Chapter 1
As dark storm clouds lingered on the horizon, two ships cut through the waters of the Caribbean, one in hot pursuit of the other. The H. M. S. Intrepid, one of Mousedom's finest military vessels, cut through the waves smoothly as she sailed at full speed towards her target. The ship was a flurry of activity as the crew hurried about to do their tasks.
A young mouse by the name of Basil Brettman felt a thrill of excitement course through his veins. He knew a pirate ship when he saw one. He hadn't been in the service for quite two years yet, but he already had plenty of experience dealing with them. An excellent swordsmouse, he'd proven himself within a month of joining, and quickly rose through the ranks. However, despite his skills, the one thing he seemed to have a problem with was following the strict rules and regulations. Added to the fact that he was a bit hot-headed and stubborn, and it wasn't difficult to guess that he stayed in trouble often. He'd lost count of the times he'd been disciplined for fighting, disobeying orders, or just for ticking off one of the crew for his little habit of deducing every detail about them. In fact, he had lost his position because of his insubordination.
Now his main duties consisted of performing the most menial tasks such as swabbing the deck, washing dishes, cleaning, cooking, etc. But whenever a ship came into view, he would quickly take his place among the crew to help trim the sails and prepare the cannons.
"Step lively men!" Lieutenant Geoffrey Gibson called out as he bustled by, hurrying up the stairs to the helm. As Basil helped to secure one of the lines, he overheard Gibson speaking with Commodore Thomas Grayson.
"Is she flying any colors?" the burly mouse asked.
"No," the Commodore replied, lowering his spyglass. He gave his lieutenant a knowing glance. "But she has red sails."
Gibson's eyes widened. "The Felicia," he stated, unable to hide a slight trace of fear in his voice.
A chill ran down Basil's spine, for The Felicia was captained by none other than the infamous Padraic Ratigan, one of the most notorious and bloodthirsty pirates in the Caribbean. But with that storm coming up so fast, it would be pointless to give pursuit now.
"Um, sir?" Basil finally spoke up, unable to hold his tongue any longer. "Is it really such a good idea to go sailing straight into a storm like this?"
The Commodore, a mouse with dark brown fur who was only a few years older than Basil, didn't even look in his direction as he sighed exasperatingly.
"Mr. Gibson, kindly escort this mouse back to the galley where he belongs."
Growling in annoyance, Basil wrenched his arm from the lieutenant's grasp before he could drag him away.
"Even with the Intrepid being the fastest ship in the Caribbean," he insisted, "we'll never catch them. I mean, squalls like this are dangerous enough on their own, and we'll lose the pirates in the fog. Plus there's always the chance of running aground or being dashed to pieces on the rocks—"
"We've weathered through worst storms than this, as you well know. And in case you've forgotten, we are on a mission, Mr. Basil, a mission to catch these pirates so that they'll receive the justice they deserve."
Basil balled his hands up into fists by his side. "It all boils down to the fact that you're willing to risk the lives of your own crew on the exceedingly slim chance that you might finally capture the pirate who's led you on a wild goose chase all these months—"
"Mr. Basil, that's quite enough!" Grayson shouted angrily, eyes flashing like daggers as he whirled around to face the insolent mouse. "You no longer hold a position of rank on this ship, and this cheeky behavior is exactly what got you demoted in the first place." Basil winced. He just had to bring that up, didn't he? As Grayson grabbed Basil by his shirt collar, it took every ounce of self-control not to punch the Commodore in the face then and there in front of the entire crew. "However," Grayson hissed in his face, "I will not put up with it any longer. You're lucky I don't give you a few lashes to teach you a lesson. Now I suggest you straighten up and learn to follow orders before I have to take any further disciplinary action against you. Understood?"
The defeated mouse felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment as he averted his eyes to the floor. "Aye," he muttered quietly.
"Aye, what?" Grayson prodded.
Basil ground his teeth together before replying more loudly. "Aye… sir."
"Good. Now get back to your post." Basil quickly whirled around, feeling all eyes on him as he retreated, hanging his head in humiliation.
"And Mr. Basil…" Grayson added.
Basil halted, rolling his eyes irately, not even bothering to turn around to face the Commodore again.
"This is your final warning."
Seething with rage, Basil hastily descended the steps into the hold, away from the burning glances and shaking heads of the crew.
….
An hour later, the storm hit. The lightening crackled across the sky and the thunder roared deafeningly. The wind howled around the ship like a siren, the rain pouring in sheets as if the bottom of the clouds had dropped out. The timbers of the ship groaned and creaked as it was battered about unmercifully, waves washing up onto the deck and almost washing some of the men overboard.
Deep in the hold, Basil staggered forward unsteadily. What did I tell you? he thought bitterly, hoping the Commodore was happy with himself. Probably locked up in his cabin sulking-
Basil fell against the wall as the ship lurched suddenly, and a moment later there was the sharp crack of splintering wood as the ship crashed against something. The force knocked Basil down to the floor, and though he tried to roll out of the way, a large beam came crashing down on him from the ceiling. The impact with his skull caused him to groan in pain, and his world turned dark as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Author's Note: ...I really shouldn't be starting another story... but I am anyway xD This will basically be a story about the Great Mouse Detective characters in a pirate universe. I've decided to call it "Blood and Gold" based on a song that my friend NightMagican on deviantART told me about.
Basil and Ratigan (c) Eve Titus and Disney
Thomas Grayson and Geoffrey Gibson (c) me
*Sidenote: "Brettman" is my version of a last name for Basil because... well, "Basil Rathbone" + Jeremy "Brett" = two famous actors to portray Sherlock Holmes.