Chapter Nine- Help Wanted
The three ships side-by-side were possibly the most unique flotilla in the history of sailing. In the middle was the mighty former Valuan royal flagship, the Delphinus, to it's left was the pirate broadside cruiser Claudia, her unique sails fully drawn out across the proud sky, and to it's right was the pink and creme-colored pirate galleon, the Primrose. Both of the Blue Rogue ships had taken up a formation around Vyse's new find, the three all headed south at a cruising velocity.
Vyse and his small crew, along with Gilder, David and Clara, were on the bridge of the modern ship in meeting. Clara had been true to her pledge to find Gilder and never let him go, tenaciously clinging to his arm and rubbing against it in a way that made Gilder supremely uncomfortable. He looked over pleadingly at his Vice Captain, who shrugged helplessly. There was no known way to stop Clara once she set her sights on something.
"We escaped from the Grand Fortress again," Aika said with a grin. "That's got to be worth something. And we're all back together finally, too- I'm happy about that. Oh, and we have this too, the most advanced ship in the world!" Fina nodded in agreement.
"Some of us are more happy at this reunion than others," Gilder deadpanned, looking over at Clara like a victim might examine a large sky-leech that has attached to his arm.
"Oh Gilder, I'm so happy," Clara giggled like a school girl and re-tightened her grip on the man's arm, happily rubbing her cheek against the smooth fabric of his red coat sleeve. "I'll never let go of you, my love! Never! Not in a thousand years!"
"Out of one prison, into the next, huh boss?" David asked, crossing his arms. Gilder nodded sadly.
Aika laughed. "Aw, what's wrong, Gilder? She really seems to like you, and I think you two would make a really cute couple."
Fina smiled. "I'm very happy for you, Clara," She said politely.
"Ooh, thank you, Fina!" Clara showed no signs of loosening her iron grip on him, much to the man's chagrin. "This is too good to be true! This is quite possibly the happiest day of my whole life!" Gilder expressed in strong terms that he dissented, but his foul language was only shocking to Enrique, and made the kindly Prince blush at it's temerity.
After he had finished implying Clara's bloodline was not very clean at all, he sighed loudly and concluded, "You know, I'm really starting to miss that Death Row cell ... ah, the good old days of... yesterday evening..."
David chuckled. "Well, looks like you all just got a fine new ship. The first task of a crew with a ship is always to decide who their captain is." He looked over towards Vyse. "I don't know you very well, but everyone seems drawn to follow you, and you sound like a really brave fellow. Either that or you're crazy. Either way I think you should take the job."
Vyse blinked. "... Me? Captain of the Delphinus? I mean, shouldn't you do that, Enrique, since it is really your ship?"
The prince shook his head. "No. I already gave the ship to you all, and I have no sailing experience. I would feel much more comfortable with you in command." He smiled graciously at the rogue teenager.
The redhead grinned, looking over at him. "I know who'd I cast my vote for." She put her hands onto her hips. "Vyse, you're the best man for the job, any way you look at it." He looked over at her in surprise.
"I would also feel better if you were our captain," Fina agreed. Cupil voiced his assent by his usual method- high-pitched chirping. He was currently flying about the room and playing a variant of tag with Willy. The parrot mimicked his chirping, which was quite ridiculous to hear out of the bird.
"You're a great sailor and a good leader, Vyse. You'll make a damn fine captain," Gilder said sagely, still occasionally glaring sideways out the corner of his eye at Clara. She was apparently oblivious to this.
Enrique looked over. "Well, it looks like it's a unanimous decision. Vyse, will you accept the responsibility as captain of the Delphinus and her crew?"
Vyse took a moment to consider, then gave them all the thumbs-up sign and his usual confident smile. "I'll do it." At such a young age I'm already a captain. Wonder what dad would make of this.
The redhead giggled. "That's what I wanted to hear. There's that decisive Vyse that most of us know and love/hate." She snapped. "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot... we need a new flag. No offense, Enrique, but if I have to have the coat of arms of the Valuan royal family hanging behind me on this voyage I'll get violently ill."
"You're right, Aika." Gilder said, giving his arm an experimental tug and not surprised to find it couldn't move at all. "Every crew needs a flag to symbolize what they stand for. The Claudia's flag is the same one as the metal buckles on my coat, and Clara here's got hearts and shit. Big shock, huh? You should get working on that quick as possible, since it is kind of important symbolically and all that."
"Agreed," Enrique nodded. "I think Vyse, Aika and Fina should put down their ideas. Being a prince of Valua, I'm not really up to designing an Air Pirate flag, but if you need an opinion feel free to come to me. I am quite the artist if I do say so myself."
Fina looked up. "What? You want me to design one, as well?" Cupil tittered about behind her.
"Sure, it'll be fun," Aika encouraged her, giggling. "It's real simple, too. Vyse for example just scribbles lines, and his work usually isn't too horrible to look at." Vyse glared at her and she stuck her tongue out at him in reply.
"Horrible! Horrible!" Willy blithely echoed, finding a perch on Gilder's free shoulder and flapping his wings enthusiastically. Vyse glared at him, too, but the parrot seemed not to notice. Aika laughed at this display.
David nodded. "To run a ship this big, you'll need more than five people and a street urchin, that's for sure. Gilder, if you return to the Claudia and stop neglecting your own Captaincy, I think I'm going to stay aboard the Delphinus and help the kids out. If you'll have me, Vyse."
He nodded. "I think that's a pretty good idea, Dave. Without someone to guide them with our wisdom, they might fly into an island or something." He idly stroked Willy with his free hand, and the parrot cooed in response. "So, how about it, Vyse? Need a Vice Captain?"
"Sure," The teenager replied. "The more the merrier. We're going to start recruiting crew anyway. I'm sure there's tons of seasoned sailors out there who'd love to join a rebellion against Valua."
"Ooh, if you need more help I can send over someone as well," Clara volunteered, stopping her rubbing and looking back towards Vyse giddily. "I can send a crew of my gunners over. It's no problem, I have enough girls to manage the Primrose anyways, and they could benefit from some experience."
"Awesome," Aika chirped. "These batteries of cannons should be able to fire remotely, but I can't figure out most of these controls yet. They'll probably be able to."
"Now that that's settled, I'm getting pretty hungry," Gilder said. "We've all had a nice rest, and Sailors' Island is still almost two days of sailing away. The Delphinus has a fully stocked mess hall- I vote our crews all dine over here today." Everyone was in favor of the notion, and so Gilder and Clara parted ways. The moment was bitter-sweet: Gilder was sweet, Clara was bitter about it. They boarded their ships and collected their pirate crews, bringing them aboard.
The contrast between the two leaders' charges could not be more startling. Clara led a herd of females, running the gamut from children to several old ladies, and everyone in between. They all loudly marveled at the Valuan flagship as they made their way to the cafeteria. Gilder followed with his men, a small band of rough and skilled pirate men who nodded in appraisal of the ship and pointed out specific design features.
The mess hall was a grand room, especially by conventional ship standards. A large golden chandelier hung overhead, and the second story was where people entered and climbed down a flight of elegant oak-wood stairs to reach the many long square tables. The floor was a clean marble-color, and grand wide windows with royal red curtains gave them full view to the bright and clear skies of the day. Paintings of sailing, ships and islands lined the walls.
"They certainly spared no expense for you, Enrique," Aika noted, which induced a slight embarrassed cough from the prince and an assurance that he had asked for the economy treatment. She was left wondering what the deluxe would be. "Hey, where's Marco? I haven't seen him in a while."
"Yo," He called out, leaning against the railing of the stairs. "I've been swabbing the decks, just like Vyse told me to. I also might have accidentally heard most of your meeting."
Gilder chuckled. "I like this kid. He's got juevos, as they say in Nasrad. Or, used to say... anyway, he'll make a fine air pirate." This seemed to make Marco very happy. "I assume you heard Vyse is the new captain, huh? You think you can handle taking orders from him?"
"Of course," Marco replied with a grin. "This is my big chance- I'm finally out of that shithole city, and I'm a sailor. Vyse gave me that chance, and I'll repay my debt fair and square. Plus, it looks like being on this ship is gonna get really interesting. So, what's for chow?"
"I can't cook," Aika shrugged.
Vyse nodded, laughing. "Damn right she can't. Last time she tried to cook was three years ago, back on Pirate Isle. Briggs and Landis got consumption just from looking at it funny." Several of the pirates joined him in laughing while Aika frowned and glared.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Clara said. "I can cook good enough for everyone. I learned to cook so that I could be the best wife I could possibly be for my Gilder!" Gilder did not seem as honored as he might have been by this announcement. Everyone took a seat and begin to talk while she quickly descended upon the kitchen and began to roast several pounds of steak and air fish stored aboard.
When she had made a suitable meal, her crew helped pass out the food to the eager Blue Rogues. Everyone's appetites were out in full force as they devoured the royal fare of the Delphinus. Enrique smiled. "This is the first time I've eaten meat without having it cut for me..." Reaching for his knife, he made quite a show of trying and failing to correctly cut his steak. Vyse reached over and helped him, much to his chagrin.
"It takes practice," He said consolingly. "Don't worry about it. Like Aika said, we're all human. Or in Aika's case, she's Aika." Aika glowered lethally at him and he chuckled in a clearly nervous manner. Vyse was the last one to finish, his titanic hunger requiring seven dishes to sate partially. The Blue Rogues had gathered around him, watching him tear through entire fish and enormous cuts of meat like they were nothing, and placing bets as to when he would finally stop.
Clara sighed. "That boy's got a hunger like I've ever seen before!" Gilder was leaning on the kitchen counter, and nodded his head.
"Yeah. I guess crazy people eat more than us 'regular' people. Using the loosest possible definition of 'regular'. And 'people'." He looked up. "I'll be back." She was about to protest, but he had mastered the art of escaping her clutches. Bringing Vyse along, he slipped up to the bridge.
"What's up?" Vyse asked, giving the bridge a once-over before his gaze returned to Gilder.
"We're going to be leaving in an hour or two," Gilder replied. "My men have slowly begun to filter out of the mess hall after seeming to be full, one at a time, and totally covert. The Claudia's ready to change course- we're going to beeline for Nasr and try to get out of visual range." He leaned forward soberly, elbow resting on the wooden table.
The teenager recoiled unhappily. "What?! You're just going to leave like that?" Loosing the experience and skill of the man who had saved his life was seeming like a bad thing. "Sounds like you planned this out."
"Oh, you know it." He grinned his usual roguish smirk. "Rule One: Always have a plan. I figure this is my only chance to get free of Clara before the end of time. I really don't think I'm ready to settle down just yet, you know. Plenty of sky in Arcadia still."
Vyse smirked. "Oh, sure you are. You'll like settling down with her, she'd make a great wife. Besides, you two are a cute couple, like Aika said."
Gilder's expression was pained. "Hey! Don't even joke about something like that!"
"Sorry, couldn't resist," He replied. Honestly, I think some of your behavior is rubbing off on me. Not that I need any more reason to be suicidally brave. "Seriously, though, we're all gonna miss you. You're a great man and a cool pirate, Gilder."
"Thanks. Before I go, I figured I'd pull you aside and give you some advise, from one captain to another." Interested, Vyse looked up. Gilder had a look of wisdom about him that was rarely seen on his aspect, but which seemed to fit him well. "First thing- get a crew. David touched on this, and he's gonna help you find more volunteers. A ship this big needs at least thirty men to operate it well. I hear the Valuans crew their ships with over a hundred sailors. Specialize, and each person you can get will increase your ship's operational power and efficiency.
Second... you'll need a base. Every ship needs to have a safe port to tuck into once in a while, and your crew will appreciate having fresh meals and warm beds on occasion. Hm... how about that island we picked you up from... you called it Crescent Isle? Seems like a nice out of the way locale for a home base. I'll send some helpers to get you set up there, that should be your next course after you stop off at Sailors' Island.
And finally, and this is the most important... never give up." He smiled warmly. "I don't know weather it's sunk in yet or not, but you've done amazing things, especially for a teenager. You've escaped from Valua twice, crossed South Ocean, found Daccat's Treasure, beat three admirals into the dirt, and stole the pride of their Armada and their crown prince from under their large noses. Not to mention that you've put two Gigas out of commission.
For some reason, everyone feels drawn to you, and wants to follow your leadership. Myself included, even though at times you are a little crazy. Or actually, it's because you're stubborn. You never give up, even when things look bleak. If something gets in your way you don't let it slow you down one bit.
Your crew all knows your caliber, and knows you'll always do everything in your power to protect them. I see it in the way they all look at you. On this bridge, with this fine ship, you're going to sail around the world.
You'll probably run into things ten times more dangerous than anything you've fought before... find challenges never before thought up in history, and discover mysteries and treasures that are beyond imagination. Whatever happens, Vyse, you gotta keep going. Never give up. That's what it means to be a man, and a Blue Rogue. You're both."
Vyse found himself moved by the truthful eloquence of the older pirate. He smiled and said, "Thanks, Gilder..."
"Now, I have to get moving, before Clara gets suspicious," He said, winking and walking out of the bridge. "We'll meet again, Vyse, somewhere out there in the great blue beyond. Until that time, good luck." On his way out, Gilder swung by the brig and was not shocked at all to find all of the cells empty. Piastol had escaped. She never could be confined... too bad. She's pretty evil.
0-0
The last months had changed history in so many ways, and truly these were exciting times to live in. Dyne sat against the railing of the runabout Athersprite, traveling with his wiry Vice Captain and portly Navigator from their home base on Pirate Isle over to Sailors' Island to purchase their monthly supplies. The small wooden ship was an old classical design, identical to the destroyed Diligent and the only operational ship they had. It's blank blue sails billowed in the strong wind, pushing them forward at a respectable pace. The sky was blue, and the sun was out and shining in the air.
The three men had been the best of friends for nearly their entire lives. Each of them had grown up on Emerald Isle, a small port down situated amongst the enormous island atolls scattered across southern Mid Ocean. They shared a bond of familiarity that made it only natural that they were all in the same crew. Dyne looked back towards the pilothouse, where Briggs and Landis were talking.
"So, are we lost?" Briggs asked, looking over to Landis but never allowing his hands to leave the wooden steering wheel of the airship.
"No, not a chance," Landis replied. "I plotted our course exactly, as usual. We passed the Isla de la plata an hour ago, which means we should be seeing the Falls by now. I don't see any island waterfall chains, do you? You probably flew the wrong way."
Dyne interrupted their bickering with "Land ho," Pointing towards the distant Sailors' Island. It was surrounded by many dots, the shapes of ships moving in and out of the large dock complex for the landmass. It's traffic had increased from it's usual busy pace to a crowded super hub when Nasrad had fallen, leaving it as the most centralized trade location in the world. "See? You're both wrong."
"Nice leadership, boss," Landis chuckled. "Alright... let's see... we need three gross of Sacri crystals... a baker's dozen red moonstones, five hundred kilos of building-grade wood, and foodstuffs for a hundred people... what else..." He went over the mental shopping notes he had memorized when they had left their home several hours before on the short voyage.
A lot of people called the small slab of metropolitan rock the middle of the world, and with good reason- it was nearly central between the Mid Ocean islands, Valua, and Nasr. A convenient trading post founded by Valua three hundred years ago, eventually the island rebelled when the Valuans found their empire stretched too thin, and ever since it had rivaled Nasrad for anti-Valuan sentiments. Unlike the desert nation's destroyed capitol, the Armada dared not attack it. It's valuable position made it invulnerable to expansion.
The Athersprite moved up, passing clusters of freely floating ships of several different styles, the multinational gathering of craft waiting for docks to open. Dyne looked up in surprise at a ship waiting at the fringes of the groupings, a sleek Valuan airship that was gray and purple and looked highly advanced. He squinted. I've never seen such a vessel before. Must be a new class of bucket head battleship... I'll need to consult with my sources on the island about it. I shouldn't worry, not even they are stupid enough to try anything on Sailors' Island.
They quickly found an open hangar and grabbed it, nestling into the sheltered building and powering down the ship's old engines. Landis nodded. "Alright. Let's get moving. We'll meet back at the Sprite in two hours with all of our stuff. Don't be late, Briggs."
"Look who's talking," The thin and tall Vice Captain retorted. "You nearly got us killed back in Valua because you were too slow to the rescue." He looked around. "Nice day... barely any clouds in middle sky today."
Dyne nodded. "Very well." He climbed down the boarding ramp and entered the town, headed for the Sailors' Guild. Something about that Valuan ship bugged him, and he meant to get to the bottom of the matter. Entering the establishment, he got quite a shock, seeing his son, Aika, Fina, and the prince of Valua standing at the desk and talking to the Guildmaster.
"Alright... that's 3,000 for defeating Gordo the Round... and 10,000 for the five discoveries... anything else?" The Valuan-born man was always sad to part with hard-earned gold pieces, but these finds were well worth the sums alloted. He hefted two bags full of jangling gold coins up onto the counter, and Aika greedily swept them up and took them. "Oh, afternoon, Dyne," He called to the man standing in mute shock in the doorway, "Fine day for a sail, huh?"
"... Dyne?" The four teenagers froze, then slowly turned around. Vyse's eyes met his father's, and they both blinked for several seconds. Then he cried out. "Dad!" And ran over to him, giving him a big hug. Aika emulated him, while Fina and Enrique opted for the calmer walking over and bowing to him.
"Son," Dyne said, "Fancy seeing you here... it's been quite a while, hasn't it? Haven't heard much but whispers about you. They tell me you were thought lost, you beat three Valuan Admirals, and you stole a Valuan ship in the process!" He chuckled.
Vyse nodded. "We've had quite a time. C'mon, let's go to the tavern where we can tell you our story."
Dyne's thoughts about the mysterious Valuan ship would certainly have to wait. "Hold on a second, son. Landis and Briggs are also here, let's go get them and bring them in. Landis can never resist a good story, heh." They quickly located both of the Blue Storm veterans, who expressed surprise at seeing Vyse and his friends again, and double-took at the sight of Enrique.
"Vyse," Briggs nodded to him. "Good to see you again. You've made quite a name for yourself... they're calling you, and I quote... 'Vyse the Bold'."
Landis chuckled. "Well, convincing Prince Enrique to follow you around qualifies in my books. C'mon, Polly will love to hear this as well." They made their way over to the tavern which was familiar to all of the air pirates, but not to Enrique nor Fina. The owner greeted them with her usual enthusiasm, whipping up glasses of loqua and plates of food for them as they grabbed a large round table to sit around.
"Alright, son, go ahead," Dyne encouraged.
"Okay, so we were headed for Nasr, right, and we had just arrived at the port town of Maramba when..."
0-0
The hulking titan made his way through dull metal hallways, his large armor clanking occasionally and his footfalls making a light rumbling under him. With a well-maintained snow-white beard and weathered, tough face, Admiral Gregorio was well-known as the oldest officer in the entire Armada and the best defensive tactician in the history of Arcadia. He had been serving empress and country for over fifty years, and was an honorable old commander.
The woman he searched for seemed the opposite of him- shapely, beautiful, cunning and light, her specialty was evasion, deception, and seduction. Admiral Belleza, despite their vast differences, or perhaps because of them, was one of his close friends. She had been defeated by the man who had taken his beloved Prince, and if anyone could help him with his task, it would have to be her. He knocked on her chamber door several times.
The door clicked and stood ajar. Peeking out, she smiled and fully opened the door. "Gregorio, my friend. Welcome. What brings you aboard my flagship?" Her room was surprisingly soft and pink, a gentle contrast to the razor-sharp mind within her. Neither of them paid it much mind- Gregorio and her were both so used to the interior. He stepped in, closing the door behind himself.
"Belleza. I've come to ask your advice." His frowning, determined expression might have been mistaken for hostility with one not so closely familiar with the Admiral as she was.
"You could have done that over radio, Greg, or sent a messenger," She noted, sitting down at her desk and putting away her classified documents and large pen.
"Not without it being monitored. Lord Galcian's growing more paranoid- my personal correspondence is his public fare now. And I want your honest opinion, something impossible to do with less scrupulous overseers about human life." Both of them possessed indomitable moral compasses, and tried to do the best they could in serving the Armada and the Empress. Neither was bloodthirsty, and were both interested in saving lives. Such things would be disdained by the majority of other officers, who were all war hawks.
"Very well. You've come to ask me about Vyse, I suspect. The Silvite is known as much to me as yourself, and the Prince is much more familiar with you." She looked up calmly. "What do you want to know about him?"
"Everything you can tell me," Gregorio simply responded. "I am on a mission to get back the Prince, by force if needed, and any information on the enemy's leader is always welcome." Enrique... why have you done this? Regardless, I will return you home. I swear it on my honor as a Valuan Admiral.
0-0
"That's quite a tale," Landis said, laughing. "You've been through more in four months than we have in our lives! Belleza and DeLoco, huh? I'm impressed. And you've gotten the Delphinus... I guess you always wanted to captain your own ship, so it only seems natural. You're so young, though. No wonder they call you 'Bold'. There's only one thing I don't get. Why are you here now?"
"Just passing through," Vyse replied. "We're going to get new supplies and equipment, meet a friend, and then we're headed for Nasr again."
"Hm... that won't do." Dyne smiled. "How would you feel about taking a slight detour, son? Your mother would love to see you, and Pirate Isle isn't seven hours flight from here. Everyone's been curious for news of your condition."
Vyse looked over at Fina. "Well, Fina? This quest is yours. I'd love to get home, but do we have the time?"
She blushed slightly. "We've not been hunting the Crystals for nearly a month now... another day shouldn't mean much. I wouldn't want to stop you from seeing your family and friends again." Aika smiled at her and she smiled back.
Briggs nodded. "Alright. We still need to get some stuff, and you can do your shopping as well. Meet us down at the docks in an hour." They parted ways there, the teenagers all going to the items shop first, and buying healing and magical crystals.
They went to the weapons shop next, and Vyse began to conduct business with the large muscular man. He bought a new set of cutlasses for a large price and purchased a new set of sailor's tunics for himself and an enchanted ring for both of the girls. Enrique was offered a blade but he declined, saying he was trained only in rapiers.
"What's the difference?" Aika asked.
"A rapier is a more refined, precise-strike weapon," Enrique said, reciting from a textbook he had memorized years ago. "A regular sword is for cutting an enemy, but a royal rapier is a weapon of class and honor, capable of minute attacks and precision unknown with cutlasses. My sword techniques all make use of speed and not strength, so wielding larger swords would throw me off."
A young boy walked out from behind the counter, striking up a conversation. "Hello," He said cheerfully. "My name is Pinata." The kid's skin was slightly bronzed, and his wide, inquisitive eyes were a dark brown. He wore a metal plate outfit that left his rotund belly exposed, and clutched a small wrench in his small hand.
"Hi there," Aika replied, leaning down and beaming. What a cute little kid. "Is this your son, sir?" She asked to the weaponry merchant.
The large man boomed with laugher. "Ah, nah, lass. He ain't my kid. He just hangs around occasional, helps me fix up some stuff. In return I try and answer his various questions. Real curious lad. He's already got his letters, too, and can write plenty."
Pinata glowed under the praise of the shop owner. "Well, I plan to be an explorer some day, and I need all the knowledge I can get. I'm going to be the first Arcadian to visit the Moons, you know."
Vyse smirked. The enormous scope of his stated goal reminded him of his own mission to sail across the entire world. "You talk big for such a little guy, Pinata. I like you. I got my own dream, to see what's beyond the horizon one day..." He paused. "You think you can bear to part with Sailors' Island for a while? I'm Vyse, captain of the Delphinus, and I'm searching for a new Blue Rogue crew."
"Sure," He exclaimed, leaping up excitedly into the air and grinning. "We'll get along just fine, Vyse. I know a whole bunch of stuff and'll help you out with whatever you ask."
The prince blinked. "Vyse, we've already got one young man onboard, and we're taking on another? I do not doubt his intellect, but being aboard our ship is going to be very dangerous. The Armada will stop at nothing to see you dead, not to mention the other obstacles to Fina's quest."
He frowned. "Hey, Enrique, Crown Prince of Valua, I can handle myself, huh? I won't be in the way. I promise. I could even give you tactical information- I listen well to the sailors who put in for new equipment at this shop."
Vyse nodded. "If you accept the risks, you're welcome to join us. You can be the ship's official... 'delegate'. There we go." Pinata quickly joined their group as they made their way out onto the streets. The teenager sighed, stretching out and looking up into the blue sky. "Man... the last time we were here, things were so different... you were our enemy, Enrique, and Fina was a Valuan hostage..." He looked down. "Captain Drachma agreed to help us save everyone here... at Polly's tavern four months ago."
His childhood friend put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "We'll find out what happened to him, alright? The world's not as big as everyone thinks it is. Yes, things are different, but everything's going to work out in the end." She looked up. "Now, let's get back to the docks, and meet back up with Cap'n Dyne-"
"Heard you were lookin' for a pilot." The low, mature voice interrupted her, and the group of Blue Rogues turned to look at it's source. Leaning against the wall of one of the many shops on the opposite side of the street was a thin, wiry man in a purple sailing jacket and with long, black hair that covered most of his face. His arms were crossed, and a heavy air of mystery shrouded his visage.
"Our ship's bigger than we were prepared for," Vyse replied, grinning. "So yes. You looking to sail the skies in the pride of the Armada to fight same Armada, friend?"
"Hm. My employer's motives are no concern of mine, but a good ship is always a bonus. My skills won't come to you for cheap though, Captain. I won't come to work for your crew for any less than ten-thousand, all up front."
"Ten thousand?" Aika's reaction was sorely negative. She frowned and glared at him. "We could almost buy our own ship for that! In fact, I did buy a ship for that two weeks ago!" Both Fina and Enrique silently watched this exchange.
"That's a steep cost for a helmsman," Vyse noted with a chuckle. "We could find a dozen men willing to work for cheaper, or nothing, on this island. What makes you such a valuable commodity?"
"Because I'm the best there is," He said simply.
Pinata frowned. "I've seen you around before... you're on the Imperial wanted lists. Lone Wolf Lawrence... you've got quite a reputation. However, talk is just talk. Why don't you prove it before we pour money at your feet?"
"Fair enough. I want five-thousand on the spot, and I'll work for you for a month. If you like the way I handle your ship, and I guarantee you will, you pay me an additional ten-thousand. For that I'll join your crew full-time until one of us dies or you dismiss me from service." He kicked off against the wall, standing up. "Trust me, if you knew all I was capable of, this is still a bargain."
"I still don't-" Aika was cut off again, this time by Vyse.
"Deal," He said, nodding and pulling out his coin purse. Taking out a rather solid amount, he tossed the common gold coins over. Lawrence spent less than a minute taking a silent count of the currency, then began to follow them. He said nothing else through the short journey to the docks area.
"Hold up for a moment, guys," Vyse told his crew. "Let's go inside the tavern, and see if Polly wants to join. It's unlikely she'll pick up her roots, but who knows. I know I'm not the only one who would appreciate a cook who doesn't do to our stomachs what she's supposed to do to Valuan troopers- OW! Yeesh." He rubbed his shoulder and Aika glared maliciously, following him with the others inside.
"Welcome back," She said, looking up as they all walked into the cozy establishment. "Well, Vyse, looks like you've got a nice following now. Your crew's starting to shape up nicely, good luck on your voyage."
"Actually, that's what we're here to talk about." Pinata said. "Miss Polly, I've had your cooking, everyone has, it's world famous. We'd love it if you would join our noble ranks."
The shapely woman blinked several times. "What, this is a joke, right? Me, an air pirate? I run a tavern, been doing it for twenty years and change. If you're serious about your offer, Vyse, then we need to talk in private in the kitchen." The teenager followed her into the kitchen, leaving his crew to wait. She wheeled on him. "You really want me to sail with you?"
"If you'll come along," He nodded. "You'd be helping to fight Valua, and we see a lot of adventure these days. As long as you accept the risk that some Admiral is going to blast us out of the sky, then we're all good to go. Of course, you probably don't want to, you know... you been doing this so long, and all..."
"Hm. Actually, I started the tavern originally to..." She cut herself off awkwardly, and paused for a moment. "Alright, you're a good enough kid, Vyse. Don't tell anyone else until I say you can, alright? This is private."
"On my honor," He replied. At her dubious look he chuckled. "Hey, I might be a pirate but I'm a Blue Rogue. We're the good guys, remember?"
"Sure. I started originally just to make ends meet, you know... I used to sail, a long time ago. With my husband. We had just had our first kid, and a second one was on the way. A huge storm hit our boat, tore it to shreds. A passing Nasr frigate sent across rescue teams and managed to save me, but our crew, Henry, and Reyes... they never came back." She looked down. "I haven't had much of a chance to sail since then, but I'd love to come along, if you'll help me look for my husband. Henry Robinson."
Vyse instantly replied, "Oh, Polly... sure. You can count on us, we'll help you find him. Eventually you'll need to tell the others but for now, your secret's safe with me."
"... But there's another problem... what'll happen to my Tavern if I'm off with you?"
"Oh, mom, go off on your adventure," A woman said, peeking through the door and smiling. She heavily resembled Polly. "I'm Anne, her kid, by the way. I can run the place while you're sailing with Captain Vyse. Don't worry about it, huh?"
"... Well... alright." Polly nodded. "Consider me a filthy, lying, pirate then."
"Baby steps," Vyse said nonchalantly, leading her out of the kitchen. "And, yet again my wondrous diplomatic ability has scored us a person no doubt vital to our quest to save Arcadia," He bragged, twirling around and smirking. Aika and Fina giggled.
"So, can we finally go?" Aika asked. "Or do we need to recruit a janitor or something? I bet you Cap'n Dyne and the others left without us, heh."
"Right. Blue Rogues, to the docks!" Striking another heroic pose, he led his group forward.
0-0
The Athersprite fit well into the Delphinus's lifeboat hangar, coming to a rest near ten state of the art steel skiffs resting on launch tracks. The old wooden ship was secured to the metal deck by the three Blue Storm pirates, and they emerged. The whole ship's crew had turned out.
Vyse, the youthful captain, was at their head. To either side were his beautiful accomplices, Aika and Fina, and Enrique stood a little behind them. To one side, Lawrence stood quietly, observing as he always did, and Marco looked up in admiration at Dyne and the others. Pinata, David, and the gunnery crew from the Primrose, Belle and two other girls, stood to the other side.
The three girls were younger than Vyse but older than the kids, and the most noticeable feature was the nearly physically impossible size of Belle's breasts. As Vyse put it once to Aika in complaint, 'They might be ok gunners, but they make me have thoughts that would get me locked up in most nations!'. They were cheerier than anyone else, and clumsy but good-meaning.
"Welcome, Dad," Vyse said with a smile. "This is the assortment of scoundrels I've whipped up into a crew so far. There's Belle over there with her friends, from the Primrose, David from the Claudia, Enrique, the Prince of Valua, you've met before, Lawrence, our pilot, a mysterious high-priced sailor enigma, Marco, a street urchin who stowed aboard before we stole the ship, and Pinata, a kid who wants to go to the Moons." He paused for breath and nodded. "And this ship is the Delphinus, the most advanced battle cruiser that was formerly in the Armada."
"I've heard of several of you," Briggs nodded. "A pleasure, all. The dirigible next to me is Landis. We're Dyne's main co-conspirators."
Landis blinked. "Dirigible... did he just insult me, boss?"
"I do believe he did," Dyne confirmed, smiling. "Well, son, like I said before, you've had so little time and yet you've truly changed the world. This ship is the most powerful I've ever seen. Everyone else will love to see it as well." He stepped forward, staring at Enrique. "We meet again. Me and my men all owe you our lives, your Majesty."
Enrique blushed slightly. "No, it was nothing, really. I only did it as an act of humanity.. .and please, call me Enrique, like Vyse and everyone else does. I'm a rebel prince now, and will resist Valua's evil ways with my very life."
Dyne nodded in approval. "You'll do just fine as a Blue Rogue, son. Well, Vyse, let's get up and see just how fast this pile of metal is. Your mother has an embarrassing level of charged up affection waiting for you at home."