| Chapter One; A Most Precious Document | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 10 2017, 04:44 AM (45 Views) | |
| Admin | Jan 10 2017, 04:44 AM Post #1 |
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A Most Precious Document “A friend can betray you, but an enemy will always stay the same.” We open to a battle in the high seas. Some serious pirate shit right off the gate. A British Royal Navy ship struggles at the hands of a buccaneer vessel. That former ship, is exactly where our story begins. On the main deck, the crew follows its captain’s orders to a tee. “GUN CREWS AT THE READY!” – He shouts. “GUNS CREWS AT THE READY!” – His crew repeats. “We must surrender while we can.” – The quartermaster tells his cap’n, solemnly. Two men hide below deck, in a separate room inside the hull. “Why aren't you on deck with the crew?” – One of the men asks the other. “I think the better question is: why aren't they all down here with us?... You could get killed up there!” – The other replies. “Oh, so you're a coward, then?” “Guess so. You, too?” “I'm no coward. I'm a cook. I've no quarters to man.” The man threateningly approaches the second man. “What do you think the captain would do if he found out you've abandoned yours?” Without much thought, the self-proclaimed coward replies: “Well, if he's dead and I'm alive, I like my chances.” Yells and cannonball explosions are heard from the upper deck. “You know who that is out there? That ship flies the banner of Captain Hale.” “Isn't this your problem, too?” “Good cooks are in short supply, even for criminals.” – The cook retorts, before laughing pityingly. – “But you? Cowering below decks, dodging a fight? They'll gut you for sport.” The second man notices a piece of paper in the cook’s hand, that his eyes keep darting back to. “What is that?” – He asks. “Nothing.” – The cook replies, curling the piece of paper within his hand and hiding it behind his back. “That doesn't seem like nothing.” “Well, maybe when Captain Hale gets here, we can let him decide.” “You wouldn't want to do that.” “No? Why not?” The second man pulls a dagger and presses the pointy end of the blade against the cook’s neck. “Oh.” The upper deck sounds less and less rowdy as time goes by. The dagger is driven deep into the cook’s throat, and he falls to his knees, bleeding. The door is abruptly pounded on, giving the second man little time to steal the piece of paper from the now dead man’s hand. “It’s blocked, Mr. Gordon.” – We hear from the outside. “Well, blow it open already!” Shooting at a keg of gunpowder in front of the door, the pirate crewman produces a magnanimous explosion that does, quite indeed, blow open the door. From within the smoke and dust emerges Captain Hale’s quartermaster, Herman Gordon. “What the feck is this?” – He asks, witnessing the murder scene. The second man quickly regains his composure, and prepares to put on an act that might just save his life from these dreaded pirates. “He couldn't handle the thought of what you might do to him… I, on the other hand, would very much like to join your crew.” The man extends his hand to Gordon, almost as if he’s actually expecting it to be shaken! “My name is Nog Silver. And I happen to be a very good cook.” Back in the upper deck, Captain Hale himself, a striking figure of a man, over 6 foot tall. A fake beard glued onto his face because he does not possess the ability to grow a beard while being, however, a pirate captain, and pirate captains needing to, clearly, maintain standards. “Know this, now that the fight is over. You have nothing more to fear from us today. Because we know this fight was not of your making. It was the choice of our true enemy. Your true enemy.” Hale points at the fallen body of the Royal Slag’s captain. “The tyrant captain.” He draws from the inside pocket of his magnificent long coat a Big Mac, unwraps it, and takes a big bite. Through the chewing, he continues his speech. Of course, nobody can actually make out what he’s saying now. “Man’o’us onssailoshiplikis one.” – He finishes his bite – “We know what it is to be slaves to his whim, his violence, his shit wages, and his insufferable stupidity. So we've made for ourselves a different life where we don't rely on wages, we own a stake, we EAT stakes. And our pleasure isn't a sin. It's a virtue.” Jake Hale pauses. “We also know what it's like to see our brothers die in the service of no end other than a tyrant's pride. Trust me. I was in EWE.” The captured sailors gasp. “That’s right. You heard me.” From inside the ship come Nog Silver – his hands tied behind his back, akin to the rest of his crew – and Herman Gordon. “This one wants to join.” – Herman tells the captain as he comes near him. – “Says he can cook.” “He’s not the only one.” – Hale replies before walking away. Smoothly walking over the plank back to his own vessel, Captain Hale is met by his accounts man, Dyldo. “We made a full sweep of the hold and we found eight more casks of whale oil.” “That's all?” “Total tally 400. Jensen's broken his arm. RJD’s been shot in the leg. After injury payments, we will net just under 8 dollars per man.” “8? The crew will not be happy.” – Blackie Bones interjects. Blackie Bones had been one of Captain Hale’s most trusted and loyal men. Aside from Gordon, he was considered second in command. But his jealousy of the quartermaster was not an unknown trait. “When are they ever?” – Hale asks. “When their end is a hell of a lot richer than 8 fucking dollars, maybe.” Hale ignores Blackie, continuing his Big Mac. The latter doesn’t settle for the lack of answer. He pulls out the captain’s log from the seized ship. “It’s all there.” Hale grabs the handbook and inspects it, noticing it’s missing a page. “It’s missing a page.” It’s missing a page. “Has to be the schedule.” – Blackie adds. Has to be the schedule. “Minor obstacle. It’s gotta be in their ship, somewhere. We’re getting close.” “Let me see if I have this right, this is the fourth prize in a row from which the profits will barely exceed the expenses it took to win it. Herman's out there trying to convince your crew to torture that poor bastard of a captain simply 'cause he hasn't worked out how to get them to do it to you. But all is well because you've discovered that the information we can't tell anybody we're looking for exists on a page that we don't have.” Captain Hale had been on the hunt for this schedule for weeks. Nay, months. He and only he suspected of its contents, however. “Yet.” “What?” “We don’t have the page, yet.” On the opposing vessel, Herman Gordon is confronted by Jeff, a ruthless mercenary-like man, who had long mistrusted the ship’s captain. “Five? You want to bring on five more men? A carpenter, two carpenter's mates, a gunner's mate and the cook!” “Hard to refuse a skilled hand, Jeff. You know I like skilled hands.” “Oh I know you like skilled hands alright. Or is it their votes you want? Squarely in the captain's pocket, yet you still got the crew believing you're their advocate… I wonder if you'll afford me the same wide berth you give that bastard once I take his place.” “Fuck off, Jeff.” “No u.” Jeff walks away. Having had Blackie Bones drag the opposing captain’s body over to their own ship, Hale stands over the officer, questioning him. What does Hale say/do? - “Where’s the missing page, cocksucker?” - “You’re gonna give me the missing page, or I’m gonna show you the true meaning of the term ‘ass pirate’.” - Punch the captain repeatedly across the face about 500 times until he finally tells you where the fucking page is. - Menacingly stare at him like the legendary pirate cap’n you are. “What do you want from me?!” – The captain and his horrendous acting skills respond. “THE PAGE, FAGBAG McFUCKHEAD!” – Blackie Bones interjects. “THE ONE THAT WAS RIPPED FROM YOUR LOG!” “if you know where it is, now would be a good time to say so.” – Hale adds, calmly. He continues to chomp into his burger as he awaits a response. “I don't have it! One of my men must have taken it!” “Everyone was searched.” “If I knew more, I'd tell you! Now call off your men!” The captain sees Captain Hale’s crew just dying to tear into him, and rip his balls out with their hands. Perhaps even their teeth. This is when he gets the hunch that there is nothing Hale can do to keep them off his throat (and balls), no matter whether or not he even wants to. “You can't, can you?...” – The opposing captain chuckles. – “You're their captain, but you have no control over them.” Hale just turns around and walks away, as behind him his crew jump onto the officer like a pack of fucking horny hyenas. “Get us under way.” – Hale tells Herman, as he walks back to his cabin. On the sandy shores of Nassau, Captain Shawnbeard had set foot on land for the first time in over a month. On Nassau land specifically, the first time in years. Leaving his crew to tend to his legendary ship, Shawnbeard made his way into the busy, rowdy pirate town. He had sworn to himself never to return to Nassau, but here he was. Surely, the reasons as to why he had come had to be leviathan. “Shawnbeard!” – He heard, as he saw Captain Perry Perry approach him. “Perry!” Shawn briskly made his way toward the fellow captain in order to shake his hand. They had never before seen eye to eye. Mainly because they had never actually met, at least to the best of both their memories. They knew each other’s faces, but that was it. They shook hands. “Long time no see, old friend.” – Perry exclaimed. ‘Long time no see, my ass.’ Shawnbeard thought. He knew that the reason why Perry had come to personally greet him was his checkered past. Unlike most buccaneers, Shawnbeard never believed that Nassau was the correct place to settle a pirate colony, and had deviated from the town many years prior, only stopping by very rarely when he had business transactions that would not be profitable elsewhere. Such as ass cream. Nassau had, unlike Tortuga, Port Royal – and other harbours where pirates might find trade, and whores – an incredibly high demand for ass cream. Perry, however, had long been a loyal servant of the Nassau “colony”. Revered by most of the small population, and respected by all, he had long since been appointed a position akin to a secretary of war. In truth, all he did was sit on a chair atop the fort, and watch the ships as they came and went. Of course, seeing Shawnbeard’s ship landing today had come as a surprise to Captain Perry. “Aye, I haven’t been to sea in mighty years, I’ll admit. But even I know the ass cream business has taken a nosedive!” – He said, with spite, with a chuckle and a forged smile. – “What brings you to Nassau?” What does Shawn say/do? - “Personal business.” - “Fuck off, Perry”, pat him on the shoulder with a smile, and walk on. - “I’m looking for the Bastard Brothers.” - Poke him in the eyes and make a run for it. Ain’t got time to get questioned, meng. “He has the votes.” – Herman worriedly affirms, as he walks into Hale’s cabin. “Beg your pardon?” “Jeff. He has the votes to replace you as captain.” This gets Hale’s undivided attention. “Not every last one.” – Herman adds. – “Haven't finished canvassing yet, but when he gets ashore and he doesn't have to be sneaky about it, he'll get what he needs.” “I thought you said it would never get to this.” “Now, hang on, Jake—“ “I thought you said you put loyal men in all the right places so the crew would never turn.” “No, no.” – Herman tries to defend his actions. – “I never said never. I'm too old to be using that word.” “You’re like eighteen! Don't give me that shit!” – Hale outrageously blurts out. – “I told you there would be some lean days while we tracked that ship! You said the crew would weather it.” “Days. Lean days.” – Herman interrupts. – “It's been three months with no profits to speak of and nobody knows what it's all been for because you don't trust them with the truth.” “I don't trust them with the truth!” “So here we are.” “Fucking Jeff... They think he has any idea how to put money in their pockets?” “All they know or care about Jeff, right now, is that he isn't you.” “I just need a few more days.” “The page is gone. It could be anywhere. What makes you think all you need is a few more days?” “Joey can help me recreate the schedule.” “Joey?” – Herman scoffs. – “You think he's gonna help you?” Hale doesn’t reply, he doesn’t doubt Joey’s loyalty for one second. “Let's just for fun say that he doesn't. What then?” “Then I'll forget about the schedule and go back to hunting fat, lazy merchantmen and everyone will be content.” What does Herman say/do? - “So this is one of those times where we pretend we don’t both know that you’re lying?” - “There’s nothing more I can do to keep the crew from voting on Jeff. You’re gonna have to win their votes yourself.” - Leave and try to get the crew’s support, once more. - Leave, AND slam the door behind you. Proving a point or something. Back on the beach, Captain Hale’s ship, itself, the Majestic McShip had just landed. Despite most the crew remaining on the ship, what with Hale not wanting them to come ashore and be prone to Jeff’s influence. Long Nog had been allowed to go ashore, however, in order to gather supplies. He was the ship’s new cook, and he made a point out of buying fresh ingredients before they once again set sail. The main thought on Nog’s mind was getting out of this situation. He most definitely could not cook, and as soon as the pirate crew found out he had murdered the on-board chef of the Royal Slag while just hiding in the hull like a coward, he’d be as good as dead. Being left to his own devices on the shore, Long Nog decided to venture out into town. He needed to find a way to get back to actual civilization, despite having no money in his pockets and absolutely no bearings as to wherever he hell he was. Seeing Dyldo walk by, Long Nog decides to approach him. Carefully, however, as he cannot risk raising any suspicions. What does Nig say/do? - “Hey, Dyldo, right? Where do the crewsman usually go when they come ashore?” - “Where’s the nearest whorehouse? LONG NOG’S LONG KNOB NEEDS SOME ACTION, BAYBAY!” - “Hi. Long Nog Silver, at your service. Could you, please, y’know, tell me where I could get some information about the land, and how I could make my way out of here, as soon as possible?” - "Where's the tavern?" Dyldo gives Nog a long, somewhat surprised look. After all, what was he doing ashore? He was the new cook aboard the McShip. Unless he came to gather supplies, he had no business being on land. Then again, maybe he just wanted a drink and some pussy. “The tavern’s that way. Can’t miss it.” – Dyldo responded, pointing ahead of him, into town. “Thanks, mate.” As Long Nog turned to walk into town, he bumped into the shoulder of none other than Captain Perry. Having never seen this strange-looking fellow in Nassau before, Perry could not help but wonder who he was. As he saw Long Nog walk away, he wondered to himself if his pace wasn’t a little bit too decisive for a newly recruited crewman. Since when did newly recruited crewmen come to land, anyway? Something smelled fishy, but it might just be the dead fish that lay beside him on the sand. Then again, he also had Captain Shawnbeard’s presence in town to worry about and, to him, that meant nothing short of trouble. What does Perry do? - Ask around about Long Nog. - Follow Long Nog. - Ask around about Shawnbeard. - Return to the fort and keep watch of Shawnbeard and Hale’s ships. Having pulled Blackie Bones aside for a conversation on the shore, Captain Hale asks: “What does the crew think of me, Blackie?” “Beg your pardon?” “You're the ship's boatswain. You know what's said behind my back…” – Hale pauses. – “I know they've always found me aloof, too educated. But now it seems they feel I'm—“ What does Blackie say? - “Too weak.” - “Too stupid.” - “Too much of a God damn pussy.” - “Too careful.” This catches Hale off-guard. “I was gonna say unlucky.” He pauses, Blackie wonders if he might have just gotten himself into some deep shit right now. The ghetto kind. “So that's the thinking.” – Hale adds. – “We've been attacking ships with light loads because I'm too weak to do otherwise.” He turns to Blackie. “Is that what you think?” What does Blackie say/do? - “No, sir. I have got total faith in you.” - “…Maybe.” - “With all due respect, it’s not like I’ve been given proof otherwise, as of late.” - Run the fuck away. Pirates and whores alike lent their voices to a shanty rendition of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, as the rum, the ale, and the mead were pouring like an endless cold fountain of beautiful, crystalline freshwater. These saltwater dogs revelled, as always, in the comfort of their colony, whores, and alcohol. On a table toward the corner of the tavern sat none other than the Bastard Brothers, accompanied by their loyal companion and fierce swordswoman, Anne Goldie. Unlike the rest of the scurvy bastards in the house, Chris and Matt seemed deadlocked in serious conversation. A conversation that Long Nog overhears as he walks by, when entering the tavern. “Word around the beach is Hale finally seized the Royal Slag.” – Matt told his older brother and captain. Long Nog hid behind a wall as he eavesdropped on these notorious pirate brothers. “Huh.” – Chris replied, not showing a tenth of his curiosity. – “Was that not the ship he’d been looking for?” “Exactly.” There’s a silence as they both take a swig of their mead. “So, you’re telling me… That whatever it is that Hale was looking for, he’s found it?” “Well, one can only guess.” – Matt replied – “If you want my personal opinion, I don’t think he would have come back if he had it.” “Then why did he come back?” “Oi!” – Goldie shouts, noticing Long Nog eavesdropping on their conversation. Goldie and Matt both bolt after Nog, who runs away like he just did something real bad at an absinthe bar, but isn’t quite drunk enough to try and fight the bouncer who’s three times his size. However, as soon as they reach the tavern’s doors, they bump into none other than Captain Shawnbeard. A sense of terror fills their insides. Chris’s mug falls from his hand and crashes against the wooden planked floor of the tavern. In fact, everyone in the tavern is quite shocked by the presence of Shawnbeard, who hasn’t been seen in town in long months. Truth be told, the Bastard Brothers and Shawnbeard had not quite parted in the best of terms. Years prior, while they were still sailing under his flag, Matt, Goldie, and Chris had taken off with a huge shipment of ass cream during the night, and made their way to Nassau on a small boat. This enraged Shawnie. At the time, ass cream was already hard to come by, and that large shipment was his last hope to pay the wages of his already near-mutiny crew. This had led to his men turning on him and leaving him on a deserted island for months. After mysteriously finding his way back to pirate glory, Shawnbeard personally pursued and murdered every member of his former crew. However, it was different with Goldie, Chris, and Matt. They had been close companions long before the ass cream trade went down and, while he felt deeply betrayed, he had not seen them until today. What they had done to him that fateful night was unfathomable and, despite not having made an active effort to seek them out during the rare hours he spent in Nassau over the years hence, he never truly forgave the Bastard Brothers. How does Matt react? - “RUN!!!”, and run. - “Shawnie! It is great to see you!”, and hug Shawnbeard. - Attack Shawnbeard. - Beg for mercy. Hearing a banging on his door, the appointed governor of Nassau, Joey Roger had to stop his afternoon meat-spanking session in order to answer. You would think I’m referring to a wanking off session involving disgusting scat porn and midgets but, in fact, Joey was known to beat steaks with a hammer for a hobby. The barkeepers weren’t displeased with this, themselves, as it helped tender the meat they would then serve to the swashbucklers that may stop by for a meal and, of course, some The banging repeated itself. “I’m coming!” On the other side of the door, Captain Hale knew not whether to look forward to the door opening or be afraid. Of course, hearing Joey say the words ‘I’m coming’ was never a reason for relief, him being the known filthy sexual deviant he was. Joey opened the door and was surprised by what he saw. “Captain Hale?” – Joey took a couple of seconds to regain his composure. – “D-Do come in.” Despite being the royally appointed governor of Nassau, and a former war hero in the British Navy, Joey knew well to fear the pirates. Their captains especially so. There was no going around the fact that, despite being a British colony, Nassau was indeed overrun and controlled by the crown’s traitors. Governor Joey, himself, was seen by a large part as a pawn in the whole situation, both by England and the pirates. In spite of this, the governor was pleased with his position. He’d still get his oversized wages from the Old Country, and he controlled Nassau’s commerce. This was a great opportunity for him, he saw, to exude his personal displays of a shrewd business skill he had always convinced himself to have. Ever since his days in Harvard, Governor Roger had had a strong passion for the field of business and commerce. That, of course, being the same field that kept Nassau afloat. Pun intended. Being business-savvy and mostly (93.54%) soulless, Joey had no qualms with being used as a pawn. He was in a safe position, one that he knew would always serve as a haven if any pirates were to revolt against him, no that they had any reason to. Joey was, indeed, the ideal governor to have around, in their eyes. And they revered him, they did. “What brings you here?” “Shut up everyone hates you.” Everyone hated him? This couldn’t be! Joey was positive that he was loved around town. Taking a swig of his rum, a bite of one of his endless Big Macs and putting his feet up on the governor’s desk once sitting down, Hale proceeded: “Everyone knows the only reason you haven’t been hung in the town square is because your name sounds like Jolly Roger.” – Hale bluntly said, hurting the governor’s feelings once more, really for no reason. – “Now siddown.” Despite being the town’s de facto leader, Joey cowers like a little bitch and does as told. Hale throws the Royal Slag’s captain’s log onto the table. “I need you to help me rebuild the schedule. There’s a missing page. I need it.” “And…Why do you need this page?” – Joey asked, inspecting the log. “That’s none of your business, is it?” Hale pauses. What does Hale add? - “Fuck cunt.” - “You stupid black fucking cuckold.” - “Just do what I said.” - Nothing. Begrudgingly and worryingly, Joey gets to work, inspecting the log. After a few minutes of excruciating silence, bar the sound of Hale chomping on McDonalds, it becomes apparent enough to him that there is no way he can correctly predict what was on the missing page of the schedule. He could easily tell, just from the pages that remained in the handbook, that the schedule was a part of some sort of British-Spanish coalition to haul large shipments to and from the West Indies. However, the calculations just couldn’t be right. According to Joey Roger’s mathematics, which never failed him before, the log talked about a possible fifteen-million-dollar shipment. Fifteen-million dollars. “Jake.” “What?” “By my calculations, the pages alone refer to an enormous amount. They can’t be right.” Joey looked up and their eyes met. He realized how unfazed Hale looked by this. “…Can they?” “Joey.” – Hale said, calmly, as he removed his feet from the desk and approached him, standing up and bending over the table. – “Let’s see if you understand me. You’re not in a position to ask me these sorts of questions, at the moment. I need you to find what was on the missing page of the schedule. Do the work, and you’ll be compensated.” Joey, once again, inspected the log. After several more minutes, he concluded that it was impossible for him to figure out what was on the missing page. It was definitely directions, of some sort, he could tell that from the ink that bled through to the next page. But they were directions no man could make out. There was no way he could give Captain Hale a correct route to this apparently millionaire Spanish shipment. All he could do was attempt to draw the directions as best he could and give them to Hale. Of course, knowing Hale, if the directions were wrong, and he found out the hard way by missing the shipment, Joey would not just die. Jake Hale was one of the most feared pirate captains the world had heard of for good reason, and Joey was not about to risk being put through…The McTorture. What does Joey do? - Try his best to figure out the route, and give Hale an honest answer. - Try his best to figure out the route, and guarantee Hale that it’s correct. - Try his best to figure out the route, and give Hale an honest answer, then demand compensation in exchange for secrecy. - Try his best to figure out the route, and guarantee Hale that it’s correct, then demand compensation in exchange for secrecy. Sitting against the backdoor of some wooden house structure, despair was all that was in Long Nog’s mind. Repeatedly, he examined the page in his hand. It said nothing to him, but he knew he was a piece of the Royal Slag captain’s log. He had overheard Hale and Gordon discuss it. Moreover, he had most definitely overheard two other men whose identities he was unaware of, discuss the Royal Slag and Captain Hale’s plans. Should he give the piece of paper to the captain, and beg for his mercy? Should he give it to Jeff, who was certain to replace the captain before they set sail? Maybe he should give it to the two men, in exchange for compensation or, God forbid, necessary protection. Or, maybe… Maybe he could memorize what was on the page. Nothing could stop Jeff, Hale, or the Bastard Brothers from ruthlessly disposing of him once they had the missing page in their hands. The page was invaluable, however. A most precious document. And, if only he knew its contents and no one else, and there was no page, then he would become indispensable. An imperative comfort among thieves. The kind the governor had, he’d heard. What does Nog do? - Give the page to Jeff. - Give the page to Hale. - Give the page to the Bastards. - Memorize and burn the page. Well, that was that. First episode. Surprise for many. This will flow out at a much steadier pace than Africa, I can assure you. While I had to motivation to write that, I'm quite enjoying writing this. Plus, it's 6 years in the making, just ask Blackie. Edited by Admin, Jan 10 2017, 04:45 AM.
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8:48 AM Jul 11

