WOOHOO at last chapter 6 is here at last and it is here to stay. I finally managed to get the time to complete this, A-levels are helluva hard and take up a lot of time. Fortunately I am now back into the swing of things and chapter 7 has already been started and is shaping up nicely. So as always place questions on the review section or e-mail me with ideas or problems about this here story and I will do everything I can to answer. So its on with the show and enjoy Jonny 5 Chapter 6: Revelations Thousands upon thousands of tiny lights shone down upon the world of arcadia. In Geriva all was peaceful, nothing was making a sound save the usual nightlife*. The stars twinkled in the sky much as they always had. Though the stars themselves weren't really twinkling, that's just an illusion caused by some planetary phenomenon most likely to do with convection currents. If stars did twinkle a lot of planets would become hot and cold very quickly every second. All were asleep peacefully, except two figures in the cities central park. The pair weren't asleep though they were at peace. Gonzales, who had fallen in the lake, was now dry and had his arm around Malum a girl he had not yet known for a day. She rested her head on his shoulder. Neither had said anything for hours now they just sat and enjoyed their perfect moment. Many more hours passed and the lovers were both asleep by the time the sun began to creep over the horizon. Gonzales awoke first when the suns first beams of light hit his eyelids. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and when he realised what the weight on his arm was the memories of the night before flooded back. The happiness he recalled faded almost as quickly as it arrived. He would have to leave her soon, staying was out of the question, the call of being a pirate was too strong. He wasn't sure what he had to do that would be crucial in the grand scheme of things, but he knew it was important. She wouldn't come with him either, she had too much to live for here and she would not leave it so readily. As Malum woke up her mind went through a very similar process to Gonzales'. She looked up at him and smiled half heartedly. "you'll be leaving soon wont you?" she asked after a few minutes. Gonzales sighed. He knew he would have to tell her eventually. "I'm afraid so. Not soon though if I can help it." "will you die?" He took a minute think about this "yes" he answered eventually Malum sat bolt upright and went pale. Gonzales explained. "we will all die eventually, its an inevitability that no-on can escape. There are few who choose to die freely. Some accept it, most ignore it the only thing I know is that all we can do is choose where and when we die" Malum relaxed, this little speech brought a tear to her eye. "And when do you choose to die?" "Oh a long, long time yet I choose to live a long and happy life before I take the bow" The two sat and watched the sun rise. "why did you ask about that?" "Generally pirates aren't particularly popular and you already seem to have quite a nasty looking wound on your face. It looks like its gonna scar." "Hmm I thought it might, I had a run in with some clown called Abe Gillst" "GILLST???" Malum sat bolt upright at this. "you fought against Abe Gillst and survived. There are not many who can say that" "Better increase that number by four" "I'd watch your back if your plans of a long life are to stay intact. Who were the other three?" "One was a friend and travelling companion the other two were prisoners who escaped from Abe's ship" "How long ago was this?" "Can't have been much more than week ago now" "I want to meet these two prisoners of yours" Izmael, Brabham** and Pedro woke up at the crack of dawn to work on the ship. Plans lay on a desk showing what the Light of Progress would look like once repairs were finished. The ship sown on the plans looked nothing like what was actually in the dock, since it was generally agreed that now Izmael and Brabham were probably going to be part of the group for a while now, the ship was going to need to be bigger with more living space and supplies storage. Three new main sails were to replace the old single one. These were to be triangular shaped and would overlap each other backwards. Six new cannons were to be installed replacing the original pivot mounted one. These would be placed three on each side facing out to port and starboard and would sit on a larger main deck. A storeroom would be erected (you at the back stop giggling) where the pivot cannon used to be. The bridge would still be where it was only one level higher, this 'hub' would have access points to below deck the main deck and the bridge. The engine would sit at the centre of the ship blocking off access to a store area in front of it. The old engine would be replaced by a smaller more powerful engine that would power the ship as well as four new smaller sails that would 'row' like you would if you in a rowing boat. The area to the back end of the ship would be a storage area along with two crew quarters and a docking area for two life rafts. All this work was going to take approximately three weeks provided there were no delays. The trio were building the new deck and bridge when Pedro noticed a familiar figure standing at the entrance to the dock. Izmael and Babham saw two, and one didn't look very happy. "YOU!" yelled Malum at the top of her voice. "YOU WERENT SUPPOSED TO COME BACK! YOU SHOULD BE DEAD NOW, NO-ONE LIVES MORE THAN A FEW DAYS IN GILLST'S CELLS" "Whoa there Malum, are you sure these are the two you were talking about on the way down here" said Gonzales taken aback from this sudden outburst and desperate to quiet things down a bit. Brabham answered "Yes" "What? Why? ... How? ... When? What the hell is going on!" "Almost a month ago now, we came looking for a map. A map that leads us to, what is generally agreed to be the biggest stash of treasure on the face of Arcadia. The one that every pirate dreams about, and only a few come close to. You of course now which map I'm on about now. Daccat's map. Unfortunately we are not the only ones looking for it. Abe Gillst has not been very far behind us from the very start. By the time we got here, we can't have been here more than a couple of days before he arrived and began to demand our capture and the map. The mayor persuaded him that they didn't have the map and were more than welcome to hand us over if he had some time to look. Obviously the moment he demanded we were given to him we made a beeline to our ship, to wait for him to move so we could sneak away. Unfortunately the townsfolk found us and burned us out of our ship a day later and we were given a... trial I suppose on the spot. There the mayor and his daughter here sentenced us after a few minutes where we found out we were to be handed over to Gillst and if by some fluke that we survived, never to return in case Gillst followed us there again. A week later we escaped after some young idiots came too close to where Abe was hiding. After taking heavy damage they still managed to beat Abe in a ship so old that there was more mould than wood. Once we were in a life raft we decided to help them on their way and maybe even let them in on our quest, eventually." "Eventually?" asked Gonzales who had not heard any of this before then. "They told me only last night. They were going to tell you as soon as you got back, which in a sense they did" Said Pedro defending Izmael and Brabham. "Fair enough, but Malum you said you were the daughter of a successful businessman not the daughter of the mayor." "I am the daughter of a business man. I am also the daughter of the mayor. You see the honour of mayor is given to the man who has most power over the people. In the old days it used to be the richest or to those in the cathedral over there." The group sat around for a few minutes before Pedro eventually broke the ice "Well then. What now?" "They have to leave before Abe comes looking for them." "They cant it looks like those repairs are gong to take a few weeks" said Gonzales "Ooh that reminds me, we're going to need 20000 gold pieces to finish this and I reckon we can finish in a week, we don't have to do it all now." "Right then. I'll go out in a life raft and try to figure what's happened to Gillst, we should be safe here he cant have known where we were going to when he went down" said Gonzales "Need any help?" Volunteered Pedro. "No I'll be fine and besides we need to finish repairs here as quickly as possible." "Then Gonzales noticed that the ship was a bit different to what he last remembered "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SHIP?!" "Just a few minor modifications, nothing to worry about. Well you oughta be off looking for Gillst now before he realises we're here. Happy hunting cya." Izmael hurried Gonzales to a life raft before he had a chance to complain some more. Just as Gonzales' ship vanished of the surrounding buildings Pedro turned to Izmael. "You didn't have to do that you know, I could have handled him" "It seemed to save the bother this way he'll have to accept no matter what the ship looks like when he gets back." A minute passed "You said it was your ship"

*Damn crickets **Thanks to Kuroi Tatsu for pointing this out. If you don't know what I'm on about I used to spell it Babham

Authors note

Well chapter 7 is almost completed, which is great and all of course. However, to show the evilness of Abe Gillst, i wrote a section of the story that to say the least, would bump the age rating up to 'R'. I am not sure how all you out there would react to that, i know i felt a bit off colour just writing it, although i am easily sickened. I guess i do have the mental picture perfect in my mind. basically what im saying is, can you voice your opinion about this age rating increase.
Thanks all
jonny 5