Ocean Explorer Ship
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Aboard the ship, the crew of Ocean Explorer was mostly a motley group. Most of them were former soldiers who had retired from the army in disgrace or desertion to seek riches and adventure at sea, but some others seemed to be recent arrivals with little or no training at all. They did not seem to have much respect for the captain’s authority.
The man who had taken his place as the leader of the pirates—the man known as ‘Captain Blood’ by the others on board—was a tall, muscular black man named ‘Blackstone,’ one of many aliases he used throughout his career. He spoke very little English but commanded their obedience nonetheless; the other men deferred to him unquestioningly.
His most loyal crew member was an Irishman known only as “Duke.” Duke was a large brute, built like a bulldog and armed with two heavy muskets and a cutlass. In contrast to Captain Blood’s stoic demeanor, Duke was a boisterous drunk with a loud laugh that echoed across the deck.
“Ah! Ah! I’ll have you know that I’m a master swordsman!” he boasted one night while they drank after dark.
Blood raised his glass to toast Duke.
“Indeed! Indeed! The best swordswoman in this entire world and beyond, Duke,” said Blood. “But we should probably keep it a secret for now until we reach our destination, eh? Otherwise, the ladies might get jealous if they knew.”
He laughed again, sloshing ale over himself as he did so. Duke wiped his face with his sleeve and chuckled back at him.
“Oh ho! Now that is what I call good sense,” said Duke.
They both guffawed together, their laughter echoing through the ship as it rocked from side to side against the waves.
In addition to Blackstone and Duke, there were several other important members of the pirate crew, including a woman named “Red Dog” and a man known simply as “Mateo.” Red Dog, the most formidable-looking female aboard, stood just below Blood, her face hidden behind a scarred helm covered in gold filigree.
Her long crimson hair was bound up under a red leather cap, held in place with a gold circlet. She wore a thick cloak made of fur, its hood pulled low around her neck to cover her face.
Her name came from the red tattoos that decorated her right hand, forearm, and thigh. Each tattoo was a picture of a beast, each one representing different attributes of strength or beauty.
She carried a pistol on her hip that she could easily reload without taking her eyes off the sea. It was the first time he’d ever seen someone carry another weapon besides a sword or musket—most people preferred pistols over rifles when it came to sailing the seas because they were easier to handle and lighter than guns. The pistol was loaded with five bullets.
Mateo was the ship’s navigator and was also responsible for handling supplies and food. He was a burly man with a long mustache. Though not very tall, his barrel chest filled out his coat well, and his arms were covered in scars from battle. He was armed with a pair of cutlasses and a pistol in his belt.
Other members of the crew included a few sailors known as “Sailor Boy” and “Peg Leg” (because they had been injured and needed prosthetic legs), “Worm” (a sailor whose missing eye was replaced by a wooden patch) and “Boomer” (another former soldier from the army). Also, the man called “Cutter” had recently joined up, though he was too drunk to remember exactly how.
Most important, however, was the ship itself: a massive three-masted frigate called the Ocean Explorer. It was painted a dark green and trimmed in gold, with two cannons mounted fore and aft. The ship had three masts, each with a square sail, as opposed to a full rigging.
A full rigging consisted of triangular sails on multiple spars running down the length of the ship. These were useful in strong winds, allowing the ship to tack quickly and take advantage of the wind’s movement. A ship rigged thus would be more maneuverable when approaching an enemy vessel, but also required greater manpower to manage.
As he studied the ship with its two cannons, the young boy felt a sudden surge of pride and admiration.
“I wonder which nation they hail from,” he thought to himself.
It didn’t matter which nation, of course. The only thing that mattered to him was that he was aboard one of their ships.
The next morning, the young pirate awoke with a start. He sat up abruptly and looked out his window, where the sky was still dark and gloomy. He saw that the ship had set sail during the night; its sails were billowing in the cool morning breeze, and it rode lightly on the water.
“Good,” thought the young pirate. “That means we’re making great speed. We’ll be to our destination soon enough.”
He slipped out of his bed and hurried downstairs. When he arrived, he found the rest of the pirates gathered in the main hall. They all stood around a large map that was spread across the floor. As he drew closer, the boy noticed that one end of the map showed a coastline with mountains, islands, and towns.
On the far end, however, the coast was marked with a line, suggesting it led away into the distance.
He realized that they were currently sailing along the edge of the continent. This suggested to him that they would soon reach their destination, wherever it was.
The captain stood before the map, pointing to places of interest as he spoke to them.
“This is where we’ve headed: the port town of Bordeaux. If you look at the coastline here…”
He pointed to the north. The boy peered over Captain Blackstone’s shoulder and studied the map in the dim light.
“… You can see a small island chain off the western shore that leads down to the port. That’s where we’ve got to go.” He turned around and pointed to a spot further south. “From there, we should be able to get a good view of the ocean, especially if it’s storming. From there we’ll be able to see any ships coming towards us.”
“Excellent,” said Mateo, who had come down from the crow’s nest. “What are the odds of a storm?”
“Not very high, but always possible,” replied the captain. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
The ship continued to sail southwards along the edge of the continent.
The day was bright and clear when they reached the small island chain and sailed around its northern tip. In the distance, they spotted a rocky point jutting out of the sea and decided to anchor the ship near it.
Captain Blackstone ordered the men to prepare the ship for battle, so they took down the sails and set up cannon emplacements on the bow and stern.
“Now we wait,” whispered the captain to his first mate. “If anyone sees anything coming in our direction, shoot!”
After about half an hour passed without incident, Captain Blackstone gave the order to raise the sail and head south again.
Soon, though, a ship appeared on the horizon ahead of them.
“Shoot!” yelled Mateo as he saw the ship draw closer.
Two shots rang out and hit the ship in the hull, sending it spinning toward the ocean.
“Another one coming,” shouted another pirate as he ran past, aiming his rifle at the sky. The first mate raised his hands in front of his face and ducked instinctively. Then, he turned and smiled broadly as he saw what had happened.
“Nice shot!” he exclaimed.
“No problem,” replied Mateo with a grin.
The first mate walked through the gun room as the other pirates fired off their rifles one by one. Most of the bullets missed or flew wide, but a few struck home. One shot hit the side of a masthead, shattering a wooden slat, while another pierced the bottom of a ship’s wheel and sent splinters flying.
Two others hit the hull of a boat moored alongside. One went straight through the canvas cover and embedded itself in a mast. The second bullet grazed the hull of a nearby ship, sending sparks flying from a hole in its side.
Then, with a loud cracking sound, the mast broke, and the sails fell lifelessly to the deck. A moment later, the hull split open like a rotten egg and spilled water onto the deck.
“There goes another one,” said the first mate as he watched the vessel sink beneath the waves.
A few minutes passed without any more signs of enemy ships in the area. Mateo looked around him, wondering how many of the pirates had been killed by stray bullets. Then he caught sight of a familiar face, standing behind a nearby barrel, holding a rifle aimed directly at him.
“Oh no,” he said with a nervous smile, “you’ve got me now…”
With a flick of his wrist, the young pirate released a burst of bullets. Most of them missed their mark but two lodged themselves in Mateo’s left leg, pinning him against a nearby crate as he cried out in pain.
***
The captain stood up and turned around slowly, looking around for something to use as a weapon. As he did so, one of his crewmates rushed past, carrying a large plank of wood over her shoulder. The captain picked it up and held it aloft before walking toward the young pirate who was still firing his rifle at Mateo.
The pirate lowered his rifle and stared at Captain Blackstone, confused.
“You’re next, boy,” he said, pointing the muzzle at Mateo’s head.
Mateo tried to push himself back into the corner and away from the pirate, but the plank came crashing down hard on top of his left leg, knocking him unconscious.
The captain placed the end of the plank across his left forearm and pushed it forward with all his might. Then he swung the board with all his strength at the pirate’s neck, driving it through his throat. The man fell backward in surprise as blood spurted everywhere, covering both him and Mateo.
Mateo sat up, coughing and spitting out bits of bloody wood from his mouth. He then realized that there was still someone standing in front of him, aiming a gun directly between his eyes.
“Don’t even think about it,” said Captain Blackstone, stepping away from his wounded comrade.
“Why should I listen to you? You just killed one of my men,” said the pirate.
“I’m not going to kill you unless you make me do so,” explained Captain Blackstone. “All I want is your cooperation.”
“How can I trust a coward like you?” asked the pirate in disgust.
“Your cooperation will be rewarded,” said Captain Blackstone, “and we both know it…but if you don’t give me what I need, I’ll kill you and take everything of yours instead.”
“Fine,” said the pirate, lowering his gun slightly. “But make it quick…”
Captain Blackstone pulled out a dagger and threw it at the pirate before quickly running away, leaving Mateo alone with the man. The pirate looked around him in confusion, trying to figure out which way the captain had gone. In his distraction, he failed to notice Mateo crawl behind him until it was too late.
Mateo grabbed hold of the pirate’s right arm and twisted it up behind his back, snapping his elbow in a single move. The pirate let out a loud gasp of pain before turning around. Mateo was now able to grab him by the hair and lift the man into the air with ease.
The pirate struggled against his grip, but Mateo kept a firm hold on him as he kicked the plank aside and carried the pirate outside to where the rest of the crew was gathered together.
“We found our man!” shouted Mateo to the crowd. “It’s time to get paid for this one.”
Everyone cheered and laughed, clapping each other on the back.
“Who’s next?” asked Mateo.
The pirates pointed towards a young girl who was sitting on the ground with her arms crossed. She looked terrified as she waited to find out what would happen to her.
“She knows,” said one of the pirates. “Just go ahead and kill her already…”
“Not today,” said Mateo. “Today is a day of celebration! Everyone gets their share for helping us catch this bastard.”
He then walked over to the young girl and knelt down beside her.
“Hello there,” he began, “my name is Captain Blackstone. What’s yours?”
The girl shook her head and whispered inaudibly, “No more.”
“Don’t worry,” said Mateo, smiling and shaking his head. “I won’t hurt you. All I want to know is why did you betray us?”
The girl trembled, tears flowing down her face as she tried to avoid looking into his eyes. But Mateo didn’t care—he simply wanted answers.
“What did we do to you?” asked Mateo, gently putting his hand on the girl’s cheek. “Tell me what happened, and perhaps I can help you out.”
For the first time in a long time, the girl felt safe. There wasn’t anyone else to blame anymore; no one else she needed to hide from.
“You have no idea what happened to me,” she muttered. “Please—”
Before the girl could finish speaking, Mateo’s knife slid out of his sleeve and into her chest, killing her instantly.
The End