Pinkbeard's Revenge
Posted on 30 Aug 2018 @ 5:38pm by Commander Luke Wyatt & Lieutenant Amaranai Franklin & Ensign Miraj Derani
2,689 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: USS Galileo A - holodeck 1 Deck 5
Timeline: MD145 - 1800
::ON::
Miraj arrived at the holodeck in her ususal knee britches, shirt and waistcoat, with stockings and buckled shoes in one had. She would probably not need them. As cabin boy on board Bloodbeard's pirate ship, she would be far more at ease barefoot. It was easier to climb and run on a slippery moving deck without the smooth, somewhat heeled shoes common in the early 18th century.
She thumbed the button to open the doors, and the computer sounded the refused ping. "huh?" she looked at the interface at the door side. The previous session was sitll running - over time by a good half hour. She scanned the details. The first battle of Ushant. That peaked her interest. The British vs the French. And one of the first battles seen by the famous british ship, HMS Victory. That sounded interesting. Maybe there was someone else on oard who she could share her pirate adventures with. She scrolled down, hoping to see who had booked the room. And her heart sank.
Luke Wyatt
He'd got posted to galileo a as well. She'd hoped he'd been sent somewhere else. Like the gamma quadrant. But here he was, sailing the seas like her very own Commodore Hawke.
An evil smile spread acorss her features. If he was her Hawke, then today she'd have to be Bloodbeard, rather than Roger. A plan was hatching. She touched her commbadge. "Miraj to Amaranai? I need a favour. A big favour. Huge. Can you help?"
Amaranai was in the Security office. She was close to ending her shift and she was prepping for the next security officer to come on duty. There wasn't much going on as they were simply making their way to the mission area, which would take forever. The only thing Amaranai was grateful for was time with her sister. The two had already been talking a lot more despite the fact that Amaranai had more responsibility again being on a starship. Luckily, Charlotte was making friends easily, which allowed Amaranai to continue to have her own fun.
The communication chirp and her name being spoken caught the security officer off guard.
"Amaranai here," she said.
A favor? What sort of favor did the pink-haired girl need?
"How can I help you?"
"Ive booked the holodeck but its still in use. Can you let me in so I kick whoever it is out?"
Amaranai rolled her eyes. Miraj really needed to find a secondary hobby for when the holodeck was booked, but instead of telling her that, she turned to her computer and scanned for some information. It showed that Lieutenant Commander Wyatt was in the holodeck currently. It wasn't a good thing to break in on a boss, but Miraj was her friend. Amaranai realized that she had yet to answer Miraj.
"Sure," she said. "Nothing wrong with being demoted just after a promotion."
Miraj winced to herself, feeling a little guilty for asking, "Thanks. want to come down and join me? "
Amaranai shrugged inherently and sighed. Quickly punching a few commands on her panel to give Miraj access to the holodeck regardless of who was in there.
"I'll be there in a few minutes."
Amaranai finished her duties for the shift and then headed off to the holodeck.
With access to the deck granted, and locked to her control, Miraj went to work altering things to her satisfaction. Computer, put me on the French ship Bretagne, captains quarters." The ship materialised around her. "Now add another twenty forty-eight pound guns." She felt the ships sink a little under the added weigh of cannon. But it wouldn't matter. She was going to do this the pirate way. "Also rename her. Hades." It was Bloodbeard's ship, she felt comfortable there.
There was a baldrick hanging from a chair back. It held a cutlass and a brace of pistols. "Computer load skill parameters Derani Four. Use the jolly roger Derani Two," She slipped the baldrick on, feeling the weight of the weapons settle on her body. She liked that. "And fill this ship with characters from the Bloodbeard series, except assign the role of Sabatini to Amaranai Franklin, and remove Bloodbeard himself. I shall be taking that role today." But she wanted to make sure Luke Knew who was coming for him. "But I'll be using the name... PinkBeard."
"Now," Miraj said, pulling on some stockings and shoes. "Give me the weather guage, and put us on his horizon." She picked up a long frock coat and pulled it on. The red wool looked properly villainous. She found a hat. Now she felt like a real pirate.
She kicked the door to the captains cabin open and strode out on deck. "Alright you scurvy dogs!" she bellowed. "Our prize today will be nothing less the HMS Victory. Loose all sails! Run out sweeps! Load grape and chain. We're going to scrub their deck with their own blood!"
In reply, nine hundred men shouted "Arrr!"
Amaranai made her way down to the holodeck and let herself in, finding herself on the deck of a ship. She turned as there was an uproar from a group of men and the security officer was glad that she ended up on Miraj's ship and not Commander Wyatt's. She saw Miraj and moved toward her.
"Reporting as requested, captain," she said with a mock salute. "Hope the enemy prefers taking hostages instead of killing." She smiled. "I think once he realizes what's going on, he might choose to kill me anyway."
"The enemy aren't likely to give quarter. They be knowing they'll be none to find here." Miraj signalled a youthful looking boy in plain knee breeches amd waistcoat not unlike the ones Miraj herself wore. He was about Miraj's height, but with a smooth face, still not yet old enough to shave. "Roger! Go get Mr Sabatini's weapons." The lad raced away. "Besides, He'll know there's nothing you can do to stop me making him take the short walk to see Old Hobb."
Amaranai wasn't used to the pirate talk and would have preferred to listen to plain English, instead of pirate English, but she would have to deal with it as long as Miraj was in charge. Amaranai smirked when she mentioned Luke having to walk the plank and though she didn't get the complete reference, she was just hoping that Luke understood it was not her fault, but Miraj's. Of course, considering his actions, Amaranai completely understood the girl's feelings as well.
Standing on the top deck of the Royal Navy's flagship the HMS Victory and wearing the same clothes worn by Lord Horatio Nelson, Luke watched as his men boarded the last of the French schooners. With two already sinking to the bottom of the sea the last was soon to surrender. They needed prisoners to interrogate for the information to the location of the French ship that had been eluding him the past week, the Vengeur. It felt wrong running the simulation without Miraj, but it was all he could do to get her out of his head and this program was already listed.
A cheer went out bringing Luke out of his thoughts and as his first officer, Commander Hamilton stopped in front of him. "Sir, we've secured the ship and have already got the information we need. The Vengeur is collecting fresh water a days sail from here, we'll catch her completely by surprise and whilst it's most vulnerable.
"Good, transfer the prisoners and supplies from the schooner and..." Lukes orders were cut short when a cry from the crows nest sounded. "SAILS ON THE HORIZON TO THE EAST" To guide Lukes now searching eyes the sailor pointed.
Reaching into his pocket he retrieved his spyglass, extending it and putting it to his eye in one fluid motion. "Who in gods name is that?" He asked the ship currently showing no colors. "Are there any reports of pirates in this area?" Luke asked.
"No sir, but I think I know who that is. Its Pinkbeards ship sir, shes a long way from Cuba though." He explained leaving Luke speechless. "Pink..." It then occurred to him that something was very off. "Computer pause program."
Unable to comply.
"Computer end program" Luke tried again but was met with the same answer. "Computer other than myself who else is in the holodeck."
There are currently three life signs in holodeck 2 at this time. Lieutenant Commander Wyatt, Lieutenant Franklin and Ensign Miraj
"CAST OF THE BOARDING LINES, GUN CREWS TO THEIR POST, SHOOTERS AT THE READY!" He ordered moving towards the helm. "FIRST DECK LOAD CHAIN SHOT SECOND AND THIRD DECKS LOAD BALLS! PREPARE FOR COMBAT" He added, "Helsman bring us around, they have the wind at their backs so running is out of the option now." He turned back his spyglass once again to his eye "What are you doing Miraj" He asked himself as he could see the bobbing off her pink hair.
They were closing on the Victory. Miraj stood on the poop, hands gripping the railing, intent on her purpose. "Mr Bates! Run out the bow chasers. As soon as we're in range give them a taste of shot.
Let them know we mean business, and if you take their rudder out, so much the better."
A few minutes later, the Long Nines mounted on the prow began to bark out their shot, belching nine pound iron balls into the sky. The first fell short by twelve feet. The second by only six. The third smashed into the stern castle, sending glass and timber up in a spray of splinters.
The ship groaned the shot damaging but shunting the victory along its course, as it set itself right the spray of splintering wood coating the top deck, the enemy now within range of at least half of the victory’s barrels and the rest were swinging in quick as the Helmans reduced speed for manoeuvrebility gave Luke cause for a smile “Drummer, let’s hear something” he said and as a result to his order the drums began to ring, low at first but now deafening.
“Mid deck.... FIRE!” The ship rocked as the gun crews obeyed his order sending shot flying through the air; these were aimed directly above the Hades hoping to incite fear in the pirates. “Middle Deck Reload! Lower deck.... FIRE” he ordered again this time the shots Angled downward using the sea itself to bounce the balls much like one would skim a pebble the result making the ball faster, harder and lower towards the Hades hull. A tactic used by the Royal Navy. The combined attack of the well disciplined crew would be terror enducing to most crews but he knew he’d have to kill every single last pirate, and at this range even with there displine and superior guns the fight would likely end in hand to hand.
The smell of gun powder now assaulted his lungs, the fog of war obstructing his view but he knew she was still there, either he lost at her hands or she did.
On the deck of the Hades Miraj was graining broadly. The first attempt at hitting them had mostly missed, victory's broadside was onto her head, so had fallen either side, but a few lucky strikes had taken small chunks out of the hull and the railings. But now for the main assault.
"Bring us about, Mr Sabatini," she called to Amaranai. "Show the jelly-bones crud-bucket our portside. Mr Bates! Fire at will! All guns! All decks. Grape and chain! Slaughter every jack tar save their captain."
Amaranai took a moment to realize that she was Mr. Sabatini and then barked an order to the helmsman. She readied herself for the tremors from the canons and watched as their ship began to pummel the hull of the Victory
Barnabas Bates, master gunner, went to work, and fulled the world with smoke and thunder. The lower deck guns belced plain shot, heavy balls that chewed into the sturdy oak and filled the lower decks of the British ship with shrapnel. On the upswell the guns of the mid and upper decks spat out iron bullets two inches wide, scouring the Victory's top deck, cutting down gun crews and marines alike. The vicious little pellets even shot through open gun ports, killing, blinding, maiming any sailor with the misfortune to be in the way.
But the real damage was from the four canon loaded with bar shot, two twenty four pound balls, linked by an inch and a half iron bar. At the close range the two ships were now engaged at they ploughed into the Victory's masts.
The first rate ships masts were composited from multiple oak trees, and nearly a meter think, so the shot wasnt enough to cut them down, but two managed to hit the mainmast just under the main yard, tearing the sailing and slicing through the crowd of rigging where the shrouds joined the mast, ripping it down. The main yardarm came down with a boom that shopk both ships.
Miraj looked on, satisfied. It wasn't a crippling blow, but it would limit the enemy's ability to manoevre to avoid what was coming next. "Again, Mr Bates!" She shouted into the brief silence of the gun crews reloading, "Boarding crew make ready! Bring us in closer, Mr Sabatini!"
The damage to the ship was starting to become extensive but now the jades has turned broadside and with most damage done to the sails Luke looked to his top deck, they had yet to fire their chain shot and the call from middle and bottom deck had told them they had reloaded. Before the jades had a chance to come about and prepare its boarding run “ALL GUNS, ALL SHOOTERS FIRE AT WILL!”
The ship lurched as all three tiers of gun levels, fired again and again with the jades now showing her flank the result would be devastating as the sound of splintering wood, tearing sails, the screams of men and rifle fire roared. Both ships would likely be so damaged that neither could move after this battle. “LOAD GRAPE, ONE VOLLEY AND PREPARE TO REPEL BOARDERS!” Luke ordered
Victory's guns roared, and blew out chunks of the Hades. Miraj staggered with the impact, then straightened her hat. Dozens of her men were injured, but she wasgoing to have her reckoning. HE couldn't stop that. Both ships fired and splinters and smoke filled the air. But even the hundred and 30 guns of her own ship would mince him faster than his one hundred and four could mince her, she didn't want to rely on a lucky hit to the powder magazine to take him out.
"Boarding crews, ready hooks..." She shouted, and nodded to Amranai, lifting up a grapple of her own. "Ready to give that Bilge Rat what for?"
Amaranai heard the order over the sound of explosions and cannon fire. She turned to see the boarding parties prepping and saw Miraj herself prepping.
"I'll back you up, captain," she said as she grabbed her own grappling hook.
She wasn't adept with a grappling hook, but Amaranai was going to do her best to play pirate and help Miraj get her revenge on the lieutenant commander.
The two ships crashed together, and the experienced boarding crew of the Pirate ship sent dozens of lines across the gap between, them, catching in rigging and on the gunwales of the Victory, and then they were swarming across, scuttleing across like rats, or swigning over the water beneath, whilst others hauled on the lines to pull the ships together, and hold them there. Miraj drew her cutlass and screamed, "NO QUARTER!"
To be continued...
[OFF]
Lieutenant Commander Luke Wyatt
Chief of Security
USS Galileo-A
Ensign Miraj Derani
Conn officer
USS Galileo-A
Lieutenant Amaranai Franklin
Assistant Chief of Security
USS Galileo-A
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