Fair or Foul:

This Wasn't in the Plan

The ship arrived in port of the Marine base without much more incident. Bo and his direct crew (minus Ray and Rose) stayed loosely bound to the main mast for most of the journey with Rose attending to them on a regular basis, usually assisted by an enamored and distracted Kaleb, aside from particularly dark nights when Shaad would release all of them except Leon for a few hours, so they could move around, to prevent muscle atrophy.

Once the ship passed through the large set of steel gates leading within the massive walls surrounding the base on three sides opposite a large mountain that the base seemed to be built into, it was as if they'd been cut off from the outside world, isolated and alone in enemy territory.

"This isn't a regular island base; this is a stronghold." Shaad stated, a slight pause in his speech as he contemplated their next action. The plan was designed for an easy escape on open water, but with a squad of men controlling the gate opening mechanisms, their ruse would have to hold up until they could get in and out of the base and have time to spare for the gate to be opened and, preferably, closed behind them or else they'd all be in a world of trouble. And, that wasn't even considering the matter of prying eyes they already had to deal with.

"This base began as a premier Marine stronghold decades ago." Mage's voice sounded from above Shaad. Shaad was leaning against the wall of the captain's cabin on the quarterdeck with Mage almost directly above him, looking down from the poop deck, but Shaad knew it pointless to bother looking for him, staying silent as Mage continued. "Over the years, the land was expanded to create housing for the higher ups' families and eventually those of any soldier who wished to use it. They expanded the post again 28 years ago and a last time 16 years ago, turning it into a full-fledged island, to accommodate the merchants and civilians that continued to move out here."

"So a stronghold turned guarded island. That kind of info means you had an assignment out here. What was it?" Mage remained quiet and nonreactive as if he hadn't heard Shaad's inquiry, but Shaad knew there would be no answer no matter how many times the question was posed. "Since you know so much, any ideas on how to get out of here. . . or reason you didn't say so earlier?"

"Command has switched many times in recent years, and the gates usually remained open to make travel easier. The main road is the only surefire way to reach the docks from the base, but it's also the most heavily guarded."

"So, no?" Shaad summarized. "New commander – obviously strict – and no good plan. Damn, why do government led city layouts have to be so complicated? Just once it would be nice to not have to navigate a maze to get somewhere."

As Shaad and Mage wrapped up their conversation, the rest of the crew was just finishing up pulling the ship into the dock, lining it up next to a standard issue Marine vessel in a spot barely big enough for the gigantic battleship.

"Alright, time to get started." Shaad proclaimed, clapping his hands together to attract the attention of the crew and prompting them to gather as he strolled past the main mast, the ropes restraining Bo and company falling to the ground, cut, as he moved by. Alexander and Mino immediately jumped up, following lockstep behind Shaad as he sauntered down the ramp and off the ship.

The trio traveled to the far end of the docks where Shaad left Alexander and Mino nestled in a hidden corner of the dock behind a merchant ship to converse with the dock master and report to the Marines that he'd arrived with the promised cargo. The marine on duty was a fresh faced rookie no more than two years out of the recruits. Shaad could tell the young man was around his age, but had never seen real combat and had probably never been involved in anything more serious than a spar. Shaad approached him with a smirk. "I'm the pirate, Cornelious Rashaad, Vice Admiral Frank Hammer should've informed you that I was coming to deliver a ship full of prisoners."

The marine checked the logbook in front of him, furiously scanning the pages for a note similar to what the pirate before him mentioned, he was sure a pirate wouldn't be at a Marine stronghold of their own choosing, but there was nothing of the sort on the books. His eyes nearly lit up and he unconsciously let out a sigh of relief, fearful of what Shaad may have done if angered, when he finally found something that seemed to match. "Here it is. 'Shit stain trash to deliver worthless pond scum.'" he read aloud, the words eliciting an amused smirk from Shaad.

"I never knew Frankie boy was such a sweet talker. Has he been hiding that side of him all this time?" Shaad joked, a mixture of mock hurt and playfulness in his tone.

"That message was left by Vice Admiral Logan Marx, and it's not scheduled for another week."

Shaad's amusement turned to an annoyed frown at the mention of the arrogant young Vice Admiral that threatened his friends, but he had gained some useful information. "So that's his name? Sounds like somebody has mommy issues. . . Anyway, we arrived ahead of schedule; good weather." The marine looked a bit hesitant to comply with Shaad's wishes, and that was easily noticed by the sly pirate, adding, "So, will you make that call now? I don't exactly feel comfortable around this many marines." He ended the remark with a light chuckle as if joking, but the flat monotone behind his words did plenty to relay the seriousness of his statement, and the young man nervously picked up the den den mushi receiver beside him.

"I have a prisoner transport here accompanied by a Cornelious Rashaad." Shaad waited a moment while the man talked to someone on the other end, settling all the minor details so all bases were covered.

When the call ended, Shaad interjected, "So now I'm reduced to accompanying?", feigning offense in the word. But, before the marine could respond, a loud boom and explosion from the ship where everyone else still was interrupted them.

"Haa; we need assistance now." the inexperienced marine panicked, cowering in his booth and fumbling with the den den mushi and his rifle.

Shaad placed a firm hand over the young man's to prevent the receiver from being lifted, a deep scowl creasing his brow. "No. I'll take care of this myself." He then walked off back towards the ship, marching past Mino and Alexander, whispering, "Ya'll have enough time?" and catching the positive nod in his peripheral before continuing, withdrawing his swords as he moved.

The explosion drew the attention of all those nearby plus some who overheard it and rushed over, but due to the thick cloud of black smoke covering the center of the deck it was impossible to see what was happening. For his part, Shaad looked more pissed than anything, moving to the ship in a brisk walk. He wasted little time in jumping on board, almost immediately being met by a body flying past him as he entered the growing billows.

The body flew over the railing and into the water with a splash, sinking without resistance. Beneath the water, it was quiet. The sounds and chatter coming from above dwindling by the second as the sun speckled surface grew more and more distant. Hair swayed gently, lifting and bobbing on the water, providing a serene frame to the small, lithe body fading into the abyss, the only sign of life being the endless stream of bubbles pouring from the figure's open mouth.

"Everyone ready?" Shaad questioned to the group in front of him, many of whom, including Bo and Leon, were already dressed as marines.

"Almost. The prisoners are being brought up now." Bo replied, complete seriousness evident in his intense stare. "More importantly, are you sure?"

"Of course. No doubt he's a member of Hammer's crew, and they're all hopelessly moralistic. If not for their undeniable strength, they'd be a laughingstock for it." Shaad answered the question with a dismissive wave as if it was all an annoying formality.

"You better be right. If anything happens to Rose, you'll answer to me."

"Sure, sure. Your group just needs to focus on getting into the city as fast as possible."

Just as Shaad figured, there indeed was another figure lurking beneath the water, charged with keeping an eye on the crew. But, seeing Rose's petite frame sinking helplessly, he felt compelled to dive after and rescue the young female marine (as indicated by the Marine insignia on the doctor's coat she wore) who'd merely been caught in the crossfire of the ongoing dispute. Within seconds, Rose was above water, being clutched protectively by her savior, an unevenly shaded light blue fishman that blended seamlessly with the still water, and hacking up the copious amounts of water that had entered her lungs.

While the fishman was distracted tending to Rose, Shaad, along with Bo, Leon, the White Knights, and a figure unknown to any but the original three crew members - all dressed as marines -, escorted the prisoners and captured marines from Hammer's squad from the ship's hold down the main street of the city. Like Mage had said, the streets security was top notch with snipers situated strategically among rooftops and security checkpoints at regular intervals. The group moved through easily with Shaad and Mage at the head. Thanks to Mage's powers, the procession looked to be led by Vice Admiral Tokage and his top subordinate, dressed in nonstandard Marine attire. When a Vice Admiral of Marine HQ flashed his name badge, few lower ranking marines were bold enough to stop him, and even those more scared of their own superior's wrath wouldn't look too closely for fear of offending the imposing officer.

Rose recovered from the staged, but very real, near death experience just as the light sedative she'd taken dissolved completely and almost immediately passed through her system. Mage had given it to her, and though she was hesitant to trust the shady man she once called an enemy, she placed the pill under her tongue and it worked just as he said it would, paralyzing her in a comatose state as the drug released from the dissolving chemical blocked the signals from her brain to the rest of her body, leaving her with only her mind and eyes aware until the pill was gone and the drug completely dissipated soon after. She tried to free herself from the fishman's strong arms, wanting to immediately reconnect with her comrades, but he gently, though firmly, restrained her and attempted to talk her out of any reckless action as well as confirm that she was indeed a marine since she looked too young for the role. Rose was only freed when something large bit into his bottom half, revealing that instead of a fishman, he was actually some sort of octopus merman when two thick tentacles shot up in surprise and pain while the rest instinctively wrapped around the threat, Mino's pet yuda, in an attempt to crush and strangle it.

The merman marine turned his back on Rose to focus on the squirming creature lashing at him with its tail. Rose was unsure of what to do, hesitant to attack a marine but also knowing things weren't looking good for Yuda. She was startled when Mino grabbed her from behind, telling her to get away while she could.

As Rose swam away, Mino jumped into the air, exposing her shimmering blue tail, briefly sparkling beautifully in the sunlight as she performed a somersault and hammered the merman in the back of the head. The blow freed Yuda and sent the merman barreling below the water's surface until he abruptly stopped himself, spinning around with a threatening glare. "Who are you?"

No stranger to intense killing intent, such as that being focused at her in the moment, Mino didn't falter, returning the glare with equal ferocity before the two sides charged each other, Mino circling Yuda's serpent like body as it swam straight towards the merman.

"So that's how you'll choose to play it?" the merman rhetorically questioned, upon not receiving an answer, while preparing for the oncoming attack. When the two sides clashed, he caught Yuda's massive jaws with his bare hands just before they could clamp down on him. But, Mino used that opportunity to swim up from under Yuda's large body and take a swing at the merman's chin with her gold alloy coated staff. With his hands already full, there was no avoiding the deft strike, but he was able to use his tremendous strength, swinging Yuda down and slamming it into Mino.

The strong blow sent the pair careening backwards. Mino recovered first, swimming around her pet and brandishing her staff before mouthing an order that the marine couldn't hear. Yuda shortly afterwards regained its equilibrium, rising up behind Mino in threatening fashion and baring a feral snarl.

The merman flashed an intrigued smirk. "A mermaid that can talk to yuda? You're quite the catch aren't you? I guess I'll have to get more serious." As those words were leaving his mouth, he flexed his hands continuously, drawing in the nearby water. Flinging both of his beefy arms forward at the same time, he released a torrent of solidified arrows. Mino blocked the fierce wave by skillfully spinning her staff, but just as that attack finished, a rotating column of water was rushing towards them from the fluid orb now in his hands. Mino reacted quickly, deflecting much of the blast's force with a shield of water created by an upswing of her staff, but the attack's power was still enough to send her hurtling back a fair distance.

Her opponent, while surprised by how she managed to lessen the blow, didn't show it, almost immediately following it up with another attack. He wrapped all of his tentacles together, creating a tight spiral that ended in a single drill-like point and rapidly swam at the overwhelmed mermaid. The distance between them cut in less than a second, the relentless octopus merman flipped over and began spinning, adding even more power to the crushing attack. Mino, not used to being outpaced underwater, was too stunned to react, and would have been done in entirely by the attack had Yuda not coiled itself around her by the narrowest of margins, taking on the full extent of the attack with its hardened scales. The merman drilled into Yuda with all his might, burrowing the focused tip of his tentacles into the creature's side, but, despite clearly doing damage, was unable to make significant headway against the resolute animal's determination to protect its master, ending his assault with an explosive release of his tentacles. The abrupt action pounded into Yuda's vulnerable side with the force of eight simultaneous punches.

The wounded creature sorely loosened its tense body from around Mino while the merman calmly tread water not far away.

"You're quite skilled. But, neither you nor your little pet are anywhere near the level needed to beat me underwater."

"I don't need to beat you." Mino quickly warned. The statement puzzled the confident marine until an intense pain suddenly shot through his entire body. "Did you forget that yuda are extremely poisonous? Their venom is so lethal even Sea Kings stay away; you're lucky to be alive after this long." She paused shortly before slowly declaring, "But, not for long." Mino was upon the merman in a flash, attacking with a flurry of thrusts using her staff, each thrust capped with a solid point of water.

The marine guarded himself well against the attacks, using an extended lag between later strikes to bring a thick stream of water gushing up between them, almost hitting Mino. In the short time it took Mino to recover and swim around the defensive wall, the merman had escaped. Mino had done enough to achieve her goal of stalling him long enough for Bo and the others to disembark the ship with the captured marines and for Rose to start making her way to join up with the group, though, and with Yuda's deadly poison coursing through his veins, it was only a matter of time until it invaded his heart.


"Everyone, stop!" The sudden command startled most of the group, causing a small number of collisions as the words traveled through their ranks before Bo continued. "The guard at the gate is. . . blind," he murmured, an unsure emphasis on that last word. "Mage's powers won't get us past him. We need Rose here, now." The urgency was clear as he ended his statement.

Shaad obviously found the situation amusing, quietly jesting Mage. "Can look like a giant, but still hit like an ant." Mage merely grumbled his displeasure at the jab, the sound easily muted by Bo's next command.

"Proceed slowly," he directed just loud enough that only his people heard it. 'And hope Rose hurries.' The group resumed their march, but at a drastically reduced pace, while several blocks away, Rose ran as fast as she could, moving through the checkpoints with familiar ease, as she made her way to catch up with the rest of the crew in time.