"Master Ragetti! I need your opinion on something!"
"Righ' away, cap'n!"
The lanky First Lieutenant walked across the deck of the HMS Proud Tortoise, one hand smoothing down his small mustache. He was a gangly and awkward looking young man, but his fighting prowess and random knowledge had served to help his captain in the past and he easily rose to the rank of First Lieutenant; something that was unheard of for an Impressed member of the Navy. Then his friend Lee Ballard Pintel became Head Gunner because of his knowledge and deadly accuracy on the cannons and that made two Impressed sailors rising up in the world.
Ragetti had met Pintel a year after his mother's murder while he was wandering the streets of Tortuga on his own. The older boy had instantly taken a liking to Ragetti and he took him under his wing.
There had been rumors for a while after the two were given their new ranks that they were lovers and needed to be prosecuted for disorderly conduct, but their captain had quickly crushed it by saying that whatever happened behind closed doors was no one's business and that if he heard anything else about it, the accuser would be thrown overboard.
No charges were ever brought up against the two.
Looking to his left, Ragetti saw Pintel angrily berating a young man about the condition of his pistol and sword.
"'ow the bloody 'ell did ye git the gunpowder all wet?!" he was shouting. "An' yer blade 'as go' a bleedin' chip in et! Were ye bloody smashing et again' a rock?!"
Ragetti stopped and he softly chuckled at Pintel's rampage. He alone knew that Pintel was a good man, despite his rough exterior and he headed over, adjusting the black ribbon holding up his small ponytail before speaking up for the young man.
"Oy, Pint! Don' yell a' Royers so much! 'e an' 'is mate Toggs is still new ta et all!" he said, pointing over his shoulder at the other young man by the name of Murtogg who was currently mopping the deck.
"The bloody git 'as a feckin' chip in 'is sword!" Pintel argued, running a hand through fast thinning hair.
Smiling at his lover, Ragetti shook his head and gave a miserable looking Mullroy a friendly wink.
"Yer jus' mad because ye foun' more 'air this mornin' off o' yer 'ead, Pint." He said, making his older friend puff up like a rooster.
"Wot?!"
Mullroy stifled a laugh behind his hand as Ragetti just giggled and headed back to where the captain and the first mate were waiting for him.
"Ye wanted ta see me, cap'n?" he asked.
"When the captain calls you, you're supposed to come right away!" the first mate snapped. "We were waiting here while you were playing around with your lover and the new recruits!"
"Chase, do be quiet." Captain Montague laughed. "Master Ragetti was merely helping one of the new recruits learn how to deal with Master Pintel's rage problems. And as for the lovers comment…you out of everyone shouldn't say anything!"
Chase's cheeks turned a bright red and he was silent.
"I came as fas' as I could, cap'n." Ragetti said, touching the brim of his hat in respect. "Wot is the problem?"
"Besides your hideous accent and equally hideous teeth…" Chase muttered.
"Chase!" Montague warned.
"Me an' Pinters can' 'elp growin' up in Tortuga." Ragetti said, his blue eyes glittering dangerously. "An' we can' 'elp bein' kidnapped an' forced inta the Navy. I neva really loiked the Navy afta me mum were raped by some o' et's soldiers!"
Chase's face turned a brighter shade of red when Ragetti said this, and Montague smiled and nodded in approval at Ragetti's words.
"Well done, Master Ragetti!" he said. "Very well done!"
"Can we get on to business?" Chase demanded.
"Very well." Montague relented, taking out a telescope and holding it out to Ragetti. "What do you see when you look just to the northeast?"
Looking into the telescope, Ragetti spotted a small French merchant ship a bit away from them.
"Et's a French merchan' ship." He answered.
"Now look to the northwest."
He did so and he gasped softly as he slowly lowered the telescope.
A large ship was heading straight for the merchant ship, armed and ready for a battle with a smaller ship a little ways away from it. The colours flown were a mixture of Italian and pirate; the pirate design being the Italian flag with a large black eye painted in the center of it.
Ragetti knew the colours well, his mother had told him about his father many times and what kind of flag he used.
"What do you propose we do, Master Ragetti?" Montague asked. "The two ships have nothing to do with Britain, but we could easily try and help the French out with these Italians."
"Cap'n?" Ragetti asked in confusion.
"Make a decision."
Ragetti hesitated, biting his lower lip as he looked down at the ground.
"Master Ragetti…"
"Defend et." He said suddenly. "Bu' don' worry abou' prisoners or e'en takin' the ship! Jus' chase the pirates away."
"It sounds like you want us to go easy on those pirates!" Chase accused, narrowing his eyes darkly.
"I agree with Master Ragetti's plan." Montague said suddenly.
"Sir!"
"Give the orders, Mackenzie. This battle is all yours to command."
For a moment he could only stare at his captain in surprise before he took it all in and then nodded with a smile, sweeping his hat off in a bow before turning around and putting it back on.
"All righ', lads! We need ta git this ship full speed ahead!" he roared. "We've go' some pirates wot need ta be taugh' a lesson!"
The soldiers started to act at once, following his orders a second after they were shouted.
"Pinters! Git those gunners primed an' ready fer their par'!" he shouted with a smile and with a quick salute Pintel was down below and instantly berating the men under him.
"All righ', ye bloody bunch o' red wearin' sons o' bitches!" he roared, ignoring his own red uniform. "Git those cannons armed an' ready afore I 'ave ye sho' ou' 'o 'em meself!"
"Steady on, lads!" Ragetti was ordering the men on the deck. "Keep yer muskets a' the ready fer me signal! An' when I lower me 'and, ye drop down the bridge an' cross o'er! Rememba, don' worry abou' takin' prisoners or killin' as many pirates as ye kin! Jus' 'elp defend those French bastar's wot go' themselves inta this mess!"
Looking over to his left, Ragetti noted that Murtogg's hands were shaking and he sighed as he walked over to him and put an arm around his shoulders.
"Nervous?"
"A…A little bit actually…" he admitted.
Giving him a warm smile, Ragetti gave him a wink.
"Don' be, Toggs!" he said. "I'll make sure yer back on this ship righ' as rain wi' all yer pieces in the righ' spo'! No' e'en a speck o' dus' will git in yer eyes!" he promised.
Once they were in range, Ragetti promptly covered his ears with his hands.
A second or two later, the cannons went off and the battle started.