Pearl did as she was asked, meeting Revenge at the designated place at the designated time. She was followed by Interceptor. "Here's to our Pirate Republic!" Revenge held out a bottle of rum, "We're prosperous, and free, and out of the reach of clergy and debt collectors...though, if the king were to attack the town he'd trample us. We need proper defenses...steal a man-o-war, shift all the guns to one side. Would make a nice ornament for one of our harbors..." "It will not be easy to steal a full man-o-war. Have one in mind?" Intercept asked. Revenge grinned. "I do, Sir. And I'll show ye...she's a fussock she is. Fat, and slow..." she grinned. "Doesn't mean she'll be easy prey." Pearl muttered. "But I'm all ears Anne." "Let's go. She's sailing these waters according to the log I got off a merchant." the frigate said. Interceptor tilted his head. "What's her name?" "El Arca Del Maestro. First Rate Ship-of-the-Line and sister to Santisima Trinidad." "This will not be easy. What is your plan?" "She's currently sailing through the storm out there. When it passes she'll be too exhausted to fight. We wait for the opportunity and strike before she can react." "What's your plan on subduing her?" "Chain shot to the masts and rudder. Keep behind her. Keep her from turning where she can't shoot us. She'll have to surrender or get destroyed. Or we'll just knock her out from behind." "That works." Pearl shrugged. "We'll come at her from angles so when she does fire, she won't be able to concentrate it on one of us."
They set out, following Revenge as she knew where to go. The waters they sailed into were choppy and rain was hard with the small storm they were sailing into. "Easy now, no telling what you may find out here." "Like staring through a waterfall, it's bloody impossible to see far through the water and fog." "Could run strait into a reef." Pearl was remembering what happened to her father. They searched the area. The storm began to let up, and in the distance they could just make out the shape of a massive vessel. Revenge confirmed it was their target. "Stay behind her, we'll strike when fortune favours." "That ship is a monster, look at the size of her." Interceptor breathed. "Quiet!" Pearl hissed, keeping her eyes on her. It was a delicate balancing act to avoid being spotted and keep her in view. "Spanish territory up ahead. We'll have to be extra vigilant." Revenge whispered. "Understood." Pearl whispered back, eyes peeled for trouble. Interceptor spotted a schooner, and they took action to maneuver away, before they turned back to follow. It was a risky chance. If they were caught they would be surrounded, and that behemoth they were tailing would turn her guns on them. Fortunately the fog kept them concealed. They managed to keep behind her until they left Spanish territory and the storm and fog withdrew. "We'll have our chance soon. Just hold on..." Revenge sighed, "There's a perfect place to ambush her just ahead." "Keep an eye out for anyone who might ambush us!" Pearl muttered. "Unlikely, she could take us all if she wanted. She doesn't...what the devil? Ranger!" she snarled, watching the frigate pounce from the cove. Two cutters were at his side.
"I know the name. Charles Vane's ship. Imbecile!" Interceptor hissed. Maestro delivered a broadside, and it was enough to sink the two cutters and force Ranger away. As she turned to pursue, she saw her three pursuers. A blast from her deck and Revenge turned hard, "She's firing mortars!" "Scatter!" Pearl shouted. It was the only thing she could say. They had to break off pursuit or be destroyed. The scuffle had caught the attention of the nearby Spaniards, and as Maestro slipped away, eight cutters entered the fray. They were small, but they were numerous, and ferocious. "Damn these bastards!" Pearl hissed as she engaged. Such small ships, even in such large numbers, were target practice for her. Maestro was using them as a distraction, buying herself time to fade away! They were cannon fodder. It was a viewpoint she had always despised! "You don't stand a chance, lads, turn away now!" "Shut up, pirate! You'll hang for your crimes! Attack!" came the cry from the closest cutter. Smoke, fire and metal filled the air as the small fleets, one in size, the other in number, exchanged vollies of cannon fire. The schooners were fast and nimble as they were designed to be but Pearl was fast too and Interceptor's aim had only improved since he became a pirate. Anne and Jackdaw were no slouches either and soon enough the schooners were dropping dead like flies. "Just like shooting fish in a barrel." Pearl said as the last one dropped. "Damn, that was exciting." Jackdaw panted. "She slipped into that cove just north." Interceptor informed them. "I know the place," Revenge nodded, "It's a natural stronghold." "Well lead on." Pearl shrugged. "Should we expect any trouble in there?" "Besides a quad decked man-o-war? Unlikely. There's a small abandoned village and a manor atop one of the cliffs. Used to be a French plantation, but they've long since abandoned it." "Leave it to the Frenchies to just leave things behind." Pearl shrugged. She may have long since left the Royal Navy but its roots could never be completely stamped out. A British built ship would always hate the French. "It's probably best to wait until it's dark and she's asleep. We'll not last long in a fight with her, especially with no room to maneuver away from her broadsides." Interceptor added. "Agreed. I'll go in first. With my dark coat, I can sneak in easily. As for you two, Interceptor stay behind Revenge. And both of you need different sails." Pearl gave them a spare set of black ones. "I want these back, NO SCRATCHES!" "You're picky." Revenge snorted as she and Interceptor laced the new sails in. "Hey, these are custom and they're mine!" Pearl retorted. "Alright, alright! Lead the way, then."
When darkness fell, Pearl slipped silently into the harbor. She took position and waited for the others. They were slow to move in, trying to stay together while remaining unseen. Maestro was dimly lit by dockside torches and lanterns. Even anchored, she was intimidating. Pearl kept silent, and once the others were ready she attacked. Maestro yelped, but was quick to return fire at whatever was shooting once she regained composure. A cannonball tore through one of Revenge's, Pearl's sail. "I told you, no scratches!" Pearl shouted, annoyed. "Oh, shut up!" Pearl laughed and let Maestro have it. A nasty broadside aimed straight at the man o'war's masts. Interceptor joined her when he was cleared of Revenge, and before Maestro could return fire, her main mast was the only one that stood, while her fore and aft masts fell, blocking her shots. She hissed before sighing, raising the white. "Smart girl." Pearl smirked, getting a towline on her. "This is a nice place. Could make a nice hideout, and if we wanted, we could keep a small fleet here." Interceptor looked around. "I'll take Maestro back to Nassau if you two want to explore." Revenge said. Pearl shrugged. "May as well." She agreed. "Now that the lobsterback is out of the way." Revenge nodded and took the tow line, giving a tug as she and the warship sailed out of the harbor. There was a lot of space without a massive First Rate. Pearl nosed around, admiring the infastructure. The village was old and defaced, but with some love, it could become a booming pirate town. Atop the hill, a rundown manor was covered in beautiful garden flowers. And a cave behind the waterfall that fell from the cliff held a secret underground section containing a secret entrance, a small prison, and a storage area, which was locked away. "It's perfect." Pearl purred, turning to face Interceptor. "Agreed. I can't wait to see what this place looks like during the daytime. The docks look like they can hold a few big ships or a good number of small ships, if they all huddled together." "There's enough stores here to last us years, maybe even a decade, without us having to leave and go hunt." She agreed. "Agreed. Whatever they were using this place for, they were prepared for something. Ours now. Looks like we've got everything...a bar, a brothel, and a store for upgrades and ammo. Just need to upgrade them and find people to work them." "Should we, test a few of the facilities out? Just to see how they work?" Pearl asked. Despite their closeness, she and Interceptor had yet to solidify their bond as mates. For the first time since King, she found herself wanting such a bond again. He blushed. Hard. "You...You want to?" She nodded. "I do." She paused. "You are the first ship in years to make me feel this way, Interceptor. I, don't want to lose that feeling." "I didn't...realize...of course, Black Pearl. I'm yours." he purred, rubbing against her happily. She rubbed back, her own purrs enticing him. She tilted slightly on her side, continuing her smooth roll at each touch he gave. Beneath the moonlight and the Ancients' sea of stars, the pair engaged in a night long celebration of lust and love.
By morning they were established as mates and Pearl would discover in several months' time that she was pregnant. But for now, she simply savored her time in his company, and he cherished his time with her in return. The island was truly breathtaking. White cliffs, green fields, bright flowers and several waterfalls whose mist hid within their constraints a rainbow. She rested against him, exhausted from last night's efforts but conscious enough to gently lick his decks affectionately. He leaned into the licks, purring loudly. But as they leaned further and further, they found themselves pushed into the cavern below the manor. And Interceptor noticed the storage area. "Pearl look. Some locked doors. Wonder what's in there." "No idea, but let's be careful." Pearl warned. "Got anything to break the lock?" he asked, looking between her and the rusted device. She rummaged through her holds, and held out a rusty key. "I collect them. Sometimes it helps pick locks." "By all means, have at it."
Pearl was an old hand at lock picking and had it open in seconds. The doors swung open, revealing their treasures inside. Coin, spices, sugar and a logbook. Obviously, the previous owners private stash. "Jackpot!" Interceptor grinned. "I think I could learn to like this place." Pearl chuckled as she inspected a gold coin. It was a reale, the Spanish currency, so it was obvious this used to belong to Maestro. Interceptor gathered the sugar and spices to sell, while leaving the coin to Pearl. Maestro's log may have been interesting but it wasn't valuable...but...she was a Spanish officer. And with how often Spain sent treasure fleets through the Caribbean, it was possible that somewhere in that book, could be an entry describing those routes. Pearl was fluent in Spanish and she read through the pages, muttering to herself and occasionally taking notes. Eventually she reached a point where it was nothing but sightings of British vessels down south near Kingston. She gave a quiet whistle. "Maestro came just in time it looks like." She said. "What do you mean?" Interceptor called as he was returning. Then she came across a log that made her stiffen. One of the ships under command of HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign, the flagships of the Caribbean British fleet, was a large first rate. His name was Prince.
