CATCH AND RELEASE

And now the thrilling con… well it's not really a conclusion. Some of this stuff won't be fully resolved until LS and I write the sequel. But for now, the thrilling continuation of the piratical adventures of Onderon's northern sea. ~ DK

"Sail in the light of the salt gods.

Sail by their will.

May they bring you home against all odds.

Sail by their will.

Let them guide you on your way.

They shall bring you home to stay.

Those who've gone to them all say:

'Sail by, sail by, sail by their will."

Shara listened carefully as Lana and Maris finished their song. It was a simple, pretty melody. She was already working out the third harmony part in her mind and she was sure she'd have it memorized after she heard it a few more times. For now though, she listened while Maris and Lana sang. It was doing wonders for both of their nerves, what with Marlon and Ness both being out hunting the Bralykburns.

"What time is it?" Maris asked after they'd finished the last refrain.

Lana checked the chronometer. "Second watch is starting soon."

The waitress sighed and stood up. "I've got to go. They'll need me for the dinner rush over at the pub, and we're expectin' a healthy crowd wantin' drinks."

"Alright, have a nice evening." Lana smiled thinly at their friend. "Thank you for coming over. It was good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Lana." Maris hugged her and then Shara. "I'll keep your Jamos in my prayers tonight," she whispered.

"And I'll do the same for Ness," Shara promised. "If they comm, I'll let you know as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Shar. An' if Ness comms the pub, I'll patch you in. Shouldn't be hard."

"I'd appreciate that very much."

The chrono chimed and Maris hurried out of the room to the pub, leaving Lana and Shara alone to stare out at the sea.

Lana sighed. "I just wish they'd comm."

"I'm sure they will soon. We should just assume no news is good news. Lana, they're smart. I'm sure they have the situation under control and they'll be just fine."

But Lana was not to be pacified. The woman who was normally a tower of calm and stability was losing it, fast. "You didn't see what I did, Shara. Hugo with that harpoon ... he was crazed! Marlon thinks he's dealing with the rational but Hugo's a - a madman!"

Shara wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Marlon could handle the Rashes. I'm sure he can handle this. And he'd do anything to get home to you."

Lana bit back a sob. "I don't care about me. I just want him to be there for his children."

Shara pulled back. "Children?" she repeated. "Did you just say children? As in plural?"

Lana smiled sadly. "I thought I might be before they left but I didn't want to say. Now I'm sure of it and…" She wiped her eyes. "Salt gods, Shara, I can't do this without him!"

Shara hugged her. "You won't have to. I'm sure they're fine and they'll be back in no time. Why don't we go back to the comm room and try giving them a comm?"

Lana nodded. "Aye, we can do that. Maybe they'll answer this time."

"We'll never know unless we try." She started to lead Lana back and then something caught her eye out on the waves through the window. It almost looked like a ship. But no one was scheduled to return to the Hold now; every currently sailing ship was out looking for Hugo Bralykburn.

Shara blinked and looked again, but whatever it was had disappeared.

I must be making it up, she reasoned. She was so anxious for the men to come home that she was hallucinating the Alon's Hand coming back into harbor.

Shara shook her head and put the image out of her mind.

…

"Drexl Wing hasn't seen sail nor stern of the Bralykburns." Jamos made a check on his datapad and looked to see who was next on his list to comm.

"No sightings from Wave Sabre either." Glover called back from where he stood at the Harkon Hall holo table.

Marlon had a list of his own and was using his personal comm unit as Jamos was across the room. He was having similar luck.

"You sure this is the schedule Hugo got a hold of?" Glover asked even as he entered in the ID next on his list.

"Damn sure." Jamos growled, and then swallowed guiltily at the sound of a child's voice.

"Is Talia alright?" Ephraim asked poking his head into the comm room.

A second later his twin was beside him. "And Noodle?" asked Elinor.

Glover went over and knelt before them patiently. "I'm sure Talia and her cog are just fine."

"I'm sorry." Adria ran in with Miranda in her arms. "They heard the name Bralykburn and got curious."

Jamos smiled indulgently at the twins and was glad again that they had decided to bring Colin home first thing before sailing out blindly in their search. "I doubt even Hugo would have brought his little girl out on a voyage like this one. She's probably safe at home back at the Keep."

"Maybe Hugo went straight back there?" Marlon considered.

"Could be he just wanted to run us ragged, thinking that he was planning another attack." Jamos mused.

The twins were looking at him wide eyed and Adria attempted to usher them out. "Come on, Loves. You can have an extra holo before bed." She called back over her shoulder. "Marlon, when you talk to Lana tell her I'm here if she needs anything."

Something about that caught Marlon the wrong way. "You mean you haven't commed to tell her that yourself?"

Adria stopped to answer him. "I tried but I couldn't get through. I thought maybe she was on with you or Shara was on the line with Jamos, or that they were just trying to keep the line open for news."

The brothers gave each other a worried look.

"Did you comm…"

"Have you heard from…"

And then they were both frantically entering in the IDs that were the closest to each his own heart. Both personal comms came back unable to connect.

Glover jumped back as Marlon and Jamos both hurried to the holo table to see if they could connect from there. They tried the Blackhold public line and the private office codes. Then they tried the dock and the pub.

Jamos suggested. "I'll find Ness. See when he last contacted Maris." But they were all sure that the answer would be the same.

"This isn't right." Marlon shook his head.

"I hate to even suggest this but, I think Hugo may have figured the same as you, Jay." Glover worried.

"Wait. Same as me? What?"

Marlon caught on. "You said that Hugo would have left his daughter safe at home back at the Keep. She's the most precious thing he's got. He wouldn't dare bring her into danger if he could help it."

Glover picked up the hypothesis. "And once he'd taken the Siren's Call and knew the Polaris wasn't on it's scheduled run…"

"He'd know I'd never bring Shara and the Polaris out to chase after him." Jamos fell back into a chair. "So he's gone after them where we thought they would be the safest. Kriff him to bloody Dxun!"

"Now we don't know that for sure." Glover raised his hands in submission and glanced down the hall hoping that Adria had the twins well away so that they didn't hear the outburst.

Jamos was up on his feet again gathering his things to run for the ship. "But it's the most likely answer! This comm silence can not be a coincidence."

Marlon was also on the move. "Thank you, Glove, for all your help."

"Kriffed if you think I'm gonna stay behind and miss all the fireworks." Glover Harkon smiled in anticipation of the hunt and followed behind them. "My fleet is ready in the harbor to follow at your command, my friend." He clapped Marlon on the back.

"Again, thank you." Marlon nodded as they ran a few steps behind Jamos who seemed to have been lent a supernatural speed from the salt gods at the very idea that his girl might be in danger. Marlon was sure it was Shara and not the ship that his brother raced towards now. But he had his own reasons to forge ahead. Salt gods only knew if Bralykburn would bother to spare Lana and Dalla if they got in his way.

…

"Lana!" Shara hated to worry her friend any more than she already was, but if her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, then Lana had to know. "Lana, out on the horizon. That's a ship! But Jamos and Marlon aren't supposed to be back for days."

Lana made her way over to the window and shielded her eyes to see better.

"Is it one of ours?" Shara asked. "Maybe they'll have news about Marlon and Jamos."

No sooner had she said that than Lana snapped back from the window and raced over to a hardline on the wall. Shara had seen it before, in the comm room and in Marlon's and Jamos' offices. They'd used it to contact the watchtowers and those manning Blackhold's walls.

"Close the gate!" She ordered whoever was on the other end. "The Dxun's Fang is approaching harbor. Do not, under any circumstances, allow them entry!"

Shara's stomach sank. "Lana, whose ship is that?" The very name gave her chills.

Lana hung up the hardline. "She's Hugo Bralykburn's flagship."

Shara froze. "Hugo Bralykburn's flagship?" Suddenly the lack of comms from the men or any of the other houses made sense. "What could he want here?" Oh, besides our stores of catches?

Lana searched the room for Dalla and then swooped the little girl up. "Come with me. We're going to Marlon's office."

Shara followed her friend into Marlon's office and then watched as Lana shut the door, locked it, and shot the bolt. That more than anything got her attention; Marlon almost never bolted the door.

"This is the safest room in the Hold," Lana explained. "The walls and door are fortified. Marlon told me when I moved in that if we were ever in danger, to go here."

Shara made sure Dalla was distracted with a stylus off Marlon's desk before she whispered to Lana: "You closed the gate. The Hold is built to resist siege; I'm sure we'll be fine here."

"I'm not taking any chances," Lana replied. "You don't know Hugo, Shara. He'll chip through the gate with a toothpick if he has to. And when he does, if no one comes, you have to get out of here with Dalla."

Shara blinked. "What?"

"Take her to Harkon Hall, or Flint Locke, or Iziz. I don't care, just don't let him take her." Lana swallowed hard but managed to control her voice so she wouldn't scare her daughter. "If that happens I'll hold him off as long as I can, but you have to be fast."

"No. Lana, you're pregnant. You have another little one to worry about." Shara took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You get out with your children; I'll stay back and hold off Bralykburn. And that is final!"

Lana sat back in a chair. "I'm so worried, if he got ahold of her...if by some blessing he didn't hurt her, he could make Marlon do whatever he wanted."

What did Hugo Bralykburn want? Shara wracked her mind. If she could figure that out, then maybe she could find some way to pacify the pirate before he could hurt someone else. He was after the catches for sure, but there were easier targets than the Hold. No, he had to be after something specific, something he couldn't get anywhere else. But what could that be? There were catches everywhere on the high seas, and ships along with them. The only thing the Hold had that they didn't were...the people.

Realization broke over Shara like a cold wave. That's what Hugo was after: not catches, but hostages. She may never have met the man, but Jamos had all but confirmed that Hugo still held her responsible for his family's death last year.

"He wants me!" She whispered to herself.

"What was that?" Lana asked, looking up from the shapes and colors game she had been showing Dalla on the datapad to keep the toddler busy.

"Nothing." Shara smiled, convincingly, she hoped. She was glad that Lana didn't question her further. She would keep the knowledge to herself until she could think of what to do with it.

After four hours with still no news from the long range comm and only periodic updates from the hardline, telling them that the Dxun's Fang was still circling them like a hungry chirn, Lana finally gave into her early pregnancy exhaustion and fell asleep in the chair with Dalla curled up, napping on her lap.

Shara knew this was her chance. She touched her friend's shoulder in a silent goodbye and kissed her goddaughter's forehead. Then she as quietly as possible drew back the bolt on the door. The click seemed loud in the other wise silent room but Lana only stirred in her sleep and pulled Dalla a little tighter to herself.

She touched the mechanism to make sure it would lock again behind her and then slipped out into the hallway. "As the salt gods will," she whispered touching her thumb to her lips. "Keep them safe." Then she was off down the hall at a run before she could second guess herself.

Hugo Bralykburn wanted Shara. That much was clear. Well she would give him what he wanted and then, she prayed, he would leave everyone else alone.

"I'm sorry Jamos." She cried once she was out of doors and hurrying on towards the dock. I'm sorry for bringing this on your family and your people. I'm sorry that we can't be together. We must just be starcrossed, first Sanjay and now this, but I won't let him hurt you any longer.

When she reached the harbor, Shara was sure she would see the pirate ship bombarding the gate. She hadn't thought out how she would announce her surrender and stop the attack. But instead she saw… it couldn't be.

Dxun's Fang had backed away from the gate and there were four, no five ships sailing up fast from the West. The one in the lead was unmistakably Alon's Hand with its Blackwell blue banner flying proudly. The other ships were flying Harkon pink. Shara drew up her skirt so she could run faster and took the tower stairs two at a time to reach the top.

She knew they probably couldn't see her. They probably weren't even looking this direction. They would be too focused on their pursuit of the pirate. She didn't care. She waved anyway and yelled out in wordless gratitude and relief.

Then she looked and saw that Maris had come up beside her. The two women hugged and danced for joy. "We have to tell Lana! We're saved! By the grace of the salt gods, we're saved!"

…

Hugo kicked himself and checked once more that the Alon's Hand wasn't gaining on Dxun's Fang. Everything had been going beautifully, until his navigator had announced an incoming ship and he saw the Blackwells and the Harkons coming straight at them.

From then all he could do was order his crew to turn around and head east. There was nowhere else to go. He certainly couldn't stay at Blackhold. And if he went north or west he'd run straight into the jaws of the Harkons and their vassals, who'd only be too happy to join Lord Glover on his chase. Kriff him! Hugo had thought him a good, decent man when he sheltered him and Talia last year. He'd sat there and listened to Hugo rage, and done magic tricks for Talia to get her mind off things. But of course he'd gone back to kissing up to that so-called Lord and the rest of House Blackwell. Kriff him! Kriff the lot of them!

Instead they were headed straight for the Keep, where Hugo's daughter was probably having her afternoon snack before she watched her favorite holo program. What he wouldn't give to be the one fixing the snack for her and then telling her when to switch off the holo. He'd gone pirate on his own volition, to even the scores after that southern witch left his family to the waves, but that didn't mean he didn't miss his daughter something fierce.

He thought she would be safe at the Keep; she was certainly better off there than on the Dxun's Fang with this blood hungry crew. But he'd never dreamed of the fight coming to his own doorstep. All he could do was hope that the men chasing him had scruples enough not to hurt a child.

Hugo did. He hadn't meant for the captured midshipman to lose an eye and he'd ordered him all the treatment he needed. He hadn't left so much a scratch on the cabin boy. And the most he would have done to Marlon's spawn was stick her in her crib if she got in the way. Salt gods, spare my girl. She didn't do nothing.

"My lord Captain!" The navigator called. "We're comin' up to the Keep."

"Put into harbor," Hugo ordered. This wasn't over yet. He still had thirty Blackwell crew members in his dungeon. If he was careful, if he played his cards right, then he might be able to weasel out of this one yet.

…

"Papa, you're home!" Talia ran down the stairs into the great hall of the Keep.

"There's my girl!" He hugged her to himself protectively.

"Who are all those men coming off those ships in the harbor? Are they here to get the boy who was hurt? He screamed a lot when he first got here but he's doing better now. I brought Noodle up to see him and he said he was a midshipman just like…" she stopped, knowing talking about her brother would just make her Papa sad.

"I'm glad you've been treating our guest kindly Talia." Sure enough there were tears in his eyes that he blinked away. "Right now Papa needs you to go up to your room and stay there. Do you hear me? Papa needs to have a meeting with the men from those ships."

The little girl frowned. "I thought we might have supper together tonight since you just got back home."

"I would like that, just gotta take care of a little business. I'll have your supper sent up to your room and if I can get away I'll come and read you a story later on."

That seemed to remind her of something and she perked up. "The banners on some of the ships looked like Ellie and Effrie's. Did Mr. Glover bring them along?"

"Not- not this time. Maybe we'll see about a visit with the twins another time." How could he tell her he'd probably burned that bridge for good?

Hugo's steward stood ready for his instructions involving the guests arriving at their dock.

"Alright, Papa." She kissed his cheek. "Promise you'll come and tuck me in?"

"I promise." He hoped he could keep it.

…

The steward had the room prepared for the negotiations when they arrived. Hugo's seat was of course up on a dais to assert his importance as Lord of Bralyk Keep.

Jamos paced before his own chair, too agitated to sit.

His brother laid a hand on his arm. "Just sit so we can get this over with."

Jamos huffed as he complied, "How do we even know if he's got the hostages? Maybe he's killed them already…"

"The hostages are fine," said Hugo, clearly enjoying lording it over them all. "Bring the boy so we can show them."

The boy who was led into the proceedings, hardly did anything to reassure the gathered assembly. He couldn't have been more than ten years old and had a bandage wrapped around his head and covering one eye from which wafted the sweet smell of bacta. He swayed a bit as he walked.

"Do you recognize him?" Marlon whispered to his brother.

Jamos gritted his teeth. "Don't remember his first name but he was Eva's nephew, serving has her midshipman."

"Midshipman Murphy?" Marlon addressed the boy.

The boy nodded. "Aye sir."

"Tell the Lord how you've been treated since you arrived here at the Keep." Hugo instructed, not exactly unkindly, though it was hard to tell with Hugo.

"I've been treated very well." The boy slurred his words. "He gave me medicine and the healer has hardly left my side."

Jamos jumped up and pointed. "This kid's been drugged!"

Hugo huffed. "Well, what did you want me to do just let him scream? He was unfortunately injured in the fray and had to be given a stim for the pain."

"Injured in the fray that you started!" Jamos was pulled back down into his seat.

Marlon attempted to keep his own temper. "While it is, I suppose, admirable that you saw to the boy's treatment, it is difficult for us to judge from the testimony of someone who may not be thinking clearly."

"Alright fine." Hugo rolled his eyes and then smiled. "Bring out Dalla."

"Dalla?" Glover Harkon asked, looking over at Marlon to make sure he was okay.

"Its uh... it's a very common name." Marlon tried not to show how much the name rattled him.

A young girl of about sixteen years was led before them and she gave Marlon a polite nod. "My lord."

Glover took over questioning to give his friend a chance to breathe. "We would like to know how you have been treated since you were brought here."

"It's not a 5 star inn but no one has hurt us," the girl answered. "We've been given food and drink."

Jamos spoke up, "What about the midshipman, Captian Eva's nephew? How was he hurt?"

Dalla looked like she really didn't want to remember that part. "It was all confusion when the boarding party... The midshipman, trying to prove himself, maybe trying to protect his aunt, killed one of theirs and then that man's brother went after him. Lord Bralykburn yelled for him not to. Said he was just a kid. And then... after it happened Bralykburn killed his own man."

Glover asked, "Hugo killed the man who injured the midshipman?"

"Th-that's right." Dalla nodded. "I saw it happen."

Jamos leaned over to his brother. "She could have been coerced, threatened to say that before we arrived."

Hugo said defensively, "I would never hurt a kid!"

Marlon looked over to Glover who had spent the most time with Hugo and Glover nodded in reluctant agreement.

Marlon took a deep breath. "I don't think the girl is lying."

Jamos interrupted, "Marl!"

Marlon held up a hand to silence him. "She told us what she saw…"

"Hah!" Hugo asserted.

"...or what she thought she saw." Marlon finished.

Hugo slammed his hands down on the table in front of him and growled.

Marlon went on with his verdict. "The fact remains that because of your decision to go after that ship seven lives were lost."

Jamos added, "And a child was maimed!"

Hugo glared at Jamos. "Never would have happened if the right ship was on that run!"

Jamos exploded from his chair. "So this is my fault for changing the schedule?"

Hugo enjoyed getting a rise out of the younger Blackwell. "Your witch tell you it would be safer for you to sit this one out?"

"Why you…." Jamos had to be restrained by Glover and Marlon. "Wasn't enough for you though was it? Had to go after the bigger prize? How many would have died if you broke through Blackhold's gates before we got there?"

"Well I didn't, did I?" Hugo fired back.

Glover spoke evenly. "This isn't about what he would have done, Jay."

"Isn't it?" Jamos asked, incensed. "What's to say he won't try it again?"

Marlon picked back up the objective. "That's what we need to have assurance of. How do we know this won't happen again?"

Hugo shrugged. "You can have your people back." He gestured to the steward to fetch the other captives from the dungeon.

Jamos scoffed. "To make room for you to imprison another catch?"

"Jamos!" Marlon gave him a 'let me handle this' glare even though he didn't know quite what to do.

Glover leaned over and whispered in Marlon's ear.

Marlon nodded uncomfortably before he spoke. "We require more than just the return of the captives as reassurance." He took a deep breath to steel himself. "Your actions in this matter, Lord Bralykburn, and the fact that your wife is no longer living, lead us to question your suitability to parent your little girl."

"What!" Hugo nearly screamed.

Marlon continued, his voice becoming stronger, "If you would agree to let Talia come to be fostered at Blackhold…"

"No!" Hugo broke down pitifully. "Not my baby! She's all I've got left in the Galaxy! Take my ships! Take the Keep! Just don't take my girl!" He wept and pleaded for the ruling to be changed.

…

Lana and Shara both listened intently while Marlon filled them in on the details of the negotiations over the now restored comm system. Technically he had only commed to speak to Lana but Shara stood just outside of the holo field, every bit as eager to hear the news.

Lana's asked, "You didn't actually take the man's child?"

"No." Marlon assured her. "Both Glover and I agreed that he seemed completely sincere when we suggested it. Both of us having daughters that we couldn't bear to part with."

Jamos shouted something off cam about it being a stupid idea and that Hugo would never change.

"We're not just going to leave Hugo to his own devices." Marlon told both his brother and his wife at the same time. "He'll be sort of on house arrest for the for the next five years."

Lana told Marlon she was proud of him.

"Well," he said. "It will be good to be home." And with that and 'I love you's and the wish for a quick and safe journey they ended the comm.

"You didn't tell him yet?" Shara was surprised.

"Plenty of time for that." Lana smiled. "They're coming home!"

…

Shara stood back and watched as Ness ran down the gangplank to his wife picked her up and swung her around. "I was so worried when I couldn't get a comm through and then we heard that Bralykburn was storming the Hold, and we saw you on the wall."

"You did see us on the wall, then?" Maris asked, her smile a klik wide. "I saw Shara run past and I followed her to see what she was up to, and then we saw you all comin' to our rescue!"

"And just what exactly were you doing up on that wall in the middle of a siege?" Shara turned to see Jamos marching towards her.

Before she could answer Maris was singing her praises. "Shara was going to give herself up to protect the rest of us. She figured it was her the pirate really wanted after last year's storm…"

Jamos continued his advance, almost as if he and Shara were magnetized. "Don't ever do that again."

Shara stood up to him. "I will always serve the Hold."

They gazed at each other, tension building, until even a handful of centimeters was too great a separation. "I love you, Jamos," she breathed as they closed the final distance and kissed.

He grinned triumphantly at hearing her finally say the words. "I love you! This does mean you'll marry me, right?"

She smiled back at him but before she could respond they heard a huge whoop of excitement and turned around to see that Marlon had lifted both his wife and daughter and was spinning them around.

Jamos asked, "Do you know what that's all about?"

Shara smirked. "I guess she just told him that Dalla is going to be a big sister."

The two of them along with Ness and Maris and the rest of the crew gathered around to congratulate the Lord and Lady of the North.

…

In case you were wondering Jamos and Shara are visually inspired by Aramis and Queen Anne from the BBC Musketeers. That last scene in particular is reminiscent of season 2 episode 4. Love those two! Also love your reviews so please drop us a line and thank you so much for reading!