Grid: N-10
Location: Onboard the
Bombardier, in Port Crowne
Lord_Of_The_LEGO wrote:Viktor pushed himself upward and tumbled over the railing. He hit the deck, spat out the knife, and was up on his feet in a defensive position. A score of sailors dropped what they were doing and stared at the intruder.
The sailors were all armed with cutlasses and dirks, although they were all sheathed, Viktor noted. One of them, who appeared to be the mate or the bosun, called out to his superior.
"Yo, Cap'n Broadside!" he called. "We've got ourselves a guest!"
The Captain, Broadside, it would appear his name was, sauntered over from the helm. He was a man of average height, dressed in a blue seaman's coat, and with a finely-plumed captain's tricorn. He had a full red beard, a jolly face, and a patch over his left eye that immediately made one think "pirate".
"Well there, my good man," he said, coming down to Viktor, leaning causually on the rails. "What brings ye aboard me ship?"
"I'm, uh..." Viktor mentally cursed himself. "I'm chasing that ship! The one that, uh, sailed away. Yesterday!"
"The
Mantis!" cried Broadside, not even noticing Viktor's vocal clumsiness.
"Uh, sure- I mean! Yes!" said Viktor.
"Then are you a foe or a friend to that scurvy cutlass, Burtrand Stormrider?" The way that Broadside asked led Viktor to suspect that it was wiser to say foe.
So he did: "I'm a foe!" said Viktor. "I'm pursuing him. He, he... he owes me a life!"
There, he thought,
that sounds vaguely serious enough, and not the sort of thing he'll pry into.
"Well then," said Broadside, heartily. "Then ye are in good company! For I am Admiral Jacques Broadside, Retired, a privateer of the Crusader nation, and keen rival of that sneaky cur, Stormrider. I had hoped to run into him in Anka Dolour, but that was not to be. Boys!" Broadside called the crew. "Raise anchor, lower sails! Set us on a course southwards! We chase the
Mantis."
"Can this ship catch Stormrider?" asked Viktor, remembering what he knew about the famed pirate. "I thought his ship was legendarily fast."
"So it was, so it was," said Broadside with a chuckle, "but that ship sank off Kingdom Isle over a year ago! This
Mantis he sails in now is a decent ship, but no item o' legend. The
Bombardier'll catch her, given enough time. She's a decent fast ship, although no
Sea Serpent, like the mad Blunderhaussen woman commands. We made it up from Talistrand in under a month."
"There's much trade between Talistrand and Port Crowne?" asked Viktor politely, although anxiously noting out of the corner of his eye that a Crusader patrol boat had rowed into view of the
Bombardier.
"Nay!" said Broadside with a laugh. "There's a wee bit o' trade, but not much. Nay, I was simply looking for any other place to be, and with the weather having finally turned for the better, I came northwards, and heard that ol' King Richie dead, and his brother Robert about to be crowned, so I decided to come this way, and view the ceremony. Had a great seat, by the way. There isn't a man alive what doesn't live his country more than I do.
"Although I really don't like our new King Robbie. He's a nice enough man, I s'pose, and it's real sad about 'is daughter, and there's no denyin' he loves this country, but he's got his mind set on rebuilding the navy- which isn't no bad thing, I turned private after being discharged- and on cracking down on pirates.
"Now, I'm no pirate, just a loyal privateer. D'you what the difference is?" Viktor, still watching the boat, shook his head. "A pirate, like that bugbag, Stormrider, serves only himself. A privateer serves his country. Even if they don't want him, or didn't commision 'im.
"That's the problem though. Without a Letter o' Marque, if that rebuilt navy comes after me, I've got no defense. Man o' War though she be, the
Bombardier's no match for an entire navy."
"Judging by what you just said," said Viktor, very calmly turning to Broadside, "I assume that you'll have no objections then to repelling or outrunning those soldier."
He directed Broadside's one-eyed gaze towards the patrol boat, which, sure enough, was headed directly for the
Bombardier, having caught sight of the man on board.
"Ahoy the
Bombardier!" called the sergeant. "We're coming aboard to take that man! He's a dangerous criminal. Be cooperative, and you'll come to no harm."
"It pains me to set meself against my own countrymen," said Broadside, "but you're right, I don' care much for laws and orders. And a chance to give Stormrider the boot only comes once in a lifetime.
"Go back where ye came from, ye pompous soldier-boys!" he yelled at the coming boat. "Or I'll send ye back to yer mommas all weeping!
"Bill!" he yelled at the mate. "Full sail! Get us out o' here!"