I greet the captain with a smile and ask after his name. His pretty face be tense and flushed with the pain from his leg, but he makes a good fist of being dignified as he responds.
“Captain James Montagu of Sandwich, and my father, the earl, shall have you hunted down like the-”
“Sandwich?” I interrupt him. I have no patience for empty threats. “Your father be famous for ordering roast beef between two slices of bread so he could hold it in one hand while gambling with the other. Sorry, matey, but I doubt he’ll be lifting a finger for his fourth spawnling in the line of succession.”
Sandwich looks suitably startled at that. “Fifth actually, but how did you-”
“I hear them toffs be all the same. One to succeed, one for the military, one for the clergy, and if there’s more, send them packing to make their own fortunes. If number one and two cark it, there’s always the one wrapped up in lamb’s wool in the church to take over.”
He eyes me for a moment, weighing his options. He knows I’m right. Then he makes a brave move, one that catches me off guard.
“I care not what you do with me. Ransom me if you like, but do not make it too large. My father will likely pay up just to seem magnanimous in the company of his fellow nobles. But please allow my crew to return to England. They are good people and I will not see them butchered due to my own ridiculous ambitions.”
I do a quick headcount of the Stallion’s remaining crew.
Sea Stallion
Crew: 31
I lost a few more of me own crew before the fracas ended. Croc is already having the injured shifted back to our ship to be seen to. Five in total, but two of them look like they won’t survive to see the sunrise.
The Albatross
Crew: 90
Shaka still has that glint of vengeance in his eyes. Likely enough, there’s a few other ladies and lads with their blood up still, wanting to avenge their shipmates. But I’m just not that kind of pirate.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t feed you all to the sharks? And don’t be trying to play on me kind heart. I left that in the pants of me other life.”
That gets a chuckle from me crew and a few finger their cutlasses in bloodthirsty anticipation. Even though I have no intention of murdering these poor buggers, it’s always good practice to improve to me reputation with me fellow pirates. Some of them ain’t as nice as me.
“The Star of Atlantis,” he offers with a faint smile like I’m some fishy he’s trying to bait. I resist the urge to slap that stupid smirk off his face.
“No such bloody thing,” scoffs Inkman beside me.
“Oh, I assure you,” Sandwich persists, “the finest scholars in London have confirmed its actuality. Imagine that, captain, a jewel with the power to take you wherever you wish in the blink of an eye.”
I reckon he’s just playing me, bluffing on a dud hand, so I press him a little bit.
“Tell it to me straight, Sandwich. Be the Star of Atlantis real or are you pulling this all out of your backside.”
He looks me in the eyes with those baby blues of his. “The Star is real and I know where it is.”
I feel a warming in the cockles of me heart. We’ve all heard the legend of the Star, how a ship bearing that jewel could vanish from one spot and reappear one hundred leagues away. Bloody dangerous tool in the hands of a pirate. It could make me the richest and most feared buccaneer in all the seven seas. It’d be nice to knock a few of them Caribbean corsairs off their pedestals.
“I think you best be giving me that map, lordling.”
“There is no map.” He taps the side of his head with his index finger. “It is all up here.”
I find that hard to believe. “You mean to say you’ve all the coordinates and specifics in that noggin of yours? Must be quite some grey matter in that skull.”
“The blessings of a Cambridge education. Rote learning under threat of the cane. Does wonders for one’s memory.”
“Wouldn’t know,” I admit. “Tend to do most of me learning on the job.”
Me mother taught me all the basics but I’ve never been one to sit still long enough to jam schooling down me throat. Too busy seeing what life has to teach me. I draw me rapier and press the point gently to the neck of the boatswain alongside his lordship. She’s a tawny-haired lass with a few streaks of grey in her hair.
“Then you’ll be drawing me a map else I’ll be adding a little sauce to your sandwich.”
Another chuckle from me crew and a pleasing note from the otherwords.
Your shipmates are clearly enjoying the show.
+1% to crew morale
Morale: 86%
Please note that, upon taking the Sea Stallion, your crew’s morale increased by 10% from 75% to 85%
“That would be an experienced sailmaster you are threatening to dispatch. Abigail North, meet Captain…”
He trails off, leaving me to fill in the blanks. I have to give it to this toff. He’s cool as a cucumber under pressure, and I quite like cucumber in me sandwiches.
“Captain Grace Deadeye Cortez and this be the fine and fearsome crew of the Albatross.” Me crew give a rousing cheer. “Assuming I do come over with a bout of mercy,” I tell the English sailors, “you best be sharing the story far and wide that it was the hungry Albatross that plucked your Stallion’s gizzards.”
A few of the Brits are smart enough to eagerly nod their agreement. I turn back to Sandwich and fix him with me most magnanimous smile.
“It be your crew’s lucky day then. Looks to me there’s enough sails left on this tub to limp her as far as the Azores archipelago, as long as those poor Portuguese bastards haven’t been swept away in the tidal waves. We’ll leave your lot enough supplies so they don’t starve or die of thirst before they get there.”
“I appreciate your mercy, Captain Cortez,” says Sandwich. “In return, I shall be your guide on a quest to find the Star of Atlantis.”
You have been offered a quest!
Star of Atlantis
At the height of the Atlantean Empire, its ships were said to be able to travel vast distances in mere moments, thanks to enchanted jewels affixed to their helms.
During the Fall of Atlantis, most of the minor jewels were lost, but the largest and most powerful, the Star of Atlantis, was embedded in the helm of the Emperor’s Dragon, the flagship of the Atlantean fleet.
The Dragon is thought to have been docked at Atlantis during the Great Submergence, but its exact whereabouts have been veiled by the mists of time and rumor.
Do you wish to accept the Star of Atlantis quest?
Aye or Nay?
“I can tell by that faraway look that you are at least considering my offer,” remarks Sandwich with that faint smile of his again.
“It’d still be easier if you drew me a map.”
“Then you would have no use for me, other than the meagre sum you will gain in ransom.” He inclines his head toward Boatswain North. “I will throw Abigail in to sweeten the deal. We shall willingly assist you in this quest. In return, I simply ask for our freedom once the quest is complete.”
The boatswain fixes him with a filthy glare but she’s smart enough to keep her mouth shut. After all, she’s about to have the adventure of her life, and aiding pirates is generally preferable to being torn apart by the sharks that I can now see circling our two ships. Nilsson and a few of the English casualties fell into the sea during our battle, offering plenty of blood for the sharks to get a whiff of.
I have to admit that this whole Atlantis Star thingy be a turn up for the journals. I will the quest text over to Inkman to get his opinion. His dark eyes flick back and forth as he reads. Then he looks to me and nods his assent.
“Agreed,” I tell the toff.
Congratulations!
You have accepted the Star of Atlantis quest.
Please confer with James Montagu of Sandwich for further details.
I sheath me rapier and turn to me crew. “Ladies and lads, gut this ship like a fish, but leave enough supplies for these English folk to make their way to Azore.”
Me crew gives a hearty cheer and sets about ransacking the Stallion, under Inkman’s watchful gaze, of course. Pirates aren’t renowned for their impulse control.
I motion for the former Captain Sandwich and Ms North to follow me back to The Albatross. Yes, this be quite an unexpected eventuality, and me mouth fare waters at the prospect of it. This trip to Atlantis is already looking up in me eyes. No doubt about it.
