Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

This Can't Fail

Uncilo's coalition was proposing to use the Corinspian gold to fund a group of volunteer crews to go out on a three-cycle expedition to gather as much information on the situation at hand, formulate a plan of attack, and fight back against The Center. She suggested the expedition would focus on tracking down compromised leads, checking the port logs for a comprehensive list of ships that frequented the ports closest to the recorded pirate attacks, and try and search for evidence of a leak within the pirates. Meanwhile, a group back home could be assembling a formidable but small navy to combat large Eloxian warships. Modifying existing ships was the main suggestion to attaining that goal. Additionally, those who volunteered could stay back and train to fight if it came down to that. Ideally, at the end of the expedition, they would have enough information to lure The Center into a trap, secure a decisive victory over them, and incur costs so high that The Center was forced to give up the fight against piracy or face backlash from their constituents.

Theo stood tall and looked untouchable as she delivered the proposal with eloquence and composure. Even Ava found herself distracted by her command and focused away from her task for a few moments. Theo kept one hand behind her back the entire time and the other one was used expressively as her movement matched the cadence and tone of her voice. As she spoke she used her free hand to slowly undo the buttons on her velvet coat. She removed her hand from her back and brought both of them forward to rest on the table in front of her.

"So tell me, Captains of this council: Are we willing to pull our crews out of the water and succumb to their intimidation? Are we willing to cower behind the protection of the reef and hope those scum don't come after us here?"

The room filled with a low hum of 'no' and grumbling pirates at the suggestion of cowardice.

"Nay!" Theo slammed her fist on the table, "We are not toys that the Center can play with. So we are not to stand idly by, we are to brave the seas in search for the key to bringing them down and when we do, they will not look to the pirates as their pawns for reelection any longer! Generations of pirates to come will be safe because of the bravery we will display here and now."

Cheers, whistles, and pounding on the table was loud and clear. Ava may have been biased but it was the best proposal yet. If she was a captain, she would vote for it. The enthusiasm and positivity in the air came to an abrupt halt when Fletching stood up, his chair screeching the stone behind him as he stood up. Quiet replaced the noise and Fletching's throat clearing could be heard from Ava's seat, across the room.

"While you do have a way with words, Captain Theo, I'm afraid you just expertly served every person here a pile of bullshit," Captain Fletching said, a grin on his face, and some officers and even captain's booed him. Fletching held his hand up and continued, "There is no reason in spending our gold to chase after something unattainable. Even if we do manage to figure out a way to trap them, they are more powerful than us, nothing we do will cause them to bat an eye. There is no reason to attack not when it has never been attempted before."

"If I may?" Cooker spoke up and Uncilo nodded his approval, Cooker also stood, "There is precedent for this kind of proposal. There is a clear pattern throughout our history-"

"Here we go again, Theo's lackey, always trying to bias the conversation in her favor. Convenient to have a man on the inside to rig this shit for you, isn't it Captain?" Firinz spoke up from his seat next to a standing Fletching. Never throwing his full weight into debates, just sitting on the sidelines to jab.

"Firinz just shut the fuck and let her speak. You will have your turn to speak about your shit plan in a bit," Captain Owl said from his spot next to Theo.

"Thank you," Cooker nodded toward Owl's direction, "as I was saying, those pirates that didn't fight back during reclassifications were usually targeted in the following one as well. When pirates have fought back in the past, the Center eased persecution for around four to five classifications after. Historically when we fight back, they turn to other sources for political gain."