Chapter 7
Flashback – Fall 1769
Nadir and I walked down to the docks noticing that there were several people there. Curious as to what was going on, Nadir and I stopped. For the last several months we had been searching for a ship to procure. However, as luck would have it, there was not much outside of potentially building a ship from the ground up, which was not in the budget, and time was not on our side. If Erik was compromised, we needed to act fast. It had already taken us 4 months to recruit for the ship, but all would be no good if we could not procure a ship at all. Upon reaching the docks I noticed a ship with several people surrounding it. I looked at Nadir with a questioning glance. He was quick to speak to one of the people close by.
"Monsieur, forgive me, but what seems to be happening?" Nadir asked.
A man of average height, who looked very much like a sailor or at least sea man, turned and replied.
"Eye sir, the ship. She is being auctioned off. A unique vessel that one, something frankly not heard of here. Everyone wants her, but the seller be uptight, and refuses any offers. The people, they be gettin angry." Nadir nodded and turned to me with a questioning look.
I shrugged, it could be worth a look, however first, we needed to figure out why the seller was seemingly refusing to sell. I nodded to let him know that we should take a look. I quickly pulled up my hood on my robes and looked at Nadir. He waved me away to allow me to start the search. Making my way around the group of people I couldn't help but overhear some of their comments.
"How do ye expect to sell if ya refuse every offer given!?"
"Ye are maki'n us out to be fools!"
"I have already told you, I am not the owner of the ship, I currently am overseeing it, while the owner has stepped away! I can't sell it to you because, I don't have claim!"
"Why don't ye step away lass, before ye get hurt! Leave this to the men!"
That caught my attention. Getting a better look, I noticed that there was a woman standing between the group of men, and access to the ship. She was average in height, if not on the shorter side, and her hair was cut short, which was uncommon for most women, however if she was a seasoned sailor, perhaps short cut was supposed be slightly more masculine to avoid confrontation of the male variety. She also wore breeches with high cut black boots covering up above the knee, with a loose poet shirt, that seemed to have been altered to give both a feminine but still inherently masculine look. I started to make my way towards the young woman, interested in wanting to know more about the situation.
"Excuse me!? What right do ye have to tell me that! I am a seasoned sailor just the same as you. But because I am a woman, I don't have the same right or courtesy?!"
I stopped short, this woman had bite. She seemed not too keen on misogynistic talk among the group of men. This only heightened my curiosity. I pushed my way through the crowd and took a step up on the gang plank.
"I believe the lady, has made the position clear. The ship, while it is for sale, cannot be sold at this time. I suggest you all step away. Once the ship's owner has returned, I am sure the auction will resume." I stated above the crowd.
"Oh great, another wise mouthed woman! I say, what is the world coming to, where women are attempting to do a man's job. They should be at home cooking and cleaning and attending to their husbands!" An older gentleman stated.
At that I could hear the sound of boots walking down the gangplank. "Did it ever occur to you that I don't want to be sold like property to a man!?" the woman said angrily.
I held up my arm, stopping her from going any further. I turned to look at her trying to get her stay right where she was. "What's you name Monsieur?" I asked my tone tight.
"Phillipe. Phillipe de Louis."
"Well Phillipe, your world is changing, and I think it might be best for you step away from the situation before this woman and you do something I am sure you will regret." I stated calmly.
"Please as if she could take me on. She is a woman for crying out loud!"
Suddenly the woman in question managed to run past me before I could stop her and ran towards the man—Phillipe. She tackled him to the ground and began to use her fists before several people managed to pull them apart. I came up behind guiding the woman to my side once more.
"I think it would be best if everyone disperses, you have no reason to be here. Please return to your duties." I stated to the crowd.
I caught the eye of Phillipe, who continued to glare at the woman beside me. I turned my back wanting to speak with the woman in question when all of the sudden I heard the unmistakable sound of someone pulling what likely was a rapier out. Everything happened so fast, but I flicked open one of my hidden blades and grabbed the small dagger that I kept at my waist. I stopped Phillipe's swing with my blade and held the dagger up to his neck.
"You have made a very poor choice in escalating this further. I suggest you leave before I take matters into my own hands." I said, still holding the dagger precariously close to his neck.
Phillipe nodded quickly, and I let him go. I still stood by just in case he had a second wind, but he quickly sheathed his rapier and ran off with his proverbial tail between his legs. I couldn't help but smirk. I guess what they said is true, all men really were dogs. I turned to face the woman again who still stood defensively. I quickly sheathed my dagger and hidden blade.
"Mademoiselle, are you quite alright?" I asked.
She turned to look at me, nodded and replied. "You didn't have to go to all that trouble, I could have handled it."
I let out a small chuckle. "I am sure that you very well could have, of that I have no doubt. I must say, you certainly are not one to take any talk from the male variety." I said.
"Well, that is what one must do, especially when you have been on the sea as much as I have. Though I will say that that was the first time that I have had to deal with the snobbish type. Most of the men that I come toe to toe with are sailors like myself, who think that they know better, regardless of if I did grow up around the docks and ships. Not to mention that my father was a merchant and often would take my brother and I out on his journeys after my mother passed." The woman explained.
I could only nod, both in understanding and in sympathy. "Well Mademoiselle, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" I asked.
"Oh, apologies, the name is Echo. Just Echo." The woman replied.
"Echo. That is quite unique. I take it that you are not from around here, are you?" I stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"That is correct Mademoiselle, I actually hail from England originally, however, my family and I moved out to the colonies, for a short time, but when my father passed away just last year, it was up to my brother and I to run things. We found that we couldn't stay in the colonies without the means to make money, and because both my brother and I never had a formal education, we just stuck to what we knew best, running my father's merchant business." Echo explained.
"I see, and this brother of yours I take is the owner of the ship that you alluded to?" I asked.
"Well, no not really. My brother has just passed. Typhoid fever. I am not entirely sure how he caught it, but it ended up taking many of the crew as well. Now all that is left is me and the few ladies who used to work with the crew as well." Echo said.
"I see. If I may ask, is the ship truly for sale?" I asked.
I could see the sadness in Echo's eyes. If there was one thing that was clear, she was not ready to give up the one thing that she had left of her family. In most scenarios, if she did sell, that wouldn't keep her off the street indefinitely. She would likely have to marry to ensure that she had a roof over her head, that or she would have to find work as a seamstress, which could work.
"Mademoiselle, while it is true, the ship is for sale. I find that I am having difficulty parting with it. It is the last thing that I own, and while many of the gentlemen have come forward and offered a good sum, I just can't bear to part with the ship that I grew up on. But I am not sure what I can do. I need the money, but then I know that I would likely have to marry which I don't want to do, or find another line of work, but trading is all I have known. I know how to do a little bit of sewing. My mother taught me how, but I am not as proficient as some would want. I also fear that if I did sell, I fear that the ship would likely be used in combat if anything and she would be destroyed. I would never see her again." Echo explained.
I couldn't imagine having to part with the last thing that you had of your family. Though, I could understand somewhat because of my own father's death. However, it was no easy task. Echo already lost her mother, followed by her father recently, and now her brother as well. Though an idea struck my mind.
"Echo, what if I told you that you could sell the ship but still be able to use it?" I said.
"How would that work out Mademoiselle? No one that I have talked to wants a lady on their ship, much less the previous owner of the ship." Echo said.
"Echo, it just so happens that I need a ship, and by the looks of this one, she is a fine vessel. While she would not be inherently used for combat, she would need to be outfitted with such, just in case, especially with the line of work that I do. I also happen to be looking for a first mate as well. You see I am not nearly as seasoned a sea fairer as you, and I would need someone to help me out who knew what they were doing. You seem like a fine woman who knows her way in and out of the ship and I know that I could learn a great deal from you. And as an added bonus, my crew are all female, some of them have some prior sea fairing experience, but you would be the one with the most. I would even take on the rest of your crew if they would care to continue that line of work as well. What do you say?" I asked.
A thoughtful look crossed Echo's face, before she stuck out her hand. "I say I am in Mademoiselle, you won't even need to pay for it, if I am to be your first mate, that will be reward enough. But there is one more thing I must ask."
"And that would be?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What is the name of the new captain?"
I smiled and shook Echo's outstretched hand. "Christine, pleasure to meet you. I say, does she have a name?"
"No, she has yet to be christened. What were you thinking?" Echo asked.
"I was thinking…Aria." I replied.
From there everything fell into place. Once I procured the ship, Echo, true to her word, helped me with outfitting the Aria with the combat tools needed, and some very much needed upgrades. The Aria itself was known as a Sloop of War, she was a fine vessel and by the time she had been upgraded, she was ready for combat, war, and everything in between. In no time she was ready for her maiden voyage, and so was I. It was time to start tracking down Erik's last known location, which Nadir had said was near the colonies. No doubt that is where Erik had managed to track Lee, however, I didn't know what had sent him under the radar. The only person who would possibly know would be Nadir, but he kept that information to himself for the time being. Likely due to Erik's request. For now, all I could do was set sail towards the colonies and attempt to find Erik or at least find information on him.
Echo, Nadir, and I sat in Giry parlor, where we were planning our first voyage. Both Meg and Madam Giry were still at the Opera House, finishing up the day. I had handed Madam Giry a letter to give to the managers, entailing my official resignation. While of course I had only dined to take a permanent leave of absence, I had never turned in my official resignation, with me getting ready to head out to sea, I needed to have no strings attached to me that could keep me here. Madam Giry gladly took the letter and said she would deliver it promptly.
"I think that the best route, would be the North Atlantic Rout. While most of it is a straight shot, until we reach the colonies. We do go towards Great Britain along the way before we are in complete open water. With luck we should be able to avoid any issues, but we will need to keep our eyes open around the borders, especially the ports, so that we are not detected by any war ships. If my calculations are correct, we could make anywhere from one stop up to five depending on where we stand with supplies once we reach the colonies. Providing that the winds are good it should take us about three months to sail to Boston. We hopefully won't run into any serious trouble with the route. We also need to keep an eye out for any Pirates, they could attempt to take the ship hostage. Hopefully this will be an easy enough journey." Echo explained while outlining the route we would take and circling the areas where it would be safe to stop.
"Ok, this doesn't seem too bad. Hopefully we can get there sooner rather than later, but I will have to see as far as the crew is concerned." I replied in a thoughtful tone.
"I agree with the route, that would likely be the fastest option." Nadir finally said from beside me.
"Alright, then it is settled. We will leave at dawn in two weeks' time. I'll be sure to make correspondence with the crew who have not already boarded the ship. They should arrive within the week. Echo, if you would be so kind as to greet the remaining few who will be joining the crew."
"Of course, I will see to it." Echo nodded.
"Nadir, we need to see about getting our hands on more supplies so that we can be as well stocked as possible before the journey. I don't want any of my crew to go hungry and I want to ensure that there is plenty of food and water. I also want you to check on the ammo stock before we leave as well. Make a judgement call on whether we have enough or not. Let me know if we need to purchase more, and I will supply the funds." I explained
Nadir nodded. "Of course, I will see to it. But Christine, please try and get some rest in the next couple of weeks. We need to ensure that our fearless captain is well enough to go on the journey. Don't think that I don't know that you haven't been sleeping well, young lady." Nadir said.
I could only smile and nod to appease him.
"Alright then, Nadir, I will see you out, along with you as well Echo, I will need to make correspondence letters so that they can be delivered as soon as possible." I explained.
As soon as the door closed, I turned and reveled in silence. Soon. Soon I will be with Erik again. Soon I will be able to put my father's murder to rest.
Two weeks had come and gone and soon enough everyone was gathered at the docks. I said a tearful goodbye to Madam Giry and Meg. They had been my family for so long and had always been there for me. I wished that they could have come along with me, but I knew that the voyage could turn dangerous, especially if we came across any Templar ships along the way. The last thing that I needed was another from my family hurt.
"Now, I expect you to write young lady. Regardless of the fact that you are a well-trained Assassin, I still expect to keep correspondence with you." Madam Giry said in her stern no nonsense voice.
"What she means is, that we want to hear about all of the adventures that you will have once you are out there. Please don't forget us, or Paris. We shall miss you, Christine." Meg said as she came up to hug me tightly. I couldn't help but return the hug with just as much vigor. Meg had been the little sister that I never knew I needed. Letting each other out of the embrace, we wiped our eyes slightly. I turned and gave Madam Giry one more hug as well.
"Rest assured ladies, Christine is in good hands with me, and as well as her crew. She has hired a very good one." Nadir said.
With one last wave, I walked up the gang plank and onto the ship.
