Limitless Seas 2, Chapter 34.

Chapter 34.

“Is that thing going to make it?” Shada asked as they led their flotilla out from the stronghold’s harbor.

Bug Bartholomew had gotten the merchantman ready in record time and given how long it took to haul the cannon back down to the Sea Venom and get it back aboard, they didn’t sit around for long. The patch job on the hull was makeshift and there was barely enough usable sail to keep her on pace with the other ships. Bug Bartholomew had volunteered to stay aboard the merchantman, which was named the Red Sea Trader. The sloop that had been so nicely tied up to the dock was fully provisioned and ready to go. She was named Rover and seemed to handle nicely, a small but fast ship.

They had left with only a pair of vessels, and he now had five in his little fleet. The trio of sloops were good raiding ships and might make for decent escorts if he chose to offer that service to the merchant fleet convoys. The Red Sea Traderwasn’t one he was keen to keep as a privateer. It was big and slow, with more cargo room than any of his other vessels, but she wasn’t set up for battle, and it would take too much effort to reinforce her to make the ship combat-ready. While not suited to life as a privateer, the Red Sea Trader might make the cut as his first actual merchant ship. He needed to expand his options and using the ship to trade might be the best use of it. They’d know more once Bug Bartholomew had a chance to finish his work, and Larson would hold off on any final decisions until he could see what kind of shape she could be knocked into.

Outside the harbor, the seas were calm and the winds favorable. If the weather kept up, they would make good time on their way back to Stratwall Harbor. There were still people hiding out in the small village outside the docks, but they had been too scared to come and show themselves. Even those that must have been taken against their will didn’t show, despite their offers of free passage to somewhere safe. He didn’t have time to mess with the residents, so he had ordered whatever provisions they didn’t need from inside the stronghold to be hauled down and left for the townsfolk. His ships had more than enough for his trip, the Rover had already been well-stocked for an oversized crew in anticipation of taking over the patrol for Bountiful Land.

Larson didn’t know what he would face inside Stratwall Harbor, but he hoped it wouldn’t consist of too many naval forces. His crew was depleted and disbursed to man the various prizes and he was down to only a few cannonballs per gun. They would check out the harbor and then decide their next move. It was likely they would find a few enemy ships milling about, but even if the Stratwall Harbor fleet had put up a poor defense, the pirates’ numbers would be seriously reduced.

He could feel the tension in the air as the days passed and they drew ever closer to home. Larson altered their speed a bit, timing it so they would enter the harbor at sunrise. The other ships would be held back, and the Sea Venom would lead the way to scout out the situation. They transferred all but the necessary crew over from the Lost Soul to bolster the numbers aboard the Sea Venom, so they were as ready as they could be. As the sun rose over the town, trails of smoke could be seen hovering over the city, which wasn’t exactly an encouraging sign.

“Sail ho, sir, we’ve got three ships exiting the Harbor, two are Stratwall Harbor warships, and the other might be a merchantman,” Quix called from the crow’s nest. The halfling marine was not only their best shot, but he also had the sharpest eyes aboard. Larson pulled his spyglass and looked over the approaching vessels. They were heading toward him, and at the same time hauling various signal flags up to the mast.

“Quix, can you make out their colors?” Larson said, sending a sailor up the rigging to bring Quix the spyglass.

“Let me see, the winds pushing the colors away from us, but wait, oh, that’s a new one. Sir, they’re flying colors I don’t recognize, A shark’s maw on a dark field trimmed in red,” Quix called down. The colors were nothing like the colors of Stratwall Harbor.

“Do you think they took some of the warships?” Ibn asked.

“Let’s find out, send for Riker,” Larson called out. He had ended up placing the former pirate on the Sea Venom during the last reshuffling of the crew for just this type of problem.

“Sir, reporting as ordered,” Riker said.

“Take a look out there and tell me if you recognize those colors,” Larson said, handing the man his spyglass. The range continued to close, allowing them a good look.

“Sir, them’s the colors of Lord Makon,” Riker said, confirming Larson’s suspicion.

“Looks like the pirates got lucky and took a pair of the city fleets’ ships,” Larson said.

“Sir, they must have got really lucky because there’s two more leaving the harbor with a whole slew of pirates sailing out right behind them,” Quix called out.

Larson looked over the approaching fleet. He stood a good chance of taking down the first three ships, but the five more following on their heels would be impossible to deal with until they secured more ammunition. Three rounds per gun weren’t going to cut it. With the pirates in control of a good chunk of the city’s fleet, the chance of them fighting their way through was zero.

“Bring us about, signal the fleet to execute plan Z,” Larson called. Plan Z called for them to head directly out to sea, scattering if there was any pursuit, and then regrouping at the estate to replenish their ammunition and gather whatever new cannons had been produced. The Sea Venom came about, Cassia assisting their turn and smoothing the seas for their escape. His other ships were further out and should have no trouble getting away from the fleet emerging from the harbor.

As he suspected, the pirates weren’t all too keen on sailing away from town in pursuit and they turned back once they realize that the Sea Venom had the speed advantage. He was tempted to turn back and sting the enemy, sending at least one ship to the bottom with the last of his ammunition. It would be a foolish move, as of now, the pirates had no idea the weapons even existed. He would save that surprise for when it would really count.

Once out of sight of land, they changed course and made their way to the estate. Larson would have to think hard about their next moves and, hopefully, someone at the estate would know what was going on in town. The small cove of the estate came into view late in the afternoon. They had kept changing course and backtracking to make sure nobody was pursuing them. He could see his other ships all riding at anchor just outside the cove, not an ideal spot if the weather turned foul. The damaged merchantman was tied up to the pier, leaving just enough space for the Sea Venom to dock on the other side.

He had expected to see Felicia or Sarvo come to greet them, or maybe even some of the work detail he had left behind. Instead, the estate was crawling with people, many of whom tried to surge forward and get to the pier when the Sea Venom came into dock. Bug Bartholomew and the skeleton crew aboard the Red Sea Trader held back the tide, nobody wanted to irritate the hulking two-headed ogre. Larson jumped to the pier and made his way over, seeing Lord Buxton and some of his guards pushing their way through the crowd.

“What is going on here?” Larson asked.

“Ah, Captain Larson, I was hoping you would get here soon, is there somewhere we can talk?” Lord Buxton asked.

“Aye, meet me in my cabin. The rest of you keep everyone away from our ships until we can sort this out. Ibn, send a detail over to the smithy and make sure the weapons and our supplies are secure. Oh, have Felicia join us as well,” Larson ordered.

“I’ll see to it, we’ll secure the guns, ammunition, sand, and send Felicia over. First squad, on me!” Ibn said, already shouting orders to his marines.

“Captain, it appears several of those people are injured, can I see if I can help?” Shada asked.

“Aye, take a protection detail with you, just in case,” Larson said. Felicia was already pushing her way through the crowd, and once she was aboard, they retired to his cabin.

“We weren’t expecting you to return for a few more days, but I’m grateful you did so,” Buxton said.

“How about you start from the beginning. What happened in town and why are pirates in control of at least some of the city’s fleet?” Larson asked.

“Very well, it started four days after you had left my estate. Things were normal until the middle of the night when the alarms began to sound in the harbor. The makon were back, another attack by the monsters, only this time, there were more than there was last time. We tried to hold them at the docks, but they broke through in a frenzy. There was a running battle through the streets, and it wasn’t until an hour before we finally cut down the last of the beasts. Figuring that Lord Mox had something to do with this, the council ordered a guard detail to search his estate.

I joined the guards heading to the estate, and when we got there, Mox’s personal security detail attacked. Much to my disappointment, it appeared that many of the guardsmen were also part of his cabal, turning on us at the worst possible moment. We had retreated to gather reinforcements when reports reached me that a second attack was underway. When I looked out over the harbor, the place was choked with pirate ships, all of them disgorging hordes of marauders onto the docks. The makon had softened us up and the pirate swooped in when our guards were already worn down with casualties from the earlier fight,” Buxton said.

“What happened to the fleet, how did they end up in the hands of the pirates?” Larson asked.

“Mox had arranged for that beforehand. It turns out a good number of sailors in port were actually pirates. They moved to seize the ships when most of the naval detachment was helping to fight the makon. In addition, there were more traitors among the officer’s corps that helped to secure the ships intact. The loyal guardsmen tried to retake the harbor, but we were now outnumbered and unsure who could be trusted. By morning, the town was in Mox’s hands, though it appears he now refers to himself by his pirate moniker, Lord Makon,” Lord Buxton said.

“How did you end up here?” Larson asked.

“The pirates began to go door to door, ‘arresting’ anyone loyal to the city lords. I escaped along with my friend Lord Gregor. We took whoever we could with us, and it appears others that you had business dealings with got the word out to leave town. So far, Mox has been content to solidify his hold over Stratwall Harbor, but they will turn their attention here before too long. We represent the last legitimate governing authority, and he can’t allow us to survive,” Buxton said.

“I don’t know if we can fit everyone aboard, but I’ll not leave anyone behind to be killed or enslaved by Mox if we can help it. Where can we take you?” Larson asked.

“That presents a problem, the other members of the Free Isles will take us in, but if we stay there for too long, it will help to legitimize Mox’s rule over Stratwall Harbor. We’re generally a civilized lot, but the Free Isles was founded on some intricate political entanglements. Mox was stripped of his position on the council of lords, but if he is in sole possession of Stratwall Harbor, the other isles are likely to just accept him as their peer in order to prevent him from turning his sights upon them,” Buxton said.

“That didn’t answer my question. Where do you want to go?” Larson asked. It was looking more and more like his position as a legitimate privateer was coming to an ignominious close.

“I, well, I’m not sure where to go just yet,” Buxton said. The normally confident lord looked flummoxed by his predicament.

“We can’t stay here, I can’t protect all these people, not to mention, we can’t feed this many for very long,” Larson said.

“I did have the presence of mind to have supplies gathered and brought with us, but you’re correct, they will not last for long with this many mouths to feed,” Buxton said.

“Just how many mouths are we talking about?” Larson asked.

“I’m not sure, I suppose we can have someone do a headcount,” Buxton told him.

“You mean to tell me that you consider yourself a lord of this city and yet, you didn’t even think to count how many people are here? Did you even have any idea who everyone is, how much food you actually have, and whether or not you have anyone that can protect you all?” Larson said, his anger growing at this nobleman’s lack of planning.

“That is for my staff to take care of, and I would advise you to mind your tone, Captain Larson,” Buxton replied.

“My tone isn’t the problem, I’m the one with the ships, the crew to defend them, and in all likelihood, most of the supplies. As of this moment, the only thing you have is a title that may or may not still be valid, and that seems to depend on the whims of the lords of the other isles,” Larson snapped back.

“I do not intend to argue with you captain, this is not exactly a situation I was prepared for. Our first order of business is to arrange an escape to somewhere safe,” Buxton said.

“There’s only one place I can think of that might work, but you’re not going to like it,” Larson said.

“Where is that?” Buxton asked.

“Why, the pirate stronghold, of course. We take their home until we can free our own,” Larson offered.

“But it’s heavily defended, is it not?” Buxton asked.

“Not anymore, we sank several of their ships and took four others as prizes. We even raided their stronghold and the surviving mercenaries that were guarding it aboard our ships now. The location is easy to defend, especially given the new weapons at our disposal,” Larson said. A knock at the door interrupted them.

“Captain, sir, there’s a man named Bolan that says he works for Lord Buxton, thinks he has something important we need to hear,” the marine guarding the door said.

“Let him in, that’s your man, isn’t it?” Larson asked. Remembering that Bolan handled Buxton’s dirty work, Larson would have to be on his toes.

“Bolan, what news from town?” Buxton asked.

“Mox knows where we are and is gathering a force to come after us. The other nobles in town have reinstated him as a lord, and even voted to give him a seat on the council, and his seat is now the only seat, it appears,” Bolan told them.

“So much for the nobility sticking together against the pirate threat. We need to get moving. Do you want to join us at the pirate stronghold, or do you want us to drop you off somewhere else?” Larson asked.

“The pirate stronghold it is. Now the question is, how many of us can you fit aboard your ships?” Buxton asked.

“I’ll speak with my officers and come up with a plan, in the meantime, get those people counted and organized,” Larson said.

“It sounds like we have a plan, I’ll get my people to work,” Buxton said, taking his leave.

“Anything you wanted to add, Felicia?” The blacksmith had been quiet the whole time, and Larson wasn’t sure why.

“No, but you might want to check on who the esteemed lord wants to bring aboard. If you’re really going to run a pirate stronghold as your base of operations, you probably need folks who are useful, not ships full of sycophants and clerks who never worked a day in their lives,” Felicia offered.

“I agree, if we can’t fit everyone aboard, you can be sure the dead weight will be the ones to be left behind. Now, how are we doing as far as guns?” Larson asked.

“I’ve only got four more of the 12-pounders and a single 4-pounder made, once these refugees started showing up, I wasn’t about to build and test guns in front of them,” Felicia said.

“I can’t blame you for that, I’d rather have fewer guns, than have the spies that are surely milling about in the crowd tell Mox what’s coming for him. Before anything else, let’s get the guns, sand, and your team aboard the Venom, that is, if you want to join us,” Larson said.

“I’ll join you, don’t fancy my chances back in Stratwall Harbor with this Mox character in charge. If I’m going to serve at an old pirate stronghold, at least I know you’re someone that pays his bills,” Felicia said.

“Let’s get to it, there’s way too much to do and we’ll have an army of pirates on us if we don’t get moving,” Larson told her. Larson hoped that at least some of the refugees outside knew how to sail. He barely had enough seasoned hands to keep the ships above water and adding a hold full of landlubbers wasn’t going to make things any easier. He did have one other problem to deal with and called on Ibn to bring the mercenary leader, Silas Crow, to his cabin.

“Well Silas, we have to decide what to do with you and your people. As you may have already heard, any of your comrades that sailed with Lord Makon are likely in town participating in the plunder and destruction there. I see we have two options, the first is that I let you go here, and you rejoin the rest of your band in a few days. That option is a no-go given that I don’t want the pirates to know about our new weapons just yet. The second option available to us involves disposing of you and your men. Do you see a third option that I’m missing?” Larson asked.

“I think we can figure something out, and yes, I figured you couldn’t just let us free given what we know. What I can say, is that our contract with this Lord Makon is likely ended now that he has what he wants. To be honest, I’m a bit concerned over the rest of our people, Makon never did strike me as the kind to keep his end of the bargain. Our commander just saw the amount of coin he was offering and ignored the protests of his officers who weren’t too keen on working with pirates. We had a decent reputation, but this will surely sully it once word gets out,” Crow said.

“How would your men feel about leaving your current employer and signing on with us? We could use the extra support back at the stronghold and I’ll see to it that you’re paid fairly, if not as extravagantly as what the pirates were offering. We’ll put a clause in the contract that prohibits us from forcing you to fight your former employer if you want,” Larson offered.

“I think that’s better than the alternative, which I assume ends with our throats cut and our bodies feeding the sharks. Most of us signed up for the Golden Clan for the duration of the contract and have no obligations once it’s completed. We’ll give you three months of service at a reduced rate if you promise us a ride to the nearest port of our choice once we’re done,” Crow offered.

You have been offered the services of the mercenary group, the Eternal Crows. The contract will be enacted for three months from this date, and in return for a reduced rate of pay, you promise to provide them safe passage from the stronghold to the closest friendly port. Additionally, the Eternal Crows may not be ordered to engage their former mercenary band, the Golden Clan unless by mutual consent. By enacting this contract, the Eternal Crows agree to keep any knowledge of your operations secret, and you agree to not commit any hostile acts toward the Crows without cause for as long as they are in your employ.

“I can agree to that, glad to have you aboard, and I approve of the new name for your outfit,” Larson said. It wasn’t a bad option to sign them on; they could use the mercenaries to help serve as a town guard. And if the pirates figure out where they’re heading, every blade would help. Given the mercenaries performance with the catapults, he’d leave the gunnery to Dredge and his boys.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Captain Larson. We’ll need to talk before we get back, there’s more about that stronghold you’ll need to hear,” Crow said as the system hammered out the details of their agreement. Larson wasn’t sure what would happen if either party broke the contract but given the power of the system that governed this world, he wasn’t going to test it anytime soon.

“I understand, but it’ll have to wait until after we get the fleet out to sea,” Larson replied. The mercenary was likely wanted to give him the rundown on the population of the harbor village. There were likely some with close ties to the pirates that would have to be dealt with.