William
: Backstory Time
A year has passed ever since I was captain of the Pearl, I've witnessed all the struggles of being captain of my crew such as these men were demanding more than what they're paid, low morale means less jobs done on deck, and with ventures getting more boring by the day. I doubt that I can do more for these men than what I owe them, other than that I've been hearing news about plantation raids are rising thanks to pirates raiding them for supplies. I haven't witnessed any raids in the plantation but I still have to be vigilant for these pirates.
"Captain you must come with me." Andrew said.
"What is it?" I came with him afterwards.
And what I saw was horrendous. "There were pirates raiding us in broad daylight."
"PLEASE SIR SPARE US! WE'RE ONLY TOLD BY OUR CAPTAIN TO RAID SUPPLIES FOR OUR SHIP." The raider said.
"What you did is a sin lads, ye think I can forgive you for that?" I asked.
"WE'LL DO ANYTHING SIR!! SO WE WON'T END HANGING ON A NOOSE." They exclaimed.
God they still do that???
"I know what you can do and it's real simple lads, abandon your captain and work for them, what do you say?"
"WE'LL TAKE IT!!!"
Real negotiable William, really negotiable...
They then joined me as the employees of the plantation but I guess that doesn't really solve the conflicts against these plantation raids, I went to town to find the others but they weren't in the tavern so I went back to the ship to look for them.
Turns out that they're all here.
I tried to look for Rhett in the lower deck. "Hey Rhett?"
"Aye captain?" He asked.
"Have you gotten bored from the town's women and that's why you're all here?" I replied.
He chuckles. "No captain, we're just here doing chores on the ship since its been a while since we sailed her out to sea. But you're partly correct about being bored."
I was glaring around when I saw pouches of reales. "What's all this?"
"Chase and Alfred made some side jobs they said to earn extra money." Rhett replied.
"Did they told you what kind of jobs?" I asked.
"Hmm, nope they didn't told me."
"If they did illegal jobs under my nose I'll give them a fucking beating."
I went to look for Chase and Alfred but to no avail, I went back to the plantation only to find Chase and Alfred along the way.
"Where have you been to lads?" I asked.
"We just did some side jobs sir for the plantation to earn some extra cash, without sailing for a few months we grew weary of standing by doing nothing." Chase said.
"We'll return to the Pearl now captain." Alfred added.
"Do be careful, there are pirates lingering by so be vigilant as always."
"Will do captain."
I went to the plantation to find the employees distressed and may seem to look scared, I looked for Andrew around to see him in the vaults.
"Has anything happened while I was gone? The workers seemed distressed." I asked.
"Ah nothing happened around here, it has been a busy day since those raiders came along but they're quite getting along the folks here. Anyway what can I do for you captain?" He replied.
"Is there any jobs that require us to ship a merchandise to other countries around the Caribbean?"
"To be honest there is, the governor ordered three kegs of rum for a celebration happening in Kingston in a few days."
"Transport these kegs to my ship, we'll deliver it to the lovely governor. But make it five as an offering for him I'll handle the expenses of the extra kegs."
"Aye sir, we'll bring these kegs to the ports as soon as possible."
I went back to town to attend other personal businesses until the five barrels of kegs arrive, as I was writing on my journal the kegs finally arrived and we loaded it in the hold. I called in the crew to get ready to sail for Kingston, two days later we've arrived and I saw arrangements are being held at the town.
"Ah William, what's your business in Kingston?" The governor asked.
"To deliver your kegs of rum governor, I added two more as an offering." I replied.
"Why I thank you William, let's head to my office I wanted to talk to you about something."
We head in to his office. "What was it that you want to talk about?" I asked.
"You've heard of the news right? Plantation raids are spiking and pirates are up to something." He replied.
"Yeah and I've experienced it back on my plantation, luckily the men who raided us didn't know what they were doing."
"I'm hypothesizing that they're up to something and it's not good, based on my information they're doing these plantation raids to come up with a weapon with the materials they're hoarding."
"In other news they were hoarding foods and drinks, they must've wanted supplies to live longer in the seas without their supplies expiring faster so they add more." I said.
"The only thing that matters is that these plantation raids must be stopped, we can't let other innocent souls be sacrificed just because pirates are raiding simple supplies." He replied.
"So what do you want me to do?" I asked.
"I want you to find their base of operations and report back to me the news you could gather on those pirates, I'll have you team up with Admiral George McGraw since he's the one who has more information on these scoundrels."
Someone comes into the office. "Governor my men have reported the coordinates of a plantation raid recently and they follow them to a nearby island, I gave orders to standby and wait for your command."
"Where is the island located?" The governor asked.
"They're operating near the Cayman Islands." The man replied.
"Ah, by the way William this is Admiral McGraw the one you're going to work with. Admiral this is Captain William Villanueva, he'll help you solve this case." The governor introduced.
"Nice to meet you Admiral."
"Nice to meet you too Captain, before we embark I have to ask; do you have a ship large enough?"
"I have an East Indiaman Galleon sir." I said.
"That'll do, now let's leave and we don't have time cause they move to other island if they're spotted." He replied.
We left Jamaica as soon as possible to catch up with the pirates before it's too late, a few days later we've reached the island without alerting those scoundrels so they must've been working deep within the island. I noticed that Chase and Alfred were shivering since we got here but there's no time to check up on them and we got to get to the island.
"Everybody spread out on teams, Captain Villanueva you'll be with your crew while I divide these men into three groups searching different areas." Admiral McGraw commanded.
"Aye sir, now come on let's find these pirates." I commanded my crew.
"Aye captain!"
We searched for those pirates for quite a long time maybe hours, along the way I seem to have lost Chase and Alfred but luckily I found the pirates base of operations. There are hundreds of them here and must've had lots of raided items stocked in this very island, we spied for them until...
"SIR OUR COVER'S BEEN SPOTTED, MY CAPTAIN AND BRITISH MILITIA ARE IN THE ISLAND AS WE SPEAK." Chased and Alfred fucking snitched.
"Shit our cover's blown! What do we do captain?" Rhett asked.
"Those bastards! I knew something's up with them, let's reposition slowly." I commanded.
"WHOEVER IS OUT THERE COME OUT AND SHOW YOURSELVES!!" A pirate exclaimed.
We slowly moved but our cover was really blown when we were fired upon. "ALRIGHT WE'RE COMING OUT!"
We came out of the bushes. "Who are you and what are ye doing in my island?!" An angry captain asked.
"How dare you Chase and Alfred, you planned a mutiny against me?! AGAINST YOU'RE OWN FAMILY?!?!"
"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION." The angry captain smacked me in the face.
"IT WAS FOR THE GREATER GOOD CAPTAIN!! WE'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR LOUSY LEADERSHIP, WHAT'S AN EXPEDITION WITHOUT THRILL FOR TREASURE AND THE KILL?!" Chase said.
"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!!"
We got beaten up by these pirates until the British Militia showed up. "IN THE NAME OF KING CHARLES, YOU PIRATES ARE UNDER ARREST FOR HOARDING SUPPLIES THAT CAME FROM PLANTATIONS!!"
"We'll never go down without a fight!!!"
"ARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!"
Gunfire surrounded the whole base leaving us with no bit of cover, until it was time for the swords to talk, I took out Chase and Alfred with my pistol then clashed against the pirates afterwards. It was a heavy battle but we survived and had them immobilized and tied their hands with ropes then brought them back in to the brig, We returned to Kingston a few days later with the Governor waiting at the docks.
"William you're back, how was the mission?" He asked.
"Sorry governor we weren't able to report back but we brought the prisoners, well what's left of them." I replied.
"Seems like you're missing some crew."
"A few of them got caught in the gun fire while two of them, I killed with two of my guns for mutiny."
"My deepest condolences." He said.
"It's no big deal governor, now I'd like to go back to Tortuga to unwind." I replied.
"It's for the best William, I'll see you soon."
"See you soon governor."
We left Kingston to go back to Tortuga, it was a tough day and I have to commandeer the helm myself. I know that my crew are exhausted as well but we have to sail back to Tortuga and with the favor of the wind we made it back earlier than we'd expect to be, most of them went to the tavern to book a room while I carried sacks of reales back to the Plantation.
"William, what's with those sacks??" Andrew asked.
"If Chase and Alfred stole your money it belongs back to you Andrew." I replied.
"I was afraid to tell that they have been stealing from the plantation for a while but you managed to catch them, how?"
"They snitched on us during a mission to catch thieving pirates, seems like they were among them."
"And what happened to them?" Andrew asked.
"They were killed, by my own gun and bullets." I replied.
"I know that they were your friends, it must've hurt when you had to kill them with your own hands."
"Our friendship ended when they alerted those damned pirates, so you don't have to worry about me hurting."
I left the plantation to find new job opportunities, I asked around town and there was a man who came to me saying he had a job offer for me.
"What do you want sir?" I asked.
"We must hide and talk in a secure place, ears are listening." He replied.
"Alright?"
I followed him to hide in a secured place as he said. "What do you want to talk about?"
"That ship with the black hull and sails, does it belong to you?" He asked.
"Aye it does, what does it have to do with your job offering?" I replied.
"I've heard from a acquaintance who's working in a smuggler's outpost that they need to deliver twenty cannons, but this mission must be stealthy."
"Why should it be stealthy? It's only delivering cannons."
"Because these cannons should be delivered in Nassau, a pirate country that only allow pirates and smugglers to enter, you son are not a pirate but you can act as a smuggler to deliver those cannons to them." He explained.
"Alright I'll do it, where's this smuggler's outpost you've been talking about?" I asked.
"It's on the nearby islands of Cuba en route to the Bahamas, and please be careful, there's a lot of British and Spanish privateers with huge fleets treading this waters."
"Aye... I'll make sure those cannons get to Nassau in time."
"Wait one more thing." He said.
I just want to bring those cannons and fire it in his mouth so he'll stop talking.
"Be careful when you see a ship within the mists or underwater, rumors has it she was a ghost ship that seeks revenge for her captain who was killed by a man years long ago. Don't tread through waters covered in mists, she shows up either beside you or below." He added.
"I'll take note of what you said." I replied.
I left the man alone and went to find the others in the tavern, some are intoxicated, others tell that they're in the brothel, these men doesn't care about the world at the moment so I tried to find Rhett in his room.
I knocked on his door. "Rhett are ye there?"
"Aye captain the door's not locked come in."
I came inside his room. "Mate we have a job to do." I said.
"Can it wait until tomorrow? We're all tired from the bloodshed we did to those pirates and the crew need some time to unwind now that they've lost some of their brothers-in-arms and you also need rest William, I know that you're still shaking after knowing that Chase and Alfred were one of them and you had to terminate them for mutiny." He said a long reply.
"T-This mission involves us now helping those pirates, at some point."
"What we're going to raid plantations with them now?" He chuckled.
"We're delivering cannons to Nassau, we try to find out what's going on to why they're raiding plantations and understand the situation if we can."
"I wonder what the cannons are for? Anyway I'm with you and I hope the others as well. The sooner we find out why they're doing this the sooner we find a solution am I right?"
"Aye let's tell the others."
We tried to convince the others to join us on our small quest, I got a few of the men to agree but the other were too busy intoxicating themselves and enjoying with women by their sides. So I had them dragged back to the ship to start sailing and we're off to that smuggler's outpost.
To be continued...