Swab the Deck
Estwatch that night was extremely quiet, at first.
Rain had begun falling much more heavily almost as soon as I had finished explaining the plan at the FOB, yet the wind had completely died. A sign that some serious shit was about to be thrown at us by Mother Nature soon, to my mind, though it made me feel a bit like Paulie to think that without any evidence.
The volume of water falling was more like a summer shower, the humidity rising just too far and breaking. Fat, cold raindrops slapped down on the flat water of the inner harbour, on the decks of the ships, the wood of the wrecked buildings, even on our shoulders, all with audible splashes that filled your ears.
It was coming down hard enough that torches and lanterns would be useless... those using flames for their light anyway. The thick cloud cover meant that ordinary people were as close to blind as you could possibly get.
A perfect time for people with the appropriate technology to make an attack, in other words.
The battle fleet of the Trojan Navy was now at anchor in the very centre of the water, safe from coming storms and enemy action alike, cannon ready to lash out at the town or the pirate vessels at the dockside. It was from here, rather than the woods around the town, that we would launch our assault. I had gathered my team on the deck of the flagship Oceane, and waited.
We were all wearing long furs over our armour and weapons, looking like massive drowned rats rather than bears by now.
"They're late," Marcus said idly, leaning on the taffrail of the ship and looking out into the harbour, "Wonder what's keeping them."
He was referring to the Inquisitor's retinue.
"Why did they want to come in the first place?" Armen asked, "Trying to prove they're better than Ianto? That they're not scared of being used?"
The words 'the same way Mariette had been used' he left unsaid, but they hung in the air like neon nonetheless. Disgust at that recollection rising to my throat, I blanched, feeling the murderous rage go through me as impatience this time. I took a step to pace, when a shot rang out in the dark. One of ours. Some pirate on the dock had put their head up and got it taken off them.
The shooter soon made her opinion known. "They can't trust us," Julie said, from her perch at the corner of the deck, "We're the New World. They're the Old. They can't ever take us at our word."
Julie's sudden arrival to kill some pirates had not been unexpected, though I had been able to convince her to do it from the ships rather than coming along, by simply pointing out the need to keep as many demonbane individuals in reserve as possible. I was only going along due to being the best person to lead such an operation... though my personal desire for revenge had just as much to do with it.
"Any other sentries out there?" I asked, changing the subject away from the Inquisition's tardiness for a second.
"Not that I can see," Julie said, "At least where you'll want to go." She had a thermal IR scope on her firelance, letting her see the heat of the pirates' bodies if they were exposed, though it was less useful in near-freezing rain given that the enemy would be covered up in insulated and waterproof clothing. You had to watch for their faces. I had directed her to a target or two earlier with my own goggles the same way.
A slight blue glow from one of the hatches to the deck below announced their arrival a minute later, and the full retinue of the Herald of Andraste came one-by-one up a ladder and onto the deck.
They were dressed as I had requested; looking more like mercenaries than Inquisitorial agents. No flaming eye insignia, no identifying marks, and clothing in various Ferelden, Rivaini and Antivan styles that were popular with the Armada. Even the Madame de Fer had downgraded for the job. That said, they were all still armed and armoured as our intelligence reports on each of them said they would be.
A motley crew of mixed cultural, ethnic and military backgrounds; they'd fit right in where we were going.
"Welcome to Estwatch," I said, slightly louder than I normally would so I could be heard over the rain slaps, "Wonderful weather this time of year."
"I can see that," Trevelyan said, smiling from under her hood as she gathered her own furs closer to her, "Sorry we're late."
"You better be," Julie stated, coming alongside me and slinging her firelance, "Boats' are ready." She pointed off the starboard side.
The Inquisitor looked for a moment before she gave a single hand gesture, slipping into a professional demeanour as she waved the first lot over the side onto a rope ladder.
She looked at the Iron Bull, who was not bare-chested like Fabio Flintstone for once, though that was part of his disguise rather than any need to be covered up from the cold. He was the last in line to get in the boats and was looking vaguely bored as he watched the others descend.
"Bull! Tama says hi," Julie grinned at him, speaking in Common, "Says she hasn't forgotten you."
The Bull stared back, but said nothing.
I mean, when an Empress sends someone with a thinly veiled threat, what can you say really? Tam had no doubt even instructed Julie to say 'Tama', as that was what Qunari children call the tamassran taking care of them rather than the full title. Misbehaving children are not treated softly under the Qun, and misbehaving adults... well, that's a whole other level.
"Our turn," I said, meaning to get in the boats.
Julie turned on the spot in front of me, and stood on her toes to give me a long kiss, pressing against me. "Come back alive," she said, after she broke it off, "That's a command too."
I kicked down a rumble of guilt in my gut, at my own selfishness on going on this mission personally. It was easy. Ianto was worth the temporary turmoil. "Give our daughter a kiss for me," I replied.
"Give her one yourself," Julie said sternly, "When. You. Get. Back."
With that, she spun on her heel. "I'm going to warm up and get into bed," she announced over her shoulder, "I'm sure Tam will too after the day we've had. Not something you'll want to miss!"
With that inticement, she went home through the eluvians and I went once more to war.
The boats slid over the water silently, the muffled oars pulled by Navy barely audible over the rain.
Keeping a sharp lookout from the lead boat, I had my nightvision goggles on again, the world appearing in various shades of green and grey. No sentries appeared to raise the alarm, no ambushes sprung up from the decks of the ships we were approaching, and the only artificial luminescence I could see was from the windows of the more intact buildings a block or two behind the dockside ruins.
Our target was not the dock itself but one of the ships. It had appeared abandoned the whole day, at least according to the Navy. It was large enough to shield our approach from view, and it served our purposes. It was an old hulk, a large transport vessel most likely used to resupply pirates at sea, with a large aft 'castle'.
Once we were close enough, it was no small matter to scale the side of the ship, given it was slippery, but Sera and Cole managed it. They threw down rope ladders, and we managed to get ourselves and our equipment up on deck. It was as the Navy had reported; there wasn't even a watch on board. Pleased with this, I guessed the cannonades from our own galleons had sent the watchmen running and thought no more of it.
"Checkmate in position, stage one," I said over the radio, "Awaiting Ironside."
In other words, my assault team was where we wanted to be for this point of the mission, and we were waiting for McNulty's troops to make their move. An acknowledgement came through my earpiece to my satisfaction.
Wanting out of the rain, I went to the nearest door and found the classic pirate captain's cabin, complete with a large chart table, stout chairs, a hammock and a dozen cabinets, all of which were empty. It smelled of rum strongly, though I couldn't make out broken bottles or stains in the dark, even with my NV goggles.
"Time to settle in, this looks good," I said to the rest of the team, "Get some braziers and lanterns lit. Make it look like we're staying the night. Shouldn't be too long a wait."
We all piled into the cabin with our stuff, the Inquisitor's people claiming all the chairs and the Iron Bull claiming the hammock, whose ropes creaked under the strain of his weight but held. Quintus and Marcus did the honours of getting the lighting and heating going with magically summoned flames, and the room was very quickly made a civilised temperature.
As most of the others began eating something, it appeared the Inquisition crew had not had a full meal before arriving, Armen approached me quietly while I leaned against the wall by the exit, the door cracked open a sliver so I could keep watch. He announced his arrival by clearing his throat.
"Something has occurred to me," he said under his breath, "What happens if Ianto realises the Inquisitor is on this mission?"
I didn't know the answer to that question straight away. Would Trevelyan be a bigger target than me for the pirate bastard? I thought I was more valuable in the long term, but maybe the Inquisitor would've fetched a bigger one-off price. But then a truly evil idea came to me.
"The question you need to be asking," I replied quietly, "Is what happens if Ianto thinks the Inquisitor is attacking and he doesn't know I'm here too."
Considering this for a moment, Armen's signature cheeky grin spread slowly across his face. "He'd go straight for her," he said, "Taking her captive would be his only chance of getting out of this alive."
"Giving us a chance to take him," I shrugged, "Instead of running for whatever ratline he has set up, he'll go straight for her with his best."
Armen nodded slowly and deliberately, looking like Jack Nicholson in Anger Management. Trust me, you'd remember if you saw it. Apologies to Thedosian readers, we didn't get a copy of it in Bizzaro Boston.
"Did you plan to use them as bait all along?" he asked, "That why you agreed to let them join us?"
"I'm not that devious," I replied, turning back to keep watch again, "No, it's just an opportunity that might present itself."
The mage hmmed to himself a couple of times. "So how do we get Ianto to figure out the Inquisitor is here," Armen asked, "Without him finding out that you are too."
"I'll figure something out," I said.
It was quiet for another half a minute, both inside and out. Only thing to be heard was the crackling of the wood in the braziers, and Sera's loud chewing.
"Heads up," Armen whispered suddenly, "Inquisitor is coming."
Strange, I thought, I couldn't hear her footsteps on the wooden deck. But when I glanced over, she was indeed coming, having already cleared the chart table from the stern window towards us. So she could move quietly, very quietly if she wanted to. I made a mental note to remember that in future.
I also appreciated she seemed angry about something.
"Best leave us alone," I said to Armen. My companion nodded and made himself scarce, just in time for Trevelyan to stand in uncomfortably close to me.
"Can I help you, Lady Inquisitor?" I asked non-chalantly, maintaining my watch on the gangplank leading to the dockside, "Or do you prefer Your Worship?"
"Cole has just informed me you intend to betray us," Trevelyan stated with remarkable outward calm, "That you intend to reveal who I am so I can act as bait."
Gritting my teeth, I tore my gaze towards the spirit of the young man and narrowed my eyes. "I don't like my mind being read, Lady Inquisitor," I said, "Let's just say there are secrets in my skull I'd kill far more than one spirit boy to protect."
Trevelyan's brow raised. "Oh, that I'm sure of," she said, "But he cannot read you, except in some particular circumstances. Your mage friend on the other hand, that is a different matter."
So the spirit did have limitations. Between the damn behemoth and Cole's mind reading, I was beginning to fear my magical immunity wasn't worth as much as I had thought and acted upon, so it was sweet relief to hear it prevented the worst of it.
"If you're looking for an apology, I won't give one," I stated, "Aside from my own personal reasons to see the man captured or killed, my country is holding its breath for the outcome here. The world needs to see the consequences of attacking a Trojan garrison and holding it hostage."
Trevelyan leaned in, hand on a dagger by her hip.
"And what of betraying the Inquisition?" she asked, "Doesn't the world need to know what the consequences of that are?"
"Betrayal would imply I'm on Ianto's side," I replied, "I know all about you, Trevelyan. You are not some meek target that will go into his captivity quietly. Don't pretend you weren't ready to take him on, I warned you about what he would do if you weren't."
I'm sure at this point, many of you reading this are wondering why I was being so manipulative and not trusting the Ever Glorious Herald of Andraste, even with the retrospective of decades or perhaps centuries to understand.
The reality was that even then, Evelyn Trevelyan was a political heavyweight now and someone whose influence would only continue to grow, and her opinion on how societies ought to function was at complete odds with our own. That she later saved the world, albeit with our military assistance, does not change it, nor did the belief that she would change it at the time.
Of course, that brought up a pretty large problem that we would need to deal with soon, as Trevelyan herself pointed out.
"This alliance is only going to work if we trust each other," she said, "You need to start acting like it. The world may depend on it."
"Quid pro quo, Clarice," I quipped back, "We need you to win this, sure, but we don't need to do so in away that leaves all our other enemies standing when the dust settles."
I closed the door and leaned back against the wooden bulkhead, so we were properly face-to-face.
"Only reason you're going to get our weapons, our food, our troops, our logistics and my demonslaying ability is because you gave us Ianto. Now you're taking him back because he knows some magic trick, and you insisted on coming yourself to make sure no accidents happened."
Trevelyan already knew what was coming next.
"You don't trust us, or you wouldn't be here right now," I concluded, "Why should I trust you?"
The point was well made, if I do say so myself. She did not wilt under the weight of her own apparent hypocrisy though, and she was a good enough person to admit her wrongs.
"You have a point," Trevelyan admitted.
"So do you," I said, "A pity I can't see a way around this problem. Our politics... they're too different."
Trevelyan's face soured, scronching up at my apparent negativity.
"We can make a start tonight," she said, "Like you said, I can handle myself. I wouldn't be against your plan, provided I can have certain guarantees."
Intriguing. She really was a politician as well as a warrior.
"What would those be?" I asked.
"One, Ianto lives," she said, "In fact, I'd like you to do nothing that could result reasonably in his death. It would be a tragedy if he were to die of a fever or gangrene, rather than seeing the justice of a trial or under interrogation."
I chewed on this request in my head for a moment, my hand going to the top of a particular weapon underneath my furs as I did. I supposed it was the bare minimum we needed to establish trust.
"If you insist," I replied, "I can't promise not to kill him if he's trying to kill me, but I brought something that should make it far more likely that he lives through this." I wanted to make sure he understood the depth of his mistake myself, before he died.
Trevelyan frowned, glancing down at where my hand was but unable to see underneath my furs. No doubt she'd want to see what I was referring to, but I had been extra careful to hide it, along with the short assault firelance on my back.
"That will have to do," she said, "I can't exactly ask you to die, just yet."
"Any other conditions?" I asked.
"We begin cooperating as if our alliance is already signed," she said, "From this moment onwards. I want us to act as a real team here, I want to talk to the doubles of Leliana and Varric in Troy myself, I want the forces of the Inquisition to be as capable as you Trojans."
I scratched my neck idly, not sure what to say to that for a bit. "I suppose that is all in the spirit of alliance," I conceded, "Though I won't defy my government for you, I can grant you that much at least."
Trevelyan rolled her eyes. "I feel like I'm getting half-promises from you on everything," she said slowly.
"Because you are," I shrugged, "This is not an easy alliance. We will clash on things."
"Then promise you'll talk to me before they come to a head," Trevelyan said, "That'll be my third condition."
"Sure, provided my government doesn't object," I smirked, "See, I can't even fully make a promise on that. The woes of no longer being Emperor."
"We'll have to have a chat about how that came to pass," Trevelyan frowned, "But I think we'll both need drinks to hear it."
"True enough," I agreed, before explaining the modification to the plan I had set out at HQ, "Anyway, plan is the same as before. Breach and clear from the front. Only difference now is that I'll take my team to a side entrance."
Trevelyan nodded. "The four of you might not be enough," she said, "Want to take any of my retinue?"
I paused, looking over her head to her crew. There were a couple I might want. My mind went back to the subway under Boston, and the fiends chasing us being blown to hell by a spell that drew on their life force.
"I'd be tempted to take Dorian," I said, "He's reliable. But you'll need him. He really knows how to clear a room."
"That he does," Trevelyan said flatly, "Sera seems to like you ever since she got that firelance, though she didn't like that she couldn't bring it here."
"Would've stood out a bit too much," I smirked, imagining Sera waving it around only for the heavy rain to render it useless. We hadn't given the Inquisition rain covers for their weapons yet.
"Varric might be able to help you," Trevelyan suggested, "He's good with traps. Should be able to spot them for you."
I had my own suspicions about that idea. "And I'm sure he won't shut up about his doppelganger," I snorted, "Well, after we get Ianto at least." Tethras was no fool to be gabbing on-mission.
"At least you're confident," Trevelyan sighed, making to leave, "We might be too busy fighting off the entire town for Varric to ask you anything."
Having already thought of that, I shook my head. "Ianto has a way out, so we do too," I countered, "And besides, I brought ammunition." More than enough to hold out for a decent amount of time.
Trevelyan gave me a look like she thought I was nuts, but said nothing more, wandering off back across the cabin... towards a twitchy Cole and a Cassandra who was now staring like she was going to jump over the table and slice me in half. Yeah, nothing more to see here.
Good thing too, because there was movement dockside in the rain now, lantern lights moving around at walking pace. Our presence had been noticed, as expected. And it wasn't a rush to stop us or anything, so things were going to plan. So, I could bet that something was going to go wrong once the real fun started. I was already regretting my decision to not fill Ianto full of lead.
"Everything alright?" asked another voice quietly. Upper class Tevinter accent in the Common language.
Dorian was fishing for details on what had just passed between the Inquisitor and I. Can't say I blame him, no doubt anyone watching closely would've seen how tense things had gotten.
"Just peachy," I replied, "They're moving around out there."
Realising he wasn't going to get anything out of me about Trevelyan, he just picked up the conversation I offered instead. "How many?" he asked, "Think our cover has been blown?"
I waited a few seconds to see if anything had changed, then gave my verdict. "No, I think we're good," I said, voice returning to a normal volume, "As long as the Iron Bull plays his part."
A loud grumble came from the man himself, as he tucked his hands underneath his horned head, putting his huge arms on display. "Don't worry about that," the Bull growled, "I know my business."
It was another half an hour before anyone boarded the ship to discover what the hell we were up to.
By then, Armen had taken watch and we had plenty of warning, able to close the door without being noticed and arrange ourselves in what appeared to be a more natural arrangement. We left space for whoever it was to get inside our trap, at which point they'd be at our mercy as soon as anything happened.
The investigation party didn't even bother to knock.
They just breezed in, three of them cutlasses in hand, wearing brown leather coats over thick green wool. They would've looked more like lighthouse keepers more than pirates if it hadn't been for the daggers hanging off them on random straps and the bandanas over their faces. They were a little smaller than me, but their faces and hands were scarred from heavy melee combat, and their gaits showed they were ready for trouble.
"What the fuck are you doing in here?" one asked in a northern Fereldan accent, dropping his hood and bandana, "Who the fuck are you?" The man's face was red from the cold outside, his natural skin colour clearly a paler shade.
Not a Rivaini, then, but there were plenty of places pirates hailed from aside from there. This guy was probably from Brandel's Reach or Alamar, the northern islands of Ferelden. It explained the woollen clothes, the accent, and the attitude. A Rivaini would have come in swinging with no lip wagging, at least according to Ali after I had related the tale to him.
"What's it look like?" Sera replied from atop the table with maximum cheek, legs swinging, "Staying out of the rain?"
"Speaking of which, close the doors," Rainier grumbled, "We don't have a lot of firewood, don't need you idiots letting the heat out."
The leader began to respond with something threatening, before his eyes swivelled around the cabin for a moment, understanding that his people were outnumbered. The Inquisition people had kept away from the windows, and it was only at this moment that I realised why. With a snarl on his mouth, he gestured to one of his people to close the doors; the cold was clearly not his favourite thing either.
"Answer my fuckin' question," he said, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Sera giggled. "Not the sharpest arrow in the quiver, are you?" she said flatly. A fair comment. She had already told him what we were doing, at least as far as our cover.
"Now now, no need to mock the man," the Bull rumbled from his hammock, forestalling the inevitable armed rebuke, "We're mercenaries. Place we were staying got turned to splinters. We needed somewhere to stay. The ships were empty."
The reason for the Iron Bull's deployment as a spy was on display once again; the man lied as easily as breathing, and mixed the appropriate amount of truth in so no one smelled the bullshit.
The pirate leader actually rubbed his face with frustration. "There's a reason why no one is on these ships," he said, "Orders. They're to be burned if the fuckers try and attack from the harbour."
The Iron Bull made a show of considering this with his face, eyes rolling upwards in thought, before shrugging his massive shoulders. "We got here ahead of the Trojans by only a couple of hours," he said, "Didn't hear anything about any orders."
"Besides, they're shit orders," Sera chimed in, "The Trojans destroy half the buildings and you think we should sit around in the rain?"
"Sitting in range of those fuckin' fire wyrms they call galleons is even more shit an idea," the pirate leader countered, changing tack, "If the rain lets up any, you're going to be their first target."
The Iron Bull let out a theatrical sigh, and stood up from his hammock, his full height such that his horns actually scraped the ceiling before he ducked a little again. The three pirates backed off a step, towards the door.
"The entire harbour is a pile of broken lumber, except the ships," the Bull reasoned aloud, "If anything, it seems like the Trojans want them intact. And even you're not stupid enough to believe otherwise. So why don't you tell me the real reason you came bothering me before I lose my temper."
His arm went over his shoulder and grasped the super-sized butcher's knife of an axe poking from under his furs. The pirates all looked at each other. Their little game had been blown. With a wave, the leader ordered the others to sheath their cutlasses, and looked at the Bull with a grimace.
"Easy, ox-man," he said, "We're all friends here. Truth is, some have got plans for this bucket, which you would've found out if you'd taken a look below decks. Presume the name Ianto means something to you?"
We all went dead silent. The pirate leader's attitude rallied a little, assuming it was out of fear. I can't speak for everyone else, but I was more or less just interested in the coincidence. As well as what plan could possibly use a large cargo ship that would harm us. Unfortunately, I couldn't just climb below and find out, and I would never get the opportunity.
"We know the name Ianto alright," Rainier said, "And the reputation to go with it."
"Then you know this is not where you wanna be," the pirate leader continued, "And it's not where I want you to be, because the evil son of a bitch told me to make sure no one interfered. Not even on his crews and I'm following that order. Else I might get a red demon sent after me. Get my meaning?"
The Iron Bull walked over to the leader, and put a hand on the guy's shoulder. "Okay, you're talking sense now," he said, "Just gotta know one thing?"
"And what's that?" the pirate asked, showing no outward fear but fooling no one at the same time.
"Langer's open for business?" the Bull asked, "Still standing?" Referring to the brothel.
I understood at once what he was doing; a little intelligence gathering. The pirates paused, not expecting the request, before laughing out loud and slapping each other on the shoulder.
"It's still there," the leader said, "Half the town is there right now. Drinkin', smokin' and fuckin' like it's their last day in the world. Because it is."
The Bull removed his hand, and crossed his arms. "Sounds like a great thing," he asked, "Why aren't you doing the same?"
"Because someone spotted you hiding here," the pirate replied, "So let's go there, together, and off this fuckin' ship."
The Iron Bull looked to Trevelyan, who gave a dismissive shrug, and to me. Staying until the next phase was ready was the plan... but getting closer to our target before then was better. With an escort of unwitting pirates too. I gave my consent with a nod.
"Sounds like a plan," the Bull said finally, "Just let us pack up and we'll follow you there."
"Good," the pirate leader said, "We've got enough bodies to fight without adding each other."
Just as breezily as they entered, the pirates left, back into the rain. We began putting packs on our backs and readying our hidden weapons, when my radio crackled to life in my ear.
"Checkmate, this is Ironside," McNulty reported, "Two minutes. Request confirmation."
"Ironside, this is Checkmate," I replied, "Wait five, and commence operation."
Trying out shorter chapters to get releases going at a faster rate!