, he would never have gone along with that. But no one would believe that he wasn't in on it. Still...
He turned to Mort, "I swear I didnt' know what the cargo was to be, but that doesn't matter now. What's done is done and if they catch us, we will all hang." He took charge, even though he wanted to push past the giant and set the King free.
"Get up there and see if you can safely get the Razor moving a little faster, but don't make it look suspicious from shore." They were in between two ships, so they could only go so fast anyway. "And don't tell the whole crew." he looked at Ulrich and Lee, "That goes for you two as well. The longer we can keep this quiet the better off we will all be."
He then turned to the giant, "Perhaps we should go make sure the King is comfortable and was not injured. I am assuming her plan is ransom and if the King is harmed unduly, well, they aren't likely to pay to get a dead king back." Tony slid the bolt back open and walked into the cabin, and said, "Welcome aboard The Grey Lady to both Wesley and the King. My name is Captain Antonio, and you are?" he asked Wesley as he approached the King.
He pulled the sack off the King's head, knowing they would not be able to keep their identies secret for the entire voyage anyway. There was a large bruise around a cut on the back of the King's head and he seemed a bit groggy.
Tony turned to Lee and said, "Go get one of the lads to bring some water and ice up here. We are going to need a clean rag and some fresh bandages from Burn too."
He went down on one knee before the King, "Your Majesty, welcome to my humble ship. I appologize for the manner of your arrival. There seems to have been some mixup in communication, but we have put to sea now and I am under strict deadlines concerning my other cargo. As soon as I have delivered it, I will return you to your Kingdom, unharmed. Until then, please consider yourself our guest!"
The King glared at him but did not answer.
"Well, if you need anything, please do not hesitate to let me know. I want you to be comfortable."
Duncan blinked at him for a moment and then said, somewhat with slurred speach, "Then untie my hands."
Tony looked around the room. It was sparse, but he needed to make sure there was nothing the King could use to free himself within the cabin. "Perhaps later." Tony answered, and appologetic look on his face. "I am sorry for the necessary inconvenience. Someone will be here soon to check that bump on your head. Are you injured anywhere else?"
Duncan shook his head, "You do know that you and your friends are not going to live through this, right"
Tony frowned at the King, standing up once more and looming over him. "We shall see, Your Majesty, we shall see. I do want you to know that my crew knew nothing of this and that I had no idea myself that you were the cargo. I know you don't believe me, but I wanted you to know that for the record." Tony said sincerely. "I promise that you will not be harmed while on my ship, as long as you don't try anything... stupid."
There was a veiled threat there that he had no doubt the king would pick up on. With that he ushered the others out of the cabin and threw the bolt again.
"Ulrich, you or Burn see to his head wound and make sure he is as comfortable as possible. Search that cabin and make sure there isn't anything in it that he can use to harm himself, others or for escape. I want a guard posted here 24-7 and only one of us who already know his identity, and Burn, are allowed in that cabin - that includes serving him his meals." He turned to go back up on deck and added, "Once the cabin is safe, untie his hands. He can't go the whole voyage trussed up like that."
At the top of the ladder he called back down, "officer's meeting in my cabin in half an hour." and then went to survey their progress down the river and see if they were being followed.
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Post by Brandwyn on Apr 23, 2010 11:55:47 GMT -5
A week later the Krakatowan Razor was far out to sea, heading for the northeast shores of Gallica where Tony had his own little private port in a sheltered alcove near the mouth of the Stormwhite Sea.
Tony was in the forecastle with his telescope trained on the horizon in front of his ship. He figured they had maybe one or two days left before sighting land. Currently he was flying Araluen colors and he glanced up at the flag, wondering which of the many flags he should put up so close to Gallican waters. The Araluen flag would likely invite some unwanted attention. Though it was a risk, he decided to fly Gallican colors. Perhaps any Gallican coast guard patrols would just wave him on through. If he flew Teutlandt colors he would be sure to be boarded and he couldn’t afford that.
“Ulrich,” Tony said as he turned and scanned the horizon all around them, “better get the men to keep the ballistae ready and have their weapons to hand. I always run into something every time I get near home.” Perhaps it was just paranoia, but he was getting jumpier, the closer they got to the country of his birth. Of course it could just be because his face was known and wanted by every authority in the land and if caught he would surely hang. Maybe. He had always figured that was how he was going to end anyway – either at the end of a rope, or the point of a sword. Since he was used to that inevitability he didn’t think that was why he was so nervous right now. The sea seemed to be brewing – like something was building just over the horizon. Maybe a storm was coming despite the signs of a perfectly beautiful sea sky. “Batten down all the hatches but the main one and see that the ship is battle ready and storm ready. Something… Something is not right here.”
Mortimer looked over at his captain and friend and hid a smile. Tony always got this way as they neared his homeland. Although he couldn’t really blame him, Tony was right in his assessment that they always ran into some kind of trouble every time they entered Gallican waters. He scanned the horizon too, but didn’t see anything with his naked eye. “Double the watch, Sir?”
“Aye, Mort. Good idea.” Tony closed the scope and handed it to Mort. “Keep an eye on the horizon. I am going to see to our guest.” So far as Tony knew, the identity of their surprise passenger had been kept a secret, though the crew was buzzing with speculation as to who it could be. Some thought the Captain had brought a woman on board and speculated as to her identity. Those who knew weren’t talking; their lives depended on keeping the secret. The only one Tony worried about spilling the beans was the giant that had brought them their prisoner. Tony had been trying to figure a way to get the giant to turn over custody of the King to him, but wasn’t sure how loyal he was to the mastermind behind this hair-brained idea. Tony scowled at the way he had been played. She would pay – either in gold or in flesh – she would pay.
He descended into the main hold and made his way to the aft section, noting that no one was in the hold at this time. Pushing aside a large barrel, he pulled out his ring of keys and pried out a knot in the plank on the deck. Below it was a lock. He opened the secret hatch and checked the two crates he had stored in the 6 foot square compartment. They seemed to be intact. He made sure the ropes binding them to the deck 2 feet below were secured and then replaced the hatch and the wood knot that hid the lock. He rolled the barrel back over the hatch and stacked a couple of crates on top and strapped them all together, securing them to the inner hull of the ship. He took a look around, ensuring no one had seen him. Then he made his way back up one deck for his twice daily visit with his guest.
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Post by JezusBagels on Apr 24, 2010 13:48:16 GMT -5
“Ulrich, better get the men to keep the ballistae ready and have their weapons to hand. I always run into something every time I get near home.”
"You got it, Tony." Ulrich nodded and went off to speak with all the men. With 'cargo' like they had on the ship now, one could never be too careful. Of course none of the men were too happy that Tony wanted them to be on edge. Less because it meant more work for them and more because he was usually right. He stood against the main mast and oversaw the operations, just as he usually did when Tony decided to disappear below deck. The sun was just starting to disappear beneath the horizon. If they were going to be attacked at night, Ulrich didn't want to be at any sort of disadvantage. The thought sent a cold shiver up his spine. ______________________
Wesley, just as he had been for the majority of their week at sea, sat outside the door to Duncan's room. He knew that the king couldn't escape, but he knew that the sight of him scared most of the crew, so (after many attempts to try to be helpful on deck) he only went up on deck when he needed the fresh air. Besides, as long as they brought him food when he was hungry, it didn't really matter to Wesley how he was involved in the ship's operations. It was as he finished a loaf of bread, licking his fingers for crumbs, that Tony rounded a bend in the ship's corridors as he had so many times before on the trip.
"Good afternoon, Tony. Is it afternoon? Hard to keep track of time down here."
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 5, 2010 10:27:46 GMT -5
"Good afternoon, Tony. Is it afternoon? Hard to keep track of time down here." Wesley said.
“Closer to evening actually, my friend,” Tony answered him. “We are only a day or two from the coast and will be putting in to shore to refresh the water supplies soon.” He nodded his head toward the cabin. “Soon you will be back on dry land.”
Tony stepped into the cabin to check on King Duncan. The King feigned sleep, obviously not wanting to converse with Tony at the time. Tony decided to let him believe Tony had fallen for the ruse and exited the cabin. “He is resting right now.” As Tony was about to leave he turned back, “Ummm… keep alert. Every time I get anywhere around Gallica or Toscano I seem to run into problems. Just thought I would warn you to remain on your guard. I am not expecting trouble exactly; it just always seems to find me.”
With that Tony made his way back to his own cabin and began to enter the day’s business into his log book.
__________
The following morning Tony woke with a start and an impending sense of doom hanging above his head. He made his way up to the deck and discovered that the sun was just peeking up over the horizon.
He, Mortimer and the sailor in the crows nest saw the three ships sails at the same moment as the rising sun glinted off the rigging. “Sail Ho!” the lookout shouted and pointed. Then Tony heard the bosons’ whistles blowing on those ships and them making maneuvers to attack.
“Sound General Quarters! To Arms! To Arms!” He bellowed his voice so loud he likely was heard by the men in hold. “Man the oars!” He glanced up at the sails and noticed they were nearly empty. At pre-dawn there normally wasn’t a great deal of wind.
He pulled out his glass that he had traded a small fortune for from some Aslavian and trained the end on the ships that were barely visible over the swells of the sea. He could see oars being run out and they started to pick up speed, moving in his direction. “We aren’t going to outrun ‘em.” He muttered under his breath.
“Ai Cap’n. They got the jump on us in the dark.” Mortimer agreed, looking worried as he studied the situation. “Are they Imperial ships?”
Tony studied the flags and shook his head. “I don’t think so. They are flying some man’s personal colors in the front. Gallican in the back, but I don’t see the Gallican naval emblem anywhere.” Tony had only a couple of minutes to try and figure out who they might be before the ships were on top of them. Then he was shouting orders to the crew scrambling over the decks.
The Razor was no match for a warship, let alone three. Fighting would be suicide. Outrunning them was out of the question. “Prepare to run up the white.” Tony said to Mortimer just as the ballistae hit the hull of the Razor, now sporting the name ‘The Gray Lady’ and the ship shuddered as the ropes were pulled taught between the ships.
The Razor lurched and then was pulled by two of the warships into a 90 degree turn. The sails flapped uselessly as sailors scrambled to draw them tight and then the deck lurched under their feet. Tony grabbed the railing, watching the mast as the crow’s nest plunged down toward the sea. The sailor in the crow’s nest was hanging on for dear life, his eyes wide with fear. For a moment Tony thought his ship was going over and the fleeting thought that drowning would be preferable to hanging ran through his mind. Then the ship righted itself and he heaved a sigh of relief. It was very short-lived however as he realized that they were neatly caught with no hope to fight or escape.
There was only one option Tony could think of to get out of this mess. “Raise the white flag!” He hollered to the sailors on deck recovering from the sudden direction change. “Sound the whistle for ‘parlay’. Let’s hope they want to talk.” The last bit was said softly to Mortimer who nodded solemnly.
“Seems a bit strange there would be three warships sitting out here and we just happened to run into them, doesn’t it?” Mortimer asked.
“More than strange, I would say. I suspect a pretty young lass has something to do with this, as well as that passenger we carry being the object of their desire.” Tony nodded his chin at the warship that was gaining speed to ram him broadside. “Brace for impact! Get some men down there to shore up the hole this thing is going to make!”
“Sir, if she rams us, we are done for.” Mort pointed out the obvious. Tony ignored him, waiting for either the impact, or an answer to their request to parlay.
“Send someone below to make sure the oarsmen and rest of the crew is armed. Hurry!” Tony ordered Mort. “Maybe we can just give them some of the obvious cargo and that will be the end of it.” He didn’t believe that for a minute, but he had to have some kind of plan and this was all he could think of in the circumstances.
There was always the ‘special’ cargo he could fall back on if he needed to. If he were lucky, and a good talker, maybe he and his crew would make it out of here alive. If he were very lucky he might even make it out of here with his ship. It was a big “if”.
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Post by Ringulf on Aug 5, 2010 11:49:35 GMT -5
The flagship again was heard to sound its whistles and the the many sets of oars beat the water to a white froth as the ship lept forward pointing it's deadly metal ram at the waterline, amidships, the Grey lady now exposing her full broadside, totally vulnerable to the charging black sea dragon!
Just as the flagship was about to lurch forward into it's charge of watery death the white flag was run up aboard the Grey Lady.
"Mon Admiral ze ship 'as struck her colours she iss raising the white flag!"
"All stop! dig oars and maintain your position! Archers to the ready! Bring me my speaking trumpet!" The admiral ordered.
"Your Excellency," The admiral turned to the shadows of the covering deck and addressed the tall dark shape standing within, They have raised a white flag to parlay shall we honor it?"
"Of course we will admiral, by all means invite this pirate captain to come visit me," Said the deep, syrupy sweet, poison voice from within the shadows, "we will ascertain what manner of man we are dealing with, before needlessly waisting any more ammunition or feeding the sharks... though it is a shame the sharks look so thin this season... Ah well in the name of diplomacy we can still kill them all later I suppose, bring him on board Admiral, make haste it is starting to get hot!" With that the shadowy figure disappeared into the folds of darkness within the underdeck.
When a sailor ran up to the Admiral with the large, brass speaking trumpet emblazoned with the Gallican Naval emblem, He put the trumpet to his mouth and shouted through it to the Grey Lady:
"Ahoy aboard the Grey Lady! strike your colors and your sails, put down your arms and let me address your captain!"
Seeing a number of likely subjects he continued,
"By order of His Gaulican Majesty's Navy and The commanding Barron Rathbone you are being detained and are given the opportunity for the Captain of the Grey Lady to come aboard the flagship Dragone Nior" for an audience with the baron, Make no aggressive moves and none will be harmed!"
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 5, 2010 12:49:50 GMT -5
"Ahoy aboard the Grey Lady! strike your colors and your sails, put down your arms and let me address your captain!"
Tony scowled darkly, knowing there was little he could do but comply. “Mort, you stay here with the ship. If you see a chance to get away, take it. Otherwise just do as they say. If all they want is the cargo let them have it.” Tony said as he pulled out his scimitar and buried its point into the deck at his feet. He pulled his belt knife and flipped it into the wood right next to the sword. The rest of the crew on deck followed suit and dropped their weapons where they stood. Tony hoped those below decks would keep their weapons as long as they could. He ordered the crew to furl the sails.
“What about our guest? What if they want him?” Mortimer asked softly.
Tony thought for a minute and said, “Well I suspect that is why they stopped us and might be part of her plan. I suppose we will have to hand him over. I can always collect from the Lady later – if I survive.” He said grimly, retying his sash around his belt.
“Ulrich, I hope you feel up to a little guard duty. I would be honored if you kept my back and accompanied me over there.” Tony turned to the mercenary and met his eyes. “I will not order you to do so, though, since we are likely going to our deaths.” He pulled Spook off his shoulder and handed the small black cat to Lee. “If I don’t come back, take care of Spook, will you? She always liked you.”
Turning back to Mort, he said, “I mean it, should the opportunity arise to get the ship and the crew away, you take it. Don’t worry about me and don’t attempt a rescue unless the odds are in your favor.”
He stepped up to the rail and waved to the flagship and bellowed; “I am ready to come aboard and discuss the reasons why you have detained my ship.” Then he stepped over the side, and spun around in mid-air to grab the sides of the rope ladder that dropped down into the dingy he’d just had lowered over the side. The maneuver was impressive and carried him more than halfway down the hull of the ship. He slid the rest of the way and dropped lightly into the small boat. It was a cocky move, not one made by a nervous Captain that had things to hide. Though Tony’s insides were all one big knot, he was not about to let this Gallican Baron know that he was the least bit intimidated.
Four crew members climbed down the ladder behind him and took up the oars. Tony glanced up to see if Ulrich was following or not. After a few minutes of studying his ship, almost saying farewell to her, he ordered the crew to start rowing toward the flagship. Standing up in the prow of the Dingy, with one foot up on the rim of the boat and his elbow resting on his knee, he used the time to try and figure out who this Baron was. The name was not familiar, but then there were dozens and dozens of small upstart Barons in Gallica. Did anyone know them all? The bigger question was whether or not this really was an agent of the King of Gallica or if he was just throwing the title around to impress people. Three warships spoke volumes though. Either he was legit, or he had a lot of money and influence. Neither scenario bode well for Tony.
The dingy slid on up next to the flagship and the sailors grabbed some ropes hanging over the side and stabilized the dingy. “Permission to come aboard?” Tony called out, looking over the ship and taking in as much details as he could on her construction, armament and crew as he waited to board the vessel. He firmly reined in the butterflies flitting around in his stomach and put on an air of bravado and arrogance and even a touch of impatience at having to deal with such a trivial matter when he was so busy.
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Post by JezusBagels on Aug 5, 2010 19:07:15 GMT -5
"I would be honored if you kept my back and accompanied me over there.”
Ulrich nodded silently, following behind Tony as they boarded the little dingy and made their way over to the other ship. He had his own mission in life to complete; his own debt to repay... But loyalty had to count for something, right? The solution was simple: Ulrich did not intend to die today and he would guard Tony with his life. In a perfect world, that meant neither of them would die today.
“Permission to come aboard?”
He stood with Tony, examining the ship and taking in as much detail as possible, though whether that information would be used to make an escape or to burn the vessel down into the ocean was yet to be seen. He glanced at his captain for a moment and frowned. After all this time on the man's ship, he'd gained an affinity for noticing when he was putting on a guise. He wanted to reassure Tony that they would be fine, but he knew it did not look good for a captain's man to speak before being spoken to. And right now, Tony needed to look as big as possible. So he clapped his captain on the shoulder and left it at that, waiting for the men on the ship above them to decide their fate. __________________________________
Wesley awoke with a jump as the Razor made a sharp turn in the water. There was shouting. This frustrated Wesley. He had been having the most wonderful dream and now he could barely remember it. Something about... chicken... He grabbed his axe off the floor where it had fell during the turn and made his way up to the main deck. He looked around and was more than a little angered to see more big boats. There was only supposed to be one. And he was on that one. He walked--more tripped over himself, actually, not having fully grown his sea legs yet--over to Mort and tapped him on the shoulder with his giant index finger. He half-spoke, half-growled out the word, "Explain."
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 6, 2010 7:58:40 GMT -5
He walked--more tripped over himself, actually, not having fully grown his sea legs yet--over to Mort and tapped him on the shoulder with his giant index finger. He half-spoke, half-growled out the word, "Explain."
Mort had seen the large man come up on the deck and move awkwardly over to him, but was focused on his Captain and Ulrich making their way to the flagship. At Wesley's rather brisk tap on his shoulder Mort turned to him and said,
"We are being detained by some Baron of the Gallican Fleet, or so he claims. Tony has gone over to parlay with them and find out what is going on." Mort had a worried look on his face, glancing at all the men on the other two ships that had crossbows trained on them. "I would suggest you set that axe down before they stick some arrows in you. Just keep it close enough to grab at a moment's notice if they start to board us. Not that we stand a snowball's chance in hell of winning this fight."
Mort glanced down to the top of the ladder coming from below decks where some of his men were just about to emerge on deck. He shielded his hand with his body from the archers and motioned them back down with a slight shake of his head. The man in the lead nodded and motioned the others back down while he stayed on the steps, his sword drawn.
"I don't want to alarm you, Wesley, but Tony thinks it is possible they know about our passenger and have come to take him. No proof of that yet, but that is Tony's hunch and one I happen to share." Mort glanced around at all three warships again. "Too much of a coincidence that they are here as if lying in wait for us specifically."
Turning back to Wesley he said, "The Lady you are working for wouldn't have happened to arrange this, would she? Tony thought you might know something about it, that maybe she said something about rendezvousing with someone and didn't bother to tell Tony."
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Post by Ringulf on Aug 6, 2010 8:42:34 GMT -5
The dingy was actually more of a gig as it had the room for several rowers and the captain as well as his escort. The small craft closed quickly the short distance between the Grey Lady and the flagship. moving to the side ropes and the boarding ladder the formalities were not overlooked.
“Permission to come aboard?” Tony called out.
"Permission Granted!" came a voice from above.
The pair was greeted by a very stern looking Admiral as he looked them over with obvious disdain he also effected an air of civility.
"Welcome aboard the Dragone Noir gentlemen, as guests I would allow you to retain your weapons...normally....However you may not carry them in the audience with the Barron, so if I may have them now I assure you they will be well cared for and returned to you when you leave."
"Please follow me." said the officer and he turned and moved to the aft of the ship, He stopped at the edge of the covered deck and motioned them before him.
When there eyes adjusted to the light, or rather the lack there of, they saw a rather spacious area that had light curtains on all sides, Around the room every few feet were guardsman dressed in black chain mail and steel barbutes They each had a stout short sword on there hip and a rather large crossbow held diagonally across their chest, cocked and loaded.
On a gold colored rug was a small but beautifully carved mahogany chair on it sat a tall figure dressed in a dark robe. about him on the floor 2 women rather scantily clad lounged around him and behind him to each side 2 more guardsmen stood in similar dress as the other guards, but each equipped with a large shield bearing the black double headed eagle on a gold field and a short spear.
"Come in gentleman, whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?" The dark figure intoned
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 6, 2010 14:40:05 GMT -5
Tony noticed the two women lounging at the Baron’s feet, running his eyes over their mostly naked forms approvingly before turning to study this rather brash Baron. The coat of arms looked vaguely familiar, but Tony had not kept up with all of the nobility of Toscano since he had taken up the pirate life, let alone those Barons of Gallica. He now wished that perhaps he had educated himself on them. Maybe he would have had a bit more information about this one in particular if he’d been paying attention.
He bowed low, sweeping his hat to the floor in a wide arc and then stood up straight, replacing his hat and tucked his thumbs in his belt, his feet wide in a casual parade-rest stance.
“Greetings Your Excellency! I am Antonio de Cortina, son of Baron Fernando de Cortina of Toscano and Captain of – The Gray Lady.” He had almost said Captain of the Krackatowan Razor, but had remembered just in time that the ship was not bearing her true name at the moment. He tossed his father’s name and title in there just to give this Baron pause. One might go out and kill your average pirate without any reservations, but killing the son of a nobleman could bring on undesired consequences. Besides, this let the Baron know that he was not dealing with a commoner, but rather a nobleman as well.
“This is my mate, Ulrich McManus.” Tony waved his hand at Ulrich. Towering over the Baron, and playing up his height to his full advantage, Tony tactfully demanded an explanation from the Baron. “Now, what possible reason would the Royal Fleet of Gallica have in detaining me and my ship, or are you out here in international waters randomly stopping all ships that sail past?” Then, pushing the aggrieved merchant a little far, he added, “and you didn’t have to tear holes in my ship, you know. A simple parlay flag would have sufficed. I assume I shall be compensated for the unnecessary damages.”
He oozed self-confidence and authority, sensing that any sign of weakness would be exploited by the man in front of him. However he couldn’t help his eyes straying occasionally to the red-headed buxom lass at his feet. She appeared to be sorely used, with several marks on her body, yet she sat with her head up and a look of almost defiance in her eyes. Tony noted the collar around her neck and matching ones around her ankles and wrists. He snapped his attention back to the Baron, trying not to be distracted by the pretty female. This was no time to loose his wits.
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