"All hands!! We've got us a big fat catch!"
You grin wide, draw your sword, point it towards the enemy and shout "LET'S GUT 'EM, BOYS AND GIRLS!!"
Cheers go up around the ship.
Caihong turns the wheel, bringing your ship onto a heading that follows your sword.
The wind has always been in your favor, and today is no exception. The sails of the
Cutting Dagger filled nearly to the brim, and the deck lurches beneath you, the ship cutting through the waves like its namesake. Surf and spray leaps onto your face as you grab one of the ratlines; you don't
need to – the wind barely shifts your position - but you feel better with your hand on the rope.
It isn't long before you see the ship. Your eyes are better than most of the crew's (though Han's spyglass can see a bit further) so they generally have to trust your word that it's out there. Before long, though, they can see it too, and they also see the enemy's sails begin falling slack.
"Load cannons!"
"Grape shot?!" Caihong yells. Thinking about the enemy's numbers, probably.
"Chain!" You yell back, holding down your hat. "We gotta catch 'em first!"
Your first mate isn't happy but she doesn't show it. She shouts down to the cannon crew, and they load up.
The
Rude Awakening is turning, presenting its port side to your ship.
"Caihong!"
"On it!" She swings the wheel to starboard, right as the
Awakening opens its gunports.
"BRACE!" You yell, not bothering to do so yourself.
A moment after you yell, white powder blasts out of the side of the enemy ship.
You catch one of the cannonballs in your hand and crush it. "FIRE!"
Your port cannons fire, sending pairs of chained cannonballs hurtling through the air. The moment after they do Caihong swings the ship back to port, moving serpentine through the water to catch the enemy vessel. Your starboard cannons fire, sending another volley.
The port shots mostly fell short, but the starboard's shots tear through the mizzenmast. Caihong steers the ship straight and true, heading right for it at an unmatched speed. The wind fills your sails and yet the enemy's is dead limp.
You couldn't have asked for better weather to take your first target. Maybe the captain has a nice hat. If you're lucky it'll have a nice big feather you can add to-
The Awakening's cannons fire again, and this time you hear wood splinter and men scream behind you.
You raise an eyebrow at that. That was a quick reload time for a ship of the line. Your own starboard cannons wouldn't even be ready yet. And… now that you look, the ship isn't trying to turn or find the wind again. It's just sitting in the water. It was never going to get away, of course, but it's too soon to hold and do nothing. Unless…
"Can we do grapeshot
now?!" Caihong yells.
"Yes!" You call back, and she blinks at your sudden change in attitude, but doesn't question it as she relays your orders down to the gun crew.
You grin as you look at that big, beautiful "merchant ship". They weren't planning to run. They'd come prepared for a fight. And they wanted it with the Reaver Queen's fleet.
Well. Challenge accepted.
Your cannons roar again, and with your eyesight you see several dozen people turn to red jelly on the deck of the
Rude Awakening.
"All hands on deck! Prepare to board!!" you shout, and roars go up from your crew.
The
Rude Awakening stops firing as they seem to realize what you're doing. Ropes and hooks fly from your ship and your men begin to board.
"Eun!" you yell to one of the grapplers. "Bet I kill more than you!"
She laughs, climbing a bit faster now. "From what I hear you couldn't hit water if you shot off the boat."
"I'll even give you a head start!" You bend down, getting ready to leap up.
"That's no fair, I can't-" She begins, then yelps as someone above cuts her line and gravity takes her.
Oh. Right, they weren't just going to sit there.
You leap forward, catching her with one hand and grabbing on to the hull with the other. Someone - Han, you realize - yells as he falls towards the sea and lands with a splash. You grit your teeth and quickly get Eun to one of the other ropes, jumping down into the sea. He's already sunk a bit, but you kick down and shoot past him, faster than a dolphin.
When you shoot out of the water, you bring yourself and Han all the way up to the Rude Awakening's deck with a loud splash. Two enemy sailors have just enough time for their jaws to drop before you drop both of them. Han coughs, but is okay.
Eun pulls herself onto the deck and holds out your hat to you. "You dropped this."
You put it on. "Thanks."
She winks at you.
As your crew piles onto the Rude Awakening, they're met with stiff resistance. Swords ring against swords and gunshots fire off, staining the air with the smell of blackpowder. Someone falls from the boat screaming. And yet, where you go, the enemy parts like water before the keel. One man loses an arm, another you crush his skull. Your crew hoops and hollers as they press in with you, driving the enemy crew back.
"Now where's the shanwei?" You yell, as you choke out another sailor. "Or did she run off?!"
"He's right here, reaver filth."
You turn to face the enemy shanwei, grinning even wider as you take his measure. He's walking right towards you from across the deck as your crew and his die around him. He's got a red longcoat, and you're almost jealous of the magnificent beard that tapers to a single point on his chest. The red bandana on his head-
Hold on.
The fucker's wearing a
bandana?!
"The fuck is this?"
"What?" The man spread his arms wide. "You asked for the shanwei. Here I am. They call me Yamato Kensei."
"Where's your hat?" You ask.
"What kind of question is that?" The Kensei sneered. "It's in my quarters. Who would bring such a ridiculous thing to battle… besides you, apparently?"
"Damn." You sigh, shaking your head. "And after laying a trap for us. I almost liked you."
He pulls his pistol and shoots. In the same motion you dodge out of the gun's firing line and pull up your own pistol, shooting him in the shoulder. The man grits his teeth against immense pain and draws his sword as you draw yours.
Yeah, you could've just shot him in his stupid bearded face, but you're gonna win anyway, no need to be rude about it.
As you duck away from his sluggish strikes, you idly check out his sword. It crackles with eldritch energy, a strange sea green that makes you feel ill just looking at it. You whistle; power sword. The weapons aren't unknown, but they are uncommon, especially within the fleet. You think the Reaver Queen has one but you can't think of anyone else who does.
You're glad you have right to first plunder. That sword is yours.
"I'll be taking that." You say, grinning as his next swipe goes right past your nose.
"You ain't taking-" The shanwei begins before you punch him square in the face and he crumples.
"Well that was boring." You mutter, picking up the sword and carving a bloody path through the crew.
Seeing their captain crumple, the Awakening's crew yells and charges at you again as one mob. Others break and try to flee, but where are they going to run on a ship?
You grin. "That's slightly less boring."
-
You've tied the crew up, most of them on the deck. Others are being brought up from below, escorted as prisoners. Your men have gone below with Caihong to take the cargo from the ship, but your corvette can't possibly hold it all. Which means you're taking the ship.
"Now, normally," you muse aloud, walking down the line of prisoners, "since you fought us from the start we'd just kill you. You understand, of course, it encourages others to surrender immediately."
The enemy crew glares at you. The first mate holds a dignified stance even though she's got a blade to her throat. Nerves of steel, that one.
"But I saw how deep this boat was sinking and how slow she was floating. You've got a
lot here." You muse, getting close to the first mate's face, glaring right into her brown eyes. "With a haul like this I'm feeling generous."
She raises an eyebrow but doesn't answer.
"So." You clap your hands together and rub vigorously. "First thing. How many of you ever wanted to be a pirate?"
None of them answer, though a few are glancing at the ring of guns around them. Those'll be the ones to sell it to.
"Come on." You grin, patting your chest. "I've got a word in with the Reaver Queen herself."
"You've killed a lot of our crew already." The woman says, her voice even.
You hold up your hands, bright charming smile still on. "Hey, you flew the Queen's flag. That's not something that can go unanswered. But let's say that you lot wanted to join and there was just a mix-up. Bring your ship in under my command."
"This is
my ship." The first mate - no, you suppose,
shanwei now - growls.
"That so? And what's your name?" You ask, stepping closer.
She keeps quiet.
"Well I'll just have to give you one. How about-"
"Kid!" Caihong's come back up from belowdeck.
"No kids here, ma'am." You say, nonchalant.
"No one can know we hit this boat. Kill them all and sink it."
It takes you a moment to process what she just said, and in that same moment all eyes turn to her. The crew doesn't move to obey, looking to you. The
Awakening's crew is on edge, no one making a move but everyone looking for one.
"… I stand corrected, there's an idiot child here and she's apparently my first mate." You turn to her, both angry and baffled. "No, we're not sinking this ship."
"Ki-" Caihong shakes her head. "Shanwei, we need to talk. Privately."
"First mate Caihong, the queen likes you," you say, letting a low level of threat slip into your tone, "but she put
me in command. If you-"
"Sun-Sin, please."
The rest of your retort dies in your throat as you see her wide eye, the way she's biting her lower lip.
She's afraid. But not of you or your queen's reprimand.
"…Eun, keep everyone up here from doing anything stupid."
Eun nods, though the prisoners don't seem convinced. You step away from them, below deck. The single swinging lantern casts a soft yellow glow in the small hallway.
You wait until the two crews can't hear you to speak. "I take it there's no sails."
"Sails?! Who cares about the sails?!"
You bite back your comment that she's about as white as a sail. Even though it's true… wow those burns around her missing eye are
dark in this light.
"Well," you're not in the mood to grin, "What is this about?"
"There's little plunder." She growls. "We were baited, Sun-sin."
Your frown deepens. You already knew the captain had tried to bait you into boarding, but… "What do you mean no plunder? This ship was moving like an old man with no cane
before we hit the sails. It's hold's full of
something."
"I mean it's not being weighed down with gold."
"So supplies then? Food?" You raise an eyebrow. "No, no… whatever it is, it's scaring you."
She doesn't say anything.
"… Caihong." You say, stepping closer to her. "What happened? What did you find?"
-
Whatever Caihong found below decks, it's freaked her out. You'll take it anyway - damage has already been done - but what did she find?
[] – Locked up Kuji-Nan Tech
The ship was transporting a vast treasure trove of technology, stuff you and the pirates you're with have barely dreamed of. They're all locked in some way – that's probably why they didn't use any of it against you – but a vast store like this doesn't just appear on the sea out of the blue. This ship was on its way to deliver its cargo to a Kuji-Nan temple.
So much tech would be amazing for the fleet. And you never liked the stuffy self-important monks anyway.
(Threatening such a trove of technology will provoke the Tech Monks.)
[] – Crates with the Empress' personal seal
There's technology, strange glowing jewels, even food, but what matters is the seal. This shipment was promised the personal protection and approval of the Empress, something that usually gives the fleet pause. It doesn't matter if the ship was flying the Reaver Queen's flag; you've all but declared war against the Divine Empress herself.
Well, it's still a great haul. And if you piss off the Empress, hey, bonus.
(This will infuriate the Empress and those who worship her.)
[] – A Rebel Knight's weapon
Most of the cargo isn't anything noteworthy; food, a bit of treasure, ammo. However, there is a massive cannon in the cargo hold, one painted in the colors of the rebel house Chang. The cannon seems to have been under repair, but the bigger issue is that you've already attacked the crew.
A cannon like this could be repurposed, made into something to protect your home port of Shang. And you're the real rebel, anyway.
(Attacking a ship lead by the rebels will anger them, especially House Chang.)
[] – Write In
Submissions:
[] - Imprisoned Psyker children. (Submitted by
@SpacePaladin )
We'll bring in the Cult of the Drowned a bit earlier than I was thinking, that could be fun~
(This could piss off whoever took these children to begin with... but you can't just abandon them. And if they can learn to use their abilities they'd be a massive asset.)
