Chapter Ten-Pirates!
The Swiftbolt was a ship well named. Captain Joshua Tibbs, at least, said that no ship had ever outrun her. And his crew had to admit that had been their experience, as well. In fact, the run-down vessel they were chasing now would be easy prey.
"Captain, are you sure this one's worth it? I mean, look at it. It's kind of pathetic."
The captain, who was a very short man (standing a full head lower than his shortest crewmember), smiled up at his navigator. "Jenya, lass, all ships are worth it. Word will spread, if nothing else."
Jenya suddenly grinned back and nodded. They were catching up. The captain and the mate were bellowing orders, preparing for boarding.
The other vessel tried to run, but they didn't even make it a chase. Grapples were thrown over, and pirates swarmed aboard. Jenya stayed away from the fighting, and made for the captain's quarters. She wanted his maps, and anything else of value in there. Behind her, she heard Handsome Jack laughing in his crazy manner as three sailors tried to rush him. She grinned; they'd have better luck taking Big Gus than Jack. He was a skinny man, but was like a demon once he got his sword unsheathed. She found the cabin with a minimum of incident, only being forced to shoot a sailor once. And by the time she had removed everything of value from the cabin, her crewmates had subdued the crew. Big Gus and Kajah were standing guard, and between the two, massed about the same as the sailors.
As Jenya carried her loot to the Swiftbolt, she caught sight of the main mast and frowned. A girl was tied to it, looking terrified. Setting her spoils down, Jenya went over to the sailors. "Which one of ya fools is the captain of this bucket?" The hands eagerly pointed him out, and he strenuously objected. "You'll want to be telling me why that poor girl is tied up like that?" He stammered some nonsense, tripping over his stories. Jenya sighed. "Hey, Gus. Squeeze this guy a little for me."
Big Gus smiled in his goofy way. "Okay, Ja." He picked the captain up easily, and applied a little pressure. The captain squealed."Now, tell me the truth, or I'll let Gus pop your head off." She was serious; it was messy, but effective. "We were going to pick up some extra money. She'd fetch a fine price in Collus."
Jenya swore impressively. In addition to a sailor's vocabulary, she'd also picked up a few other languages. Even Kajah looked a little stunned. "Slavers. I hate slavers. Gus, kindly take him to the railing and see how many times you can make him skip."
Big Gus nodded, and wound up for the throw. Gus was huge and very strong; when he hurled the captain overboard, the runt flew at least thirty meters before he touched water. Jenya counted; seven skips, a new record. "That was very good Gus. Better than ever before." He smiled happily, and then Jenya sent him back over to guard the rest of the sailors, who had gotten very quiet.
"Marcus, come gimme a hand here." Marcus, the first mate, wandered over. "Help me cut her loose."
What for?"
"So we can take her over to the Swiftbolt."
He raised an eyebrow. "The Captain said that we ain't supposed to be taking prisoners."
"I'll talk to him. But she ain't staying here." He shrugged, and pulled a knife to start cutting the ropes. Jenya pulled out her own, and moved to cut off the gag. The girl twitched fearfully. "Oh, stop it. If we were going to kill you, we'd have done it already. We wouldn't be wasting time cutting you loose." She settled down a little, and Jenya neatly sliced through the gag.
"Who...who are you people?"
"Pirates. I should think that would be obvious."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Well, partly because I take issue with slavery. Partly because you look to be of high birth, and maybe someone would be wanting you back enough to make it worth it."
The girl scowled, but said nothing. Just then, Marcus got the last of the ropes cut, and the girl nearly collapsed. "How long have you been tied up there?"
"Two days, I think."
Jenya shook her head. "She's gonna have to be carried. No way she can walk."
Marcus picked her up. "And what, exactly, do I tell the Captain?"
"Tell him I've got an idea that should net us a pretty price. I'll explain it to him."
Captain Tibbs looked at the girl doubtfully. She was sitting on the deck of the Swiftbolt, shivering. "What exactly you have in mind, lass?"
"Well, we found her, didn't we? Seems like we should be entitled to a finder's fee."
The Captain grinned. "We should at that. Yer a good girl, Jenya."
Jenya sat down next to the girl. "So you want to be telling us who you are, and where you're from?"
"My name is Amber. I'm from Vandersil. Please, I can get you money if you take me there."
"That is the general idea. You got any family, girl, that'll want you back?"
She was silent.
"Girl, you may as well accept the fact that we're
holding you for ransom. All things considered, you're still better off with us than your previous hosts." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "At least we're sending you home."
Amber sighed, then gave a name.
Jenya started. "Are you telling the truth, girl?"
"Yes. What good would it do me to lie?"
Jenya stared at her for a minute, then jumped up and let out a whoop. "All ships are worth it! Cap'n, you've gotta be a prophet or something."
He frowned. "Jenya, lass, I'm glad you're thrilled, but ye mind letting us in on the secret?"
"We're a shipload of rich bastards, that's what the secret is! This girl's gorramn royalty!"
"No fooling?"
"Hell, no!"
General riot ensued as the pirates cheered raucously. The Captain got a grip on himself and shouted, "Awright, ye over-loud sons of sea-dogs! Shaddup! Set a course for Vandersil Harbor! Someone take Her Highness down and lock her in the hold."
Jenya frowned again "Cap'n, with all due respect, I think locking her in my cabin is a better idea."
"Why?"
"This girl just spent two days tied to a mast. We don't want her family pissed at us. Besides, you know what we keep down there. And you also know that it would be nigh impossible to keep the hands out of the hold."
He considered for a minute. "Right you are, girl. We'll put her in your cabin. You can keep an eye on her."
Amber stayed locked in Jenya's cabin all day. There was nothing in it that would be useful, but there were books and things to keep her occupied. She was reading one when Jenya unlocked the door come nightfall.
"Here. Thought you might be hungry." - She handed Amber some food she had snagged earlier.
"Thank you." - And she proceeded to tear into it ravenously. When she paused for breath, she looked at Jenya. "Why did you ask that they lock me in here, instead of the hold?"
"Well, for starters, that's where we keep the powder and supplies, and it would just be a bad idea. Secondly, like I said, it would be near impossible to keep the hands out of there, and I think you'd be just as content to avoid the possible implications of that." - Jenya picked up a book. "Besides, I'm a pirate, and a damn good one, but that doesn't mean I'm a total bitch."
They were making good time to Vandersil.
Jenya was poring over her new charts, adding the information to her own, when she saw a flash of red. She looked up, and sighed. Amber was running down the deck, holding what appeared to be Handsome Jack's sword. Jenya stifled her irritation; Marcus knew better than to put him on guard duty for a pretty girl. It looked like Amber was heading for the longboats.
"Jenya, can I borrow your cutlass for a minute?" - Handsome Jack was heading the same direction, looking terribly embarrassed.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that our guest is apparently brandishing yours in a threatening manner at Kajah and Bill, would it?" - "Maybe." She handed him her sword. "Jack, I feel compelled to once again remind you that despite what the pretty captive says, she does not, in fact, want to sleep with you." -"You keep telling me that, but sooner or later I'll get lucky."
"Or you'll get dead. Don't hurt her; we don't want to be giving her family damaged goods.
"Hurt her? Ye gods, woman! Then I would have no chance at all!"
As he sped down the deck, she yelled after him, "You don't have any chance anyway!"
Jenya followed him and yelled at the girl. "You have three choices. You can fight until we kill you, or you might be lucky and get taken alive, in which case we'll tie you up again even tighter then your captors did, or you can surrender NOW and promise to be good, and we won't tie you up. Which is it to be?"
Amber shrugged and let the sword fall to the deck. "I keep my promises," said Jenya. "Men. Keep a close watch on her in case she tries something stupid."
The Swiftbolt was a ship well named. Captain Joshua Tibbs, at least, said that no ship had ever outrun her. And his crew had to admit that had been their experience, as well. In fact, the run-down vessel they were chasing now would be easy prey.
"Captain, are you sure this one's worth it? I mean, look at it. It's kind of pathetic."
The captain, who was a very short man (standing a full head lower than his shortest crewmember), smiled up at his navigator. "Jenya, lass, all ships are worth it. Word will spread, if nothing else."
Jenya suddenly grinned back and nodded. They were catching up. The captain and the mate were bellowing orders, preparing for boarding.
The other vessel tried to run, but they didn't even make it a chase. Grapples were thrown over, and pirates swarmed aboard. Jenya stayed away from the fighting, and made for the captain's quarters. She wanted his maps, and anything else of value in there. Behind her, she heard Handsome Jack laughing in his crazy manner as three sailors tried to rush him. She grinned; they'd have better luck taking Big Gus than Jack. He was a skinny man, but was like a demon once he got his sword unsheathed. She found the cabin with a minimum of incident, only being forced to shoot a sailor once. And by the time she had removed everything of value from the cabin, her crewmates had subdued the crew. Big Gus and Kajah were standing guard, and between the two, massed about the same as the sailors.
As Jenya carried her loot to the Swiftbolt, she caught sight of the main mast and frowned. A girl was tied to it, looking terrified. Setting her spoils down, Jenya went over to the sailors. "Which one of ya fools is the captain of this bucket?" The hands eagerly pointed him out, and he strenuously objected. "You'll want to be telling me why that poor girl is tied up like that?" He stammered some nonsense, tripping over his stories. Jenya sighed. "Hey, Gus. Squeeze this guy a little for me."
Big Gus smiled in his goofy way. "Okay, Ja." He picked the captain up easily, and applied a little pressure. The captain squealed."Now, tell me the truth, or I'll let Gus pop your head off." She was serious; it was messy, but effective. "We were going to pick up some extra money. She'd fetch a fine price in Collus."
Jenya swore impressively. In addition to a sailor's vocabulary, she'd also picked up a few other languages. Even Kajah looked a little stunned. "Slavers. I hate slavers. Gus, kindly take him to the railing and see how many times you can make him skip."
Big Gus nodded, and wound up for the throw. Gus was huge and very strong; when he hurled the captain overboard, the runt flew at least thirty meters before he touched water. Jenya counted; seven skips, a new record. "That was very good Gus. Better than ever before." He smiled happily, and then Jenya sent him back over to guard the rest of the sailors, who had gotten very quiet.
"Marcus, come gimme a hand here." Marcus, the first mate, wandered over. "Help me cut her loose."
What for?"
"So we can take her over to the Swiftbolt."
He raised an eyebrow. "The Captain said that we ain't supposed to be taking prisoners."
"I'll talk to him. But she ain't staying here." He shrugged, and pulled a knife to start cutting the ropes. Jenya pulled out her own, and moved to cut off the gag. The girl twitched fearfully. "Oh, stop it. If we were going to kill you, we'd have done it already. We wouldn't be wasting time cutting you loose." She settled down a little, and Jenya neatly sliced through the gag.
"Who...who are you people?"
"Pirates. I should think that would be obvious."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Well, partly because I take issue with slavery. Partly because you look to be of high birth, and maybe someone would be wanting you back enough to make it worth it."
The girl scowled, but said nothing. Just then, Marcus got the last of the ropes cut, and the girl nearly collapsed. "How long have you been tied up there?"
"Two days, I think."
Jenya shook her head. "She's gonna have to be carried. No way she can walk."
Marcus picked her up. "And what, exactly, do I tell the Captain?"
"Tell him I've got an idea that should net us a pretty price. I'll explain it to him."
Captain Tibbs looked at the girl doubtfully. She was sitting on the deck of the Swiftbolt, shivering. "What exactly you have in mind, lass?"
"Well, we found her, didn't we? Seems like we should be entitled to a finder's fee."
The Captain grinned. "We should at that. Yer a good girl, Jenya."
Jenya sat down next to the girl. "So you want to be telling us who you are, and where you're from?"
"My name is Amber. I'm from Vandersil. Please, I can get you money if you take me there."
"That is the general idea. You got any family, girl, that'll want you back?"
She was silent.
"Girl, you may as well accept the fact that we're
holding you for ransom. All things considered, you're still better off with us than your previous hosts." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "At least we're sending you home."
Amber sighed, then gave a name.
Jenya started. "Are you telling the truth, girl?"
"Yes. What good would it do me to lie?"
Jenya stared at her for a minute, then jumped up and let out a whoop. "All ships are worth it! Cap'n, you've gotta be a prophet or something."
He frowned. "Jenya, lass, I'm glad you're thrilled, but ye mind letting us in on the secret?"
"We're a shipload of rich bastards, that's what the secret is! This girl's gorramn royalty!"
"No fooling?"
"Hell, no!"
General riot ensued as the pirates cheered raucously. The Captain got a grip on himself and shouted, "Awright, ye over-loud sons of sea-dogs! Shaddup! Set a course for Vandersil Harbor! Someone take Her Highness down and lock her in the hold."
Jenya frowned again "Cap'n, with all due respect, I think locking her in my cabin is a better idea."
"Why?"
"This girl just spent two days tied to a mast. We don't want her family pissed at us. Besides, you know what we keep down there. And you also know that it would be nigh impossible to keep the hands out of the hold."
He considered for a minute. "Right you are, girl. We'll put her in your cabin. You can keep an eye on her."
Amber stayed locked in Jenya's cabin all day. There was nothing in it that would be useful, but there were books and things to keep her occupied. She was reading one when Jenya unlocked the door come nightfall.
"Here. Thought you might be hungry." - She handed Amber some food she had snagged earlier.
"Thank you." - And she proceeded to tear into it ravenously. When she paused for breath, she looked at Jenya. "Why did you ask that they lock me in here, instead of the hold?"
"Well, for starters, that's where we keep the powder and supplies, and it would just be a bad idea. Secondly, like I said, it would be near impossible to keep the hands out of there, and I think you'd be just as content to avoid the possible implications of that." - Jenya picked up a book. "Besides, I'm a pirate, and a damn good one, but that doesn't mean I'm a total bitch."
They were making good time to Vandersil.
Jenya was poring over her new charts, adding the information to her own, when she saw a flash of red. She looked up, and sighed. Amber was running down the deck, holding what appeared to be Handsome Jack's sword. Jenya stifled her irritation; Marcus knew better than to put him on guard duty for a pretty girl. It looked like Amber was heading for the longboats.
"Jenya, can I borrow your cutlass for a minute?" - Handsome Jack was heading the same direction, looking terribly embarrassed.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that our guest is apparently brandishing yours in a threatening manner at Kajah and Bill, would it?" - "Maybe." She handed him her sword. "Jack, I feel compelled to once again remind you that despite what the pretty captive says, she does not, in fact, want to sleep with you." -"You keep telling me that, but sooner or later I'll get lucky."
"Or you'll get dead. Don't hurt her; we don't want to be giving her family damaged goods.
"Hurt her? Ye gods, woman! Then I would have no chance at all!"
As he sped down the deck, she yelled after him, "You don't have any chance anyway!"
Jenya followed him and yelled at the girl. "You have three choices. You can fight until we kill you, or you might be lucky and get taken alive, in which case we'll tie you up again even tighter then your captors did, or you can surrender NOW and promise to be good, and we won't tie you up. Which is it to be?"
Amber shrugged and let the sword fall to the deck. "I keep my promises," said Jenya. "Men. Keep a close watch on her in case she tries something stupid."
