Pirate's Life For Me....

Fetching Flint

  "What does it matter whether they hang him or not?" The lieutenant stormed into the captain's quarters while Vane was looking out a window, and I was looking through Flint's books. "We came here to retrieve this ship. We've done so. Ought that not to be the end of the conversation?"

  "We can say what we will about Flint, and I've said my share, but the world knows his name, they know him. And his body swinging over the harbor of this place sends a powerful message." The captain turned from the window and stepped towards his lieutenant. "No one surrenders to a dying thing. And that's exactly what we'll be if we don't act." He then plopped down into the chair at the desk. "Where are the men about it?"

  "Well, those who think saving Flint's a good idea, you're taking ashore with you."

  "Well, it wouldn't make much sense to take the ones who think it's a bad idea."

  "No, you're leaving them with me. And what exactly do you expect me to say to them, do you think, when they ask me why we don't just turn around, leave you here....rather than attempt to fight a fight we are far from certain to win?"

  "Tell them that this endeavor is in their best interests." Vane nearly growled as he stood, and I pulled a book from the shelf. "Whether they can see that or not."

  "And then when they're through having their laugh, then what do you expect me to say?"

  "Tell them that if this ship tries to run on a skeleton crew, they're going to get chased, they're going to get caught, and they're going to get fucking killed." I spoke up. "That should convince them." Looking over my shoulder, I looked right at the lieutenant. He didn't look pleased, but he knew that there was nothing else to say as I put the book back where I had gotten it from.

~

  Dear God, this plan was ridiculous. And by ridiculous, I meant that Vane was a fucking madman. I very much didn't feel comfortable with what he was doing, but that man was like a stubborn bull, and little to nothing got in the way of a bull when it was charging.

  Slinking through the alleys and between buildings, I snuck through the town to where the people were gathered. My job was simple enough in this, but Vane....that fucker, was throwing himself into the fire with the hopes that this would work. If his men could do as instructed with success, this plan would be ingenious. If not....we were fucking screwed.

  "Just do your job, focus on your part. Just do your job, focus on your part." I whispered to myself while climbing up the side of a building to get into position. The long coat I wore flapped with the breeze that went past, and I rolled over the edge of the roof. Crouching, I snuck closer to the other side, peeking over the edge of the building to see the dozens of people below with Captain Flint chained in the center of it all.

  "Fucking Hell." I whispered, also seeing Mrs. Barlow in a casket with rotten vegetables being thrown at her corpse. There was what looked like a bullet wound on her forehead, telling me she had died from a gunshot to the head.

  "Affidavits given by sailors on ships you attacked." The man with a wig tossed down a pile of papers held together with twine. "Testimonials of widows and orphans....rendered into that state by your actions." He held up another stack of papers before dropping them next to the first. "And these are insurance petitions for the loss or destruction of property, again caused by your hand." And the third stack went down before he waved his hand to Flint. "You stand before this court accused of wreaking untold havoc throughout the New World, of clawing at the very fabric of civilization that holds us together....with malice....and without regret." The man said while walking around Flint. "Do you dispute this?"